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Panahon ng ‘tag-init’…opisyal nang idineklara ng PAGASA
IT’S summertime na mga ka-BANDERA! Ngayong araw, March 22, opisyal nang idineklara ng Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) ang pagsisimula ng “warm and dry season” o pahanon ng tag-init. Ang ibig sabihin niyan, natapos na ang epekto ng Amihan o North East Monsoon na nagdadala ng “cool breeze” o malamig na hangin......»»
Summer is officially here, says Pagasa
Friday, March 22, 2024, has been declared as the official start of the summer season by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa). Dr. Nathaniel Servando, Pagasa chief, announced this during a press briefing, today. READ: Pagasa forecasts two days of 46°C heat index in La Union “Today, we officially declare the start of.....»»
Lenovo treats Phl as top Southeast Asian market
Even if neighboring countries in the Southeast Asian region are advantageous in terms of being technology savvy, the Philippines remains an integral market according to an official of Lenovo, a Chinese multinational technology company specializing in designing, manufacturing, and marketing consumer electronics, personal computers, software, business solutions, and related services. “We see strong demand for the Philippines, the only question is how the consumers get the technology. The pandemic has even made the demand for the Philippines surge because of the digital transformation, unlike pre-pandemic where everyone is scrambling. Right now, because of the transformation, growth is very evident. In other words, investments, including Lenovo technologies are still in demand in the market,” according to Giancarlo Nogales from the Infrastructure Solutions Services Sales of Lenovo Philippines at the sidelines of the VST ECS CXO Tech Summit at the Dusit Thani in Mactan Cebu. “In terms of devices, the Philippines is actually doing well,” he added. Last August, the company said that over the next three years, Lenovo is committing a further $1 billion in investment for artificial intelligence that will focus on providing AI devices, AI-ready, and AI-optimized computing infrastructure, and embedded AI-generated content into the intelligent solutions of vertical industries to help customers improve their productivity. Lenovo in September 2023 has unveiled new cutting-edge tech tools and essentials tailored to empower the dynamic, evolving needs of today’s business end-users. It said that the new monitor, software, and accessories are not only designed to boost the capabilities of today’s remote and hybrid workforces but also to address significant challenges faced by businesses as they digitize operations across departments. “Lenovo research shows that managing a remote workforce and global teams remain central tasks for CIOs.1. That is why the new offerings integrate impressive processing power, immersive 3D, and advanced security to create a unified, human-centered experience,” the company said. Further, Nogales added that sales for Lenovo in the Philippines will continue to soar as the country has a bigger population which connotes demand compared to other nations in SE Asia. What Lenovo can count on with the Philippines is the demand for laptops and tablets that are now being used by students, educators, workers, and even the government. “Actually, we have an ongoing engagement with the government sector. I was at an event with the DICT (Department of Information and Communications) and we had discussions with the Department of Education as well, but we still understand what they are looking for. Of course, with DepEd, it’s a big agency, and what I can say is we are working with them across whatever we can offer—cloud technologies, among others,” he told the DAILY TRIBUNE. Nogales said he sees an ongoing digital transformation within organizations and will continue over the coming years. Digital transformation is an ongoing journey Meanwhile, VST ECS president and CEO Jimmy Go stressed that in the ever-evolving world of technology, organizations are charting a course - through a landscape that has seen profound advancement in recent years. “It's important to understand that digital transformation is not a one-time event but an ongoing journey. Every day, we bear witness to the unveiling of new digital technologies. In this dynamic environment, the lines between the physical and digital worlds are blurring, creating a phenomenon known as phygital convergence," he said. He said organizations nowadays stand at the threshold of a remarkable technological revolution. “Generative AI is the talk of the town with Chat GPT and other AI, offering organizations the power to intelligently automate customer experiences and streamline internal operations. The implications of this technology are far-reaching. Microsoft is launching CoPilot and most software applications are incorporating AI in their applications. Gartner predicts that by 2030, a staggering 80 percent of people will interact with smart robots daily, and in just two years, these smart robots will become workforce partners for 90 percent of global companies,” he said. Further, Go stressed that AI and machine learning, once a novel concept, have become integral to the products and services offered by major companies. “A mere decade ago, we were learning to communicate with machines. Today, machines understand and adapt to our language, erasing the boundaries between humans and technology. While AI is currently the headline in the tech world, we must not lose sight of the critical need to modernize our IT infrastructure,” he stated. For organizations to embrace technology, he said it’s a pivotal step in allowing organizations to embrace the latest technology trends, including Multi Clouds, Quantum computing, Data explosion, RPA, Generative AI, and more. “Investments in Connectivity solutions, Digital Infrastructure, Cloud technologies, Cybersecurity, Big data, Storage, Automation, and Collaboration tools remain vital to prepare for the ever-evolving Tech landscape. In the Israel-Hamas and Ukraine-Russia wars, Technology plays a very important and critical role in their war strategies. Computers, AI, Starlink, and drones are heavily used in their strategies,” he said. The post Lenovo treats Phl as top Southeast Asian market appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
PEZA chief lures potential Rotarian investors with ecozone perks
Members — particularly those in such business enterprises as manufacturing — of the Rotary Club of Manila, Asia’s oldest and biggest Rotary organization, were personally enticed by Philippine Economic Zone Authority director-general Tereso Panga of the benefits, particularly tax perks if they expand operations in the country or poured in investments in the ecozone. Panga, who served as guest speaker at RC Manila’s 14th General Membership Meeting at the Manila Polo Club, Makati City, on 5 October 2023, relayed to the prospective ecozone investors the various fiscal and non-fiscal Incentives offered by PEZA. He said the investment promotion agency offers income tax holidays or ITH of four to seven years depending on the industry tier and location, once onboard PEZA-run ecozones. For the National Capital Region, locators are entitled to four years of ITH for those that are in Tier 1; five years of ITH for Tier 2, and six years for those belonging to Tier 3. For locators in Metropolitan areas or areas contiguous and adjacent to NCR, a five-year ITH is given to Tier 1; six years for Tier 2, and seven years for Tier 3. “A five percent Special Corporate Income Tax holiday is also provided for 10 years for export-oriented projects, while enhanced deductions for five years are given to locators involved in domestic-oriented project activities,” Panga said. Other notable benefits awaiting interested PEZA locators include Customs duty exemption on importation of capital equipment, raw materials, spare parts, or accessories directly and exclusively used in the registered project/activity for a maximum period of 17 years unless otherwise extended under the Strategic Investment Priority Plan of the Philippine government; domestic sales allowance of up to 30 percent of total sales for export-oriented companies; value-added tax exemption on importation and VAT-zero rating on local purchases of goods and services directly and exclusively used in the registered project or activity for a maximum period of 17 years, unless otherwise extended under the SIPP; and exemption from payment of national and local government taxes and fees for the period of availment of the 5 percent special corporate income tax incentive Also, PEZA locators are entitled to employ foreign nationals; can enjoy long-term land leases of up to 75 years, and are entitled to the PEZA 2-year special non-immigrant visa issued to expatriates and their dependents as well as foreign workers. [caption id="attachment_194752" align="aligncenter" width="525"] Philippine Economic Zone Authority Director General Tereso O. Panga[/caption] PEZA performance Panga earlier reported that the investment promotion agency had reaped an overwhelming 114 percent increase in investments in the second quarter of the year, following the approval of 61 new and expansion projects for the period of April to June 2022. PEZA records showed that total investments are expected to bring in a total of P14.347 billion, 114.93 percent higher than the P6.675 billion approved investments for the second quarter of 2022. Of the 61 approved new and expansion projects, 16 are for the Information Technology industry, 15 for export/manufacturing, 13 for facilities, 13 for ecozone development, and two for IT Facilities and Logistics. Meanwhile, expected jobs to be created by those projects total 11,186, which is 29.06 percent higher compared to the 8,667 projected jobs in the 2nd quarter of 2022. For the January to June period of 2023, a total of 90 new and expansion projects have been approved and are expected to bring in P22.488 billion in investments, $747.093 million in exports, and 14,354 jobs. Japan remains PEZA’s top country investor in the first half with P8.007 billion in investments followed by Singapore with P2.169 billion. Also, Panga said that Japan topped the countries with the highest approved foreign investments at 27.34 percent, followed by Filipino companies at 23.19 percent, and American companies in the third spot at 14.82 percent. “PEZA accounted for 60.5 percent of the total foreign investment commitments in Q2 2023 with P35.75 billion,” he told the Rotary Club of Manila members. From 1995 to 2022, PEZA’s total dividends turned in to the National Treasury was a total of P26,889,567,738.07. Ecozones on the rise To date, Panga said PEZA hosts 422 ecozones and 4,352 locator companies/projects throughout the country. Of said number of ecozones, 299 are dedicated to IT Parks and Centers, 79 to manufacturing firms, 24 to agro-industrial parks, 17 are to tourism and three are to medical tourism ventures. Based on the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has projected that “the creation of ecozones will…maximize investments and promote industrial dispersion, especially outside metropolitan areas. Further, the ecozones will be integrated into the local economy by relaxing the requirements, facilitating the free flow of parts, components, and other inputs, and increasing open trade between zone locators and firms outside the zones.” In the coming years, various ecozones will be sprouting, while the ecozones that have already been officially proclaimed by the Office of the President include Robinsons Cyberpark Bacolod, Lima Technology Center (Expansion), Hermosa Ecozone Industrial Park (Expansion), Philtai Central Luzon Industrial Park, Felcris Centrale IT Park, ECCO 4 Building, Lopue’s Mandalagan IT Center, Marina Town Dumaguete, Naga City Industrial Park and Kamanga Agro-Industrial Economic Zone (Expansion), altogether with investments totaling P3.418 billion. Ecozones pending approval are MetroCas Industrial Estates-Special Economic Zone, Suyo Economic Zone and the expansions of Kamanga Agro-Industrial Economic Zone and Lima Technology Center, with a total investment amount of P773.962 million. As of September 2023, the governing board of PEZA has approved big-ticket investments with a total committed investment of P193.200 billion, and these are the First Pangasinan Property Development Corp., Raedang International Builders and Development Corp., Green Energy with Torrefaction Technology Inc., Dyson Electronics PTE, Ltd. Philippine Branch, Sunpower Philippines Manufacturing Ltd., Isla Import Terminals Inc., MJ Landtrade Development Corp., YCO Cloud Malvar Inc., Savya Land Development Corporation, RLGB Land Corporation, Robinsons Land Corporation, TDK Philippines, P. Imes Corp., Best-one Ever Luck Realty Corp., Knowles Electronics (Phil) Corporation, WIPRO Phils. Inc., Glensworth Development Inc., ACI Inc., Megaworld Corporation and Kyungshin Pampanga Philippines Inc. Currently, Panga said PEZA is focused on seven priority sectors, that is, advanced manufacturing, extractives (green ores processing), agriculture and blue industries, IT services and frontier technologies, eco-industrial park development (renewable energy and alternative energy, clean water and wastewater treatment, circular economy, sustainable development goals, green buildings, smart systems integration), Science, Technology and Innovation and the integration of small and medium enterprises into the ecozone value chain. Cannot be done alone by PEZA Panga, in conclusion during his speech at the Rotary Club of Manila meeting remarked that attracting foreign direct investments cannot be done by PEZA alone or by any other investment promotion agency left to its own devices. He emphasized that what is needed to make things work is a whole government, industry and society approach to lessen the cost and improve ease of doing business in the country. “Through our collaborations and strategic alliances, PEZA, together with the Rotary Club of Manila, other ecozone industries, and stakeholders, will strive for success in attaining our country’s goals and objectives, and continue to push for eco-zoning the Philippines towards inclusive and sustainable development,” Panga said. The post PEZA chief lures potential Rotarian investors with ecozone perks 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......»»
