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Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting
The president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Nina Lim-Yuson, grew up in a family and home of Girl Scouts. Her grandmother, Pilar Hidalgo-Lim, was one of the co-founders of the GSP. “It was actually my Lola Pilar who suggested to Josefa Llanes Escoda, the GSP founder, to go to America to learn about girl scouting.” This tidbit of history, Nina shared in an online interview with the DAILY TRIBUNE. Pilar Hidalgo-Lim became GSP president, and so did Nina’s mother, Estefania Aldaba-Lim, who served as secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Nina’s sister too, the eminent broadcast journalist, Cheche Lazaro, was a Girl Scout. Coming from a lineage of women achievers, Nina could not have chosen a different path. It was scouting that formally introduced the family to social responsibility, skills development and citizenship. Her brothers were also Boy Scouts. “I started when I was six years old and it was my Lola Pilar who inducted me as a Brownie. It used to be called Brownie because we were still using the American pattern,” she related. She belonged to Troop Number One, the first to be organized by the GSP national headquarters. In high school at the Jose Abad Santos Memorial School of the Philippine Women’s University, she became a junior and later a senior Girl Scout. College would briefly end her Girl Scouting as she focused on her studies. Along the way, she also danced with the Bayanihan Folk Dance Company. It was not unexpected that she would return to scouting, her first love, and her first extra-curricular activity. For the last 36 years, she has been active in various organizations and volunteer work. She founded the Museong Pambata. She is a recipient of The Outstanding Women in the Nation’s Service and is active in its various social development efforts. What Nina brings to her post is the legacy of leadership that had been passed on to her through generations of women leaders in the family. “My Lola Pilar was my idol. She was such a nice person and I never knew her totally as a president. I knew her more as a loving lola from all the stories she related when we rode up to Baguio. “My mother, on the other hand, was the opposite. She was very career-minded. I learned naman from her a lot of things, like being thrifty and having a list of things to do. In terms of organization, she was like that. Because she was in government. And, you know, when we started Museo, while it was actually my concept, I learned a lot from her. She would call me up at 5 o’clock in the morning and she would rattle off what needed to be done, like ‘number one, number two and so on.’ That was her. And I’m glad that I worked with her for six years in Museo. She was the president and I was the executive director for six years. I took over in 2000 as president and chief executive officer. And then, I stepped down in 2017.” Girl Scouts who read and tell stories Nina was elected president of the Girl Scouts of the Philippines for the term 2021-2024 during its 2021 national convention. From day one, she shared, “My purpose was to reach out to the community-based troops because we have always been school-based. Many young women now have social problems so we need to reach out to the communities through our community-based troops.” Also on top of her priorities is literacy development, a cause that she addressed even in the Museo Pambata. She explained, “My advocacy has always been education. So, I was very concerned because the Asian Development Bank reported in 2022 that the World Bank found out that our Filipino children at ages 9 and 10 cannot read. So, I felt that because girl scouting is all over the country, with 96 local councils, the organization could serve as a vehicle for improving literacy in our country. “We started the Girl Scout Storyteller project because storytelling affects the heart first before the mind. When young people start with storytelling, they will love the stories and then the written word. They would then want to read. “We now have storytelling in economically challenged communities and we have partners. We sent out 2,500 books throughout the country with the help of our partner couriers.” Initially, she sought the help of her family foundation “to give a donation. I also sought the help of Ging Montinola, who is into literacy development. Together, we founded the literacy program. We are building this fund to cover the cost of buying children’s books. We will have a storytelling contest next year.” Raising funds for Camp Escoda Nina then shifted the conversation to another major endeavor that she is spearheading as GSP president — fundraising for the 27-hectare Camp Josefa Llanes Escoda