by anyajulia | Mar 12, 2009 | Headlines, National News
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo welcomed the Stein Kruse president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Holland America Line (HAL).
The Seattle-based Holland America Line has been operating luxury ship cruises for over 130 years and has a history of excellence and tradition that touches every continent around the globe. It is renowned for its culinary expertise and extraordinary food presentations in the dining rooms and many specialty restaurants.
This year, it has included nine unique voyages in the Asia-Pacific Region and Puerto Princesa is one of them.
Holland America Line has also opened a new culinary training program, in cooperation with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), to train shipboard culinary staff for its expanding fleet of premium cruise ships. (PIA-MMIO)
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by anyajulia | Mar 12, 2009 | Foreign Exchange, Headlines, National News
The Development Budget and Coordination Committee (DBCC) has reduced its exports growth assumptions. From -8.0 to -6.0 percent for 2009, lower than the 1.0 to 3.0 percent set in November last year. This information was stated by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) office.
The National Statistics Office (NSO) reported that exports continued to drop in January 2009, falling by 41.0 percent compared to the same month in 2008. The year-on-year decline was attributed to the sharp reduction in exports of all major commodity groups.
Exports of manufactured products fell by 39.9 percent in January 2009, contributing to the decline in manufacturing include: garments (-21.6%) and electronic products (-48.4%). The bulk of the decline in exports of electronic products may be traced to the poor performance of semiconductors (-52.7%), the largest electronics product segment.
Other factors contributing to the decline in total exports receipts were petroleum products, forest products, mineral products, and total agro-based products. (NEDA-PIA)
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by anyajulia | Mar 12, 2009 | Headlines, National News
In a report to President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, the SSS explains that to “ensure that loans are paid on time, the guidelines of the salary loan program provide that only those members with capacity to pay are allowed to borrow. This means they have to be currently employed and are actively contributing.”
This was the agency’s reaction to protests over the disqualification of displaced and unemployed members from securing loans from the System.
The SSS pointed out that under the law, it is authorized to invest only 10 percent of its funds in short loans such as calamity, salary, emergency and other loans.
The SSS also informed President Arroyo that it is undertaking both short-term and long-term mitigation programs to help displaced members. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | Mar 12, 2009 | Headlines, National News
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas Regional Office campaigns for the OPLAN RED PLATE Program. The campaign is in line with Administrative Order No. 239 signed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on September 15, 2008 prohibiting the use of government vehicles for purposes other than official business.
The Office of the Ombudsman for the Visayas is creating the OPLAN RED PLATE Task Force to facilitate the aforementioned campaign. (PIA)
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by anyajulia | Mar 11, 2009 | Headlines, National News
Socioeconomic Planning Sec. Ralph Recto confirms that the Philippines is still in a better position compared to its Asian neighbors as the world faces the worst financial crisis in decades. This is through the country’s Domestic Product (GDP) which slowed down last year from a 7.2 percent growth in 2007 to only 4.6 percent growth in2008.
However the continuing world financial crisis does not make the country immune as risks and challenges faces the country which includes further export contraction, lay-offs in export industries considered the most affected sector, return of laid off overseas Filipino workers leading to a slowdown in remittances, insufficient revenue collection, weaker exchange rate, tighter credit markets and climate change shifts cropping season. (PIA/FCR)
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