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Sulaiman leaves with Pinoys in his heart
World Boxing Council president Mauricio Sulaiman left Manila yesterday to return home to Mexico with fond memories of his five-day visit where he experienced Filipino hospitality, warmth and friendship. He said there will always be a place in his heart for the Philippines......»»
Filing of complaints now easier with CARe System – DTI
The DTI introduced the DTI Consumer Complaints Assistance and Resolution System (CARe System) to the general public on 13 October 2023 held at the New World Hotel Manila......»»
MIAA sees over 1 million arrivals this Holy Week
The Manila International Airport Authority is expecting an influx of over one million passengers this coming Holy Week......»»
MMFF 2023 movies Rewind, GomBurZa, Mallari coming to Netflix
Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2023 entries "Rewind," "GomBurZa" and "Mallari" are soon going to be available for streaming on Netflix. .....»»
‘The Eras Tour’ serves up Taylor Swift, larger than life
That Taylor Swift is a great songwriter is no longer in question. What’s up for debate is whether she’s a great concert artist as well. By artist we don’t mean a gifted vocalist. The era of the pop concert as a singing showcase and a straightforward live onstage performance of recorded music ended in 1990 with Madonna’s third concert tour. Called Blond Ambition, the highly theatrical show combined music, spectacle and, most crucially, storytelling with a several-act structure based on themes or narrative arcs, deconstructed songs and elaborate sets to redefine the pop concert as performance art. It has since been the template and gold standard by which all concerts, especially those by female superstars, have been measured. Yes, even Madonna’s own subsequent tours have been assessed through the Ambition lens and, arguably, none of them has quite equaled the one that gave the world the cone bra as an icon of female sexuality and woman power. [caption id="attachment_201371" align="aligncenter" width="1987"] LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 11: Taylor Swift attends "Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour" Concert Movie World Premiere at AMC The Grove 14 on October 11, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)[/caption] Feast for the eyes Swift’s The Eras Tour, as seen in the filmed concert currently showing in cinemas worldwide, certainly serves up a feast for the eyes. Most of it is courtesy of the massive stage consisting of a backdrop that stands several stories high, a huge main platform and a long runway that juts well into the audience floor and features its own diamond-shaped mini-stage with a “hyperactive” central hydraulic platform consisting of several mobile blocks that rise to various heights throughout the almost three-hour show. It’s not only one of the biggest stages ever built for a pop concert, but is also probably the biggest LED installation ever assembled in and outside the music world. And it’s never not in use, lighting up the cavernous 70,000-seat SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles (where the movie was filmed over three shows) with eye-popping digital images, pre-recorded videos and live footage from the concert itself. The set is so massive that it makes Swift and her troupe of dancers look like ants. But thanks to the big screens, she literally looks larger than life to the live audience at different points in the show. The film does the opposite, and is the better for it: It brings Swift into the intimate space of the cinema and, thus, closer to the audience. Eras further highlights and celebrates the main thing that has helped the 33-year-old singer-songwriter conquer the pop world, the core attribute that makes Taylor Swift Taylor Swift: relatability. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="201372,201370"] It’s all over her music: a repertoire of mostly slow and mid-tempo ballads that tell about the blush, excitement, joy, ecstasy, frustrations, confusion, sadness, heartbreak, anger and regrets of modern-day romantic relationships, in creative confessional journal prose that listeners of all ages, colors and persuasions find no difficulty accessing and plugging into. It’s all over her wholesome, winsome, non-threatening all-American girl-next-door public persona. This is on fuller display in her performance in Eras than even in her 2020 documentary movie, Miss Americana & The Heartbreak Prince, which chronicled mostly the period between her Reputation Tour in 2018 and the release in 2019 of her seventh studio album, Lover. Between the many floral, even pastoral, and fluid graphic images onscreen and the tasteful, immaculate set pieces, between the squarely schematic album-era sectioning and the billowy ball gowns and sparkly and sexy but modest bodysuits, between the Cheshire-Cat grin Swift wears through most of the show, even during moments in some heartbreak songs, and her dorky cheerleader energy, The Eras Tour plays like Little Miss Sunshine & The Hearty Princess. It’s all what anyone would expect from the reigning America’s Sweetheart. Thoroughly entertaining It’s a great Taylor Swift show, for sure — thoroughly entertaining and one that sends stans to Swift heaven. But it stops at being a Taylor Swift show with a faithful rendition of her songs when, for something called Eras, it should be giving audiences, both fans and casuals alike, more to chew on than what they already know and are familiar with — a recast, a reinterpretation, a recontextualization of her music and impact. [caption id="attachment_201373" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her "Eras Tour" at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on March 31, 2023. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO / AFP)[/caption] The show is content to be a pop concert about Taylor Swift. Coming almost 20 years into her career, it should’ve reached for the world outside of Taylor Swift, or even just a small part of it: What do Taylor and her songs, for instance, say about the times we are living in? The Eras Tour could have aspired to life and art, or at least something approaching it, and thereby become a truly era-defining experience. The post ‘The Eras Tour’ serves up Taylor Swift, larger than life appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Chinese sci-fi steps into the spotlight
Once effectively banned, Chinese science fiction has exploded into the mainstream, embraced by the government and public alike –- inviting scrutiny of a genre that has become known for its expanding diversity and relative freedom. Its new status was epitomized by this week's Worldcon, the world's oldest and most influential sci-fi gathering, which closed Sunday after taking place in China for the first time. Held in the gleaming new Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, the event's star was Liu Cixin, author of the international phenomenon "Three-Body" series and inspiration for the domestic blockbuster "Wandering Earth". But the wider science fiction fandom has become a rare space where diverse voices have flourished and a vast array of issues -- social, environmental, even sometimes political -- can be explored. "In its nature, part of sci-fi is talking about the present," award-winning author Chen Qiufan told AFP. "It takes advantage of talking about outer space, or being set in different times, but reflects the human condition right now." Chen's own novel "The Waste Tide" is set in a dystopian future in China, where migrant