Meet new Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel

BY BETHEENA UNITE

Nov 3, 2023 01:20 PM

  

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From handling his family's business, fishing tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. will now lead the country's Agriculture department currently hounded by rising prices, production, and supply issues.

New Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. (Noel Pabalate)

Laurel, Kiko to his friends and colleagues, joined his family’s business— Frabelle Fishing Corporation— in 1985, where he moved from division to division, learning as much as he can about the company’s operations and processes first hand.

He trained in refrigeration, net manufacturing, engine overhauling, electronics, hydraulics, food manufacturing, shipbuilding, and ship repair.

Frabelle Fishing Corporation is the world’s third largest tuna fishing company with a major presence in the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea and many other major regions across the globe.

Prior to his appointment to the DA post, Laurel also held the following positions: president of Agusan Power Corporation which operates a 24.9 Megawatt Hydro Electric Power plant in Agusan del Norte and chairman of the World Tuna Purse Seine Organization that advocates sustainable resource management of fishing operations globally and a member of the Private Sector Advisory Council for Agriculture.

Currently, he is a captain and commander in the Naval Affiliated Reserve Force NCR (WESPHIL) of the Philippine Navy.

LONG-TIME PALS—President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. talks with new Department of Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. after the latter's appointment to the post on Nov. 3, 2023. (Noel Pabalate)

Laurel, 56, is President Marcos' long-time friend.

During the announcement of his appointment at the Malacañan Palace, with reporters and Laurel's family in attendance, Marcos said he has known him since they were boys.

According to Marcos, his long-time friendship with Laurel, whom he also calls Kiko, has given him the confidence to appoint him to the post he held on for more than a year.

"I've known him since we were boys. So, malakas ang loob ko na ma-i-appoint siya kasi kilala ko pagkatao niya. Alam kong napakasipag nito, unang-una. Pangalawa, nauunawaan niya nang mabuti ang sistema ng agrikultura dito sa Pilipinas (So, I am confident to appoint him because I know his whole personality. I know that he is hardworking and he understands very well the system of agriculture here in the Philippines)," Marcos vouched for his long-time pal.

"So, I am expecting that he will do a good job," he said.

STREAMING REVIEWS: You gotta have a heart

BY PHILIP CU UNJIENG

Nov 3, 2023 07:44 AM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Flora and Son (Apple+) - Even if this is a minor feature compared to the big-budget production of All the Light, I choose to review this first because it’s a minor gem that people should watch.

• All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) - This four-episode Limited Series sadly answers the question of ‘How can you go wrong adapting a novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andes Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction?’

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A scene from 'All the Light We Cannot See'

Every work of Art has to have its own beating heart - whether a film, a song, a painting, or a book. Here are two recent drops on our streaming platforms, and they show clearly how hearts can be found…and lost.

 

Flora and Son (Apple+) - Even if this is a minor feature compared to the big-budget production of All the Light, I choose to review this first because it’s a minor gem that people should watch. Plus, I guarantee they’ll enjoy the simple tale and how it meshes single motherhood, the pains of parenting, the cost of dreaming, and tying it all in with songwriting and composing music. That may sound like a mouthful, but set in Dublin, Ireland, and directed by John Carney (Once, Begin Again, and Sing Street), you know that here’s a guy who knows how to embed the music in his stories. Here, we have a single Mom, Flora (Eve Hewson), who’s giving up on what to do with her delinquent son, Max (Oren Kinlan).

Eve Hewson and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in 'Flora and Son'

One idea is to gift him a guitar, as his father, still in the neighborhood, used to be in a band (Jack Reynor as Ian). Max rejects the guitar as he’s into ambient and electronica. In desperation and when teased by Ian, Flora decides to take up the instrument herself, looks for a teacher online, and finds Jack (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a teacher from out West Coast USA. There are no spoilers here, but things develop in a manner you won’t expect, and I mean this more in songwriting and how music can have a purpose. What Max ends up doing, the revelations that come, and how everything flows naturally and in a low-key manner are all welcome aspects of this charmer of a film. Sundance and Toronto experienced how this film was such a hit with audiences, so don’t miss out!

