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DA chief orders transfer of suspended NFA supervisors’ authority
The transfer of authority of suspended warehouse supervisors of the National Food Authority has been ordered by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. yesterday as NFA facilities remain closed amid the suspension order of the Office of the Ombudsman......»»
China Conducts Patrols in South China Sea Amid Ongoing Run-Ins
beijing - China's military will conduct routine patrols with its naval and air forces in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday, the military's Southern Theater Command said, as ongoing tensions simmer in the region over disputed territories.It said troops in the area will be on high alert at all times, and will defend national sovereignty, security and maritime rights.The patrols also aim to dete.....»»
China Conducts Patrols in South China Sea Amid Ongoing Run-Ins
beijing - China's military will conduct routine patrols with its naval and air forces in the South China Sea from Wednesday to Thursday, the military's Southern Theater Command said, as ongoing tensions simmer in the region over disputed territories.It said troops in the area will be on high alert at all times, and will defend national sovereignty, security and maritime rights.The patrols also aim to dete.....»»
High Alert
Personnel of the Philippine National Police Explosive and Ordnance Disposal Unit inspect baggage with bomb-sniffing dogs inside the terminal in Davao City on Friday, December 29, 2023. Security forces are now on heightened alert amid the influx of passengers in airports, bus terminals and seaports. MindaNews photo.....»»
Calm Weather
Downtown Iligan City enjoys calm weather, with occasional light rain amid an overcast sky, as of noon Monday (18 December 2023) as Tropical Storm “Kabayan” earlier made landfall in Davao Oriental. The weather bureau (PAGASA) reported that the rivers considered as “areas of concern” in Iligan and Lanao provinces—Mandulog, Agus, and Iligan (and tributaries Malindawag, Pugaan, Tubod)—were “below alert level” as of 9 a.m. MindaNews photo by BOBBY TIMONERA.....»»
Annabelle Rama reveals amid split rumors: Si Richard nasa akin ngayon
Talent manager Annabelle Rama set showbiz fans and observers on alert as she revealed that her son, actor Richard Gutierrez has been staying with her for a month now. .....»»
Phivolcs mulls lowering Mayon’s alert level
State volcanologists are considering lowering the alert level over Mayon Volcano in Albay from Level 3 to 2 amid a decline in volcanic activities......»»
COMELEC reports second shooting incident of BSKE candidate
Commission on Elections chairman George Erwin Garcia announced on Friday that a candidate has been shot in Quezon Province. Garcia said they have monitored an ambush in General Luna, Quezon. “We have monitored an ambush in Quezon recently, the barangay chairman was taken in the hospital,” Garcia said. According to the report of the Quezon Police Provincial Office, the identified victim was Ruben Ilagan Pasia, 63, a resident of Barangay Malaya, General Luna, Quezon, and a running candidate for barangay chairman. This is the second BSKE candidate who has been shot in October. The first victim was running for barangay councilor in Bucay, Abra. “It’s sad because the election is almost two days away. Therefore, the increasing number of violence may not be election-related, other criminals are actually on it. We could not distinguish if it was election-related. What is important is for the police to be alert,” Garcia said. As of 26 October, the COMELEC Anti-Epal Task Force issued 272 show cause orders for illegal campaigning and filed petitions for disqualification against 10 candidates in violation of premature campaigning and three candidates against illegal campaigning. The post COMELEC reports second shooting incident of BSKE candidate appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Phivolcs raises Bulusan’s alert level anew
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised Alert Level 1 over Bulusan Volcano in Sorsogon yesterday amid its heightened activity......»»
