Category: General

MANILA: The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Sunday said 29 people died in 34 drowning incidents during the Holy Week break that started on March 27.

The youngest among the 12 minor-aged fatalities was four years old while the oldest was 78, PNP information chief and spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said in a radio interview.

Three are still missing – one each in Rosales, Pangasinan; Jones, Isabela; and Tumauini, Isabela.

Fajardo said most of the drowning cases were reported in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, Quezon) with 10; followed by Ilocos and Cagayan Valley Regions with six each; and Bicol Region with five deaths.

Two children were also saved, a four-year-old boy in Ilocos Sur and another one in Aurora province.

‘In Ilocos Sur, our personnel were able to successfully perform CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) on a four-year-old boy. We also deployed SAR (Search and Rescue)-trained personnel in Aurora and this led to the rescue of another drowning victim,’ Fajardo said.

More than 52,
000 police officers were deployed across the country for Lenten security, including those highly trained in lifesaving.

Overall, Fajardo said the Holy Week was generally peaceful.

‘We are still on heightened alert status [until Monday] because we are expecting the return of millions of people from the provinces starting Sunday,’ Fajardo said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: Existing staff working in the oil sector, and those who work building construction on the sea, electricity plants and marine industry can move to work in various technical positions in the offshore wind sector.

That’s the opinion shared by many experts at a recent workshop titled “Career Opportunities in the Offshore Wind Industry” hosted by the Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), one of the world’s largest offshore wind developers from Denmark, and the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering under Hanoi University of Science and Technology.

With reference to the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), which was approved on 15th May 2023, Vietnam plans to increase the capacity of offshore wind from zero at the present to 6GW by 2030 and a vision of 70 – 91.5 GW by 2050 to contribute to net zero targets established at COP26.

To achieve this goal, developers and contractors need to have an available and appropriately skilled workforce for each phase of renewable energy projects, and with off
shore wind, the scale and variety of this workforce has huge potential.

Stuart Livesey, who presented at the workshop, said: ‘CIP will need a qualified workforce for our portfolio of future projects. La Gan as an example if built out to its full 3.5GW capacity, will require over 45,000 FTE employees throughout its lifetime (FTE = 1 full time employee for a year). CIP seeks to support Vietnam and its people in benefiting from the employment aspects of the high-tech offshore wind industry, and also to allow Vietnam to become a major renewable energy export hub for the future to APAC and beyond.”

Throughout the life cycle of an offshore wind farm (about 35-45 years), a number of positions are needed in all three main phases including Development, Construction and Operation, while some other positions will only be involved for one or two phases of the project. The Construction phase has the highest demand for human resources (accounting for 49% of total jobs created throughout the project life cycle), follow
ed by the Operations and Maintenance phase (35%), the Development phase (10%), and the Decommissioning phase (6%).

Among these positions, some are completely new and have never existed in Vietnam yet, such as the positions in charge of analysing wind output, manufacturing monopile foundations, installing offshore wind turbines, maintaining offshore turbine blades, and operating and maintaining offshore wind turbines.

While offshore wind is a completely new industry in Vietnam, many roles within this industry can be undertaken by people from other industries who can transition relatively easily, such as oil and gas exploration and production, nearshore and onshore wind projects, and onshore construction, which share similar engineering, safety, and working practices. However, this experience is by no means a must.

Key training

There are many different certifications or other training requirements that may be needed to work on offshore wind projects.

Currently in Vietnam, some long-term programmes can
already support offshore wind projects of the future, such as Coastal and Offshore Engineering, Oil and Gas, Construction Engineering, Logistics and Supply Chain Management, Maritime Navigation, Mechanical Engineering, Power Management, Ship Control, Ship Machinery, Renewable Energy, Geological engineering, and Environmental engineering. This training can be completed in several Vietnamese universities, including (but not exclusive to) University of Science and Technology, Electric Power University, University of Civil Engineering and Maritime University.

Alternatively, some short-term programs, including Basic Safety, Rescue Training, Enhanced First Aid, and Basic Technical Training, also provide necessary skills for some technical offshore wind jobs.

Supporting PDP8 goals

Offshore wind power projects bring many socio-economic benefits through job creation for Vietnamese people and the development of the local supply chain.

During the early stages of the industry, clear and encouraging policies will he
lp investors have the necessary certainty to make long-term commitments and decide on billions of dollars in investments, while local contractors can proactively plan their production and recruitment activities and the universities can proactively update and adjust curriculum to better prepare graduates for the future workplace.

