Archive for the "Public Service" Category

4
Aug
MANILA, Philippines - To completely discourage immigration personnel from using their mobile phones while working, the Bureau of Immigration will install cellphone signal jammers inside the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).

Commissioner Marcelino Libanan approved the purchase and installation of 12 cellphone dampers and jammers at the immigration arrival and departure areas.

Libanan said the move was also part of their campaign against human trafficking, noting that cellphone use allegedly enables some BI personnel to communicate with persons engaged in human trafficking and the irregular facilitation and escort of passengers.

“The strict implementation of cellphone ban will strengthen the bureau’s drive against human trafficking and, most importantly, it effectively prevents corruption,” he said.

Libanan added that the installation of the device will likewise discourage passengers from using their phones, which may also disrupt the immigration clearing process.

NAIA-BI operations chief Ferdinand Sampol, who proposed for the installation of cellphone blockers, said that the use of mobile phone by an immigration officer at work consumes his time and inconveniences passengers lining up at his counter.

The bureau is also looking to mount the same devices at the immigration area of NAIA 3 terminal when international flight services at the new airport become operational. - GMANews.TV

Popularity: 12% [?]

1
Jul
MANILA, Philippines - The Pasig City Regional Trial Court has granted the petition of a group to stop the collection of toll fees at the South Luzon Expressway (Slex), radio dzBB reported Tuesday.

In a report over radio dzBB, GMA News’ Tina Panganiban-Perez said the court - in a decision dated June 23 - ruled in favor of the Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs of San Pedro, Laguna which said the Philippine National Construction Corporation and Toll Regulatory Board were illegally collecting toll fees at the Slex since May 1, 2007.

The report said according to lawyer Melvin Matibag, his group filed the case on April 2007 on the grounds that PNCC’s franchise has already expired and so it should stop collecting toll fees at the SLEX and turn-over its assets and facilities to the government.

Matibag said the TRB, instead of stopping PNCC, issued a toll operation certificate extending the franchise of PNCC.

The report said the court decision, aside from stopping the toll fee collection, ordered PNCC to turn over its assets and facilities to the government. However, the court decision was silent on what will happen to the fees collected by PNCC throughout the period in question.

Matibag said his group did not include in their complaint the collected fees so they will leave it up to the government whether it will refund the fees or not.

The report said the group is ready if the PNCC will appeal the court decision, even as it hoped the government will see that PNCC is not worthy of the franchise given to it due to many violations it has committed. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV

Popularity: 24% [?]

10
Jun

The 6-month old baby niece of my dear friend (Ate to me & co-faculty) Mira Belialba (BASICOM) is in dire need of financial assistance. Baby Yuki was diagnosed with Biliary Atresia, and she needs to undergo surgery. Here’s the email message from her dad, Mio:

~~~~~~~~~~

Hi Everyone,

I would like to seek your assistance to help us raise the needed fund to give my 6-month daughter her needed liver transplant.

Our doctor has released her final diagnosis yesterday and she said that the only way for a long time survival of my baby from her illness (Biliary Atresia) is for her undergo surgery.

According to her, there is no facilities and experience here in the country for such operation so she recommend that we do it in Taiwan which will cost us an estimate of 4M-6M pesos with my wife as her donor.

I’m begging for your good heart to help me, my wife and our family survive this time of trial.

God Bless,

Ramiro “Mio” Belialba

~~~~~~~~~~

Please feel free to forward the PDF file below to all of your friends and contacts.

Download Please Help Yuki

Downloaded a total of 143 times

Popularity: 43% [?]

6
Jun

The Philippine President signed last 28 May 2008 Proclamation 1521 making June of every year the National ICT Month. I had been an ICT practitioner for almost a decade now, and I do not see any true effort from the government with regards to the promotion and enhancement of ICT programs & policies in the country.

Popularity: 20% [?]

5
Jun

SEAOIL Prepaid Gas CardIndustry experts forecast that prices of fuel will shoot up to P60 per liter in a month’s time. SEAOIL’s new offering is a great news to all motorists. Read on …

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

SEAOIL Philippines Inc., the largest independent retailer of petroleum products in the country, has introduced an industry-first prepaid card that pegs a customer’s gasoline purchase at PHP59.00 per liter.

