Day: May 8, 2024

In the southern region culture, muc dong (herdsmen) are more than just men or young boys tending to grazing oxes and cows, they are believed to be the ascendants of ‘Than Nong’ (Shennong – deity of agriculture). In the central province of Da Nang’s Phong Le village, Muc dong festival is held every three years to honour the herdsman’s hard work and the mythical powers of Than Nong. This is the one and only festival in Vietnam held for herdsman. This year, the festival is taking place from May 7 – 8 (March 29 and April 1 in lunar calendar), including three ceremonies and various activities. The first ceremony takes place at the local temple worshipping Than Nong, then the procession walks from the temple to ‘con Than’ (the deity’s mound) for a second ceremony. The second ceremony invites the deity’s spirit to join the festival, followed by another procession to carry the spirit to the village’s communal house. The third ceremony takes place inside the communal house, where heads of households pray for their fa
mily’s well-being, prosperity and bumper crop. After the ceremony, locals sing and dance about Than Nong and pray for favourable weather. The event re-enacts a traditional ritual practice of locals in Hoa Vang district, with the aim to educate younger generations on local culture and to attract visitors to the district.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: National University and University of Santo Tomas will dispute the UAAP Season 86 men’s and women’s volleyball titles after taking different routes to the finals.

The fourth-ranked UST Golden Spikers completed their sweep of the top-seeded Far Eastern University Tamaraws, 25-18, 21-25, 26-24, 26-24, at Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City on Wednesday.

Outside hitter and reigning Most Valuable Player Josh Ybañez made 19 points and 13 excellent receptions for the Golden Spikers, who forced the decider following a 25-23, 25-19, 28-26 victory on Sunday.

It was the first time that a fourth-ranked volleyball team made the finals since the Final Four format was introduced in 2004.

Three-time defending champion NU eliminated De La Salle, 25-23, 22-25, 25-22, 25-21, in the first game.

NU won last year via a sweep of UST, but the Golden Spikers mastered the Bulldogs in the elimination round this season.

‘Actually, I just let them play the whole match, I had little interference. I was actually a cheerlea
der earlier, not their coach. I let them play and they delivered,’ UST head coach Odjie Mamon after the two hour and 23-minute match.

Both Santo Tomas teams are headed to the finals for the first time since Seasons 72 and 73 after the second-seeded women’s team dethroned De La Salle University, 25-20, 16-25, 25-20, 19-25, 15-7, also on Sunday.

It will take on top-seeded NU, which finally disposed of FEU, 25-13, 27-25, 25-15, late Wednesday.

Bella Belen led the Lady Bulldogs with 21 points, including five aces.

FEU delayed NU’s finals march with a 25-23, 25-17, 25-23 triumph on Saturday.

The UST men’s team won four straight titles in Seasons 70 to 73 but FEU stopped its run in Season 74.

On the other hand, the women’s team beat La Salle in the Season 72 finals but La Salle exacted revenge the following year.

Those were the last volleyball titles of both UST teams.

The best-of-three ‘Battle of Sampaloc’ championship round, referring to the Manila district where both schools are located, will start Satur
day, also at Araneta.

The men’s final will be at 2 p.m. while the women’s match fires off 4 p.m.

Game Two will be at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City on May 15, after the awarding of individual awards at 1 p.m.

If necessary, Game Three will also be at the Pasay Arena on May 18.

Color it yellow

Meanwhile, UST announced another ‘Yellow Day’ on Thursday to show support for the Golden Booters when they face the twice-to-beat University of the Philippines Maroons in the Final Four of men’s football.

Game time is 7 p.m. at the UP Diliman pitch in Quezon City.

UP swept UST in the preliminaries, 2-1 and 4-0.

Defending champion FEU will battle No. 4 Ateneo in the other semi.

The finals will be held May 16.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Taal Volcano is continuously spewing hot gases that could lead to sporadic phreatic eruptions, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Wednesday.

Phivolcs has observed weak phreatic or steam-driven eruption at the Taal Main Crater between 8:27 a.m. to 8:31 a.m., producing white steam-laden plumes 2,000 meters high.

This was likely driven by the continued emission of hot volcanic gases at the Taal Main Crater and could be succeeded by similar events, Phivolcs said in an advisory.

Phreatic eruption occurs when water beneath the ground or on the surface is heated by volcanic activity.

“It means that Taal Volcano is still continuously spewing out hot volcanic gases which leads to sporadic phreatic eruptions since last month,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol said.

Sporadic or unexpected/random phreatic eruptions happen without warning, he said.

