Makati City News November 2014

From Philippines
Jump to navigation Jump to search
→ → Go back HOME to Zamboanga: the Portal to the Philippines.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
Create Name's page

Regions | Philippine Provinces | Philippine Cities | Municipalities | Barangays | High School Reunions

Makati City Photo Gallery

Makati City Realty

Philippine News

Makati City - Archived News - Current News
Makati City Seal.jpg
The Seal of Makati City
Interactive Google Satellite Map of Makati City, Philippines
Makati city map locator.png
Makati City Map Locator
Makati city hall plaque.jpg
Mission, Vission of Makati inscribed on a plaque
Makati City Hall.jpg
Makati City Hall
Makati City Hall 1.jpg
Makati City Hall

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.

Makati 01.jpg

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:
  1. 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.
  2. The victims who are waiting for the right moment to retaliate. They can’t win yet, so they tolerate.
Makati City Ninoy Aquino Monument.jpg
Monument of Ninoy Aquino

Noy leads APEC hosting kick-off event

By Aurea Calica (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino will lead tomorrow’s kick-off ceremony for the country’s hosting of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Makati City, where the logo and theme for the event will be unveiled.

The kick-off ceremony at 5 p.m. will be hosted by government’s partners at the Department of Trade and Industry.

The ceremony comes ahead of the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting (ISOM) at the Oriental Hotel in Legazpi City on Dec. 8 and 9 that will signal the start of the summit.

The Philippines’ hosting of the APEC summit is expected to boost the country’s international exposure next year, along with the visit of Pope Francis in January.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said ISOM would serve as the venue to set the agenda and priorities of the 21 APEC member-economies.

“There are notable speakers who will be coming to discuss how the economies can move forward on the topics that are to be discussed in ISOM,” she said over dzRB.

As regards the government’s overall preparation for the hosting of APEC, Valte said the administration is threshing out small details of the preparations and maintained that they are ready to spearhead the ISOM meeting in Albay.

“The preparations look good and are all set,” Valte said, noting that local government partners led by Albay Gov. Joey Salceda are also on deck.

Participants are expected to arrive next Saturday or Sunday in Legazpi City.

Among the government agencies working for the successful APEC hosting are the Philippine Information Agency of Region 5 and the Department of Tourism.

The country’s hosting of APEC next year is its second after 19 years. The Philippines last hosted APEC in 1996 during the administration of President Fidel Ramos.

“So everyone is really working together to make the start of the hosting a success,” Valte said.

Makati cuts down garbage by 47% in 1st 9 months of 2014

By Joel Locsin / VC (GMA News)

Makati City has cut by nearly half the volume of garbage it collected for the first three quarters of 2014, compared to the same period in 2013.

City Department of Environmental Services head Danilo Villas said this was due to recycling projects and effective waste segregation in households and business establishments.

The city said that from January to September 2014, the city diverted 1,946.69 cubic meters or 4.68 million kilos of solid waste from the landfill, and cut by 40 percent the number of trips made by garbage collection trucks.

Also, the city's Ordinance No. 2003-095 fines violators P1,000 or jails them for between five and 30 days. It fines erring establishments P5,000 or jails the owner, or even causes the business permit or license to be canceled.

Villas said successful projects include:

• Baratilyo ng Basura sa Barangay
• Weekend Waste Market
• 3B sa Pasko Recyclables Exhibit and Bazaar

From January to September, the Baratilyo diverted 114,155 kilos of waste and generated around P771,000 in revenue.

Plastic ban

The city's plastic ban also sustained a high rate of compliance at 94.06 percent, compared to 92 percent rating for the first six months of implementation in 2013.

Of 11,316 establishments inspected by the task force, 677 were found violating the plastic ban.

The top 10 most compliant barangays in Makati as of September 2014 included:

• Carmona, 100 percent
• Pinagkaisahan, Rizal, Pembo and Cembo, 99 percent
• Comembo, 98 percent
• Poblacion, 97 percent
• Kasilawan, 96 percent
• West Rembo, 95 percent

Meanwhile, the DES apprehended 4,207 violators mostly for littering, using plastic products or unregistered pushcarts, or causing illegal obstruction of streets.

Philippine economy posts 5.3 percent GDP growth

pia.gov.ph

MAKATI CITY, Nov 28 -- GDP grew year-on-year by 5.3 percent in the third quarter of 2014. This is lower than the growth rates of 6.4 percent in the second quarter of 2014 and 7.0 percent in the third quarter of 2013.

The Services Sector decelerated to 5.4 percent but remained the main driver of GDP growth for the quarter. It is noted that the growth in Services sector has been on the downward trend since Q1 of 2014. Similarly, the Industry Sector slowed down to 7.6 percent, slightly lower than the previous year’s and previous quarter’s growth of 7.7 percent and 7.9 percent, respectively. The entire Agriculture sector declined by 2.7 percent, the lowest since Q4 2009.


Among the three major economic sectors, Services gave the highest contribution to the GDP growth in the third quarter with 3.1 percentage points. This was followed by Industry with 2.4 percentage points while the whole Agriculture sector pulled down GDP growth with negative 0.3 percentage point.


With the deceleration of the Net Primary Income (NPI) from the Rest of the World in the third quarter of 2014 to 2.7 percent from 19.9 percent the previous year, the Gross National Income (GNI) slowed down to 4.8 percent from 9.0 percent in the third quarter of 2013.


With projected population reaching to a level of 100.1 million, per capita GDP slowed down to 3.5 percent, per capita GNI decelerated to 3.1 percent while per capita Household Final Consumption Expenditure (HFCE) went down to 3.4 percent. (NSCB)

Makati distributes year-end cash gift to senior citizens

(Rappler.com)

The city government of Makati will start the distribution of the year-end cash gift for BLU Card holders in the city on Saturday

The city government of Makati through the Elderly Welfare Section of the Makati Social Welfare Department (MSWD) will start the distribution of the year-end cash gift for BLU Card holders in the city on Saturday, November 29, until December 6, 2014.

In a report to Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay, MSWD officer-in-charge Ryan Barcelo said some 65,596 qualified beneficiaries are set to receive their cash gift on scheduled dates starting this Saturday from 9 am to 4 pm daily at designated venues.

Barcelo said BLU Card holders from barangays Bangkal, Guadalupe Viejo and Pitogo can get their cash gifts at their respective barangay halls on November 29, from 9 am to 4 pm. For those from barangays Palanan and Valenzuela, distribution will be done at their covered court on the same date and time.

On December 1, Monday, the distribution for barangays Sta. Cruz, Dasmariñas, Urdaneta and Carmona will take place at their respective barangay halls. For barangays East Rembo and South Cembo, it will be done at their covered court.

The covered courts of barangays San Antonio and La Paz will be the venue of the cash gift distribution on December 2, Tuesday, while recipients from Northside, San Isidro, Cembo and Kasilawan can claim their cash gift at their respective barangay halls.

On December 3, Wednesday, also from 9 am to 4 pm, distribution will be done at the barangay halls of San Lorenzo, Singkamas and Forbes Park, and at the open court of San Miguel, while for Tejeros beneficiaries, it will be at their Elderly Health Care Center.

