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Government Allocates Additional Funding To Improve Country’s Socio-Economic Growth 6 Jan 2013 7:05 PM (12 years ago)

The Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan Program (PAMANA) through the Department of Budget and Management has approved an additional ₱745.5 million to bolster peace and development activities throughout the country.

This allocation is part of the ₱32.3 billion in new expenditure items recently approved by President Benigno S. Aquino III.

The program establishes policy reforms at the national level, bolstering the Aquino administration’s agenda of facilitating socio-economic growth in risk-prone areas, delivers social services to conflict-affected communities, and links these communities to markets for job generation and for easier flow of goods and services through vital infrastructures like farm-to-market roads.

The additional funding allocation will buttress the implementation of closure agreements in the Cordilleras and Visayas, support PAMANA communities affected by Typhoon Pablo, information, education and communication efforts on the peace negotiations, among other activities.

The Philippines was ranked as one of the top 5 countries with the highest improvements in peacefulness this year, together with Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Bhutan, and Guyana, based on the 2012 Global Peace Index by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

PAMANA is jointly implemented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser for the Peace Process (OPAPP), the Department of National Defense-Armed Forces of the Philippines (DND-AFP), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), and the Regional Government of the Autonomous Region for Muslim Mindanao (ARMM).

socio economic aid

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Alcoholics & Smoking Addicts Are Seen To Be Major Contributors In Sin Taxes 5 Jan 2013 7:58 AM (12 years ago)

Speculations are rife that once the Philippine version of sin tax law is implemented there will be a decrease in the consumption of alcohol and tobacco in the country.

However, if they are individuals’ vices and personal lifestyle’s preferences these are the group of people who never seem to bother any increment that is levied on the goods they are buying as long their needs are sustained.

To the alcoholics and smoking addicts they are going to continue their usual habits and the raising of sin tax on tobacco and alcohol is never be a deterrence to their caprices.

The Philippine government had initiated the reform of the sin tax to upgrade the system and generate enough funds to address the growing number of health related cases to smoking and drinking.

Besides, our Asian neighbors Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia have long time upgraded and reaped the benefits from the sin taxes on alcohol and tobacco.

With the reform law now in place for implementation, the government is now expecting a boost in revenues from the sin tax products with an expected notable slow down of some group of people patronizing them because of budgetary constraint.

The government intention to protect the health of the citizenry is noble especially children at a young age who could be exposed to the ill effects of smoking and drinking.

According to nutritional experts, alcohol (7kcal/g) is second only to fat (9kcal/g) in terms of calorie content and has no any nutritional value.

A glass of wine is equivalent to 178 calories and it will take an alcohol drinker more than a half hour’s brisk walk to burn off.

Kate Mendoza, head of health information at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), said: “Cutting down on drinking can have a big effect on weight loss or maintaining a healthy weight.”

It can also reduce your risk of cancer, as alcohol is linked to breast, bowel, mouth and liver cancer, she said.

Meanwhile, the British government has launched a graphic anti-smoking advertising campaign, which features a cigarette with a tumor growing from it, and as many smokers prepare to quit as part of their new year resolutions

The British Journal of Psychiatry in their study has found a ‘significant’ decrease in anxiety levels among the 68 smokers who had quit the habit despite the belief that smoking relieves stress, researchers say.

The researchers drawn from several universities including Cambridge, Oxford and Kings’s College in London, said the findings should be used to reassure smokers attempting to quit that concerns about increased anxiety levels were unfounded.

alcohol & tobacco subjected to sin tax

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The Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act Is Now A Law 23 Dec 2012 5:18 AM (12 years ago)

President Benigno S. Aquino III signed into law Republic Act No. 10350 or the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012.

The newly enacted law criminalizes the ‘arrest, detention, abduction or any other form of deprivation of liberty by agents of the State.’

Security forces involved in such offenses can be arrested and charged. It also includes non-exemption of any offender from amnesty, either convicted or facing prosecution, from liability.

The Human Rights Watch (HRW), lauded President Benigno S. Aquino III and the Congress for the passage of the law which is the first of its kind in Asia and a major milestone in ending human rights violations in the Philippines.

