by admin | Nov 14, 2015 | Tech Talk
Apple Inc. will shut down the service Beats Music on November 30, 2015 after buying the company for US$3B in May 2014. This was an expected move since Apple has its own music service called Apple Music. Beats Music stopped accepting new signups since June 2015.
Beats music subscribers has an option to move into the Apple Music service with all their music preferences and playlists included. The official post on the Beats support page read:
“Beats Music ends on November 30. Your subscription will be cancelled, but you can move your picks and preferences over to Apple Music right now.
All the pros that curated music for you are still crafting more amazing experiences. Plus, on Apple Music, you’ll get even better recommendations based on music you already listen to and love, 24/7 global radio with Beats 1, exciting material from your favorite artist, and more.”
The Beats purchase by Apple is one of the large tech purchases in recent years.
Beats also sell products like headphones and speakers and these will still continue to be available after the shutdown of Beats Music.
The Beats Studio headphones won the C|NET Best Bluetooth Headphone of 2015. Photo credits: Beats website at www.beatsbydre.com.
by admin | Nov 13, 2015 | Local News / Bohol Balita
With poverty reduction in the Philippines a prime focus of government’s activities, the identification of the felt needs of the targeted communities and sectors at the local level is crucial.
Since its implementation in 2012, the Bottom-Up Budgeting (BuB), also called participatory budgeting, has been a buzzword among civil society organizations (CSOs) all over the Philippines because of the fact that it is different from the usual top-to-bottom planning and budgeting where the high level executives make all the decisions in fund dispensations.
According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), the BUB scheme provides the opportunity for prospective beneficiaries to be involved in setting their own goals and expectations for a given period.
The department adds that this ownership of decisions, motivating them to meet budgetary constraints that otherwise might seem unattainable or unrealistic if they were delivered by someone without understanding of their day-to-day operations.
Using the bottom-up budgeting scheme, the DTI provides funds that municipal governments can use in priming up local industries and help small entrepreneurs become competitive.
The trade department is joined by the Department of Interior and Local Government in implementing the projects by way of providing beneficiary local governments the necessary guidance.
DTI underscored that Local Government Units (LGUs) are the ones that identify their programs or projects into the budgeting approach, program the allocations, recommend the needed interventions and decide on the manner of implementation.
Along with increased participation, DTI points out that the BUB also helps to create a more accurate picture of how much each fund beneficiary needs in order to function effectively, adding that this scheme also promotes good governance at the local level.
In Central Visayas, around Php 15 Million has been allocated by DTI for trade-related projects under the BUB, with a total of 13 LGUs benefiting from 16 identified BUB projects.
DTI narrates that the BUB projects in Region 7 include Rural Micro Enterprise Promotion Program, Industry Clustering Development Program, Price Mapping & Monitoring, Green Growth Initiative, Shared Service Facilities, and One-Town One Product (OTOP) Store Express,
DTI says provincial governments are tapped to help speed up the implementation of the BUB-funded projects, adding that monitoring of the implementation these projects is the responsibility of the LGUs.
Policy guidelines on BUB are jointly issued by Department of Budget and Management (DBM), Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC).
For information on DTI services, visit http://www.dti.gov.ph/
by admin | Nov 13, 2015 | National News
With the growing demand for the raw material and its potential for job creation, the Department of Trade and Industry is supporting the revitalization of the local Cacao Industry.
On November 17, the DTI will hold a Cacao Industry Techno-Investment Forum, from 9:00 a.m to 4:30 p.m., at the Cebu Grand Hotel, Cebu City.
Topics for discussion during the activity include sharing of industry updates, National Cacao Industry Roadmap, Investment Opportunities in the Global and Domestic Market, Government interventions in support of the Industry, experiences of the private sector with regards to Intercropping, and Basics of Cacao Production.
Our country is well placed to supply the world with the chocolate it needs. The Philippines in general is a good place to grow cacao because it is on the Equator, the only part of the world where cacao can grow, DTI says
The department believes that with the country’s perfect climate and soil conditions for cacao cultivation, not to mention a ready global market, the Philippines’ potential stands to benefit many growers, retailers and chocolate makers.
Right now, Mindanao accounts for around 90% of the Philippine cacao production. Davao Region is the biggest local player producing 78% of the country’s total production, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority – Bureau of Agricultural Statistics.
Though the country’s contribution to the global market is miniscule, the Philippines is already exporting cacao to the United States, Singapore, New Zealand and Europe.
For more information on the forum, contact DTI Cebu at (032) 253-2631 local 204 or 0928-7825092.
by admin | Nov 12, 2015 | Local News / Bohol Balita
PASAY CITY, Manila November 11 (PIA)—A doppler radar which would be put in southeastern Bohol would immensely bolster the weather bureau’s forecasting capacity especially in accurately tracking storms entering Mindanao sea.
Bohol officer in charge of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAG-ASA) Leonardo Samar said the Department of Science and Technology is now ironing out the details of the proposal to erect Bohol’s first and possibly only Doppler radar in Basac, Alburquerque.
A Doppler radar is a specialized radar that uses the bouncing targeted microwave signals to a desired target and computing or analyzing how the object’s motion has altered the frequency of the returned signal. This variation gives direct and highly accurate measurements of the radial component of a target’s velocity relative to the radar.
The soon to stand Bohol Doppler radar forms a redundant system that peeps through the interlacing circles of coverage which practically leave no areas in the eastern Philippines blind from approaching weather disturbances which spawn at the Pacific.
Comprised of 6 operational radars now, each one covering some overlapping 400 kilometers, these radars, all located in vantage and strategic points across the country are in Baguio, Subic, Tagaytay, Mactan, Hinatuan and Tampakan.
Typhoon Yolanda has effectively opened a blind spot in the country’s weather vigilance with the Tacloban radar ruined.
With an area remaining the country’s blind spot, a radar set-up in Bohol effectively covers that empty area as well as lend an eye to weather forecasters as soon as a storm passes over Surigao and descends into the Mindanao sea, which the Tampakan and Hinatu-an radars can’t see owing to the tall Mindanao mountains.
Recalling what happened to Seniang, while the PAG-ASA predicted good on the typhoon path after it entered the Philippine area of responsibility, the radars could not accurately pinpoint the storms location as it descends into Mindanao sea, Leonardo Samar of the PAG-ASA Dauis said.
While it becomes a redundant system, the Alburquerque Bohol Doppler, which is now opening its bids could be completed next year, the weatherwatcher said.
This system could enhance weather monitoring in the Visayas, Samar stressed. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
PAG-ASAs Leonardo Samar says a Doppler radar set up un Bohol immensely helps the weather bureau based in Dauis release more accurate forecasts on storms entering the country and descending into the Mindanao sea. (PIA-Bohol)
by admin | Nov 12, 2015 | Editorial
There is always nothing wrong with generosity, especially when there is this expansive knowledge that people are not getting decent measures of what they need.
That generosity however, to be called such, must be only for that sole reason of charity or compassion and its breed of reasons other than getting something in return.
A few days ago, President Benigno Aquino recommended a bill that would start jacking up state workers pay to about 45%, for congressional approval.
The pay-out would be implemented in 4 rounds of annual increases, beginning January 2016.
The increase, which would benefit 1.3 million government workers would cost the government P226 billion, according to sources.
Almost at the same time, a Senate Bill was passed on third and final reading, a move to increase the country’s Social Security System pension by P2,000.
Packaged in an amendment to the Social Security Act of 1997, the Senate Bill passed on a 15-1 vote.
The dissenting cross-out comes from Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile, who said the move could lead to the SSS bankruptcy.
Of course, for people who do not look hard, this is good news: a salary increase that would alleviate the purchasing power of state workers and one that moves them a bit nearer their counterparts in the private companies.
For those getting social pensions, P2,000 more is 2000 reasons to be happy that the government has finally appreciated their work.
The next question: where would the government get the money it would bankroll in the pay-rise?
Tax, most certainly.
In Asia, the Philippines and India have the highest corporate income tax tare based on taxable profits at 30%. Add up to that the 12% value added tax.
For VAT, other than China and India, the Philippines continue to be among the heavily taxed consumers.
Experts have said that it there was an efficient tax collection system in the Philippines, the tax we collect can already keep the country out of this dire situation of economic depravity in less than a decade. But with the inept system that we have, the government loses over half of its collections to corruption, the rest by irrational spending by government.
With the state of economy the Philippines is having, the only reason for the government to be gallantly generous is the upcoming elections.
What will the salary increase approval do? It would make people look at the executive as that who sides with them and this tends to create a division in government: the executive and the legislative.
