The Manila Times back issues from May 2008:
The case of the missing bill
May 08, 2008 ... A FUNNY thing happened to the Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality Medicines Act on its way to the presidential palace. It got lost.This is what some Filipinos and the sponsors of the bill suspect. They fear the bill may have not reached the Office of the President. Mrs. Gloria Arroyo to ...
Binay takes up cudgel for municipal chief executives from Mindanao
May 08, 2008; ... United Opposition (UNO) president and Makati City Mayor Jejomar Binay is urging Trade and Industry Secretary Peter Favila to apologize to Tagoloan Mayor Paulino Emano and Villanueva Mayor Julliette Uy, both from Misamis Oriental, over the controversy which spawned through charges of bribery and ...
Ayala Land net rises on home sales
May 08, 2008 ... AYALA Land Inc.(ALI) announced on Wednesday that its first-quarter profit jumped on the back of higher revenues from its residential and construction businesses. ALI disclosed that its net income for the period grew by 42 percent to P1.83 billion year on year as consolidated revenues ...
Asians told to rein in prices: Moody's: $80-B Asean fund too unwieldy
May 08, 2008; ... Asian economies should make a priority the immediate implementation of measures to contain high inflation, instead of setting up a foreign-reserve pool, the US-based credit rating firm Moody's Investors Service said. Member-countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) ...
BIR sets tax rates on maiden share sales
May 08, 2008; ... THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has imposed a new schedule of tax rates on the sale of shares through an initial public offering (IPO). According to the revenue regulation, every sale, barter, exchange or other disposition of shares of stock through IPO will be levied a transaction ...
Certified epidemic: Viral videos on the loose
May 08, 2008; ... They are viral-so contagiously funny, embarrassing or outrageous that you just have to share them with others and spread the word. Filipinos are gaining both fame and notoriety on the Internet with video postings on the YouTube.com. In the process we are showing the world both our wit and our ...
SM Prime profit growth slows amid high inflation
May 08, 2008 ... THE Philippines' largest mall owner and operator announced that its first-quarter profit rose at a slower pace this year. In a statement, SM Prime Holdings (SMPH) said its net income in the first three months this year grew by 7 percent to P1.6 billion. This was slower than the ...
Panay in ancient Chinese records
May 08, 2008; ... (Editor's Note: The Sixth Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards for Excellence awarding ceremony will be held on June 14, 2008, 7 p.m., at the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center on Anda and Cabildo Streets, Intramuros, Manila.) Two places in Panay appeared in early 17th-century Chinese records: ...
PLDT unit sets capex for DTH rollout
May 08, 2008; ... A UNIT of Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) has set aside more than half a billion pesos this year for the rollout of its direct-to-home (DTH) satellite television service. Orlando Vea, MediaQuest Holdings Inc. president, told reporters the company would spend an initial ...
Power outages cut Globe's growth in Visayas-Mindanao
May 08, 2008; ... GLOBE Telecom Inc. on Wednesday said it lost potential subscribers in the first quarter of the year owing to network disruptions caused by power outages in the Visayas and Mindanao. The Ayala-led telecom company's disclosure foreshadows the potential business losses that the looming ...
Philamlife's revenues rise as life business surges
May 08, 2008; ... PHILIPPINE American Life and General Insurance Co. (Philamlife) on Wednesday said it grew by double-digits last year, with its life insurance business enjoying a surge in new policies. Jose Cuisia, Philamlife president, said the company, a member of the American Insurance Group (AIG), ...
Procter & Gamble opens distribution center for local, export sales
May 08, 2008; ... PROCTER and Gamble (P&G) Philippines Inc. has opened a new distribution center in Cabuyao, Laguna, in a move to build up its domestic and export capacity, the company announced Wednesday. The new distribution facility costing P380 million is expected to boost production and movement ...
RP reserves grow despite risk aversion
May 08, 2008; ... THE country's dollar reserves continued to grow at double-digits last month compared with a year ago, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said. In a statement, BSP Deputy Gov. Nestor Espenilla Jr. said the country's gross international reserves (GIR) rose to $36.7 billion in April ...