“Phreatic eruptions that we have been observing since April are driven by hot volcanic gases, and this may continue for som
e time,” he said.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions have decreased last week and averaged 2,191 tonnes on May 6, Phivolcs said.

Average SO2 emissions since January remain high at 8,913 tonnes/day.

The background levels of volcanic earthquake activity and ground deformation detected at Taal indicate that unrest is unlikely to progress into a magmatic eruption.

Taal Volcano is still under Alert Level 1, which means that it is still in abnormal condition.

Sudden steam-driven or phreatic explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and threaten areas within Taal Volcano Island (TVI) or Taal’s permanent danger zone.

Bacolcol said they would like to remind the public not to venture inside the TVI as phreatic eruptions may take place without warning.

Local government units are urged to continuously monitor and assess preparedness of their communities and undertake response measures to mitigate hazards posed by long-term degassing and related phr
eatic activity.

Pilots are also advised to avoid flying close to the volcano, as airborne ash and ballistic fragments from sudden explosions and wind-remobilized ash may pose hazards to aircraft, Phivolcs said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: The nomination of Violin Virtuoso Gilopez Lopez Kabayao in the “Order of the National Artist” is now being firmed up with the Iloilo City government mapping out a resolution of recommendation through the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

‘Mr. Kabayao’s unparalleled contributions to the arts, particularly in the realm of violin mastery, resonate deeply within our cultural heritage and inspire countless individuals both locally and internationally,’ Mayor Jerry Treñas said in his letter endorsement to the city council.

‘As custodians of our nation’s cultural legacy, endorsing his inclusion in the Order of the National Artist is not only a tribute to his exceptional talent but also a celebration of the rich artistic tapestry of the Filipino people.’

The SP during its regular session on Wednesday tasked the Committee on Tourism, Culture and Historical Affairs chaired by Councilor Rudolph Jeffrey Ganzon to look into the recommendation.

The Iloilo Dinagyang Foundation, Inc. (IDFI), a private organization com
mitted to preserving, promoting, and developing Ilonggo identity through public-private-community convergence, initiated the nomination of the artist as early as December last year.

In a resolution, the foundation said that for the past 70 years, Kabayao has ‘created a substantial and significant body of work and consistently displayed excellence in the practice of their art form, thus enriching artistic expression or style.’

Kabayao was born in 1929 in Negros Occidental, whose roots are from Iloilo.

He is the first Filipino to play at the prestigious Carnegie Hall in New York. He earned a Presidential Award of Merit in 1969, and a President Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1972.

He was dubbed ‘Father of Outreach for Classical Music,’ bringing the music of the masters to the masses for more than six decades starting in the 1950s, holding concerts of classical music for the grassroots in even the most unconventional venues from Aparri to Jolo.

‘Now in his 90s, Kabayao can still play the Scherzo Tarantelle by hear
t, no music sheet, and with exactly the same fervor and timing. ST is a little more than five minutes and one of Weiniawski’s most difficult pieces for violin and piano,’ said Joy de Leon, deputy assistant to the IDFI president.

The Order of National Artists (Order ng Pambansang Alagad ng Sining) is the highest recognition given to Filipino individuals who made significant contributions to the development of Philippine arts, namely music, dance, theatre, visual arts, literature, film, broadcast arts, and architecture and allied arts.

It is jointly administered by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) and conferred by the President of the Philippines.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The civil society group “Atin Ito Coalition” is free to hold its “peace and solidarity regatta” aimed at installing markers and buoys in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) on May 15, an official of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said Wednesday.

“The NTF-WPS has no objections to the planned civilian mission to support our fishermen in Bajo de Masinloc. But since it’s a civilian mission, the NTF-WPS has no participation in organizing the activity,” the task force’s spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said in a message to the Philippine News Agency.

Two civilian vessels and about 100 fishing boats are expected to take part in this activity.

Malaya, who is also National Security Council assistant director general, said the group is still seeking clearance from the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to “ensure maritime safety for all participants of the said mission.”

Asked what the government would do if Chinese ships harassed the civilian convoy, he said the “PCG will be there to
ensure maritime safety because that’s their mandate.”

In a separate message, National Security Adviser Eduardo Año said the group’s mission to the Bajo de Masinloc falls under the “freedom to travel” provision of the Bill of Rights under the 1987 Constitution.

“Hence, it will be allowed to pursue its noble voyage to WPS but the participants are reminded also to be cautious,” he said.

Año, who is also NTF-WPS vice chair, said the PCG would provide assistance in terms of protection and provide medical/rescue assistance if necessary.

“In fact, we laud and admire the participants for their nationalistic and patriotic spirit in coming up with this kind of activity to raise the consciousness of the Filipino people in upholding our national interest,” he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency