Parents complain over gadget sharing
Several parents are up in arms over the alleged unfair distribution of the city government of free laptops among elementary students at Geronimo Elementary School in Sampaloc, Manila. A complaint from several parents from the school decried the distribution being done by school teachers and its principal wherein students with different addresses far from each […] The post Parents complain over gadget sharing appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Trump-appointed judge, to preside over his case
When Aileen Mercedes Cannon was appointed a judge by Donald Trump three years ago, she could hardly have imagined she would preside over his trial. But on Friday she set May 20, 2024 as the date to start the unprecedented federal criminal prosecution of a former president in her small Fort Pierce, Florida courtroom. Her assignment to the high-stakes trial has added another layer of controversy to the case, in which Trump is charged with 37 counts of willfully keeping highly classified US documents in his Mar-a-Lago, Florida home, obstruction of justice, and lying to federal law enforcement officials. Some of the charges bring up to 20 years in prison, with Cannon to decide the sentencing if a jury finds Trump guilty. The pressure is even higher because the trial will start in the middle of an already intense battle before the November 2024 presidential election, with Trump leading the race for the Republican nomination. It remains to be seen how Cannon will accommodate the courtroom requirements and election campaign needs of the man who gave her the job. Lifetime appointment Cannon was relatively young -- 38 years old -- when Trump nominated her to the lifetime position in 2020. Born in Cali, Colombia, she grew up in Florida. Her mother immigrated to the United States from Cuba as a child. Cannon obtained her undergraduate degree at Duke University and her law degree from the University of Michigan, routinely ranked among the top 10 law schools in the country. A member of the Federalist Society, which brings together conservative attorneys, judges, and law experts, Cannon worked for three years at a private law firm in Washington and for seven years as an assistant US attorney prior to becoming a judge. Random pick Her selection to handle the Trump case was random, blindly drawn from the pool of several active federal judges in the Justice Department's southern Florida district. Some legal experts have argued she should have recused herself because she allegedly displayed bias towards Trump last year when she was assigned a lawsuit he filed over the FBI raid to recover the Mar-a-Lago documents. She has broad powers to determine the pace of the trial, and her 20 May start date comes smack in the middle of the presidential campaign. If the trial is ongoing and Trump wins the November 2024 election, he could conceivably take action to intervene or even pardon himself upon taking office. Daniel Richman, a law professor at Columbia University, said the presiding judge wields enormous power over a trial and plays a critical role in how it unfolds. "Even in a run-of-the-mill case, the judge can have a significant and sometimes even dispositive effect on proceedings," Richman said. Others contend that Cannon will ensure that he gets a fair shake. "It's impossible now for Trump to complain that he's got a judge that is biased against him," said Edward Foley, a constitutional law professor at Ohio State University. Thomas Holbrook, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, said Cannon is in a "tough position." "Almost no matter what she does, she's going to either feed into existing concerns about her potential bias or disappoint Trump supporters," Holbrook said. The post Trump-appointed judge, to preside over his case appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
ASEAN-plus-three to meet on South China Sea, economic ties
Economic cooperation and the disputed South China Sea will be on the agenda when Southeast Asian foreign ministers meet their Chinese, Japanese and South Korean counterparts for ASEAN-plus-three talks on Thursday. China will be represented at the talks by top diplomat Wang Yi instead of Foreign Minister Qin Gang after Qin pulled out for "health reasons", according to the Chinese foreign ministry. Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and his South Korean counterpart Park Jin will also attend. The grouping was established after the 1997 Asian financial crisis to develop better economic ties between Southeast Asian nations and East Asian powers. Association of Southeast Asian Nations members include this year's chair Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, the Philippines and Myanmar. Experts said the South China Sea will be a priority because China claims almost the entirety of the strategic waterway and several ASEAN members complain about Beijing infringing on their own overlapping territorial claims there. "South China Sea is probably going to be one of the issues discussed during the ASEAN-plus-three meeting in light of recent tensions in the area," said Aleksius Jemadu, professor at Pelita Harapan University in the capital Jakarta. The waterway is an important shipping route and is crucial for both Tokyo's and Seoul's global supply chains. Western and Asian powers have been rattled by Beijing's increasing assertiveness in the region, where it is applying pressure on self-ruled Taiwan and its patrol vessels have clashed with other nations' ships. The crisis in coup-racked Myanmar will also be on the list of topics to be addressed because it is a thorny issue that divides ASEAN members, said Teuku Rezasyah, international relations expert at