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Girl, 4, dies after being hit by SUV
A four-year-old girl died after she was hit by a sport utility vehicle in Quezon City on Tuesday afternoon......»»
NewJeans prepares for comeback with Japanese debut, teases world tour
K-pop girl group NewJeans is gearing up for a number of comeback projects this year, including a Japanese debut eyed to kick off a world tour......»»
Sheryl na-starstruck kay Ate Guy; Martin may pa-Tortang Talong!
HINDI napigilan ng Kapuso actress at singer na si Sheryl Cruz ang magpaka-fan girl nang makita up close and personal ang Superstar na si Nora Aunor. Inamin ng seasoned actress na na-starstruck siya nang makasama ang National Artist sa taping ng GMA afternoon series na “Lilet Matias, Attorney-At-Law.” Baka Bet Mo: Ellen hinamon ng netizens.....»»
Angelica Panganiban ibinandera ang sweet video nila ni Bean
NAANTIG ang puso ng mga netizens sa simpleng bonding moments ng aktres na si Angelica Panganiban sa kanyang baby girl na si Bean. Sa kanyang Instagram page ay ibinandera ng aktres ang video nila ni Bean kung saan makikitang nakahilig ang kanyang ulo sa binti ng anak habang nanonood ito. Ngunit ang nakakatunaw ng puso.....»»
Twice s Jihyo, Olympian Yun Sung Bin reportedly dating
Jihyo of Korean girl group Twice and Olympic gold medalist for men's skeleton Yun Sung Bin are dating, according to several media outlets in South Korea......»»
Village chief rewardscouple for missing girl recovery
Village chief rewardscouple for missing girl recovery.....»»
Jayda ngayong Women’s Month: ‘Being sensitive, resilient is a beautiful thing’
MAY pahabol na mensahe ang singer-actress na si Jayda Avanzado ngayong ipinagdiriwang natin ang Women’s Month. Sa exclusive interview ng BANDERA, sinabi ng binansagang “Pambansang Sad Girl” na dapat ipagmalaki ng kababaihan ang pagiging sensitive, vulnerable at resilient. Para sa kanya, ito ang ilan sa mga katangian na bumubuo sa pagiging babae. “[It’s] owning your.....»»
National women s chess tilt: Frayna stops Canino to stay in title contention
Janelle Mae Frayna restored some order in the Philippine National Women’s Chess Championship after she stopped wonder girl Ruelle Canino in the ninth round Friday to remain in the title race in Malolos, Bulacan......»»
Jayda bet na bet ang pagiging ‘Pambansang Sad Girl’: I will take that 100%!
KAHIT ang singer na si Jayda Avanzado, tanggap ang pagiging certified “Pambansang Sad Girl.” Ito ang inamin niya sa isang exclusive press conference kasabay ng pag-release ng kanyang latest single na “Right Lover, Wrong Time.” “I will take that, 100%!” sey niya matapos tanungin ang tungkol sa kanyang reaksyon na binabansagan siya bilang “Pambansang Sad.....»»
Crop production in Philippines dips by 3.1 pct in Q3
MANILA, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) -- The volume of agricultural production in the third quarter of 2023 reached 16.57 million metric tons, a year-on-year decline of 3.1 percent, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. The agency attributed the annual decline in crop production volume to the yearly decreases in sugarcane, coconut, rubber, cup lump, and cassava production. The PSA also reported a 2.1.....»»
