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Dietary supplement is a product that contains vitamins, minerals, herbs or other botanicals, amino acids, enzymes, and/or other ingredients intended to supplement the diet. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has special labeling requirements for dietary supplements and treats them as foods, not drugs.

Manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and dietary ingredients are prohibited from marketing products that are adulterated or misbranded. That means that these firms are responsible for evaluating the safety and labeling of their products before marketing to ensure that they meet all the requirements of DSHEA and FDA regulations.

Wars of ancient history were about possessions, territory, power, control, family, betrayal, lover's quarrel, politics and sometimes religion.

But we are in the Modern era and supposedly more educated and enlightened .

Think about this. Don't just brush off these questions.

Why is RELIGION still involved in WARS? Isn't religion supposed to be about PEACE?
Ask yourself; What religion always campaign to have its religious laws be accepted as government laws, always involved in wars and consistently causing WARS, yet insists that it's a religion of peace?

WHY??

There are only two kinds of people who teach tolerance:

The Bullies. They want you to tolerate them so they can continue to maliciously deprive you. Do not believe these bullies teaching tolerance, saying that it’s the path to prevent hatred and prejudice.
The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.

Binay lauds Makati police for estero clean-up drive

Sunday, August 21, 2011

by Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=50068

MAKATI, Aug. 21 (PIA) -- For having conducted continuous clean-up operations under its ‘EsteroClean’ project every Saturday since last May, Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay over the weekend commended members of the Makati Police Department.

Binay said the group, led by officer-in-charge Supt. Jaime Santos, "laboriously" cleaned-up various waterways in the city in coordination with the city Department of Environmental Services, barangay officials and other volunteers.

He said the team has been continuously monitoring and clearing garbage from the P. Medina creek, a major waterway in Brgy. Pio del Pilar, to allow water to flow freely and prevent water-borne diseases like dengue and leptospirosis.

The mayor also called on residents, including barangay officials, city government employees and students, to participate more actively in ongoing citywide efforts to prevent and control the spread of dengue in the communities of Makati.

A report from the Makati Health Department (MHD) showed that from Jan. to Aug. 13, 2011 at least 239 cases of dengue in the city have been recorded, including three deaths.

The same report said that In the first two weeks of August alone, a total of 37 cases were monitored by MHD.

“The increasing trend of dengue cases in Metro Manila demands a more intensified community involvement and cooperation to ensure an effective campaign against dengue," he said.

"I am calling on all Makati residents, including city government employees, to join other volunteers in doing search-and-destroy operations on potential breeding places for dengue-carrying mosquitoes in their respective barangays,” Binay added. (PIO/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)

EDSA-Makati reblocking snarls traffic near SLEX

Saturday, August 21, 2011 | 05:43 PM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/230022/nation/edsa-makati-reblocking-snarls-traffic-near-slex

Reblocking work along a portion of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Makati City snarled traffic near the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Saturday afternoon.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the Department of Public Works and Highways was conducting the reblocking at the foot of the EDSA Magallanes flyover’s northbound portion.

The reblocking “severely [affected] SLEX northbound traffic up to Bicutan," the MMDA said.

According to the MMDA’s Twitter account, traffic was crawling at 10 kph at the area between SLEX northbound and Bicutan.

But in a separate Twitter message, the MMDA said traffic at the northbound part of SLEX from Alabang to C-5 was light to moderate.

It also said traffic at the northbound part of C5 from Kalayaan to Bagong Ilog was moderate. — JE, GMA News

Dengue has killed 3 kids in Makati

Thursday, August 18, 2011 | 02:56 PM

Source: http://www.philstar.com/nation/article.aspx?publicationsubcategoryid=200&articleid=718136

MANILA, Philippines - Three children have died in Makati City due to dengue, a local health official disclosed today.

Dr. Estella Barrios, city health office chief, said that the three children, the youngest aged 3, were residents of Kasilawan, Guadalupe Nuevo and Singkamas villages.

The last fatality was a resident of Singkamas. The child died from dengue last June.

The city health officer said that a total of 239 cases of dengue have been recorded in the city from January 1 to August 13 this year.

The number of dengue cases recorded during the same period last year was only 92, she said.

Of the 239 cases, 37 were recorded during the first two weeks of August. Majority of the victims were students and the patients are residents of Guadalupe Nuevo, Guadalupe Viejo, Pembo, and Poblacion villages.

Makati office rent among the cheapest in Asia-Pacific

August 17, 2011

Source: http://www.bworldonline.com/Research/economicindicators.php?id=0491

THE MAKATI Central Business District offers one of the lowest office rents among major financial centers in the Asia Pacific region, according to a property consultancy firm.

Net effective rent in “Grade A” Makati offices — the rental income generated by a lease over a fixed term — was $125 per square meter per annum (psm pa) in the second quarter, a report from Jones Lang LaSalle showed. The average figure is 3.5% higher than the previous quarter’s.

Rent in Hong Kong offices was over 10 times higher at $1,758 psm pa. Other Asia-Pacific cities with expensive office rents are Tokyo in Japan ($1,042 psm pa), Singapore ($857), Mumbai in India ($743), Shanghai and Beijing in China ($692 and $683, respectively), Perth in Australia ($590), Seoul in South Korea ($530), Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam ($505), and New Delhi in India ($504).

Of the 27 cities included in the report, Makati offered the sixth cheapest office rent. The lowest net effective rents were recorded in the Indian cities of Chennai and Bangalore ($128 psm pa and $151 psm pa, respectively), Jakarta in Indonesia ($160), Bangkok in Thailand ($172), and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia ($185).

The 3.5% increase in office rent in Makati City was “due to the significant takeup of vacant office space in existing Prime and Grade A buildings,” mostly by offshoring and outsourcing companies, Jones Lang LaSalle said in another report.

“[Cheap rent] is an advantage for the Philippines because of the globalization of business activities and investment plans. Cheap office rents coupled with competent and efficient labor can help reduce cost and make firms competitive,” said University of Asia and the Pacific economist Cid L. Terosa.

However, University of the Philippines economist Benjamin E. Diokno said office rent does not seem to be an important consideration in a company’s decision to invest in a particular country. ”The ranking is consistent with previous surveys which show that Manila (broadly defined) is not an expensive place to work in. Yet, the Philippines does not attract a lot of foreign direct investments (FDI). In fact, FDI in the Philippines is the lowest among ASEAN-5 countries.”

“Maybe the size of the market, profitability, peace and order, availability of public infrastructure at reasonable rates, policy consistency, and rule of law are more important reasons than office rent,” he said.

The quarterly rent hike across 27 cities was 2.4% on the average. “Ongoing corporate hiring and expanding accommodation requirements underpinned the Asia-Pacific office leasing market in the second quarter,” said the consultancy firm, adding that vacancies have dropped in many cities.

However, the increase in average net effective rent was slightly slower than the 2.5% recorded in the first quarter. “Regional growth has slowed in recent months due to a range of factors including natural disasters, policy measures to prevent overheating and ongoing challenges in Europe and the United States,” the firm said.

Rent hikes were steepest in Beijing (15.2%) and Jakarta (14.6%), while Hanoi in Vietnam posted the biggest drop in net effective rent at 4.8% to $398 psm pa.

“In a few other markets where tenant demand remains weak, rents have either stabilized (e.g. Taipei in Taiwan, which recorded a 0.1% increase to $494 psm pa) or are seeing further declines (e.g. Seoul, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok),” the report said.

Jones Lang LaSalle, however, expects leasing demand to “remain solid” this year. “Rental growth of up to 45% is expected across the region for the full year, with the strongest growth likely to be seen in supply constrained markets such as Hong Kong, Beijing and Jakarta,” it said.

Average Net Effective Rents in Grade A Offices, Asia Pacific Region
Second Quarter 2011
	Rent	Quarterly Change
Cities	US $ *psm pa	Local Currency, %
Hong Kong	1,758	6.6
Tokyo	1,042	-0.4
Singapore	857	1.7
Mumbai	743	3.0
Shanghai	692	4.6
Beijing	683	15.2
Perth	590	5.0
Seoul	530	-0.9
Ho Chi Minh City	505	-1.8
Delhi	504	0.0
Taipei	494	0.1
Sydney	441	1.9
Osaka	416	1.3
Hanoi	398	-4.8
Brisbane	372	0.0
Guangzhou	354	0.9
Melbourne	330	1.4
Canberra	294	-0.9
Adelaide	280	2.5
Auckland	259	-0.9
Wellington	228	-2.0
Manila (Makati CBD)	195	3.5
Kuala Lumpur	185	-1.4
Bangkok	172	-0.8
Jakarta	160	14.6
Bangalore	151	5.1
Chennai	128	0.0

Source: Jones Lang LaSalle

*psm pa — per square meter per annum

Downpour turns future policemen into rioters

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

by Ferdinand Fabella

Source: http://www.manilastandardtoday.com/insideMetro.htm?f=2011/august/16/metro1.isx&d=2011/august/16

THOUSANDS of future policemen and police officers turned rowdy and thrashed the regional office of the National Police Commission-National Capital Region in Makati City on Monday.

The near-riot took place before noon when applicants for the entrance and promotional examinations of the Philippine National Police started pushing and shoving along queues when it suddenly rained.

Two persons were injured when the applicants destroyed the glass doors of the Napolcom office.

The injured were identified as PO3 Ricardo Rense of the Quezon City Police District, and Richard Ryan Abando, a police applicant from Tondo, Manila. Both sustained cuts in different parts of the body when the glass door at the Napolcom office shattered, a report from the Napolcom-Public Information Office said.

Napolcom security personnel said it took a while before order was restored.

After the incident, Napolcom Assistant Regional Director Cynthia Navarro ordered the suspension of the acceptance of the applications.

“It rained so everyone wanted to take cover. I don’t know how it started, I just found myself pushed to the ground,” a male applicant said, adding that they had lined up outside the Napolcom office at dawn.

Monday was the first day for the acceptance of applications for PNP Entrance and Promotional Examinations for police recruits and police personnel aspiring for promotions.

The deadline for filing applications is September 16 while the nationwide examination is scheduled on October 23.

Napolcom Vice-Chairman and Executive Officer Eduardo Escueta said the acceptance of applications shall be on a “first come, first-served” basis and, upon due notice, may be stopped even ahead of the deadline.

He added that in view of resource constraints, the Napolcom regional offices reserve the right to limit the number of examinees it will accommodate.

Pollution levels down in Makati, says gov’t

By Tina G. Santos

Monday, August 15th, 2011 | 12:41 AM

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/41677/pollution-levels-down-in-makati-says-gov%E2%80%99t

The air quality in Makati has shown marked improvement during the first half of the year, according to the city government.

Ricardo Suarez, officer in charge of the Makati Pollution Control Office (MPCO), said that the air quality monitoring status report of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for January to June this year showed a 22 percent reduction in the level of air pollution in the city.

“From 174 micrograms per cubic meter of suspended particulates in the same period last year, it [went down] to 136 micrograms per cubic meter this year,” Suarez said in a statement.

The city government said the improved air quality in Makati could be attributed to the authorities’ intensified campaign against smoke belchers.

A total of 2,895 smoke-belching vehicles in different roads in Makati were apprehended during the first six months

of the year.

Based on comparative data from the MPCO, the number of apprehended vehicles decreased by 9.13 percent from 3,186 during the same period in 2010.

Suarez said his office had been pursuing the intensive enforcement of City Ordinance No. 2004-032, also known as the Emission Control Code of Makati, in line with the city’s advocacy for smoke-free air.