59 OFWs seek Lebanon exit
At least 59 Filipinos in Lebanon have expressed a desire to be repatriated amid the escalating tension between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Philippine Embassy in Lebanon said Monday. Hezbollah is another Islamist militant group that controls the southern part of Lebanon. It has launched rockets into the northern part of Israel, which has fired back. “On Sunday morning, when we held our meeting with Filipino community leaders, we received 59 applications,” Philippine Ambassador to Lebanon Raymond Balatbat said in a television interview. This developed as the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, placed Lebanon under Alert Level 3, or voluntary repatriation. According to the DFA, there are an estimated 17,500 Filipinos in Lebanon, 67 of them residing on its southern border. Balatbat said only three of the 67 Filipinos on the southern border have asked to be repatriated. Since the surprise attack by the Palestinian Sunni-Islamic extremist group Hamas on Israel on 7 October, which left 1,400 Israelis dead, scores of foreigners have also been killed, including four Filipinos. Meanwhile, a total of 24 overseas Filipino workers, comprising the third batch of repatriates from Israel, arrived Monday afternoon at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The repatriates — 21 women and three men — came from Israel via Abu Dhabi on board Etihad Airways flight EY424. Migrant Workers Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo Cacdac assured all the repatriates of support from the government to ease their displacement and facilitate their reintegration. Two Filipinos shared on Monday their traumatizing experience during the attack of Hamas in Israel. Tersita Malapo, 35, of Baao, Camarines Sur, a caregiver for eight years, said she and other Filipinos were about to go to church when they heard a siren. “On Saturday morning, we were about to go to church in Jerusalem because we go to church every day off. Suddenly, we heard a siren. After a while, there was news that rockets were being launched from Palestine. We were so shocked,” Malapo said. She said that because of the bombings a loud noise like the banging of a door made her nervous. “That feeling that you always hear something, your feeling of nervousness is increasing. When a door slams, you think something has exploded. In Israel, there is an explosion anytime of the day. It explodes even without a siren. When there’s a bombing, our house and bomb shelter vibrates,” she said. Gerald Caniban, 35, of Iloilo City, a caregiver for five years, said he was asleep when he heard the sirens. “It was an overwhelming experience. I was in Tel Aviv that morning. I was sleeping with my girlfriend when we heard the alert on my phone. It was Saturday, our day-off. After a few minutes, we heard sirens all over Tel Aviv,” Caniban said. He said he did not have peace of mind and described the situation as a terrible nightmare. The post 59 OFWs seek Lebanon exit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MTV cancels Europe Music Awards over Israel-Gaza war
PARIS—MTV canceled on Thursday, Oct. 19, its Europe Music Awards ceremony, due to be held in Paris on Nov. 5, citing the “devastating events” taking place in Israel and Gaza. “As we watch the devastating events in Israel and Gaza continue to unfold, this does not feel like a moment for a global celebration,” the organizers said in a statement. “With thousands of lives already lost, it is a moment of mourning.” Stars including David Guetta, Jungkook (of BTS) and Thirty Seconds to Mars had been due to perform at the annual event. Organizers Paramount Global said they were acting out of “an abundance of caution for the thousands of employees, crew members, artists, fans, and partners who travel from all corners of the world to bring the show to life.” France, which has large Muslim and Jewish communities, has been on high alert since the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and the ensuing war in Gaza, and the killing of a teacher on Friday in France by a man claiming to act for the Islamic State extremist group. RELATED STORIES Gazini Ganados fears for Palestinian family’s safety amid Israel-Hamas war Four Filipinos killed in Israel-Hamas war-DFA Gaza hospital strike: US intelligence estimates 100-300 killed .....»»
