Category: General

The Cathedral of St. Catherine of Alexandria in this capital city, which is the seat of the Diocese of Dumaguete, will soon commence an extensive restoration as its centuries-old structure continues to deteriorate. Monsignor Julius Perpetuo Heruela, chairperson of the Diocesan Commission on Church Cultural Heritage, told the Philippine News Agency on Tuesday that the Cathedral requires both interior and exterior retrofitting for conservation purposes and public safety. ‘The project will be funded by the Church but we are hoping to encourage participation from generous donors and get technical assistance from the National Heritage Commission of the Philippines (NHCP) so that the program of work will be according to conservation standards,’ Heruela said in mixed English and Filipino. It will be spearheaded by the Cathedral Parish, headed by its parish priest, Msgr. Robert Bongoyan. The Cathedral restoration will require some PHP30 million to PHP50 million and will be done in phases, he said. The first phase would be the altar, which is targeted for completion before Nov. 25, the fiesta of the diocese’s patron saint, St. Catherine of Alexandria. Another component in the restoration project is the clearing of vegetation growth outside the church structure and belfry, Heruela said. A stakeholders’ meeting is scheduled on July 14 to inform them of the massive project and to get their sentiments and input. Meanwhile, the Diocese of Dumaguete will host this year’s National Convention for Church Cultural Heritage from Nov. 27 to Dec. 1. This will gather some 200 church heritage workers from across the country to this capital city, Heruela said. The priest stressed the need for heritage conservation of the church, not only for aesthetic purposes but also to help deepen the faith of the people and connect the past and the present. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

Some 58,691 registered voters are expected to participate in a plebiscite on July 8 to ratify the conversion of the municipality of Carmona into a component city of Cavite province, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday said. In a Viber message, Comelec spokesperson Rex Laudiangco told reporters that there will be 10 designated voting centers in Carmona’s 116 clustered precincts. For the plebiscite schedule, registered voters may cast their votes from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m., which shall be followed by the canvassing of votes. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. signed on Feb. 23 a law converting the municipality of Carmona into a component city. The converted town will now be known as the ‘City of Carmona” which will remain under the jurisdiction of Cavite province. RA 11938 mandates the holding of a plebiscite in Carmona for the ratification of its conversion as a component city. Meanwhile, the Comelec launched the Carmona Plebiscite Final Joint Security Command Conference on Monday. The Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Fire Protection and other stakeholders joined the Comelec in their final gearing up for the plebiscite. Among the agendas discussed were stringent safety measures during the plebiscite, gun ban implementation, peace and order situation and the advantages of the cityhood of Carmona. The Comelec earlier announced the implementation of a gun ban in Carmona from June 8 to July 15. For its part, the Cavite Police Provincial Office vowed to assist and support the poll body to ensure a safe and orderly plebiscite. ‘As the regional director of the foremost police regional office in the country, I have full confidence in the abilities and dedication of each and every member of our security forces together with the support of the Comelec 4A and the local government unit of Carmona and the province of Cavite,” Calabarzon regional director Brig. Gen. Carlito Gaces said. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Pangasinan Police Provincial Office (PPPO) has raised PHP855,000 from a two-day shoot-for-a-cause fest that will be given as assistance to their sick colleagues and their dependents. In a phone interview on Tuesday, PPPO director Jeff Fanged said a portion of the money raised during the June 24 to 25 event would be given to 20 police personnel and their dependents while the rest of the amount would be for the construction of a Day Care Center for the children of the personnel. ‘The idea is for our personnel not to worry about their little children while they are at work. They could bring their children to the center. This project is aligned with the five focus agenda of our chief PNP, one of which is personnel morale and welfare,’ Fanged said. ‘Isinama natin yong mga dependents ng mga pulis na may serious condition (We have included the dependents of the police who have serious condition),’ he said. Fanged said Rep. Sandro Marcos personally donated PHP100,000 for the said project. More than 490 participants took part in the shootfest. The awarding of the winners and turn-over of the financial grant to the beneficiaries will be on July 10. Fanged said aside from this financial grant, the PPPO has also partnered with the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC) for the medical needs of the policemen. ‘We have an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) na lahat ng Philippine National Police (PNP) forces kasama ang dependents nila ay libre pag nagpa-confine doon sa R1MC. Kinuha nila listahan ng lahat ng maintenance medicines ng ating terminally ill policemen at they will also provide (We have an MOU that states that all PNP forces and their dependents will be accommodated for confinement in R1MC for free. They have the list of all those who have maintenance medicines of the terminally-ill policemen and they will provide),” Fanged said. “Napakalaking bagay para sa ating mga kasamahan na umaasa lang sa sweldo nila, wala silang ibang income. Yong financial support na ibibigay natin ay makapagpatawid uli sa kanila ng ilang buwan (This is a huge thing for our colleagues who only rely on their salaries and have no other source of income. The financial support they will get from us will again get them through another month),’ he added. The PPPO has already conducted two other shootfests, with the proceeds from the first one donated to a religious group in Urdaneta City while the second one held in April was given as financial assistance to their terminally ill personnel

Source: Philippines News Agency

In a bid to implement development similar to Singapore, the city government here on Tuesday launched a program that will promote health and well-being among the Cebuanos through nutrition, physical exercises, and sports. Daisy Villa, head of the Cebu City Health Office, said the city has a different version of celebrating Nutrition Month, stressing the city’s endeavor to promote components of diet and sustenance to the populace. She said the role of the youth in the city will take centerstage in the information drive to promote to the residents the importance of proper diet and daily exercise. ‘The youth is the hope and the future of our society. Let’s take care both their nutritional needs and physical activities that will promote their well-being,’ Villa said in her speech during the opening of the Nutrition Month at the Plaza Sugbo here. As implemented in the past years, the city will tap the City Nutrition Scholars (CNS) and the Barangay Health Workers (BHW) in cascading programs down to the 80 villages here. She said the CNS and BHW will oversee sports competitions for women and children in the barangays, to instill among households physical training that will promote not only the well-being of individual members of the family but also foster camaraderie among village folks. The local health office, she said, will also monitor nutrition-related activities of the barangay to ensure the success of the National Nutrition Council’s program in combatting malnutrition. ‘BHW and CNS in each area (village) should also participate in the sports or games to measure not only their skills in cooking healthy food and teaching children to eat vegetables and other nutritious food but also their strength in doing their daily chores,’ Villa said. She urged Cebuano parents to teach their children on the basics of proper nutrition and physical exercises help the city become progressive and Singapore-like. (PNA)

Source: Philippines News Agency

Albay 2nd District Representative Joey Salceda on Tuesday offered Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Frasco his help and to discuss ways of going forward after the controversy surrounding the agency’s use of stock footage of other countries in the promotional video of the ‘Love the Philippines’ campaign. In a message sent to reporters, Salceda admitted he criticized openly, explaining that this is needed as a legislator and representative of the people in his district. “I asked her to fire the consultant, and she did. I asked her to correct mistakes and investigate internally, and she did. I asked her to be more inclusive with destinations featured, and she did. When we resume session in Congress, we will seek facts, she is open. We can disagree without malice,” he said. Salceda also said he was not joining calls for the Tourism secretary to resign and instead advised her to focus on ways forward. ‘Once the controversy about this rebranding effort passes, we will still need to fix our airports, our accommodations, our accessibility. So, no, I will not join calls for her to resign. Certainly not when a lot of it is premised on speculation. I focused on facts in my criticisms. I want to focus on facts on the solutions,” he said. Salceda also asked everyone to help Frasco. “I would like to summon the collective intellect, energy, and innovativeness of the brightest minds in advertising and promotions to help the DOT.” Albay will help her, he added. “I offer her my personal experience as former governor of Albay, when we grew foreign tourist arrivals by 4,700 percent and became the country’s rising tourism star. Albay has 1.32 tourists per resident, pre-pandemic, higher than the 0.57 per resident number nationally. It’s one of the best – if not the best, pound-for-pound,’ Salceda noted. Salceda was a highly-commended governor who was given the first Tourism Star award by the DOT in 2015 for his efforts in making Albay a leading tourist destination. Recently, he was also given the Special Grand Tourism Award by the Manila Overseas Press Club. ‘I also want to work with her on the Bicol International Airport, and other issues. Let’s move forward,” Salceda said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Former Defense Secretary, now Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) Chairperson Delfin Lorenzana, has received The Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star from the Japanese government as he played a vital role in strengthening the defense ties between the Philippines and Japan. In a statement Tuesday, the BCDA said Japan Emperor Naruhito, through Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko, bestowed the award in a ceremony last June 30 in Makati City. Since 1875, Japan confers The Order of the Rising Sun to both Japanese and foreigners who made exceptional achievements in their fields. The Japanese envoy here said Japan has conferred the national decoration to Lorenzana as an embodiment of the Japanese government’s deepest appreciation for the ex-defense chief’s ‘exemplary leadership and progressive achievements’. Koshikawa said “the resolute dedication and hard work put in by Honorable Lorenzana in building our defense relationship warrants tantamount recognition. This decoration embodies the deepest appreciation of the Government of Japan for his exemplary leadership and progressive achievements.” He lauded Lorenzana’s leadership as Secretary of the Department of National Defense (DND) for six years and expressed his appreciation for his ‘determination in realizing deeper defense ties between Japan and the Philippines in a wide range of areas.’ These fields, he said, include the activation of enhanced defense exchanges, expansion of Japan Self-Defense Forces’ (JSDF) participation in training opportunities, and implementation of capacity-building support in the field of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. ‘The outcomes of these efforts under Hon. Lorenzana’s leadership contributed to accelerating the defense cooperation between Japan and the Philippines,’ the Japanese Embassy in Manila said on Tuesday. Lorenzana was the Secretary of the Department of National Defense from 2016 to 2022. During his term as defense chief, the Implementing Arrangements concerning the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology was signed. Several military equipment, such as five TC90 maritime reconnaissance aircraft for the Philippine Navy, the search and rescue equipment for the Philippine Army, and the PHP1-billion worth UH1H or ‘Huey’ helicopter spare parts for the Philippine Air Force, were also transferred by Japan to the Philippines. Lorenzana also signed the contract for procuring four air surveillance radar systems amounting to USD103 million for the Philippine Air Force from Japanese manufacturer Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in 2018. He also participated in the first 2+2 Defense and Foreign Affairs ministerial meetings in Tokyo in April 2022, where the two governments discussed issues of common interest for Manila and Tokyo. ‘I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to the people and nation of Japan for their enduring support, friendship, and belief in the bilateral relations of our two countries,’ he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency