Manila begins hostage crisis probe

Authorities in the Philippines have

Meralco seeks P18B in under recoveries

BY JOHN POQUIZ Manila Electric Co., the country’s largest power distribution company, has asked the Energy Regulatory Commission to allow it to raise rates by 35 percent in the next five years to P1.90 per kilowatt-hour.

Aquino orders formation of elite strike force

MANILA, Philippines—President Aquino has ordered the creation of an ‘elite strike force’ that could be quickly deployed anywhere in the country to address crisis situations such as the hostage incident that resulted in the deaths of eight Hong Kong tourists on Monday. Secretary Herminio Coloma of the Presidential Communications and Operations…

Filipinos world’s top viewers of Web videos-media agency

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino Internet users have been tagged as the world’s top viewers of videos streamed over the Internet on sites like YouTube, a global social media tracker said. Global media agency Universal McCann’s Power to the People said its recent survey showed the Philippines having the highest percentage of Internet users that watch videos online, despite the country’s relatively low number of households connected to the…

Philippine hostage crisis puts pressure on Aquino

Philippines defended its handling of a bloody hostage siege that has added to pressure on Aquino to show if he can pull the country out of years of poor management and decline. There was anger in China over the chaotic rescue, and Hong Kong’s chief executive said he was unable to contact Aquino during the crisis in which eight tourists from Hong Kong and their disgruntled ex-policemen kidnapper were killed. Hong Kong advised residents against travel to the Philippines, and in China the widely-read tabloid the Global Times, run by Communist Party mouthpiece the People’s Daily, said the botched rescue reflected a deeper malaise

Dengue cases rise to 48,000

BY GILBERT BAYORAN –> BACOLOD CITY – Tourism Assistant Secretary Maria Victoria Jasmin on Sunday warned that the dengue problem may drive tourists away if health authorities fail to address the problem. Jasmin told the Western Visayas Regional Tourism Congress that tourists will think twice if they read about the spread of dengue in the country.

Global warming may have increased proliferation of dengue-carrying mosquito

BY PAUL ICAMINA –> GLOBAL warming may have accelerated the proliferation of the mosquito that carries the dengue virus, according to the first local study on the effect of increased temperature on the aedes aegypti mosquito.

Asians more attuned to fuel saving than Europeans

AS PRICES of petroleum products continue to soar, motorists worldwide have started to look for ways to save on the fuel they consume. In the Philippines, much attention is given to any potential fuel-saving measures, as the country imports over 90 percent of its crude and petroleum requirements and is thus, highly vulnerable to any price movements in the international market.

Philippine farm policy deepens poverty: report

AFP , MANILA Misguided farming policies, including land reform, are keeping millions in the Philippines poor, according to a report released by the World Bank this week. The report said only the manufacturing and service sectors, which require huge capital and skilled workers, had grown significantly over the last decade while agriculture, which employs most of the non-skilled, faltered.

RP to ask private sector to build airport terminals

MANILA, Philippines—The cash-strapped Philippines said Wednesday it will call on the private sector to help build up to six airport terminals as it bids to boost the country’s finances through increased tourism. With the government needing to create jobs to ease widespread poverty while faced with a huge budget deficit for at least…

Aquino believes social transformation now taking place

MANILA, Philippines—President Benigno Aquino III indicated, through anecdotes that he shared in Malacañang on Friday, that the country is slowly on the way to social transformation. Just as a traffic enforcer of the Metro Manila Development Authority cited the…

PAGCOR suspends issuance of new casino franchises

MANILA, Philippines — Bad news for casino operators and investors. Philippine Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) announced on Sunday that it was freezing applications for casino franchises following President Benigno Aquino III’s decision to stem the mushrooming of gambling facilities in the country.

Aquino puts foot down on self aggrandizement

MANILA, Philippines—Despite three terms as congressman, half a term as senator and now as the country’s new President, Benigno Aquino III remains a bashful person, claiming he feels uncomfortable with special attention. A day after he junked the idea of naming two government programs after himself, President Aquino announced that he has asked the Presidential Management Staff to tell all agencies to stop using his name and likeness in projects and propaganda.

‘Legalized abortion to hike excommunication cases’

ARCHBISHOP emeritus Oscar Cruz, an expert in Church law and former president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, yesterday said the number of candidates for excommunication could increase once abortion is legalized in the country. Cruz said its legalization would almost certainly result to an increase in the number…

BSP hails arrest of De los Angeles over Legacy scam

MANILA, Philippines — The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas hailed the arrest of businessman Celso Delos Angeles on Tuesday, over the Legacy financing scam, saying this would build the momentum for its efforts to crack down on unscrupulous personalities in the country’s banking sector. “This [arrest of Delos Angeles] is a very encouraging and positive development.

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