Page 6 - LM Confidential Issue December 2014

Philippines
NEWS
Forbidden Love Banned
Ashley Madison extramarital affair website blocked
The Philippine justice secretary said Sunday she is seeking to block extramarital dating site Ashley Madison in the country -- under charges it facilitates crime.
“The website is a platform that allows illegal acts to be eventually committed. A ban may be enforced,” Secretary Leila de
Philippines
NEWS
Senior Care OK’d
MANILA – President Benigno Aquino III signed a new law on November 5, granting health benefits to all senior citizens in the country. The law, RA 10645 amends RA 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens’ Act of 2010, and is expected to benefit over 6 million senior citizens. The health benefits are the same enjoyed by members of PhilHealth or the government’s mandated health insurance for all public and private employees. The funds for the amended law ill be sourced from National Health Insurance Fund of PhilHealth, which in turn is sourced from taxes on alcohol and tobacco.
Lima said in an SMS statement, referring to Ashley Madison.
The Canada-based firm, which has the slogan: “Life is short. Have an affair”, recently launched their website in the Philippines, where the population is largely Roman Catholic and divorce is illegal.
Evacuation Sex Tent
ZAMBOANGA CITY - Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar is considering building “a tent or a room where couples could express their sexual needs away from their children” in evacuation centers.
Professor Alih Aiyub, secretary general of the National Ulama Council of the Philippines, said building a conjugal tent would “not be a wise decision.”
“You invite the young to imagine dirty, malicious thoughts as they watch couples come in and out of the tent. The government should instead build temporary shelters,” Aiyub said.
De Lima stressed that “adultery” also remains against the law in the Philippines, even though it has largely been un- enforced and is a country where many powerful men flaunt their mistresses.
Adultery and “concubinage,” are punishable by at least six months in jail under Philippine law.
She said: “The (telecommunications companies) will have to do their part to ensure that illegal content and websites that are used to drive illicit conduct are not used,” she said.
Stevie Award
ABS-CBN president and CEO Charo Santos-Concio was awarded the Gold Stevie Award in the Female Executive of the Year in Asia, Australia, or New Zea- land category at the prestigious Stevie Awards for Women in Business held in New York last month.
The Stevie Awards for Women in Busi- ness are the world’s top honors for fe- male entrepreneurs, executives, employ- ees and the organizations they run. All individuals and organizations worldwide are eligible to submit nominations—pub- lic and private, for-profit and non-profit, large and small. The 2014 awards re- ceived entries from 22 nations and ter- ritories.
“I share this recognition with my fel- low Filipinos and my family at ABS-CBN, whose passion to serve Filipinos around the world and provide help to those in need makes me so grateful and proud to lead a company that puts public ser- vice at the heart of its business,” Santos- Concio said.
Nicknamed the Stevies for the Greek word for “crowned,” the awards were presented to winners during a dinner event attended by more than 400 peo- ple at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Santos-Concio was cited by the award-giving body for the achieve- ments of ABS-CBN last year under her leadership, such as its continued reign in TV ratings, increase in company rev- enues, Star Cinema movies’ box-office sales, ABS-CBN’s high credit rating for its P10 billion bond offering, groundbreak- ing business ventures such as ABS-CBN mobile, theme park Kidzania Manila, and TV home shopping channel O Shopping, and public service initiatives for the vic- tims of Bohol quake, Zamboanga siege, and typhoon Yolanda, and the success of its 60th anniversary celebration.
Stevie Award winners were selected by more than 160 executives worldwide. Santos-Concio also received the Gold Stevie Award for the Woman of the Year category for all Asia-Pacific nations (except Australia and South Korea) at the 2014 Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. She was also named Asian Me- dia Woman of the Year by ContentA- sia, a premier information resource that covers the entertainment media industry
across Asia-Pacific region.
De Lima did not specify if they could be compelled to block the website.
Local press reports say that at least 2,500 Filipinos have already signed up to the website since its recent launch.
Singapore and South Korea have previously banned Ashley Madison, citing that it threatened family values.
QC on 15B Income
QUEZON CITY - The Quezon City government will make P15-billion this year, officials said. City treasurer Edgar Villanueva said city has managed to collect P14,619,632,220.84.
“Only less than P400 million is needed to hit the P15-billion collection mark at the end of the year,” he said in his report to Mayor Herbert Bautista.
“If the target collection of P15 billion is reached, it would be Quezon City’s biggest tax haul ever posted,” he said.
Apart from business taxes, QC also managed to post significant increases in other regulatory and miscellaneous fees.
Charo Santos-
Concio wins Gold
Pacquiao to run in 2016
However, whether he will seek higher office is not clear yet
party,” Pacquiao said when he a boxer and as a family man. We have so
Courtesy call. Vice President Jejomar Binay and been reconstituted as a political Makati City Mayor Junjun Binay congratulate boxing party.
champion Manny Paquiao for his victory against Binay had repeatedly said he challenger US Chris Algieri during his courtesy call wants Pacquiao to run under at the Makati City Hall.
MANILA - Come what may in the 2016 elections, Sarangani Rep. Manny Pacquiao said he will support the United Nationalist Alliance of Vice President Jejomar Binay, although he has not decided if he will run for a higher elective position.
“Naturally, because we’re on the same
the UNA senatorial slate along with Valenzuela Rep. Sherwin Gatchalian, Leyte Rep. Ferdinand
Martin Romualdez, Buhay party-list Rep. Lito Atienza, Sen. Tito Sotto and former Sen. Miguel Zubiri. But Pacquiao said he still has not decided whether to run for a higher post in 2016. “I still haven’t decided but I’m considering it. I have responsibility as a congressman, as
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L. M. Confidential
DECEMBER 2014
called on Binay and his son Mayor Junjun Binay at the Makati City Hall upon returning from his victorious bout with Chris Algieri in Macau last Sunday.
Pacquiao was referring to UNA which was originally formed as a political alliance by Binay and former President Joseph Estrada for the 2013 elections but has since
many things to do,” he said. “Congressman Pacquiao is still
studying it, but the clamor of our countryman is loud,” Binay said. Binay said he understood that some Pacquiao supporters want him to run for the vice presidency, but he is clearly not legally qualified. “Our hero is still underaged,” Binay said. “But a lot of people also agree that Congressman Pacquiao should already become a senator.” During Pacquiao’s courtesy call on the Binays at the Makati City Hall, he was handed the key to the city.
“Makati is proud of Manny Pacquiao for consistently bringing glory to the Philippines,” Mayor Binay said.
The Binays also raised the arms of the eight-division world champion for his successful defense of his crown against Algieri.
LMC