Usap-usapan ngayon na pupuntiryahin ng mga terorista ang Pilipinas dahil sa idaraos na Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting sa Maynila na dadaluhan ng iba’t ibang pangulo ng mga bansa, kabilang si United States President Barack Obama.

“As of now we can say definitely that there is no such threat,” pahayag ni Task Force APEC 2015 spokesperson Chief Superintendent Wilben Mayor Mayor.

Dagdag niya na wala naman silang binago sa kanilang mga plano kasunod ng insidente sa Paris na ikinasawi ng hindi bababa sa 100 katao.

“I believe there is a deliberate effort at disinformation. Such messages must be disregarded and reported immediately to authorities.”

Naka-heigtened alert ngayon ang mga awtoridad sa utos ni Pangulong Benigno Aquino III.

“The nationwide Full Alert condition is a matter of routine operational procedure in response to the incident in France, and further necessitated by ongoing security operations for the APEC Summit,” sabi pa ng tagapagsalita.

Nauna nang sinabi ng Department of Foreign Affairs na wala namang state leader ang nagkansela ng pagdalo sa APEC summit sa kabila ng nangyari sa Paris.

Source and image: Pilipino Star Ngayon

The post Kumakalat na ‘scare message’ sa pag-atake ng mga terorista ‘wag paniwalaan appeared first on Portal Japan.

A total of 11 Philippine publicly listed firms made it to the region’s top 50 companies practicing good governance as graded by the Asean Capital Markets Forum (ACMF).

Thailand had the most number of listed firms that made it to the top 50 with 23. The Philippines, which was second with 11, was followed by Singapore with eight, Malaysia with six, and Indonesia with two.

Among the 11 Philippine corporations that made it to the top 50, four are owned by the Ayala group. These firms were Ayala Corp., Ayala Land Inc., Globe Telecom Inc., and Manila Water Co.

The Manuel Pangilinan-led group had the second highest number of companies practicing good governance with three, namely Manila Electric Co., Philex Mining Corp., and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.

The other firms that were part of the list were Aboitiz Equity Ventures of the Aboitiz clan, George Ty’s GT Capital Holdings, Inc. and the Sy family’s SM Prime Holdings and BDO Unibank Inc.

“Out of the 50, 11 Philippine listed companies are included so that’s a good showing as far as we’re concerned. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has been trying to initiate more measures to really encourage these Philippine firms to see to it that they do practice good corporate governance that are comparable within the region or even globally. We know that it is only by being a good corporate citizen that you can compete regionally and globally,” SEC director Justina Callangan said.

The companies that made it to the top 50 were graded based on specifications that include rights of shareholders, equitable treatment, role of stakeholders, disclosure and transparency, board responsibilities, and bonuses and penalties.

The ACMF is composed of capital market regulators from 10 Asean jurisdictions namely Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos PDR, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Source: Philstar
Image: Wikimedia Commons

The post Philippines is 2nd in good corporate governance appeared first on Portal Japan.

Sa police report na nakarating kay P/Senior Supt. Albert Ocon, Ilocos Norte PNP director, namatay habang ginagamot sa Governor Roque Ablan Senior  Memorial Hospital si Rodolfo Fariñas Jr. ng Barangay Barit sa Laoag City kung saan siya naging chairman ng Sangguniang Kabataan.

Ayon kay Jonathan Valdez, provincial director ng Ilocos Norte Emergency Response Team, namataan niya ang biktimang naka-helmet sa Barangay Peralta na mabilis ang pagpapatakbo ng motorsiklo.

Sinasabing nagliyab ang big bike ng biktima matapos sumalpok sa truck dakong alas-5:30 ng umaga.

Source and image: Pilipino Star Ngayon

The post Anak ng solon utas sa big bike crash appeared first on Portal Japan.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Laura del Rosario said the country can expect the participation of all 21 member economies in the APEC summit in Manila this week.

Del Rosario warned the public not to read too much into the reason why a particular leader cannot attend the summit in the country.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo and Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier announced that they will not attend the summit, citing domestic issues in their home countries. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev and Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla will attend instead.

