Mobile freezers to provide free storage for bodies in Cebu City
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is set to receive from private donors, including Senator Richard Gordon’s Red Cross, two mobile freezers for storing deceased bodies. Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak said they are seeing this as the solution amid the controversies surrounding body storage in the city, especially after a facility was found in […] The post Mobile freezers to provide free storage for bodies in Cebu City appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Phl joins anew the global effort to protect oceans
Thousands of volunteers in over 150 countries, joined the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) Day, a global initiative dedicated to addressing ocean pollution through beach and waterway cleanups held every third Saturday of September. Now in its 37th year, the Philippines has been participating in the ICC since 1994. In 2003, Proclamation No. 470 officially designated the third Saturday in September as ICC Day, instilling a sense of vigilance among Filipinos in their support of the ongoing global fight against marine litter. The theme "Clean Seas for Healthy Fisheries" is carried out by this year’s ICC which aligns closely with the objectives of the United Nations (UN) Ocean Decade Challenge 3 which is to “Sustainably Feed the Global Population”. This challenge recognizes the need to ensure sustainable food production from the ocean to feed the growing global population while safeguarding the health and productivity of marine ecosystems. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in partnership with numerous organizations, took the lead in coordinating cleanups in various water bodies across the country. An estimated 35,000 volunteers armed with sacks, rakes, and gloves joined forces for the cleanup effort across the country. Participants included individuals and groups from the DENR workforce, national and local government agencies, academia, the private sector, youth organizations, civic groups, and civil society. Concurrent coastal cleanups led by various DENR offices and bureaus were held nationwide including key areas such as the Las Piñas-Parañaque Wetland Park; the Tullahan River along Barangay San Bartolome in Novaliches, Quezon City; Baseco Beach in Manila; the Balanga Wetland and Nature Park in Bataan; Barangay Butong Taal in Batangas; the Mactan Channel in Lapu-Lapu, Cebu; the Abatan River and Panglao in Bohol; Banica River in Dumaguete; Bais City, Negros Oriental; and along the shore of Pagadian Bay in Zamboanga Del Sur. The DENR regional and field offices also partnered with SM Supermalls, through its corporate social responsibility arm, SM Cares, together with SM Prime Holdings, Inc., in organizing clean-up drives in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. Fifteen SM Malls were designated as a base that enabled volunteers, including SM employees, to actively participate in the cleanup drive. Likewise, regional offices of the Department have collaborated with UNTV offices across the country under the latter’s advocacy campaign Ocean Care Initiative. Beyond waste retrieval, ICC volunteers documented the volume of waste collected which will be submitted to Ocean Conservancy and UN Ocean Decade to contribute to global efforts to combat plastic pollution. During the 2022 ICC, findings of the Global Ocean Trash Index conducted by Washington, D.C.-based environmentalist advocacy group Ocean Conservancy showed that the Philippines collected 249.382 metric tons of waste. The collected waste encompassed a spectrum of items, including cigarette butts, beverage bottles, food wrappers, bottle caps, grocery bags, food containers, cups and plates, straws, and stirrers. DENR Secretary Antonia Loyzaga said her department's unwavering commitment to enacting effective solid waste management practices, supports a circular economy wherein all plastics are reused, recycled, repurposed, and responsibly managed. The DENR, she added, in collaboration with organizations, implements a range of programs to address solid waste in cities and municipalities nationwide. This is in support of reinforcing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Act of 2022 or Republic Act 11898 which mandates enterprises to establish EPR programs for plastic waste reduction, recovery, and diversion. The post Phl joins anew the global effort to protect oceans appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
DENR supports ‘million trees’ program of DepEd
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources on Sunday said it has committed to fully supporting the tree-planting component of the recently launched “PagbaBAGo: A Million Learners and Trees” program of the Office of the Vice President (OVP) and the Department of Education (DedEd). The five-year program aims to provide students with one million bags containing school supplies and dental kits, planting one million trees for environmental sustainability, and promoting family planning among parents. Vice President Sara Duterte kicked off the program at the Mandaue City Sports Complex on May 27. Simultaneous tree-planting activities were also held across 11 regions in the country in support of the program’s aim to plant one million trees by 2028. A total of 7,800 trees were planted during the program launch, with the DENR providing most of the seedlings used for the nationwide activity. Almost 7,500 of the planted trees were planted in the Zamboanga Peninsula, with 5,000 of which are mangroves. In the other regions, seedlings were turned over in ceremonial activities marking the launch of the program, as the actual tree planting was scheduled at a later date due to El Niño occurrence. Along with the turnover and distribution of seedlings from the DENR, bags with school supplies and dental kits for students were distributed by the DepEd to elementary students. The DENR’s participation in the program is covered by a memorandum of agreement (MOA) it entered into with the OVP and DepEd, with the OVP taking the lead in monitoring its implementation. It is also the OVP’s form of participation in the government’s National Greening Program (NGP). Under the MOA, the OVP will provide logistical support and resources including procurement of seedlings necessary for the planting, maintenance and protection of the trees. The DepEd, on the other hand, will identify potential planting sites within school premises, provide the warm bodies during planting, and promote national awareness among students on the importance of NGP. Meanwhile, the DENR—through its regional and field offices—will assist in the identification of suitable sites and appropriate species for planting activities. It may also engage the service or participation of people’s organizations or the community to aid in the production of seedlings and other planting materials, as well as in protecting seedlings planted outside school premises. The MOA will remain in effect until June 30, 2028, or until the program’s objectives have been met. Aside from Cebu and Zamboanga provinces, kickoff activities were also held in the cities of Manila, Dagupan, Lipa, Legazpi, Bacolod, Tacloban and Davao; Santo Tomas town in Isabela province; and the Caraga region. The post DENR supports ‘million trees’ program of DepEd appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Drowning in Cebu: Bodies of two missing boys found in San Fernando
CEBU CITY, Philippines – Two minors, who went missing while swimming in the sea, were found lifeless floating in the seas off the coast of Panadtaran in San Fernando town, southern Cebu early morning Friday, July 14,2023. Police identified the victims as Jozel Apao, 13, and Frances Ramayrat, 16, both from Barangay Tungo in San […] The post Drowning in Cebu: Bodies of two missing boys found in San Fernando appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
A provincial breakfast
For health, a doctor-friend advises we should drink more of our native pure chocolate beverage instead of coffee. My doctor-friend says current research shows drinking native pure cacao builds up stem cells, cells that, as I’m often confidentially told, are extending the shelf life of some of our more colorful geriatric politicians. But other than medical counsel for regenerating tired old bodies, his advice had me nostalgic for the laid-back charms of my hometown, Cebu City, in the 1960s and my childhood breakfasts. Back then, the multi-layered aroma of the frothy sikwate, Cebuano for native chocolate drink, wafting in the quiet dawn air was a sheer, inimitable pleasure. Prepared by my mother, the sikwate bubbled in a terracotta Grecian pitcher-shaped, charcoal-bottomed batidor sitting precariously on a single earthen stove, fired up by bakawan or mangrove wood. If I happened to be up at the crack of dawn, I would watch my mother vigorously palm-rolling the wooden long-handled bolonea to dissolve the pure cacao tableya and brown sugar in boiling water, to achieve the sikwate’s velvety smoothness and lip-smacking frothy glory. Once poured into large thick-walled glass tumblers — those working-class glasses often found in Chinese restaurants — the sikwate came served with generous servings of the Cebuano delicacy puto maya and succulent ripe mangoes. Itinerant vendors sold the banana leaf-wrapped, triangle-shaped puto maya, but the sweet mangoes came from the market, likely sourced from the city’s abundant mango groves in the Guadalupe district, now a distant memory. Puto maya is steamed sticky glutinous rice or malagkit. Cooked for an hour with coconut milk or gata, sugar, salt and ginger — fresh ginger juice gives the puto maya an added kick — the delicacy was scooped straight from the steamer and served on a plate when bought from the public market stalls. If puto maya wasn’t available, there was always my Lola Isang’s celebrated budbud. Lola Isang, my late paternal grandmother, had a singular way with heirloom budbud recipes, just as my late mother had with cakes, breads, tarts, pies, ensaimada, napoleons, and exquisite silvanas dusted with cashew bits. Budbud is simply sticky rice mixed with coconut milk, sugar and salt steamed over low heat, then hand-rolled to about five inches long and wrapped in banana leaf. Budbud is the simplest food in the Cebuano rice-cake universe, but if my Lola Isang felt fancy enough when she woke up at 3 a.m. to make them she would roll them together with diagonal violet strips like a barber’s pole, which I later found out wasn’t ube but was still malagkit, only colored. And if Lola Isang had some millet around, which in Cebu came in the form of kabog from Catmon town in Northern Cebu, she would make one of Cebu’s unique delicacies, budbud kabog. Kabog is Cebuano for bat and for the small-seeded cereal plant that grew wildly on Catmon’s mountainous terrain, so named because bats feasted on them. Kabog seeds are coarse and bland. But once pounded and cooked with coconut milk and sugar it amazingly transforms into budbud kabog, eagerly sought after by aficionados, mostly sabungeros. Yet, all these delicacies were merely breakfast starters. In 1960s Cebu City, Cebuanos had two official breakfasts: The light painit in the early morning hours and the much later heavy pamahaw. Pamahaw in other households, of course, would have the more familiar scrambled eggs and Brazilian corned beef, but I definitely remember eating with gusto ma-is for pamahaw. Ma-is is of course corn. But the corn here is not on the cob but well-milled corn grains steamed to the consistency of rice. Unfeasibly as corn now sounds as a staple, but tummy-filling ma-is was definitely pamahaw, especially if paired with dangit or little round bite-size Cebuano chorizos or the rich fishy flavor of ginamos or partially fermented bolinaw (anchovies), of which Jose Rizal once insisted to a Spanish historian that Filipino fermented fish dishes were neither stinky nor rotten. Email: nevqjr@yahoo.com.ph The post A provincial breakfast appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Visayan growth
