Month: May 2023

MANILA – A PHP50,000 reward awaits anyone who can give information that could lead to the arrest of the suspect in the killing of radio broadcaster Cresenciano ‘Cris’ Bundoquin in Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) announced Wednesday. Bundoquin was gunned down by two motorcycle-riding suspects at around 4 a.m. on Wednesday near a local store at Sta. Isabel village in Calapan City, Mindoro Oriental. Bundoquin is known as the host of ‘Ayos Mandin’ show on dwXR 101.7 Kalahi FM. PTFoMS executive director Paul Gutierrez said one of the killers, particularly the driver of the motorcycle used in the shooting, was shot dead by responding police officers. The actual gunman remains at large and is now the subject of a police manhunt, Gutierrez said. ‘In this regard, through the help of a civic-minded individual who declined to be named, the PTFoMS is offering a reward of PHP50,000 for any information leading to the suspect’s immediate arrest,’ he said. Gutierrez offered condolences to Bundoquin’s family and friends and assured that the PTFoMS is working with the Department of Social Welfare and Development to provide assistance to the slain radio broadcaster’s family. “The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS), along with the Presidential Communications Office and the Department of Justice, convey their sincerest sympathy to the family and friends of Mindoro Oriental radio blocktimer, Cresenciano ‘Cris’ Aldovino Bunduquin,’ he said. ‘We are also reaching out to the family of Bundoquin so that other government assistance can be provided to them to help alleviate their suffering during this period.’ Gutierrez lauded the Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr. and Police Regional Office in Mimaropa (PRO-4B) director Brig. Gen. Joel Doria for the creation of a Special Investigation Task Group that will handle Bundoquin’s case. He also commended the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission for providing full support to the PTFoMS to solve the killing of Bundoquin ‘at the soonest time possible.’ ‘As this is an ongoing investigation, we urge our media colleagues not to engage in any speculation but to instead contribute to its immediate resolution by providing us with positive and verifiable information. Nasa ating pagtutulungan ang mabilis na resolusyon ng ano mang kaso (Our unity will lead to the speedy resolution of any case),’ Gutierrez said. ‘Moving forward, we assure the public that the PTFoMS, as a national inter-agency task force mandated to protect the life, liberty and security of all members of the press, shall not fail in its mandate,’ he added. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI CITY – Rice farmers in Albay province who will sell their palay (unhusked rice) to the National Food Authority (NFA) will get an additional PHP3 per kilogram on top of the agency’s current buying price of PHP19. On Wednesday, Lorena Quising, Albay provincial information officer, said the provincial government will get a PHP3 million assistance from an appropriated PHP5 million from the Office of the Governor for the implementation of the Palay Marketing Assistance Program for Legislators and Local Government Units (PALLGU). “Obheto kan nasabing a memorandum of agreement (MOA) na matabangan an mga lokal na paraoma sa saindang mga naaning paroy sa paagi nin subsidiya ngani na madugangan an saindang income urog na ngonyan na padagos an paglangkaw sa presyo kan mga farm inputs siring kan pataba, pesticides asin iba pa (The objective of the MOA is to help the local farmers in the province to have additional income particularly with the increasing price of fertilizers, pesticides and others). It will also encourage them to sell their harvested palay to NFA),” Quising said in an interview. She said Albay and the NFA signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Monday to raise the buying price of palay in the province. Under the PALLGU program, the provincial government will add PHP3 per kilo to the NFA’s palay buying price. “This significant move aims to support the agricultural sector, help uplift the lives of farmers by providing them additional income, and help build up government buffer stock for distribution in times of calamities or emergencies,” NFA-Albay said in a social media post. The initiative is expected to benefit 50,000 rice farmers in the 15 towns and three cities of Albay province. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

CALAPAN CITY, Oriental Mindoro – The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Wednesday announced that 25 fishermen from coastal towns in this province have just graduated from a government-sponsored fiberglass boat building course. In an interview, Naomi Lyn Abellana, DOLE 4-B (Mimaropa) director, said those who took part in the 15-day course represent the first batch to complete the department’s Tulong Pangkabuhayan para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD) initiative in Oriental Mindoro. ‘The training program was very successful, all the fishermen who participated were able to build their very own fiberglass boats,’ Abellana said in Filipino. It was explained that the boat building course was a joint project of the DOLE and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), with the latter agency providing the instructors and training venue. Abellana said the fishermen-trainees all had their livelihoods severely disrupted by the recent oil spill off the coast of Naujan town, which quickly spread to adjoining communities, and eventually caused fishing activities to be halted in affected waters. During their commencement exercises on Tuesday, the trainees were informed that aside from being able to take home the fiberglass boats that they have built, the government will also supply them with small engines to power their new watercraft. Meanwhile, Abellana said plans are underway to expand TUPAD by introducing training in a range of other disciplines, aside from boat building. ‘We want to offer livelihood training to fishermen’s spouses, as well as other workers who also lost their livelihoods because of the oil spill,’ she explained. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

TACLOBAN CITY – The Philippine Army confirmed on Wednesday the death of a campus activist-turned-rebel during a recent clash between government forces and the New People’s Army (NPA) in Northern Samar. The Philippine Army’s 8th Infantry Division verified in a press statement that one of the four casualties in the May 28 firefight was Joshua Musico Sagdullas, the Secretary General of Bayan Eastern Visayas and former chairperson of the University of the Philippines Visayas Tacloban Campus (UPVTC) College Student Council. ‘His former comrade alias Kurati positively identified the cadaver of Joshua Musico Sagdullas known among armed rebels as alias Miyong served as the political instructor of the group,’ the Philippine Army stated. He also identified the three others killed during the armed encounter in upland Mabini village in Catarman, Northern Samar as Geraldine Teopinto alias Luz, the finance officer; Abigail Padula Baselga alias Moana, medical officer; and Vicente Termo. Alias Kurati surrendered to village officials on April 30, hours after a clash between rebels and soldiers in Santander village in Bobon, Northern Samar. The same clash left seven rebels killed and seriously injured Kurati. Sagdullas was one of the combatants belonging to the NPA subregional guerrilla unit deployed in Northern Samar to reinforce the NPA front committee 2 dismantled by the military early this year. Maj. Gen. Camilo Ligayo, commander of the Army’s 8th Infantry Division, was saddened by the demise of the young rebel because of his ‘pointless ideology.’ Sagdullas, he said, could have had a better future had he not joined the armed struggle. ‘Another life has been lost in the war against the senseless ideology of the communist terrorist group. Let us put an end to this way of life of constant struggle and fear. The door is still open for those who want to surrender and live a better and more peaceful life,’ Ligayo added. The military confirmed that he joined the NPA as a full-time combatant in Northern Samar after months of persuading students of the University of Eastern Philippines to join activism. For several years, Sagdullas was a student activist before his graduation in 2017. As the secretary general of the left-leaning group Bayan Eastern Visayas, he was active in organizing local chapters of the League of Filipino Students, Gabriela Youth and Pulso. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA – The Climate Change Commission (CCC) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) have forged partnership in pursuit of a greener and more sustainable maritime industry. The collaboration was a result of the two agencies’ recent meeting to discuss objectives and strategies for decarbonization aligned with MARINA’s Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP) 2019-2028, the CCC said in a news release on Wednesday. One of the MIDP’s core objectives is the promotion of an environmentally sustainable maritime industry. The CCC and MARINA committed to strengthening their partnership further through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU). ‘The cooperation between the CCC and MARINA is significant, given that the shipping industry contributes to climate change and accounts for over 3 percent of the global annual carbon dioxide emissions,’ the CCC said. ‘The CCC will provide technical expertise, including guidance on mitigation and adaptation measures, to support MARINA’s policies and programs on decarbonization, and sharing of scientific studies and data sources on GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions,’ it added. From 2007 to 2012, the shipping industry caused about 1.015 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions globally, according to the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) report. The CCC said forging a partnership with MARINA is in line with the country’s Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and the National Climate Change Action Plan (NCCAP). ‘The proposed collaboration forms part of the CCC’s goal of building and strengthening strategic partnerships with a broad range of stakeholders to influence greater climate action,’ it said. MARINA wanted to align the decarbonization strategies in the technical, operational and economic measures with the country’s mitigation targets. It invited the CCC to become a member of the technical working group under the National Task Force: Inter-agency Coordinating Committee to Facilitate the Ratification and Accession to and