by jeyzsonic | Jun 25, 2008 | Features
Personal nga gipasalamatan ni Presidente Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo ang kagamhanan sa Estados Unidos sa ilang tabang sa mga biktima sa Bagyong Frank.
Ang pagpasalamat giduso sa Presidente sa iyang tigum ni US State Department Deputy Secretary John Negroponte.
“ Dako kaayo ang among pagpasalamat sa tabang nga gihatag sa kagamhanan sa Estados Unidos” , si Presidente Arroyo nagkanayon.
Ang Estados Unidos misa-ad nga mohatag og balor P3 milyones o $100,000 nga ayuda pina-agi sa Philippine National Red Cross (PNRC).
Ang barko sa US Navy nga Stockton, nga adunay mga “rescue helicopters” padulong na usab sa Isla sa Sibuyan, Romblon aron pagtabang sa pagluwas ug pagpangita sa mga pasahero sa nalunod nga MV Princess of the Stars.
Sa laing bahin, gibutyag usab ni Negroponte ang si Presidente President George W. Bush sa Estados Unidos, personal usab nga mohatag sa iyang “pasubo sa mga Pilipino.” (PIA/Bohol)
by jeyzsonic | Jun 18, 2008 | Features
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed into law exempting minimum wage earners from paying income tax and also increasing the personal exemptions for other employees.
The President signed Republic Act 9504 or “An Act Amending Sections 22,24,34,35 and 79 of Republic Act 8424,as Amended, otherwise known as the National Internal Revenue Code of 1987,”.
The President, who for several times urged Congress to pass this urgent bill that would help ease the impact of continuing rise in oil and food prices on the people, was visibly pleased.
The new law stands to provide relief and additional money to spend for basic necessities especially for the minimum wage earners.
The new law also exempts from tax all holiday, night differential, hazard and overtime pay received by minimum wage earners.
The new law also increases personal exemptions for individual tax payers and additional deduction for qualified dependents.
The personal exemptions are as follows: for single: from P20,000 to P50,000; for head of family: from P25,000 to P50,000; for married: from P32,000 to P50,000; for each qualified dependent not exceeding 4: from P8,000 to P25,000.
A family of six, with two working spouses and four dependent children used to enjoy total exemptions of P96,000. With the new law, the total amount of exemptions would be P200,000.
Meanwhile, government may loss P11.09 billion in revenue income due to tax exemption of minimum wage earners, but could recover tax revenue losses through the imposition of optional standard deductions (OSD) in filing business income tax returns, said Finance Secretary Margarito Teves. (PIA/Bohol)
by jeyzsonic | Jun 18, 2008 | Features
The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) is closely monitoring the unemployment situation nationwide as it initiates mitigating measures to counter the weakening of the labor market brought about by increasing fuel prices.
The directive was based on the 2008 April Labor Force Survey results of the National Statistics Office (NSO), said Malacañang Deputy Spokesperson Lorelei Fajardo.
According to Fajardo, Labor Secretary Marianito Roque directed all DOLE regional offices to closely monitor the unemployment situation in their respective areas of jurisdiction and to initiate interventions and safety nets.
Several mitigating measures include continuing employment facilitation program for local and overseas placement; jobs fair; jobs availability through the Internet at fieldjob.net; special program for employment of students during summer and semestral and Christmas breaks; the “Tulay” Tulong Alalay sa Mga Taong May Kapansanan program; capacity building services for livelihood (rural worker for self-employment); and for the informal sector, the DOLE adjustment measures program (for displaced workers or those for training /retraining), Fajardo added. (PIA/Bohol)
by jeyzsonic | Jun 18, 2008 | Features
SUKWAHI sa pahayag ni Sen. Aqulino Pimentel, dili ilegal ang paghatag sa P500 nga subsidy alang sa koryente, kini pamahayag ni Budget Secretary Rolando Andaya Jr.
Matud niya, mahimo sa kagamhaan nga gamiton ang P114-billion nga wala ma program nga pundo sa 2008 General Appropriations Act (GAA) kay kini may “standby appropriation” nga may “natigum nga pundo alang sa natumbok nga katuyuan”.
Una na nga gipahayag ni opposition Sen. Aquilino Pimentel nga ang P500 power subsidy, illegal kay wala kini itagana sa Kongreso alang sa maong katuyuan.
Patin-aw ni Andaya, ang pundo mahimo nga a-buhian kon ang revenues mosobra sa gibanabana nga makobra nga buhisan subay sa Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing.
Dugang ni Andaya, ang unprogrammed funds lakip na sa budget nga gisubmitir sa Presidente ngadto sa Kongreso ug kini gihimong balaod isip kabahin sa GAA alang sa tuig.
Sa pagtaas sa presyo sa lana, ang value added tax (VAT) niini mitaas usab, hinungdan nga mitaas usab ang mahipos sa kagamhanan niini, padayag niya.
Gisalikway usab niya ang sugyot ga ang Executive mohimo na sa yano nga line item budgeting, diin ang mga tagsatagsa ka financial statements tipoon sa ilang mga departamento na lamang.
Ang giingong nga yano nga budgeting, ni Andaya pa, maoy makaparalisar sa kagamhanan tungod kay dili kini dayon maka-aksyon kon may kinahanglang aksyon, ilabi na kon wala masubay sa budget.
Ang line budgeting nga maoy uso kaniadto, dali nga magpakita sa kalainan sa mga milabay nga budgeting ug accounting periods, ug magpasayon sa basehan sa gastohan sa kasamtangan ug sa umaabot nga mga panahon.
Kini usab magpugong sa mga opisyales sa kagamhanan sa paghulbot ug pundo nga magamit sa emerhensya sama sa nahitabo karon sa krisis sa kalibutan. (rachiu/PIA)
by Misael | Jun 13, 2008 | Features
DISPERSED Boholanos across the globe have organized campaign groups to generate the most number of votes cast for their favorite Chocolate Hills, which has earned a notch up in the new wonders of the world search.
Governor Erico Aumentado said one of his missions upon embarking on a journey to the US is precisely to campaign for more votes for the Chocolate Hills, during Friday’s Governor’s Reports.
He added as he would invite Boholano organizations to come home for the global gathering of Boholanos, thje Chocolate Hills campaign would get in the way.
Practically in almost every nook of the globe, Boholanos in their own capacity, or via the vast information superhighway is spreading the word about rooting for the Chocolate Hills, support groups based in Bohol said.
The move to hoist the Chocolate Hills in the new seven wonders of the world search gained its initial foothold after Provincial Government officials in Bohol led by Governor Erico Aumentado gathered all internet operators in Tagbilaran City to help in the campaign which Bohol Capitol adopted as its singular mission for tourism promotion.
The move also pushed the chief executive to name Tagbilaran City Mayor Dan Neri Lim to lead the campaign to propel Bohol’s wondrous hills to the top of the list. The official campaign head then headed for the US to tap Boholano organizations in attempts to gain the necessary votes.
Tourism stakeholders here, led by Carmen Mayor Manuel Molina also pitched in their campaigns by organizing support groups, asking local tour guides to include in their spiels the support for the Chocolate Hills.
This as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo herself, in her sorties across the country never fail to mention her own campaign for agenda for the country’s natural wonders to get into the top seven list of modern-day Wonders of Nature.
As of June 13, Friday Wednesday, Chocolate Hills ranked third in the global search after Tubbataha Reef east of Palawan, which is at number 2. The Underground River in Palawan, still in the Philippines is at Number 5.
The Chocolate Hills in Bohol, is an “unusual geological formation… composed of around 1,268 perfectly cone-shaped hills of about the same size spread over an area of more than 50 square kilometers, the hills are covered in green grass that turns brown during the dry season, giving them the name ‘Chocolate Hills,’” proclaims the New7Wonders site.
Tubbataha Reef, on the other hand is an atoll coral reef in the Sulu Sea east of Palawan. It is a marine sanctuary protected by the Philippine government as the Tubbataha Reef National Marine Park.
The reef is composed of two atolls – the North and South Reefs, separated by a channel of about 8 kilometers wide. The atolls each have a single small islet that rises out from the water.
Over 1,000 species, including many that are endangered, can be found at the reef, including manta rays, lionfish, tortoises, clownfish and sharks, according to the website literate on the well-known scuba-diving site.
Meanwhile, Palawan’s Underground River – also dubbed the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park — features a limestone karst mountain landscape with an 8.2 kilometer-long navigable underground river.
Located about 50 kilometers north of the city of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, the river winds through a cave before flowing directly into the South China Sea.
The underground river features amazing formations of stalactites and stalagmites, and several large chambers, with the lower portion of the river subject to tidal influences.
The website enthuses that “the underground river is reputed to be the world’s longest.
At the mouth of the cave, a clear lagoon is framed by ancient trees growing right to the water’s edge. Monkeys, large monitor lizards, and squirrels find their niche on the beach near the cave.”
In Number 9, or just two places short landing in the Magic 7 is another Philippine wonder – the perfectly-shaped Mayon Volcano.
“Mayon Volcano is an active volcano on the Filipino island of Luzon, 15 kilometers northwest of Legazpi City. It is classified by volcanologists as a stratovolcano (composite volcano). Its symmetric cone was formed through alternate pyroclastic and lava flows.
“Mayon is the most active volcano in the country, having erupted over 47 times in the past 400 years, and is part of what is called the Pacific Ring of Fire.” (rachiu/PIA)
by Misael | Jun 12, 2008 | Features
WHAT a better way to show ones idea of the brotherhood in humanity than sharing one’s blood?
Celebrating another milestone in the town’s history, Catigbian would be handling to Bohol health authorities bags of blood from volunteers who wish to make a difference to the lives of patients needing such help.
At this year’s Katigbawan Festival, residents bank on their blood to save somebody else’s life. This as authorities expect 120 blood donors from different barangays to submit themselves voluntarily to a cause they have committed to support.
On June 17, 2008, volunteers are expected to troop to the Catigbian Business Activity Center, where the Blood Coordinating Council of Gov. Celestino Gallares Hospital, Tagbilaran City with the assistance of the Municipal Health Staff and some personnel from the Catigbian District Hospital will be waiting for them.
When the idea of a Voluntary Blood Donation (VBD) first came, no other than Mayor Roberto Salinas personally and willingly modeled the program and submitted himself to the health personnel during the first bloodletting event, three years ago, Catigbian sources said.
The program also happens to be the Department of Health’s venue of ensuring that distribution of blood supply and blood products are adequate, safe, affordable and equitable at local blood banks.
Doctors have also said that regular bloodletting events are healthful means of giving out blood compared to commercialized blood donation.
Earlier, the personnel at the Municipal Health Office has spread advocacies on the VBD in the barangays.
Because of such, barangay captains have coordinated recruitment of blood donors through community and purok meetings.
This year, blood donors from different barangays need not come with tentative health concerns having been advised of the advantages and benefits of the activity.
Also included in the activity are free screening for blood-borne diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis B, Malaria and Syphilis and most importantly.
Vice Mayor Necita Digaum also said that the activity assures the people of Catigbian free blood and blood products in times of emergency and illnesses that may require blood transfusion, by virtue of an existing agreement with hospitals and medical establishments. (rachiu/PIA)
