Good News....

[omad]

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Tuesday, May 16, 2006
New complex to rise in Uniwide bldg. site

Another commercial establishment will soon rise on a 5.9-hectare lot occupied by the unfinished Uniwide building at the Mandaue Reclamation Area.

Star 168 Inc., developer of Pacific Star complex, is just awaiting the go signal from the office of Mandaue City Mayor Thadeo Ouano for the construction of the P160- million project, company president Robert Go said.

“The (Mandaue) City Council has already approved the project. Everything else is ready. Once we get the approval from the mayor, we will immediately start the horizontal development,” he said in an interview at the City Sports Club Cebu yesterday.

Star 168 Inc. is a consortium of businessmen. Most of them, such as Go and Bob Gothong, are Cebu-based.

Go said the company aims to complete the construction of phase one of the project, which will occupy some 2,000 square meters, before the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in December.

Amenities

Phase one comprises restaurants, bars, cafés, health shops, spas, beauty salons, a sports arena and a lagoon, among others.

The rest of the development will be spread in the coming years.

“This is a long-term investment. The pace of the construction will depend on the demand of the market,” Go said.

full story

[grabehbebe]

Power co-ops agree to bring Internet to the countryside

http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?...s06_may17_2006

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY—A fast-rising technology corporation based in Hallandale, Florida has clinched six joint venture agreements and eight memoranda of agreement with electric cooperatives in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao for the use of “broadband over power lines” system that will connect rural folk to a wide-range of education, connectivity and information through the use of Internet, telephone, on-demand cable TV right in their households.

The formal signing was held at the Grand Caprice Convention Center last May 10 coinciding with the electric cooperatives’ national conference on power distribution, management reforms and recognition. The four-day event was attended by Albay 3rd District Rep. and House committee Chairman on appropriations Joey Salceda, former Finance secretary now Institute of Corporate Directors chairman Jesus Estanislao, presidential adviser on rural electrification Fr. Larry Silva, National Electrification Administration administrator Edita Bueno, and former National Electrification chief now Nextream chairman Gen. Pedro Dumol who joined more than 700 co-op officers from all over the country.

Signing the joint venture and memoranda of agreement were Nextream president and chief executive officer Ty Javellana who was assisted by the firm’s chief finance officer Gary Cedeño, chief technical officer Ronald Fesalbon and advisor Earl Burrows.

Among the eight electric cooperatives represented by its respective president and general manager which signed the agreements with Nextream were: Cagayan I Electric Cooperative with president Lope Mallillim and general manager Tito Lingan; Ilocos Norte Electric Co-op with president Lorenzo Rey Ruiz and general manager Romillas Pascual; Misamis Oriental Electric Co-op with president Pedrito Baculio and general manager Julie Real; Bohol I Electric Co-op with president Jeremias Boligao and general manager Carlos Itable; Tarlac I Electric Co-op with president Francisco Diza and general manager Resurrecion Coronel; Tarlac II Electric Co-op with president Orlando Masibay and general manager Amelia Tioaquen; Lanao Norte Electric Co-op with president Gregorio Tan and general manager Resnol Torres and Davao Sur Electric Co-op with president, Artemio Tajon and general manager Jesus dela Victoria. Last February, Nextream signed a joint venture agreement with the Peninsula Electric Cooperative general manager Loreto Marcelino for its maiden broadband over power lines venture that is expected to wire 120,000 consumers in the next five years.

Among the six electric cooperatives represented by its respective president and general manager which signed the joint venture with Nextream were: Cagayan II Electric Co-op with president Benjamin AF Agatep and general manager Gabriel Tordesillas; Central Pangasinan Electric Co-op with president Arturo Magalong and general manager Ma. Josefina Manlapat; Negros Occidental Electric Co-op with president John Peter Millan and general manager Lamberto Canlas; Cebu I Electric Co-op with president Mariano Blanco Jr. and general manager Edecio Satina and Cebu II Electric Co-op with president Rhett Minguez and general manager Edecio Satina; Cebu III Electric Co-op with president Tereso Lebumfacil.

