Overseas Filipino Workers
(OFW) and other Philippine News
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> POPULATION
TO HIT 84 M THIS YEAR AS MORE FAMILIES BECOME POORER
> RP RANKS POORLY
IN GLOBAL ICT INDEX
> BUSINESSMEN HIT
POLITICIANS FOR 'BANKRUPTCY OF LEADERSHIP'
> STAR-STUDDED POLITICAL
BANDWAGON
> PINAY FROM HK, HUSBAND
DECLARED SARS-FREE
> STAR WEB SPECIAL:
THE GOOD NEWS OF 2003
POPULATION TO HIT 84 M THIS YEAR AS MORE
FAMILIES BECOME POORER
MANILA, January 3, 2004 (STAR) By Sheila Crisostomo - With around
1.7
million babies born in the Philippines annually, the Population
Commission (PopCom) estimates that the country’s population
will hit 84
million this year.
PopCom Deputy Executive Director Mia Ventura said the growth trend
was based on the census taken in 2000 when the population was 76.5
million.
From previous studies, PopCom also found that some 20 million married
Filipino mothers were bearing an average of four children each —
one
more than the three per family recommended by demographers.
And while the country’s population is
steadily rising, more families
are falling into poverty.
In 2001, around 38 percent of Filipinos were
considered to be living
below the poverty line. Last year, the figure went up to 40 percent.
"This is the proportion of those who are poor. We can see that
the
families living below the poverty line are increasing every year,"
Ventura said yesterday. "That’s why we have a population
management program. We hope that couples can plan their family."
The population boom is expected to be compounded by the withdrawal
of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)
of its assistance to the Philippines for the purchase of contraceptives.
While the USAID is slowly reducing such assistance, Ventura added
the national government has not allocated additional budget for contraceptive
use. The last shipment of the USAID-funded contraceptives ends in
2007.
"There are still contraceptives available (for free in health
centers) but they are not enough to fill the total requirement,"
Ventura pointed out.
Despite the controversy in the use of contraceptives, PopCom wanted
to push through its promotion along with natural methods of birth
control.
Ventura said that PopCom is for "all safe and legal means of
contraceptives," be it natural or artificial method.
And when all these birth control methods are made available, the
choice is left to the couple’s discretion, she said.
"What we are trying to work for is to involve all stakeholders
(in population management program)," she said.
Ventura cited, for instance, the need for local government to set
aside funds for the purchase of contraceptives and for private employers
to include similar allocations and include them in the health packages
of their employees.
Ventura claimed 70 percent of married couples are availing themselves
of free contraceptives in rural health units even if they can actually
afford to purchase them.
She said PopCom is now conducting an information
campaign encouraging
married Filipino couples to buy the contraceptives for their own use
to
enable the government to subsidize those who cannot afford.
TOP
RP RANKS POORLY IN GLOBAL ICT INDEX
MANILA, January 6, 2004 (STAR) By Eden Estopace - The Philippines
ranked poorly in the first global index on information and communications
technology (ICT) access that was released recently by the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU).
ITU’s Digital Access Index (DAI) covered a total of 178 economies
and measures the overall ability of countries to access and use ICT
through eight variables, covering five areas — infrastructure,
affordability, knowledge, quality and usage – to provide an
overall country score.
On a scale of zero to one, where one is considered the highest score
and means the highest ICT access, the Philippines scored only 0.43
and shared a similar ranking with Maldives, Oman, Ukraine, Guyana,
Iran, Botswana, Fiji and China.
However, the Philippines was not at the bottom of the heap. It shared
the category "medium access" to ICT with 33 other countries
with a score of 0.41 to 0.49. Included in this group were Thailand
(0.48), Saudi Arabia (0.44), Jordan (0.45), Romania (0.48), Bosnia
(0.46), Peru (0.44), Panama (0.47)and Venezuela (0.47).
Using the DAI scores, countries were classified into four digital
access categories: high, upper, medium and low.
Those with the lowest ICT access scored 0.04 to 0.29, with Niger,
Burkina Faso, Mali, Guinea-Bissau, Ethiopia, Central African Republic,
Sierra Leone, Guinea and Burundi at the bottom of the list.
Highest ICT Access
On the other hand, countries with the highest ICT access scored
0.70
to 0.85 on the DAI. The top 11 countries in ICT access are Sweden
(0.85), Denmark (0.83), Iceland (0.82), South Korea (0.82), Norway
(0.79),
the Netherlands (0.79), Hong Kong (0.79), Finland (0.79), Taiwan (0.79)
and Canada (0.78) and the United States (0.78).
Countries with upper ICT access, or those whose scores were between
0.53 and 0.69, included Ireland, Cyprus, Estonia, Spain, Greece Portugal
and the United Arab Emirates.
The DAI formed part of the 2003 edition of the World Telecommunications
Development Report (WTDR), which was published to coincide with the
recently concluded World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS).
"It will be a vital reference for governments, international
development agencies, non-governmental organizations and the private
sector to assess national conditions in information and communications
technology," the report said.
Index Parameters
In measuring the level of ICT access, the ITU counted as variables
fixed telephone and mobile cellular subscribers per 100 inhabitants
(under the infrastructure category); Internet access price as percentage
of
gross national income per capita (affordability); adult literacy and
combined primary, secondary and tertiary school enrollment (knowledge);
international Internet bandwidth per capita and broadband subscribers
per 100 inhabitants (quality); and Internet users per 100 inhabitants
(usage).
Using these parameters, the five Asia-Pacific countries with
"developed" digital access were South Korea (0.82), Hong
Kong (0.79), Taiwan
(0.79), Singapore (0.75) and Japan (0.75).
Those with "developing" digital access were Malaysia (0.57),
Brunei
Darussalam (0.55), Thailand (0.48), China (0.43) and Fiji (0.43).
The ITU said many of those in the top rankings per region "used
ICT
as a development enabler and government policies have helped them
reach
an impressive level of ICT access."
Progress In AsPac
As an example, it cited the Multimedia Super Corridor in Malaysia
which is, incidentally, the highest ranked among Asian nations with
developing digital access.
One of the many findings of this latest ITU report is that the
so-called four "Asian tigers" – South Korea, Taiwan,
Singapore and Hong Kong
– made the greatest progress in ICT over the last four years.
Posting the highest percentage change was South Korea, whose
government has been strongly pushing for the use of ICT in all levels
of
society.
Based on the ITU’s World Telecommunication Indicator database,
South
Korea also has the most number of broadband Internet subscribers.
Overall, the ITU said the results of its new Digital Access Index
suggest that "it is time to redefine ICT access potential."
"Until now, limited infrastructure has often been regarded
as the
main barrier to bridging the Digital Divide," said Michael Minges
of the
ITU’s Market, Economics and Finance Unit. "Our research,
however,
suggests that affordability and education are equally important factors."
TOP
BUSINESSMEN HIT POLITICIANS FOR 'BANKRUPTCY
OF LEADERSHIP'
MANILA, January 7, 2004 (STAR) By Nikko Dizon - Business leaders
lambasted yesterday politicians who are playing a game of musical
chairs by
transferring from one party to another.
"It’s quite obvious that there’s a bankruptcy of
leadership… the
voters deserve better," Makati Business Club (MBC) executive
director
Guillermo Luz told The STAR.
Luz, who is also the executive director of the election watchdog
group National Movement for Free Elections (Namfrel), said the current
"political wheeling and dealing and the backstabbing among politicians
are
among the most bizarre and absurd" compared with previous national
elections.
He lamented that the politicians’ "somersaulting and
jumping around"
clearly indicates that their lone consideration in the forthcoming
elections is winning.
"There’s no party platform for the national interest.
It’s very clear
that it’s every man for himself," Luz said.
He urged business leaders and their groups not to shell out money
to
finance the campaigns of irresponsible candidates.
Luz also called for a full disclosure of campaign financiers and
for
a cap to be imposed on the amount of campaign donations to help voters
make a more informed choice.
He also stressed the need for an external, independent auditor to
file a report on a party’s campaign expenditures, instead of
its own
bookkeepers.
In a separate interview, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(PCCI) president Sergio Ortiz-Luis noted the "lack of platform
and
ideology" of the political parties and their candidates.
"PCCI has always stressed the importance of party platforms
and
ideologies but obviously, because of this (game of) musical chairs,
(the
parties and their candidates) have not reached that level," he
said.
Ortiz-Luis told that candidates’ recent actions and decisions
were "a
matter of convenience and personalities, not principles."
He also said he was not dismayed by recent development because "these
are realities." He noted that at the very least, "improvements
in the
line-ups cleared the air" and "have taken away speculations
and
surprises."
Luz, for his part, said these latest developments "don’t
forebode
well" for the future.
"We assume that (the candidates’) governance will not
be any
different from their practice in the campaign," he said.
Luz warned that foreigners are no longer taking
the Philippines
seriously, and the country may end up as a laughingstock if the candidates’
lack of principles is not immediately addressed.
"I believe this is a make-or-break term for the Philippines,"
he
said.
Luz also said the Philippines has settled
on mediocrity for too long
and should start aiming for excellence like its neighbors Thailand,
Malaysia and Singapore, which are rising in "greatness and competence."
Ortiz-Luis, however, was more optimistic.
"Every election, we say that it’s make-or-break for the
country. But
we managed to survive even when we feel we have already reached the
end
of the line. Obviously, we are more pliant in surviving. We will
survive," he said.
Three of the administration’s senatorial berths were to be
taken by
former opposition Senators Rodolfo Biazon and John Henry Osmeña,
and
Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who had been negotiating to be the running
mate
of opposition presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo Lacson.
Biazon had taken an indefinite leave of absence from the opposition
Laban ng Demokratikong Pilipino (LDP) stating last November, and was
sworn in as a member of the pro-administration Liberal Party (LP)
Saturday
night.
Osmeña, who was supposed to run for senator under the opposition
Koalisyon ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KNP), was convinced by President
Arroyo
to run as a guest candidate in the administration’s senatorial
ticket
after she promised him she will convince Senate President Franklin
Drilon to pass a measure pending in the Senate calling for constitutional
convention as a mode of Charter change.
Santiago was supposed to have been drafted as the vice presidential
bet of movie actor Fernando Poe Jr. but was instead asked to run for
senator under the KNP.
Santiago, however, declined, saying she could not run in the same
ticket with the likes of former administration Sen. Loren Legarda,
who Poe
eventually selected as his running mate.
Mrs. Arroyo persuaded Santiago over the weekend to run as a guest
candidate under the administration ticket.
Santiago held back from committing to the administration or
opposition party when she filed her certificate of candidacy Monday
night,
indicating her party affiliation as the People’s Reform Party.
She said she
has until Jan. 15 to make a decision on which party to join, although
the opposition has already filled up her vacated slot.
Remains of slain OFW arrive at NAIA The Philippine Star 01/07/2004
The remains of an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who was killed
in a
bar brawl in Singapore arrived in Manila yesterday afternoon.
The body of interior designer Antonio Austria, 35, arrived at the
Ninoy Aquino International Airport Centennial Terminal on board Philippine
Airlines flight PR-502 at 1:08 p.m. from Singapore via Jakarta,
Indonesia.
Escorting the body were the victim’s family and the Overseas
Workers
Welfare Administration representatives.
Lolita Bayron, sister-in-law of the victim, and a resident of
Singapore, earlier said Austria had a fight with a bartender at the
Orange and
Bananas Pub along East Coast Road, Singapore.
The fight occurred at around 3 a.m. last Jan. 1 and resulted in
the
victim’s throat being cut. OWWA said that based on reports,
the suspect
was arrested in Singapore.
The reports added that President Arroyo thanked Singaporean
authorities for solving the murder, two days after the incident took
place
during the New Year’s Day celebration in the city state.
Arroyo has expressed her condolences to the family of the victim.
Austria died early Thursday morning after suffering cuts on his neck.
–
Sandy Araneta
TOP
STAR-STUDDED POLITICAL BANDWAGON
MANILA, January 7, 2004 (STAR) FUNFARE By Ricardo F. Lo Hail, hail,
the gang’s all here! Well, almost.
The elections in May will be even more star-studded than the past
ones. I wonder how Rogelio dela Rosa, the first actor to ever venture
into
politics (and ended up as an Ambassador to Cambodia during the Diosdado
Macapagal Administration) and thereby paved the way for the
over-crowded starry bandwagon today, feels wherever he is now (up
there with the
angels, I’m sure)?
Last Monday (Jan. 5) was the last day of the filing of the
certificates of candidacy and the COMELEC offices looked like movie
sets, what
with dozens of stars joining what many of them think, I guess, as...
an
episode of Game KNB?
Anyway, here’s a partial list of the stars running in the
elections:
FOR PRESIDENT
• FPJ
FOR VICE PRESIDENT
• Loren Legarda (with FPJ)
• Noli de Castro (with President GMA)
FOR SENATOR
• Jinggoy Estrada
• Pilar Pilapil
• Sen. Robert Jaworski
• Sen. Ramon Revilla
• Bong Revilla
• Jay Sonza
• Jamby Madrigal
• Lito Lapid
FOR CONGRESSMAN
• Caloocan Mayor Rey Malonzo (in Caloocan City)
• Parañaque Mayor Joey Marquez (in Parañaque
City)
• Pampanga Vice Gov. Mikey Arroyo (in Pampanga)
FOR MAYOR
• Gigi Malonzo (Caloocan City)
• Alma Moreno (Parañaque City)
FOR VICE MAYOR
• QC Vice Mayor Herbert Bautista (for reelection)
• Dingdong Avanzado (Quezon City)
• Anjo Yllana (Parañaque City)
FOR COUNCILOR
• Jestoni Alarcon (for reelection, Antipolo City)
• Aiko Melendez (for reelection, Quezon City)
• Jay Manalo (Manila)
• Lou Veloso (Manila)
• Larrie Silva (Manila)
• Isko Moreno (Manila)
• Robert Ortega (Manila)
• Lala Sotto (Quezon City)
• Dennis Padilla (Caloocan City)
Did I miss out anybody?
As I’ve been saying, use your head when
you go to the polls in May.
The country you save may be your own.
TOP
PINAY FROM HK, HUSBAND DECLARED SARS-FREE
MANILA, January 8, 2004 (STAR) By Sheila Crisostomo - A woman
hospitalized earlier for suspected SARS has been declared free of
the
pneumonia-like disease following tests carried out by the Department
of Health
(DOH), Health Secretary Manuel Dayrit said yesterday.
Dayrit immediately lifted a quarantine on around 50 people who had
been in contact with the 42-year-old Hong Kong-based Filipina domestic
helper, identified only by the initials "MD," who fell ill
during a
Christmas vacation in her native Luisiana, Laguna.
The World Health Organization (WHO) also confirmed the woman was
not
suffering from Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
Results of the tests showed that while she was suffering from
atypical pneumonia, it was caused by a bacterial infection.
"We suspected this (negative result) all along. But it was
safer to
be definite. The test is quite conclusive but polymerase chain reaction
is going to be done for completeness," Dayrit told a hastily
called
press briefing.
MD was suspected of contracting SARS after developing fever and
cough
on Dec. 24, four days after she returned to the Philippines from Hong
Hong.
Her husband also experienced similar symptoms, prompting health
authorities at the Laguna Provincial Hospital to move them to the
Research
Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) DOH’s specialty hospital
for SARS
in Muntinlupa City.
MD’s condition has improved and she has had no fever for the
past two
days, Dayrit said, adding that she will remain confined at the RITM
for
at least another week while her husband can be discharged.
Epidemiologists traced 12 more people who had been in contact with
the patient, bringing the total number of those exposed to her to
46. But
none of them showed any symptoms of SARS.
Hospital workers and the woman’s friends and family who were
placed
in medical isolation will be allowed to return home.
"The country’s DOH and Hong Kong’s Ministry of
Health are in close
coordination and the re-classification of MD from a SARS suspect case
to
simply pneumonia will not mean that we will be leting our guard down.
We will continue to be vigilant in ensuring that SARS does not enter
into any part of our countries," Dayrit said.
WHO country representative Jean-Marc Olive praised Filipino
authorities, telling reporters that the health scare proved that Asian
countries
were becoming more vigilant over the threat of SARS, which killed
about
800 people in China, Hong Kong, and other countries last year.
Meanwhile, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General
Manager Edgardo Manda yesterday assured the public that the airport
authority is prepared against the possible entry of SARS.
"Our participation in preventing SARS from spreading starts
here at
the airport. We have enough scanners that can detect body temperature
of
arriving passengers," Manda told reporters.
Earlier, he announced that medical checks on passengers arriving
from
China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore were being stepped up, and
the
MIAA ordered three more thermal scanners in addition to about a dozen
already installed at the airport. — With Sandy Araneta, Marichu
Villanueva, AFP
TOP
STAR WEB SPECIAL: THE GOOD NEWS OF 2003
MANILA, January 8, 2004 (STAR) By Ann Corvera - The year 2003 was
marked by events that tested Filipinos’ persistence in hard
times,
patience with squabbling politicians, and moral fiber as peace and
order went
under fire. Leaders of the country’s central institutions were
beleaguered in the face of corruption charges, a mutiny by young soldiers
and
an unprecedented impeachment case against a chief magistrate. The
faith
of this predominantly Catholic nation likewise went through tribulation
as sex scandals rocked the Church. At one point, the public’s
attention
was briefly diverted from all that politics to a seeming telenovela
starring a daughter of a former president and her comedian-turned-mayor
boyfriend. It was sad that a lovers’ split up grabbed the headlines,
but
compared to the usual politicking in the news, the Kris and Joey
scandal proved that Filipinos can be up to date with the latest events.
Notwithstanding the drama of 2003, good news ran abound even as it
did not consume much of the public’s short attention span. What
good news
you ask? Tons. While unpleasant news preoccupied the people’s
minds,
several Filipino men and women were busy making the country proud
while
some simply did their job right that gave credence to the meaning
of
good governance. Several of the most noteworthy
good news are listed as
follows:
• The Philippines secured a non-permanent seat in the United
Nations
Security Council with the country’s tenure to run from Jan.
1 to Dec.
31, 2005.
• US President George W. Bush made a state visit to the country
– the
first by a sitting US President in 41 years – that further strengthened
ties between the US and the Philippines amid protests against the
Arroyo government’s backing of the US-led war on Iraq.
• Journalist Sheila Coronel received the prestigious Ramon
Magsaysay
Award, considered as Asia’s equivalent to the Nobel Prizes.
Coronel,
director of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, was
cited
for her leadership in a "groundbreaking collaborative effort"
that
developed investigative journalism in the Philippines.
• The dreaded Abu Sayyaf leader Ghalib Andang alias "Commander
Robot"
as well as terror suspects Muklis Yunos and Taufik Refke were captured.
• Despite making a controversial escape that embarrassed the
Arroyo
administration, Jemaah Islamiyah pointman Fathur Rohman al-Ghozi was
eventually neutralized. His fellow escapees, terror suspects Abdulmukim
Edris was also killed while Omar Opik Lasal was recaptured.
• The Supreme Court ordered the Manila Electric Co. to start
refunding customers of up to P28 billion in overcharges.
• The Supreme Court ruled with finality that the Marcoses’
$685
million escrow account belongs to the government.
• Government efforts effectively contained the spread of the
deadly
Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) in the country amid a worldwide
scare.
• Efforts stepped up in promoting the Philippines as a top
tourist
destination, likewise making Filipinos more aware and appreciative
of our
country’s natural riches.
• The once dark and gloomy image of Manila’s Ermita-Malate
district
was transformed into a festive land with the local government’s
beautification and revival program.
In the sports scene:
• Manny Pacquiao defeated Mexican featherweight champion Marco
Antonio Barrera in a non-title bout in San Antonio, Texas.
• The Philippines placed fourth overall in the 22nd Southeast
Asian
Games in Hanoi, Vietnam with 177 medals, including 48 golds.
• Filipino-American Dorothy Delasin won the LPGA Tournament
of
Champions in Alabama, USA.
• CJ Suarez became the second Filipino after bowling legend
Paeng
Nepumuceno to win the Bowling World Cup.
• Star rider Glenn Aguilar became the first Filipino to win
the
prestigious FIM Asian Supercross held in Guam, USA.
Still Filipino:
• The first Filipino-made PC game entered the international
computer-game market with the launch of Anito Entertainment’s
"Anito: Defend a Land Enraged."
• Godofredo Gomez, an 80-year-old Filipino-American war veteran,
was
appointed to San Francisco’s Veterans’ Affairs Commission.
• The Vatican named Filipino-American Catholic bishop Oscar
A. Solis
auxiliary bishop of the Los Angeles Archdiocese.
As we welcome the year 2004, it is best for a nation weary of too
much politics and destitution to be reminded of what good has soared
above
adversities during the past year. The message is that Filipinos can
do
more.
Happy New Year to one and all from Philstar.com!
TOP
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