Company officials explained that the Price Lock Prepaid Fuel Card can be used to buy 20 liters of gasoline (G5 X-treme and Unleaded) from any SEAOIL participating stations. The selling period is from July 05-20, 2008. Each card costs P1,180 and is valid for 10 weeks (July 05 up to September 20, 2008).

Since the price has been fixed, cardholders will have an easier time budgeting their fuel expenses as they will be insulated from further spikes in gasoline costs during the promo period.

In the less likely event of a price rollback also during the period, i.e. the price goes down to less than PHP59.00 a liter, SEAOIL will refund unused (unscratched) fuel prepaid cards.

The Price Lock Prepaid Fuel Card will be made available at the following participating SEAOIL stations:

1. A. Bonifacio
2. Binangonan
3. Buendia
4. Cainta
5. Commonwealth
6. Dagat-dagatan
7. Dimasalang
8. EDSA
9. E. Rodriguez
10. Gulod
11. Imalda Avenue
12. Karuhatan
13. Malabon
14. Marikina
15. Maybunga
16. Merville
17. Mindanao Ave.
18. Montalban
19. North Bay
20. P. Tuazon
21. Paco
22. Palatiw
23. Panaderos
24. Paraluman
25. Pasig
26. Payatas
27. Pritil
28. Retiro
29. San Juan
30. San Mateo
31. St. Dominic
32. Sucat
33. Tandang Sora
34. Taguig
Stations to open in July:
35. Arkong Bato
36. Sta. Cruz
37. Legarda
38. Del Monte

SEAOIL will also be selling the prepaid card in the following offsite points: Greenhills Theatre Mall (in front of Starbucks), Greenhills V-Mall (in front of SM Appliance Center), Shopwise (2nd level parking) and Metrowalk (Activity Center near Starbucks). Here’s the schedule: Theatre Mall, V-Mall, Shopwise - July 4-6 and July 11-13 (Fridays-Sundays), 11am-6pm; Metrowalk - July 4-5 and July 11-12 (Fridays and Saturdays), 5pm-12mn

The card is valid for a single transaction only, which means customers should use up its entire 20-liter value since any unconsumed amount, such as a 19-liter purchase, will forfeit the remaining card value.

Only SEAOIL station attendants are authorized to scratch the silver coating of the prepaid card upon purchase and claim the same card after the customer fills up.

About Sea Oil


Formed in 1997, SEAOIL is the first independent fuel company to put up a gasoline retail station, following the deregulation of the country’s downstream oil industry. It has since aggressively expanded, becoming the largest petroleum firm outside the Big 3 of Petron, Shell and Chevron (Caltex) with over 130 outlets nationwide and about 3 percent share of the retail market.

Consistent with its thrust of innovation, the company pioneered the promotion of biofuels and other alternative fuels in the country, being the first to introduce the use of ethanol as a gasoline blend. In 2005, two years before the implementation of the Biofuels Act, SEAOIL already offered the first 10-percent ethanol blended gasoline or E10, now available in its nationwide retail station network along with the similarly mandated 1 percent biodiesel blend.

Popularity: 61% [?]

20
May

In a very confusing and contradicting manner, DOTC Secretary Mendoza retracted his statement yesterday regarding his “hold” order on the implementation of the jeepney and bus fares hike effective tomorrow, Wednesday 21 May 2008.

Based on an online report from GMANews.tv, Sec. Mendoza received an order from Mrs. Arroyo (the President) to implement the fare hike tomorrow, Wednesday.

I bet, this will generate a lot of confusion tomorrow among the passengers and drivers.

Popularity: 15% [?]

19
May

The head of the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC) Leandro Mendoza stops the implementation of the jeepney and bus fares hike this coming Wednesday. Over the weekend, it was announced by the LTFRB that they had approved a Php0.50 provisional fare hike on jeepneys and buses plying the Metro Manila, at least — this will make the minimum fare to Php8.00

Sec. Mendoza ordered to hold the implementation and to study further the implications of fare increases.

Side note: one of my officemates came in this morning complaining about the fare increase. I told him that the fare increase will take effect come Wednesday. Seems that he was caught unware of this, and he did not complained to the jeepney driver who charged him of Php8.00 for a route which is less than 4 kilometers.

Popularity: 12% [?]

31
Oct

Taken from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/66584/P750-minimum-fare-for-jeepneys-reinstated-starting-Nov-2

Commuters will have to cope with a higher minimum fare for passenger jeepneys when they return from their All Saints’ weekend vacation, after the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) reinstated the P7.50 minimum fare for jeepneys from the existing P7 minimum fare.

In an interview on dzRH radio, Thompson Lantion, LTFRB chairman, on Wednesday said the agency partially granted jeepney operators’ fare hike petition amid rising fuel prices.

Lantion said the fare hike will cover Metro Manila, Central Luzon and Southern Luzon.

Ang P7.50 binabalik na natin ang minimum fare, November 2 na (Starting November 2, we are restoring the minimum fare for jeeps to P7.50),” Lantion said.

This is lower than the increase petitioned by jeepney operators, who wanted to hike jeepney fares to P8.50 – an increase by P1.50 – to cope with the rising fuel prices.

LTFRB earlier this month said the fare hike was “a done deal,” saying it is just waiting for the National Economic Development Authority’s (NEDA) approval of the reinstatement of the old minimum fare for jeepneys.

To recall, LTFRB granted earlier this year the reinstatement of the P7.50 minimum fare for jeepneys in Metro Manila and Regions III and IV and set the date for its implementation for July 2.

But before the hike could be implemented last July, Malacañang issued Memorandum Order 132 signed by Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita, deferring the implementation of the P7.50 fare, pending a closer study by the NEDA.

In the intervier, Lantion noted that there is no fare increase due yet for passenger buses.

On October 16, Metro Manila bus operators asked for a P2.50 hike in the minimum bus fare, to increase the minimum fare to P10.50 for ordinary buses, from the existing minimum fare of P8 for the first five kilometers.

Bus operators similarly cited the rising fuel prices as the justification for the proposed fare increase. - GMANews.TV

Popularity: 16% [?]

17
Oct

Long Weekends Ahead

Author: Bob

The Barangay Elections will be held on the 29th of October (Monday), thus making that day a holiday (Proclamation No. 1403). And as early as today, the Palace had already declared 02 November 2007 (Friday) also a holiday as part of the country’s commemoration of All Saint’s Day (01 November 2007) via Proclamation No. 1211.

Let us enjoy our weekends!

Popularity: 12% [?]

2
Oct

Based on Presidential Proclamation No. 1397, 12 October 2007 (Friday) is declared as a Regular Holiday all throughout the country in celebration of Eid’l Fitr (Feast of Ramadan).

Document is online at http://www.news.ops.gov.ph/Proc1397.pdf

Popularity: 11% [?]

8
Aug

Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has signed the proclamation declaring August 20, which falls on the eve of “Ninoy Aquino Day,” as a special non-working holiday.

He also affirmed that Bonifacio Day (November 30) and Rizal Day (December 30) will remain regular holidays whose observance dates will be unchanged.

“Now, therefore, I, Eduardo Ermita, Executive Secretary, by authority of Her Excellency, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, do hereby declare … Aug. 20, 2007 (Monday) (as) a special (non-working) day throughout the country,” Proclamation 1353 read.

It added that: “August 21, 2007 (Tuesday) shall be a working day throughout the country. All activities and celebrations in observance of ‘Ninoy Aquino Day’ shall, however, remain to be observed on Aug. 21, 2007.”

Ermita also ordered the Department of Labor and Employment to promulgate implementing guidelines for the holidays.

President Arroyo recently signed into law Republic Act 9492, which moves holidays, traditional non-working days to the nearest Monday.

If the holiday falls on a Wednesday, the holiday would be observed on the Monday of that week. If it falls on a Sunday, the holiday would be observed on the Monday that follows.

Under Republic Act 9492, the following holidays would be moved to the nearest Monday: Araw ng Kagitingan (from April 9); Labor Day (from May 1); Independence Day (from June 12); Ninoy Aquino Day (from August 21); National Heroes Day (from the last Sunday of August); Andres Bonifacio Day (from November 30); and Rizal Day (from December 30). - GMANews.TV

Taken from http://www.gmanews.tv/story/54986/Aug-20-holiday-economics-proclamation-signed

Popularity: 16% [?]

26
Jul

Salita ng Taon 2007

Author: Bob

(Press Release I received from my HS Filipino Professor, who is now at Ateneo)

Mga Diplomat ng Mehiko at Pransiya, panauhing tagapagsalita sa Sawikaan 2007: Mga Salita ng Taon

Ang Embahador at Unang Kalihim ng mga embahada ng Mehiko at Pransiya sa Filipinas ang ilan sa pangunahing tagapagsalita sa Sawikaan 2007: Mga Salita ng Taon na idadaos sa Pulungang Recto, Bulwagang Rizal, Kolehiyo ng Arte at Literatura, Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, Diliman, Lungsod Quezon City sa Agosto 2 & 3, 2007.

Tatalakayin nina Embahadora Erendira Araceli Paz Campos at Unang Kalihim Georges-Gaston Feydeau ang dinamikang lingguwistiko at panlipunan-politika ng mga wikang Mehikano at Pranses.

Naglingkod si Ms. Paz Campos bilang Pangkalahatang Kalihim sa United Nations hanggang maitalaga sa kasalukuyang posisyon sa Maynila noong Marso 2005. Nahirang na siya sa iba”t ibang kapasidad kabilang ang pagiging Konsul sa Konsuladong Mehikano sa Texas, USA.

Si G. Feydeau ay eksperto sa diplomasyang pangkultura, konsular, politikal, economiko, at militar. Mula 2001, Diputado siya ng Embahador sa Filipinas at nangangasiwa sa mga palihan, kumperensiya, at ugnayang konsular. Naglingkod na siyang direktor sa Hapon, Indonesia, Somalia, at Gran Britanya. Sa presentasyon ni G. Feydeau, tutulungan siya ni Bb.. Alix Lavaud, ang linguistic attache ng Embahada ng Pransiya.

Inaasahang ang kaalamang makukuha ng mga kalahok sa panayam ng Mehiko at Pransiya ay magpapalawak sa kanilang pananaw sa wika at makatutulong sa pagtataguyod ng kilusan para sa wikang Filipino.

Pawang kahanga-hanga din ang mga panauhing Filipino. Bubuksan ang kumperensiya ng kauna-unahang babaeng pangulo ng Unibersidad ng Pilipinas, si Dr. Emerlinda R. Roman. Tatalakayin naman ng mga iskolar na sina Dr. Florentino Hornedo at Dr. Ruth Elynia Mabanglo ang tema ng kumperensiya “Ang Wikang Filipino Bilang Wikang Global.”

Propesor sa Pamantasang Ateneo de Manila si Dr. Hornedo na eksperto sa kulturang Filipino, bantog na kritiko, at awtor ng maraming libro, kabilang ang tungkol sa kulturang Ivatan. Si Dr. Mabanglo ay kilalang peministang makata at kasalukuyang puno ng programa sa wikang Filipino sa University of Hawaii.

Sa ikapat na taon ng Sawikaan, ang librong Sawikaan 2006, antolohiya ng mga papel sa nakaraang tao, na inedit nina Galileo Zafra at Roberto T. Añonuevo, ay ilulunsad sa tulong ni UP Diliman Chancellor Sergio S. Cao. Ang mga ilustrasyong ginamit sa libro, magagandang print na likha ni Pandi Aviado, ay itatanghal sa galeriya katabi ng pulungan.

Napiling mga salita sa taong ito ang “party list,” “telenobela,” at “miskol” dahil sa matingkad na epekto ng mga ito sa kamalayan ng bayan, lalo na sa aspektong politikal at sosyal sa mga Filipino.