in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija, which was donated by the provincial government during the term of Governor Amado Aleta, the father of consul and civic leader Fortune Ledesma. “Palayan is beautiful because it has rolling hills, but it doesn’t have electrical and water facilities and roadworks. It doesn’t have a swimming pool, and it’s so hot in Nueva Ecija. It also does not have a conference hall. This is a big one-time fundraising project because it’s for the future of the girls who are going to the camp. Because as of now, if you go camping there, you have to walk up the hills to get your drinking water. You have to make buhos to take a bath.” She recalled, “In my time as a young Girl Scout, which was of another era, we had to walk in the dark to fetch water to fill up two drums. I was so scared because there were tuko in Los Baños. That taught me to be courageous. Camps really build up your lifetime skills and attitude. Camping is very integral in girl scouting and boy scouting. So, this camp will serve a purpose. It just needs various basic facilities to make it world-class and convenient with the proper amenities, but the girls will continue to learn all those survival techniques and appreciate nature right on the camp.” She praised architect Pippo Carunungan, “who is an environmental planner. He surveyed the site and drew up everything. It will be a beautiful camp, he said, because it’s a gift of nature.” First Lady as Chief Girl Scout Nina recently led the Girl Scouts in a fundraising ball attended by the “First Lady, Liza Araneta-Marcos, who is our Chief Girl Scout. It’s mandated in the GSP constitution that whoever is the female president of the country or the First Lady is the Chief Girl Scout. In the past, we had Imelda Marcos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. All the first ladies were all Chief Girl Scouts. “Mrs. Liza Marcos spoke before us and she promised to help. She said, ‘We will make it the best campsite.’ Everyone was excited to see her and she obliged everyone who asked to have selfie with her. She is very friendly. She is really a Girl Scout.” Nina shared, “A generous couple is sponsoring the swimming pool at P6 million, while a gentleman entrepreneur is sponsoring the perimeter fence at P1.5 million. Many other businessmen and leaders have pledged to help build this dream GSP project. “We really need to raise about 50 million to have a very good camp. But when the First Lady heard about it, she said, ‘It has to be P250 million.’ But, really, when we have the funds, we can have deep toilets that have running water instead of tabo-tabo. Since we have a little Pampanga river that runs across the camp, we can build a bridge that crosses it and then the girls can have white-water rafting there in the Pampanga river. “Camp Escoda will be a very important and significant venue for our Girl Scouts to gather, bond, learn new skills and develop as morally upright citizens of the country and the world. It is especially so because camping is integral in any Girl Scout’s life. If you don’t have camping, it’s like half of your scouting life is missing. Every Girl Scout remembers that time of her youth. And being the national camp, it will welcome Girl Scouts representing the 96 councils from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who will participate in various events and trainings.” Girl Scouts of all ages As GSP president, Nina travels to various parts of the country. “We have regional conferences aside from the meeting of the Central Board when regional heads and executives come to Manila. “I had just come from Baguio where I stayed for two-and-a-half days. I met our young Girl Scout representatives from ages 14 to 18. I enjoyed listening to them and exchanging ideas with them. I am so happy that we have a wealth of intelligent girls who want to serve the country. They are the ones who are going to take over. “It’s amazing that GSP is no longer limited to old people on the board. We finally have young ones on the board. Our Escoda committee is headed by Jade Delgado from Iloilo. Then we have Justine Bautista. She’s a psychometrician. She heads the Program Committee, which is a big committee because when we were in Baguio, we had 86 girls from all the councils throughout the country. Many of them are running for SK. “So, in my 70s now, which I don’t feel at all, I don’t take any medicines or something like that. Being with young people is what inspires me. Because at 15, 16 or 17, they already know that they have some kind of a mission.” Nina proudly shared that the venue of the Baguio conference, 'Ating Tahanan' on the South Drive was bought during the tenure of my Lola Pilar. We have four buildings there, including the houses of Senator and actor Rogelio de la Rosa