Philippine Daily Inquirer articles from July 2008

Philippine Daily Inquirer archives from July 2008

50,000 in Mindanao firms lose jobs.
July 31, 2008... ZAMBOANGA CITYSOME 50,000 WORKERS were thrown out of jobs as 14 companies in Western Mindanao engaged in fishing and canning either closed shop or downsized their operations as a result of high fuel costs. Eugene Yap, vice president and...

Bank now willing to show police surveillance tapes.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Allison W. Lopez THE MANAGEMENT OF THE bank that had earlier refused to cooperate with the police investigation on the shooting of Far Eastern U star Marnel Mac Baracael made a turnaround yesterday, promising to release a copy of...

GMA like a housewife on VAT issue.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Belinda Olivares-Cunanan IN HER STATE OF THE NATION ADDRESS, President Macapal-Arroyo batted strongly for retaining the EVAT on food and fuel. And despite the growing clamor from various sectors for its abolition or even temporary...

BI eases policy on alien minors.
July 31, 2008... THE IMMIGRATION Bureau has substantially relaxed its policy on the admission of unaccompanied minors, stating in a new memorandum that minors of Filipino ancestry may now enter the Philippines without an accompanying parent. But these...

Cabral favors more debate on population bill.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Jocelyn R. Uy THE CONTINUING DEBATE ON the controversial reproductive bill now pending in Congress can only be healthy, said Social Welfare Secretary Esperanza Cabral as she reiterated her support for the measure. Everybody...

Cavite road project stirs poor villages.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Erika Sauler, Bacoor, Cavite AS SHAKY AS THE MANY shanties on stilts and lean-tos on the edges of the Manila Bay in Bacoor town in Cavite are the dwellers thoughts of what lies ahead for them when the government pursues a road...

Korean teachers here to learn English teaching.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Ma. Ceres P. Doyo FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW, KOREAN CHILDREN have been coming to the Philippines to attend English camps. On board my flight from Seoul last week, I counted about 100 Korean children all wearing blue T-shirts and with...

Congress may amend VAT law.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Norman Bordadora SPEAKER PROSPERO NOGRALES said Congress may pass amendments to the expanded value-added tax (E-VAT) law despite President Macapagal-Arroyos remarks in her State of the Nation address early this week. The...

40 days after: In prayers and tears, damage suits filed.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Allison W. Lopez BETWEEN PRAYERS AND TEARS, BEreaved relatives of victims of the MV Princess of the Stars yesterday, raised clenched fists and slapped more damage suits against ship operator Sulpicio Lines, 40 days since the...

Did you know.
July 31, 2008... ON AUG. 14, 1991, Republic Act 7104 created the Commission on the Filipino Language (Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino) and directed it to conduct research for the preservation, propagation and development of Filipino and other languages in the...

Eagles try to keep record clean vs emotional Tams.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo WHEN A TEAM TRAGEDY HIT FAR EASTERN UNIVERSITY LAST WEEK, COACH Glenn Capacio didnt know how his Tamaraws would cope with it for the rest of the UAAP season. But even after the teams priorities shifted...

The Presidents VAT.
July 31, 2008... ON AT LEAST ONE KEY POLICY, PRESIDENT MACApagal-Arroyo in her eighth State of the Nation Address stuck to the high and difficult road, rather than slide down to the easy, populist path. She stood pat on VAT. Was the Value-Added Tax...

Enrile dares govt to shut down Port Irene car trade.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. SEN. JUAN PONCE ENRILE YESTERday dared the government to shut down the used-car import business in the Cagayan Economic Zone (CEZ), claiming that he was ready to do battle in court to prove that the Supreme...

Express near first finals appearance.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Musong R. Castillo GAME TOMORROW (Cuneta Astrodome) 7 p.m.Air21 vs Magnolia THOUGH THIS OVERACHIEVING side wont actually get there in express mode, Air21 looks like it will get the job done just the same. The Express...

Frank victims get P120,000 from firm.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Nestor P. Burgos Jr., Inquirer Visayas ILOILO CITYTHE VICTIMS OF the flood that hit Iloilo at the height of Typhoon Frank would receive more assistance with the P120,000 donation from a Manila-based real estate company. ...

GAB okay needed for BI license.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Margaux C. Ortiz FOREIGN ATHLETES WHO WISH to strut their wares on Philippine soil will now have to hurdle two agenciesthe Games and Amusement Board and the Bureau of Immigration. The BI will only issue a special work permit...

Grisly end for motorcycle rider in Pasig City.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Beverly T. Natividad A MOTORCYCLE DRIVER DIED after he was pinned between two trucks in an accident that involved four vehicles in Pasig City before dawn yesterday. The body of Wilfredo Gregorio, 39, and a resident of San...

Group to go to SC if gov not suspended.
July 31, 2008... TACLOBAN CITYTHE GROUP THAT SUED Samar Gov. Milagrosa Tan for graft vowed to go to the Supreme Court if the order to suspend Tan, a close ally of President Macapagal-Arroyo, is not enforced. Fr. Cesar Aculan, Isog Han Samar Movement...

P22,000 to hear Giuliani speak? Wow, says Gordon.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Gil Cabacungan Jr. BOTH ARE FORMER city mayors who deftly handled crisis situations in their respective turfs. They even have the same initials. And so Sen. Richard Dick Gordon wondered aloud yesterday: How come Filipinos...

Slingers not disbanding.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Beth Celis IT WAS PBL COMMISSIONER CHINO Trinidad who broke the news to me of the Singapore Slingers pullout from the Australian National Basketball League. This is due to the financial crisis brought about by the high cost...

Its illegal, lawmaker says of Sulpicio waiver.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Christian V. Esguerra ROEL ANTHONY JAVIER, 34, lost his wife and son. The parents of Honeylyn Garces, 20, remain missing 40 days after the tragedy. Cebu Rep. Antonio Cuenco presented Javier and Garces at the resumption of the...

IN THE KNOW.
July 31, 2008... THE COURT OF APPEALS, the second highest court of the land, reviews decisions and orders of the regional trial courts, Office of the Ombudsman, Court of Tax Appeals, National Labor Relations Commission, National Amnesty Commission and some...

Extraditing Scam Suspects.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE BUREAU OF INternal Revenue (BIR) has requested the tax authority of Canada for information on the assets of and taxes paid to the foreign government by Faustino and Gloria Chingkoe, key suspects to the tax...

Islands of hope to go on campus tour.
July 31, 2008... Byline: TJ Burgonio AND THEN THERE WERE FOUR. Mayor Sonia Lorenzo has joined Governors Grace Padaca and Eddie Among Ed Panlilio, and Mayor Jesse Robredo in a new movement for ethical leadership and good governance. Expect to see...

JPE: Lopez out of tune over Marcos label.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. SEN. JUAN PONCE ENRILE YESTERday chided Oscar Lopez, the patriarch of the Lopez family, for singing an old tune in likening President Macapagal-Arroyos administration to Ferdinand Marcos dictatorship. ...

Screaming silences.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Juan L. Mercado A TOTAL OF 3,013 MEN AND WOMEN DIDNT wait for President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to finish her State of the Nation Address. They left the country before coifed and bejeweled fans of the President ended this...

Justice bares P10-M bribe.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Leila B. Salaverria BY HIS OWN ACCOUNT, A Court of Appeals justice was offered P10 million to inhibit himself from a case that Manila Electric Co. had filed to stop an attempted takeover by the Government Service Insurance...

Leviste bent on presenting in court prosecutors dad.
July 31, 2008... Byline: DJ Yap FORMER BATANGAS GOV. JOSE Antonio Leviste is intent on presenting former National Bureau of Investigation director Epimaco Velasco, father of Senior State Prosecutor Emmanuel Velasco, as a witness in his murder trial. ...

NBI agents raid firms.
July 31, 2008... AROUND P3.5 million worth of fake childrens wear featuring cartoon characters were seized by National Bureau of Investigation agents in Manila the other day. Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) agents, led by their chief, Elfren...

Customs, OMB agents seize P200M fake goods.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Margaux C. Ortiz A JOINT TEAM FROM THE BUREAU OF CUSTOMS (BOC) and Optical Media Board yesterday confiscated P200 million worth of counterfeit goods from a private warehouse in Sun Valley Subdivision in Paranaque City. ...

Miriam favors condom use, tells Church to get real.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Gil C. Cabacungan Jr. SEN. MIRIAM DEFENSOR SANTIAgo, a key administration ally, has come out openly in support of condom use for population control, running counter to President Macapagal-Arroyos unwavering stand against...

Neri says past year was most memorable.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Jerry E. Esplanada ROMULO NERI YESTERDAY said his attendance in the Senate hearings on the scrapped National Broadband Network deal with Chinas ZTE Corp., among other reasons, made the past 12 months the most memorable time of my...

Town dad slain.
July 31, 2008... A TOWN councilor in Taal town in Batangas was shot dead by a lone gunman Monday, police said. Franco Casanova, 50, was shot in front of the town hall after attending the municipal council session. He died at a hospital. Supt. Crod...

