by aimee | Oct 8, 2013 | Headlines, National News
Boracay, Philippines – A Philippine start-up community road map is needed to push the Philippine economy forward faster. This consensus began shaping up as some 300 Pinoy and international attendees participated in the two-day conference dubbed as Geeks on a Beach or #GOAB in the world-famous tourism destination in the Philippines, Boracay Island.
Held last Sept. 26-27, the conference themed “Bringing together tech innovators – from startups to global heroes” gathered an impressive lineup of 41 tech / startup experts as event speakers and the support of59 sponsors and partners.
In a roundtable discussion among stakeholders, deputy executive Director Mon Ibrahim of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Information and Communication Technology Office (ICTO) welcomed, among other recommendations, the crafting of a Philippine road map for startups.
Startups refer to fast-growing Internet-based businesses set up by entrepreneurs, something that began in the first startup community in Silicon Valley decades ago and spread globally through the years.
During the press conference that opened the #GOAB conference, Ibrahim revealed that government plans to generate 1.5 million direct employment for the Philippine IT industry. Of this figure, he said, 40% is planned to be generated outside of Manila.
Veteran startup entrepreneurs say that private sector initiative for growing the startup community should continue. Tina Amper of TechTalks.ph and prime mover of the #GOAB conference, for instance, initially funded efforts for startup gatherings from her own pocket.
Bowei Gai, a successful Silicon Valley entrepreneur, likewise said that venture capital is also not necessary at the beginning in order to develop startup communities. “Startups can self-fund and venture capital will just come.”
Gai, who just concluded a 29-country tour in nine months for his World Start-up Report, said the Philippines has a lot of potential as an emerging startup destination during his keynote talk during the second day of the conference.
Plug and Play co-founder Jojo Flores said that three years ago MIT funded 26,000 companies which hired 3 million employees and earned $2 trillion a year.
“This is the 11th largest economy of the world. That’s just a university. If the Philippines do this right, we can create startups . . . an industry of techno-preneurs on top of outsourcing. We still don’t have enough startups in the country yet.”
The young Cebuano Albert Padin who founded SpellDial said, startups are risky but if you’re afraid to take risks we’ll still be where we are exactly right now.
According to Earl Valencia, president of IdeaSpace.ph, “We have the next 5 years to prove that we are the epicenter of something – technology. If Sundance is for films, Davos for G8 leaders, then Philippines should be about startups.”
The loud call from the country’s emerging startup communities should be a signal for Philippine policymakers to move towards helping homegrown tech entrepreneurs become global champions rather than simply attracting foreign multinationals to invest in the country.
As of the moment, Ibrahim of DOST said his office has contributed funding to #GOAB. While his office has been responsible for making Philippines an outsourcing destination starting in 2005, “we believe the country is also about tech innovation.”
Organized by TechTalks.ph, powered by Sym.ph, public relations and event management by PRWorks, branding by HappyGaraje.com, #GOAB is co-organized by DOST-ICTO and co-presented by SMART, SMART Bro, SMART Devnet, and IdeaSpace.ph.
Other partners are Amazon Web Services as platinum sponsor, WaveMaker Labs as gold sponsor, Freelancer.ph, Ng Khai Development Corporation, LBC Express as the official logistics partner, Fineupgrades, TheGoSee.com, Boracay Pub Crawl, SPR Boracay Real Estate as silver sponsors, Airbnb as the official accommodation partner, Microsoft Philippines, Island Souvenirs, GTCosmetics Manufacturing and Megaworld as bronze sponsors.
Philippine Software Industry Association, National ICT Confederation of the Philippines, UP CebuInit.org, CedFit.org, Game Developers Association of the Philippines, Digital Commerce Association of the Philippines, Brain Gain Network, DevCon, UVNS, and STAC-Silicon Valley are the event’s institutional partners.
#GOAB is also supported by Lenovo Mobile, Metrodeal.com, KuyiMobile, Plug and Play Tech Center, SHIFT, SeedAsia, Mynimo, Pinoy Great Deals, Crowdsourcing Week, Geek Speak, R & M Preserves, Malee, Lenddo and Lakwatsa Resto Lounge, along with Webgeek, Newsdesk Asia, istorya.net,auza.net, Third Team Media, Panay News, Davao Bloggers Society, Vigattin Radio, Inno Pub Media, e27/SGEntrepreneurs, Rappler, Alcordo Advertising, Asian Journal Publications, Balik Bayan Magazine, and ABS-CBN as media partners.###
Media Inquiries:
Doris Mongaya
0916 736 9463
prworks2003@gmail.com
by aimee | Oct 1, 2013 | National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct. 01 (PIA)–Kampante ang Malakanyang nga walay paglapas sa Konstitusyon o unsa mang balaod ang Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) nga gimugna sa administrasyong Aquino.
Matud pa ni Presidential Spokesperson Edwin Lacierda, adunay legal nga basehan ang maong lakang sa Presidente ug sa Department of Budget and Management (DBM).
Giingong nahisulod kini sa Article 6 Section 25 sa 1987 Constitution ug sa mismong Administrative Code nga mahimong kuhaon sa DBM ang mga wala nagamit nga pondo sa mga ahensya.
Partikular nga gitumbok sa tigpamaba sa Malakanyang ang paragraph 5 sa balaod nga nag-ingong:
“No law shall be passed authorizing any transfer of appropriations; however, the President, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, and the heads of Constitutional Commissions may, by law, be authorized to augment any item in the general appropriations law for their respective offices from savings in other items of their respective appropriations”.
Gidugang pa niini ang Sections 39 ug 49 sa Chapter V, Book VI sa 1987 Administrative Code isip mga legal nga basehan.
Apan kun may mo-kuwestiyon pa niini, gipasalig ni Lacierda nga andam nila kining ipasabot ug idepensa.
Gipasabot usab ni Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Sonny Coloma nga gimugna and DAP aron mahimong stimulus sa pagpalambo sa ekonomiya.
Masaligon si Coloma nga dasonan sa Korte Suprema ang legalidad sa DAP.
Kahinumdoman nga una nang gikuwestiyon ni kanhi National Treasurer Leonor Briones ang legal nga basehan sa pagmugna sa DAP sa DBM nga maoy nanghatag og minilyong pondo sa mga senador.
Nagpadayon na usab karon ang gihimong imbestigasyon sa Commission on Audit (COA) kalabot niini. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
by aimee | Oct 1, 2013 | Headlines, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Oct. 01 (PIA)–Upat ka long weekends ang nagpaabot sa 2014.
Base kini sa Proclamation Number 655 nga gilagdaan ni Presidente Benigno ‘Noynoy’ Aquino III niadtong Setyembre 25.
Magsugod ang long weekend sa buwan sa Enero tungod sa Chinese New Year sa Enero 31 nga usa ka Special Non-Working Day ug natunong sa adlaw nga Biyernes.
Sama sa naandan, long weekend usab ang Hoy Week sa Abril 17 (Holy Thursday) ug Abril 18 (Good Friday) nga parehong Regular Holidays. Samtang Special Non-Working Day usab ang Black Saturday sa Abril 19.
Adunay long weekend na usab sa buwan sa Agosto diin ang Agosto 25 nga natunong sa adlaw nga Lunes, usa usab ka Regular Holiday tungod kay National Heroes Day kini.
Mahimong lima ka adlaw ang bakasyon alang sa Pasko tungod kay wala may trabaho sa Disyembre 24 (Miyerkoles) ug Disyembre 26 (Biyernes) nga mga additional Special Non-Working Days.
Samtang magpagawas og lahing proklamasyon ang Malakanyang alang sa tukmang petsa alang sa Islamic holidays nga Eid’l. Fitr ug Eidul Adha. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
by aimee | Sep 30, 2013 | Headlines, National News
Active Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) members who have not yet availed of the one-time educational assistance loan (EAL) may still apply for the Educational Assistance Loan until December 27, 2013, GSIS announced in a statement.
All active members, regardless of salary grade, length of service, and status of agency and member accounts are entitled to avail of the EAL in the amount of P4,000.
Eligible members may file their application for EAL over the counter or through their agency’s liaison officer. Certification from their agency authorized officer or endorsement from their respective agencies is not required.
The loan is payable in five years, with six percent interest per annum. The amortization for 59 months is P20 per month or P240 per year, with the first monthly amortization to start three months from the grant of the assistance.
The GSIS Educational Assistance Program (EAP) was launched in 2012 following the Labor Day speech of President Benigno S. Aquino III, instructing both the GSIS and Social Security System to generate an educational assistance fund for their stakeholders.
GSIS President and General Manager Robert Vergara said that through the EAP, the GSIS has been helping members defray their children’s education expenses. He said over P2.49 billion has been released under the program.
The application form for the EAL may be obtained from any GSIS offices or downloaded from the GSIS website, www.gsis.gov.ph. (GSIS)
by aimee | Sep 30, 2013 | Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Sept. 30 (PIA)–Hugot nga gipahinumdoman sa Commission on Elections (Comelec) ang mga mokandidato sa Oktubre 28 nga barangay elections nga likayan ang sobrang paggasto sa pagpangampanya aron dili madiskuwalipika sa eleksiyon.
Nipasidaan si Comelec Chairman Sixto Brillantes Jr. nga gukdon ug patubagon gayud nila sa balaod ang mga kandidatong mapamatud-ang molapas sa gitakdang galastohan sa pagpangampanya.
Agig pagtamod sa balaod, ang usa ka kandidato mahimo lamang mogasto og P3 alang sa matag botante kun opisyal nga kandidato ug P5 usab kun independent candidate ubos sa Republic Act 7166.
Ubos usab sa Campaign Finance Law, obligado ang mga kandidato nga moduso sa ilang statement of contribution and expenditures (SOCE) diin gibutang didto nga kinahanglang dili sila molapas sa P5 per registered voter. Kun dili sila mosunod niini, ma-diskuwalipika sila.
Kahinumdoman nga una nang gi-diskuwalipika sa Comelec First Division si Laguna Gov. ER Ejercito tungod sa sobrang paggasto sa pagpangampanya niadtong Mayo. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
by aimee | Sep 30, 2013 | Local News / Bohol Balita, National News
TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol, Sept. 30 (PIA)–Gi-uswag pa sa Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) ang pagpangdawat nila sa aplikasyon alang sa ilang mga miyembro nga wala pa nakakuha sa P4,000 “one time” Educational Assistance Loan hangtud sa Disyembre 27.
Base sa taho sa GSIS, mahimong maka-avail sa maong loan ang tanang aktibong miyembro sa GSIS bisan unsa ang estado sa ilang sweldo, gitas-on sa serbisyo, status sa ilang ahensya ug membership accounts.
Mahimong ipasa ang ilang aplikasyon sa GSIS counter o sa liaison officer sa ilang ahensya.
Giingong dili na usab gikinahanglan pa ang sertipikasyon o endorso sa employers aron makakuha sa maong loan.
Bisan sa kagamay sa kantidad, pagabayaran ang maong loan sa mga miyembro sulod sa lima ka tuig nga adunay 6% interest aron dili bug-at bayran.
Kini nagpasabot nga P20 lang matag buwan sulod sa 59 ka buwan o P240 lang matag tuig ang ibayad sa mga miyembro nga mokuha sa loan. (ECB/PIA7-Bohol)