Wildfire on Spain’s Tenerife forces 3,000 people to evacuate
A wildfire raging on Spain's holiday island of Tenerife amid unseasonably hot temperatures forced the evacuation on Wednesday of around 3,000 people from their homes, local officials said. Firefighters backed by six water-dropping helicopters were battling the blaze which broke out on Wednesday afternoon in an area of steep ravines in the northeast of the island that was badly ravaged by a huge wildfire in August, the regional government of Tenerife said. Some 2,400 people were evacuated from the town of Santa Ursula, and another 600 from La Orotava, as a precaution, Lope Afonso, the vice president of the regional government of Tenerife wrote on Facebook. Television images and videos posted on social media showed smoke rising from a hill close to houses in a remote neighborhood and helicopters dropping water on flames. Popular tourist areas on Tenerife, part of the Canaries archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, have so far been unaffected and its two airports have been operating normally. The seat of the fire "has been stabilized, we are seeing how it evolves to determine if in a few hours residents can return to their homes," Blanca Perez, the island's councilor in charge of emergencies, told local radio. The outbreak of the fire comes as Tenerife and the neighboring island of Gran Canaria are under a heat alert, with temperatures soaring above 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) across much of the island, levels normally seen during the height of summer. The seven-island archipelago is located off the northwest coast of Africa and southwest of mainland Spain. At their nearest point, the islands are 100 kilometers (60 miles) from Morocco. As global temperatures rise due to climate change, scientists have warned that heatwaves will become more frequent and more intense. The post Wildfire on Spain’s Tenerife forces 3,000 people to evacuate appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PhilHealth insists ‘no data was compromised’ amid cyberattack
The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation or PhilHealth on Wednesday maintained its claim that its members' data was not compromised by the recent cyberattack on its system. In an interview with Daily Tribune, PhilHealth spokesperson and Senior Vice President for Health Finance Policy Israel Pargas reiterated that their database remained “intact”. He, however, admitted that hackers behind the cyberattack accessed the data that were stored in the servers affected by the hacking. “We cannot verify that. It can be a possibility because again, checking our database, it is still intact. If we check the database, it appears that no data was compromised or leaked,” he said. “However, since our employees are also working with regard to our members and all, it could be true that there may be data stolen by these hackers. It is uncertain whether any data was stolen or not,” he added. On Tuesday night, the Department of Information and Technology confirmed that the hackers have already started publishing PhilHealth employees’ data on the dark web. DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Dy said the stolen data includes details on employees' identification cards, memorandum, directives, and hospital bills. The development came a day after the self-imposed deadline of the hackers on the government to pay a $300,000 ransom for the data expired. Dy said the information posted on the dark web could just be a “teaser” of what the hackers have stolen from the state-run health insurer’s system. At the same time, in an advisory, PhilHealth confirmed that some members' personal information including names, addresses, dates of birth, sex, phone numbers, and PhilHealth identification numbers were compromised. The corporation said it is “working to notify all affected individuals directly.” The state-run health insurer also urged its members to take precautionary measures in light of the cyberattack on its system. “Monitor your credit reports for any unauthorized activity,” it said. Members were also encouraged to place a fraud alert on their credit reports and change their passwords for their online accounts, especially their financial accounts. Members were also advised to be wary of phishing emails and smishing text messages. No numbers Asked how many members were affected by the incident, Pargas said PhilHealth has yet to know the quantity of the data stolen by the hackers. “There might have been data that were compromised but we don’t have any numbers yet,” he said. In case PhilHealth members receive suspicious calls about their data, they may report it through phic.actioncenter2023@gmail.com or phic.dpo@gmail.com, he said. Online Meanwhile, the state-run health insurer said its website, member portal, e-claims, HCI portal, Electronic Premium Remittance System, and electronic PhilHealth Acknowledgment Receipt can now be accessed by the public and their partners. On September 22, PhilHealth temporarily shut down its website and membership portal due to an "information security incident." The post PhilHealth insists ‘no data was compromised’ amid cyberattack appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’
Amid the guessing game started by China on who the unnamed President was who promised to remove the BRP Sierra Madre from Ayungin Shoal, Chief Presidential Legal Counsel Juan Ponce Enrile has pointed to a former senator as the culprit. “I haven’t heard from previous presidents that they promised to remove the Sierra Madre, but what I know is that the late President Benigno Aquino III did some backchanneling, and his backdoor agent was former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV,” Enrile said. He added: “Trillanes bypassed then Ambassador Sonia Brady in negotiating with China, and his only credential was he rode in a Philippine Navy boat when he was in the military service.” “The subject of the backchanneling was the Scarborough Shoal standoff, but Trillanes was deceived by the Chinese. The Philippine vessels withdrew from the area of the deadlock, but China stayed put,” he recalled. 2012 Senate skirmish Then-senator Enrile and Trillanes had a confrontation in September 2012 over the government’s covert negotiations with China that Aquino had assigned to Trillanes. In a face-off on the Senate floor, Enrile produced the so-called Brady notes, a report on the discussions between the ambassador and Trillanes on the backchanneling mission. During his several engagements with Chinese officials, Enrile quoted the Brady notes as saying that Trillanes indicated that Filipinos needed more interest in the conflicting claims in the region. Enrile said the Brady notes stated that Aquino was not made fully aware of the details of Trillanes’s actions, and there was a point when the President did not know the talks were suspended for two weeks and that Trillanes was acting on his own. “And for whom? Whose interest was he serving?” Enrile asked. While admitting that it was the prerogative of Aquino as Commander-in-Chief to resort to backchannel talks, designating Trillanes was a huge mistake, he said. “Trillanes should have been discreet, and he should have brought along an embassy representative to record the event. Trillanes thought he was James Bond. That should not have been allowed,” Enrile said. “A person entrusted by the President with a mission must first exercise discretion. When you go to a country to deal with a foreign power, you must notify the embassy,” he said. “Trillanes should have notified the embassy to alert them that he was there on a mission, and he should have brought along at least one responsible official,” he added. He continued: “Everybody should have known that international law already provided the way to settle the dispute, which was the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, but which China did not respect.” “China based its claims not on international law but on its might. We should have a counter-balancing force,” according to Enrile. “We should not rely solely on the assistance of other nations; we should keep building up our military assets.” “We should also be prepared, and one way to do that is to require all young Filipinos to undergo training to defend the country.” “Only Filipinos can fight for their country; nobody else can do the fighting for you,” Enrile stressed. False narrative Meanwhile, China was accused of using deception in its sea maneuvers when it tried to block a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal on 7 September. Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson, Col. Medel Aguilar, at the weekly Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, said the Philippine Navy offered to help a Chinese rubber boat in distress near Ayungin Shoal. “Our troops offered assistance, but the Chinese refused and another boat came to their rescue,” Aguilar said. He said one of the Chinese rigid hull inflatable boats had gotten entangled in a fishing line while it was tailing the Philippine vessels heading to Ayungin to resupply the troops there. Aguilar said that while the Chinese boat’s refusal to accept aid from Philippine forces was expected, what surprised the troops was Beijing’s radio call where they blamed the Filipinos for the incident. “They had the guts to challenge our radio message. ‘Philippine Coast Guard, because of your maneuvers, the Chinese Coast Guard vessel came into problem,’” he quoted the Chinese as saying. Aguilar said this was another narrative the Chinese would tell their people. “After this incident, they will come up with their narrative to tell their people about what happened,” Aguilar said. “We don’t want the truth to be drowned out by what really happened,” he added. Misplaced bullying Aguilar described the China Coast Guard’s behavior as “misplaced bullying” amid its continued aggression in Philippine territorial waters. “The CCG is a misplaced bully in the WPS,” Aguilar said. Meanwhile, Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson, said several CCG ships and maritime militia vessels tried to block the Philippine vessels and stop the resupply mission. “It is very important for the government, for us, to be more transparent about what is happening in the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “We face the media; we give them the true story. The media will play a very important role in curtailing this fake news that spreads every time the Chinese release their narratives.” He said China has been pushing the narrative that the Philippines is acting on behalf of the United States. Ayungin Shoal, which is part of the Kalayaan island group, is an integral part of the Philippines and is well within its exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, over which the country has sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction. The BRP Sierra Madre has been grounded on Ayungin Shoal since 1999, where it stands as a symbol of Philippine sovereignty and on which a dozen Filipino Marines and sailors are holding the fort. The post On WPS conflict, ‘Trillanes cut deals’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DSWD on high alert status amid ‘Goring’
The Department of Social Welfare and Development on Sunday said its Field Office-2 (Cagayan Valley) continued to be on high alert status as Typhoon "Goring" intensified into a super typhoon, bringing heavy rains over the provinces of Cagayan and Isabela. DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian said the latest report from Cagayan Valley Regional Director Lucia Alan indicated that 367 families or 1,219 individuals from 24 barangays in the two provinces were affected by ST Goring. “Of this number, 138 families or 468 individuals were displaced. There are also 26 open evacuation centers sheltering affected families in the whole Cagayan Valley Region,” Alan told the DSWD chief. Alan said the evacuees were mostly individuals residing in coastal areas. “We continue to be vigilant and on high alert status to extend assistance to the LGUs, “ Alan reported to Secretary Gatchalian. As of Saturday (26 August), more than 70,000 family food packs (FFPs) have been made available by the Cagayan Valley Field Office with over 40,000 already prepositioned to the LGUs, especially in coastal towns. As the typhoon continues to batter the region, Alan said the field office (FO) has not received reports of casualties, damaged houses, or stranded individuals, as of press time. The DSWD FO-2 has earlier prepositioned a total of 9,778 FFPs in the island province of Batanes broken down as follows: Basco (1,306 FFPs); Itbayat (1,322); Ivana (1,100); Mahatao (1,094); Sabtang (1,203); and Uyugan (1,167) for a total of 7,700 FFPs. An additional 2,078 food packs were also sent to the Batanes provincial capitol. Alan on Friday (25 August) reported to the Disaster Response and Management Group (DRMG) that FO-2 has also prepositioned FFPs to Isabela province coastal municipalities of Divilacan with 1,000 boxes of FFPs; Maconacon with 154; and Palanan with 500. “For Calayan Island, we have prepositioned 2,900 FFPs while 150 FFPs were sent to Barangay Fuga of Aparri, Cagayan. An additional 1,246 food packs were also sent (by) boat to Isabela province,” Alan reported. Gatchalian on Thursday (24 August) ordered concerned DSWD regional directors to beef up their stockpile of food packs in anticipation of TS Goring. The post DSWD on high alert status amid ‘Goring’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cagayan braces for ‘Goring’
BAGUIO CITY — The Cagayan Valley Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council on Friday disclosed that the province is on red alert status amid the possible threat of typhoon “Goring.” The CVRDRRMC — through the Memorandum Order 86 series of 2023 — is solidifying preparations in anticipation of the effects of the new weather disturbance. Local DRRM offices were also directed to conduct heightened monitoring in their respective Areas of Responsibility and strictly implement the “no sailing, fishing and swimming” policy in their AORs. All Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils were directed to submit reposts of their preparedness measures and incident monitoring while those who are in the areas not directly affected or are not affected at all are also advised to organize Humanitarian Assistance at Disaster Response Teams ready to extend assistance to the people. Local chief executives in the region were also told to perform their mandate in times of calamities. LDRRMOs are also to conduct Pre-Disaster Risk Assessment or PDRA. State weather bureau PAGASA, meantime, said that Goring continues to intensify as it moves southwestward of the country while another cyclone has been monitored near the Philippine area of responsibility. In its latest weather bulletin, PAGASA said that “Goring” will affect Batanes, Babuyan Islands, and mainland Cagayan, Isabela and the northern portion of Aurora, and Ilocos provinces until Monday noon with forecast rainfall are generally higher in elevated or mountainous areas. It also warned that flooding and rain-induced landslides are possible, especially in areas that are highly or very highly susceptible to these hazards as identified in hazard maps and in localities that experienced considerable amounts of rainfall for the past several days. Meanwhile, the weather bureau said the Southwest Monsoon or habagat will be enhanced by “Goring” and bring occasional rains over the western portions of Central Luzon and Southern Luzon beginning tomorrow and over the western portion of Visayas beginning on Sunday. The post Cagayan braces for ‘Goring’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Canada’s far north speeds up evacuations as fire approaches main city
Residents of Yellowknife in Canada's far north on Friday raced to evacuate ahead of a midday deadline as wildfires bear down on the remote city and other parts of the vast country. Since authorities in the Northwest Territories issued the city-wide evacuation order late Wednesday, long lines of cars have snaked along the lone highway connecting the area to Alberta province to the south ahead of the 12:00 pm (1800 GMT) cutoff. About 1,500 people have so far left Yellowknife, the regional capital, by plane, with an increased number of flights scheduled Friday to evacuate more of the city's 20,000 residents. The nearest evacuation center is 1,150 kilometers (700 miles) away, in Alberta, where several sites have been set up. Crews have scrambled to erect fire barriers as the flames approached Yellowknife, while water bombers have been seen flying low over the city and swooping in to fill up at a nearby lake. Northwest winds over the next two days will send the fire, already close to the city's perimeter, "in directions we don't want," Northwest Territories' fire information officer Mike Westwick said Thursday. Several military aircraft have already been dispatched, along with more than 120 soldiers to help beat back the flames. In what had already been declared the Northwest Territories' largest-ever evacuation, the emptying of Yellowknife now means half the population of the near-Arctic territory will soon be displaced. Several towns and Indigenous communities were also already under evacuation orders. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau interrupted his summer vacation Thursday to convene an incident response group. In British Columbia in western Canada, evacuation orders were also put in place for areas near Kelowna, as a different fire threatened the city of around 150,000. Scientists say human-caused global warming is exacerbating natural hazards, making them both more frequent and more deadly. The evacuation of Yellowknife is the second time a sizeable Canadian city has been cleared due to wildfires since 100,000 residents of Fort McMurray in Alberta's oil and gas-producing heartland were forced out in 2016. Earlier this year, suburbs of Halifax on the Atlantic coast were also evacuated. Canada is experiencing a record-setting wildfire season, with official estimates of over 13.7 million hectares (33.9 million acres) already scorched. Four people have died so far. Waves of smoke have also intermittently descended on the United States, prompting several air alert warnings in large swaths of the country's center and east. The Yellowknife evacuation comes amid heightened awareness about the deadly speed of wildfires after a town on the Hawaiian island of Maui was razed by a fast-moving inferno, killing more than 100 people. The post Canada’s far north speeds up evacuations as fire approaches main city appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Angeles residents evacuated amid ‘Egay’
Angeles City, Pampanga — The local government here on Tuesday ordered the preemptive evacuation of residents living near riverbanks and creeks as part of its preparations for the coming super typhoon “Egay.” Angeles City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. said that he instructed Angeles City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Officer chief Rudy Simeon and City Engineer Donato Dizon to lead the evacuation, stressing that it is better to be alert and prepared before any disaster happens. He also assured that in the event of an emergency, the city government — through the ACDRRMO and CEO — is ready to respond to any rescue, evacuation and clearing operations. According to Simeon, the ACDRRMO is closely monitoring the major river channels in Angeles City, the Abacan River and Sapang Balen Creek and as of the moment, no incident of overflowing and soil erosion on both sides of the riverbanks and creeks were reported. Waterflows in Sapang Balen creek and Abacan River, on the other hand, are still under normal condition. The ACDRRMO is in continuous coordination with the 33 Barangay Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Councils for any alerts in case of typhoon “Egay’s” onslaught. Meanwhile, Dizon said that his roving teams are ready to clear roads from any obstructions. Lazatin, meantime, wants to ensure everyone’s safety in the event of emergencies like strong winds toppling down certain obstructions. In other developments, at least 480 passengers are stranded in two ports of Western Visayas following the cancellation of trips due to super typhoon “Egay” and the southwest monsoon on Tuesday. Data from the Coast Guard District Western Visayas showed that 165 passengers bound for Tabuelan, Cebu were stranded at the Barcelona port in Escalante, Negros Occidental while 315 others bound for Mindoro, Romblon, and Batangas were stuck at the Caticlan Jetty port in Malay, Aklan. Canceled trips included those from ports of Estancia, Iloilo going to Sicogon/Gigantes Island; Concepcion to Tambaliza, Igbon, and Malangabang; Bancal in Carles to Gigantes Island, all in Iloilo and Ajuy port going to EB Magalona in Negros Occidental. Trips from the port of San Carlos City in Negros Occidental going to Toledo, Cebu were also suspended. The Montenegro Shipping Lines canceled its trips from Lapuz wharf going to Guimaras. Trips from Iloilo City to Bacolod City via Ocean Jet and Weesam Express were canceled except for the latter’s 11:30 a.m. schedule. The post Angeles residents evacuated amid ‘Egay’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
COMELEC asked to exempt DSWD, related agencies from election spending ban