e-waste workers toil in hazardous conditions, exploited by corrupt conglomerates. He grew up near Guiyu, once one of the largest e-waste dumps in the world. Ecological destruction, urbanization, social inequality, gender, and corruption, to name just a few –- "these issues are intersectional and intertwined with each other", said Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University's Liu Xi. Together, they "allow everyone to understand Chinese writers' exploration of Chinese society", she said. That can be rare to find in today's China, where the space for political and artistic expression has shrunk drastically over the last decade under President Xi Jinping. Spiritual pollution Historically, science fiction has had a turbulent relationship with Chinese authorities -– it effectively disappeared during the Cultural Revolution and then was banned as "spiritual pollution" in the 1980s. Though it returned, it remained relatively obscure. Writer Regina Kanyu Wang said it was only at university that she met other fans -- together they formed one of the smaller clubs on campus. Sci-fi was not taken seriously, and seen as something for children and young adults, Chen said. That had its advantages. "There was a lot of freedom... because nobody was reading science fiction, (authors) could just do whatever they wanted," the University of Zurich's Jessica Imbach told AFP. The global success of the "Three-Body" series changed everything, catapulting its epic themes of technological prowess and the fate of humanity into the public consciousness. "Whether you like science fiction or not, the social reality we are facing is becoming more and more like science fiction," said Yu Xuying from Hong Kong Metropolitan University. "We live in a high-tech era. And then your daily life is completely technological," she said. The pace of digital change in China, already fast, was accelerated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Cash has all but disappeared, and stringent health regulations further enhanced the state's significant surveillance capacity. The international interest spike in Chinese sci-fi is also related to real-world concerns, Chen believes. "I think there are different layers of reasons for the phenomenon," he said. "But a major one is the rising economic and technological power of China on the world stage." A good vehicle China's government has been happy to capitalize on all this. "At a national level, science fiction is a good vehicle for conveying the country's discourse on its science and technology strength," said Yu. It can also help "highlight the relationship between the Chinese dream (a Xi-era aspirational slogan) and science", she said. Authorities have put their money where their mouth is. The nebula-shaped Chengdu Science Fiction Museum, designed by the renowned Zaha Hadid Architects, was built at lightspeed in just a year to coincide with Worldcon. The event, historically fan-led and funded, this year was a "capitalistic initiative, coming top-down from the Chinese government", said Chen. "They want sci-fi to be the name card of the city, showing China's openness and inclusiveness to the world," he said. Government attention comes with potential risk. "The Three-Body Problem" has a different structure in English, with the narrative beginning with a violent Cultural Revolution scene. In the original Chinese, it was buried halfway through the book to make it less conspicuous, the translator Ken Liu was told. Liu told the New York Times in 2019 that increasingly, "it's gotten much harder for me to talk about the work of Chinese authors without... causing them trouble". Some works he has translated into English, deemed too sensitive, have never been published in Chinese at all. "If you're very marginal if you have low print numbers in China, then it's OK, you have more leeway. If you're doing a mega big-budget movie... it's much more complicated," said Imbach. "That's what's now also happening with science fiction," she said. "As it's becoming more mainstream, there is increased scrutiny." The post Chinese sci-fi steps into the spotlight appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Prioritizing inclusive healthcare for Filipinos
Providing inclusive healthcare for all Filipinos should always remain a priority. As chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, my legislative agenda is to ensure that those with less in life are given more benefits and attention from the government, especially regarding healthcare. My constant appeal to health officials is to ensure all Filipinos in need get medical care regardless of their geographic and economic situation. This is precisely the sentiment I wanted to impart when the Commission on Appointments took up the appointment of Department of Health Secretary Teodoro “Ted” Herbosa. The health department has my full support, so I am happy to note that Secretary Herbosa committed his support for the continuing implementation of the Malasakit Centers program and other key public health initiatives. As principal sponsor and author of Republic Act 11463 or the Malasakit Centers Act of 2019, it is fulfilling to know that the program is instrumental in providing medical assistance to over seven million indigent Filipinos through the 159 currently operational Malasakit Centers nationwide. Prioritizing the establishment of Super Health Centers in strategic areas in the country will also help make healthcare more inclusive for Filipinos. With the support of my colleagues in both houses of Congress, we are looking at more than 600 Super Health Centers to be built nationwide. These centers will provide primary healthcare and medical consultations, and help promote early detection of illnesses, which will decongest hospitals in the long term. My advocacy for inclusive healthcare has been strengthened with the enactment of RA 11959, or the Regional Specialty Centers Act. This newly enacted law, which I principally sponsored as one of the authors, will establish specialized medical centers within existing DoH regional hospitals. It will help bring specialized medical services closer to every region and will, in effect, make the health department’s services more inclusive. Sufficient funds must be allocated for the Regional Specialty Centers for its effective implementation in the coming years. While we are doing everything to make healthcare more accessible to Filipinos, let us not forget our healthcare workers. I am appealing to DoH and our finance managers to make sure that the benefits due to our healthcare workers in accordance with prevailing laws are released efficiently and without further delays. Moreover, my regular engagement with communities in need continues to be part of my advocacy to promote inclusivity so that those with less can still get the best public services they need and deserve. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Sports, I call upon every Filipino to rally behind our athletes competing in the Hangzhou Asian Games from 23 September to 8 October. Our athletes have trained tirelessly, sacrificing time, effort, and personal comforts to represent our nation on this grand stage. They carry not just their personal ambitions but the pride and hopes of an entire country. Let us show them that they are not alone in this journey. As your public servant, I assure fellow Filipinos that I will continue to push for inclusive public service delivery, particularly in healthcare and especially for the poor, to the best of my abilities in pursuit of social justice and development for all. The post Prioritizing inclusive healthcare for Filipinos appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Man on a mission
He has been to hell and back since entering the country’s premier military school, the Philippine Military Academy, where he graduated magna cum laude in 1982, to seeing action as a police officer, and lately to waltzing into the ring of fire by entering politics. Much has been written about the exploits of former police general Benjamin “Benjie” Magalong, Baguio City Mayor, since 2019, with the positive usually outweighing the negative. Love him, hate him, but believe me, Magalong is no lone ranger. He can sustain the hard yards of fighting criminality and corruption that one wonders where he gets all the energy and focus in addressing the challenges that come his way. Last month, Magalong and a few local chief executives launched “Mayors for Good Governance,” a campaign for responsible leadership and anti-corruption in local governments. They signed A2, a manifesto committing local executives to transparency and the rule of law. The movement has already received support from more than 150 city and municipal mayors nationwide, a testament to how much rests on his stewardship. Corruption is like a “communicable” disease that can easily transmit the evils that go with it from the lowest strata to the highest echelon of society. It has many forms and strains — from petty graft to large-scale kickbacks — and affects people from all walks of life, generations, and races. People get used to it until it becomes a way of life, and in the process, they lose their independence of thought because their eyes are shut. Pope Francis described it best: “Some people behave in relation to corruption as they would with drugs. They think they can take it and leave it as they please. They start with something minor: a kickback here, a bribe there. And between this and that, they gradually lose their freedom.” Fighting corruption is like fighting drugs; it is never one-sided. There are hits and misses along the way. Anything is fair game when you put a face into a noble cause. I was a field operative of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency assigned in Region 8 when Magalong was director of PDEA’s Special Enforcement Service, which was responsible for dismantling numerous drug laboratories and causing the dismissal of several police scalawags. Magalong is one straight arrow. He never compromises his name when it comes to fighting drugs and crime. However, he is also a caring leader who always looks after his men like he would his children. He never tolerates shenanigans but lavishes praise and support for a well-done job. That’s why it did not come as a surprise when he was made chairman of the Mamasapano Board of Inquiry in 2015, which investigated the carnage of 44 Special Action Forces in Maguindanao. I have seen firsthand Magalong’s sincerity when it comes to public service. A public servant who goes beyond his comfort zone to give timely and proper assistance to the public, Magalong has the integrity and bravery to stand by his ideals to the detriment of his career because he wants the country to succeed. Like Magalong, I also had my share of fighting the tentacles of corruption in PDEA and later at the Bureau of Customs, once touted as the most corrupt government agency, during my seven-month stint as a commissioner despite the brickbats and the Sword of Damocles hanging above me. It was a lonely battle indeed, especially since I came to the bureau all alone. Tormentors coming from opposite directions were having a field day — from the not-so-harmless Marites (Mare, ano ang latest?) and Mariposa (Mare, post mo na) to greedy politicians and industry shenanigans. I have no moral qualms regarding Magalong’s mission — to take the arduous and lifelong task of making a difference in people’s lives, especially the poor, who are most hurt by corruption. Taking the high road is never easy, and I am sure that knowing Magalong, he could surmount all the hurdles, including the legal ones, that come in the end. The post Man on a mission appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MSMEs good payers — SB Corp.
The micro, small and medium entrepreneurs are being extolled by Small Business Corporation, an attached agency of the Department of Trade and Industry, for being good payers even though some of them have already closed shop because of the global contagion three years ago. During his guest appearance at the Daily Tribune’s digital show Straight Talk on Wednesday, SB Corp. president Robert Bastillo said almost one-third of the lenders catered to by SB Corp. have closed their businesses during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. “The good thing is that these MSME lenders are still paying their debts even if their businesses were shuttered. These are indeed entrepreneurs as they want to have a good reputation and a good track record when it comes to debt. That is important for us. But still, the majority of the lenders are good payers even though some are delayed,” he said. The past-due rate of SB Corp. during the pandemic was 30 percent, considering that most funds in its portfolio were released during the pandemic. Past due rate manageable The past-due rate refers to the lenders who are delayed in their payments. Currently, the past-due rate of SB Corp. is from 20 to 25 percent, considered by Bastillo as healthy, considering that the country is just coping with the pandemic crisis. From 2019 to date, Bastillo said SB Corp.’s total direct MSME lenders are now at 55,000, while those courses through cooperatives, micro-finance institutions, and private financing companies — or what they call loan conduits — are now reaching 300,000. “SB Corp. lenders can borrow from P30,000 up to P20 million maximum. Lenders up to P5 million do not need collateral, but first-time borrowers can only borrow up to P3 million. If they are good payers, they can expand their loan after six months,” he said. No stringent requirements required In terms of process, SB Corp. does not require stringent requirements for MSMEs if they are only lending up to P100,000. “We only require other requirements, such as a Mayor’s Permit, among others if they are already asking more than P100,000. We have credit scoring in place based on the lender’s assets or annual sales. That’s a discipline in lending and a risk management procedure,” he said. SB Corp.’s fund being ushered to MSME lenders is coming from its corporate equity, being a corporation. Inadequate revolving fund “We have a capital of P10 billion, but what has been given to us for the past 28 years, was P2 billion. It’s a revolving fund that is not enough. The P10 billion was given in full in the last pandemic, but those are meant for dying MSMEs. It’s hard during that time,” according to Bastillo. He said even the salaries of their employees are coming from the revolving funds, as they are given by the government annual appropriations because they are a corporation that is supposed to earn money. “We live within what we earn. It is difficult in the sense that it is also challenging. How do you help and keep yourself afloat when everybody around you is struggling? That is our problem during the pandemic. But we are happy to say that despite that, we have a modest income, and we were able to serve MSMEs very fast,” he said. According to Bastillo, MSMEs with P100,000 to P3 million worth of assets are considered micro, MSMEs that have an asset of P3 million to P15 million are considered medium, while those with 100 million assets are considered large entrepreneurs. The country’s MSMEs dominate the entrepreneurial environment, accounting for more than 99.5 percent, 80 percent of which are micro. The SB Corp. is a government financial institution created in January 1991 under Republic Act 6977 or the Magna Carta for Small Enterprises, amended by RA 8289 in 1997 and RA 9501 in 2008. It has the primary responsibility of implementing comprehensive policies and programs to assist MSMEs in all areas, including but not limited to finance and information services, training and marketing. The post MSMEs good payers — SB Corp. appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bong Go renews call for increased health budget
