Friday, May 30, 2008
20080530_live @ 55
155 All Batteries. More batteries, more power.
The government’s economic managers yesterday passed on to a smaller group the task of studying and recommending measures to reduce the cost of electricity in the country. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the creation of the technical working group was reached following the economic officials’ separate meetings with officials of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Bunye said the closed-door meeting between economic managers and Meralco executives led by President Jesus Francisco "went well" but could not provide more details. Bunye assured that the government’s efforts to reduce energy costs would be independent of the corporate matters of the Lopezowned power distributor. He added that the government will keep its distance from the legal tussle over the ownership of Meralco between the Lopez family and the GSIS. Bunye urged the public to let due process take its course following the filing of estafa charges against Meralco by consumer groups.
WORLD. Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region. The talks in Caracas, Venezuela, mark the beginning of a week of meetings on the issue, leading up to a three-day UN food crisis summit in Rome on Tuesday. According to the World Bank, global food prices have risen by 83% over the past three years. The lender has announced a package of food grants totalling $1.2bn (£608m). An influential report on Thursday warned that higher food prices might be here to stay as demand from developing countries and production costs rose. Watchgroups say prices would fall, but only gradually.
255 All Batteries. More batteries, more power.
The Philippines and Thailand will strongly push for the adoption of a common visa that would make all ten countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) become a single tourism destination. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bared this in her toast during the fficial dinner Thursday night in Malacanang in honor of the visiting Thai Prime Mister who is on a two-day official visit to the Philippines. Thailand is the acknowledged leader in tourism in our region and Arroyo gladly accepted Thailand's intention to share the market with the rest of ASEAN. Philippines and Thailand would jointly push for the adoption of a common visa for member countries when the kingdom assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in July. We can look forward to more package tours while the common visa will allow entry into all the ten countries of the ASEAN. Thailand benefits from the deal with the Philippines supporting its bid for leadership of the ASEAN. Turning ASEAN into a single tourism destination is in keeping with the full integration of ASEAN into a "One Caring and Sharing Community" by 2015, which the Philippines strongly pushed during its chairmanship in the Cebu Summit.
BENEFITS OF THE WAGE BILL. Congress's bill to exempt minimum wage earners from income taxes will allow us to have more savings. The wage bill was authored by Se. Mar Roxas and he explains that for an employee earning P7900 in Manila, te wage bill saves about P34 a day. What's more, all holiday, night differential, hazard, and overtime pay were also exempted from income taxes. The bill also increases personal exemptions.
355 Anchor Family Milk
International Space Station astronauts are eagerly awaiting the arrival of shuttle Discovery - it is bringing a new pump to mend their broken toilet. The station's urine collection unit, as opposed to its solid waste unit, has been malfunctioning for several days. Nasa said it thought a separator pump was at fault, and the three male crew members were operating it manually. To make room for the new part, Nasa has had to remove other equipment from the shuttle, which launches on Saturday.
The Discovery mission is the second of three to take up key components of the Japanese-built Kibo laboratory.
The forex headlines were brought to you by Castrol Magnatec---Keeps your car at its peak longer.
Forex rates are worth watching these days due to the finicky status of oil prices. The peso exchange rate closed lower at P43.925 to the US dollar yesterday at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx) from P43.72 the previous day. The weighted average rate depreciated to P43.882 from P43.643. Total volume amounted to $ 617 million.
Still in money matters, Finance Secretary Margarito B. Teves reports a P4-billion windfall from the 12 percent value added tax (VAT) on oil as of April, on account of the higher cost of imported crude in the global market. The P4 billion has already been programmed as additional spending which will counter the developments taking place (such as slower global growth and higher prices of oil and rice). Sec. Teves continues to buck proposals to remove the VAT on oil. He said earlier that the power to suspend the VAT on oil rests on Congress.
455 Filinvest---we build the Filipino dream.
Petron, the Philippines’ leading oil company, was awarded a Gold Trusted Brand by Reader’s Digest in ceremonies held recently. This marks the eighth consecutive year that Petron has been granted the gold award in the "petrol station" category of this prestigious Asiawide consumer survey. Petron advertising and promotions director Charmaine Canillas, on receiving the award, noted, "We are very happy to receive our eighth Reader’s Digest Gold Trusted Brand Award in eight years."
TECH - The International Telecommunications Union said in a report that the number of mobile phone users world soared to over 3.3 billion by the end of 2007. There's a positive trend suggesting that developing countries are catching up. Africa showed the strongest gains over the past two years and more than two thirds of all mobile subscribers were from developing countries by the end of 2007. Mobile subscription growth stood at 39 percent annually in Africa between 2005-2007, and 28 percent in Asia over the same period. India and China added 154 million and 143 million new subscribers respectively.
555 . . . brought to you by Caltex with the unbeatable cleaning power of Techron.
The Lakers, who have not been to the NBA finals since Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal feuded their way through the spring of 2004, are heading back to the championship round. Bryant scored 39 points Thursday, 17 in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers finished off the San Antonio Spurs with a 100-92 victory at Staples Center, where the mood was rhapsodic. In the final minutes, two chants filled the air: "MVP" for Bryant, who claimed that award this season, and "We want Boston!" – a booming request to renew a long-dormant rivalry. The Celtics have a 3-2 lead over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 6 in Auburn Hills on Friday. The finals begin June 5 in the East.
Senate President Manuel Villar and Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel Jr. (PDP-Laban) have introduced a bill that seeks to correct the flaws in the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9189), especially in the areas of registration, voting and disqualification of voters from among Filipinos abroad who want to exercise their right of suffrage. Senate Bill 2333, authored by Villar and Pimentel, provides that qualified overseas Filipinos, including seafarers, will have the option to vote either personally or by mail or by any other means as may be allowed by law. They can vote for president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives, as well as in all national referenda and plebiscites. The bill prescribes the procedures and requirements by which absentee voting right can be exercised by Filipinos who are citizens of other countries but who have reacquired Filipino citizenship by availing themselves of the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act (RA 9226).
The government’s economic managers yesterday passed on to a smaller group the task of studying and recommending measures to reduce the cost of electricity in the country. Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said the creation of the technical working group was reached following the economic officials’ separate meetings with officials of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS). Bunye said the closed-door meeting between economic managers and Meralco executives led by President Jesus Francisco "went well" but could not provide more details. Bunye assured that the government’s efforts to reduce energy costs would be independent of the corporate matters of the Lopezowned power distributor. He added that the government will keep its distance from the legal tussle over the ownership of Meralco between the Lopez family and the GSIS. Bunye urged the public to let due process take its course following the filing of estafa charges against Meralco by consumer groups.
WORLD. Envoys from 26 Latin American and Caribbean countries meet on Friday to discuss the rising cost of food and draw up a united policy for the region. The talks in Caracas, Venezuela, mark the beginning of a week of meetings on the issue, leading up to a three-day UN food crisis summit in Rome on Tuesday. According to the World Bank, global food prices have risen by 83% over the past three years. The lender has announced a package of food grants totalling $1.2bn (£608m). An influential report on Thursday warned that higher food prices might be here to stay as demand from developing countries and production costs rose. Watchgroups say prices would fall, but only gradually.
255 All Batteries. More batteries, more power.
The Philippines and Thailand will strongly push for the adoption of a common visa that would make all ten countries of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) become a single tourism destination. President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo bared this in her toast during the fficial dinner Thursday night in Malacanang in honor of the visiting Thai Prime Mister who is on a two-day official visit to the Philippines. Thailand is the acknowledged leader in tourism in our region and Arroyo gladly accepted Thailand's intention to share the market with the rest of ASEAN. Philippines and Thailand would jointly push for the adoption of a common visa for member countries when the kingdom assumes the ASEAN chairmanship in July. We can look forward to more package tours while the common visa will allow entry into all the ten countries of the ASEAN. Thailand benefits from the deal with the Philippines supporting its bid for leadership of the ASEAN. Turning ASEAN into a single tourism destination is in keeping with the full integration of ASEAN into a "One Caring and Sharing Community" by 2015, which the Philippines strongly pushed during its chairmanship in the Cebu Summit.
BENEFITS OF THE WAGE BILL. Congress's bill to exempt minimum wage earners from income taxes will allow us to have more savings. The wage bill was authored by Se. Mar Roxas and he explains that for an employee earning P7900 in Manila, te wage bill saves about P34 a day. What's more, all holiday, night differential, hazard, and overtime pay were also exempted from income taxes. The bill also increases personal exemptions.
355 Anchor Family Milk
International Space Station astronauts are eagerly awaiting the arrival of shuttle Discovery - it is bringing a new pump to mend their broken toilet. The station's urine collection unit, as opposed to its solid waste unit, has been malfunctioning for several days. Nasa said it thought a separator pump was at fault, and the three male crew members were operating it manually. To make room for the new part, Nasa has had to remove other equipment from the shuttle, which launches on Saturday.
The Discovery mission is the second of three to take up key components of the Japanese-built Kibo laboratory.
The forex headlines were brought to you by Castrol Magnatec---Keeps your car at its peak longer.
Forex rates are worth watching these days due to the finicky status of oil prices. The peso exchange rate closed lower at P43.925 to the US dollar yesterday at the Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corp. (PDEx) from P43.72 the previous day. The weighted average rate depreciated to P43.882 from P43.643. Total volume amounted to $ 617 million.
Still in money matters, Finance Secretary Margarito B. Teves reports a P4-billion windfall from the 12 percent value added tax (VAT) on oil as of April, on account of the higher cost of imported crude in the global market. The P4 billion has already been programmed as additional spending which will counter the developments taking place (such as slower global growth and higher prices of oil and rice). Sec. Teves continues to buck proposals to remove the VAT on oil. He said earlier that the power to suspend the VAT on oil rests on Congress.
455 Filinvest---we build the Filipino dream.
Petron, the Philippines’ leading oil company, was awarded a Gold Trusted Brand by Reader’s Digest in ceremonies held recently. This marks the eighth consecutive year that Petron has been granted the gold award in the "petrol station" category of this prestigious Asiawide consumer survey. Petron advertising and promotions director Charmaine Canillas, on receiving the award, noted, "We are very happy to receive our eighth Reader’s Digest Gold Trusted Brand Award in eight years."
TECH - The International Telecommunications Union said in a report that the number of mobile phone users world soared to over 3.3 billion by the end of 2007. There's a positive trend suggesting that developing countries are catching up. Africa showed the strongest gains over the past two years and more than two thirds of all mobile subscribers were from developing countries by the end of 2007. Mobile subscription growth stood at 39 percent annually in Africa between 2005-2007, and 28 percent in Asia over the same period. India and China added 154 million and 143 million new subscribers respectively.
555 . . . brought to you by Caltex with the unbeatable cleaning power of Techron.
The Lakers, who have not been to the NBA finals since Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal feuded their way through the spring of 2004, are heading back to the championship round. Bryant scored 39 points Thursday, 17 in the fourth quarter, as the Lakers finished off the San Antonio Spurs with a 100-92 victory at Staples Center, where the mood was rhapsodic. In the final minutes, two chants filled the air: "MVP" for Bryant, who claimed that award this season, and "We want Boston!" – a booming request to renew a long-dormant rivalry. The Celtics have a 3-2 lead over the Detroit Pistons in the Eastern Conference finals, with Game 6 in Auburn Hills on Friday. The finals begin June 5 in the East.
Senate President Manuel Villar and Minority Leader Aquilino "Nene" Q. Pimentel Jr. (PDP-Laban) have introduced a bill that seeks to correct the flaws in the Overseas Absentee Voting Act of 2003 (Republic Act 9189), especially in the areas of registration, voting and disqualification of voters from among Filipinos abroad who want to exercise their right of suffrage. Senate Bill 2333, authored by Villar and Pimentel, provides that qualified overseas Filipinos, including seafarers, will have the option to vote either personally or by mail or by any other means as may be allowed by law. They can vote for president, vice president, senators and party-list representatives, as well as in all national referenda and plebiscites. The bill prescribes the procedures and requirements by which absentee voting right can be exercised by Filipinos who are citizens of other countries but who have reacquired Filipino citizenship by availing themselves of the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act (RA 9226).
Labels: live at 55
// posted by Unknown @ 2:12:00 PM 