Most notable cases of enforced or involuntary disappearances include the abductions of Jonas Burgos, Sherlyn Cadapan and Karen Empeno as well as other desaparecidos.

The new law provides compensation, restitution and rehabilitation for the victims of the crime.

Brad Adams, HRW Asia director, said, “This law is a testament to the thousands of ‘disappearance’ victims since the Marcos dictatorship, whose long-suffering families are still searching for justice. The challenge now is for the government to move quickly to enforce the new law.”

Under the law, superior officers who order or are otherwise implicated in a disappearance face the same penalty as those who directly carried out the crime.

Subordinates could now defy unlawful orders of superiors for the commission of enforced disappearances.

It also calls for periodic update of registry of all detained persons in detention centers, and the law prohibits existence of secret detention facilities.

The salient features of the law is the government cannot suspend the law even in times of war or public emergency.

The severest penalty for violators of the Anti-Enforced or Involuntary Disappearance Act of 2012 will be reclusion perpetua or life imprisonment.

The government vowed to effectively enforce the law in a bid to deter enforced disappearances and address the problem of human rights violations, Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said.

a call of the enactment of anti-enforced disappearance law

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Sin Tax Reform Law Serves To Protect The People From Ill Effects Of Smoking & Excessive Drinking 21 Dec 2012 6:36 PM (12 years ago)

Secretary of Health Enrique T. Ona considers the passage of this landmark legislation a victory for the health of the Filipino people.

“The enactment of this law is a victory in our campaign to protect our people, especially the young and the poor, from the ill effects of smoking and excessive drinking,” Ona said.”

With higher prices of sin tax products now in place, the majority poor as well as the juveniles who indulge in smoking and drinking find them now a luxurious proposition to sustain their vices.

The law known as Republic Act 10351 (An Act Restructuring the Excise Tax on Alcohol and Tobacco), is expected to generate additional revenues to the government coffers which eighty percent will be earmarked for the enrollment of an additional 5.6 million families to Philhealth after deducting the allocations for assistance to tobacco farmers under existing laws.

While the twenty percent shall be allocated nationwide, based on political and district subdivisions, for upgrading and modernization of government hospitals, other health facilities, medical assistance and expand our existing preventive and promotive programs in the Department Of Health (DOH).

Based on projections of the Department of Finance, the law is estimated to generate cumulative incremental revenue of P184.31 billion from 2013-2016, of which P 146.7 billion is estimated to be earmarked for health for the same period.

sin tax products

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Gut Bacteria Linked To Cause Body Fat Or Obesity In Humans 20 Dec 2012 3:52 PM (12 years ago)

There are more than 500 million adults suffering from obesity according to a 2008 statistics. The number has jumped more than doubled since 1980.

This prompt researchers to study in a much larger perspective if there are other causes to obesity other than overeating and the lack of physical activity.

Professor Zhao Liping at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and his research team found a gut bacteria in humans, known as enterobacter cloacae as the culprit after it has been found in high quantities in the gut of a morbidly obese individual volunteer.

Enterobacter is normally a part of the normal flora of the human intestinal tract and pointed out a link between this bacterium and obesity.

A patient lost about 28 kilograms in nine weeks after being placed on a diet of ‘whole grains, traditional Chinese medicinal foods and prebiotics’, according to researchers. This was because it had reduced the bacterium’s presence in the patient’s gut to ‘undetectable’ levels.

The experiments demonstrate that the bacterium ‘may causatively contribute to the development of slimness and obesity’ in humans.

According to Zhao, “The endotoxin released by the bacterium can activate a gene that helps generate fat and it also deactivates a gene that consumes fat.”

Researchers in Shanghai studied mice who had been bred to be resistant to obesity. It was noted that these mice retain their slimness despite being fed a rich diet and being kept from exercising.

However, when some of these mice were injected with the human bacterium enterobacter, they quickly became obese.

‘The study will help find how bacteria affect us and provides a direction to fight obesity,’ according to Zhao.

Researchers hope to identify more such obesity inducing bacteria from various human populations’ in future research.

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The Impact Of Typhoon ‘Pablo’ On Domestic Economy, Minimal – NEDA 18 Dec 2012 3:13 PM (12 years ago)

National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Director General, Arsenio Balisacan stressed that the impact of typhoon ‘Pablo’ on the domestic economy will be only minimal, at about 0.3 percent of GDP amounting to P32 billion.

He said a 4.6-percent gross domestic product (GDP) is unlikely to be achieved in the fourth quarter to hit this year’s growth target. GDP in the first three quarters already reached 6.5 percent.

The effects of the typhoon do not mean that all will be charged against the fourth quarter growth of 2012, said Balisacan, but some of these will be felt in the first quarter and second quarter early next year.

The Philippine economy will likely surpass the official 5 to 6-percent growth target set in 2012 and accelerate over the next two years.

He expressed optimism GDP would grow 6 to 7 percent in 2013 and between 6.5 to 7.5 percent in 2014.

Balisacan added that construction is also expected to grow robustly next year, while utilities will be driven by the growing demand for power, water and gas.

The reconstruction efforts in Mindanao after the typhoon will, in fact, boost the economy in the first semester of 2013, he added.

NEDA is anticipating, a more vibrant industry sector especially in the manufacturing sector buoyed by the semiconductor and electronics industry, as the world economy is expected to recover between 2013 and 2014.

For the services sector, according to Balicasan, economic planners are banking on the continuous expansion in the information technology-business process outsourcing industry, tourism, financial intermediation and trade to fuel growth.

On the demand side, household consumption will remain robust and the expected expansion of exports and construction will further boost growth.

Capital formation, especially in the private sector, is also expected to contribute a greater share of overall growth, he said.

Meanwhile, Moody’s ratings on the Philippines is a notch below investment grade at “Ba1” with ‘Stable’ outlook, upgraded a notch higher from “Ba2” last October on account of continued improvement in economic performance and its medium-term growth prospects.

The recent upgrade in the country’s credit rating ‘also recognizes positive developments related to institutional quality and fiscal management, as well as financial system and political stability.’

Strength of the country’s banking system is another plus factor boosting the credit rating.

Moody’s sees a “low” event risks for the country due to domestic political stability ‘reflecting the current president’s unquestioned electoral legitimacy and the popularity of his administration’s focus on good governance.’

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Beatle George Harrison’s Sitar Teacher Ravi Shankar Dies At 92 14 Dec 2012 1:40 AM (12 years ago)

Ravi Shankar the sitar virtuoso from India died at the the Scripps Memorial Hospital in San Diego after he had failed to recover from surgery.

Shankar’s wife Sukanya and daughter Anoushka were at his side when he passed away.

Anoushka herself is a sitar player while Shankar’s other daughter is the famous Grammy award-winning jazz pop singer Geethali “Norah Jones” Shankar.

Shankar gained worldwide recognition through his association with The Beatles whom he taught George Harrison to play the sitar.

Harrison played and introduced the sitar in the earlier Beatles song “Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)” on the LP Rubber Soul in 1965 and also in the later Beatles song ” Across the Universe”, their Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band Album.

Shankar also composed a number of film scores, notably Satyajit Ray’s celebrated Apu trilogy (1951-55) and Richard Attenborough’s Gandhi (1982) and collaborated with US composer Philip Glass in Passages in 1990.

He akso played at Woodstock and the 1967 Monterey Pop festival, and also collaborated with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and jazz saxophonist John Coltrane.

George Harrison of the Beatles once called Shankar “the godfather of world music”.

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh described him as a “national treasure and global ambassador of India’s cultural heritage”.

Shortly after his death, the Recording Academy of America announced the musician would receive a lifetime achievement award at next year’s Grammys.

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Supreme Court: Coconut Levy Funds Under Eduardo Cojuangco Are Government Owned 10 Dec 2012 7:26 PM (12 years ago)

In a ruling of the Supreme Court (SC) en banc written by Associate Justice Presbitero J. Velasco Jr. dated Nov. 27, 2012 and with a vote of eight justices and six inhibitions, the SC denied the petition of Cojuangco questioning the ruling of the Sandiganbayan in July 2003 which declared that the subject shares as part of assets were illegally acquired from coconut levy funds.

“The (UCPB shares) transferred to defendant Cojuangco are hereby declared conclusively owned by the Republic of the Philippines to be used only for the benefit of all coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry, and ordered reconveyed to the government,” the SC ruling said.

The High Court ruled with finality that subject shares in the United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB) are government-owned.

It can be recalled that the Sandiganbayan has ruled in 2003 that the use by the PCA of coconut levy funds to purchase the 72.2 percent of UCPB in 1975 as illegal.

The Sandiganbayan said that the required publication under the law was also not complied with as mandated by Section 1 of Presidential Decree No. 755, which was cited by the PCA, as authority for the use of the Coconut Consumers’ Stabilization Fund (CCSF).

The said law grants PCA authority to enter into an agreement for the acquisition of a commercial bank for the benefit of the coconut farmers.

The SC gave credence also to the findings of the Sandiganbayan that it cannot uphold the agreement between PCA and Cojuangco.

The High Court said that the Sandiganbayan’s ruling was tenable in nullifying the May 25, 1975 deal of the Philippine Coconut Administration (PCA), which transferred to Cojuangco by way of compensation 10 percent of the 72.2 percent First United Bank (now UCPB) shares of stocks that the PCA purchased from his uncle, Pedro Cojuangco, using the coconut levy funds.

The SC ruled that the Sandiganbayan is correct in declaring the state as owner of the 72.2 percent shares of UCBP paid by the PCA using coconut levy funds.

Accordingly, the 7.22 percent FUB (UCPB) shares that were given to Cojuangco shall be returned to the Government, to be used ‘only for the benefit of all coconut farmers and for the development of the coconut industry’,” the decision said.

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PCC Signs MOA With Japan & South Korea, Aims To Improve Philippine Livestock Quality 8 Dec 2012 7:24 PM (12 years ago)

The Philippines represented by Philippine Carabao Center (PCC) executive director Dr. Libertado C. Cruz signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Consortium for Japanese Veterinary Medicinal Products Manufacturers (CJVM) and Korea Institute for Animal Products Quality Evaluation (KAPE).

The agreements aim to address animal health and improve the quality of livestock in the country through technology exchange and at the same time, regulate the veterinary medicinal products in the country.

KAPE performs grading service under the goal of enhancing the qualities of animal products, facilitating distribution in the market and improving animal breeds in South Korea.

The CJVM, on the other hand, contributes to Asian countries by conducting research on the demand and regulation of veterinary medicinal products in each country, exchanging information among the authorities and industries, developing new products to deal with particular livestock diseases in a country, and introducing products that are compliant with a country’s regulation.

According to the PCC, the partnership and the collaborative effort is a very important milestone in the country’s livestock industry.

The Korean Institute are contributing not only to the South Korean livestock industry but also worldwide by sharing knowledge on quality management of animal products. The partnership is desired to hasten PCC’s capability in addressing the country’s food security, according to Cruz.

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Cagayan LGU Embarks In Reviving The Dying Clay & Pottery Industry In The Province 8 Dec 2012 2:50 PM (12 years ago)

The regional director of the Department of Trade and Industry(DTI), Ma. Esperanza Banares reported a positive development was gained by clay and pottery industry players in the province after attending a business and technology mission in India recently.

The mission was participated by local chief executives, several members of the provincial and municipal legislative boards and clay and pottery industry local government unit stakeholders.

The India mission was pursued by Congressman Randolph Ting of the third district of Cagayan in order to hammer out partnerships through the United Nations Industrial Development Organization(UNIDO).

It has opened up opportunities for the technology training of pottery makers, adoption of best practices and other commitments designed to bring back the dying clay pottery industry in Cagayan province to life.

‘Members of the delegation to India gained wide range of knowledge and best practices which can be adopted in their respective areas in Penablanca, Iguig, Enrile, Solana, Tuguegarao City and Amulung,’ according to the regional DTI.

Deepak Ballani, the national program officer of the UNIDO-International Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Technology(UNIDO-ICAMT), gave assurance to bring in technology packages to Cagayan province in five areas such as: bricks and pottery, handmade paper, bamboo for low cost housing, food preservation and stone.

The opening of the National Handmade Paper Institute(NHPI) to trainees from the Philippines and the invitation by the Center for Development of Stones(CDOS) to the 7th International Stone Industry Exhibition on January 31 to February 3, 2013 was one of the significant developments, according to Banares.

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