Category: General

MANILA: Women entrepreneurs take center stage as the country celebrates National Women’s Month with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) in Negros Oriental pushing priority services and programs for every ‘Juana.’

‘Serbisyo Para Kay Juana’ and ‘Juana Make a Mark’ are just two of the priority programs being pushed by the agency to pay tribute to the contribution of women in economic development, DTI-Negros Oriental spokesperson Krystle Jade Bato said in an interview Friday.

‘Juana’ is the female counterpart of Juan dela Cruz, a Spanish name for St. John of the Cross used to refer to anonymous Filipinos.

‘Serbisyo Para Kay Juana’ is a priority lane for women who will apply for business names.

On the other hand, “Juana Make a Mark” is a trademark incentive program of the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) for entrepreneurs who would like to register for a trademark, she added.

Priority is given to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that are either led by females or with
a majority workforce of women, Bato said.

Eligible MSMEs could apply for patent, copyright, or trademark under the ‘Juana Make a Mark’ at a discounted price.

‘A women-led MSME is asked to pay only PHP1,480 when their design or trademark has been approved by IPOPHL,’ Bato said.

A regular filing fee is over PHP4,000.

As of March 8, which is celebrated worldwide as International Women’s Day, some 40 women have already applied for and availed of these services at the DTI main office in this capital city.

Those living in towns and cities may proceed to Negosyo (Business) Centers to avail of the same, the DTI spokesperson said.

Bato said DTI and other government agencies are making sure that the needs and requirements of women entrepreneurs are met and that they are not left behind in the competitive world of business’.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The historical island city of Lapu-Lapu opened Friday its first dialysis center serving the locals suffering from chronic kidney disease.

Following the opening of the 15-bed-capacity center, Mayor Junard Ahong Chan said his constituents would no longer need to cross mainland Cebu to get their hemodialysis sessions.

The center has 15 dialysis machines that can serve 45 patients daily.

The 24-hour daily operation will be administered by two doctors, four nurses and two technicians based on an eight-hour shifting.

The city government entered into a public-private partnership (PPP) with EasaCare Medical and Dialysis Center to make the center operational.

Isabel Abello, chief executive officer (CEO) of EasaCare, and Lapu-Lapu City lone district Rep. Cynthia King Chan, on Friday visited the center during its grand opening.

The congressional district office shouldered the medical assistance and dialysis sessions for the indigent residents of Lapu-Lapu City.

‘Right now, we can allocate PHP110,000 per (
kidney) patient per year,’ King Chan said.

Before undergoing a hemodialysis session, the patient must first go to Lapu-Lapu City Hospital for a laboratory test for endorsement to the dialysis center.

Meanwhile, Mayor Chan said the national government is set to release PHP50 million monthly allocation intended for free medicines for indigent patients.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The soon-to-rise Philippine Cancer Center could prevent the death of thousands of Filipinos due to the dreaded disease.

To be built on a 5,000-square-meter lot inside the Philippine Blood Center complex along Quezon Avenue in Diliman, Quezon City, the 20-story center is envisioned to be a modern teaching and research hospital, with each floor focusing on different types of cancers: hepatic, renal, gastrointestinal, lung, breast, women reproductive organs, skin and even rare cancers.

It will be comprehensive — from diagnosis, treatment, research, to patient support.

Cancer remains the second leading cause of death among Filipinos, next to heart disease, based on the January to September 2023 records of the Philippine Statistics Authority.

In a separate report by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, the country has 25,000 cases of cancer every year, with at least 9,000 dying annually.

The center is in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s mission to provide Filipinos with comp
rehensive, affordable and accessible healthcare, according to the groundbreaking ceremony’s guest of honor House of Representatives Speaker Martin Romualdez.

‘Ito po ang misyon ng Pangulong Marcos Jr. Ito ang misyon na pinagtutulungan nating bigyan ng buhay ngayong araw (This is the mission of President Marcos. This is the mission that, together, we are working on to put into reality),’ he said in his speech on Friday.

He said the center is the government’s response to not only decrease mortality and morbidity but also to lessen the incidence of preventable cancers.

‘Our aim is to transform cancer from a death sentence into a manageable condition that, when detected and treated early, can be overcome. We want to ensure strategic alignment with national cancer control plans, make treatment more equitable, affordable, and accessible, and improve the overall experience of cancer care for patients and their families,’ Romualdez added.

He said the Cancer Center would be both a ‘sanctuary for healing and hope’
and a testament to the ‘collective resolve against cancer.’

