Archive for April 2008
Newsbreak: Puno ‘piqued’ on quit issue, silent on sounding off colleagues
By Jesus F. Llanto
Newsbreak, Researcher
Chief Justice Reynato Puno would rather leave questions unanswered on the early retirement issue than face them squarely.
Friday, April 18, 2008—Puno got piqued today when asked whether he supposedly told close friends and colleagues about his intention to retire as chief justice way before his term ends in May 2010.
He abruptly cut short an ambush interview, surprising a handful of journalists and cameramen who had waited for him for hours at the graduation rites of UP-Manila at the Philippine International Convention where he was the commencement speaker.
Before the ambush interview, Puno entertained and gamely answered questions about the UP affair. His aura however changed when the topic moved to his supposed plan to bow out of office prematurely.
This reporter asked Puno about the term-sharing agreement he supposedly forged with senior associate justice Leonardo Quisumbing which abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak reported. (Newsbreak/abs-cbnNews.com)
Click here to read the rest of the story.
Photo credit: http://www.osg.gov.ph/
Mindanao should depend less on foreign help says MEDCO chief
Given the possibility of a food crisis, everybody’s looking toward Mindanao, the supposed food basket of the Philippines. But how far is the island from that status?
A recent assessment of government projects in Mindanao, made by the Presidential Management Staff and the Mindanao Economic and Development Council (MEDCO), showed that only three of the 27 high-priority projects considered critical in transforming Mindanao into the country’s main food producer have been completed.
MEDCO coordinates development and peace projects in Mindanao and serves as the official and permanent Philippine Coordinating Office for the Brunei Darussalam Indonesia Malaysia the Philippines-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA).
MEDCO chair Virgilio Leyretana discussed with Newsbreak’s Jesus Llanto the many factors in the slow growth of the super region—among them the lack of crucial infrastructure, the very limited employment opportunities, and the region’s dependence on foreign donor agencies. Excerpts:
How is the Mindanao economy doing?
For the last five years, we have been a resilient economy despite the intermittent disturbances in the peace and order. We performed 5.2 percent in 2006 .We even beat the Visayas [at 4.9 percent].
What is the main driver of growth?
It is still agriculture, but since 2006 [the] services [sector] has been picking up because of the growth of the ICT (information and communications technology) and BPO (business process outsourcing).
Are the Mindanaoans benefiting from this growth?
Click here to read the entire story.
This interview is part of the Mindanao Online Reporting Project in Mindanao funded by the Australian Embassy.
Groups seeking transparency in LGUs get P1M each
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher
April 14, 2008-How do you ensure that your local government is being run honestly? You either train the spotlight on it, or work with it. Thirty-three groups that propose to do this each received a maximum P1 million on Thursday to pursue projects that will engage their choice local government units (LGUs), specifically in the areas of delivery of basic social services, governance and administration, livelihood and enterprise management, and environmental management.
Called Panibagong Paraan, this is the third search by the World Bank for innovative ideas to address development challenges in the Philippines. Held every two years, each search is governed by a theme.
The 2008 search is for project proposals that seek to improve local governance by ensuring transparency and efficiency in LGUs. Depending on the requirements of the project, the World Bank and partner institutions give a maximum funding of P1 million for each project. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
LGUs urged to cut red tape
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher
April10,2008–An expert in local governance said local government units should cut red tape to be more competitive in attracting businesses and to provide more employment opportunities to its people.
In a forum held during the opening of the grant competition Panibagong Paraan 2008 Federico Macaranas, executive director of the Asian Institute of Management Policy Center said that red tape has driven away investments in the local government units and has inhibited business growth and employment creation.
Red tape is a term used to describe unnecessary delays in transactions, mostly with the government, as a result of redundant procedures, and unnecessary paperwork.
Macaranas said that too much paperwork and redundant requirements have driven away investors and have eroded investor confidence because it opens more opportunities for corruption and bribery.
“Large number of steps and face-to-face interaction creates opportunities for corruption,” said Macaranas. “If there is a lot of face-to-face interaction, that’s when the drawers start opening.” (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
Skills shortage threatens BPO
By Jesus Llanto
Researcher
April 4,2008- Shortage of skilled workers can undermine expansion in the business processing outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines, a recent study by the Asian Development Bank said.
The ADB said in its Asian Development Outlook 2008 that skills shortage is a leading constraint to the local BPO industry’s target to capture 10 percent global market share in 2010.
“Such expansion will require nurturing of higher value-added services such as software development and medical transcription, as well as supply of labor with appropriate skill,” the report said. The report said that greater cooperation between the BPO firms and the educational institutions is needed to solve the skills shortage and for the industry continue to expand rapidly.
The BPO industry, the report added, grew rapidly because of the huge number of English- speaking Filipinos and low wage and office rents. It also said that the industry has generated jobs for college graduates, contributed to GDP growth through the expansion of the services sector and become an important foreign exchange earner. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
Newsbreak-AusAID Journalism Internship Program for Mindanao Students
Public Trust Media Group, publisher of Newsbreak, and the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID), are inviting interested students to apply for limited slots in the Journalism Internship Program for Mindanao Students that will run from May 1 to 31, 2008.
Three incoming senior or senior-level students of mass communication, journalism, or related courses in any college or university in Mindanao will be chosen to receive training on journalistic research, field reporting, and newsroom management under the award-winning staff of Newsbreak.
The program, which will be conducted mostly in Metro Manila and partly in Mindanao, will also give interns the chance to get published in Newsbreak Online (www.newsbreak.com.ph), in the news website of broadcast network ABS-CBN which Newsbreak is managing (www.abs-cbnNEWS.com), and in Newsbreak’s upcoming special issue on Mindanao that AusAID is also funding.
The program will provide two-way air fare, accommodations, and daily allowances to the interns for the duration of their stay in Manila.
The applicant should submit by email his or her resumé that includes three (3) references with complete contact details, a recent photo, two sample articles (either published or submitted in any journalism course), and a 600-word essay discussing what issues he or she considers most pressing in his or her locality or in Mindanao as a whole, and how journalism can help address them.
The applicant is also required to submit a cover letter stating what issues or sectors he or she is most interested in, and a recommendation letter from the dean, department head, or internship adviser.
Applications should be received by Newsbreak, through assistant managing editor Miriam Grace Go, at email address gigigo_newsbreak@yahoo.comThis e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by April 10, 2008. Successful applicants will be notified by April 18.
”RP must invest more in infra to be competitive’
By Jesus Llanto
Newsbreak
April 1, 2008–The Philippines should invest more in infrastructure — particularly on transportation facilities — to sustain its growth and improve competitiveness, an economist of the World Bank said.
During the launch of the financial lending institution’s economic review update for the Asia-Pacific region, Vera Songwe, economist for the World Bank Philippines, said the country should allocate more funds for infrastructure developments to be competitive with its Asian neighbors.
“The Philippines is not keeping at pace with the rest of the region in terms of infrastructure,” said Songwe.
Songwe said that while other countries in the region invest an average of 5 percent of their gross domestic product on investments on infrastructure, the Philippines spends only around 2.3 to 2.5 percent. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)
Click here to read the full article.
