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ICT spending in AsPac reaches $1.3 trillion in 2023
Information and communications technology spending in Asia and the Pacific reached the $1.3 trillion mark in 2023, as companies increased their investments on automation and cloud to survive and thrive in the digital era......»»
CLI allots higher capex, partners with Japan firm
Cebu Landmasters Inc. is hiking its capital spending to P14.5 billion this year as it gears up for growth and expansion following a strong financial performance in 2023......»»
Government posts P88 billion surplus
The Marcos administration snapped eight consecutive months of budget deficit after it recorded a surplus of P88 billion in January as revenue collections outpaced spending......»»
Naga City employee nabbed for ‘stealing’ P12M in gov’t collections
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A 44-year-old liquidating officer of Naga City, Cebu was arrested by the police on Monday, February 19, for allegedly stealing City Hall collections that accumulated to a total of P12 million. The arrested employee was identified as Jesette Kristy Villarta Rivera, a resident of Barangay North Poblacion. City Treasurer Anna Maria.....»»
Excise tax collection declines to P292 billion
Lower consumption of ‘sin’ products as prices of essential goods increased last year resulted in the drop of excise tax collections by the government, further exacerbated by the still rampant illicit trade......»»
Rice tariff collections hit P30 billion in 2023
Tariff collections from 3.6 million metric tons of rice imports likely reached a record P30 billion in 2023 on the back of a weaker peso and higher global grain prices......»»
Lee Minho is the face of boss
South Korean actor Lee Minho, who was in Manila recently, was appointed ambassador for the luxury menswear line of Boss, the German brand known worldwide for its heritage tailoring and bold and elevated collections......»»
Budget deficit narrows to P93 billion in November
The government posted a lower budget deficit of P93 billion in November as revenue collections picked up while state spending declined......»»
5 not-so-hidden iPhone features you probably don’t know
These collections of not-so-hidden iPhone features are from real iPhone enthusiasts. So, buckle up, start exploring, and be prepared to get blown away!.....»»
Budget deficit drops to P34 billion in October
The government incurred a lower budget deficit of P34 billion in October as revenue collections soared, outpacing the expansion of state spending, according to the Bureau of the Treasury......»»
BIR exceeds October revenue goals
The Bureau of Internal Revenue increased its tax collections by almost 50 percent to P274 billion in October as the agency ramps up enforcement activities to ensure that the full year goal will be met......»»
Customs collections up 5 percent to P79 billion in October
The Bureau of Customs saw its collections slightly improve to P79 billion in October on the back of heightened drive against smuggling and trade efficiency measures......»»
BIR collections still below target
The Bureau of Internal Revenue is expecting that the increased consumption in the last quarter would propel its 2023 collection goal as it is slightly behind government targets......»»
Vlad the Impaler steps out of Dracula’s shadow
Cloaked in a black cape like the infamous count himself, 10-year-old Niklas Schuetz runs through the dark corridors of a hilltop castle in search of the truth about Dracula. "He was a Romanian prince, not a vampire," said the schoolboy, as he tripped by torchlight through the nocturnal gloom of Forchtenstein Castle. The group is guided through the Austrian fortress and is eager to sink their teeth into the gripping life of Vlad Tepes, the notorious "Vlad the Impaler", whose descendants once held the Schloss. The castle is home to one of the few paintings of the cruel 15th-century prince, and this Halloween its curators are trying to bring the real historical figure out from the chilling shadow of the monster invented by the Irish writer Bram Stoker. Rather than being a ghoulish fiend, the real Vlad Tepes had for a "long time gone down in history as a positive figure" who courageously fought the Ottoman Turks, said the director of its collections, Florian Bayer. "More and more people are able to distinguish between the bloodsucking vampire and the historical figure," he said. Voivode Vlad III -- also known by his patronymic name Dracula derived from the Slavonic word for dragon -- once ruled over Wallachia, a Romanian-speaking vassal state of the Kingdom of Hungary. 'Forest' of the impaled Held as a child hostage of the sultan at the Ottoman court, he later turned against his former captors. In several hard-fought campaigns against the Turks, he struck fear into his enemies by impaling thousands of Turkish prisoners. This gruesomely slow death was also used against his internal rivals, like "the German merchants from neighbouring Transylvanian towns," historian Dan Ioan Muresan told AFP. Tepes was often depicted amidst a "forest" of impaled bodies. Yet despite his gory reputation, Vlad was a handsome devil and something of a ladykiller, according to Muresan. He was a "very handsome man with an imposing build", with long hair flowing over his Turkish-style kaftans adorned with diamonds. By marrying a cousin of the Hungarian king, he "gave rise to a branch from which the British royal family descends," the historian added. Indeed Britain's King Charles III has repeatedly boasted of their shared blood ties, saying that Transylvania runs through his veins. Communist marketing The gothic novel by Stoker published in 1897 helped kickstart the modern vampire genre. Dozens of films later, the fictional Dracula had transformed into a pop culture icon. "Until the 1960s, Romanians didn't associate the character imagined by Stoker with Vlad Tepes," said Bogdan Popovici, head of the national archives in the Transylvanian city of Brasov, home to some of the prince's manuscripts. "It was the Communists who started to commercialize it for the Western market to attract tourists," he said. While cashing in on selling the vampire myth to visitors, the regime of Romanian Communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu sought to resurrect Vlad as a national hero. Paradoxically, the Communist regime was careful in differentiating the real Dracula from its fictitious counterpart as it pursued its mission to wipe out pagan traditions. Tears of blood "Romanians have never recognized themselves in the character, which was born out of a foreign imagination and planted into an exotic reality," said Muresan. "It is being exploited as a kind of tourist trap," he said. The real Vlad never set foot in Romania's Bran Castle -- widely taken as the inspiration for the lair of Dracula -- but it hasn't stopped it from drawing visitors in their droves. Murdered by his own people in 1476 in the wake of a conspiracy, experts dispute the whereabouts of his remains to this day, with some claiming that his head was sent to the sultan in Constantinople to confirm his death. A recent Italian scientific study based on the analysis of the prince's handwritten letters found that Vlad probably suffered from haemolacria, indicating that he could shed tears of blood. The creepy detail is undoubtedly enough to keep the Dracula myth alive for some time yet. The post Vlad the Impaler steps out of Dracula’s shadow appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Budget shortfall eases to P984 billion in 9 months
The country’s budget gap narrowed to P984 billion from January to September as revenue collections exceeded targets and as the government fell short in meeting its expenditure goal, with state agencies needing to further ramp up spending......»»
Melissa launches first-ever collaboration with unisex label, Issey Miyake designer
Brazilian footwear and bag label Melissa recently launched its new collaboration collections in the Philippines......»»
Pag-IBIG members’ savings hit P67 billion
Member savings collections of the Home Development Mutual Fund, commonly known as Pag-IBIG, reached P67 billion as of end-September, allowing the agency to finance increased demand for home loans......»»
Pag-IBIG collections up to P67B in Q3 as more members increase savings
Pag-IBIG Fund members collectively saved P66.73 billion during the first nine months of 2023, up by P6.3 billion or 10% year-on-year, as more members contributed more than the required Pag-IBIG monthly savings, agency officials announced Monday (23 Oct). "We are happy that more Filipino workers are saving with Pag-IBIG Fund. The trust and confidence in our savings programs continue to grow as proven by our record-high members’ savings collections in January to September 2023. This is good news because the increase in the savings collected shall allow us to finance the increasing demand for our home loans and short-term loans, and thus allow us to serve more members. This is in line with the directive of President Marcos to provide financial access to better the future of every Filipino,” said Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees. Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta, meanwhile, noted that the collections from the agency’s mandatory Regular Savings and voluntary MP2 Savings both increased during the period and have posted new record-highs. Collections from the Pag-IBIG Regular Savings amounted to P31.6 billion, an increase of 7% from the P29.6 billion from the same period last year. The amount includes P7.69 billion in upgraded savings from members, or savings which members have voluntarily entrusted with Pag-IBIG Fund on top of the required monthly savings. The agency’s MP2 Savings, on the other hand, sustained its popularity as collections reached P35.13 billion, a 14% increase from the P30.81 billion collected as of September last year. “The record-high in members’ savings we collected from January to September this year shows the wider appreciation of our members on the benefits of saving with Pag-IBIG Fund. We are grateful that the biggest growth areas in our savings collections come from our voluntary MP2 Savings and from members who save more than their mandated monthly savings,” Acosta said. “We recognize that our members’ trust in our programs stems from how we have gained competitive returns on their savings over the past many years. We highly value that trust and that is why we assure them that we shall continue to prudently manage their hard-earned savings. That is the Lingkod Pag-IBIG way,” Acosta added.....»»
Universal Health Care Coordinating Council to be created
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the proposal to establish the Universal Health Care Coordinating Council responsible for supervising the execution of the UHC Act to fix the country’s fragmented healthcare infrastructure. In a Malacañang Press Briefing, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said the council will function as a platform for addressing pertinent issues that could arise during the execution of the UHC legislation. "The President approved the Department of Health’s proposal of creating a Universal Health Care Coordinating Council through an executive order. So, we would be crafting and drafting this," Herbosa said. "We will standardize the health policies. The council will serve as a national governance body that will oversee the implementation of the Universal Health Care Act nationwide, the project and estimate total national cost for UHC and also implementation of the Universal Health Care at local government level," he said. Herbosa said that the council would consist of various government agencies. These include the Department of Health, the Departments of Interior and Local Government, Information and Communications Technology, Budget and Management, and Finance, in addition to the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation and the Professional Regulation Commission, among others. Furthermore, Herbosa emphasized that any concerns or issues arising in the implementation of the UHC Act can also be raised before this governing body. Herbosa pointed out that the Local Government Code of 1991 had decentralized the country's healthcare system, which the UHC Act has been striving to reintegrate since its enactment. He also mentioned that a total of 71 local government units have committed to amalgamating their healthcare schemes with the UHC system. Herbosa further mentioned that President Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of the Interior and Local Government to accelerate the evaluation of Executive Order (EO) No. 138 and include certain elements of it in the reforms for Universal Health Care financing through amendments. Executive Order 138 was issued by Marcos' predecessor, former President Rodrigo Duterte, in 2021 to implement the Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court. This ruling declared that local government units (LGUs) should receive 40 percent of all government tax collections, not limited to national internal revenue taxes. “So, the Department of Health is very pleased with the President has given full support to the department’s vision of transforming the healthcare system of the Filipino through the Universal Health Care Act,” Herbosa said......»»
Fusing science and magic
If you’re like Vera Wang, and was “late” getting into the SPF game, today you may be seeing the “badges” of those carefree sunny days of worshipping the sun every time you look in the mirror. But while sunscreens and sun tints, even sun protection capsules, were not part of rituals you ever undertook for your skin, you can let the panic abate — there is hope! So I submitted to a skin analysis last year (screaming inwardly). I was in denial. I felt light years away from the creeping signs of age — fine lines, dark spots, saggy jawline. But the proof was there on the blinking screen. Yes, it screamed back at me, you should have used those sticky, smelly sun lotions your mother used to push into your hands. These days, lucky mortals have a wide range of choices for sunscreens that actually smell good and don’t leave your skin looking pasty white or coated in oily gunk. In fact, there are numerous solutions to almost every skin problem you can think of. [caption id="attachment_193222" align="aligncenter" width="525"] WEARING the Swarovski necklace from the latest collections. PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF SWAROVSKI[/caption] Acne is addressed by brands like, get this, Acnes, which makes zit-zapping quite a breeze; or even homegrown label Human Nature, which just came out with a Tea Tree Body Cleanser and Tea Tree Body Acne Gel for clearer skin all over. Wrinkles are battled by serums for every need, and if you have not much patience for regimens and rituals, a quick, non-invasive treatment at a reputable aesthetic center can have you feeling refreshed in no time. The era of lunchtime treatments has been food for the soul among a growing number of fans. [caption id="attachment_193225" align="aligncenter" width="525"] SWAROVSKI Afternoon Tea at Raffles Makati.[/caption] Here’s the latest in the arena of skin rejuvenation: Rejuran, a “new concept healer” made of polynucleotides, has arrived in the country courtesy of its exclusive distributor TritanMed. Polynucleotides are DNA fragments of specific size derived from wild salmon. This unique ingredient gives Rejuran its power to “make your skin young and healthy,” meaning “improved hydration, skin texture, skin elasticity and skin repair,” naturally. The injectable delivers the highly bio-compatible polynucleotides directly into the skin, and “activates the self-regenerative ability of the skin and improves the appearance of various skin concerns, such as wrinkles, scars, large pores, redness and pigmentation, etc.” [caption id="attachment_193226" align="aligncenter" width="525"] From the LUNA collection[/caption] It is, in short, the best and proven safest way to look 10 years younger, as testimonials online reveal. Other benefits of the treatment are: “promotes the secretion of collagen and restores Extra Cellular Matrix to recover thin and damaged skin inside caused by aging, while simultaneously improving skin elasticity and reducing the appearance of wrinkles; improves pigmentation and overall brightness of the complexion, which is helpful in recovering the tonicity and luminosity of smoother skin texture.” Price-wise, it is said to cost less than the popular “lunchtime treatment” called fillers and delivers results just as quickly. Sometimes I think the multimillion-dollar world of beauty simply wants to inundate us with blurbs just so we will feel a raging need to get that glass skin, wing-tipped eyes and long, outrageous lashes. It’s a good thing science gives us an opportunity to have these “transformative” qualities, just like magic. [caption id="attachment_193227" align="aligncenter" width="525"] ANA Gonzales of Havaianas Philippines.[/caption] Shine on An afternoon tea worth a sip is one that is currently being served at the Raffles Makati’s The Writers Bar. Aptly described as “a shimmering fusion of history and luxury, the Swarovski Afternoon Tea was unveiled on 27 September with Swarovski’s latest collections on display. The new pieces, coming in bright jewel tones of green, pink and blue, were designed by Swarovski Creative Director Giovanna Engelbert, who was inspired by “multiple worlds.” Also, science and magic met in this latest output, from “Idyllia’s secret gardens filled with wondrous creatures, or Luna’s star-covered skies illuminated by crescent moons.” See for yourself the exquisite Swarovski’s unmistakable “shapes of Dextera” and “the show-stopping cuts of Mesmera.” Luna is the newest collection to date, and for sun-worshippers, perhaps a little foray into the darker realms will balance it out, giving “mystical energy” amid too much reality. Raffles Makati’s executive chef Bela Rieck presented the afternoon tea, with delicacies like “green mango tart with sea grapes, seared tuna with mango cilantro salsa for the culinary art tier, and desserts like the crystal glazed reinvented raspberry, white wine coconut spritzer and a mesmerizing crystal-inspired praline.” The special afternoon tea is available until 30 November. [caption id="attachment_193228" align="aligncenter" width="320"] COLOR and comfort in new slides.PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY OF HAVAIANAS[/caption] Slide into comfort and color It’s here: the Havaianas Slides are the newest way to walk on the side of style. Wear it anywhere, even at the Mansion Sports Bar, and feel the comfort and cool all at once. A cushioned footbed and slip-resistant sole are pluses for this fashionable footwear option. The post Fusing science and magic appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»