Day: April 17, 2024

MANILA: The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) is pushing for the designation of the Strait of Hormuz as a ‘high-risk area’ (HRA) to encourage enforcement of stricter safety measures for seafarers passing the route.

DMW officer in charge Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac said that identifying an area as HRA assures Filipino seafarers of their ‘right to refuse’ sailing.

“Ensuring the safety and well-being of our Filipino seafarers is not just a priority, it’s our mission,” Cacdac said in a news release Tuesday.

He said representations would be made to the International Bargaining Forum (IBF), which brings together the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF) and the international maritime employers that comprise the Joint Negotiation Group.

The decision, Cacdac said, stems from the recent seizure by Iranian authorities of the Israel-linked container ship MSC Aries, and the detention of its 25 crewmembers that include four Filipinos, while traversing the Strait of Hormuz.

According to the DMW, design
ating a high-risk area entails increased vigilance and security patrols, mandatory reporting requirements for vessels transiting the area, and recommendations for alternative routes.

In February, the IBF announced the classification of the Gulf of Aden as an HRA.

In late March, the IBF declared the southern portion of the Red Sea and the entire Gulf of Aden as ‘war-like zones’ after the DMW and the Philippines’ Maritime Industry Tripartite Council, recommended the classification.

On March 27, the DMW provided guidelines for observing the designation of the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden as high-risk areas and war-like zones.

‘The DMW is committed to working with various stakeholders in the global maritime industry to achieve this crucial designation of the Strait of Hormuz as an HRA. We believe that only through collective efforts can we ensure the safety of our seafarers,’ Cacdac said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: Iloilo City seeks to raise awareness against illegal drugs with around 11,400 stakeholders joining the Buhay Ingatan Druga’y Ayawan (BIDA) RISE and Run advocacy run covering the over five-kilometer stretch of the city road on April 20.

‘This program is the advocacy of the LGU (local government unit) plus the barangays in the campaign against drugs. BIDA is a flagship program of the DILG,’ said Oscar Lim Jr., Director of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) in an interview on Wednesday.

The program is focused on the pillars of prevention, law enforcement, prosecution, correction, rehabilitation, wellness, and reintegration, he said.

In addition to raising awareness against illegal drugs, the BIDA run also promotes a healthy lifestyle, encourages, especially the youth, to become physically fit, and inspires the community to spend their time doing more productive endeavors rather than resort to illegal drugs.

The run will start from the Iloilo City Hall to Fort San Pedro, P
arola, Muelle Loney, Grand Xing Hotel, Iznart Street, J.M. Basa Street, and back to Iloilo City Hall.

Expected participants will come from the 180 barangays of the city, tanods, students, athletes, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Fire Protection, Armed Forces of the Philippines, government employees, private citizens, running clubs, and even persons who use drugs, who are yet to complete their rehabilitation.

‘Through this activity, the city and barangays would like to show that drugs are not welcome in Iloilo City,’ he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ISTANBUL: The United Arab Emirates saw its heaviest downpour in the past 75 years this week, according to the state weather service.

“The UAE witnessed its heaviest rainfall on record in the past 24 hours. Surpassing anything documented since the start of data collection in 1949,” the National Center of Meteorology said in a statement on Wednesday, as quoted by state news agency WAM.

The rainfall that fell on the country during the past 24 hours “is an exceptional event in the UAE’s climate history since the start of recording climate data,” the center said.

Looking ahead, it expects “that the coming hours will witness the recording of larger amounts of rainfall.”

Fly Dubai airlines has canceled some flights due to bad weather conditions, while many others have been postponed.

The UAE Football Federation also announced the postponement of all local football matches scheduled for Tuesday, with new dates to be determined later.

The UAE’s National Committee for Emergency Management urged residents to stay
at home and follow safety guidelines, and only to leave home in cases of extreme necessity.

In neighboring Oman, the state rescue agency said that heavy rains and flash floods had caused the death of 18 people, including nine schoolchildren.

Omani authorities are engaged in rescue efforts, with schools closed in six governorates, including Muscat, due to dangerous weather conditions.

Moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast for northeastern and northern Oman in the coming days.

