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Local museum seeking memorabilia from WWII Philippines conflict - Paso Robles Daily News
The Central Coast Veterans Memorial Museum is appealing to the public for assistance in gathering artifacts, photos, and stories related to the Philippines conflict [].....»»
Philippines intensifies monitoring against illegal drug smuggling
MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Thursday that it will heighten monitoring measures to fight against illegal drug smuggling. PCG Commandant Ronnie Gil Gavan issued the order after its force recovered 122.7 million pesos (about 2.2 million U.S. dollars) worth of suspected cocaine in the waters off and shorelines of central and southern Philippines this month. Gavan ordered.....»»
Cebu City legislators want probe on unregistered motor bancas
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The privilege speech of Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover, Jr. during the council’s regular session on Jan. 24 led the other legislators to meet with the representatives of Naval Forces Central (Navforcen), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), and Maritime Industry Authority (Marina). In Alcover’s privilege speech, he recalled the incident that happened on.....»»
201 vessels to join Fluvial Procession for Fiesta Señor 2024
CEBU CITY, Philippines – From small boats to yachts, hundreds of vessels will be joining the upcoming Fluvial Procession, one of the highlights of the Fiesta Señor celebration, this January 20. At least 201 marine vessels have registered for the Fluvial Procession of the 459th Fiesta Señor, the Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7).....»»
Fiesta Señor Fluvial Procession 2024: Coast Guard grants permit to 183 vessels
CEBU CITY, Philippines – A total of 183 vessels have already registered for the Fiesta Señor fluvial procession 2024 scheduled on Saturday, Jan. 20. The number was based on number of applications received and approved by the Coast Guard District Central Visayas as of 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 17. The deadline for the submission.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 2
TOKYO -- The death toll has risen to 55 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of Tuesday evening, after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the area in central Japan and the vicinity, with aftershocks and more damage reports coming in. In a separate tragedy on Tuesday, a Japan Coast Guard aircraft taxiing on the runway to transport relief goods for quake-hit areas in Niigata Prefecture collided with.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 2
TOKYO -- The death toll has risen to 55 in the central Japanese prefecture of Ishikawa as of Tuesday evening, after a series of powerful earthquakes hit the area in central Japan and the vicinity, with aftershocks and more damage reports coming in. In a separate tragedy on Tuesday, a Japan Coast Guard aircraft taxiing on the runway to transport relief goods for quake-hit areas in Niigata Prefecture collided with.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 1
TOKYO -- Multiple cases of damage and injuries have been reported after strong earthquakes rocked Japan's western coast on Monday amidst the country's New Year celebrations, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in several prefectures. The series of strong earthquakes with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude have been hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan since Mo.....»»
Xinhua Asia-Pacific news summary at 1600 GMT, Jan. 1
TOKYO -- Multiple cases of damage and injuries have been reported after strong earthquakes rocked Japan's western coast on Monday amidst the country's New Year celebrations, triggering tsunami warnings and evacuation orders in several prefectures. The series of strong earthquakes with major ones of up to a preliminary 7.6 magnitude have been hitting a wide area on the Sea of Japan coast in central Japan since Mo.....»»
Massive earthquake rocks Japan on New Year, triggers tsunami warnings
A massive earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.6 hit central Japan on Monday, triggering a tsunami warning and advisories for residents to evacuate and prepare for possible aftershocks. A tsunami around 1 meter high struck parts of the west coast along the Sea of Japan, with a larger wave expected, public broadcaster NHK reported......»»
Sea trips resume as Kabayan further weakens to LPA
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Good news for passengers stranded in ports due to bad weather. The Philippine Coast Guard in Central Visayas (PCG-7) on Monday evening, December 18, allowed several sea trips to resume after the state weather bureau lifted all storm signals in the country. In its 5 p.m. severe weather bulletin, the Philippine.....»»
US: Chinese Navy ignored distress calls of hijacked Israeli ship
Tel Aviv [Israel], November 29 (ANI/TPS): Chinese naval vessels ignored repeated distress calls from an Israeli-owned commercial tanker that was under attack on Sunday, the Pentagon said on Monday. The USS Mason and allied ships--reportedly belonging to Japan-- recovered the Israel-linked Central Park tanker, which an "unknown entity" hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confir.....»»
US: Chinese Navy ignored distress calls of hijacked Israeli ship
Tel Aviv [Israel], November 29 (ANI/TPS): Chinese naval vessels ignored repeated distress calls from an Israeli-owned commercial tanker that was under attack on Sunday, the Pentagon said on Monday. The USS Mason and allied ships--reportedly belonging to Japan-- recovered the Israel-linked Central Park tanker, which an "unknown entity" hijacked in the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Yemen, US Central Command (CENTCOM) confir.....»»