Beneficiaries from barangays Guadalupe Nuevo, Poblacion and Olympia are slated on December 4 at their respective covered courts, while those from Pinagkaisahan can get theirs at their barangay hall.

After a break on December 5, the distribution will resume on December 6, Saturday in Pembo covered court from 9am to 4pm, as well as in the barangay halls of Southside and Rizal.

The schedule for cash gift distribution in barangays Bel-Air, Magallanes, West Rembo, Comembo and Pio del Pilar will be announced later.

In claiming the cash gift, beneficiaries who are unable to come in person can send their duly authorized representative whose name appears at the back of the BLU Card to the Cash Division at the 3rd floor of Makati City Hall. The representative should be able to present a medical certificate as proof of the beneficiaries’ condition, whether bedridden, disabled or confined in a hospital.

Authorization forms are available at the MSWD office at the fifth floor of Makati City Hall. On the other hand, senior citizens who are out-of-town or abroad during the distribution of the cash gifts are not entitled to claim the said benefit, and authorization presented by a representative will not be honored by the Cash Division.

Pacquiao to be honored by Makati parade Thursday

(Rappler.com)

Manny Pacquiao, fresh off his victory over Chris Algieri, will get a hero’s welcome with a victory parade and assembly in Makati City

MANILA, Philippines - Manny Pacquiao, fresh off his win over Chris Algieri, will get a hero’s welcome on Thursday, November 27 with a victory parade and assembly at Makati City Hall Quadrangle, according to a city press release.

The celebration, which comes days after he dropped the previously unbeaten New Yorker six times en route to a unanimous decision in Macau on Sunday, will begin with a courtesy call with Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay at 9 am, followed by a parade at 10.

The parade will move towards J.P. Rizal then proceeding until the corner of A.P. Reyes, where it will turn right then make a U-turn in front of the Covered Court of Barangay Carmona and proceed to Pasong Tamo.

Traversing Pasong Tamo, the parade will turn left at Gil Puyat (Buendia) Avenue, turn right to Ayala Avenue then onward to InterCon where the parade will end. A press conference will be held at the said hotel after the parade to entertain media queries and the public.

The Makati Public Safety Department (MAPSA) enforcers will provide traffic assistance, as well as escort those joining the parade, according to the release.

The Sarangani congressman Pacquiao (57-5-2, 38 knockouts) of General Santos City, Philippines has now won three straight fights since suffering back-to-back losses in 2012 and is actively pushing for the elusive Floyd Mayweather Jr. fight to happen in May of 2015.

Makati ranks among world's first ISO-certified cities

By pia.gov.ph

MAKATI CITY, Nov. 25 (PIA) – Makati is now at par with major cities around the world following an international certification process measuring performance on service, quality of life.


Makati has been ranked among the cities of London, Boston, Toronto, Dubai and Rotterdam in obtaining the highest level of certification under the first-ever set of ISO standards for world cities, ISO 37120.


Published by the International Organization for Standardization of Geneva, ISO 37120 aims to allow cities to communicate with each other through a common set of indicators that measure the performance of the city services and quality of life.


Dr. Patricia McCartney, president and CEO of World Council on City Data (WCCD), congratulated the city government for successfully completing its ISO 37120 report. The city was able to complete 98 out of 100 indicators. She remarked that the reported data was verified in accordance with the requirements of ISO 37120 and the WCCD certification process.


“It is only through the commitment and leadership of cities like Makati that we can continue building a global network of sustainable, smart and prosperous cities,” the WCCD head wrote.


Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin S. Binay welcomed the recognition, which has made the city among the first 20 cities in the world to earn ISO 37120 certification, of which only nine achieved Platinum level.


“This latest recognition strengthens our resolve to continue improving our services to the people of Makati so that they would experience quality living commensurate with the amenities of a highly urbanized city,” Binay said.


The mayor also said the city government is strongly committed to conducting regular assessments of its performance based on the ISO 37120 standards. “We would be better able to assess how our city fares compared with other cities of the world, and which areas we need to improve on,” he said.


Makati Disaster Management Consultant Violeta Seva received the award on behalf of the mayor at the summit held at the Greater London Authority City Hall in London from November 17 to 18. She expressed Makati’s willingness to take on the challenges of sustaining its Platinum status in the WCCD Global Cities Registry for ISO 37120 in the coming years.


Seva also presented highlights of the city’s report, including the challenges faced by the city in data collection and analysis, and some of its best practices.


The 100 indicators intended to measure a city’s social, economic and environmental performance are categorized under 17 themes, namely: economy, education, energy, environment, finance, fire and emergency response, governance, health, recreation, safety, shelter, solid waste, telecommunication and innovation, transportation, urban planning, wastewater, and water and sanitation.


The Platinum level certification under ISO 37120 requires compliance with 91 to 100 indicators, consisting of 46 core indicators and 45 to 54 supporting indicators. The next highest level is Gold certification, which requires 46 core indicators and 30 to 44 supporting indicators to make up 76 to 90 indicators.


The lowest level is the Aspirational certification, which requires data for 30 to 45 core indicators, followed by Bronze with 46 core indicators and up to 13 supporting indicators. For Silver certification, data for 46 core indicators and 14 to 29 supporting indicators are required.


The Toronto-based WCCD, with 20 Foundation Cities including Makati, piloted ISO 37120 which establishes a set of standardized indicators that can be used in measuring city services and quality of life. The other WCCD Foundation Cities are Amman, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bogotá, Boston, Buenos Aires, Dubai, Guadalajara, Haiphong, Helsinki, Johannesburg, London, Makkah, Melbourne, Minna, Rotterdam, São Paulo, Shanghai, and Toronto. (ICRD/RJB/JCP/PIA-NCR)

Makati bomb scare turns out to be false alarm

By Rappler.com
  • An explosion is heard in Makati City after police detonated a package that turned out to be a bag of assorted tools*

MANILA, Philippines – An explosion at the busy corner of Paseo de Roxas and Makati Avenue in Makati City caused panic and road blocks in the country's financial district Monday morning, November 24.

The explosion was not caused by a bomb, the police later clarified. They detonated a "suspicious package" which turned out to be a bag that contained an aluminum case marked Digital CCTV. Inside were various tools.

A CCTV footage showed that a gray L300 van with plate no. UBS 614 dropped the bag in the area. The CCTV footage however had an obstructed view.

"It cannot be determined whether it was accidentally left in the area or not," according to the Makati Information and Community Relations Department.

The Makati Public Safety Department found the bag in front of a Ministop convenience store located at the Zuellig Building in Makati. It was immediately reported to the Makati Operations Center (Makati C3), which subsequently contacted the Makati PNP-SRU/EOD which dispatched a team to the site.

They closed the area to traffic and then detonated the bag.

The Monday morning incident comes after another bomb scare Friday night, November 21, in nearby Guadalupe Mall Market, also in Makati City.

A supposed improvised detonating device (IED) was found at the parking area of the market. The Makati police EOD team said it "contained a visible alarm clock, wires with electric tape and nails, but with no detonating devices or explosives included."

It was diffused by the EOD unit. No CCTV was installed at the parking lot.

Taxi driver nabbed for Makati City holdup inside his cab

By Kristine Felisse Mangunay (Philippine Daily Inquirer)

The police arrested a taxi driver who, together with a still unidentified man, allegedly robbed two passengers in Makati City on Friday.

Rogelio Valencia Jr., 42, picked up his would-be victims at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) Terminal 3 and later opened his cab to a third male passenger who later declared a holdup, according to the complainants.

The two passengers, Ronald Evangelista and Raymart Balceta, both in their early 20s, hailed Valencia’s cab (UVP 693) at Naia 3 early Friday night. Both taking the back seat, they asked to be brought to Manila.

But as they reached Osmeña Highway, Valencia allowed another man to get in and take the front passenger seat and then made a turn to Gil Puyat Avenue. The third passenger then took out a knife and announced the holdup as Valencia continued driving.

The suspects took P8,000 in cash and cellphones from Balceta and Evangelista, whom they released on Zobel Roxas Street.

While walking, the victims came across a police checkpoint around 8:50 p.m. and reported the robbery, according to SPO3 Danilo Ortega of the Makati police.

They were allowed to board a patrol car, which went around the area to look for the suspects. Upon reaching Arellano Street, they saw Valencia and his cohort walking on the sidewalk and the taxi cab already parked nearby, Ortega said.

Positively identified by Evangelista and Balceta, Valencia was arrested on the spot but his partner managed to run away.

Only the victims’ cash was recovered from the driver, according to Senior Supt. Ernesto Barlam, officer in charge of the Makati police.

Valencia admitted that the two men were his passengers but denied the robbery allegations.

CSC organizes leadership series to improve competitiveness

(CSC)

QUEZON CITY, Nov. 22 -- Best-selling author and leadership coach, Dr. Barry Posner led the string of speakers who shared best practices in human resource management and organization development during the first in the series of leadership events organized by the Civil Service Commission (CSC) held recently at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM), Makati City.

The Leadership Series aims to bring to fore the issue of upgrading the competence of the country’s human capital, specifically in the public sector.

“The conduct of such events mirrors CSC’s dedication to develop people, empower agencies, and translate government services into drivers of citizen satisfaction. I believe that the reforms we have and continue to put in place are now working because this time, we are focusing on the development of the people in government,” said CSC Chairman Francisco T. Duque III.

The Human Capital Report released by the World Economic Forum in 2013 underscored that the key to the future of any country or any institution lies in the talent, skills and capabilities of its people. This is why countries are investing in developmental initiatives to capacitate their human capital as studies show its effects on productivity. For its part, the Philippines shows promise as it ranked 66th out of the 122 countries surveyed. It garnered top scores for the education and gender gap indicators as well as a strong 15th rank for economic participation.

Aside from CSC Chairman Duque and Dr. Posner, other resource speakers for the Leadership Series were Associate Director Cheryl Lim of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) of the Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia; and Dr. Antonio C. Roldan Jr., lead consultant/workshop facilitator from the Department of Public Works and Highways.

The Leadership Series will be held quarterly to gather public sector leaders and will serve as venue to provide them with updates and emerging trends in the field of human resource management, leadership and organization development.

It is a learning and development intervention developed by the CSC’s external training arm, the Civil Service Institute (CSI), and is equivalent to eight (8) hours of credited leadership and management training for successful participants.

For more information on succeeding events, please contact CSC’s CSI at telephone numbers (02) 931-4182, (02) 931-8019, (02) 951-4724, (02) 951-2572, and (02) 931-8047, or email training@webmail.csc.gov.ph.

Binay whistleblower leaves for US

by Aries Rufo, Bea Cupin

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – The key whistleblower in the probe into allegations of corruption against Vice President Jejomar Binay has left the country but clarified he will be back soon.

In a Friday, November 21 interview on dzBB, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado said he left for the United States on Tuesday, November 18. Earlier that day, Mercado had testified before the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee.

Mercado, who is under the government’s Witness Protection Program, said he asked permission from the justice department, the Ombudsman and the Senate before leaving.

The former Makati vice mayor will be in the US until November 30 to visit his family.

“Hindi po ako umalis para talikuran ang aking obligasyon. Kung kailangan na ako ay bumalik ng mas maaga ay gagawin ko,” Mercado was quoted as saying. (This trip doesn’t mean I’m turning back on my obligation. If I need to come back to the Philippines earlier than scheduled, I will.)

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima declined to comment on Mercado’s trip. “Under the WPP [Witness Protection Program] law, there’s a confidentiality provision and this is essentially because of security reasons,” she told reporters on Friday.

De Lima said that while they “discourage” witnesses from traveling, doing so is not disallowed under the WPP. “We aren’t jailers,” she added.

The subcommittee’s hearings are temporarily put on hold while the Senate deliberates on the 2015 budget. But Senator Antonio Trillanes IV said they will likely try to schedule one more hearing before Congress takes a break from December 20, 2014 to January 18, 2015.

During the 3-hour Tuesday hearing, Mercado disclosed that Binay supposedly owns at least 6 condominium units in Makati city buildings, allegedly given to him to speed up the processing of building requirements from city hall.

Binay was mayor of Makati from 1986 to 2010. In between term limits, his wife, Dr. Elenita Binay, took over the post. Binay’s only son Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr is the current city mayor.

Mercado is one of Binay’s former political allies who have since turned against him and are now leading the exposé on his allegedly corrupt ways. It was Mercado who said Binay got kickbacks from city projects, including the allegedly overpriced Makati City Building 2, which is the basis of plunder raps against the Vice President and his son. (READ: The Jojo Binay that Mercado knew)

The former vice mayor also admitted to “benefitting” from the same transaction.

UNA allegations

In an interview with Rappler, lawyer Renato Bondal, another whistleblower in the probe, said Mercado’s had scheduled the US trip for a while and was only delayed because of the Senate probe.

“Dito siya magpapasko (He’s going to spend Christmas here),” Bondal added.

Mercado’s trip comes the same week the Binay camp asked the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Senate to do a lifestyle check on the former vice mayor, who is allegedly hiding “prime properties” in the Philippines and abroad through his wife, children, children-in-law, and siblings.

Navotas Representative Tobias Tiangco, interim president of Binay’s United Nationalist Alliance (UNA), challenged Mercado to surrender all his properties to the government.

“He admitted getting kickbacks. His wealth is the fruit of his corrupt ways. Kung hindi nya gagawin yan, gimik lang itong pag-donate nya ng kanyang lupa,” said Tiangco in a Thursday, November 20 statement. – with reports from Aries Rufo, Bea Cupin/Rappler.com


VP Binay should face Senate probe–INQUIRER.net poll

by Aries Joseph Hegina

MANILA, Philippines—Vice President Jejomar Binay should face the Senate probe and answer the allegations of corruption hurled against him, according to a recent survey of INQUIRER.net.

The question posted in the online poll was “Amid corruption allegations, should Vice President Jejomar Binay appear before the Senate blue ribbon committee?”

Nine out of 10 (or 94.54 percent of 61,707 total respondents) were in favor of Binay’s appearance in the Senate committee hearing.

A total of 2,388 votes or 3.87 percent of total respondents were against it while 980 votes (1.6 percent) said they didn’t care.

The results of the INQUIRER.net poll echoed the findings of a recent Social Weather Stations survey wherein eight of 10 respondents said they wanted Binay to attend the Senate hearing.

The Senate blue ribbon committee is currently looking into the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall Building 2 which was built when Vice President Binay was the city mayor.

Binay has repeatedly snubbed the Senate invitations. He also backed out of a debate with Senator Antonio Trillanes IV, who initiated the investigation.

Binay reaffirms bid for presidency in 2016

Rocelle Tangi

THERE is no stopping Vice President Jejomar Binay in his bid for presidency in 2016, despite calls for impeachment over his alleged practices as Makati mayor. “Walang atrasan ito. Tuloy tayo sa 2016, tuloy ang ating pagtakbo (There’s no turning back. We will seek the presidency in 2016),” Binay reiterated. Binay also said that allegations thrown at him will not deter his job as the chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Presidential Adviser on Overseas Filipino Workers’ Concerns. Binay chooses to go around the country to fulfill his duties and talk to “real people” instead of the Senators, who according to Binay, have already prejudged him. During his trip to Malolos and Hagonoy, municipalities of Bulacan, he joined market vendors and residents for a breakfast boodle fight and visited the newly built Materials Recovery Facility (MRF). He denied that socializing with the poor was part of his campaign scheme for the presidency in 2016. “Iyan ang kagandahan ng nakaupo ka sa puwesto, nakakapagtrabaho ka at nakakadaupang palad mo ng direkta ang mga tao. Nasa inyo nang media kung ano ang iinterpret ninyo, kung kampanya ito o hindi, depdende na iyan sa tumatanaw (It pays to be an incumbent official because you get to work and interact with the people. It’s up to the media to interpret that action, whether this is a campaign or not, and depending on who is observing),” he said. The Vice President, however, slammed media for criticizing him after his generosity in holding press conferences. “I had been put in a bad light in most of the news reports that you published about me and Senator (Antonio) Trillanes,” Binay said in an interview with Inquirer.net. “You interviewed me several times and I even held press conference. I answered all your questions but still, I have been criticized repeatedly.” Despite the bad publicity, Binay remains confident that he still has the trust of the people, who have “become discerning” and “know if they are being fed with lies.” He noted that citizens he has interacted with, such as those in Bulacan, have not treated him differently since the accusations have come to light. ‘Unmindful’ Senators In his sworn affidavit submitted before the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, the Vice President firmly denied the allegations surrounding various Makati City buildings and improperly declared properties in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth (SALN). Binay insisted in his seven-page affidavit that the Senate’s probe into the allegations “is not in aid of legislation and is violative my constitutional rights.” He further charged that the accusations are false. “It must be emphasized, the Senate shall constitute as the Impeachment Court in case the House of Representatives initiates an impeachment proceedings. Therefore, the Senators are ‘unmindful’ of their role as potential senator-judges,” the former Makati City Mayor said. “Worst, the Senators are acting as prosecutors, judges, and even as witnesses,” he added. Binay has repeatedly rejected the continuous invitation to appear in the Senate hearings. “It bears to stress that these accusations are based on the bare allegations are not evidence,” he defended. Binay did not mention his alleged illegal wealth in Batangas, which multi-millionaire businessman Antonio Tiu claimed to own. The Vice President justified that there is no need to attend the hearings because Senators Antonio Trillanes IV and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano have hidden agendas and continuously ridiculed him in each Senate session. “The demeanor and declarations of Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano clearly show that they are not after the truth. As declared by Sen. Trillanes, among other things, his objective is to put me to jail,” he said. Binay expressed interest in attending the Senate probe last week but backed out the last minute. “I was initially inclined to attend the inquiry before the Blue Ribbon committee as a whole. However, I could not simply disregard the rule of law, the Constitution and well-settled jurisprudence,” he reasoned out. Binay insisted, “it is not the task of the legislature to investigate the culpability of government officials.” “The role of the legislature is to make laws, not to determine anyone’s guilt of a crime or wrongdoing. It cannot adjudicate or prosecute,” he said, stressing that it is the rule of courts to prosecute. He also criticized the entire committee chaired by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III for violating his rights. “Every person, from the highest public official to the most ordinary citizen, has the right tot be presumed innocent until proven guilty in proper proceedings by a competent court body,” he added. Binay said the subcommittee “prosecute and judge me and my family on malicious and unfounded criminal accusations in utter disregard of our Constitutional rights, as shown in the transcripts of the proceedings.”

Filipino environmentalists protest coal policy forum

(Mindanao Examiner)

MAKATI CITY - Environmentalists held a rally on Tuesday outside the New World Hotel in Makati City to protest and condemn the ongoing Coal Policy and Business Forum.

The forum aims to gather operators of power plants and other industrial heavy users of coal, coal producers or suppliers, policymakers, legal and tax experts, investors and stakeholders to discuss the role of coal in the energy industry.

Leverage International, a consultancy company for foreign investors, organized the forum in collaboration with the Department of Energy along with the ASEAN Forum on Coal, the Philippine Chamber of Coal Mines and the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association.

“We condemn this gathering of disaster designers as it considers coal as an essential part in the development of the country. There is no space for coal in the energy industry now and in the future,” said Gerry Arances, National Coordinator of the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice or PMCJ.

“What is more unforgivable is that after retreating from the fiasco of emergency powers, the government, especially the Department of Energy has supported this event,” he said, adding, that Energy Secretary Jericho Petilla was even the keynote speaker.

Pastora Diana Morales, of Coal-Free Bataan Movement, said in the recent UN Climate Summit held in New York, President Benigno Aquino boasted that the Philippines is now treading a climate-smart development pathway and that it continues to take steps to maintain and even improve its low-emission development strategy and the trajectory of the energy mix of the country.

“By taking part in this forum, this administration is showing its unwavering support for climate change-drivers such as coal and other dirty-energy projects. This is contradictory to what the President claims in international forums,” Morales said.

Morales said under the Aquino administration, at least 26 coal-fired power plants across the country with approximately 9,000 MW generating capacity have been approved despite massive opposition from various groups and the devastating effect this has in the environment and human health. These power plants are expected to dominate the energy mix of the country by providing 70% of the electricity generation by 2035.

“Behind the closed doors of forums like this, communities like ours continue to suffer the negative effects of coal. Our lives and our future is at stake but the government continues to push for projects which will cause our death,” Morales said.

According to the Clean Air Task Force report, coal kills about 400,000 people annually.

“We reject this forum because continued investment in coal will put additional burden upon the people. Coal will become more expensive based on market signals, especially as more countries pledge to phase out coal and increase the renewable energy (RE) share in their electricity mix,” Kathryn Leuch, Energy Campaigner of PMCJ, said.

Only recently, China announced its target to increase the share of non-fossil fuels energy to 20% by 2030. Furthermore, China’s demand for coal is expected to peak by 2020.

Furthermore, burning of coal accounts for the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions from human activities.

“Coal is a climate buster. It has no space in our world if we want to limit global mean temperature rise to 2 degrees. With our experience with the Typhoon Yolanda, unless we limit our emissions, stronger typhoons will happen and more Filipinos will be condemned to death,” Leuch said.

Energy Undersecretary Zenaida Monsada said that the DOE is aiming to award to private sector investors the areas for coal exploration and development under the Philippine Energy Contracting Round 5 by December 18.

But Arances said the government needs to focus to achieve its original target of 50% renewable energy in the electricity mix as stipulated in its original plan. He said the government must lay the basis for more funds for renewable energy and not waste its time giving more impetus to a "killer" and dirty industry such as coal.

“The government has no business taking part in a forum that brings death to its people and the climate,” Arances said.

In Zamboanga City, the Alcantara and Sons is also building a coal-fired power plant in San Ramon. It recently opened a coal-fired power plant in Sarangani province.

And Aboitiz and other firms are also operating coal-fired power plants in Mindanao.

SAUDIA announces new Makati corporate office

(Manila Bulletin)

In line with its mission statement to be a world-class airline, Saudi Arabian Airlines (SAUDIA) has moved its Corporate Offices and City Ticket Office (CTO)- Makati to a new and better location to further improve its services to its growing number of valued clientele.

SAUDIA is now located at the 19th Floor, Zuellig Building, Makati Avenue corner Paseo de Roxas, Makati City, Philippines. The new telephone numbers are +632 3337700for its corporate offices and +632 333 7777 for reservations.

In its more than 30 years of operations in the Philippines, SAUDIA remains to be the leading Middle East Carrier offering direct flights from Manila to its mainline stations in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia namely, Jeddah, Riyadh and Dammam, with 53 international and 26 domestic destinations. SAUDIA further prides itself in being the first Middle East Carrier to be a member of the SKYTEAM, the successful and growing global airline alliance.

Allegedly overpriced Makati High impresses senators

by TJ Burgonio @inquirerdotnet Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines—It would be anyone’s dream high school.

The classrooms are spacious, well-lit and ventilated. An audio-visual room, with theater-like seats, could rival a top university’s. The speech lab comes with glass booths and headsets. The dormitory is furnished with bunk beds, and there are lockers to store one’s belongings.

This is the P1.3-billion 10-story Makati Science High School, now the subject of an investigation by the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee for allegedly being built at an overprice.

“Compared to other buildings I’ve been to, I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen. It looks sturdy,” Sen. Aquilino Pimentel III told reporters after a nearly hour-long ocular inspection of the building on Kalayaan Avenue in Makati.

But his colleague, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, was skeptical about the price tag for each classroom which would come to P24.68-million, without taking into consideration the open spaces and other amenities.

“The building itself, by observation, is nice. But the question here is, did we pay the right price? This is what we’ll determine,” Trillanes said. “If the floor has gold plating, we can understand.”

Citing Department of Education (DepEd) data, Trillanes said a classroom in a single story building costs under P1 million, and in a four-story building P2 million.

The building has 54 classrooms—35 regular rooms, 18 labs and special classrooms, and one reading center.

The building also has a basement, roof deck, an auditorium on two floors, and open space that allows one to look down from any of the floors at the lobby.

On the ground floor are the administrative offices and biology labs. The second floor houses the computer and speech labs and the audio-visual room, while the general science, chemistry and physics labs are on the third floor.

The regular classrooms are on the fourth to seventh floors. Also on the fourth floor are the electronics and robotics labs. The eighth floor houses the dormitory which has 20 rooms that can accommodate 240 students. Between the rooms are the toilets and shower rooms.

The auditorium, yet unfinished, is on the ninth and 10th floors.

The building has two elevators that can carry 17 persons each. Behind the elevators are the student lockers. It has a spacious staircase rising from the ground floor to the top of the building.

Federico Cuervo, president and CEO of Cuervo Valuers & Advisory Inc., who joined the ocular inspection, acknowledged that the high school’s facilities were far better than any public high school’s.

He, however, said the classrooms should cost “much less” than P24.68 million each.

“I didn’t compute it yet, but definitely it’s much less… We don’t know yet how much per square meter,” Cuervo said of the building which has a gross floor area of 23,029 square meters.

He said he’ll be ready to provide the cost of each classroom when the Senate blue ribbon subcommittee resumes its inquiry into the corruption allegations against Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday.

Pimentel steered clear of the issue of whether it was overpriced following the inspection.

“I will not comment on the issue because an ocular will not be able to answer the issue,” he said.

The senators inspected most of the rooms on all the floors.

School engineer Ramon Zoleta, who showed the senators around along with City Administrator Eleno Mendoza and principal Evangelina Apolinario, declined to respond to the senators’ questions.

“That’s for them to explain,” Zoleta said, referring to the city officials. “There’s a reason behind all this. Otherwise, I have no authority to speak on the matter.”

Some 870 students, from Makati and other cities, are enrolled in the Makati Science HS, which was turned over to DepEd in February this year.

Lawyer Renato Bondal, who filed a plunder complaint against Binay and his son, current Makati Mayor Junjun Binay, over the Makati City Hall Building II office and car park, has alleged that this was the priciest high school building yet. He claimed it was overpriced by P862 million.

The camp of Vice President Binay said Friday the senators who conducted an ocular inspection of the Makati Science High School building hastily concluded that it was overpriced.

“The construction of the Makati Science High School underwent a public bidding as required by law. The project also passed the audit by the Commission on Audit,” Joey Salgado, spokesperson of Binay, said in a statement on Saturday.

“On the mere say so of Renato Bondal and after a cursory inspection, the senators already made conclusions of overpricing. This is no surprise to us since the senators had prejudged the issue from the start,” Salgado said.

Salgado said Bondal’s claim was “outrageous,” not anchored on logic but on fuzzy math.

“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school’s foundation, finishing and facilities. His claim of overpricing in both the Makati City Hall Building II and the Makati Science High School falls into the same category,” he said.

“It’s guesswork or hula hula that won’t pass scrutiny in a court of law.” Salgado said. With a report from Niña P. Calleja

Makati Science High issue prejudged on ‘mere say so’, ‘cursory’ inspection – Binay camp

by AMANDA FERNANDEZ,GMA News


Some senators may have already prejudged alleged overpricing in the construction of the Makati Science High School, the camp of Vice President Jejomar Binay said.

In a statement released on Saturday, Binay's spokesman Joey Salgado insisted that the contract for the P1.33-billion MSHS went through public bidding and has passed a government audit.

"But on the mere say so of Renato Bondal and after a cursory inspection, the senators have already made conclusions of overpricing," Salgado said. "This is no surprise to us since the senators have pre-judged the issue from the start."

The project was allegedly overpriced by P862 million or by almost 300 percent.

He said this after Senators Aquilino Pimentel III and Antonio Trillanes IV inspected the new building on Saturday.

Trillanes told reporters after the inspection that documents they received from the Makati City government indicated that each classroom is worth P24.6 million. But he said the cost for each room should have been much less.

"Sabi ko nga, kung extraordinarily impressive 'yung classrooms, it could justify the cost, pero based on what we saw, mas maganda siya compared sa mga ibang public high schools pero [the classrooms are] really ordinary," he said.

When asked if the price of the building was justified, Trillanes said: "Definitely not, nakita naman natin na even the five-star hotels won't cost that much to build a room..."

For his part, Senator Pimentel said that while he is satisfied with the construction of the building, there are some issues that need to be addressed.

"Compared to the Makati Parking Building II, I'm satisfied with what I have seen, sa tingin ko – well, I am not an engineer, am a lawyer – mukha namang matibay... 'yung staircases mukhang safe para sa mga bata," he said, referring to the Makati City Hall Building II that was the initial subject of the Senate probe into alleged overpricing in Makati City project.

However, Salgado said, "Bondal's outrageous claim is not anchored on logic but on fuzzy math. He conveniently overlooks the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school's foundation, finishing, and facilities."

"His claim of overpricing in both Building 2 and Makati Science High School falls into the same category. It's guesswork or 'hula-hula' that won't pass scrutiny in a court of law," he added.

Among the allegations of corruption hurled against Binay are the supposed overpricing of Makati City Hall Building II, rigging bids and receiving kickbacks from the transactions the Makati City government entered into during his term as mayor.

The vice president is also accused of owning a sprawling property in Rosario, Batangas and a log cabin in Tagaytay Highlands, properties that are not indicated in his Statements of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth.

Binay has repeatedly denied all the accusations saying these a all part of an operation to discredit him and diminish his chances of winning in the 2016 presidential elections. — JDS, GMA News

Person's decomposing body found in Makati City

by (philstar.com)

MANILA, Philippines - A decomposing body of a person was found in Barangay Poblacion, Makati City, early Friday.

The body, stuffed in a large suitcase, was found by a garbage collector at the corner of Jacobo and Firmena streets before 6 a.m.

Police investigators could not immediately conclude if the victim was male or female because the person's face was unrecognizable.

Investigators said that some residents saw a taxi stop at the same spot where the suitcase was abandoned.

Police were also looking for close-circuit television cameras in the area.

Cayetano to businessmen: Change Makati by testifying

by philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines — Senate Majority Leader Alan Peter Cayetano urged businessmen who have information on the allegedly rampant corruption in Makati City's procurement system to testify.

Cayetano said Saturday that businessmen should make themselves known to stop supposedly anomalous practices in the city since Vice President Jejomar Binay was its mayor.

"Businessmen who are in the known or [have] been whispering about [corrupt] practices not only in this city but in other cities, kung gusto niyo ng pagbabago, lumabas na kayo at mag-testify kayo," Cayetano said in a statement.

The senator's call was made after business owner and losing bidder Mario Lichauco Jr. appeared before the Senate Blue Ribbon hearing last Thursday on the allegedly overpriced Makati City Hall II parking building.

Lichauco claimed he was trapped for two hours inside the City Hall's elevator on May 15, 2007 as he was about to submit bidding requirements. The incident caused him to miss the deadline and was consequently disqualified from the bidding.

Cayetano said he sought out Lichauco after the previous hearing to verify statements made by Mario Hechanova, former vice chair of the Makati bids and awards committee. Hechanova similarly claimed to have been stuck in an elevator as part of the alleged efforts to rig the bidding process in Makati.

Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Lichauco was the first contractor to have come forward and verified the claims made by Hechanova last week.

In previous hearings, former Makati Vice Mayor Ernesto Mercado admitted having benefited from transactions in the parking building project, and linked Binay to the scandal.

On Friday, the Department of Justice placed Mercado and two other potential witnesses in the plunder case against Binay under the witness protection program.

DOF hosts International Tax Forum 12-14 November

(DOF/RJB/SDL/PIA-NCR)

MAKATI CITY, 12 Nov. (PIA)--The Department of Finance is hosting the International Tax Forum, a dialogue on taxation in the context of ASEAN Regional Integration, from 12-14 November, 2014, at the Fairmont Hotel in Makati City.

The International Tax Forum (ITF) convenes various experts and professionals from national government agencies, international financial and development institutions, the private sector, as well as academe and civil society to discuss relevant issues on taxation in light of regional integration and economic opportunities brought about by the upcoming ASEAN economic integration in 2015.

In a statement, Finance Secretary Cesar V. Purisima said the DOF is hosting the International Tax Forum in light of the ASEAN economic integration in 2015.

“Countries like the Philippines have much to gain in inviting experts with rich experiences on these issues to share best practices and innovations on taxation,” Purisima said.

High-level officials who develop and implement tax policy will share experiences, information, and developments on tax reforms with and among ASEAN and emerging countries.

Insights from multilateral development and financial organizations will also be heard in the forum as the Philippines and other ASEAN countries continue to explore innovations and enhancements in tax enforcement, sustainable health financing, and equitable tax policy.

Recently appointed UN tax expert Commissioner Kim Henares of the Bureau of Internal Revenue is expected to speak on the Philippine experience with taxation and best practices moving forward.

Discussions will include best practices in tax enforcement such as tax treaties, exchange of information, accounting, and other tax administration issues. Addressing base erosion and profit shifting, as well as exploring sustainable financing for public health, are also slated to be covered by the forum.

Experiences and insights on the Global TIN, as well as taxation of capital markets, e-commerce, and extractive industries, will be shared by officials who have a significant grasp of the issues involved. The forum will also discuss how best to craft a code of conduct for granting tax incentives to balance competitiveness and fairness.

The forum will also consider the role tax policy plays in driving growth and reducing inequality. Interesting debates between consumption taxes and income taxes, as well as subsidy and tax relief, will also be highlighted in pursuit of an inclusive and equitable tax system.

Officials from the Department of Finance, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, the Securities and Exchange Commission, the Thailand Revenue Department, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, the Asian Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the International Bureau of Fiscal Documentation are expected to speak at the forum.

Partner experts from the private sector, such as Development Alternatives Incorporated, Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co., and the National Competitiveness Council are also slated to offer valuable insights. Members of the media, academe, youth, and other civil society organizations are also invited to attend.

The event will be live tweeted using the hashtag #IntlTaxForum from 12-14 November, 2014.

VP Binay shows up at Makati City Hall for birthday mass

By Joel Locsin / KG (GMA News)

Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday attended a Mass at the Makati City Hall on the eve of his 72nd birthday.

Binay was welcomed with a birthday song at the city hall, GMA News' Sandra Aguinaldo tweeted.

Joining him at the Mass were his wife Elenita and children, GMA News' Aguinaldo added.

Binay had been linked to alleged irregularities including supposed overpricing in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building II.

He has also been alleged to own property in Rosario, Batangas.

The vice president has denied the alleged irregularities, claiming these were part of a political demolition job on him.

Accuser is using fuzz

By Manila Times/Makati

Vice president Jejomar Binay’s camp on Friday slammed lawyer Renato Bondal for reportedly using flawed logic and fuzzy math once again in alleging that the Makati Science High School is overpriced. Joey Salgado, Binay’s spokesperson said Bondal conveniently overlooked the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school’s foundation, finishing and facilities. “If we go by his fuzzy math, then all public school buildings are overpriced,” Salgado said. He added that Bondal had earlier cited data from the National Statistics Office (NSO) in claiming that Makati City Hall Building 2 was overpriced, even if the NSO itself clarified that the data is based on building permit applications and not actual construction costs. “Remember this is the same person who has perjured himself before the Senate. Bondal claimed that the birthday cakes given by Makati to senior citizens were overpriced at P1,000, only to admit later that the amount was just a ‘guess’,” Salgado said. “His claim of overpricing in Makati Building 2 and Makati Science High School falls into the same category. It’s guesswork or ‘hula-hula’ that won’t pass scrutiny in a court of law but is being encouraged by the Senate,” he added. The vice president’s spokesperson further said that all Makati projects comply with the process required by law and undergo audit by the Commission on Audit (COA). “Both Building 2 and Makati Science have passed COA review. If Bondal and the senate are confident in their latest allegations, then they should file a case before the courts,” he said. Salgado also hit former Makati City bids and award committee head Mario Hechanova for continuing to drag the name of former city engineer Nelson Morales in making false testimonies before the senate. “The family and relatives of former city engineer Nelson Morales are still grieving from his tragic death and Hechanova should spare them the agony of hearing the name of their lost kin being besmirched,” Salgado said.