OCD honors disaster resilience champions
In celebration of the National Disaster Resilience Month (NDRM) last July, the Department of National Defense (DND) - Office of Civil Defense (OCD) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) concluded the NDRM with a culminating activity themed “Pagpupugay sa Bidang Pilipino”. DND-OCD and its partners, NDRRMC, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), National Resilience Council (NRC), and ARISE PH co-presented the “Dangal Bantayog ng Katatagan” awards, which recognize national decision-makers, local actors, and changemakers on the ground. The four awardees include SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPHI) Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans Sy, DENR Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr., and Center for Disaster Preparedness President Zenaida Delica-Willison. In his welcome remarks, OCD Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno said, “The impeccable performance [of our awardees] over the years inspires the Bayanihan spirit and contributes to a safe, secured, and resilient way of life for every Filipino. They exemplify the value that no one is left behind amid managing disaster risks.” Meanwhile, DND Undersecretary Irineo Espino, on behalf of DND Secretary and NDRRMC Chairperson Gilberto Teodoro Jr., extended his congratulations to the awardees and urged stakeholders to continue working together, coming up with new ideas, and advocating for policies that increase the resilience of the country. The Dangal Bantayog ng Katatagan awardees DENR Secretary Maria Antonia “Toni” Yulo-Loyzaga was conferred with “Dangal ng Pilipino sa Pagtataguyod ng Pampublikong Katatagan” for her exemplary service as the incumbent Secretary of the DENR and Chairperson on Climate Change Adaptation, Mitigation, and Disaster Risk Reduction of the Cabinet Cluster. DOST Secretary Renato Solidum, Jr. on the other hand, received the “Dangal ng Pilipino sa Pagpapaunlad ng Kagalingan at Katatagan” award, recognizing his decades of public service in the field of DRR management and his fundamental contributions in research and development as a scientist. Another staunch advocate of DRRM is Zenaida Delica-Willison who received the “Dangal ng Pilipino sa Bayanihan at Kaligtasan ng Pamayanan” for pioneering the advancement and promotion of community-based DRRM at the national, regional, and international levels. Hans Sy was awarded the “Dangal ng Pilipino sa Pag-Agapay sa Ligtas na Sambayanan,” the first-ever awardee from the private sector. “I stand here today as a believer in the whole-of-society approach as well as the use of science and technology. This and the public-private collaboration are pivotal in addressing systemic risk and reducing disaster losses,” he said. “Let us all bounce forward and embrace the spirit of resilience in everything we do. Together, we can create a world not only that endures but thrives in the face of challenges.” Sy is the Chairman of the Executive Committee of SPHI, Co-Chair of the United Nations DRR Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies or ARISE Philippines, and Co-Chair of the National Resilience Council for the Private Sector. Under his dedicated guidance, SMPHI has continuously promoted environmental sustainability and disaster resilience, giving the next generations hope for progress and prosperity. Expanding DRRM partnerships A summit with a number of seminars was held during the morning session before the awards presentation. The summit's talks were put in motion by one of the keynote speakers, Senate President Pro-Tempore, Senator Loren Legarda. She underlined in her message that improving the nation's resilience to climate change and natural disasters requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-nation strategy. Sen. Legarda also highlighted the need to effectively apply all pertinent legislation in order to achieve the objective of creating communities that are more secure and resilient. See more photos here: The post OCD honors disaster resilience champions appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Subic tourism’s full recovery eyed