“Nextream has developed an integrated system that is capable of reaching transmission speeds of up to 200 Mbps over low and medium voltage power lines, thus rivaling metropolitan and access networks with the chance for the service providers to extent their value proposal to customers offering them voice, video and data services—what is known as “3 Play services” over the same infrastructure,” Javellana said.

Nextream will be providing high- end technologies such as voice over Internet protocol, video streaming similar to cable TV and Internet gateway by the use of broadband over power lines and wireless networking.

Dumol, considered as the father of rural electrification in the Philippines after having served as National Electrification administrator from 1970 to 1986, expressed optimism over Nextream’s ‘viable and affordable system’ that will give information technology access even to the poor rural folk using electric power lines.

Dumol was credited for energizing 90 percent of the rural barangays backed up by the formation of 120 electric cooperatives nationwide.

Nextream’s tie-up with the electric co-ops will address the great digital divide in our society and will fast-track the Internet connectivity in the rural areas. In a brief meeting with Nextream officials, Salceda cited the disparity in the use of cellphones which now account for 36 million subscribers compared to 16 million households connected to landline phones. Salceda, considered as one of the most influential economic advisers of the incumbent President, disclosed that the administration will soon declare massive Internet connectivity as an urgent national policy.

[grabehbebe]

Equatorial Guinea president due

First posted 07:14am (Mla time) May 19, 2006
By Volt Contreras, Christine Avendano
Inquirer
http://news.inq7.net/breaking/index....story_id=76307

THE PRESIDENT of Equatorial Guinea is arriving Fiday for a four-day state visit, with possible oil deals with the Philippines on top of the agenda, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced Thursday.

President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo is scheduled to meet with congressional and business leaders. He will also visit tourist spots and agricultural and fishery projects in Bacolod City and Pangasinan province.

The DFA said Obiang will meet with President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in Malacañang at 3 p.m. Friday to discuss partnerships and joint ventures, especially in oil exploration, extraction and processing.

A Palace statement said Arroyo and Obiang are expected to hold bilateral talks and witness the signing of several agreements.

The Central African nation maintains an estimated 1.28-billion barrels of oil in reserve and hosts some 2,500 overseas Filipino workers, the DFA said.

Obiang is expected to land at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City at noon Friday. His delegation will include his wife, Constancia Mangue de Obiang.

On Friday night, a state dinner will be tendered in Malacañang for the visiting president and his party.

On Saturday, Obiang will lay a wreath at the Rizal Monument in Manila and visit the Asian Hospital in Alabang, Muntinlupa City.

He will then fly to Bacolod City to visit the agricultural estate of businessman Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.

He will be in Pangasinan on Sunday to tour the various aquaculture projects there.

On Monday, Obiang will visit the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Alabang and the Philippine National Oil Co. in Taguig City before enplaning for his country.

[bcasabee]

nindota uy.............mao ni news......imbis mawagtangan ta ug paglaum sa atoang nasud.......makapadasig na nuon sa pagpaningkamot............

[fingolfin]

nindota uy.............mao ni news......imbis mawagtangan ta ug paglaum sa atoang nasud.......makapadasig na nuon sa pagpaningkamot............

... that's why i created this topic. to enlighten us just a small bit. that there's something good happening in this country.


the source

Plant bureau tests 3 new veggie varieties

THE Cordillera can hope to boost its vegetable industry and prevent importation of some vegetables as new lines of lettuce, sweet pepper, and tomato are being tested by the Bureau of Plant Industry-Baguio National Crop Research and Development Center (BPI-BNCRDC).

Agriculturist Divina Jose presented the initial findings of the research project dubbed "Adaptability Test of Vegetables under Baguio Condition" at the Southeast Asian Research Review on Varietal and Selection of Promising Vegetables from May 1-4 in Kamphaeng Saen, Thailand. The activity attended by participants from the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, Indonesia, Vietnam, Singapore, and Brunei.

Cooperating agencies that represented the country during the research review were BPI-BNCRDC, BPI-Los Baños National Crop Research and Development Center, Northern Mindanao Agricultural Research Center, and Tiaong, Quezon Experimental Station.

The project, which is still ongoing, aims to determine and evaluate the performance of lettuce, tomato, and sweet pepper lines in Baguio and identify promising vegetables that are high yielding and highly adaptable under Baguio conditions.

Some of the seeds used in the project were provided by the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Center-The World Vegetable Center (AVRDC-WVC) in Sanshua, Tainan, Taiwan.

Jose's presentation focused on the result of the vegetable trial, which consisted of seven lines/varieties of tomatoes, one for sweet pepper and one for lettuce, in terms of yield.

Tomato lines CLN2123A produces 17.96 tons per hectare, CLN2545A is 16.54 tons/ha, CLN2498 is 19.95 tons/ha, CLN2418A is 17.63 tons/ha, CLN2264 is 34.03 tons/ha, CLN2037E is 49 tons/ha, and 50.11 tons for CLN2026. Rapidmor Oscura variety produces 25.78 tons/ha for lettuce and line PBC 762 Sel. meets a good result for sweet pepper.

The research review is held annually and sponsored by the AVRDC-WVC. (HB/Baguio State University Intern)


.. yummy. tomatoes. hehe

[grabehbebe]

Senate works overtime to approve 7 bills
http://www.tribune.net.ph/nation/20060522nat4.html

Senators, beginning this week, extended working hours to fast track approval of seven pending bills, including the long-delayed 2006 national budget, before they adjourn sine die on June 9.

Sen. Manuel Villar Jr., chairman of the finance committee, plans to present today the upper chamber’s version of the proposed P1.05-trillion national budget during the plenary session to kick off floor debates.

He said it will give senators some two weeks or 15 session days to finally put to the table, for implementation, the budget despite eight months of delay.

The House of Representatives transmitted their version of the budget only on April 5, the eve of the Lenten congressional recess.

Villar is optimistic that plenary debates will wrap up on Friday and pave the way for a bicameral conference discussion where senators and congressmen will thresh out differing provisions in the two Houses’ respective versions of the measure.

“The Senate is committed to passing the budget. It is after all the single most important law that should be passed by Congress annually.

It is vital piece of legislation that would pave the way for the efficient operation of the government,” he said.

“We can’t tell yet what will happen during the bicameral conference.

But definitely we have made amendments to the House-approved version. We will zero in on questionable lump-sum appropriations. The committee has consulted all the senators and we will incorporate their proposals in our budget proposal or recommendation,” he added.

This year marks the fourth year that the national budget has been delayed after that in 2002, 2003 and last year. This is also the second time in the past five years that the country’s budget was reenacted, whether partly or fully.

Under the proposed 2006 national budget, the Department of Education will get the lion’s share with P119.1 billion. The Department of Public Works and Highways takes the second largest allocation with P62.3 billion, followed by National Defense with P46.6 billion, Department of Interior and Local government P45.6 billion and Department of Agriculture with P15.6 billion, Department of Transportation and Communications P14.3 billion. The Department of Health will get P10.6 billion and as in previous years debt service payments corner 33 percent, or one-third of the budget, with P340 billion.

Apart from the budget bill, senators agreed to oversee the passage of six other priority measures during their marathon sessions, from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., Mondays to Fridays, following a caucus last week.

The move by the Senate appeared to be a bid to debunk allegations made by Malacañang that the Chamber was engaging in too much politics at the expense of its legislative work.

Among those it has scheduled for debates is the Senate Bill (SB) 1936, which is a proposed act that would establish a credit information system that will directly address the lack of reliable credit information concerning the credit history and track record of both individual and corporate borrowers, including credit card users.

Also in recognition of the fact that ordinary consumers should be spared from the impact of higher electricity bills and soaring prices of petroleum products, Drilon said the Senate will also prioritize SB 2232, or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (Epira), and the Biofuels Act of 2006.

“The bill to amend the present Epira Law will ensure transparent, just and reasonable prices of electricity in the country under a regime of free and fair competition and full accountability to the end-users of electricity,” Drilon said.

He added that SB 2226, or the Biofuels Act of 2006, seeks to mandate the development and use of indigenous renewable energy sources to avoid dependence on imported oil, protect public health and to increase rural employment and income.

Also listed as a priority measure is the proposed Anti-Terrorism Act that will seek to adopt adequate, efficient and effective counter measures to fight all acts of terrorism with due regard and respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of the people guaranteed under the Constitution, Drilon said.

The Senate chief moreover bared that also included in the priority list of the Upper Chamber is the pending measure seeking to amend RA 8436, which seeks to address the long overdue need for automation of the national and local elections.

The other item in the list is the income tax relief bill, a measure that eyes to incorporate pending proposals from a number of senators seeking to reform the present individual income tax system. Angie M. Rosales

[darkwing]

nice thread keep it up bumped!

[grabehbebe]

More jobs await Pinoys in Spain

Joyce Pangco Pañares
http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/?...s03_may24_2006

At least 500,000 jobs in the energy and medical industries of Spain and Canada await Filipino workers, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo announced yesterday.

President Arroyo said she would fly to Spain next month upon the invitation of King Juan Carlos to discuss investment and labor opportunities between the two countries.

“The Spanish government has informed us that they will need about 100,000 Filipino workers over the next two years,” the President said in a speech at the 27th National Conference of Employers at the Manila Hotel yesterday.

She said the Canadian government had also expressed its intention to increase the number of employment slots for Filipino workers in anticipation of a massive oil exploration and refinery project.

“Three provinces in Canada, namely, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, are seeking labor agreements with us. If their plan to exploit their newly discovered oil field, which is touted to be as large as the Saudi oil reserve, pushes through, that would translate to an estimated 400,000 jobs for Filipino workers. Canada wants Filipino labor because our workers are the greatest in the world,” Arroyo said.

Filipino workers abroad, whom the President described as “the backbone of the new global work force” and “the country’s greatest export,” have become a pillar of the economy, bringing in more than $10 billion, roughly 12 percent of the gross domestic product, into the country.

In a related development, a top executive of the business process outsourcing industry is projecting the recruitment of thousands of Filipinos to work as Spanish-speaking call center agents in the next few years. With Rio N. Araja

[omad]

Thursday, May 25, 2006
‘Bright prospects’ for oil in Tañon

Officials of the energy department and a Japanese firm visited Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday to inform her about “bright prospects of considerable deposits” of oil and gas in areas in the Tañon Strait.

Garcia, in a press conference, revealed she will be supportive of the exploration if this is done in an “environmentally acceptable” manner and in close coordination with the Provincial Government and the municipalities affected.

“I will certainly support because this will redound to the benefit of Cebu and the Cebuanos,” she said.

Update

Department of Energy (DOE) Undersecretary Guillermo R. Balce and Central Visayas Director Antonio Labios accompanied officers of Japan Petroleum Exploration Co. Ltd. (Japex) to the Capitol to update the governor of their activities.

Drilling is targeted for next year, but this will depend on the issuance of the environmental compliance certificate and the availability of the rig, she told reporters.

The continuing increase in the price of oil has spurred several oil explorations in the world.

Early this month, leaders of the fifth-class municipality of Aloguinsan, Cebu expressed hopes of cashing in on gas after an exploration that supposedly uncovered a vast supply in a mountain barangay.

Aloguinsan

Yesterday, during Japex’s and DOE’s visit, Aloguinsan was also mentioned as one of the areas.

Exactly a year ago, Balce announced that the energy department expects to find about one billion barrels of oil under the sea, based from data from the exploration activities in Tañon Strait.

The exploration activity, or seismic surveys, was completed last year.

The DOE has about 15 service contracts for oil and gas exploration activities in different parts of the country. Among them were those conducted by Japex and Forum Exploration Inc. in the Tañon Strait. (JPM/SunStar)

[grabehbebe]

A leading spa magazine in Asia cited an island spa resort in Cebu whose services feature local massage "hilot" therapy as one of the world's best.

Placing eighth in the Top 10 list, this shows that our local services could be lined up as first-class and was even cited by a leading spa magazine. This would add up to the beauty of our nature and would greatly help to promote tourism.