by admin | Mar 4, 2016 | National News
MANILA, Mar. 04 (PIA)–Gipagawas sa Malakanyang ang detalye kun asa naadto ang pondo alang sa mga biktima sa bagyong Yolanda niadtong tuig 2013.
Sa pagpasabot ni Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Kalihim Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr., gikan sa record sa Foreign Aid Transparency Hub, ang Pilipinas nakadawat og kinatibuk-ang $386.2 milyong dolyar nga foreign aid diin 86 porsiyento niini o kinatibuk-ang $330.8 milyon ang nadawat sa non-government organizations (NGOs), multilateral agencies ug uban pa.
Matud pa ni Coloma nga gikan sa maong kinatibuk-ang kantidad, mga $26.9 milyon nga cash ug $28.5 milyon nga non-cash nga donasyon ang nadawat sa nasudnong kagamhanan.
Giseguro hinuon ni Coloma nga ang tanang donasyong naadto sa mga komunidad nga naapektuhan sa bagyo sa Kabisay-an, ilabi na sa Eastern Visayas nga rehiyon.
“All foreign aid received by the country for the benefit of the communities affected by super typhoon ‘Yolanda’ are fully accounted for and have undergone the requisite audit by the Commission on Audit (COA),” pagsiguro ni Coloma.
Ang Malakanyang mipagawas sa maong detalye sa pondo alang sa mga biktima sa bagyong Yolanda human kini gipangita ni Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
by admin | Mar 4, 2016 | National News
The Department of Trade and Industry’s Slingshot MNL 2015, the official event for startups during the APEC Hosting last 2015, won the GOLD Anvil Award last Feb 26.
Slingshot MNL is an initiative led by the Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Philippine startup community in partnership with the leading startup institution in the country, IdeaSpace Foundation.
SlingShot is considered one of the pioneering events for the Philippine startup community attended by over 1,300 attendees with over 30 resource speakers and 100 local startups. The Gold Anvil Award serves as recognition of its outstanding public relations program and its tools that meet the highest standards set in its category.
“Supporting and promoting our startup community is just a step forward to developing a national innovation system in the country that would help us prioritize the need to capacitate our local producers including budding micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be more competitive in the global market through innovation,” said Industry Promotions Group Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado.
The two-day conference gathered entrepreneurs, foreign and local investors, government officials and several industry leaders and influencers. The event also showcased to potential business partners and investors the products and services of local startups. Topics discussed during the six breakout sessions include understanding hubs of innovation and opportunities in startup investments, redefining scale in the global market place, and startup ecosystem support. Pitch competitions also took place during the event.
The event further aims to establish collaborating network among business enablers, industries and entrepreneurs. It also aims to make the country a hub for entrepreneurs seeking support for their business.
“We are happy to put forward the promotion of startups in the country. Through collaborative efforts, we know that the government, private sector and our entrepreneurs will develop cross-industry collaboration to help our growing startup community,” said Michael Ignacio of Foreign Trade Service Corps (FTSC) and one of the heads of SlingShot MNL 2015.
Slingshot MNL 2016 is also set to take place on March 10 and 11 in Manila and Cebu respectively. For the past years, Philippine startups have captured foreign investors as the sector continues to receive support from various stakeholders and business enablers. With the continued efforts of doing business in the country easier, DTI through its programs and initiatives will ensure that startups are encouraged and are taken into the next level for their business development.
Anvil Awards is conducted annually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines to award outstanding public relations programs and tools designed and implemented during the previous year.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Mar 4, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita
TAGBILARAN CITY, March 3 (PIA)—Call it another boast, the kind people have been hearing about the plan to build an airport in Panglao, it should be there by the end of 2017.
The New Bohol Airport Construction and Sustainable Environment Protection Project, quite a long name for simply Bohol Airport has Chiyoda-Mitsubishi Joint Venture (CMJV) only 30 months to complete the project, according to the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC).
And for airport that took at least five administrations to plan, it is no less than President Benigno S Aquino who came to lay the time capsule containing the project development plans at the site where the future P4.7 billion airport terminal building would stand.
For a project that started in June 22, 2015, the target 30 months needed to complete the airport and its peripheries, is in December 2017.
Since June 2015, civil works, procurement of goods and related systems have been done, according to the DOTC.
Funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Bohol airport will have 2 kilometer runway long .45 meters wide and covers a total land area of 82,000 square meters.
The airport will have two stub taxiways of 32,000 square meters, a 56,000 square meter apron, a 193 lot car park or 8,720 square meters and would have 3 kilometer access roads with two lanes for each direction, data from japan Airports Consultants showed.
The airport would have a single storey Passenger Terminal Building of 8,300 square meters, a 9 storey 33 meter high Control Tower Building, a two storey 1,000 square meter Administration Building, a Fiore station and Maintenance Building, a power house Building with 2,000 KVA supply and a water tank and pump house that can accommodate 450 tons of storage.
As to its utility, Panglao Airport, when completed would have a 2,000KVA power supply system with two emergency generators, a water supply than can course 450 metric tons of waste to flow and another 450 tons of sewerage treatment system.
For travelers from Manila coming in, Panglao owns its Glide Scope and localizer, Doppler VHF Omni directional ranger radar with Distance Measuring Equipment (DVOR DME) with its own Airport Terminal Systems, that even flying ion at night can be no hassle.
Moreover, the airport will have Meteorological Observation System, DOTC said.
As for its aeronautical ground lighting, Panglao is set to have a Precision Approach Lighting System for runway 21 and a Simple Approach Lighting System for its runway 3.
Airport consultants are certain that with the way things are running, the 30 month completion target would force contractors to deliver, they said. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
President Aquino buries the Panglao Airport time capsule eight months after the contractor Chiyoda-Mitsubishi joint venture accepted the 30 month duration of the project expected to bring 3 times more tourists to Bohol and elsewhere in the region. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
by admin | Mar 3, 2016 | National News
MANILA, Mar. 03 (PIA)–Sugod na karong adlawa ang pagpatuman sa Graphic Health Warning Law ug obligado na ang mga kompaniya sa sigarilyo nga magbutang og mga larawan nga magpakita sa hulga sa panglawas sa pagpanigarilyo sa ilang mga produkto.
Matud pa ni Department of Health (DOH) Kalihim Janette Garin, ubos sa balaod, angay adunay printed nga napulog-duha ka graphic health warning ang mga kompaniya sa sigarilyo.
Ang larawan nga magpakita og mga sakit nga mahimong makuha tungod sa pagpanigarilyo angay ibutang sa mga pakete sa sigarilyo.
Samtang tugtan sa DOH ang mga tobacco companies nga hutdon ang mga daang supply sa sigarilyo nga wala pay graphic health warnings, apan sa tanang bag-ong suplay, angay may mga larawan na.
Sa pagsugod sa implementasyon sa maong balaod, magbaton ang DOH og assessment aron matumbok kun unsa kadaku ang mahimong epekto sa mga nanigarilyo o kun makuhaan ba ang gidaghanon sa mga tigpanigarilyo tungod sa pagbutang og graphic health warnings. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
by admin | Mar 3, 2016 | National News
The Board of Investments and retirement industry stakeholders envision the Philippines as a viable retirement destination for foreign and Filipino retirees. DTI Undersecretary and BOI Managing Head Ceferino Rodolfo described the Philippines as an “emerging” retirement destination. “With our compassionate and competent pool of healthcare professionals and world class wellness facilities, the Philippines is fast becoming an attractive country for foreign and Filipino retirees from around the world,” he said.
The Board of Investments said that the Retirement Industry Roadmap will be finalized within the first half of 2016. The roadmap was crafted by stakeholders in the retirement industry in collaboration with BOI and other government agencies.
The Retirement Industry Roadmap outlines the course of action needed for the industry to be globally-competitive. The Philippine Retirement Authority (PRA), current chair of the Technical Working Group (TWG) for the Retirement Sector’s Roadmapping Activity, is currently reviewing the draft roadmap.
In the Annual Global Retirement Index 2016, the International Living Magazine ranked the Philippines as 17th out of the 23 best countries to retire in. The Annual Global Retirement Index bases its rating on a number of composite factors, namely, real estate costs, special benefits for retirees, cost of living, leisure amenities, healthcare services, infrastructure, and climate.
