title
stringlengths 2
242
⌀ | author
stringclasses 430
values | publication_date
stringlengths 5
253
⌀ | content
stringlengths 1
31.8k
⌀ | news_source
stringclasses 23
values | link
stringlengths 6
766
⌀ | classification
stringclasses 8
values |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
LIVESTREAM: PCIJ’s 3rd National Investigative Journalism Conference
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
01/05/2024 9:17
|
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is hosting the Third National Investigative Journalism Conference (IJCon) starting Tuesday, April 30.
The event, which marks the 35th founding anniversary of the PCIJ, seeks to “offer a learning, sharing, and capacity-building venue for the participants to appreciate the importance of investigative journalism and watchdog journalism amid the increasingly challenging political and information environments.”
More than 100 participants are expected to join, with many coming from the media, civil society, and the academe across the Philippines.
This year’s keynote speaker is veteran journalist Howie Severino, who also serves as chairperson of PCIJ Board of Editors. PCIJ Executive Director Carmela Fonbuena will deliver the opening remarks.
Rappler is livestreaming the morning plenary sessions from Tuesday, April 30 to Thursday, May 2. Each session starts at 9 am.
Bookmark this page to watch the plenary sessions of the three-day event. – Rappler.com
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/video-pcij-national-investigative-journalism-conference-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3y2TlsiUbqzDWUH4N7qeq63aVM__obcn5edInEDIZzse1LXXg-xpcsO2Y_aem_egGKOsvYfFrVkbI0FqsuBg
|
1
|
Court orders arrest of Manibela head Mar Valbuena over cyber libel charges
|
Jairo Bolledo
|
30/04/2024 8:46
|
TRANSPORT. In this photo, jeepney transport group Manibela head Mar Valbuena, along with jeepney drivers, file a petition at the Office of the Ombudsman accusing the top officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board of violations of the anti-graft practices act in pushing for the government’s PUV Modernization Program and its push for consolidation of franchises to hasten the phaseout of the traditional jeepneys, on February 7, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – A Pasig City court has ordered the arrest of Manibela head Mar Valbuena over the cyber libel charges stemming from the complaints filed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
In an order dated April 23, Presiding Judge Manuel Gerard Tomacruz of Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 158 issued a warrant of arrest against the transport group head. The judge set bail at P10,000 for each of the two counts of cyber libel filed against Valbuena.
The resolution of the prosecution ordering the filing of charges against Valbuena was only publicized last week. In the resolution dated February 22, Assistant State Prosecutor Maria Kristhina Paat-Salumbides recommended the filing of two counts of cyber libel against Valbuena.
The same resolution, meanwhile, junked the grave threats complaint filed against the transport group head for lack of probable cause.
In 2023, Bautista filed the cyber libel complaints against Valbuena who, he said, accused him of alleged corruption. Bautista’s complaints are based on Valbuena’s remarks in a press conference on October 9, where the Manibela head claimed that there was a “lagayan (bribery) scheme” that stretches from the DOTr, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board up to to the Office of the President.
Aside from the cyber libel charges, Valbuena and his fellow Manibela leaders were recently sued by the Quezon City Police District for their alleged “disruptive behavior” during a transport strike earlier in April. Valbuena, however, refuted the police’s claims and said they did not violate any law. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/pasig-court-orders-arrest-mar-valbuena-cyber-libel-charges/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0KEvaelDm5sGdSOvx3fSTgVw-2-q5KERYmqPBaByPbwGr1-CpQRD_YMQw_aem_dZCrH9DTPxWx2zFfUf7HpQ
|
1
|
5 militants killed, 3 soldiers hurt in Lanao del Norte clashes
|
Herbie G
|
30/04/2024 7:44
|
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Army troops engaged a band of militants led by the new leader of the dreaded Dawlah Islamiyah in two encounters in Lanao del Norte on Monday, April 29, killing at least five of them.
Three soldiers were wounded in the clashes, the first of which took place in Barangay Cadayonan in Munai town, Lanao del Norte, the military said.
Major Mark James Mira, chief of the 6th Infantry Division’s public information office, said the troops are still on the hunt for Nasser Daud, a religious leader or ustadz, who emerged as the new leader of the group in the Lanao provinces.
Mira said Daud replaced Khadafi Mimbesa, also Kadapi Mimbesa, known as “The Engineer” and the leader of the terrorist group.
Mimbesa, whose group was identified as behind the bombing of a Mindanao State University (MSU) gym in Marawi during a Catholic Mass last December, was killed by Army soldiers during an encounter on January.
Dawlah Islamiyah, also known as the Maute Group, is a militant organization based in the Philippines. The group has pledged allegiance to the Islamic State (ISIS) and has been involved in various terrorist activities, including attacks, bombings, and clashes with government forces in Mindanao.
In an initial military report, authorities said units from the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade engaged about a dozen militants led by Daud at around 3:45 am in a 45-minute firefight in Cadayonan in Munai.
Soldiers subsequently found three militants dead at the first encounter site, while two soldiers were wounded and evacuated.
A second encounter took place as a team of Army Scout Rangers chased the fleeing militants in Barangay Maganding, also in Munai town.
Mira said two militants were killed, and another soldier was wounded in that gun battle, which lasted for about 10 minutes.
He said several firearms and ammunition bandoliers were found by the soldiers at the scene of the encounters. -Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
Good work to all the army troopers involved. In particular, I appreciate this accomplishment of the Army’s 103rd Infantry Brigade and Army Scout Rangers, which I believe are all under the 6th Infantry Division of the Philippine Army.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/terrorists-killed-soldiers-hurt-lanao-del-norte-clashes-april-29-2024/
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
|
jisaga0269
|
27/04/2024 22:53
|
PVL Images
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) heads to another title showdown between the league’s top sister teams!
Defending champion Creamline and sister squad Choco Mucho dispute the PVL All-Filipino championship for the second straight conference in a best-of-three series. Here’s the schedule:
It’s all even again for the top four teams.
The semifinalists of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle in a single round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the best-of-three finals. Here’s the schedule:
Near-daily volleyball is back to satisfy fans’ hunger for action as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) releases its 2024 All-Filipino Conference schedule, starting on February 20.
The development comes after the UAAP also released its Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournament schedules on a Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation.
The PVL, meanwhile, stays in its usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday slate, kicking off Tuesday, February 20, at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header featuring newcomers Strong Group Athletics and Capital1 taking on contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
Capping off the conference’s first week is an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum, with reloaded Farm Fresh challenging the Creamline dynasty in the 6 pm triple-header main event.
Fans outside NCR, however, will have fewer chances to see their favorite PVL stars live unlike the past conference, as only the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal and the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna are the announced venues away from Metro Manila.
The season-starting All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to run for three months until May 14 at the maximum, unless plans change.
Other notable elimination round matches are Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz on February 27, Petro Gazz vs Creamline on April 6, PLDT vs Chery Tiggo featuring multiple former F2 Logistics veterans on April 16, and the Creamline-Choco Mucho finals rematch on April 18.
Here is the entire conference schedule, as of Wednesday, February 14:
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/game-schedule-premier-league-all-filipino-conference-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3ImCOzd-JNrz1g2zt2byZ4Zw_iPokzAnDEUou_yEkYmI3EsaBgsfwqGRA_aem_UekPV6ci_-DwPbn-VBC3RQ
|
1
|
Court orders arrest of Manibela head Mar Valbuena over cyber libel charges
|
Jairo Bolledo
|
30/04/2024 8:46
|
TRANSPORT. In this photo, jeepney transport group Manibela head Mar Valbuena, along with jeepney drivers, file a petition at the Office of the Ombudsman accusing the top officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board of violations of the anti-graft practices act in pushing for the government’s PUV Modernization Program and its push for consolidation of franchises to hasten the phaseout of the traditional jeepneys, on February 7, 2024.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – A Pasig City court has ordered the arrest of Manibela head Mar Valbuena over the cyber libel charges stemming from the complaints filed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.
In an order dated April 23, Presiding Judge Manuel Gerard Tomacruz of Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 158 issued a warrant of arrest against the transport group head. The judge set bail at P10,000 for each of the two counts of cyber libel filed against Valbuena.
The resolution of the prosecution ordering the filing of charges against Valbuena was only publicized last week. In the resolution dated February 22, Assistant State Prosecutor Maria Kristhina Paat-Salumbides recommended the filing of two counts of cyber libel against Valbuena.
The same resolution, meanwhile, junked the grave threats complaint filed against the transport group head for lack of probable cause.
In 2023, Bautista filed the cyber libel complaints against Valbuena who, he said, accused him of alleged corruption. Bautista’s complaints are based on Valbuena’s remarks in a press conference on October 9, where the Manibela head claimed that there was a “lagayan (bribery) scheme” that stretches from the DOTr, Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board up to to the Office of the President.
Aside from the cyber libel charges, Valbuena and his fellow Manibela leaders were recently sued by the Quezon City Police District for their alleged “disruptive behavior” during a transport strike earlier in April. Valbuena, however, refuted the police’s claims and said they did not violate any law. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/pasig-court-orders-arrest-mar-valbuena-cyber-libel-charges/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3oP1z-eVmZIQwggOm_WLjC0zJGIYL4LRAQsH81zE-VxT-y9gowheEfTzE_aem_bm6UjGLpiERhE2EcVaCBNw
|
1
|
Eldrew Yulo bags 2 golds, 3 silvers in Pacific Rim Championships as PH nets 8 medals
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
29/04/2024 18:50
|
MEDALISTS. (From left) Juancho Miguel Besana, coach Reyland Capellan, Eldrew Yulo, and John Ivan Cruz in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Reyland Capellan Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – The future is bright for Philippine gymnastics.
Eldrew Yulo powered the Philippines’ eight-medal haul in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Cali, Colombia, over the weekend.
Looking to step out of the shadow of his older brother, world champion Carlos, the younger Yulo stamped his class in the junior men’s level as he bagged two golds and three silvers.
Yulo on Sunday, April 28, ruled the floor exercise with 13.5 points as he edged Mexico’s Juan David Hernandez Andrade (13.35) and Colombia’s Camilo Vera (13.3) then went on to top the vault with an average of 14.025 points.
Netting 14.75 and 13.3 points in each of his two vault attempts, Yulo bested Chile’s Agustin Espinoza (13.9) and Hong Kong’s Ching Cheung (13.875).
Yulo also bagged silvers in pommel horse and still rings on top of the silver he won in the individual all-around on Saturday, April 27.
John Ivan Cruz delivered for the Philippines as well as he reigned in vault in the senior men’s division.
The floor exercise champion in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Cruz showcased his proficiency in vault with an average of 14.45 points to beat out Hong Kong’s Ka Ki Ng (13.95).
Another Filipino completed the vault podium as Juancho Miguel Besana nailed bronze with 13.9 points.
The Philippine men’s artistic gymnastics team flourished under the tutelage of coach Reyland Capellan, a former two-time SEA Games champion in floor exercise.
In senior women’s play, Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano snagged bronze in vault after tallying 12.2 points to finish behind Costa Rica’s Franciny Morales (12.7) and New Zealand’s Ava Fitzgerald (12.65).
Justin Ace de Leon, Jhon Santillan, Jan Gwynn Timbang, Iza Yulo, and Kursten Lopez also represented the Philippines in the Colombia tiff. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/eldrew-yulo-results-pacific-rim-gymnastics-championships-april-28-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1i4m3PPHrqabF9HmbMMJMEcmEFr41QXM0hCZ-8BIcwqEHNiRpfCAGTuOo_aem_TsTEu4Z1Q3Q7zPVyLO7nag
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: Marcos is still president
|
Ailla Dela Cruz
|
30/04/2024 7:15
|
Claim: President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has resigned from office.
Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube channel with 106,000 subscribers posted a video containing the claim on April 28. The video currently has 2,500 views and 90 likes.
The video’s thumbnail bears the claim: “Sa wakas PBBM bumaba sa pwesto. Ito ang nakakagimbal na balita ngayon.” (Finally, PBBM has resigned. This is today’s shocking news.)
The facts: Marcos still serves as the president of the Philippines.
No news outlet has reported on his alleged resignation and neither are there announcements on his official social media accounts.
Marcos is still exercising his duties as president. On Monday, April 29, he was in Maguindanao del Norte for the 10th anniversary commemoration of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro and the inauguration of the Malitubog-Maridagao Irrigation Project Stage II in Pikit, Cotabato.
What the Constitution says: When a president resigns, his vice president shall assume his role, as provided in Section 8, Article VII of the 1987 Constitution. To resign, the president shall submit a written declaration that he is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office” to the Senate president and the speaker of the House, according to Section 11, Article VII of the Constitution. Marcos has not made any such declaration, contrary to the video’s claim.
No proof presented: The video did not provide any proof to support its claim. Instead, it merely cited calls for Marcos’ supposed resignation among those who attended a prayer rally organized last month by supporters of doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy, who is currently facing multiple charges, including sexual and human trafficking, child and sexual abuse, and money laundering.
Quiboloy is a known ally of former president Rodrigo Duterte. During the prayer rally, Quiboloy and Duterte supporters called for Marcos’ resignation and floated a Duterte-Duterte tandem for the 2028 elections, with Vice President Sara Duterte running for president and her father seeking the vice presidency.
Marcos-Duterte rift: The video was uploaded amid a growing rift between the Marcoses and Dutertes. On April 19, First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos spoke out against Sara Duterte, saying her husband’s running mate had “crossed the line” when she supposedly laughed at her father’s jab accusing Marcos of drug use.
The timing of the video also coincided with recent surveys showing Sara Duterte among the top contenders for the 2028 presidential election. A Pulse Asia survey conducted in March showed that Sara is statistically tied with Senator Raffy Tulfo in first place among potential presidential candidates. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/marcos-still-president-april-30-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2y7AkzaClDAGDt35W9eOlnpx2hMHtOG-MgO2tTY1ZgXXirJAFVlr9lKDY_aem_XKK65u2icRX2ke2h5AT4Ug
|
1
|
LIVESTREAM: PCIJ’s 3rd National Investigative Journalism Conference
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
01/05/2024 9:17
|
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) is hosting the Third National Investigative Journalism Conference (IJCon) starting Tuesday, April 30.
The event, which marks the 35th founding anniversary of the PCIJ, seeks to “offer a learning, sharing, and capacity-building venue for the participants to appreciate the importance of investigative journalism and watchdog journalism amid the increasingly challenging political and information environments.”
More than 100 participants are expected to join, with many coming from the media, civil society, and the academe across the Philippines.
This year’s keynote speaker is veteran journalist Howie Severino, who also serves as chairperson of PCIJ Board of Editors. PCIJ Executive Director Carmela Fonbuena will deliver the opening remarks.
Rappler is livestreaming the morning plenary sessions from Tuesday, April 30 to Thursday, May 2. Each session starts at 9 am.
Bookmark this page to watch the plenary sessions of the three-day event. – Rappler.com
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/video-pcij-national-investigative-journalism-conference-2024/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1daFYdydajmRaeYqvj9BM3dwaisyKjUmmtNEdFzVSkFrSv9_xdHf32M6w_aem_fT-jPRk1YhJ3G-yRK4Nk6w
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: Chavit Singson not endorsing unregistered joint pain cure
|
jpcruz0306
|
30/04/2024 6:00
|
Claim: Former Ilocos Sur governor Luis “Chavit” Singson is endorsing a supplement that claims to cure joint pain.
Why we fact-checked this: The post bearing the claim has gained 3,000 reactions, 443 comments, and 608 shares as of writing.
It came from a Facebook page posing as an account of Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, which has 1,200 followers.
The video shows Singson seemingly attesting to the effectiveness of the joint pain cure, saying that he felt better after taking the supplement for two weeks. The product, according to the video, was recommended by medical content creator Dr. Alvin Francisco.
The post directs the public to a website where they can buy a product called MaxiFlex. This website displays the logo of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and features a supposed interview of Vergeire with talk show host Boy Abunda, vouching for the said product.
The facts: The video of Singson endorsing supplements for arthritis and joint pain is manipulated.
The altered video originated from the former governor’s public apology regarding his illegal use of the EDSA bus lane on April 8. Nowhere in the 2:11-minute video did the Ilocos Sur businessman endorse any product. A closer look at the altered video also shows that Singson’s mouth movements appear unnatural.
Similarly, Vergeire did not endorse any health product in her interview with Abunda on January 28, 2023.
In a previous article, Rappler also debunked the claim that Dr. Alvin Francisco is endorsing MaxiFlex.
Unregistered with FDA: The FDA does not list MaxiFlex among its registered drug or cosmetic products.
Past fact-checks: Rappler has fact-checked various health-related claims touting the treatment and prevention of ailments like diabetes, hypertension, and cancer. These misleading posts typically include the names or photographs of celebrities and medical professionals:
– James Patrick Cruz/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/chavit-singson-not-endorsing-unregistered-joint-pain-cure/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR29VxGm3qsyUohB7wLHVt8Vh1NkPUd9ts_FaRRUn8TFKxcZuWQ_7gANRmw_aem_mAGzyGkn4lrK_JJQVErDlg
|
1
|
After deadline, unconsolidated jeepneys have until mid-May before LTFRB crackdown
|
lkyu0285
|
29/04/2024 20:40
|
STRIKE. Jeepney drivers plying the Guadalupe-Pedro Gil route encourage their fellow drivers along Agoncillo Street in Manila to join their transport strike protesting the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, on November 20, 2023.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will give unconsolidated jeepneys a 15-day leeway to still ply their routes before the government starts impounding their vehicles.
“Initially, during the first 15 days, sawayin muna ‘yung mga tao, bigyan ng reminder. Hindi naman po kaagad-agad (we’ll just tell people off, give them a reminder. It won’t be implemented right away),” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said in a DZBB radio interview on Monday, April 29.
This comes just as the “final” deadline for jeepney consolidation approaches on Tuesday, April 30. The LTFRB has yet to release a memorandum circular stating exactly what will happen to unconsolidated jeepneys starting Wednesday, May 1, and whether or not they will be considered “colorum.” However, Guadiz has said in the past that those who fail to consolidate will have their franchises revoked.
The consolidation requirement has prompted repeated protests from some transportation groups, led by PISTON and Manibela, including an ongoing transport strike from Monday to Wednesday. Both groups oppose the revocation of their individual franchises.
PISTON and Manibela have also declared their intention to continue plying their routes after Tuesday, even if their jeepneys have not been consolidated. Guadiz warned that if jeepney operators and drivers do not heed the agency, the state would have the right to impound their vehicles.
“Pagbibigyan muna namin sila. Sasabihin namin huwag na kayong bumiyahe, bigyan namin sila ng show cause order. Pero despite all of this at talagang tuloy-tuloy pa rin po, ang pulis na ka-partner ng LTFRB ang magpapatupad niyan, iimpound po ‘yung sasakyan nila,” Guadiz said in the radio interview.
(We’ll give them some leeway first. We’ll tell them not to ply their routes and serve them a show cause order. But if they continue despite all of this, the police in partnership with the LTFRB will enforce the policy and impound their vehicles.)
Jeepney operators and drivers could face hefty penalties reaching P50,000, along with a one-year suspension for drivers. Impounded jeepneys will also be taken to an impounding facility in Tarlac.
In the meantime, Guadiz said operators have until 10 pm of Tuesday to file even just partial requirements to signify their intent to consolidate.
The LTFRB has yet to release an updated consolidation rate or a list of routes that could be affected come Wednesday. Rappler has followed up multiple times, but the agency said it was still finalizing figures.
The latest figures released to the media showed that as of April 1, 2024, more than 77% of public utility vehicle units have consolidated nationwide, which corresponds to about 75% of routes. Meanwhile, the consolidation rate in the National Capital Region based on PUV units remains to be just 52.54% – the lowest throughout the country, although this is equivalent to around 80% of routes, according to the LTFRB.
Based on LTFRB data as of December 31, 2023, there were 395 jeepney routes in Metro Manila with no consolidated entities. Nationwide, up to 1,948 routes had no consolidated jeepney or UV Express entities.
Currently, Guadiz said there are about 600 jeepneys in Metro Manila affiliated with PISTON and Manibela, the two transport groups most vocal in opposing the mandatory consolidation. The LTFRB chairman said he has already talked to other “rescue routes” that can take over routes that may be affected once unconsolidated jeepneys are off the road.
He also said displaced jeepney drivers could be absorbed by other cooperatives who will need additional manpower to serve new routes.
“‘Yung mga tsuper na nawalan ho ng jeepney na ipapasada po, meron pong mga bakante rito,” Guadiz said in the radio interview. “Ang mawawalan is the operator. Dahil hindi niya sinama ‘yung jeep niya, mawawalan siya ng hanapbuhay. Pero si driver po, na-aabsorb ng mga existing cooperatives.“
(Those drivers who will lose jeepneys to ply can fill other vacancies. It’s the operators who will miss out. Because they didn’t include their jeep, they will lose their livelihood. But for the driver, they can be absorbed by existing cooperatives.)
These same reassurances were given by former Office of Transportation Cooperatives chairman Jesus Ferdinand “Andy” Ortega, who said existing cooperatives promised to accept drivers from operators who were unable to consolidate.
Ortega, who now sits as the road transport and infrastructure undersecretary, emphasized that the April 30 deadline will not be adjusted to accommodate any group anymore.
“‘Yung ayaw talaga sumama sa consolidation now are the same people or group na talagang hindi sasali last year when I came to office (Those who really don’t want to consolidate now are the same people or group that didn’t want to join last year when I came to office),” Ortega said in a recent media briefing with transport cooperatives.
“It’s really more of respecting their decision na ayaw sumali (that they don’t want to join),” he said, adding that “almost 80%” have agreed to consolidate.
But some transport workers continue to fight back against the government’s policy of mandatory consolidation.
On Monday, transport groups led by PISTON, along with the Bayan Muna party, filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to issue a temporary restraining order against the modernization program.
The groups’ petition argues that the consolidation requirement was “carried out by forces, rather than affiliation” with jeepney drivers “compelled to join cooperatives through coercion or undue influence, such as threats of license revocation or denial of permits.”
The groups also pointed to the prohibitive cost of some imported modern jeepneys, which can reach up to P2.8 million each – unaffordable for most operators, even with the “measly” government subsidy. (READ: Anti-poor? How gov’t defends PUV modernization, why jeepney stakeholders oppose it)
Transport groups filed a similar petition challenging the modernization program before the SC in December 2023, but that was denied in early March 2024.
PISTON also announced its ongoing three-day nationwide strike on Saturday, April 27. Although Manibela has not explicitly stated that it would join the strike, the group’s chairman Mar Valbuena said they stand in solidarity with their fellow operators and drivers.
“Itong tatanggalin natin ng trabaho ngayong Mayo 1, isipin mo – Araw ng Paggawa, ‘yun ‘yung araw na mawawalan kami ng hanapbuhay (This loss of jobs on May 1, think about it – it’s Labor Day, and that’s the very day that we’ll lose our livelihood),” Valbuena said in a press conference on Monday morning. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/unconsolidated-jeepneys-have-until-mid-may-2024-before-ltfrb-crackdown/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3S6KqRrnS96_ynvhhnMa4_bmtpqO0zs6QO_LIQN9xIpC35bZZwVZJsIwA_aem_XP6ywj_PZiw4_h9ljYvOlg
|
1
|
Maharlika eyes investments in Clark Freeport, New Clark City
|
Ralf Rivas
|
29/04/2024 21:20
|
PARTNERSHIP. Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Joshua Bingcang (second from right) and Maharlika Investment Corporation President and CEO Rafael Consing Jr. (second from left) sign a memorandum of understanding.
BCDA
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s sovereign wealth fund is eyeing major investments in the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Central Luzon.
The Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday, April 29, to explore investment opportunities in the latter’s portfolio.
The BCDA and MIC will “further discuss, share knowledge, and explore potential collaboration opportunities that will lead to a development of a feasibility study report.”
The MIC did not disclose a ballpark figure, but enumerated big-ticket items up for assessment, including:
“The Maharlika Investment Corporation, born from the vision of our nation’s leadership, carries a twin mandate: to secure a high rate of return on investments while simultaneously serving as a catalyst for the Philippines’ socioeconomic advancement. Our collaboration with the esteemed BCDA embodies this dual commitment,” said MIC President and Chief Executive Officer Rafael Consing Jr.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto lauded the partnership, saying that it would create sustainable urban communities and generate job opportunities.
“I cannot think of a better inaugural investment portfolio for Maharlika than the BCDA’s flagship infrastructure projects within the vibrant Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone,” Recto said.
After the MOU signing ceremony, Recto received on behalf of the Bureau of the Treasury a check worth P1.1 billion from the BCDA representing its dividend remittance from its 2023 earnings, for the national government’s development programs and projects. This is double its total remittance of P527 million from its 2022 earnings.
It also brought the BCDA’s total dividend contribution to the national government since its founding in 1992 to around P9.6 billion. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/maharlika-fund-eyes-investments-bcda-clark-freeport-special-economic-zone/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1DMTEL4cdQYD_fxM82dsc4GVIj6ybN2EIAAaDjbjetyccl4MRlqEPohww_aem_8o7FRckAj2zCeZzyx1Nucw
|
1
|
MVP candidate Angge Poyos not after individual award, keeps eye on UAAP crown
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
29/04/2024 22:28
|
SCORER. Angge Poyos in action for the UST Golden Tigresses in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – A stellar run with the UST Golden Tigresses has put Angge Poyos in the running to become just the third rookie to win MVP in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
NU Bulldogs star Bella Belen and La Salle Lady Spikers ace Angel Canino were the only two other players to achieve the feat.
Be that as it may, Poyos’ focus is on the bigger picture.
Poyos said the Season 86 crown is at the top of her list as the Tigresses enter the Final Four with a twice-to-beat bonus after beating the Lady Spikers at the end of the elimination round to secure the second seed.
The high-scoring Poyos dropped 22 points in the four-set win over the defending champions on Saturday, April 27 – a performance that earned her “MVP” chants from UST hopefuls.
“I have no expectations to get the award. That is just a bonus. The important thing for me is the championship. That has been our goal this season,” said Poyos in Filipino.
Poyos ended the elimination round as the second-leading scorer in the entire league with 290 points, just a point behind the record of fellow super rookie Casiey Dongallo of the UE Lady Warriors.
Her scoring will be crucial as the Tigresses look to complete their season sweep of the third seed Lady Spikers when they meet in the Final Four on Sunday, May 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
A win on Sunday will propel UST to its first finals appearance since Season 81 in 2019 and push the Tigresses closer to winning their first championship since Season 72 in 2010.
In the other Final Four pairing, top seed NU aims to make quick work of fourth seed FEU Lady Tamaraws on Saturday, May 4, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/angge-poyos-not-after-mvp-award-keeps-eye-crown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR22Pyv7Ofvarnc0mRBeAzhIwFRoqC21QdFPK8OT1GJxFySIwaSg1cN8zao_aem_oQF2PCCdBhYp43KAF_C1cA
|
1
|
View from Manila: Propaganda masters? China drags Teodoro, Año in latest Ayungin narrative
|
Bea Cupin
|
29/04/2024 21:56
|
STAKING CLAIMS. A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Ayungin Shoal, on March 29, 2014.
Erik de Castro/Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – The latest from China in its continuing narrative on the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) is that no less than Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año had entered into an “internal understanding” and a “new model” with Beijing to keep the peace in the shoal. But Teodoro and Año branded this as mere propaganda.
Over the weekend, anonymous Chinese or foreign officials spoke with Filipino journalists about Ayungin Shoal, located just over 120 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province. It’s a hot spot between both countries because the Philippines’ BRP Sierra Madre, which was ran aground in 1999 within the vicinity, now serves as the country’s outpost in the area.
In an exclusive interview, a “foreign diplomat who is familiar with talks between [Manila and Beijing]” told the Inquirer that it was Teodoro and Año who supposedly approved an “internal understanding” with Beijing about a “new model” of avoiding conflict in the shoal.
In another exclusive interview, a “ranking Chinese official” made the same claim to the Manila Times – that an “internal understanding” and “new model” were reached by both sides, and that it had the supposed knowledge and approval of Teodoro and Año.
Claims from the Chinese side about an “internal understanding” and “new model” over the West Philippine Sea issue are not new. But the nature of such “understanding” has evolved over the past few weeks and months.
Here’s a quick summary of what Chinese officials – named or anonymous – have made when it comes to the Ayungin Shoal.
The promise to tow it away. China claims that back when BRP Sierra Madre was first ran aground, the Philippines promised to tow it away. Repeated requests from the media for China to identify who made the promise have gone unanswered. Officials during the Estrada administration (and their relatives) have either denied any such promise or have actively evaded the question. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that if such a promise exists, he considers it as good as rescinded.
“A gentleman’s agreement” made under former president Rodrigo Duterte. The former president himself seemed unsure, at first, if it was specifically about Ayungin Shoal but confirmed that the supposed agreement – also referred to as a “common understanding” – with Beijing was to maintain the “status quo” in the West Philippine Sea.
It was an anonymous Chinese official who first brought up the so-called gentlemen’s agreement in an interview with the Manila Times. In that same story, the said official bemoaned the Marcos administration’s supposed “inaction” toward Chinese proposals to “normalize” the situation in the South China Sea.
Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs fumed over the disclosure of these discussions, saying that Beijing’s proposals would lead to “actions that would be deemed as acquiescence or recognition of China’s control and administration over the Ayungin Shoal as China’s territory.”
In other words, Beijing’s proposals were hard no-gos for Manila.
An “internal understanding” that was supposedly made in September 2023, according to the Inquirer story. China has noted in the past that in September 2023, Marcos’ special envoy to China for special concerns Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. visited Beijing for consultations.
A supposed “new model” agreed upon by the Philippines and China in end-2023, according to the Manila Times. The anonymous Chinese official claimed this was brokered through the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Western Command, whose area of operation includes the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine officials, across the board, have denied entering into such agreements.
Over the weekend, Teodoro said the defense department has not cut any deal with Chinese officials since the start of the Marcos administration in June 2022 (he only came in after the first year of the administration, when the appointment ban on losing 2022 candidates expired).
“As a matter of fact, the Department of National Defense has not had any contact with any Chinese government officials since last year. The narrative that unnamed or unidentified Chinese officials are propagating is another crude attempt to advance a falsehood,” said Teodoro.
He added: “This is all a part of the Chinese propaganda effort to steer the Filipino people’s attention away from the real issue and cause of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, which is China’s obstinate refusal to adhere to UNCLOS, which they are a signatory to.”
In a separate statement, National Security spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said “propaganda masters are clearly working overtime in Beijing to sow discord and division in our country” to push its claim that the Philippines is the troublemaker and promise-breaker.
“The Chinese Embassy is reminded that any understanding without the authorization of the President has no force and effect. And therefore, the Philippines never broke any agreement because there was none to begin with,” he added.
Malaya also warned “the public, most especially the media” over China’s “trap.” “These are the same people who said that the entire South China Sea is theirs, who militarized artificial islands, who created military bases in our EEZ, who claim that the videos of blocking, dangerous manuevers, and water cannons are all fabricated by the media in cahoots with the PH government.”
To be sure, Manila and Beijing’s row in the West Philippine Sea is as much about narratives and stories as it is about naval and maritime presence.
Retired Chinese military senior colonel Zhou Bo, now a fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, told the South China Morning Post that China’s use of water cannons in Ayungin Shoal or Scarborough Shoal were “deterrence, not a use of force.”
To a question about possible US involvement in the South China Sea issue, Zhou also said: “I hope the Philippines would not be stupid to become more adventurous. They should know they don’t stand a chance vis-à-vis China. The strength of the Chinese side is way beyond that of the Philippines. Even if this situation may continue for a while, eventually the Philippine government will have to back down.”
Thus far, both in public and private, Marcos’ instructions when it comes to the Sierra Madre is clear: it should always be manned, and it should never be abandoned.
That’s easier said than done.
While the AFP has, through the years, found ways to improve the living conditions of the soldiers who are stationed there for weeks and months at a time. Soldiers have access to the internet, so they’re able to check in on relatives.
Tweaks and upgrades have also been made through the years to make sure that they’re as comfortable as can be aboard a rusting war ship and that the Sierra Madre isn’t blown away should a strong typhoon hit the area.
They’ve another debacle to contend with, as temperatures hit record highs on land: the unbearable heat of the open seas. But we’re told that the team on the Sierra Madre has adequate supplies, especially drinking water.
We’re also entering week two of Balikatan 2024.
The Multilateral Maritime Exercise in the West Philippine Sea with the Philippines, US, and France just concluded, which means the Vendémiaire and BRP Ramon Alcaraz should be separating from the other two Navy ships to conduct a bilateral sail, also in the West Philippine Sea.
US and Philippine vessels will sail back to land for air assault, beach landing, and live fire demonstrations in Palawan. The following week, Balikatan wraps up with two major exercises in Laoag City, capital of Ilocos Norte, which is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s home province: a counter-landing and ship-sinking exercise.
It’s during the latter two weeks of Balikatan that the Philippines and US will be flexing their military assets, and, more importantly, their capability to work together.
A Chinese Navy ship was spotted in the vicinity of four navy ships that participated in the Balikatan exercises. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
As usual, the Chinese propagandists strike again. How about their local cohorts? Are they dragging Teodoro and Año, too?
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/view-manila-china-drags-teodoro-ano-in-latest-narrative-on-ayungin-shoal/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3iUkpLTqmilpBgPSqwAvpFkvCzVq7SHq3xjRXwQIPfESJH0fZFgBgQtYI_aem_bmQm1Q4w1QMVpQoBR34o2A
|
1
|
Valenzuela LGU’s class suspension policy now takes heat index into account
|
jpcruz0306
|
29/04/2024 21:13
|
Class Opening in Valenzuela City
Office of Senator Sherwin Gatchalian
MANILA, Philippines – The Valenzuela City government has revised its class suspension ordinance, now factoring in the “dangerous heat index” for automatic suspension of face-to-face classes.
The heat index, according to state weather bureau PAGASA, is what people “perceive or feel as the temperature affecting their body.” It is deemed “dangerous” if it reaches 42°C or above.
Under this amendment, in-person classes and work in public and private schools from pre-school to secondary level will be automatically suspended and shall shift to online synchronous and asynchronous modes when the “dangerous heat index” threshold is reached.
Meanwhile, the suspension of classes in public and private tertiary-level schools will depend on the announcement of the city mayor or the discretion of the school administration.
These mentioned amendments to the ordinance were made on Friday, April 26.
“With the extreme heat waves rendering on-site school facilities [not conducive] to learning and perceived hazardous to health, the local government pursues relevant action to protect its citizens while also upholding the quality of education for students,” the city government said on Monday, April 29.
Across the country, classes in public schools were suspended from April 29 to 30, due to extreme heat and a nationwide transportation strike.
Many other local government units, since the beginning of April, have also suspended classes due to excessive heat.
In February, the Department of Education announced a gradual shift back to the old academic calendar, starting classes in June and observing a break from April to May, in response to summer heat.
Critics, however, argue that it is only a stopgap measure that ultimately fails to address the country’s inadequately ventilated classrooms, unsuitable for the Philippines’ extreme heat.
Other local government units, such as the provincial government of Cavite and Binmaley town in Pangasinan, already shifted to a four-day work week also due to the dangerous heat levels. – with reports from Bonz Magsambol/ Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/metro-manila/valenzuela-city-ordinance-factors-dangerous-heat-index-class-suspension-policy/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR306RqRjS1jbWi00dxnzBhLxGyb3G9Uej5gMzJ3sszqzHTcsvPX5co2Mr0_aem_86WTDDo52C9NY78rHvmjQg
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: Spanish frigate Cristóbal Colón not in PH for maritime cooperation activities
|
Lorenz Pasion
|
29/04/2024 21:30
|
Claim: Spanish frigate Cristóbal Colón (F-105) is in the Philippines for maritime cooperation activities.
Why we fact-checked this: The YouTube video bearing the claim has over 6,628 views and 130 likes as of writing.
At the video’s 0:27 mark, a narrator says: “Sa isang simbolikong pagpapakita ng kooperasyong pandagat at bilateral na relasyon ang makabagong barkong pandigma ng Spanish Navy, ang Cris Balcon F-105, ay dumating sa Pilipinas ngayon.”
(In a symbolic show of maritime cooperation and bilateral relations, an advanced Spanish Navy warship, Cris Balcon F-105, arrived in the Philippines.)
The video also says that the frigate, shown to have the pennant number F-105, was docked at the Manila South Harbor.
The bottom line: The clip of the frigate shown in the YouTube video starting at the 0:27 mark was originally from a video by YouTube user Ramón Puig de Llano uploaded on the platform on January 18, 2020. In his video, Llano says he shot Cristóbal Colón’s arrival at La Coruna, a port city in Spain’s Galicia region.
No official reports: The official Facebook pages of the Spanish Navy, Spanish Defense Staff, the Embassy of Spain in the Philippines, and the Philippine Navy do not have any announcements regarding the alleged arrival of Cristóbal Colón in the Philippines for a maritime cooperation activity. The false report also comes amid rising tensions between the Philippines and China in the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine-Spain relations: The Spanish Navy has made several visits to the Philippines in recent years.
On September 5, 2019, the Spanish Navy frigate Méndez Núñez (F-104) arrived at Pier 15 of the South Harbor in Manila for a goodwill visit. This is the first time that a Spanish Navy ship traversed the waters off Cavite and Manila after the Philippines gained independence from Spain in June 1898, the Philippine Navy said.
High-ranking Spanish defense officials also went to the Philippines in 2020 and 2021 for official visits.
The Philippine and Spanish navies also trained together in a joint sea exercise on October 14, 2023, at the Gulf of Aden. The joint exercise was led by the Philippines’ Combined Task Force 151 and was composed of Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force‘s JS Ikazuchi (DD107), Spanish Ship Navarra (F85), and Marina Militare Francesco Morosini (P431) of Italy.
Rising tensions in WPS: Several countries have shown support for the Philippines amid ongoing Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea, as Beijing continues to defy a 2016 arbitral ruling invalidating its sweeping claims over the South China Sea.
Following the most recent incident of the China Coast Guard using water cannons against Philippine vessels last March, ambassadors of the European Union (EU), United Kingdom, the Netherlands, France, and Germany issued statements expressing concern. (READ: Foreign governments stand with Philippines after latest incident in Ayungin Shoal)
EU Ambassador to the Philippines Luc Veron said that he was “concerned by recurring dangerous manoeuvres, blocking and water-cannoning from Chinese Coast Guard vessels and Maritime Militia against Philippine vessels engaged in resupply missions.”
A few days after the incident, the Philippines, Australia, Japan, and the United States conducted a maritime cooperative activity to “uphold the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, and respect for maritime rights under international law” in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone. – Lorenz Pasion/Rappler.com
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/spanish-frigate-cristobal-colon-not-in-philippines-maritime-cooperation-activities-april-29-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1N1-YHbcLQQFSFAIdBDgsVMQ0B4rL2xteGrXe2kwkK92banuMhpP5m9M8_aem_4MX4HtiiCx7usOuQYTQDxg
|
1
|
How can excessive heat affect you and your body?
|
Kaycee
|
29/04/2024 20:25
|
Pedestrians cover their heads as they experience a 40 degress celsius heat index in Manila, on April 2, 2024.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The dry season is upon us, and the sweltering heat isn’t going anywhere soon.
According to state weather bureau PAGASA, the highest heat index recorded so far was 53°C on April 28 in Zambales’ Iba town. Temperatures continue to be at dangerous levels or around 42°C to 51°C, and PAGASA said it may even get hotter in May.
The Department of Health (DOH) has already warned Filipinos to take precautions to keep themselves safe as temperatures continue to rise. So far, there have been 34 heat-related illnesses reported as of April 18. The department said the highest number recorded was in 2023 at 513 cases.
Here are the common heat-related illnesses and how to avoid them:
Staying hydrated is important as it could help one avoid other heat-related illnesses, including heat stroke, among other health conditions.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, these are the symptoms of mild and moderate dehydration:
For babies and children, other symptoms include:
Drinking water throughout the day helps.
Excessive sweating because of the heat can be bad for the skin. This could lead to blistering or what is called a heat rash, which can be itchy.
The blisters commonly form in areas such as the neck, the groin area, under the breasts, elbow creases, and even on the upper chest, although the blisters can form in any part of the body. While it is usually reddish, the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) noted that it may be “less obvious” for brown-skinned people.
Both the DOH and the NHS have advised the public to wear loose clothing in extreme heat to help regulate body temperature. This can also help the skin from getting irritated from clothing materials and skin rubbing together.
If one does get a heat rash and it gets uncomfortably itchy, the NHS said that using damp cloths or an ice pack on the affected area for at least 20 minutes may help ease the itch. Instead of scratching the itchy area, patting or tapping the rash can help too.
John Hopkins Medicine noted that heat cramps are considered the “mildest” heat illness. This usually happens during or after exercising or working under extreme temperatures, with the cramping or muscle spasms felt in the legs, arms, or abdomen.
When a person experiences heat cramps, drinking water or something with electrolytes can help. The person should also be allowed to rest in a cool area, while an ice massage can help soothe the spot where the cramping occurs.
If the cramping does not go away after an hour, it is advised to seek medical help.
Heat exhaustion usually happens when someone loses too much water and salt, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Those vulnerable include senior citizens, those with high blood pressure, and anyone working under the sun or anywhere hot.
Symptoms of heat exhaustion include being very thirsty, tiredness, dizziness, headaches, feeling sick, excessive sweating with the skin getting pale or getting a heat rash, high temperature, and having a fast heartbeat. This means your body is overheating.
Heat exhaustion can be treated by moving to a cooler place, removing unnecessary clothing, and drinking cold water. Cold packs may also help regulate body temperature.
Harvard Health said that heat stroke is the “potentially life-threatening form” of heat-related illness as extreme heat can damage heart muscle cells and blood vessels, as well as affect and damage internal organs.
Someone can be vulnerable to heat stroke if they are not used to high temperatures, not wearing proper clothing when it’s hot, deprived of sleep, overweight, or dehydrated.
There are several “warning symptoms,” which include abdominal and muscle cramps, being nauseous or dizzy, vomiting, having a headache, feeling weak, and either excessive sweating or the lack of it.
Harvard Health noted other neurological symptoms, including “odd behavior,” irritability, delusions, hallucinations, seizures, and getting into a coma.
One can prevent getting heat stroke by following some of the tips the DOH gave the public. These include staying hydrated, avoiding or limiting going outside from 10 am to 4 pm, wearing lightweight or loose clothing, and avoiding drinking iced tea, soda, coffee, and alcoholic drinks. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/how-can-excessive-heat-affect-you-and-your-body/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1P7DZoCcDZMuCED9zRLUbC69kFj5M2xnRebeEBWPSVHaR4fFdFBNsLmok_aem_kzMIBEmli3mgIXwdo--IQw
|
1
|
MVP candidate Angge Poyos not after individual award, keeps eye on UAAP crown
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
29/04/2024 22:28
|
SCORER. Angge Poyos in action for the UST Golden Tigresses in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – A stellar run with the UST Golden Tigresses has put Angge Poyos in the running to become just the third rookie to win MVP in the UAAP women’s volleyball tournament.
NU Bulldogs star Bella Belen and La Salle Lady Spikers ace Angel Canino were the only two other players to achieve the feat.
Be that as it may, Poyos’ focus is on the bigger picture.
Poyos said the Season 86 crown is at the top of her list as the Tigresses enter the Final Four with a twice-to-beat bonus after beating the Lady Spikers at the end of the elimination round to secure the second seed.
The high-scoring Poyos dropped 22 points in the four-set win over the defending champions on Saturday, April 27 – a performance that earned her “MVP” chants from UST hopefuls.
“I have no expectations to get the award. That is just a bonus. The important thing for me is the championship. That has been our goal this season,” said Poyos in Filipino.
Poyos ended the elimination round as the second-leading scorer in the entire league with 290 points, just a point behind the record of fellow super rookie Casiey Dongallo of the UE Lady Warriors.
Her scoring will be crucial as the Tigresses look to complete their season sweep of the third seed Lady Spikers when they meet in the Final Four on Sunday, May 5, at the Mall of Asia Arena.
A win on Sunday will propel UST to its first finals appearance since Season 81 in 2019 and push the Tigresses closer to winning their first championship since Season 72 in 2010.
In the other Final Four pairing, top seed NU aims to make quick work of fourth seed FEU Lady Tamaraws on Saturday, May 4, at the Araneta Coliseum. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/angge-poyos-not-after-mvp-award-keeps-eye-crown/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1QCOM3eCCA3hbVyZj0116NQ_W6Coi66WJ0Jau9SDGHg9ug1X1-VLQcKb4_aem_58GJ_GXYaNdHcoE1XIt_aA
|
1
|
Maharlika eyes investments in Clark Freeport, New Clark City
|
Ralf Rivas
|
29/04/2024 21:20
|
PARTNERSHIP. Bases Conversion and Development Authority President and CEO Joshua Bingcang (second from right) and Maharlika Investment Corporation President and CEO Rafael Consing Jr. (second from left) sign a memorandum of understanding.
BCDA
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s sovereign wealth fund is eyeing major investments in the Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone in Central Luzon.
The Maharlika Investment Corporation (MIC) and the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) inked a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Monday, April 29, to explore investment opportunities in the latter’s portfolio.
The BCDA and MIC will “further discuss, share knowledge, and explore potential collaboration opportunities that will lead to a development of a feasibility study report.”
The MIC did not disclose a ballpark figure, but enumerated big-ticket items up for assessment, including:
“The Maharlika Investment Corporation, born from the vision of our nation’s leadership, carries a twin mandate: to secure a high rate of return on investments while simultaneously serving as a catalyst for the Philippines’ socioeconomic advancement. Our collaboration with the esteemed BCDA embodies this dual commitment,” said MIC President and Chief Executive Officer Rafael Consing Jr.
Finance Secretary Ralph Recto lauded the partnership, saying that it would create sustainable urban communities and generate job opportunities.
“I cannot think of a better inaugural investment portfolio for Maharlika than the BCDA’s flagship infrastructure projects within the vibrant Clark Freeport and Special Economic Zone,” Recto said.
After the MOU signing ceremony, Recto received on behalf of the Bureau of the Treasury a check worth P1.1 billion from the BCDA representing its dividend remittance from its 2023 earnings, for the national government’s development programs and projects. This is double its total remittance of P527 million from its 2022 earnings.
It also brought the BCDA’s total dividend contribution to the national government since its founding in 1992 to around P9.6 billion. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/maharlika-fund-eyes-investments-bcda-clark-freeport-special-economic-zone/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2CnxFvQQOq8n2tBhgQb3Rf-7UNyUJf_Pb-Np5b_ehhu8-VtDoAPlC6EGg_aem_2Xt4HNxymMzHJuJ-ISr2zQ
|
1
|
Cebu water district heads file complaint vs city officials over ‘trespassing’ incident
|
jsitchon0312
|
29/04/2024 20:50
|
AUTHORITY. The Metropolitan Cebu Water District Board of Directors led by Lawyer Jose Daluz III filed a complaint against Cebu City officials before the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas on Monday, April 29.
John Sitchon/Rappler
CEBU, Philippines – The heads of the Metropolitan Cebu Water District (MCWD) sued Cebu City officials for abuse of authority, grave misconduct, and coercion, in connection with their role in the attempted takeover of the water district’s main office.
In a letter addressed to Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas Dante Vargas, MCWD Chairman Jose Daluz III and General Manager Edgar Donoso asserted that the city officials violated provisions in the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, as well as the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.
Weeks ago, the MCWD claimed that lawyer John Dx Lapid, accompanied by city officials, unlawfully entered the MCWD building on the evening of April 15, allegedly harassing MCWD’s security personnel and forcing their way into the general manager’s office.
The MCWD chairman told reporters on Monday, April 29, that on top of the complaints against the city officials, the Daluz-led board of directors would also file a complaint with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) against Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama for his involvement in the incident.
“We will go to DILG to file [a case with] the Office of the President against the mayor for his actions that he did on April 15. We have videos that show he was on top of it, instructing Attorney Colin and (Police Colonel Ireneo) Dalogdog to go inside and take over MCWD,” Daluz said.
“This is an abuse of authority by the mayor,” he added.
In the complaint, Daluz and Donoso identified Cebu City administrator Collin Rosell, City Budget Officer Jerone Castillo, City Legal Officer Carlo Gimena, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer Harold Alcontin, and City Transport Office head Raquel Arce as respondents.
Cebu City Mayor Mike Rama told Rappler in a phone interview on Monday afternoon, April 29, that he and the city officials will be waiting for a copy of the complaint before issuing a statement on the issue.
On April 22, the Local Water Utilities Administration appointed lawyer Joselito Baena as interim officer-in-charge (OIC) of MCWD. The move came after LWUA served a suspension order against Donoso on April 12.
Sought for his comment, Daluz insisted that Baena could not hold the OIC title because he is not even connected with the government.
“Before you can be officer-in-charge… you must be an existing employee of the government,” the MCWD chairman said.
Meanwhile, Donoso said that only the incumbent board of directors can appoint the general manager.
Daluz criticized how Baena didn’t provide the MCWD board with any resolution or letter about his appointment, or proof of his recent inspections in barangays as an officer representing the water district.
“If he can just visit and talk to us about what he can do, then that’s fine. He shouldn’t insist on being the OIC because now that we’ve got normal operations, we shouldn’t let anything disturb that,” the MCWD chairman said in a mix of English and Cebuano.
Rappler has reached out to Baena for his comment on the issue but has yet to receive any reply. This article will be updated once a statement has been given. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/visayas/cebu-water-district-heads-file-complaint-city-officials-trespassing-incident-april-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0X96WOTserx0E8T4nQXNGj0fmL75rukzHP3GyPfQwM-nAi0HKQIw46sbo_aem_DIKIWt6mCvWJuT8OiIn0dw
|
1
|
View from Manila: Propaganda masters? China drags Teodoro, Año in latest Ayungin narrative
|
Bea Cupin
|
29/04/2024 21:56
|
STAKING CLAIMS. A Philippine flag flutters from BRP Sierra Madre, a dilapidated Philippine Navy ship that has been aground since 1999 and became a Philippine military detachment on the disputed Ayungin Shoal, on March 29, 2014.
Erik de Castro/Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – The latest from China in its continuing narrative on the Ayungin Shoal (Second Thomas Shoal) is that no less than Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo Año had entered into an “internal understanding” and a “new model” with Beijing to keep the peace in the shoal. But Teodoro and Año branded this as mere propaganda.
Over the weekend, anonymous Chinese or foreign officials spoke with Filipino journalists about Ayungin Shoal, located just over 120 nautical miles off the coast of Palawan province. It’s a hot spot between both countries because the Philippines’ BRP Sierra Madre, which was ran aground in 1999 within the vicinity, now serves as the country’s outpost in the area.
In an exclusive interview, a “foreign diplomat who is familiar with talks between [Manila and Beijing]” told the Inquirer that it was Teodoro and Año who supposedly approved an “internal understanding” with Beijing about a “new model” of avoiding conflict in the shoal.
In another exclusive interview, a “ranking Chinese official” made the same claim to the Manila Times – that an “internal understanding” and “new model” were reached by both sides, and that it had the supposed knowledge and approval of Teodoro and Año.
Claims from the Chinese side about an “internal understanding” and “new model” over the West Philippine Sea issue are not new. But the nature of such “understanding” has evolved over the past few weeks and months.
Here’s a quick summary of what Chinese officials – named or anonymous – have made when it comes to the Ayungin Shoal.
The promise to tow it away. China claims that back when BRP Sierra Madre was first ran aground, the Philippines promised to tow it away. Repeated requests from the media for China to identify who made the promise have gone unanswered. Officials during the Estrada administration (and their relatives) have either denied any such promise or have actively evaded the question. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has said that if such a promise exists, he considers it as good as rescinded.
“A gentleman’s agreement” made under former president Rodrigo Duterte. The former president himself seemed unsure, at first, if it was specifically about Ayungin Shoal but confirmed that the supposed agreement – also referred to as a “common understanding” – with Beijing was to maintain the “status quo” in the West Philippine Sea.
It was an anonymous Chinese official who first brought up the so-called gentlemen’s agreement in an interview with the Manila Times. In that same story, the said official bemoaned the Marcos administration’s supposed “inaction” toward Chinese proposals to “normalize” the situation in the South China Sea.
Manila’s Department of Foreign Affairs fumed over the disclosure of these discussions, saying that Beijing’s proposals would lead to “actions that would be deemed as acquiescence or recognition of China’s control and administration over the Ayungin Shoal as China’s territory.”
In other words, Beijing’s proposals were hard no-gos for Manila.
An “internal understanding” that was supposedly made in September 2023, according to the Inquirer story. China has noted in the past that in September 2023, Marcos’ special envoy to China for special concerns Ambassador Teddy Locsin Jr. visited Beijing for consultations.
A supposed “new model” agreed upon by the Philippines and China in end-2023, according to the Manila Times. The anonymous Chinese official claimed this was brokered through the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ (AFP) Western Command, whose area of operation includes the West Philippine Sea.
Philippine officials, across the board, have denied entering into such agreements.
Over the weekend, Teodoro said the defense department has not cut any deal with Chinese officials since the start of the Marcos administration in June 2022 (he only came in after the first year of the administration, when the appointment ban on losing 2022 candidates expired).
“As a matter of fact, the Department of National Defense has not had any contact with any Chinese government officials since last year. The narrative that unnamed or unidentified Chinese officials are propagating is another crude attempt to advance a falsehood,” said Teodoro.
He added: “This is all a part of the Chinese propaganda effort to steer the Filipino people’s attention away from the real issue and cause of the tensions in the West Philippine Sea, which is China’s obstinate refusal to adhere to UNCLOS, which they are a signatory to.”
In a separate statement, National Security spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said “propaganda masters are clearly working overtime in Beijing to sow discord and division in our country” to push its claim that the Philippines is the troublemaker and promise-breaker.
“The Chinese Embassy is reminded that any understanding without the authorization of the President has no force and effect. And therefore, the Philippines never broke any agreement because there was none to begin with,” he added.
Malaya also warned “the public, most especially the media” over China’s “trap.” “These are the same people who said that the entire South China Sea is theirs, who militarized artificial islands, who created military bases in our EEZ, who claim that the videos of blocking, dangerous manuevers, and water cannons are all fabricated by the media in cahoots with the PH government.”
To be sure, Manila and Beijing’s row in the West Philippine Sea is as much about narratives and stories as it is about naval and maritime presence.
Retired Chinese military senior colonel Zhou Bo, now a fellow at the Centre for International Security and Strategy at Tsinghua University, told the South China Morning Post that China’s use of water cannons in Ayungin Shoal or Scarborough Shoal were “deterrence, not a use of force.”
To a question about possible US involvement in the South China Sea issue, Zhou also said: “I hope the Philippines would not be stupid to become more adventurous. They should know they don’t stand a chance vis-à-vis China. The strength of the Chinese side is way beyond that of the Philippines. Even if this situation may continue for a while, eventually the Philippine government will have to back down.”
Thus far, both in public and private, Marcos’ instructions when it comes to the Sierra Madre is clear: it should always be manned, and it should never be abandoned.
That’s easier said than done.
While the AFP has, through the years, found ways to improve the living conditions of the soldiers who are stationed there for weeks and months at a time. Soldiers have access to the internet, so they’re able to check in on relatives.
Tweaks and upgrades have also been made through the years to make sure that they’re as comfortable as can be aboard a rusting war ship and that the Sierra Madre isn’t blown away should a strong typhoon hit the area.
They’ve another debacle to contend with, as temperatures hit record highs on land: the unbearable heat of the open seas. But we’re told that the team on the Sierra Madre has adequate supplies, especially drinking water.
We’re also entering week two of Balikatan 2024.
The Multilateral Maritime Exercise in the West Philippine Sea with the Philippines, US, and France just concluded, which means the Vendémiaire and BRP Ramon Alcaraz should be separating from the other two Navy ships to conduct a bilateral sail, also in the West Philippine Sea.
US and Philippine vessels will sail back to land for air assault, beach landing, and live fire demonstrations in Palawan. The following week, Balikatan wraps up with two major exercises in Laoag City, capital of Ilocos Norte, which is President Ferdinand Marcos Jr’s home province: a counter-landing and ship-sinking exercise.
It’s during the latter two weeks of Balikatan that the Philippines and US will be flexing their military assets, and, more importantly, their capability to work together.
A Chinese Navy ship was spotted in the vicinity of four navy ships that participated in the Balikatan exercises. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
As usual, the Chinese propagandists strike again. How about their local cohorts? Are they dragging Teodoro and Año, too?
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/view-manila-china-drags-teodoro-ano-in-latest-narrative-on-ayungin-shoal/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0xGNIW-DNdz9BcJ33qQAHA6yVMvkLVv4HUxpm8cZSxv5-jlTXqTFimmOo_aem_qSKnJWSYkxqtIP4w-femXQ
|
1
|
After deadline, unconsolidated jeepneys have until mid-May before LTFRB crackdown
|
lkyu0285
|
29/04/2024 20:40
|
STRIKE. Jeepney drivers plying the Guadalupe-Pedro Gil route encourage their fellow drivers along Agoncillo Street in Manila to join their transport strike protesting the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, on November 20, 2023.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) will give unconsolidated jeepneys a 15-day leeway to still ply their routes before the government starts impounding their vehicles.
“Initially, during the first 15 days, sawayin muna ‘yung mga tao, bigyan ng reminder. Hindi naman po kaagad-agad (we’ll just tell people off, give them a reminder. It won’t be implemented right away),” LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said in a DZBB radio interview on Monday, April 29.
This comes just as the “final” deadline for jeepney consolidation approaches on Tuesday, April 30. The LTFRB has yet to release a memorandum circular stating exactly what will happen to unconsolidated jeepneys starting Wednesday, May 1, and whether or not they will be considered “colorum.” However, Guadiz has said in the past that those who fail to consolidate will have their franchises revoked.
The consolidation requirement has prompted repeated protests from some transportation groups, led by PISTON and Manibela, including an ongoing transport strike from Monday to Wednesday. Both groups oppose the revocation of their individual franchises.
PISTON and Manibela have also declared their intention to continue plying their routes after Tuesday, even if their jeepneys have not been consolidated. Guadiz warned that if jeepney operators and drivers do not heed the agency, the state would have the right to impound their vehicles.
“Pagbibigyan muna namin sila. Sasabihin namin huwag na kayong bumiyahe, bigyan namin sila ng show cause order. Pero despite all of this at talagang tuloy-tuloy pa rin po, ang pulis na ka-partner ng LTFRB ang magpapatupad niyan, iimpound po ‘yung sasakyan nila,” Guadiz said in the radio interview.
(We’ll give them some leeway first. We’ll tell them not to ply their routes and serve them a show cause order. But if they continue despite all of this, the police in partnership with the LTFRB will enforce the policy and impound their vehicles.)
Jeepney operators and drivers could face hefty penalties reaching P50,000, along with a one-year suspension for drivers. Impounded jeepneys will also be taken to an impounding facility in Tarlac.
In the meantime, Guadiz said operators have until 10 pm of Tuesday to file even just partial requirements to signify their intent to consolidate.
The LTFRB has yet to release an updated consolidation rate or a list of routes that could be affected come Wednesday. Rappler has followed up multiple times, but the agency said it was still finalizing figures.
The latest figures released to the media showed that as of April 1, 2024, more than 77% of public utility vehicle units have consolidated nationwide, which corresponds to about 75% of routes. Meanwhile, the consolidation rate in the National Capital Region based on PUV units remains to be just 52.54% – the lowest throughout the country, although this is equivalent to around 80% of routes, according to the LTFRB.
Based on LTFRB data as of December 31, 2023, there were 395 jeepney routes in Metro Manila with no consolidated entities. Nationwide, up to 1,948 routes had no consolidated jeepney or UV Express entities.
Currently, Guadiz said there are about 600 jeepneys in Metro Manila affiliated with PISTON and Manibela, the two transport groups most vocal in opposing the mandatory consolidation. The LTFRB chairman said he has already talked to other “rescue routes” that can take over routes that may be affected once unconsolidated jeepneys are off the road.
He also said displaced jeepney drivers could be absorbed by other cooperatives who will need additional manpower to serve new routes.
“‘Yung mga tsuper na nawalan ho ng jeepney na ipapasada po, meron pong mga bakante rito,” Guadiz said in the radio interview. “Ang mawawalan is the operator. Dahil hindi niya sinama ‘yung jeep niya, mawawalan siya ng hanapbuhay. Pero si driver po, na-aabsorb ng mga existing cooperatives.“
(Those drivers who will lose jeepneys to ply can fill other vacancies. It’s the operators who will miss out. Because they didn’t include their jeep, they will lose their livelihood. But for the driver, they can be absorbed by existing cooperatives.)
These same reassurances were given by former Office of Transportation Cooperatives chairman Jesus Ferdinand “Andy” Ortega, who said existing cooperatives promised to accept drivers from operators who were unable to consolidate.
Ortega, who now sits as the road transport and infrastructure undersecretary, emphasized that the April 30 deadline will not be adjusted to accommodate any group anymore.
“‘Yung ayaw talaga sumama sa consolidation now are the same people or group na talagang hindi sasali last year when I came to office (Those who really don’t want to consolidate now are the same people or group that didn’t want to join last year when I came to office),” Ortega said in a recent media briefing with transport cooperatives.
“It’s really more of respecting their decision na ayaw sumali (that they don’t want to join),” he said, adding that “almost 80%” have agreed to consolidate.
But some transport workers continue to fight back against the government’s policy of mandatory consolidation.
On Monday, transport groups led by PISTON, along with the Bayan Muna party, filed a petition before the Supreme Court (SC) to issue a temporary restraining order against the modernization program.
The groups’ petition argues that the consolidation requirement was “carried out by forces, rather than affiliation” with jeepney drivers “compelled to join cooperatives through coercion or undue influence, such as threats of license revocation or denial of permits.”
The groups also pointed to the prohibitive cost of some imported modern jeepneys, which can reach up to P2.8 million each – unaffordable for most operators, even with the “measly” government subsidy. (READ: Anti-poor? How gov’t defends PUV modernization, why jeepney stakeholders oppose it)
Transport groups filed a similar petition challenging the modernization program before the SC in December 2023, but that was denied in early March 2024.
PISTON also announced its ongoing three-day nationwide strike on Saturday, April 27. Although Manibela has not explicitly stated that it would join the strike, the group’s chairman Mar Valbuena said they stand in solidarity with their fellow operators and drivers.
“Itong tatanggalin natin ng trabaho ngayong Mayo 1, isipin mo – Araw ng Paggawa, ‘yun ‘yung araw na mawawalan kami ng hanapbuhay (This loss of jobs on May 1, think about it – it’s Labor Day, and that’s the very day that we’ll lose our livelihood),” Valbuena said in a press conference on Monday morning. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/unconsolidated-jeepneys-have-until-mid-may-2024-before-ltfrb-crackdown/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2BCNv1RzeCYAyL9tf7PN70D87Iv5PSuFe7F-q0FMIaRQbeV6aQqTC86AY_aem_SlRuDWNwd1LIbK-14W1STg
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: Link for CHED P5,000 cash aid for all graduating students is fake
|
Lorenz Pasion
|
29/04/2024 20:00
|
Claim: The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is giving P5,000 cash assistance to all elementary, junior high school, senior high school, and college students graduating in 2024. Interested applicants only need to fill out the online registration form.
Why we fact-checked this: Multiple Facebook pages posted the same claim. As of writing, one of the Facebook posts has 1,800 shares, 339 reactions, and 508 comments.
The facts: On April 22, an attached agency of CHED, Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST), debunked the claim and warned the public against similar false announcements on supposed cash assistance programs.
The post reads: “The Commission on Higher Education-UniFAST reiterates its reminder to the public of these pages that post FAKE NEWS and share links leading to CLICKBAIT SCAM ADS, which are designed to steal personal information by making promises that are too good to be true like cash payouts when applying for the Tertiary Education Subsidy or the Tulong Dunong Program (TES-TDP).”
The post also reminded the public to follow only the official website and accounts of UniFAST and the CHED regional offices for legitimate updates.
Fake link: The application link for the supposed educational assistance for graduating students is not from CHED. Once the link is clicked, it will redirect users to another website and ask for their personal information, which may potentially be used for online scams. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)
CHED mandate: The post falsely claims that even elementary and secondary students can apply for the supposed cash aid from CHED. However, the commission’s mandate covers only tertiary education students, while the Department of Education serves as the governing body for primary and secondary education.
Pending bill: There is a pending bill in Congress that seeks to help new graduates. House Deputy Speaker and Las Piñas Representative Camille Villar authored House Bill No. 6542 or the proposed “Fresh Graduates P5,000 One-Time Cash Grant Act,” which aims to support fresh college graduates as they look for jobs. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Higher and Technical Education.
Past fact-checks: Rappler has fact-checked several claims about alleged educational assistance from different government offices such as DepEd, CHED, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development:
– Owenh Jake Toledo/Rappler.com
Owenh Jake Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/link-ched-cash-aid-for-all-graduating-students-fake-april-29-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1yVLJmfca9drAPqCfNoFKQIVUxN6bAnU4oGtYJxb9ObQPmD-9Vg8Pd6ac_aem_cAcCvBKiye6m7Q37agKTgQ
|
1
|
[Rappler’s Best] Boiling point
|
lfangeles0309
|
29/04/2024 18:07
|
Alejandro Edoria
It’s 35°C in Quezon City as I write this, and this would have been big news in my time as a reporter ages ago. But extreme heat has been the norm in recent years, such that the seemingly unthinkable has happened: classes are being suspended and work is being shortened because of it.
The temperature in other parts of the country is hotter (and is seen to get worse). Combine this with relative humidity and what you feel in your body would be what’s called the heat index. On Sunday, April 28, the heat index in Iba, Zambales, shot up to 53° – classified by the weather bureau as “extreme danger.”
The heat is upsetting our health, our work, our farms, our schools, our businesses – and altering our daily habits. Why, even chickens are feeling the heat, producing smaller eggs!
On Sunday, the education department announced the suspension of in-person classes in all public schools nationwide on Monday and Tuesday. The labor department is urging businesses to adopt flexible working arrangements. Some local governments – such as Cavite and Binmaley, Pangasinan – have already taken the initiative of shortening the work week to four days.
Not that we didn’t see this coming. The month of February, which was supposed to still bring in the cool breeze in these parts and snow in others, was recorded as the warmest February ever. The speed and fury of global warming means that, henceforth, we’d end up recording every month as the warmest. Experts have warned that the world’s average temperature could already “temporarily” cross the 1.5°C threshold this year. Read more about it here.
The impact cuts across the board, across classes:
Outside the Philippines, campuses are also at boiling point in degrees never before seen in recent history. Protesting students have encamped themselves in various US universities – to protest America’s continuing support of Israel in its war in Gaza and to demand universities to cut links from Israel.
The student protests and encampments have triggered points of views in polarized America – from the simplistic to the overwrought to the nuanced. Some of the conservative views are reminiscent of the red-tagging that Filipino students and activists have suffered under the previous Rodrigo Duterte regime, and continue to suffer. The student protest movement here, after all, is also no stranger to tussles with authority that have often turned violent.
Remember when Ateneo students called for a nationwide academic strike against Duterte at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic? And when Duterte threatened to defund the state-owned University of the Philippines if its students joined the strike? It was also Duterte who ended the 1989 accord between UP and the defense department that restricted police and military operations in UP campuses.
As Isabella Ramirez, editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator, said in a recent interview about the conditions that set off the protests in her university: “How can you expect 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds to be trying to understand what is happening in such a time when not even our politicians and our national outlets understand what is happening to the fullest degree? We are very much processing as we’re learning…as we’re reporting…as it’s unfolding.” She articulates the values of campus journalists very well in this interview. Watch it. – Rappler.com
Rappler’s Best is a weekly newsletter of our top picks delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.
To subscribe, visit rappler.com/profile and click the Newsletters tab. You need a Rappler account and you must log in to manage your newsletter subscriptions.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/newsletters/boiling-point/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR3UERafUILE6fYHbddtpqIqlAbu8C9wGI-ZrKKPXyQFuqCJBwy5i8Jnfyw_aem_kE1kGnGNkZFjrHVLeVhfPA
|
1
|
After ‘forced’ jeepney consolidation, some cooperatives, routes may not be ready
|
lkyu0285
|
29/04/2024 17:15
|
TRADITIONAL JEEPNEYS. Jeepneys ply Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on December 12, 2023.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – With another transport strike now happening in protest of the jeepney consolidation deadline set for Tuesday, April 30, some transport advocates warn that there’s a long way to go in realizing the modernization program.
There’s a growing possibility that in the rush to meet the deadline, jeepney drivers and operators consolidated into cooperatives in name only. These groups might not yet actually be ready for what consolidation entails.
“Nahirapan din po sila mismo sa pag-organize ng mga cooperatives nila. Kailangan nila ng masusing training sa fleet management, kailangan nila ng maayos na governance and financing – meaning maraming preparatory steps for a cooperative to really serve the commuting public,” Move as One Coalition advisor Kenneth Abante said.
(They’re having difficulty organizing their cooperative. They need proper training in fleet management, and they need good governance and financing – meaning there are many preparatory steps for a cooperative to really serve the commuting public.)
Rappler also spoke with National Confederation of Transport Unions (NCTU) secretary general Jaime Aguilar about the modernization program. He agrees that consolidation is an important step forward, but thinks that the government is “forcing” transport workers to consolidate too quickly.
“‘Yan ang hindi maganda sa nangyari dito sa PUV [Modernization Program]. Dapat pagandahin ‘yung programa para hindi ito sapilitan (That’s what isn’t good about what happened here with the PUV Modernization Program. They should have made the program better so that no one has to be forced),” Aguilar told Rappler.
He said many of the cooperatives who were forced to consolidate still need capacity building. As part of the transition, he expects that they need “at least two years” to practice fleet management, which involves coordination among members of the cooperative to deploy jeepneys where passengers need them most.
He also said jeepney drivers and operators need time to embrace the idea of a cooperative from a cultural viewpoint.
For example, before consolidation, a jeepney driver only had to meet their “boundary” for the day, but could otherwise choose to rest when they wanted to. But under a more formal setup like a cooperative, a jeepney driver would have to adjust to more defined routes along with the concept of fleet management.
“Mula sa informal labor siya, napunta na siya sa formal labor. Mas gusto nila ‘yung sarili nilang control (From informal labor, they now go into formal labor. They would rather still have control),” Aguilar told Rappler.
Angie Mata, another NCTU leader in Cebu, also highlighted how some jeepney operators and drivers are skeptical of forming cooperatives after decades of making a livelihood as individual jeepney drivers and operators.
“Imagine from an individual transport operator, i-group mo sila. Hindi naman sila gano’n ka-bonding,” Mata said. “May friends sila pero given ‘yung trust and confidence mo sa isang group mo, which is an economic activity na po…it’s been a struggle.“
(Imagine from being individual transport operators, they’re now grouped together. They haven’t even bonded with each other that well. They do have friends, but given the trust and confidence that you need to have in forming a group…it’s been a struggle.)
Transport advocates also criticized the government for sticking to its April 30 consolidation deadline even though it hasn’t completed its own project deliverables.
“We see that the consolidation deadline this April 30 is really senseless because in order for the modernization program to really improve commuter service quality, there’s a lot more preparation that you need to do,” Abante told reporters in a mix of English and Filipino.
For instance, Abante said, the government still lacks rationalized route plans for many areas around the country. These plans are supposed to include details about route networks, modes, and the required number of units per mode needed for each area. Back in March 2023, senators pointed out that only 8.8% of route plans have been approved, or just 139 route plans out of an expected 1,575 across local government units (LGUs) nationwide.
The government is struggling to produce all these route plans, partly because of the limited budget being allocated for the massive program. The Department of Transportation already previously admitted that it lacks the budget to even pay manpower to actually implement the program on the ground.
“The scope of implementation is everywhere all at once, with very little budget and staff,” Abante said.
Given budget constraints, the transportation advocate suggests starting the implementation along priority routes with “focused monitoring of actual service standards.”
Ideally, these routes would already have good local public transport route plans, along with a single consolidated franchise holder and an LGU that’s ready to help.
Aside from transport advocates, several of the country’s biggest worker and employer groups also called for an “urgent review” of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP).
“We call for an urgent review of the PUVMP in order to address its legal, financial, and human rights infirmities; a suspension of the deadline for consolidation for an indefinite period of time; and, advocate for the creation of an affordable, sustainable, and carbon-neutral mass transport system,” said a joint statement by the Leaders Forum.
The joint statement was signed by the Employers Confederation of the Philippines, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and Philippine Exporters Confederation, as well as trade groups Federation of Free Workers, Sentro ng mga Nagkakaisa at Progresibong Manggagawa, and Trade Union Congress of the Philippines.
Meanwhile, the government said it will stand firm with its April 30 deadline, which it views as the first step to rolling out and improving its program.
“For me, after April 30, there should not be a scenario para tayo mag-aaway, magkakagulo – tapos na po tayo doon (where we’ll be fighting – we’re done with that). Consolidation will end April 30,” Road Transport and Infrastructure Undersecretary Jesus Ferdinand “Andy” Ortega said during a press conference held with the transport advocates.
Ortega also said that although the government has no plans to do a phased implementation of the modernization program or to focus on priority routes, it will “be sensitive on concerns about areas that may experience problems.” – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/forced-jeepney-consolidation-some-cooperatives-routes-not-ready/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0_Y7g5K510wSu_U1iBqrgau_JUF_ihQpQ8Vrc0zlN-Dvm_0TK6FT6kWqE_aem_UrN69RbDan_bxg9oYB1DpA
|
1
|
Eldrew Yulo bags 2 golds, 3 silvers in Pacific Rim Championships as PH nets 8 medals
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
29/04/2024 18:50
|
MEDALISTS. (From left) Juancho Miguel Besana, coach Reyland Capellan, Eldrew Yulo, and John Ivan Cruz in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Cali, Colombia.
Reyland Capellan Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – The future is bright for Philippine gymnastics.
Eldrew Yulo powered the Philippines’ eight-medal haul in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Cali, Colombia, over the weekend.
Looking to step out of the shadow of his older brother, world champion Carlos, the younger Yulo stamped his class in the junior men’s level as he bagged two golds and three silvers.
Yulo on Sunday, April 28, ruled the floor exercise with 13.5 points as he edged Mexico’s Juan David Hernandez Andrade (13.35) and Colombia’s Camilo Vera (13.3) then went on to top the vault with an average of 14.025 points.
Netting 14.75 and 13.3 points in each of his two vault attempts, Yulo bested Chile’s Agustin Espinoza (13.9) and Hong Kong’s Ching Cheung (13.875).
Yulo also bagged silvers in pommel horse and still rings on top of the silver he won in the individual all-around on Saturday, April 27.
John Ivan Cruz delivered for the Philippines as well as he reigned in vault in the senior men’s division.
The floor exercise champion in the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Cruz showcased his proficiency in vault with an average of 14.45 points to beat out Hong Kong’s Ka Ki Ng (13.95).
Another Filipino completed the vault podium as Juancho Miguel Besana nailed bronze with 13.9 points.
The Philippine men’s artistic gymnastics team flourished under the tutelage of coach Reyland Capellan, a former two-time SEA Games champion in floor exercise.
In senior women’s play, Ancilla Lucia Mari Manzano snagged bronze in vault after tallying 12.2 points to finish behind Costa Rica’s Franciny Morales (12.7) and New Zealand’s Ava Fitzgerald (12.65).
Justin Ace de Leon, Jhon Santillan, Jan Gwynn Timbang, Iza Yulo, and Kursten Lopez also represented the Philippines in the Colombia tiff. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/eldrew-yulo-results-pacific-rim-gymnastics-championships-april-28-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2J22dFJo1x6GY5GwTc2u5akejXqRl0-ElHqgJsYyDdlyBSm0MR0oP1r1g_aem_cBYwtVwN_OfjczzKL-erZA
|
1
|
DMW chief Cacdac’s priorities: Rights-centered recruitment, reintegration
|
Michelle Abad
|
29/04/2024 14:44
|
DMW SECRETARY. Newly appointed Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, leads the flag ceremony at the DMW headquarters, on April 29, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Newly appointed Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac’s top priorities include putting forward overseas Filipino workers’ (OFWs) rights through quality, vetted recruitment processes, and implementing “full-cycle” reintegration programs, he said on Monday, April 29.
After leading his first flag ceremony as the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) secretary on Monday, Cacdac spoke to the media to discuss his priorities and the way forward for the Philippines’ newest department. Cacdac is the second secretary to lead the fully formed DMW, succeeding the late former secretary Susan “Toots” Ople, who died in August 2023.
“Top of mind [of my priorities] will always be… [the] rights-based approach, which is moving forward the agenda that Filipinos should be cared for and protected from the Philippine side, which is mostly ‘yung (the) recruitment side,” he said.
Cacdac explained that this rights-centered recruitment included the proper vetting of contracts, which include workers’ rights, like an abused domestic worker’s right to pre-terminate their contract in Saudi Arabia. This protection of rights extends when the OFWs go abroad, with Cacdac citing the Global Compact for Migration, which calls for safe, ethical, fair, and transparent labor mobility.
The new DMW chief also mentioned providing full-cycle reintegration programs, such as livelihood, entrepreneurship, and financial literacy programs in preparation for returning to the Philippines for good.
“Kung gaano kainit natin dinidepensahan ang kanilang karapatan, ganoon din ang pagdepensa natin sa kanilang kabuuang kita, so that magagamit nila ito sa kanilang pangangailangan, edukasyon, pabahay, pagkain, at ano pa man nilang pangangailangan sa kanilang pamilya,” he said.
(The intensity of our defense of their rights matches how much we will defend the money they earn, so that they can use this for their needs, education, housing, food, and whatever needs their family may have.)
DMW Secretary @HansLeoCacdac's 10-Point Agenda for the Department of Migrant Workers. #DMW #TahananNgOFW #BagongPilipinas pic.twitter.com/E5c9nVx3Y3
Cacdac’s priorities are not new practices, as the DMW had been implementing these from Ople’s term. The new secretary hesitated to distinguish his leadership style from Ople’s, mentioning how the two have always been aligned, even when Ople was with the nongovernment organization Blas Ople Center and Cacdac was in his previous posts in government.
“Through the years, we’ve agreed between ourselves to have these types of approaches and thrusts when it comes to OFWs. So, I fully commit myself to what we had taken up before with Sec. Toots, and we will further pursue these… programs and services,” he said.
Following Ople’s death, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Cacdac, then undersecretary for foreign employment and welfare services, as officer-in-charge from September 2023 until his newest appointment. It requires confirmation by the Commission on Appointments.
The DMW plans to enhance its bilateral agreements with OFWs’ host countries, with a vision to implement “safe, ethical, and fair” recruitment that would ensure host countries’ shared responsibility of taking care of OFWs while they are at work abroad.
Digitalization is also a priority, which aims to make OFWs’ processes faster and more convenient.
Cacdac also eyes implementing “brain gain initiatives,” a concept related to reintegration. Analysts have often pointed to the OFW phenomenon causing brain drain in the country, which happens when skilled Filipino workers leave the country to work elsewhere.
“Magbibigay rin sila ng tulong sa atin para mapagtibay ang labor market natin, mapalago ang investments natin, para ang mga natutunan din ng OFWs doon sa ibang bansa ay maibalik nila sa ating mahal na bayan,” he said, adding these initiatives would involve partnerships with the Technical Education And Skills Development Authority, Commission on Higher Education, and the Department of Education.
(They will also help us strengthen our labor market and grow our investments, so that OFWs can bring home the skills they gained in other countries.)
In a statement on Friday, April 26, OFW rights group Migrante Philippines called on the new secretary to expand the scope of the Agarang Kalinga at Saklolo para sa mga OFW na Nangangailangan (AKSYON) Fund, which is the primary source of financial assistance for distressed OFWs. The DMW was allotted more than P1 billion for its AKSYON Fund for 2024.
The group said that many OFWs have reported to them their “disappointment” with the DMW because of certain challenges they face when trying to claim financial assistance.
“It is very difficult for OFWs to get assistance from the department. We are worried that the AKSYON Fund would be under-utilized, leaving thousands of OFWs who deserve assistance without any help,” the group said.
Migrante, a left-leaning group, noted that Cacdac has “opened his lines to Migrante through consultations.”
“Secretary Cacdac must ensure that immediate service is provided to every OFW. The process of repatriation should be expedited, and OFWs should be provided with legal, financial, and livelihood assistance,” they said. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/overseas-filipinos/cacdac-priorities-dmw-chief-rights-centered-recruitment-reintegration/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0sD-aPzJoDCuR3HSSpaxNQccW2h_6tuR1rxaqozzYBasMILkQSt8hIj6I_aem_9w4nfYL-WKTMBjkceWgdVw
|
1
|
SM’s plans for 2024: Instagram-worthy malls, esports venues
|
Ralf Rivas
|
28/04/2024 15:56
|
MANILA, Philippines – Mall and property developer SM Group is banking on Instagram-worthy installations and the growing popularity of e-sports to drive its growth this 2024.
During the group’s recently held annual stockholders meeting, SM Investments Corporation president and chief executive officer Frederic DyBuncio said they will be opening four new malls in 2024, one in Metro Manila, and three in provincial areas.
SM Prime, the group’s mall development arm, is set to build “larger-than-life installations and Instagrammable spots in various malls,” as well as having concert series in the cinemas and holding esports tournaments.
Here are some artist renders of the new SM malls, namely SM City Caloocan, SM City J Mall in Cebu, SM City Laoag, and SM City La Union:
The group will also unveil this year the SM Game Park at the Mall of Asia, which will house indoor sports activities.
“We have a young, dynamic, higher-earning population who will help support and drive economic activity,” DyBuncio said.
The SM group also unveiled some of its plans for its other companies.
Its residential property development arm, SM Development Corporation, is rolling out up to 10,000 residential units in the northern part of the Philippines and across Visayas and Mindanao.
SM Hotels is set to officially launch the first Lanson Place property at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.
In retail, Alfamart is set to expand its stores by at least 400 in 2024.
For its banking business, BDO will continue to expand its bank branches by up to 120 this year.
SM is also set to invest in renewable energy, following its acquisition of the Philippine Geothermal Production Company. It is set to explore new steam fields in northern and southern Luzon, with the aim to double the company’s current steam production of 300 megawatts in the medium-term.
“We expect our core businesses to continue its growth trajectory. Additionally, we anticipate that our portfolio investments will contribute significantly to our overall performance in the medium-term as these are well-positioned to capture opportunities in high growth sectors,” DyBuncio said. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/sm-plans-2024-instagram-worthy-malls-esports-venues/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3xiURCyWEkNNidrJnVfEA_seGTopfIerr26VMjU4iDscDcLkNj_ZvUadw_aem_gdar-uHmBp2IJ99q5Hl5SA
|
1
|
[Rappler’s Best] Boiling point
|
lfangeles0309
|
29/04/2024 18:07
|
Alejandro Edoria
It’s 35°C in Quezon City as I write this, and this would have been big news in my time as a reporter ages ago. But extreme heat has been the norm in recent years, such that the seemingly unthinkable has happened: classes are being suspended and work is being shortened because of it.
The temperature in other parts of the country is hotter (and is seen to get worse). Combine this with relative humidity and what you feel in your body would be what’s called the heat index. On Sunday, April 28, the heat index in Iba, Zambales, shot up to 53° – classified by the weather bureau as “extreme danger.”
The heat is upsetting our health, our work, our farms, our schools, our businesses – and altering our daily habits. Why, even chickens are feeling the heat, producing smaller eggs!
On Sunday, the education department announced the suspension of in-person classes in all public schools nationwide on Monday and Tuesday. The labor department is urging businesses to adopt flexible working arrangements. Some local governments – such as Cavite and Binmaley, Pangasinan – have already taken the initiative of shortening the work week to four days.
Not that we didn’t see this coming. The month of February, which was supposed to still bring in the cool breeze in these parts and snow in others, was recorded as the warmest February ever. The speed and fury of global warming means that, henceforth, we’d end up recording every month as the warmest. Experts have warned that the world’s average temperature could already “temporarily” cross the 1.5°C threshold this year. Read more about it here.
The impact cuts across the board, across classes:
Outside the Philippines, campuses are also at boiling point in degrees never before seen in recent history. Protesting students have encamped themselves in various US universities – to protest America’s continuing support of Israel in its war in Gaza and to demand universities to cut links from Israel.
The student protests and encampments have triggered points of views in polarized America – from the simplistic to the overwrought to the nuanced. Some of the conservative views are reminiscent of the red-tagging that Filipino students and activists have suffered under the previous Rodrigo Duterte regime, and continue to suffer. The student protest movement here, after all, is also no stranger to tussles with authority that have often turned violent.
Remember when Ateneo students called for a nationwide academic strike against Duterte at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic? And when Duterte threatened to defund the state-owned University of the Philippines if its students joined the strike? It was also Duterte who ended the 1989 accord between UP and the defense department that restricted police and military operations in UP campuses.
As Isabella Ramirez, editor in chief of the Columbia Daily Spectator, said in a recent interview about the conditions that set off the protests in her university: “How can you expect 18, 19, 20, 21 year olds to be trying to understand what is happening in such a time when not even our politicians and our national outlets understand what is happening to the fullest degree? We are very much processing as we’re learning…as we’re reporting…as it’s unfolding.” She articulates the values of campus journalists very well in this interview. Watch it. – Rappler.com
Rappler’s Best is a weekly newsletter of our top picks delivered straight to your inbox every Monday.
To subscribe, visit rappler.com/profile and click the Newsletters tab. You need a Rappler account and you must log in to manage your newsletter subscriptions.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/newsletters/boiling-point/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1DLhLSqkENeOv5QWhRLxBTGqZTGi6g22ngvaRCvNWJpRNDe6rG35MqBIo_aem_eVn4eslnTTKBWRzBUKmcug
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: Leni Robredo visited the sick during her term as VP
|
Lorenz Pasion
|
29/04/2024 18:00
|
Claim: Former vice president Leni Robredo did not visit the sick during her term as vice president, which was from June 30, 2016 to June 30, 2022.
Why we fact-checked this: The claim can be found in an April 26 post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). The post includes a picture of Vice President Sara Duterte visiting an injured soldier, taken from a February 23, 2024 post on Duterte’s official Facebook page, along with the following text: “Visiting the sick must be a natural thing for the Dutertes. Even Leni did not do this throughout her term.”
As of writing, the post on X had around 22,800 views, 200 comments, 36 shares, and 103 reactions.
The facts: Contrary to the claim, Robredo visited the sick during her vice presidential term. The following news reports are some examples:
Previous related fact-checks: Rappler has fact-checked several false claims about Robredo before.
Ahead of the 2022 presidential elections, Robredo was cited as the top victim of disinformation by fact-checking initiative Tsek.PH, based on their curation of over 200 fact-checks in January 2022. At the time, then-presidential candidate Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was the top beneficiary of disinformation carrying positive messaging. (READ: Robredo is top target of disinformation in initiative’s January 2022 fact-checks)
Presidential front-runner: The post on X was made amid surveys showing Duterte as a top contender for the presidency for the 2028 elections. According to a survey conducted by Pulse Asia in March, Duterte and Senator Raffy Tulfo are statistically tied in first place among presidential candidates, with the Vice President receiving 34% in voter preference and Tulfo obtaining 35%. Meanwhile, Robredo ranked third with 11%.
In a separate survey conducted by Oculum Research and Analytics in the first quarter of 2024, Duterte emerged as the top choice for president, followed by Tulfo and Robredo. – Percival Bueser/ Rappler.com
Percival Bueser is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/leni-robredo-visited-sick-during-term-as-vice-president/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0JNzHbV8s4igvECMuSRW2DK9nLt3MxUsGDqLjXbTQkALDi7uqhErFn7Js_aem_KCkLTo2BqVzXviS67ojA9g
|
1
|
Cagayan de Oro transport group at crossroads amid franchise consolidation deadline
|
Herbie G
|
29/04/2024 16:18
|
WAITING. Two traditional jeepneys wait for passengers in Barangay Carmen, Cagayan de Oro City, on April 26, 2024.
Franck Dick Rosete/Rappler
CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – A looming franchise consolidation deadline for public utility vehicles (PUVs) has sparked a wave of uncertainty and discontent among members of a public transportation group in Cagayan de Oro. Faced with alleged mismanagement and financial irregularities within the cooperatives, some operators find themselves at a crossroads, contemplating the sale of their jeepneys or repurposing the vehicles.
Amid mounting frustration and accusations of regulatory apathy, the prospect of being left behind in the wake of consolidation efforts haunts the PUV operators, prompting urgent calls for greater participation in modernization initiatives while staunchly resisting the surrender of hard-earned franchises.
The United Drivers’ Association (UNIDA) expressed indifference towards the looming April 30 deadline for the franchise consolidation.
Joel Gabatan, UNIDA president, said at least seven operators of jeepneys within the group have yet to consolidate their franchises. He said these operators, disheartened by the negative experiences shared by others who surrendered their franchises, are wary of the consolidation process.
Gabatan cited concerns regarding the alleged formulation of policies and the collection of substantial sums of money from members without proper approval from cooperative boards of directors.
He also criticized the alleged lack of financial transparency, noting the absence of some of the cooperatives’ financial reports.
Gabatan said several complaints were submitted to the Cooperative Development Authority (CDA) in Northern Mindanao that have yet to be acted upon. He said there was a need for the CDA to address the issues faced by cooperative members.
“Mao ning usa sa butang nga akong gisulti sa LTFRB nga ipaaligrar sa CDA ang kahimtang sa mga miyembro sa coop,” Gabatan told Rappler.
(This is one of the things I mentioned to the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board so that they would prod CDA to look into the situation of the members of the cooperatives.)
In addition to management issues, Gabatan noted that unconsolidated operators struggle to meet the capitalization requirement of some P50,000, a prerequisite for joining a cooperative or corporation.
He said most jeepney operators lack the financial means to meet this requirement, citing the example of his son, who sold his traditional jeepney for only P40,000.
Edwin Pelosas, the focal person for CDA-X’s transport operation, acknowledged that CDA received complaints regarding cooperative management challenges.
But Pelosas denied claims of delayed action by the CDA, saying these were being handled within the prescribed time frame mandated by the Civil Service Commission (CSC).
He urged unconsolidated operators to refrain from selling their jeepneys and instead consider joining modernization programs.
“Ang nahitabo lang, naay mga tao nga dili sila makontento sa action ni CDA (What happened was, there were people who were not contented to the actions of CDA),” Pelosas told Rappler on Sunday, April 28.
Despite concerns raised by UNIDA and other operators, Abosamen Matuan, director of LTFRB Northern Mindanao, reported a high consolidation rate of 97% for public utility jeepneys (PUJs) and 96% for UV Express vehicles in the region.
Matuan expressed confidence that there would be no public transportation crisis post-deadline in Cagayan de Oro but assured contingency plans and continued efforts to encourage unconsolidated operators to modernize.
After the April 30 deadline, LTFRB Chairman Teofilo Guadiz III said franchises for individual PUV operators who failed to consolidate would be revoked, preventing them from operating their routes. –Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/cagayan-de-oro-transport-group-crossroads-franchise-consolidation-deadline/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1bmeguTHHkkKUY3mTbyX41C2CfVBkJpC-nhw4rRcr_i3vu6-KFwo19dTU_aem_3OlEkzMacqDgRzqT1jI5Sg
|
1
|
Marcos warns against attempts to derail 2025 Bangsamoro polls
|
Herbie G
|
29/04/2024 14:38
|
PHILIPPINE LEADER. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. delivers a departure speech as he heads to Tokyo for the Commemorative Summit on the 50th Year of ASEAN-Japan Friendship and Cooperation in December 2023.
PCO
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. warned on Monday, April 29, that the full force of the state would go after any group threatening and derailing the first Bangsamoro parliamentary elections in 2025.
“Huwag n’yo nang isipin (Don’t even think about it),” he said, adding that they better channel their efforts into helping give a better life to the Bangsamoro people.
Marcos’ remarks came as civil society groups in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) insisted on extending the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) for another three years and moving the elections to 2028.
Marcos was in Maguindanao del Norte on Monday to grace the commemoration rites of the 10th year anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro forged by the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and the government in 2014.
He said the CAB is a continuing crusade for peace that should not be hinged on whims or depend on where the political winds blow.
Addressing a crowd at Camp Abubakar as-Siddique, the former camp of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) in Barira town, Marcos urged BARMM voters to exercise their right of suffrage in the coming first BARMM elections.
Marcos said that he would exercise “a strong political will” in ensuring smooth and credible elections, ensuring that voters in the region can freely choose their future.
“This is the fulfillment of your democratic right to realize and achieve meaningful autonomy as enshrined in the CAB,” Marcos said. “Safeguard those rights.”
Marcos had words for aspiring candidates in the elections, “We expect that you uphold the principles of Bangsamoro muna bago ang sarili (Bangsamoro first before self). Stand for a better Bangsamoro.”
While at the former main camp of the MILF, Marcos offered a wreath at the Marine Warrior Memorial to honor the 53 fallen soldiers during the all-out war in 2000 that was waged by the government during the Estrada administration.
The then-president Joseph Estrada raised the Philippine flag in the camp in July 2000 to mark its fall to government forces. He brought lechon (roasted pigs) and cases of beer to celebrate the fall of the camp. Camp Abubakar now hosts Camp Iranun, the headquarters of the 1st Marine Brigade.
Earlier in the day, Marcos led the historic graduation rites of the first batch of Moro combatants who successfully completed police basic training at Camp Salipada K. Pendatun in Parang town.
The graduating class consists of 100 trainees evenly divided between the MILF and the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), 92 men, and eight women. The former guerrillas underwent a 23-week training course.
BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim said the recruitment from the ranks of the MILF and MNLF is provided for in the CAB and the Bangsamoro Organic Law.
Based on the law, the National Police Commission (Napolcom) can waive the age, height, and educational requirements for former guerrillas who wish to become policemen, subject to other existing policies and regulations.
Recruits who are accepted into the police force but lack the required educational attainment will be given 15 years to comply. Their ranks and salary grades are determined based on existing laws, rules, and regulations in the PNP. –Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/marcos-warns-attempts-derail-2025-bangsamoro-polls/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2noNC_PuqZ6AfCHHDaOFJSHnyaDG8s4hO2SkdTcYnrSW0lC4Skuew-Iz8_aem_tO1e3HzBvxv1e56nKeZs7A
|
1
|
Worsening water crisis spurs rationing efforts by private firms in Bacolod, Iloilo
|
Herbie G
|
29/04/2024 15:35
|
STRUGGLE. Residents struggle to fetch water provided by a private company in Iloilo City on Sunday, April 28.
More Electric and Power Corporation
BACOLOD, Philippines – The situation has become dire, prompting private companies to step in and provide potable water to villages in Bacolod and Iloilo, where temperatures are rising and water scarcity is worsening.
The Villar group’s Prime Water, the bulk water supplier in Bacolod, and More Electric and Power Corporation, the electricity distributor in Iloilo of the Razon group, have initiated water rationing operations in the two cities of Western Visayas.
Farah Jenny Monteclaro, Prime Water manager, said on Sunday, April 28, that they set up 24 water storage tanks in a dozen El Niño-hit villages in Bacolod currently suffering from water scarcity. The barangays are Handumanan, Tangub, Mandalagan, Felisa, Vista Alegre, Villamonte, Taculing, Alijis, Sum-ag, Mansilingan, Barangay 40, and Banago.
Each barangay received two water storage tanks, each with a capacity of 2,000 liters.
The villages were identified as those currently experiencing intermittent supply of water due to the El Niño phenomenon, Monteclaro said.
In ramping up water rationing, Monteclaro said they are not just addressing water woes but also fostering partnerships with other concerned groups to improve water services in 61 barangays in Bacolod.
Meanwhile, MORE Power, the sole power distributor in Iloilo City, also distributed free water for washing and bathing to Ilonggo consumers, especially those affected by a 12-hour blackout due to maintenance work on Sunday, April 28.
Aside from water, MORE Power also provided a free charging area using a mobile generator for residents’ gadgets and appliances.
Roel Castro, president of MORE Power, said they have no choice but to continuously innovate to minimize inconvenience for consumers affected by the 12-hour scheduled power interruption.
El Niño put the entire Iloilo City under a state of calamity on April 22 due to a water shortage scenario.
Iloilo Mayor Jerry Treñas said they will be using more than a P12-million budget just for water procurement and rationing purposes.
Iloilo City is included among 25 local governments in the Western Visayas region now under a state of calamity. These include 18 local governments in Antique province, two each in Iloilo, Guimaras, and Negros Occidental.
Meanwhile, Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson rejected the call of United Sugar Producers Federation (UNIFED) to place the province under a state of calamity and to buy planes for cloud seeding.
Lacson assured Negrenses that the provincial government has available funds to assist the El Niño-hit farming sector.
Raul Fernandez, chief of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) in Region VI, issued Memorandum No. 25-2024, purposely aimed at activating select response clusters for affected local governments in Western Visayas. –Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/visayas/worsening-water-crisis-spurs-rationing-efforts-private-firms-bacolod-iloilo/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0I_f9SZBitzYr5cCClpyJSEj1aU8SvvNI5M2VObz0YUihKB1_s-zLCFKY_aem_rGO1astjGP6IPU-vb86FsQ
|
1
|
[OPINION] Remembering RSP, Norman and Jessie – geoscientists for the people
|
Glenda Gloria
|
29/04/2024 12:52
|
April 28, 2005 saw the demise of three dedicated geoscientists who risked their lives for the sake of the people. A few minutes before nine in the morning, 19 years ago on Sunday, April 28, Raymundo S. Punongbayan, Jessie A. Daligdig and Norman M. Tungol, together with two other scientists of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) and four Philippine Air Force )PAF) personnel, all perished when the PAF helicopter they were in crashed in the Sierra Madre Mountains over Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, while returning to base after performing an aerial survey over the town of Dingalan in Aurora.
Ar-Es-Pi, that was how Dr. Raymundo S. Punongbayan (RSP) was fondly called by both his contemporaries and students. He was my professor in Geology 112 – Structural Geology, dreaded by many, including myself, as a killer subject in the BS Geology program of the University of the Philippines (UP).
