Charice to perform in Singapore on March 5

Watch CHARICE in her INFINITY TOUR at the Kallang Theatre on March 5, 2012.

With a No. 1 song on Billboard’s Dance Charts (‘Pyramid”), a Top Ten Pop debut last Spring – and a major role on the hit TV Show “Glee” last season, her talents are now even bigger than even she imagined.

When this barely five foot bundle of dynamite opens her mouth to sing, with a soaring voice filled with emotion and conviction, the audience literally gasps. At over 260 million hits and counting on YouTube, that audience is growing at a staggering pace.

SEAIR offers lowest fares to Singapore

Leisure airline South East Asian Airlines (SEAIR) announced "special fares" for its international flights to Singapore until February 1, 2012.

A flight from Clark to Singapore will now be P2,400 for travel period February 1 to December 31, 2012.

Philippine chessers bag 4 golds in Singapore

The Philippines struck for four gold medals on top of a silver and four bronzes in the Singapore International Chess Festival held at the Jurong East Sports Complex from 26-31 December 2011.

Winning for the PH squad were Michelle Yaon in the girls’ Under-17 division, Vince Angelo Medina in the Open Under-17, Fide Master Paulo Bersamina in the Open Under-14 and Dennis Gutierrez III in the Open Under-8.

“It’s a good sign for our young chess players,” said Prospero “Butch” Pichay Jr., president of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines. “They showed that we can compete and win in international competitions.”

PH starts trial exports of fruits and veggies to SG

Expect to see more Philippine fruits and vegetables in Singapore grocery stores.  The Philippines will embark on a trial shipment of a variety of vegetables and fruits to Singapore by February, officials of the Department of Agriculture (DA) said.

Jennifer Remonquillo, officer in charge of the DA’s high value commercial crops (HVCC), said that the trial shipment will involve “a few boxes” of pineapples, bananas and squash.

“They want to see the quality of the products we will ship to them. If they approve it, then that’s the time we will finalize discussions on the volume,” said Remonquillo in an interview at the sidelines of the celebration of the 82nd anniversary of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) held in Manila.

Why foreigners don't invest in Philippines

President Noy has been going abroad inviting foreign businessmen to invest in the country.

Only very few investors will answer P-Noy’s invitation.

Ours is not an investor-friendly government and country.

Potential investors will have to reckon with corrupt officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission, Department of Trade and Industry and the Bureau of Customs, which will assess the machinery and equipment to be brought in.

That’s not all.

Serangoon's French invasion

No narrow streets, no French bakeries and no roadside cafes.  Yet this part of Singapore feels a lot like France because of all the French people living in the area.

The reason is a private school called the Lycee Francais de Singapour.

The school, which holds classes for children aged 2 to 18 from kindergarten to secondary school, opened in 1999 along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 3.

French national Delphine Desaulles, a stay-at-home mum, said that the school is primarily why she chose to live in the area. She would otherwise have stayed in the Bukit Timah area instead.

Burger King investigates post about a Filipino manager

An internet post on Jan-8 lashed out at a Filipino shift manager at one of Burger King's outlets at Tampines North Community Club. 

Burger King Singapore felt there was a need to clear its name when the post went viral.

The post was about out a Filipino shift manager who alledgedly, showed his unhappiness when a crew member asked for leave to go for reservist mobilisation.

Apply now: Foreign Service Officers wanted

Attention job seekers: The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is now accepting applications for the 2012 Foreign Service Officers (FSO) Examination.

Those interested may submit their duly accomplished application forms, together with all necessary supporting documents, in person at Window 1 of the Philippine Embassy in Singapore no later than 5:00 pm on Thursday, 5 January 2012.

Application forms may also be submitted in person to the DFA Main Office (in the Philippines) until 5:00pm on Friday, 13 January 2012.

New MRT stations along the Circle Line

2 new mrt stations were opened last Jan-13. They are Marina Bay Interchange and Bayfront stations, both along the Circle (Yellow) Line. 

Now we have better access to Helix Bridge and the Youth Olympic Park. 

It will also boost connectivity to the Marina Bay area, linking commuters to developments such as the Marina Bay Financial Centre, the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resorts, Gardens by the Bay, The Promontory @ Marina Bay and the Marina Bay City Gallery.

Guidelines for OEC Processing on Jan 15 and 22

Attention to OEC/OWWA applicants planning to visit the Philippine Embassy on 15 January and 22 January.
A quota will be imposed on the number of OEC applicants received at the Embassy and the Embassy’s OEC extension service at Lucky Plaza.

Filipino's baby elephant fetched the highest price

Elephant Parade is the world’s largest open-air exhibition dedicated to saving the Asian elephant from extinction. It has travelled many cities such as Amsterdam, London, Milan, and recently Singapore.

From 16th Nov 2011, 162 life-sized fibreglass baby elephants, each 1.5m tall, were on display in Singapore’s cityscape along Orchard Road, Marina Bay, VivoCity, and other venues. The elephants were painted and decorated by artists and celebrities.
And on 12th Jan 2012, the elephants were auctioned off.

Which baby elephant fetched the highest price? That would be Filipino artist Ronald Ventura’s Elephantasm which was sold for S$62,000.

Job cuts in RBS and Morgan Stanley Singapore

RBS Equities Asia Division is going downhill. To save the company, it is planning to conduct layoffs in Singapore. 

Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley chops 10 fixed income jobs in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Job cuts in RBS will also happen in Hong Kong and Japan. 

However, RBS may be able to spare further job losses if it can find a buyer.  The bank doesn’t want to jeopardise talks with potential acquirers by listing the number of people who could lose their jobs in Asia if there is no sale.

Plan your long leaves for 2012

Plan your vacations now!!! Here's the list of long weekends for 2012:

4-day weekend on January: from 21st (Sun) to 24th (Tue)
3-day weekend on April: from 6th (Fri) to 8th (Sun)

3-day weekend on August: from 18th (Sat) to 20th (Mon)
3-day weekend on October: from 26th (Fri) to 28th (Sun)

PR converts apartment in Lucky Plaza into budget hotel

Following the report on a new HDB flat in Yishun being advertised as a "budget hotel" by a Filipina, a similar story has emerged.  This time in the prime shopping and entertainment district of Orchard Road.  According to a source, several private apartments in Lucky Plaza are being used for cheap lodging.

Update on: Filipina's ad caused an uproar

An update on a Filipina's ad about transient rooms:  Tenancy agreement was terminated, owner warned by HDB.

Filipina's ad caused an uproar

"Hi, we have transient rooms and bedspace for rent for Filipinos, located in Yishun." This is the ad that caused 800+ comments in Singapore Yahoo News this week. Apparently, it was posted by a Filipina in websites such as Facebook.  The ad also stated that a night's stay only costs S$25 per head.

Hundreds of DBS customers hit by fraud

Please be aware of the current issue that hit hundreds of DBS/POSB ATM and debit card holders. There have been a lot of unauthorized withdrawals happened in Malaysia for DBS/POSB accounts even though cards were with the customers in Singapore. Please check your account balances now.

Simbang Gabi 2011

Theme for 2011: The Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary