Successful attendance to the World Economic Forum

President Benigno S. Aquino III arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 2 on Sunday, fresh from his successful attendance to the World Economic Forum that was held in Davos, Switzerland from January 23 to 26.

The President's chartered Philippine Air Lines flight PR001 touched down at the NAIA tarmac at around 2:20 in the afternoon

Welcoming the President back were Vice President Jejomar Binay and Cabinet members led by Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa.

In his speech, the President expressed gladness at coming back to the warmer climate of the Philippines, saying the last time he had ever experienced below zero temperature was 30 years ago.

"Biruin po ninyo, mahigit tatlumpung taon na mula nang huli akong nakaranas ng winter, at talaga namang halos hindi makilala ang ating buong delegasyon sa sobrang pagkakabalot dahil sa ginaw. Siguro po ay matagal-tagal muling mapapahinga sa loob ng aparador ang guwantes, scarf, at overcoat na binaon natin sa ating pagbiyahe," the President said.

He then mentioned the achievements of his trip such as meeting with WEF founder and chief Professor Klaus Schwab and International Monetary Fund chief Christine Lagarde, keynoting the anti-corruption forum where he detailed programs to end corruption the country has adapted and inviting international business leaders meeting to invest in the Philippines.

"Dito po, nakita natin na napakarami talagang gustong sumakay sa pag-arangkada ng ating ekonomiya. Saksi po sila—Hindi tayo napako sa mga pangakong hatid ng agenda ng reporma. Ang mga kumpanyang matagal nang narito, ay magpapalawak ng kanilang operasyon, at niyaya ang mga kumpanyang Pilipinong sumali sa joint venture, hindi lang sa Pilipinas, kundi pati na rin sa ibang bansa," the President said.

"Hindi rin po nagkulang ang mga bagong kumpanyang nagpahayag ng interes tumungo sa Pilipinas upang humanap ng angkop na negosyo. Pinuri po nilang lahat ang pangmatagalang istratehiya natin ng pamumuhunan sa ating mamamayan -- sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon, kalusugan, at iba pang serbisyong panlipunan. Mula po sa mga kumpanyang nakatutok sa edukasyon at imprastruktura, hanggang sa retail at information technology, at marami pang iba-- lahat sila, pumipila at nakikipag-ugnayan na sa atin; nakikita nila ang bagong mukha ng Pilipinas, at nagugustuhan nila ito," he added.

Case against Robert Blair Carabuena

The traffic enforcer of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) who was verbally assaulted and slapped by a tobacco executive last year said he was saddened by the decision of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) junking the request of the agency to revoke the abusive driver's license.

But Saturnino Fabros is still hoping that the LTO would hear their side on the case against Robert Blair Carabuena, adding that the MMDA has already filed a motion for reconsideration on the decision.

"Sa tingin ko sana po hindi na s'ya pinagbigyan kasi ang nangyari sa akin, hanggang ngayon natatakot pa din ako na baka muli n'ya akong madaanan (For me, he should not have been given another chance as I still fear that he could again see me on duty)," Fabros said.

He said the fear he feels is not only for himself but for all his colleagues manning traffic.

For his part, MMDA Assistant General Manager Emerson Carlos urged Fabros not to lose hope assuring that the agency will continue its effort to reverse the LTO decision by filing the motion for reconsideration.

"Tuloy lang natin ang trabaho at wag panghihinaan ng loob sa LTO decision na ito," Carlos said.

Earlier, MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino expressed surprise at the LTO's dismissal of their request against Carabuena saying that he has done was a clear disregard of authority.

USJR Scandal: Download Free USJR Scandal

People have been asking where to download free the USJR Video Scandal in Cebu. USJR is a university in Cebu City run by a Roman Catholic denomination. One of USJR students got caught in a video scandal involving another male student from another university in Cebu. The two were making love inside a hotel or wherever. The guy made a video out of it. While the guy was drinking in a bar, he left his phone. Someone picked up his phone and found the USJR scandal video.

Then the unethical guy who found the USJR video scandal uploaded the file in one of the websites or was it on Facebook. Then the video goes viral. The Internet is full of curious people. So many Filipinos want to see the video. Why do they want to see a video that is very private thing? Why are people so eager to watch and download the USJR video scandal?

Why?

Records of the Commission on Elections (Comelec)

Cebu still holds the biggest voting population among the provinces at 2.5 million, records of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said.

Comelec Regional Director 7 Temie Lambino said the registered voters in Cebu reached 2,509,520, including the highly-urbanized cities of Cebu, Lapu-Lapu City and Mandaue.

Almost 100,000 voters were added in the province during the registration last year, Lambino said.

Cebu had 2.4 million registered voters in the May 2010 elections.

"Cebu remains the number one richest voting population in the entire Philippines," Lambino said.

Lambino said this could be the reason politicians often visit Cebu during the election season.

Cebu Provincial Comelec Supervisor Lionel Marco Castillano said people from the provinces in Central Visayas and Mindanao come to Cebu because it is more accessible when seeking economic opportunities than Manila.

He said there are more migrants who often come to look for jobs and business opportunities in Cebu.

"Many local government units require those asking for business permit to be a registered voter," Castillano said.

He said Cebu is densely populated, and 50 to 60 percent of the 4.5 million people are registered voters.

The number of voters in Cebu reached more than half of the total registered voters in the Central Visayas, which is 4,114,061.

It increased three percent compared to the three million registered voters in the region in the past elections.

Based on the records of Comelec 7, Bohol has 775,785 voters. Negros Oriental has 763,938, while Siquijor has 64,818, the province with the least voting population.

Farmers’ Cooperatives from Negros Occidental

The government has started rolling out a P1-billion loan facility for agrarian reform beneficiaries, with a farmers' cooperatives from Negros Occidental getting the privilege of being the first group to get approval for P30-million credit line for sugarcane production projects.

The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) Monday reported that the Negros Island Savings and Credit Cooperative (NISCO) became the first beneficiary of the Agrarian Production Credit Program (APCP), a joint undertaking of DAR, DA and the Land Bank of the Philippine.

The program provides for a P1 billion-fund to support credit requirements of agrarian reform beneficiaries nationwide. Of the total amount, P300 million shall be allocated to the province of Negros Occidental.

According to the DAR, an initial amount of P1.77 million was already released last January 11 to finance 29.55 hectares of sugarcane farms being cultivated and managed by 26 member-beneficiaries of NISCO.

The farmers' cooperatives is headed by its chairman, Joel Palma, and composed of agrarian reform beneficiaries who are members of the Task Force Mapalad.

The DAR explained that the P1-billion credit facility aims to ensure sustainable production of crops and increase income of the program recipients by providing them with other support services such as marketing, crop insurance and farm facilities.

Likewise, it seeks to strengthen the Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries Organizations (ARBOs) and improve the capabilities of ARBs through the provisions of institutional capability building assistance through the DAR and technical assistance for agricultural production management through the DA.

Aside from Chairman Palma, signatories in the loan agreement were NISCO's vice-chairman Ronel Cañal, and Land Bank Lending Center head, Jeffrey Maningo. Also present at the signing ceremony were Marjorie Pontino, the coop secretary; Katherine Toleco, the coop bookkeeper; and Syvel Nobleza, the coop loan officer.

Maningo expressed optimism that the NISCO would make use of the initial fund release to ensure that the land awarded to the farmers under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP) would remain productive.

Last January 15, 2013, the DAR and the DA announced that the national government has allocated P1 billion for agricultural insurance coverage of at least 224,036 agrarian reform beneficiaries nationwide.

According to the DAR, the P1-billion Agrarian Reform Beneficiaries-Agricultural Insurance Program (ARB-AIP) will be implemented in partnership with the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to ensure the productivity of lands awarded to farmers under CARP.

The program aims to protect agrarian reform beneficiaries against losses due to pest and disease infestations, natural calamities and extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.

This is consistent with the integrated support services interventions provided by the national government to agrarian reform beneficiaries.

Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU)

Units of the 4th Infantry Division are now conducting pursuit operations against four suspected members of the New People's Army (NPA) who shot and killed an off-duty Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit (CAFGU) member last Jan. 25.

Killed was CAFGU member Danilo Bacudan at Purok 12, Barangay Awao, Sta. Josefa, Agusan Del Sur around 2:15 p.m.

401st Infantry Brigade commander Romeo G. Gan said the rebels held Bacudan and a certain Darwin Laspinas at gunpoint at the mentioned locality for no apparent reason.

According to Gan, Bacudan tried to flee from his NPA captors but was gunned down hitting him in the right leg.

But despite being wounded, the CAGFU member still tried to seek cover, prompting the rebels to fire again, hitting him this time in the head, killing Bacundan instantly.

Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) Harbor Link

The Manila North Tollways Corporation (MNTC) is set to groundbreak on Feb. 7 the construction of the P1.6-billion Harbor Link that would connect the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City.

MNTC president and chief executive officer Rodrigo Franco, in a briefing with the Pampanga media over the weekend, said the Segment 9 of the project will officially commence after the first segment of the Harbor Link reconnected NLEX to MacArthur Highway in Valenzuela City.

Franco said the Harbor Link construction covers a 2.1-kilometer expressway that would run from NLEX cloverleaf to MacArthur Highway near Valenzuela City.

Construction, according to him, would take at least one year.

Franco earlier said MNTC is raising between P16 billion and P17 billion from the domestic debt market over the next four years to bankroll ongoing road projects connecting to NLEX.

MNTC also intends to connect NLEX to circumferential Road-5 (C5) worth P10 billion to dramatically decongest traffic along Commonwealth Ave. and Quezon Ave. in Quezon City.

The NLEX C-5 Link and the Harbor Link projects comprise Phase 2 of MNTC's Manila North Expressway concession.

Upon completion, Franco added, Phase 2 would provide an east-west expressway alignment traversing heavily-congested areas of northern Metro Manila and would reduce travel time within the expressway corridor.

MNTC has completed a 2.7-kilometer expressway that links the NLEX main to Mindanao Ave. with the country's largest cloverleaf interchange called Smart Connect Interchange as its main feature.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) Loan

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced Sunday that it is resuming lending to Myanmar after a hiatus of nearly 30 years, offering the country a $ 512 million loan.

"The ADB is resuming operations in Myanmar, with an assistance package for social and economic development that is designed to build a solid foundation for further reforms to alleviate poverty and foster growth," the Manila-based bank said in a statement.

The loan was made possible after the Japan Bank for International Cooperation on Jan. 17 provided Myanmar with bridge financing to clear its approximately $ 500 million debt to the ADB.

Congressman Ben Evardone Planting Controversy

An official of United Nationalist Alliance (UNA) on Monday urged Eastern Samar congressman Ben Evardone to stop sowing intrigues that would undermine the reform agenda of President Benigno Aquino III.

UNA secretary general Toby Tiangco said President Aquino's statement that everything is alright between him and Vice President Jejomar Binay should put an end to the futile attempts of Evardone to sow intrigue between the two highest officials the country.

"The President himself said there is no rift between him and the Vice President and that he is satisfied with the VP's performance as Cabinet member," Tiangco said a press statement.

With this candid statement, Tiangco said Evardone should shut up and instead help his newly-acquired partymates but not by sowing intrigue, which is "the usual weapon of the insecure and the desperate."

Tiangco said Evardone, who was one of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo's trusted lieutenants in the 2007 election, and former Arroyo loyalists in the ranks of LP known for "Sipsipolitcs" could undermine the President's reform agenda.

"It is these pseudo reformists, not UNA, who will undermine the President's reform agenda," Tiangco said.

"UNA has always been a constructive opposition. We support and commend programs that benefit the people but will bring up shortcomings and misguided policies of the government," he said.

Tiangco pointed out UNA's full support for the administration's decision to file a case against China before the United Nations as proof that the coalition "is not the traditional opposition that Evardone wants to paint it to be."

Tiangco again dared Evardone to first examine his tainted political background, especially his history of shifting political loyalties, before pointing an accusing finger at UNA.

Evardone served as Media Bureau Director of Team Unity in the 2007 Senatorial Elections under the ruling party Lakas-CMD-Kampi. A staunch ally of former president Gloria Arroyo, Evardone was given a vital post in KAMPI after his controversial resignation from Lakas-CMD in 2008.

Faulty Electrical Wiring

A fire believed caused by faulty electrical wiring gutted down seven houses rendering 15 families homeless in Barangay Holy Spirit, Quezon City on Monday morning.

Senior Insp. Aristotle Banaga, Quezon City Fire District deputy commander, said the blaze started around 10 a.m. at the house of one Winston Sales, a resident of 157 Santa Maria Street corner Commonwealth Avenue.

The conflagration spread to six other houses and reached fourth alarm around 10:53 a.m. before being extinguished at 11:12 a.m.

No one was reported hurt in the incident although damage was placed at some P500,000.

Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rising

Local shares edged higher by midday Monday, with the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) rising by 0.25 percent or 15.58 points to 6,183.22.

The broader all-shares index followed, surging by 0.39 percent to 3,900.31.

The increase was mainly led by industrial counter that rose by 1.24 percent.

The services and mining and oil sectors were in the red.

Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC)

The Philippine Deposit Insurance Corporation (PDIC) is set to sell via public bidding on an "as-is, where-is" basis 84 real properties with an aggregate minimum disposal value of about P44.41 million on February 5, 2013.

The bidding, the first for the year, will be held at the Governor's Conference Hall located at the 3/F of the Provincial Capitol Hall in Bacolod City. Opening of bids will start at 2:00 p.m.

The real properties consisting of commercial and residential lots are mostly located in the various cities and provinces of Negros Occidental. The other properties are located in Aklan, Antique, Bohol, Camiguin, Cebu, Iloilo and Negros Oriental.

The PDIC will receive sealed bids only from direct buyers on February 5, 2013 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. No extension will be given for the submission of bids. Bidders are likewise advised to come early for the registration. Only bidders will be allowed entry to the venue.

Before submitting their bids, prospective buyers are advised to physically inspect the properties they are interested to buy; assess and verify the land titles and other documents; and determine unpaid taxes, fees or expenses. All bids must be accompanied by a bond or deposit equivalent to at least 10% of the submitted bid either in Cash or Manager's or Cashier's Check issued by a commercial bank. The winning bidder is required to pay the balance of the bid price not later than February 14, 2013.

Bid documents such as Bid Forms, Conditions of Bid, and acceptable formats for the Special Power of Attorney and Secretary's Certificate may be downloaded from the PDIC website, www.pdic.gov.ph.

The list of property descriptions, vicinity maps and lot plans are also available through the PDIC website. For further information, interested bidders may contact Vice President Rosario C. Arnaldo (Asset Management and Disposal Group) or Ms. Marivic C. Puzon (Asset Management and Disposal Department) at telephone numbers, 841-4750 or 841-4754.

100-hectare reforestation project in Mandaon, Masbate

State-owned Development Bank of the Phillippines (DBP) recently launched a 100-hectare reforestation project in Mandaon, Masbate under its DBP Forest program.

The DBP Forest program is a non-credit program that aims to stop denudation and restore the country's forest cover through organized collaboration with government and non-government organizations, state universities and colleges, people's organizations and other qualified forest partners. This is the 39th DBP Forest project launched by the Bank since 2005.

DBP is partnering with the Dr. Emilio B. Espinosa, Sr. Memorial State College of Agriculture and Technology (DEBESMSCAT) for this project which involves the rehabilitation of the Mabigo watershed. The said watershed supports downstream areas and serves as a source of water for adjoining barangays.

Sixty hectares will be planted with exotic trees like mahogany and acacia while the remaining area will be planted with indigenous forest trees like narra, dao and molave. Aside from hastening the rehabilitation of the watershed, the project is expected to provide employment to DEBESMSCAT graduates and enhance agricultural production through improved water supply in the area.

Rear Admiral Thomas Carney

US Navy salvage teams are now stripping the USS Guardian (MCM-5) of all potentially hazardous materials.

Earlier, the US Navy safely transferred some 15,000 gallons of diesel fuel; 671 gallons of lubricating oil; paints and solvents contained in storage lockers; food supplies and personal properties left behind by the ship's crew.

"We continue to place extra scrutiny on removing everything we can to mitigate possible damage to the marine environment," said Rear Admiral Thomas Carney, the on-scene commander of the salvage operation.

Heavy lift floating cranes are now en route to the site in the Sulu Sea about 80 miles east-southeast of Palawan Island where the mine countermeasures ship ran aground in the early morning of Jan. 17 during a transit to Indonesia.

Kevin Tan Shot Dead

Two motorcycle-riding gunmen shot and killed a construction manager in San Juan City shortly after the latter withdrew some P800,000 in cash from a bank before noon Monday.

The victim, initially identified as Kevin Tan, had just boarded his Altis-type sedan (POZ-789) when the gunman approached him and fired.

Police are tracking down the suspects, who fled aboard a motorcycle toward New Manila.

The shooting occurred at Avalon Bridge at Ortigas Avenue, across a Chinabank branch.

"The bank tellers were startled to hear shots, and were shocked to learn their client was shot," San Juan City police chief Senior Superintendent Bernard Tambaoan said.