Source: Philippines News Agency

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: The ‘Tiringbanay’ (Coming Together) Festival of this capital town of Antique is a venue to give importance to farmers and fisherfolk.

San Jose de Buenavista Mayor Elmer Untaran said on Wednesday that this year’s festival set on April 19 to May 1, coinciding with the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker, will have activities dedicated to their sector.

‘Farmers and fisherfolks will have their special event on April 30,’ he said in a press conference.

Twenty farmers and 16 fisherfolk associations will gather for an exhibit of their products at the Evelio B. Javier Park.

San Jose de Buenavista municipal agriculture officer Lucia Bantolo said the one-day exhibit will provide an opportunity to sell their newly harvested vegetable, such as string beans and fish catch.

‘Our farmers and fisherfolks really faced challenges because of the El Niño phenomenon that we would like to provide them an opportunity where they could sell their products,’ she said.

San Jose de Buenavista incurred PHP32.9 mi
llion in losses on rice crops and PHP220,500 on corn due to drought.

Bantolo further said that in addition to the exhibit, farmers and fisherfolk will also have their song and dance competition on the same day.

There will also be a singing contest among their children.

Other activities during the festival are the beauty pageant, jobs fair, band, motocross, food festival, and street dancing on May 1.

Source: Philippines News Agency

LEGAZPI CITY: More than 2,000 farmers, cooperatives and associations, and two local government units (LGUs) in Camarines Sur have received PHP75 million worth of assistance from the government through the Department of Agriculture.

On Wednesday, Lovella Guarin, DA-Bicol spokesperson, said the agency provided cash assistance under Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) and farm machinery under the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) Program to enhance agricultural development and modernization.

About 2,128 rice farmers received a PHP5,000 cash assistance each for a total of PHP10.64 million, and 28 units of four-wheel drive (4WD) tractors worth PHP64.4 million to 26 farmer cooperatives and associations and the LGUs of Buhi and Pamplona.

“Rice farmers and cooperatives in Camarines Sur were assisted since it performed well as the top six rice-producing province in the country for 2023. The different interventions will boost production and provide easy harvest for our farmers,” Guarin said in a mess
age to the Philippine News Agency.

She said DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. led the awarding and distribution of the assistance last week at the Fuerte CamSur Sports Complex in Pili, Camarines Sur.

Camarines Sur Governor Vincenzo Renato Luigi Villafuerte thanked the DA chief for his support to the province’s agriculture sector.

Jejomar Aguilar, chairman of Monte Calvario Smart Farmers Association (MOCSFA) in Buhi, said the 4WD tractor they received would help them boost productivity.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The local bourse snapped its nine-day losing streak on bargain hunting and higher gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for the Philippines this year, while the peso continued to trade at the 57-level.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) gained 45.07 points, or 0.70 percent higher, to close at 6,450.04.

However, it still failed to lift the index to the 6,500 level.

All Shares, likewise, improved by 20.17 points, or 0.59 percent, to 3,430.02.

Among sectoral indices, only the Property counter recorded losses at 1.74 percent, down to 2,458.75 points.

Financials gained the biggest, with shares up by 2.07 percent to 2,014.34. This was followed by Industrial (+1.46 percent), Mining and Oil (+0.80 percent), Holding Firms (+0.79 percent), and Services (+0.17 percent).

‘Investors took the opportunity to buy bargains near the 6,400 support level,’ Philstocks Financial, Inc. assistant research manager Claire Alviar said.

‘Adding to the positive sentiment, the International Monetary Fund (IMF
) revised its growth forecast for the Philippine economy to 6.2 percent for 2024.’

Advancers led decliners at 98 to 85, leaving 53 counters unchanged.

Meanwhile, the Philippine peso continued to weaken, trading at the 57-level for two straight days.

The peso shed 0.18 on Wednesday, closing at 57.18 to the US dollar from the previous day’s 57 close.

It opened the day weaker at 57.10 from Tuesday’s kick-off at 56.85.

It traded between a low of 57.1 and a high of 57.33, bringing the average level for the day to 57.20 to the greenback.

Those with US dollars took advantage of the higher exchange rate as the volume of trade increased to USD1.9 billion compared to the previous day’s USD1.1 billion.

Source: Philippines News Agency