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YOUNG
professionals test the newly launched program called
“Angat ka! Sa Microsoft at Netopia,” a joint initiative of
the software giant and the Internet-café chain to provide
opportunities for young people to improve technology
skills by giving them access to the Microsoft Icafe
E-Learning portal.
--NONIE REYES |
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TOP STORIES |
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Government pins hopes on BPO sector, eyes $13-B revenues |
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THE
government is buoyant on the future of the local
business-process outsourcing (BPO) industry, predicting it
would generate a million jobs and $13 billion in annual
revenues by 2010.
The rosy
picture was drawn by Ray Anthony Roxas Chua III, chief of
the Commission on Information and Communications Technology
(CICT), Wednesday at the sidelines of the ICT Professionals
Congress. |
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CL
‘pocket open skies’ nixed |
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DESPITE the
clamor of foreign business chambers and business groups in
the Clark and Subic Free Ports, President Arroyo is not
expected to amend Executive Order (EO) 500-A which restricts
the entry of nondesignated budget airlines into the former
US
military bases, Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said
Wednesday.
The clamor
was renewed, also Wednesday, by stakeholders from Central
Luzon, who gathered for a manifesto signing in
Makati City.
They said the draft EO 500-B is necessary in order to
accelerate the development of the former military base as
the country’s premier gateway and regional logistics hub for
Region 3. |
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Robust pc sales, weak dollar push up software-piracy losses |
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THE rate of
software piracy in the Philippines has decreased by 2
percent, from 71 percent in 2006 to 69 percent in 2007, but
this didn’t stop losses due to piracy from increasing to
$147 million from $119 million.
This was
according to the 5th Annual Business Software Alliance (BSA)/International
Data Corp. (IDC) Global PC Software Piracy 2006-2007 Study
released Wednesday. |
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‘Consumers paid for ghost Meralco supply’ |
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THE Manila
Electric Co. (Meralco) is in for yet another controversy
after a proadministration legislator revealed an alleged
shady transaction between Meralco with another Lopez-owned
company, with consumers again taking the burden.
In a
privileged speech, Kabalikat ng Malayang Pilipino Rep. Luis
Villafuerte of Camarines Sur said ghost deliveries between
the Lopez-owned First Gas and Meralco resulted in blatant
overcharging of consumers. |
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Takeover won’t cut rates, says Lopez |
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SIMILAR to
what the government did in the water utilities, breaking
down the franchise of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) into
concessions will not guarantee that power rates will be
brought down to a comfortable level for consumers. |
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BIR’s April take: P91B |
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THE Bureau
of Internal Revenue said it had exceeded its target
collection for April mostly due to administrative measures,
such as the continuing drive against discrepancies in the
various filings of companies. |
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Higher import costs hurting local iron, steel industry |
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NATURALLY,
construction costs will also go up. That, in a nutshell, is
the message of the industry group Philippine Iron and Steel
Institute on the continued rise in prices of iron and steel
products. |
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Christian, democratic RP trails in social protection |
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SO the
Philippines is a Christian and democratic country, but in
ensuring its people a life at decent levels, why is it
lagging behind many other Asian—not one a Christian and a
number not democratic—nations?
This may be
gleaned from the Asian Development Bank’s Social Protection
Index (SPI), a rating system the bank developed. The results
of its initial application has highlighted the need for the
Philippines to double its efforts in providing social
protection for its citizens. |
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MORE STORIES ... |
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Photo shows (from left) Budget
Secretary Rolando Andaya, Finance Secretary Margarito Teves,
Public Works Secretary Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. and World Bank
Philippines country director Bert Hofman reviewing a map
after the joint press conference on the National Roads
Improvement and Management Project Phase 2. To facilitate
the project, the bank threw in a $232 million loan for the
Philippine government to fund anticorruption and
anticollusion measures. The press conference was held at the
penthouse of the Development Bank of the Philippines
building in Makati City.
--NONIE REYES |