Attackers Seize Another Israel-Linked Tanker off Yemen
DUBAI - Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Sunday, authorities said. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, it comes as at least two other maritime attacks in recent days have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war.The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Amb.....»»
Attackers Seize Another Israel-Linked Tanker off Yemen
DUBAI - Attackers seized a tanker linked to Israel off the coast of Aden, Yemen, on Sunday, authorities said. While no group immediately claimed responsibility, it comes as at least two other maritime attacks in recent days have been linked to the Israel-Hamas war.The attackers seized the Liberian-flagged Central Park, managed by Zodiac Maritime, in the Gulf of Aden, the company and private intelligence firm Amb.....»»
PCG’s problematic dualism
There is a world of difference between the roles of a civilian agency and those of a military command. No civilian agency or military command should be doing the role of the other, lest they overlap, conflict, or render redundant their authority. The role of the Philippine Coast Guard is a good subject for legislative review — whether it fulfills a purely civilian function or a purely military one. The fact that it’s an attached agency of the Department of Transportation as much as an attached service of the Department of National Defense “confers” upon it a dualism that may be at cross purposes. While the PCG can fit either role, it shouldn’t. For in so doing, the line between maritime law enforcement and national defense is blurred. One may be led to think that, perforce, the PCG is unadulteratedly a military organization as it used to be part of the Philippine Navy, a major branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Something explains this duality, but it may require assessment as to whether it must continue to have this dual character. In principle, any individual or unit that performs a task or mandate that essentially belongs solely to the military must forthwith be under a military commander or military organization. Who can even begin to fathom what it means when the Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard reports directly to the Transportation Secretary in the enforcement of maritime law, but also reports to the Defense Secretary if not the President in wartime? If one should take a cursory look at those who served as commandants of the PCG since its founding in 1967 under different presidents, one would find, viz.: 1) During Rodrigo Duterte’s term, only three served for over a year, while four served for less than a year, and one for only 18 days; 2) Under Benigno Aquino, four barely completed a year, one just a year, and one more than two years; 3) Under Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, three served for barely a year, two served over two years or so; 4) Under Joseph Estrada, one served for two years; 5) In Fidel Ramos’ time, five served for less than a year, one for 32 days, and one for almost three years; 6) Under Corazon Aquino, two served for two years, one for three years, and two for a week or so; 7) Under Ferdinand Marcos Sr., four served for over a year, three served for 3, 4, 5 years, respectively. This tells us that commandants, as presidential appointees, must be the personal choices of the presidents they serve. With a change of the occupant in Malacañang, a change in the leadership of the PCG also takes place, good or bad. It’s said that the PCG’s “transformation into a non-military organization” and its “civilian character” allowed it “to receive offers of vessels, equipment, technology, services, cooperation and other needed assistance from other countries,” that otherwise would not have been feasible were it a military agency. President Fidel Ramos signed Executive Order 475 on 30 March 1998 to separate the PCG from the Philippine Navy, and Executive Order 477 to transfer it from the DND to the DoTC, a month thereafter. Thus, even FM Jr. has been heard saying, “Our friends from other countries will help strengthen the PCG’s capabilities.” Today, the President envisions the PCG as a “central actor” insofar as West Philippine Sea matters are concerned; thus, he ordered several 40-foot long patrol vessels to be built in Cebu to improve the PCG’s capabilities in maritime territorial disputes. In the face of China’s unprecedented coast guard expansion — the largest in the world — “civilianizing” the PCG makes little sense. It’s a Catch-22 on how to “reinvent” the PCG. Military strategists had miserably failed. The post PCG’s problematic dualism appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Dust in the air worsened in 2022: UN
The amount of dust in the world's air worsened in 2022, the United Nations said on Thursday, as it called for more research into how climate change may increase sandstorm hotspots. The UN's World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said the slight rise was due to increased emissions from west-central Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, the Iranian Plateau and northwestern China. "Human activities are having an impact on sand and dust storms," WMO chief Petteri Taalas said in the global weather agency's Airborne Dust Bulletin. "For example higher temperatures, drought and higher evaporation lead to lower soil moisture. Combined with poor land management, this is conducive to more sand and dust storms." The annual WMO report looked at the incidence and hazards of dust storms and their impact on society. "The global average of annual mean dust surface concentrations in 2022 was slightly higher than that in 2021," it said. Last year's figure was 13.8 micrograms (one millionth of a gram) per cubic meter; in 2021 the figure had been 13.5. The peak estimated annual mean dust surface concentration was