Del Rosario noted that it is but right for a leader to prioritize domestic issues over attending international meetings with other world leaders.

“You take it as a leader’s priority that if there’s something happening in the domestic front, they do want to pay attention to that especially since this week is a very long week for them,” Del Rosario said.

The DFA official, however, refused to discuss the impact of the Paris attacks on the security preparations for the APEC summit in Manila.

“Security issues should really remain off, you know, off radar. Meaning, we don’t want people knowing what you are doing, right? But definitely, it came that there are heightened security measures,” Del Rosario said.

Del Rosario assured that security at the APEC summit has been heightened due to the incident in Paris but refused to discuss the details.

She added that she has not been informed about the reports that an Islamic State faction based in Mindanao is planning attacks during the APEC week.

Source and image: Philstar 

The post No cancelation from APEC leaders amid Paris attacks appeared first on Portal Japan.

Obama will board the US-made Gregorio del Pilar shortly after arriving in the Philippine capital of Manila for annual trade talks with Asia-Pacific leaders, including China’s Xi Jinping.

“In the afternoon, the president will tour the BRP Gregorio del Pilar,” a White House statement said on Monday as it detailed Obama’s plans for his first of three days in Manila.

Obama’s aides had earlier said the president planned an event that showcased “US maritime security assistance to the Philippines and the region”.

The White House statement detailed the venue, with the frigate a symbolic choice as it was formerly a US Coast Guard cutter that was acquired by the Philippines in 2011

Source and image: Inquirer

The post Obama to visit Philippine Navy flagship appeared first on Portal Japan.

In a Facebook post, netizen Angel Ramos-Canoy took photos of the woman she saw giving birth to a baby boy while walking near the City of Dreams Hotel and Casino on the corner of Aseana and Macapagal Avenues. Canoy said commuters in the area decided to walk as public vehicles were caught in heavy traffic due to the road closures and tight security for the Apec summit in the cities of Parañaque, Pasay and Makati.

The woman was seen being assisted by policewomen from Quezon City Police District. But Canoy said patrolling policemen refused to let the woman to give birth inside their police mobile.

“Sabi ko, ‘Kuya, yung mobile nyo man lang!’ Kaso, nagkibit balikat lang si Kuyang Police. Sad to say, we were there. All we can do is to give shade through our umbrellas,” she said in her post.

The cops reportedly attempted to call an ambulance but it wouldn’t make it on time because of the traffic. The Philippine National Police has yet to give a comment on the incident. The PNP deployed thousands of its men to provide security and ensure peace and order for the week-long Apec summit.

Source: Inquirer
Image: Facebook

The post Woman gives birth on the road at height of traffic jam appeared first on Portal Japan.

In his meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi this morning, Aquino said that he welcomed Xi’s decision to attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Metro Manila on November 18 and 19.

“He assured the Foreign Minister that it is in the culture of the Filipinos as hosts to make our guests feel the warmth of Filipino hospitality,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a text message to reporters.

Aquino also told Wang that he will inspect this afternoon the various venues of the APEC meetings to assess the status of the preparations for the APEC summit.

Wang compared notes with Filipino officials on Xi’s visit and on how to improve the relationship between China and the Philippines.

The Philippines has filed an arbitration case before an international tribunal to invalidate China’s excessive nine-dash line territorial claim. China, meanwhile, snubbed the arbitration process and insisted that the territorial dispute should be resolved through bilateral negotiations.

The Asian giant also continued its aggression in the contested waters as it built artificial islands in the Spratlys.

Aquino said he would want to talk about stability with the Chinese president if they will have a bilateral meeting in Manila.

“All our governments are supposed to be there for the improvement of the lot of our people, improvement in their lives, and this can only happen if there’s stability. So if there is a central message that would be that I would want to convey,” Aquino said.

Malacañang said a bilateral meeting between Aquino and Xi has yet to be scheduled. However, the two leaders are expected to meet on the sidelines of the APEC summit.

Source and image: Philstar

The post China president will feel Filipinos’ warm hospitality appeared first on Portal Japan.