and Carlos Valdes, the accountant. Lola Pilar, according to Carlos Valdes, twisted his arm to get a low price. I’m so thankful for all those who preceded me because they bought these places. It’s on South Drive which is so valuable. We even have a reserved forest behind us.” As she looks forward to the next camping and gets even busier raising funds for Camp Escoda, Nina feels elated that “every one of us in the Girl Scouts has been together in our various undertakings. The nice thing is we are now intergenerational because we try to bring in the old with experience, institutional memory and their wisdom born of their long life, and the young who are full of enthusiasm, energy and new ideas.” A star scout for a granddaughter While Nina does her part for the bright future of girl scouting in the country, her personal family too has not stopped contributing to the roster of members to this worldwide organization. Today, a granddaughter of hers, seven-year-old Rocio Yuson de Guzman, is a Star Scout. She is the daughter of Nina’s daughter, Nicky. No grandmother could have been prouder. Nina said, “Rufio loves being a star scout. When I arrived from the recent world conference in Cyprus, I came back with some badges and I gave some to Rufio who is very proud of the little badges that I got for her.” For sure, Nina will pass on not just the badges to Rufio. More importantly, she will give her granddaughter the once-in-one’s-childhood experience of being a Girl Scout and learning “the values that are identified in the Girl Scout Promise and Laws. I think that while there is so much to enjoy and learn, it is the inculcation of these values that would mold her into a well-rounded human being. As we all know, a Girl Scout’s honor is to be trusted. A Girl Scout is loyal, thrifty, courteous… and so on. It’s like a mantra -- the values that one lives by. “I have reached that point when it is not about success or what one accumulates in life, whether awards or accomplishments or material things. It is more about what I can share and scouting gives me that honor and privilege — to do my part in helping mold our young girls and making them aware even at an early age that they have a mission and worthy purpose in life. It is not just about being good and outstanding on your own but it is also about helping others to become better in what they’re doing and live better lives. “And I need not look far. As a grandmother, I dote on my Star Scout granddaughter, Rufio. There’s a world out there for her to discover and in which she has a role to play and use the skills and values she will learn from scouting.” The post Nina Lim-Yuson — A lifetime of girl scouting appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
San Jose del Monte City strives to shine
Defying rains and strong wind brought by two typhoons — “Goring” and “Hanna” -— and the southwest monsoon, the local government of San Jose del Monte City in Bulacan kicked off the celebration of its Tanglawan Festival on 1 September with a flashy program and a fashion show. This year, the city in the eastern portion of the Central Luzon province is holding its biggest festival yet, which lasts until 10 September. Tanglawan is spearheaded by the city’s prominent political family, led by its mayor Arthur Robes and his wife, congresswoman Florida P. Robes. Meant as a celebration of the anniversary of San Jose del Monte’s achievement of cityhood on 10 September 2000, the festival aims to project the city as a beacon of progress in the province, thus the name, which derived from the Tagalog word tanglaw, meaning “light.” Launched in 2016, it is also, of course, an opportunity for San Joseños to gather together, enjoy and be entertained. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="179659,179658"] In the 2017 festival, the city made a bid to be included in the Guinness World Records for mounting the largest lantern parade on 19 September, involving 14,173 people. During the two years of lockdowns because of the coronavirus pandemic, the festival was held virtually. It made a comeback as an onsite event in 2022. This year, Tanglawan Festival, which has the theme, “Tanglaw ko, Bukas Mo, Mananatiling Bulakenyo. Yes to HUC!,” is made grander to promote its bid to secure a highly urbanized city status, according to the deputy festival director Glenn de Jesus. The Pasiklab ng Tanglawan: Tanglawan Festival Grand Opening at the CSJDM Sports Complex featured celebrities, such as Robi Domingo, Darren Espanto, Paul Salas, AC Bonifacio and Jillian Ward. The show also featured the debut of the new signature moves created by dance group Douglas Nierras Powerdance, performed by about 400 dancers to the new festival theme song composed by Ato del Rosario. The moves and music would be used for their street-dancing parade