“We will not spare any vehicle, even government vehicles, when we catch them emitting dark-colored, foul-smelling smoke in our streets. We want to maintain clean air in the city so that our residents, city workers, visitors and passersby can breathe freely here in Makati,” Suarez said.

The MPCO report showed that utility vehicles topped the list of violators with 1,360 apprehended; followed by trucks with 1,095; cars with 219; public utility jeepneys with 165 and public utility buses with 56.

PDEA nabs 'psycotrophic' drug pushers

by Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=48876

PIA Press Release

MANILA, Aug. 14 (PIA) -- For allegedly selling 60 pieces of 'psychotropic' capsules to a PDEA agent at a gasoline station along the North Luzon Expressway, two 'pushers' were arrested recently by elements of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

PDEA Director General Undersecretary Jose S Gutierrez Jr. identified the suspects as Samuel A. Hernandez, 27, a resident of 27 Bangkal St., Makati City; and Pinky S. Tashi, a 20-year old Filipino-Japanese single-mom of Short Horn St., Project 7, Muñoz, Quezon City.

Initially, the two were suspected of selling ecstacy, an entactogenic recreational drug banned in many countries.

The confiscated capsules, however, after being turned over to the PDEA Laboratory Service (PDEA-LS) for laboratory examination, yielded negative to Methylenedioxymetamphetamine (MDMA), or ecstasy,

But the capsules tested positive for the presence of 43 grams of Midazolam, another dangerous drug. Midazolam is included in the in the Schedule IV of the United Nations convention on Psychotropic Substances as enumerated in Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Midazolam belongs to the benzodiazepine family with hypnotic, anesthetic and sedative properties similar to the effects of barbiturates and diazepam. Benzodiazepines are commonly abused in combination with alcohol.

Gutierrez said the arrest of the two suspects was the result of OPLAN: SHIELD orchestrated by PDEA Regional Office 3 (PDEA RO3).

Hernandez and Tashi now face charges for selling illegal drugs in violation of Section 5, Article II of RA 9165. They are presently detained at the PDEA RO3 detention facility in Camp Olivas, San Fernando, Pampanga. (PDEA/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)

Fire razes 11 homes in Makati

Friday, August 12, 2011 | 5:43 PM | Updated as of 08/12/2011 8:24 PM

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/metro-manila/08/12/11/fire-razes-makati-houses

abs-cbnNEWS.com

MANILA, Philippines – (UPDATE) A residential area in West Rembo, Makati City was hit by a fire Friday afternoon.

Eleven houses at Teachers' Compound along Kalayaan Street were razed by the fire that lasted for about 2 hours.

One of the residents, Luz Malana, said one of the electric wires in the compound caught fire.

“Nakita naman nag-putok putok ang kuryente, nagbabaan na kami,” sabi ni Malana.

Makati Mayor Junjun Binay arrived on the scene to monitor the situation.

“Medyo makipot ang area na ito, it’s very dense. So talagang ang safety nila is a primary concern,” said Binay.

Initial investigations by the Bureau of Fire revealed that the fire started from the 3rd floor of a boarding house.

Authorities estimated damages to worth P5 million.

The location of the fire was in the vicinity of University of Makati and Fort Bonifacio High School, prompting school officials to evacuate the students.

Around 100 students were evacuated around 2 p.m.

Fire out was declared around 4 p.m.

No casualties have been reported.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined by authorities.

Makati govt pays tribute to heroic OFW from HK

Thursday, August 11, 2011 | 03:52 PM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/229139/pinoy-abroad/makati-govt-pays-tribute-to-heroic-ofw-from-hong-kong

Makati City on Thursday paid tribute to a heroic overseas Filipino worker who died while protecting her ward in Hong Kong earlier this year.

Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay, Jr. awarded P20,000 in cash assistance to the family of Juanita Limbago, according to a news release.

“This is our humble way of recognizing the heroism of Juanita, a simple housewife and mother who was willing to work hard to ensure a bright future for her son," Binay said.

Limbago, 31, of West Rembo in Makati, died last June 10, while protecting her six-year-old ward from an on-coming bus. She died five days before her son celebrated his eighth birthday last June 15.

Binay also presented to her husband Edwin, 35, and her eight-year-old son Marc Aldwin a city council resolution extending condolences to the bereaved family and paying tribute to Limbago for her heroic act.

Marjorie de Veyra, acting city administrator and city social welfare department head, facilitated the issuance of a Makati Health Plus Card (Yellow Card) to the family of Limbago to provide them access to subsidized health care.

Meanwhile, Limbago’s husband will fly Thursday evening to Qatar, where he has worked in the logistics section of a moving company for many years.

Her son, a grade three pupil at a nearby public elementary school, will be left in the care of his paternal grandmother who lives in West Rembo. — JE, GMA News

6 suspected car thieves killed in QC, Makati encounters

Wednesday, August 10, 2011 | 08:03 AM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/228948/nation/6-suspected-car-thieves-killed-in-qc-makati-encounters

Law enforcers dealt at least two carjack-robbery gangs a major blow before dawn Wednesday, killing at least six suspects in separate encounters in Quezon City and Makati.

But at least one policeman was wounded during one of the encounters, which took place near a parking lot in Makati City.

In Quezon City, at least five members of the Lintag Gang were killed in a running firefight with police along a portion of Congressional Avenue.

The Lintag Gang had been linked to a string of robbery cases, according to a report by radio dzBB's Allan Gatus.

Many members of the group were remnants of the Alvin Flores robbery-carjack group, the dzBB report added.

Police operatives closed off a portion of Congressional Avenue to vehicles before 6 a.m., slowing down traffic in the area.

Quezon City Police District Station 3 head Superintendent Lito Feliciano said they had been keeping tabs on the gang for the past several days.

Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group chief Director Samuel Pagdilao Jr. said they also recovered high-powered firearms in the Quezon City encounter.

"Na-encounter ng magkasanib na pwersa ng QCPD at anti-carjacking. Lima ang nakabulagta sa grupo. May (na-recover) na cal-.45 at may Baby Armalite (Police and anti-carjacking operatives encountered the suspects in Quezon City. We recovered cal-.45 pistols and Baby Armalite firearms from them)," Pagdilao said in an interview on dzMM radio.

Pagdilao also said their initial information on the Lintag Group showed its members include ex-convicts.

"Ang member nito ayon sa ating records, ex-convict kaya labas-pasok sa kulungan (Our records show this gang's members include ex-convicts who go in and out of prison)," he said in an interview on dzRH radio.

Makati shootout

In Makati City, meanwhile, police killed at least one member of another criminal gang, the Onad Group, which had been linked to car thefts in parts of Metro Manila.

A report by radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen said the suspects were in a silver Ford Escape sport-utility vehicle at a parking lot near a hospital.

The shootout occurred at 4 a.m. between Metro Manila regional intelligence police and the gang members at an open parking area near the Philippine Development Alternative Foundation near the Makati Medical Center at the corner of Tindalo Extension and Buendia Avenue.

The silver Ford SUV (ZBX-640), which was believed carjacked, was peppered with bullet holes during the encounter.

Recovered from the vehicle were cal-.45 and cal-.38 firearms.

However, another member of the gang managed to escape, police said.

"Sa grupo nila Onad meron din may tama (We managed to hit at least one member of the gang)," Makati City police head Superintendent Jaime Santos said in an interview on dzBB, citing sketchy initial information reaching him.

But he said one policeman, initially identified as PO1 Balauag, was seriously wounded. A separate dzBB report said the policeman was hit in the chest. — RSJ, GMA News

BCDA plans 2 railway projects

By BERNIE CAHILES-MAGKILAT

Tuesday, August 9, 2011, 2:29am

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/330049/bcda-plans-2-railway-projects

MANILA, Philippines — State-owned Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) yesterday announced plans to undertake two railway projects – one fast train that will connect Manila to the Clark International Airport and a monorail that will connect the central business districts of Makati, Taguig under the Private-Public Partnership concept to be accomplished within the term of the current administration.

BCDA officials said during press conference they have to discuss these projects with the new secretary of the Department of Transportation and Communication Mar Roxas.

“We can do these within a five year time frame,” BCDA president and CEO Arnel Paciano D. Casanova.

BCDA chairman Felicito C. Payumo said it would take 150 days to conduct a feasibility study, 6 months of bidding process and two years of construction.

The planned fast train that will connect Manila to Clark would be running at the island of the existing 90-kilometer North Luzon expressway, which is being operated by the Manila North Tollways Corp., which also its own feasibility for the construction of a bullet train.

Payumo said that although they prefer bidding for all of its projects, the Build-Operate Transfer law also allows unsolicited proposal as long as the proposal would employ new technology with no government sovereign guarantee and subsidy.

He said that if a proponent could come forward with such a plan they may entertain an unsolicited proposal for the fast train project.

“But the general rule to bid out everything,” he said.

The fast train, he said, would be intended for airport passengers from Manila to Clark and vice-versa. North Rail Corp., which used to be the original proponent of the project but has have embroiled in some controversies, may find another role in the construction of a commuter train along the PNR tracks.

Palace thanks Makati Business Club for "vote of confidence"

Monday, August 8 2011 | 04:05 PM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/228767/business/palace-thanks-makati-business-club-for-vote-of-confidence

The Palace on Monday thanked the Makati Business Club (MBC) for its "vote of confidence" after the group released a survey acknowledging improvements in the business environment over the past year.

In the MBC’s second semester 2011 Executive Outlook Survey, 64 percent of respondents acknowledged these economic improvements. A larger majority of 76 percent projected a better economic performance over the next 12 months.

MBC members particularly commended the Department of Health, which presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda described as "a pillar for our social service agenda."

"The MBC members’ optimism and positive outlook on the country reaffirm that the government’s efforts to level the playing field in all sectors and secure greater opportunity for inclusive growth are bearing fruit," Lacierda said.

Meanwhile, 80 percent of MBC respondents said graft and corruption charges against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo should be pursued.

"We are also united in the view that although the nation has achieved palpable progress, there is much work left for us to do," Lacierda said.

The MBC conducted the survey from July 19 to August 2, with over 10 percent of the group’s members participating.

The MBC was perceived to have supported President Benigno Aquino III in his presidential campaign, with its former executive director, Alberto Lim, later being appointed as Tourism chief. — with Paterno Esmaquel II/RSJ, GMA News

VP Binay: Sweden open to hiring Pinoy nurses

Sunday, August 07, 2011 | 02:39 PM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/228699/pinoy-abroad/vp-binay-sweden-open-to-hiring-pinoy-nurses

Job opportunities in Sweden may be opened for Filipino nurses after Vice President Jejomar Binay met with Swedish officials there earlier this month.

The Vice President met and discussed with Speaker of Parliament Per Westerberg and issues concerning the Filipinos living in Sweden.

"The Speaker of Parliament also 'favorably viewed' the suggestion to 'explore closer cooperation in the health sector,' including the possible employment of Filipino nurses in Sweden," said a news release posted on the Office of the Vice President website.

On Sunday, Binay arrived from Sweden where he attended the 22nd World Scouts Jamboree in Kristianstad, scheduled from August 1 to 6.

He said he was happy to announce “positive developments" resulting from “productive meetings" with key Swedish officials, including the Swedish Speaker of Parliament, Housing Minister and the Stockholm City Council vice president.

During his meeting with Westerberg, Binay said he raised the request of Filipinos living and working in Sweden to extend the option of letting migrants and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) use their earned social security benefits in the Philippines in Sweden.

Binay is the Presidential Adviser on OFW Concerns.

