Category: General

MANILA: More senators on Wednesday expressed their ‘disgust’ over the recent aggression by the Chinese Coast Guard to Philippine vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva described the latest incident, as well as previous aggressions of China against Filipinos, as “totally inhumane, illegal, and barbaric.”

Villanueva said he is set to file and sponsor a resolution urging the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to take ‘all necessary actions’ to stop these incidents and update senators on the actions taken by the government.

“As one nation, let us set aside our differences and stand together in fighting these bullies. Encroaching our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and at the same time putting the lives of our kababayan (countrymen) in danger is simply unacceptable. We salute our Philippine Navy and the PCG (Philippine Coast Guard) for their gallantry, and the nation thanks them for their bravery in protecting our seas,” Villanueva said in his statement.

Another senator
‘enraged’ by the incident is Senate Deputy Minority Leader Risa Hontiveros, who expressed her support for DFA’s lodging of a strong protest against the recent harassment.

She also urged the agency to expedite the filing of a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly that will call on China to stop its blatant violence in the Philippine waters.

“I also hope the DFA can gather our neighbors in Southeast Asia, particularly Vietnam and Malaysia, to stand with the Philippines as we face common security threats and assaults by China,” Hontiveros said in a separate statement.

She said China should also ‘pay for the damages and injuries’ caused by its water cannons against Philippine vessels and crew members, as well as the natural resources that were destroyed in WPS.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CALAPAN CITY: A group of inclusivity advocates based in this province on Wednesday staged an ‘interactive’ play that sought to give the audience a truly immersive experience on the passion of Jesus Christ.

The group dubbed Volunteer Artists of Oriental Mindoro, which calls for equality with regard to social rights, staged a free community-theater musical play titled ‘Pater Dimitti Illis’ (Father, forgive them) or Pasyon de Kristo 2024 (Passion of Christ) at the Oriental Mindoro National High School gymnasium.

Popularly known as ‘senakulo’, this centuries-old Filipino tradition dramatizes the life and passion of Jesus Christ and invites the faithful to reflect on their lives.

Chavit Zulueta, creative director of the play, said their Senakulo can be considered a gesture of faith because nobody got paid for their participation, not even the professional artists.

Designed as an interactive presentation, actors directly engaged the audience during certain portions of the play- and even gave out snacks during t
he multiplication of bread reenactment.

Actors from all over the province and elsewhere in the country were not turned away and were given roles in the play, even first-timers.

Some 120 volunteer-actors aged between nine and 78 years old were cast to play various roles, Zulueta said.

Initiated by the Oriental Mindoro Butterfly Society, Inc., the play was produced with first district Rep. Arnan Panaligan and Father Nestor Adalia, rector of the Sto. Nino Cathedral of the Apostolic Vicariate of Calapan.

The shorter 2 p.m. matinee covered only the events leading up to Jesus Christ’s crucifixion, and had an audience consisting mostly of students.

Meanwhile, a longer 7 p.m. encore was scheduled to include a prologue, the Passion of Christ until Resurrection, and had a mixed audience of young and old residents from all walks of life coming from different parts of Calapan and Oriental Mindoro.

Ayyi Gardiola, community development professional and cultural worker, lauded the people behind the play: ‘Thank you fo
r this love-offering of everyone involved in this Senakulo. Volunteers truly are the lifeblood of the community.’

The play will also be broadcast and replayed on Calapan Cable Community Channel 9.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Tra Vinh: Eighteen cooperatives with 70 households engaging in cow breeding and 14 households specialising in beekeeping in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh have benefited from a livelihood support project financed by Samaritan’s Purse International Relief (SPIR) – a US non-profit organisation.

The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the friendship union of the province reviewed the project at a meeting on March 26.

Accordingly, the project was implemented from July 1, 2023 – March 31, 2024 with a total budget of more than 2.7 billion VND (nearly 108,250 USD).

It focused on providing financial support and technical training in cattle raising and beekeeping to poor households, Khmer households, and vulnerable women in Cang Long, Tra Cu, and Cau Ke districts. As a result, the beneficiaries have significantly improved their income.

Le Van Dong, deputy director of the provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Development said this is the third consecutive year SPIR has collaborated w
ith the locality to work for the goal of reducing the rate of poor households through livestock and crop farming models.

Over the past three years, SPIR has provided livelihood support to 239 disadvantaged households with a total budget of 7.1 billion VND, including 220 households specialising in cow breeding, 14 households practising beekeeping, and five households engaging in greenhouse vegetable cultivation.

The models have contributed to developing concentrated livestock areas in the direction of forming value chains, ensuring biosecurity, disease control, and environmental protection; and fostering sustainable economic development for vulnerable households./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: The southbound lanes of C5 Ortigas and Pasig Boulevard flyovers will be temporarily closed starting Maundy Thursday for the installation of new expansion joints.

In a social media post Wednesday night, the Department of Public Works and Highways-National Capital Region (DPWH-NCR) informed the public that the portions of these structures would be closed until Easter Sunday (March 31).

Motorists are advised to use the southbound service roads during the scheduled works to avoid traffic congestion.

The project will replace the old bridge expansion joints, allowing more stability to the structural integrity of the bridges.

To fast-track the completion within the Holy Week, the DPWH-NCR noted that the construction works being undertaken by its Metro Manila 1st District Engineering Office, will operate 24 hours a day.

At the same time, DPWH-NCR assured the closed lanes would be opened to traffic immediately after completion.

The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority earlier said round-the-clock ro
ad diggings for government and private construction projects would be allowed beginning Wednesday until the early hours of Easter Monday to take advantage of the expected downturn in vehicular traffic in the National Capital Region during the Holy Week.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD CITY: The Negros Occidental Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (PDRRM) Operations Center went on blue alert on Wednesday to ensure preparedness and prompt response during the observance of the Holy Week.

In a memorandum, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the heightened alert status takes effect 8 a.m. on March 27 until 8 a.m. on April 1.

‘In connection with this, all PDRRM Council members/agencies and city, municipal and barangay DRRMCs are hereby advised to raise the alert status in respective operations center(s) to blue alert,’ he added.

‘Blue alert’ requires 50 percent of concerned personnel to be in their posts at any time.

Lacson directed all DRRM units to heighten road safety measures and deploy responders to different areas of convergence with mass gatherings such as places of worship, beaches, resorts and rivers.

‘Close monitoring, consolidation and reporting of all related incidents and ensuring prompt coordination with concerned agencies and offices are highly encouraged
,’ he said.

The governor also instructed all the DRRM units to submit preparedness measures, respective response action plans, and reports of any untoward incidents monitored from March 27 to April 1.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) Station in Northern Negros Occidental is also on heightened alert in all ports under its area of responsibility until April 2.

‘We ensure the safety and security of the passengers. We conduct vessel safety enforcement inspection. Even before the Holy Week, we have deployed personnel to cater to travelers arriving and leaving Bacolod City,’ Commander Paterno Belarmino Jr. said in an interview.

In an advisory, the PCG Auxiliary 618th Squadron, Negros Occidental reminded passengers to arrive at the port early, at least two to three hours before the scheduled departure, to allow time for check-in procedures and boarding.

Passengers are also urged to follow safety instructions and familiarize oneself with emergency procedures when aboard a vessel.

‘Practice patience.
During peak travel times such as Holy Week, expect longer lines and potential delays. Stay calm and patient, and remember that everyone is trying to reach their destination safely,’ the advisory added.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TAIPEI: Industry leaders in information and communications technology (ICT) are pushing for international partnerships to further expand the establishment of smart cities worldwide.

The stakeholders said partnerships with ICT companies and governments across the world will promote investments that will improve internet connectivity and address the demands of attaining a smart city.

‘Public-private partnerships are important in attaining the demands for a smart city,’ Dr. Non Arkaraprasetkul, Senior Expert in Smart City Promotion of Thailand’s Digital Economy Promotion Agency, said in a press briefing on the sidelines of the 2024 Smart City Summit and Expo (SCSE) held on March 21 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

A smart city is an urban area which utilizes a network of sensors and devices to gather data on various concerns such as traffic flow, waste management, energy use, among others, to improve its operations and ensure a good standard of living for its residents.

Among the benefits of a smart
city are improved services like public transportation, waste collection, or public safety through smart solutions and the promotion of environment-friendly practices such as renewable energy sources or reduced reliance on cars.

Dr. Non disclosed that 60 mayors from Thailand were part of the delegation in the SCSE who were able to visit the exhibits featuring various solutions by Taiwanese enterprises utilizing AI and 5G technologies, particularly the modern buses.

‘The mayors that I brought with me were all excited about everything that they saw. I think the opportunity to showcase some of the best technologies, best practices as well as the networks could lead to partnerships that will result in projects,’ according to Non.

He hopes that through the SCSE, Taiwan will provide grants to ICT enterprises in Thailand as well as provide opportunities for more international visits by foreign enterprises to Thailand.

For his part, Intelligent Community Forum Executive Director Matt Owen stressed the importance o
f providing internet access and connectivity in rural areas.

‘One of the unfortunate things about tech is how quickly it is changing and constantly evolving. There is potential for some people to be left behind. Initiatives that can focus on going to rural communities and making sure their connectivity because if they don’t have connectivity, they can’t use any smart devices. We need to make sure they have access to devices and the knowledge of how to use it,’ Owen said.

For instance, he cited that internet access in rural areas is important to enable various applications such as sensors in fields to monitor water levels and crops that can be accessed by farmers through mobile devices.

Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City Computer Association President Lam Nguyen Hai Long said there is no uniform formula on setting up smart cities across various countries because of their differences in cultural contexts.

He urged enterprises that are interested in investing in smart cities to familiarize themselves with the cultu
re and legal frameworks of each country worldwide.

‘Everybody needs to get involved in city enterprises and understand the local area of your business operations,’ Lam stated.

Ho Chi Minh City is focusing on digital transformation to develop itself into a smart urban area by 2030.

The southern Vietnamese city has earned high rankings in digital transformation in various aspects like digital institutions and infrastructure.

It has been implementing initiatives like smart traffic management through sensors and data analytics; smart parking; smart grid technologies for energy efficiency, and waste management.

The 2024 Smart City and Expo, held from March 19 to 22 in Taipei, presented Taiwan’s diverse range of smart city and net-zero city initiatives as it transforms into a tech island.

Source: Philippines News Agency