PH Turns Over AMEM Chairmanship to Singapore

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36th ASEAN MINISTERS ON ENERGY MEETING:   L-R:  Hon. Dato Mat Suny Hussein, Minister of Energy, Mapower and Industry, Brunei Darussalam; His Excellency (H.E.) Suy Sem, Minister of Mines and Energy, Cambodia; H.E. Dr. Arcandra Tahar, Vice Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Indonesia; The Hon. Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change, Malaysia; H.E. U. Win Khaing, Union Minister of Electricity and Energy, Myanmar, H.E. Alfonso G. Cusi, Secretary, DOE, Philippines;  H.E. Chan Chun Sing, Minister of Trade and Industry, Singapore;  Mr. Koh Poh Koon, Senior Minister of Trade and Industry, Singapore;  H.E. Dr. Siri Jiriponghan, Minister of Energy, Thailand; H.E. Dang Hoang An, Vice Minister of Industry, Vietnam; H.E. Dr. Khamanny Inthirath, Minister of Energy, Lao PDR; H.E. Dato Lim Jock Hoi, Deputy Director General, ASEAN Secretariat,  Dr. Sanjayan Velauthum, Executive Director, ASEAN

Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary and outgoing Chairperson of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM) Alfonso G. Cusi turned over yesterday the AMEM Chairmanship to His Excellency Chan Chun Sing, Singaporean Minister for Trade and Industry, during the 36th AMEM held at the Marina Bay Sands in Singapore.

“While our backgrounds and nationalities in ASEAN may be different, our common denominator has always been a strong commitment to pursue bold ideas and innovative solutions to make our tomorrows better than today. An ideal that can only be realized if it is built on the foundations of regional and public-private cooperation,” Sec. Cusi said in his opening remarks.

He added that these innovations led to the strides made in the past year which included, among others, the success of the Heads of ASEAN Power Utilities/Authorities in advancing multilateral electricity trading under Phase I of the Lao PDR-Thailand-Malaysia-Singapore Power Integration Project and the advancement of the Gas Advocacy White Paper by the ASEAN Council on Petroleum.

AMEM is conducted annually and serves as a platform for ASEAN Energy Ministers to synergize energy cooperation endeavors given that energy is crucial to the realization of the ASEAN Economic Community.

To this end, the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation 2016-2025 was developed and is being implemented in two phases. Phase I covers short to medium-term measures to enhance energy security cooperation over the period 2016-2020, while Phase II will cover the period 2021-2025 and will be dependent upon the implementation of Phase I.

“Let us not to forget our aspirations for regional energy sustainability - to achieve a 23% share of renewable energy in ASEAN’s primary energy mix by 2025, while aiming to reduce regional energy intensity by 20% in 2020 and a further 30% by 2025,” reiterated the Energy Chief.

The 36th AMEM tackled the key outcomes of the 12th East Asia Summit (EAS) and related high-level EAS meetings, the implementation of the Cooperation Programme under the EA Energy Cooperation Work Streams, energy policy research in EAS countries, and the new initiatives under the EAS energy cooperation mechanism.

Singapore will hold the AMEM Chairmanship for one year with Thailand as Vice-Chair.

AMEM is composed of the Energy Ministers of Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam, as well as the ASEAN Secretary General.

A Grand Entrance for Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower

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In photo:  Toasting for the successful launch of Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower are Gottfried Bogensperger, General Manager and Area Vice President of Grand Hyatt Manila​; Pascual M. Garcia III, President of Federal Land Inc.; Japan Minister & Consul General, Atsushi Kuwabara ; Alfred V. Ty,  Chairman of Federal Land Inc.; His Excellency Mr. Sung Kim, U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines, Fumihiko Sato, Vice Chairman of Orix Metro Leasing and Finance Corporation and Johannes Hauri, President of Bonifacio Landmark Realty & Devt Corp.

A grand entrance for Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower. The recent debut of Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower, puts a spotlight on hotel-like living basked in the finest amenities and hospitality parallel to the legendary Grand Hyatt hotel experience.  The new structure completes the two-tower Grand Hyatt branded residences gracing the skyline of North Bonifacio Global City, Taguig, adjacent to Grand Hyatt Manila. As Grand Hyatt’s only residential setting in Southeast Asia, Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower stands regally with 50 stories, cradling 188 spacious residential units across three zones: low, mid, and high.  It has a separate podium next to Grand Hyatt Manila, endowing utmost privacy while allowing residents to still enjoy the hotel’s dining selections and services. Purchasing a home in Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower comes with a Globalist membership to World of Hyatt loyalty program, which lets members earn points when they avail of hotel services and redeem rewards such as dining and spa experiences and room upgrades.  Grand Hyatt Manila and Grand Hyatt Manila Residences South Tower are landmarks of luxury in Grand Central Park, 10-hectare mixed-use development of prime real estate firm, Federal Land, Inc.

5 Reasons Why You Should Post Bail And Get Out Of Jail Until Trial

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Most people are never sure whether the cost of bail bonds is worth the hassle. However, in most cases it is important. In most cases, accused individuals can post bail and stay home as they await their trial. Even though the bail set by most judges can be costly depending on the nature of the crime, a bail bonds company can help you out if you have no access to these funds. Here are five ways that you can benefit from paying your bail and getting out of jail as you await your trial:

You will be more comfortable
Nobody wants to spend time in jail when they can be home until their trial date.  When you pay your bail amount, you will be able to sleep in your own home and bed. In addition, you will also enjoy your freedom and have the opportunity of spending precious time with your loved ones and family. Staying home will be much better than spending time locked up in jail.

Prepare for the trial
When you are locked up in jail, you will still have the right of meeting with your attorney.  However, it most cases it is difficult for you to focus on your trial preparation when you are behind bars. However, when you are not in jail, you will devote adequate time meeting your attorneys, getting solid witnesses and exploring all avenues of your trial. Being in jail can hinder all these moments and interfere with your communication, attention and concentration.

Keep your job
When you spend several days in jail, you may end up losing your job. By posting bail and getting out of jail, you can immediately get back to work. You do not need to have any gaps in the work history, lose your income or lose your job altogether. Unfortunately, most employers will not keep your position while you stay in jail for several weeks or months waiting for the trial. Dayton Castle Bail Bonds Company can help you post bail and get back to work.

Preserve your reputation and image
Even if you are innocent, it can still be embarrassing to be accused of any crime. The longer you keep staying in jail, the more people will notice that you are not there at your usual activities such as school pickups, social events, work and more. Over time, your reputation and image will be damaged when many people learn that you are locked up behind bars. By posting bail and getting out of jail, you will be more discrete regarding your ordeal and will keep your image and reputation intact.

Go to trial dressed well
When you are home, you can go to your trial dressed in your best clothes and make a good first impression. Think of the impression that the jury gets when they see inmates dressed in shackles and jail jumpsuits. People are human and they may not quickly erase this image from their mind and it can cause the judges to have preconceived notions. Even an innocent individual may seem guilty when they are dressed in prison attire. You will look better when you go for your court hearing in a suit instead of being weighed down by shackles and orange jumpsuits.


Posting bail will help you gain your freedom back and get back to your life as you await your trial. Irrespective of the situation that led to your arrest, the whole experience can be frightening. If you have no money, you can seek the services of bail bonds agents and get the cash to post you bail and get your freedom back.