“In this regard, I urged the Swedish Government to resume negotiations with the Philippines on a bilateral social security agreement," he said.

Binay, who chairs the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), also met with Swedish Housing Minister Stefan Attefall.

During the meeting, he invited the participation of Sweden in helping meet the Philippines’ goal of building 3.6 million housing units within the next 10 years.

“I extended an invitation to the Minister and to Swedish companies engaged in housing and construction to come visit us in the Philippines to share best practices and explore opportunities in the Philippine housing sector," he said.

Waste management system

Meanwhile, Binay said he was “impressed by the waste management system of the City of Stockholm" and said he hoped to “bring similar solutions to the Philippines through our local government units and by proposing a possible review of the Clean Air Act."

Binay's delegation included Makati City Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr.; Mayor Dale Corvera of Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte; and Mayor Arlene Arcillas of Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

The Philippine delegation reached an agreement with Stockholm City Council Vice President Ulf Fridebäck and Mayor of Lund Annika Annerby Jansson to enter into bilateral cooperation centering on city-to-city projects between Stockholm and the cities of Makati, Cabadbaran and Sta. Rosa.

Scouts

Binay also said that as the chair for Asia Pacific chapter of the Boy Scouts and as the highest elected public official to join the jamboree, he had the chance to meet with the King of Sweden.

The 22^nd World Scout Jamboree in Rinkaby was attended by more than 40,000 scouts from 151 member countries of the World Organization of Scouting Movement. — LBG, GMA News

UP experts told to stop collecting fuel samples from Makati barangay

By Tina G. Santos (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

11:09 pm | Saturday, August 6th, 2011

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/37349/up-experts-told-to-stop-collecting-fuel-samples-from-makati-barangay

Officials of Barangay (village) Bangkal in Makati City have ordered the team of experts hired by the city government to refrain from collecting petroleum products in the vicinity of oil leak-affected West Tower Building allegedly for neglecting safety measures.

In a one-page order issued to Dr. Carlo Arcilla of the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences (UP-NIGS), the barangay council said the team failed to implement safety measures around the extracting wells such as putting up closed barricades, fire extinguishers and spill kits.

The barangay officials also noted the improper transportation of petroleum products through a jeepney as well as the workers’ use of unsafe container such as pails in collecting fuel.

“The manner in which they collect and transport petroleum products are considered unsafe and hazardous especially to the residents,” said Barangay Councilman Bam Hildawa.

Documented

He said the UP-NIGS team’s alleged unsafe practices while carrying on their activities in the area are all documented.

“We have pictures and videos to show that they’re not implementing safety measures. They transport fuels using a jeepney which is very dangerous not only for the workers but also for their fellow motorists on the road,” Hildawa told the Inquirer.

Sought for comment, Arcilla admitted that they may have had lapses with regards to safety precautions.

“I admit, meron kaming pagkukulang but these were already corrected. Maybe what happened was just a matter of miscommunication. Since I report directly to the City Hall regarding our work in the area, maybe the barangay’s not just aware of what we’re doing and how we actually operate,” he told the Inquirer.

He added that soon after he received the cease and desist order, he immediately obliged and ordered his men to stop work in the area.

Divisiveness

Although he lamented that he was not given any warning by the barangay prior to the issuance of the CDO, which he claimed was coursed through the First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), Arcilla said he doesn’t want the issue to cause divisiveness among his team, the barangay and the city government.

“Let us not divert from the real issue here, the real problem—there are still more than a million litter of fuel that remains on the ground,” he said.

The city government initially hired the UP NIGS to study the extent and monitor the development of the oil leak, the source of which was earlier traced to a portion of the 117-kilometer pipeline owned and operated by FPIC.

The pipeline stretches from Batangas to the Pandacan oil depots in Manila and carries refined products, gasoline, diesel, aviation gas and kerosene.

Since June, Arcilla said that with the permission of the city government, they started collecting fuels from the almost 200 holes they bore in the vicinity to speed up the recovery of contaminants in the area.

MAKATI ASKS COURT OF APPEALS TO NULLIFY JUDGE’S RULING ON MAKATI-TAGUIG ROW

Friday, August 05, 2011 | 01:18 PM

Source: http://www.makati.gov.ph/portal/index.jsp

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay asked the Court of Appeals to nullify a decision of a former Pasig judge who ruled that Taguig has jurisdiction over Fort Bonifacio and several Makati barangays.

In a petition filed Tuesday, Binay said retired judge Briccio Ygana issued the decision after his retirement last July 9, rendering the decision void since the judge did so “without authority having already retired from the court – thus amounting to lack of jurisdiction.”

The Makati mayor also said the judge’s action of deciding the case days after his retirement violates due process.

Binay noted that the former judge ante-dated his decision to July 8, his last official working day. This was uncovered by a certification from the clerk of court saying that no final decision on the case has been issued as of July 12, or three days after the judge’s retirement.

Makati has filed criminal and administrative charges against the former judge and the clerk of court for usurpation of authority and falsification of documents.

Ygaña was the former presiding judge of Pasig RTC Branch 153 who handled Civil Case No. 63896, a territorial dispute between Makati and Taguig. The then municipality of Taguig filed the complaint in November 1993 against Makati and several national government officials, asking the court to confirm the municipality’s jurisdiction over barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, and Rizal and the area known as Inner Fort in Fort Bonifacio.

In his petition, Binay said the City of Makati received Ygana’s decision on July 13, but while it was dated July 8, the decision was allegedly “rendered” by Ygaña after his retirement.

“It was ante-dated to 8 July 2011 to make it appear that it was rendered by Judge Ygaña on the said date as this was the last day before he retired,” the petition said.

The “brazen act of ante-dating” was exposed by the affidavit of clerk of court Jerome Victor on July 12 that “only a draft of the decision was finished on 8 July 2011 and the same was still undergoing, during that time – meaning after Judge Ygaña had already retired – review, revision and counter-checking by the said retired judge.”

‘That certification is all it takes to prove that in fact and in law, the judgment was never rendered on July 8, 2011. It was dated on that day but days after losing any authority as judge due to retirement, he continued to review, revise and countercheck it, according to the certification. Thus, the decision was never rendered on July 8, 2011,” the petition added.

The clerk of court allegedly could not produce the Judgment Book, which records and keeps copies of the court’s decisions, it added.

However, the city received a copy of a decision signed by Ygana on July 13. The decision, dated July 8, was received by the city under protest.

The petition cited Section 1, Rule 36 of the Rules of Court, which said that judgment or decision is rendered when it is signed by the judge and filed with the clerk of court. However, the July 12 certification signed by the clerk of court showed otherwise.

“If a judgment on the territorial dispute between Makati and Taguig was really rendered on 8 July 2011 -- that is, a signed decision was filed with Atty. Victor on that date -- then he could have readily shown the said decision filed with him and served a copy thereof on the undersigned lawyers of Makati who went there to the court at around 2:00 in the afternoon on 12 July 2011,” the petition said.

But the clerk of court could not produce a copy of any decision even though four days have already passed since the judge’s last working day of July 8 “which simply proves no judgment on the case was really rendered on that date – the day before Judge Ygaña retired.”

Binay said the petition to nullify the ruling “is the proper remedy to have the subject Decision annulled, set aside and declared void for lack of jurisdiction and violation of due process.”

“The City of Makati respectfully pray that this Honorable Court give due course to the petition and after due proceedings declare the subject Decision void and forthwith annul and set aside the same on the ground of lack of jurisdiction and violation of due process for having been rendered by Judge Ygaña after he had already retired from the court and merely ante-dated to make it appear that it was rendered before he retired,” he said.

MAKATI FILES CRIMINAL, ADMIN CHARGES AGAINST RETIRED JUDGE, CLERK OF COURT FOR “MIDNIGHT DECISION” ON MAKATI-TAGUIG DISPUTE OVER FORT BONIFACIO

Thursday, August 04, 2011 | 12:18 PM

Source: http://www.makati.gov.ph/portal/index.jsp

The City of Makati has filed criminal and administrative charges against a retired judge and a clerk of court for allegedly issuing a “midnight decision” favoring Taguig in territorial dispute.

Atty. Kenneth Dasal, head of the city law department, lodged a complaint for Usurpation of Authority and Falsification of Documents against former Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 153 judge Briccio Ygana and Atty. Jerome Victor before the Department of Justice Tuesday. Earlier, the city lawyer filed administrative charges against the two before the Supreme Court.

Dasal said Ygana issued a decision on the case even after his retirement. The judge celebrated his 70th birthday last July 9, hence, his last working day was on July 8, a Friday.

The judge had ruled that Taguig has jurisdiction over Fort Bonifacio, comprising the so-called Inner Fort and barangays Pembo, Comembo, Cembo, South Cembo, West Rembo, East Rembo, and Rizal.

But the Makati counsel that the city was able to obtain a certification from Victor, who is the clerk of court, that as of July 12, or three days after Ygana’s last working day, “there was still no signed decision in Civil Case No. 63896 filed with him by respondent judge, as required under Rule 36, Section 1 of the Rules of Civil Procedure.”

“Nevertheless, to my shock, the Court’s process server delivered a copy of the Decision the following day, or on July 13, 2011. It was dated July 8, 2011 and signed by respondent Judge,” Dasal said. He said the city received the decision “under protest.”

The city lawyer said the decision “came as a surprise.”

“It could not be validly rendered, but was nonetheless rendered, by respondent Judge after his retirement. Worse, he fraudulently made the decision appear as having been signed and rendered by him while he still had the authority to do so,” he added.

“Therefore, respondent Judge’s rendition of judgment in Civil Case No. 63896 constitutes Usurpation of Authority under Article 177 and Falsification under Article 171(5) of the Revised Penal Code for which he should be indicted and held criminally liable,” he said.

Dasal said the alleged crime could not have been perpetuated without the “direct participation” of the clerk of court.

By the nature of his function and position as Branch clerk of court, Dasal said Victor “should have…rejected the decision filed by respondent Judge after July 8, 2011, knowing very well that respondent Judge had already retired.”

However, the clerk of court still accepted the filing of the decision, he said, and to make matters worse, “he caused copies of the Decision to be officially sent out to the parties, thereby making the Decision appear to be valid, when in fact respondent Judge was already a usurper of authority when he rendered it.”

The city lawyer also noted that the judge “has shown an inexplicable craving” to decide the case.

“Not only did he rush the decision, he also rushed the submission of the case for decision,” he said.

Dasal said the former judge denied Makati’s motion to extend the period for the submission of Memoranda, “simply because he was to retire.” The judge also allegedly made known that he has already disposed all other cases and special proceedings pending before him, and that the territorial dispute was the only case remaining.

Dasal said the Constitution requires trial judges to decide cases within 90 days from the time the last pleading is filed. Since the territorial dispute case was deemed submitted for decision on July 4, 2011, which was the last day for the filing of Memorandum, the former judge only had four days to decide the case.

“No one could validly begrudge him if had retired without deciding it,” he said.

PCSO, DILG to hold summit on new town lottery

By Perseus Echeminada (The Philippine Star)

Thursday August 04, 2011 | 12:00 AM

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=713085&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the Department of the Interior and Local Government will hold a summit to ensure the smooth implementation of the PCSO Loterya ng Bayan (PLB), a new lottery game designed to eradicate jueteng and other illegal numbers game.

Jose Ferdinand Rojas II, PCSO general manager, said the summit aims to put up safety measures to prevent gambling lords from using the new game as front for their jueteng operations.

He said at least 230 gaming firms have filed application to operate the newly launched lottery game in certain localities.

The PCSO said PLB applications were filed for the provinces of Pangasinan, Bulacan, Zambales, Isabela, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Pampanga, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Abra, Quirino and Cagayan.

According to Rojas, at least seven applications were filed for the three congressional districts and the cities of San Carlos and Urdaneta in Pangasinan.

For Southern Tagalog, applications were filed for PLB in Batangas, Laguna, Rizal, Quezon, Albay, Camarines Sur, Camarines Norte and Sorsogon.

Gaming companies from the National Capital Region also filed PLB request for Makati, Marikina, Pasay, Quezon City and Taguig.

For Visayas and Mindanao, Negros Occidental topped the list of applicants from the six congressional districts, including the cities of San Carlos, Silay and Sipalay City. PBL applications were also submitted for Calape in Bohol, Cebu and Lapu-Lapu cities in Cebu, Leyte, Iloilo and Zamboanga City in Mindanao.

Rojas said the PCSO is currently screening the PBL applicants to make sure that only companies that complied with the requirements will be allowed to operate the Loterya ng Bayan.

Under the PCSO guidelines, local governments and congressional districts are entitled to certain percentage from the proceeds of the Loterya ng Bayan.

The PCSO expects to generate at least P10 billion from the new lottery game in one year.

The PCSO also increased its allocation for medical and financial assistance to the poor from P4.5 million to P11 million a day, according to Rojas.

“The PCSO will extend medical assistance to every indigent patient,” he said.

Rojas, however, reminded patients seeking medical assistance to secure medical abstract and certification of indigence from the social workers.

PCSO director Mabel Mamba said the new board members decided to increase the daily allocation for medical assistance to be able to extend help to more poor Filipinos.

Mamba said the PCSO is also working to set up more sub-offices to reach out to the poor in the countryside. To date, there are only 26 PCSO provincial offices.

PCSO officials also disclosed that a modern medical and dental facility will be opened soon at the Lung Center of the Philippines to cater to indigent patients.

The LCP agreed to provide a portion of the hospital free of charge to the PCSO medical facility.

“As soon as the center becomes fully operational, patients seeking PCSO assistance will have easier access not only to the center but to other government hospitals, such as the National Kidney Institute, East Avenue Medical Center and the Philippine Heart Center,” he added.

Makati inmates to make bags

By CZARINA NICOLE O. ONG

Wednesday, August 3, 2011 | 4:34pm

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/329383/makati-inmates-make-bags

MANILA, Philippines — With the help of government and private entities, 41 inmates at the Makati City Jail are earning a small income out of making bags out of used tarpaulin.

The inmates have been organized into the Makati City Inmates Green Cooperative (MIGCO) whose main thrust is to “provide livelihood to inmates while saving Mother Earth.”

The cooperative was recently launched with the help of the Makati City Government through its Makati City Development Office (MCDO) and Makati Social Welfare and Development (MSWD), Makati Chamber of Commerce (MCC), and the Rotary Club of Makati EDSA.

The Makati Chamber of Commerce donated four high-speed sewing machines, needles, threads, and tarpaulins used in advertisements and different events from Makati, while the Rotary Club of Makati EDSA donated the production site worth P86,000.

The MSWD and MCDO will handle the training of inmates, and the marketing and sale of the finished products.

‘Lando’ weakens but rains to continue to parts of Philippines–Pagasa

By Katherine Evangelista

9:07 am | Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/34769/monsoon-rains-low-pressure-area-affect-parts-of-philippines-pagasa

INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Tropical depression “Lando” weakened into a low pressure area although it, combined with monsoon rains, has continued to bring bad weather to parts of the country, including Metro Manila, the state-run weather bureau said Tuesday.

In its latest weather forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said that as of 4 a.m., “Lando” was seen 170 kilometers west of Ilocos Sur.

Meanwhile, Typhoon “Kabayan” also weakened slightly as it hovered over Philippine seas although it was still too far away to affect any part of the country.

Central and Northern Luzon and the western section of Southern Luzon are experiencing monsoon rains which may trigger flash floods and landslides while Visayas and the rest of Luzon are expected to experience mostly cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms, Pagasa said.

Meanwhile, Mindanao will have partly cloudy to at times cloudy skies with isolated rain showers or thunderstorms, Pagasa added.

“Moderate to strong winds blowing from the Southwest will prevail over Luzon and Visayas and coming from the South to Southwest over the rest of the country. The coastal waters throughout the archipelago will be moderate to rough,” Pagasa added.

Kabayan was seen 1,130 km east-northeast of Basco, Batanes and was packing maximum sustained winds of 165 kilometers per hour near the center and gusts of up to 200 kph, Pagasa said.

“Estimated rainfall amount is from 10-25 mm per hour within the 800 km diameter of the typhoon,” the state-run weather bureau added.

The typhoon is forecast to move northwest at 13 kph.

By Tuesday evening, Kabayan is expected to be 980 km east- northeast of Basco, Batanes and by Wednesday evening it will be 790 km east-northeast of Basco, Batanes.

By Thursday evening, the typhoon is expected to be 165 km Southeast of Okinawa, Japan, Pagasa said Originally posted at 08:28 am | Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011

P-Noy: I'm like a psychiatrist curing Pinoys' bad attitudes

By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star)

Monday, August 1, 2011 12:00 AM

Source: http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=712058&publicationSubCategoryId=63

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino compared his job last Friday to that of a psychiatrist trying to cure damaged attitudes among people.

“When I was listening to the opening prayer, I was slowly getting very depressed. But I assure you, the problem that we face... I will have a lot more to face as the day progresses. So it is sometimes, in this occasion, it’s clearer where you are rather than where I am,” the President said in his speech at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Conference on Psychosocial Rehabilitation and 27th Post-Graduate Course and 22nd Midyear Conference of the Philippine Psychiatric Association in Makati City.

Aquino said he was aware that over 100 million people around the world were diagnosed with debilitating mental illnesses, such as depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or even Alzheimer’s, among other complications, and could only imagine the difficulties these people are facing.

“As much as I want to share some ideas of my own, I am not a psychiatrist. But I do see that there are some similarities between your jobs and mine, in that we are both trying to mend damaging attitudes: you on an individual level, and us, on a national level,” he said.

“This is rooted in the same idea I shared when I addressed my countrymen three days ago. For the past years, our people had been mired in a damaging pessimism – the idea that government is not there to help them; and the idea that, no matter how hard they work, things will not change. This is the attitude we seek to change,” the President added.

He stressed that “changing a mindset cannot be done overnight, nor can it be achieved through empty words and mere rhetoric.”

“As it is in your field, the government must do what it can to empower its people and to foster an environment in which each and every one of them can thrive. To do this, we have chosen to change the system into one that is more capable of empowerment – one that saves our people from the fatalism and the so-called crab mentality that has for so long stunted our progress as a nation,” Aquino said.

He said the government was investing in significant interventions and social services in order to help the most disadvantaged and to give the means to improve their situation.

“We are also continuously pursuing the corrupt, who have not only redirected public funds to their own bulging pockets, but have also given our countrymen the notion that the powerful are above the law. We want to change this notion. We want our people to change their mindset toward corruption – from one that acknowledges it as a harsh reality, to one that expects the corrupt to be tried and put behind bars,” he said.

“These are the small psychic shifts we want our people to take, because however small they may be, they teach our countrymen once again how it is to hope,” Aquino said.

The President said the government was working with different groups to improve the lives of the people and thanked the association for its contributions.

“Our administration similarly wants to reach the unreached – we want to give livelihood to all Filipinos, from those dwelling in the streets of Manila to those in ramshackle houses in far-flung provinces. We want a nation that is united by hope. We know the important role you play in the lives of millions of people around the world – and in that regard, we not only give our support, but we are working to make your jobs easier. We are indeed behind you,” he said. – With Sandy Araneta

Metro Manila governments stingy with information

(First of two parts)

The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Sunday, July 31, 2011 | 09:18 PM

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227982/specialreports/metro-manila-governments-stingy-with-information

Politics and government, business and finance, education and culture. In all these and more, the national capital region, Metro Manila, is supposed to lead the rest of the nation. Here, bureaucrats and politicians thrive, mostly schooled and steeled in the art of governance and advisedly, the liberal ramparts of transparency and accountability.

It seems fair for citizens to expect that in Metro Manila, more than anywhere else in the Philippines, the people’s right to know and to access official information and documents would be respected. But that could well be plain wishful thinking for now.

Indeed, while President Benigno ‘Noynoy’ C. Aquino III has once more failed to reiterate a commitment to freedom of information (FOI) in his latest State of the Nation Address, the results of a recent survey by the PCIJ of access to information practices in the 16 cities and sole town of Metro Manila show that majority of the local officials and employees in these Metro Manila local government units (LGUs) continue to linger in the dark ages of closed, opaque government.

Most of the LGUs, in fact, took their sweet time in responding to requests for specific documents, unmindful of deadlines for action set in law. And if they did act at all, they disclosed only some, not all, of the documents requested. The city of Caloocan even recorded net zero action, failing to take action on any of the requests up until the end of the audit. This was even though that city’s officials had approved, orally and in writing, at least a third of the PCIJ’s requests.

Documents for citizens

Beyond simply tracking the transparency regimes obtaining in NCR, the PCIJ audit purposely zeroed in on documents with great impact on the welfare of citizens. From April to June 2011, the Center deployed seven college student interns who filed requests for six major types of documents, including the asset disclosure records of the LGU officials, as well as the budget and development plans of the LGU. The audit also focused on documents pertaining to education, health, public safety, civil registry and property, and doing business.

Surprisingly, however, the most basic documents regularly produced by LGUs proved the most difficult to get. For instance, among the 17 Metro Manila LGUs, only Makati gave complete documents on education, while a mere four – Quezon City, Parañaque, Navotas, and the San Juan Health Department Unit 1 – provided complete documents on health.

On average, only a fourth of the 17 LGUs provided their development and investment plans, and copies of the proposed and enacted budgets. The rest took no action.

Still, of all the documents requested by the PCIJ, the statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALNs) were easily the most tightly guarded and thus, the hardest to obtain. In the mold and manner of national politicians, the local politicians of Metro Manila apparently hold their asset disclosure records close to their chests.

Only two cities – Marikina and Makati – willingly shared the SALNs of all their local officials. Quezon City and Navotas, meanwhile, gave the SALNs of their respective mayor and vice mayor, but came up short when it came to those of their councilors. San Juan released its vice mayor’s SALN, but not its chief executive’s; it also gave incomplete asset records of its councilors. In the rest of the LGUs, the SALNs remain sub rosa or kept under lock and key by local officials who insist on their confidentiality, in apparent indifference to, or ignorance of, the law.

Most LGUs also required requestors to secure the mayor’s approval before all the requests could be granted. This caused bureaucratic delays and most probably is a major barrier to accessing documents in the NCR.

Least opaque

In the PCIJ audit, not one of the LGUs provided all the requested information. Even Quezon City, which came out as the friendliest to access to information requests, took full action (within the 15 working days’ deadline in law for all the documents requested) on only 75 percent of all requests filed by PCIJ.

Next came Marikina, which scored 57 percent, while Pasay, Parañaque, Navotas, and Makati all granted about half of all of PCIJ’s requests. Ten other LGUs (Las Piñas City, Pasig, Muntinlupa, Taguig, Valenzuela, San Juan, Malabon City, Manila, and Pateros) acted only on 12.5 to 37.5 percent of all requests filed.

On average, the LGU offices that gave documents took about 10 days to do so. But the Business Permits and Licensing Office (BPLO) of Las Piñas stood out by taking only a day to respond and provide complete documents related to doing business in the city.

To do the audit, the PCIJ interns personally filed simultaneous request letters for documents with the 17 LGUs, monitored all related follow-up activities (request letters sent, phone calls and field visits made to the LGU office), and logged all activity details (name and position of responding personnel and officials, speed and nature of action or referrals made; and the type or nature of documents given or withheld).

In addition, the enrolled deadlines set in law for government agencies to act on such requests – 10 working days to act on requests for SALNs and 15 working days to act on requests for all other types of documents – were used as reference for rating the performance of the various LGUs in this audit.

The audit stretched across a two-month period – one month for fieldwork and data gathering, and another for follow-up activities and data collation. In all, the PCIJ interns filed with the 17 LGUs a combined total of 135 request letters, made 437 phone calls, and received 266 referrals for many requests were tossed around two or more offices in the same LGUs.

The requests were filed with the LGU departments and units that are the custodians of the documents, including the Office of the Mayor, the Health Department, the Public Order and Safety Department, the Business Permit and Licensing Office, and the Civil Registry Department.

Public interest

The documents requested are clearly imbued with public interest because they enroll information and data that should benefit public weal and welfare:

For education, the PCIJ asked for two sets of data: statistics or the number of schools and teachers in each LGU, as well as on plans and projects to construct new school buildings, hire new teachers, and acquire new learning materials and copies of contracts.
For health, the PCIJ requested information on the actual expenses the LGUs spend on medicines and the volume of medicines distributed per barangay; number of hospitals and medical personnel; and projects undertaken by the health department.
For public safety, the PCIJ sought data on the number of police officers and other public order personnel, how the police coordinate with barangay officials, how the police or barangay respond to cases, protocols on public-order incidents, and the number and the amount LGUs spend to build and maintain lampposts.
For civil registry and property, the PCIJ asked about the types of civil registry and property documents, how to obtain these documents, fees and timetable involved in obtaining documents.
For doing business, the PCIJ requested details on the documentary requirements, request and application process, LGU departments in charge, number of processing days, and fees involved. In addition, the PCIJ sought information on how to locate records of a business establishment, which office tracks records of registered and non-registered businesses in the LGU, and the benefits of registering a business.
For other basic, premise data on the LGU and its officials, the PCIJ requested five documents: the SALN and personal data sheet (PDS) of the mayor, vice mayor and councilors; local development plan; local investment plan; proposed budget; and enacted budget.

How and why the citizens must be entitled to these documents, and could benefit from them, are matters affirmed in law and validated by the contents of the documents themselves.

The Local Government Code of 1991 mandates each LGU to prepare a local development plan and a public investment program, which would outline a city or a municipality’s development and budget priorities and serve as basis of its programs and projects for the year.

Useful details

These documents would significantly help citizens to understand the local government’s plans for the city and the barangays and how it intends to spend public resources. These documents would clearly enable citizen participation in policymaking and governance.

For instance, the 2011 Annual Investment Program (AIP) provided by Quezon City states that the city’s development priorities are disaster-risk mitigation, environment management, socio-economic services to empower the poor, tourism development, and effective city management.

To achieve these plans, Quezon City’s AIP outlines its budget allocation for each program, project, and activity, as well as the office or agency assigned to implement each sector.

For 2011, Quezon City has allocated P15.75 million for maternal health care for pregnant and post-partum mothers, and routine care for newborn infants. Residents, especially mothers and expectant mothers who do not have enough funds to avail themselves of private health care services, would find this information useful.

Quezon City has also allotted P2.49 million to provide services to physically, mentally, and socially disabled persons 0 to 60 years of age in order to enhance or develop their capabilities for self-reliance and productivity. Families with a disabled member may then inquire about this program and seek assistance from Quezon City’s Social Services Development Department.

In the meantime, citizens may find information pertaining to education useful so that they themselves can assess and audit education projects of their LGUs.

Makati, which was the only LGU that provided complete documents on education services, gave copies of the contracts that the city government signed with contractors to build new school buildings and to improve or maintain existing ones.

The contracts offered details on the amount of the project, project scope and timetable, and the duties and responsibilities of the contractor. With these data on hand, parents of students in a school may actually be able to check if the project had been fully implemented.

And then there are the SALNs, which are considered to be key in monitoring the wealth of public officials and in discouraging corruption. Yet most Metro Manila LGUs found reason to keep SALNs of certain officials away from the public eye.

The officials of Malabon’s Human Resource Department, for one, insisted that SALNs are “confidential" documents. Navotas, for its part, was quick to approve the release of the SALN of the mayor, but uncertainties on the part of the councilors resulted in their failure to hand over their SALNs.

Pasay was as problematic in the release of the SALNs and personal data sheets of its senior officials supposedly because the request letter had been misplaced.

In Pateros, the head of the Municipal Personnel Office said all 14 town councilors would have to unanimously agree first before any of their SALNs could be released to the PCIJ. Some councilors agreed, while the others refused. Because the personnel officer has imposed an all-or-nothing rule, not a single SALN of Pateros’s local executives was released.

(By contrast, Marikina, which ranked second to Quezon City as the most transparent city in NCR, provided the SALNs of its local executives within just five days from receipt of the PCIJ request.)

Most opaque

The four least transparent cities (Malabon, Manila, Pateros, and Caloocan) actually shared one thing in common: Their personnel showed a common tendency to refer requestors to other LGU departments within the same city halls, needlessly prolonging the process of obtaining documents.

In quite a few cases, too, many LGU personnel seemed totally clueless about their obligations in the Constitution and in Republic Act No. 6713 (the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees) to be transparent in all their actions involving use of public funds, and in handling documents vested with public interest.

In Caloocan – the least transparent among the Metro Manila LGUs -- only the police department and the civil registry office responded to the requests within the 15-day deadline set in law. All the other agencies of Caloocan either ignored or denied the other requests.

Unfortunately, even the offices there that promised to release documents, including those on education and health services, and those pertaining to doing business in the city, have yet to do so as of this writing. The police department in particular said it had misplaced the PCIJ’s request letter, causing interminable delays.

In Pateros, NCR’s lone municipality, the PCIJ filed requests with eight various departments. The town’s civil servants generally had an accommodating demeanor, but this failed to compensate for the insufficient documents they eventually released. Four offices took action but only one gave a complete set of documents requested. Pateros ended up being the second least transparent LGU in NCR.

Manila, NCR’s oldest and premier city, is the third least transparent. While its officials approved action on 57 percent of the PCIJ’s requests, they actually gave complete documents on only 14 percent of all requests filed.

The PCIJ sent request letters to seven offices of Manila City Hall but only four responded within the 15-day deadline set in law – the Mayor's Office (SALNs), the business department, the City Civil Registry, and the assessor's department. Manila’s police and health departments have yet to respond to the PCIJ’s requests, while the mayor’s office has yet to act on a separate request for data on education services.

Malabon, the fourth least transparent city, actually approved up to 83.33 percent of the PCIJ’s requests within four to 11 days. But it released the complete documents requested for only 16.67 percent of the requests, within the lawful deadline.

Malabon and Pateros cited the “confidentiality" status of certain documents for refusing the requests.

Among those that performed better than the bottom dwellers, the need for the mayor’s go-signal before certain documents are released was revealed to be a major block for those seeking access to public data. In Parañaque City, Mayor Florencio Bernabe Jr. had even issued a memorandum that in effect gave him sole power to approve all requests for information. The memo was supposedly based on a provision in R.A. No. 6713, which states that public offices are given the discretion not to disclose any information on the grounds of public safety and “undue advantage." Out of the 10 requests that the PCIJ filed, only five were granted within 15 working days.

Politics & revenues

The practice in Parañaque prevails as well in Taguig, Pasay, Las Piñas, Mandaluyong, and Navotas even as no written memorandum requiring the mayor’s approval has been issued.

In Pasig, basic documents and those pertaining to education services could not be released simply because during the month-long data gathering for this audit, Mayor Bobby Eusebio was often out of the office. His deputies said there was no definite schedule when he would report for work.

Political rivalry also got in the way of accessing documents in Taguig. Majority of the requests were denied there supposedly because the documents had to be kept “confidential" on account of an ongoing court case between Mayor Laarni Cayetano and her losing rival in the May 2010 elections, retired Supreme Court justice Dante Tinga.

Only the documents from Taguig’s BPLO, the Assessor’s Office, and the City Health Department were provided. Requests filed with the Mayor's Office, the Public Safety and Order Office (POSO), and the City Budget Office were not granted within the 15-working day deadline set in law.

Documents pertaining to civil registry records and on doing business in Metro Manila were the easiest to secure across the metropolis. In fact, all 17 LGUs provided information on various civil registry and property documents, as well as the procedures, fees, and number of days it would take them to process requests.

As for doing business, 14 of the 17 LGUs gave information on the documentary requirements, the process for applying for business permits and registering business establishments, and the fees involved. In many cases, the data were enrolled in brochures and pamphlets published by the LGUs.

These two offices (Civil Registry and BPLO) conduct regular transactions with citizens every day; releasing documents thus seems almost routinary to them. In addition, these transactions are triggers of revenues (processing and permit fees) and take on the nature of business processes beneficial to the LGUs. - 'With research and reporting by Karol Anne M. Ilagan, Anne Jeanette O. Priela, Krystal Kay S. Jimena, David Faustino T. de Castro, Essen Mei M. Miguel, Henor G. Gotis, Eric H. Rivera, Stephanie Directo, and Jessa Mae B. Jarilla, PCIJ, July 2011.'

GSK headquarters: where work meets play

By: Theresa S. Samaniego

Philippine Daily Inquirer

1:28 A.M. | Saturday, July 30th, 2011

Source: http://business.inquirer.net/9489/gsk-headquarters-where-work-meets-play

Only a handful of companies can boast of providing employees ample room for work and several other amenities or avenues for self-improvement. Oftentimes, employees are given just enough space—a desk and chair—to perform their tasks.

Considering that the average hardworking Filipino spends at least eight hours or roughly half of his waking hours in the office, a conducive and healthy environment can be highly crucial in maximizing an individual’s full potential.

This is why pharmaceutical firm GSK Philippines did not hesitate to invest heftily in its 1.2-hectare headquarters in Makati City to develop “open and collaborative work spaces plus recovery rooms to invigorate physical, mental, emotional and spiritual human aspects.”

“At GSK, we ensure that we develop the spiritual, physical, emotional and mental faculties of an employee. It’s a holistic integrated development,” said GSK HR vice president Lito De Guzman in an exclusive interview with the Inquirer.

De Guzman explained that GSK employees are not only trained and developed to become future managers and leaders of the company. GSK also targets to harness one’s potential—the “genius” in every individual.

Much-needed boost
After all, the employees of a company like GSK are constantly under pressure to meet quotas and deadlines. And as such, GSK believes that it has a duty to give employees a much-needed boost by providing them avenues to grow and develop.

“We want to raise the bar. It’s the concept of change and innovativeness, and in the Philippine office [sector] we are the trendsetter. We take the lead,” De Guzman noted.

Thus, in 2009 GSK overhauled its headquarters to enforce several changes and office space renovation. De Guzman even claimed that with these changes the GSK office should not even be viewed simply as an “office” but rather a “formation house” that develops employees across all aspects.

Aside from the usual amenities and basic rooms such as the pantry, auditorium and the like, GSK has also put up “recovery rooms” where employees can also enjoy some time off and rejuvenate. These recovery rooms refer to the four small oscillation rooms that consist of the mind-enriching game room, arcade-type basketball room, meditation room and a warm-up room.

A learning center was likewise incorporated to serve as a resource center that allowed employees to continuously learn and refuel their mental energies. The center is a library-inspired area where a wide-range of rich learning materials such as books, audiovisuals and periodicals are stored and can be borrowed.

Even the colors are well-thought of and carefully chosen based on the “vibe” it may convey to employees.

From the usual bland colors, the company decided to use white, which it said would allow for flexible thinking; green, for continuous improvement; yellow, to be customer-driven; orange, which connotes people development; red, to enable and drive change; and blue, for building relationships.

Feel that ‘energy’
And indeed, the renovation, according to De Guzman, allowed every member of the GSK family to feel that “energy” at his/her workplace.

“It’s now a feel good environment,” he added.

De Guzman believes that the company’s hefty investments in the renovations have more than paid off as the company now has a more contented, fulfilled, driven and competitive set of employees. Proof also was the fact that GSK holds the prestigious title of being the 2010 Employer of the Year, as it continues to promote the culture of transparency, openness and performance with integrity.

“In the end, the return on investment is higher as GSK Philippines continues to deliver its numbers through an exceptional team of employees. Despite tough market conditions, GSK continues to grow faster than the market and its key competitors,” De Guzman concluded.

STI stuns reigning titlist UM in NAASCU Opening

10:08 P.M. | Friday, July 29, 2011

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227849/sports/sti-stuns-reigning-titlist-um-in-naascu-opeining

STI College rode on veteran Maclean Sabellina's game-long brilliance in hacking out a 90-72 triumph against reigning titlist University of Manila in Friday's opening of the 11th National Athletic Association of Schools and Universities (NAASCU) basketball championships at the Makati Coliseum.

Sabellina, who used his 6-foot-5 frame to impose his will inside the paint, finished with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Vic Ycasiano-coached Olympians, last year's losing finalists to the UM Hawks.

Jasper Melano and Lester Bocablo provided scoring support for STI with 12 and 11 markers.

Jeff Alvin Viernes paced for UM with 15 points while Season 10 Most Valuable Player (MVP) Eugene Torres scored 14. Jay-Ar Manuel also finished with 14 markers.

The Hawks, who are seeking an unprecedented seventh title under former coach Loreto "Ato" Tolentino, played minus 6-foot-5 center Edwin Tamayo and last year's scoring champion Randelle Colina.

Jojo Castillo is the new UM coach. - JVP, GMA News

CA: No P25-B assistance to BF

By REY G. PANALIGAN

6:48 P.M. | Friday, July 29, 2011

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/328794/ca-no-p25b-assistance-bf

MANILA, Philippines — The Court of Appeals (CA) has, in effect, nullified an order issued by the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) that directed the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) and the Monetary Board to release up to P25 billion in financial assistance and other forms of regulatory relief to the now-padlocked Banco Filipino Savings and Mortgage Bank.

In a decision written by Associate Justice Hakim S. Abdulwahid, the CA ordered the dismissal of the case filed by Banco Filipino against the BSP and the Monetary Board that became the basis for RTC Judge Joselito C. Villarosa to order the release of P25 billion financial assistance and other forms of regulatory relief.

The CA said that the RTC has no jurisdiction over the case filed by Banco Filipino which should have been filed with the appellate court.

“The RTC has no jurisdiction over the petition for certiorari and mandamus filed by Banco Filipino in Civil Case No. 10-1042. It is this court (CA) that has jurisdiction over such petition pursuant to Rule 65, Section 4 of the 1997 Revised Rules of Civil Procedure,” the CA said.

“Wherefore, the petition (filed by BSP and MB) is granted. The order dated Nov. 17, 2010 issued by respondent Judge Joselito C. Villarosa of the Regional Trial Court, Branch 66, Makati City, in Civil Case No. 10-1042, is annulled and set aside. In lieu thereof, judgment is hereby rendered dismissing Civil Case No. 10-1042 on the ground of RTC’s lack of jurisdiction over the same,” the CA ruled.

Associate Justices Noel G. Tijam and Ricardo R. Rosario of the CA’s former Special 10th Division concurred in the 25-page decision.

Earlier, the CA had denied the petition filed by Banco Filipino stockholders to stop the implementation of Monetary Board’s Resolution No. 372-A, issued on March 17, 2011, that placed the savings bank under receivership and stopped its operations nationwide.

On Dec. 4, 2009, the Monetary Board issued Resolution No. 1668 that granted Banco Filipino’s request for a R25-billion financial assistance and certain forms of regulatory relief.

But the Monetary Board set several conditions for the assistance, particularly the withdrawal by Banco Filipino of all its cases filed against the BSP and the Monetary Board in connection with its closure in 1985 that had been declared illegal and arbitrary by the Supreme Court (SC).

Both the BSP and the Monetary Board said they had complied with the SC decision.

Banco Filipino refused to comply with the conditions stipulated in Resolution No. 1668.

When the Monetary Board withheld the release of the financial assistance, Banco Filipino filed Civil Case No. 10-1042 which the Makati City RTC granted in favor of the savings bank.

The BSP and the Monetary Board elevated the issue before the CA which issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) and thereafter, a preliminary injunction against the RTC order.

In issuing the injunction, the CA dismissed Banco Filipino’s assertion that the BSP and the Monetary Board stand to suffer no grave irreparable injury that would warrant the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction.

“As aptly pointed out by petitioners (BSP and the Monetary Board), allowing the case a quo (Civil Case No. 10-1042) to proceed will prevent the former from, or hamper their functions in, exercising regulatory functions over private respondent, which in turn, would work great injustice and cause irreparable injury to the general public,” the CA said.

It further held that it was wrong for Banco Filipino to assert that the BSP and the Monetary Board have no clear right to the issuance of the writ of preliminary injunction in their favor.

It noted that the bank filed its case assailing Monetary Board Resolution No. 1668 with the Makati RTC on Oct. 20, 2010 or after the SC has ruled that petitions for writs of certiorari, prohibition or mandamus under Rule 65 of the Revised Rules of Court against the acts and omissions of quasi-judicial agencies should be filed with the appellate court for procedural uniformity.

Thus, the CA stressed, Banco Filipino’s contention that its case is, likewise, cognizable by the Makati RTC is “untenable.”

In its decision that made permanent the injunction it had earlier issued, the CA said: “In the absence of any law or provision in the Rules of Court authorizing the filing with the RTC of petitions for certiorari, prohibition and mandamus against the acts or issuances of quasi-judicial agencies such as the petitioners (BSP and Monetary Board), the said petitions may be filed only with this court. Respondent judge, therefore, committed grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of jurisdiction in holding that the RTC has jurisdiction over the petition filed by private respondent (Banco Filipino) in Civil Case No. 10-1042.”

Ayala Land allots P3-B for upscale condo in Makati

abs-cbnNEWS.com

7:13 PM | Thursday, July 28, 2011

Source: http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/business/07/28/11/ayala-land-allots-p3-b-upscale-condo-makati

MANILA, Philippines - Property giant Ayala Land Inc. is spending P3 billion to construct the last tower of an upscale residential project in Makati City.

Ayala said the 49-storey tower at Park Terraces will offer a total of 370 condominium units that will sell from P6 million to P55 million.

Ayala Land Premier, the company's unit catering to the high-end market, expects to sell all units over the next two to three years.

"The rising demand for living spaces at the heart of Ayala Center, the country's most desired address, paved the way Ayala Land Premier to introduce Park Terraces. This year the rise of the third and final tower marks... the continuation of Ayala Land's biggest investment into the redevelopment of Ayala Center," Moya said.

The redevelopment of the five-hectare Ayala Center is a P20 billion project that started last year. Two other high-end real estate projects, the Fairmont Hotel and Raffle Suites and Residences, will open within the center next year.

Ayala Center is the flagship mixed-used urban city complex of the Ayala Group.

Makati LGU ready for earthquake, evac drill Friday

by Jerome Carlo R. Paunan

Thursday, July 28th, 2011

Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m==1&t==1&id==45770

MAKATI CITY, July 28 (PIA) -- Offices at the Makati City Hall will temporarily suspend work to make way for their scheduled earthquake and evacuation drills on Friday, June 29 starting 3:00 p.m.

In a statement posted on its website, it said the scheduled exercise, through its Command Control and Communication Center (C3), is in observance of the National Disaster Consciousness Month.

Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay said he has directed Makati C3 to designate and train floor marshals, team leaders, searchers, rescue and medical teams, and site security teams on their respective roles in the evacuation of employees from the building starting 3:30 p.m.

“I want our people to be well-trained in the proper way of dealing with disasters, especially a strong earthquake. We all need to be alert and prepared for such an occurrence to ensure that everyone will act calmly and responsibly, thus preventing panic that could aggravate a critical situation,” Binay said.

The mayor also said Makati C3, in coordination with all concerned departments and offices, has carefully studied and prepared for the safe and orderly flow of the evacuation drill on Friday afternoon. (MAKATI/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)

Pacquiao paintings by Filipina sports artist on exhibit in Makati

Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Source: http://www.tempo.com.ph/2011/pacquiao-paintings-by-filipina-sports-artist-on-exhibit-in-makati/

MANILA, Philippines – High-profile personalities will grace Thursday’s opening of the exhibit of 14 murals featuring world boxing champ and Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao by renowned Filipina sports artist, Claireyenne Malanyaon, at the Astra Galerie in Makati City.

For the past years several years after she was introduced by former Manila Mayor and DENR Secretary Lito Atienza to Pacquiao, Malanyaon has been the personal painter of boxing’s pound-for-pound king much like sports artist Stephen Holland was to ring legend, Muhammad Ali.

Thirty-four-year-old Malanyaon, who is a physician by profession and once the doctor to SMB’s PBA team, has done dozens of paintings featuring the “Pacman” from his ring exploits to his family portraits.

Her sudden shift from full-time physician to the country’s most sought-after and highest-paid sports artist was the result of the “Manny magic” in her career as an artist.

In the promotion of Pacquiao’s fight with American Sugar Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada last February, Pacquiao called Malanyaon on stage to hold up one of her paintings and promoted her exhibit in “Sin City” by introducing her as his personal artist.

“Boss Manny is so generous especially in boosting my confidence,” said Malanyaon. “You won’t see a female sports artist with such a famous subject. I have the world’s pound-for-pound best boxer and he keeps telling people how happy he is about my work.”

As an extra boost, Pacquiao signs each and every mural of himself painted by Malanyaon even if it does not end up in his personal collection, impressing visitors of her recent exhibits in New York and Las Vegas.

Pacquiao will be at the exhibit’s opening at 6 p.m., joined by VIPs that include Vice President Jejomar Binay, other government officials, and Malanyaon’s sponsors like La Scala Restaurant owner Crispin Go, former Mayor Atienza, Ilocos Sur Governor Chavit Singson and Ted Lizares Jimenez. (Nate C. Barretto)

New lifestyle address in Makati

Knightsbridge at Century City allows residents expansive designer living spaces to entertain guests

By: Marge C. Enriquez

Philippine Daily Inquirer

4:55 A.M. | Wednesday, July 27th, 2011

Source: http://lifestyle.inquirer.net/7181/new-lifestyle-address-in-makati

When the 63-story Knightsbridge condominium is completed in 2015, it will be one of the tallest buildings in Makati. To date, 97 percent of the units have been sold.

People often ask Marco Antonio if the boom in condominium buildings is for real or an illusion. The Century Properties managing director and Knightsbridge project head, says, “There may be too many buildings because a lot of demand is coming in. But if you combine all the developments, they are just playing catch-up to the demand.”

Knightsbridge is one of the up-market condos to rise in Century City, a 3.5-hectare multi-use development on Kalayaan Avenue (the former campus of International School) which will include a medical facility, a boutique mall and two other luxury condominiums. One reason for its success is the prime location.

“The most expensive property in Makati was traditionally defined by the Golden Triangle, surrounded by streets of Ayala, Buendia and Makati Avenue. Since it’s fully developed, the new areas are in the north—Century City and Rockwell,” he says.

Another reason is that it provides a lifestyle that’s not offered in other condos.

Century Properties also introduces hyper-sized amenities. “Many projects are becoming commoditized,” he said. “Everyone is buying the four walls of their home. We took the concept of a home and applied it to a vertical unit. While you own four walls, you still have leeway for entertaining.”

“Instead of inviting the friends to hang out in your compact living space, we can give you expansive designer living areas— the cool lobby, four floors of amenities and a sprawling 500-meter pool,” he said. “Half of the top floor normally exclusive to inhabitants in penthouse units can be enjoyed by the other residents. It’s rare for a building to give its most prime area back to the resident.”

For instance, an owner of a studio can fete their friends in the recreation room, library, café, function rooms or deli located throughout the tower.

“While this is my space, I have the whole building and amenities to invite my friends. It’s giving the people a lifestyle beyond their four walls,” says Antonio.

Pod The company also introduced the pod concept that can multiply into combinable units. “We wanted to make the condo accessible to people in the entry level purchase,” says Antonio. “The Pod is like the Lego of adults. You can connect the pieces to make a larger piece. We created the term pod as a basic unit. It can combine with other pods to form an expanded unit. It gives the buyers flexibility to tailor-fit their purchase and budget to their living requirements.”

“The advantage is that you end up with multiple titles,” he adds. “If you buy two pods, you can combine it in terms of use. If I want to rent one and live in the other, I can do that because I have two titles. Ultimately if I want to sell one and keep the other, I can do that. That’s harder to do if you have a larger unit because it’s harder to cut the title.”

The concept was born out of a trend in which people were looking for a pied-à-terre which didn’t need too much space. “The pod allows owners to customize their space.”

The striking curvilinear architecture presents resident unobstructed views—as much as 360 degrees—of the Makati skyline.

“It’s the first time residents can enjoy the city from this vantage point. There’s an observatory at the top floor where they can take in the view of Makati, Manila Bay and Mandaluyong.”

Another reason for Knightsbridge’s salability is that the various payment conditions are customized.

“People ask how the terms, we ask how much can you afford? We have uncommon payment terms,” says Antonio.

To cap its sales pitch, Knightsbridge launched a fashion-oriented campaign that tied in with its image.

“We wanted a place that had heritage but was also future oriented. We drew inspiration from London where many trends were set and from one of the poshest addresses, Knightsbridge. We wanted to import the cool Britannia by infusing the design and style in our amenities. The ad compaign would tie in with the British theme.”

The campaign reflects the demographics its buyer, majority of whom are in the 20- to 40-year-old age groups. A significant number also comes from the overseas market looking for a second home in their country. Seventy percent of its buyers opted to purchase fully furnished thematic condos.

Since its launch the basic price of the unit has risen from P2.5 million to P3.5 million.

“Early buyers had healthy returns, close to 40 percent. They see the value of pre-selling. When a project is launched, it is an opportune time to purchase. People buy into the reputation and delivery record of developer,” says Antonio.

Ultimately, the condominium is an investment.

“Buying for property forces you to set aside money, and you’re building equity toward your future home.”

Makati Football School-Elite booters cop NCRFA overall championship

Philippine Daily Inquirer

8:22 P.M. | Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Source: http://sports.inquirer.net/8969/makati-football-school-elite-booters-cop-ncrfa-overall-championship

MANILA—Makati football School-Elite bagged the overall championship in the recent Poten-Cee-National Capital Region Football Association (NCRFA) 17-and-Under Boys Invitational Cup at the De La Salle Zobel grounds in Alabang.

DLSZ and University of Sto. Tomas placed second and third, respectively. Gregory Cruz of the champion team emerged Most Valuable Player, top striker honors went to DLSZ’s Emilio Acosta while UST’s Oses Guevara was named Best Goalkeeper.

The nine-week tournament was also participated in by De La Salle Lipa, La Salle Green Hills, The Eastmont International Learning Center, Perpetual College and Xavier School.

The NCRFA was led by tournament director and coach Hans-Peter Smit of DLSZ.

“We are delighted at this opportunity to actively contribute to the development of young athletes by way of our partnership with NCRFA,” said Riza Sacay, senior brand manager of Poten-Cee.

“We hope that through this undertaking, we will be able to reinforce, especially among the youth, the importance of taking care of one’s health. Being healthy, active and meeting the challenges of a demanding sport like football is definitely within their reach with Poten-cee.”

EDSA-Ayala tunnel in Makati closed due to vehicle smash-up

12:40 P.M. | Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227434/nation/edsa-ayala-tunnel-in-makati-closed-due-to-vehicle-smash-up

The Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA)-Ayala tunnel in Makati City was closed to traffic on Tuesday after at least seven vehicles figured in a smashup at the southbound part of the tunnel.

Jamie de Mesa of Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Metrobase cited initial reports that the vehicles in the smashup included three buses and at least three vans.

"Ang initial report natanggap natin sa enforcer, may confirmed multiple collision sa ilalim ng EDSA-Ayala Tunnel. Temporarily closed to traffic ang tunnel," De Mesa said in an interview on radio dzBB.

A post on the MMDA's Twitter account said the vehicles in the smashup included three buses and four vans.

De Mesa did not immediately say if there were injuries or fatalities in the accident, as radio communication under the tunnel was poor.

De Mesa said Metrobase had dispatched tow trucks to the area to remove the damaged vehicles from the site. - VVP, GMA News

MMDA lifts number coding except in Makati

4:28 P.M. | Tuesday, July 26th, 2011

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227467/nation/mmda-lifts-number-coding-except-in-makati

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority lifted Tuesday afternoon the number coding scheme on major roads, except in Makati City.

MMDA chairman Francis Tolentino also ordered MMDA teams to undertake precautionary measures against possible floods brought by Tropical Storm Juaning (Nock-Ten).

"Suspended na yan as of 3:30 p.m. (We suspended the number coding as of 3:30 p.m.)," Tolentino said in an interview on dzBB radio.

Under the number coding system, vehicles whose license plates end in 3 and 4 are not allowed on major roads from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

But the MMDA said on its Twitter account that the lifting of the number coding scheme will not apply to Makati City.

"Number coding is lifted today July 26, 2011 Tuesday, except Makati as per MAPSA," it said.

Earlier, Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration forecaster Sonny Pajarilla said Juaning may affect Metro Manila as it passes Central Luzon.

Tolentino said the MMDA will deploy composite teams to flood-prone areas. — RSJ, GMA News

MWC completes Makati sewage plant

By JAMES A. LOYOLA

3:42 A.M. | Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Source: http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/328307/mwc-completes-makati-sewage-plant

MANILA, Philippines — Manila Water Company (MWC) has completed the construction of a new sewage treatment plant (STP) in Makati City that forms part of the Three-River Sewerage Master Plan aimed at providing 100 percent sewerage coverage in the East Zone.

“The Poblacion STP in Makati is now undergoing ‘process proving’ stage for one year – a step in the full commissioning process that covers operational testing,” said Manila Water project manager Beth Domanais.

She added that, once it passes all required tests, it will become fully operational. The facility will be capable of processing 11 million liters per day of wastewater, bulk of which comes from domestic households.

“The completion of this new sewage treatment facility is a big step towards reviving the old glory of our major waterways thus addressing the worsening condition of the Marikina, San Juan and Pasig rivers (Three-River System),” said MWC group director for operations Geodino V. Carpio.

He noted that “these major bodies of water traverse Metro Manila and are now considered biologically dead or unsuitable to marine life due to the extremely high levels of pollution brought about by urbanization and population growth.”

An interesting innovation of Poblacion STP is that it was constructed on top of an impounding pond in the existing flood control facility of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) due to the difficulty of acquiring land in a highly urbanized area like Makati.

The flood control facility virtually serves as a collection basin of wastewater. Sewage finds its way to the facility, and eventually to the river, via an extensive network of combined sewer lines and drains.

“Manila Water designed the facility to meet the challenge of treating the collected sewage without disrupting the existing operation and affecting the flood retention capacity of the pond. Hence the STP was raised on 35 massive ‘stilts’ or columns to a total height of 16 meters over the impounding pond,” Domanais said.

8,000 MMDA volunteers clear 8 Metro waterways

By Miko Morelos

11:06 P.M. |Sunday, July 24th, 2011

Philippine Daily Inquirer

Source: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/28925/8000-mmda-volunteers-clear-8-metro-waterways

Monday’s intermittent rains failed to dampen the spirits of some 8,000 Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) volunteers tasked with clearing eight waterways in the metropolis to help prevent flooding.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said the cleanup drive was an offshoot of the agency’s Flood Control Bayanihan Zone Alliances program, which utilizes volunteers from the military, MMDA, local government units and barangays.

“Even for just one day, we would like the public to see that we at the MMDA are very serious and dedicated to keeping our environment clean and we’re hoping that this will inspire them to do the same,” Tolentino said.

The cluster areas the MMDA cleared were the Sampaloc Area/R. Papa in Manila; Makati Diversion Channel/South Superhighway in Makati City; Maysilo Circle, Boni Avenue, Kalentong, New Panaderos, Shaw Boulevard and Acacia Lane in Mandaluyong City; Barangays (villages) Salapan and Balong Bato in San Juan City; and Doña Imelda, Damayan Lagi, Tatalon and Talayan in Quezon City.

Tolentino said he hoped the cleanup would inspire residents to be careful about disposing of their trash so that these would not end up clogging waterways and lead to floods.

Over the agency’s weekly radio program, MMDA General Manager Corazon Jimenez said that during the cleanup, the volunteers collected garbage like used refrigerators, old mattresses, even dead animals.

In a phone patch interview, Tolentino said the volunteers who cleared a waterway in Barangay Salapan, San Juan, had to do it by hand since they could not bring in their heavy equipment through the narrow alleys leading to the area.

After the cleanup in San Juan, Tolentino proceeded to Tatalon and Talayan in Quezon City to meet with Mayor Herbert Bautista and kick off the waterway clearing operations.

3 victims add to list of political killings

Sunday, July 24, 2011

By: RONALYN V. OLEA

Source: http://bulatlat.com/main/2011/07/24/3-more-victims-add-to-list-of-political-killings/

MANILA – A few days before President Benigno S. Aquino III delivers his State of the Nation Address (Sona), three more victims add to the growing list of political killings.

Roque Laputan, 59, a member of Anakpawis partylist, Davao del Sur, was murdered by unidentified men, July 10. Laputan, was at the forefront of protests against the operation of Xstrata-owned Sagittarius Mines Inc. in Davao del Sur and the company’s plan to put up a coal-fired plant here.

Laputan was in a store in Tagansuli village when two masked men on a motorcycle arrived, one of whom alighted, grabbed Laputan by the neck and shot him twice in the head. He died instantly.

Two residents of Pangarap Village in Caloocan City were killed when security guards opened fire at a vigil site set up by residents protesting against the demolition in the area. Soliman Gomez and Rommel Fortadez died and six others were injured.

The guards, who were allegedly drunk, were guarding the property owned by Gregorio Araneta III, a relative of newly-appointed Department of Transportation and Telecommunications secretary and Aquino’s running mate, Manuel “Mar” Roxas III.

“Killings continue just before Aquino delivers his second Sona. Does this tell us that the same policy of extrajudicial, arbitrary and summary killings would continue for the next years of Aquino’s term?” Cristina Guevarra, Hustisya secretary general, said. “We ask him, how many more?”

Reacting to announcements made by Malacañang that Pres. Aquino’s SONA will focus on his anti-corruption campaign report for the past year, Hustisya, an organization of families of victims of human rights violations, asked whether human rights is not an alarming issue for the Aquino administration.

“Didn’t he mention an end to extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances in his straight path? If this is so, why do killings continue?” Guevarra said.

During his first Sona, Aquino vowed to resolve cases of extrajudicial killings, citing the murder of Fernando Baldomero, a local councilor in Lezo, Aklan, among others.

One year after, the case was recently archived because the arrest warrant issued in January this year had not been served, according to Ernan Baldomero, son of the victim and Hustisya vice chairman. The suspect, Ernan said, has eluded arrest.

“We are raising the alarm not only because victims under the past administration have not been given justice, but most especially, killings continue under Aquino. Until when shall we wait for concrete action to stop the killings?” Guevarra asked.

According to Karapatan, there have been 48 victims of extrajudicial killings, not yet including the recent cases.

Congressional probe

Meanwhile, Anakpawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said they are seeking an inquiry into the incident in Pangarap Village, adding that the this is not the first time that security guards of Araneta-owned Carmel Development Inc. (CDI) indiscriminately fired at the residents. On April 28, three were injured in the shooting.

Carmel Development is claiming ownership of the 7,008-hectare area where the community is located. The area, almost half the size of Caloocan City, includes Pangarap Village that is part of “Tala Estate,” historically a leper colony as determined by Commonwealth Act 161. Anakpawis said the Aranetas want to clear the area, demolish the urban poor community and develop the area into a commercial center.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) filed a case (GR No. 187876) against CDI for illegally claiming the land. According House Resolution 1236 filed by Bayan Muna, Anakpawis, Gabriela Womens Party, Act Teachers Party-list and Kabataan Party, the DENR said CDI had failed to prove that it had fully paid for the land, which is supposedly part of the “Friar Lands,” “over which the Government holds the title and are not public lands but private or patrimonial property of the Government and can be alienated only upon proper compliance with Act No. 1120 or the Friar Lands Act.”

Mariano said the violence at Pangarap Village adds to the series of bloody demolitions against urban poor communities. Other incidents of violent demolitions also took place in Sitio San Roque in Quezon City, Barangay Corazon de Jesus in San Juan City and Laperal Compound in Makati City. “Aquino’s neglect on the plight of the urban poor is evident in the series of violent demolitions under his watch.”

Fashion mogul Santo Versace visits Manila

4:49 P.M. | Friday, July 22, 2011

Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/227106/lifestyle/fashion-mogul-santo-versace-visits-manila

The president of international fashion house Versace S.p.A. arrived in the Philippines on Friday to raise funds for Filipino children with facial deformities.

Santo Versace, older brother of the late Gianni Versace who founded the famous Italian couture line, will be in the country for three days as the special guest of Century Properties for its lifestyle exhibit this Saturday at the company's headquarters in Makati City.

The exhibit, showcasing unique Versace products flown in from the boutique's shops in Milan and Hong Kong, will be staged for the benefit of Operation Smile Philippines, an organization which helps Filipino children with cleft lips and palates.

Versace is the president of Operation Smile Foundation Italy.

The exhibit in Makati will feature the interior design themes crafted by Versace home for the Milano Residences, a tie-up between Century Properties and Versace. In 2010, the local real estate developer and the world-renowned fashion brand had teamed up to funnel more than P3 billion into the development of the designer condominium.

“We are doing this in thanksgiving [for] the huge success of the project," said Robbie Antonio, Centruy Properties president. “The Milano Residences since its launch last January is close to 70 percent sold."

Versace's charity work includes aid campaigns in quake-struck Haiti and the conflict-ridden countries in Africa and the Middle East. He has also dabbled in Italian politics, securing a parliament seat at Italy's Chamber of Deputies since 2008 as a member of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi's Freedom Party.

More than a decade ago, Versace and his sister Donatella relaunched the Versace brand after the murder of their brother Gianni in Miami Beach, leading the company to a $1-billion-a-year success in retail sales. — JMT, GMA News

Streetlights in the dark
Even those who don’t have ungodly work hours that have them walking the streets at night may want to know more details about the lampposts that light up their cities.

By knowing where these streetlights have been built, residents and most especially commuters may actually locate the lampposts, and propose to their LGUs where else in the city more should be installed. Or, they can report to their LGUs where lampposts need repair, consume energy 24/7, or even, where there have just a swarm of lampposts.

The value or lack of value in LGU spending on lampposts is a matter that citizens may also compare, if they are so armed with data on the unit cost of these lampposts.

For instance, of the six cities that provided documents regarding their streetlights as part of the PCIJ audit, Makati turned out to have the biggest number of lampposts at 4,803 that the city said were constructed from 2004 to 2010. Malabon comes in second with 2,929, and then Quezon City with 1,660, Mandaluyong with 1,616, and San Juan, 921.

While specifications were not provided, the price variance for the lampposts that various LGUs install in NCR is an interesting matter. Documents showed that in Malabon, each lamppost costs P31,486.80 while in San Juan, each unit costs P49,621.90.

In Makati, the cost of a lamppost ranges approximately from P240,000 to P280,000. This amount, according to Makati City Engineer Nelson R. Morales, includes the following: excavation/restoration and other civil works, wirings and conduits, illuminated street names, programmable lighting controller, and MERALCO service connection. Morales also noted that the “cost varies depending on additional problems that might be encountered (on) site" such as “drainage diversion, unavailability of Secondary Distribution Facilities, and others…"

How much LGUs pay in public funds to maintain the lampposts are curious details, too. Quezon City spends P34.85 million per month on average, or more than a million pesos a day, on the power consumption of its lampposts. Its projected power consumption for 2011, as of March, 14, 2011, is a hefty P418.20 million. And of this amount, the projected power bill for so-called ornamental lampposts account for 41 percent, or P171.31 million. – With research by Anne Jeanette O. Priela, Krystal Kay S. Jimena, David Faustino T. de Castro, Essen Mei M. Miguel, Henor G. Gotis, Eric H. Rivera, and Stephanie Directo, PCIJ, July 2011.

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+==Binay lauds Makati police for estero clean-up drive==
+:Sunday, August 21, 2011
+:by Jerome Carlo R. Paunan
+:Source: http://www.pia.gov.ph/?m=1&t=1&id=50068
+MAKATI, Aug. 21 (PIA) -- For having conducted continuous clean-up operations under its ‘EsteroClean’ project every Saturday since last May, Makati City Mayor [[Jejomar Erwin Binay, Jr.|Jejomar Erwin S. Binay]] over the weekend commended members of the Makati Police Department.
+Binay said the group, led by officer-in-charge Supt. Jaime Santos, "laboriously" cleaned-up various waterways in the city in coordination with the city Department of Environmental Services, barangay officials and other volunteers.
+He said the team has been continuously monitoring and clearing garbage from the P. Medina creek, a major waterway in [[Pio del Pilar, Makati, Philippines|Brgy. Pio del Pilar]], to allow water to flow freely and prevent water-borne diseases like dengue and leptospirosis.
+The mayor also called on residents, including barangay officials, city government employees and students, to participate more actively in ongoing citywide efforts to prevent and control the spread of dengue in the communities of Makati.
+A report from the Makati Health Department (MHD) showed that from Jan. to Aug. 13, 2011 at least 239 cases of dengue in the city have been recorded, including three deaths.
+The same report said that In the first two weeks of August alone, a total of 37 cases were monitored by MHD.
+“The increasing trend of dengue cases in Metro Manila demands a more intensified community involvement and cooperation to ensure an effective campaign against dengue," he said.
+"I am calling on all Makati residents, including city government employees, to join other volunteers in doing search-and-destroy operations on potential breeding places for dengue-carrying mosquitoes in their respective barangays,” Binay added. (PIO/RJB/JCP-PIA NCR)
+==EDSA-Makati reblocking snarls traffic near SLEX==
+:Saturday, August 21, 2011 | 05:43 PM
+:Source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/230022/nation/edsa-makati-reblocking-snarls-traffic-near-slex
+Reblocking work along a portion of Epifanio delos Santos Avenue (EDSA) in Makati City snarled traffic near the South Luzon Expressway (SLEX) Saturday afternoon.
+The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) said the Department of Public Works and Highways was conducting the reblocking at the foot of the EDSA Magallanes flyover’s northbound portion.
+The reblocking “severely [affected] SLEX northbound traffic up to Bicutan," the MMDA said.
+According to the MMDA’s Twitter account, traffic was crawling at 10 kph at the area between SLEX northbound and Bicutan.
+But in a separate Twitter message, the MMDA said traffic at the northbound part of SLEX from Alabang to C-5 was light to moderate.
+It also said traffic at the northbound part of C5 from Kalayaan to Bagong Ilog was moderate. — '''JE, GMA News'''
 ==Dengue has killed 3 kids in Makati==

Difference between revisions of "Makati News"

Revision as of 07:17, 22 August 2011

Contents

Binay lauds Makati police for estero clean-up drive

EDSA-Makati reblocking snarls traffic near SLEX

Dengue has killed 3 kids in Makati

Makati office rent among the cheapest in Asia-Pacific

Downpour turns future policemen into rioters

Pollution levels down in Makati, says gov’t

PDEA nabs 'psycotrophic' drug pushers

Fire razes 11 homes in Makati

Makati govt pays tribute to heroic OFW from HK

6 suspected car thieves killed in QC, Makati encounters

BCDA plans 2 railway projects

Palace thanks Makati Business Club for "vote of confidence"

VP Binay: Sweden open to hiring Pinoy nurses

UP experts told to stop collecting fuel samples from Makati barangay

MAKATI ASKS COURT OF APPEALS TO NULLIFY JUDGE’S RULING ON MAKATI-TAGUIG ROW

MAKATI FILES CRIMINAL, ADMIN CHARGES AGAINST RETIRED JUDGE, CLERK OF COURT FOR “MIDNIGHT DECISION” ON MAKATI-TAGUIG DISPUTE OVER FORT BONIFACIO

PCSO, DILG to hold summit on new town lottery

Makati inmates to make bags

‘Lando’ weakens but rains to continue to parts of Philippines–Pagasa

P-Noy: I'm like a psychiatrist curing Pinoys' bad attitudes

Metro Manila governments stingy with information

GSK headquarters: where work meets play

STI stuns reigning titlist UM in NAASCU Opening

CA: No P25-B assistance to BF

Ayala Land allots P3-B for upscale condo in Makati

Makati LGU ready for earthquake, evac drill Friday

Pacquiao paintings by Filipina sports artist on exhibit in Makati

New lifestyle address in Makati

Makati Football School-Elite booters cop NCRFA overall championship

EDSA-Ayala tunnel in Makati closed due to vehicle smash-up

MMDA lifts number coding except in Makati

MWC completes Makati sewage plant

8,000 MMDA volunteers clear 8 Metro waterways

3 victims add to list of political killings

Fashion mogul Santo Versace visits Manila

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