‘We’re going to sink’: hundreds abandon Caribbean island home
On a tiny Caribbean island, hundreds of people are preparing to pack up and move to escape the rising waters threatening to engulf their already precarious homes. Surrounded by idyllic clear waters, the densely populated island of Carti Sugtupu off Panama's north coast has barely an inch to spare with houses crammed together -- some jutting out into the sea on stilts. The island's Indigenous community of fewer than 2,000 souls scrapes by without potable water or sanitation. They live off fishing, the harvesting of starchy crops like cassava and plantain, traditional textile production, and a bit of tourism. It is not an easy life, with intense heat and a lack of public services adding to the discomfort of overcrowded conditions on an island the size of five football fields. And now, climate change-induced sea level rise is threatening to make life even more difficult. With homes already flooded on a regular basis, experts say the sea will engulf Carti Sugtupu and dozens of neighboring islands in the Guna Yala region by the end of the century. Forty-nine of the isles are populated and rest just a few feet (less than one meter) above sea level. "We have noticed that the tide has risen," retired teacher Magdalena Martinez, 73, told AFP as she sat embroidering a brightly colored toucan onto a "mola" cloth traditional to the Guna people on Carti Sugtupu. "We think we're going to sink, we know it's going to happen," she said. Martinez is one of hundreds of inhabitants of the island expecting to move soon to a settlement on mainland Panama newly built by the government -- a move that may save the islanders but puts at risk their culture and way of life. "This will change our lifestyle quite a bit," said Martinez. But, she added, "it won't change our spirit, it won't change our habits." "The fact is that with sea levels rising as a direct cause of climate change, almost all the islands are going to be abandoned by the end of this century," Steven Paton, a scientist at the Panama-based Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, told AFP. There is no room On Carti Sugtupu, there is no drinking water, and residents have to go out in boats to collect it from rivers or buy it on the mainland. Few have reliable electricity. Most residents receive a few hours of power per day from a public generator. A few have solar panels feeding their homes built of zinc and wood, with floors of dirt. None have their own toilets, and residents have to visit communal cubicles at the ends of piers where wooden boards perched over the sea serve as latrines. "There is no room to expand homes or for children to play," Human Rights Watch said in a recent report on the island. "Floods and storms have made life even harder... affecting housing, water, health and education. Such extreme weather is only expected to become more common as the climate crisis accelerates," it said. After years of promises and delays, the government has announced that by the end of this year or early 2024, it will be ready to move families to the mainland, a 15-minute boat ride away, where it has built a new neighborhood that includes a school. "We are building 300 homes for 300 families, with an average of five people per family," Marcos Suira, national director of engineering and architecture at the Ministry of Housing and Territorial Planning, told AFP. "It's a pilot plan." Each family will have 300 square meters (3,200 square feet), including a two-bedroom house, drinking water, and electricity, according to the government. Resident teacher Braulio Navarro, 62, told AFP he has to cross the island every morning just to go to the toilet. He cannot wait to move. "I have no alternative but to go in search of a better quality of life," said Navarro. "I know that there will be 24-hour electricity, there will be fans and air conditioning, and there will be a great benefit for my family." The post ‘We’re going to sink’: hundreds abandon Caribbean island home appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
A morning stroll around Tuguegarao
Tuguegarao’s market, the hub of commerce for the capital city and nearby towns in the province of Cagayan, northern Luzon, is a quintessential site in provincial commercial centers with vendors preparing their produce and products to be sold for the day. Bags of pansit and bean sprouts were being unloaded for pansiterias to cook the city’s famous noodle dish, pansit batil potun, widely known as pansit batil patong, while early marketgoers visited the local karinderyas serving dishes such as igado and dinardaraan. An ambulant street-side stall sold meryenda or even breakfast fares best served with coffee — puto, suman, cassava cake, and the made-to-order bibingka of many kinds. [caption id="attachment_176530" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Horno ruins (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] All activities radiated from the multi-level market which spans one block, a landmark to behold not architecturally but for the space it occupies and the important function it and its immediate areas serve to the community. After all, Tuguegarao is still “the best pueblo for commerce in the valley,” as noted in the early 20th century by Dominican priest Valentin Marin. At the city center, there are quite a number of wooden and mid-20th century bahay na bato which breaks the monotony of the modern concrete structures. Of course, Tuguegarao is known for the San Pedro Cathedral, the seat of the Archdiocese of Tuguegarao, and the much smaller Ermita de Piedra de San Jacinto, both made of bricks and built by the Dominicans during the Spanish colonial period. [caption id="attachment_176532" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Our Lady of Chartres Chapel (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] The Tuguegarao Cathedral was built from 1761 to 1766 by Fr. Antonio Lobato de Santo Tomas who also built the convent, belfry, a famed bridge, large lime-and-brick kilns, and the 25 parallel streets crisscrossed with the same number of streets forming a grid pattern. The same priest also contributed to the literary scene in the region with his Ibanag-Spanish dictionary, Ibanag grammar, and Ibanag devotional treatises. Cagayan is home to the Ibanag people as well as other ethnic groups such as the Itawes and the Ilocano. The San Jacinto chapel meanwhile was built in 1724, making it 'the oldest' structure in Tuguegarao. It still has its original wooden retablo and an iron fence installed in 1890 by Fr. Romulado Aguado, Tuguegarao’s parish priest that year. It is located east of the Colegio de San Jacinto, now the campus of the St. Paul University Philippines, originally the Colegio de San Pablo founded in 1907 by the Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres. [caption id="attachment_176531" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Old building at USL (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] It was in 1934 that the school transferred to the site of the Colegio de San Jacinto from the Cathedral’s convent following their purchase of the colegio’s property. The colegio was located west of the chapel, the area of which is now part of College Avenue and the SPUP campus. That colegio originally served as the Colegio de Santa Imelda, an all-girls school which operated from 1892 to 1898 and was later converted into the Colegio de San Jacinto, a school for boys from 1901 to 1932. The girl’s college building was erected in 1890 under the direction of Fr. Dionisio Casas, the Dominican Provincial Vicar of that time with plans drawn by a certain Fr. Bruges and funds from the Dominican Province of the Holy Rosary. The front façade measures 75 meters while the side facades of the E-shaped edifice measures 25 meters each. The building is 17 meters wide and 10 meters high. It was of the bahay na bato style where the first level was made from stone and second level of wood. The project cost P75,000. Apart from the school building, then the biggest in the province, there used to be a separate wooden house in the area for the use of the Father Vicar. Both buildings no longer exist today. At present, the SPUP with its sprawling campus is host to many buildings including the impressive Gothic —inspired Our Lady of Chartres Chapel built in the second half the 20th century. During the Spanish colonial period, Tuguegarao was noted to have a carcel (jail), casa tribunal (court house), and schools, all of excellent construction. Today, the jail and courthouse house the Cagayan Museum and Historical Research Center which is at present being renovated. In front of this complex is the Rizal Park with the Rizal Monument. Rizal’s monument replaced that of Fr. Lobato de Santo Tomas in 1918. [caption id="attachment_176529" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Fr. Theophiel Verbist monument (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] Fronting Rizal Park is the old government center of Tuguegarao, now the Tuguegarao East Central School with the American-era municipio reused as one of the buildings of the school. Few blocks from Tuguegarao’s plaza complex are two brick hornos separated by a covered basketball court. Tuguegarao’s other horno is located in the same village (Barangay Centro 9) at the edge of the Pinacanauan River. These kilns produced lime and bricks for the construction of the city’s Spanish colonial buildings such as the church complex and the cemetery portal, walls and chapel. [caption id="attachment_176527" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Cagayan High School (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] During the American period, public buildings such as schools were also built. These include the Gabaldon-style Cagayan High School Building and the Cagayan Valley College of Arts and Trades. The Cagayan High School Building still exists to this day