February 20, 2012

By Richard Parcia

Here is a tale I love retelling, over and over again.

A popular professor of a Catholic university was suspected of having a homosexual relationship with a student enrolled in his class. The affair made tongues to wag wildly inside the campus, threatening the mores and customs of an institution not used to such indiscretions.

The authorities were worried because, while not stranger to the sexual upheavals of the century, such type of relationship involving a teacher and a student, violated the ethical requirements of the teaching profession.

A teacher is required to follow this ethical standard and a person…

The Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) announced on Monday, February 20, that the technical board of the National Economic Development Authority (Neda) has given the green light for a P7.9-billion initiative dubbed “Road Transport IT Project”.

The big-ticket project will integrate the IT systems of the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s offices nationwide, and the operations of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB).

DOTC Sec. Manuel “Mar” Roxas II said in a statement that the Neda’s Investment Coordinating Committee Technical Board endorsed the initiative on January 31, 2012 and was subsequently approved by the Neda Cabinet Committee on February 16, 2012.

The project is now endorsed to the Neda Board…

Payment gateway firm AsiaPay has announced the launch of ePayAlert, an online fraud prevention service and solution suite for protecting banks, payment service providers, airlines, hotels, and merchants from the risks associated with card-not-present transactions.

The customizable solution processes and checks online payment transactions with real-time fraud reporting and alert support.

Fraudulent credit card transactions have become a significant source of income loss to online businesses and with online spending on the rise, fraudulent activity is likely to continue to increase.

Fraud losses not only affect the bottom line but also affect the future revenue of online businesses. The threat puts added pressure on companies to leverage a fraud review process that…

A lawmaker said in a recent Senate hearing on the K-to-12 curricular program that there is a need to enhance science and mathematics education in the Philippines to boost national competitiveness.

Angara

Sen. Edgardo Angara, chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Culture and the Arts, said the country’s lack of technological capacity can be traced back to the lack of good science and math background.

Earlier, the Department of Education (DepEd) made assurances that they are designing the new basic education curriculum to strengthen science education in light of criticisms regarding its announcements about dropping science as a single subject in Grade 1 for 2012-2013.

In a statement, the DepEd clarified that…

Organizations wanting to get their message out could harness the immense power of social media, Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Herminio “Sonny” Coloma Jr. said in a recent speech.

Coloma

Speaking before the members and officers of the Institute of Management Consultants of the Philippines (Imphil), Coloma said communication between people has changed dramatically and that organizations must recognize this seachange.

Coloma was the guest speaker during Imphil’s membership meeting and induction of officers for 2012 held at the Metropolitan Club in Makati City.

In a presentation, Coloma explained that the old communication model is merely a one-way channel. On the other hand, the new communication process allows for multidimensional interaction among people,…

A lawmaker is pushing for the promotion of the rights of mobile phone subscribers by requiring telecommunications service companies to provide the public with detailed information of their services.

Bayan Muna party-list Rep. Teddy Casiño has authored House Bill 5653, which seeks to ensure a pro-people telecommunications industry and promote consumer welfare.

Under the measure to be known as “The Mobile Phone Subscribers Act,” mobile phone service providers, distributors, and retailers are required to file a petition to the National Telecommunications Commission every time they intend to implement any changes in the market price ceilings of basic mobile phone services.

The NTC is also mandated to set the minimum performance metrics based…