Implementation of Maritime Conventions (ICCFRAIMC). MARINA also asked the CCC to attend the meeting of the Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC 80) from July 3 to 7 and the meeting of the Intersessional Working Group on Reduction of GHG Emissions from Ships (ISWG-GHG 15) from July 26 to 30. The CCC joined the MARINA in the recently-held IMO Regional Conference on Seizing Opportunities for Green Shipping in Asia and the Pacific in Manila. The conference was attended by key maritime stakeholders from Pacific Islands and Southeast Asian States to discuss energy efficiency, short sea segment, education of seafarers and global regulations. CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert Borje stressed the importance of collaboration and cooperation among international organizations, governments, non-government organizations, shipping firms, and other maritime stakeholders to enhance the region’s capacity to face the challenges of climate change toward a more sustainable and green sector. “Shipping is a vital part of our economy, but it also has a significant impact on our climate. Through collaborating with MARINA on green shipping initiatives, we can develop a sustainable maritime industry that benefits both our economy and climate,’ Borje said. ‘We need a whole-of-world approach in order to effectively address climate change and to modernize the shipping industry -through an investment-led, accelerated, just, and equitable transition. This is the one thing that the CCC asks from all of our stakeholders. There is an existential threat and challenge of climate change and this is the right time for us to integrate all of these concerns, particularly in the shipping industry,’ he added. MARINA Deputy Administrator for Planning Sonia Malaluan said the collaboration with the CCC is an important step towards the goal of achieving carbon-neutral shipping in the Philippines. ‘We hope that the CCC can support us in developing and implementing policies that will help reduce the carbon footprint of our shipping industry,” she said. MARINA is an attached agency under the Department of Transportation that is mandated to integrate the development, promotion, and regulation of the maritime industry in the country. Industrial waste Meanwhile, CCC Commissioner Albert dela Cruz Sr. called on industries operating around the country’s largest lake to be mindful of the disposal of their industrial waste which pollutes the waters and ecosystem. Dela Cruz made the call after a study conducted by Mindanao State University (MSU) scientists Cris Gel Loui Arcadio and Hernando Bacosa found that a high concentration of microplastics was found in Laguna de Bay’s 900-square-kilometer waters. Citing the study, Dela Cruz said the presence of harmful microplastics could lead to adverse effects on humans and marine life. ‘We must intensify our convergence to address the negative impacts of plastics and microplastic pollution in Laguna de Bay. If we will not do the necessary action, it will severely affect public health, food production and the livelihood of our fisher folks. Buhayin natin ang Lawa ng Laguna, bubuhayin din tayo ng lawa,’ he said. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA – The Philippines will continue negotiating for the pardon of Filipinos currently on death row in Riyadh and Jeddah, Philippine Ambassador-designate to Saudi Arabia Renato Villa said Wednesday. According to the latest data from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), three Filipinos in Riyadh and one in Jeddah are facing death penalty over murder. In his confirmation hearing before the Commission on Appointments, Villa said the kingdom has handed down a final judgment against them and the last resort Manila could pursue is to plead with the victims’ kin. ‘Nagkaroon na ng final judgment so under Shariah Law ang ating final resort na lang is to plead with the family for forgiveness and for them to accept blood money so we will continue our negotiations with the families of the victim (A final judgment has been handed down so the last resort is to plead with the family and for them to accept blood money so we will continue to negotiate),’ he said. In a text message, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose De Vega said the families ‘have not yet agreed to accept blood money in return for their pardon’. De Vega noted that Saudi Arabia do not set dates for execution and ‘just implement the sentences without prior notice’. ‘The negotiation he (Amb. Villa) meant are our attempts to secure from the next of kin of the victims the tanazul or forgiveness, required by Islamic Law, in return for the payment of diyyah or blood money,’ he said. Villa said the DFA provides aid and lawyers through its assistance-to-nationals (ATN) and legal assistance funds but both cannot be used to pay for blood money. ‘Hindi po puwedeng mag-allocate ng blood money for payment na kukunin sa ATN so we appeal to fellow kababayans na medyo may kaya to share in the payment of the blood money (We cannot allocate from the ATN so we often appeal to our fellow Filipinos who are more well-off for donation),’ he said. Blood money or diyyah in Islamic Law is the sum paid to the deceased’s relatives and could range from 300,000 to 400,000 Saudi Riyal, according to local reports. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency