Day: May 25, 2023

– Mawar has reintensified into a super typhoon as it continues to move closer to the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), the weather bureau said Thursday. In its 5 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Mawar was last tracked 2,150 km east of southeastern Luzon, packing maximum winds of up to 185 km per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 230 kph. Moving west northwest at 15 kph, Mawar may enter PAR by Friday evening or Saturday morning and will be given the local name Betty. The typhoon’s rain bands are expected to bring heavy rains over Cagayan Valley between Sunday and Tuesday next week, PAGASA added. It may also enhance the southwest monsoon, bringing rains over the western parts of Luzon and Visayas beginning Sunday or Monday. Meanwhile, many areas in the country will continue to experience rains due to the southwesterly windflow and localized thunderstorms on Thursday. Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will prevail over Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Western Visayas, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen, Zamboanga Peninsula and BARMM due to the southwesterly windflow. Flash floods or landslides are possible due to moderate to at times heavy rains, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said. PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja said more areas will experience rains in the afternoon through evening because of the southwesterly windflow and localized thunderstorms. Isolated rain showers or thunderstorms are forecast over Metro Manila and the rest of the country. Severe thunderstorms may cause flash floods or landslides. Moderate winds and moderate seas will prevail over the northern and eastern sections of Luzon. Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate with slight to moderate seas. Preparations The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has alerted its regional counterparts, local government units (LGUs), and the public to take the necessary precautions ahead of the tropical cyclone. Government agencies are now implementing measures based on emergency preparedness and response protocols of NDRRMC which include dissemination of warnings, preparation of relief assistance for distribution, and rescue teams for deployment, among others. According to the Department of Social Welfare and Development, a total of 797,051 family food packs (FFPs) worth PHP565.78 million have been stockpiled in its regional offices. There are also 110,667 FFPs available in Disaster Response Centers, with the breakdown as follows: 101,525 FFPS at the National Resource Operations Center (NROC) in Pasay City and 9,142 FFPs at the Visayas Disaster Resource Center. Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), meanwhile, directed all its regional directors to coordinate with their respective regional disaster risk reduction and management councils (RDDRMCs) and to remind all LGUs to prepare for the coming storm. The DILG also added that all LGUs, especially those in areas with recent experience of extended or prolonged rain occurrences and/or landslides or floods, shall continue to monitor all PAGASA weather advisories and typhoon bulletins. The NDRRMC will continue its monitoring of the situation and implement all necessary preparations for the weather disturbance. The NDRRMC called on the public to prepare for the storm by monitoring the advisories and heeding the warnings issued by relevant agencies. (with Priam Nepomuceno/PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno welcomed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s move to certify as urgent Senate Bill 2020 that seeks to create the Maharlika Investment Fund. “We welcome the certification of urgency of the Maharlika Investment Fund bill,” Diokno told reporters in a Viber message late Wednesday. “This is the best possible time to establish the fund.” The proposed bill is currently under the period of interpellations. Diokno said the Maharlika Investment Fund would strengthen the economy’s resilience through investment-led growth. “This is especially pertinent now amid a possible slowdown in the world economy, which the IMF (International Monetary Fund) predicts will grow by a mere 2.8 percent this year,” he said. Diokno noted that while the country’s macroeconomic fundamentals are intact, the Philippines must take advantage of robust instruments to maintain its growth momentum through investments in strategic, economically viable, and high-impact infrastructure and other development projects. “And second, this is an opportune time to take advantage of the ample liquidity of our government financial institutions, which have investible funds,” he said. Diokno earlier explained that the Maharlika Investment Fund is a tool to diversify the country’s financial portfolio, which includes existing institutions pursuing investment activities. The Fund will be used specifically for investments with high returns, and infrastructure development.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The City of Victorias in Negros Occidental has urged the management of Victorias Milling Co. (VMC), the country’s largest producer of refined sugar, to expedite actions to address the stench caused by the molasses spill incident in the sugar refinery on May 5. The call was led by Councilor Dino Acuña, chair of the committee on natural resources, environmental protection, and ecology, after representatives of the VMC admitted during a legislative inquiry on Wednesday afternoon that it would take more than a month to implement the measures to stop the foul odor that has already affected 11 barangays in the city proper. ‘Is there a way that you can lessen the one month and one week? Is it possible for you to take other measures to control the foul odor? It is plain to your eyes that you need to do something about this and one month and one week seems to be unacceptable to us, to the people of Victorias. You have to exert more effort to expedite the period,’ he said. Acuña expressed the urgency to act on the environmental and health concerns to VMC legal officer Randolph Angel Tacuyan, pollution control officer Sandy Angeline Ng, and quality assurance/quality control officer Ellaine Muhal, who represented the management during the legislative inquiry held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (City Council) session hall. ‘We are very serious with this issue. Indi gid namon ni gusto. Amo na gapangayo gid kami sang pasensya sa mga residente nga naapektuhan. (We don’t not want this to happen, that’s why we apologize to the affected residents). Our assurance is, our (VMC) board is very supportive of all the measures we are taking,’ Tacuyan said. In a press statement, the city government said the VMC ‘presented action plans and countermeasures to mitigate the impact and potential damage to the local community,’ which include ‘neutralizing the PH levels of the sugar refinery’s waste and wastewater treatment plant that shall run for about one month and a week.’ ‘Both the VMC and the local government unit shall come up with collective recommendations and solutions to eliminate the environmental pollution and manage the potential public health hazard,’ it added. In an earlier statement, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said the spill occurred when a molasses tank leaked, affecting the Malihaw River and the families residing in the villages near the sugar refinery. ‘I feel that our ecological sustainability and preservation, and the welfare of our people should be our top priority,’ he said. Benitez said the VMC management assured the city government they would extend assistance to the affected families, particularly those in Barangays VI-A, IX, and XIII.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The new chief of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 6 (Western Visayas) wants law enforcement operations intensified while ensuring the rule of law and human rights are observed. “We will intensify our police operations, the arrest of criminals, service of warrants of arrests, service of search warrants, different patrol operations – be it foot or mobile patrol. But in all our operations, we will observe the rule of law and we will observe human rights,’ acting PRO-6 Director, Brig. Gen. Sidney N. Villaflor, said in a media interview Wednesday afternoon. Villaflor formally assumed the top post in Western Visayas in a simple ceremony at the PRO-6 headquarters in Iloilo City, replacing Brig. Gen. Leo M. Francisco who now heads the Directorate for Operations. He said his leadership would dwell on the five focused agenda of Philippine National Police Chief, Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr., one of which is the aggressive but honest police operations to regain public trust. Villaflor said he would review the policy to make sure that they are attuned to the guidance of Camp Crame and the five-focused agenda. He also said he wants to guarantee that all resources coming from the government would be used, although he has yet to give full details on how to carry out his goals and will only disclose them once he already knows the situation on the ground. ‘We will review our resources with respect to personnel, with respect to radio communication, with respect to mobility. We will study what is on the ground, what is our capability versus the situation on the ground,’ he added. Noting the changing security landscape, he said he wants the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) integrated into their policing because it would help in faster coordination, as well as in responding to and addressing criminality. He wanted to have an inventory of existing ICT infrastructures, determine if they could still be upgraded, and seek the assistance of stakeholders, such as the academe. His assumption to the office was officiated by the commander of the Area Police Command -Visayas, Lt. Gen. Patrick T. Villacorte.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The local government here is eyeing to establish a sisterhood agreement with Dobong-gu in Seoul, South Korea to boost Iloilo City’s position as a tourist destination and look into educational and cultural exchanges. ‘We are establishing a sister city agreement with Dobong-gu one of the districts of Seoul. This agreement will enhance Iloilo’s place as a tourism destination and facilitate educational, cultural, and other exchanges,’ Mayor Jerry P. Treñas said in a Viber message on Thursday. Treñas is in the Seoul district for a public-private partnership benchmarking conference of CityNet, an association of urban stakeholders committed to sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region. He met with Dobong-gu Mayor Oh Eon-seok and talked about the possibility of a sister city agreement. Dobong-gu is one of the 25 districts of Seoul. ‘They are open to it and I will schedule a signing here when I come back in October for the executive committee meeting of CityNet,’ Treñas said, adding that he also invited them to witness this city’s Dinagyang Festival. Iloilo City has 35 sister cities – 15 are domestic while 20 are from abroad. On May 19, it also entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Quanzhou municipal people’s government, Fujian province, China for a friendship city relationship. The relationship aims to strengthen economic and trade bonds, promote cultural and artistic exchange, and push forward educational and people-to-people exchanges. With this, entrepreneurs will be encouraged to participate in expos held in both cities, such as the China (Quanzhou) Maritime Silk Road International Brand Expo and the Iloilo Food Beverage Expo (IFBEX). Artists from both cities will also be invited to attend festivals, such as the Maritime Silk Road International Art Festival and the Dinagyang Festival. Further, schools in both cities will be encouraged to establish friendship relationships, organize mutual visits of teachers and students, and carry out youth exchanges.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Alfredo Pascual has welcomed the Senate’s approval of institutionalizing the agency’s Shared Service Facility (SSF) Program. In a statement Thursday, Pascual said approval of Senate Bill No. 2021, which aims to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 6977 or the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises, will ensure the continuous support for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially those in the provinces. Last Monday, the Senate approved SB 2021, which will allot annual funding for DTI’s SSF Program under the General Appropriations Act (GAA). “Now that this has been approved, the DTI will work with various agencies to further expand the scope of the program and meet the needs of the MSMEs, especially in this era of modern technology,” Pascual said in Filipino. Since 2013, the government has allotted PHP3.9 billion for the SSF Program, which resulted to the establishment of some 3,495 SSFs nationwide. DTI said these facilities have helped around 500,000 MSMEs and generated about 300,000 additional jobs. Since the start of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., DTI has established 145 SSFs, with provided funds amounting to around PHP150 million. The recently opened SSFs are intended for the production of abaca, bamboo, cacao, coffee, meat, and fertilizer, among others. There are also 16 fabrication laboratories (fab labs) across the country, which help MSMEs to produce prototypes of their designs. “They (MSMEs) need to keep up with the innovation and unique ideas of businesses abroad to help them keep up with the new trends and further increase their income,” Pascual added.

Source: Philippines News Agency