All the Light We Cannot See (Netflix) - This four-episode Limited Series sadly answers the question of ‘How can you go wrong adapting a novel awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the Andes Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction?’ And the unfortunate answer is ‘Quite badly!’ Don’t get me wrong, I loved the novel because it was a World War II tale that transcended the era and asked the big questions about Hope, redemption, fate, and perseverance. The bare bones of the narrative were about a young, blind French girl and a young orphaned German soldier; how the war was both challenging them to survive and maintain their humanity and how it was placing them on opposite sides while being the vehicle that could, against all odds, bring them together. 

But as developed by Stephen Knight of Peaky Blinders and directed by Shawn Levy, we have an adaptation that makes the barest of surface contact with the novel I read. There are also poor casting choices - an unknown, Aria Mia Loberti, plays the central figure of Marie-Laure, and honestly, it shows that this is her first major role. Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie take on major roles, but Ruffalo’s accent is all over the place and keeps changing. At the same time, Laurie thankfully sticks to his English accent while playing a Frenchman - consistency is a godsend in this production. Something was lost in transition - and the wonderful novel I read and enjoyed is missing in action. Honestly, I think this is a great travesty, as people may not even be moved to read the novel anymore, and they’d be missing out on a good thing. For those who loved reading the book, keep that memory and keep away from this series.

4 big banks waive fund transfer fees below P1,000

 

BY LEE C. CHIPONGIAN

Nov 1, 2023 06:14 PM

  

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There are now four big banks or universal and commercial banks that have heeded the central bank's call to waive fund transfer fees on small transactions with the addition of government-owned Land Bank of the Philippines (Landbank).

Landbank said it has removed the fees for online fund transfers below P1,000 via InstaPay and PESONet as of Wednesday, Nov. 1.

Landbank also said that it has reduced the interbank fund transfers of more than P1,000 to a fixed transaction fee of P15 from the previous P25. 

The bank president and CEO, Lynette V. Ortiz, said they are waiving transaction fees for small-value online fund transfers to other banks as a Christmas season perk.

“This is our holiday gift to our valued customers, as we continue to promote safe and convenient digital transactions,” she said.

Landbank is hoping that in waiving transfer fees, this will “help clients send money to loved ones in a safe, secure, and convenient manner” which will promote financial inclusion in the country.

The waived transfer fee is given to clients for the first three online fund transfers and transactions in a day via the Landbank Mobile Banking App (MBA), and the bank’s online retail banking channel, the iAccess, it said.

Meanwhile, fund transfers of Landbank and its digital bank Overseas Filipino Bank, regardless of the amount, remain free of charge.

“The latest move (supports) the call of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) to promote cashless payments by removing the fees on small-value fund transfers,” said Landbank.

In July, the government bank increased the daily aggregate amount limit of fund transfers via InstaPay from P50,000 to P100,000 and via PESONet up to P500,000 and P1.5 million.

“Daily transaction limit for fund transfer and bills payment has been removed, allowing customers to perform an unlimited number of transactions per day,” said the bank.

BSP Governor Eli M. Remolona Jr. has been urging all banks especially big banks such as Landbank to waive transfer fees on small online transactions.

Remolona admitted that for the moment, in the absence of a formal payments framework or other regulations that will compel banks to remove or reduce fees on small transactions, all the BSP could do is make an appeal using moral suasion.   

With Landbank, there are now four big banks that have removed fees on small transfers up to P1,000 since February when BSP started to talk to banks and non-banks about cutting online transfer fees. The other banks are Ayala-led Bank of the Philippine Islands, the Ty-controlled Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co., and the Aboitiz-owned Union Bank of the Philippines.

Remolona said BSP is also talking to non-banks with digital payments such as GCash and Maya, formerly PayMaya.

Some banks and non-banks offer free InstaPay service while others charge a rate of P8 to P25 per transaction.

Currently, there are 82 InstaPay participating BSP supervised financial institutions (BSFIs) and 106 BSFIs in PESONet as of end-September this year.

Tausende Euro weniger Steuern: Wie Neurentner entlastet werden

 Von: Wolfgang DePonte 

Neurentner werden durch das Wachstumschancengesetz entlastet. (Symbolbild Archiv) © Thomas Plettenberg

Gute Nachrichten zum Thema Rente: Mit dem Wachstumschancengesetz geht die Bundesregierung endlich das Thema Doppelbesteuerung an. Neurentner werden dadurch entlastet – manche sogar um tausende Euro. 

München – Noch fehlt die letzte Zustimmung von Bundestag und Bundesrat zum Wachstumschancengesetz, aber schon jetzt steht fest, dass die Regelungen für viele Neurentner eine enorme Entlastung bringen wird. Denn mit dem Gesetz wird der seit 2005 laufende Prozess der Besteuerung der Renten deutlich verlangsamt. Statt wie bisher geplant im Jahr 2040 werden Renten damit erst ab 2058 zu 100 Prozent versteuert (siehe auch Tabelle). 

Wachstumschancengesetz bringt Entlastung für Neurentner

Was zunächst wenig spektakulär klingt, hat immense finanzielle Auswirkungen, wie jetzt eine Studie des Steuerexperten und Finanzmathematikers Werner Siepe belegt. Demnach bleibt für Neurentner bereits ab diesem Jahr „mehr von der Rente steuerfrei”. Für 1975 geborene Gutverdiener, die 40 Jahre lang ein Gehalt an der Beitragsbemessungsgrenze bezogen haben oder noch beziehen werden und im Alter 17 Jahre lang Rente beziehen, seien dies „in der Spitze insgesamt rund 72.000 Euro“, hat Siepe errechnet. Bei Rentenbeziehern, die im Berufsleben 45 Jahre lang durchschnittlich verdient haben (der Durchschnittsverdienst liegt heuer bei 43.100 Euro), blieben 43.000 Euro zusätzlich steuerfrei, so Siepe. 

So wird die Rente besteuert – Beispiele in der Tabelle:

Rentenbeginn	Alt	Neu
2023	83 %	82,5 %
2025	85 %	83,5 %
2030	90 %	86,0 %
2035	95 %	88,5 %
2040	100 %	91,0 %

Quelle: Vers (Versicherungsberater - Gesellschaft mbH) 

Beispielrechnungen: So wirkt die Entlastung für Neurentner

Wie solche Summen zusammenkommen, zeigt das Beispiel von Werner H. Der 65-jährige, alleinstehende Ingenieur ist seit Januar im Ruhestand und bekommt 2200 Euro Rente. 17 Prozent seiner Rente sind für den Rest seines Lebens komplett steuerfrei – das sind monatlich 374 Euro. Zieht man vom Rest den Grundfreibetrag ab, beträgt die monatlich zu versteuernde Rente noch rund 833 Euro im Monat. Wird das Wachstumschancengesetz rückwirkend zum 1. Januar 2023 gültig, wären 17,5 Prozent der Rente steuerfrei und Werner H. müsste nur noch 822 Euro monatlich versteuern.  MEIN BEREICH

Bei einem Neurentner des Jahres 2039 sieht das aber schon anders aus, denn sein Steueranteil läge nach der bisherigen Regelung bei 99 Prozent, nach der neuen Regelung aber nur noch bei 90,5 Prozent. Bei einer Rente, wie sie heute Werner H. bezieht (2039 wären das 2860 Euro, wenn man von den durchschnittlichen Rentenerhöhungen ausgeht), fielen damit mehrere hundert Euro im Jahr weniger Einkommensteuer an. Und das bei Männern im Schnitt 18,8 Jahre lang – das ist die durchschnittliche Rentenbezugsdauer bei Männern, bei Frauen sind es sogar 22,2 Jahre.

Doppelbesteuerung: Finanzministerium will weiter nachbessern

Aber warum ändert die Bundesregierung überhaupt die bestehenden Regelungen? Hintergrund sind zwei Urteile des Bundesfinanzhofes vom Mai 2021, in dem die Doppelbesteuerung von Renten festgestellt wird. Und da diese verfassungswidrig ist, muss der Gesetzgeber handeln, was im Rahmen des Wachstumschancengesetzes nun auch geschehen ist. 

