Day: April 15, 2024

Hanoi: More than 10,000 tours and promotional tourism products at promotional prices were offered to visitors at the Vietnam International Travel Mart (VITM) 2024 which wrapped up in Hanoi on April 14.

Themed ‘Vietnam Tourism – Green Transition for Sustainable Development’, the four-day fair featured more than 450 pavilions from 700 tourism agencies, businesses and organisations across the country and 16 foreign countries and territories, offering a wide variety of activities to visitors, such as tourism exchanges and promotional programmes.

The event also saw nearly 4,000 Vietnamese and international tourism businesses engaged in over 12,000 business to business (B2B) appointments. Nearly 80,000 visitors were estimated to attend the fair.

The VITM has further affirmed its brand and position of a leading tourism promotion event in Vietnam.

As part of the VITM, the national forum on ‘Vietnam Tourism – Green Transition for Sustainable Development’ held on April 12 discussed measures to promote green transit
ion in the smokeless industry and encourage all stakeholders to join hands in turning tourism into a green and circular economic sector. Participants proposed an effective linkage and coordination mechanism to mobilise resources to implement green transformation in tourism and expanding initiatives on green tourism business models.

Vietnam welcomed about 4.6 million international arrivals in the first three months of 2024, a surge of 78.6% year on year, and a rise of 3.2% compared to the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, domestic tourists in the period numbered 30 million and total tourism revenue is estimated at 195 trillion VND (7.8 billion VND)./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

LINGAYEN: Another good news came for a 46-year-old cop who just underwent kidney transplant.

Staff Sgt. Virgilio Sanchez received PHP100,000 in cash from his fellow Pangasinan police officers to cover for his medications and other needs.

The funds were pooled from a shooting competition and personal donations of chiefs of police in the province.

Myrna, the wife of Sanchez who underwent surgery at Region 1 Medical Center in Dagupan City last month, received the money from Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) chief Col. Jeff Fanged on Saturday.

“Malaking tulong sa amin para sa pang-araw araw na gamot niya, lalo na ang mga ito ay anti-rejection (This is a huge help for his daily medication especially since those are anti-rejection medicines),’ she said.

Although the transplant was a success, the battle against renal infection continues.

Myrna said her husband’s kidney problem was discovered in 2021. For two and a half years, he underwent regular dialysis.

“Dialysis was said to prolong the life of th
e patient but there was no guarantee to it. From stage three, his condition elevated to stage five since his two kidneys were already non-responsive to medication. Somebody convinced us to consider kidney transplant,’ she said.

They started looking for donors in June 2021.

Sanchez has been in the police service for more than 20 years now. His last assignment was at Binmaley Police Station.

The PPPO began Project CARES (Compassionate Act towards the Recovery and Encouragement of the Sick) in 2023.

Among their fundraising activities, the semi-annual shooting competition has benefited 21 officers to date.

“Napakalaking bagay (ito) para sa ating mga kasamahan na umaasa lang sa sweldo nila. Wala silang ibang income. ‘Yung financial support na ibibigay natin ay makapagpatawid uli sa kanila ng ilang buwan (This is a huge help for our colleagues who rely solely on their salaries. They do not have other sources of income. The financial support they help them can get them through several months),’ Fangel said.

S
ource: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The recent call of former speaker and Davao del Norte 1st District Rep. Pantaleon Alvarez to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (A.F.P) to withdraw its support for President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is tantamount to an act of sedition or rebellion, some of his colleagues said Monday.

In a statement, Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said Alvarez is ‘stoking the fires of divisiveness’ at a time when the country needs economic gains to address the problems of the nation.

‘The remarks of the former speaker are uncalled for. That is tantamount to an act of sedition or rebellion,’ Pimentel said.

Alvarez issued the remarks during a prayer rally of die-hard supporters of former president Rodrigo R. Duterte in Tagum City on Sunday.

He said the A.F.P should withdraw support from President Marcos to prevent the escalation of the tension with China in the West Philippine Sea due to its illegal encroachment into Philippine territory and exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

‘Now is not the time to b
e divisive when our country is trying to promote our country to be an investment haven to foreign investors. Instead, we should all unite and give our support to President Bongbong Marcos Jr. with his effort for economic reforms,’ Pimentel said.

Meanwhile, Camiguin Rep. Jurdin Jesus Romualdo called on the Department of Justice (DOJ) to investigate Alvarez for the latter’s ‘seditious statement’ and file the necessary charges.

‘The response to the seditious statement should be the immediate filing of a criminal case so that the move to incite people, including the military, to rebel against the government will be nipped in the bud,’ Romualdo said in a separate statement.

He noted that the crime of sedition includes a person’s conduct, remarks or speech inciting the public to move against the state or duly-constituted or elected authority.

‘Clearly, what former speaker Alvarez remarked during a rally in Tagum City falls within the purview of sedition,’ he said.

In another statement, Lanao del Norte 1st Dist
rict Rep. Khalid Dimaporo cautioned Alvarez to choose his words carefully, as his recent ones seem to constitute conduct unbecoming a member of the House of Representatives.

‘I would kindly urge the former speaker to be cautious with his words and clear on his intent. At face value, his anti-government statements are unbecoming of a member of the House of Representatives and may warrant an ethics case against him,’ Dimaporo said.

La Union 1st District Rep. Francisco Paolo Ortega asked Alvarez to instead work with his colleagues and not waste time on destabilizing the administration.

‘We miss you in the House, sir, in plenary sessions and in committee hearings, in which most of us actively participate,’ he said, adding that Alvarez’s concerns can be constructively discussed in the chamber ‘for the nation’s best interests.’

Context

The DOJ said it is studying whether to consider the request of Romualdo for the agency to take official action against Alvarez.

“The department is studying the matter. We must
first see the full context of the statement to see if it indeed rises to the level of sedition,” DOJ spokesperson Mico Clavano said in a message to reporters.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: Consumers are encouraged to tighten their belts as the headline inflation in March accelerated to 3.1 percent, higher than the 2.7 percent in February and 2 percent in January.

‘The main reason was the faster movement on the prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages group with an inflation rate of 5.5 percent and share of 59.3 percent to the uptrend in inflation,’ Nelida Amolar, Chief Statistical Specialist of the Philippine Statistics Authority-Western Visayas, said in a press conference Monday afternoon.

Particularly identified as top indicators were the increase in prices of cereals and cereal products, and meat and other parts of slaughtered land animals, and the slower decline in prices of vegetables.

Based on agricultural data, livestock production was lower during the third quarter of 2023 at 33,000 against the 52,000 posted in 2022.

‘The law of supply and demand. When the production, the supply is low, then the demand will pull the price, so it will be expensive,’ she added.

Also co
ntributing to the 3.1 percent inflation is the 4.8 percent inflation on restaurants and accommodations services and the 2.4 percent inflation rate in transportation.

She, however, stressed that the region ranked third from the lowest compared to the other regions.

The headline inflation also remains low when compared to a year-on-year when the region registered a 9.3 percent rate in March 2023.

She said it means that the peso’s value this year is higher than last year’s.

Source: Philippines News Agency

DAVAO: The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) have launched the first Philippine Leadership Training Programme on Industrial Parks in Mindanao.

Over 70 government officials representing 34 local government units, MinDA, Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao-Economic Zone Authority and the Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority will participate in the program until April 19 at Acacia Hotel in Davao City.

The leadership training aims to equip leaders with essential skills and strategies for industrial parks development, operation, and management.

It aims to accelerate industrial growth and economic development across the Philippines.

UNIDO director general and managing director Fatou Haidara emphasized their commitment to support economic and industrial development in the Philippines by advancing industrial parks as catalysts of growth and transformation.

‘If implemented properly, industrial parks can create ecosystems
that benefit people and the environment, beyond serving as mere business and investment attraction models,” Haidara said via her video message during the opening of the program.

The program includes a series of training sessions covering various aspects of industrial parks where UNIDO experts will share insights and expertise on industrial park models, such as eco-industrial parks and agro-food parks.

It will also highlight lectures on investment and green financing, as well as China’s economic breakthrough and the country’s success stories, contributing knowledge and successful experiences to the discussions.

‘Economic zones are not merely spaces of production but catalysts for change, engines of economic advancement, and bridges to international cooperation. They hold the potential to propel export promotion, attract Foreign Direct Investments, generate employment opportunities, and foster linkages within the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei Darussalam-Indonesia-Malaysia-Philippines East ASEAN Growth Area) community,’
MinDA Executive Director Undersecretary Janet Lopoz said.

Lopoz said there are currently 37 ecozones in Mindanao, with 17 in Davao, 10 in Northern Mindanao, eight in Soccsksargen, and one each in Zamboanga and Caraga.

‘These ecozones encompass various sectors, including agro-industrial, IT parks, manufacturing, and tourism, reflecting the rich tapestry of economic opportunities present in our region,’ she added.

Teddy Monroy, Country Representative for UNIDO in the Philippines, likewise underscored the importance of industrial parks as ‘platforms where the Philippines can maximize the benefits from private sector investments to achieve sustainable economic growth, generate decent quality jobs, and attain human capital development while safeguarding the environment, improving resiliency, and addressing climate change challenges.’

Complementing the international perspectives, local expertise from the Board of Investments and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority will also be integrated into the program.

R
epresentatives from the private sector, including Aboitiz InfraCapital and Zamboanga Economic Zone, will share their valuable experiences and best practices in industrial park development and management, which will be followed by a study tour to Anflo Industrial Park to provide practical insights into real-world industrial park operations in the Philippines.

The program will culminate with a forum titled ‘Unlocking Industrial Economic Opportunities: Leveraging Industrial Parks and Zones in the Philippines,’ consolidating the week’s learnings and guiding participants towards actionable strategies for industrial growth.

Source: Philippines News Agency