Day: March 12, 2024

DAVAO: Dabawenyos and tourists coming to the city for the Araw ng Dabaw activities throughout the month are advised to take precautions against the extreme heat brought about by the El Niño weather phenomenon.

In an interview on Tuesday, City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CDRRMO) chief Alfredo Baloran said participants and merrymakers are advised to limit sun exposure to avoid sunburn and hives and to prevent even more severe health risks, such as heatstroke and skin cancer.

Baloran cited a Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) El Niño Advisory, which projected the heat index to reach 35 to 37 degrees Celsius from March 8-12. The dry season, he noted, is expected to last until May.

“Our heat index is very high. That is the advisory for the public, especially since we have activities for the Araw ng Dabaw,” he said, adding that everyone should keep hydrated, especially those participating in events that are directly under the sun’s heat.

CDRR
MO-911 responders will be deployed to key areas of the festivities to respond to emergencies caused by the extreme heat, he added.

Baloran said foot medics, ambulance and DRRMC personnel are trained to respond to medical emergencies, and will be stationed near areas of convergence for the Araw ng Dabaw.

The CDRRMO also advised the public to take extra measures for the weather, as rain showers have also been experienced amid the extreme heat.

“Our reminder is that it is hot during the daytime, and there are scattered rain showers and localized thunderstorms in the afternoon. Slowly, the La Niña (phenomenon) is coming, so we are also preparing (for that)),” Baloran said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The government’s task force against El Niño assured the public Tuesday that mitigation efforts to cushion the impact of La Niña will be put in place.

This as the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) recently raised a La Niña Watch even as the country is still dealing with the effects of El Niño or extreme drought.

According to Task Force El Niño spokesperson and Presidential Communications Office Assistant Secretary Joey Villarama, preparing for La Niña is among the mandates of the inter-agency task force based on the executive order issued by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. early this year.

‘Kung pagbabasehan po natin ‘yung Executive Order (EO) No. 53 Reconstituting and Reactivating Task Force El Niño, nakalagay din po doon ‘(we have to) prepare mitigation measures for El Niño and La Niña (If we base it on Executive Order No. 53 Reconstitution and Reactivating Task Force El Niño, it is also stated there that we have to prepare mitigation measures
for El Niño and La Niña as well),’ Villarama told reporters in an interview.

He said that the focus areas include food security, water security, energy security, public health, and public safety.

Likewise, low-lying and flood-prone areas will be closely monitored in close collaboration with the respective local government units, the official said.

La Niña is characterized by cooler sea surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific which triggers above-average rainfall in the country.

According to PAGASA, the probability of the La Niña phenomenon occurring in the next six months is at 55 percent.

Although the imposition of a La Niña Watch is not a guarantee that the phenomenon will develop, Villarama said the government will still prepare for any eventuality.

‘Sana po ang panalangin natin hindi po humantong doon sa delubyo ulit ‘yung pagbabaha pero rest assured po naghahanda din po ang government, lahat ng sangay ng gobyerno for that eventuality. (We are hoping and praying that it wo
uld not lead to another catastrophe, but rest assured that all branches of the government is also preparing for that eventuality),’ he said.

The El Niño weather phenomenon has so far caused over PHP1.23 billion in agricultural damage across the country.

Marcos issued EO 53 in January to streamline, reactivate, and reconstitute the old El Niño task forces under EO 16 (s. 2001) and Memorandum Order 38 (s. 2019).

Under EO 53, the President directed the task force to develop a comprehensive disaster preparedness and rehabilitation plan for El Niño and La Niña to provide ‘systematic, holistic, and results-driven interventions’ to help the public minimize their effects.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) has partnered with an educational firm to help them in providing cybersecurity courses.

In a news release on Tuesday, TESDA said it signed a partnership with CybersCool Defcon, Inc. on March 6, with the goal of providing skills training, assessment and certification on cybersecurity as well as other information technology-related skills.

‘Through this collaboration, we can ensure a secure and reliable cyberspace for every Filipino. [With our partnership with CybersCool], TESDA can now provide training to confront emerging risks, threats, and attacks on [cyberspace] and cyber terrorism in the country,’ TESDA Secretary Suharto Mangudadatu said during the partnership signing ceremony.

Both institutions will develop, enhance and validate TESDA’s competency standards, training regulations, competency-based curriculum and assessment tools.

The TESDA said CybersCool will donate facilities, equipment, supplies and softwares.

While TESDA cou
rses are open to everyone, the TESDA said the partnership with CybersCool targets those who are 18 years old and above, high school graduates, the unemployed and underemployed.

Other beneficiaries from the public sector will also be accepted in accordance with TESDA’s agreement with concerned government agencies or instrumentalities, it added.

‘These training courses support the policy directives on cybersecurity given by our President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as embodied in the National Cybersecurity Plan of 2023-2028 which calls on the entire public and private sectors to give utmost priority in addressing and responding to the threats involving the recent waves of cyberattacks and cybercrimes in the country,’ CybersCool chair Reynato was quoted as saying.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Maguindanao Norte: Authorities arrested two suspected big-time drug peddlers and seized from them PHP1.7 million shabu during a drug buy-bust here Monday afternoon.

‘The operation was conducted with the help of other law enforcement agencies against the suspects in Barangay Makir, Datu Odin Sinsuat town,’ said ‘Agent Datu,’ head of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) in Maguindanao del Norte.

He identified the suspects only as ‘Longhair’ and ‘Amier,’ of Talitay and Datu Odin Sinsuat towns, respectively. They have been suspected of distributing prohibited drugs in Cotabato City and Maguindanao provinces.

‘They did not resist arrest but were visibly surprised that they were dealing with an undercover agent,’ Datu said of the suspects, who yielded five sachets of suspected shabu, weighing some 253 grams.

He said the duo had been placed on an intelligence-driven operation for two weeks before their arrest.

Detained at the PDEA-BARMM facility, the suspects will be charged with violation of RA 9165 o
r the Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ROME: Negotiations for peace in Ukraine should come only after Russia stops its aggression, the Vatican’s Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Tuesday.

In an interview with the Italian daily Corriere della Sera, Parolin said that it was ‘obvious’ that both countries should create the conditions to negotiate a cease-fire but that “first of all it should be the aggressors who stop firing.”

The interview comes after comments by Pope Francis that Ukraine should ‘show the courage of the white flag’ and start talks to end the war caused a stir in Ukraine.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry summoned the papal nuncio on Monday to express disappointment at the Pope’s remarks.

In an attempt to defuse tensions caused by the pontiff’s comments, Parolin said that the Pope’s appeal is for the creation of the conditions ‘for a diplomatic solution seeking a fair and lasting peace.’

‘The Holy See is worried about the risk of an enlargement of the war,’ he said.

He also clarified that he considered Russia as the a
ggressor in the war in Ukraine and that it is up to that country to take diplomatic steps for its end.

‘The same human will that caused this tragedy also has the possibility and the responsibility to take steps to end it and to open the way to a diplomatic solution,’ Parolin told the newspaper.

Parolin also commented on the war in Gaza, comparing it with the conflict in Ukraine.

‘Both situations have in common the fact that they have dangerously grown beyond any acceptable limit, that we don’t manage to solve them, that they have an impact on many countries and that there can’t be a solution without serious negotiations,’ he said.

‘I am worried about the hatred they are generating. When would it be possible to heal such deep wounds?’

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has produced another top-notch licensure examinee in the person of Angeline Ilagan from Imus, Cavite.

Angeline, a former monitored child of the DSWD-4Ps, secured the 2nd top spot in the February 2024 Criminologist Licensure Examination (CLE). She finished her Bachelor of Science in Criminology from the Cavite State University.

‘We are proud of Angeline and we congratulate her for this achievement. She is the latest addition to the list of former 4Ps monitored children who have topped various board examinations,’ DSWD Assistant Secretary for Strategic Communications Romel Lopez said in a news release on Tuesday.

As of the latest count by the 4Ps National Program Management Office under Director Gemma Gabuya, the government’s anti-poverty flagship program has already produced 41 topnotchers in different fields across the country.

Since 2016 up to the present, the 4Ps now have 32,000 college gradu
ates. Of this number, 82 graduated Magna Cum Laude, 1,135 Cum Laude, and 132 finished their collegiate course with Special Distinctions.

Angeline, together with her twin sister, Angelica, has been a 4Ps monitored child since Grade 5. She said that 4Ps has helped her and Angelica, meet their school needs until their senior year.

‘Lahat po ng pagsisikap at pagod ko sa pag-aaral ay para po sa aking pamilya(All my perseverance and sacrifices to study are for my family),’ Angeline said.

Aside from Angeline, 28 other 4Ps monitored children from various regions passed the CLE. One of them is Precious Anne Aguyen who graduated Cum Laude from the F.L. Vargas College, Inc. in Abulug Campus, Cagayan province.

The board passers are now part of the 4Ps roster of board examination passers numbering to 4,142, as of March.

‘We also extend our congratulations to these board passers,’ Lopez said.

He added that the achievement of these former monitored children of 4Ps is a testament that the program is on track with its o
bjective to break the inter-generational cycle of poverty through education.

‘Ang tagumpay na nakamit ng mga batang ito ay isang patunay na ang 4Ps, lalo na ang aspeto ng programa na investment sa edukasyon ay nakatutulong sa ating mahihirap na kababayan upang mapataas ang antas ng kanilang pamumuhay(The success achieved by these children is proof that the 4Ps, especially the aspect of the program that invests in education, contributes to improving the quality of life of our poor and marginalized countrymen),’ he said.

4Ps is the flagship program of the national government on poverty reduction and social development implemented by the DSWD.

It provides cash grants to extremely poor households to improve their health, nutrition, and education, particularly for children aged 0-18.

To date, the program has 4.4 million household beneficiaries nationwide.

Source: Philippines News Agency