while the campus of the Cagayan college which is located in front of the former is now the Cagayan State University after its merger with the Northern Luzon College of Agriculture in 1972 through Presidential Decree 1436. The CSU campus now houses a number of overly decorated buildings, perhaps it most unique feature. [caption id="attachment_176528" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Ermita de San Jacinto (Photo by Edgar Allan M. Sembrano)[/caption] Also during the American colonial period, Dutch Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary priest Msgr. Constant Jurgens founded a school for boys named Cagayan Valley Atheneum inside the Tuguegarao Church complex. This school existed from 1938 to 1946 but it was destroyed during World War II. After the war, it was taken over by the Jesuits and renamed Ateneo de Tuguegarao which operated until 1962. In 1965, it became the Saint Louis College of Tuguegarao under the CICM priests and in 2002, University of Saint Louis Tuguegarao. The university’s campus, located on Arellano, Mabini and Lecaros streets, still has its mid-20th century, U-shaped wooden building and features a number of monuments including those of St. Louis Gonzaga, USL’s patron saint; two for Fr. Theophile Verbist, CICM founder; and the gigantic Good Shepherd at the facade of the Good Shepherd Chapel. Exiting through the schools main campus to Lecaros Street, one is greeted by the Bayani Hall Lecaros, the city’s first condominium building, adding another layer to the city’s history. These layers define what is Tuguegarao now, a bustling commercial center, showing glimpses of its storied past of its peoples. The post A morning stroll around Tuguegarao appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cheesy Cassava Cake
Here’s a fresh take on the usual native cake. The union of two well-loved Pinoy ingredients — cheese and cassava — produces this delectable sweet snack. “Cassava cake is a classic dessert in the Philippines made with grated cassava and coconut milk,” explains chef-instructor and food/restaurant consultant Sonny Mariano. “It sounds difficult to do but, actually, it’s not. It’s one of the easiest desserts to make at home anytime.” This easy-to-follow cassava cake recipe uses a combination of evaporated and condensed milk and is generously topped with easy melt (or quick melt) cheese. “The result? A mildly sweet, milky flavor with a subtle salty aftertaste,” says Mariano. Cassava is a nutty-flavored, starchy root vegetable. It is particularly high in vitamin C and a rich source of carbohydrates. Cheesy Cassava Cake 2 c finely grated Cassava 2 pcs large eggs 1 c coconut milk 1 c evaporated milk 1/2 c condensed milk 2 tbsp white sugar 1 cup grated easy melt cheese Preheat oven at 350oF. Combine cassava, eggs, coconut milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and white sugar in a bowl and mix well. Line the baking pan with banana leaf and pour the cassava mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes until set. Sprinkle the easy melt cheese on top and bake for another five minutes until melted and browned. Best served with ice cream on top. The post Cheesy Cassava Cake appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Filipino fiesta fare Chef Reggie’s way
Of the many good things they love about this country, foreign tourists always mention our food as the top three or five of their list, next only to our warm people and our white-sand beaches. Whether these are food sold on the streets, made at home in the simplest to the most sophisticated kitchens, all the way to gourmet offerings of Michelin-cited establishments, they occupy a special place in our visitors’ hearts and palates. One chef of long-standing fame and outstanding reputation is Reggie Aspiras, whose recipes are compiled in a number of best-selling cookbooks. A dear friend of mine, along with the other Aspiras girls, Aida Cristy and Babot, daughters of the late popular couple, Secretary of Tourism Sunshine Joe and his Marian devotee better-half Amparing, a staunch Cabinet lady of the Marcos years circa 1960-1980s, Reggie has been the subject of my features through the years. Being close to each other, we have collaborated on a number of projects highlighting her many accomplishments in the culinary arts. [caption id="attachment_165873" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Aspiras sisters - Reggie, Aida and Cristy.[/caption] Recently, Chef Reggie prepared and hosted a special Sunday lunch in the Aspiras La Vista home as her contribution to the first Manila Food and Wine Festival, which was founded by Kate Dychangco - Anzani, a passionate food aficionado and wife of famed Italian chef Marco Anzani. According to Reggie, herself a prolific writer-columnist, the festival was “conceived to bring life to the food industry in Cebu after Covid, and it has been adopted by Manila, Ilocos and Davao.” In partnership with the regional offices of the Department of Tourism, this series of regional events aims to establish the Philippines as the emerging premiere culinary destination in Asia. Hence, the event showcases traditional and regional cuisines, local chefs and restaurateurs. “The festival is meant to highlight our food culture; as well as fuel the fire of innovation to elevate our food culture by establishing the Tatak Pinoy food stamping program,” Reggie shared. The first cook in Metro Manila to showcase her culinary specialties in the festival, she came up with an interesting mix of festive dishes to which she added her personal touch, a garnishing here and an indigenous flavoring there, mostly original Ilocano since the Aspiras family comes from the north in La Union. Reggie explained, “Filipino Done My Way, in Reggie’s Kitchen’ is the first of a series of events specially curated for the MFWF. " “Being a staunch believer in the possibilities of Philippine Cuisine, there was no other food to cook but our own, to which, of course, I added some touches. It was a very personal menu, as the dishes were created for a purpose that stem from my roots, a happy memory, which is to simply share the way I cook Pinoy food and how I like to eat.” Taking after her father Sunshine Joe’s inimitable way of promoting the Philippines, which highlighted Philippine crafts, music and dances, Reggie gave her guests, led by Senator Loren Legarda and television personality Korina Sachez Roxas, along with DoT Undersecretary Verna Buensuceso and DoT Regional Director Jeff Ortega, a sense-surround spectacle featuring dancers who welcomed the guests right from the gate, rondalla music, kiping ornaments hovering over the individual tables, table settings of local handwoven fabrics and fresh tropical flowers. I was honored with a place in the main table, along with Reggie’s sister Aida. All the while, her other sister, Cristy, hopped from table to table to help entertain everyone. [caption id="attachment_165867" align="aligncenter" width="1708"] With fiesta revelers Sen. Loren Legarda and television personality Korina Sanchez Roxas.[/caption] [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="165871,165868"] Let’s hear it from Chef Reggie who gave us her annotation of the delicious dishes she served us. “For appetizers, I had my rendition of Chicharon Bulaklak, large ruffled flower-like fat that are 250 grams each. To cut through the fat, I served the chicharon with seasoned vinegar and an assortment of achara: radish, corn, chilies and papaya. “I also recreated the Kilawing Hipon with a trio of Mangoes. This was one of the dishes I presented during the Food and Wine Festival in Cebu, paying tribute to their famous mangoes. To the kinilaw I added the famous Cebu dried mangoes, some fresh mangoes and a pickled green mango relish to cap the kinilaw that sat on kaykay (cassava chips from Cebu) or fried fish skins. “Being the Ilocana that I am, bagnet had to figure prominently in my spread, and it did -- in the form of Sisig; drizzled with Sriracha Aioli and crowned with Arugula Ensalada. [caption id="attachment_165870" align="aligncenter" width="2008"] Bagnet Sisig and Arugula salad.[/caption] “Salad was Fried Chipirones (Baby Squid) on a mixed bed of Pako Ferns and Chef Reggie’s hydroponically grown Salad Greens Mix. It was served with a vinaigrette made from Bugnay Balsamic Vinegar from Ilocos Norte that I turned to a creamy vinaigrette. [caption id="attachment_165869" align="aligncenter" width="1004"] Salad of Fried Chipirones (baby squid) on a bed of Pako ferns, and Chef Reggie's hydroponically grown salad green mix served with vinaigrette from Bugnay Balsamic Vinegar.[/caption] “Soup was presented in Coconut Shells, where buko juice, chicken, oyster mushrooms and aromatics were left to steam for hours before serving. It was a good way to refresh the palate, before the main course. It made a refreshing start to the meal. “Badjao Lumpia is made of bangus tossed in blue pea-soaked vermicelli. It is presented with sweet garlic vinegar and vegetable confetti “The Seafood Malabon is a spin-off, and my tribute to Aling Nene who, in my opinion, makes the best Pancit Malabon. [caption id="attachment_165875" align="aligncenter" width="641"] Seafood Pancit Malabon, a tribute to Aling Nena.[/caption] “Pistachio Kare-Kare had with Dried Fruit Bagoong was a dish that I put together for a cooking class that was designed to serve dishes that are new and exciting to Filipino diners here and abroad. And so was Salmon Wrapped in Pechay Leaves Served with Smoked Bacon Laing. [caption id="attachment_165874" align="aligncenter" width="641"] Pistachio kare-kare with dried fruit bagoong.[/caption] “There is no hiding my pride in being 100 percent GI, genuine Ilocana, that is. As such, my Kurobuta lechon was served stuffed with Ilocos Garlic, Ilocos Shallots and Karimbuwaya (a succulent endemic to the north with an innate tartness traditionally used to stuff lechon with). It was paired with seasoned Sukang Iloco inspired by the suka at Dawang’s -- the favorite karinderya of President Bongbong (Marcos). The lechon was accompanied by pandan infused puso, as lechon is enjoyed in Cebu. [caption id="attachment_165872" align="aligncenter" width="641"] Kurobuta lechon stuffed with Ilocos garlic, shallots and Karimbaya (succulent traditionally used as lechon filling).[/caption] “Of course our Lechon must be served with Dinuguan. In my kitchen I call it Silky Dinardaraan - stirred for hours until the sauce is thick and glistening…just as mom did hers, La Union style- growing up. It is scooped with Okilas -- huge pig skin chicharons -- a delicacy in the north. “For dessert, a warm cronut base held a freshly churned house-made Coconut Cream Ice Cream served with ube coulis, sweetened beans, jackfruit and bananas. “It was a feast cooked from my heart. One that, happily for me and my family, everyone enjoyed.” The post Filipino fiesta fare Chef Reggie’s way appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Confronting a paradox
Often perceived as a low-paying and demanding occupation, farming is crucial and should be a profitable job that provides us the food we consume. How about if our farmers get frustrated with intermediaries or middlemen whom they rely on to sell their produce, and decide to just leave their harvests to rot? A farmer in Cebu province ranted on Facebook about how middlemen exploited them by offering low prices, leaving him and other farmers with meager profits, while they reaped the higher margins themselves. An under 2-minute video that made the rounds last week showed the farmer chopping a squash to pieces against the backdrop of a large pile of the produce, as he raged about the hardships farmers go through only to be offered P3 per kilo. This was not even enough to offset the financial capital and labor used to grow the squash. He lamented how his family was expecting to feast on other food besides cassava that they regularly had on the dining table during the growing season. Stories of farmers throwing away their harvest evoke sympathetic emotions, highlighting the prevailing poverty and hardships they face. Their stories are prevalent in the rural areas, reinforcing reports that so many farmers have to endure poverty and suffering — that should inspire institutions to launch projects aimed at assisting them. Lucky are those who spend their retirement doing backyard farming, those who plant vegetables for personal consumption. In the case of the Cebu farmer in the video, commercial farming as a good source of income is a myth, neither is planting profitable vegetables like ampalaya, eggplant, string beans, squash, carrots, potatoes, onions and garlic, among others. With the grim reminder that there are still a lot of forsaken Filipino farmers and that we have to do more to achieve inclusive growth, there is more to raising awareness of their sad plight. We are confronted with a paradox. The agriculture sector, despite its crucial role in the Philippine economy, often goes unnoticed, possibly due to its slow growth compared to other sectors like construction. John Bae, in his research article titled “Beyond the Farmers’ Plight: A Closer Look at Philippine Agriculture,” said the paradox surrounding the unnoticed agriculture sector contributes to persistent rural poverty. Research indicates that poverty is primarily an agricultural issue, with a significant number of impoverished individuals residing in farming and fishing regions. This suggests that the poverty experienced by farmers is not only a matter of inequality or social injustice but a fundamental problem within the agriculture sector itself. The plight of vegetable farmers is a compelling issue that demands attention from policymakers and agricultural organizations. By addressing challenges such as market volatility and linkages, climate change, limited resources, and inadequate infrastructure, we can create an enabling environment for our vegetable farmers to thrive in. By investing in infrastructure, storage facilities, and irrigation systems, government can help mitigate losses due to post-harvest issues and weather-related risks. Most of all, promoting farmer cooperatives and empowering them to negotiate fair prices can reduce their dependence on middlemen who bury them further in the quagmire of poverty. Let us not lose sight of the fact that the farmers are the main reason there’s food on our tables. The post Confronting a paradox appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Alive
A Cessna 206 light aircraft with seven people on board recently crashed in the Amazon jungle in Colombia. Three people were confirmed dead; four, missing. This had not been big news until 9 June, when the authorities declared that they found the four passengers in the search effort. Surprisingly, 40 days after the plane crashed in the jungle, the four siblings (aged 13, nine, four and one) were exhausted, dehydrated and malnourished, but otherwise “fully conscious and lucid”. It is astonishing how these four children survived in the wild for more than a month, considering their age and the fact that the older kids had to take care of their younger sibs. Gen. Pedro Sánchez, who led the search operation, told NBC News that the children’s survival was down to three factors. “First, the wish to maintain their lives. Second, they are indigenous people, so they have immunity to so many hazards in the jungle,” he said. “Third, they know the jungle.” The children’s father, who did not board the aircraft with his family, said that, according to his 13-year-old daughter, their mother had been alive for four days after the crash, but she told her kids to leave and find help as she laid dying. It was revealed that the children ate cassava flour in the beginning but when they eventually ran out of food, 13-year-old Lesly led her younger brother and sisters to find what they could eat in the forest, such as seeds and fruits, because she knows what are poisonous and what are not. Moreover, Lesly built makeshift shelters from branches held together with her hair ties, and they hid in tree trunks to protect themselves in an area filled with snakes, animals and mosquitoes. In addition to avoiding wild animals, the children also endured intense rainstorms and might have had to evade armed groups said to be active in the jungle. Unfortunately, Wilson, a Belgian shepherd which helped in the search and rescue of the little siblings, went missing during the mission Dozens of soldiers remained in the jungle on the search for Wilson. Military officials and the children’s family believe Wilson encountered the kids independently during the search efforts. In Lesly’s drawing, a dog is playing near a tree and a stream as the sun shines. In her sister Soleiny’s, a dog sits beside a large flower under the sun. On social media, netizens are pleading for Wilson’s safe return. The Colombian military spokesperson said: “We have a saying, ‘we never leave an element behind,’ even less, the four children; we would not leave Wilson.” The story of the four kids who survived in the jungle is truly marvelous and inspiring. In Taiwan, due to geopolitical tension, a new Civil Defence Contingency Handbook prepares civilians for air raids, major fires, collapsing structures, power outages, as well as shortage of water and essential goods. The pamphlet lists nearby air-raid shelters and hospitals and explains what to include in the survival kits should a war break out. According to the South China Morning Post, the handbook uses “international situations, including the Ukraine war, as references”. Civilians are advised how to react when directly confronted by enemies, when to report suspicious activities in the neighborhood to authorities, how to identify disinformation, and what to do if a major communication system is knocked out of service. The pamphlet also provides instructions on safety measures to take if Taiwan comes under attack by missiles or nuclear bombs, and ways to avoid being exposed to radiation from missile explosions or attacks of the island’s nuclear power plants. The post Alive appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Central Luzon farmers recognized
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — As part of the celebration of the Month of Farmers and Fisherfolk 2023, the Department of Agriculture gave distinction to notable farmers in Central Luzon at the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Convention Hall, Quezon City. With the theme “Masaganang Agrikultura, Maunlad na Ekonomiya,” the awarding ceremony cited the valuable contribution these farmers made in the country’s food security and the economic development of the country. Among those who were awarded from Central Luzon include Dr. Richard Torno of the Canaan Farmers Association in Pampanga, renowned for his farming of cassava. Bausa Integrted Farm from Bulacan was awarded as the Best Urban Farm of the National Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture Program. The award was received by the association’s president Luis Bausa. Also feted was Enrico Batungbacal of the Mango Stakeholders Association of Zambales as a distinguished farmer in the fruit category of the High Value Crops Development Program. Batungbacal was given a chance to impart his message as representative of the farmers. “In behalf of my fellow farmers, we commend the efforts of the men and women of the Department of Agriculture in helping farmers like me fight it out to face the ever-changing challenges of present agricultural landscape,” Batungbacal said. The activity was graced by officials from the DA led by regional executive director Crispulo G. Bautista, Jr., Field Operations Division chief Elma Mananes, Corn Program coordinator Adela Peñalba and Regional HVCDP focal person Engr. AB P. David. The post Central Luzon farmers recognized appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»