Binay camp hits ‘fuzzy math’ in science school pricing

By Mike Frialde and Helen Flores (The Philippine Star)

MANILA, Philippines - Allegations of overpricing in the construction of the city-funded Makati Science High School building were based on “flawed and fuzzy math,” a spokesman for Vice President Jejomar Binay said yesterday.

“He conveniently overlooks the fact that the total construction cost includes the cost of the school’s foundation, finishing and facilities. If we go by his fuzzy math, then all public school buildings are overpriced,” Joey Salgado said, referring to lawyer and former Makati barangay chairman Renato Bondal who made the allegations.

Bondal – who earlier filed a complaint of plunder against the Vice President, his son Makati Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay and other former city officials in connection with alleged anomalies in the construction of the Makati City Hall Building 2 – told the Senate Blue Ribbon subcommittee on Thursday that the bidding for the Makati Science High School building was also rigged to inflate the project cost by some P862 million.

Bondal said that at the cost of P1.5 billion, the 10-story Makati Science High School could be considered the most expensive school building in the country. He said the city government has spent a total of P1.333 billion for the project so far.

Aside from his “flawed math,” Bondal should also be made to account for lying. “Remember this is the same person who has perjured himself before the Senate. Mr. Bondal claimed that the birthday cakes given by Makati to senior citizens were overpriced at P1,000, only to admit later that the amount was just a guess,” Salgado added.

Salgado said all city projects were implemented in compliance with bidding rules and thoroughly examined by the Commission on Audit (COA).

He challenged Bondal and the Senate to stop their attacks on Binay and just file cases against him and other officials if they find anything anomalous in the construction of the Makati Science High School building.

“Both (City Hall) Building 2 and Makati Science have passed COA review. If Mr. Bondal and the Senate are confident in their latest allegations, then they should file a case before the courts,” Salgado said.

Based on documents in his possession, Bondal claimed that the average cost per square meter of the science high school building was P72,500 and that the cost per classroom was P24.6 million.

Former Makati City General Services Department head Mario Hechanova, who had served as the vice chairman of the city government’s Bids and Awards Committee, also told the subcommittee that the bidding for the Makati Science High School project was rigged in favor of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp.

Meanwhile, Salgado appealed to Hechanova to stop dragging the name of the late city engineer Nelson Morales into the controversy.

“We appeal to Mr. Mario Hechanova to stop using the name of a dead person in making false testimonies before the Senate. The family and relatives of former City Engineer Nelson Morales are still grieving from his tragic death and Mr. Hechanova should spare them the agony of hearing the name of their lost kin being besmirched,” he said.

The 11th Global Pinoy Bazaar

(Inquirer.net)

A festive community of great Filipino finds

MANILA, Philippines – The annual Global Pinoy Bazaar organized by Yabang Pinoy has cultivated a growing community of entrepreneurs and consumers that value Filipino craftsmanship and culture.

This year the 11th Global Pinoy Bazaar celebrates more great Filipino finds as it returns to the Rockwell Tent, Makati on 15-16 November (Saturday to Sunday), from 10 am to 9 pm. It promises to offer a selection of quality products made and curated by our local artisans, builders, designers, foodies, and specialists. Happily choose from the variety of Filipino art, design, fashion, food and beverage, home, music, and travel goods.

Make your Christmas shopping more festive as you meet Filipino entrepreneurs and what inspires them to conceive such unique products. From established brands to budding start-ups, the creative minds gathered at the Global Pinoy Bazaar are committed to creating beautiful and functional products that one can proudly say to be made in the Philippines.

Yabang Pinoy believes that buying inspired, quality local products improves the lives of fellow Filipinos. Beyond meeting one’s daily needs, supporting these brands sustain each person involved in creating and making them. In owning something homegrown, consumers celebrate the Filipino lifestyle and invite others to do the same.

Come across one-of-a-kind items and find out the stories they hold at the Global Pinoy Bazaar.

Visit http://www.yabangpinoy.com/ for more information.

Junjun Binay sets condition for Senate appearance

By Ron Gagalac, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Makati Mayor Jejomar “Erwin” Binay Jr. asserted he will also not attend the Senate hearings unless the Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee provides him a list of questions and coverage of inquiries. Binay's lawyer, Claro Certeza, said this was manifested before the sub-committee after an order was issued asking him to explain why he failed to attend previous hearings. Certeza said it is the right of any resource person to be informed of the scope and coverage of topics and questions that will be tackled in the hearing. "We explained that three days before the hearing, we already sent a letter to the sub-committee requesting them to provide us with a list of questions," he said. "The sub-committee did not respond, so [we] cannot be cited for contempt since there is a pending request,” he added. "In all inquiries, it is the right of every resource person to know what would be the coverage of topics and questions that will be asked," he said. The Senate Blue Ribbon sub-committee is investigating the alleged overpricing of the P2.2 billion of the Makati City Hall Building 2. The building started construction during the term of former mayor and now Vice President Jejomar Binay. Construction was finished during the term of Mayor Junjun Binay, son of the vice president. The Binay camp has denied allegations that they received millions of pesos in kickbacks from the construction of the building as well as other infrastructure projects in Makati.

What to expect from Two Roxas Triangle

By Fidea Encarnacion (ABS-CBNnews.com)

MANILA - Roxas Triangle Towers has launched its second residential high-rise in Makati, boasting the same exclusivity and luxurious designs as its predecessor, One Roxas Triangle.

Joining the first tower, which was built in 2001, Two Roxas Triangle was conceptualized to complete the residential enclave located at the corner of Paseo de Roxas and Cruzada Street in Makati City.

Ayala Land Premier head Jose Jugo said Wednesday that the second tower was launched to cater to the "uppermost segment of the luxury market."

"One Roxas Triangle, we launched 15 years ago to address and still address the uppermost segment of the luxury market --- and Two Roxas Triangle is its twin-sister," he said. "It's doing the same thing all over again: very large units, very large lot areas."

According to Jugo, the Two Roxas Triangle shall have 52 floors with 182 units in total, limited to four units per floor.

Despite prices ranging from P60 million to P190 million per unit, Jugo shared that about 70% of the project has already been sold as of this month, since it was opened to the market last year.

"We've been very successful in selling this project, despite its very high price," he said.

Turnover of the units are set to start in the first quarter of 2019.

Spacious and relaxing

Behind the luxurious look planned for the tower is renowned architect and interior designer J. Antonio Mendoza, who shared that the rooms were conceptualized with having well-traveled and high-profiled clients in mind.

"We specifically [thought of] a diplomat with children -- one son, one daughter... mostly for people who are well-traveled and like to entertain," he said.

The smallest unit, at 302 sq.m., has three spacious bedrooms with private garden areas; while the largest -- the 550-sq.m. penthouse flat -- will have four bedrooms and an option for a balcony area.