RSP was infamously known to be the teacher who gave an entire class a grade of “incomplete” at the end of a semester, my batch included. Despite this, it was to him that I provided several years later, a copy of the first prints of my dissertation in, of all fields, Structural Geology!
I would maintain links with RSP professionally, sometimes to debate over concepts in structural geology. At other times, when he would explain to me how his signature resembled the profile of Taal Volcano, or when he would humor friends that the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991, was meant to celebrate his birthday on June 13.
More seriously, his popularity peaked when he and his team, in cooperation with geoscientists from the United States Geological Survey (USGS), were able to undertake anticipatory studies prior to the eruption, leading to relatively minimal damage and casualties, despite being categorized as the largest volcanic eruption in the 20th century.
To date, this remains among the best success stories of volcano disaster mitigation and management, discussed in conferences, and taught in schools around the world. RSP became a household name and some friends were convinced he would be a sure-win candidate if he ran for senator the year after.
I went to college with Norman. But he opted to graduate later, giving more importance to his ideology, sacrificing some school years so he could contribute in making the lives of marginalized countrymen more bearable, at least for a while. “Lakay” Jessie was an entire college generation ahead, but we found common ground in the studies we did: studying active faults and understanding how to minimize the disastrous effects of earthquakes by a technique called “trenching.”
In the latter part of 2004, coastal towns in central and southern Luzon including Dingalan in Aurora, and Infanta and Real in Quezon took the brunt of flashfloods, landslides and debris flows brought about by a series of typhoons culminating in December. Survivors were left homeless. Tasked to provide relocation sites, local governments needed technical assistance.
Marker in memory of dedicated scientists, Drs. Ray Punongbayan, Jessie Daligdig, Norman Tungol and colleagues who all perished in a helicopter crash in the Sierra Madre Mountains on April 28, 2005, serving the people. Photo courtesy of Dr. Ramon Quebral.
Phivolcs was among those government agencies with a mandate to provide technical assistance to find suitable relocation sites. Relocations sites should be at a minimum, safe from the hazards already suffered by the victims. In general, relocation sites should be located on high ground, but at same time away from active faults and slopes prone to landslides.
Geologists provide the critical expertise in evaluating suitable relocation sites. RSP, drawing from his experience as Phivolcs director, made sure the services of geologists were availed. He also preferred commencing assessment work with a bird’s eye view.
Hence, the aerial survey, albeit ill-fated.
More than their being excellent geoscientists, RSP, Norman and Jessie are remembered for their dedication to serve the people. – Rappler.com
Mario A. Aurelio, PhD is a professor at the National Institute of Geological Sciences – University of the Philippines – UP NIGS. Like Dr. Raymundo Punongbayan, he is a structural geologist who includes assessment of geologic hazards among his research interests. Among the subjects he teaches is Geology 112 – Structural Geology
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/imho/opinion-remembering-raymundo-punongbayan-norman-tungol-jessie-daligdig-geoscientists-for-people/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3bqPwt7xP0rKdPoeat1Gr6iiqKXGMi7IszmQjUNqP5ShrpD0bY0uHFZ48_aem_FR1KfZpAe3_SO1JZgykayQ
|
1
|
[EDITORIAL] Bakit hindi mahuli-huli si Apollo Quiboloy?
|
Lilibeth Frondoso
|
29/04/2024 12:28
|
Nico Villarete
Mabigat ang puwet ng Philippine National Police pagdating sa puganteng doomsday preacher na si Apollo Quiboloy.
Kinailangan pa silang kalabitin ni Senadora Risa Hontiveros tungkol sa revocation ng 19 firearms na ang tagal bago nila inaksyunan. Ang ilan sa firearms, kabibigay lang ng lisensiya nitong Abril 2023.
At magtatataka pa ba tayo kung inaabot ng siyam-siyam ang pag-aresto kay Quiboloy na ayon sa intel ng Justice Department ay nasa bansa pa raw?
Noong isang araw lang, nag-post ang isang miyembro ng KOJC ng video ni Quiboloy (which was public as of this writing) na kaharap ang birthday cake at kinakantahan ng happy birthday. Suspetsa ng mga source ng Rappler, ang video ay kuha lang kamakailan.
Bakit? Una, small-time ang piging na ito kung ikukumpara sa mga dating selebrasyon ng kanyang birthday na may floats, perya, parada, at napakaraming panauhing big-time. Noong isang taon lang, panauhing pandangal ang bilyonaryong si Manny Villar, ang mga senador na sina Robin Padilla, Bato dela Rosa, Francis Tolentino, Bong Revilla, Bong Go, at Mark Villar.
Pangalawa, iba ang damit at suot niya sa video na ito kumpara sa mga nakalipas na taon.
Pangatlo, pawang inner circle lang niya ang nasa piging kumpara sa normal niyang birthday na puro VIP.
Kung totoong recent lang ang video, kitang-kita ang kabuktutan, hindi lang kainutilan, ng pulisya na supposedly ay naghahanap sa kanya. Hindi ba simple lang na i-surveillance ang mga nasa inner circle ni Quiboloy upang matunton siya?
Sabi ni Antonio Montalvan II sa kanyang column na The Slingshot, dapat paretiro na raw nitong Abril 25, 2024 si Police General Alden Delvo, ang police director ng Region 11 na inatasang arestuhin si Quiboloy.
On the record si Delvo na inaaming umaattend siya ng kaarawan ni Quiboloy dahil magka-birthday sila. At nang hinalungkat ni Montalvan ang record ni Delvo, dati itong hepe sa San Pedro Police Station, Davao City.
Nang hinalungkat naman ng Rappler ang record ni Delvo, isa pala siya sa dawit sa Davao Death Squad. (BASAHIN: Now retired, top cop Alden Delvo leaves Davao Death Squad allegations unanswered)
Ayon sa pulisya, dalawang beses nilang sinuyod ang Tamayong Prayer Mountain. Meron pa nga raw silang tracker teams na nakabantay sa signal ng telepono ng pugante, pero negatibo daw. Eh bakit mo naman ia-anunsiyo ‘yun sa madla, kundi mo gustong maalerto rin si Quiboloy, hindi ba?
Enter former president Rodrigo Duterte, na harapang sinabihan ang kumpare na “Huwag mo naman akong damayin dito.” Iminarites ni Digong na kausap lang niya si Quiboloy sa telepono at nasa Tamayong lang daw ang Pastor. Anong nangyari sa tracker teams?
Ang papalit ba kay Delvo, na may conflict of interest, ang siya ring i-a-assign na hulihin si Quiboloy? Kasing kupad din ba niya?
Mahalaga ring tanungin ng Crame kung may bribery at corruption bang nagaganap sa likod ng kabiguang mahuli si Quiboloy.
Maliban sa mga warrants of arrest na inisyu ng mga korte ng Davao City at Pasig City, andiyan din ang arrest order bunga ng contempt order ng Senado na lantarang binastos ni Quiboloy.
Alam naman natin na minsa’y umuusbong ang mga contempt order ng Senado mula sa mga bruised ego ng mga senador. Pero hindi ito totoo sa kaso ng komite ni Senadora Risa Hontiveros.
Lehitimo at makatuwiran ang pakay ng komite na nais busisiin:
Bansa tayong tumitingala at sumasamba sa religious leaders – at marami sa kanila ay ginamit ang pagmamahal ng mga tagasuporta upang yumaman, sumikat, at maging tuntungan para sa higit pang pulitikal na kapangyarihan. Sumasagi sa isip si Ruben Ecleo Jr. ng Dinagat, pati na rin si Señor Aguila ng tinaguriang kulto sa Socorro, Surigao del Norte.
Kung titingnan natin ang big picture, case study si Quiboloy ng abuse of religious power at ang galamay ng mga tulad niya na nakakokontrol ng pulisya, burukrasya, at pulitika.
Case study rin ito ng kainutilan ng pulisya na maging puwersa ng rule of law sa harap ng kuwarta at kapangyarihan.
Argumento rin ito laban sa baluktot na lohika ni Senador Robin Padilla na encroachment daw ito ng freedom of religion, at paglabag sa separation of church and state.
Ayon kay Rappler Managing Editor na si Miriam Grace Go, “bulag lamang” ang hindi makakakita ng “exploitation of the devotion of his followers” at ng influence-peddling.
Bulag lamang o nagbubulag-bulagan ang hindi makaaaninag na ginagawa niyang katawa-tawa ang batas. Sabi ni Joseph Nathan Cruz, dapat gamitin ng estado ang “full might of its police apparatus” at intelligence funds para mahuli ang pugante, na malamang ay pahila-hilata lang sa Davao at nag-e-enjoy sa marangyang buhay sa piling ng isa nitong inner circle o kumpare.
PNP, patunayan ninyong hindi na kayo alipores ng mga diyos sa Davao. Patunayan ‘nyo na lingkod bayan kayo at propesyonal. Arestuhin ‘nyo na si Quiboloy. Stop the impunity. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
Tama: “PNP, patunayan ninyong hindi na kayo alipores ng mga diyos sa Davao. Patunayan ‘nyo na lingkod bayan kayo at propesyonal.” Dapat patunayan nila. Paano kong hindi nila mapatunayan?
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/editorials/why-quiboloy-not-being-arrested/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ybFRGCt-GHvfYmJ9iukQXFUAc5tmQDRWfJaUYHiYMMLDH-bMxjnT7thw_aem_uUuwoI81O5D9fAgFXS5q-Q
|
1
|
Students suffer in wilting heat, thwarting education efforts
|
Chito de la Vega
|
29/04/2024 11:16
|
File photo of a student answering his learning module
Lisa Marie David/Reuters
MANILA, Philippines – Sweltering heat in the Philippines can curb farm production, disrupt water and power and weigh on businesses, but it also takes a toll on students, hampering the Southeast Asian nation’s efforts to catch up to its neighbours in education.
Heat indices have hit 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit) in various regions in the Philippines, as the weather phenomenon El Nino intensifies the heat enveloping the nation in its summer months of March to May.
The Philippines scores among the lowest in the world in math, science and reading, partly because of years of inadequate remote learning during the pandemic, according to the Programme for International Student Assessment, an international study of education systems.
“It is extremely hot now. The heat burns my skin, it’s not like the usual (summer) heat that is tolerable,” said senior high school student Kirt Mahusay, 23, whose education was halted during COVID-19.
Thousands of schools have suspended classes due to the heat, affecting more than 3.6 million students, education ministry data shows.
“In May, we’re expecting more class suspensions because of the heatwaves. We’re seeing an average of more than 52 degrees Celsius (125 F), so you could imagine how stressful that would be for learners,” said Xerxes Castro, basic education adviser for the Save the Children Philippines.
The wilting heat – part of a band spreading across much of South and Southeast Asia, exacerbated by climate change – makes it harder for students to learn.
Children are particularly vulnerable to heat-related illnesses such as dizziness, vomiting and fainting when exposed to extreme heat for long periods, according to Save the Children Philippines.
Students and teachers have expressed concerns about difficulties in remote teaching and learning, especially in poorer areas where homes are not conducive for studying and may lack access to good internet connectivity.
“I could not focus because I get dizzy” from the heat, Esmaira Solaiman, a 20-year-old senior high school student whose learning was delayed during the pandemic, said after attending an online class from home.
Students attending in-person classes in the capital Manila resort to portable fans, notebooks and even cardboard boxes for a bit of breeze to offer relief.
“My blood pressure is already increasing because of the heat,” said 62-year-old secondary school teacher Memia Santos. “Our backs are wet and at times we get dizzy.”
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/students-suffer-wilting-heat-thwarting-education-efforts/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1IYPeYG6ngx2IGoipY3v_NZz6jLnJyrhAlHLun7Z5uybZoBJWu6E-pUOo_aem_08vbCXjR9Qxf2STL-ROhAA
|
1
|
In Bangsamoro visit, Marcos warns of ‘those who preach ideology of dismemberment’
|
Dwight de Leon
|
29/04/2024 12:56
|
File photo of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
Noel Pabalate/PPA Pool
MANILA, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. issued a warning against separatism advocates during his visit to Maguindanao del Norte for the 10th anniversary commemoration of a landmark peace deal on the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
“As we defend the gains that we have achieved, we will be vigilant against the enemies of peace. We will bear the full force of the state against terrorist elements, to those who preach the discarded and debunked ideology of dismemberment. The people will reject your selfish agenda,” Marcos said in a speech on Monday, April 29.
The statement comes months after former president Rodrigo Duterte and his allies floated the possibility of a separate Mindanao, although that call garnered little support among leaders in the region. Marcos’ predecessor later said he was just joking.
Peace-building in southern Philippines, particularly in the Bangsamoro, has been a decades-long journey, hampered by the proliferation of insurgency movements.
In 2014, the Philippine government under the administration of the late Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front signed the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB), compelling the latter to surrender its firearms and decommission its armed wing in exchange for the establishment of an autonomous Bangsamoro.
In 2018, the Duterte administration passed the Bangsamoro Organic Law, paving the way for an interim parliament who were supposed to be replaced by an elected set of officers in 2022. The coronavirus pandemic, as well as the absence of a Bangsamoro electoral code, delayed the first parliamentary polls in the BARMM to 2025.
In his speech, Marcos assured residents of the region of an “honest, orderly, and credible conduct of the electoral process.”
“Let this also serve as a warning to those who may plan to threaten and derail this upcoming election. Don’t think about that anymore because your enemy is the government,” he said.
“Instead, channel your energy to help build productive and thriving communities where citizens are offered wide livelihood opportunities and healthy living spaces,” Marcos added.
Some civil society groups have called for another three-year extension for the Bangsamoro Transition Authority due to supposed unimplemented provisions of the CAB, but Marcos is not keen on the idea, according to Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/marcos-visits-bangsamoro-warns-preachers-dismemberment-april-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Sf3fT1F2LD2V-C1xd_8ISabY4Ln7ZVOR3OoPI33toBzdxvkJXV6JEvCM_aem_wLckwg9vBtVHynLsiEhGCA
|
1
|
La Niña may happen in 2024. Here are the flood-risk areas in Metro Manila.
|
Chay Hofilena
|
22/04/2024 13:36
|
MARIKINA FLOODING. In this file photo, Marikina Disaster Response team members and residents monitor the water level marker at the Marikina Riverbanks, after it rose to second alarm due to the continuous monsoon rains as Typhoon Egay exits the country, on July 27, 2023.
Jire Carreon/Rappler
The Philippines can expect more storms in the latter half of this year due to La Niña, according to state weather forecasters. For several areas in Metro Manila, a heavy downpour means there will be floods.
In the Philippines’ densest region, analysis of government data showed that barely one in 100 evacuation facilities are permanent shelters. At least 60 in every 100 of Metro Manila’s “evacuation centers” are schools and basketball courts.
Rappler mapped the evacuation centers in the capital region and looked at the facilities’ and people’s exposure to floods. In our months-long investigation, we found that one-fifth of Metro Manila’s land area are high-risk flood zones. Several evacuation centers are built in these areas and there is not enough space for the surrounding community.
According to a disaster resilience expert, the Philippines has made significant strides since strong typhoons battered the country in recent decades. But Metro Manila still has a long way to go.
In the past three decades, nearly 107,000 Filipinos in Metro Manila have been affected by typhoons each year. Among cities in the metro, Marikina City has always been the hardest hit, where nine in 100,000 Metro Manila residents have died from typhoons since 2003.
Flooding is a fact of life in Marikina City. Essentially a catch basin, it lies in the Marikina Valley, bound by the Sierra Madre mountain range to the east and the hills of Quezon City to the west. The Marikina River cuts through the western portion of the city.
The Torres family lived near the Marikina River for as long as they can remember. Arlene, 33, and Reizan, 31, grew up in houses apart from each other when they were young. When they got married, Reizan moved into his wife’s house.
Just like the Torreses, their home has endured tough times. Repeated flooding has stained the wall and left a musty smell inside. From blue and green walls, they have since repainted them to white.
Of all the typhoons she has lived through, Arlene said Typhoon Ondoy (Ketsana) in 2009 and Typhoon Ulysses (Vamco) in 2020 were the ones she could not forget.
“I remember it very well. It was on September 26, [2009],” she said. Within six hours from landfall, Ondoy brought a deluge of rain equivalent to a month’s volume in the country.
Arlene, a high school student at the time, was left stranded at her school due to Ondoy’s downpour. She said the students were asked to go home because the flood had been rising, but they were unable to leave the premises.
“It was my older sister who rushed home. The water was already so high that she had to use a boat to reach our parents. They made a hole in the roof on the second floor of our house to avoid the flood,” Arlene recalled.
“We laid our father on a table to prevent him from getting wet again,” she said. But because of runoffs from the mountains and the trash that blocked access to roads, we could not get anyone to bring him [to the hospital]. He was cold and was coughing up blood. Days later, when we finally arrived at the hospital, he was declared ‘dead on arrival.’”
Ondoy was the deadliest typhoon that Metro Manila had faced in recent decades, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) data showed. At least 464 people were killed due to the onslaught of the typhoon, and more than half of them were from Metro Manila.
For many Filipinos, Ondoy was a turning point. It exposed Metro Manila’s vulnerabilities and lack of preparedness. A year later, lawmakers passed Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010.
The Torreses are among millions of Filipinos who face the risk of having their homes flooded during typhoons or heavy downpours. According to government data, at least eight in 10 Manileños live in flood zones.
More than a decade since Ondoy, Arlene and Reizan still live in the same house where the latter survived the deadly typhoon.
Having lived through strong storms, the Torreses knew what they had to do when Ulysses made landfall – get all the essential items and documents, prepare for evacuation when the Marikina River reaches 15 meters above sea level, and move their appliances and furniture to the second floor.
Living near the river, Reizan had to regularly monitor the updates on the city government’s social media feeds during Ulysses. He knew that once the river’s water level rose to 15 to 16 meters, his wife and children had to evacuate to his in-laws.
So they did. Arlene and the children went to her sister’s house but Reizan was left at home to guard their belongings. Then, the flood reached the second floor. Reizan said he was fortunate that rescuers went to their area.
“When the water reached the second floor, the refrigerator was knocked over. I lost the will to guard our things. There was no use in staying. I just left,” he recalled.
Ulysses made landfall in the middle of the pandemic, in November 2020, packing maximum sustained winds of 150 kilometer per hour (kph) and gustiness of up to 205 kph as it crossed Central Luzon.
During Ulysses, the Marikina River’s water level rose to 22 meters, breaching Ondoy’s record of 21.5 meters. While Ondoy brought more rain than Ulysses, PAGASA noted that it was possible that Sierra Madre was unable to absorb them – three storms had hit the country within three weeks before Ulysses – resulting in a runoff.
According to UN OCHA [United Nations for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs],, over 40,000 houses in Marikina were partially and fully submerged under flood water. All evacuation centers were packed, leaving residents to seek temporary shelter in the homes of their families and friends.
Evacuation centers are supposed to provide refuge from disasters. However, not all evacuation centers in Metro Manila are located in safe areas. They are not enough for everyone.
Analysis of the data from government hazard portal HazardHunterPH showed that one-fifth of Metro Manila’s land area is at high or very high risk of floods.
Among cities in Metro Manila, Navotas will be the most affected when flooding hits. About two-thirds of Navotas’ land area will be submerged by floods, while half of Malabon, Marikina, and Pasig will be swamped with water.
Latest shelter data from OCD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government showed that over 1,300 evacuation centers were listed as evacuation centers in the capital region. Rappler mapped these facilities to see which of them are in high- and very high-risk flood zones.
Areas with a high risk of flooding may be under one to two meters of water for over three days, according to the environment department’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau, one of the government offices involved in the creation of HazardHunterPH. For an average Filipino, this depth is already waist- to chest-deep.
Those with a very high flood risk may face over two meters of flooding. This height is taller than the average Filipino.
According to our analysis, one in five evacuation centers in the metro are built in high-risk areas. Several of them are in Quezon City, Valenzuela, and Pasig.
Aside from the risk, the designated evacuation centers in the metro could not possibly cater to every resident.
Small cities San Juan and Navotas have the lowest evacuation center-to-population ratio in Metro Manila. San Juan has one evacuation center for every 2,200 residents, while Navotas has one for every 5,600 residents.
In the capital Manila, only two evacuation centers were in official government lists for a population of over 1.8 million people. According to OCD, the Delpan and Baseco evacuation centers can fit 3,700 people. (To be concluded) – Rappler.com
NEXT: La Niña: What ought to be done to be better prepared
*$1 = P56.60
All quotes were translated into English.
Vianca Jasmin Anglo is a data analyst pursuing a postgraduate degree in Human Development and Services. She was part of the public health, pandemic management, and response in the Philippines. Her years of experience in social development demonstrate her commitment to human well-being through data analysis.
Reporting for this story was supported by the Environmental Data Journalism Academy – a program of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and Thibi.
METHODOLOGY
This data story examined the link between evacuation centers and flood risk in Metro Manila. We obtained the latest evacuation center data from the DILG – which appeared incomplete – and supplemented it with 2021 data from the OCD. Capacity information from these lists are incomplete, limiting our analysis to the evacuation center-to-population ratio.
Using spatial software and Google Sheets, spatial analysis was conducted to pinpoint the intersection between evacuation centers and their corresponding flood susceptibility category from HazardHunterPH. For the full description of our methodology, please read it here. Data cleaning and analysis can be accessed here. This story was a result of collaboration between the author, and the data and story mentors from Thibi, Thet Win Htut, and Aika Rey, respectively.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/environment/la-nina-may-happen-2024-flood-risk-areas-metro-manila/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1nSlfix4iyNRZ14eCtnNaRmi8ErrlOx4EXbAimaCIUToQ3Av1fzJNQ7VY_aem_3t3F4BJPi-6q2eJQrBhwwg
|
1
|
Now retired, top cop Alden Delvo leaves Davao Death Squad allegations unanswered
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
29/04/2024 13:03
|
All eyes are on the Davao region police as they seek to implement the numerous arrest warrants issued against doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
At the top of the regional police hierarchy is Brigadier General Alden Delvo, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Thursday, April 25. He shares the same birthday with the fugitive Quiboloy.
A report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted him as saying that he spent several birthdays at the KOJC instead of his home. But he assured the public that the police are doing their best to arrest Quiboloy, who is the subject of arrest warrants from Davao City and Pasig City courts, on top of a Senate arrest order. He is also on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list for sex trafficking of children, among other allegations.
Delvo warned: “Those who could be coddling the pastor, whether they be friends or, worse, members of the police or the military, we will file a case of obstruction for (sic) justice once we find out about it.”
Delvo is now retired as he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 for Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel. He will not only leave office with Quiboloy still on the run, but also leave behind unanswered allegations from former cop and self-confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman Arturo Lascañas.
The DDS is a notorious group accused of carrying out hundreds of killings upon the orders of then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who became president in 2016.
Delvo’s name was mentioned 46 times in the 186-page affidavit submitted by Lascañas to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of its investigation into killings under Duterte’s nationwide drug war and in Davao City. Rappler reported about the content of this affidavit in November 2021.
Rappler reached out to Delvo via phone calls, text messages, and Viber messages for comment on these allegations, but he has not replied. The Davao regional police’s public information office told Rappler on Thursday morning that it already forwarded our request to Delvo’s office. We will update this story as soon as we receive a reply.
Delvo, who was appointed regional director of the Davao region in March 2023 is part of the close network of Duterte and former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. He served as close senior aide of Dela Rosa after working with him for many years in Davao City, before transferring to the PNP’s Directorate for Comptrollership. He also served as chief of the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office during the last months of the Duterte administration and headed the area police command in Eastern Mindanao.
Lascañas, who was a Davao cop for nearly 35 years, claimed that he first met Delvo when the latter was a young police inspector at the Davao City Police Office. Delvo, a member of Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1995, referred to Lascañas as “’Nong” or “Manong” (elder) as a sign of respect.
“He wanted to know the ‘unwritten law’ of police work, and wanted to learn the A to Z in the business of killing people,” Lascañas said in his affidavit. “He embraced the evil one’s policy of killings, and I am partly to blame.”
Lascañas detailed a system where Duterte supposedly freely ordered his men to kill individuals during his decades as Davao City mayor. Based on Rappler’s count, he narrated at least 100 killings linked to Duterte whom they codenamed “Superman.”
Delvo was one of the 21 cops that the Office of the Ombudsman in 2012 found to be “guilty of simple neglect of duty.” They were suspended for a month or ordered to pay a fine equivalent to one month’s salary.
In his affidavit, Lascañas included Delvo’s name in his narration of at least four killings that occurred before Duterte became president. Delvo’s participation allegedly ranged from relaying kill orders to DDS members to being part of a surveillance team that followed targets.
1. Relayed order to abduct a certain Sali Makdum
Lascañas alleged that Delvo was supposedly involved in the abduction and killing of a certain Sali Makdum sometime between 1999 and 2000. He claimed that this operation was ordered by Dela Rosa and approved by Duterte.
“[Dela Rosa]…ordered me thru cellphone and personally thru then-Senior Inspectors Antonio Rivera and Alden Delvo…to erase/kill without a trace alias Makdum,” he said in his affidavit.
Makdum also figured in the testimonies of another DDS whistleblower Edgar Matobato. In 2017, a regional trial court in Panabo City issued a warrant of arrest against Matobato over the kidnapping of Makdum.
Rappler reached out to Dela Rosa via message and his Senate office’s email on Thursday morning, April 25, but received no reply. He previously refused to comment on an earlier investigative series on the same Lascañas affidavit published by Rappler in November 2021.
In February 2024, when Lascañas resurfaced with more allegations after years of hiding, Dela Rosa said: “Sige, pabayaan mo lang siya mag-allege siya nang mag-allege. Basta malinis ang konsensiya ko, bahala siya sa buhay niya.” (Go ahead, let him allege all he wants. My conscience is clear, he can do whatever he wants.)
2. Allegedly led team that abducted and killed two suspected extortionists
Delvo was allegedly part of a team of Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) operatives involved in the abduction and eventual killing of two Muslim individuals, whom they claimed were “suspected extortionists.”
The abduction allegedly happened in Mati, Davao Oriental, in 2003 using three vehicles. Lascañas said that it was Delvo’s team of young personnel “who led the action.”
The team then “blindfolded, gagged, and hogtied” the two victims, brought them back to Laud Quarry in Davao City after Dela Rosa allegedly ordered to “immediately neutralize them without the benefit of tactical interrogation.”
3. Allegedly involved in killing of person who reportedly plotted to assassinate Duterte
Lascañas said that sometime in 2003, Delvo called for a confidential meeting where they were told about an operation “against a high risk personality, who was allegedly planning to assassinate Duterte.” He said that this “intelligence information” was from Delvo, Dela Rosa, and Sonny Buenaventura, who Lascañas described as a close bodyguard of the then-city mayor.
“[Delvo] would be the one to call and instruct us on our role as stand-by, back-up police elements,” Lascañas said.
Delvo ended up calling days after, Lascañas claimed, and “asked for [Lascañas]’ location because he badly needed back-up elements and assistance.” But the Davao cop said he was too far away, so he would ask another DDS hitman to follow instead.
It was only after that Lascañas discovered that the man believed to be plotting the supposed assassination of Duterte, and who was the DDS’ target, was then-Monkayo mayor Joel Brillantes. The hitman, Delvo told Lascañas in a phone conversation, was a dismissed Davao City policeman, who was eventually killed by the DDS.
A Philippine Star report in 2003 confirmed the assassination of Brillantes, quoting police as saying they believed it was an “offshoot of the ongoing mining row at Mt. Diwalwal.” But the suspect in the assassination of Brillantes was identified as a “barangay tanod” who, according to the report, was killed by the mayor’s bodyguard.
4. Allegedly involved in the death of former cop
Former cop Allan Estrada, who was facing kidnap-for-ransom charges, was killed by police in a shootout in August 2007. He was one of the most wanted individuals in the Philippines, according to a Philippine Star report.
But Lascañas said that Estrada “did not resist the arrest.” Instead, Duterte “handed [Lascañas] a handgun to plant it on [Estrada]’s body as evidence.”
“Because of this ‘accomplishment,’ [Delvo] was awarded with a ‘spot promotion’ to the rank of Police Lt. Colonel,” Lascañas said in his affidavit.
In 2009, Delvo was one of the awardees in the Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service, an award-giving body organized by Metrobank Foundation, PSBank, and the Rotary Club of New Manila East, according to a Philippine Star report.
When Duterte was sworn into the presidency in 2016, he brought with him from Davao City not just his men, but also the violence, turning his local anti-crime efforts into a nationwide affair.
He waged a bloody anti-illegal drug campaign that led to more than 6,000 people killed in police operations alone, as of May 2022. The death toll could reach 30,000 to include victims of vigilante-style killings, according to estimates by human rights groups.
But it was not only the war on drugs that Duterte expanded, but also the DDS system.
Delvo, who was then already installed as senior aide to Dela Rosa in Camp Crame, allegedly offered Lascañas a “buena mano” contract, asking him to kill suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta. It meant a P10-million reward money from Duterte himself.
But Lascañas was already planning to submit his retirement documents.
“I feigned accord to the killing contract, it was a ‘big time’ business of killing, according to [Delvo],” Lascañas said in his affidavit. He also said Delvo made a series of follow-up calls, even offering to provide a get-away motorcycle for his “DDS-hitman shooter.”
Odicta and his wife, Merriam, were gunned down by an unidentified man as they were disembarking from a passenger ship in Aklan in August 2016. Duterte said he was not surprised that Odicta was killed because he “was really being hunted.” The then-president said Odicta was “wanted and he is the number one drug lord.”
Lascañas claimed he received a “balato” (share) of P200,000.
That meeting was followed by another in October 2016, but this time in a Chinese restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan – just a few kilometers from the PNP headquarters – upon the invitation of Dela Rosa.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that Delvo, who sat beside him, asked “in whisper if [Duterte] gave me a quota [on] how many to kill in a day in Davao City before.” He replied that there was no quota, but there would be a bonus of “either money or material things” if they could reach five kills in a day.
“[Delvo] then told me that President Duterte, through…then-PNP Chief [Dela Rosa], gave him a quota of at least ten killings per day nationwide, in which Dela Rosa nodded in confirmation without a word,” Lascañas recalled.
The meeting happened during the same month that Lascañas and other Davao City cops appeared before a Senate hearing into alleged state-sponsored killings across the Philippines. This was following the exposé of Matobato.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that then-senator Alan Peter Cayetano told them to stay loyal to Duterte and deny all accusations.
Before he flew back to Davao, Lascañas said Delvo called him for a meeting in Camp Crame to offer him “another contract killing with P10-million reward from President Duterte.”
Lascañas said Delvo would also offer “safe havens” inside Camp Crame whenever he relayed orders to him from more senior personalities.
Lascañas’ allegations first became public after Rappler released a series of reports on his affidavit in November 2021. The ICC has since continued its own investigation into the killings under Duterte, including those that happened during his time in Davao City from 2011 to 2016.
Duterte left office in 2022 unscathed. Delvo, meanwhile, continued to rise through the ranks, even becoming Davao regional police director in March 2023. He was also recently recognized by the Metrobank Foundation.
Drug-related killings in Davao region also continued, with more than half of the 104 reported killings in Davao City alone happening since the start of his appointment in March 2023, according to data from the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center.
After Delvo’s retirement from office, leaving behind a still on-the-run Quiboloy, what happens to Lascañas’ accusation against him that have reached the ICC? – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/davao-death-squad-allegations-unanswered-police-alden-delvo/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1daFYdydajmRaeYqvj9BM3dwaisyKjUmmtNEdFzVSkFrSv9_xdHf32M6w_aem_fT-jPRk1YhJ3G-yRK4Nk6w
|
1
|
Now retired, top cop Alden Delvo leaves Davao Death Squad allegations unanswered
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
29/04/2024 13:03
|
All eyes are on the Davao region police as they seek to implement the numerous arrest warrants issued against doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
At the top of the regional police hierarchy is Brigadier General Alden Delvo, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Thursday, April 25. He shares the same birthday with the fugitive Quiboloy.
A report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted him as saying that he spent several birthdays at the KOJC instead of his home. But he assured the public that the police are doing their best to arrest Quiboloy, who is the subject of arrest warrants from Davao City and Pasig City courts, on top of a Senate arrest order. He is also on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list for sex trafficking of children, among other allegations.
Delvo warned: “Those who could be coddling the pastor, whether they be friends or, worse, members of the police or the military, we will file a case of obstruction for (sic) justice once we find out about it.”
Delvo is now retired as he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 for Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel. He will not only leave office with Quiboloy still on the run, but also leave behind unanswered allegations from former cop and self-confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman Arturo Lascañas.
The DDS is a notorious group accused of carrying out hundreds of killings upon the orders of then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who became president in 2016.
Delvo’s name was mentioned 46 times in the 186-page affidavit submitted by Lascañas to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of its investigation into killings under Duterte’s nationwide drug war and in Davao City. Rappler reported about the content of this affidavit in November 2021.
Rappler reached out to Delvo via phone calls, text messages, and Viber messages for comment on these allegations, but he has not replied. The Davao regional police’s public information office told Rappler on Thursday morning that it already forwarded our request to Delvo’s office. We will update this story as soon as we receive a reply.
Delvo, who was appointed regional director of the Davao region in March 2023 is part of the close network of Duterte and former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. He served as close senior aide of Dela Rosa after working with him for many years in Davao City, before transferring to the PNP’s Directorate for Comptrollership. He also served as chief of the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office during the last months of the Duterte administration and headed the area police command in Eastern Mindanao.
Lascañas, who was a Davao cop for nearly 35 years, claimed that he first met Delvo when the latter was a young police inspector at the Davao City Police Office. Delvo, a member of Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1995, referred to Lascañas as “’Nong” or “Manong” (elder) as a sign of respect.
“He wanted to know the ‘unwritten law’ of police work, and wanted to learn the A to Z in the business of killing people,” Lascañas said in his affidavit. “He embraced the evil one’s policy of killings, and I am partly to blame.”
Lascañas detailed a system where Duterte supposedly freely ordered his men to kill individuals during his decades as Davao City mayor. Based on Rappler’s count, he narrated at least 100 killings linked to Duterte whom they codenamed “Superman.”
Delvo was one of the 21 cops that the Office of the Ombudsman in 2012 found to be “guilty of simple neglect of duty.” They were suspended for a month or ordered to pay a fine equivalent to one month’s salary.
In his affidavit, Lascañas included Delvo’s name in his narration of at least four killings that occurred before Duterte became president. Delvo’s participation allegedly ranged from relaying kill orders to DDS members to being part of a surveillance team that followed targets.
1. Relayed order to abduct a certain Sali Makdum
Lascañas alleged that Delvo was supposedly involved in the abduction and killing of a certain Sali Makdum sometime between 1999 and 2000. He claimed that this operation was ordered by Dela Rosa and approved by Duterte.
“[Dela Rosa]…ordered me thru cellphone and personally thru then-Senior Inspectors Antonio Rivera and Alden Delvo…to erase/kill without a trace alias Makdum,” he said in his affidavit.
Makdum also figured in the testimonies of another DDS whistleblower Edgar Matobato. In 2017, a regional trial court in Panabo City issued a warrant of arrest against Matobato over the kidnapping of Makdum.
Rappler reached out to Dela Rosa via message and his Senate office’s email on Thursday morning, April 25, but received no reply. He previously refused to comment on an earlier investigative series on the same Lascañas affidavit published by Rappler in November 2021.
In February 2024, when Lascañas resurfaced with more allegations after years of hiding, Dela Rosa said: “Sige, pabayaan mo lang siya mag-allege siya nang mag-allege. Basta malinis ang konsensiya ko, bahala siya sa buhay niya.” (Go ahead, let him allege all he wants. My conscience is clear, he can do whatever he wants.)
2. Allegedly led team that abducted and killed two suspected extortionists
Delvo was allegedly part of a team of Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) operatives involved in the abduction and eventual killing of two Muslim individuals, whom they claimed were “suspected extortionists.”
The abduction allegedly happened in Mati, Davao Oriental, in 2003 using three vehicles. Lascañas said that it was Delvo’s team of young personnel “who led the action.”
The team then “blindfolded, gagged, and hogtied” the two victims, brought them back to Laud Quarry in Davao City after Dela Rosa allegedly ordered to “immediately neutralize them without the benefit of tactical interrogation.”
3. Allegedly involved in killing of person who reportedly plotted to assassinate Duterte
Lascañas said that sometime in 2003, Delvo called for a confidential meeting where they were told about an operation “against a high risk personality, who was allegedly planning to assassinate Duterte.” He said that this “intelligence information” was from Delvo, Dela Rosa, and Sonny Buenaventura, who Lascañas described as a close bodyguard of the then-city mayor.
“[Delvo] would be the one to call and instruct us on our role as stand-by, back-up police elements,” Lascañas said.
Delvo ended up calling days after, Lascañas claimed, and “asked for [Lascañas]’ location because he badly needed back-up elements and assistance.” But the Davao cop said he was too far away, so he would ask another DDS hitman to follow instead.
It was only after that Lascañas discovered that the man believed to be plotting the supposed assassination of Duterte, and who was the DDS’ target, was then-Monkayo mayor Joel Brillantes. The hitman, Delvo told Lascañas in a phone conversation, was a dismissed Davao City policeman, who was eventually killed by the DDS.
A Philippine Star report in 2003 confirmed the assassination of Brillantes, quoting police as saying they believed it was an “offshoot of the ongoing mining row at Mt. Diwalwal.” But the suspect in the assassination of Brillantes was identified as a “barangay tanod” who, according to the report, was killed by the mayor’s bodyguard.
4. Allegedly involved in the death of former cop
Former cop Allan Estrada, who was facing kidnap-for-ransom charges, was killed by police in a shootout in August 2007. He was one of the most wanted individuals in the Philippines, according to a Philippine Star report.
But Lascañas said that Estrada “did not resist the arrest.” Instead, Duterte “handed [Lascañas] a handgun to plant it on [Estrada]’s body as evidence.”
“Because of this ‘accomplishment,’ [Delvo] was awarded with a ‘spot promotion’ to the rank of Police Lt. Colonel,” Lascañas said in his affidavit.
In 2009, Delvo was one of the awardees in the Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service, an award-giving body organized by Metrobank Foundation, PSBank, and the Rotary Club of New Manila East, according to a Philippine Star report.
When Duterte was sworn into the presidency in 2016, he brought with him from Davao City not just his men, but also the violence, turning his local anti-crime efforts into a nationwide affair.
He waged a bloody anti-illegal drug campaign that led to more than 6,000 people killed in police operations alone, as of May 2022. The death toll could reach 30,000 to include victims of vigilante-style killings, according to estimates by human rights groups.
But it was not only the war on drugs that Duterte expanded, but also the DDS system.
Delvo, who was then already installed as senior aide to Dela Rosa in Camp Crame, allegedly offered Lascañas a “buena mano” contract, asking him to kill suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta. It meant a P10-million reward money from Duterte himself.
But Lascañas was already planning to submit his retirement documents.
“I feigned accord to the killing contract, it was a ‘big time’ business of killing, according to [Delvo],” Lascañas said in his affidavit. He also said Delvo made a series of follow-up calls, even offering to provide a get-away motorcycle for his “DDS-hitman shooter.”
Odicta and his wife, Merriam, were gunned down by an unidentified man as they were disembarking from a passenger ship in Aklan in August 2016. Duterte said he was not surprised that Odicta was killed because he “was really being hunted.” The then-president said Odicta was “wanted and he is the number one drug lord.”
Lascañas claimed he received a “balato” (share) of P200,000.
That meeting was followed by another in October 2016, but this time in a Chinese restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan – just a few kilometers from the PNP headquarters – upon the invitation of Dela Rosa.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that Delvo, who sat beside him, asked “in whisper if [Duterte] gave me a quota [on] how many to kill in a day in Davao City before.” He replied that there was no quota, but there would be a bonus of “either money or material things” if they could reach five kills in a day.
“[Delvo] then told me that President Duterte, through…then-PNP Chief [Dela Rosa], gave him a quota of at least ten killings per day nationwide, in which Dela Rosa nodded in confirmation without a word,” Lascañas recalled.
The meeting happened during the same month that Lascañas and other Davao City cops appeared before a Senate hearing into alleged state-sponsored killings across the Philippines. This was following the exposé of Matobato.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that then-senator Alan Peter Cayetano told them to stay loyal to Duterte and deny all accusations.
Before he flew back to Davao, Lascañas said Delvo called him for a meeting in Camp Crame to offer him “another contract killing with P10-million reward from President Duterte.”
Lascañas said Delvo would also offer “safe havens” inside Camp Crame whenever he relayed orders to him from more senior personalities.
Lascañas’ allegations first became public after Rappler released a series of reports on his affidavit in November 2021. The ICC has since continued its own investigation into the killings under Duterte, including those that happened during his time in Davao City from 2011 to 2016.
Duterte left office in 2022 unscathed. Delvo, meanwhile, continued to rise through the ranks, even becoming Davao regional police director in March 2023. He was also recently recognized by the Metrobank Foundation.
Drug-related killings in Davao region also continued, with more than half of the 104 reported killings in Davao City alone happening since the start of his appointment in March 2023, according to data from the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center.
After Delvo’s retirement from office, leaving behind a still on-the-run Quiboloy, what happens to Lascañas’ accusation against him that have reached the ICC? – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/davao-death-squad-allegations-unanswered-police-alden-delvo/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3CqNG7rQtKF2zCe_garmi2F13lIYJuy-XHOwoEuV5FlUy3qJSQjjJbYz8_aem_OpOqjyDyU5XxJNtbo4XX3w
|
1
|
Now retired, top cop Alden Delvo leaves Davao Death Squad allegations unanswered
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
29/04/2024 13:03
|
All eyes are on the Davao region police as they seek to implement the numerous arrest warrants issued against doomsday preacher Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
At the top of the regional police hierarchy is Brigadier General Alden Delvo, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Thursday, April 25. He shares the same birthday with the fugitive Quiboloy.
A report by the Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted him as saying that he spent several birthdays at the KOJC instead of his home. But he assured the public that the police are doing their best to arrest Quiboloy, who is the subject of arrest warrants from Davao City and Pasig City courts, on top of a Senate arrest order. He is also on the US Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list for sex trafficking of children, among other allegations.
Delvo warned: “Those who could be coddling the pastor, whether they be friends or, worse, members of the police or the military, we will file a case of obstruction for (sic) justice once we find out about it.”
Delvo is now retired as he has reached the mandatory retirement age of 56 for Philippine National Police (PNP) personnel. He will not only leave office with Quiboloy still on the run, but also leave behind unanswered allegations from former cop and self-confessed Davao Death Squad (DDS) hitman Arturo Lascañas.
The DDS is a notorious group accused of carrying out hundreds of killings upon the orders of then-Davao City mayor Rodrigo Duterte, who became president in 2016.
Delvo’s name was mentioned 46 times in the 186-page affidavit submitted by Lascañas to the International Criminal Court (ICC) as part of its investigation into killings under Duterte’s nationwide drug war and in Davao City. Rappler reported about the content of this affidavit in November 2021.
Rappler reached out to Delvo via phone calls, text messages, and Viber messages for comment on these allegations, but he has not replied. The Davao regional police’s public information office told Rappler on Thursday morning that it already forwarded our request to Delvo’s office. We will update this story as soon as we receive a reply.
Delvo, who was appointed regional director of the Davao region in March 2023 is part of the close network of Duterte and former Philippine National Police chief and now Senator Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa. He served as close senior aide of Dela Rosa after working with him for many years in Davao City, before transferring to the PNP’s Directorate for Comptrollership. He also served as chief of the PNP’s Firearms and Explosives Office during the last months of the Duterte administration and headed the area police command in Eastern Mindanao.
Lascañas, who was a Davao cop for nearly 35 years, claimed that he first met Delvo when the latter was a young police inspector at the Davao City Police Office. Delvo, a member of Philippine National Police Academy Class of 1995, referred to Lascañas as “’Nong” or “Manong” (elder) as a sign of respect.
“He wanted to know the ‘unwritten law’ of police work, and wanted to learn the A to Z in the business of killing people,” Lascañas said in his affidavit. “He embraced the evil one’s policy of killings, and I am partly to blame.”
Lascañas detailed a system where Duterte supposedly freely ordered his men to kill individuals during his decades as Davao City mayor. Based on Rappler’s count, he narrated at least 100 killings linked to Duterte whom they codenamed “Superman.”
Delvo was one of the 21 cops that the Office of the Ombudsman in 2012 found to be “guilty of simple neglect of duty.” They were suspended for a month or ordered to pay a fine equivalent to one month’s salary.
In his affidavit, Lascañas included Delvo’s name in his narration of at least four killings that occurred before Duterte became president. Delvo’s participation allegedly ranged from relaying kill orders to DDS members to being part of a surveillance team that followed targets.
1. Relayed order to abduct a certain Sali Makdum
Lascañas alleged that Delvo was supposedly involved in the abduction and killing of a certain Sali Makdum sometime between 1999 and 2000. He claimed that this operation was ordered by Dela Rosa and approved by Duterte.
“[Dela Rosa]…ordered me thru cellphone and personally thru then-Senior Inspectors Antonio Rivera and Alden Delvo…to erase/kill without a trace alias Makdum,” he said in his affidavit.
Makdum also figured in the testimonies of another DDS whistleblower Edgar Matobato. In 2017, a regional trial court in Panabo City issued a warrant of arrest against Matobato over the kidnapping of Makdum.
Rappler reached out to Dela Rosa via message and his Senate office’s email on Thursday morning, April 25, but received no reply. He previously refused to comment on an earlier investigative series on the same Lascañas affidavit published by Rappler in November 2021.
In February 2024, when Lascañas resurfaced with more allegations after years of hiding, Dela Rosa said: “Sige, pabayaan mo lang siya mag-allege siya nang mag-allege. Basta malinis ang konsensiya ko, bahala siya sa buhay niya.” (Go ahead, let him allege all he wants. My conscience is clear, he can do whatever he wants.)
2. Allegedly led team that abducted and killed two suspected extortionists
Delvo was allegedly part of a team of Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Task Force (PAOCTF) operatives involved in the abduction and eventual killing of two Muslim individuals, whom they claimed were “suspected extortionists.”
The abduction allegedly happened in Mati, Davao Oriental, in 2003 using three vehicles. Lascañas said that it was Delvo’s team of young personnel “who led the action.”
The team then “blindfolded, gagged, and hogtied” the two victims, brought them back to Laud Quarry in Davao City after Dela Rosa allegedly ordered to “immediately neutralize them without the benefit of tactical interrogation.”
3. Allegedly involved in killing of person who reportedly plotted to assassinate Duterte
Lascañas said that sometime in 2003, Delvo called for a confidential meeting where they were told about an operation “against a high risk personality, who was allegedly planning to assassinate Duterte.” He said that this “intelligence information” was from Delvo, Dela Rosa, and Sonny Buenaventura, who Lascañas described as a close bodyguard of the then-city mayor.
“[Delvo] would be the one to call and instruct us on our role as stand-by, back-up police elements,” Lascañas said.
Delvo ended up calling days after, Lascañas claimed, and “asked for [Lascañas]’ location because he badly needed back-up elements and assistance.” But the Davao cop said he was too far away, so he would ask another DDS hitman to follow instead.
It was only after that Lascañas discovered that the man believed to be plotting the supposed assassination of Duterte, and who was the DDS’ target, was then-Monkayo mayor Joel Brillantes. The hitman, Delvo told Lascañas in a phone conversation, was a dismissed Davao City policeman, who was eventually killed by the DDS.
A Philippine Star report in 2003 confirmed the assassination of Brillantes, quoting police as saying they believed it was an “offshoot of the ongoing mining row at Mt. Diwalwal.” But the suspect in the assassination of Brillantes was identified as a “barangay tanod” who, according to the report, was killed by the mayor’s bodyguard.
4. Allegedly involved in the death of former cop
Former cop Allan Estrada, who was facing kidnap-for-ransom charges, was killed by police in a shootout in August 2007. He was one of the most wanted individuals in the Philippines, according to a Philippine Star report.
But Lascañas said that Estrada “did not resist the arrest.” Instead, Duterte “handed [Lascañas] a handgun to plant it on [Estrada]’s body as evidence.”
“Because of this ‘accomplishment,’ [Delvo] was awarded with a ‘spot promotion’ to the rank of Police Lt. Colonel,” Lascañas said in his affidavit.
In 2009, Delvo was one of the awardees in the Search for the Country’s Outstanding Policemen in Service, an award-giving body organized by Metrobank Foundation, PSBank, and the Rotary Club of New Manila East, according to a Philippine Star report.
When Duterte was sworn into the presidency in 2016, he brought with him from Davao City not just his men, but also the violence, turning his local anti-crime efforts into a nationwide affair.
He waged a bloody anti-illegal drug campaign that led to more than 6,000 people killed in police operations alone, as of May 2022. The death toll could reach 30,000 to include victims of vigilante-style killings, according to estimates by human rights groups.
But it was not only the war on drugs that Duterte expanded, but also the DDS system.
Delvo, who was then already installed as senior aide to Dela Rosa in Camp Crame, allegedly offered Lascañas a “buena mano” contract, asking him to kill suspected drug lord Melvin Odicta. It meant a P10-million reward money from Duterte himself.