Senator Christopher "Bong" Go, the chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health, emphasized in an interview on Tuesday, 26 September, the urgent need to bolster the Department of Health's budget as the country navigates toward pandemic recovery even amid several existing and emerging public health concerns. "Gaya ng sinabi ko noon, full support ako sa DOH kung ano ang makakatulong sa ating healthcare system," said Go. He recalled the budget deliberations in December 2019 when there were attempts to cut the budget of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) for the year 2020. "Nag-budget hearing noong December 2019, tinapyasan ang proposed budget sa RITM at DOH, di po ako pumayag noon. Dinagdagan pa natin at ibinalik natin ang pondo," he narrated. This decision turned out to be crucial then, as RITM later played a vital role in COVID-19 testing when the pandemic started in 2020. Go noted that the restoration of RITM's budget underscored the importance of adequately funding healthcare institutions, especially in unpredictable times. Go's recollection came at a critical time when the DOH was facing a P10-billion budget cut for 2024. The proposed budget cut would bring DOH's overall budget down to P199.45 billion from P209.62 billion under the General Appropriations Act of 2023. With this, Go argued that the healthcare system needs more, not less, financial support. He then underscored the urgency for increased investment in the public healthcare system. "The more we should invest sa ating healthcare system, dagdagan ang pondo," Go reiterated. "Para sa akin po, dapat suportahan natin na dagdagan ang pondo ng DOH. 'Wag pong bawasan, dagdagan pa po," he stated further. He emphasized that the funds should be used wisely to benefit patients particularly the less fortunate. "Makinabang dapat ang mga pasyente, makinabang po ang mahihirap nating kababayan na walang ibang matakbuhan kundi tayo pong nasa gobyerno," he said. Go said that those who are wealthy have the option to seek medical care in private hospitals, while the less fortunate are left with no other choice but to rely on public healthcare facilities that rely on government funding. "Ito pong mga helpless, mga hopeless nating kababayan, sila ang unahin natin. 'Yung mayayaman naman po, di pupunta sa public hospitals 'yan," he said. During the Commission on Appointments hearing on the ad interim appointment of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa which Go presided on early that day, the senator also appealed to DOH to ensure that poor and indigent patients are given utmost attention in public hospitals. Go cited a recent department memorandum signed by Herbosa instructing medical center chiefs to ensure that all patients must be accorded with the available services in Malasakit Centers. The Malasakit Center serves as a one-stop shop aimed at helping particularly poor and indigent patients minimize their medical expenses to the lowest amount possible by collaborating with various agencies offering medical assistance programs. This initiative was institutionalized under Republic Act No. 11463, a law principally authored and sponsored by Go in the Senate. Presently, there are 159 Malasakit Centers spread across the country, and they have collectively provided support to more than seven million Filipinos, as reported by DOH. Moreover, echoing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s priority of bringing specialized medical services closer to other parts of the country, Go highlighted that he has principally sponsored and is one of the authors of the Regional Specialty Centers Act which was recently enacted into law. The law mandates the establishment of regional specialty centers within existing DOH regional hospitals. Given this, Go reminded the DOH that sufficient funding must be allocated in the coming years for the proper implementation of the law. Moreover, Go also emphasized the need to continue bringing basic health services closer to the grassroots through the establishment of more Super Health Centers nationwide which he had advocated for since the time of former president Rodrigo Duterte. “Ipagpatuloy natin na ilapit ang serbisyong medikal mula gobyerno sa ating mga kababayang mahihirap na walang ibang matakbuhan. The more we should support their health needs, the more na mag-invest po tayo sa ating healthcare system,” Go said. “Huwag po natin silang pahirapan. Marami po sa mga kababayan natin sa iba’t ibang sulok ng Pilipinas na wala silang sariling health facility. Kaya importante na mailapit natin ang serbisyong medikal mula gobyerno sa mga taong nangangailangan nito,” he stressed. The post Bong Go renews call for increased health budget appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
P5M street-lighting project in Pangasinan inaugurated
Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos led on Sunday morning the inauguration of a P5 million street-lighting project in Mangaldan, Pangasinan. The project involves the installation of 115 solar panels to provide lighting along the Alangacan Road traversing barangays Tebag, Salaan, Palua, and a portion of Pogo, and directly benefiting the Angalacan Eco-Tourism Park which is one of the main tourist destinations in the town. It was funded through the Seal of Good Local Governance incentive the municipality won last year. Abalos commended the Municipal Government of Mangaldan for winning the prestigious SGLG Award multiple times and for putting the incentive into good use. “Sa SGLG, pinipili namin ang pinakamagagaling na LGUs. Napakahirap manalo dito, para kang pumapasok sa butas ng karayom. At ako ay natutuwa dahil laging lumulusot ang Mangaldan,” Abalos said in his message during the inauguration ceremony. “Natutuwa ako na ginamit ang SGLG Incentive fund sa tamang paraan. Napakaimportante ng pailaw na ito, ng installation ng 115 solar lights. Lagi kong sinasabi, what if ang naglalakad sa gabi ay anak nating babae, o asawa nating babae, yan ang laging barometer ko kung safe ang lugar,” he added. The project is already the 5th SGLG-funded initiative in Mangaldan town having won the award in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2022. He also urged local officials to be proactive in their leadership by engaging in regular dialogue with their constituents and collectively finding and implementing solutions to their locality’s problems. “Leadership is knowing about your community. Ang pagiging magaling na lider ay ang pag-alam sa iyong lugar, sa kalakasan nito at kahinaan nito. Makukuha mo ang solusyon sa pakikipagdayalogo sa mga tao. Kailangang makasalamuha mo ang tao,” he said. “Matapos mo makonsulta ang tao makasama ang tao sa pag-implementa and once you implement it, i tell you, you cannot go wrong because that is leadership coming from the heart, coming from the community. It’s a proactive kind of leadership,” he added. He also urged them to harness agriculture which is the biggest resource of their town and province and continue to work for the welfare of their constituents. “Ang yaman at lakas n’yo ay agrikultura, harness this at kasama n’yo ako dito,” he said. Mangaldan Mayor Bona Fe De Vera-Parayno expressed her gratitude to the DILG for the SGLG incentive and for serving as an inspiration. “Taos-puso kaming nagpapasalamat kay Secretary Abalos at sa DILG sa pagbibigay ng proyektong ito at sa inspirasyon ng pagiging matino, mahusay at maaasahan,” she said. The SGLG is an institutionalized award, incentive, honor, and recognition-based program, that aims to bring about inclusive and people-oriented reforms that will enable LGUs to foster a culture of good governance. The post P5M street-lighting project in Pangasinan inaugurated appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
King Charles to descend Champs-Elysees on France trip
Royalty fans will get a glimpse of Britain's King Charles III and Queen Camilla as they descend the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris on Wednesday at the start of a state visit, the French presidency said Friday. At around 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) on the opening day of the three-day trip, the royal couple, accompanied by President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte, will attend a ceremony in memory of World War I and lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc de Triomphe landmark in the French capital. Charles will then share a car, marked with the French Republic's insignia, with Macron to travel down the Champs-Elysees, as will Camilla and the French first lady, but in a separate vehicle, Macron's office said. Charles III and Macron will then meet for a one-to-one discussion at the Elysee Palace. Topics are to include biodiversity, climate change, and a November summit in Britain on artificial intelligence (AI), as well as the situation in the Sahel region of Africa and the war in Ukraine, the presidency said. Both couples will get together in the evening for a state dinner at the Versailles Chateau on the outskirts of Paris. The late Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip had lunch at Versailles during their first state visit to France in 1957. Charles is "appreciative of the idea of walking in his mother's footsteps", Elysee said. The choice of Versailles, a royal residence built by French king Louis XIV now owned by the French Republic, was also an opportunity "to make France shine" through one of the country's most-visited monuments, the presidency said. Up to 180 people will be invited to the dinner in the Hall of Mirrors -- 73 meters (240 feet) long and adorned with 357 mirrors -- that was built to illustrate Louis's absolute power and dazzle visitors. Swedish violinist Daniel Lozakovich will perform on the night. On Thursday, Macron and Charles will pay a visit to the Notre-Dame Cathedral, currently under restoration following a 2019 fire that destroyed its roof, and will also go to the Museum of Natural History to meet business leaders and talk about biodiversity. Queen Camilla and Brigitte Macron meanwhile will present a new French-British literary prize to be awarded for the first time next year. They will also travel to the northern suburb of Saint-Denis, home to a large ethnic minority population, and visit a center for fashion crafts founded by celebrity house Chanel in the up-and-coming 19th district of the capital. The royal couple then travels on to Bordeaux, southwest France, to conclude the visit that was originally scheduled for March but got postponed because of unrest in France over Macron's controversial reform of the French pensions system. The post King Charles to descend Champs-Elysees on France trip appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Global debt still stuck above pre-pandemic levels: IMF
The global debt burden remains well above its pre-pandemic levels despite declining as a proportion of economic output last year, the International Monetary Fund announced Wednesday. Total debt, which includes both public and private debt, stood at 238 percent of global gross domestic product (GDP) last year, 9 percentage points higher than it was in 2019, the IMF said in a statement. The IMF blamed the slow progress on high public debt, which is declining at a slower rate than private debt. "Fiscal deficits kept public debt levels elevated, as many governments spent more to boost growth and respond to food and energy price spikes even as they ended pandemic-related fiscal support," the IMF said. It called on governments to take "urgent steps" to reduce debt vulnerabilities through "vigilant monitoring" of private debt and the creation of "credible" fiscal frameworks to manage public debt sustainability. Although debt levels surged during the pandemic, public and private has been growing for decades. China is responsible for a large part of this increase, the IMF said, with its debt as a percentage of GDP rising sharply in recent years to reach a similar level to that of the United States. Debt in low income countries has also been rising, creating "challenges and vulnerabilities" including a high risk of debt distress in more than half of low-income developing countries. "Reducing debt burdens will create fiscal space and allow new investments, helping foster economic growth in coming years," the IMF said. The post Global debt still stuck above pre-pandemic levels: IMF appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trudeau to be star witness in election meddling probe
The Canadian prime minister could be the star witness in his government’s investigation of alleged national election meddling by China, Russia and other countries. Justin Trudeau was asked by reporters in Singapore Friday on the possibility of him testifying in the case, he replied, “Willingly and with very much enthusiasm.” The prime minister, who was coming from the ASEAN Summit in Indonesia, added, “I think it’s important for Canadians to know exactly everything this government has been doing in regards to foreign interference, and to talk frankly about the challenges that we continue to face in our democracies around the world.” His statement came a day after Ottawa named an appeals court judge to lead the inquiry into the allegations surrounding federal elections in 2019 and 2021. Quebec Court of Appeal Justice Marie-Josee Hogue replaces the investigator who resigned in June. Trudeau faced pressure to explain how it first responded to the claims that Beijing sought to subvert Canada’s democratic process. Relations between Ottawa and Beijing hit a new low this year amid accusations of Chinese meddling in those elections and the attempted intimidation of Canadian lawmakers that led to the expulsion of a Chinese diplomat in May. Beijing has called the accusations “groundless” and responded by sending home a Canadian diplomat from the country’s consulate in Shanghai. The reported accusations included secret campaign donations and that Chinese operatives were working for Canadian candidates and lawmakers in an attempt to influence policy. WITH AFP The post Trudeau to be star witness in election meddling probe appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
CoC reveries
An aversion to table the West Philippine Sea conflict and speeding up the progress of the Code of Conduct, or CoC, between the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, and China is very evident in the ongoing Summit in Indonesia. The maritime conflict is not even on the official agenda and will be tackled only through optional bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the yearly assembly, which is all under the wishes of China. ASEAN, thus, is pushing itself into irrelevance by acceding to the wishes of China and its cohorts in the regional bloc like Cambodia. Despite its existence as an Economic Community since its inception, with full integration envisioned in 2025, much of its aspirations, including being a cohesive body to advance the interests of its members, remain a pipe dream. The CoC would have been a stellar achievement, but it was described as a moving goal post for more than two decades. In the ongoing ASEAN meeting, all that host Indonesia was able to commit to was a three-year deadline to finalize a CoC. Another set of guidelines is, thus, expected after the Jakarta assembly instead of a pact that will bind all the claimants in the maritime conflict. The guidelines, moreover, will have to be endorsed by regional leaders during the ASEAN-China Summit that is scheduled later. The Philippines is not confident about a substantial progress in the CoC despite its being the most urgent matter to maintain stability in the region. An official of the Department of Foreign Affairs said the outcome of talks on the long-delayed CoC will be limited “to mere reporting of past discussions.” “At most, there will be a report on what happened during the last meeting in the Philippines of the joint working group on the CoC,” which hardly equates to progress. During the third round of CoC talks in Manila from 22 to 24 August, discussions were stuck on the contentious issues of whether or not the CoC would be “legally binding.” China has historically resisted a legally binding CoC, the reason for the existence of the non-binding 2002 Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, or DoC. In 2019, Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated his optimism that a CoC would be completed within three years, or by 2022. It is now 2023. He also announced that China supported a CoC that had “binding force” and was “an upgraded and strengthened version” of the DoC. The discussions then came to a head due to the different perspectives among those at the negotiating table, which are the same obstacles blocking the resolution of the maritime rift. China has refused to recognize the Permanent Court of Arbitration award that the Philippines and other claimant countries use as a basis for their position in the DoC negotiations. In not recognizing the arbitral ruling and insisting on its historical basis for the territorial claims, China and ASEAN are not on the same page in the negotiations, meaning that hopes for an agreement are futile. Like what happened in the local context when the Communist Party of the Philippines sued for negotiations with the government and used it to consolidate its forces, China uses the CoC discussions as a delaying tactic to fortify its position. Its recent release of the 10-dash line, which was a rewriting of its territorial boundaries again based on historical data, proves China is not about to change its position. According to reports on the Summit, China will only support a legally binding code when its historical version prevails. Another term that China wants included in the negotiations is barring countries outside the region from interfering. It also wants economic activities at sea, including oil and gas development, “to be conducted in cooperation with companies from countries outside the region.” China also wants the CoC signatories not to “hold joint military exercises with countries from outside the region, unless the parties concerned are notified beforehand and express no objection.” The untenable conditions appear designed to prevent the CoC from ever coming into being. The post CoC reveries appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Typhoon ‘Haikui’ makes landfall in Taiwan
Typhoon "Haikui" made landfall in eastern Taiwan Sunday, unleashing torrential downpours, whipping up winds, and plunging thousands of households into darkness as the first major storm to hit the island directly in four years. Nearly 4,000 people were evacuated from high-risk areas, hundreds of flights canceled, and businesses closed in preparation for the storm. Taiwan's Central Weather Bureau said in a news conference the typhoon was "at our doorstep" and by 3:40 p.m. (0740 GMT) confirmed to AFP it had made landfall in coastal Taitung, a mountainous county in lesser-populated eastern Taiwan. Residents hunkered down indoors in the dark, staying away from windows as strong gusts of wind sent fallen trees and dislodged water tanks flying in the air, according to an AFP reporter. "I think this time it is serious," said retired mechanic Chang Jhi-ming, 58, in Taitung. "This is just beginning, the wind is just coming in and you can see trees toppling already." The typhoon has gathered speed since yesterday, and at 7:15 p.m. was carrying sustained winds of about 140 kilometers (87 miles) per hour. "Rain and wind will be most intense and its impact will be most obvious during this period" after landfall, said a spokesperson with the weather bureau, adding that the typhoon will move into the Taiwan Strait by Monday evening. Across the island, more than 21,000 households lost power and, while most saw it restored by mid-afternoon, about 9,000 were still without electricity when Haikui hit -- including in Taitung. Authorities have reported two minor injuries in Hualien County, a mountainous region where a warning for flash floods was issued after a fallen tree hit a car. Hualien and Taitung counties were also under a torrential rainfall advisory, due to remain in place until at least Monday afternoon. The last major storm to hit Taiwan was Typhoon Bailu in 2019, which killed one person. Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said Haikui would be the first in four years to cross the Central Mountain Range running north to south of the island -- a path that could lead to landslides in surrounding counties. "I remind the people to make preparations for the typhoon and watch out for your safety, avoid going out or any dangerous activities," Tsai said. 'Big winds' The streets in Hualien were deserted Sunday, battered by unrelenting rain, while a fishing harbor in northeastern coastal Yilan county saw towering waves slam against the shore. In Yilan, some residents braved the downpour to shop at a nighttime market that had remained open despite the authorities' warnings. In Taitung, ripped-up trees already littered the streets before Haikui landed, street signs swayed under the strong winds and a restaurant owner tied down his signpost advertising seafood. "I almost forgot what it's like to be in a typhoon. What big winds!" restaurant owner Huang Jun-tong said, adding that when he woke up he immediately went to his shop to make sure everything was protected. "Yesterday, it was so calm that we did not feel like a typhoon was coming. Today, we feel it," he told AFP. The military had mobilized soldiers and equipment, such as amphibious vehicles and inflatable rubber boats, around the parts of Taiwan where Haikui was expected to have the heaviest impact. But it is expected to be less severe than Saola, which bypassed Taiwan but triggered the highest threat level in nearby Hong Kong and southern China before it weakened into a tropical storm by Saturday. The post Typhoon ‘Haikui’ makes landfall in Taiwan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Tech’s carbon footprint: can AI revolutionize responsibly?
Across the globe, data servers are humming, consuming both megawatts and precious natural resources to bring life to our digital world. The planet's 8,000 or so data centers are the foundation of our online existence and will grow ever further with the advent of artificial intelligence -- so much so that research estimates that by 2025, the IT industry could use 20 percent of all electricity produced, and emit up to 5.5 percent of the world’s carbon emissions. This poses a real -- and to some, increasingly urgent -- question about the industry's carbon footprint as startups and companies fall behind Silicon Valley's latest forward march. "Pandora's box is open," said Arun Iyengar, CEO of Untether AI, a highly specialized chip-making company that strives to make AI more energy efficient. "We can utilize AI in ways that enhance the climate requirements or we can ignore the climate requirements and find ourselves facing the consequences in a decade or so in terms of the impact." The transformation of the world's data servers to AI readiness is already well underway, in what one Google executive called a "once-in-a-generation inflection point in computing." But the scope of the mission is huge. The creation of generative AI tools such as GPT-4, which powers ChatGPT, or Google's Palm2, behind the bot Bard, can be broken into two key stages, the actual "training" and then the execution (or "inference"). In 2019, University of Massachusetts Amherst researchers trained several large language models and found that training a single AI model can emit the CO2 emission equivalent of five cars over their lifetimes. A more recent study by Google and the University of California, Berkeley, reported that training GPT-3 resulted in 552 metric tons of carbon emissions, equivalent to driving a passenger vehicle 1.24 million miles (2 million kilometers). OpenAI's latest generation model, GPT-4, is trained on around 570 times more parameters -- or inputs -- than GPT-3, and the scale of these systems will only grow as AI becomes more powerful and ubiquitous. Nvidia, AI's chip giant, provides the processors that are indispensable for training, known as GPUs. And while they are more energy efficient than typical chips, they remain formidable consumers of power. The ChatGPT 'problem' The other side of generative AI is deployment, or inference: when the trained model is applied to identify objects, respond to text prompts or whatever the use case may be. Deployment doesn't necessarily need the computing heft of an Nvidia chip but taken cumulatively, the endless interactions in the real world far outweigh training in terms of workload. "Inference is going to be even more of a problem now with ChatGPT, which can be used by anyone and integrated into daily life through apps and web searches," said Lynn Kaack, assistant professor of computer science at the Hertie School in Berlin. The biggest cloud companies insist that they are committed to being as energy-efficient as possible. Amazon Web Services pledges to be carbon-neutral by 2040 while Microsoft has pledged to be carbon-negative by 2030. The latest evidence that the companies are serious about energy efficiency is reassuring. Between 2010 and 2018, global data center energy use rose by only 6 percent, despite a 550 percent increase in workloads and computing instances, according to the International Energy Agency. 'Backwards' thinking Silicon Valley's AI tycoons believe discussions of AI's current carbon footprint are beside the point, and underplay its revolutionary potential. The naysayers have it "backwards," Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang told reporters on a recent visit to his company's headquarters in California. The mass deployment of AI and faster computing will in the end diminish the need to go to the world's data clouds, he argued. AI's superpowers will turn your laptop, car, or device in your pocket into an energy-efficient supercomputer without the need to "retrieve" data from the cloud. "In the future, there'll be a little tiny model that sits on your phone and 90 percent of the pixels will be generated, 10 percent will be retrieved, instead of 100 percent retrieved -- and so you're going to save (energy)," he said. OpenAI's Sam Altman meanwhile believes that AI will soon enough be able to build humanity a completely new future. "I think once we have a really powerful super intelligence, addressing climate change will not be particularly difficult," Altman said recently. "This illustrates how big we should dream... Think about a system where you can say, 'Tell me how to make a lot of clean energy cheaply, tell me how to efficiently capture carbon, and tell me how to build a factory to do this at planetary scale.'" But some experts worry that the mad dash for AI has elbowed out fears about the planet, at least for now. "Large corporations are spending a lot of money right now deploying AI. I don't think they are thinking about the environmental impact yet," said Untether AI's Iyengar. But, he added: "I think that is coming." The post Tech’s carbon footprint: can AI revolutionize responsibly? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Big Bad Wolf returns to Cebu after 4 years
The Big Bad Wolf Book Sale is coming back to Cebu for the first time since its last visit in 2019, following a successful onsite return to Manila earlier this June......»»
Liza, Janine, Iza bring star power to Cinemalaya’s ‘Rookie’ gala screening
Liza Soberano, Janine Gutierrez and Iza Calzado were among the celebrity attendees at the gala screening of "Rookie", an entry in the ongoing Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. The event was held on 6 August at Cinema Rizal of the Philippine International Convention Center. "Rookie" is a coming-of-age queer film about high school volleyball players played by lead stars Aya Fernandez and Pat Tingjuy, who are both making their feature film debut. [caption id="attachment_168526" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Janine Gutierrez (Photo by Jo Valle)[/caption] The film is written by Natts Jadaone ("Lucid") and directed by Samantha Lee ("Baka Bukas", "Billie and Emma"), with Dan Villegas of Project 8 Projects and Bianca Balbuena of ANIMA Studios as executive producers. Project 8 Projects is the film production company founded by Villegas with his fellow filmmaker and fiancée Antoinette Jadaone. Soberano, Gutierrez and Calzado gave support to the movie and the people behind it, especially those they’ve worked with. Soberano starred in Jadaone’s 2019 romantic movie "Alone/Together"; Gutierrez in Lee’s 2022 TV miniseries "Sleep With Me"; and Calzado in Villegas’ 2017 horror flick "Ilawod". [caption id="attachment_168527" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] Cast and crew of the Cinemalaya 2023 film "Rookie" (Photo by Jo Valle)[/caption] Catch "Rookie" at Cinemalaya XIX: IlumiNasyon, which runs until 13 August at the PICC’s Cinemas Rizal, Bonifacio, Felipe and Palma. The film festival also has screenings at elect cinemas of Ayala Malls Manila Bay, Glorietta, UP Town Center and Trinoma. The post Liza, Janine, Iza bring star power to Cinemalaya’s ‘Rookie’ gala screening appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Time for the Philippines to go nuclear
With the scorching heat of the sun still going on and the looming dry spell as a result of the El Niño phenomenon, more Filipinos are using electricity to beat the soaring temperature. Unfortunately, the supply of power cannot cope with the demand, so power outages have also become common. [caption id="attachment_167841" align="aligncenter" width="2560"] Many Filipinos are increasingly unable to afford power costs, with the cost of electricity in the country among the highest in Southeast Asia. | Photographs Courtesy Of The Philippine Nuclear Research Institute.[/caption] Many Filipinos are also increasingly unable to afford power costs. The cost of electricity in the country is among the highest in Southeast Asia, according to a paper penned for the Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development. In the Philippines, the kilowatt per hour is $0.16. Compare that to Thailand and Indonesia ($0.10/kWh) and Malaysia ($0.05/kWh). At $0.18/kWh, only Singapore surpasses the country’s Philippines rates. About 50 percent of the country’s power generation comes from coal, with natural gas and renewables accounting for just over 20 percent and the rest coming from oil-fired boilers. The country’s electricity consumption is expected to triple by 2040 — from the 90.2 TWh (Terawatt-hour) in 2018 — due to the rapidly growing economy. It’s time for the Philippines to transition away from its reliance on coal. The adoption of nuclear power is the fastest option and would make electricity costs more affordable, according to the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute. PNRI Director Carlo A. Arcilla said including nuclear power in the country’s energy mix would be beneficial to consumers as it would bring down expensive electricity rates and provide a stable source of power. Gayle Certeza, convenor of Alpas Pinas, a group that educates and advocates for nuclear energy, agrees. “We believe that nuclear energy will positively impact the lives of Filipinos because it will mean lower electricity rates that will better allow for more savings,” she said in a Daily Tribune feature. During the presidency of Rodrigo R. Duterte, Executive Order 164 was signed to include nuclear power in the country’s energy mix. Under the policy, the country “shall ensure the peaceful use of nuclear technology anchored on critical tenets of public safety, national security, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental sustainability.” Energy security The Department of Science and Technology supported EO 164, saying: “Nuclear power is envisioned to bring down the cost of electricity and to contribute to energy security considering the various limitations now being encountered in the other sources which includes natural gas, geothermal, hydro and coal.” The DoST is a member of the Nuclear Energy Program Interagency Committee, tasked to study the adoption of a national position on nuclear power. Nuclear power is one of two major alternatives to fossil fuels; the other is renewable energy (solar power, wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal energy and biomass energy). “Renewables and nuclear can complement each other,” said Arcilla in an interview. “Wind and solar depend on the status of the weather, and they only a 30-percent capacity factor unless you have an expensive battery.” Solar energy also requires one hectare of land to produce one megawatt. “This will become more challenging since the Philippines is an archipelagic country,” Arcilla said. Nuclear, on the other hand, “is more of a baseload energy, meaning it is more reliable due to its continuous production of energy. It could provide backup for wind and solar.” Threats and risks Groups such as the World Nuclear Association, the International Atomic Energy Agency and Environmentalists for Nuclear Energy contend that nuclear power is a sustainable energy source that reduces carbon emissions. But opponents, such as Greenpeace International and Nuclear Information and Resource Service, warn that nuclear power poses many threats to people and the environment, including the problems of processing, transport and storage of radioactive nuclear waste, the risk of nuclear weapons proliferation and terrorism, as well as health risks and environmental damage from uranium mining. Because of these risks, Dr. Art Romero, a geoscientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory Berkeley, California, emphasizes the need to conduct due diligence, technical hazard studies and engineering and safety reviews. If the Philippines went nuclear, where would it put nuclear waste? “It is very challenging to manage nuclear waste as it will last up to 10,000 years,” acknowledged Arcilla. “We need to isolate them from the human environment.” Arcilla suggests deep borehole disposal. “In the Philippines, we have the capability to drill up to three kilometers. So what we can do is to go to an isolated island, drill up to one kilometer, then we plug in bentonite.” It’s not the first time the Philippines will go nuclear. The Bataan Nuclear Power Plant was built by Westinghouse during the time of Ferdinand Marcos at a cost of $2.2 billion, but it was mothballed in 1986 due to safety concerns and allegations of corruption, even before it could begin operations. During the administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, proponents wanted the BNPP rehabilitated. But the project was projected to cost a hefty $1 billion. In 2019, a public perception survey indicated that 79 percent of Filipinos supported the rehabilitation of the shelved BNPP. In addition, 65 percent approved the building of new nuclear power plants. Nuclear power is the second largest source of low-carbon electricity today. With almost 500 operating reactors globally, it provides 10 percent of global electricity supply. It’s time for a rapidly developing country like the Philippines to take a second look at this critical power supply option. The post Time for the Philippines to go nuclear appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»