This piece is being written as I traverse the Visayan region which is carrying greater prospects for future economic growth. For the past months, I’ve written on Mindanao and Central Luzon and how these regions have experienced rapid development thanks to the nationally elected political leaders who hail from their provinces, Vice President Sara Duterte and the former president now Deputy Speaker Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, respectively. At times neglected in the discussions is the Visayas region. This time around, I was able to spend time in Iloilo and Cebu – both highly urbanized regional growth areas outside of Metro Manila. Iloilo is a wonderful city as it exists harmoniously with its bodies of water. Esplanades and walkways allow everyone to enjoy the river, which serves as a leisure area, transportation hub, and entry for goods, which is quite uncommon in the Philippines. Usually, Philippine rivers are either for people or for goods, not both, since our rivers are easily polluted. But in Iloilo, as well as neighboring Guimaras, their rivers bring life to the province. The only eyesore in Iloilo would be the “sinking” Ungka flyover located in Pavia. This project cost the government P680 million but it was closed shortly after it opened because motorists experienced a “wavy” sensation while driving on it. It was later learned that some of its pillars were sinking at the rate of two centimeters per day. A study showed it would take an estimated P250 million to repair the flyover and make it safely usable to the public. One reason to be excited about Iloilo should be the proposed revival of the Panay Railway, which was mentioned by President Bongbong Marcos Jr. in his SoNA last year and included in the Infrastructure Flagship Projects approved by NEDA. On this trip, I learned that Panay used to have a working railway that connected Iloilo City to Roxas City, and that plans for its revival would further connect Iloilo to Caticlan thus, the resort island of Boracay. Imagine having tourists land in Boracay, spend a few days there, then take a train to Iloilo where they would further be immersed in Philippine culture in one of the oldest cities of the country. Cebu is an established gem of a city, with traffic nearing Manila levels. Walking around Cebu feels like being in Alabang or BGC. One thing missing in Cebu is tollways to connect its cities and municipalities. This may change soon with the inclusion of the Metro Cebu Expressway in the NEDA-approved IFPs. The 72-kilometer project, once completed, will connect Naga City to Danao City, cutting travel time from three hours to 50 minutes. The project was started years ago, but only a reported five kilometers of it have been finished so far due to lack of funding. At this rate of budget allocation, it will take 20 years to finish it. Now, the project will continue and be finished sooner via a PPP arrangement after Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. — the same company that built the iconic Cebu Cordova Link Expressway bridge — has expressed interest in it. Whenever I visit Cebu, it seems that a major development had taken place. This time was no different. Even in Iloilo, there are new buildings erected almost monthly. One notable building is the 14-story Stronghold Insurance Building in Mandurriao, Iloilo City, an area surrounded by Ayala, SM, Vista Land, and Megaworld developments. As this Administration has heralded, this time the purpose is to “Build, Better, More” for the benefit of all Filipinos nationwide. For comments, email him at darren.dejesus@gmail.com. The post Visayan growth appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
7 dead as Sulu-bound boat catches fire off Basilan
ZAMBOANGA CITY — Seven bodies were fished out of the waters off Baluk-Baluk island of Hadji Muhtamad town, Basilan Gov. Jim Hataman-Salliman said on Thursday. The fatalities were passengers of the boat M/V Lady Mary Joy that caught fire around 11 p.m. on Wednesday as it sailed from Zamboanga City to Jolo, Sulu. Salliman said […] The post 7 dead as Sulu-bound boat catches fire off Basilan appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Person of Interest in killing of couple identified; crime is drug related, say cops
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City police have identified a person of interest (POI) in the killing of a couple, whose bodies were found lying in grassy part of Sitio Upper Greenbelt in Barangay Quiot in Cebu City on Friday, Oct. 21. Police Lieutenant Colonel Wilbert Parilla, deputy director for administration of the Cebu City […] The post Person of Interest in killing of couple identified; crime is drug related, say cops appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cebu City Legal Office forms team to investigate “illegal” body storage
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu City Legal Office (CLO) has formed a three-lawyer team to investigate the possible violations of a storage facility in Barangay Basak-San Nicolas alleged to have stored deceased bodies “illegally” and “improperly.” City Legal Officer Rey Gealon said in a text message to reporters that the three-lawyer team will collate […] The post Cebu City Legal Office forms team to investigate “illegal” body storage appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Mobile freezers to provide free storage for bodies in Cebu City
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City is set to receive from private donors, including Senator Richard Gordon’s Red Cross, two mobile freezers for storing deceased bodies. Cebu City Councilor David Tumulak said they are seeing this as the solution amid the controversies surrounding body storage in the city, especially after a facility was found in […] The post Mobile freezers to provide free storage for bodies in Cebu City appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cemetery in A. Lopez, Cebu City closed due to illegal exhumations
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Families of deceased individuals have been illegally exhuming bodies in a cemetery along A. Lopez Steet in Cebu City prompting the city government to close down the cemetery. Councilor David Tumulak said that certain individuals had tried to bury their dead without permission in this cemetery, a consequence of the lack […] The post Cemetery in A. Lopez, Cebu City closed due to illegal exhumations appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Bodies of ‘guerrillas’ killed in Bohol transported back to families
CEBU CITY, Philippines – The bodies of the alleged members of communist-terrorist groups slain after a firefight with soldiers in Bohol last Tuesday, May 25, 2021, are now being transported back to their families. The 47th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), in a press statement issued on Wednesday, May 26, also […] The post Bodies of ‘guerrillas’ killed in Bohol transported back to families appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Husband kills wife then self in Lapu-Lapu City
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Two lifeless bodies were retrieved by the police from inside a jewelry repair shop at around 12 noon today, February 20, in what authorities believed was another crime of passion. Mechelle Capangpangan, 38, and her husband Jiovanni Capangpangan, 45, were found by relatives sprawled on the floor of their jewelry repair […] The post Husband kills wife then self in Lapu-Lapu City appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Remains of PAF pilots, crew, soldiers ferried home to respective families
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The bodies of the military personnel who were killed in a helicopter crash on Saturday in Bukidnon are being brought back home to their families, a Phil. Army official said Sunday, Jan. 17. Maj. Rodulfo Cordero Jr., the spokesperson of the Army’s 4th Infantry Division, said the remains of the […] The post Remains of PAF pilots, crew, soldiers ferried home to respective families appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cops have person of interest in Compostela killing
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Police in Compostela town in northern Cebu have a person of interest (POI) related to the killing of one of the four bodies found buried in a vacant lot in the town on Tuesday, October 6, 2020. Police Captain Vincent Zozobrado, commander of Compostela told reporters on Thursday, October 8, that the POI is […] The post Cops have person of interest in Compostela killing appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
One of four bodies found buried in Compostela identified as ex-convict
CEBU CITY, Philippines—One of the four bodies found buried on a lot in Sitio Bago, Barangay Cogon in Compostela town northern Cebu was identified by family members on Wednesday morning, October 7, 2020. According to Police Captain Vincent Zozobrado, commander of the Compostela Police Station, the first body which was found and excavated on Tuesday, […] The post One of four bodies found buried in Compostela identified as ex-convict appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Cebuanos with ‘missing’ relatives told to visit Compostela Police Station
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Bodies that were excavated from a vacant lot in Compostela town will be subjected to an autopsy this Wednesday, October 7, in an effort by the police to identify these individuals and determine the cause of their deaths. Police Colonel Aladdin Collado, director of Cebu Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said the […] The post Cebuanos with ‘missing’ relatives told to visit Compostela Police Station appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Police working to identify 4 bodies found buried in Compostela, Cebu
CEBU CITY, Philippines—Police from Compostela town in Cebu are working to determine the identities of the four bodies found buried in a lot in Sitio Bago, Barangay Cogon on Tuesday morning, October 6, 2020. Police Captain Vincent Zozobrado, commander of the Compostela Police Station, told reporters in a phone interview that they found the four bodies […] The post Police working to identify 4 bodies found buried in Compostela, Cebu appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
2 die in excavation collapse
CEBU CITY — A 22-year-old man and a 13-year-old boy died after a hole that they dug up caved in in Barangay Guinocot, Danao City, northern Cebu. The hole collapsed around 9 p.m. Friday and it was past 3 a.m. last Saturday when rescuers were able to recover the bodies of Phil Bryt Giangan […].....»»
Two Ginatilan fishermen drown after vessel capsizes
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Police in Ginatilan town in southwestern Cebu retrieved on Thursday, June 11, the bodies of two fishermen who drowned after their vessel capsized in the sea. Reports from the investigating team of Ginatilan Police Station identified the victims as Lord Francis Sereño, 38, and Hazel Kadolasali, 28. Both are residents of […] The post Two Ginatilan fishermen drown after vessel capsizes appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Antipolo City throws support on Ajido
The Antipolo City government led by Mayor Casimiro “Jun” Ynares III will provide support to Antipolo-born swimmer Jamesray Mishael Ajido, who won the country’s lone gold medal in record-breaking fashion at the recent 11th Asian Age-Group Swimming Championships......»»