Malacañang gives up rice to private sector
May 08, 2008; ... President Gloria Arroyo issued an order early this month that encourages large firms to provide rice for their employees through production or importation. She said either corporate step will help cushion the impact of international price increases of the staple on Filipinos. President Arroyo ...
Maynilad, Landco shore up Metro Pacific's first-quarter net income
May 08, 2008 ... METRO Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC) on Wednesday said its profits for the first three months this year fell due to the absence of extraordinary gains recorded last year. In a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange, the company said its net income, including the non-recurring ...
Gabica notches 2nd win
May 08, 2008; ... ANTONIO GABICA notched two straight wins to lead the march of favorites in the Mandaluyong Mayor's Cup 10-Ball Championship Wednesday at the Kaban ng Hiyas Building in Mandaluyong City. The Doha Asian Games gold medal winner in 9-ball defeated Richard Rollo, 9-5, and Silverio Tulabing, ...
Coffee Kings earn semis berth
May 08, 2008 ... FORD ARAO finally shone for San Mig Coffee Wednesday as the Coffee Kings outlasted the Toyota Otis Sparks, 68-64, and clinched the fourth and last semis berth in the PBL Lipovitan Amino Sports Cup at the Oreta Sports Center in Malabon City. With the Coffee Kings were protecting a slim ...
Cinematic aid from PLDT-Smart Foundation
May 08, 2008; ... AN initiative of the PLDT-Smart Foundation-named Cinemabuhay-created to help the Philippine movie industry move forward, has announced the film "Cul de Sac" as recipient of the 2008 Cinemabuhay grant amounting to P1 million. The movie-which was selected over 37 other entries and to be written ...
Manila Water marks projects' completion
May 08, 2008; ... MAYNILAD Water Services Inc. has announced the completion of its multi-billion peso projects aimed at increasing water supply and pressure in the southern part of Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System's West Zone concession. In a statement, Maynilad said the P8-billion worth of ...
New Calaca power plant owner seeks loan, political risk guarantee from ADB
May 08, 2008; ... A UNIT of Belgian firm Suez-Tractebel S.A. is seeking loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to finance the refurbishment of the Calaca coal-fired thermal power plant. In its loan document dated April, the Manila-based lender said Emerald Energy Corp. (EEC), a company ...
Mayor subject of suspension anew
May 08, 2008; ... Rodriguez, Rizal: Mayor Pedro Cuerpo and three other officials are facing possible suspension from the Sandiganbayan for allegedly conspiring and figuring in the forcible demolition of tents and temporary shelters of several town residents.In a petition, Ombudsman Special Assistant ...
Oil refiner's profit dips despite record crude prices: Gokongweis want Petron
May 08, 2008 ... THE Gokongwei group wants to acquire a substantial interest in the Philippines' largest oil refiner, government and company source said on Wednesday The separate announcements by the Department of Energy and JG Summit Holdings Inc. came on the day Petron Corp. disclosed that its ...
Govt awards oil, gas exploration contracts
May 08, 2008; ... THE Department of Energy yesterday awarded five petroleum exploration service contracts that were auctioned two years ago to four oil companies. These were the Miocene Mining and Energy Corp. (MMEC), Helios Petroleum and Gas Corp. (HPGC), Burgundy Global Exploration Corp. (BGEC), and ...
Gov. guilty of graft charges-Sandiganbayan
May 08, 2008; ... THE Sandiganbayan Special 2nd Division found guilty for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act a former governor of Quirino Province for entering into a contract of buying reconditioned heavy equipment instead of brand new ones as authorized by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan. ...
Govt mulls discounts on residential Meralco bills
May 08, 2008; ... In an effort to alleviate consumers' plight amid the soaring prices of commodities, the government is considering offering discounts on residential power rates similar to what industries are enjoying at present. Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, during a media briefing on Wednesday, said ...
Independent travel agents see open skies causing more problems
May 08, 2008; ... THE National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas) on Wednesday deplored attempts by open skies proponents to use the overseas Filipino workers as pawns in their bid to unilaterally open up the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) and Subic International Airport to ...
Lawmaker wants church lands in CARP: Rep. Iggy Arroyo says bishops should give up their landholdings for distribution
May 08, 2008; ... BACOLOD CITY: Lashing back at the recent call of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) urging the Department of Land Reform to subject the First Family's landholdings to land reform, Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio Arroyo (5th district) reacted and dared the bishops to ...
Earthquakes rock three provinces in Bicol region
May 08, 2008; ... LEGAZPI CITY: Earthquakes with magnitudes of 4.8 and 4.6 in the Richter scale rocked the provinces of Albay, Sorsogon and Masbate on Wednesday. Ed Laguerta, chief of Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology in Bicol said intensity 5 was felt in Bulan while intensity 3 was ...
DILG 'clears' Hanjin in bribery issue to the satisfaction of President Arroyo
May 08, 2008; ... President Gloria Arroyo is satisfied with the report of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) that absolved Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp. from alleged bribery, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said. Ermita said the President met with local officials of Misamis ...
Customs exceeds April revenue goal
May 08, 2008; ... AFTER a negative performance in January to March, the Bureau of Customs (BOC) announced Wednesday it exceeded its collection target for April. In a statement, Customs Commissioner Napoleon Morales said the bureau surpassed its collection goal for April by P30 million to reach P21.76 ...
Esperon to revamp top brass
May 08, 2008; ... The Armed Forces chief, Gen. Hemogenes Esperon Jr., on Wednesday disclosed that there will be changes from top to bottom in the military during the second half of the year. He is set to retire from the service this month. Esperon, however, assured that despite the planned changes, there ...
FEU, USJ-R spikers in vital encounter
May 11, 2008 ... FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY (FEU) and University of San Jose-Recoletos (USJ-R) face each other in a crucial game Sunday even as St. Benilde and University of St. La Salle-Bacolod (USLS) knock each other out in the quarterfinal round of the Shakey's V-League Season 5 at The Arena in San Juan. ...
Saludar enters final in ABAP Nat'l Open
May 11, 2008 ... FROILAN SALUDAR scored an RSC-Outscored win in the second round against Cebuano Gerson Mercado on Friday to reach the seniors light flyweight finals in the 2008 PLDT-Smart National Open, Youth and Women's Amateur Boxing Championships at the Robinson's Place in Iloilo City. The win sent ...
Call centers asked to look after manpower's health
May 11, 2008 ... Call centers, as part of the business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry, must follow guidelines set by the Occupational Safety and Health Center (OSHC) of the Department of Labor and Employment to promote the health and well-being of thousands of call-center agents in the country. The ...
19th-century short stories about the Chinese in RP
May 11, 2008; ... (Editor's Note: The Sixth Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards for Excellence awarding ceremony will be held on June 14, 2008, 7 p.m., at the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center on Anda and Cabildo Streets, Intramuros, Manila.) Four years ago, the Department of Modern Languages, School of Humanities ...
Deciphering your Meralco bill
May 11, 2008 ... THE government-Meralco war fails to electrify the country because most of the issues are way above the head of the consumers. Apart from their concern with rising electricity costs, the people have difficulty relating to the other issues enveloping the controversy. One of our ...
Weekend increases in pump prices continue
May 11, 2008; ... Pump prices have continued with their abrupt increases as oil companies implemented another peso increase in the price of their fuel products at the start of the weekend. Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., Chevron Philippines Inc., Total (Philippines) Corp., Unioil Petroleum ...
Speaker N's inner circle includes anti-GMA reps
May 11, 2008; ...My assignment was to find the answers to these and other questions so I can give readers of The Manila Times an inside look into the new power structure of the three-month-old regime of Speaker Nograles. Speaker Nograles consults regularly with his close fellow-congressmen allies and ...
Siso, Guba rule Head netfest
May 11, 2008 ... Bernardine NiÑo Siso and Martina Guba won two titles each at the close of the Head Junior Tennis Tour on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Tennis Center. Siso, winner of seven gold medals in the 14-under division of the International Junior Tennis Tour in Malaysia last year, defeated ...
Committee chairmanships basically the same . . . for now
May 11, 2008; ... First of two parts Committee chairmanships are fundamentally the same with the House under the leadership of Speaker Prospero Nograles as it was under former Speaker Jose de Venecia. But, a source told The Manila Times, the House leadership will soon carry out a re-organization ...
On the benefits of breastfeeding
May 11, 2008; ... There can be no better icon of motherly affection than the act of breastfeeding. Since time immemorial, breastfeeding has connoted the pure and unadulterated love of a mother to her child. Sadly, this loving and healthy practice has entered an unabated decline in the last few decades. ...
Pals eye 6th win vs. Kings
May 11, 2008; ... TALK 'N TEXT tries to get back in the win column again as it tangles with Barangay Ginebra on Sunday in the 2008 Smart-PBA Fiesta Conference at the Araneta Coliseum. The Phone Pals, who slid to second after losing to Welcoat 108-116 on Friday, shoot for their sixth win against the Kings ...
COFFI golf on May 16
May 11, 2008 ... THE Circle of Friends Foundation, Inc. (COFFI) will hold a golf tournament on May 16 at the Ayala Greenfield and Leisure Club in Calamba, Laguna. Now on its third staging, the event aims to raise funds for COFFI's Wheelmobile project which provides transportation for wheelchair-bound ...
NFA rice worth P6M 'missing' in Maguindanao
May 11, 2008; ... GENERAL SANTOS CITY: President Gloria Arroyo has ordered the National Food Authority (NFA) in Manila to investigate the alleged loss of nine truckloads of government rice worth P6.142 million. NFA lawyer Ernesto Catis and two other personnel have been in this city for a week to look ...
Quorum lack could shelve rights bill
May 11, 2008; ... THE numbers game could derail a human-rights bill deemed important by its author. Nueva Ecija Rep. Eduardo Nonato Joson, chief proponent of House Bill 556, or the Extra-Judicial Killing Act of 2008, over the weekend expressed fears that the measure might be shelved due to "lack of ...
Rebellion in South RP's 'problem': Bishop: Malaysian pullout tells Manila alone can solve insurgency
May 11, 2008; ... A Roman Catholic bishop from Basilan on Saturday said the pullout of Malaysia as a truce observer from the country's southern Mindanao region should serve as a reminder to the Philippine government that it alone could bring peace there. According to Bishop Martin Jumoad of the prelature ...
House transparency, accessibility goals of new image management team
May 11, 2008; ... ONE of the first things Speaker Prospero Nograles did was create a a four-man "image management team" to implement various image-building projects for the House of Representatives which has consistently got poor ratings in SWS and Pulse Asia surveys.The "image management team" is ...
First Subic-made ship to leave for Greece
May 11, 2008 ... SUBIC BAY Freeport: The first-ever ship made in Subic is set to undergo sea trial on May 27 before it leaves Subic port for Greece next month. Hanjin and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) officials over the weekend said Hanjin workers have finished outfitting the vessel the ...
Minority reps feel new leadership treats them with proper respect
May 11, 2008; ... WITH the present House leadership under Speaker Prospero Nograles there is a bridge of constant communication between the majority and the minority in the chamber. This allows the minority to scrutinize measures of national importance. This is how House Minority Leader Ronaldo Zamora ...
Negros mulls hydro power plant in Bago City
May 11, 2008; ... BACOLOD CITY: "Water, water everywhere but no light in sight." This irony may finally be over for Negros Occidental, with the provincial government considering a proposal to build a hydroelectric power plant that will provide the province a source of self-sustaining renewable energy. ...
House power blocs work now with Nogie as they did with JdV
May 11, 2008; ... IF former Speaker Jose de Venecia had the "Pangasinan Express"-which included a lot of northern Luzon congressmen-Speaker Prospero Nograles has the "Mindanao Bloc." He has cultivated the loyalty of these congressmen and congresswomen, a 60-person strong bloc committed to be personally ...
Labor department defends suspension of OFW loans
May 11, 2008; ... THE Department of Labor and Employment on Saturday defended its move of suspending loans for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). It said that with less than one-third of the loans being repaid, the suspension is a necessary measure to stop the drain that threatens OFW funds. "The measure ...
