Articles - PuertoParrot.com

Shipping Sector Balks At Extra P5.4 B Arrastre Fees

International shipping lines balk at paying an extra P5.4 billion as the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) seeks to impose never-before-assessed arrastre rates on empty containers. The Association of International Shipping Lines (AISL) opposed PPA’s imposition of arrastre charges on empty containers at the Manila and the Batangas ports. Should the PPA follow through with the charges, shippers only have two viable options, both disagreeable, in order to recover the additional cost being slapped.

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Published on 23/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Business, Legal, News and Events
Tags: AISL, import, transport

Bacolod City: Civilization Gone With The Wind

When people speak of Bacolod, my mind conjures images of the old pre-civil war South in America. Like America’s old south, old Bacolod used to be the home of aristocratic hacienderos with vast sugar plantations, employing thousands of peasants to work in sugar plantations and azucareras.

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Published on 21/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Culture, History
Tags: Bacolod, Balay, Negros, Occidental

Longer Quarantine Drives 23M Filipinos Into Hunger, 4.5M More Poor

Strict quarantine rules left millions more Filipinos hungry, poor, and jobless, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said as he defended plans to restart the economy. "Mas mabigat po ang naging halaga o danyos ng COVID pagdating sa kagutuman [COVID-19 cost us more in terms of hunger]," Roque said Thursday.

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Published on 15/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Health, News and Events, Society
Tags: COVID-19, economy, poverty, quarantine

Usaid Provides Laptops For Out-Of-School Youth

The U.S. government, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), turned over 150 laptop computers, printers, projectors, and 80 sets of learning materials to the Department of Education (DepEd) on Tuesday, October 6, as part of the United States’ ongoing commitment to support the Philippine government’s Basic Education Learning Continuity Plan amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Published on 07/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Education, News and Events, Technology
Tags: COVID-19, DepEd, Education

It's All Systems Go For Malolos-Clark Railway Plan

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Thursday signed P85 billion in construction contracts for a key phase of the 148-kilometer North-South Commuter Railway (NSCR) System in Luzon, a major infrastructure project that is moving forward under the Duterte administration.

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Published on 09/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: News and Events, Technology, Travel
Tags: Pampanga, Project, railway

Use Of Karaoke, Videoke Now Banned In Manila

The Manila City government has banned the use of karaoke, videoke, and other sound-producing devices during daytime so as not to disturb students during their online classes.

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Published on 09/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Communities, Culture, News and Events
Tags: Karaoke, Manila

One More Chance?

Rocked by a P15-billion (probably more) anomaly, the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. is in a rut. Imagine the great Westerns showing the cowboy buried with only his head sticking out of the ground? That’s pretty much the type of hole corrupt officials dug up for the PhilHealth.

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Published on 09/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Health, Politics, Society
Tags: government, PhilHealth, President

Remote Learning Begins At Schools In Coronavirus-Hit Philippines

Grade school and high school students in the Philippines began classes at home on Monday (Oct 5). Nearly 25 million students enrolled this year, mostly in 47,000 public schools nationwide that would have to be replicated in homes and enlist the help of parents and guardians as co-teachers.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Communities, Education, Technology
Tags: COVID-19, Education, School, students

Filipinos Pay More For Slow Internet Services – World Bank

Filipinos are paying one of the most expensive, but slowest Internet services in the world, a joint study by the World Bank and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) revealed.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Business, Technology
Tags: country, Internet

House Oks Bill Recognizing Foundlings As Natural-Born Filipinos

The House of Representatives approved on Monday on final reading the bill seeking to promote the rights of deserted or abandoned children with unknown parents and protecting their status as natural-born citizens of the country.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Legal, People, Society
Tags: children, Natural, Rights

Philippine Airlines To Cut Up To 2,700 Jobs Due To Covid-19

Philippine Airlines said on Monday (Oct 5) it is cutting up to a third of its workforce, or around 2,700 jobs, as the aviation sector continues to suffer from pandemic-driven travel curbs.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Business, Travel
Tags: COVID-19, Tourism

Magnitude 5.6 Quake Hits Occidental Mindoro

Several parts of Luzon, including Metro Manila, were jolted when a magnitude 5.6 earthquake hit Looc in Occidental Mindoro early Monday morning.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Communities, Environment
Tags: Earthquake

Philippine Inflation Eases To Four-Month Low In September

Philippine inflation slowed to a four-month low in September, reflecting weak domestic demand, but the central bank said its policy-easing and liquidity-enhancing measures were sufficient to support the pandemic-hit economy.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Business, Politics, Society
Tags: inflation

Makati Gets Int'l Award For City's Digital Initiatives

Makati is the only city in the Philippines to have landed among the top three in this year's World Smart Sustainable Cities Organization (WeGO) Awards for promoting the use of technology in its various initiatives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Business, Society, Technology
Tags: Makati

How Filipino Activists Ended Up On A 'Wanted' Poster

Dr Jean Lindo was on a ward round when a friend messaged to say her face was on a "wanted" poster plastered outside a local church. The flyer branded her and eight other Filipinos including a bishop and school director - all known for their humanitarian work - as "human rights violators" and "executioners".

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Published on 06/10/2020 by Puerto Parrot
Categories: Legal, News and Events, People
Tags: Davao, Duterte, Lumad, Most wanted, Rights