The Commission on Elections has been asked to consider exempting the Department of Social Welfare and Development and other related agencies doing relief work in the province of Albay in light of the impending election spending ban. Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, who made the appeal on Saturday, sent a letter to the poll body, requesting that the DSWD and other government agencies involved in relief operations in Mayon Volcano be granted exemption from Omnibus Election Code amid the upcoming Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls on 30 October. "Any minute, Mayon could erupt violently. This could also be a prolonged evacuation effort. Nobody knows for sure. But it's better to be safe and be ready with all the relief programs we need -– this could extend beyond the Barangay elections," the veteran lawmaker said. "Clarity is everything for us. We want to abide by the law. And we want to take care of our people. We want to do both. COMELEC has the means and the power to help us do both. That’s why we are making this request," Salceda added. Mayon's violent eruption, according to Salceda, might affect at least 103,181 people in eight cities and municipalities in Albay, accounting for 7.5% of the province's entire population. Meanwhile, 39,901 individuals are currently directly at risk under Alert Level 3. Since warnings of an imminent violent eruption have been known to come and go, Salceda believes that evacuation operations might take 45, 90, or 110 days. "Evacuation efforts must continue until volcanic activity clearly subsides or until a violent eruption actually occurs. Until then, evacuees will require food aid, training activities, cash-for-work programs, and other socioeconomic support to replace economic activities they are barred from doing due to the evacuation orders," Salceda added. Amid the restiveness of Albay's Mayon, the lawmaker averted that relief operations from various agencies would not end once the eruption. The economist-lawmaker said the eruption will displace agricultural, quarrying, ecotourism, and other economic activities in the danger zones, indirectly affecting Albay's economy as a whole. "Likewise, a violent eruption will also likely cause health issues, which will require immediate medical attention and corresponding support through the Medical Assistance Program." With this, Salceda asks Comelec, which had the power under the Omnibus Election Code, to allow such other expenditures especially forDSWD-like activities. Section 261 of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits the release, disbursement, and expenditure of public funds 45 days before a regular election and thirty days before a special election, but emergency works due to a public calamity and maintenance of existing public works are exempted from the provision. The BSKE election, which was originally set for 5 December of this year, was moved to an earlier date, pursuant to Republic Act 11935, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos on 12 October last year. The coming grassroots poll this year will break the year-long postponement. Recall that BSKE has been postponed four times since 2016 through RAs 10923, 10952, 11462 and 11935. The post COMELEC asked to exempt DSWD, related agencies from election spending ban appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DoE ‘slow walking’ on cheaper energy
The Department of Energy has been slow in making energy production sustainable and reducing the cost of electricity, which can be achieved by adopting nuclear energy, Rep. Mark Cojuangco told the Daily Tribune on Wednesday. Cojuangco, of the 2nd District of Pangasinan, said the country spends around $800 million on coal imports each year to generate most of its energy supply. On the other hand, he said, nuclear energy production costs only around $20 million which would result in 50 percent or more savings to consumers. “We should think of our balance of payments first. Nuclear energy has long been used by France since they decided to address the oil crisis in the 1970s and 1980s. As a result, their energy has been cleaner and their country independent from the OPEC or Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries,” Cojuangco said. Despite this, he said, the DoE has been “slow walking” in adopting nuclear energy. It should aggressively advocate lawmakers for the construction and operation of nuclear plants in the country, starting with the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant, he stressed. “They are saying 2,500 megawatts of power by 2032 in the country, but they are not saying how they’re going to get there. There should be a firm vision in place that the Congress should make an official energy policy,” Cojuangco said. He noted that the DoE had commissioned a survey that revealed that 79 percent of Filipinos were being hurt by the high energy prices and believed the government should resolve this. “DoE has been exploring alternative energy sources for 37 years, yet energy prices are still expensive. It’s time to adopt nuclear energy which can be produced through the BNPP. As consumers, we have the social license to alert the government and demand affordable energy,” he said. The BNPP had not been activated since former president Corazon Aquino ordered further studies on the safety of nuclear power plants in 1986, following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in Ukraine. Cojuangco, however, said nuclear power plants are safe as they are inspected by the International Atomic Energy Agency. To ensure enough energy supply, he said the country should be producing 1,000 megawatts through nuclear energy each year to achieve an additional 16,000 megawatts by 2045. Currently, he said, the country gets 75 percent of its energy from fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas, and oil to generate 16,000 megawatts. He cautioned, however, that reserves from these traditional sources are thinning, including the Malampaya natural gas field in Palawan, amid projections of a fast-growing population. “Twenty percent of the energy from fossil fuels comes from Malampaya, and the National Economic and Development Authority said we need to double our 22,000-megawatt capacity by 2040,” he added. The post DoE ‘slow walking’ on cheaper energy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»