Honest airport worker returns cash, valuables worth P1.8M

MANILA, Philippines - An airport building attendant assigned at the NAIA terminal 2 domestic departure area had proven again the saying that “honesty is the best policy”, as he returned cash and other valuables totalling P1.8 million.

NAIA terminal 2 manager, lawyer Cecilio Bobila, identified the building attendant as Ronald C. Gadayan who is assigned at the NAIA terminal 2 south wing domestic terminal.

Moms are human incubators at Fabella Hospital

Ward four of the Dr. Jose Fabella Memorial Hospital in Manila is as crowded as they come, with two, sometimes three pairs of mothers and infants to a bed.

 

The airy hall with high ceilings is home to some 300 mothers who have just given birth. But not all births are equal. 

OPM wanted 'Phantom' permits withdrawn

MANILA, Philippines -- The Organisasyon ng Pilipinong Mang-aawit (OPM) is taking its fight with the Bureau of Immigration (BI) over foreign acts performing in the country to the Office of the President.

Chinese, not Pinoys, eroding India's BPO leadership, says consulting firm

MANILA - China, and not the Philippines, is eroding India's dominance in the business process outsourcing space, according to a Canada-based IT consulting firm.
“The outsourcing market is positioned to continue to thrive and grow, but the relative positions of the respective players are changing. If current trends continue, China is on target to overtake India as the dominant BPO player, potentially within the next two to three years,” said XMG Global in its mid-year report on the outsourcing industry.
The consulting firm said China has exhibited the fastest growth among the top three outsourcing destinations, expanding 43.5 percent and 63.6 percent in the last two years.

Globe upgrades network infra in parts of M.Mla

MANILA, Philippines - Globe Telecom said its network infrastructure facilities in northern and eastern Metro Manila and Rizal province have been upgraded.

In a statement, Globe said it has modernized its equipment in Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas and Valenzuela (CAMANAVA) and Marikina City, as well as Angono, Antipolo, Baras, Binangonan, Cardona, Jala-Jala, Morong, Pililia, Rodriguez, San Mateo, Tanay and Teresa in Rizal.

Smart offers iPhone 4S, HTC One X, Galaxy S3 for free

Manila, Philippines -  Smart Communications Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of dominant carrier Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT), is offering smartphones including Apple iPhone 4S, Samsung Galaxy S3, and HTC One X for free with every subscription to a Smart Unlimited Data Plan 2000.

Kathy Carag, head of Smart’s postpaid business, said the three phones are recognized around the world as the best in their respective classes given their top tier features and high-end specifications.

Lenovo to bring affordable smartphones to PH

MANILA, Philippines - Lenovo Mobile is set to launch more affordable smartphones priced within or below P5,000 to provide Filipino consumers with useful devices.

Open Communications business unit head John Rojo said Lenovo Mobile would introduce in the market more affordable priced phones targeting both entry level devices within or below the P5,000 price range and top-of-the-line devices.

Rojo said the devices would offer cutting-edge features targeting the professional and technologically savvy consumers at very competitive prices.

Divers recover flight plan of Robredo plane

MANILA, Philippines - Deep-sea divers recovered Sunday afternoon what appeared to be the "paper flight plan" of the ill-fated Piper Seneca plane, which Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo, who remains missing up to this time, boarded.

13 firms vie for NAIA road project

MANILA, Philippines - The bidding for the proposed P13.575-billion Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) expressway project may be pushed back to December or early January next year to give interested parties more time to finalize their bids, a government official said over the weekend.

At least 13 firms including some of the country’s biggest conglomerates have expressed interest in bidding for the project, according to the official who attended the prequalifying conference set by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) last Friday.

Philippines ranks 10th in number of Twitter users

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines now has 9.5 million registered users in the microblogging site Twitter, a new study showed.

The study by social media monitor Semiocast, which analyzed 517 million Twitter profiles, ranked the Philippines at No. 10, ahead of South Korea, France, Italy and Germany.

However, this figure pales in comparison to the number of Filipinos on the social networking site Facebook.

Officially dubbed the “social media capital of the world” in 2011, the Philippines reportedly has around 93.9% of its 40-million strong Internet population on Facebook.

“This is certainly good news, but, frankly, not really surprising. Filipinos have always been active in social media and we are increasingly using mobile phones to tweet or post on Facebook,” Orlando Vea, chief wireless advisor of Smart Communications Inc., said in a statement.

Relief: How Filipinos abroad can help calamity victims

How can Filipinos abroad help victims of natural calamities in the Philippines, a country where some 20 typhoons pass each year?

The recent massive flooding in Luzon affected some 2.7 million people and caused the deaths of nearly 70 others.

Many Filipinos abroad were moved by the devastation brought about by days of continuous heavy rain and wanted to help.

Not only in the Philippines, urban disasters spotlight strain on Asian cities

BANGKOK - Deadly floods, power blackouts and traffic gridlock -- many of Asia's biggest cities are buckling under the strain of rapid economic development, extreme weather, and an exodus from the countryside.

Poor strategic planning, paltry investment in infrastructure, and a lack of political will have also left the region's overcrowded metropolises highly vulnerable to the pressures of climate change, experts say.

Over the past year Bangkok and Manila have been hit by the most devastating floods in decades, while India recently suffered the world's worst-ever power blackout due to surging demand from industry, homes and offices.

Expo-2012: The award-winning PH pavilion in S. Korea

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine pavilion at the Expo 2012 in Yeosu, South Korea recently bagged the Best Exhibit award given by Exhibitor magazine.

The Expo opened last May with the theme “The Living Ocean and Coast: Diversity of Resources and Sustainable Activities.” The country’s pavilion, designed by the young creatives of U26 Design Studio, focused on the country’s diverse marine destinations and its commitment to conservation initiatives.

Where's the Marikina mayor?

MANILA, Philippines – Marikina Vice Mayor Jose Fabian Cadiz on Friday explained the absence of the city's executive head at the height of the monsoon rains the past few days.

Cadiz said Mayor Del De Guzman left for the United States last Friday to attend a conference on environment.

Still reeling from the heavy rains brought by tropical cyclone "Gener" last week, Metro Manila and nearby areas were again hit by strong monsoon rains on Sunday, leaving most parts of the metropolis under water.

Cadiz said De Guzman decided not to attend the conference and fly back to Manila, but was not able to secure a ticket.

"Hindi na siya naka-attend, [sinubukan niyang] kumuha ng ticket pero peak season daw. He had a hard time looking for a ticket but now he's coming back to be with us during our time of need," Cadiz told ABS-CBN's Umagang Kay Ganda.

Cadiz serves as the second in command and has been actively overseeing rescue and relief operations in the flood-hit city.

"As vice mayor, I have to fill in for him because it is my duty and responsibility," he added.

Genesis 8:7-12 and 8-7-12: A mere coincidence

At the height of heavy rains caused by the southwest monsoon, Filipinos on Twitter wondered whether the downpour is linked to a biblical passage which coincided with the date, Aug. 7, 2012.
 
"Genesis 8: 7-12 is about Noah's Ark. Today is 8-7-12. What do you think? Coincidence or not?" netizens said, as the verse became a top trending Twitter topic.

House ends RH debate

With resounding “ayes,” the contentious debates on the reproductive health (RH) bill came to an abrupt end Monday in the House of Representatives, just hours after President Benigno Aquino summoned congressmen to the Palace and pleaded to bring the measure forward to its second stage.

This means the controversial population control measure would now go through a period of amendments, before it is put to a vote on second reading on the floor.

For the first time since 188 congressmen agreed to impeach then Chief Justice Renato Corona in blitzkrieg fashion last December in a Japanese restaurant, lawmakers went to lunch in the Palace Monday to attend to yet another priority administration project.

Wanted: 5 million tourism workers

MANILA, Philippines - Philippines needs to develop at least 5 million additional workers for the tourism and hospitality industry between now and 2016 if the country hopes to achieve its goal of attracting 10 million foreign visitors in four years.

Samie Lim, vice president for tourism of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said this need is based on the 1:1 rule of thumb, or one worker per tourist, that the World Tourism Organization is using.

“We are now attracting more than 3 million foreign tourists and between now and 2016, our target is to attract 10 million. So that [need for] 5 million additional workers is very conservative, especially since we are also losing our best people because they get pirated abroad,” Lim told the BusinessMirror on Friday.

AirAsia trims Clark-Puerto Princesa flights

MANILA - The Philippine unit of Southeast Asia's largest low cost carrier on Monday said it would cut flight frequencies to Puerto Princesa, Palawan next month because of the low season.

Philippines' AirAsia said flight frequencies from Clark to Puerto Princesa would be reduced to four times weekly from 10 times weekly effective September 1.

Travel News: Asiana Airlines is Best Airline in Asia

Asiana Airlines (OZ) has been selected as the “Best Airline in Asia” at the 2012 Skytrax World Airline Awards held recently in Farnborough, England.  Asiana placed second in the overall ranking for the Airline of the Year award, but was also awarded Best Economy Airline Seat.

Asiana was recognized for high quality services such as onboard crew chef and sommelier service, inflight magic show and makeup event, as well as cutting-edge cabin facilities exemplified by its next-generation business class ‘OZ Quadra Smartium.’  The spacious seating facility allows the business class passenger to lie fully flat, and provides direct access to the aisle.

Ateneo, UP, DLSU among world’s best schools in teaching English

Three Philippine universities are among the world’s 50 best in teaching English, according to the 2012 survey by London research and ratings firm Quacquarelli Symonds (QS).

Ateneo de Manila University led the three Philippine universities, placing 24th globally with a score of 68.9, a substantial improvement from its previous ranking of 35th.

Sharing the 32nd spot with the University of California Irvine, the University of the Philippines garnered a score of 65.7. De La Salle University placed 44th with a score of 63.1.