Revamp of Napocor board sought
May 11, 2008 ... The government should consider revamping the management of National Power Corp. (Napocor) in the light of revelation made by the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) that the state-owned power firm had over-recovered P10 billion in generation charges from its customers. The suggestion was made ...
A great physicist
May 12, 2008; ... (Editor's Note: The Sixth Dr. Jose P. Rizal Awards for Excellence awarding ceremony will be held on June 14, 2008, 7 p.m., at the Kaisa-Angelo King Heritage Center on Anda and Cabildo Streets, Intramuros, Manila.) Of the 11 members of the Philippine Atomic Energy Commission set up in ...
Authority gives nod to SM North Annex station
May 12, 2008; ... SM Prime Holdings Inc. and state-run Light Rail Transit Authority (LRTA) are finalizing an agreement for the construction of an additional station for the Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT 1) North Extension project in Quezon City. The LRTA said the additional station will be located in ...
Bacolod bishop urges faithful to join 2-day transport strike
May 12, 2008; ... BACOLOD CITY: Bacolod Bishop Vicente Navarra enjoins the Catholic faithful to join the two-day transportation strike today and show their "indignation" to spiraling fuel costs. Organizers believe they can paralyze 95 percent of public transport, although authorities expect a much lower ...
Bayan wireless service trumps rivals in survey
May 12, 2008; ... AMID rising food prices, people in Metro Manila prefer a telecom service provider that offers cheaper rates and a wide coverage network, according to a survey. In the poll, the Institute of Transformative Marketing Communications (ITMC) said majority of respondents favored Bayan ...
Biggest bank in China seen to expand in Philippines
May 12, 2008; ... AFTER infrastructure, agriculture and telecommunications, China wants to establish a presence in the Philippine banking industry. China's biggest commercial bank wants to expand into the Philippines through the acquisition of local lenders or joint ventures with them, the Department of ...
Bunye back to banking, will be GMA adviser
May 12, 2008; ... Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said he is leaving President Gloria Arroyo's official family next month "to fulfill a wish of going back to banking." Bunye, however, will not be entirely out of Malacañang. He said he will serve also as political adviser to President Arroyo. In ...
Diocese of Kalibo maintains anti-casino stance in Boracay
May 12, 2008 ... BORACAY ISLAND: The Catholic Church here reiterated its opposition to the planned casino in Boracay Island, reported Panay News. The proposal reportedly came from the state-owned Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR). Sources at the Diocese of Kalibo disclosed that a PAGCOR ...
Draft law affirms patent rights of drug firms
May 12, 2008; ... IT WON'T be over even after the lady signs. And even after she signs it, the fight for popular access to affordable medicines won't be over. All that the cheaper medicines bill needs to be enacted into law is the signature of President Gloria Arroyo. But some legal experts lament that ...
Cebu Pacific bags tax incentive, other perks for fIeet expansion
May 12, 2008; ... CEBU Air Inc. has bagged tax incentives and other perks from the Board of Investments (BOI) for the company's plan to acquire brand new aircraft in the next two years. In its application for fiscal incentives, the operator of Cebu Pacific said it will invest P5.52 billion for the ...
EDC plans nationwide wind power projects
May 12, 2008; ... PHILIPPINE National Oil Co.-Energy Development Corp. (EDC) plans to put up wind power projects across the country, one of the company's directors said. Vincent S. Perez, EDC director, said the company has set its sights on the clean energy source, and is reviewing the feasibility of ...
FEDERALISM NOW? Simplifying govt should be our first concern
May 12, 2008; ... Those who advocate federalism now may be jumping the gun. That "there can be no sound decentralization until there has first been centralization" is apparently an axiom among students of public administration. And despite the executive branch's tremendous de facto powers (that of the purse being ...
Finance orders to suspend BIR's new tax rule on insurers
May 12, 2008; ... THE Department of Finance ordered the suspension of a Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) circular imposing new taxes on insurance companies after receiving several complaints from industry players. "I'm suspending it until we talk to the sector," Finance Undersecretary Gil Beltran told ...