‘It usually takes at least six years for an offshore wind project to move from survey licensing to commercial operation,’ said Stuart. ‘Therefore, to achieve the target of 6GW of offshore wind power by 2030 which can contribute to realising Vietnam’s net zero commitment by 2050, it is essential to issue the pilot mechanism for offshore wind development in 2024, and in the meantime, gradually complete the related policies and regulations. We are ready and committed to delivering this in Vietnam, and the legacy of studies and preparation undertaken on the La Gan project means this is ideally placed to function as a pilot project under such a fast-track pilot mechanism. Our willingness
to work transparently with state-owned enterprises and local developers, means CIP can contribute to sharing knowledge and skills with Vietnam’s industry, and also learning directly more about the needs and nuances to deliver mega-scale power projects in Vietnam.”

At the same event, the publication titled “Offshore wind workforce” compiled by CIP was launched in both English and Vietnamese.

The guide provides an overview of the workforce demand throughout the Development, Construction, and Operation phases of an offshore wind farm, a list of typical jobs, and detailed job descriptions of over 70 different positions. It also shows the necessary skills and qualifications, and available training programmes in Vietnam that can support entrance in this industry.

Founded in 2012, Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP) today is the world’s largest dedicated fund manager within greenfield renewable energy investments and a global leader in offshore wind. The funds managed by CIP focus on investments in offshore
and onshore wind, solar PV, biomass and energy-from-waste, transmission and distribution, reserve capacity, storage, advanced bioenergy, and Power-to-X (batteries, ammonia, green hydrogen).

CIP manages 12 funds and has raised approximately US$30 billion for energy investments and has established a market-leading renewables pipeline of approximately 120GW of energy projects across technologies and geographies. Almost half of this renewable energy portfolio (over 60GW) constitutes offshore wind

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: The Smart Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC) Beach Tour Nuvali Open featuring 46 teams will be held at Nuvali Sand Courts in Santa Rosa, Laguna from April 4 to 7.

It is the country’s second major international tournament since the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour Challenge in December.

The Philippine team under Brazilian coach Joao Luciano Kiodai and Mayi Molit-Prochina is composed of four pairs, namely Gen Eslapor and Kly Orillaneda, Alexa Polidario and Jenny Gaviola, James Buytrago and Rancel Varga, and Ranran Abdilla and AJ Pareja.

The women’s division features three teams from Australia, Japan and Thailand; two from Hong Kong, Singapore, Kazakhstan and New Zealand; and Indonesia, Macau and Malaysia.

The men’s division has three teams each from Australia, Japan and Thailand; two each from Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Iran and New Zealand; and from China, Malaysia, Hongkong, Singapore and Macau.

‘The Philippines has become a destination for both regional [Asia and Southeast Asia] and international v
olleyball competitions and we are proud of that distinction, especially because we are world championship host for the first time next year,’ Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) president Ramon Suzara said in a statement on Sunday.

Tickets to the Smart AVC Beach Tour Nuvali Open are now available at www.ticketmax.ph, including the day pass worth PHP220.

The 2023 Philippine National Games and Batang Pinoy were also held at the world-class Nuvali Sand Courts.

The AVC Beach Tour is one of six international tournaments that the PNVF is organizing this year, ahead of the historic FIVB Volleyball Men’s World Championship 2025.

Nuvali will also host the Volleyball World Beach Pro Tour-Futures on April 11 to 14 and Volleyball World Pro Tour Challenge in November.

The other events are the Volleyball Nations League Men’s Week 3 on June 18 to 23; 5th AVC Challenge Cup for Women in May; and 4th Southeast Asia V League Week 2 in July.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has designated Lt. Gen. Emmanuel Peralta as the officer-in-charge (OIC) of the Philippine National Police (PNP) following the retirement of Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr.

‘In the exigency of the service, and to ensure the continuous and effective delivery of service, please be informed that Police Lieutenant General Emmanuel Baloloy Peralta is designated as concurrent Officer-in-Charge, Office of the Chief, PNP, effective 31 March 2024, until a replacement is appointed or until otherwise directed by this office,’ read a memorandum signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin.

The memorandum, dated March 27, was addressed to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr.

The PNP is an attached agency of the DILG.

A member of the Philippine Military Academy “Sambisig” Class of 1991, Peralta serves as deputy chief for administration, the police force’s second highest post.

Likewise, he has served as Chief of the Directorial Staff, and
previously led the Police Regional Office 1 in Ilocos Region and the Southern Police District of Metro Manila.

Acorda was supposed to step down as the country’s top cop last December after turning 56, the compulsory age of retirement of PNP officers.

However, the President extended his term until March 31.

He will officially relinquish his post in a retirement ceremony in Camp Crame, Quezon City on Monday.

Shortly after Malacañang confirmed Peralta’s designation, the PNP assured the public and the President of continued commitment to carrying it out its mandate to serve and protect the Filipino people.

The PNP said it will continue to uphold the principles of servant leadership and expects Peralta to ‘introduce additional programs aimed at enhancing our administrative and operational capabilities’ in the coming days.

‘We urge all members of the Philippine National Police to rally behind our new Officer-in-Charge and work together towards our shared goals of ensuring the safety and security of our fellow
Filipinos,’ the PNP statement read.

‘Together, we will uphold the principles of service, integrity, and excellence as we fulfill our duty to serve and protect the Filipino people,’ it added.

Earlier, PNP information chief and spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo said the 232,000-strong police will be supporting whoever will be designated as next PNP chief.

“We are prepared and in fact we are rehearsing for tomorrow’s (Monday) turnover,’ Fajardo said in a radio interview.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ANKARA: Italian football team Napoli’s players took a knee before a league match Saturday to support their Brazilian teammate, Juan Jesus, who claimed he was racially abused during a match.

Before kick-off against Atalanta which the defending Italian champions lost 3-0 and is in the eighth spot in the league table at Naples’ Diego Armando Maradona Stadium, Napoli players kneeled to support Jesus, who is black.

Earlier in March, Jesus claimed that Inter Milan and Italian defender Francesco Acerbi, 36, directed a racial slur at him in an Italian Serie A match between Inter and Napoli that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Jesus, 32, told the referee of the match held March 17 in Milan that he was racially abused by his opponent.

Earlier this week, the Napoli defender said he was “crestfallen” as Acerbi confirmed that he would not face sanctions for allegedly abusing Jesus.

On Tuesday, an Italian top-flight league’s sports judge dismissed the case for lack of evidence.

“I have read several times and with great disappoi
ntment the decision of the sports judge, who felt there was no evidence that I was the victim of a racist insult during the match between Inter and Napoli on 17 March. While respecting the decision, it is one I find difficult to comprehend and it leaves me feeling very bitter,” Jesus said in his statement.

Acerbi will be able to play for Italian leaders Inter in their match against Empoli on April 1.

The Italian international denied the allegations.

But Acerbi was excluded from Italy’s squad for friendlies against Venezuela and Ecuador.

Acerbi, a former Lazio defender, helped Italy clinch the EURO 2020 title.

Source: Philippines News Agency

HCM City: The Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee on March 30 held a ceremony to receive the certificate of membership of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities.

Speaking at the event, Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Council Nguyen Thi Le described the city’s membership of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities as a great honour, saying that this is the result of a process of building a lifelong learning environment for people in the city, demonstrates the world’s recognition of the policies, commitments, and efforts of Vietnam in general and Ho Chi Minh City in particular in ensuring quality, equitable, comprehensive education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for everyone, thus contributing to raising the status of Vietnam’s education in the international arena.

According to Le, this is also an opportunity for all people and the city’s administration to continue to put forward action programmes to make the southern metropolis a place where all people, regardless of their age,
or nationality, can continue to learn.

Moreover, becoming a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities will create an open learning environment where each citizen can develop the skills and knowledge needed to adapt and thrive in the digital world.

The city is committed to continuing to work closely with other members of the network to share experiences, learn and build better learning environments for all, Le said.

Jonathan Wallace Baker, Chief Representative of the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation) in Vietnam, said that Ho Chi Minh City is a vibrant economic and cultural centre of Vietnam and the region.

He added that the UNESCO is very interested in the city’s initiative on building a set of criteria on happy schools, based on the UNESCO’s global happy schools framework. This model will be at the heart of educational innovation, placing happiness as a key factor in improving learning quality.

Duong Anh Duc, Vice Chairman of the HCM City People’s Comm
ittee, said as a member of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities, the city will have more action programmes to ensure lifelong learning for people.

On this occasion, the municipal People’s Committee launched an action programme to build a “UNESCO global learning city” in the 2024 – 2030 period in the city./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency