President Quezon Rescrued 1,300 Jews

IN A VIDEO documentary, "An Open Door: Jewish Rescue in the Philippines," author Sharon Delmedo worked with award-winning filmmaker Noel M. Izon in producing the video that tells of how President Manuel L. Quezon rescued around 1,300 Jewish refugees running away from Nazi repression in Germany and Austria opened the door of the Philippines for their refuge. On 1938 December 5, President Quezon announced that opened the Philippines for the "entrance of such Jewish people as we could absorb and who would not be a burden."

 

 

 

Please check the Open Door website for more information.

Unemployment in its All-Time Low

Deutsche Bank says that the unmployment level has reached its all-time low in the Philippine history. At the same time, underemployment has been going down in the last four years into its low levels based on Philippine standards.

 

Kudos to President Benigno Simeon C Aquino III and his team for a very impressive performance in managing the Philippine economy so far.


Source
Cuevas-Miel, Likha: "Philippine economy at risk of overheating, says Deutsche Bank," InterAksyon.com 2013 January 10 [read]

PH Now Creditor Status With IMF

MANILA

WITH ITS CONTRIBUTION of $251.5 million as of December 2011, the Philippines attained a creditor status with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). [Report]

A Lot of Cleaning Needed

MANILA

With sacking of NBI chief Gatdula, Manila mayor Alfredo Lim recently dismantled the Manila Police District antidrug units with the uncovered extortion activity of its Sta. Cruz unit from four illegally detailed Korean nationals. So much corruption has seeped into the system of government from many years of unabated tango with corruption of leaders. Even the law enforcers turned to be tainted in many ways. Thanks to the current national and local administrations who fought to restore accountability and clean public service in the country.

Philippine National Police

MPD Station 3 (Sta. Cruz) extorted money from four Korean nationals. [Report]

National Bureau of Investigation

Chief Gatdula sacked in the aftermath of P 15 million extortion of NBI operatives from a Japanese national. [Report]

The Impeachment Trial of AJ Castillo

MANILA

The Committee on Justice of the House of Representatives voted 38:10 (0 abstention), finding probable cause to impeach Supreme Court Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo on the charge of betrayal of public trust. One of the major ground for the impeachment complaint was his alleged plagiarism of his sources work without attribution.

When this process reach the Senate for trial, Del Castillo will become the second Supreme Court Justice to face impeachment trial in Philippine history.

Sources

____: "House Committee Votes 38-10 to Impeach Justice Del Castillo," The Philippine Daily Inquirer 21 February 2012 [Read]
____: "Probable Cause," House of the Representative 12 February 2012 [Read]

LTFRB Issues First Green Pasada Franchise

MANILA

THE LAND TRANSPORTATION and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) finally issued on 20 February 2012 the first franchise for environment-friendly eJeepneys to the eJeepney Transport Corporation with the opening of a third route that covers the Heritage Route. The commercial run begins on March 1.

The company launched in 2007 with international acclaim the first eJeepney fleet, which initially covered two routes--the Salcedo Village loop and the Legaspi Village loop. [Source]

DMIA Reverts to Original Name

PAMPANGA

CLARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Corp. (CIAC), the legal owner and manager of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA) at Clark Freeport recently conducted a survey among pilots and players in the aviation industry. And the prevailing sentiment continued to be in favor of the original name--Clark International Airport--in how they refer to DMIA. In fact, ever since the time of the Clark Air Base of the United States Air Force, the airport continues to be referred to in its three-letter code: CRK.

On 27 July 1994, then president Fidel V. Ramos issued Executive Order No. 192, creating the CIAC to manage the Clark Aviation Complex (CAC), and naming the international airport as CIA. The Senate ordered in 1991 the closure of the airbase.

The switch to DMIA happened in 2003 when local politicians made a resolution to rename the international airport to bear the name of the father of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Effective February 2012, the airport will revert to its original name, Clark International Airpor. [Source]