Legislators who would vote against the increase would be hated, while the executive would bank on a no-reasonable vote but for the shine of money, the ploy works.
This early, talks are already circulation in the barangays saying that the loss of Administration candidate can mean the total scrapping of the social benefits program, the stopping of the raise and the withdrawal of social security pension increase.
Or the plan pushes through and effectively puts the burden of upbringing a bankrupt economy back on its feet.
Either way, this rather untimed generosity will have people always losing.
by admin | Nov 10, 2015 | Editorial
In the past weeks, we heard the lonely voices from the wilderness.
The call was a scream for accountability, but nobody seemed interested in listening.
No less than the environmental advocates who have now claimed the call for advocacy has long been over resounded the wail of frustration.
Baptizing themselves as environmental activists, leaders of farmer sector groups led by the band of brave and diligent men and women of the Bohol Nature Conservation Society (BONACONSO) took the cudgels to blast on the alarming inaction by authorities against the syndicated abuse to Bohol environment.
It is syndicated, they alleged as it has become a systemic kind that puts the government itself in a situation that makes them part of the problem.
The government is mandated to protect and conserve the environment, but apparently,
by admin | Nov 9, 2015 | Editorial
In two days beginning Thursday last week, police authorities from 47 stations all over Bohol spun to action.
Whether it was ordered or not, police stations stirred and their chiefs of police called their men to a command conference to swoop down on drug personalities and effect the biggest raid in the history of Bohol.
The plan was to offer the heads of 50 or more drug personalities by the 50 raids, to appropriately mark a big day for Bohol police.
Historic, it would be as it would be a tribute to the 50th birth anniversary of Bohol’s top cop, PSSupt Dennis Agustin.
PNP senior officials, or whosoever conceptualized the move, have every reason to do so.
Agustin, upon assumption to Bohol, took to heart the order he received from Police General Prudencio Bañas, who shared a dreamy goal of declaring Bohol as the first drug-free province.
Both Bañas and Agustin had less than a couple of months in newly assigned posts: Bañas to head the regional police while Agustin has the provincial force under him.
What the two apparently did not know was that, they were pitifully dipped in a cauldron where drugs is allegedly stirred into distribution by forces beyond the commerce of men who have no balls of steel.
PD Agustin proved he was no less than that, by horning his way into the police organization and spearheading that infamous crusade that took his some of his finest officers despite shaking a hornets nest which is too close to Camp Dagohoy.
Police officers and station commanders of less timber, have to play it cool, and looked the other way.
Not on the 50th birth anniversary of the provincial police chief.
Those two days netted for Bohol and the police organization P5 million worth of drugs and money, over 50 personalities and an undetermined number of hassling trial appearances for police officers involved in the raids.
We need to congratulate the police for doing so.
The subliminal message beyond these raids however is that: the police have just shown us a reason to believe that they all know who in their respective areas of jurisdiction are into drugs.
For them to be able to sweep a massive raid in two days netting that much number of personalities, drugs and paraphernalia, it must indeed be a huge and sweeping problem, this drug affectation is.
Secondly, another troubling message we get from this is: (and authorities can refute us) the drug campaign in Bohol can all be called “artificial” and “half-hearted” on the very least.
No matter how successful the raids convey to all of Boholanos, the sub-currents tell us, how come the police stations, on non birth days of local officials could not muster the same magnitude of raids, if this was not just for show?
Would this bolster the claim a topnotch lawyer has been persistently announcing on the air: that police, who happen to be getting lifeblood from the local leadership, could do nothing with the problem, if they want their lifeline to be alive?
If this tells us that, then nobody in the high ranks of the police organization in Bohol realized the repercussions of a seemingly harmless, in fact gloriously planned sweeping raid.
The biggest realization we prayed not any ordinary Boholano can connect, is that by the raid, police have just haphazardly shown a drama which projects how extremely powerless and how farcical this local drug enforcement is.
This should not also connect the allegations that, not much of court convictions happen especially to the big-boys in the industry. The courts, according to out information, has been a beneficiary of monetary allowances from the provincial government.
Feeding the hand that feeds, still remains to be one act Boholanos could not do.
Well, except for the Boholanos who claim to be one, but their heart and soul, they have sold to the devil.
So therefore, the 50 raids for the 50th birthday of the police director shown a 50/50 image of the police and drug enforcement. And we hope they will live through this, alive.
by admin | Nov 9, 2015 | Editorial
Before a new and fancier tale of the “daang matuwid” can be spun, let us be a good-news spoiler, and let us state this in the language that majority of our supra-politicized citizens will not always understand.
The World Bank, in its 2016 Ease of Doing Business report, said that, of 189 countries it studied, the Philippines did not improve its ranking from 95th to 65th, as the Aquino Administration expected and short of announced for 2016. The ratings moved, sliding down from 95 to 103 among the 189 countries.
The ease of doing business is a global indicator of the good business climate an investor can expect when coming with a business in a country.
The International Finance Corp. (IFC) recently broke the downgrade news: a rain in the parade now readied by the Aquino Administration. Next week, Aquino plans an elaborately embellished Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) ministers’ forum in Manila. Here, leaders of the world’s biggest and most dynamic countries fringing the Asia Pacific region will be in Manila.
President Aquino sees this opportunity as one he can show how the Philippines is faring as the new Asian economic tiger. Or more correctly, how World Economic Forum billed “Asia’s new economic miracle” is governing.
And the WB report can be, finally proven to be hoax.
On this, the Department of Finance Secretary Cesar Purisima locks and loads its verbal arsenal shooting at the WB, whom it claims as erratic and questionable. We pity the visibly incensed Purisima. After all, as an avid insurance broker for the Philippines, painting rainbows over death is a classic line he uses always. He put on the country’s dreamy but false economic make-up, using a cash stash of tax money to buy credit ratings from the world’s top credit rating agencies.
Now, no amount of make up can de-odorize the country’s overall ranking decline in most of the 10 sub-indicators of the Doing Business program.
To Purisima’s side is Guillermo Luz, of the National Competitiveness Council, who also came out flaring about the report alleging its use of unsound and erratic methodology.
But, protest, the Administration may, the whole world would always see this as a bitter country for failing to make good its miracle concoction. And so, BizNews Asia, bannered in its cover story. “If you want to start a business, don’t start it in the Philippines.”
Considering that there are 189 economies, the Philippine rankings belie the claims of Daang Matuwid.”
Coming still as a time when an international embarrassment of the planting bullet scam greets APEC leaders at the airport, there might be no stopping the tag that this government has been led by incompetent and corrupt. This time, unfortunately, there is no President Arroyo to blame.
One good thing from this, it’s telling the Aquino Administration that the few good things they have owned credit will now be ascribed to somebody else’s.
This is something the businessmen leaders of APEC will smell. For us, Ave Maria Purisima.
by admin | Nov 7, 2015 | Tech Talk
San Miguel Corporation, the potential joint venture partner of Australian firm Telstra, holds an ace up its sleeve. It currently owns 90% of the 700MHz frequency range that is said to be the ideal frequency for mobile data service.
The 700MHz frequency allows the service provider to use lesser cell sites because the signals at this frequency can travel further compared to the higher frequencies used by the existing large mobile data players Globe and Smart.
In 2005, Globe requested the National Telecommunications Commission or NTC for an allocation of the 700MHz frequency but was denied. Just recently, PLDT joined the call for redistribution of the 700MHz frequency through an auction. Globe reiterated their request for allocation this year.
This is probably why Telstra was confident in its announcement last month that if the joint venture with SMC will push through, they would be able to provide much better service than Globe and PLDT.
However, some netizens interpret this move by Globe and PLDT as an attempt to prevent a 3rd player to compete. Others say that such requests are just excuses of the poor service provided by the two telcos. Others commented that Globe and Telco should just reduce advertising expense and spend the money instead on better infrastructure.
by admin | Nov 7, 2015 | Opinion
By: Jerome Auza
To the embarrassment of many Filipinos, the “laglag bala” or “tanim bala” scandal at NAIA became viral throughout the world on social media. The scheme involves planting of bullets in a passengers bag before or during the x-ray inspection. The passenger is then threatened with a being filed a case for illegal possession of ammunition. Because the passenger wouldn’t want to miss the flight, he or she is then offered an option to pay money in order to be cleared.
The matter became viral as more and more people who were became victims to the scam publicized their own experience on social media. Unfortunately, the national government’s response is slow and most of the time, just sending to the public the wrong message.
It has been featured in various international news networks. There is even a newly developed mobile app game that is a parody to this modus operandi. In Japan, someone created a parody of the scheme in a comedy show.
Here are some statements from our government:
“It’s just an isolated case.”
“Put issues in the proper context.” – referring to the thousands of passengers going through the airport without problems versus the “few” being victimized.
“Allegations of laglag-bala or bullet-planting scheme must be validated first before the government takes the necessary long-term actions”
Add to this a callous comment from a presidential candidate endorsed by the current administration: “Kung nagpasok ka ng contraband sa airport, paano naging problema ng gobyerno ’yun?”
This just creates the impression that the government isn’t giving this issue a priority. They should have responded more swiftly at high priority. The APEC conference is happening later this month with government officials from the APEC members traveling through NAIA. Now with this issue gaining international attention, the government needs to exert much more effort to assure the safety of travelers.
Meanwhile, a plastic wrapping service at the airport is happy with the brisk business every day as more people line up to have their luggage wrapped in clear plastic to avoid being victimized.
I travel fairly frequently and my last trip in October was a stressful one as I had to be extra watchful as I stepped out of the plane and got into the NAIA terminal. My very early morning flight deprived me of sleep. So while waiting for my connecting flight, I was fighting to stay awake. I wanted to ensure that my bags were not going to be planted with contraband.
With all the fees and travel taxes I have to pay, I can’t even relax at the airport anymore. I use a very well traveled backpack that has several pockets that are fairly easy to access. The laglag bala operators can easily slip in a bullet in one of those pockets. I should replace it with a much secure bag.
What our government should realize is that social media will spread news very fast across the Internet. Specially if it is bad news. It should respond differently and much faster compared to the way they do now. It should carefully draft its statements so that they are seen as serious in solving an issue. Their recent statements created the impression of a “wait and see” attitude which is unacceptable for the public.
The government may have huge influence over the traditional media firms but they can’t control the community of social media users and independent bloggers who would just voice out their opinion immediately. An inappropriate statement from the spokespersons can be taken out of context unintentionally or intentionally to the disadvantage of the government. They won’t have any influence at all on the international news agencies.
Downplaying the issue is simply an incorrect response because just one tanim bala incident out of thousands of passengers is enough to sow fear among travelers. Maybe our government officials need training about social media so they understand the impact of their actions or inaction on issues similar to the laglag-bala scheme.
by admin | Nov 1, 2015 | Local News / Bohol Balita
TAGBILARAN CITY, October 31, (PIA)—Next to inmates with crimes in violation of the dangerous drugs act, prisoners facing murder charges and theft comprise the top three most populations in Bohol jails.
In a report rendered by Jail Inspector Jose Rusylvi Abueva, jail statistics revealed that of the 1038 population of Bohol jails under the Bureau of jail Management and Penology (BJMP), inmates with drug cases comprise 51.34%.
Of the inmates with drug related cases, most of them, or 301 of 553 or 54.43% are committed at the Bohol District Jail (BDJ), formerly the Bohol Detention and Rehabilitation Center.
On the other hand, 19.69% or 105 of those detained for drugs are held at the Tagbilaran City District Jail (TCDJ) while 21.75% of these inmates facing drug suits are at the Talibon and Ubay District jails (UDJ), according to the BJMP.
After drug related cases, is murder, of which 118 are currently being detained to answer to the allegations in court and are awaiting for the dispensation of their cases.
Detainees facing murder comprise 11.36% of jail population in the five jails under the BJMP supervision, Inspector Abueva pointed out.
BDJ, the main jail for the province also commits 52.54% of detainees facing murder charges, while TCDJ has 19.495 or 23 inmates answering to murder.
UDJ also keeps 11.86% of inmates facing murder cases in courts. This is 14 inmates, Abueva report showed.
Next to drugs and murder, third most number of crime types among inmates in five Bohol jails is rape, which comprises 7.51% or a total of 78 of the 1038 detainees.
While BDJ keeps 35 of these inmates, TCDJ keeps 16 detainees facing rape while UDJ and Carmen District Jail (CDJ) both have 12 prisoners accused of rape.
Other leading prison crimes among Bohol jail inmates are robbery at 40 individuals detained or 3.85%, those accused of illegal possession of firearms at 39 individuals or 3.75%, followed by homicide at 38 or 3.6%. (rac/PIA-7/Bohol)