located in the Bodele region in Chad, with a figure between 900 and 1,200 micrograms per cubic meter. In the southern hemisphere, the highest concentrations were found in central Australia and the west coast of South Africa, with figures between 200 and 300. Darkened skies "Every year, around 2,000 million tonnes of dust enters the atmosphere, darkening skies and harming air quality in regions that can be thousands of kilometers away, and affecting economies, ecosystems, weather and climate," the report said. "Much of this is a natural process, but a large part of it is the result of poor water and land management." The bulletin detailed three major incidents in 2022, including the March "exceptional dust outbreak" from northern Africa over Spain and Portugal. European Union air quality regulations set a mean daily limit of 50 micrograms, but in southeastern Spain peak hourly values topping 3,500 were recorded. The severe dust storm over the Middle East in May which "dramatically reduced the visibility all over the region" and the cropland dust storm in the eastern United States that month were also detailed. "Sand and dust storms have impacts on health, on transport including aviation, ground transportation, road and railroad transportation and agriculture. This affects public health and safety, and economies," said Taalas. The bulletin called for further research into dust storms and climate change, which remain largely "unexplored". The WMO wants the whole world covered by weather disaster early warning systems within four years to protect people from the worsening impacts of climate change. Taalas wants dust storm forecasting skills and warning services brought under the same umbrella. The post Dust in the air worsened in 2022: UN appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Cebu to supply vessels for Coast Guard, Navy
The Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy may avail sea vessels made in Balamban, Cebu as announced by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Department of National Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. “The new vessel that we are seeing there, the 40-foot vessel that’s made in Cebu, that will be included,” Marcos said. “We will eventually have 40 of them that would give us an increased capability. This is ongoing.” Cebu has long been recognized as the country’s shipbuilding capital with the shipbuilding industry propelling the local economy of Balamban in Midwestern Cebu on the brink of cityhood status and the newly-built ship building facilities in Danao City. The plan was confirmed by Teodoro, who recently went to Capitol and met with Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. “Cebu builds ships, Cebu builds equipment that we need, and therefore the synergy that we see today will continue but in a different dimension not only as a locator in the Province of Cebu but as a resource purchaser and resource user of the services, goods and other capabilities that your province can produce,” Teodoro said. He added that he is just waiting for amendments to the Armed Forces of the Philippines modernization law to locally source military assets. “We encourage our legislators here today that we are waiting for these amendments by the end of the year so that by next year we can start to leverage the talents and abilities of the people of Cebu,” Teodoro said. Balamban has its locators include Japan-based Tsuneshi Heavy Industries and Australia’s Austal Corporation, local builders Advance Catamaran Composites and Cebu Maritime Industry. “You have an important role to play here not only in maintaining peace and security in Central Philippines,” Teodoro said. The post Cebu to supply vessels for Coast Guard, Navy appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
HCPTI to ‘make Subic port push NorthPhil economy to new highs’
The development and digitalization of the Subic port can help the economy of North Philippines (NorthPhil) and the rest of the country reach new highs. This projection came from economist and teacher Ronilo Balbieran of the University of Asia and the Pacific, citing the vast expanse and strategic location of NorthPhil’s constituent regions north of Metro Manila. Balbieran said Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, Ilocandia and the Cordilleras could gain unprecedented economic growth from the Subic Port’s development into a truly world-class international gateway vis-a-vis a similarly ongoing modernization of the Clark Freeport Zone, creating a logistical superhighway and growth corridor, whose benefits would spill over to the rest of the archipelago. Poised to modernize the Subic Port is Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. (HCPTI), making its operation fully digitalized and serve as the centerpiece and crowning jewel of the entire Freeport zone. The HCPTI’s development plan envisions the Subic Port as the main draw in the marketing of Subic as an investment destination, the facility being a supposedly world-class international gateway and a catalyst of global trade and commerce. Underscoring the significance of distance in logistics, particularly involving marine freight, Balbieran said the Subic port would highlight the strategic location of NorthPhil in relation to six of the countries in the ASEAN and most of those in the Pacific Rim, including Central America. Balbieran also echoed the “sales pitch” of the Department of Tourism and the Tourism Promotions Board hailing NorthPhil as an undisrupted land mass of diverse nature, culture and adventure, featuring a wealth of resources of four large regions between the West Philippine Sea and the Pacific, or from ridge to reef and from coast to coast. “Those regions account for 18 percent of the country’s total GDP (Gross Domestic Product), adding P3.9 trillion to the national economy just for 2022. And in the last two years, these (regional economies) have grown faster than Metro Manila and the entire nation,” Balbieran explained. “With larger investments in expansion and digitalization, the Subic port can further ignite domestic and international trade to and from Luzon, which will expand the economy of NorthPhil even faster.” NorthPhil comprises 84,526 square kilometers, accounting for 28.2 percent of the country’s entire 300,000 sqkm. NorthPhil’s total land mass alone is equivalent to 76.9 percent of Luzon’s 109,965 square kilometers and 87 percent of Mindanao’s 97,530 sqkm. At the same time, the HCPTI’s modernization of the Subic port is also “consistent and fully aligned” with the PBBM administration’s infrastructure and logistics development policy thrust. Balbieran said the National Logistics Strategy of the Department of Trade and Industry included both public and private investments in Logistics 1 of the 6 pillars of improving the country’s logistics efficiency. “The Strategy emphasizes massive investments in ports nationwide, as more than 90 percent of goods pass through the ports,” Balbieran said of what was revealed by the DTI at the recent conference of the Supply Chain Management Association of the Philippines. The DTI’s National Logistics Strategy is also expected to incorporate or be seamlessly integrated with those of the departments of Agriculture, Transportation, Public Works and Highways, and Interior and Local Government as part of another plan to develop a food logistics chain, a cold chain industry, port infrastructure, and farm-to-market roads, thus ensuring affordable availability of food to consumers in real time by reducing logistics cost through investments in appropriate infrastructure and digital technologies. “Thus, the ‘expansion and digitalization of the Subic Port’ by the HCPTI is consistent with the National Logistics Strategy and Food Logistics Plan of the DTI, both getting the nod of President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' R. Marcos Jr. recently,” Balbieran said. “Specifically, though, HCPTI’s modernization of the Subic port will help bring down logistics costs, not just for the businessmen in Northern Luzon, but also for (those in) the rest of the Philippines who will use such facility to trade internationally.” Balbieran said both the DTI and the World Bank had described the Philippines’ logistics cost as “one of the highest” in Southeast Asia at more than 20 percent of sales, compared with Thailand’s only 11 percent. The post HCPTI to ‘make Subic port push NorthPhil economy to new highs’ appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Typhoon Koinu brings record winds, knocks out power in Taiwan
Typhoon Koinu grazed the southern edge of Taiwan on Thursday, lashing the island with the strongest winds it has ever recorded and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of homes. Koinu made landfall in the island's southernmost Cape Eluanbi Thursday morning and was weakening as it moved 80 kilometers (50 miles) off the coast by 1:00 pm local time (0500 GMT), according to Taiwan's Central Weather Administration. Pan Huang Kui-chun, a 68-year-old temple keeper in southern Pingtung county, said it was "terrifying" watching powerful winds bring down power poles in his neighborhood. "It nearly dismantled my house. I had to move all my deities to the side," he told AFP. "This time the typhoon was especially big. Really big. The wind was really strong. And it blew for a very long time. It took a long time for it to pass." Overnight, the eastern volcanic islet of Orchid Island -- home mostly to fishermen and farmers -- experienced wind gusts overnight equivalent to 342.72 kilometers per hour (212 mph) as Koinu moved west towards Taiwan's southern tip, according to the Central Weather Administration. "The maximum wind gusts of 95.2 meters per second measured in Orchid Island last night is a new record in Taiwan," a forecaster told AFP. Local media said some 2,400 homes on Orchid Island were without power, while the classrooms of an elementary school were damaged by the powerful gales. Taiwan experiences frequent tropical storms from May to November. Authorities had closed schools and offices on Thursday in anticipation of Koinu's impact. Experts say climate change has made the paths of tropical storms harder to forecast while increasing their intensity -- leading to heavy rains, flash floods and strong gusts. Downed power lines Rain-drenched streets were deserted Thursday in Taiwan's southern Taitung and Pingtung counties, with strong winds knocking over street signs and tearing off metal roofing. Around 190 people were injured, the government said without providing any further details. Local media said some injuries were caused by falling trees. Across Taiwan, more than 300,000 homes temporarily lost power, with authorities still working to restore electricity to about 80,000 households. Downed electricity lines littered the roadside in Pingtung as work crews attempted to bring in fresh poles by truck. A supervisor told AFP it would take at least two days to restore the power. More than 200 international and domestic flights were cancelled, while nearly 3,000 people in mostly mountainous regions were evacuated as a precaution. Koinu comes about a month after Taiwan suffered a direct hit from Typhoon Haiku, the first in four years and which forced nearly 8,000 people to evacuate from their homes. It is expected to weaken as it moves towards the coastal waters of China's eastern Guangdong province, according to the weather observatory in nearby Hong Kong. The Chinese territory, which was skirted by a typhoon last month before being flooded by the heaviest rainfall in 140 years days later, issued its lowest typhoon signal on Wednesday night. The post Typhoon Koinu brings record winds, knocks out power in Taiwan appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»