Dog meat traders nabbed.
July 31, 2008... POLICE and animal rights advocates seized at least 257 kilograms of dog meat and arrested seven dog meat traders in two separate raids here on Sunday. The traders were arrested at the Baguio public market and Burnham Park were the raids...

New biofuels exec.
July 31, 2008... SUGAR Regulatory Administration head Rafael Coscolluela assumed the position of vice chair of the National Biofuels Board (NBB). Energy Secretary Angelo Reyes, in his July 14 order appointing Coscolluela to the board, said Coscolluela...

J. Torres; 75.
July 31, 2008... NEGROS Occidental Board Member Janet Torres, 75, died of breast cancer at the Riverside Medical Center in Bacolod City 11:30 p.m. Saturday. Her remains were cremated after Mass at the Rolling Hills Memorial Chapels Sunday morning. ...

Bad lechon downs 14.
July 31, 2008... FOURTEEN persons were hospitalized on Monday after eating roasted pig that they bought in Argao town. Dr. Domingo Efren, of the Isidro C. Kintanar Memorial Hospital in Argao, said the patients started to arrive in the hospital on Monday...

Official declares dengue outbreak in Rizal province.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Beverly T. Natividad THE HEALTH OFFICER OF SAN Mateo town in Rizal province has declared a dengue outbreak in Tierra Monte Subdivision in Barangay Silangan. Dr. Anna Sochaco told the Inquirer yesterday that she made the move...

No oil price rollbacks in the offing.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Abigail L. Ho ALTHOUGH WORLD OIL PRICES have been softening in recent days, domestic oil firms are not expected to reduce prices at the pump priceat least not right away. According to Edgar Chua, country chair of Shell...

GMA proudly presents veggie canton noodles.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Christine O. Avendano PRESIDENT MACAPAGAL-ARroyo again defended the controversial value-added tax (VAT) on oil and petroleum products yesterday, but this time picking a novel food commodity to win the support of the poorvegetable...

An undemocratic decorum.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Manuel L. Quezon III WHEN THE USHER OF THE QUEEN OF ENGland summons the House of Commons to go to the House of Lords to hear the monarchs speech to open Parliament, the door is ceremonially slammed in his face. When the president...

Future of the nation.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Conrado de Quiros A FRIEND OF MINE HAS ALWAYS HELD THAT it takes hard times for a tyrant to fall. That was the case of Ferdinand Marcos. It had to take the capital flight of the early 1980s and the harsh times that followed to...

Roach eyes same-day weigh-in vs Oscar.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Roy Luarca IF THE MANNY PACQUIAO-OSCAR De La Hoya fight pushes through, Freddie Roach has a simple formula to prevent the Mexican legend from increasing his built-in weight advantage over the Filipino superstar further. Im...

SC: Used cars import ban covers RP; Palace: Only in Subic.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Leila B. Salaverria and Michael Lim Ubac THE SUPREME COURT RULING UPholding Executive Order No. 156, which bans the importation of used cars, applies to Philippine territory outside the former Subic Naval Base, a court official...

Slingers-Castro partnership intact; Asian Pro League up.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo PLAYING IN THE PROPOSED ASIAN Professional League is now the priority for the Singapore Slingers following their pullout from Australias National Basketball League. Although the move dashed hopes of Jason...

Sportsman offers P.5M for Beijing silver medal.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas THIS TIME, ITS FOR THE SILVER. A former advertising executive and sportsman has committed P500,000 as incentive for the winner of a silver medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gil Yuzon, 67, founder and...

Lions ambush Knights.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Cedelf P. Tupas COMING OFF TWO STRAIGHT DEFEATS HARDLY DENTED the confidence of the San Beda Red Lions, who brought an end to Letrans six-game winning streak with a pulsating 71-67 victory yesterday in the last game of the first...

Stop Aurora illegal logging, DENR asked.
July 31, 2008... CITY OF SAN FERNANDOThe Church-led environmental group Task Force Sierra Madre has asked Environment Secretary Joselito Atenza to create an independent investigation committee to look into illegal logging in Dingalan, a town in Aurora where...

Survey: Most Filipinos see selves as losers.
July 31, 2008... SEEING THEMSELVES WORSE OFF TOday than they were a year ago amid soaring food and oil prices, most Filipinos consider themselves losers, according to a survey conducted this month by a private polling group. Difficult times persist for...

Tight BPC race between Ginebra aces.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Musong R. Castillo GAME TOMORROW (Cuneta Astrodome) 7 p.m.Air21 vs Magnolia THE TWO BIGGEST REASONS WHY Barangay Ginebra made it to the Finals of the Smart Fiesta Cup ahead of everyone else continued to be locked in a...

TIMELINE.
July 31, 2008... MAY 1, 2008THE GOVernment Service Insurance System accuses Manila Electric Co. of turning a deaf ear to its repeated requests for access to corporate documents despite the GSIS holding four seats in the 11-member Meralco board. At the...

That guy Paking Rabat.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Ramon Tulfo LAST SATURDAY, I WITNESSED the inconsolable grief of thousands of people. People came in droves. They came from the mountains and the lowland towns of the mans province. They wept openly and unashamedly for...

UE raises the ante in shot-clock protest.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Jasmine W. Payo UNIVERSITY OF THE EAST IS PURSUING its stand that a technical error took place during its recent loss in the UAAP basketball tournamentfor a hefty sum. The Warriors formally elevated their protest to the UAAP...

Well give it our best, natl swimmers vow.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Marc Anthony Reyes LOS BANOSTHE FIVE-MAN PHILIPPINE swimming team to the Beijing Olympics faced the media yesterday and promised to give its best shot in trying to end the countrys medal drought in the sport in 76 years. ...

Pushing forward.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Bianca Angelein Aban Claveria IF I WERE GIVEN A WALL ON WHICH TO HANG ALL OF MY certificates, awards and medals, I wouldnt be able to fill even just one-fourth of it. If I were asked to count the number of times I went up the...

Spoiled VAT.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Conrado R. Banal III SURELY MANY OF US ARE IN FAVOR OF scrapping the 12-percent value added taxthe dreaded VAT. I think we must go even further. Let us scrap all taxes. By doing that, we make it impossible for this...

BPI reports 33% drop in 1st half net profit.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao THE AYALAS BANK OF THE PHILIPpine Islands yesterday reported a 33-percent decline in first-half net profit from a year ago as a rising interest rate environment squeezed treasury earnings this year. ...

BSP taps $500-M short-term loan.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Doris C. Dumlao THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPINAS REcently tapped a $500-million loan from Basel-based Bank for International Settlements (BIS) to beef up its foreign exchange stock amid the prevailing global financial market...

BSP readies forex trading omnibus code.
July 31, 2008... THE BANGKO SENTRAL NG PILIPinas will soon issue an omnibus code on foreign exchange trading to continue its post-Asian crisis liberalization efforts despite the markets bearish sentiment on the peso. BSP Deputy Governor Diwa Guinigundo...

DMCI stake in Maynilad operator to be diluted.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson DMCI HOLDINGS INC. SAID ITS stake in the investment company that controls Maynilad Water Services Inc. would be reduced to 44 percent from 50 percent. This would be brought about by the conversion...

DOT unfazed by high fuel prices, keeps target.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Irene R. Sino Cruz, Inquirer Visayas CEBU CITYTOURISM SECRETARY Ace Durano expressed confidence that rising fuel prices and the slowdown in the US economy would have minor impact on the countrys tourist arrivals. Durano said...

ICTSI posts 17% net income growth to P1.58B.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Riza T. Olchondra INTERNATIONAL CONTAINER Terminal Services Inc.s (ICTSI) total revenue for the second quarter surged 53 percent to P5.04 billion from P3.29 billion in the same period last year despite a general unease earlier...

Lafayette spending $50M to refurbish processing plant.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Amy R. Remo THE NEW MANAGEMENT OF LAFAYETTE Philippines Inc. will spend as much as $50 million to recommission its processing plant next month. At the sidelines of the Chamber of Mines 9th lecture series, Ajib Anuar,...

Marco Polo bullish, invests P130M.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Judy Quiros, Inquirer Mindanao DAVAO CITYDESPITE THE ADverse effect of negative travel advisories issued by foreign embassies in Mindanao, the Marco Polo Hotel said it had infused over P130 million over the past two years to...

Oriental rejects deal with Platinum.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Amy R. Remo MINING FIRM ORIENTAL PENINSUla Resources Group Inc. said it had rejected a compromise deal proposed by Platinum Group Metals Corp. for a highly contested nickel-rich mining tenement in Palawan. In a statement,...

PAL clarifies income report.
July 31, 2008... PHILIPPINE AIRLINES YESTERDAY CLARIfied some items in its financial report. The flag carriers statement of a comprehensive net income for its fiscal year ending March 31 showed its total revenue at $1.504 billion and its total expenses...

Seat sale marks CEB Naia-3 transfer.
July 31, 2008... CEBU PACIFIC WILL MARK THE AUG. 1 transfer of its entire operations to Naia-3 with a system-wide seat sale from July 30 to Aug. 5, 2008 or until allocated seats are sold out. CEB offers as low as P888 one-way fares for its international...

Semirara allots $25M for expansion.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Elizabeth Sanchez-Lacson COAL MINER SEMIRARA MINING Corp. is spending $25 million or roughly P1.2 billion to boost coal production as it remains bullish over prospects of coal prices. Semirara vice chair Isidro Consunji said...

SMEs urged to tap credit windows.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Delmar Carino, Inquirer Northern Luzon LA TRINIDAD, BENGUETBANKS AND lending institutions have shored up their funds for loans and credit for small- and medium-scale enterprises in the provinces but entrepreneurs have yet to make...

World Bank bucks lifting of VAT on oil.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Michelle V. Remo THE WORLD BANK SAID THE PHILIPPINE government should not give in to pressure to lift the value-added tax on oil, warning such a move could put to waste earlier efforts to put its fiscal house in order. ...

20 yummiest (commercially baked) cakes.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Vangie Baga-Reyes AS WE PROMISED, AFTER GIVING you the citys yummiest privately baked cakes, heres another lip-smacking list of the best-tasting commercial cakes available around town. These are cakes you can buy in retail...

Sugar high in Negros.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Micky Fenix IT WAS THE FIRST TIME I FELT GUILTY about not taking sugar with my coffee. I was in Bacolod and refusing to use the places important product seemed in bad taste. But I was to be punished for that the next day by a...

Wheat grass checks overeating, bad diet.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Reggie Aspiras It claims to be a cure-alldetoxification agent, liver purifier, toxin neutralizer, energy booster, cancer fighter WEEKLY ON KITCHEN RESCUE, I have shared my finds with you things, people and places of interest...

Three-nut brownies.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Norma Chikiamco, Contributor SOME BROWNIE RECIPES USE WALNUTS. Others, cashew nuts. Heres a recipe that uses both, plus pecans to add an even nuttier texture. These brownies are definitely for nut lovers. Three -Nut Brownies...

Something marvelous and magical.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Lea Salonga TOMORROW IS OUR OFFICIAL OPENING night for Cinderella. Our hard work in the rehearsal room would have finally been viewed by preview audiences, and hopefully liked. As of this moment, I have absolutely no idea what...

Moms are all over the big and small screens.
July 31, 2008... Byline: Nestor U. Torre ITS BEEN WEEKS AND WEEKS AFTER Mothers Day, but for some serendipitous reason, moms are all over the small and big screens this season. On TV, mothers get to choose their childrens dates in the US reality...

Be a frugal fashionista.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Bianca Valerio, Contributor ACCESSORIES MAKE THE OUTFIT. But no law states that we need to break the bank to look fashionable. Here are some places that offer great but affordable accessories. SMHeres a little secret we...

Certainly no desperate housewives.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Rina Silayan Go, Contributor LET THE WOMEN SHOW YOU A THING or two about running a household, at the same time juggling the demands of career and/or kids, and yet managing to remain on top of the game... doing all these with ease...

How the young are redefining the market.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Rowena C. Burgos IN THE PAST, MANY firms ignored the youth market. Companies reasoned that the groups spending and influence hardly warranted any real investment; paying them attention cost more than it was worth. Today, this...

Books.
July 25, 2008... MY FAVORITE BOOKS are my dictionary and Psychology text books. When I graduate, hopefully, Ill be able to move on to other books. I always start reading a novel, but never finish it. I get through half the book, put it down, and then never...

The Gov is in.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Bayani San Diego Jr. BATANGAS CITYENTERING THE Peoples Mansion, actress and Batangas Gov. Vilma Santos-Recto, in a dark suit and purple necktie, salutes a cop posted at the doorway. She had to learn how to do it right, she...

Favorite Nooks.
July 25, 2008... I LOVE LOOKING out the window of my condo unit. Its my favorite spot. Im into photography; the things I see from this spot inspire me. I especially love that time of day when the sun is about to set. It lights up the outline of the buildings...

A boys name for next baby.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Marinel R. Cruz RICHARD GOMEZ AND LUCY TORRES, whose daughter Juliana turns 8 this year, are working on another baby, preferably a boy. They already have a name in mind: Manuel Antonio. Richard told Inquirer Entertainment,...

Its a final wrap for 2 directors.
July 25, 2008... Byline: Marinel R. Cruz THE LIGHTS WENT OUT ON two Filipino film directors in a span of four days. Actor-director Abbo de la Cruz was supposed to prepare breakfast for the family after his usual 30-minute bicycle ride on Tuesday...