Ang iba pang salitang may katulad na halaga at katangian ay “videoke”, “extra judicial killing,” “make over,” “friendster,” at “roro.” Roro ang pinaikling roll on-roll off o ang sistema ng transportasyon sa mga pulo na inaasahang makapag-ambag sa pambansang ekonomiya.

Mahigit sa limampung salita ang isinumite pero ang walo lamang ang pumasa sa pamantayang itinakda ng FIT (Filipinas Institute of Translation). Para sa taong ito, reserbado ang apat na papel para sa mga salita mula sa rehiyon, kasama na ang “oragon” ng Bikol.

Itinaguyod ng National Commission for Culture and the Arts at Blas Ople Foundation ang Sawikaan 2007, at pinangangasiwaan naman ng Filipiinas Institute of Translation.

Bukas ang kumperensiya sa mga guro, estudyante, at iba pang interesado sa wika. Kontakin lamang sina Ms. Eilene Narvaez (9244747) o Prop. Romulo P. Baquiran, Jr. (9221830), Filipinas Institute of Translation, Rm. 2082, Bulwagang Rizal, College of Arts and Letters, University of the Philippines, Diliman, Quezon City, o mag-email sa filipinas.translation@gmail.com.

Popularity: 18% [?]

11
Jul

What are the accessibility needs of disabled persons?
by Jojo Esposa

Persons with disabilities have varied specific needs in order to access the Internet. They are as follows:

1. Visually Impaired users – Internet users who have no sight at all require a special software program called screen reader. It reads the content of the web page, specifically, the HTML code of the page, back to them. These special programs analyze the codes and decipher what needs to be read aloud and what should be ignored.

2. Partial/poor eyesight users – In order to see the content of the website clearly, persons who have difficulty seeing need to be able to control the size of the text. You can make the letters bigger without going over the edges of the screen.

3. Color blind users – They are persons who cannot see the difference between specific colors. There are two major types of color blindness: those who have difficulty distinguishing between orange (levels of redness) and green, and those who cannot separate between
blue and yellow.

4. Hearing impaired users – This group includes those individuals who are hard of hearing. Deaf users are able to access the Internet in much the same way as hearing persons except for the audio content. If the information within the website requires a person to hear it, then
the deaf cannot benefit from it.

5. Mobility impaired users – These people may have difficulty or inability to use their hands, including tremors, muscle slowness, loss of fine muscle control, etc., due to conditions such as Parkinson’s Disease, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy or stroke.

6. Learning disabled users – These are people who have difficulty grasping information (dyslexia, dyscalculia, etc.), and cognitive disabilities of various origins affecting memory, attention, developmental “maturity,” problem-solving and logic skills.

7. Epileptic users – These people must always be careful to avoid seeing flickering or flashing effects. These may trigger-off epileptic seizures.

8. Senior citizen users – Although they don’t belong to persons with disabilities, older people acquire disabilities as they progress in age. Their eye visibility might decrease. We need to shout to them in order to be heard. They may eventually have limitations in movement.

Popularity: 10% [?]

28
Jun

Ito, tamang-tama sa mga (at naging) ECOMERS students:
~~~~~~~~~~
Objective:
To encourage the development and adoption of e-commerce in the Philippines and to provide incentives and support to would-be online entrepreneurs.

Contest Rules:

  1. Contestant(s) must be a duly-enrolled college or post-college student for school year 2006-07 in a reputable school
  2. Contest entries may be any project which involves an online payment or transaction component. The project proposal need not be 100% online (ie. actual delivery of goods may be physical). Several examples of commercial e-commerce sites can be found at  https://www.payeasy.ph/news.html.
  3. Ideas may be implemented using any commercial or open source development tool and platform. Contestant(s) may opt to use and customize off-the-shelf Mozcom NetPresence e-commerce solutions to implement the idea. Mozcom can extend technical assistance for projects that use its turnkey solutions including PayEasy payments.

Mechanics:

  1. Interested parties should fill-up the online contest entry form together with the product/service write-up to Mozcom Inc. on or before Nov 15, 2006.
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