Das Thema Doppelbesteuerung ist damit aber wohl noch immer nicht ganz vom Tisch, wie Experte Siepe rechnerisch nachweisen kann. Es wird auch künftig solche Fälle geben – bei künftigen Rentnern ebenso wie bei Bestandsrentnern. Die sind in der Neuregelung noch gar nicht berücksichtigt. Das Finanzministerium will deshalb in einem weiteren Schritt das Gesetz nachbessern. In der Diskussion sind individuelle Freibeträge. Finanzmathematiker Siepe fürchtet, dass das Thema zu einer unendlichen Geschichte wird.

From purgatory to paradise

A deeper look into the origins of All Souls’ Day

BY POCH EULALIA

Oct 31, 2023 09:13 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Thus you may understand that love alone is the true seed of every merit in you, and of all acts for which you must atone. — Dante Alighieri, Purgatorio

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Each year on Nov. 2, Catholics flock to cemeteries and columbariums to pray over their loved ones who have passed on in celebration of All Souls’ Day. It’s a solemn period, where families gather together to remember the deceased and talk about the memories they have left behind. But it leaves the question, how did All Souls’ Day and the traditions we follow with it come to be?

THE MAN WHO STARTED IT ALL Odilo of Cluny is credited as the man who came up with All Souls’ Day

All Souls’ Day can be traced back to the 11th century. While there is no exact date as to when it started, the celebration was thought of by Odilo of Cluny, who served as the head of the influential monastery of the Abbey of Cluny in medieval France. According to legend, Odilo came up with All Souls’ Day after a pilgrim approached him to share the visions he had while being stranded on an island. These visions were of purgatory, a place where the departed must endure purification and atone for their sins before entering heaven. Intrigued by the visions, Odilo assigned Nov. 2 as a special day of prayer for all the departed, placed just one day after All Saints’ Day when saints are honored.

A BEAUTIFUL TRIBUTE Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s The Book of Life is an animated film that beautifully depicts the traditions observed during Dia de los Muertos

So how does one celebrate All Souls’ Day? It varies worldwide. For instance, anyone who has seen Disney’s Coco or Jorge R. Gutiérrez’s The Book of Life might know that Mexicans observe what is known as Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). During this special holiday, families build private altars containing the favorite food and beverages of their dearly departed. Sometimes they also include memorabilia such as pictures, letters, and other possessions from family members who have passed. Graves are also decorated with colorful flowers. Often the Mexican marigold is used for its vibrant orange color.  

 

Meanwhile in the Philippines, the season of Undas has families driving in droves to cemeteries with food, flowers, and candles. Usually, the food is used for a mini picnic for the family to share and eat at the gravesite since it serves as a mini-reunion for those coming from far-off places. Flowers, often the sampaguita, are then placed by the grave as a sign of respect. Candles are lit in hopes of giving peace to our departed loved ones. It’s also a common practice for everyone to recite the rosary during this gathering as it is believed to help lead souls into heaven. 

IN THEIR MEMORY Candles are often lit during Undas season as it is believed it will give peace to our dearly departed

Whatever way we might celebrate All Souls’ Day, it’s important to remember that this is a time to gather with your loved ones and cherish their presence. It’s also a great moment to look back at all the fun memories left behind by friends and family who have moved on to the next life. 

What is this German phrase?

 

Belinda, Organic Intelligence With Human Experience

Social worker, educator, sociocultural project facilitator

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What is this German phrase? My grandma used to say it, and it sounded like "ach hed-a-yay". We think it meant “oh for goodness sake” or “oh I can't believe it”. Are there any ideas what it might be in German?

Sounds as if she was saying Ach herrje!

[1]

 or maybe Ach herrjemine!

[Ach herrje! Listen to me blathering on, meanwhile I’ve got kids in the oven! - Source: Ralph Ruthe]

Ach

[2]

 is a multi-purpose exclamation (a bit like English oh or Yiddish oy) that can express just about everything from surprise to approval to disapproval to awe to sorrow to longing.

Herrje is a shortened way to get away with saying Herr Jesu (Lord Jesus) - much like oh for goodness’ sake! is a way to get away with saying oh for God’s sake!

Best wishes

Footnotes

[1] 

herrje - Wiktionary

[2] 

ach - Wiktionary