But Lascañas was already planning to submit his retirement documents.
“I feigned accord to the killing contract, it was a ‘big time’ business of killing, according to [Delvo],” Lascañas said in his affidavit. He also said Delvo made a series of follow-up calls, even offering to provide a get-away motorcycle for his “DDS-hitman shooter.”
Odicta and his wife, Merriam, were gunned down by an unidentified man as they were disembarking from a passenger ship in Aklan in August 2016. Duterte said he was not surprised that Odicta was killed because he “was really being hunted.” The then-president said Odicta was “wanted and he is the number one drug lord.”
Lascañas claimed he received a “balato” (share) of P200,000.
That meeting was followed by another in October 2016, but this time in a Chinese restaurant in Greenhills, San Juan – just a few kilometers from the PNP headquarters – upon the invitation of Dela Rosa.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that Delvo, who sat beside him, asked “in whisper if [Duterte] gave me a quota [on] how many to kill in a day in Davao City before.” He replied that there was no quota, but there would be a bonus of “either money or material things” if they could reach five kills in a day.
“[Delvo] then told me that President Duterte, through…then-PNP Chief [Dela Rosa], gave him a quota of at least ten killings per day nationwide, in which Dela Rosa nodded in confirmation without a word,” Lascañas recalled.
The meeting happened during the same month that Lascañas and other Davao City cops appeared before a Senate hearing into alleged state-sponsored killings across the Philippines. This was following the exposé of Matobato.
Lascañas said in his affidavit that then-senator Alan Peter Cayetano told them to stay loyal to Duterte and deny all accusations.
Before he flew back to Davao, Lascañas said Delvo called him for a meeting in Camp Crame to offer him “another contract killing with P10-million reward from President Duterte.”
Lascañas said Delvo would also offer “safe havens” inside Camp Crame whenever he relayed orders to him from more senior personalities.
Lascañas’ allegations first became public after Rappler released a series of reports on his affidavit in November 2021. The ICC has since continued its own investigation into the killings under Duterte, including those that happened during his time in Davao City from 2011 to 2016.
Duterte left office in 2022 unscathed. Delvo, meanwhile, continued to rise through the ranks, even becoming Davao regional police director in March 2023. He was also recently recognized by the Metrobank Foundation.
Drug-related killings in Davao region also continued, with more than half of the 104 reported killings in Davao City alone happening since the start of his appointment in March 2023, according to data from the Dahas Project of the University of the Philippines’ Third World Studies Center.
After Delvo’s retirement from office, leaving behind a still on-the-run Quiboloy, what happens to Lascañas’ accusation against him that have reached the ICC? – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/davao-death-squad-allegations-unanswered-police-alden-delvo/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0jGXkIAwT_6w5KrY_yNzaQlm_eBfHL3t_Ma88iaXl3ahBgm7Zjy84khz4_aem_MwBi5ALqwBqx6FENYHxUMg
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 86 volleyball
|
jisaga0269
|
08/05/2024 20:35
|
It’s down to the last two teams standing as the University of Santo Tomas and National University battle for the UAAP volleyball championship in both the women’s and men’s divisions!
The league’s best separate themselves from the pack as the Final Four showdown kicks off! Here’s the schedule:
UAAP Season 86 volleyball action intensifies as the second round of the men’s and women’s divisions begins on Wednesday, March 20.
The contenders will separate themselves from the pack, with each game determining which teams will make the Final Four. Here’s the schedule:
Volleyball action is back in the UAAP!
Stars from both men’s and women’s divisions are set to ply their growing skill sets once again in front of thousands of fans, beginning on Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18, both at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Here are the first-round schedules for both divisions:
*The March 13 games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Notable matches include women’s champion La Salle’s debut against contending Adamson on Saturday, 4 pm, at MOA, while men’s three-time defending titlist NU rolls into an immediate finals rematch with UST on Sunday, 12 pm, also at the same venue.
La Salle and NU – finalists in the last two women’s tournaments with one title won each – will wrap up their first-round schedule on March 16, 2 pm at Araneta. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/men-women-volleyball-games-schedule-season-86-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR08qrZn22RUGXLkan0ctvWjVSar9JetHoDLln6yM5dHAqvLs_BqHd8T9Rw_aem_fAqAqO75UzybyET315Pwew
|
1
|
[In This Economy] Is the Philippines quietly getting richer?
|
Chay Hofilena
|
26/04/2024 11:49
|
David Castuciano/Rappler
The Economist recently ran a piece titled, “Without fanfare, the Philippines is getting richer.”
Paywalled as it is, many people only got to read the title and the social media captions. On X (formerly Twitter), the post about it got angry and bemused reactions from Filipinos, ranging from “no, it’s only the rich who are getting richer” to “meh.”
I got to read the article itself, and I agree with many of the points made, including: the Philippines “is often an afterthought for investors,” “the economy has quietly boomed under a variety of regimes (from Aquino to Duterte), “growth has been brisk since 2012 (except during the pandemic),” and “the Philippines has enormous untapped potential: warm weather, pristine beaches, coral reefs and a culture of hospitality.”
But it’s important to nuance some of the other claims made.
First, the author says that under the Marcos administration, “growth is expected to be around 6% over the next few years.” The Economist includes a graph showing the growth of Philippine GDP (gross domestic product) vis-à-vis its ASEAN neighbors. The article then echoes a World Bank projection that the Philippines “will soon be an upper-middle-income country.”
In the same graph, though, it’s quite apparent that the Philippine recession (or economic downturn) during the pandemic was ASEAN’s deepest. We’re still feeling the permanent scars wrought by the pandemic recession, and I wrote before that we will need growth to be above 10% annually if we are to get back on the pre-pandemic trajectory by 2028. Growth of about 6% just won’t cut it.
While it’s true that the Philippines is quietly getting richer, one should note that regional neighbors like Vietnam are becoming richer a lot faster.
Development is often measured by an economy’s average income, or GDP per person. If you look at the Philippine trend of GDP per person, it has been growing a lot slower in past decades compared to many of its ASEAN neighbors (see graph below). We’re growing so slowly that Vietnam (which was a lot poorer than us just a few decades past) already became richer than us in 2020.
The Philippine government likes to trumpet that we will soon become an upper-middle income country, based on the World Bank’s definition. But as I wrote recently, we were projected to achieve this status as early as 2018! Six years later, we’re still dreaming of it. Indonesia made the transition just this year, and Vietnam is on track to cross over faster than us. We must all ask: why is the Philippines taking too long to become an upper-middle income country?
The Economist piece was right to describe President Marcos as “the son of an appalling kleptocrat” who was “helped by a massive campaign of disinformation aimed at rehabilitating the family name.” But we need to provide context to some other statements, like: “Whereas Mr Duterte filled key posts with his drinking buddies from Davao…Marcos has mostly appointed technocrats” who are “widely praised.”
In case the author missed it, Duterte, too, appointed his own coterie of PhD-wielding technocrats. And while Carlos Dominguez III, the previous finance secretary, was not a technocrat per se (he was a businessman), he pursued economic policies that were very much in line with what technocrats would ordinarily pursue (including tax cuts for corporations).
The article also quotes an officer of the Ayala conglomerate who appreciated the “high level of collaboration between the government and the private sector.” He may well be referring to the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC), a group of billionaire tycoons who advise the President on business and economic matters. However, there are talks of the PSAC serving as a “shadow Cabinet,” pursuing corporate interests and asserting its pro-business agenda as it whispers in the President’s ear.
The article also says that “Mr Marcos is nowhere near as bad as many observers feared.” He is commended for continuing to upgrade the country’s infrastructure, for aggressively wooing foreign investments, and for being not as foul-mouthed as Rodrigo Duterte.
But not everything is so rosy. First off, the benchmark for leadership was so low that Marcos now appears as a huge improvement. Second, Marcos himself pushed for questionable policies that could endanger the economy. In his first year in office, he led the creation of a pseudo-sovereign wealth fund despite the lack of government surpluses, and despite the risks posed on the financial sector. Marcos is also pushing for economic charter change, which, apart from being needless, also risks political changes to the Constitution (there are rumors of lawmakers wanting, say, term limit extensions).
The article lauds the “national digital identity system” (Philippine Identification System or PhilSys) without mentioning the numerous data leaks from various government agencies – incidents that have shaken public confidence in cybersecurity. That could well be the reason why, as the article points out, only about 70% of Filipinos are registered under PhilSys, “far behind the nearly 100% rate in India, a poorer country.”
A big obstacle to growth mentioned in the piece is: “several laws discourage foreign investment: foreigners may not own stakes of more than 40% in a wide variety of industries, from public procurement to trading.”
But the article also omits to say that many reforms have already liberalized various sectors despite the constitutional limits. Proponents of charter change are, in fact, just opening up three sectors: higher education, advertising, and public utilities. The rest of the economy already allows full or majority foreign ownership. Yet despite this, investments remain anemic. I discussed possible reasons for this in my previous pieces on economic charter change.
Finally, the article mentions the phrase “Trump-proof” even as it acknowledges that the “global environment is deeply unpredictable” and that Donald Trump, if he wins in November, could suddenly declare war on outsourcing” – a major cash cow of the Philippine economy.
Despite these global uncertainties, I would agree with the general idea that the Philippines is getting quietly richer. But we could be a lot more prosperous now if not for the myriad domestic constraints (like rampant corruption and red tape) that keep pulling us back. – Rappler.com
JC Punongbayan, PhD is an assistant professor at the UP School of Economics and the author of False Nostalgia: The Marcos “Golden Age” Myths and How to Debunk Them. He was recently named one of The Outstanding Young Men (TOYM) for 2023. JC’s views are independent of his affiliations. Follow him on Twitter/X (@jcpunongbayan) and Usapang Econ Podcast.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
It is appreciated that our country is “getting quietly richer.” But this should not be the sole focus and top priority. Instead, our government should prioritize addressing the socioeconomic problems of poverty, employment, purchasing power, equity, and government debt. But this is not so because our society intends to hide “neo-feudalism,” as discussed by Prof. Sam Vaknin.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/in-this-economy-is-philippines-quietly-getting-richer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2FtnirlUvFL9ZZ23bUa_pNawNbqT1haWJ0Ixsop7Np18q1FcApWAkW07o_aem_S3KzICsntM9l2CwVAa9xjg
|
1
|
Cracks in MILF show as key figures join Lanao del Sur governor’s political group
|
Herbie G
|
29/04/2024 12:22
|
LINES DRAWN. New party members take their oath before SIAP president and Lanao del Sur Vice Governor Mohammad Khalid Raki-In Adiong in Cotabato City on April 27.
SIAP
GENERAL SANTOS, Philippines – Prominent political figures in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) positioned themselves for the first regional parliamentary elections in the Muslim-majority region.
Barely a year before the elections, political boundaries have been drawn and rifts have become prominent within the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF), the dominant group in the BARMM regional government.
On Saturday, April 27, known political figures from within and outside BARMM gathered in separate events in efforts to solidify their political bases and make public their intentions to challenge in the elections the current MILF leadership of the BARMM.
Conspicuously in these events, Joharie “Butch” Abu, the vice mayor of BARMM’s capital Cotabato City and whose father was a senior MILF leader, announced his decision to bolt the MILF’s United Bangsamoro Justice Party (UBJP) to join the Serbisyong Inklusibo Alyansang Progresibo (SIAP), a regional political party founded by Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr..
Abu, who was inducted weeks earlier into the Marcos political party, Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), said it was not an easy decision for him to leave UBJP, a party led by BARMM Interim Chief Minister Ahod Balawag “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim, a close ally of his father.
Abu’s father, the late Hadji Salik Abu, more known as Ghazali Jaafar, was the MILF’s vice chairman for political affairs who was appointed in 2017 to chair the BTA.
Already ill, the elder Abu collapsed during oath-taking ceremonies in Malacañang. He became the first BTA speaker. But, less than a month into his term, Abu died on March 13, 2019.
In an official statement released on Friday, April 26, the younger Abu disclosed his intention to “seek a higher position,” sparking speculations that he would challenge his 2022 running-mate and now Cotabato City Mayor Mohammad “Bruce” Matabalao or to seek a seat in the BARMM parliament.
Abu took his oath as SIAP member along with several Cotabato City legislators – Hunyn Abu, Marouf Pasawiran, Henjie Ali, Abdulrakim Gabby Usman, and Kusin Taha, and 18 village chairpersons.
The mass oath-taking rites on Saturday were held in Cotabato City and attended by SIAP officials and many of their supporters.
Among those who took their oath, surprisingly, was lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, the former BARMM interior minister whose public appearances became scarce after his controversial split from the BARMM government in December last year.
Sinarimbo was introduced in the ceremonies as president of the SIAP chapter in Cotabato City and the BARMM Special Geographic Areas, which were recently created into eight new towns whose mayors and other officials will be appointed by the BARMM chief minister.
Sinarimbo, known among colleagues in the regional government as a no-nonsense political strategist, played a crucial role in the formation of UBJP until it was officially accredited as a political party by the Commission on Elections (Comelec).
He denied that he has turned “anti-BARMM,” pointing out what he accomplished for the Bangsamoro region.
Sinarimbo said SIAP is open to alliances and coalitions with other political parties in the region, including UBJP, taking into consideration the political situation and geographic spread of the region.
SIAP is in a coalition with other political parties like the Al-Ittihad- Ungaya sa Kawagib nu Bangsamoro (AIUKB) party, and the Bangsamoro Peoples Party (BPP).
AIUKB was founded by Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), while Basilan Representative Mujiv Hataman founded the BPP.
“To run a government in a parliamentary system, we need to have coalitions and alliances with other political parties,” said Sinarimbo.
At the AIUKB regional party convention in the town of Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday, Sultan Kudarat Governor Pax Ali Mangudadatu, took a swipe at the BARMM leadership.
“The BARMM was not created to benefit only a few, not the ‘datu,’ not the chief minister, not the members of parliament, but to serve every constituent of the Bangsamoro region,” Mangundadatu said.
He said the presence of other political party leaders from all over BARMM in Saturday’s convention was an indication that “we are all ready to face voters and are not scared to have the elections.”
Mangudadatu’s remarks touched on calls by civil society groups insisting on their demand for the term of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) to be extended until 2028, effectively canceling the first BARMM parliamentary elections in 2025.
The AIUKB convention was graced by Hataman, Sulu Governor Sakur Tan, Sulu Representative Munir Arbison, Maguindanao del Norte Representative Dimple Mastura, Maguindanao del Sur Representative Tong Paglas, and Lanao del Sur Mayors’ League president and SIAP chairman Dimnatang Pansar.
This early, political lines have been drawn and have shown cracks in the MILF, which was responsible for forging a peace pact – the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) – with the government in 2014.
The CAB led to the establishment of the BARMM via the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which provides for the creation of the BTA to serve as a transition and lawmaking body before a supposed election of new officials of the BARMM in 2022.
No elections transpired that year, and instead, the BTA’s term was extended by the national government, with old and new members mostly from the MILF given until 2025 to serve in the interim body.
The 2025 elections will end BTA’s term, and it will be replaced by a new set of BARMM lawmakers who will be voted into office regionwide.
During a Grand Iftar gathering in northern Kabuntalan, Maguindanao del Norte, in March, Presidential Peace Adviser Carlito Galvez Jr. quoted Marcos as saying, “The BARMM elections need to happen to give legitimacy and accountability to officials who will be chosen by the people.” – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/mindanao/cracks-milf-show-key-figures-join-lanao-del-sur-governor-mamintal-adiong-political-group/
|
1
|
LTO’s old IT system enables fraud, and motorists pay more for it too
|
lkyu0285
|
28/04/2024 9:09
|
Alejandro Edoria/Rappler
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) was supposed to have transitioned to a new information technology system years ago. But the agency’s continuing decision to run its old and new IT systems in parallel has opened loopholes for fraud and cost motorists billions a year in computer fees.
Right now, there are IT systems for the LTO operated by two separate, competing companies: Stradcom Corporation and a joint venture headed by German firm Dermalog.
Stradcom, which has managed the aging LTO IT system since the late 1990s, has been part of a phaseout agreement signed in 2016. Meanwhile, Dermalog’s joint venture is the one behind the government-owned Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
How can there be two separate IT systems managing data involving millions of motorists and motor vehicles? If there is a new system, why hasn’t the old one been phased out? These are where the problems and loopholes lie.
The result: a system that allows failed roadworthiness tests and smuggled ultraluxury Bugatti Chirons to slip through.
Motorists have also had to suffer through slower service times in instances when their data is registered in one IT system but not in the other – all while having to pay P169 every time they transact with LTO using the old system.
It’s an open secret that many motorists and huge corporations – with their fleet of vehicles – skip mandated roadworthiness tests for their vehicles. A source familiar with the registration renewals and insurance business told Rappler, on condition of anonymity, that certain inspection and emission testing centers offer “special” or “no-show” services, essentially allowing motorists to pay their way to a guaranteed passing mark.
Tests processed through the LTMS are all electronically transmitted, meaning it’s harder to tamper with inspection results. But since the old IT system is also still running, could there have been some way to bypass that system to get these spurious test results through?
Earlier in March 2024, sources close to the LTO confirmed to Rappler that a motorist with a motorcycle that failed roadworthiness tests still managed to renew the mandatory motor vehicle registration in an LTO office in Central Luzon using the Stradcom system.
Based on a report by a private motor vehicle inspection center (PMVIC), the motorcycle failed both its carbon monoxide (CO) emission and rear brake tests. For motorcycles registered for the first time on July 1, 2017 and onwards, CO percentage by volume should only be 2.5% or less. This motorcycle’s emission test showed it emitted 3.32%, as encircled in red.
According to the Department of Transportation, the results of most road worthiness tests conducted by PMVICs – such as the brake and headlights tests – are only recommendatory. However, passing the emission test is mandatory for all motor vehicles to be registered and renewed with the LTO.
Yet on the same day, an LTO-issued official receipt seen by Rappler showed that the vehicle owner was able to renew the motorcycle’s registration, a process that requires the motor vehicle to obtain a passing mark on its emission test or motor vehicle inspection report.
The only way this motorcycle’s registration could have been renewed is by using the old Stradcom system. That’s because the PMVIC’s failing report would have already been automatically submitted to the LTMS, preventing the motorcycle from being renewed there. The P169 “comp fee” on the official receipt, encircled in red, also indicates that it was processed through the old IT system – not the new LTMS.
This is also why fixers and LTO personnel who allegedly collude with them are “allergic” to the LTMS, multiple industry and LTO sources told Rappler.
Rappler has reached out to Stradcom and LTO multiple times for their comment on the no-show services that continue to be facilitated, and whether Stradcom’s system has safeguards against these. Both Stradcom and LTO have not responded.
A 2020 Journal Online post, however, spoke about “system innovations” in the LTO’s IT system. It said that Stradcom’s “Private Emission Testing Center Information Technology Facility links LTO and private emission testing centers to enable electronic uploading of data and authentication of records prior to motor vehicle registration.”
Quoting Stradcom spokesperson Lorie Bundoc, the post said that this computerized system was supposed to “help ensure transparent transactions, objective decision-making, and cut red tape. Our system provides information on irregularities in transactions and flags incomplete applications.”
But there were other problems, too. A former LTO assistant secretary also told Rappler that before the agency switched fully to the LTMS, forging driver’s licenses and medical records was easy to do under the old system. That’s because Stradcom’s system relied on scanning paper documents of driver’s license exam and medical test results, which could be tampered with before they were uploaded.
The retired LTO head also said he once monitored a driving school with only one instructor and small classrooms yet it managed to issue more than a thousand certificates in a span of just two to three months.
There is also the recent and high-profile Bugatti Chiron fiasco. Two of the luxury sports car – among the world’s most expensive – were smuggled into the country and even successfully registered in the LTO. These vehicles were not registered in the new LTMS, but rather in Stradcom’s old IT system, according to several sources and an initial investigation by the LTO-NCR.
This would have been impossible, if not more difficult, to do under the LTMS because registering a smuggled vehicle in the system would leave a glaring audit trail through the fingerprint scanner that would immediately expose the perpetrator’s identity.
Industry sources told Rappler that the LTMS is equipped with biometrics verification so that every renewal and approval requires the evaluator to scan fingerprints. A “liveliness” feature is also able to detect whether the fingerprint scanned is faked or somehow recorded.
Rappler also learned from individuals handling the LTMS that there was actually an attempt to use the new IT system to register the Bugattis, but because the transaction required a fingerprint scan, the attempt was abandoned. This was likely when the perpetrators instead turned to Stradcom’s system to complete the registration of the smuggled vehicles.
But even if you aren’t concerned about these cases of fraud, the parallel use of the LTO’s new and old system can still affect you. For one, you simply have to pay more.
If you’ve transacted with the LTO, you may have noticed on your official receipt that you were charged P169 for “comp fee,” or computer fees. That amount does not go to the LTO or government, but instead to Stradcom – the company managing the LTO’s old IT system.
The two official receipts above were issued by the LTO around the same time in October 2023. On the left is an initial motor vehicle registration of a sports utility vehicle in Muntinlupa City, and crucially, the motorist was not charged an additional computer fee because the registration was processed through the LTMS.
On the right is another initial motor vehicle registration, this time of a motorcycle in the LTO National Capital Region (NCR)’s West Regional Office. Because it was processed under Stradcom’s system, the motorist had to pay an additional P507 – P169 multiplied thrice since an initial registration lasts for three years.
Why do you need to pay computer fees to Stradcom? Under Stradcom’s build-own-operate (BOO) scheme with the LTO, the government does not pay for the set-up, operation, or maintenance of its IT system. Stradcom does. In return, the company recovers this through fees. Motorists have to pay P169 for every LTO transaction. A source that operates a PMVIC also told Rappler that they have to pay P45 every time that they upload inspection test results into the Stradcom system.
Way back in October 2005, a report by the Commission on Audit (COA) already warned that the public would have to bear the cost. In the COA Management Services Report No. 2004-03B, the state auditor said that “the interest of the public was not adequately protected under existing condition where IT fees are imposed without taking into account its acceptability to the end-users and establishment of the rate of return,” pointing out that an increase ranging from 4% to 440% of the LTO base fee at the time was added to the IT fees.
Meanwhile, motorists are charged no extra fees when transactions are done with the LTO through the LTMS. That’s because the government already invested around P8 billion for the hardware and software components of the IT project, which is now owned by the government as well.
Sources within the LTO told Rappler that motorists aren’t given the option of which IT system to use when registering their vehicle, renewing their license, or otherwise transacting with the agency. It’s apparently up to LTO personnel to decide where to encode the motorists’ data, with some LTO offices literally having two computers operating the two different IT systems beside each other.
It also seems as if these problems were foreshadowed in the 2005 COA report, which flagged how Stradcom’s contract lacked continuity.
“The BOO scheme for the LTO IT Project is disadvantageous as this would not provide project continuity. At the end of the 10-year concession period, the project has to be started anew as only the database will be owned by the LTO. The IT facilities and application systems, the costs of which were recovered through the collection of IT fees from the public, remained with the project proponent,” the COA said in its observations.
Rappler sought comment from both Stradcom and LTO on the two IT system setup and the computer fees charged to motorists. Neither have replied, even after multiple follow-ups with their respective spokespersons.
In a past letter to the editor in the Philippine Star that responded to an open letter that it had published, Stradcom defended its BOO arrangement, saying that it provided the “strongest impetus to make sure that the LTO IT System is always running efficiently since any downtime or slowdown in the LTO IT System would translate directly to a negative impact on Stradcom’s revenue.”
“In fact, the existing LTO IT System is even better than the LTMS as delivered by the Dermalog Joint Venture because the LTO IT System as acquired by the government under a BOO arrangement [is] at zero cost to the government, unlike the LTMS which was acquired using the direct mode of procurement wherein the government had to appropriate funds therefor,” Stradcom wrote.
Meanwhile, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, in an Inquirer report, also defended the current arrangement and the collection of computer fees: “[T]he reason behind the charging of computer fees is plain and simple: it is being done in areas where LTMS is not yet functional due to internet connectivity [problems], and for the convenience of LTO clients who would seriously be affected if we chose to revert to manual processing, rather than taking advantage of the existing old system.”
Mendoza also said that the payment of computer fees was limited to only “a handful of specific transactions that cannot be processed under the LTMS.” Yet Metro Manila, one of the areas least likely to have internet connectivity issues, continues to use the old system.
Almost 10 years after COA’s report, we’re now seeing the dangers it cited manifest, sometimes in almost comically petty ways. A source involved in the Stradcom-Dermalog system transition told Rappler that as early as August 2019, the LTMS system itself was ready to go live.
But what wasn’t ready were the LTO offices because in these offices, the chairs, tables, wiring, and even electrical outlets were owned by Stradcom. LTO personnel in certain offices reportedly couldn’t even place the new system’s computers on the tables because Stradcom site supporters would tell them that the tables belonged to Stradcom.
There is also one final, painful cost to running two parallel IT systems: inefficiency. Those transacting with LTO may, at times, notice long delays in processing what should be a simple motor vehicle registration renewal. That has prompted many questions on whether the LTMS leads to slower service times than the old system.
But sources in the LTO told Rappler that the delays come from having two parallel systems whose databases are not synced. Stradcom has reportedly failed to periodically submit its updated databases to Dermalog.
Stradcom has repeatedly asserted that it turned over its electronic database 10 times to the LTO. However, its last submission of updated data in June 2023 contained data only up to December 31, 2022 – which means that registration data for new motor vehicles in 2023 were excluded. LTMS needs the up-to-date data to complete transactions.
What this further means is that when renewal time comes, motorists whose vehicles were registered under Stradcom will find it difficult to renew since their registration information won’t show up in the LTMS. The process of fixing this is long and painful: first, a ticket has to be filed with the LTO’s Management Information Division, which would then need at least two weeks to import the data from Stradcom to LTMS.
And these are not just isolated cases. Data from the LTO’s annual report shows that from January to September 2023, there were 1,839,164 new motor vehicles registered. But based on LTMS data obtained by Rappler, only 333,152 new vehicles were registered under the LTMS over the same period. This suggests that potentially more than 1.5 million motorists whose initial vehicle registrations were made under Stradcom could face delays when the time comes to renew their vehicle registration.
Motorcycles – which make up the bulk of registered vehicles – will be the most adversely affected. Prior to an LTO memorandum circular that took effect on May 15, 2023, motorcycles with engine displacement of 200cc and below were required to renew their registration every year. This means that motorcycles not covered by the LTO circular will need to renew their registration – and could be in for a long wait if their data is stuck in another IT system.
Mendoza did not respond to Rappler’s requests for comment. He had previously claimed in an Inquirer report that there were no delays in motor vehicle registration due to data migration issues since “97 percent of transactions under this process have already been completed.” The few instances of delay, he said, happen only “during LTMS downtimes.”
Mendoza also claimed in the same report that Stradcom has submitted all of the “legacy data” in line with his “aggressive drive to fully migrate to the new IT system.”
At the end of the day, it’s the motoring public that quite literally pays the price. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/lto-it-system-enables-fraud-motorists-pay-more-stradcom-dermalog/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3ih4V6PpKswZsMqrUyQ4lKE_3VUp4mE1QeGKzchXiuMNwFdEIHuqxp-i4_aem_Ds3CAdtklRIKwifDmN5S6A
|
1
|
As Catantan earns spot in Paris Olympics, 3 Filipino fencers fall short
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
28/04/2024 23:19
|
REPRESENT. Noelito Jose of the Philippine fencing team.
Noelito Jose Facebook page
MANILA, Philippines – While fencer Samantha Catantan turned her dream to reality by qualifying for the Paris Games, three other Filipinos fell short of their Olympic aspirations.
Noelito Jose, Hanniel Abella, and Nathaniel Perez all got the boot in their respective categories in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, held from Saturday, April 27 to Sunday, April 28.
Seeded 14th after the pool stage, Jose suffered an early exit in men’s epee as he absorbed a narrow 15-13 loss to No. 3 seed Jian Tong Sito of Singapore in the round of 16.
Perez also crashed out of the round of 16 off a 15-8 loss to Australia’s Joseph Glasson in men’s foil.
Abella, meanwhile, reached the quarterfinals in women’s epee after a 15-6 rout of Iran’s Reihaneh Rezaei Tadi in the round of 16, but she saw the end of the road following a 15-8 beating from top seed Kiria Tikanah of Singapore.
Tikanah, who competed in the Tokyo Games, went on to rule the event to book a return trip to the Olympics.
Fencers who vied for Paris berths in Fujairah faced an uphill climb since the Asia-Oceania qualifier offered just one Olympic spot for each of the six individual categories.
Catantan overcame the odds as she topped the women’s foil, becoming the first fencer from the Philippines to qualify for the Olympics in over three decades since Walter Torres participated in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Bucking a knee injury in the finale, Catantan hacked out a dramatic 15-14 win over Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Aktayeva.
Aside from Catantan, another Filipino fencer in Maxine Esteban will see action in Paris, although she now represents African nation Ivory Coast.
Esteban also competes in women’s foil. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-noelito-jose-hanniel-abella-nathaniel-perez-asia-oceania-zonal-olympic-qualifier-april-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0Kp_XE0jQJG-fW9gmLCxu4QgAu-GPfoxVIZoZ4RzFKF6qVF8DzHD9WmUU_aem_epXTqK1D6WTiuPMDO3AYbQ
|
1
|
Fact Check
|
No author found
|
20/08/2024 21:00
|
Rappler values truth-telling, facts, and factual reporting. We correct at the first instance inaccuracies spotted in our own reports and false claims made by public officials, key public personalities, and other accounts on social media. Fact-checking is done both internally and externally to create and sustain an environment anchored on truth, which is essential to a healthy and working democracy.
If you suspect a Facebook page, group, account, a website, or an article is spreading false information, let Rappler know by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
How we fact check | Corrections Page | Frequently Asked Questions
Rappler sustains its efforts to fact-checking enterprise and related efforts to combat disinformation online with support from the National Endowment of Democracy (NED), UNESCO, Internews, Meedan, and the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF).
#FactsFirstPH, the collaborative initiative against disinformation that Rappler is leading, is supported by tech partners Meedan and the Google News Initiative.
Rappler is a verified signatory to the fact checkers’ code of ethics of the International Fact-Checkers Network (IFCN) at Poynter. Complaints about possible violations to the IFCN Code of Principles can be coursed through the IFCN.
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0QU1m7a2oaMm01mFo11m1LGqf1BNMZ5rSZnAnNVTRzxS1HvJtOUqxj33U_aem_fPlcrAXkZXVGlDw5q-uxzQ
|
1
|
[Judgment Call] Who’s after Quiboloy? The media should be.
|
lfangeles0309
|
28/04/2024 18:34
|
Alyssa Arizabal/Rappler
We are used to a few critics in the media industry who habitually trash investigative reports done by Rappler. Sometimes, it seems because our exposés involve the moneyed and the influential whom they rub elbows with; at other times, it just appears that they want to downplay our scoops.
But a reaction recently took the cake. Rappler ran photos and acquisition details of mansions and other properties of preacher-cum-fugitive Apollo Quiboloy in Canada, California, Las Vegas, and Hawaii. One of our avowed critics, a news publisher, said in so many words on social media that there was nothing wrong with that accumulation of wealth. The subtext was: Isn’t Rappler nitpicking, making a big deal out of a non-story?
The critic’s reasoning was: Quiboloy didn’t buy his properties using government funds, so there’s no corruption. If he used the money of the organization he built, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), to acquire his wealth, then what prohibited him from doing so? Followers offered the money freely anyway.
That line of thinking is problematic. And so is Quiboloy defender Senator Robin Padilla’s logic that the Senate’s order to arrest Quiboloy for snubbing inquiry in aid of legislation is an encroachment on religion, and therefore violates the constitutional principle of separation of church and state.
These arguments conveniently remove the larger context of why Quiboloy’s lifestyle should be scrutinized. He is accused of criminal activities – some of them allegedly committed cross-border. He is facing charges for these grave crimes:
Only the blind – and those pretending to be blind – will deny that Quiboloy and his close aides were able to carry out these elaborate crimes by exploiting the devotion of his followers at KOJC.
Only the blind – or those who benefit from others’ blindness – will dismiss the possible connection between these alleged illegal activities and the financial gains that enabled Quiboloy to accumulate so much wealth. He came from humble beginnings and has no visible lucrative livelihood outside of church donations (I shudder even having to imply that religious offerings are a form of “livelihood”).
Only the blind – and those blinded by political ambitions and expediency – will overlook that Quiboloy, by hiding, is mocking our judicial and legislative systems. I don’t even think he has gone to ground because he is fearful; he is hiding out of contempt, watching in amusement as the network (and walls) he has built through favors dispensed in the past are likely scuttling authorities’ efforts to arrest him. (From where, do you think, did he get the audacity to set conditions for his surrender?)
By the way, politicians had gone to him for endorsements before. Don’t you think they gave donations in exchange? Where do you think the politicians and government officials sourced those donations?
And as I write this, the Philippine National Police has just revoked the firearms licenses of Quiboloy. Why do you think does a religious preacher need at least 19 guns (worth about P2.3 million)? There definitely could be more – since he could reportedly afford to give the Dutertes a separate haul of firearms.
All these bring us back to why Rappler has been on Quiboloy’s trail. We report about crimes. We expose exploitation. We explain the interconnection of people and circumstances that allow abuses. We probe even private entities when their actions breach laws and become detrimental to society. Even if – and even more so if – those nongovernment personalities and institutions are in a position to influence a body of faithfuls. (Check out our coverage of abuses in the Catholic Church and of controversies hounding the Iglesia ni Cristo.)
So, again, why is Rappler after Quiboloy? Because the media should be.
Public interest. Public trust. Citizenship. Community.
If only for these reasons – and they are more than enough – any self-respecting newsroom will and should contribute to the scrutiny of this man on the run. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/plus-membership-program/exclusive-content/apollo-quiboloy-media/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0W35Fek0xBWfTPqV-HQO1pE7w0uvxEW6ho4cLe2Drh69ItyNc1X-3HGww_aem_1eqh9O5meVaZfgMgXjkCHg
|
1
|
Step by step: San Miguel not looking too far ahead as sweep looms amid flawless run
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
28/04/2024 21:37
|
STANDING TALL. June Mar Fajardo in action for the San Miguel Beermen in the 2024 PBA Philippine Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – The way things are going, San Miguel sweeping the elimination round of the PBA Philippine Cup appears more like a certainty than a possibility.
Banking on the one-two punch of June Mar Fajardo and CJ Perez, the Beermen rolled to their ninth straight win and clinched the top seed after a 120-103 thrashing of NLEX at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday, April 28.
Fajardo and Perez combined for 50 points, while four other San Miguel players scored at least 14 points as the Beermen moved within two wins from becoming the first team to go unbeaten in the elimination round in a decade.
But as San Miguel head coach Jorge Gallent has been preaching all conference long, the focus is on the next task at hand and nothing more.
“Our next goal is the 10th game. We’re just going step by step,” said Gallent. “As of now, we’ll think of the 10th game. If it comes, it comes. That is not really in our minds.”
Held to single-digit scoring last game, Fajardo dominated this time with 20 points and 21 rebounds for his first 20-20 performance of the season.
Fajardo reached the 20-point mark off a floater with under 25 seconds as he stayed in the game until the final buzzer – a show of commitment for a Beermen side determined to play at the highest level for the full 48 minutes.
“We needed to win. We wanted to win. We wanted to get the No. 1 spot because that has been our goal even before the start of the conference. We got it now,” said Fajardo.
“The challenge for us is how we’re going to stay on top.”
Perez paced San Miguel in scoring with 30 points, marking the fifth straight game he scored at least 25 points.
Terrence Romeo and Jericho Cruz supplied 15 points apiece off the bench, while starters Don Trollano and Marcio Lassiter added 14 points each in the victory.
Rookie stalwart Enoch Valdez posted 18 points and 8 rebounds to show the way for the Road Warriors, who suffered their third straight loss and fell to 5-4 as they badly missed the presence of star guard Robert Bolick.
Bolick missed the game to be with his wife Cassandra, who gave birth to their son on Sunday.
Another rookie in Jhan Nermal stepped up for NLEX with 16 points and 5 rebounds, while Matt Nieto tallied 14 points and 7 assists.
San Miguel 120 – Perez 30, Fajardo 20, Romeo 15, Cruz 15, Lassiter 14, Trollano 14, Enciso 6, Brondial 4, Teng 2, Tautuaa 0, Ross 0.
NLEX 103 – Valdez 18, Nermal 16, Nieto 14, Anthony 12, Herndon 11, Rodger 8, Miranda 7, Semerad 7, Fajardo 4, Amer 2, Taha 2.
Quarters: 25-15, 50-41, 83-71, 120-103.
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/philippine-cup-game-results-san-miguel-beermen-nlex-road-warriors-april-28-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1AQkxvgwTxm9EJYr_ntyG5PMaB0yxD7Lif-iU6e2mGvDoI0P01HDvsx1Q_aem_UDTWcyd1wlxB3a-BkjoJEA
|
1
|
Want to go to Boracay or Iloilo? Go to Antipolo and hop on a P2P bus.
|
jreyes0314
|
26/04/2024 23:09
|
MANILA, Philippines – If you’re thinking of going to Boracay or IloIlo, all you have to do is head up to Antipolo and ride a bus from there.
Yes, Antipolo. We’re not kidding.
RRCG Transport and Robinsons Antipolo are now offering daily point-to-point (P2P) bus rides from Antipolo to Boracay and Iloilo starting Friday, April 26.
Here’s what you need to know about the newly launched bus route:
The bus departs from the Transport Terminal at Robinsons Antipolo at 11 am daily. From the terminal, the route makes stops at Cubao, Batangas, Caticlan, Antique, Capiz/Estancia, and finally, Tagbac, Jaro, Iloilo.
If you’re planning to alight at Caticlan to head to Boracay, the whole ride is estimated to take 18 hours – meaning that you’ll arrive at your destination at 5 am. If you’re worried about comfort for the long ride, here’s what the inside of the bus looks like:
The bus will be making major stopovers from Robinsons Antipolo to Boracay at Alabang, Turbina, and Batangas.
Each one-way bus ticket going to Caticlan costs P2,400, while a one-way ticket going all the way to Iloilo – the route’s last stop – costs P2,700. Both ticket fees already include the roll-on/roll-off (RORO) fare.
Tickets are booked by contacting RRCG Transport’s customer service at 09503949335. Upon calling the provided number, choose Robinsons Antipolo as your departure point, input your preferred destination, select your seat, and provide your name and contact details.
Cash payment for the tickets is made through the cashier at the Transport Terminal in Robinsons Antipolo. After this, the cashier should hand you your receipt, as well as the seat number you chose upon booking.
Make sure to already be at the terminal at least 30 minutes before your departure time.
Robinsons Antipolo’s newly launched P2P route is a one-way trip, so you will need to book another ticket back to Antipolo from the booking terminals at Caticlan and Iloilo.
Each bus ticket from Caticlan to Antipolo costs P2,000. There are two departure times each day from the Caticlan Port: 3 pm and 7 pm. You may book your ticket at the Caticlan Port.
Meanwhile, a bus ticket going back to Antipolo from Iloilo costs P2,400. The bus departs at 4 am daily from the Tagbak Bus Terminal, where you can also book your ticket. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/travel/things-to-know-p2p-bus-antipolo-boracay-iloilo/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR15f9fW5DBhB42x860dQpn7DLDJxv5dSJqglDEXb-DUWo7MuK0UInBznQc_aem_b-90gTb_kgQ-9F8ox3IBpA
|
1
|
FACT CHECK: No news of Rhenz Abando leaving KBL team Anyang JKJ
|
Lorenz Pasion
|
29/04/2024 10:44
|
Claim: Filipino import in the Korean Basketball League (KBL) Rhenz Abando departed from his KBL team Anyang Jung Kwan Jang (JKJ) Red Boosters.
Why we fact-checked this: A YouTube video bearing the claim was posted on April 25 and has 217,259 views, 1,300 likes, and 100 comments. It was crossposted the same day on Facebook with 1.7 million views, 35,000 reactions, 139 shares, and 118 comments as of writing.
In the video, a narrator says: “Tila tuloy-tuloy na at wala nang makakapigil pa sa pag-alis ng ating kababayan at former highest Pinoy import sa KBL ng Korea na si Rhenz Abando sa koponan nitong Anyang Red Boosters. Matapos ang mga iba’t-ibang rumors na kumakalat kamakailan na bibitawan na si Abando ng Anyang para kumuha ng matangkad na Asian o Pinoy import ay eto na nga at nagkakatotoo na ito.”
(Nothing seems to stop the departure of our fellow Filipino and former highest Pinoy import in Korea’s KBL, Rhenz Abando, from the Anyang Red Boosters team. Following several rumors that have been spreading recently that Anyang will release Abando to hire a tall Asian or Pinoy import, here it is, it’s coming true.)
The video’s title also claims that Abando will join a team playing in the East Asia Super League.
The bottom line: As of writing, there are no reports from reputable news organizations or sources confirming Abando’s departure from Anyang or his next move. The 25-year-old Filipino import will end his contract with Anyang JKJ at the end of the KBL season this June, and he is not yet thinking about his next professional move although he may remain with Anyang. The former NCAA player signed with Anyang in 2022. (READ: A late scratch, Rhenz Abando not ready for comeback)
In an interview with sports news website Tiebreaker Times uploaded on Facebook on March 10, Abando said, when asked about what’s next for his career and whether he would stay with the KBL: “I don’t know what’s the plan…Depende kung saan may better option. Sila pa rin naman ‘yung may rights sa akin, so malaki pa rin ‘yung possibility (It depends on which is the better option. They have the rights, so there’s still a big possibility for me [to stay]).”
According to Tiebreaker Times, Abando will focus on recovering from back pains caused by an injury he suffered last December.
Anyang JKJ and Abando’s social media updates: On Abando’s official and verified Instagram account, the Anyang JKJ Instagram username is still in his bio as of writing. Additionally, Abando was part of a recent video by Anyang JKJ uploaded on April 16 on its official YouTube channel.
Fact-checks: Rappler has published fact-checks debunking related claims to Abando and other Filipino ballers:
– Owenh Jake Toledo/Rappler.com
Owenh Jake Toledo is a graduate of Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program. This fact check was reviewed by a member of Rappler’s research team and a senior editor. Learn more about Rappler’s fact-checking mentorship program here.
Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. You may also report dubious claims to the #FactsFirstPH tipline by messaging Rappler on Facebook or Newsbreak via Twitter direct message. You may also report through our Viber fact check chatbot. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/fact-check/no-news-rhenz-abando-leaving-kbl-team-anyang-jung-kwan-jang-april-29-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2YI45goLdzviSH34Kf5pd6ng7fLpK4nU89dv-Gmk-SZ2XKvCMr05cCvYE_aem_m2XUOfZidJAuaq5eG4KQMA
|
1
|
Tournament pitting best pool players from Asia, Europe named after Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 20:07
|
ICON. Efren 'Bata' Reyes continues to represent the Philippines despite his old age.
Lisa Marie David/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The legend of Efren “Bata” Reyes continues to grow.
In honor of the man widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, the World Nineball Tour will stage the inaugural Reyes Cup in the Philippines from October 17 to 20.
Following the format of the long-running Mosconi Cup contested by teams representing Europe and the United States, the Reyes Cup will pit the best players from Asia against their counterparts from Europe.
“The Efren Reyes Cup is not just a tournament – it’s a celebration of the sport we love and I am excited to see the pool community come together for its first edition in the Philippines,” said Reyes in a statement.
Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp is in line to captain Team Asia, while Spain’s David Alcaide is on track to lead Team Europe.
Filipino star Carlo Biado, a former nine-ball world champion, also has a shot at making Team Asia.
Matchroom Pool boss Emily Frazer said the Reyes Cup is a dream turned to reality.
“Given the storied history the Philippines has on the sport, it is only right that we honor Efren in his home country,” said Frazer.
“Efren’s passion for the sport has been unwavering for over 50 years, he is the perfect figurehead for this tournament and our sport.”
Although already 69 years old, Reyes remains active in the sport as he represented the country in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last year. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
Amazing tournament named after an amazing Man. Congrats Efren
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/billiards-tournament-named-after-efren-bata-reyes-cup-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ifqzn4U7oBHVjqxX0Yikp-wzpBlYKyGqihRueGi_Xs3hjBNvRSPIT6uI_aem_lKLaG7V2kYQZDCZASfH9TQ
|
1
|
[ANALYSIS] Promoting PPP via a sufficiently empowered media
|
gdecastro0289
|
29/04/2024 7:50
|
Guia Abogado/Rappler
This addresses two concerns. One, the criticality of infrastructure build-up as a blanket platform that provides a basic pathway out of latent economic woes. And two, initiatives to develop an empowered, determined and dogged media that not simply reports on infrastructure, but asks the right questions and effectively investigates, audits, and keeps infrastructure’s traditional propensity for fraud and corruption from burying us deeper in debt and destitution.
That second concern is important as many in media metamorphose into mere mouthpieces on one end and on the other, to survive, media meanders into entertainment, providing opium for cancers. As such, unfortunately providing no diagnoses, and thus, leading to no cures.
But first, an environmental scan.
We are not dead. At least not yet. Never mind that there are several vulnerable medium to small-scale enterprises, including former formidable corporate giants, who might think our economy is headed towards that inevitable condition as existential threats from incompetent economic management under the Marcos administration worsen.
One recent example is our continuing dependence on two of the most influential goods that account for the debilitating inflation that the diminished purchasing power of the peso and the high underemployment data simply cannot catch up with fast enough.
Even kitchen table food staples like rice, sugar, even salt that account for a substantial portion of our basket of goods and the consumer price index remain stratospherically priced and imported. So does the manic-depressive roller-coaster ride in fuel prices whose weekly schizophrenia has led the public to completely capitulate and surrender its ill-fate to the oil companies and the limp-wristed bystander perspective of impotent energy authorities who oversee these sectors.
Despite the undeniably positive directions taken by the Department of Agriculture (DA) – now under new, greatly improved, and professional management – to study, consult and provide focused support for Philippine rice farmers, the importation bias of the DA’s former failed leadership remains. While such bias might temper rice prices a tad, traders and importers continue to be the primary beneficiaries, cursing by the wayside the historically victimized farmers already on subsistence mode.
The inequity that favors a select few at the expense of the many is characteristic of the renewed cronyism afflicting the headline inflation drivers from food to fuels.
A case in point is the prospect of continuing in the business of rice planting by a moderately successful rice farmer who, as he barely ekes out a profit, is now threatened with having to defend his anemic income against a threatening tax audit. ‘Dead” is a word he eloquently uses to describe prospects for continuing his heroic entrepreneurship.
It is not surprising. Death is an appropriate word. Recently, even one of the largest and perhaps most iconic sugar refineries (central azucarera) was forced to permanently close, an inevitable demise catalyzed by the unbridled prohibitive costs of operations to provide a local staple relative to the importation of cheaper refined sugar. Its defining death, again a boon for a select few sugar traders and importers.
Regarding the other catalyst of debilitating headline inflation, the dizzying ups and downs of fuel prices as well as the continuing power outages since the start of the year provides a tsunami of volatility that shelves capital formation, foreign direct investments (FDI) and keeps us at the end of the list of desired destinations among investors.
When the late former president Benigno S. Aquino declared the Philippines as “open for business,” he realized the importance of both infrastructure and FDI as critical to alleviating structural economic inequities, the inflationary effects of food shortages, the surrender to foreign fuels and the curses we enumerated above.
Aquino’s “Private-Public Partnerships” (PPP) program and the “Build, build, build” initiative needed FDI, both domestic and foreign capital, lest they exert tremendous fiscal burdens and necessitate aggressive taxation. Note that among recent presidents, only Aquino avoided new taxes while kicking off a series of tax reforms that increased the exemption brackets for the poor while effectively lowering income taxation for corporations. It is a belief in the Laffer Curve and supply-side economics where lowering taxation, increasing efficiencies, and reducing regulation promotes freer trade and development.
And allow us to add, it reduces the amount of tax money stolen by crooks.
To avoid bloating debt, fiscal deficits, and increased taxation, such an initiative requires the infusion of private capital in infrastructure to lower the costs to process goods through individual value chains.
Note how competently planned farm-to-market infrastructure shortens the gaps between farmers and consumers. Note how ports, railways, roads, and bridges reduce travel time, decrease instances of food waste and spoilage, and avoid those extortion “checkpoints” that artificially increase food prices. Note how farmer’s markets, strategically located hubs, drying facilities, cold storage, and cold chain infrastructure funded by critical FDI and PPP can alleviate food inflation.
So here we invariably answer two of our reader’s amazingly perceptive questions.
Private sector capital is critical for infrastructure development, and we cannot back-burner that because of the negative effects of a transactional relationship between government and the private sector. That said, third-party watchdog audits, checks and balances, investigative reporting, and serious scrutiny by our threatened media – what was once a potent and effective Fourth Estate – is needed.
Despite the conflicts of interest and the hidden snakes that live within the capital structures of most of local media, some have boldly taken mitigating measures. For instance, Rappler is constantly developing its independence using innovative forms to fortify its autonomy and financial freedom including attracting in-depth discourses and analyses, more extensive coverages and beefing up its in-house capacities to dive deeper into issues.
In the academe where the foundations and the future of our nation is formed, students and educators alongside mid-career media professionals are now undergoing extensive training and education on investigating the relationship between the private sector and government in infrastructure. These are recent developments catalyzed by the realization that crony capitalism has returned with a vengeance.
We are not dead yet. There is hope. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
I agree that “Crony Capitalism has returned with a vengeance.” But this is the Marcos-based kind of Crony Capitalism. This is because there was also the Duterte-based Crony Capitalism, which is now weakened, if not dead. In addition, I appreciate the information that there is a partnership between the academe and local media in general and among students, educators, and media professionals in particular, which is directed at “investigating the relationship between the private sector and government in infrastructure.” I hope they can care for themselves as they confront the Corruption Machinery of the Marcos-Romualdez Political Dynasty. Will they survive when it unleashes its Repression and Disinformation forces against them? As for now, they are “not dead yet,” but later, they may genuinely die.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/analysis-promoting-public-private-partnership-empowered-media/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2XwrvrzQdGH2KwJVjEtZyUFekRSk8ydNgKwy821IHef25ovnkf_Z3rlPc_aem_IUpY-CqT5OqOvbK_nm6GAA
|
1
|
Anyone’s game: NU, UST gain Final Four edge as champ La Salle nears ouster
|
jisaga0269
|
28/04/2024 17:28
|
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament is nearing its most critical moments with the Final Four all set in stone ahead of a much-needed one-week break for all its competing athletes.
Season 84 champion and Season 85 finalist NU is back on top as the first seed after a 7-0 second-round elimination sweep.
Giant-slaying UST booked the other twice-to-beat berth as the No. 2 squad with yet another statement win against defending champion La Salle to end the elims, while underdog FEU rounded out its impressive turnaround from a 1-13 record just two years ago as the fourth seed with a 9-5 slate.
There are a lot of storylines to go through with just a handful of games left, with each tale being more intriguing than the next. (SCHEDULE: UAAP volleyball Final Four)
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, and the La Salle Lady Spikers are certainly feeling the pressure with each passing game heading to the Final Four.
Already bogged by injuries to key players Baby Jyne Soreño and MVP Angel Canino up until the latter’s much-needed return, the defending champions now face the unenviable task of going back-to-back against UST – a team that already beat them twice – just to book a finals comeback.
Six years removed from their last title defense – a three-peat completion, no less – La Salle is aiming to kick off another championship winning streak, but the path to get there will be as rocky as it can get.
Dubbed “Mini Miss UST” for their undersized roster before the season’s start, the Golden Tigresses are now standing tall after their historic 8-0 start evolved to a 12-2 finish and their first twice-to-beat berth in 13 years.
Incidentally, it has been 14 years since UST last hoisted a UAAP women’s volleyball trophy, and since the Tigresses’ last dominant stretch, it has been an up-and-down road with a handful of bumpy patches where they missed the Final Four altogether.
Today, however, with a cohesive crew led by possible rookie MVP candidate Angge Poyos, top libero Detdet Pepito, and star setter Cassie Carballo, no heights are too high for this small UST crew to reach, even with towering La Salle once again standing in their way of a finals return.
In the last three seasons of pandemic-era UAAP volleyball, the NU Lady Bulldogs, alongside La Salle, have been the shining beacons of excellence with three Final Four berths, two finals appearances, and one championship to show for it so far.
Led by all-around star Bella Belen and offensive juggernaut Alyssa Solomon, the perennial contenders are likely favorites to atone for their Season 85 finals shortcomings and once again rise to the top of the heap, with underdog FEU as their first challenge.
While Belen and Solomon continue to resist temptations of greener pastures outside the UAAP, the national team-caliber Lady Bulldogs will always be one of the top teams to beat in the foreseeable future.
Practically buried under the mountain of hype created by the three teams before them, the FEU Lady Tamaraws are in some ways in a world of their own, solely focused on raising back the bar of their legendary program and taking everything else as a welcome bonus.
Ending a five-year Final Four drought with a strong finish to the elimination round, the gutsy Lady Tamaraws are still raring to add more slain titans in their growing Season 86 catalog, and mighty NU is dead and center in their crosshairs.
Back-to-back wins against an on-fire Lady Bulldogs side are a tough ask, especially for this batch of FEU stalwarts just starting to regain their footing in the realm of UAAP contenders.
But if the likes of Gerzel Petallo, Chen Tagaod, and Faida Bakanke have any say on the matter, it’s that no team is untouchable to those who dare to be brave. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/women-volleyball-final-four-preview-nu-ust-la-salle-feu-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR07gyrFXcFUBtSAcsAzRlDewJkzZ0btvZpbdvnIau1Te_xPZLTOBDsVU3k_aem_C2jqzXmBZxTglPp9u12A2g
|
1
|
Lifelong discipline: How this Cebuano welder conquered the 42K marathon
|
Jasmine Payo
|
28/04/2024 13:57
|
CHAMPION. New Milo Marathon champion Florendo Lapiz proves that hard work pays off.
Rob Andrew Dongiapon/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – There were no shortcuts to success for newly crowned 42K marathon champion Florendo Lapiz.
In a run as grueling as the one he finished, it took a combination of passion, dedication, and discipline, and no one would know it more that him as Lapiz finally ruled on his third try.
“This is far from easy,” said Lapiz after finishing first in the 2024 Milo Marathon Manila leg at the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City on Sunday, April 28.
“You have to be in your top condition to do this.”
Lapiz – a 33-year-old runner from Carcar City, Cebu – clocked in at 2 hours and 42.33 minutes, pulling off a dominating triumph over runners-up Salvador Polillo (2:49.54) and Wilfred Esporma (2:58.51).
Unlike many who crossed the finish line after him, Lapiz only needed a few minutes to compose himself.
“There are no secrets to this,” Lapiz said in Filipino. “Everyday I worked hard for this. It took a lot of training and self-discipline to reach this.”
Lapiz works as a welder on a ship in his hometown, yet he always finds time for his passion. He trains for over two hours on a near 20-kilometer course in the morning and redo half of it from late afternoon to evening.
“Running is a habit,” he said. “I’ve built my body up that it got so used to [running] already, so I only had to think about the mental part.”
It was Lapiz’s third attempt after his first two tries saw him falling shy of the top spot.
Now hailed as the new marathon king, Lapiz admitted the challenges in running in Manila, as the extreme humidity and high heat index affected many runners even as organizers bumped up the start time much earlier at 1 am.
His fellow Cebuano runner Lizane Abella, the Minglanilla native who topped the women’s side with a time of 3:21.05, cited the same challenges.
But both champions did not concern themselves of the external factors and just focused on completing the race.
“I left it all out there,” said Lapiz. “That was all I think about, leave everything there and complete this.”
Lapiz also coaches young runners in Carcar – an initiative that not only nurtures his locality’s youth but also his love of the sport, he said.
“I need to give back to the sport,” said Lapiz.
But more than this love, he remained steadfast in outdoing himself everyday.
“Keep improving everyday, that is what I want. That is the life of an athlete,” Lapiz said.
Next for Lapiz will be the Phuket marathon in Thailand, before competing in the National Finals of the 2024 Milo Marathon on December 1 in Cagayan de Oro.
Now that his training bore fruit, Lapiz said there’s no stopping from here.
“There are a lot of events out there that I still need to win,” he said. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/milo-marathon-manila-leg-winner-florendo-lapiz-april-28-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0QiccgKy016eRWSaG61MUs5ukmURhVhD1lMCh2bmBD9n4je7hO8lLGsJc_aem_NraSPfS5a57rH4P0uKUTqg
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
|
jisaga0269
|
27/04/2024 22:53
|
PVL Images
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) heads to another title showdown between the league’s top sister teams!
Defending champion Creamline and sister squad Choco Mucho dispute the PVL All-Filipino championship for the second straight conference in a best-of-three series. Here’s the schedule:
It’s all even again for the top four teams.
The semifinalists of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle in a single round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the best-of-three finals. Here’s the schedule:
Near-daily volleyball is back to satisfy fans’ hunger for action as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) releases its 2024 All-Filipino Conference schedule, starting on February 20.
The development comes after the UAAP also released its Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournament schedules on a Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation.
The PVL, meanwhile, stays in its usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday slate, kicking off Tuesday, February 20, at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header featuring newcomers Strong Group Athletics and Capital1 taking on contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
Capping off the conference’s first week is an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum, with reloaded Farm Fresh challenging the Creamline dynasty in the 6 pm triple-header main event.
Fans outside NCR, however, will have fewer chances to see their favorite PVL stars live unlike the past conference, as only the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal and the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna are the announced venues away from Metro Manila.
The season-starting All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to run for three months until May 14 at the maximum, unless plans change.
Other notable elimination round matches are Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz on February 27, Petro Gazz vs Creamline on April 6, PLDT vs Chery Tiggo featuring multiple former F2 Logistics veterans on April 16, and the Creamline-Choco Mucho finals rematch on April 18.
Here is the entire conference schedule, as of Wednesday, February 14:
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/game-schedule-premier-league-all-filipino-conference-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1pCnx447z9eOxBWgHSfZ8JnTsQb7r3F-x-QM2FPBuOqvaqwn46Hq0ROrc_aem_319YVKFP9kPb_FC4CKEWbg
|
1
|
Who’s old? PBA elder statesmen show they can still keep up with young guns
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
26/04/2024 19:15
|
CONTESTED. Beau Belga in action for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Young guns are slowly taking over the PBA, but the elder statesmen of the league have shown they can still keep up.
The likes of Beau Belga, Mark Barroca, Kelly Williams, and Japeth Aguilar – all at least 37 years old – continue to deliver as their respective teams sit at the upper half of the Philippine Cup standings as of Friday, April 26.
Belga, 37, has been a pleasant surprise for a Rain or Shine side that has turned things around after an inauspicious 0-4 start, averaging all-around numbers of 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1 steal through 10 games.
Putting up just 11.5 points in those four straight losses, Belga doubled his average to 22.8 points as the Elasto Painters won five consecutive games to propel themselves to playoff contention.
A vasty improved scorer this conference, Belga also thrives in the other departments, ranking fourth in the league in both rebounds and assists.
Like Belga, Barroca is enjoying his best scoring conference at 38 years old as he churns out 15.6 points through seven games for Magnolia.
The Hotshots shook off a shaky 1-2 start and won four games in a row with Barroca turning back the clock – a stretch that saw the two-time Finals MVP average 19.0 points.
Barroca affects the game in other ways as well, ranking second in assists (5.7) and third in steals (2.1) among all league players.
And he is doing all of that while nursing a wrist injury as Barroca – who has played in 571 straight games – closes in on the second spot in the all-time most consecutive games played list currently held by Alvin Patrimonio (596).
“The veterans are seeing the challenge from the young ones and they’re doing extra work on their conditioning,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes.
“We know everyone in the league now is paying extra attention to their nutrition, to their off-court work – really improving on their conditioning regimen, their fitness. So that’s what we’re seeing now.”
Reyes did not have to look far when he made that statement as he continues to rely on 42-year-old Williams.
The second-oldest player in the league after 46-year-old Rafi Reavis of Magnolia, Williams has been a steady presence for the Tropang Giga, who tote a 5-4 record.
Although the former league MVP can no longer put up lofty numbers like he used to during the peak of his powers, Williams remains a valuable piece for TNT as he averages 7.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Williams’ 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in a come-from-behind 108-101 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, April 24, that saw the Tropang Giga storm back from a 23-point deficit is a prime example of his worth.
The same goes for 37-year-old Aguilar, who has found ways to shine in a stacked Barangay Ginebra squad featuring Christian Standhardinger, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, and Maverick Ahanmisi.
Aguilar averages 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds as the Gin Kings carry a 6-3 card.
“The influx of young blood has been very good for the league. It’s been very difficult for us. Before, even if we had a bad game, we know certain games are sure wins. That’s no longer the case,” said Reyes.
“Every game now, doesn’t matter who we play, we know it’s going to be a challenge. It demands our best,” Reyes added. “And that challenge is forcing the vets to really up not their game, but their conditioning.”
“They’re all upping their conditioning. And that’s brought about by the challenge seeing all the young blood coming in.”
Indeed, age is just a number. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/elder-statesmen-show-they-can-still-keep-up-young-guns-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1NFFTKs7-MLwENI3SAsvuskc7sMI4dA32jNKOOmXekHUciEc8SH1Fouuw_aem_Sam6GoVHOYb9OqJVugoLOQ
|
1
|
Fearless fencer: Samantha Catantan overcomes injury to earn Paris Olympics berth
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 23:34
|
FENCER. Samantha Catantan in action for the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.
Josh Albelda/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Filipina fencer Samantha Catantan bucked an injury and a crucial penalty on her way to the Olympics.
Catantan earned her place in the Paris Games as she ruled the women’s foil category in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates, on Saturday, April 27.
The former UAAP standout edged Kazakhstan’s Sofiya Aktayeva, 15-14, in the final to become the first fencer from the Philippines to qualify for the Olympics in over three decades since Walter Torres competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
Tested in every way possible in the finale, Catantan powered through and delivered an impassioned performance.
Catantan trailed 9-12 in the third and final round after she incurred a one-point penalty following a red card from the referee.
But the 22-year-old Catantan bounced back and scored four of the next five points to tie the count at 13-13.
The last point of that stretch, however, came at a cost as Catantan hurt her left knee off a lunge.
It was the same knee Catantan injured last year before her gold-medal match in the Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Then worried of aggravating the injury, Catantan surrendered and settled for silver.
Catantan, though, refused to be denied this time as she opted to continue with the match against Aktayeva after a five-minute injury timeout.
After the two traded points for a 14-14 tie, Catantan pulled through and scored the final point that allowed her to book her ticket to Paris.
Overcome with emotions, Catantan fell on her knees and cried with her hands covering her face.
Catantan beat out 13 other fencers who were vying for the lone Olympic spot up for grabs in women’s foil.
She finished the pool round as the No. 4 seed and got a bye in the round of 16 before she disposed of Oman’s Israa Al Siyabi in the quarterfinals and South Korea’s Hong Sena in the semifinals. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/fencing-results-samantha-catantan-asia-oceania-zonal-olympic-qualifier-april-27-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR28uKULkpr4lncsLKGNh3sFdy6uP5qhARkk0jgV3PH_jVoah8wEzj0uEAc_aem_uyOxA2w5DTd2ex-N554ZjA
|
1
|
Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball
|
Jasmine Payo
|
05/05/2024 21:02
|
ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/volleyball-game-results-team-standings-men-women-season-86-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3lpLEpMz0uG8VB4lr_CffT6bQR8AfXxwTs8cC6wH6blk4PtMWJ-FsiZNQ_aem_LCIMCkDy97sTyL8qwKPlHA
|
1
|
PBA homecoming set as San Miguel to retire Arwind Santos’ jersey
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 10:28
|
TEAM ICON. Arwind Santos in action for the San Miguel Beermen in the 2019 PBA Governors' Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – One of the greatest players in San Miguel franchise history will get the recognition he deserves.
The Beermen will honor Arwind Santos and retire his jersey when San Miguel battles Blackwater in the PBA Philippine Cup on Wednesday, May 1, at the PhilSports Arena as appreciation for the success he brought to the team.
Santos wore No. 29 throughout his 12-year run with the storied franchise, which he helped lead to nine PBA championships.
“We’re going to pay tribute to Arwind for all of his contributions to the franchise. It is just a way of giving back,” said Beermen team manager Gee Abanilla on Friday, April 26.
“The management liked what he gave us in the past. Just showing some gratitude.”
Santos, 42, joined San Miguel in 2009 and became a cornerstone of a dynasty that took the league by storm.
With Santos forming the vaunted “Death Five” with June Mar Fajardo, Chris Ross, Marcio Lassiter, and Alex Cabagnot, the Beermen dominated and won at least one championship in each of the seasons from 2014 to 2019.
That run of supremacy included a record five straight Philippine Cup titles.
While playing for San Miguel, Santos won MVP in 2013, a pair of Finals MVP plums, and two Best Player of the Conference selections.
The Beermen parted ways with Santos in 2021 and traded him to NorthPort, where he spent the next two seasons before he left the league in 2023.
Abanilla said Santos, a member of the 40 Greatest PBA Players list, is pleased by the news.
“He is happy, we’re happy,” said Abanilla.
Santos last played in the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League, where he won a championship with the Pampanga Lanterns. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/san-miguel-beermen-set-retire-arwind-santos-jersey-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2hSOinCA3qKuAaVCxsZd_5lhgwM-HVLPeY0JTbzxDMwFrsYQ3hmcM-Cp0_aem_8Bpo0St3YESMF0bHSumPIg
|
1
|
LIST: Filipino athletes who qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics
|
jisaga0269
|
12/03/2024 21:31
|
CHAMPION. The Philippines' EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's pole vault in the 19th Asian Games.
Dylan Martinez/REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines – The clock is ticking for the world’s best athletes to punch their tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and so far, the Philippines is on track to once again be well-represented in the top quadrennial multi-sport showpiece.
Several Filipino standouts have already qualified to fly the flag in Paris, with many more in the wings waiting for their shot at ultimate sporting glory.
The Philippines will have a lot to prove in the 2024 Olympics after a historic 2021 run in Tokyo, where living legend Hidilyn Diaz won the country’s first-ever gold through a masterful weightlifting display.
Additionally, the 19-strong Filipino delegation also secured the nation’s biggest medal haul ever in a single Olympics, with Diaz’s gold topping a big four-medal tally, boosted by two silvers and one bronze from boxers Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Eumir Marcial, respectively.
Here is the updated list of athletes hoping to make more history for the Philippines in Paris, in chronological order of qualification:
First on the list is one of the Philippines’ best hopes for a 2024 Olympics medal, pole vaulting superstar EJ Obiena.
Ranked No. 2 in the world just behind reigning Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, the 28-year-old is looking to capitalize on a monumental 2023 season highlighted by notching a new personal and Asian record 6-meter jump on June 10, 2023 and an early Paris qualification on July 3, 2023.
Looking to prove doubters wrong after a controversial split with his old coach, artistic gymnastics phenom Carlos Yulo punched his Olympic ticket on October 1, 2023, and has continuously trained to perfect his craft just in time for Paris.
At just 24 years old, the two-time world champion, six-time Asian champion, and nine-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champion is gunning for his first Olympic gold, particularly in his floor exercise pet event.
Prior to even stepping foot in Paris, Aleah Finnegan is already a history maker for Philippine gymnastics, as her qualification on October 3, 2023, marked the first time a Filipina gymnast qualified for the Olympics since 1964.
Only representing the Philippines for two years so far since her 2022 SEA Games debut, the 21-year-old prodigy is out to make herself a household name with a stellar Olympics debut, and perhaps, win even more hearts with her first medal.
Another familiar face in the upcoming Olympics, boxing star Eumir Marcial is up for another round (or two, or three) with the world’s best, and is looking for a better shine to his 2021 bronze medal.
Qualified for Paris on October 4, 2023, the 28-year-old veteran makes a forced jump to the men’s 80kg class after his favored 75kg division was scrapped for the 2024 Games and is now out to prove himself and the world that he can still bring his best foot forward in the ring even in uncharted territory.
One of the Philippines’ best female boxers today, 31-year-old Nesthy Petecio is right in the middle of her athletic prime, and now has a golden opportunity to improve on her historic 2021 Olympic silver with a return trip to the sport’s biggest stage.
After qualifying on March 12, 2024, Petecio returns to the women’s 57kg event in Paris, where she has a chance to make more history for Filipina boxing.
Making her Olympics debut in July, Aira Villegas joins Petecio as the other Filipina boxer who will give the Philippines a much-needed extra medal chance, this time at the women’s 50kg class after also booking her spot on March 12, 2024.
At 29 years old, the Leyte native already has significant experience under her belt to make her go toe-to-toe with other world-class sluggers and possibly snag an Olympic medal in just her first try.
Weightlifter John Ceniza looks all set for an Olympic debut after securing his Paris Games spot after a strong performance in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup men’s 61kg event in Phuket, Thailand, on April 2, 2024.
The 26-year-old rising Cebuano star stayed well inside the qualification cutoff as only the top 10 in each weight category will compete in the sport’s biggest stage.
Elreen Ando sealed her Olympic return after a solid showing in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on April 3, 2024 to secure her place in the women’s 59kg division of the Paris Games.
The 25-year-old Cebuana weightlifter, though, had to do it at the expense of Hidilyn Diaz – the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist – as only one weightlifter per country per weight category will advance to Paris. She bested Diaz with a total lift of 228kg in the World Cup to stay inside the top 10 qualification cutoff.
Ando, who shattered the Southeast Asian Games record last year, aims to surpass her Olympic debut performance where she finished seventh in the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Reigning Southeast Asian Games champion Vanessa Sarno secured a spot in the Paris Games on April 7, 2024, paving the way for the Philippines to have its biggest weightlifting contingent in the Olympics in nearly four decades.
The 20-year-old pride of Bohol stayed inside the top 10 of the women’s 71kg class in the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking after an impressive stint in the World Cup where she shattered her own national record in the snatch event.
Far from the Olympic radar, Levi Jung-Ruivivar pulled off the improbable to become the Philippines’ third gymnastic bet in the Paris Games.
The Filipino-American teen, who narrowly reached the final as the last qualifier, captured a silver in the women’s uneven bars of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar on April 19, 2024.
With her medal breakthrough, Jung-Ruivivar hiked her qualification points to become the country’s 10th Olympian in Paris.
Joanie Delgaco became the Philippines’ first female rower to qualify for the Olympics on April 21, 2024 after a strong performance in the women’s single sculls of the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea.
Delgaco finished fourth in the 2,000-meter event, staying in the top five to earn her ticket to Paris.
Philippine fencing booked a return trip to the Olympic stage after three decades as Samantha Catantan topped the continental Paris Games qualifiers.
A former UAAP standout, Catantan ruled the women’s foil category in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates on April 27, 2024 to become the first Filipino fencer to earn an Olympic spot since Walter Torres competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
A fourth gymnast joined the Philippines’ Olympic cast as Filipino-American Emma Malabuyo sealed her bid with a medal-winning performance in the qualifiers.
Malabuyo, a varsity member of the University of California, Los Angeles, claimed her spot in the Paris Games after bagging a bronze in the individual all-around of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships on May 24, 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam made sure to book a return trip to the sport’s biggest stage.
Although the Cagayan de Oro boxer took a longer route after falling short in the two previous qualifiers, Paalam did so convincingly this time, winning all of his five bouts in the the men’s 57kg of the World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand to claim his Paris Games ticket on June 1, 2024.
Paalam, who had a thrilling debut run in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before settling for silver, hiked Philippine boxing’s Olympic contingent to four.
Make that five Filipino boxers in the Paris Games.
Hergie Bacyadan made Philippine boxing the biggest contingent for the country in this year’s Olympics after earning her spot in the women’s 75kg.
A former world champion in the combat sport vovinam, Bacyadan earned a unanimous decision win over Venezuela’s Maryelis Yriza in the World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand on June 2, 2024 to book her ticket to Paris.
Earning another trip to the Olympics, golfer Bianca Pagdanganan completed the 60-women field after making the Paris Games cut-off in the world rankings released on June 25, 2024.
But the 26-year-old Pagdanganan aims for a better showing this time after finishing 43rd in the Tokyo edition in 2021.
Golfer Dottie Ardina reached the quadrennial showpiece for the first time after making the the 60-women cut-off for the Paris Games released on June 25, 2024.
The 30-year-old Ardina competed in just two LPGA events this year, but looks to rebound in Paris after a tough season.
Filipina-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe secured a second consecutive Olympic stint after clinching one of the two continental quotas reserved for Asia in the women’s -63kg category on June 25, 2024.
The 27-year-old bet targets a better showing in the Paris Olympics after a first-round exit in the Tokyo Games.
Lauren Hoffman earned her Paris Olympics spot via the world rankings in the women’s 400m hurdles on July 2, 2024.
Hoffman – the Filipino-American who holds the national record in the women’s 100m hurdles – accomplished the feat by the skin of her teeth as she made the 40-entry cutoff at the 39th spot, collecting just enough points to advance.
Another hurdler made it to the Paris Olympics via the world rankings as John Cabang Tolentino qualified on July 2, 2024.
Tolentino, a Filipino residing in Spain, finished 30th out of 40 qualifiers in the men’s 110m hurdles, just a couple of months after setting the Philippine record in the same event.
Swimmer Kayla Sanchez advanced to the Olympics for the second straight edition as she qualified via universality on July 3, 2024.
Helping Canada win a silver and a bronze in the Tokyo Games, Sanchez will represent the Philippines this time a year after her citizenship switch as she is set to see action in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Like Kayla Sanchez, Jarod Hatch formalized his Olympic entry via universality on July 3, 2024.
Hatch, who won three medals in the previous Southeast Asian Games, will compete in the men’s 100m butterfly. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/list-philippine-athletes-qualified-paris-olympics-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR14Mv_fKgAqIKgbr05fbpFrIVPvWBTFX_p0PWZnkZcIoUrvwmkByabXsR0_aem_iiZmf-l9cPL7X835rWkHfA
|
1
|
TNT, Uratex to represent PH in world streetball finals in New York
|
Jasmine Payo
|
28/04/2024 20:47
|
CHAMPS. TNT Tropang Giga and Uratex Dream celebrate their title romps in the 3x3 national finals of the Red Bull Half Court tourney.
MANILA PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE
MANILA, Philippines – Not even the scorching hot weather in Manila could derail the TNT Tropang Giga’s 3×3 basketball mastery.
Bannered by Almond Vosotros, Lervin Flores, Matt Salem, and Chester Saldua, the TNT Tropang Giga escaped the Davao-based Blancas Golden Knights, 15-13, in the national finals to earn a ticket to the Red Bull Half Court World Finals in New York in October.
“Everyone of us here worked hard for this. Actually, this is our first time to experience this, playing under the sun. No excuses, despite the heat, we kept it all together,” said Vosotros after the grueling streetball finals that rolled off from 10 am until 8 pm in an outdoor halfcourt at the Bonifacio Shrine.
Entering the tournament as a wildcard, TNT ruled all its pool games, before running through a gauntlet of teams from Cebu, Davao, and Manila to repeat as Red Bull 3×3 champs after winning last year’s edition.
“As soon as we found out that we would play on an open court, we decided to set up our training under hot conditions,” said Vosotros.
“We trained from late mornings to afternoons to get ourselves ready because we know we will play good teams that want to beat us.”
The Blancas, who won the tournament’s Davao leg, almost spoiled TNT’s quest, draining three consecutive contested jumpers, giving the multi-time PBA 3×3 champions a huge scare.
Tied at 13, Flores completed a two-point play with under 5 seconds left to salvage the win.
“I told myself that we really needed to win. We played through the heat in the afternoons, we are the pros here, and we played for Gilas Pilipinas too. We protected our pride,” Flores said.
For TNT’s longtime 3×3 coach Mau Belen, the tournament was a litmus test unlike anything they have experienced.
“With these types of tournaments, especially now that it was played on an open court, we got tested on how solid we are as a team,” said Belen, who called the shots for Gilas 3×3 in last month’s FIBA Asia Cup.
“We did not know who we would face in the quarterfinals or the semifinals, or for the championship, so that is where the fun begins for us. As we grow through battles like these, I see my players grow too for the team,” she added.
Meanwhile, WPBA champion Uratex Dream will once again carry the Philippine flag in the Red Bull World Finals after ruling the women’s side.
Uratex entered the quarterfinals of the World Tournament last year, becoming the only Philippine team then to get past the eliminations. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/game-results-3x3-basketball-tnt-tropang-giga-uratex-dream-red-bull-half-court-april-27-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3AZoGK5T29tLd7c7m9fT9XRNg3RxJJBgpkvcROVvLe_7AW6lUSBcxhuIY_aem_F8QQ1If76da-e98ZeisGWQ
|
1
|
P72-B ill-gotten properties considered ‘abandoned and surrendered’ to PCGG
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
28/04/2024 18:33
|
MANILA, Philippines – At least nine ill-gotten properties worth P72.157 billion are considered “abandoned and surrendered” in 2023 to the Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG).
In its 2023 audit report dated April 25, the PCGG’s audit team said that these properties are not facing any contest since “ownership has finally been decided in favor of the government.”
The agency, established after the fall of the Marcos dictatorship, is mandated to recover the wealth stolen by the Marcos family and individuals linked to the late dictator. His son and namesake, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., is the incumbent Philippine president.
The assets and properties that were “voluntarily surrendered, assigned, or ceded or waived to the commission as ill-gotten wealth, or through settlement or after judicial determination” include real estate linked to cronies J.Y. Campos, Roberto Benedicto, Antonio Martel, Simplicio Palanca, Alejo Ganut Jr. and Jolly Bugarin.
The PCGG said that its asset management department worked with several appraisal companies to determine the latest valuation of these properties.
One of the high-value items are two adjoining lots in Ortigas Center, Pasig City that have an assessed value of P70.63 billion in 2023. It is where the Payanig sa Pasig Amusement Park used to stand before being replaced by Metrowalk.
Others include six Piedras lots worth P1.086 billion, a property in General Mariano Alvarez in Cavite worth P328.77 million, and a lot previously occupied by Banahaw Broadcasting in Naga City with a value of P89.28 million. These are all valued based on 2023 rates.
The five remaining properties are currently valued using 2022 appraisals. These include a property managed by Bacolod Real Estate Development Corporation worth P569.85 million, a P13.076-million lot in Tagaytay City, land in Puerto Galera worth P6.7 million, property in Caloocan City worth P3.7 million, and property in Calapan, Oriental Mindoro P1.17 million.
The PCGG has so far recovered P280 billion cash and non-cash ill-gotten wealth, according to its 2023 accomplishment report. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/ill-gotten-properties-marcos-dictatorship-surrrendered-government/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3N1SGHYfh-_ZANRreKPKaUzxuFi2WOMvbs3IvWQupZiqkHXam8DUzsfdM_aem_PuiDA2sahcO1Oorw_NNYdA
|
1
|
COA lifts disallowance on CAAP’s P192-M achievement bonuses
|
Mia Gonzalez
|
28/04/2024 20:13
|
COA. The Commission on Audit on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, on October 2, 2018.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Audit has lifted the Notices of Disallowance that it had issued against the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) on its unauthorized payment of P192.19 million in achievement bonuses in 2014.
Voting 2-1, the COA en banc granted the appeal of CAAP, and reversed its January 24, 2022 decision that had affirmed the NDs.
COA chairperson Gamaliel Cordoba and Commissioner Mario Lipana voted in favor of lifting the disallowance while Commissioner Roland Café Pondoc dissented.
COA cited the April 29, 2016 memorandum issued by then-Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., which addressed the main reason for the disallowance.
“The payment of Achievement Bonus for 2014 was disallowed principally on the ground that it was granted without authority. In this case, since the Executive Secretary issued a post facto approval, the defect of the absence of authority to grant the Achievement Bonus is cured,” the COA said.
In his dissent, Pondoc cited the 2022 Supreme Court ruling on the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office petition against COA, that a letter from Ochoa supposedly granting post facto approval cannot be accorded validity as it sanctions benefits that violate budgetary and auditing laws.
Pondoc also said that such post facto approval by the Office of the President would be a violation of Section 261 (g) (2), Article XXII of the Omnibus Election Code since Ochoa’s memorandum was issued nine days before the May 9, 2016 elections.
The COA Commission Proper had earlier declared the bonus as an “irregular expenditure” as it was not in the agency’s corporate operating budget. It also earlier sustained the stand of the audit team that CAAP’s fiscal autonomy and the board’s authority to set the compensation and benefits are not sufficient legal bases to grant the extra bonus because of the lack of prior approval from the Office of the President.
The COA had also said at the time that since the bonus was released in mid-2014, it could not have been sourced from CAAP’s supposed savings since the latter could not be declared until the end of the fiscal year. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/commission-audit-lifts-disallowance-caap-achievement-bonuses/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1HOZLORlpvtxZHIU5Qx1yHeYmI5zb90lru-vD8yw_BCLOBKFrvyrJVM-M_aem_2OwxgnO9RwAWAiJxn7JTrQ
|
1
|
La Niña: What ought to be done to be better prepared?
|
Chay Hofilena
|
22/04/2024 19:30
|
Alyssa Arizabal/Rappler
Part 1 | La Niña may happen in 2024. Here are the flood-risk areas in Metro Manila.
To avoid another Ondoy, a disaster resilience warned that interventions need to be customized according to each city’s needs. There is no “one size fits all” solution.
Guillermo Luz, chief resilience officer of non-profit Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), said that measures could be a combination of engineering interventions, infrastructure upgrades, or nature-based solutions to avoid runoffs from Sierra Madre.
The so-called evacuation centers in the Philippines are facilities that are not originally designed to be evacuation centers. Schools, basketball courts, and government buildings become evacuation centers when disasters hit.
“It’s important to kind of look at alternative sites and build evacuation centers – not always using our schools.… You don’t want to evacuate people into another area that’s still at risk. So we have to identify and build centers in areas which are low for hazards,” Luz said.
Metro Manila also faces earthquake-related hazards aside from flooding, as the West Valley Fault runs under the metropolis.
In March, the House of Representatives had submitted to the Senate the third reading copy of House Bill (HB) No. 7354, which, if passed into law, would mandate every city and municipality to have a permanent evacuation center. Thirteen cities in Metro Manila currently do not have one.
According to a discussion paper by the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department at the Lower House, one evacuation center that meets all the requirements of the bill would cost each Metro Manila local government unit (LGU) at least P65.7 million ($1.16 million)*.
If a structure were to be upgraded to be a permanent evacuation center, the cost starts at P49.3 million ($870,000). While Metro Manila has some of the wealthiest cities in the Philippines, the price tag is considerably high.
If lawmakers get their way, construction of, and upgrade to, permanent evacuation centers would be shouldered by the national government.
Apart from evacuation centers, Luz said that addressing drainage problems in the metropolis is of paramount importance. Metro Manila also needs more pumping stations to move water from submerged areas to prevent or reduce flooding faster.
“Floods occur not only during a typhoon, but during actual heavy rainfall now without having to hit typhoon status. I think one of the root problems is the drainage situation within Metro Manila,” Luz said.
At present, if another Ondoy struck the capital, Manila would turn into a “river.”
The Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) runs 71 pumping stations to reduce flooding. The city of Manila houses the highest number of pumping stations at 27, followed by Malabon City at 16. But it is not enough.
The MMDA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), with a loan from the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, are building 20 new pumping stations and rehabilitating 36 existing ones through the $500-million Metro Manila Flood Management Project.
It also aims to clean waterways and drainage channels, build new drains if needed, and introduce solid waste management programs in barangays. Some 2,500 families living near waterways will be relocated.
The project is set to close in November, six years after it became effective. But as of February, only three of 36 pumping stations have completed upgrades and 10 are ongoing rehabilitation. Four of the 20 new ones are set to be bidded out.
In a message, MMDA Chairman Romando Artes said that “the loan facility will probably be extended for another two years.” Artes had previously said that the loan has to be restructured and that the government was also proposing that the World Bank fund a 50-year drainage system master plan.
In a congressional oversight hearing on March 12, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian called out MMDA and DPWH, saying that the agencies need to play catch up given the prospect of La Niña in the latter half of the year.
Gatchalian pointed out that low-lying Navotas City has recently inaugurated new pumping stations built using its own funds. He asked DPWH: “If a local government can implement pumping stations right away, what seems to be the bottleneck in implementing pumping stations related to this project?”
DPWH Senior Undersecretary Emil Sadain responded that under the restructured program, the department will rehabilitate a total of 26 pumping stations and build only four – as opposed to the initial target of 36 and 20 pumping stations, respectively. Only 600 of the targeted 2,500 families will be relocated. In effect, the Philippine government reduced its targets to reach them.
Sadain explained that the coronavirus pandemic was among the reasons why the loan-funded project was delayed.
“We can still catch up the 30 (sic) pumping stations that are actually targeted for completion within the next two years,” the public works official said, giving assurances.
In the meantime, according to Sadain, the DPWH has built nine pumping stations using its budget.
Since Ondoy and Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), Luz said Metro Manila has seen a lot of progress in terms of disaster prevention. But a lot still needs to be done.
“I think one of the lessons we all learned as a country after that is the investment in preparedness and prevention. Right now, we have a lot less human lives lost since Yolanda. And there are many times actually that we have storms where zero lives are lost and I think that’s a good sign of progress,” Luz said.
The disaster resilience expert said that local governments have started investing in emergency operations and command centers, but at some point, there will be too many.
“To really kind of feel the full benefit of these centers, they should be connected to each other.… If you have connectivity to another network or sister center (in another city), then at least you still have your information intact, then you can somehow figure out a way to tap into the information,” Luz said.
“So I think the next big [step] is really sharing all the information. In disaster response and even in preparedness and prevention, it’s important that everyone sees the same picture,” he added.
He also said that mayors should invest in updated hazard maps and look at flood models to determine the most vulnerable areas and ensure that “those are always free and clear” of risks. Since Ondoy, damage to houses and infrastructure has significantly gone down but thousands of people remain affected, disrupting livelihood and schooling.
On an individual level, Luz said that Filipinos only have to do the bare minimum as citizens. First is to pay attention to weather reports and second is to be mindful of their trash.
To prepare households for floods or disasters, Luz suggested using PDRF’s PH72 as a guide, a simple tool adapted from San Francisco’s SF72, which details how people can prepare for the first 72 hours of a disaster. It includes information on what supplies to prepare and planning how to meet your family should you get separated during an emergency.
Similar to PH72, the Torreses of Marikina have devised their own system during disasters. For them, one can never be too complacent.
“Be ready at all times. Don’t ever think that your area will not be flooded,” Reizan said. “Each family member should know what to do. Prepare your documents. Ready your clothes and belongings. Save some money. You can never really rely on anyone but yourself.” – Rappler.com
*$1 = P56.60
All quotes were translated into English.
Vianca Jasmin Anglo is a data analyst pursuing a postgraduate degree in Human Development and Services. She was part of the public health, pandemic management, and response in the Philippines. Her years of experience in social development demonstrate her commitment to human well-being through data analysis.
Reporting for this story was supported by the Environmental Data Journalism Academy – a program of Internews’ Earth Journalism Network and Thibi.
METHODOLOGY
This data story examined the link between evacuation centers and flood risk in Metro Manila. We obtained the latest evacuation center data from the DILG – which appeared incomplete – and supplemented it with 2021 data from the OCD. Capacity information from these lists are incomplete, limiting our analysis to the evacuation center-to-population ratio.
Using spatial software and Google Sheets, spatial analysis was conducted to pinpoint the intersection between evacuation centers and their corresponding flood susceptibility category from HazardHunterPH. For the full description of our methodology, please read it here. Data cleaning and analysis can be accessed here. This story was a result of collaboration between the author, and the data and story mentors from Thibi, Thet Win Htut, and Aika Rey, respectively.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/environment/la-nina-things-to-do-better-prepared/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ad2wooniUhE5_n2jl6Jbi3b7Ar_ZrSIGrMrNo0t21OoKt0laXEiR7fBw_aem_i90cxGNa_AI0BleC3kuIJA
|
1
|
Mario Dionisio Jr. juggled security guard job and law school, now he’s a PAO lawyer
|
Jairo Bolledo
|
27/04/2024 8:00
|
INSPIRATION. Mario Dionisio Jr. worked as a security guard to send himself to law school. Now, he is the district head of the Public Attorney's Office in Quezon City.
Rappler
Perfectly ironed sleeves, partnered with black pants and shoes. Towering height, calming but commanding voice. These things can easily be associated with Mario Dionisio Jr., a Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyer.
Dionisio spends most of his time inside their office located in one of the top floors of Justice Cecilia Muñoz Palma Hall in the Quezon City hall compound. He heads the PAO Quezon City district.
As the chief, Dionisio oversees 87 lawyers under his supervision. He ensures that their PAO lawyers have the eagerness to help their indigent clients. Dionisio said they cannot let their guards down and be lax, otherwise, their case loads would pile up.
“We have to be proactive enough kung paano namin matutulungan ‘yong korte sa disposal ng mga kaso (on how we can help courts dispose of cases),” Dionisio told Rappler in an interview.
Dionisio has been with PAO, the government’s primary legal office that provides free legal assistance to indigent Filipinos, for the last 16 years. However, it took him just as long to get there, if not more.
To afford sending himself to law school, Dionisio worked as a security guard.
All by himself, he enrolled at the Manuel L. Quezon University School of Law. While studying for most of the day, Dionisio worked as a security guard for establishments during the night. Time management was key.
His day back then usually started at 11 am. After preparing for school, Dionisio would travel to Quiapo, Manila, from his rented room in Cubao, Quezon City, to study. He said he typically stayed in the library from 12 noon to 5 pm to read.
His classes would end at 9:30 pm, so he had 30 minutes to travel from school to work. While on duty, Dionisio made sure the establishment he was guarding was safe. On the side, he studied some of the required readings and cases for school.
At 6 am the next day his shift would end, giving him only around five hours to sleep before preparing again for school. Dionisio survived the first few years of law school in this set-up, but things became much harder later on.
He narrated how his class schedule, on top of varying assignments for his security guard job, took a toll on him. It was difficult for him, he said, since there was no permanent establishment he was assigned to guard. He jumped from one location to another, until the assignments became much farther.
Financial difficulty was also another challenge for Dionisio. He could not afford to buy law books, so he made sure he spent time inside the school library. While there, Dionisio said he would write in a small notebook the pertinent provisions that he needed to memorize. He also photocopied some of the books, so he had copies of the cases he needed to read.
“‘Yon lang ‘yong naging paraan ko kung paano ako makapag-aral doon sa mga cases na in-assign. You have to be ready for the recitation, eh hindi naman po puwedeng wala kang nabasa at all (That was my way to study the assigned cases for school. You have to be ready for recitation, you cannot go to school without reading anything at all),” he told Rappler.
When he was in fourth year, he quit his security guard job, tried his luck, and applied for a job in a government agency. The National Tax Research Center (NTRC), under the Department of Finance, opened its doors to him and hired him.
Although he grew up in idyllic Aklan province, Dionisio knew at a young age his life would not experience the same green pastures if he did not persevere. He was still an infant when his father died, so Dionisio said his grandparents took care of him. His mother transferred to Manila to work as a domestic helper, leaving Dionisio and his siblings in Aklan.
Due to poverty, he and his two siblings did not grow up together; a typical set-up for underprivileged families. As he remained with their grandparents, his other sibling was taken by their mother’s second cousin, while the other was taken care of by their uncle.
He studied hard and finished high school on time. The problem was, his mother told him she could not support his tertiary education because their eldest sibling was still studying at the time. “Probinsiya” (province) culture, Dionisio said, as some families in the countryside can only support one college student at a time, if none at all.
Dionisio knew he needed to do something. He inquired about schools that offered scholarships.
Fortunately, he was admitted by the Northwestern Visayan Colleges in Kalibo as a scholar. Since the condition for his scholarship was to maintain good grades, Dionisio said he studied really hard. After four years, he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminology.
After graduating, Dionisio flew to Manila to apply as a cop in Camp Bagong Diwa. The Philippine National Police rejected him because he was not yet 21 years old at that time. He said he could not return to the province because there were less opportunities there. He decided to apply for a security guard post, and shortly after, decided to enroll in law school.
The rest was history: “Sobrang laki ng pagkakaiba ng buhay ko noon at buhay ko ngayon. Actually, ‘yong mga kakilala ko sa probinsiya, nagugulat nga sila na abogado ka na pala. Hindi nila iniisip ‘yon na magiging abogado ako kasi nga sino ba naman [kami], wala namang kakayahan ‘yung pamilya, ‘di ba?”
(There’s a big difference between my life then and now. Actually, those people I know from the province were surprised to learn that I am now a lawyer. It did not occur to them that I would be a lawyer because I came from humble beginnings, right?)
After hurdling law school, Dionisio did not immediately become a lawyer as he flunked the Bar exams on his first try.
“No’ng time na hindi ako pumasa sa Bar exams, iniyakan ko ‘yon eh. Sabi ko kay Lord, ‘Ipasa mo lang ako, Lord at magsisilbi talaga ako sa bayan at ipapangako ko sa Iyo, I want to have a covenant with you na gagawin ko yung nararapat: ang tumulong sa mga mahihirap,'” Dionisio said.
(When I did not pass the Bar Exams, I cried. I told the Lord, “Please allow me to pass, Lord, and I will serve the country, and I promise you, I want to have a covenant with you that I will do what’s right: help the poor.)
On his second try, he passed the 2006 Bar exams. The results were released in 2007. Dionisio said he was sure God was with him because his application with PAO went smoothly. Of the big bunch of applicants who sought to enter the office, he was the only one picked for the vacancy in PAO Manila.
Another thing was, when he was still applying to be a PAO lawyer, a multinational company offered him a job and he was told he could start immediately for the corporation. For Dionisio, it was a test, a temptation. He followed his heart and kept his promise; he turned down the corporate job even though he was not yet hired for PAO at that time.
He left his job at the NTRC to transfer to PAO in 2007. Public lawyering was indeed challenging, he said, because of the workload and low pay of PAO lawyers back then.
“Tapos there was a time nga na tatlong courts ang hawak ko. Lagare ako umaga-hapon, then every day mayroong hearing (And there was a time that I handled three courts. I worked from morning until afternoon, every day there was a hearing),” he said.
After years of working as a PAO lawyer, he was promoted to division head. Later on, he was also picked to become assistant district head. In 2019, he was chosen to lead PAO Manila as its district head, before he was transferred to Quezon City in late 2023.
Just like other public lawyers, Dionisio has a fair share of threats. At the height of the drug war, he held a case involving a police officer. He would travel all the way from Manila to Angeles in Pampanga to attend court proceedings and to his client’s needs.
Dionisio shared that every time he traveled, there was constant fear that he felt, especially since police were implicated in some cases. The last straw was when he received death threats, he said, so he asked the PAO to remove him from the case.
“Actually, lagi namang nando’n ‘yong panganib na ‘yon, lalo sa aming mga abogado. Kaya lang, siyempre, doon pumapasok ‘yong paniniwala ko sa Diyos. Doon pumapasok ‘yong panalangin ko na every day, pagbangon ko pa lang sa umaga, humihingi na ako ng guidance (Actually, the threat is always there, especially to us lawyers. But, of course, that’s where your faith in God comes in. I pray every day, from the moment I wake up, I already ask for guidance),” Dionisio said.
But for Dionisio, the most memorable case he has handled was one involving a child in conflict with the law (CICL). Back in the day, Dionisio said he was assigned to handle a case of a CICL accused of frustrated homicide. With Dionisio’s assistance, authorities decided to sanction the child with diversion and put him under the custody of nongovernment organization, Association Compassion Asian Youth, Inc. for reformation.
Dionisio said under a sanction of diversion, a CICL is handed a diversion contract containing all the terms and conditions he or she needs to comply with. Once the CICL has been reformed and has satisfied all the terms and conditions, the child can be discharged. The case will also be sealed permanently, Dionisio added.
The PAO lawyer said his CICL client is now an aircraft mechanic. Every time his client would be invited to share his experience as one of the models and evidence of the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system, the former CICL would always acknowledge Dionisio as the PAO lawyer who changed his life.
“Napaka-fulfilling ang trabaho ng isang PAO lawyer. At hindi mapapalitan at hindi mapapantayan ng salapi ‘yong pakiramdam na ‘yon na nakatulong ka sa mga tao, na ikaw ‘yong naging instrumento kung paano sila nakalagpas doon sa legal challenges ng mga tao, kung ano na problema ang kinasasadlakan nila. Hindi ‘yon mapapalitan ng pera,” Dionisio said.
(The job of a PAO lawyer is fulfilling. Money can’t buy that fulfillment you feel when you were able to help people, when you became the instrument for their getting past their legal challenges and whatever problem they were embroiled in. You can’t exchange those for money.)
“‘Yon ‘yong dapat na magiging driving force ng mga aplikante o nagnanais na pumasok sa PAO (This should be the driving force for wanting to be a part of PAO). You should have the heart to help. You should have the compassion to help the poor, the indigent, the marginalized.” – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/profile-mario-dionisio-jr-security-guard-job-law-school-now-pao-lawyer/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1IbwHRXACAyKwcrhsY3aoOpbz6ThpgvIKQxPe2CtzP0K4ecMU6J01nrZw_aem_SMyQVog3eZIdzi7-xZpB4A
|
1
|
Rappler Talk: Leila de Lima, a woman of faith
|
Paterno Esmaquel II
|
28/03/2024 19:30
|
Bookmark and refresh this page to watch this Holy Week episode of Rappler Talk at 8 pm (Manila time) on Maundy Thursday, March 28
MANILA, Philippines – She lost her freedom but found her faith.
In this Holy Week episode of Rappler Talk, former senator Leila de Lima opens up about her relationship with God which, in her words, became “intense” when she was detained for six years, eight months, and 21 days.
How did her time in jail strengthen her faith?
What are her views on forgiveness and revenge? In previous interviews, De Lima said she has not forgiven her “chief oppressor,” Rodrigo Duterte, but she is praying for the grace to be able to forgive the former president. What does she mean? And why does De Lima, vilified as a senator and as a woman during Duterte’s presidency, see the need to forgive?
