Hanoi: The Vietnam Academy of Blockchain and AI Innovation (ABAII) made its debut on April 24 at the annual forum on Blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).

The ABAII aims to train and universalise Blockchain technology and AI for 1 million people.

In particular, about 100,000 students at 30 universities across the country will be equipped with the latest knowledge on this field through various activities such as workshops, training courses, programming competitions (hackathon), idea creation competitions (ideathon), and the 2024 university tour programme (Unitour 2024).

Dao Trung Thanh, ABAII deputy director, shared that the Unitour has been held at five universities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang city over the past two months, bringing useful knowledge on the applications of blockchain and AI according to the needs and desires of each university with topics of interest such as digital economy and finance, banking data analysis, and career opportunities.

On this occasion, the academy also g
ave five universities with 50 scholarships each to promote the universalisation of Blockchain and AI among the Vietnamese technology students./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

Hanoi: The Vietnam Academy of Blockchain and AI Innovation (ABAII) made its debut on April 24 at the annual forum on Blockchain and artificial intelligence (AI).

The ABAII aims to train and universalise Blockchain technology and AI for 1 million people.

In particular, about 100,000 students at 30 universities across the country will be equipped with the latest knowledge on this field through various activities such as workshops, training courses, programming competitions (hackathon), idea creation competitions (ideathon), and the 2024 university tour programme (Unitour 2024).

Dao Trung Thanh, ABAII deputy director, shared that the Unitour has been held at five universities in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang city over the past two months, bringing useful knowledge on the applications of blockchain and AI according to the needs and desires of each university with topics of interest such as digital economy and finance, banking data analysis, and career opportunities.

On this occasion, the academy also g
ave five universities with 50 scholarships each to promote the universalisation of Blockchain and AI among the Vietnamese technology students./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

BAGUIO CITY: Some 1,021 farmers from Apayao province received on Wednesday their Intervention Monitoring Card (IMC), which will be where future cash assistance will be sent, while farmers in Kalinga province will receive theirs on Friday.

Department of Agriculture-CAR assistant director for operations Danilo Daguio, in a phone interview on Thursday, said the region was selected as among the areas nationwide to pilot test the digital distribution of assistance, which also taps third party as source of the agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers.

Last December, DA pilot-tested in Kalinga and Abra province the tapping of third party distributors of the agricultural inputs using stubs, which the farmers used to claim the assistance.

With the use of the IMC, the 1,021 farmer-beneficiaries from Apayao, who were listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), need to present to the accredited merchant the card whenever they receive any agri-related assistance.

‘Through digitaliz
ation, the complaint of inappropriate items or brands will be avoided as farmers are given the freedom to choose from those sold by the accredited merchant,’ he said.

The IMC digitalization program is an initiative of the DA central office that aims to make it easier for farmers to receive government assistance.

It is part of the nine-point agenda of the department on digital agriculture, which is science and information-driven to digitalize the process of aid distribution.

Daguio said the system also benefits the DA since ‘it saves the Department from doing the procurement process, cuts the cost of transporting the goods from the regional office to the destination province and also removes the expense on food and event organizing during the distribution.’

‘Both ways, to the government and the farmer-beneficiaries, the IMC is advantageous,’ he said.

Alfonso Artikulo, a farmer from Baluyan in the municipality of Flora, Apayao said in Ilocano: ‘I am thankful for the good programs of the DA. I have been rec
eiving assistance since 2018 and I, with the other farmers, are thankful.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

BAGUIO CITY: Some 1,021 farmers from Apayao province received on Wednesday their Intervention Monitoring Card (IMC), which will be where future cash assistance will be sent, while farmers in Kalinga province will receive theirs on Friday.

Department of Agriculture-CAR assistant director for operations Danilo Daguio, in a phone interview on Thursday, said the region was selected as among the areas nationwide to pilot test the digital distribution of assistance, which also taps third party as source of the agricultural inputs such as seeds and fertilizers.

Last December, DA pilot-tested in Kalinga and Abra province the tapping of third party distributors of the agricultural inputs using stubs, which the farmers used to claim the assistance.

With the use of the IMC, the 1,021 farmer-beneficiaries from Apayao, who were listed in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA), need to present to the accredited merchant the card whenever they receive any agri-related assistance.

‘Through digitaliz
ation, the complaint of inappropriate items or brands will be avoided as farmers are given the freedom to choose from those sold by the accredited merchant,’ he said.

The IMC digitalization program is an initiative of the DA central office that aims to make it easier for farmers to receive government assistance.

It is part of the nine-point agenda of the department on digital agriculture, which is science and information-driven to digitalize the process of aid distribution.

Daguio said the system also benefits the DA since ‘it saves the Department from doing the procurement process, cuts the cost of transporting the goods from the regional office to the destination province and also removes the expense on food and event organizing during the distribution.’

‘Both ways, to the government and the farmer-beneficiaries, the IMC is advantageous,’ he said.

Alfonso Artikulo, a farmer from Baluyan in the municipality of Flora, Apayao said in Ilocano: ‘I am thankful for the good programs of the DA. I have been rec
eiving assistance since 2018 and I, with the other farmers, are thankful.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will soon build a regional complex on a five-hectare land in Magalang, Pampanga donated by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) to better serve the marginalized and disadvantaged sectors in the Central Luzon region.

DSWD Undersecretary for General Administration and Support Services Group Edward Justine Orden and DAR Undersecretary for Support Services Office Rowena Niña Taduran signed the Deed of Transfer on Wednesday at the Regional Rehabilitation Center for the Youth (RRCY) in Magalang.

‘This transfer of ownership not only ensures the legality and security of the DSWD facility but also symbolizes our enduring dedication to deliver our mandate of protecting the most vulnerable,’ Orden said during the signing that marked the official turnover of the land currently occupied by the RRCY.

The Deed of Transfer, Orden said, will allow the DSWD to offer more services to marginalized and disadvantaged sectors through its planned Welfare Ville in
the region.

‘As we witness the formal signing and turnover of the Deed of Transfer from the DAR to the DSWD, we reaffirm our commitment to the well-being of our nation’s youth,’ he said.

Other facilities to be built in the proposed Welfare Ville are the Reception and Study Center for Children (RSCC), Lingap Center, Trafficking in Persons’ Processing Center, and a DSWD satellite warehouse.

‘We, at the DSWD, commit to continuously provide a nurturing out-of-home placement for children in need of assistance to enhance their psychological, emotional, and psycho-social well-being,’ Orden said.

Aside from the turnover of land, the RRCY also officially inaugurated its infirmary and therapy room.

The RRCY is a rehabilitation facility run by DSWD Central Luzon for over 44 years, providing care and rehabilitation services to male children in conflict with the law who are below 18 years old.

DSWD Undersecretary for International Affairs, Attached and Supervised Agencies (ASA) Emmeline Aglipay-Villar, Assistant Sec
retary Elaine Fallarcuna, and Administrative Service Director Karina Antonette Agudo, Field Office-3 (Central Luzon) Regional Director Venus Rebuldela, Assistant Regional Director for Administration (ARDA) Maribel Blanco and Assistant Regional Director for Operations (ARDO) Armont Pecina attended the signing ceremony.

Other government officials present during the event were DAR-Bureau of Land Acquisition Domingo Roque and DAR Region-3 – Land Tenure Service head Marissa Nagun.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) on Thursday commended the police for its swift assistance to a freelance photojournalist whose belongings were illegally seized by members of a private security agency in Silang, Cavite.

In a news release, the PTFoMS said Jose Monsieur Santos, 23, a member of the Filipino Freelance Journalists’ Guild and correspondent of news outfit One PH, sought the task force’s assistance after unidentified members of the Jarton Security Agency forcibly confiscated his equipment while covering a demolition operation in a disputed property in Barangay Tartaria past midnight on April 20.

Among the confiscated items were Santos’ Nikon D750 DSLR camera, two camera lenses, press chest vest, Kevlar helmet and backpack containing his computer tablet, laptop, mess kit and other personal items.

Despite introducing himself as a member of the press and repeated appeal to have his seized personal items returned to him, the security guards refused, Santos told PTFoMS.

U
ndersecretary Paul Gutierrez, PTFoMS Executive Director, sought police assistance through Calabarzon Police Regional Office (PRO-4A) Director, Brig. Gen. Paul Kenneth Lucas and Cavite Police Director Col. Eleuterio Ricardo Jr.

Gutierrez also sought the assistance of the PRO-4A press corps in disseminating the incident.

Silang Police chief Lt. Col. Louie DC Gonzaga received PTFoMS’ request and took the initiative of recovering the items seized, in coordination with the office of Mayor Alston Kevin Anarna.

However, since the recovered belongings were incomplete, Santos refused to claim them, upon the advice of his lawyer.

They are now preparing the filing of criminal charges against Jarton Security Agency for theft.

Despite this, Santos still expressed gratitude to the PTFoMS for its prompt action in assisting him.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez commended the Calabarzon police office and Anarna for their effort in not only assisting Santos and the affected tenants but also in easing the tension in Barangay Tartaria
.

A reported 137 farmers were reportedly being evicted from the property by the security agency hired by private firms despite the pending decision of the Supreme Court and the Department of Agrarian Reform on land ownership.

Gutierrez particularly lauded Gonzaga for ensuring the return of Santos’ stolen items and his assurance that the photojournalist would get full police assistance and security in Silang should he decide to pursue charges against Jarton Security Agency.

‘It this kind of voluntary and sincere inter-agency cooperation that makes the PTFoMS effective in discharging its mandate as the government’s official mechanism to address all violations of media rights,’ Gutierrez said.

‘With every agency working together, we assure our colleagues in the media that their right to perform their job as truth seekers is being protected by the government,’ he added.

Source: Philippines News Agency