Padjadjaran University. "Japan and South Korea have an interest to prevent Myanmar from joining China's orbit," he said. Recent meetings of the group have discussed ways to better cooperate on health and economic recovery after the Covid-19 pandemic to make the Asia-Pacific region one of the dominant drivers of global economic growth. ASEAN ministerial meetings will also be held around Thursday's ASEAN-plus-three talks with countries that will be taking part in Friday's 18-nation East Asia Summit. That includes India, New Zealand, Australia, Russia, China, Japan, the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Jakarta on Thursday morning and will meet ASEAN members the next day. The post ASEAN-plus-three to meet on South China Sea, economic ties appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Twitter rivals pile up with Meta’s Threads launch
Since Elon Musk took over Twitter eight months ago, users irked by the platform's new regime have vowed to move their online presence elsewhere, though the habit has proved hard to break. Now Facebook owner Meta is jumping into the ring, launching its own contender to dethrone Twitter as the go-to website for the media, officials and celebrities. Here is a breakdown of Twitter's wannabe alternatives. Zuckerberg's Threads Described as Instagram's "text-based conversation app," Meta's Threads will launch at 7:00 pm Eastern Wednesday (2300 GMT) and will certainly spice up the rivalry between Twitter's Musk and Meta supremo Mark Zuckerberg. Threads was for a brief period viewable online, revealing a platform used by a few thousand users, including Zuckerberg and other top executives, in what was clearly a test phase. Screenshots showed a pared-back version of Twitter, with users able to like, comment on and share posts as well as use their same profile names as on Instagram. A plan to make Threads interoperable with other Twitter rivals such as Mastodon is on hold for now, but not abandoned, according to reports. Bluesky, Dorsey's Twitter clone Bluesky was created by Twitter's co-founder Jack Dorsey and is very popular in Silicon Valley, leaving those in the know scrambling to secure an invite to join the app that is still at the testing phase. The upstart told CNBC it experienced record-high traffic Saturday after Musk said Twitter would temporarily limit the number of posts users can read per day. Bluesky looks and feels like Twitter as its backers want users from the Musk-owned site to feel at home. Bluesky was actually created as a Twitter side project in 2019 as a way to think about a decentralized version of the platform where users -- and not the company -- are more in control of personal data and content moderation. It also uses something called the AT Protocol that allows people to maintain their identities across multiple platforms. Mastodon, the anti-Twitter Unknown to the general public, Mastodon saw its popularity explode when Musk took over Twitter, though it is well off the pace of Twitter's roughly 200 million monthly users. Created in 2016 by the German developer Eugen Rochko, the site is also a decentralized social network without advertising where preserving privacy is sacrosanct. In practice, Mastodon like Twitter is based on postings of small messages, but each new user must sign up to an independently-run server and there are thousands of them. In theory, users can interact freely across the Mastodon servers, but this can be complicated and unreliable. Many new users complain about the platform's less than intuitive interface, underlining the difficulty of creating an account and the poor response times unlike sites run by the tech giants. Content moderation is also a big question mark as it is left to the sole discretion of server administrators, with some refusing access to others, disrupting the experience. Substack Notes In an act of vengeance, Musk earlier this year briefly blocked links and search responses to Substack, the site that helps writers monetize their work, after the site launched Substack Notes. Notes, much like Twitter, allows writers to post short pieces of content such as links, images and quotes and helps guide users to paid content. Musk reversed his retribution decision but has since heavily promoted ways Twitter will help users make money. Substack Notes has faced some flak as it is not yet sure how it will manage content moderation but says it will feel less pressure to cook up viral content since its revenue is based on taking a cut from writer pages and not page views and advertising. Niche platforms A few other start-ups are also attracting attention, especially ones that cater to a specific audience. Right-wing sites such as Gab or Truth Social, the platform launched by former US president Donald Trump, positioned themselves as conservative alternatives to Twitter long before it was taken over by Musk. Discord is a platform used especially by gamers that allows users to create invite-only chat rooms where participants can hold discussions on shared interests. The site entered the headlines when a 21-year-old American national guardsman named Jack Teixeira allegedly used the site to share a trove of sensitive US documents involving state secrets to his chat group. The post Twitter rivals pile up with Meta’s Threads launch appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Parts of All of Us: The Simple and Complex
Several prominent personalities who lived in a different and/or separate times and climes caught my discerning attention due to their deeply penetrating observations of man’s life in Pearl S. Buck’s novel—The Good Earth. Henceforth, it would be safe to assume that nobody can complain or say that Yours truly, Mr. Sabawzki, […].....»»
Classical Guitar Outside of The Box
The guitar is the most popular instrument in this country due to its accessibility. It comes in various sizes and prices. It is mostly self-learned, making it a friendly instrument. In pop music, the guitar is in safe hands. However, in its classical form, the guitar does not enjoy the same status. It might be the least popular in the realm of classical music. Why is that? It’s simple. We don’t have mainstream composers, such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and others who wrote for the guitar. The guitar remained a popular accompaniment instrument despite having great composers (although not famous) write for it. Slowly this has been changing all over the world. But I will focus on the Philippine scene. For years there have been bursts of guitar activities whether these be concerts, festivals, competitions or other events. However, the circle of people, both the musicians and supporters, remains small. As grateful as we are to the patrons who stand by us passionately and support the community consistently, I think classical guitarists need to think outside of the box. Their classical guitar repertoire maybe exciting to them, but completely foreign to others. The guitar is a concert instrument. But we must get more creative if we want more people to attend guitar concerts. I believe that collaboration with other musicians and artists is basic if we’d like to grow before the audience for the instrument. Another artist will surely bring fresh faces interested to see new collaborations. Programming is the most important. With most of our repertoire being less popular, introducing pieces in a thematic concert may help. For example, there’s no doubt a lot of guitar music was used in film. But which pieces and which films? A movie-themed concert produced by classical guitarists can feature known film music while introducing original guitar music. This creates enthusiasm for the show itself rather than it being a “classical guitar concert.” Introducing something new in the shadow of something familiar should clinch it all. I have been doing this so far both in online concerts and as a member of the PIMA Guitar Quartet with guitarists Patrick Roxas, Iqui Vinculado and Monching Carpio together with our filmmaker Roneil Santos. Luckily, our audiences have been enthusiastic. Looking for more guitar students is one thing, but expanding an audience is another. This is a niche product. It’s not for everyone and never will be. So, the goal should be growing within the niche — seeking audiences from outside of the guitar/music circles. Growing the niche audience can happen in 10 years and develop into a paying audience provided that the classical guitarist does not stop experimenting with ways to connect to their audience. We can complain all we want about lack of support/attention. But the only control we have is our work. We must work hard and non-stop. We may have a full house, or less than 20 people in the audience, but we must continue. To sum it all up, I believe we will have a bigger audience for the guitar concerts in the years to come when we, as classical guitarists, present our concerts as entertainment rather than labeling them as “classical.” ***** Adrik Cristobal is a classical guitarist who completed his studies at UP Diliman with Lester Demetillo; Spain with Francisco Bernier; and the Netherlands with Carlo Marchione. He is currently a member of the PIMA Guitar Quartet and is a faculty member at the De La Salle College of St. Benilde. The post Classical Guitar Outside of The Box appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Where’s Baste? Netizens complain of mayor’s silence on city’s peace and order
DAVAO CITY,Philippines – Davaoenos have been used to seeing a Duterte take action on the city’s peace and order situation........»»
Comelec warns vs spending public funds during BSKE campaign period
The Commission on Elections on Thursday reminded incumbent local politicians that spending public funds during the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections campaign period on 19 to 28 October is prohibited by law. Speaking to reporters in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte during the Comelec’s three-day meeting there, chairman George Erwin Garcia warned that violators of the law may face criminal charges or disqualify guilty parties from the elections. Section 261(v) of the Omnibus Election Code prohibits public officials and employees from using and spending public funds for public works and other expenses provided under the provision during the election period. Garcia also reminded that only incumbent local officials are allowed to campaign for their respective BSKE bets and not government and civil service employees. Political parties are also not allowed to endorse candidates and candidates are not allowed to represent political parties. “We can’t prevent their campaign and endorsement, but there are limitations with the use of public funds,” he added. Meanwhile, Comelec Commissioner Ernesto Maceda Jr. said there is a need for ways to make parties guilty of vote buying and other illegal acts accountable under election rules or Section 261 of the OEC. Maceda said the current election laws are insufficient, making it hard for authorities to determine the gravity of vote buying and other anomalies. “Our present legal framework or structure is insufficient. It’s easy to complain but hard to prove.... It’s not because of any inadequacy on the part of the persons who made this effort, but because the requirement of proving something like this, which is a crime, is the same as proving any other crime,” Maceda said. The post Comelec warns vs spending public funds during BSKE campaign period appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Altitude problem
Like jeepney drivers, airlines squeeze passengers into available seat space regardless of their size. Some discomforted passengers are not taking the one-size-fits-all seats sitting down. Airlines addressed the size issue by charging oversized passengers for two seats. Travel blogger and body-positive advocate Jae’lynn Chaney, 26, disagreed and called for a free second and third airplane seat for biggies if needed, News.com.au reported. Jae’lynn is also demanding that airlines refund larger passengers for extra seats they needed to purchase when booking to accommodate their size, according to News.com.au. Skinny passengers also complain of large seatmates who partly occupy their seats. A Continental Airline passenger from Ohio was assigned to a middle seat next to a 500-pounder and asked flight attendants for relief because her seatmate’s weight was on her and she could not bring down her armrest, Express reported. The flight attendants could not transfer either of them to a vacant seat so the “sandwiched” passenger endured an aching neck and shoulder throughout her very expensive flight. Meanwhile, Hainan Airlines’ issue is different. Its new weight requirement became a viral topic on social media as the company threatened to ground those who fail to comply. For those with a height of 5.1 feet, their weight should not exceed 48 kilograms, according to the company. “This is intended to advocate healthy living habits and maintain a good professional image and healthy physique,” Hainan Airlines told CNN. Incidentally, the weight rule does not apply to passengers but to flight attendants. The post Altitude problem appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Pro Patria
Some years ago, some people (others quite gleefully) announced that newspapers were dead. Then came the slew of online platforms that gave birth to what they called “new media.” Underneath all these, came the thought that, of course, newspapers are dead. Years later, and a pandemic, to boot — newspapers are still running, still the most credible source of news and information. The digital natives may never understand the reason some people still turn to the good ol’ “rag,” as it is sometimes called, whether in jest or derogatorily, but it is simply because newspapers are based on something quite basic: Journalism. Journalism — defined by the American Press Institute as “the activity of gathering, assessing, creating and presenting news and information. It is also the product of these activities” — is a craft. It takes training and experience to do good journalism. It takes experience to be a credible journalist. That is why, back then, when paper journos gathered to complain about the preponderance of bloggers in their midst, some would hit it on the mark: Why compare at all when there is really not much comparison? Simply put, broadsheets are not blogs — and never the twain shall meet. They can, however, co-exist. This is precisely the idea behind this paper’s transition from pure print media to an omnimedia organization. Embracing technology — welcoming change and not resisting the results of these changes — led Daily Tribune to traverse a path it did not know before. Over two decades ago, the newspaper was born. It then developed its own website. Then five years ago, under new management, it went into other digital platforms. Through all these, one thing that the paper retained was its commitment to the Filipino people — the core of its calling. Today, Daily Tribune has been recognized anew for its bold and fearless stance. At the 15 June awarding of the Pro Patria Journalism Awards by the Rotary Club of Manila — the first Rotary Club in Asia and the most distinguished for its “star-studded roster of members,” veritable icons in their fields — it received a trophy and plaque as Newspaper of the Year. Pro Patria means “for one’s country”. Daily Tribune President Willie Fernandez spoke about the faith it takes to take on the newspaper business with a commitment to good journalism, indeed, “for one’s country.” He said, “Many times, I have encountered people who wondered how long we would last — and I mean not just those doubting our reasons for staying, but also those who could not see our reason for being.” Like everyone who had stayed true to the call, he added, “I take pride in having stayed true to the Daily Tribune’s DNA of independence. Through four administrations, we boldly reported on issues that many times put our lifeblood at risk. “Thank you for recognizing the effort and determination it took to provide our readers with, as you so describe — ‘the fearless and consistent exposé of anomalies and irregularities both in the public and the private domain, investigating and reporting fairly and truthfully to enable citizens to be vigilant and participatory in forming collective censure and judgment.’” It is not easy, but it can be done. The post Pro Patria appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Crash landing on us! Swiss village reels from Netflix fame
"It's a dream come true," said Filipina tourist Isabel Palijon, staring in wonder at a wooden pier framed by the turquoise waters of a Swiss lake and the towering Alps behind. And she is not alone. Ever since the hugely popular South Korean series "Crash Landing on You" aired a romantic scene shot on this very spot, the picturesque village of Iseltwald has been overrun by Asian tourists. The Netflix hit tells the unlikely story of a South Korean billionaire heiress who accidentally paraglides into the peninsula's demilitarized zone, crashing landing onto a chivalrous army officer serving North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Several flashbacks in the show take place in Switzerland, including a riveting romantic scene on Iseltwald's wooden pier, where the male lead plays a beautiful piano melody that echoes across the water as the girl he will later fall in love with arrives by ferry from Interlaken. 'Romantic' "I wish someday someone would do that for me," said Jiah Hni Gwee, a 35-year-old from Malaysia, looking longingly at the spot on the pier where the piano stood. "It would be amazing and romantic." She was among dozens of tourists milling around the lakeside on a sunny day last week, as a large steamboat bearing a giant Swiss flag pulled up to the nearby dock, teeming with visitors. The breathtaking scenery and the romantic setting have made the pier a must-see for so-called "CLOY" fans who make it to Europe. The 16-part series started airing just as Covid-19 began and it became a must-watch in much of Asia during pandemic lockdowns. A South Korean culture ministry survey found that CLOY was the second-most popular K-drama show among foreign viewers in 2021 after "Squid Game". 'Overwhelming' But its success has caused an unexpected headache for Iseltwald, especially since last year when travel restrictions were lifted across much of Asia. "The numbers have exploded," local tourism office manager Titia Weiland told AFP. She said it was difficult to calculate how many CLOY tourists had come but estimated that "for every local person living here, it's been 1,000 visitors". She stressed that "almost everybody in Iseltwald -- population 400 -- is happy to have many tourists," but acknowledged "it has been quite overwhelming". Last summer, up to 20 coaches began arriving each day, clogging traffic and sometimes blocking access to the village. And locals complain that CLOY fans typically rush to the pier for a picture before moving on, often leaving a mess but little money. In a bid to deal with the influx, the municipality last month announced only pre-booked coaches that pay for reserved parking spots will be let in. And it installed a turnstile at the pier, which tourists can pass for a "selfie fee" of five Swiss francs ($5.50). 'Paradise on Earth' Sonja Hornung, the manager of the Strand Hotel that overlooks the pier, said the measures had made a difference and her restaurant gives customers a turnstile token. "Last year, it was terrible, (but) it has gotten much better," she said, hailing the slot system that has dramatically reduced the number of coaches. Some tourists, however, were a bit dismayed by the turnstile -- and the price. "Oh, five francs!" Florita Lichtensteiger, a 64-year-old Filipina living in Switzerland, exclaimed as she showed up with several visiting relatives. She grudgingly paid for them to go through, but did not follow, saying she had been here at least 10 times before. "All my guests want to see this place." "It's not worth it," said Nayeon Park, a 21-year-old from South Korea. Weiland insisted that the payment was needed for the upkeep of the pier, which had seen the number of people walking on it skyrocket. "It has to be safe." Iseltwald "is like paradise on Earth," she said. "We want to really try to keep it that way." The post Crash landing on us! Swiss village reels from Netflix fame appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
MNLF to complain DSWD circular before OIC
The Moro National Liberation Front is set to file a complaint against the Philippine government before the Organization of Islamic Cooperation for alleged non-compliance with and distortion of the Tripoli and 1996 final peace agreements. Atty. Emmanuel Fontanilla, MNLF legal counsel and spokesperson, told the Daily Tribune that the DSWD Memorandum 6 series of 2022 defines MNLF members as those who turned over their weapons and received P45,000 for it. The memorandum circular signed by former DSWD secretary Rolando Bautista specifies that the initial cash assistance will be given to the first 3,000 verified MNLF members and their families will also be given P9,000 work for assistance for 30 days. Fontanilla said it practically altered the 1996 final peace agreement of the MNLF and the government which provides that the MNLF combatants not absorbed by the military and police can keep their firearms. “Intead of complying with the terms of the peace agreement, the government is now trying to settle the century secession problem with money. The government cannot buy peace,” he said. “The Tripoli and Final Peace agreement are international agreements and personalities. The secretary of the Philippine government cannot amend such agreements. This is basic in international law which the Philippine Constitution recognizes,” according to Fontanilla. He said the government should act in good faith and adhere to agreed provisions in the agreement and should not circumvent the agreement. The post MNLF to complain DSWD circular before OIC appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Revenue streams
Teachers in many countries, including the developed ones, are resorting to strikes to force the government to increase their wages. They complain that their current salary is no longer enough to cover the rising cost of living due to high inflation. A major teachers union in the United Kingdom plan to stage a walkout next month and July if an ongoing pay hike negotiation doesn’t conclude in their favor. Other teachers groups in the country are also planning strikes in autumn if their similar demand for salary raise is ignored. The unions were not satisfied with the 4.3 percent salary increase, which translates to £30,000 (P2 million) per academic year, offered by the government. Other teachers are switching to jobs that pay higher wages. A kindergarten teacher from Wuhan, China has resigned and became a full-time vlogger after earning so much in one of her classroom videos that went viral in Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok. In the viral video of the teacher with the surname Huang, she is singing the Chinese nursery rhyme “Planting Flowers in the Garden” live. The video received over 100 million views, the Malaysian news outlet Oriental Daily reported. Many viewers flooded Huang with cash gifts amounting to more than her 3,000 yuan (P23,000) salary as a teacher. In the Philippines, the minimum wage of a public school teacher is P27,000. Huang’s live streaming earnings were 16 times that. Her cash earnings were also greater than American teachers’ minimum salary of $33,000 (P1.8 million) per academic year and British teachers’ pay of 30,000 pounds (P2 million) per school year. Huang herself was shocked to receive 450,000 yuan (P3.5 million) in cash gifts from viewers. “I’m so happy, I live streamed for a day and earned more than 10 years’ worth of my salary. Thank you, everyone,” Huang told her viewers, according to Oriental Daily. The post Revenue streams appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Can the water crisis be quenched?
Summer will soon be over, but it doesn’t mean the water woes being experienced by most Filipinos will also dissipate. On the contrary, it is literally just a dry run of things to come as the country will soon face the El Niño phenomenon. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administratio has already issued a bulletin warning of an 80-percent probability that El Niño, which brings prolonged dry spell and drought, “could happen in a few months.” However, with or without El Niño, the water crisis has been going on for several decades now. People complain of lack of water particularly during summer, but once the supply is back, they stop whining until another water crisis comes their way. Pundits say the water crisis will not end unless the government and the people work together to protect whatever watersheds remain in the country and revive those that are already degraded. The Philippines has 30 million hectares of land, and 70 percent are considered watersheds (areas where rain water can drain), according to Dr. Rafael D. Guerrero III, an academician with the National Academy of Science and Technology. The forested cover of such watersheds is vital for holding rainwater, which is then supplied to surface bodies of water like springs, rivers, lakes and reservoirs and is stored in underground aquifers or groundwater. Unfortunately, “more than 60 percent of the country’s virgin forests have been lost due to overlogging and slash-and-burn agriculture that have contributed to massive soil erosion and siltation of water bodies,” lamented Guerrero. He said only 10 percent of the rainfall infiltrates into the ground. “With the low water absorption of denuded areas, there is an increase in the runoff in the uplands, which causes flooding in the lowlands during heavy rains.” Although the Philippines is blessed with an average annual rainfall of 2.5 meters, the distribution of rain varies throughout the regions, Guerrero explained. “Surface waters provide an estimated 1,314 million cubic meters of available water per day, with the Southern Tagalog, Cagayan Valley and Eastern Visayan regions producing the most volume, and the Central Visayas and Ilocos regions producing the least volume.” “The estimated storage volume of our groundwater is 251,158 MCM with the Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Northern Mindanao regions having the most water available per day, and the Central Visayas, Southwestern Mindanao and Ilocos regions having the least,” Guerrero added. A study released by the Washington, D.C.-based World Resources Institute some years back identified the Philippines as one of the countries that will experience water stress in the coming years. Water stress is defined as “the ratio between total water withdrawals and available renewable surface water at a sub-catchment level.” While there is still enough water for every Filipino these days, the water scarcity will be felt acutely by 2040 — that’s 17 years from now. How can our water woes be curtailed? “We can conserve our water resources by protecting our watersheds with forest cove and reforesting denuded areas,” Guerrero said. Most bodies of water in the country are now polluted with agricultural, domestic and industrial wastes. The pollution is causing these waters to be discarded and not used. “The strict enforcement of our environmental laws against water pollution is imperative,” stressed Guerrero. “The application of clean water technologies by industries and the recycling of ‘grey water’ from commercial establishments are highly recommended.” Watersheds are vital for holding rainwater — unfortunately, ‘more than 60 percent of the country’s virgin forests have been lost due to overlogging and slash-and-burn agriculture.’ About 86 percent of the total water Filipinos use is directly for agriculture, with 8 percent for industries and 6 percent for domestic households. For instance, it takes 5,000 liters of water to produce a kilo of rice, the staple food of Filipinos. [caption id="attachment_135080" align="aligncenter" width="525"] About 86 percent of the total water Filipinos use is directly for agriculture, with 8 percent for industries and 6 percent for domestic households.[/caption] “Improving the efficiency of our irrigation systems and the planting of less water-consuming crops in agriculture should be considered,” Guerrero said. Dr. Sandra Postel, director of the Massachusetts-based Global Water Policy Project, believes the water crisis will be right up there along with climate change as a future threat to many nations. More ominously, higher global temperatures will only worsen the current water problem. “Although the two are related, water has no substitute,” Postel told The Daily Tribune. “We can transition away from coal and oil to solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. But there is no transitioning away from water to something else.” The post Can the water crisis be quenched? appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Raisers complain chicken sold at double the farmgate
are grappling with the exorbitant retail prices of chicken, soaring as high as P200 per kilo in Metro Manila markets, which is double the farmgate price of only P95 a kilo......»»
Onion growers complain vs warehouse operators
There is enough supply of onions as harvest from Nueva Ecija and Vizcaya can last until the end of the year. However, the lack of storage threaten to shorten the life span of the produce, according to biofertilizer pioneer and grower Jimmy Vistar. “Even if we have money for the rent on this private and goverment warehouses, they would just say that their warehouses are already full, not giving us ‘spot’ even for a short period of time,” Vistar complained. Vistar said he suspects that warehouse owners and importers are conniving to force onion importation. Meanwhile, the prices of red onions in major Metro Manila market ranges from P180 to P200 per kilo due to high farm gate price, according to Jose Diego Roxas, spokesperson for the Bureau of Plant Industry. Red onion prices won’t be going up to P700 a kilo like what happened last year, Roxas said during a radio interview with DZBB. He reasoned that red onion harvests in April this year will last until November while white onion supply will last till September. The post Onion growers complain vs warehouse operators appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Groups want ban on toxic cargo in VIP
Civil society groups and representatives of fisherfolk have demanded a total ban on tankers carrying toxic cargo along the Verde Island Passage. The ban should spare the island’s marine environment and communities from the risk of oil spill, according to the think-tank Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development, the environmental advocacy group Protect VIP and the Koalisyon ng Mangingisdang Apektado ng Oil Spill. The call was made as the House of Representatives Committee on Ecology and Committee on Natural Resources are jointly investigating the oil spill caused by the 28 February sinking of the fuel tanker MT Princess Empress off Oriental Mindoro. “Tankers carrying toxic cargo like industrial oil and other fossil fuels should be banned from coursing through the VIP,” Gerry Arances, Executive Director of CEED and co-convenor of Protect VIP said Arances said the complexity of responses necessary in the aftermath of a disaster like the Oriental Mindoro oil spill showed that the government should not allow such incidents to happen in the first place. “We’re disappointed that even as it took two long months before Congress called for another investigation, there appears to be no significant progress in exacting justice for affected communities and biodiversity. Coordination among various government and responsible actors still proves to be severely lacking,” he complained. The groups raised alarm over the high volume of fossil fuel and toxic cargo-carrying vessels’ allowed to ply critically biodiverse seas, especially the VIP, without a complete and thorough assessment of these vessel seaworthiness right from its point of departure as seems to be the case for the Princess Empress. Meanwhile, fisherfolks complain of unclear and unjust processes for the delivery of compensation, inedible products in food packs and lack of plans for long-term support for alternative livelihoods. “It is disheartening to see the finger-pointing at the hearing earlier: the discussion of allowing MT Princess Empress to sail despite its no permit to sail between the Philippine Coast Guard and Marina (Maritime Industry Authority), the unclear water testing and results from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and Department of Social Welfare and Development’s recall of canned tuna after it has been distributed,” Dindo Melaya, convenor of KMAOS, said. Melaya called for a clear and long-term plan such as providing alternative livelihoods to fisherfolks who are yet to resume fishing, retrieval of the sunken tanker and full accountability from the polluters, instead of sending them canned tuna that are unsafe even for their dogs. The groups raised alarm over the high volume of fossil fuel and toxic cargo-carrying vessels allowed to ply critically biodiverse seas. The groups also pointed out that the absence of RDC Reield Marine Services and the oil tanker owner and charterer, subsidiaries of San Miguel Corporation, makes the oil spill hearing unable to genuinely facilitate the exacting of accountability from polluters. “Government agencies and members of our congress can go on with the blame game as much as they want, but there will be no justice if the polluters that caused this ecological disaster are allowed to play truant,” according to Arances. “We sincerely hope that our government will deliver the punitive actions these companies deserve, including the compensation they owe to communities whose livelihoods they robbed and whose welfare they harmed. These polluters should stop sending stand-ins, and instead, stand up and face the consequences of their actions,” he said. The post Groups want ban on toxic cargo in VIP appeared first on Daily Tribune......»»
Best practices on complaints mngmt
According to a 2015 research by Esteban Kolsky, 13 percent of unhappy customers will share their complaint with 15 or more people. Furthermore, only one in 25 unhappy customers will complain directly to you. As for the customers that don’t complain, they just stop doing business with you. It is certainly cheaper to spend on customer retention than acquiring new ones......»»
Best practices on complaints mngmt
According to a 2015 research by Esteban Kolsky, 13 percent of unhappy customers will share their complaint with 15 or more people. Furthermore, only one in 25 unhappy customers will complain directly to you. As for the customers that don’t complain, they just stop doing business with you. It is certainly cheaper to spend on customer retention than acquiring new ones......»»
Looc fire victims complain of flooded tents in Norkis Park
MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Victims of the fire in Sitio Paradise, Barangay Looc, Mandaue City were already transferred to the Norkis Park, the city’s former isolation unit that is also located in Barangay Looc. They were previously staying at the Ceasar Cabahug Elementary School but were asked to move because the Department of Education wants […] The post Looc fire victims complain of flooded tents in Norkis Park appeared first on Cebu Daily News......»»
Foreign tourists in Boracay pushed for optional insurance – Malay councilor
Businesses complain that some tourists are compelled to get the insurance when they book their accommodations online.....»»