and competition, the Arya-aryahan Street Dance Comp the first time that the festival featured a fashion show, a nod to the city’s garment industry. Organizers said that San Jose del Monte was once considered the fashion capital. [gallery columns="2" size="full" ids="179653,179654"] The “Tanglaw ng Kahapon” part of the fashion show showcased the collections of Viña Romero, who is from San Jose del Monte, with accessories by Arnel Papa. A collection took heavy inspiration from the Dumagat people, an indigenous people of the city, which can be problematic. Another collection was inspired by the piña fabric. The second part of the show featured the luxurious pieces of Francis Libiran, who hails from the town of Balagtas. Organizers hope that the fashion show would be a regular part of the lineup of events of the Tanglawan Festival, which includes events regularly seen in modern festivals in the country, such as trade fairs, sporting competitions, concerts and parades. The post San Jose del Monte City strives to shine appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Singapore hangs 14th drug convict since last year
Singapore on Wednesday hanged a local man convicted of drug trafficking, officials said, two days before the scheduled execution of the first woman prisoner in the city-state in nearly 20 years. Mohd Aziz bin Hussain, convicted and sentenced to death in 2017 for trafficking "not less than 49.98 grams" (1.76 ounces) of heroin, was executed at Changi Prison, the Central Narcotics Bureau said in a statement. The 57-year-old was the 14th convict sent to the gallows since the government resumed executions in March 2022 after a two-year pause during the Covid-19 pandemic. Hussain's previous appeals against his conviction and sentence had been dismissed, and a petition for presidential clemency was also denied. A woman drug convict, 45-year-old Saridewi Djamani, is scheduled to be hanged on Friday, according to the local rights group Transformative Justice Collective (TJC). She was sentenced to death in 2018 for trafficking around 30 grams of heroin. If carried out, Djamani would be the first woman executed in Singapore since 2004, when 36-year-old hairdresser Yen May Woen was hanged for drug trafficking, according to TJC activist Kokila Annamalai. Singapore has some of the world's toughest anti-drug laws -- trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis or over 15 grams of heroin can result in the death penalty. Rights watchdog Amnesty International on Tuesday urged Singapore to halt the executions, saying there was no evidence the death penalty acted as a deterrent to crime. "It is unconscionable that authorities in Singapore continue to cruelly pursue more executions in the name of drug control," Amnesty death penalty expert Chiara Sangiorgio said in a statement. Singapore, however, insists that the death penalty has helped make it one of Asia's safest countries. Among those hanged since last year was Nagaenthran K. Dharmalingam, whose execution sparked a global outcry, including from the United Nations and British tycoon Richard Branson, because he was deemed to have a mental disability. The post Singapore hangs 14th drug convict since last year appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
El Niño offers opportunities — DA
The Department of Agriculture on Saturday said that El Niño can also increase yield for some crops, especially when its strength is weak or moderate or in water-sufficient irrigated rice areas. While many fear El Niño because of crop losses, reduced food supplies, and water resources depletion, the DA said when El Niño is preceded by normal to above-normal rain, this allows water reservoirs to stock enough water for irrigation. Sunny weather brings higher palay yields and better milling recovery from better quality palay harvest. Agriculture Undersecretary for Rice Industry Development Leocadio Sebastian exhorted DA field officials to apply their knowledge of agricultural science (crop science, crop physiology, agronomy, and agro meteorology) when analyzing historical and current data on El Niño’s impact on agriculture. He further advised them to carefully examine the PAGASA El Niño advisories and climate data to guide their decisions. He expected to be negatively impacted by El Niño during the dry season are water-deficient areas like those in the tail ends of irrigation systems and the rain-fed areas. According to Sebastian, when El Niño is weak to moderate, such as those occurrences in 2002, 2004, and 2007, this may lead to increased production, while the weak El Niño of 2019 caused declines in output in non-irrigated areas while production in irrigated rice fields increased. He asked the field officials to maximize production in irrigated areas and diversify crops in areas expected to suffer from water deficits. Seven El Niño episodes have so far hit the country since 2000. These were in 2002, 2004, 2007, 2010, 2015 and 2016, and 2019. During mild El Niño, palay production still increased, such as in 2002, 2004, and 2007. Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority from 2000 to 2022 showed that palay production in 2001 was at 12.95 million metric tons, rising in 2002 to 13.27 MMT (El Niño), and then inching up to 14.5 MMT in 2004 (El Niño) from 13.50 MMT in 2003, and from 15.33 MMT in 2006 to 16.24 MMT in 2007 (El Niño). Production declined to 15.77 MMT in 2010 (El Niño) from 16.27 MMT in 2009, and rice production was 18.97 MMT in 2014 before dipping again to 18.15 MMT in 2015 (severe El Niño) and sliding even more to 17.63 MMT in 2016 (continued severe El Niño). Production recovered after the 2015-2016 El Niño more dramatically at 19.28 MMT in 2017, dropping in the 2019 El Niño to 18.81 MMT before recovering ground to 19.29 MMT in 2020. So far, PAGASA has been forecasting moderate to strong El Niño by December this year. This should not indicate a doomsday scenario for the rice sector, depending on the amount of rainfall and water reserves accumulated in the dams and reservoirs for the 2024 dry season. And depending on the availability of precipitation or rainfall and water reserves, this should not indicate a doomsday scenario for the rice sector just yet, Sebastian calculated. The US National Weather Service has forecasted a 96 percent probability of El Niño greater than 0.5 degrees Celsius from July 2023 to January 2024; 93 percent from December to February; 90 percent from January to March further receding to 85 percent in February to April. At 1 degree Celsius, the probability of El Nino is 76 percent from August to October; 82 percent from October to December; dropping to 81 percent from November to January 2024; and 64 percent from January to March to 52 percent by February to April 2024. A recent ENSO (El Niño-Southern Oscillation) report said chances of a moderate event are at 84 percent while the odds of it becoming strong at its peak are pretty good at 56 percent. ENSO is a recurring climate pattern involving changes in the temperature of waters in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. A World Bank study of the impact of El Niño in the Philippines in 2016 cited seven severe ENSO events since 1980, which include both El Niño, ENSO’s warm phase, and La Niña, ENSO’s cold phase. In 1982–1983, El Niño–related droughts affected 450,000 hectares of farmland in the Philippines. The most severe El Niño occurred in 1997–1998, when rainfall fell to half of the historical levels, causing drought in two-thirds of the country. This led to forest fires that destroyed almost 10,000 hectares of natural forests, the WB said. In 2015–2016, dry El Niño conditions lasted for 18 months and affected about a third of the country. In total, six cities, 16 provinces, and 65 municipalities declared a state of calamity. By May 2016, over 400,000 farmers and 550,000 hectares were directly affected by El Niño–induced drought. Later, La Niña caused flooding in low-lying farm areas causing increases in crop pests and diseases. Overall, the most recent El Niño event in 2015–2016 caused $327 million in agricultural production losses, the WB report stated. The post El Niño offers opportunities — DA appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Governor denies hand in Homonhon mining permit
BORONGAN CITY — Eastern Samar Governor Ben Evardone has denied having a hand in permitting a mining company to conduct a large-scale operation in Homonhon Island. In a public statement issued on Tuesday, Evardone said it is beyond his power to issue a mining permit since it is only the Department of Environment and Natural Resources that can do so. “I have no authority to issue a mining permit. It is only the DENR which is authorized to issue permits to large-scale mining operations like in Homonhon,” he said. Evardone issued the statement to clarify reports circulating in social media regarding his supposed hand in the renewed operation of Hinatuan Mining Corporation. The speculation arose after Evardone’s son, provincial board member Ralph Vincent Evardone, announced a plan to hold an inter-town basketball tournament where Nickel Asia Corporation, the mother company of HMC, is the main sponsor. HMC is operating in Manicani Island, which is adjacent to Homonhon Island where three other mining companies are operating. The Mines and Geosciences Bureau central office, on 2 March 2022, granted the petition of HMC to continue its operation for 15 years to cover the expired portion of its Mineral Production Sharing Agreement that was not used due to suspension of its operation. The MPSA awarded to HMC on 28 April 