De Lima also talks about the five cats, out of around 20, whom she brought home from her detention facility – Avatar, Doll, Lily, Otto, and Duchess – as well as two new kittens, Shogun and Golda. In this Rappler Talk interview, recorded on March 22, the former senator says she believes God sent these animals not only to keep her company, but also to make her “more human.”
Watch De Lima’s interview with Rappler senior multimedia reporter Paterno Esmaquel II, at 8 pm (Manila time) on Maundy Thursday, March 28. – Rappler.com
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/interview-leila-de-lima-woman-faith/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1PH1J02txBWwWjexB7RUKq3VvKlarbtt95ACrvl4-Wy7ATrHM6I_oGTBI_aem_xdIYdwbxZJ0ijpT2n25eIw
|
1
|
Human rights at the heart of lawyering for public attorney Noliver Barrido
|
Jairo Bolledo
|
26/04/2024 20:00
|
PUBLIC LAWYER. PAO lawyer Noliver Barrido squeezes in time and effort at the PAO Central Office in Quezon City.
Rappler
Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) lawyer Noliver Barrido initially thought he would become a doctor.
Growing up, Barrido said he had a proclivity for pure and natural sciences. In school, he exceled in science so he took a program related to it. He obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and then later decided to enter medical school. But things didn’t work out as he had planned.
Barrido said he believed his aspirations were valid and refused to think he failed – his path was only redirected. He thought hard and later realized he had been pursuing his ultimate dream all along: to help people.
Barrido first became a volunteer for nongovernment organization (NGO) Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP), which helps in promoting and advocating for human rights in the country. As a TFDP volunteer, Barrido said he went to far-flung areas to help implement projects that allowed people to understand their basic human rights.
They helped people from all walks of life (from victims of large-scale mining in mountain ranges, to the youth) to be more informed about what they deserve and are entitled to as human beings. Barrido told Rappler he also spent some holidays inside prisons to uplift the spirits of persons deprived of liberty.
“‘Yong mga exposure ko sa TFDP, ‘yon ‘yong eventually nagpapasok, nagpapa-realize sa akin na mukhang hindi ako pang-natural sciences. Mukhang dito ako sa social sciences,” Barrido told Rappler. (My exposures with TFDP eventually made me realize that I was not for natural sciences. I realized I was more for the social sciences.)
Barrido said his involvement with TFDP was the main reason why he chose to study law and become a lawyer. He said his experience helping people for TFDP before now helps him in his profession as a public lawyer. Aside from both TFDP and PAO catering to indigent clients, Barrido said his previous organization also advocated for human rights, which is very similar to PAO’s mandate to ensure the rights of those who need legal assistance.
His passion for human rights remained with him as he entered PAO, Barrido said. In PAO, he added, there should be a human rights-based approach in handling cases to better determine what rights were violated and what rights people are entitled to.
“Hindi ko tinitingnan na ito ay trabaho lang, kung hindi may malalim na adbokasiya, at ‘yong adbokasiya na ‘yon ay nanggaling pa doon sa pinanggalingan ko na NGO,” Barrido said. (I don’t regard this as just work, but something that is part of my advocacy, and that advocacy comes from my experience with the NGO I came from.)
A PAO lawyer for seven years, Barrido heads the labor section of PAO Central Office and is also part of the special and appeals case service (SACS).
Under SACS, Barrido said he handles cases that are set for appeal. So either PAO is the winning party, or the losing one. They prepare the appeal filed with the Court of Appeals, Supreme Court, or Office of the President.
His other responsibility, being their labor section’s head, demands more time and exerts more pressure.
Barrido checks the outputs of lawyers under him to ensure quality. The checking includes a review of grammar, arguments, and cited jurisprudence to make sure that their clients’ cases are well represented in court. He said they try to maintain high standards, such that they won’t file a case that isn’t properly checked.
On a daily basis, lawyers would seek him out in their small office to ask for advice or talk about concerns regarding the cases they handle. Barrido said that in a day, he would check two to three cases. He would also talk to his subordinates for around 10 to 15 instances in a single day.
At times, Barrido said his direct intervention is needed for troubleshooting.
“Pumapagitna po tayo. Kasi may mga times po na may mga abogado po tayo na may problema sa kliyente, may problema sa kaso. Kailangan din po nating gabayan o tulungan,” Barrido said. (We intervene. Because there are times when our lawyers have problems with their clients, with their cases. We need to guide or help them.)
Republic Act No. 9406, also known as the PAO law, mandates the PAO to provide legal assistance to indigent Filipinos who need it. The legal assistance covers criminal, civil, labor, and administrative cases, among others. But being a public lawyer in the Philippines is not an easy task.
In fact, there is a “high turnover of public attorneys,” said the PAO in its 2023 accomplishment report, with 36% or majority of its personnel staying for only four years or less. The usual reasons cited were the heavy workload and resignations of their lawyers to engage in private practice. Some also transferred to the judiciary, prosecution, or other government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations.
Of the millions of Filipinos it serves, the PAO only has 2,505 lawyers. For 2023, each PAO lawyer served around 4,997 clients, while one lawyer handled an average of 333 cases within the same period. PAO chief Persida Acosta earlier said they need at least 4,000 lawyers to meet the demands of the office.
“So paano mo ma-handle ‘yon [cases]? Paano mo matututukan ‘yong isang kaso? Paano mo makakabisado ‘yong facts no’ng case, arguments, etc. kung sobrang dami? So tingin ko, ‘yon talaga ‘yong number one na problem,” Barrido told Rappler. (So how can you handle the cases? How can you focus in one case? How can you memorize the facts of the case, the arguments, etc. if you handle too many cases? So I think that’s the number one problem.)
The heavy workload could compromise not only the quality of their job, but also the health of PAO lawyers, Barrido said. The tediousness of the profession could lead to burnout, he added.
“In terms naman sa health, may iba ‘kong mga kakilala na umabot sa gano’n na kinailangang magpa-ospital, mag-undergo ng psychiatric counseling dahil umabot na sa gano’ng point ‘yong effect ng workload,” Barrido said. (In terms of health, I know a few people who had to go to a hospital or undergo psychiatric counseling because the stress from the workload already reached that level.)
Despite this string of challenges, Barrido is optimistic that things will be better for PAO lawyers like him. He believes that lawyers who belong to the younger generation of PAO lawyers can help improve the situation.
Since his generation is into technology, they can provide suggestions on how to use it to improve their work and quality of service. Barrido added that it’s important for young PAO lawyers like him to continue the mandate of helping indigent Filipinos to preserve the integrity of their office.
“Hindi puwedeng mawala ang PAO. Puwedeng mag-improve, puwedeng magdagdag ng mga lawyer, maging modernized ang approach sa mga kaso, sa mga pagse-serve sa client. Pero kailangan, andiyan pa rin ang PAO,” Barrido added. (PAO should remain. It could be improved, have additional lawyers, modernize its approach to cases, in serving clients. But PAO needs to continue to exist.)
As a PAO lawyer for almost a decade, Barrido has had a fair share of interesting and challenging experiences in handling public cases. Among the most memorable ones he handled was a drug case involving a man from northern Philippines.
This case was complicated because it was up for appeal and Barrido said the lower court’s decision was actually favorable to his client already. If they appealed, there was a chance their appeal would be dismissed and the penalty would be harsher. At worst, Barrido said his client could have faced two counts of life imprisonment. He said his conscience would not have been able to take it had it happened.
Barrido said he wanted to explain the options to his client in detail, but the client refused to go to the PAO central office, citing monetary concerns and old age. To reach out to him, Barrido traveled all the way from Manila to La Union to meet on the time they both agreed on. Despite traveling for eight hours just to meet his client, Barrido said the man bailed out on him without a word.
Later on, the client apologized to Barrido and said he thought the PAO lawyer would have him arrested. The case proceeded and to Barrido’s surprise, he and his client later won the case. Because of this experience, he realized that in their work, they need to reach out to their clients and build a connection with them to create trust and a healthy working relationship.
Aside from offering a rich experience, Barrido shared that the PAO also provides good training for lawyers since they are exposed to a variety of cases. The challenging arena also enhances their discipline in terms of time management because of the heavy case load.
Barrido said choosing PAO is also practical because it provides a competitive salary, on top of the the fulfillment that comes with being able to help others. In PAO, pay is considerably good compared to other government lawyers, with entry level public attorneys receiving P95,083 as their basic pay.
“Hindi naman nalugi ‘yong PAO o ‘yong abogado kung pipiliin niya ‘yong PAO. Kasi kung magiging practical tayo, hindi lang naman ano, hindi lang siya purely advocacy eh. Kailangan meron ka ring personal na growth as a person, as a professional,” Barrido told Rappler.
(Both lawyers and PAO win when PAO is chosen as a workplace because lawyers are also well compensated. Because if we were to be practical, it’s not all just advocacy. There should also be personal and professional growth.) To be concluded – Rappler.com
NEXT: Part 2 | Mario Dionisio Jr. juggled security guard job and law school, now he’s a PAO lawyer
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/in-depth/human-rights-heart-public-attorney-office-lawyer-noliver-barrido/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3t1TnALAsB2-8sXwL6KUQ7C_N4c0bPLw0Q4dRMtSfvApPJZlhUJ47iV3k_aem_RKzwN0Q8SGKR0oL1iVmbhA
|
1
|
Big fishers encroach on small fisherfolk’s municipal waters
|
Iya Gozum
|
06/04/2024 9:30
|
Big fishers encroach on small fisherfolk’s municipal waters
Small fisherfolk have preferential rights in municipal waters under the law. But a recent court victory by a big operator is threatening to change the game.
PUBLISHED APRIL 6, 2024 9:30 AM PHTBY Lian Buan, Iya Gozum
READ: Part 1 | Top officials with private interests spoil effort to track big fishers
Municipal fisherfolk remain among the poorest Filipinos, earning only an average of P363 (US$6.45)* a day, and the possibility of losing preferential access to their fishing grounds poses an added threat to their existence.
After three commercial fishing operators successfully evaded the state requirement for a tracking system, the next battleground for them is obtaining the right to fish inside municipal waters or the rich fishing grounds within 15 kilometers from the shore.
The Fisheries Code gives small fisherfolk preferential rights to this area. But a big fishing operator partly owned by the family of former National Telecommunications Commission (NTC) chief Gamaliel Cordoba won a court case contesting the provision, and gained the rights to this fishing ground.
Malabon Regional Trial Court Judge Zaldy Docena, who also favored the three commercial fishers in the tracking system case, ruled in December 2023 to allow Mercidar Fishing Corporation to operate within the 15-kilometer municipal waters.
Mercidar Fishing Corporation, Rappler has confirmed, is partly owned by Monica Elena Cordoba, the wife of Cordoba, former NTC chief and now Commission on Audit (COA) chair appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in October 2022. Under Cordoba, the NTC did not issue service identity numbers needed for the Vessel Monitoring System (VMS), a tracking system that commercial fishers are resisting.
“Mercidar Fishing Corporation [may] be allowed to operate on all territorial waters in the Philippines without regard to the 15 kilometer limit,” said Docena on December 11, 2023.
Rappler sought Mercidar’s comment via email and text message but we have yet to receive a response. We will update this story once we get a reply.
The tracking system and the 15-kilometer cases were not the first time that Docena favored commercial fishers. In 2014, Docena also stopped the implementation of a fisheries ordinance that bans the use of the destructive hulbot-hulbot gear. But he was reversed by the Supreme Court later on.
Docena was sanctioned by the Supreme Court at least two more times for other cases, both with suspension as penalties. One of the suspensions had to do with irregular issuances of search warrants.
Asked if he could comment on the impression that his rulings had consistently favored big fishers, Docena told Rappler through a family relative, “I am just interpreting the existing law to the best of my ability. Whether I agree with the law or not, or what I think of their consequences – these are questions that I am duty bound to exclude from my interpretation.”
The judge, who retired just after the Mercidar win, denied personally knowing the involved fishing families in the court cases.
Rappler’s three-month investigation into government records and interviews with fisherfolk, advocates and bureaucrats, show commercial fishers being favored by the court and some regulators. The battle for the 15-kilometer zone now makes small fisherfolk worry that an impending amendment of the law, a priority of Marcos, could favor commercial fishers again.
In a vast ocean of depleting marine resources, it is in shallow waters where sunlight can penetrate and a number of fish and marine resources thrive. Given preferential use under the Constitution, small fishers find livelihood in the 15-kilometer zone, their refuge from unequal competition against big fishers who have the technology like fish finders and echosounders.
When Docena gave Mercidar the right to fish within the 15-kilometer zone, the judge included a caveat: commercial fishers can operate within 15 kilometers, but they cannot fish in shallow areas. The decision said commercial fishers can only operate within the zone if the waters are at least seven fathoms (equivalent to 12.8 meters) deep.
Shallow waters or those less than seven fathoms deep are roughly only 10% of municipal waters, marine scientist Rene Abesamis said, citing an initial analysis done by a colleague. It means 90% of the municipal waters are already fair game for commercial fishers.
If Docena’s ruling will be taken as precedent in the amendment of the Fisheries Code, small fishers will be left with next to nothing, and big fishers will have virtual monopoly over almost all of Philippine waters.
Removing the 15-kilometer boundary and simply following the seven fathoms measurement present a “technically demanding” job for the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (Namria), said Abesamis, because they would have to “do an analysis where they would outline the depth contour of the seven fathoms.”
Namria would have to map this for the entire country’s coastline, all 36,289 kilometers, the fifth longest coastline in the world. Currently, only 311 coastal municipalities (out of 822) have certified municipal water boundaries, according to Aaron Andro Ching of Namria.
Any way the wind blows, the Malabon ruling only legalizes what has long been accepted practice at sea. There had been reports in the past of commercial fishers encroaching on municipal waters.
“They have defeated the law, actually,” said biologist Wilfredo Campos, a member of the National Science Advisory Group (NSAG) which had been advocating ever since to keep commercial fishers out of the 15-kilometer zone.
In 2023, online platform Karagatan Patrol detected 28,822 commercial fishing vessels operating inside municipal waters through the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS), a sensor on board a weather satellite operated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
In 2019, the Philippines divided waters into fisheries management areas (FMA) in a bid to conserve and manage stocks. Karagatan Patrol’s data show that most of the commercial fishing vessels encroach on the municipal waters of FMAs 4 and 5 – FMA 4 covers Zamboanga Sibugay, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Zamboanga del Norte, Negros Occidental, Iloilo and Negros Oriental; while FMA 5 covers Antique, Occidental Mindoro, and Palawan. FMAs 4 and 5 are major fishing grounds for sardines and galunggong, said Campos.
In his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on July 24, 2023, Marcos said he would prioritize amending the Fisheries Code.
“Our Fisheries Code must be revised to incorporate and strengthen science-based analysis and determination of fishing areas. This approach will protect both the interests of our fisherfolk and our fisheries and aquatic resources,” said Marcos.
Four months after giving this marching order, Marcos finally vacated his interim post as Agriculture Secretary and appointed his campaign donor and fishing tycoon Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. Before his appointment, Tiu Laurel served as president of family-run Frabelle Fishing Corporation. One of the immediate concerns then was the glaring conflict of interest, which the agriculture chief shrugged off.
In an ambush interview on April 3, the agriculture chief confirmed they are looking at changing the delineation of municipal waters by depth instead of distance.
At least from the draft he’s seen that came from the DA-BFAR, Tiu Laurel said “20 fathoms is what’s being contemplated.” 20 fathoms is around 37 meters.
This 20 fathoms proposal also came from commercial fishers, said Ruperto Aleroza, vice chair for basic sectors of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. “According to the technical person, NGO researchers whom we consulted, waters 20 fathoms deep are as close as within 5 kilometers from the shore, meaning the space will become smaller for municipal fisherfolk,” Aleroza told Rappler in Filipino.
Conservation groups worry that court rulings may no longer be necessary for commercial fishers to win this 15-kilometer battle. If they succeed in their lobbying, the amendment of the law may just reflect their wishes.
The pre-consultations seem to be engaging commercial fishers more, said Aleroza.
“What’s happening is that commercial fishers get to talk more [in these consultations], and BFAR – we’re also wondering – instead of playing their role to facilitate the opposing sectors, the impression is, whatever the version of commercial fishers is, that’s what they are facilitating,” Aleroza told Rappler in Filipino.
Aleroza said NAPC did its own consultations, which resulted in resolutions calling on Marcos “to firmly uphold the constitutionally-guaranteed preferential right of artisanal fishers over the 15-kilometer municipal fishing grounds.” They are waiting for a more comprehensive meeting with either Marcos or Tiu Laurel.
“If we want sustainability, we should protect critical habitats that produce aquatic resources like coral reefs. If you allow commercial fishing to enter, and studies have shown they destroy coral reefs, what future will we rely on?” said Aleroza in Filipino.
In 2019, the NSAG already told BFAR that more fishing activities in municipal waters would prevent fish species from respawning properly.
“[A]ny additional fishing, such as the proposed operations of commercial vessels in municipal waters, would contradict the solution to the problem of overfished scad and sardine stocks,” the NSAG told BFAR back then. But BFAR did not respond, according to Campos.
Mercidar argued in its complaint that the 15-kilometer is not only unconstitutional, it also does not hold any scientific basis. The story goes that when Marcos’ father, the dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos passed Presidential Decree No. 1015 in 1976, he banned commercial fishers from the seven-kilometer zone, and banned trawls in waters seven fathoms deep or less, only because he had a penchant for the number seven.
Abesamis, the marine scientist, said the question of whether the 15-kilometer boundary is scientific or not seems more of a distraction. The boundary is set to give an edge to small fishers, 31% of whom live below the poverty threshold.
“I read that as a social thing. Here’s where small players can fish,” Abesamis told Rappler. “That’s the spirit [of the law].”
The resistance to VMS and the opening up of the 15-kilometer zone have caused the sea to shrink for the municipal fishers. Even the agriculture chief said that commercial fishers operating in municipal waters are within the purview of local government units. “That’s not under the DA,” he said in Filipino.
And this is exactly what’s happening at the local level. Small fishers are edged out further by local government ordinances that demarcate zones, resulting in arrests at sea.
In Navotas, which is covered by Docena’s court rulings for VMS and the 15-kilometer zone case, small fisherfolk are apprehended when they go outside the Navotas side of the sea.
Rogelio Guevarra, 57, from Navotas, was arrested in 2022 when he reached the waters of Cavite. He calls his apprehenders “maritime,” which refers to the Philippine National Police Maritime Group. Guevarra said they were initially told to follow them to shore to get the proper permits.
A source who was once part of the maritime’s advisory body told Rappler that it is made up of members of different stakeholders, including representatives from commercial fishing companies. This has been confirmed by Rappler through a current member of the advisory body.
But Guevarra, his son, and fisherfolk from two other boats, were taken instead to Parañaque. They were made to pose for mugshots, and fined P3,000 ($54) per boat when they were earning a maximum of only P2,000 ($36) a day.
“Nangutang lang ho kami noon,” Guevarra said, recalling having to leave his son at the detachment area to get bail money. “Kasi dito sa paligid namin, walang mahuling isda, kaya doon kami namamalakaya.” (We only borrowed money then. There were no fish to catch here in our area, that’s why we were fishing there.)
The fisherfolk were trapped: if they stayed in Navotas, there would be no catch. But if they fished elsewhere, they risked getting arrested.
After Guevarra was arrested, he stayed away from fishing whenever he could. Staying within their zone has been tough because, according to him, there have been fewer and fewer areas to fish ever since San Miguel Corporation (SMC) started building the New Manila International Airport in nearby Bulacan in 2020.
According to Guevarra, big waves drive fish to hide in underwater excavations used by the ships for the airport’s construction. But they cannot follow the fish to that area, citing incidents of drop-ins by individuals who simply tell them to stay out of the airport zone.
“Sa labas naman, mababaw, wala naman hong isda,” said Guevarra. “Kaya napipilitan kami, ‘pag dumadaan ‘yung barko, lumalayo kami. Pagka wala nang barko, saka kami umaarya.”
(Outside, the waters are shallow, there are no fish. We’re forced to hide further whenever the dredger passes. When it’s gone, that’s when we fish.)
We sent SMC emails requesting for comment on this story, but they have yet to respond. The intimidating presence of armed SMC personnel was earlier reported in the pre-construction consultations with the community, but the conglomerate told UK-based non-government organization Global Witness in 2023 that the personnel were there to “secure the area” and “prevent outsiders from causing disruption.”
BFAR, tasked to increase fisheries and aquaculture production within ecological limits, said it cannot intervene.
“We note that the management of the municipal waters belongs to local government units,” BFAR spokesperson Nazer Briguera told Rappler. “Hence, it is within the jurisdiction to enact and implement municipal ordinance which they deem necessary.”
From January to October 2023, the maritime police apprehended at least 66 fishermen from Navotas, according to figures from the Parañaque’s agricultural, fisheries, and aquatic services office. This is roughly half of the fisherfolk arrested at sea, the others hailing from Cavite and Malabon.
Implementing their local ordinance is a way to keep the best interests of their local fishers, said Amie Hernandez, officer-in-charge of the city’s agriculture office. The maritime police apprehend local fishers and the latter are taken to city hall to pay fines at the treasury office, Hernandez told Rappler.
Right now, Parañaque is revising Ordinance No. 06-02 released in 2005, Hernandez said, to increase penalties and add eight buoys to mark the delineation of their municipal waters.
Arrests based on zoning ordinances have long been a recurring issue across the country, according to Dennis Calvan of the conservation group Rare Philippines, and a member of the government’s fisheries advisory committee.
Municipalities exercise territorial rights within their zones, resulting in extreme measures such as arrests. It is a case of local governments wanting to exercise autonomy in all areas – even over waters that are hard to govern.
As fish stocks dwindle in their area and arrests abound, Guevarra said they mainly rely on baklad or fish corrals for their catch. These are stationary traps made of bamboo stakes and plastic nets that can capture fish.
Inside Guevarra’s house is a small booth where the family sells flavored shaved ice to augment their income. There are days when they would still sail to fish. It had been, after all, their way of life for generations. And they have mouths to feed.
“Kung nasaan ‘yung isda, talagang pinupuntahan namin, dahil ‘yun talaga ang buhay namin,” said Guevarra. “Kung pagbabawalan kami doon at wala kaming mapuntahang may isda, talagang mapipilitan kaming pumasok doon sa bawal na sinasabi nilang bawal.”
(Where the fish go, we go, because that’s our life. If we’re not allowed in some areas, but we can’t find another place with enough fish, then we don’t have a choice but to fish in those areas.)
Guevarra goes out to sea only to accompany his son. His neighbor, 73-year-old Celso Sebastian, has quit fishing altogether, the only job he has ever known in Navotas. The catch has exponentially decreased in recent years, and he decided that the threat of being arrested at sea was no longer worth the few fish he is able to take home.
“Ayaw ko na, hindi ko na kaya ang ganyan (I quit, I can no longer bear it),” Sebastian said. He has also already sold his boat.
Calvan called this a “desperate situation that could get even more desperate.” If not stopped, he said poverty incidence will increase and depletion of resources will continue.
“There will be no more preferential rights as guaranteed by the 1987 Constitution. It’s like we’re saying, [the waters] are free-for-all.” – Rappler.com
Disclosure: Oceana, a co-petitioner in the Supreme Court VMS case, is an advocacy partner of Rappler. The group was not used as a source for the story, however in the latter part of reporting, we referred to data from Karagatan Patrol, which is an initiative of Oceana.
$1 = P55.43
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
It looks like Goliath is winning. For David, the small fishermen had better plan how they would “quit fishing altogether, the only job (they have) ever known.” It is now just a matter of timing, and the soonest will be the best. They should be realistic and must not expect that Marcos Jr.’s Government will consider their welfare a greater priority than that of the commercial fishing corporations. NGOs that are working for them should help them in this exit out of the fishery industry sector.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/newsbreak/investigative/big-fishers-close-in-small-filipino-fisherfolk-battle-municipal-waters/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0QU1m7a2oaMm01mFo11m1LGqf1BNMZ5rSZnAnNVTRzxS1HvJtOUqxj33U_aem_fPlcrAXkZXVGlDw5q-uxzQ
|
1
|
This is the most affordable tourist spot in the PH, with the cheapest accommodations
|
Steph Arnaldo
|
04/04/2024 13:53
|
Shutterstock
MANILA, Philippines – What’s the most affordable tourist spot for budget-conscious travelers looking to enjoy the best of the Philippines this summer? For the months of April to May, it’s Iloilo City, according to digital travel platform Agoda’s data.
Iloilo has been named the “most affordable tourist destination in the Philippines,” having the cheapest accommodations and travel deals on average, compared to other Philippine tourist spots. This year, Iloilo’s average room rate goes for P2,814.
Iloilo takes over Bacolod, which was the Philippines’ cheapest travel destination in 2023.
Agoda said that “despite being a tourist destination with the lowest average room rates, each location has a lot to offer to visitors.”
Iloilo is often referred to as “The Heart of the Country” because of its central geographical location and is known for its beautiful beaches, historical landmarks, hidden lagoons, churches, and the freshest seafood around. Popular spots include Islas De Gigantes and the nearby Guimaras Island with the sweetest mangoes.
Agoda also shared the cheapest average destination cities (and underrated gems) across eight other Asian countries, starting with Udon Thani in Thailand, which has an average room rate of P1,576.
It’s part of the “big four” cities in Thailand’s Isaan region, and is considered a lively city, particularly at Nong Prajak Park and the surrounding lake. A stroll down the boulevard and you’ll see the Chinese Gate and the Udon Thani City Museum. It’s also nearby Vientiane, the capital of Laos, which is on the other side of the Mekong River.
Indonesia’s rising metropolis in East Java has an average room rate of P2,195. The thriving port city with Javanese, Chinese, and Arab cultural influences offers heritage architecture, modern buildings, and the Pasar Atom market with traditional crafts and delicacies like Lontong Balap and Sate Klopo.
Located in Central Vietnam, Hue has an average room rate of P2,420 and is rich in history and culture (being the former imperial capital of the Nguyen Dynasty). Imperial City, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with majestic palaces and temples, can be found in Hue. Tourists can take a boat cruise through the city on the Perfume River!
The state capital of Sarawak in Malaysia offers an average P2,758 room rate and is situated on the island of Borneo, along the Sarawak River. Surrounded by natural beauty, Kuching is a plethora of arts and crafts – check out the Main Bazaar, Carpenter Street, and the Sunday Market for local handicrafts and souvenirs. Kuching’s nearby Bako National Park has rainforests, wildlife, and beaches to visit.
Bengaluru’s average room rate is at P3,096. Called the “Silicon Valley of India,” Bengaluru is a rising technology hub with a lot of historical charm and rich culture, found in the majestic Bangalore Palace or the 16th century Nandi Temple. It also has a bustling South Indian culinary scene.
With an average room rate of P3,996, Narita is a sought-out destination of travelers, especially since it houses the famous Narita International Airport, the gateway to Tokyo. The beautiful city in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture is also known for the Shinsjoji Temple, the traditional Naritasan Omotesando Road, and the seasonal beauty of cherry blossoms!
Taiwan’s second biggest city has an average room rate of P5,684, and is easily accessible through the international airport and a high-speed rail connection to Taipei and Taoyuan. Kaohsiung’s Yancheng District showcases street art and shopping spots by the pier, and the city itself is known for its culture, temples, art, street food, music scene, and more. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/travel/most-affordable-tourist-destinations-philippines-asia-agoda-2024/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1wXJYz1RwA2whUjlbackStTtCR1YTyO_ViR9tGhovjG8QkJ26p2LOApa0_aem_7zw6dBSPfd6yudEr2e1Rlg
|
1
|
PH’s Chantal Schmidt wins best evening gown in Miss Eco International 2024 prelims
|
Ysa Abad
|
28/04/2024 10:50
|
BEST EVENING GOWN. Chantal Schmidt represents the Philippines in the Miss Eco International 2024 competition.
Chantal Schmidt's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – The Miss Eco International 2024 pageant hailed Philippine bet Chantal Elise Schmidt as the Best Evening Gown winner during its preliminary competition on Friday, April 26.
The beauty queen from Cebu City was a stunner in her nude gown with side cut-outs, high slit and silver embellishments. The piece was design by Val Taguba.
In an Instagram post on Sunday, April 28, Chantal shared that she was surprised by the recognition as she was rushed to the hospital on the morning of the preliminary competition.
“I had to be hooked up to an IV (I have a phobia of needles) and laid in that hospital bed rethinking everything. I knew I didn’t want to go home with unfinished business,” she wrote.
Chantal added, “Upon returning to the hotel, I told myself that I would be competing that night, regardless of how I felt. And by God’s grace, I recovered.”
Fellow Filipina beauty queens such as Stacey Gabriel, Nicole Borromeo, CJ Opiaza, and Ashley Subijano, congratulated Chantal in her achievement.
Chantal, who competed in the inaugural The Miss Philippines competition last October 2023, was named as the country’s representative for the Miss Eco International competition in February.
Meanwhile, the Miss Eco International 2024 coronation night is set for April 28 in Egypt, with Vietnam’s Nguyen Thanh Ha crowning her successor.
Chantal is competing in the hopes of becoming the third Filipina to win the country’s Miss Eco International crown after Cynthia Thomalla (2018) and Kathleen Paton (2022). – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/philippines-chantal-schmidt-best-evening-gown-miss-eco-international-2024-prelims/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0LFDF5MfhFVKz9qzheDpMmYtEamB-Nu1yKV-wRe0XZYJU5shHXiok1FdI_aem_x30DCeHFtLicLeKZIDARnw
|
1
|
LOOK: Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel visits Divisoria, Bohol
|
Ysa Abad
|
28/04/2024 13:55
|
BACK IN PH. Miss Universe 2022 R'Bonney Gabriel returns to the Philippines for a series of engagements.
R'Bonney Gabriel's Instagram
MANILA, Philippines – Miss Universe 2022 R’Bonney Gabriel appears to be enjoying her longer stay in the Philippines as she shares clips from her work engagements and vacation trips in the country.
The Filipino-American beauty queen returned to the Philippines in mid-April – her first in the country since passing the Miss Universe crown to Nicaragua’s Sheynnis Palacios in November 2023.
On her social media accounts, R’Bonney updated her followers and pageant fans with her activities in the Philippines, including attending a movie premiere, filming for a fashion magazine, and making her first television guest appearance.
She also flew to Bohol where she tasted the local delicacy kalamay for the first time, jammed to “Pantropiko,” the viral hit song of P-pop girl group BINI, while at the beach, and posed at the famous tourist spot overlooking the Chocolate Hills.
“Spent 48 hours in Bohol and I already want to visit again,” she wrote. “Thank you [Mayor Jane Yap] and the people of Bohol for sharing your beautiful history, landscape, food, arts, and culture with me.”
When she returned to Metro Manila, the fashion designer also went on a shopping adventure in Divisoria. “I actually used to come here a lot when I was a kid visiting in the Philippines,” she said in the video. “I always remember coming to buy like, juicy couture purses and different clothing.”
In the clip, the beauty queen was seen talking to vendors in Filipino while she was purchasing clothing fabric. She also rode the tricycle to go to Abad Santos, where she bought a sewing machine.
In her interview with 24 Oras, R’Bonney also disclosed that she’s interested in trying acting in the future.
“Acting, I’m definitely very interested in. I’m up for the challenge. I recently just watched a movie with Anne-Curtis Smith and I thought that was really good. I’d love to work with her,” she said.
Aside from her modeling and guesting engagements, R’Bonney is also set to host the Miss Universe Philippines 2024 coronation night happening on May 22.
R’Bonney, whose father is Filipino, has been vocally proud of her heritage, and even collaborated with Filipino designers Rian Fernandez and Patrick Isorena throughout her Miss Universe stint.
She won the Miss Universe crown representing the United States. Prior to that, she broke barriers as the first Filipino-American to win the Miss Texas USA, Miss USA, and Miss Universe pageants. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/pageants/photos-miss-universe-2022-rbonney-gabriel-visits-divisoria-bohol-philippines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3PvZ-DPVKQ44tEVAPK7iPjScXAP1MZaYqRCeM7oCrC9a8iYJcG9Aj5RRI_aem_O6dK4Qefp1wK4oSnSaYg9w
|
1
|
DepEd suspends in-person classes on April 29-30 due to extreme heat
|
Bonz Magsambol
|
28/04/2024 13:40
|
File photo of a student carrying books
Alecs Ongcal/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of Education (DepEd) has suspended in-person classes in all public schools in the country on April 29 to 30 due to extreme heat and a planned nationwide transportation strike.
“In view of the latest heat index forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and the announcement of a nationwide transport strike, all public schools nationwide shall implement asynchronous classes/distance learning on April 29 and 30, 2024,” the DepEd said in its advisory on Sunday, April 28.
The DepEd also said that all teaching and non-teaching staff are not required to report physically to their stations.
“However, activities organized by Regional and Schools Division Offices, such as Regional Athletic Association Meets and other division or school level programs, to be conducted on the aforementioned dates may push through as scheduled, provided that measures for the safety of all participants have been carefully considered,” the DepEd added.
Private schools have the option to implement the same, the department said.
In response to extreme heat, the DepEd earlier approved a gradual return to the old academic calendar, where students would have a break from April to May, although opponents of the proposal view this as a stopgap measure.
Critics say the problem is not really the academic calendar, but the classrooms, which are not built to withstand extreme heat in the Philippines, a tropical country.
The school opening in the Philippines was moved to October, instead of June, in 2020 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and remote learning was implemented. In the succeeding years, it was moved to August.
The return to the old academic calendar was triggered by public clamor because the summer months of April and May are not conducive to learning. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/department-education-suspends-in-person-classes-extreme-heat-april-29-30-2024/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0QU1m7a2oaMm01mFo11m1LGqf1BNMZ5rSZnAnNVTRzxS1HvJtOUqxj33U_aem_fPlcrAXkZXVGlDw5q-uxzQ
|
1
|
China’s military expenses driving up other Asian countries’ spending, too – study
|
Bea Cupin
|
28/04/2024 12:07
|
BRP BENGUET. The BRP Benguet issues a radio challenge to a Chinese Navy ship, which the AFP said used dangerous maneuvers against the Philippine vessel, in October 2023.
Armed Forces of the Philippines file photo
MANILA, Philippines – Beijing’s “longest unbroken streak” of rising military spending is the “main driver” for its neighbors doing the same, according to a yearly study of trends in the world’s military expenditures.
“Aside from being the biggest spender in Asia and Oceania, China is the main driver of spending trends elsewhere in the region since many of its neighbors perceive China’s growing military power as a reason to enhance their own military capabilities,” according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’s 2023 edition of its Trends in World Military Expenditure report, released in late April 2024.
Beijing, based on the report, budgeted over $296 billion for its military in 2023, a 6% increase from its spending the year prior. The figure represents 12% of the world’s military expenditures and over 50% of the Asia and Oceania region.
SIPRI noted that while China holds a nearly three-decade stream in the rise of military spending, the rate of its spending growth has slowed over the past decade.
“China recorded an increase of 60% in 2014–23 compared with increases of just under 150% in 2004–13 and 1994–2003. This also reflects the slower rate of Chinese economic growth during the past decade,” the report said.
The figures are estimates of SIPRI, as China’s publicly declared military budget is much lower. An American legislator has also said China’s actual military spending could be much higher than current estimates.
While China ranks second in the rankings, its fellow superpower, the United States, is the undisputed top spender, with over $916 billion allocated for the military in 2023. To put things in perspective, this means the US spends 3.1 times more than China, according to the report.
The bulk of the US’s expenses, said SIPRI, was spent on “research, development, test and evaluation.”
“This aligns with its decision to shift its focus away from counter-insurgency operations and asymmetric warfare to developing new weapon systems that could be used in a potential conflict with adversaries with advanced military capabilities,” said the report.
US spending includes military aid to allies, including Ukraine. The 2024 report covering the year 2023 was released just days before the US approved a $95-billion military aid package that includes funding for Ukraine, Israel, and to a much lesser extent, Taiwan. The bulk of the spending is for Ukraine, which has been fighting a Russian invasion for over two years already.
Ukraine, according to the report, recorded the biggest percentage increase in spending – up 51% in 2023. Last year, Ukraine was the 8th largest military spender in the world.
Asia and Oceania, like the rest of the world, also saw an increase in military spending, based on SIPRI data. Spending in 2023 hit $595 billion, a 4.4% increase from the year prior and a 46% increase from just a decade ago.
“The regional increase was primarily driven by China and its neighbors: military spending rose in all countries in East Asia as well as in India,” said SIPRI.
Japan saw an 11% surge in its spending compared to 2022 at $50.2 billion, the largest year-on-year increase since 1972, SIPRI pointed out.
“The budget for 2023 also marked the first year of Japan’s biggest military build-up program since the end of World War II. Under the program, Japan aims to bolster its counterstrike capabilities by investing heavily in aircraft, ships and long-range missiles,” the report said.
Japan will be spending much more in the coming years, based on a five-year spending plan that would turn it into the world’s third-largest military spender.
Tokyo also recently introduced Official Security Assistance, a program that allows the government to provide national security help to countries that align with its own security strategies. The Philippines is the first recipient of that scheme.
Taiwan, a possible flashpoint for tensions in the region, saw military spending increase by 11% in 2023. “Based on a perceived growing threat from China, Taiwan created an extra-budgetary fund in 2020 and another in 2022 earmarked for procuring F-16 combat aircraft and naval systems. Together, these funds accounted for 21 percent of Taiwan’s total military spending in 2023,” said the report.
India has also seen an increase in military spending, ranking fourth globally. “This aligns with the government’s priority to strengthen the operational readiness of the armed forces amid ongoing tensions with China and Pakistan,” said SIPRI.
Manila, unsurprisingly, is far from the world’s top military spenders. In the 2024 budget, the defense sector gets over P278 billion out of a P5.768 trillion total budget. Of that amount, P40 billion will be spent for modernization.
SPRI data indicates that military expenditure in the Philippines has amounted to between 1 to up to 1.4% of its gross domestic product in recent years.
The Philippines is projected to spend over P2 trillion in the next decade for Horizon 3, or the military modernization program.
The third phase of the modernization program was reimagined – at one point dubbed “re-Horizon 3” after the Philippines, under the Marcos administration, officially shifted focus to external defense.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. too, the Philippines has become more firm in asserting its sovereign rights and claims in the West Philippine Sea, or parts of the South China Sea that include the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
China claims almost all of the South China Sea, ignoring a 2016 Arbitral Award that sided with the Philippines. Chinese vessels, including its navy and coast guard, constantly patrol the South China Sea, including features within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.
In Ayungin Shoal and Bajo de Masinloc, flashpoints for Philippine-Chinese tensions in the West Philippine Sea, the China Coast Guard, which is under its Central Military Commission, used water cannons against Philippine vessels. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/study-china-military-expenses-driving-up-asian-countries-spending/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0wbljk_gxvLCT2iz8Ef9grkVYamB6FBC7VCctDRKHzaL1yyvWWfQHMOoo_aem_USEbGtd7D4lYNHg6IEJaNg
|
1
|
[Time Trowel] Was there a Philippine Kingdom named ‘Kalaga Putuan Crescent’?
|
Miriam Grace Go
|
28/04/2024 13:00
|
A trowel (/ˈtraʊ.əl/), in the hands of an archaeologist, is like a trusty sidekick – a tiny, yet mighty, instrument that uncovers ancient secrets, one well-placed scoop at a time. It’s the Sherlock Holmes of the excavation site, revealing clues about the past with every delicate swipe.
Archaeology is not just about digging up artifacts; it’s a gateway to understanding our complex past. However, archaeology in the Philippines faces hurdles like limited research funding and public awareness, which hinder our ability to fully appreciate our rich heritage. Without adequate resources and attention, our archaeological endeavors are severely hampered, leaving countless stories buried beneath the sands of time.
Compounding this issue is the scarcity of systematic excavations across the Philippines. With over 7,000 islands comprising our nation’s geography, conducting thorough archaeological explorations becomes a Herculean task, both logistically and financially. As a result, large swathes of our history remain untouched and unexplored.
Furthermore, there’s a tendency to favor grand historical narratives over the smaller, everyday discoveries that offer invaluable insights into past societies. This preference often stems from nationalist agendas, promoting a sanitized view of history that overlooks the nuances and complexities of our shared past. By neglecting these smaller finds, we risk distorting our understanding of the past and perpetuating narrow interpretations that fail to capture the full spectrum of human experience.
Take, for instance, the controversy surrounding the elusive Kalaga Putuan Crescent (KPC) – a purported kingdom located in what we now know as Butuan in Agusan del Norte. The mere mention of this kingdom has the potential to rewrite the narrative of pre-colonial Philippine history. A recent study delves into the depths of this “lost kingdom,” intertwining genetic and archaeological evidence in an impressive attempt to unveil the mysteries of precolonial Philippine culture.
This publication projects optimism, advocating for the power of scientific archaeology in the Philippines. Yet, amid the excitement, there’s a shadow of controversy, which highlights the need for more stringent, ethical research practices in archaeology to ensure our cultural artifacts are not misused or misrepresented.
As an example, the article used Chinese tradeware ceramics to argue about the age of the sites mentioned. Chinese tradeware ceramics are like time capsules, helping to date archaeological sites in the Philippines and piece together its history. Yet, there’s a pressing concern that can’t be ignored: where these ancient items come from matters. The article overlooks a critical point – were these ceramics responsibly dug up by archaeologists, or were they bought from questionable sources that might ignore ethical standards?
By not addressing this, we risk tolerating potentially harmful collecting practices, which could encourage the looting of historical sites. It’s crucial to ensure that these pieces are gathered in a way that respects both history and the law. After all, our understanding of the past hinges not just on the artifacts we find, but on the stories of how they were found.
As such, when we write and publish about history, we must be guided by ethics just as much as facts. It’s not enough to showcase ancient finds; publishers and researchers have a duty to ensure they’re not spotlighting relics tainted by the black market. By strictly adhering to ethical standards, academic publications can take a stand against the shadowy trade of cultural artifacts. Only then can we truly honor the past’s legacy and protect it for future generations.
As we navigate the intricacies of Philippine archaeology, we must remain vigilant guardians of our cultural heritage. By upholding rigorous ethical standards, we not only ensure the responsible dissemination of information but also safeguard the integrity of our shared history for generations to come.
The article boldly connects Austronesian migration to events just a thousand years in the past, potentially compressing a complex history of five millennia into a too-concise summary. The reliance on linguistic and genetic evidence might not fully capture the complex dynamics of human migration, often overlooking the contributions of pre-existing populations and simplifying migration patterns as linear and unidirectional.
The article does make an important point about how genetic research can inform our understanding of the past. Yet, it’s important to remember that even DNA has its storytelling limits. These genetic narratives, like any other, can be colored by the lenses through which we look at them – either from dominant politics or the unintentional shade of a researcher’s own perspective.
A stark reminder of the power such interpretations hold comes from Jean-Paul Demoule’s “The Indo-Europeans,” which recounts a grim chapter where the misuse of such theories underpinned the horrors of Nazi ideology.
Therefore, it’s not just important but essential for researchers to examine their methods with a critical eye and invite cross-disciplinary checks. This ensures their findings don’t just stand up to scrutiny but mirror the complexities of history. After all, history is rarely a straight line – it’s more of a dance, with steps backward, forward, and often, in a completely unexpected direction.
In the virtually unexplored breadth of Philippine history, the Kalaga Putuan Crescent (KPC) article offers a glimpse of the intricacies of maritime trade routes that crisscrossed our archipelago long before the arrival of colonizers. It’s a story that not only deepens our appreciation of pre-colonial times but also raises important questions about how we engage with our cultural heritage today.
But like any good story, the KPC narrative is not without its twists and turns. While it offers valuable insights, it also forces us to confront the ethical shadows lurking in the world of artifact collection and interpretation. Are we truly treating these remnants of our past with the reverence they deserve? Are we presenting our findings with integrity and transparency?
In archaeology, these questions shouldn’t be mere footnotes – they’re the very foundation upon which our understanding of history is built. That’s why it’s imperative that historical publications should lead the charge in championing ethical practices. We must handle cultural artifacts with the utmost care, and our research methodologies should be as meticulous as they are transparent.
But the story doesn’t end there. The KPC article serves as a catalyst for a broader conversation about the need to expand our work. It’s not just about understanding the past; it’s about reshaping our future. In this sense, our national agencies that focus on culture and heritage, like the National Museum of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts should embark on thematic research programs that spans the nation.
These programs should bring together experts from diverse disciplines to identify and study similar cultural and historical complexes across the Philippines. But here’s the twist: it shouldn’t be a top-down endeavor. Local communities would be integral partners in this project, offering their insights and perspectives to improve our understanding of the past.
By facilitating collaboration and inclusivity, this coordinated effort would not only deepen our knowledge of Philippine archaeology but also empower communities to take ownership of their cultural heritage. It’s a story of discovery, yes, but it’s also a story of resilience and pride – a story that’s waiting to be told. – Rappler.com
Stephen Acabado is professor of anthropology at the University of California-Los Angeles. He directs the Ifugao and Bicol Archaeological Projects, research programs that engage community stakeholders. He grew up in Tinambac, Camarines Sur. Follow him on IG @s.b.acabado.
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/voices/thought-leaders/time-trowel-was-there-philippine-kingdom-named-kalaga-putuan-crescent/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1gjx4JhxOsrY_iIwBbTNbVMbKeQX2geVWWxxbKrqQxAJDMBIEzwV-cpZo_aem_kyH5KLgShzeJlqjdf-nadw
|
1
|
LTO’s old IT system enables fraud, and motorists pay more for it too
|
lkyu0285
|
28/04/2024 9:09
|
Alejandro Edoria/Rappler
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) was supposed to have transitioned to a new information technology system years ago. But the agency’s continuing decision to run its old and new IT systems in parallel has opened loopholes for fraud and cost motorists billions a year in computer fees.
Right now, there are IT systems for the LTO operated by two separate, competing companies: Stradcom Corporation and a joint venture headed by German firm Dermalog.
Stradcom, which has managed the aging LTO IT system since the late 1990s, has been part of a phaseout agreement signed in 2016. Meanwhile, Dermalog’s joint venture is the one behind the government-owned Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
How can there be two separate IT systems managing data involving millions of motorists and motor vehicles? If there is a new system, why hasn’t the old one been phased out? These are where the problems and loopholes lie.
The result: a system that allows failed roadworthiness tests and smuggled ultraluxury Bugatti Chirons to slip through.
Motorists have also had to suffer through slower service times in instances when their data is registered in one IT system but not in the other – all while having to pay P169 every time they transact with LTO using the old system.
It’s an open secret that many motorists and huge corporations – with their fleet of vehicles – skip mandated roadworthiness tests for their vehicles. A source familiar with the registration renewals and insurance business told Rappler, on condition of anonymity, that certain inspection and emission testing centers offer “special” or “no-show” services, essentially allowing motorists to pay their way to a guaranteed passing mark.
Tests processed through the LTMS are all electronically transmitted, meaning it’s harder to tamper with inspection results. But since the old IT system is also still running, could there have been some way to bypass that system to get these spurious test results through?
Earlier in March 2024, sources close to the LTO confirmed to Rappler that a motorist with a motorcycle that failed roadworthiness tests still managed to renew the mandatory motor vehicle registration in an LTO office in Central Luzon using the Stradcom system.
Based on a report by a private motor vehicle inspection center (PMVIC), the motorcycle failed both its carbon monoxide (CO) emission and rear brake tests. For motorcycles registered for the first time on July 1, 2017 and onwards, CO percentage by volume should only be 2.5% or less. This motorcycle’s emission test showed it emitted 3.32%, as encircled in red.
According to the Department of Transportation, the results of most road worthiness tests conducted by PMVICs – such as the brake and headlights tests – are only recommendatory. However, passing the emission test is mandatory for all motor vehicles to be registered and renewed with the LTO.
Yet on the same day, an LTO-issued official receipt seen by Rappler showed that the vehicle owner was able to renew the motorcycle’s registration, a process that requires the motor vehicle to obtain a passing mark on its emission test or motor vehicle inspection report.
The only way this motorcycle’s registration could have been renewed is by using the old Stradcom system. That’s because the PMVIC’s failing report would have already been automatically submitted to the LTMS, preventing the motorcycle from being renewed there. The P169 “comp fee” on the official receipt, encircled in red, also indicates that it was processed through the old IT system – not the new LTMS.
This is also why fixers and LTO personnel who allegedly collude with them are “allergic” to the LTMS, multiple industry and LTO sources told Rappler.
Rappler has reached out to Stradcom and LTO multiple times for their comment on the no-show services that continue to be facilitated, and whether Stradcom’s system has safeguards against these. Both Stradcom and LTO have not responded.
A 2020 Journal Online post, however, spoke about “system innovations” in the LTO’s IT system. It said that Stradcom’s “Private Emission Testing Center Information Technology Facility links LTO and private emission testing centers to enable electronic uploading of data and authentication of records prior to motor vehicle registration.”
Quoting Stradcom spokesperson Lorie Bundoc, the post said that this computerized system was supposed to “help ensure transparent transactions, objective decision-making, and cut red tape. Our system provides information on irregularities in transactions and flags incomplete applications.”
But there were other problems, too. A former LTO assistant secretary also told Rappler that before the agency switched fully to the LTMS, forging driver’s licenses and medical records was easy to do under the old system. That’s because Stradcom’s system relied on scanning paper documents of driver’s license exam and medical test results, which could be tampered with before they were uploaded.
The retired LTO head also said he once monitored a driving school with only one instructor and small classrooms yet it managed to issue more than a thousand certificates in a span of just two to three months.
There is also the recent and high-profile Bugatti Chiron fiasco. Two of the luxury sports car – among the world’s most expensive – were smuggled into the country and even successfully registered in the LTO. These vehicles were not registered in the new LTMS, but rather in Stradcom’s old IT system, according to several sources and an initial investigation by the LTO-NCR.
This would have been impossible, if not more difficult, to do under the LTMS because registering a smuggled vehicle in the system would leave a glaring audit trail through the fingerprint scanner that would immediately expose the perpetrator’s identity.
Industry sources told Rappler that the LTMS is equipped with biometrics verification so that every renewal and approval requires the evaluator to scan fingerprints. A “liveliness” feature is also able to detect whether the fingerprint scanned is faked or somehow recorded.
Rappler also learned from individuals handling the LTMS that there was actually an attempt to use the new IT system to register the Bugattis, but because the transaction required a fingerprint scan, the attempt was abandoned. This was likely when the perpetrators instead turned to Stradcom’s system to complete the registration of the smuggled vehicles.
But even if you aren’t concerned about these cases of fraud, the parallel use of the LTO’s new and old system can still affect you. For one, you simply have to pay more.
If you’ve transacted with the LTO, you may have noticed on your official receipt that you were charged P169 for “comp fee,” or computer fees. That amount does not go to the LTO or government, but instead to Stradcom – the company managing the LTO’s old IT system.
The two official receipts above were issued by the LTO around the same time in October 2023. On the left is an initial motor vehicle registration of a sports utility vehicle in Muntinlupa City, and crucially, the motorist was not charged an additional computer fee because the registration was processed through the LTMS.
On the right is another initial motor vehicle registration, this time of a motorcycle in the LTO National Capital Region (NCR)’s West Regional Office. Because it was processed under Stradcom’s system, the motorist had to pay an additional P507 – P169 multiplied thrice since an initial registration lasts for three years.
Why do you need to pay computer fees to Stradcom? Under Stradcom’s build-own-operate (BOO) scheme with the LTO, the government does not pay for the set-up, operation, or maintenance of its IT system. Stradcom does. In return, the company recovers this through fees. Motorists have to pay P169 for every LTO transaction. A source that operates a PMVIC also told Rappler that they have to pay P45 every time that they upload inspection test results into the Stradcom system.
Way back in October 2005, a report by the Commission on Audit (COA) already warned that the public would have to bear the cost. In the COA Management Services Report No. 2004-03B, the state auditor said that “the interest of the public was not adequately protected under existing condition where IT fees are imposed without taking into account its acceptability to the end-users and establishment of the rate of return,” pointing out that an increase ranging from 4% to 440% of the LTO base fee at the time was added to the IT fees.
Meanwhile, motorists are charged no extra fees when transactions are done with the LTO through the LTMS. That’s because the government already invested around P8 billion for the hardware and software components of the IT project, which is now owned by the government as well.
Sources within the LTO told Rappler that motorists aren’t given the option of which IT system to use when registering their vehicle, renewing their license, or otherwise transacting with the agency. It’s apparently up to LTO personnel to decide where to encode the motorists’ data, with some LTO offices literally having two computers operating the two different IT systems beside each other.
It also seems as if these problems were foreshadowed in the 2005 COA report, which flagged how Stradcom’s contract lacked continuity.
“The BOO scheme for the LTO IT Project is disadvantageous as this would not provide project continuity. At the end of the 10-year concession period, the project has to be started anew as only the database will be owned by the LTO. The IT facilities and application systems, the costs of which were recovered through the collection of IT fees from the public, remained with the project proponent,” the COA said in its observations.
Rappler sought comment from both Stradcom and LTO on the two IT system setup and the computer fees charged to motorists. Neither have replied, even after multiple follow-ups with their respective spokespersons.
In a past letter to the editor in the Philippine Star that responded to an open letter that it had published, Stradcom defended its BOO arrangement, saying that it provided the “strongest impetus to make sure that the LTO IT System is always running efficiently since any downtime or slowdown in the LTO IT System would translate directly to a negative impact on Stradcom’s revenue.”
“In fact, the existing LTO IT System is even better than the LTMS as delivered by the Dermalog Joint Venture because the LTO IT System as acquired by the government under a BOO arrangement [is] at zero cost to the government, unlike the LTMS which was acquired using the direct mode of procurement wherein the government had to appropriate funds therefor,” Stradcom wrote.
Meanwhile, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, in an Inquirer report, also defended the current arrangement and the collection of computer fees: “[T]he reason behind the charging of computer fees is plain and simple: it is being done in areas where LTMS is not yet functional due to internet connectivity [problems], and for the convenience of LTO clients who would seriously be affected if we chose to revert to manual processing, rather than taking advantage of the existing old system.”
Mendoza also said that the payment of computer fees was limited to only “a handful of specific transactions that cannot be processed under the LTMS.” Yet Metro Manila, one of the areas least likely to have internet connectivity issues, continues to use the old system.
Almost 10 years after COA’s report, we’re now seeing the dangers it cited manifest, sometimes in almost comically petty ways. A source involved in the Stradcom-Dermalog system transition told Rappler that as early as August 2019, the LTMS system itself was ready to go live.
But what wasn’t ready were the LTO offices because in these offices, the chairs, tables, wiring, and even electrical outlets were owned by Stradcom. LTO personnel in certain offices reportedly couldn’t even place the new system’s computers on the tables because Stradcom site supporters would tell them that the tables belonged to Stradcom.
There is also one final, painful cost to running two parallel IT systems: inefficiency. Those transacting with LTO may, at times, notice long delays in processing what should be a simple motor vehicle registration renewal. That has prompted many questions on whether the LTMS leads to slower service times than the old system.
But sources in the LTO told Rappler that the delays come from having two parallel systems whose databases are not synced. Stradcom has reportedly failed to periodically submit its updated databases to Dermalog.
Stradcom has repeatedly asserted that it turned over its electronic database 10 times to the LTO. However, its last submission of updated data in June 2023 contained data only up to December 31, 2022 – which means that registration data for new motor vehicles in 2023 were excluded. LTMS needs the up-to-date data to complete transactions.
What this further means is that when renewal time comes, motorists whose vehicles were registered under Stradcom will find it difficult to renew since their registration information won’t show up in the LTMS. The process of fixing this is long and painful: first, a ticket has to be filed with the LTO’s Management Information Division, which would then need at least two weeks to import the data from Stradcom to LTMS.
And these are not just isolated cases. Data from the LTO’s annual report shows that from January to September 2023, there were 1,839,164 new motor vehicles registered. But based on LTMS data obtained by Rappler, only 333,152 new vehicles were registered under the LTMS over the same period. This suggests that potentially more than 1.5 million motorists whose initial vehicle registrations were made under Stradcom could face delays when the time comes to renew their vehicle registration.
Motorcycles – which make up the bulk of registered vehicles – will be the most adversely affected. Prior to an LTO memorandum circular that took effect on May 15, 2023, motorcycles with engine displacement of 200cc and below were required to renew their registration every year. This means that motorcycles not covered by the LTO circular will need to renew their registration – and could be in for a long wait if their data is stuck in another IT system.
Mendoza did not respond to Rappler’s requests for comment. He had previously claimed in an Inquirer report that there were no delays in motor vehicle registration due to data migration issues since “97 percent of transactions under this process have already been completed.” The few instances of delay, he said, happen only “during LTMS downtimes.”
Mendoza also claimed in the same report that Stradcom has submitted all of the “legacy data” in line with his “aggressive drive to fully migrate to the new IT system.”
At the end of the day, it’s the motoring public that quite literally pays the price. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/lto-it-system-enables-fraud-motorists-pay-more-stradcom-dermalog/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR30-VFT8BdnFKrLPdi-NgAw7GbOpc4RXcWPGg-IUR21-aX2EVgAVvBkL-U_aem_RX9cSaboCl9gOJTkcR32Ww
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
|
jisaga0269
|
27/04/2024 22:53
|
PVL Images
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) heads to another title showdown between the league’s top sister teams!
Defending champion Creamline and sister squad Choco Mucho dispute the PVL All-Filipino championship for the second straight conference in a best-of-three series. Here’s the schedule:
It’s all even again for the top four teams.
The semifinalists of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle in a single round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the best-of-three finals. Here’s the schedule:
Near-daily volleyball is back to satisfy fans’ hunger for action as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) releases its 2024 All-Filipino Conference schedule, starting on February 20.
The development comes after the UAAP also released its Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournament schedules on a Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation.
The PVL, meanwhile, stays in its usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday slate, kicking off Tuesday, February 20, at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header featuring newcomers Strong Group Athletics and Capital1 taking on contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
Capping off the conference’s first week is an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum, with reloaded Farm Fresh challenging the Creamline dynasty in the 6 pm triple-header main event.
Fans outside NCR, however, will have fewer chances to see their favorite PVL stars live unlike the past conference, as only the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal and the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna are the announced venues away from Metro Manila.
The season-starting All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to run for three months until May 14 at the maximum, unless plans change.
Other notable elimination round matches are Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz on February 27, Petro Gazz vs Creamline on April 6, PLDT vs Chery Tiggo featuring multiple former F2 Logistics veterans on April 16, and the Creamline-Choco Mucho finals rematch on April 18.
Here is the entire conference schedule, as of Wednesday, February 14:
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/game-schedule-premier-league-all-filipino-conference-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1s_aTrE99XQZqLOr_5cc28PG32Vdltoyu-RVqkfAXsMtFlkHcyg5IcHJw_aem_Ayke3AMzF2qm3kcqPhRSnA
|
1
|
Amid excessive heat, Cavite provincial government shifts to 4-day work week
|
Miriam Grace Go
|
28/04/2024 9:11
|
CAVITE, Philippines – The provincial government of Cavite will shift to a “compressed workweek” starting Monday, April 29, to lessen the exposure of its workers and clients to the excessive heat and its attendant health risks.
The four-day workweek will be from Monday to Thursday, with work hours stretched from 7 am to 6 pm to meet the 40-hour requirement per week.
“Reducing the exposure to the extreme heat may mitigate its harmful effects on the individuals transacting with the Provincial Government, as well as on the health and productivity of its employees and officials,” according to Executive Order No. 19 – Series of 2024 signed by Governor Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla on Friday, April 26.
The provincial government has a personnel complement of more than 3,000.
Remulla cited the “extremely high temperatures” recorded by the weather bureau across the country. He also referred to the projection by government meteorologists that the heat could reach “extreme danger” levels in the coming months, intensified further by El Niño.
Seven provincial offices and facilities, however, are not covered by the compressed workweek policy. The following will be open Mondays to Fridays during regular hours:
The compressed workweek will be in effect until July 31.
Since early April, the daily list of areas where the heat index reaches 40 degrees and above has Sangley Point in Cavite City. On April 24, Sangley Point recorded the highest heat index in the country at 48 degrees, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, the extreme temperatures can cause the following illnesses, in order of severity: heat rash, heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke. The last one can be deadly.
A week earlier, Binmaley town in Pangasinan already shifted to a four-day work week also due to the dangerous heat levels.
The labor department, meanwhile, has encouraged employers to adopt flexible work arrangements amid the soaring temperatures. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/excessive-heat-cavite-provincial-government-compressed-workweek-april-july-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1wXJYz1RwA2whUjlbackStTtCR1YTyO_ViR9tGhovjG8QkJ26p2LOApa0_aem_7zw6dBSPfd6yudEr2e1Rlg
|
1
|
Primitivo Mijares learned his writing ropes in Baguio Midland
|
Chito de la Vega
|
28/04/2024 10:00
|
BAGUIO, Philippines – I think it was his “pinabili lang ng suka” schtick which got us.
We were having a staff meeting in the old Abanao office when we first saw him.
He was just a boy with a Batangueno accent thick as sinaing na tulingan.
We thought he was selling something.
The new market, which moved westward, was teeming with Batangueno and Ilocano vendors hoping to set their businesses here.
He handed his application paper, handwritten in his nifty handwriting. Sinai received it.
“Editor of Mountain Breeze. Hmmm,” our editor said.
This was the school organ of La Trinidad Agricultural High School.
“So, you are Primitivo Mijares? What should we call you?” Sinai asked. “Tibong,” he said.
He was still going to be 18 in November. It was Monday, Sept. 5, 1949.
“So, you’re born in Santo Tomas, Batangas,” he said.
And he now held court in front of us.
Tibong said both his parents died at the end of the War, which was less than five years ago.
He remembered coming home too late to see their house razed to the ground. He embraced his mother, bleeding from bayonet wounds. His father lay dead beside her.
An uneasy quiet came into the office because, after all, Sinai, Oseo and Cecile were Hamadas.
Tibo said their main business was making vinegar for their town. Tibong, being the oldest, would bring their horse cart full of it to the poblacion.
During the war, his father became a gunsmith, hammering out paltiks for the resistance.
Tibo continued their vinegar-selling after burying his parents. On his way to town, a Japanese officer told him that they needed to get his horse and the other horses in town for their operations. He realized they were retreating from the Allied Forces in Manila.
“I need to bring the horse to town to deliver vinegar, then I will bring him back to you,” Tibong told the officer.
On his way to town, the 12-year-old boy was shouting to his townmates to hide their horses.
“So, you’re the Paul Revere of Sto. Tomas,” said Eduardo Masferre, the assistant editor.
“How good was your vinegar,” I asked Tibong.
“Your face will crumple like paper,” he answered. “You should have brought a jug,” I said.
After the war, the Mijareses were distributed to their relatives. The girls were taken in by their uncle in Sabah, Malaysia while the two boys were taken to La Trinidad, Benguet where another uncle was an agriculturist.
So, that was the “pinagbili ng suka episode” that we often bring back during our press nights.
The thought came to my mind in those drunken nights that maybe Tibo concocted the Maharlika battle exploits of President Ferdinand Marcos, Sr. filling in the gaps of that wondrous lie.
Maybe because of his story but mostly because of his audacity, Tibo was hired as staff of the Baguio Midland Courier.
The editor-in-chief was Sinai Hamada, who had been up there since the start.
Before Midland, Sinai was a fictionist and an exceptional one at that. Members of the U.P. Writer’s Club were nonplussed at this mountain boy writing so prodigiously. And then he surprised them more by leaving the field of literature and starting a newspaper instead.
The assistant editor was the Spanish mestizo from Sagada (Mountain Province), who would soon become a famous photographer of the Cordillera people. How ironic that we didn’t publish his valuable photos only because we couldn’t.
The rare times we published a photo then, we would have to make it linotype-ready for a month.
The paper was only four pages long. Nothing much was happening in the city at the time. The violent stories were still within the pagan villages, but the editor advised us not to use the term “pagan” anymore.
The trauma of the war was waning. But the “war hysteria” over Korea was welling up.
The universities were starting to be built in the city. Sometimes we set up a section for education every month.
But most of the stories were about associations being created, golf tournaments being set up, drivers being blood-typed, and teachers being hired.
Most of the work was still in the setting up of the plates, lining up the headlines character by character and placing “etaoin shrdlu” to warn the strippers that there was a typo.
Sometimes some “stop-the-press” stories would blurt out like bandits stealing P3,000 worth of clothes in an Indian bazaar along Session Road.
In the October 12, 1949 issue of the Midland Courier, boxed news was brought out in the center of the front page like a rectangular wound. “Apology. Owing to the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained desertion of his duties as news editor, the Baguio Midland Courier failed to come out with its regular issue last Sunday, October 9. We are sorry for what happened and hereby apologize to our friends and readers. The present number, therefore, is the delayed issue of last Sunday .”
Laurence L. Wilson, known as L.L. Wilson among the Midland readers, replaced Ben Rillera. Tibong was promoted to helping in Cecile’s society column, “In and Out of Baguio,” which was mostly snooping on the remaining Caucasians in the city.
L. L.Wilson was a folklorist, anthropologist, and journalist, so his notes were compiled for his weekly column.
Cecile Afable’s was the other regular column. The rest of the columns were published when the columnists made it on time.
The editor made it a policy that all the local news stories be made anonymous. And, of course, Sinai would edit them until they all sounded like Sinai wrote them all.
His brother, Oseo, turned out to be an astute business manager and soon enough, Midland had six then eight pages.
Tibong was tasked with compiling and summarizing the major foreign news stories given by the United States Information Service and boxed them under “Brief Notes of the Week Over The World Fronts.”And then finally on July 2, 1950, with the headline “Fr. Carlu Dies Aged 75,” Tibo finally saw his name in the staff box. L.L.Wilson became contributing editor and there it was: Primitivo Mijares…..News Editor.”I remembered Tibong looking at Page 2 so long that he almost burned a hole on the top left side, then he started running around like a dog out of the cage.
I knew instinctively that he would soon be leaving us unless Sinai started publishing his byline in the stories.
He started sending stories to the Manila Chronicle and by August, I think, he left the city to join the Chronicle as a staff member.
His rise was, as they say, meteoric.
At night, he studied Law and became a lawyer in 1960. Later, he would join the press corps of Manila Mayor Arsenio Lacson. Later he would join the team of an upstart congressman named Ferdinand Marcos.
“We cannot contain his ambition,” Sinai told us. “Baguio is too small for him.”
Marcos would soon become the President and Tibong would become his ear and mouthpiece. He said that he has become the human diary of Marcos.
During Martial Law, Tibong became the editor of the Daily Express. He had the whole Philippines under his hands.
One time when he came up to Baguio with Marcos, he visited Midland.
“My short stint here was the most important,” he said.
Tibong still hasn’t lost his baby fats. His round glasses were held by his cherubic cheeks. He was starting to get bald.
We didn’t know if we believed him then. He also started telling Manila people that he was the youngest editor of Midland.
“Was there a time you went AWOL like Ben?” Cecile asked her brother. “And told Tibong to become your replacement on your deathbed? Ha ha ha”
We lost touch with him and whenever Sinai asked, “Where the hell is Tibong? It still was a joke to us: “Pinabili ng suka ni Marcos.”
But in February 1974, we got a different punchline.
“He defected,” Oseo said. “I heard he is writing a book against Marcos.”
Tibong became a fugitive and we were on the hunt for that book, which was said to have been named “Conjugal Dictatorship.”
It was said to be a monumental book of about 500 pages.
“What did that boy rat about us,” Sinai said.
“Our drunken evenings,” Cecile suggested.
Soon, Sinai’s “Where the hell is Tibong?” was met in silence and concern.
By 1977, nothing was heard of him.
“Maybe he did spend his most important stint with us,” Sinai said over sake.
“Maybe he did,” Oseo said. “Our vinegar seller.”
“Our vinegar hero,” Cecile corrected her brother. – Rappler.com
(Editors’ note: Primitivo Mijares, author of Conjugal Dictatorship, the most important anti-Marcos book, said that he became the youngest editor of “Baguio Midland Courier” in 1950. Other than Tibong’s biography in “Conjugal,” the author has decided to investigate this and lacking records except for actual copies of “Midland” from 1949 to 1951, he decided to write a short story about Tibong’s short stay in “Baguio Midland Courier”).
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/primitivo-mijares-learned-writing-ropes-baguio-midland/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2Hoq1oUv_n1BwZKAsMKq_OlF7sP0h4_tuub3SvU0nl2RZuKCp8g6I346I_aem_k3pC-B1aQ2suvCQ3JpNqlQ
|
1
|
LTO’s old IT system enables fraud, and motorists pay more for it too
|
lkyu0285
|
28/04/2024 9:09
|
Alejandro Edoria/Rappler
The Land Transportation Office (LTO) was supposed to have transitioned to a new information technology system years ago. But the agency’s continuing decision to run its old and new IT systems in parallel has opened loopholes for fraud and cost motorists billions a year in computer fees.
Right now, there are IT systems for the LTO operated by two separate, competing companies: Stradcom Corporation and a joint venture headed by German firm Dermalog.
Stradcom, which has managed the aging LTO IT system since the late 1990s, has been part of a phaseout agreement signed in 2016. Meanwhile, Dermalog’s joint venture is the one behind the government-owned Land Transportation Management System (LTMS).
How can there be two separate IT systems managing data involving millions of motorists and motor vehicles? If there is a new system, why hasn’t the old one been phased out? These are where the problems and loopholes lie.
The result: a system that allows failed roadworthiness tests and smuggled ultraluxury Bugatti Chirons to slip through.
Motorists have also had to suffer through slower service times in instances when their data is registered in one IT system but not in the other – all while having to pay P169 every time they transact with LTO using the old system.
It’s an open secret that many motorists and huge corporations – with their fleet of vehicles – skip mandated roadworthiness tests for their vehicles. A source familiar with the registration renewals and insurance business told Rappler, on condition of anonymity, that certain inspection and emission testing centers offer “special” or “no-show” services, essentially allowing motorists to pay their way to a guaranteed passing mark.
Tests processed through the LTMS are all electronically transmitted, meaning it’s harder to tamper with inspection results. But since the old IT system is also still running, could there have been some way to bypass that system to get these spurious test results through?
Earlier in March 2024, sources close to the LTO confirmed to Rappler that a motorist with a motorcycle that failed roadworthiness tests still managed to renew the mandatory motor vehicle registration in an LTO office in Central Luzon using the Stradcom system.
Based on a report by a private motor vehicle inspection center (PMVIC), the motorcycle failed both its carbon monoxide (CO) emission and rear brake tests. For motorcycles registered for the first time on July 1, 2017 and onwards, CO percentage by volume should only be 2.5% or less. This motorcycle’s emission test showed it emitted 3.32%, as encircled in red.
According to the Department of Transportation, the results of most road worthiness tests conducted by PMVICs – such as the brake and headlights tests – are only recommendatory. However, passing the emission test is mandatory for all motor vehicles to be registered and renewed with the LTO.
Yet on the same day, an LTO-issued official receipt seen by Rappler showed that the vehicle owner was able to renew the motorcycle’s registration, a process that requires the motor vehicle to obtain a passing mark on its emission test or motor vehicle inspection report.
The only way this motorcycle’s registration could have been renewed is by using the old Stradcom system. That’s because the PMVIC’s failing report would have already been automatically submitted to the LTMS, preventing the motorcycle from being renewed there. The P169 “comp fee” on the official receipt, encircled in red, also indicates that it was processed through the old IT system – not the new LTMS.
This is also why fixers and LTO personnel who allegedly collude with them are “allergic” to the LTMS, multiple industry and LTO sources told Rappler.
Rappler has reached out to Stradcom and LTO multiple times for their comment on the no-show services that continue to be facilitated, and whether Stradcom’s system has safeguards against these. Both Stradcom and LTO have not responded.
A 2020 Journal Online post, however, spoke about “system innovations” in the LTO’s IT system. It said that Stradcom’s “Private Emission Testing Center Information Technology Facility links LTO and private emission testing centers to enable electronic uploading of data and authentication of records prior to motor vehicle registration.”
Quoting Stradcom spokesperson Lorie Bundoc, the post said that this computerized system was supposed to “help ensure transparent transactions, objective decision-making, and cut red tape. Our system provides information on irregularities in transactions and flags incomplete applications.”
But there were other problems, too. A former LTO assistant secretary also told Rappler that before the agency switched fully to the LTMS, forging driver’s licenses and medical records was easy to do under the old system. That’s because Stradcom’s system relied on scanning paper documents of driver’s license exam and medical test results, which could be tampered with before they were uploaded.
The retired LTO head also said he once monitored a driving school with only one instructor and small classrooms yet it managed to issue more than a thousand certificates in a span of just two to three months.
There is also the recent and high-profile Bugatti Chiron fiasco. Two of the luxury sports car – among the world’s most expensive – were smuggled into the country and even successfully registered in the LTO. These vehicles were not registered in the new LTMS, but rather in Stradcom’s old IT system, according to several sources and an initial investigation by the LTO-NCR.
This would have been impossible, if not more difficult, to do under the LTMS because registering a smuggled vehicle in the system would leave a glaring audit trail through the fingerprint scanner that would immediately expose the perpetrator’s identity.
Industry sources told Rappler that the LTMS is equipped with biometrics verification so that every renewal and approval requires the evaluator to scan fingerprints. A “liveliness” feature is also able to detect whether the fingerprint scanned is faked or somehow recorded.
Rappler also learned from individuals handling the LTMS that there was actually an attempt to use the new IT system to register the Bugattis, but because the transaction required a fingerprint scan, the attempt was abandoned. This was likely when the perpetrators instead turned to Stradcom’s system to complete the registration of the smuggled vehicles.
But even if you aren’t concerned about these cases of fraud, the parallel use of the LTO’s new and old system can still affect you. For one, you simply have to pay more.
If you’ve transacted with the LTO, you may have noticed on your official receipt that you were charged P169 for “comp fee,” or computer fees. That amount does not go to the LTO or government, but instead to Stradcom – the company managing the LTO’s old IT system.
The two official receipts above were issued by the LTO around the same time in October 2023. On the left is an initial motor vehicle registration of a sports utility vehicle in Muntinlupa City, and crucially, the motorist was not charged an additional computer fee because the registration was processed through the LTMS.
On the right is another initial motor vehicle registration, this time of a motorcycle in the LTO National Capital Region (NCR)’s West Regional Office. Because it was processed under Stradcom’s system, the motorist had to pay an additional P507 – P169 multiplied thrice since an initial registration lasts for three years.
Why do you need to pay computer fees to Stradcom? Under Stradcom’s build-own-operate (BOO) scheme with the LTO, the government does not pay for the set-up, operation, or maintenance of its IT system. Stradcom does. In return, the company recovers this through fees. Motorists have to pay P169 for every LTO transaction. A source that operates a PMVIC also told Rappler that they have to pay P45 every time that they upload inspection test results into the Stradcom system.
Way back in October 2005, a report by the Commission on Audit (COA) already warned that the public would have to bear the cost. In the COA Management Services Report No. 2004-03B, the state auditor said that “the interest of the public was not adequately protected under existing condition where IT fees are imposed without taking into account its acceptability to the end-users and establishment of the rate of return,” pointing out that an increase ranging from 4% to 440% of the LTO base fee at the time was added to the IT fees.
Meanwhile, motorists are charged no extra fees when transactions are done with the LTO through the LTMS. That’s because the government already invested around P8 billion for the hardware and software components of the IT project, which is now owned by the government as well.
Sources within the LTO told Rappler that motorists aren’t given the option of which IT system to use when registering their vehicle, renewing their license, or otherwise transacting with the agency. It’s apparently up to LTO personnel to decide where to encode the motorists’ data, with some LTO offices literally having two computers operating the two different IT systems beside each other.
It also seems as if these problems were foreshadowed in the 2005 COA report, which flagged how Stradcom’s contract lacked continuity.
“The BOO scheme for the LTO IT Project is disadvantageous as this would not provide project continuity. At the end of the 10-year concession period, the project has to be started anew as only the database will be owned by the LTO. The IT facilities and application systems, the costs of which were recovered through the collection of IT fees from the public, remained with the project proponent,” the COA said in its observations.
Rappler sought comment from both Stradcom and LTO on the two IT system setup and the computer fees charged to motorists. Neither have replied, even after multiple follow-ups with their respective spokespersons.
In a past letter to the editor in the Philippine Star that responded to an open letter that it had published, Stradcom defended its BOO arrangement, saying that it provided the “strongest impetus to make sure that the LTO IT System is always running efficiently since any downtime or slowdown in the LTO IT System would translate directly to a negative impact on Stradcom’s revenue.”
“In fact, the existing LTO IT System is even better than the LTMS as delivered by the Dermalog Joint Venture because the LTO IT System as acquired by the government under a BOO arrangement [is] at zero cost to the government, unlike the LTMS which was acquired using the direct mode of procurement wherein the government had to appropriate funds therefor,” Stradcom wrote.
Meanwhile, LTO Assistant Secretary Vigor Mendoza II, in an Inquirer report, also defended the current arrangement and the collection of computer fees: “[T]he reason behind the charging of computer fees is plain and simple: it is being done in areas where LTMS is not yet functional due to internet connectivity [problems], and for the convenience of LTO clients who would seriously be affected if we chose to revert to manual processing, rather than taking advantage of the existing old system.”
Mendoza also said that the payment of computer fees was limited to only “a handful of specific transactions that cannot be processed under the LTMS.” Yet Metro Manila, one of the areas least likely to have internet connectivity issues, continues to use the old system.
Almost 10 years after COA’s report, we’re now seeing the dangers it cited manifest, sometimes in almost comically petty ways. A source involved in the Stradcom-Dermalog system transition told Rappler that as early as August 2019, the LTMS system itself was ready to go live.
But what wasn’t ready were the LTO offices because in these offices, the chairs, tables, wiring, and even electrical outlets were owned by Stradcom. LTO personnel in certain offices reportedly couldn’t even place the new system’s computers on the tables because Stradcom site supporters would tell them that the tables belonged to Stradcom.
There is also one final, painful cost to running two parallel IT systems: inefficiency. Those transacting with LTO may, at times, notice long delays in processing what should be a simple motor vehicle registration renewal. That has prompted many questions on whether the LTMS leads to slower service times than the old system.
But sources in the LTO told Rappler that the delays come from having two parallel systems whose databases are not synced. Stradcom has reportedly failed to periodically submit its updated databases to Dermalog.
Stradcom has repeatedly asserted that it turned over its electronic database 10 times to the LTO. However, its last submission of updated data in June 2023 contained data only up to December 31, 2022 – which means that registration data for new motor vehicles in 2023 were excluded. LTMS needs the up-to-date data to complete transactions.
What this further means is that when renewal time comes, motorists whose vehicles were registered under Stradcom will find it difficult to renew since their registration information won’t show up in the LTMS. The process of fixing this is long and painful: first, a ticket has to be filed with the LTO’s Management Information Division, which would then need at least two weeks to import the data from Stradcom to LTMS.
And these are not just isolated cases. Data from the LTO’s annual report shows that from January to September 2023, there were 1,839,164 new motor vehicles registered. But based on LTMS data obtained by Rappler, only 333,152 new vehicles were registered under the LTMS over the same period. This suggests that potentially more than 1.5 million motorists whose initial vehicle registrations were made under Stradcom could face delays when the time comes to renew their vehicle registration.
Motorcycles – which make up the bulk of registered vehicles – will be the most adversely affected. Prior to an LTO memorandum circular that took effect on May 15, 2023, motorcycles with engine displacement of 200cc and below were required to renew their registration every year. This means that motorcycles not covered by the LTO circular will need to renew their registration – and could be in for a long wait if their data is stuck in another IT system.
Mendoza did not respond to Rappler’s requests for comment. He had previously claimed in an Inquirer report that there were no delays in motor vehicle registration due to data migration issues since “97 percent of transactions under this process have already been completed.” The few instances of delay, he said, happen only “during LTMS downtimes.”
Mendoza also claimed in the same report that Stradcom has submitted all of the “legacy data” in line with his “aggressive drive to fully migrate to the new IT system.”
At the end of the day, it’s the motoring public that quite literally pays the price. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/lto-it-system-enables-fraud-motorists-pay-more-stradcom-dermalog/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR0gsZvAILgODm2mSqZbKGGNv6tM22Pa1U0r9DlKrf-ZYaopdQzQUzDjAiE_aem_NIFnF5PCkEKI9jF2QNe2kA
|
1
|
LIST: Filipino athletes who qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics
|
jisaga0269
|
12/03/2024 21:31
|
CHAMPION. The Philippines' EJ Obiena celebrates after winning the gold medal in the men's pole vault in the 19th Asian Games.
Dylan Martinez/REUTERS
MANILA, Philippines – The clock is ticking for the world’s best athletes to punch their tickets to the 2024 Paris Olympics, and so far, the Philippines is on track to once again be well-represented in the top quadrennial multi-sport showpiece.
Several Filipino standouts have already qualified to fly the flag in Paris, with many more in the wings waiting for their shot at ultimate sporting glory.
The Philippines will have a lot to prove in the 2024 Olympics after a historic 2021 run in Tokyo, where living legend Hidilyn Diaz won the country’s first-ever gold through a masterful weightlifting display.
Additionally, the 19-strong Filipino delegation also secured the nation’s biggest medal haul ever in a single Olympics, with Diaz’s gold topping a big four-medal tally, boosted by two silvers and one bronze from boxers Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Eumir Marcial, respectively.
Here is the updated list of athletes hoping to make more history for the Philippines in Paris, in chronological order of qualification:
First on the list is one of the Philippines’ best hopes for a 2024 Olympics medal, pole vaulting superstar EJ Obiena.
Ranked No. 2 in the world just behind reigning Olympic champion Mondo Duplantis, the 28-year-old is looking to capitalize on a monumental 2023 season highlighted by notching a new personal and Asian record 6-meter jump on June 10, 2023 and an early Paris qualification on July 3, 2023.
Looking to prove doubters wrong after a controversial split with his old coach, artistic gymnastics phenom Carlos Yulo punched his Olympic ticket on October 1, 2023, and has continuously trained to perfect his craft just in time for Paris.
At just 24 years old, the two-time world champion, six-time Asian champion, and nine-time Southeast Asian (SEA) Games champion is gunning for his first Olympic gold, particularly in his floor exercise pet event.
Prior to even stepping foot in Paris, Aleah Finnegan is already a history maker for Philippine gymnastics, as her qualification on October 3, 2023, marked the first time a Filipina gymnast qualified for the Olympics since 1964.
Only representing the Philippines for two years so far since her 2022 SEA Games debut, the 21-year-old prodigy is out to make herself a household name with a stellar Olympics debut, and perhaps, win even more hearts with her first medal.
Another familiar face in the upcoming Olympics, boxing star Eumir Marcial is up for another round (or two, or three) with the world’s best, and is looking for a better shine to his 2021 bronze medal.
Qualified for Paris on October 4, 2023, the 28-year-old veteran makes a forced jump to the men’s 80kg class after his favored 75kg division was scrapped for the 2024 Games and is now out to prove himself and the world that he can still bring his best foot forward in the ring even in uncharted territory.
One of the Philippines’ best female boxers today, 31-year-old Nesthy Petecio is right in the middle of her athletic prime, and now has a golden opportunity to improve on her historic 2021 Olympic silver with a return trip to the sport’s biggest stage.
After qualifying on March 12, 2024, Petecio returns to the women’s 57kg event in Paris, where she has a chance to make more history for Filipina boxing.
Making her Olympics debut in July, Aira Villegas joins Petecio as the other Filipina boxer who will give the Philippines a much-needed extra medal chance, this time at the women’s 50kg class after also booking her spot on March 12, 2024.
At 29 years old, the Leyte native already has significant experience under her belt to make her go toe-to-toe with other world-class sluggers and possibly snag an Olympic medal in just her first try.
Weightlifter John Ceniza looks all set for an Olympic debut after securing his Paris Games spot after a strong performance in the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) World Cup men’s 61kg event in Phuket, Thailand, on April 2, 2024.
The 26-year-old rising Cebuano star stayed well inside the qualification cutoff as only the top 10 in each weight category will compete in the sport’s biggest stage.
Elreen Ando sealed her Olympic return after a solid showing in the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand on April 3, 2024 to secure her place in the women’s 59kg division of the Paris Games.
The 25-year-old Cebuana weightlifter, though, had to do it at the expense of Hidilyn Diaz – the Philippines’ first Olympic gold medalist – as only one weightlifter per country per weight category will advance to Paris. She bested Diaz with a total lift of 228kg in the World Cup to stay inside the top 10 qualification cutoff.
Ando, who shattered the Southeast Asian Games record last year, aims to surpass her Olympic debut performance where she finished seventh in the Tokyo Games in 2021.
Reigning Southeast Asian Games champion Vanessa Sarno secured a spot in the Paris Games on April 7, 2024, paving the way for the Philippines to have its biggest weightlifting contingent in the Olympics in nearly four decades.
The 20-year-old pride of Bohol stayed inside the top 10 of the women’s 71kg class in the IWF Olympic Qualification Ranking after an impressive stint in the World Cup where she shattered her own national record in the snatch event.
Far from the Olympic radar, Levi Jung-Ruivivar pulled off the improbable to become the Philippines’ third gymnastic bet in the Paris Games.
The Filipino-American teen, who narrowly reached the final as the last qualifier, captured a silver in the women’s uneven bars of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series in Doha, Qatar on April 19, 2024.
With her medal breakthrough, Jung-Ruivivar hiked her qualification points to become the country’s 10th Olympian in Paris.
Joanie Delgaco became the Philippines’ first female rower to qualify for the Olympics on April 21, 2024 after a strong performance in the women’s single sculls of the World Rowing Asian and Oceanian Olympic Qualification Regatta in Chungju, South Korea.
Delgaco finished fourth in the 2,000-meter event, staying in the top five to earn her ticket to Paris.
Philippine fencing booked a return trip to the Olympic stage after three decades as Samantha Catantan topped the continental Paris Games qualifiers.
A former UAAP standout, Catantan ruled the women’s foil category in the Asia-Oceania Zonal Olympic Qualifier in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates on April 27, 2024 to become the first Filipino fencer to earn an Olympic spot since Walter Torres competed in the 1992 Barcelona Games.
A fourth gymnast joined the Philippines’ Olympic cast as Filipino-American Emma Malabuyo sealed her bid with a medal-winning performance in the qualifiers.
Malabuyo, a varsity member of the University of California, Los Angeles, claimed her spot in the Paris Games after bagging a bronze in the individual all-around of the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships on May 24, 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam made sure to book a return trip to the sport’s biggest stage.
Although the Cagayan de Oro boxer took a longer route after falling short in the two previous qualifiers, Paalam did so convincingly this time, winning all of his five bouts in the the men’s 57kg of the World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand to claim his Paris Games ticket on June 1, 2024.
Paalam, who had a thrilling debut run in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 before settling for silver, hiked Philippine boxing’s Olympic contingent to four.
Make that five Filipino boxers in the Paris Games.
Hergie Bacyadan made Philippine boxing the biggest contingent for the country in this year’s Olympics after earning her spot in the women’s 75kg.
A former world champion in the combat sport vovinam, Bacyadan earned a unanimous decision win over Venezuela’s Maryelis Yriza in the World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand on June 2, 2024 to book her ticket to Paris.
Earning another trip to the Olympics, golfer Bianca Pagdanganan completed the 60-women field after making the Paris Games cut-off in the world rankings released on June 25, 2024.
But the 26-year-old Pagdanganan aims for a better showing this time after finishing 43rd in the Tokyo edition in 2021.
Golfer Dottie Ardina reached the quadrennial showpiece for the first time after making the the 60-women cut-off for the Paris Games released on June 25, 2024.
The 30-year-old Ardina competed in just two LPGA events this year, but looks to rebound in Paris after a tough season.
Filipina-Japanese judoka Kiyomi Watanabe secured a second consecutive Olympic stint after clinching one of the two continental quotas reserved for Asia in the women’s -63kg category on June 25, 2024.
The 27-year-old bet targets a better showing in the Paris Olympics after a first-round exit in the Tokyo Games.
Lauren Hoffman earned her Paris Olympics spot via the world rankings in the women’s 400m hurdles on July 2, 2024.
Hoffman – the Filipino-American who holds the national record in the women’s 100m hurdles – accomplished the feat by the skin of her teeth as she made the 40-entry cutoff at the 39th spot, collecting just enough points to advance.
Another hurdler made it to the Paris Olympics via the world rankings as John Cabang Tolentino qualified on July 2, 2024.
Tolentino, a Filipino residing in Spain, finished 30th out of 40 qualifiers in the men’s 110m hurdles, just a couple of months after setting the Philippine record in the same event.
Swimmer Kayla Sanchez advanced to the Olympics for the second straight edition as she qualified via universality on July 3, 2024.
Helping Canada win a silver and a bronze in the Tokyo Games, Sanchez will represent the Philippines this time a year after her citizenship switch as she is set to see action in the women’s 100m freestyle.
Like Kayla Sanchez, Jarod Hatch formalized his Olympic entry via universality on July 3, 2024.
Hatch, who won three medals in the previous Southeast Asian Games, will compete in the men’s 100m butterfly. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/list-philippine-athletes-qualified-paris-olympics-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3mSW-dHCs0D9BIe_mJjw4s25LknjZ6oMc_5wnOoiqZBf0yKv4CxL2Y8PE_aem_uhYxLG0aGx0tpTH_dUPIhg
|
1
|
Willie Revillame signs with MVP’s MediaQuest, teases new show
|
gdecastro0289
|
27/04/2024 14:22
|
KAPATID. TV host Willie Revillame signs a partnership with tycoon Manny V. Pangilinan's Media Quest Group on April 26, 2024.
TV5 X
MANILA, Philippines – After a landmark ABS-CBN and GMA Network partnership for noon show It’s Showtime, TV host Willie Revillame signed with billionaire Manny V. Pangilinan’s (MVP) MediaQuest Group on Friday, April 26.
Revillame is returning to the Kapatid Channel, TV5, which was his home from 2010 to 2013. He later moved to GMA Network in 2015 until 2021. In September 2022, he signed with former senator Manny Villar’s media firm ALLTV but left months later in early 2023 after his show Wowowin failed to take off.
On behalf of his production firm WilProductions Incorporated, Revillame signed a joint venture with MediaQuest Holdings and its subsidiary, MQuest Ventures, where he will serve as “creative director.”
LOOK | Pagsasanib-pwersa ni Kuya Wil at MQuest Ventures, kinasa na! Pumirma na ng kontrata sina Willie Revillame at Media Quest sa kanilang joint venture kung saan siya ay magsisilbing creative director. pic.twitter.com/dD9GCZFdbI
The signing happened more than a month after former fierce competitors ABS-CBN and GMA signed a co-production deal on the airing of the Kapamilya noon show, It’s Showtime, on GMA’s flagship Channel 7, in addition to its sister channel, GTV. This boosted It’s Showtime’s ratings and allowed it to overtake the Philippines’ longest-running noon show, Eat Bulaga!, on TV5.
In the signing ceremony, Revillame said that his new show will complement TV5’s entertainment offerings and will be shown at night, apparently before TV5’s flagship news program, Frontline Pilipinas, which airs from 6:30 pm to 8 pm.
“’Yung icons, walang tatalo na Eat Bulaga!, tanghalian ‘yun, at ngayon, may panghapunan na kayo, abangan ‘nyo ho. Kumpleto na ang buhay ng bawat Pilipino: may [pang] umaga, tanghali, at gabi, sama-sama tayo sa ligaya, saya, at may pag-asa kayo,” he said.
(The icons, the unbeatable Eat Bulaga!, that’s lunchtime, and now, you have something for dinner, watch out. The Filipino’s life is now complete: morning, noon, night. We’re together in happiness, fun, and you have hope.)
Revillame said they are still brainstorming over his new show, including its new name, and looking for new co-hosts.
He also teased that TV5 will have a talent search for artists who want to be on Kapatid shows.
“’Yung nangangarap na maging hosts ng mga programa dito sa TV5, at ‘yung nangangarap na maging artista – pang teleserye, pang sitcom, sa lahat, abangan ‘nyo, may magandang regalo sa inyo ang MediaQuest,” he said.
(Those who are dreaming to become hosts of programs on TV5, and those dreaming to act on teleseryes and sitcoms, all of them, just wait, MediaQuest has a nice gift for you.)
MediaQuest is MVP’s company for his media assets ranging from broadcasting, cable TV, radio, film, and print. Aside from TV5, it includes Radyo5 on the FM band; digital and cable channels One News, One Sports, One PH, Buko Channel; broadsheets Philippine Star, BusinessWorld; and MQuest Ventures, among others.
MQuest Ventures, a subsidiary of MediaQuest Holdings, is described as the “content creation hub” of the group for film, TV production, talent management and live events.
In 2023, MQuest Ventures signed a joint venture with showbiz veterans Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto, and Joey de Leon’s TVJ Productions to produce Eat Bulaga! on TV5. It also co-produced the award-winning film, GomBurZa, with the Jesuits’ Jescom Films.
MediaQuest Holdings acquired TV5 in 2010, but the network has had difficulty turning in a profit due to the dominance of the country’s leading broadcasting companies, ABS-CBN and GMA Network.
However, after the Duterte administration stripped the Lopez family-led ABS-CBN of its lucrative broadcast business in 2020, TV5 has seen an uptick in its ratings and it now hopes to be able to make money. Aside from taking in Revillame, it has also signed former Kapamilya funny man Marc Logan, who now has a weekly magazine show.
ABS-CBN has since pivoted into being a content provider to its former competitors, including TV5 and GMA.
According to GMA Network’s latest annual report, while GMA Channel 7 is still the Philippines’ dominant free tv channel with a 47.5% audience share in January to December 2023, TV5 has overtaken GMA’s sister channel GTV (formerly Good TV) as the Philippines’ number two channel.
In 2023, TV5 had an audience share of 11.8% overtaking GTV’s audience share of 11.2%, based on Nielsen TV Audience Measurement (TAM).
TV5’s audience share improved by 4.5 percentage points, from 7.1% in 2022 to 11.8% 2023.
GTV’s audience share fell slightly by 1.4 percentage points, from 12.6% in 2022 to 11.2% in 2023.
TV5 has pivoted into becoming a purely entertainment and news channel after dropping the airing of PBA Games, which it passed on to RPN via RPTV.
Televangelist Eddie Villanueva’s Zoe Network’s A2Z Channel’s audience share went up marginally from 9.7% in 2022 to 10.2% in 2023. Most of its entertainment shows are produced by ABS-CBN, including the popular FPJ’s Batang Quiapo teleserye.
A2Z, a partnership with ABS-CBN, was launched in October 2020, five months after ABS-CBN lost its broadcasting business. It has since expanded its reach in the Visayas via House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s Philippine Collective Media Corporation. Some A2Z programs are now aired via Romualdez’s PRTV Channel in Tacloban, Leyte, his home province.
On Tuesday, April 23, ABS-CBN signed a partnership with Villar’s ALLTV on the airing of some of its Kapamilya entertainment shows and its flagship news program, TV Patrol, on its former free tv Channel 2. Villar took over ABS-CBN’s Channel 2 frequency in 2022. Like then-House majority leader Martin Romualdez, Villar’s daughter, Camille, was one of 70 members of a House panel who voted against a new franchise for ABS-CBN.
ABS-CBN signed a joint venture with Romualdez’s Prime Media in 2023 that revived its radio platform TeleRadyo on its former radio frequency 630 on the AM band. ABS-CBN provides the content for the station DWPM. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/willie-revillame-signs-manny-pangilinan-tv5-mediaquest/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR30F_6fXpkXbTFGM5YhhDT4hET9YF-wnznCq_Nq8fQNv4BRyYInTdiS8H0_aem_1ILWxSZN0HXabIpK8Ucr4A
|
1
|
Cavite lawmaker Pidi Barzaga dies at 74
|
Jairo Bolledo
|
27/04/2024 18:47
|
IN MEMORIAM. Cavite lawmaker Elpidio "Pidi" Barzaga Jr. died at 74 years old.
Pidi Barzaga's Facebook Page
MANILA, Philippines – Cavite 4th District Representative Elpidio “Pidi” Barzaga Jr. has passed away at 74 years old.
In a statement, Barzaga’s official Facebook page announced the demise of the lawmaker on Saturday, April 27. He died in California, in the United States.
Barzaga is survived by his wife, Dasmariñas City Mayor Jenny, and their children, Kiko, Third, and Enzo.
“Throughout his life, Cong. Pidi dedicated himself to serving the people of the Province of Cavite and the City of Dasmariñas with unwavering commitment and passion. His dedication to education, healthcare, and poverty alleviation transformed lives and shaped the future of his constituents. He will be remembered for his compassion and relentless pursuit of justice,” the statement posted in Barzaga’s page said.
“As we mourn his loss, we find solace in the countless lives he touched and the enduring impact of his work. We humbly ask for your prayers and support during this difficult time,” it added.
In October 2023, Barzaga announced that he will undergo open-heart surgery in the US.
In the lower chamber, Barzaga headed the House committee on natural resources. The said panel has jurisdiction over “all matters directly and principally relating to natural resources, except energy resources, and their exploration, conservation, management and utilization; lands of the public domain; mines and minerals; forests, parks and wildlife; and marine resources.”
When the Taal Volcano erupted in 2020 and affected thousands of residents in Batangas and nearby provinces, Barzaga called for a probe to investigate how the government responded to the eruption, citing an alleged lack of warnings ahead of the calamity.
Barzaga served as president of the political party, National Unity Party (NUP), which endorsed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. during the 2022 presidential elections. But even if he was the head, Barzaga went against his own party and threw support for former vice president Leni Robredo. Barzaga later stepped down from his position.
Amid the recent rift between Vice President Sara Duterte and House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Barzaga was among the lawmakers who defended Romualdez. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/cavite-lawmaker-elpidio-pidi-barzaga-dies/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR38aASP-cwC1X7IowWaSwG7KyQ8D6vtJDheV-hXViLZA791v-JK5VuNwlQ_aem_7haK3Zixc438kNYlGuzbfg
|
1
|
Tournament pitting best pool players from Asia, Europe named after Efren ‘Bata’ Reyes
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 20:07
|
ICON. Efren 'Bata' Reyes continues to represent the Philippines despite his old age.
Lisa Marie David/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – The legend of Efren “Bata” Reyes continues to grow.
In honor of the man widely regarded as the greatest pool player of all time, the World Nineball Tour will stage the inaugural Reyes Cup in the Philippines from October 17 to 20.
Following the format of the long-running Mosconi Cup contested by teams representing Europe and the United States, the Reyes Cup will pit the best players from Asia against their counterparts from Europe.
“The Efren Reyes Cup is not just a tournament – it’s a celebration of the sport we love and I am excited to see the pool community come together for its first edition in the Philippines,” said Reyes in a statement.
Singapore’s Aloysius Yapp is in line to captain Team Asia, while Spain’s David Alcaide is on track to lead Team Europe.
Filipino star Carlo Biado, a former nine-ball world champion, also has a shot at making Team Asia.
Matchroom Pool boss Emily Frazer said the Reyes Cup is a dream turned to reality.
“Given the storied history the Philippines has on the sport, it is only right that we honor Efren in his home country,” said Frazer.
“Efren’s passion for the sport has been unwavering for over 50 years, he is the perfect figurehead for this tournament and our sport.”
Although already 69 years old, Reyes remains active in the sport as he represented the country in the Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last year. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
Amazing tournament named after an amazing Man. Congrats Efren
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/billiards-tournament-named-after-efren-bata-reyes-cup-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0islTdgzpuVlKnGkxsglNbecOPSJ1YgzgGRttkM8Nk2Ze9cWpgGo21Yow_aem_g7jiKX1juUxIDfjwuIQCOA
|
1
|
Fly high in Albay! Legazpi to host Hot Air Balloon Festival in May
|
Steph Arnaldo
|
27/04/2024 17:17
|
PIHABF
MANILA, Philippines – Who’s ready to fly? Clark, Pampanga’s iconic Hot Air Balloon Festival will be debuting in the Bicol region at Legazpi City in Albay province for “A Weekend of Everything Flies” on May 3 to 5, Friday to Sunday, at the old Legazpi airport!
With the majestic Mayon Volcano as its backdrop, the balloon festival and airshow will feature different hot air balloons, like Brazil’s Bidu and the UK’s Bella and Buster (different dogs), Party Balloon from USA, UK’s Dyno (a dinosaur), and Belgium’s Princess Nelly (an elephant), among others.
The Global Stars aerobatic team will also put on a show of thrilling aircraft stunts, accompanied by daytime smoke trails and nighttime pyrotechnics.
Ako Bicol Representative Zaldy Co said in a media statement that the international spectacle – inspired by the beauty of Cappadocia, Turkey and headlined by foreign pilots and participants – will serve as a “catalyst for revitalizing tourism throughout Albay and the wider Bicol region.”
“This event promises to attract spectators, generate tourism-related employment, bolster sales of local products, and invigorate our regional economy,” Co said.
Guests can also expect drone light shows, fireworks displays, and “Night Glow,” where hot air balloons will illuminate the evening sky to synchronized music. There will also be exhibitions featuring paramotors, kites, FPV drones, ultralight planes, and car drifters.
Bicol cuisine and artisanal products will also be available at the “Fly Market” and its food booths.
Entrance to the event is free, but advanced online booking is advised for those who want to try the hot air balloon flights, tethered rides, tandem skydiving, or tandem paragliding, as slots are limited.
The annual Hot Air Balloon Festival is organized by the Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF), and is typically held in Clark and New Clark City in Tarlac. For the past three decades, the event’s purpose has been to “ignite aviation interest among youth, instill discipline in aspiring pilots, and foster a spirit of community volunteerism.”
Guests can avail of the ride tickets via www.balloonfiesta.ph. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/travel/fly-high-albay-legazpi-host-hot-air-balloon-festival-in-may/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTAAAR1PH1J02txBWwWjexB7RUKq3VvKlarbtt95ACrvl4-Wy7ATrHM6I_oGTBI_aem_xdIYdwbxZJ0ijpT2n25eIw
|
1
|
You can visit the old Pantabangan town in Nueva Ecija that reemerges amid droughts
|
Iya Gozum
|
27/04/2024 15:41
|
A 300-year-old Pantabangan town reappeared after El Niño phenomenon caused the water to recede, on April 24, 2024.
Angie de Silva/Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Remnants of the old Pantabangan town in Nueva Ecija has reappeared after water in the Pantabangan Dam receded due to an El Niño-induced drought.
When the Pantabangan Dam was built in the 1970s, the town submerged under water. Since then, the abandoned town would reemerge whenever water levels are extremely low.
This is the fourth time the town reappeared completely, said Karessa Castro Cortez, an employee at the assessor’s office of Pantabangan.
“‘Pag hindi po ganoon kababa ang tubig ‘yung krus lang po ng lumang simbahan ang nakikita dati,” Cortez told Rappler.
(When the recession of water is not that low, you can only see the cross of the old church.)
It is now considered a cultural heritage zone through a local ordinance and attracts tourists when it reappears.
While they allow visitors in the heritage site, Pantabangan’s tourism office reminds the public not to litter, bring food, get fragments of the structures, or set up camp.
Among the remains of the old settlement are St. Andrew Parish Church built in the 19th century, an old public cemetery, Norma’s Auditorium, and the stand of a statue of Jose Rizal.
Visitors have to pay an ecological fee of P30. They would have to take a boat ride from Pantabangan Dam to get to the sunken town, which will cost P150. Another boat ride is needed to get to the old cemetery. Visits are limited to 40 minutes. The heritage site is open from 6 am to 12 noon.
Pantabangan Dam, built on Pampanga River, is one of the largest reservoirs in Southeast Asia. Around 1,300 people had to be relocated to give way to the dam’s construction. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/visit-old-pantabangan-town-reemerges-amid-droughts/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3F9h5TftR-R0uuNB2R1FUDfgmQgubhqEtCq12nKwNf26gXWEEVeTjOQZ4_aem_OkYJs_EinmurckglI1tHzg
|
1
|
PISTON to hold nationwide transport strike from April 29 to May 1
|
Michelle Abad
|
27/04/2024 15:01
|
Jeepney drivers belonging to PISTON, stage a protest in Monumento, Caloocan, to start their transport strike against the government’s public utility vehicle modernization program, on November 20, 2023.
Rappler
MANILA, Philippines – Transportation group PISTON is set to conduct a three-day nationwide strike from April 29 to May 1, coinciding with the “final” April 30 deadline for jeepneys to consolidate.
At the Pandesal Forum in Quezon City on Saturday, April 27, PISTON deputy secretary general Ruben Baylon said that the drivers and operators were holding the strike to fight for their livelihoods, with little belief that the consolidation of public utility vehicle (PUV) operators would be advantageous to the sector. PISTON has held several strikes before.
“Pinatunayan na sa kasaysayan na nagkandalugi, nabaon sa utang, at nagkandasira ‘yung mga unit…. Ang gusto nating modernization [ay] progresibo, makabayan, tunay na abot-kaya na pamasahe ng mga mamamayan,” he said in a video of the forum recorded by the forum host, the Kamuning Bakery Cafe.
(Past experiences have shown how consolidated jeepneys have gone out of business and into debt, and how the units broke down…. The modernization we want is progressive, patriotic, and with affordable fares for citizens.)
Under the PUV Modernization Program, the government requires jeepneys and UV Express units to either form or join a cooperative or corporation to continue operating. The deadline to consolidate has gone through several extensions and the “final” extension of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is until April 30.
PISTON and other groups have been protesting industry consolidation, citing fears that it may allow businesses and large entities to monopolize public transportation.
“As May 1st approaches, a time when the government should commemorate and recognize the contributions of workers to societal progress, thousands of drivers and operators are at risk of losing their livelihoods due to the worsening transportation system in the country,” Baylon said.
In the Saturday forum, former Bayan Muna representative Ferdinand Gaite said that labor groups will support the transportation workers on May 1, Labor Day.
“Makikita natin na habang ang ating mga tsuper, operator, at iba pa sa transport groups ay magsasagawa ng tigil pasada, ang tugon ng mga manggagawa ay malakihan at malawakang kilos-protesta,” said Gaite, adding that workers from the public and private sectors will mobilize in solidarity.
(While the drivers, operators, and other transport groups will strike, we will see the workers responding with wide-scale protests.)
In Metro Manila, several labor groups have already announced plans to hold rallies for workers’ rights, such as the continued lobby for higher wages.
Gaite lamented how the Marcos administration prioritized issues like charter change and the Maharlika Investment Fund – both embroiled in controversies – rather than workers’ rights.
After April 30, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) has said it will revoke the franchises of individual operators who failed to consolidate, meaning that only consolidated units will be allowed to ply routes in Metro Manila.
LTFRB Chair Teofilo Guadiz III said in March that around 80% of PUVs have consolidated. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
I hope that someone will write about “The modernization we want is progressive, patriotic, and with affordable fares for citizens” through Rappler. For the moment, I agree with “industry consolidation, citing fears that it may allow businesses and large entities to monopolize public transportation.” It is payback time in favor of the 2022 Presidential Election Campaign Fund donors and other entrepreneurs close to the eyes, ears, and hearts of the Marcos-Romualdez Political Dynasty.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/business/piston-transport-strike-april-29-may-1-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR22MoZj9GGyhahCUIXksUD4Vnj6yLq0bzcNvbH2K7o5UJTapcMoFrr77bo_aem_AlTFwrGY4ZuS-uuXhTDfPQ
|
1
|
Results, team standings: UAAP Season 86 volleyball
|
Jasmine Payo
|
05/05/2024 21:02
|
ROARING. NU's Bella Belen (left) and Alyssa Solomon react in the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals
UAAP Season 86 Media Team
MANILA, Philippines – The UAAP Season 86 volleyball tournaments reach a tipping point with the men’s and women’s finals!
LOOK: UAAP volleyball championship schedule
Here are the results in the men’s and women’s divisions:
MAY 15
May 11
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
MAY 8
MAY 5
MAY 4
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
** – Twice-to-beat* – Final Fourx – Eliminated
APRIL 27
APRIL 24
APRIL 21
APRIL 20
APRIL 17
APRIL 14
APRIL 13
APRIL 10
APRIL 9
APRIL 4
APRIL 3
MARCH 24
MARCH 23
MARCH 20
First round
MARCH 17
MARCH 16
MARCH 13
MARCH 10
MARCH 9
MARCH 6
MARCH 3
MARCH 2
FEBRUARY 28
FEBRUARY 25
FEBRUARY 24
FEBRUARY 21
FEBRUARY 18
FEBRUARY 17
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/volleyball-game-results-team-standings-men-women-season-86-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR38uO6uhx2fDZ3iz-Ki0IpZ6vHMXaLbQkdCpmEgr8p3ahGeZFEbMWcLSuw_aem_VPVN_tgYrqHbDMzPLEOQpA
|
1
|
Facebook show hosts accused of stealing Cebu City gov’t page to be arraigned April 30
|
jsitchon0312
|
27/04/2024 11:35
|
ARREST. On Wednesday, April 24, the Cebu Updates Facebook page released an official statement on the show hosts' arrest, stating their "unyielding" commitment to revealing the Cebu City government's corruption and wrongdoings.
Rappler.com
CEBU, Philippines – The Regional Trial Court Branch 11 in Cebu City has set on Tuesday, April 30, the arraignment and pre-trial conference for the Cebu Updates Facebook page programs hosts accused of stealing what used to be the Cebu City government’s social media page.
The arraignment of Cebu Updates Facebook page program hosts Erwin dela Cerna and Christian Tura comes nearly a week after they were arrested and later released from detention after posting bail of P120,000 each, on April 24, for alleged violation of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
On February 5, Estela Grace Rosit, then-head of the Cebu City Public Information Office (PIO), filed a complaint for illegal access and computer-related identity theft before the Office of the City Prosecutor against Cebu Updates Facebook page program hosts Erwin dela Cerna and Christian Tura.
At the time, the Cebu City government claimed that Dela Cerna and Tura used the Cebu Updates page as “a tool for propaganda.” The local government also said that the page used to belong to the city’s Public Information Office (PIO). (READ: How a former Cebu City gov’t Facebook page became a ‘propaganda’ tool)
In a resolution dated March 13, Assistant City Prosecutor Lei Maurae Babatuan said that there was enough evidence to establish that the Cebu Updates page was originally created for the Cebu City government.
“After tracing the historical chain as to how the Cebu City Public Information Office came to be known by a different name Cebu Updates, there exists probable cause to indict the Respondents for Violation of Sec. 4(a), Paragraph 1 of Republic Act 1075 for Illegal Access,” a resolution from the City Prosecutor’s Office read.
While Tura and Dela Cerna claimed in their counter-affidavits that they were not administrators of the page and only show talents, Babatuan stressed that it does not change the fact that their access to the page is “without right.”
“Who gave them the permission to do so, if they did not have direct access to it? They neither denied the fact of change done to the name of Cebu City Public Information Office to Cebu Updates,” Babatuan said.
Babatuan added that there was also probable cause to indict the show hosts for computer-related identity theft for stealing the identity of the PIO, which the Cebu Updates page was originally associated with.
After the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Central Visayas Regional Field Unit served the arrest warrant and detained the show hosts at Camp Sotero Cabahug in Cebu City on April 24, the Cebu Updates Facebook page released a statement.
“Samtang kining legal nga mga hagit mahimong temporaryong makababag sa atong mga paningkamot sa adbokasiya, dili kini makapakunhod sa atong determinasyon sa pagbutyag sa sayop nga binuhatan sa gobyerno,” Cebu Updates said.
(While these legal challenges may temporarily impedes our efforts towards our advocacy, this will not diminish our determination to reveal the wrongdoings of the government)
“Nagpabilin kita nga lig-on sa atong tinguha sa usa ka limpyo ug matinud-anon nga pangagamhanan, atubangan sa ka walay hibangkaagan nga administrasyon ni Michael Rama,” they added.
(We remain strong in our goal towards a clean and genuine government facing against the ruthless administration of Michael Rama.)
Rappler has reached out to Tura and Dela Cerna for more information regarding the case and their arrest but has yet to receive any reply. This article will be updated once they do. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/visayas/facebook-show-hosts-accused-theft-cebu-city-page-arraignment/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR11t6cwLUUPKMDbTm0n8ffpACfIv3YMn5FuzGOGqM92FA0k-CBvBotQeLw_aem_Yc8szIatIlIij0x0Z9WjEQ
|
1
|
El Niño damage to rice, corn crops in Negros Occidental hits P197 million
|
Mia Gonzalez
|
27/04/2024 12:17
|
DRIED UP UP. A closer look at a rice field in Pontevedra town, Negros Occidental, shows the effects of the dry weather conditions.
courtesy of Grace Supe
BACOLOD, Philippines – Damage ro rice and corn crops caused by the ElNiño phenomenon in Negros Occidental is at P197.153 million, the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist (OPA) said in its report to Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson on Friday, April 26.
OIC provincial agriculturist Dina Genzola said that the damage to rice alone in 25 towns and cities in the province reached P192.208 million, while damage to corn in six localities was pegged at P4.944 million.
The worst-hit locality is Cauayan town, with P66.139 million in damaged rice crops, followed by Kabankalan City at P41.9 million, Genzola said.
Western Visayas is now under blue alert status due to El Niño phenomenon. Blue alert means half of disaster response force of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council is on standby, ready to respond to emergencies.
In view of the excessive heat, Negros Occidental Provincial Health Officer Gerlie Pinongan urged residents, especially senior citizens and immunocompromised individuals, to stay out of the heat.
“Stay indoors, please!” Pinongan said. “We advise everyone, not only seniors and immunocompromised individuals, to keep hydrated always, drink plenty of water.”
“Stay indoors, especially in a cool and well ventilated environment if possible. Avoid outdoor and sun exposure, especially from 10 am to 4 pm,” she added.
In its public advisory, state weather bureau PAGASA said areas with temperatures ranging from 42°C to 47°C are under “danger” classification. The forecast for the Negros Occidental on Saturday, April 27, is 43°C.
Despite the advisory, the famed Ugyonan Festival in EB Magalona town in Negros Occidental will go on as scheduled, starting Saturday to Wednesday, May 1.
“There will no stopping of our fiesta,” said Mayor Marvin Malacon despite PAGASA’s forecasted heat index in Negros Occidental of 43°C on the start of the annual event.
He said that the activities for the 35th Ugyonan Festival will be held at the town’s covered court.
Malacon also said, however, that local officials will discuss on Saturday the Ugyonan street and arena dance competition on May 1, particularly the possible suspension of the street dance in view of the excessive heat.
Malacon said they did not want to compromise the safety and health of the participants.
“I saw on TV what happened to 30 street dancers in Sta. Catalina town in Negros Oriental on April 26. They fainted because of too much heat. I don’t want it to happen in our fiesta, too,” the mayor said.
Ugyonan’s street and arena dance competition showcases its famed blue crabs as the backbone of EB Magalona’s economy and, at the same time, Saraviahanons’ celebration of faith in honor of St. Joseph The Worker.
Ugyonan Festival with the prefix word ugyon (unity) is a celebration of oneness among Saraviahanons, highlighted by the promotion of town’s prime sea produce, blue crabs (Callinectus sapidus as scientific name).
Blue crabs are abundant in the Tomongtong Strait between Barangay Tomongtong in EB Magalona all the way to Banate town in Iloilo. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/visayas/damage-el-nino-rice-corn-crops-negros-occidental-april-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0ogrMDQWdTv7zJdopy7UMq-9S2wAL5MfoNKMBpiM1H4_HImuaZxU7oePk_aem_e-l6z4fGx1k8x9acgmZH3g
|
1
|
Long way to go: Yuri Escueta embraces San Beda’s early offseason challenges
|
Jasmine Payo
|
26/04/2024 20:22
|
MENTOR. San Beda coach Yuri Escueta (right) during ANTA Philippines’ private training event.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – San Beda head coach Yuri Escueta knows the Red Lions still have a long way to go as they prepare for a title defense in NCAA Season 100.
The Red Lions are in the midst of a semifinal showdown against the CEU Scorpions in the PBA D-League Aspirants’ Cup, where they dropped Game 1 of the best-of-three series, 75-71, on Thursday, April 25.
For Escueta, no matter if they win or lose, these kinds of big games early in the offseason are very crucial for the Red Lions as they get to gauge where they’re at heading into the upcoming NCAA season in September.
“These games are very important,” Escueta told Rappler during a private training session hosted by ANTA Philippines ahead of the much-awaited release of Kyrie Irving’s ANTA KAI 1 ‘Playoffs Pack’ this Saturday, April 27.
“These are the games that as a coach, early in the preparation, that I would like to play. To be able to gauge your team, your players, and what you need to improve on.”
After a fiery 3-0 start to the Aspirants’ Cup, the Red Lions have now lost three of their last four matches, including an 82-71 beatdown at the hands of the reigning UAAP champion La Salle Green Archers last April 18.
In that game, the Red Lions had no answers for the Kevin Quiambao-less Green Archers from start to finish, even trailing by as many as 23 points at one juncture of the contest.
“I’m sure people won’t understand, but during this time of the year, it’s nice playing tough teams and lose by 20 rather than winning by 50 or 60 against other teams,” said Escueta.
“These kinds of games are very welcome for us,” added Escueta, who conducted the two-hour training session, together with coach Sandy Arespacochaga, for select media to experience the Home colorway of the all-new ANTA KAI 1 ‘Playoffs Pack’.
The third year Red Lions tactician pointed out that they have only started training three months ago, and the first two months of their practices coming off a well-deserved championship break focused solely on skill-work and weights.
“We’re still very far. Maybe we’re only at 30%,” said Escueta in Filipino.
“The system that we teach and run, you won’t get it in two to three months. We’re only on our third month of preparation and we’re just starting to play games.”
With the departure of their top gunner Jacob Cortez, who transferred to La Salle earlier this year, Escueta hopes his wards can fill the void left by the former King Lion by committee.
After all, San Beda still has its key cogs in its roster, namely Yukien Andrada, Jomel Puno, and NCAA Season 99 Finals MVP James Payosing.
Escueta also has high hopes for former FEU Tamaraws guard Bryan Sajonia, who is set to play for the Red Lions in Season 100 after serving residency last year.
Through seven games played in the Aspirants’ Cup, the sharpshooting Sajonia has been leading San Beda in the scoring department with 14.5 points per outing, along with 4.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists.
“Of course we all know he can shoot,” Escueta said of Sajonia.
“Coming from FEU, he was one of their best scorers and shooters the season before he left.
“You can also notice his toughness on defense. Hopefully his leadership will stand out, especially being a veteran.”
San Beda aims to drag CEU into a rubber match when both teams face off anew in Game 2 on Tuesday, April 30. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/ncaa/yuri-escueta-embraces-san-beda-red-lions-early-offseason-challenges/?utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR3Z5Ty4N_97Q3lApyY5Mla3JDupcvlke9DUIxtqEs2hqnxUA2Y7DsdpZs8_aem_jcdeoQ9pFLYeZDZ0KJR4Xg
|
1
|
Philippines denies deal with China over disputed South China Sea shoal
|
Mia Gonzalez
|
27/04/2024 12:59
|
AYUNGIN MISSION. Chinese ships surround a Philippine Coast Guard ship on a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on September 28, 2023.
Philippine Coast Guard
MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines on Saturday, April 27, denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an escalating maritime dispute in the South China Sea, calling the claim propaganda.
A spokesperson at China’s embassy in Manila said on April 18 that the two had agreed early this year to a “new model” in managing tensions at the Second Thomas Shoal (called Ayungin Shoal in Manila), without elaborating.
Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said on Saturday his department was “not aware of, nor is it a party to, any internal agreement with China” since President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. took office in 2022. Defense department officials have not spoken to any Chinese officials since last year, Teodoro said in a statement.
China’s embassy in Manila did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Teodoro’s comments outside office hours.
Beijing and Manila have repeatedly clashed in recent months at the submerged reef, which Philippines says is in its exclusive economic zone but which China also claims.
The Philippines had accused China of blocking maneuvers and firing water cannons at its vessels to disrupt supply missions to Filipino soldiers stationed in a naval ship which Manila deliberately grounded in 1999 to bolster its maritime claims.
China claims almost the entire South China Sea, a conduit for more than $3 trillion in annual ship commerce. Its claims overlap with those of the Philippines and four other nations. In 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague said China’s claims had no legal basis, a decision Beijing rejects.
Teodoro called China’s claims of a bilateral agreement “part of the Chinese propaganda,” adding that the Philippines would never enter into any agreement that would compromise its claims in the waterway.
“The narrative that unnamed or unidentified Chinese officials are propagating is another crude attempt to advance a falsehood,” he said. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/manila-denies-deal-china-ayungin-shoal/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2IS-L0MyaWBUDKUEEVOzpAJq3Ou7ecSHpGH0T60R6MnmPQ3gX6Xs6Absc_aem_aCC_WtFzDoLJuUac88cPPg
|
1
|
Who’s old? PBA elder statesmen show they can still keep up with young guns
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
26/04/2024 19:15
|
CONTESTED. Beau Belga in action for the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in the 2022 PBA Philippine Cup.
PBA Images
MANILA, Philippines – Young guns are slowly taking over the PBA, but the elder statesmen of the league have shown they can still keep up.
The likes of Beau Belga, Mark Barroca, Kelly Williams, and Japeth Aguilar – all at least 37 years old – continue to deliver as their respective teams sit at the upper half of the Philippine Cup standings as of Friday, April 26.
Belga, 37, has been a pleasant surprise for a Rain or Shine side that has turned things around after an inauspicious 0-4 start, averaging all-around numbers of 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1 steal through 10 games.
Putting up just 11.5 points in those four straight losses, Belga doubled his average to 22.8 points as the Elasto Painters won five consecutive games to propel themselves to playoff contention.
A vasty improved scorer this conference, Belga also thrives in the other departments, ranking fourth in the league in both rebounds and assists.
Like Belga, Barroca is enjoying his best scoring conference at 38 years old as he churns out 15.6 points through seven games for Magnolia.
The Hotshots shook off a shaky 1-2 start and won four games in a row with Barroca turning back the clock – a stretch that saw the two-time Finals MVP average 19.0 points.
Barroca affects the game in other ways as well, ranking second in assists (5.7) and third in steals (2.1) among all league players.
And he is doing all of that while nursing a wrist injury as Barroca – who has played in 571 straight games – closes in on the second spot in the all-time most consecutive games played list currently held by Alvin Patrimonio (596).
“The veterans are seeing the challenge from the young ones and they’re doing extra work on their conditioning,” said TNT head coach Chot Reyes.
“We know everyone in the league now is paying extra attention to their nutrition, to their off-court work – really improving on their conditioning regimen, their fitness. So that’s what we’re seeing now.”
Reyes did not have to look far when he made that statement as he continues to rely on 42-year-old Williams.
The second-oldest player in the league after 46-year-old Rafi Reavis of Magnolia, Williams has been a steady presence for the Tropang Giga, who tote a 5-4 record.
Although the former league MVP can no longer put up lofty numbers like he used to during the peak of his powers, Williams remains a valuable piece for TNT as he averages 7.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.1 assists.
Williams’ 17-point, 13-rebound double-double in a come-from-behind 108-101 win over Phoenix on Wednesday, April 24, that saw the Tropang Giga storm back from a 23-point deficit is a prime example of his worth.
The same goes for 37-year-old Aguilar, who has found ways to shine in a stacked Barangay Ginebra squad featuring Christian Standhardinger, Scottie Thompson, Jamie Malonzo, and Maverick Ahanmisi.
Aguilar averages 13.7 points and 5.8 rebounds as the Gin Kings carry a 6-3 card.
“The influx of young blood has been very good for the league. It’s been very difficult for us. Before, even if we had a bad game, we know certain games are sure wins. That’s no longer the case,” said Reyes.
“Every game now, doesn’t matter who we play, we know it’s going to be a challenge. It demands our best,” Reyes added. “And that challenge is forcing the vets to really up not their game, but their conditioning.”
“They’re all upping their conditioning. And that’s brought about by the challenge seeing all the young blood coming in.”
Indeed, age is just a number. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/pba/elder-statesmen-show-they-can-still-keep-up-young-guns-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR262IoAQDoYDgP-bfW_D7sYwmLYnjGsV3NRMxtIw0RNIao9Fbp9OTpzZho_aem_R3xqP0iFfU6gFJZkE5wSHA
|
1
|
Belle Mariano, Kaila Estrada reflect on ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ as hit show nears finale
|
Vixey Marie
|
27/04/2024 14:32
|
Belle Mariano at an event by feminine care brand pH Care at Brittany Hotel, BGC, on April 24, 2024.
Rob Reyes/Rappler
Belle Mariano and Kaila Estrada who play Caroline and Bettina Tiu in the hit series Can’t Buy Me Love reflected on their emotional journey as their series comes to a close.
Belle expressed her deep appreciation for the familial bond that was formed among the cast. “Sobrang napamahal ako sa kanila na parang pamilya (I fell in love with the whole cast as if they’re my own family),” she said, recounting the overwhelming emotions felt during their last day of taping.
The two actresses were at an event for feminine care brand pH Care, Wednesday, April 24, along with two more endorsers, Gabbi Garcia and Ysabel Ortega.
The two spoke fondly of what they refer to as “Tiu’s Night” where they gather with the “Tiu” siblings to relax and bond on their free day. “Ang saya kasi lahat game (It’s fun because everyone was game for it). Everyone is just so excited to be around each other,” shared Kaila. It’s these moments that make their time on set even more special and meaningful.
Belle’s onscreen partner Donny Pangilinan, who plays Bingo in their series, shared a sentimental photo with the cast and their director Mae Cruz Alviar. He thanked Alviar for being “a mother of 10,” referring to their characters.
When asked about her “stoic acting” in her portrayal of Caroline, Belle credited the guidance of her director. She shared how she initially sought advice to embody the character effectively, and eventually found a deep connection with Caroline. “Feeling ko kahit tapos na ‘yung taping (I feel like even though taping for the show is over), there’s always gonna be Caroline in me,” she noted.
Belle emphasized how her relationship with the cast helped in enriching her portrayal of the role. “There’s so much more to acting. You develop something even more beautiful – [a sense of] family and [your] relationship with the cast.”
’ABANGAN ‘NYO!’ 👀 “Can’t Buy Me Love” star #BelleMariano hints about the upcoming final episodes of their hit series, which is set to end in May. She also reflects on how her character in the series has broadened her understanding of acting. #cantbuymelove #tvseries #phtv #entertainmentnews #entertainmentnewsph #tiktokph #fyp #rappler
Kaila’s impressive performances as Bettina in Can’t Buy Me Love and Sylvia in Linlang have garnered attention, solidifying her position as a rising talent in the industry. Kaila debuted as an actress in 2021, and in those years, she’s shown determination to carve her own path in the acting world, independent of her parents’ legacy.
On the possibility of being part of a love team, Kaila said she remains open to the idea but is content with her current career trajectory.
“Linlang” and “Can’t Buy Me Love” actress Kaila Estrada expresses openness to being part of a love team if the opportunity arises, during the pH Care “Intimate Bloom Day” event held on Wednesday, April 24. She says the evolving landscape of love teams in the Philippines can foster personal growth. #kailaestrada #cantbuymelove #entertainmentnews #entertainmentnewsph #tiktokph #fyp #rappler
She admires the success of fellow actresses Belle, and Maris Racal, both as individual artists, and in their love teams.
Racal and another series cast member Anthony Jennings – together known as “SnoRene” – have captivated audiences with their chemistry in the hit series, their scenes becoming a focal point for the show’s marketing push online.
Belle and Kaila admitted being fans of “SnoRene” themselves. “We are honestly so happy for them kasi talagang ang husay ng dalawang ‘yun (because those two are really amazing artists). It just really clicked with them – the humor, their timing… We’re really rooting for them and we hope that there will be projects coming up,” Kaila said.
The “Tiu” sisters also expressed gratitude for the support from fans. “Lahat ng platforms na nilalabasan ng Can’t Buy Me Love, talagang ramdam mo ‘yung pagmamahal nila (You can feel the audiences’ love and support in all the platforms where they can watch our show). Thank you for loving our characters. Thank you for loving the story,” Belle said.
The hit series soared to the top spot in the list for leading TV shows on Netflix immediately upon its release in October 2023 until November. The series sustained its success, securing a position in the top 10 of the same category until April 2024. Additionally, it became one of the most watched series on iWantTFC in February 2024.
What’s next for Belle and Kaila? While they hold dear the memories created on set, they also eagerly anticipate reuniting with their families once the show concludes. It’s a moment to reconnect and spend quality time with their loved ones after devoting eight months to the show.
“Everyone [who’s] part ng Tiu family and sa Binondo, I know naman na kahit wala nang taping, alam kong may family pa rin (I know that the Tiu’s and those in Binondo will remain a family even after taping has concluded),” Belle said.
As the romantic family drama comes to an end, their performances continue to resonate with audiences, cementing their status as stars on the rise.
Can’t Buy Me Love is set to conclude on May 7, with 148 episodes. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/entertainment/belle-mariano-kaila-estrada-cant-buy-me-love-finale/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1H4iAz_UXmPPAXAIJ_c20veyMaRk-tyolQN8jHLSBhVEkuEertgEdF4RE_aem_WypMmIzzJtYtsVQoLX5Jqw
|
1
|
Eldrew Yulo snags all-around silver in Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 16:59
|
RAISE THE FLAG. Eldrew Yulo in action for the Philippines in the 2023 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships.
Emily Chan/Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships
MANILA, Philippines – Eldrew Yulo opened his campaign in the Pacific Rim Gymnastics Championships in Cali, Colombia, in style as he snagged silver in the junior individual all-around on Saturday, April 27.
Yulo totaled 77.15 points from the six apparatuses to finish behind home bet Keynher Camilo Vera Carrascal, who struck gold with 78.35 points.
Mexico’s Juan David Hernandez Andrade bagged bronze with 75.75 points.
Yulo, the younger brother of world champion Carlos Yulo, also set himself up for more medal opportunities as he reached the finals of all the six apparatuses.
He topped the qualification in floor exercise (13.75 points), placed second in vault (13.875 points), and recorded 12.85 points in parallel bars, 12.35 points in pommel horse, 12.1 points in still rings, and 11.3 points in horizontal bar.
The apparatus finals are set on Sunday, April 28.
Also representing the country in Colombia are the men’s team of John Ivan Cruz, Juancho Miguel Besana, Jhon Santillan, Jan Gwynn Timbang, and Justin Ace de Leon.
Iza Yulo, Charlie Manzano, and Kursten Lopez make up the women’s team. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/results-eldrew-yulo-all-around-pacific-rim-gymnastics-championships-april-27-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR24zloQIecAQhTQZqVxMELuYHYvmhZ1ktfs4yWN7dXZqs4HiC5oKpl_X1E_aem_WBIGYarmUPFYWtR8A0PQdQ
|
1
|
Eyes on bigger prize: UST seeking to go all the way after elimination sweep of La Salle
|
delfin.dioquino editor
|
27/04/2024 23:55
|
CELEBRATE. The UST Golden Tigresses in action during the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball tournament.
UAAP
MANILA, Philippines – Parading a roster composed mostly of rookies and sophomores, the UST Golden Tigresses entered the UAAP Season 86 women’s volleyball tournament with modest expectations.
But now that the Tigresses are in the Final Four and armed with a twice-to-beat armor, they cannot help but dream big.
Winning the championship is now the goal for UST as it ended the elimination round with a rousing 22-25, 25-23, 25-16, 25-15 win over defending champion La Salle Lady Spikers at the Araneta Coliseum on Saturday, April 27.
The victory allowed the Tigresses to improve to 12-2 and secure the second seed that merits a win-once bonus in the semifinals, where they will face the Lady Spikers anew.
“I can say that this is the best chance to bring back the crown to UST,” said libero and team captain Detdet Pepito in Filipino.
The Tigresses last won the title in Season 72 in 2010, falling short twice of the grand prize in Season 73 in 2011 and Season 81 in 2019.
But this UST crew has shown it is ready and hungry to end that 14-year championship drought as it completed an elimination-round sweep of La Salle, which settled for third place in the standings with an 11-3 card.
In fact, the Tigresses finished with the same record as top seed NU Lady Bulldogs but fell short of the No. 1 spot due to inferior points.
“We are on the same page from top to bottom,” said UST head coach Emilio “Kung Fu” Reyes. “We have no expectations, but we’re already here, so we want to go all the way.”
“That is the big picture we’re looking at.”
Angge Poyos showed the way for the Tigresses with 22 points in another stellar performance that earned her “MVP” chants from the loud UST crowd.
Jonna Perdido chimed in 19 points, while Regina Jurado supplied 13 points as she sparked the win-clinching 16-5 run the Tigresses rode in the fourth set.
Shevana Laput carried the scoring load for the Lady Spikers with 26 points despite the return of reigning MVP Angel Canino, who missed five straight games after sustaining a right arm injury.
Canino fired 7 points in their opening-set victory but got limited to just 6 points the rest of the way as she ended up with 13 points.
No other La Salle player scored in double figures.
The Final Four kicks off on Saturday, May 4, at the Araneta Coliseum, with the Lady Bulldogs hoping to quickly dispose of fourth seed FEU Lady Tamaraws. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/women-volleyball-game-results-ust-golden-tigresses-la-salle-lady-spikers-april-27-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1YRNyEQ6LJeDJ_TpS1afkTmfnV12Fz5wNh6kglu8bOHoRjIXCKdfzPkB0_aem_NFALY1LkSsN507z6Pdgf_w
|
1
|
Love longganisa? Here are the various kinds from different regions – and what they’re made of
|
Steph Arnaldo
|
27/04/2024 20:44
|
MANILA, Philippines – We’ve already differentiated the various kinds of pancit dishes in the Philippines – so why not we do longganisa next?
Because of our country’s rich cultural heritage and diverse culinary traditions, different regions come up with their own versions of Filipino delicacies, like the longganisa. It is the base of the traditional longsilog breakfast – longganisa is served with sinangag (garlic fried rice) and fried eggs, with ensalada on the side at times.
With access to their own unique native ingredients and cooking methods (plus differences in geography, culture, and climate), every region’s longganisa comes out quite differently, using their own local spices, flavorings, and techniques. Some longganisa can be sweet, and some savory, depending on the region’s preferences. Different regions also have their own preservation methods, such as curing, smoking, or drying, which results in differences in flavor and texture.
So, which longganisa is your favorite? Let’s dig in (and don’t forget the suka)!
Hailing from Vigan, the capital of Ilocos Sur province, this bite-sized and chunky longganisa is famous for its salty, garlicky, and sour flavor. It’s made from coarsely ground pork, achuete (to give it that yellowish hue), garlic, black pepper, vinegar, salt, and other spices, stuffed into hog casings.
It is typically air-dried, so it can be stored for months without refrigeration, making it suitable for long journeys on land in the past.
Quezon Province’s Lucban longganisa is also a type of recado longganisa (the garlicky kind), known for its reddish hue from annatto (achuete) seeds. A staple in Lucban, Quezon, this sausage is made with coarse and lean pork, sugar, garlic, onions, peppercorns, coarse salt, oregano, and vinegar, which gives the savory sausage a slightly sour kick as well.
Lucban longganisa is often paired with another Quezon specialty, pancit habhab (noodles in banana leaves), for the most satisfying local meal.
Originating from Alaminos, Pangasinan, this longganisa is known for its slightly sour and garlicky flavor, made in bite-sized pieces. It’s made from ground pork, garlic, local spices like black pepper and bay leaves, and vinegar.
Alaminos longganisa is a popular pasalubong choice for those visiting Pangasinan. They are often sold pre-cooked and vacuum-sealed for easy transport.
Tuguegarao longganisa – also known as Ybanag longganisa – originates from Tuguegarao City, in Cagayan provice. A type of de recado longganisa, the savory-tangy sausage is made from coarsely ground pork, black pepper, garlic, onion, coarse salt, and cane vinegar, as is typically smoked. It is colored by achuete, too.
Tuguegarao longganisa can also be served in pinakbet, the beloved vegetable stew from the Ilocos Region.
The popular longganisa from the culinary capital of the Philippines is known for its mostly sweet flavor is often called “hamonado,” because of its similarity to sweet ham. “Hamonado” also means “ham-flavored” in Spanish.
Pampanga longganisa is made with ground pork, sugar, garlic, onions, paprika, achuete, and sometimes with pineapple juice for sweetness. This type of longganisa is usually eaten skinless, but some variants come in natural casings.
This Cavite longganisa gets its name from its Chinese influences, said to be a Filipino version of the Cantonese Lap Cheong sauasage.
It is a dried, sweet pork sausage made with pork meat, sugar, anisado wine, and spices, known for its distinctly dark red color and savory taste. They are usually found in a variety of recipes, particularly in fried rice or stir-fry recipes.
Originating from Cabanatuan in Nueva Ecija, this longganisa is usually served de recado style – garlicky, salty, and slightly sour. It is made from ground pork, garlic, vinegar, and spices, sometimes in casings or skinless. Cabanatuan locals call their longganisa, batotay, but it also goes with other nicknames.
It is celebrated yearly during Cabanatuan’s Longganisa Festival!
Also known as Chorizo de Cebu, Longganisa de Cebu is a Filipino pork sausage originating from Cebu. It is a type of hamonado longganisa, so it is disticintively sweet and sugary, and is enjoyed slighly caramelized upon cooking.
The small and spherical sausages are distinctively red in color due to the use of achuete seeds.
Also called Chorizo Pudpud or Chorizo Negrense, this Filipino smoked pork sausage from Bacolod in Negros Island can be enjoyed either hamonado or recado style, and in a casing or without (hence, pudpud).
It is usually made from ground pork, vinegar, garlic, calamansi, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, and spices, as well as sugar for the sweet version.
Did we miss out on other regional favorites? Let us know! – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
The article missed Longganisang Calumpit from Calumpit Bulacan. Garlicky and not sweet but usually made slightly larger than those from Lucban or Vigan
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/life-and-style/food-drinks/different-regional-kinds-longganisa-philippines/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR2qiwyWhrJXi8BSLunBpRG5Ah12hz8Bg8XCaQF41aPxvvSMywsWBzaKMLU_aem_iolGqrI6VzbqhGLinydBEQ
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: 2024 PVL All-Filipino Conference
|
jisaga0269
|
27/04/2024 22:53
|
PVL Images
The Premier Volleyball League (PVL) heads to another title showdown between the league’s top sister teams!
Defending champion Creamline and sister squad Choco Mucho dispute the PVL All-Filipino championship for the second straight conference in a best-of-three series. Here’s the schedule:
It’s all even again for the top four teams.
The semifinalists of the 2024 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference battle in a single round-robin, where the top two teams will advance to the best-of-three finals. Here’s the schedule:
Near-daily volleyball is back to satisfy fans’ hunger for action as the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) releases its 2024 All-Filipino Conference schedule, starting on February 20.
The development comes after the UAAP also released its Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball tournament schedules on a Wednesday-Saturday-Sunday rotation.
The PVL, meanwhile, stays in its usual Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday slate, kicking off Tuesday, February 20, at the PhilSports Arena with a double-header featuring newcomers Strong Group Athletics and Capital1 taking on contenders Petro Gazz and Chery Tiggo, respectively.
Capping off the conference’s first week is an appearance at the Araneta Coliseum, with reloaded Farm Fresh challenging the Creamline dynasty in the 6 pm triple-header main event.
Fans outside NCR, however, will have fewer chances to see their favorite PVL stars live unlike the past conference, as only the Ynares Center in Antipolo, Rizal and the Sta. Rosa Sports Complex in Laguna are the announced venues away from Metro Manila.
The season-starting All-Filipino Conference is scheduled to run for three months until May 14 at the maximum, unless plans change.
Other notable elimination round matches are Choco Mucho vs. Petro Gazz on February 27, Petro Gazz vs Creamline on April 6, PLDT vs Chery Tiggo featuring multiple former F2 Logistics veterans on April 16, and the Creamline-Choco Mucho finals rematch on April 18.
Here is the entire conference schedule, as of Wednesday, February 14:
– Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/volleyball/game-schedule-premier-league-all-filipino-conference-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR27k8qGC9scY3Bedeq2_RzMoPgc3eoXFk-g7iTDo56Xp-19W-Mpa9jkPOI_aem_dBZ9pjtB6v0RTfELZ-6XPQ
|
1
|
GAME SCHEDULE: UAAP Season 86 volleyball
|
jisaga0269
|
08/05/2024 20:35
|
It’s down to the last two teams standing as the University of Santo Tomas and National University battle for the UAAP volleyball championship in both the women’s and men’s divisions!
The league’s best separate themselves from the pack as the Final Four showdown kicks off! Here’s the schedule:
UAAP Season 86 volleyball action intensifies as the second round of the men’s and women’s divisions begins on Wednesday, March 20.
The contenders will separate themselves from the pack, with each game determining which teams will make the Final Four. Here’s the schedule:
Volleyball action is back in the UAAP!
Stars from both men’s and women’s divisions are set to ply their growing skill sets once again in front of thousands of fans, beginning on Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18, both at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Here are the first-round schedules for both divisions:
*The March 13 games will be played at the Mall of Asia Arena.
Notable matches include women’s champion La Salle’s debut against contending Adamson on Saturday, 4 pm, at MOA, while men’s three-time defending titlist NU rolls into an immediate finals rematch with UST on Sunday, 12 pm, also at the same venue.
La Salle and NU – finalists in the last two women’s tournaments with one title won each – will wrap up their first-round schedule on March 16, 2 pm at Araneta. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/sports/uaap/men-women-volleyball-games-schedule-season-86-2024/?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR02suMYmizHzqT5Sj7razRwwhLrpKdd4pp5tU2GSlqSL1nn3HTDBJS2tXY_aem_tcZRlLcQURQrnwFiA536dw
|
1
|
LOOK: Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association meet kicks off in Tarlac
|
Joann Manabat - CMS
|
28/04/2024 21:59
|
CLARAA 2024. 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and trainers from various schools in the region will participate in this yearu2019s Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association in various sporting venues in Tarlac province slated until May 3.
Joann Manabat/Rappler
TARLAC, Philippines – Some 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and trainers from various school divisions in Region 3 joined the Central Luzon Regional Athletic Association (CLRAA) meet kick-off at the Tarlac Recreational Park in San Jose, Tarlac, on Sunday, April 28.
Hosted by the province of Tarlac, the annual regional sporting event will be held in 31 playing venues for 31 different sports categories from April 29 to May 3.
“We are excited to host this year’s CLRAA meet! After 15 years, here we are, we will again witness the capabilities of Central Luzon athletes. We welcome all our brothers and sisters from the seven provinces of Region 3,” Tarlac Governor Susan Yap said in her opening remarks.
Others guests at the event where Tarlac 2nd District Representative Christian Yap; senators Imee Marcos, Bong Go, and Lito Lapid; and actor Philip Salvador who represented Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte.
The event opened with the traditional parade of athletes from 21 school division offices of public and private schools across Central Luzon.
According to Dominic Oswald Halili, Department of Education (DepEd) legal officer, sporting events create opportunities for students to develop their passion and talent as well as discipline and overall well-being. DepEd has always supported the such events for the youth.
Halili said CLRAA is the pre-national qualifying tier to the Palarong Pambansa. All student athletes went through local sporting competitions from the provincial athletic meet to qualify in the regional athletic meet.
“Actually ‘yung mga nanalo sa provincial meet, sila ‘yung nag-qualify para sa regional. ‘Yung mananalo dito sa CLRAA, sila ang maglalaro for Palarong Pambansa. Aside sa mga nanalo, ‘yung sports like swimming, athletics, and archery, may mga pre-qualifying standards pa rin. Pero ‘yung mga mananalo dito they will play for Palarong Pambansa to represent Central Luzon,” said Halili.
(Actually those who won in the provincial meet qualified for the regional. Those who will win in the CLRAA will compete in the Palarong Pambansa. Aside from the winners, in sports like swimming, athletics, and archery, there are still pre-qualifying standards. But those who will win here, they will play in Palarong Pambansa to represent Central Luzon.)
“Their passion and dedication are off the charts. The CLRAA sports event is one way to keep them away from any illegal or criminal activities. Our government is supporting all these athletes,” he added.
A total of 10,818 CLRAA delegates from elementary to junior and senior high school students from public and private schools will be competing in 23 different sports such as arnis, archery, athletics, badminton, billiards, boxing, basketball, basketball 3×3, chess, dancesport, football, futsal, gymnastics, paragames, sepak takraw, softball, swimming, tennis, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, wrestling, and wushu. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/central-luzon-regional-athletic-association-meet-kicks-off-tarlac-april-2024/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow
|
1
|
‘Unauthorized’ China research vessel spotted near Catanduanes – AFP
|
Jodesz Gavilan
|
28/04/2024 18:53
|
UNAUTHORIZED. Chinese-flagged research vessel is seen loitering in the vicinity northeast of Viga, Catanduanes.
TOWSOL
MANILA, Philippines – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) said on Sunday, April 28, that it is monitoring an “unauthorized” Chinese-flagged research vessel spotted northeast of Viga, Catanduanes.
According to the latest reports issued by the Tactical Operations Wing, Southern Luzon (TOWSOL), the vessel named “Shen Kuo” was “lying-to in the area and had no personnel on the main deck.”
The AFP said the ship was first monitored on April 25, 60.9 nautical miles east of Rapu-Rapu Island in Albay, and that there have been several failed attempts to communicate using regular radio channels, “indicating a lack of responsiveness or willingness to engage.”
“The AFP remains vigilant, monitoring any unauthorized research vessel in our maritime domain,” it said. “We have already tasked nearby vessels for enhanced surveillance and reporting.”
“The AFP is coordinating with relevant agencies to address the unauthorized presence and investigate any illegal activities within our EEZ, ensuring the security and protection of our waters,” it added.
.@TeamAFP, in release to media, confirms it is “monitoring the unauthorized presence of a Chinese-flagged research vessel, "SHEN KUO," in the vicinity northeast of Viga, Catanduanes.” Vessel first sighted on April 25, just 60.9 nautical miles east off Rapu-Rapu Island.📷:AFP pic.twitter.com/HNuxGPMH8G
The unauthorized presence of the Chinese-flagged research vessel comes as tensions between China and the Philippines continue to rise in recent months. The Philippines also recently just kicked off 2024 Exercise Balikatan, or the yearly war games with the United States. – Rappler.com
Error.
Please abide by Rappler's commenting guidelines.
The unauthorized Chinese-flagged research vessel showed “a lack of responsiveness or willingness to engage.” This has increased the already high tension between China and the Philippines. China’s action is provocative to our Navy. It is worth watching what the Philippine Navy will do in the future.
How does this make you feel?
|
Rappler
|
https://www.rappler.com/philippines/china-research-vessel-spotted-coast-catanduanes-april-28-2024/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_medium=Social&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1ttlqi7eQMHKutr3rtTbCf5Oxvpwt4Kbt-E-_jstBy4e8yk_KxMjvZbvU_aem_bEOHuVhAZennsJIORYEbww
|
1
|
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.