The retirement industry has made considerable contributions to the economy, reflected largely in revenues from visa deposits of Special Resident Retiree’s Visa (SRRV) holders. Introduced by PRA in 1987 to entice foreign nationals and former Filipino citizens to retire in the country, retirees can either apply for multiple entry privileges and rights to stay permanently or indefinitely in the country by way of visa deposits ranging from US$10,000.00 to US$50,000.00 and US$1,500.00 for former diplomatic corps workers. In 2014, PRA enrolled 4,781 new retirees. Total visa deposits of SRRV holders as of December 31, 2014 amounted to US$452 million or about PhP19 billion.
Although not yet comprehensively documented, significant economic contributions are known to also come from local retirees and pensioners from the Government Service Insurance System and Social Security System (of about 1.3 million individuals combined), Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO), and the Retirement and Separation Benefits System (AFP-RSBS) for the uniformed services.
Meanwhile, Retirement & Healthcare Coalition, International, a non-profit, non-stock private organization affiliated with the Joint Foreign Chambers of the Philippines, is doing its share in making the country more viable as a retirement destination. The organization recently conducted a certification and training program for a Quality Management System based on DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 to participating nursing homes under the Public Private Partnership Project “Human Touch.” The activities under the program were tailor-made for the institutional framework of the Philippines.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Feb 27, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita
Auza.Net is now accepting applications for the Summer On-the-Job Training Program for 2016. The company is looking for technology enthusiasts to participate in projects covering software development, website management and structured cabling for computer networks. Participants in this program must be graduating computer engineering, computer science and IT students in school year 2016-2017.
The company will also accept applications for its startup internship program where the applicants will undergo real-world training in entrepreneurship. Participants in this program must be recent graduates of business or technology related courses and willing to be trained in sales and attend regular sales training sessions. Participants will earn commissions on actual sales generated during the program.
To apply for these training programs, please send your application letter, resume and latest available TOR to jobs@auza.net. Please state if you are joining the OJT program or the intership. Interviews will be conducted later in March. Both programs will start on April 4, 2016.
by admin | Feb 27, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
In 2015, the Philippines business process outsourcing (BPO) revenue was nearly US$22 Billion compared to the US$27 Billion of OFW remittances. The BPO industry is forecast to reach US$48 Billion by 2020. Bohol still lags behind many other provinces and cities in this industry with only a handful of homegrown BPO and KPO (knowledge process outsourcing) companies operating as of last year.
Unfortunately for Bohol province, we experienced a setback in our efforts to attract large BPO companies to locate in the province after the 2013 earthquake. The next two years were spent on rehabilitation.
The Bohol ICT Council, led by its Chairperson Ms. Delilah Biliran, is spearheading initiatives of the province in attracting BPO operators from Cebu, Manila and other cities to open up a facility in Bohol. The council had some level of success last year as we got a few seriously interested companies who did feasibility studies and conducted dialogues with the various stakeholders. However, the final decision to locate in Bohol is still elusive.
Bohol must take a slice of the BPO industry if we are to ensure that the Boholanos have more job opportunities without having to migrate to other cities. We are promoting Bohol as an ecotourism destination and BPO jobs are a perfect complement to ecotourism because the BPO industry do not consume raw materials and do not have hazardous waste by products.
For this reason, the council is working on several fronts:
– encourage local real-estate investors to put up facilities that can be leased to BPO companies
– encourage the local tech and maker communities to conduct and participate in tech events like Startup Weekend Bohol, Geeks on a Beach, Ideaspace competition. This will help our manpower pool become confident and gain experience.
– encourage our technology and design graduates to pursue freelance jobs as alternative to finding jobs in other cities.
In the discussions with the prospective locators, we did realize that much has to be done with regards to talent development. For the talent pool, we have to address labor analysis, inclusive of long-term prospects. We know we have some of the best educational institutions right here in our backyard but we will still be tasking the university system to discover the specific workforce needs for academe-industry matching. We’re also asking our TESDA and TVIs to roll out the more or less P10million peso scholarships intended for IT-enabled and BPO businesses’ requirements. Most importantly, we have to put in place relevant programs, supported by allocated government assets, to close any talent devt gaps.
The provincial and city governments must legislate their incentive packages for the potential locators to help attract them to choose Bohol as their next location. We already have success stories from other cities like Dumaguete, Iloilo, Davao and Bacolod so our legislators have a model to follow in crafting our own legislation.
With the new Bohol Airport in Panglao expected to be operational in 2018, it is the best time to institutionalize the idea that the existing airport be converted into an IT park. We will have about two years to come up with a good marketing package and participate in BPO events to help attract locators. Now would be the best time to sort out the details on setting up our own IT park. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel as we have Cebu as the model for such conversion. Cebu’s IT park in Lahug was formerly an airport also.
(with reports from Ms. Lai Biliran and Jerome Auza)
by admin | Feb 27, 2016 | Local News / Bohol Balita, Tech Talk
Why Support Startup Weekend Bohol?
If you’re curious what Startup Weekend Bohol can do for you and your awesome business, well, here’s a list of benefits that you’ll be showered for your kind hearted gesture!
1. Get a Seat in the Spotlight
Startup Weekend Bohol isn’t just an event. It is a BIG event. Last year, we had around (insert number of attendees here) that came all over Bohol and even outside Bohol just to get a taste of entrepreneurship.
Sponsoring Startup Weekend Bohol will give you a chance to expose and market your own startup to early stage companies, entrepreneurs and prospective clients!!!
You don’t only get the word out there about what your company is and who you are but you’ll also have the opportunity to find possible new leads.
2. Find Great Employees
Startup Weekend Bohol attendees are no ordinary people. They’re innovators. They’re hungry. They’re all around awesome. When you put yourself out there, trying to build something, it’s a badge of honor. Not everybody has the guts to start something and that is what separates the average employee and the superstar employee! Startup Weekend attendees are a mixture of developers, designers, sales, admin, content creators and a whole lot more.
Startup Weekend Bohol is a cornucopia of talent just waiting to be tapped!
We don’t know, the employee that will help catapult your business into the clouds might be a Startup Weekend Bohol attendee. You don’t only get brand exposure from sponsoring Startup Weekend Bohol, you’ll also be able to network and connect with a lot of people.
3. Give back, give back and give back!
Sharing is caring.
What better way to give back to your community than supporting local initiatives like Startup Weekend Bohol!
Sponsoring Startup Weekend Bohol will give you great credibility for being awesome and well, just downright awesome.
If you’re still not convinced about the roster of benefits sponsoring Startup Weekend Bohol provides, you can reach out to us at bohol@startupweekend.org or through or rockstart gorgeous Lead Organizer Ashley Uy at 09178080655.
And if you want to participate instead of sponsor, purchase a ticket at www.swb2.eventbrite.com. Early bird rate ends this March 7!!!
by admin | Feb 23, 2016 | National News
MANILA, Feb. 23 (PIA)–Gipahinumdoman sa Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) ang mga kandidato nga midagan sa nagkalain-laing posisyon sa nagkaduol na nga piniliay nga ang mga sobrang gastos sa kampanya pahamtangan nila og buhis.
Matud pa ni BIR Commissioner Kim Henares, ang maong kamanduan nahisulod sa Revenue Regulation 7-2011.
Naa sa kamanduan nga ang mga sobrang donasyon o campaign donation nga wala nagamit sa piniliay i-konsiderar nga income sa usa ka kandidato nga angay pahamtangan og buhis.
Ang maong pasidaan gihimo sa BIR aron mahatagan og igong panahon ang mga kandidato nga tarungon ang ilang mga gastohon sa eleksyon aron malikayan ang bisan unsang aberya. (ecb/PIA7-Bohol)
by admin | Feb 22, 2016 | National News
Philippine specialty food products under the Food Philippines brand delighted the taste buds of the US market during the recent 41st Winter Fancy Food Show (WFFS), the largest food and beverage trade show in the American West Coast.
Held last 17-19 January 2016, at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco, California, Food Philippines highlighted 17 home-grown enterprises that had varying social, cultural, and environmental advocacies at the core of their businesses for its third participation in WFFS.
The manufacturers that took part in the food show offered premium-quality specialty food products ranging from processed fruits, frozen and canned tuna, ethnic food, condiments, sauces and mixes and snacks.
Trade Commissioner Nicanor Bautista remarked that the year 2016 was a record year for the Philippine delegation at WFFS, with Philippine specialty food products and their social responsibilities gaining attention from major American importers, distributors, manufacturers, and retailers. A total of 540 inquiries and negotiated sales amounting to over USD44 million underscored the potential of the West Coast as a market for Philippine food products.
The best-selling items included virgin coconut oil (VCO), coconut sugar, frozen tuna, banana chips, frozen saba, organic muscovado sugar, upland rice and jasponica rice, and sea salts. Buyers were mostly looking for natural, organic, fair trade, and healthy products which all packaged to international standards.
“Given the warm reception of social enterprises and their specialty food products in the WFFS, Food Philippines looks forward to the continued promotion of specialty food products with added social dimension in other food and beverage trade shows abroad,” shares Rosvi C. Gaetos, Executive Director of the Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM), the export promotions arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). “We are also considering a participation in the Summer Fancy Food Show to sustain the impression we have made in WFFS, and continue positioning the Philippines as a source of high-value, fresh, healthy and natural food products.”
Food Philippines is a branding initiative of DTI-CITEM which serves to unify the promotional efforts of the government in overseas trade exhibitions and events to project one brand, one image, and one voice.
The Center for International Trade Expositions and Missions (CITEM) is the export promotion arm of the Philippine Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). CITEM is committed to developing, nurturing, and promoting globally-competitive small and medium enterprises (SMEs), exporters, designers, and manufacturers by implementing an Integrated Approach to Export Marketing in partnership with other government and private entities. For more information on its services and events, please log on to www.citem.gov.ph.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
by admin | Feb 22, 2016 | National News
Department of Trade and Industry Undersecretary Nora K. Terrado announced that the country aims to increase export targets to a high of 9%. “Our exports performance takes into account the work that we have been doing in recent years to expand market access as well as the ground we have covered to prepare our industries to gain competitive and comparative advantage,” she said.
President Benigno Aquino III recently approved the Philippine Export Development Plan (PEDP) for 2015-2017. The PEDP is a three-year plan to create a business environment supportive of trade, growth, and innovation.
The PEDP aims to enable domestic industries to establish their niches in regional and global market to boost the performance of the country’s exports in the next two years. The plan seeks to increase the competitiveness of Philippine export goods and services in the global arena, both in areas where local products are already strong and in emerging products and services with huge potentials for growth. The PEDP has also identified sustainable Philippine products with established markets, and sectors whose competitiveness in global trade have shown encouraging patterns.
“One of the strategies in the PEDP is to take advantage of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) as well as the tariff free scheme for more than 6,000 products offered by the EU-GSP+,” said newly appointed Undersecretary for Industry Promotions Terrado.
The top five destinations of Philippine exports are Japan, US, China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Nearly half of the export revenues in 2014 are from these countries.
AEC aims to establish a single market and production base and a competitive economic region. Terrado cited the benefits of free trade agreements such as the establishment of the ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) in 2010. She cited companies such as Vitarich, Mama Sita, and Universal Robina Corporation who have managed to innovate and enjoy zero duties when exporting their products to partner countries.
Terrado explained that the ongoing Industry Roadmap Program of the DTI and the Board of Investments has identified cross cutting issues and action plans to address impediments to growth. She said that these same issues are articulated in the PEDP. These are: strengthened monitoring and evaluation; streamlined domestic regulations that unnecessarily raise the costs of production and cause delay in market delivery; regulatory reforms and promotion of market competition; upgrade of the quality of export goods and services; increased access to finance for market prospection, product development, and market diversification; collaboration of government agencies and the private sector to exploit the opportunities offered by the ASEAN economic integration and other preferential trading arrangements; a well-coordinated and sufficiently funded export and investment promotion campaign to exploit the nexus of foreign direct investment (FDI) and export activity; and, a national innovation system to enhance the innovative capacity of domestic producers.
“Central to the success of the PEDP is the successful implementation of these measures in partnership with other government agencies, academe and the private sector. Our collaboration aims to establish the country as a reliable player in the global trading network,” Terrado said.
For more information on the services of the DTI, log-on to http://www.dti.gov.ph