1992 a 25-years permit to mine 1,164.55 hectares out of the Manicani’s total size of 1,166 hectares. The mining operation was suspended in 2002 due to social unrest in the island and complaints of environmental damages. The MPSA expired on 28 October 2017. The governor reiterated that he is not against mining as long as the company operates responsibly. “I am for responsible mining. I am against any illegal mining activities in Eastern Samar,” Evardone said. He said that all mining companies must strictly observe all mining, environmental and social protection laws. If these companies cannot comply with all the standards, DENR should stop their operations, the governor added. Evardone said that mining companies in Homonhon Island are not paying their taxes to the province, are not transparent, and are not providing any form of social protection to the people and the environment. The post Governor denies hand in Homonhon mining permit appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
NY tribunal clears Bloomberry from heist
The Appellate Division of the New York Supreme Court upheld on 30 May 2023 an order clearing a unit of Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc. or BRHI from the complaint of Bangladesh Bank regarding an $81-billion online bank heist. A decision and order dated 30 May 2023, received by Bloomberry in the evening of 30 May 2023, upheld the order of the Supreme Court, New York County dated 8 April 2022 which granted the motion to dismiss the Bangladesh central bank’s complaint against Bloomberry unit Solaire resort. Bloomberry Resorts Corp., and its subsidiary Bloomberry Resorts and Hotels Inc., along with Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation, and Eastern Hawaii Leisure Company, Ltd have all been accused of serious crimes, including conspiracy to commit, fraud, aiding and abetting, conspiracy to commit fraud, conversion, theft, misappropriation, and a litany of other charges. Hackers went for $1B The suit was related to the attack on Bangladesh Bank by North Korean hackers in 2016 that resulted to the syphoning off a total of $1 billion from the bank’s accounts. The hackers attacked the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, which responded rapidly, blocking the majority of the transfers, but after letting $101 million slip through. The bank was able to retrieve $20 million of these funds, but the remaining $81 million remained unaccounted. In the probe on how the remainder of the money was used, it was found the majority of the funds were channeled through various casinos and gambling properties and used to buy gaming chips and play in junket rooms. The hackers were successful in transferring the money because the criminals specifically launched their attack during the long weekend. Since the racket took place, Bangladesh Bank has been looking to recover the missing funds, essentially accusing the defendants of not acting in good conscience when it came to examining the source of funds and flagging the matter with authorities in a timely fashion. With the latest rulings, however, it’s unlikely for Bangladesh Bank to recoup any further of the missing funds. The post NY tribunal clears Bloomberry from heist appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Charles Manson disciple edges closer to possible release
Leslie Van Houten, a disciple of serial killer Charles Manson who was sentenced to life in prison for her role in an infamous double murder in 1969, is eligible for parole, a California appeals court has ruled. The ruling moves Van Houten, now 73, a step closer to release after more than five decades behind bars, although a potential legal battle remains as the state's governor has previously blocked all efforts to free her. Van Houten was 19 when she joined Manson's "family," an apocalyptic cult who hatched a bizarre plot to commit murders across Los Angeles in hopes of sparking a race war. Manson, who notoriously led his gang to murder heavily pregnant actor Sharon Tate and her friends in a killing spree that shocked the nation, died in prison in 2017. While Van Houten was not involved in those murders, she has admitted to participating in further killings by the group on the following night, during which she stabbed Rosemary La Bianca, a grocer's wife, up to 16 times. Van Houten has been recommended for parole five times since 2016, but California governors Jerry Brown and Gavin Newsom have vetoed on each occasion. Newsom's latest veto in 2022 argued that Van Houten could still be a danger to society, and said she had not fully explained how she fell under Manson's sway and came to commit horrific acts of violence. But appeal judges on Tuesday overturned Newsom's veto, with a 2-1 majority finding that "there is no evidence to support the Governor's conclusions" and ruling in favor of her release. They noted Van Houten's exemplary inmate behavior, and found that Newsom's refusal to release her "fails to account for the decades of therapy, self-help programming, and reflection Van Houten has undergone in the past 50 years." The ruling does not guarantee Van Houten's imminent release. Newsom can still ask for the case to be referred to California's supreme court, in a process that could take years to resolve. California prosecutors are expected to file a motion to stay Van Houten's release on parole while those proceedings are ongoing. The post Charles Manson disciple edges closer to possible release appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Bum deal brings pain
A contract inherited from the previous Land Transportation Office regime is now a major cause of headaches for the leadership of the agency and, in effect, the entire nation as it caused the delay in the release of driver’s licenses. German firm-led joint venture Dermalog introduced the Land Transportation Management System or LTMS which is a P3.4-billion project awarded in 2018. The dispute over the contract is the crux of the stalled distribution of the cards. The company has been disqualified from the contract to produce the plastic licenses, which it assumed from Allcard which failed to perform its obligations. Worse, in 2020, according to documents filed with the Ombudsman, Dermalog “interfered in and controlled the LTO’s printing system of driver’s license cards.” LTO Chief Assistant Secretary Jose Arturo “Jay Art” Tugade inherited the problem after he was appointed in November 2022. With the actions it took, Dermalog was considered by LTO officials a “threat to national security.” Post-qualification of Dermalog for the contract was based on the ground of its failure “to fully comply with its obligations under its 2017 contract with LTO.” A 2021 report of the Commission on Audit flagged LTO’s payment of P3.15 billion to Dermalog despite several defects that delayed and disrupted the system. LTO is conducting an extensive probe which may lead to the possible scrapping of the Dermalog contract. Congress is ready to probe the alleged “illegal payment” despite the “incomplete turnover of deliverables.” The circumstances proved that the contract was in clear violation of procurement and auditing rules, warranting an extensive probe. The German-led venture had reneged on the deal more than four years after the December 2018 delivery date as the system is still not fully functional and fully rolled out. The Dermalog system was incompatible with the LTO processes that needed to be adjusted to accommodate the new system’s functions. The Ombudsman in denying Dermalog’s petition to cite bidding committee officials for graft said: “Respondents (members of LTO bidding body) did not commit any irregularity when they objected to the post-qualification of the complainant (Dermalog) in the 2021 procurement.” “It also took Dermalog until 2 July 2021 to agree to turn over all “source codes,” in escrow, create an upload facility and include it in the Inventory Management System, thereby removing LTO’s dependency on it; and grant to LTO the exclusive right to use the watermark or hologram delivered to it, “recognizing in the process the need of the LTO to be independent of the vendor as a lesson from the past.” “Its avowed intention to turn over in escrow only means that it has not indeed fully complied with its obligations under the 2017 procurement,” according to the Ombudsman’s resolution. The Ombudsman said it was not inclined “to indict respondents (LTO bidding officials) for violation of Section 3 of Republic Act 3019 for delay under RA 9184 when the facts, as they are in this case, showed that Dermalog has not been candid in its business dealings with LTO and has, by itself, caused the delay it complains about.” The dispute over the contract has held hostage the LTO, the Department of Transportation, and Filipino motorists to Dermalog’s demand that the government pay it in full despite its shortcomings. Eventually, the deficiency from the deal reflects on the image of the administration since it has been quite a while since inefficiency has been a distinctive complaint against frontline service providers. The post Bum deal brings pain appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PMI, ARQ, ZIP Sanman boxers feted in first Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Central Visayas was well-represented during the inaugural Elorde-Pacquiao Boxing Awards at Okada Manila last Sunday, March 24th. This was after 13 of Central Visayas’ best boxers from Cebu and Bohol were feted for their achievements in 2023. They were headed by none other than former World Boxing Organization (WBO) world minimumweight.....»»
50,000 cops nationwide, including 2,100 from Central Visayas, promoted to higher positions
50,000 cops nationwide, including 2,100 from Central Visayas, promoted to higher positions.....»»
LTO-7 on high alert for Holy Week
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Land Transportation Office in Central Visayas (LTO-7) is on high alert starting March 24 to 31, for the Holy Week. The LTO-7 announced their “Oplan Biyaheng Ayos: Semana Santa and Summer Vacation 2024” in a press release last Friday. Director Glen Galario has instructed all LTO-7 district and extension offices.....»»
PSA-7: Report to us if PhilSys ID not accepted
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Philippine Statistics Authority in Central Visayas (PSA-7) urged Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) ID holders to report to the agency if some entities do not accept their IDs. PSA-7 chief administrative officer of Edwina Carriaga told CDN Digital in a phone interview that the agency is urging PhilSys ID (National ID).....»»
PRO-7 warns against use of marijuana-flavored vapes
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Police Regional Office in Central Visayas (PRO-7) has issued a stern warning against the use and proliferation of marijuana-flavored vape products. Police Lieutenant Colonel Gerard Ace Pelare, the PRO-7 spokesperson, said that they will arrest individuals who sell vapes mixed with marijuana oil. The sale and use of marijuana remains.....»»
OFW aspirants told: Engage with licensed recruitment agencies only
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The regional director of the Department of Migrant Workers in Central Visayas (DMW-7) warned aspiring Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) to engage with only legitimate and licensed recruitment agencies. Lawyer Karl Arriola, DMW-7 director, told CDN Digital that even if he was a lawyer, he still subscribed to the doctors’ advice: Prevention.....»»
PDEA-7: No marijuana-flavored vapes in Central Visayas
CEBU CITY, Philippines – No marijuana-flavored vapes have been monitored so far in Central Visayas, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency in the region, said. This was according to Intelligence Agent IlI Jonar V. Cuayzon, chief of the Intelligence and Investigation Section of PDEA Regional Office 7. Cuayzon, however, said that they are not discounting the.....»»
PSA-RSSO 8 sweeps 6 major accomplishments in 2022 PSA Awards
The Philippine Statistics Authority -Regional Statistical Services Office VIII (PSA-RSSO 8) was among 17 other regions in the country that garnered major accolades during the 2022 PSA Awards held during PSA 10th Anniversary Celebration at PSA Central Office......»»
Philippine remittances hit all-time high in 2023
MANILA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached an "all-time high" of 37.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, 3 percent higher than the 36.1 billion dollars recorded in 2022, the Philippine central bank said on Thursday. "The robust inward remittances reflected the rise in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers due to the continuous increase in demand for foreign workers in host.....»»
Philippine remittances hit all-time high in 2023
MANILA, Feb. 15 (Xinhua) -- Personal remittances from overseas Filipinos reached an "all-time high" of 37.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2023, 3 percent higher than the 36.1 billion dollars recorded in 2022, the Philippine central bank said on Thursday. "The robust inward remittances reflected the rise in the deployment of overseas Filipino workers due to the continuous increase in demand for foreign workers in host.....»»
Israel sees decrease in foreign trade in 2023
Tel Aviv [Israel], January 23 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported on Israel's foreign trade in 2023 as compared to 2022. The countries to which exports of goods (excluding diamonds) from Israel had the largest increases in 2023 were Morocco, Egypt, Hungary, Romania, Uruguay, Lithuania, Hong Kong and Poland. In contrast, the countries with the largest decreases in exports from Israel were Malays.....»»
Israel sees decrease in foreign trade in 2023
Tel Aviv [Israel], January 23 (ANI/TPS): Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reported on Israel's foreign trade in 2023 as compared to 2022. The countries to which exports of goods (excluding diamonds) from Israel had the largest increases in 2023 were Morocco, Egypt, Hungary, Romania, Uruguay, Lithuania, Hong Kong and Poland. In contrast, the countries with the largest decreases in exports from Israel were Malays.....»»