The building of a specialized cancer facility ‘marks a milestone not just in the history of healthcare in our nation but in the lives of countless Filipinos whose battles against cancer have been long and arduous,’ he added.

‘Together, let’s build a future where cancer is no longer a feared enemy, but a challenge that, with compassion, dedication, and innovation, we can overcome,’ he said.

The center would also include housing facilities for relatives of cancer patients caring for them, and for doctors in the provinces who undergo training in the cancer hospital.

The Cancer Center will complete the medical complex built during the Marcos Sr. administration, where specialty hospitals are located close to each other: National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Philippine Heart Center, Lung Center of the Philippines and Philippine Children’s Medical Center.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ISTANBUL: A House of Representatives bill that aims to ban TikTok in the US drew flak on Thursday, a month after US President Joe Biden’s campaign joined the popular platform in a bid to woo younger voters.

‘TikTok is at risk of being shut down in the US. Call your representative now,’ said a stark message by the Chinese-owned app, prompting users to flood congressional offices with phone calls.

‘Let Congress know what TikTok means to you and tell them to vote NO,’ the message said, according to The Washington Post, which reported that users were directed to contact their local member of Congress after entering their postal codes.

Members of Congress have advanced a bill “explicitly targeting TikTok and other apps they accuse of being ‘controlled’ by foreign adversaries, such as China,” the newspaper said, adding that the proposal could “force TikTok’s China-based parent company to sell off the app or block it entirely” in the US.

Even though the app — which is owned by Chinese ByteDance — is blocked on
phones used by federal government officials, the Biden campaign recently joined in an effort to attract the youth vote ahead of November’s presidential elections, which are expected to be close.

The app is very popular with younger users, and in recent months, Biden’s opponents have used it extensively to promote memes and short videos criticizing the president and his policies.

Since its launch in 2016, the Chinese-owned video-sharing app has skyrocketed in popularity, reaching over 750 million global users in 2022.

Two-thirds of American teens are now TikTok users.

But it has been criticized for allowing the Chinese government to access users’ sensitive personal data, including location and browsing history.

The US army had already prohibited TikTok on military devices, and the Senate passed a bill last December to prevent federal employees from using TikTok on government devices.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hanoi: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Algerian Embassy on March 8 co-organised a ceremony to commemorate Vietnamese and Algerian officials and journalists who perished in a plane crash five decades ago.

On the occasion, the upgraded memorial site for the victims in Soc Son district, Hanoi was inaugurated.

In her remarks, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Le Thi Thu Hang recalled that 15 Algerian journalists and technicians, two diplomats, six military officers and flight crew members, and nine Vietnamese journalists lost their lives in the accident while accompanying the then Algerian President Houari Boumediene on his official visit to Vietnam.

In remembrance of the fallen officials and journalists from both countries, the memorial site in Soc Son’s Mai Dinh commune was built in 2000, with its upgrade recently completed.

The site has become a landmark where Vietnamese and Algerians come together every year to commemorate the significant contributions of the previous generations, fostering the t
ime-honoured traditional friendship between Vietnam and Algeria, the diplomat said.

Expressing his gratitude to the ministry, local authorities, and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group for their efforts in renovating the memorial site, Redha Oucher, a charge d’affaires at the embassy, stressed that the place is considered a strong bridge in the history of the Vietnam-Algeria traditional relationship, evoking the friendship shared between the sides.

At the ceremony, delegates offered incense and paid tribute to the fallen officials and journalists./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: Police agents confiscated suspected shabu with an estimated street value of PHP22.6 million from four high-value drug suspects during buy-busts in Pasay City and Iloilo province on Thursday.

In a statement on Friday, National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) chief Maj. Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. said two suspects were arrested in Celeridad Street, Barangay 111, Pasay City on Thursday night by the Southern Police District Drug Enforcement Unit.

Nartatez said both suspects were listed as high-value individuals (HVI) on the drug watchlist.

Confiscated from the duo were 1.830 kg. of suspected shabu worth PHP 12.4 million, buy-bust money, and mobile phones, among others.

Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) Director Brig. Gen. Jack Wanky likewise reported the arrest of alias Pada, 31 and alias Ceasar, 49, both HVI, during a buy-bust in Duran Street, Barangay Sto. Rosario, Iloilo City on Thursday afternoon.

Seized from the suspects were suspected shabu weighing more or less 1,500 grams w
orth PHP10.2 million, buy-bust money, two mobile phones, and a motorcycle.

The four will be charged with violation of Section 5 (sale of dangerous drugs) in relation to Section 26B (conspiracy to sell) of Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002.

Source: Philippines News Agency