Subic Bay Freeport — Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority chairperson and administrator Jonathan Tan revealed on Friday that he is confident that this premier Freeport’s tourism industry will have full recovery. This, as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lifted the public health emergency in the country through Presidential Proclamation 297 effective 21 July 2023, citing that this is an encouraging development and provides the agency an optimistic outlook of the travel and tourism industry in the country. Tan’s statements were made during the Tourism Congress of the Philippines 2023 Luzon Cluster Regional Consultative Forum held at the Diamond Hotel on Wednesday where Chairman Tan addressed some 200 members, tourism stakeholders and guests. Dubbed as “Sustainable Tourism: Leading the Recovery and Profitability of Business Operation in the Post-Pandemic Era,” the said regional consultative meeting, which aims to bring together the government and industry stakeholders to hear concerns and protect stakeholders. During the meeting, participants and panelists discussed issues, concerns and plans to formulate joint programs ensuing that the interests of the stakeholders will be heard and protected. The SBMA official cited that the Subic Bay Freeport has reached 99 percent tourist arrivals last year, higher than in 2019 where the Freeport only reached 89 percent. “As of June 2023, 5.15 million visitor arrivals and 436,000 tourist arrivals have been recorded cumulatively,” Tan said. “While increasing job generation and tourism patronage has always been our goal for our tourism sector, however, my leadership now is gearing towards holistic development of the Subic Bay, making it a highly competitive and sustainable business and investment hub.” “This is captured in our new vision for SBMA, which is Subic Bay Freeport is the preferred sustainable investment hub and eco-tourism destination in Asia Pacific by 2030,” he added. Tan stressed that the goal is to improve the investment climate to attract more investors, increase revenue and general more resilient jobs for the residents. Among the major development plans that will complement and drive the growth of the local tourism are the establishment of public e-vehicle transportations, construction of the corporate center, adoption of a smart city, and sustainability guidelines for the agency and the business locators. Meanwhile, he also said bared other plans to revitalize the recovery and profitability of business operations in the Freeport such as holding of the Central Luzon Sustainable Tourism Summit on September 2023; the revival of cruise tourism by the first quarter of 2024 with the maiden arrival of Royal Caribbean Serenade of the Seas, as well as the maiden arrival the MSC’s Splendida; the economic cooperation on Halal industry to make Subic Bay a Muslim-friendly destination and rebranding of Subic Bay to align with goals and appeal to new customer segments. During the same meeting themed “Hopping on Towards Sustainability,” TCP president Roberto Zozobrado acknowledged the SBMA’s continuous support as an associate member and a partner in implementing TCP programs. Luzon-based travel and tourism stakeholders who participated in the forum were comprised of representatives from the following industry: accommodation; travel and tour services; land, air and sea tourist transport services; conventions and exhibition services and suppliers; tourism estate development; and other accredited tourism enterprises coming from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao. The post Subic tourism’s full recovery eyed appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Asteroid-smashing NASA probe sent boulders into space
When a NASA spacecraft successfully knocked an asteroid off course last year it sent dozens of boulders skittering into space, images from the Hubble telescope showed on Thursday. NASA's fridge-sized DART probe smashed into the pyramid-sized, rugby ball-shaped asteroid Dimorphos roughly 11 million kilometres (6.8 million miles) from Earth in September last year. The spacecraft knocked the asteroid significantly off course in the first-ever such test of Earth's planetary defences. New images taken by the Hubble Space Telescope show that the collision also sent 37 boulders -- ranging from one metre (three feet) to seven metres (22 feet) across -- floating into the cosmos. They represent around two percent of the boulders that were already scattered across the surface of the loosely-held-together asteroid, scientists estimated in a new study. The finding suggests that possible future missions to divert life-threatening asteroids heading towards Earth could also spray off boulders in our direction. But these particular rocks do not pose any threat to Earth -- indeed they have barely gone anywhere. They are drifting away from Dimorphos at around a kilometre (half a mile) per hour -- roughly the speed a giant tortoise walks, Hubble said in a statement. The boulders are moving so slowly that the European Space Agency's Hera mission -- which is due to arrive at the asteroid in late 2026 to inspect the damage -- will even be able to take a look at them. "The boulder cloud will still be dispersing when Hera arrives," said David Jewitt, a planetary scientist at the University of California at Los Angeles and lead author of the new study. "It's like a very slowly expanding swarm of bees," he said. The "spectacular observation" by Hubble "tells us for the first time what happens when you hit an asteroid and see material coming out," he added. "The boulders are some of the faintest things ever imaged inside our solar system." The dispersal of the boulders indicates that DART left a crater roughly 50 metres (160 feet) wide on Dimorphos, according to Jewitt. The whole asteroid is 170 metres across. The scientists plan to continue following the boulders to work out their trajectory and determine how exactly they launched off the surface. The study was published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. The post Asteroid-smashing NASA probe sent boulders into space appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
LPA off Eastern Samar expected to dissipate
A low-pressure area earlier spotted east of Borongan, Eastern Samar is expected to dissipate into cloud clusters in the coming days, state weather forecasters said yesterday......»»
DA’s Soil Summit ends, eyes improving food production
Hundreds of representatives from farmers’ cooperatives and associations, extension workers, academe, local government units, policymakers, nongovernment organizations and other agri-stakeholders ended the Department of Agriculture's two-day Soil Summit on Thursday. The 1st National Soil Health Summit was jointly organized by the DA-Bureau of Soils and Water Management, Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic and Natural Resources Research and Development, House of Representatives, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research and Griffith University With the theme, “Securing Food and Nutrition through Healthy Soils,” the summit aimed to bring together different institutions and stakeholders to share, exchange and level expectations regarding soil health strategy and the need to invigorate agricultural productivity in the Philippines. “This summit provided us with comprehensive and science-based strategies on soil resources management from the global and local level to address soil degradation and improve soil health for a revitalizing and resilient Philippine agriculture,” DA Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban said. Recognizing that the country’s soil is under threat, which also affects the country’s food security, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. graced the the Summit's opening program and stressed the need to address the country’s growing problem of soil degradation, acidification and pollution. The President also urged the concerned institutions and stakeholders to work together and make national soil health a top priority to prevent even worse crisis in the future, as he vowed to empower the DA-BSWM by capacitating soil laboratories nationwide to yield better data. “I cannot emphasize enough how significant and influential this 1st National Soil Health Summit is. With the discourse amongst our leaders and the agricultural sector’s brightest minds, I anticipate that this summit will spark more informed decisions and much needed innovations in the coming years,” Marcos said. The government has come up with a five-point priority agenda on soil and water management such as the National Soil Health Program and the implementation of Sustainable Land Management, aimed at ensuring proper soil use and management, addressing land degradation, enhancing crop productivity and improving farmers’ income. Through the DA-BSWM, the government conducts soil and land resources mapping and evaluation process including soil-based and land-based level assessments, soil sample analyses and digital map preparations under the Philippine Soil Land Resources Information Program. The administration also explores water security for climate-resilient rainwater technologies and cloud-seeding operations for agriculture to improve water conditions in production areas, critical watersheds and reservoirs as part of collective efforts to mitigate the effects of El Niño. The post DA’s Soil Summit ends, eyes improving food production appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
3 sama ng panahon binabantayan, LPA ‘nagtatangkang’ pumasok ng bansa –PAGASA
UNTI-UNTI na nating nararamdaman ang rainy season o panahon ng tag-ulan. Ibinalita pa nga ng Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) na tatlong sama ng panahon ang kasalukuyan nilang binabantayan. Ito raw ang Southwest Monsoon o Hanging Habagat, Isang Low Pressure Area (LPA) sa labas ng Luzon at isang cloud cluster na inaasahang […] The post 3 sama ng panahon binabantayan, LPA ‘nagtatangkang’ pumasok ng bansa –PAGASA appeared first on Bandera......»»
Selling seized sugar must benefit poor: Go
Amid the Sugar Regulatory Administration’s move to sell seized smuggled sugar to the public through Kadiwa stores nationwide, Senator Christopher “Bong” Go stands firm that focus must be on efforts to make such commodities more accessible and affordable to the poor by stabilizing sugar prices and helping address the supply shortage in the country. Implemented by the Department of Agriculture, the Kadiwa program is a government initiative that seeks to provide affordable and accessible food to Filipinos. Kadiwa stores aim to sell agricultural products at lower prices compared to those in commercial markets. “Since it is confiscated it, would be better selling them cheap to stabilize prices,” said Go in an ambush interview after he inspected the operations of the Malasakit Center at Quirino Province Medical Center in Cabarroguis, Quirino on Saturday, 22 April. Earlier, the SRA has amended its rules to authorize the donation of confiscated smuggled sugar to Kadiwa stores. The agency is eyeing to roll out 4,000 metric tons of smuggled sugar this coming May. Emphasizing the importance of ensuring that Filipinos have access to affordable and nutritious food, Go likewise welcomed the possibility that SRA’s move will benefit consumers, particularly those who are struggling to make ends meet amid the economic challenges brought about by the pandemic. ‘Since it is confiscated it, would be better selling them cheap to stabilize prices.’ Go, a member of the Senate Committee On Local Government, personally attended the Liga ng mga Barangay sa Pilipinas-National Cluster Barangay Congress held on 23 April 2023 at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City. In his speech, Go recognized the important role of barangay leaders in implementing government programs and in responding to the needs of their communities. “Our jobs are no different from each other and we have the same mandate to serve our people. As local leaders, they are our partners in making certain that their constituents are well supported so that real positive change can happen from the local to the national level,” Go said after the event. Meanwhile, Go’s team facilitated the distribution of P5,000 food assistance to fire victims in Bontoc, Mountain Province on Tuesday upon the request of the provincial government of Mountain Province and the municipal government of Bontoc. The post Selling seized sugar must benefit poor: Go appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Huawei releases 6 groundbreaking products to supercharge the cloud, intelligent business transformation
Shenzhen—At the Huawei Developer Conference (HDC.Cloud) 2021, Huawei launched six innovative products and services, including HUAWEI CLOUD CCE Turbo cloud container cluster, CloudIDE intelligent programming assistant, GaussDB (for openGauss) database, Trusted Intelligent Computing Service (TICS), Pangu Model (including the world's largest Chinese NLP model and CV model), and infrastructure software for diversified computing. .....»»
15 Daulah Islamiyah, BIFF surrender in Central Mindanao
15 Daulah Islamiyah, BIFF surrender in Central Mindanao.....»»
ANZ raises Philippine inflation forecast to 3.8% this year
ANZ Research hiked its inflation forecast for the Philippines to 3.8 percent this year, from 3.5 percent previously, as risks may drive inflation up to above the central bank’s two to four percent target in the coming months......»»
Makati swelters with 43.5 degrees heat index
The heat index in Makati yesterday reached a “dangerous” level of 43.5 degrees Celsius, according to the city’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office......»»
‘Danger’ level heat index recorded in 9 areas
Nine areas in the country experienced a heat index classified as “danger” level on Tuesday amid El Nino and the start of the dry and warm season......»»
EAM Jaishankar visits Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Paheredar in Manila
Manila [Philippines], March 27 (ANI): External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar visited Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Paheredar on Tuesday during its port call to Manila and said that India's Act East policy and Indo-Pacific vision will continue to give it a more contemporary form. He presented his remarks at the Indian Coast Guard Ship Samudra Paheredar on Tuesday and said that his visit and the ship's presence signify th.....»»
Gilas women off to great start in FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup
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