All units come with walk-in closets, separate service entrance, and a maid's bedroom with its own toilet and bathroom.

Kitchens, meanwhile, will have Sub-Zero and Miele appliances.

Despite these features, Mendoza believes that what really sets this tower apart is how the units are designed and engineered.

"Everything here is custom-made and we wanted to make sure that we gave the buyers the best that we can offer," he said.

Finishes include stone flooring in the living and dining rooms, kitchen, and master's bedroom, with wood flooring in the other bedrooms.

Floor-to-ceiling windows are double-glazed, reducing heat coming into the unit, while at the same time dissipating noise from outside.

"[The units are] soothing to the eye that when you come home from a day of work, it's just very relaxing and it's seamless, just one color scheme throughout the entire apartment," Mendoza added. "The only difference is in the texture."

Future plans

As for the company's next plans, Jugo said it might take awhile before the market will see a follow-up to the Roxas Triangle Towers.

"I really cannot say when the next luxury tower of this caliber will [go up]," he said. "Primarily, the location is very special... it's 1.2 hectares."

Two Roxas Triangle was designed and built by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP, Axis ID, Belt Collins, and Pimentel, Rodriguez, Simbulan and Partners. It is developed by the Roxas Land Corp., a joint venture between Ayala Land, Inc., Hongkong Land and Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Makati installs flood monitoring devices in flood-prone areas

By Joel Locsin

Makati City is bolstering its preparedness for floods with the installation of flood gauge devices in eight flood-prone barangays.

The city engineering department installed the devices in five barangays in District 1 and three in District 2, the city government said in a news release.

Mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay Jr. said some 100 more will be installed in other flood-prone areas throughout the city until next year.

Citing data from the city Department of Engineering and Public Works (DEPW), the city government said the devices are installed in barangays:

District 1: San Antonio (Malugay corner Mayapis, near Polytechnic) Bangkal (P. Binay corner Cailles) La Paz (Onyx corner Pasong Tirad, near the covered court) Magallanes (Pasong Tamo Ext. corner EDSA, side of Alphaland) Pio del Pilar (De la Rosa corner Pasong Tamo)

District 2: Rizal (Xyris St. near J.P. Rizal) West Rembo, (J.P. Rizal near Lawton) Guadalupe Viejo (Carballo St. corner J.P. Rizal)

The city government installed its first weather monitoring station atop the Makati City Hall main building for localized monitoring and forecasting in 2011.

Six more stations are in place – in the barangay halls of San Lorenzo, Forbes Park, Pinagkaisahan, West Rembo and San Antonio, and at Ospital ng Makati in Pembo.

CCTV

The next step will be the installation of closed-circuit television systems in these areas to enable the central command center at City Hall (C3) to monitor flood levels.

Some 200 more CCTVs are due for installation in both districts early 2015 to augment the existing 115 CCTVs connected to Makati C3.

Also, they will install buoys that will trigger alarms once floods reach critical levels, to warn residents and the public.

For now, personnel from DEPW and the concerned barangays will conduct onsite monitoring of flood levels and report the status to C3.

Under the flood advisory system:

30 cm: passable to light vehicles 50 cm: passable to trucks and buses 100 cm: not passable to all vehicles

— Joel Locsin/VC, GMA News

5 die in ‘Undas’ fires in Manila and Makati

By mb.com.ph


A mother and her three children died in one another’s arms in Manila while a man with autism made the fatal mistake of returning inside his family’s burning house in Makati City as three separate fire incidents blazed through Metro Manila on All Saints’ Day.

Forty-year-old Mary Grace Sundiya and her children Peter Gerrado Jr., 5; Gerald Mark, 3; and Geraly, 1, were reportedly discovered still locked in a tight embrace when they were discovered after a fire gutted around 60 houses of light materials in Binondo, Manila Saturday that also left about 100 families homeless.

In Makati, Troy John Bautista, 26, had already been led out to safety by his sister from their burning bungalow located along Paraiso St., Barangay Pembo but, for no apparent reason, chose to return and get something from his room. He died in the one-hour fire Sunday morning.

Another fire broke out in the same city at 9:25 p.m. Saturday on 18th Ave. in East Rembo that gutted two houses but left no casualty.

The Sundiyas were in their makeshift house located inside an abandoned building in Delpan, Binondo, Manila when the fire broke out.

Authorities said that the cause of the fire could have been a lit candle that was left unattended in one of the houses to give respect to departed relatives in observance of the “Undas” weekend – All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days.

It was also learned that Mary Grace’s husband, Gerardo Sr., had been working the streets of Binondo as a pedicab driver when the fire occurred.

He had reportedly rushed back to the family residence but came too late, arriving to a building that was already totally burned.

And in the midst of all the rubble, Manila firemen reportedly discovered the mother and her three children still with their arms around each other.

The other victims from the Manila fire were identified as Violeta Acleta, 65, who suffered from suffocation; Mary Rose Reyes, 34, second degree burns; Carlito Guevarra, 41, slight injury in the left thigh and Solito Blanca, 32, with degree slight burns.

Makati fire official Segundino Comon reported that the Bautista family was already fast asleep when fire broke out at 2:36 a.m. before dawn Sunday.

The victim, who Comon said was autistic, was actually led out to safety by one of his sisters.

But according to a family member, none of them noticed that Bautista had gone back into the house which was already engulfed in flames by then.

Investigators have yet to confirm the cause of fire that started at Bautista’s room.

The fire reached first alarm and was put out at 3:40 am.

5 killed in separate Manila, Makati fires

By gmanetwork.com

Around five people were killed, while more than 100 families were made homeless in separate fires in Manila and Makati Cities Saturday night and early Sunday morning.

In Manila, a woman and her three children were killed in a residential area fire in Binondo, Manila fire marshal Maj. Crispo Diaz told radio dzBB's Henry Herdillo early Sunday.

The family's patriarch was working, driving his pedicab, at the time the fire hit.

The fire started 10:56 p.m. Saturday along Valderama Street. A condemned building and 60 makeshift houses were razed, leaving 100 families homeless.

The fire was put out at 1:26 a.m.

A holy Halloween with Makati's Festival of Saints

by Rie Takumi

Children and parents in Makati City skipped dressing up as demons and spirits this Halloween to celebrate "Holyween" instead.

GMA News TV's "Balitanghali" featured Makati City's Festival of Saints on Saturday, showing off the various costumes representing saints known here and abroad.

Churchgoers of the Mary Mirror of Justice Parish hope that their festivities will inspire other Catholics and children to renew their faith and join their celebrations.

A mass kicked off the inaugural event, where costumes ranged from the 12 Apostles to Saint John Paul II, followed by a march to other churches to pray the rosary.

Sanctuario de San Antonio Parish in Forbes Park served as their first stop, followed by the San Pedro Calunsod Chapel.

Adults also performed a few dances to lighten up the children's tasks.

Those who preferred traditional Halloween celebrations were given tips to avoid the supernatural at the mystical night of the event.

But some chose to use the holiday to air out their concerns, with teachers launching a protest on Oct. 30 to call for higher pay and better benefits. — Rie Takumi/JDS, GMA News

Retrieved from "https://zamboanga.com/z/index.php?title=Makati_City_News_November_2014&oldid=770773"