Filipino Expats Qatar

Singapore has topped a list of cities around the world offering Asian expatriates the best quality of life, followed by Sydney, a survey from a human resources consultancy said Tuesday.

UK-headquartered ECA International's annual location ranking, which compares living standards in 254 international locations, found that Singapore is an ideal place for Asians to live in because of the quality of its infrastructure and health facilities.

The city-state's low health risks, air pollution, crime rates and cosmopolitan population added to its appeal, Lee Quane, ECA International's general manager in Hong Kong, told The Associated Press.

Quane noted, however, that while Singapore scored consistently well in most of the 15 categories used to asses each location, it saw a deterioration in some factors.

The Land Bank of the Philippines sounded amenable to providing a special foreign exchange rate for overseas Filipino workers to help them and their families cope with the continued appreciation of the peso, according to Labor Secretary Arturo Brion.

Interviewed in Malacañang, Brion said he did not have the full details of the scheme as Landbank is in talks with finance officials including the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

The special foreign exchange rate would be in the form of a front cover or hedge program of the government.

“It appears that the Landbank is also discussing it. But they have not mentioned it to us. It is like this, we are at the receiving end of these programs. We encourage, but we are not involved in the actual intricacies and mechanics of this program. It is something for the BSP to govern and regulate," Brion told Palace newsmen.

Filipino workers departing this month for job contracts overseas should be paying either P1, 043.58 or $25 in Overseas Workers Welfare Administration membership fee.

The peso equivalent of the $25 fee is based on the peso-dollar reference rate of P41.743: $1, the average exchange rate for December, according to an advisory posted in the OWWA website.

This was in line with OWWA Resolution No. 38, dated December 17, 2007, providing for a flexible exchange rate for the peso equivalent of the $25 OWWA membership fee in view of the peso-dollar rate fluctuation.

Apart from the OWWA membership fee, departing OFWs are also charged P900 contribution to the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (Philhealth), and P100 processing fee to the POEA.

A LESSON IN ARITHMETIC

Subject: Fr. Ed Panlilio - Gov. Of Pampanga

I'm 100% sure this income disparity is replicated in all the provinces of the Philippines .
If we had more Ed Panlilios in our government, we would be just like Singapore in a short time. Read on......
We hope we are witnessing what will be a sustained revolution in good governance in the Province of Pampanga , under its newly elected governor, Fr. Ed Panlilio.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer of August 26, only one month after Fr. Panlilio assumed his gubernatorial duties, the province's income from the quarrying of volcanic ash from Mount Pinatubo had reached P29.4 million. (Haulers pay a fee of P300 per truck of volcanic ash that they haul from the quarry.)

By contrast, during his predecessor Mark Lapid's term as governor, the province's income from the same quarrying operations amount ed to only P29 million a year.

Dear all,

Seems like the news of Mariannet Amper has not been discussed here yet. I'd like to share the link of this sad news.

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/topstories/topstories/view_article.php?article_id=99479

Girl who killed self lamented family’s poverty in diary

By Nico Alconaba
Inquirer
Last updated 10:00pm (Mla time) 11/07/2007

DAVAO CITY, Philippines -- A 12-year-old girl, who became despondent over her family’s poverty, hanged herself inside their makeshift house a day after her father told her he could not give her the P100 she needed for a school project.

Using a thin nylon rope, 12-year-old Mariannet Amper hanged herself in the afternoon of November 2. She was a sixth grader at the Maa Central Elementary School.

I’m sure by now, you’ve heard, seen, read, and reacted to Teri Hatcher’s controversial lines in Desperate Housewives about “some med school in the Philippines.”

If you haven’t, then you have to view the clip for yourself (Thank God for YouTube!)

What do you think?
Before you read and listen to what others think, think for yourself first and form your own opinions.

Sharing my views about the issue
Now, let me guess. Like me and a million other Filipinos, you felt hurt when Susan Meyer (played by Teri Hatcher) said the following lines:

The public is flooded with "facts" surrounding the latest undertaking by the PGMA administration, the NBN project.So, to avoid being washed downstream, I posed the following queries. Luckily, I have the "answers" right at my fingertips, thanks to the power of the internet.
1.Is it really needed?
DOTC Sec. Mendoza said that, whereas we have the e-commerce law which requires an e-government (electronic government) therefore, we need a National Broadband Network (NBN). Its simply interconnecting all branches of government. But the Makati Business Club says otherwise. MBC executive Lim said the NBN project would cause an overcapacity because there are already two existing telecommunications backbones.

2.If needed, can we afford it?
Senate President Villar said experts say The NBN is not needed, its too expensive, and too much of a burden for our people.

3.Is it valid?
The popular word nowadays is sub judice. A case is pending before the SC as to the validity of the NBN deal and a TRO was issued. Senate Pres. Villar said it should be junked due to lack of transparency. Sen. Santiago believed it is a valid monetary transaction subject to approval by the Monetary Board.

4.Are allegations against Comelec chairman Abalos true? Ditto with DOTC Sec Mendoza?
That's the gist of the Senate probe to be conducted by the Blue Ribbon Committee chaired by Sen. Alan Cayetano. As Sen. Angara pointed out, the senate should look into allegations of bribery and how the NBN deal was crafted.
It is within the jurisdiction of the senate to investigate anomalies in goverment.

A certain Mr. Roel Garcia, spokesperson of MAYPAGASA said chairman Abalos should be impeached and Sec. Mendoza should be sacked. A case was already filed before the Ombudsman against Sec. Mendoza. If allegations against chairman Abalos were true, a complaint should be filed before Congress versus chairman Abalos.

There was euphoria in the aftermath of the Estrada conviction. Finally justice is served. But was justice truly served? Justice is truly served only in its consistent application not only during the Estrada trial but also on all pending cases and others yet to come.

Alternate Title: The Beginning of the End of Graft and Corruption in the Philippines

Now since man is naturally inclined to avoid pain — and since labor is pain in itself — it follows that man will resort to plunder whenever plunder is easier than work. History shows this quite clearly. And under these conditions, neither religion nor morality can stop it.
- 19th century French philosopher-economist Claude-Frederic Bastiat, Liberty’s Greatest Advocate

The trial of President Estrada is the first case of a former Philippine president being accused, arrested, and tried for alleged crimes committed during his regime. Our society has become polarized on this issue, and the impending trial seems like a brewing storm looming over the horizon.

As it was, the ball fell into the hands of the Sandiganbayan, where a special division was created, to conduct a speedy and impartial trial. And rightfully so,due to the uniqueness and precedence of this case.

The aftermath of EDSA II, the force which catapulted Mrs. Arroyo to power, saw a third force which aimed at reinstating Mr. Estrada. Certain politicians rode the crest of this third force but abandoned it later on.

A string of events occured culminating into the violent dispersal at the gates of Malacanang. And the third force was subdued.

This was the first feather on the political survivor cap Of Mrs. Arroyo.

The trial of Mr. Estrada on the charges leveled against him is already a part of history. The impending verdict, in my view, is a necessary evil to put a closure to this. It is therefore the duty of both opposition and administration elements in government not to inflame the passions of supporters but to let reason prevail. On this, let history be our judge.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?

Every neophyte has to walk down many roads before he can be called Brod(short for Brother). The roads vary from fraternity to fraternity but generally, they include the following:
1) Shock hazing - arranging experiences whereby a neophyte will be startled, frightened, or appalled
2) Test hazing - subjecting a neophyte to a situation from which he or she must extricate himself or herself
3) Hazing by omission - not providing a newcomer with all the steps necessary to complete a task
4) Barbarous hazing - harsh or cruel practices intended to cause physical discomfort or pain

They say that the purpose of hazing is to test the determination of each applicant and to make sure that he is worthy enough to belong and to be accepted in the group as a "brod." Is it really worth it? Click here to continue reading...