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MAYOR of BOHOL - CANDIJAY Precinct No. 12110001   
AMORA, SERGIO III (LP)   292
TUTOR, TOPER (UNA)   280
AMORA, REY (LDP)   33

2013 Election Result Candijay, Bohol for Vice-Mayor Precinct No. 12110001

VICE-MAYOR of BOHOL - CANDIJAY   
SALES, JING (LP)   327
OLANDRIA, TATA (LDP)   232

Precinct No. 12110001, Candijay, Bohol 2013

MEMBER, SANGGUNIANG BAYAN of BOHOL - CANDIJAY - LONE DIST   
BAGOR, AYENG   381
OLAER, ROBERT (NP)   348
GALERA, ARVIN NEIL (LP)   338
AMORA, SERGIO JR. (LP)   331
PIZAÃ'A, TIMOTEO (UNA)   295
DY, ANN (NPC)   291
CAADLAWON, ARLENE (LP)   288
VILLAFUERTE, DOMINIC (LP)   255
MAPUTE, SUSAN (LP)   229
TORRALBA, EDGAR   209
LIM-JIRO, ELY LIM   162
PIQUERO, ZENON   158
TUTOR, ANTONIO (UNA)   157
AMORA, FABIAN JR.   137
PIQUERO, RAUL (LP)   126
OLAVIDES, JOSE (UNA)   125
TUTOR, BEBIE (UNA)   107
DELOSO, RODULFO (UNA)   89
CASTRODES, EDGAR ALLAN (LP)   79
CAGAMPANG, JUNEX (LP)   58

Your Lord Precedes You

"But after I have been raised, I will go before you to Galilee." Mark 14:28

God never sends you into a situation alone. He always goes before His children, as He did with the children of Israel when He led them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. You do not serve as His advance troops in a foreign and hostile situation. He always precedes you in any situation you encounter. God is never caught by surprise by your experience; He has already been there. He is prepared to meet every need because He has gone before you and knows exactly what you will need for your pilgrimage (Deut. 31:.

Not only does God go before you, but He also stands beside you and behind you, to provide protection and comfort (Ps. 139:7-12). Jesus knew His disciples would be totally bewildered by His crucifixion, so He assured them in advance that no matter what happened, no matter where they went, they could go in confidence that He had already gone before them. Paul, too, experienced this assurance (Acts 18:9; 23:11). In the most bewildering circumstances, his Lord was there!

If you are going through a difficult or confusing time, know that your Lord has gone before you and He is present with you. He is fully aware of what you are facing, and He is actively responding to your need. There is nowhere you can go that you will not find Christ waiting for you to join Him. Even when you face death, you can be assured that He has gone before you in triumph. As a child of God, rest in the knowledge that your Savior preceded you, and He will walk with you through each experience of your life.

Welcome to the Province of Antique

Philippines Pioneering Rice Monitoring Technology in the World
By Leslie D. Venzon

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) -- The Philippines is pioneering in Southeast Asia and even the world a state-of-the-art technology that provides timely and accurate information on rice crucial to achieving food self-sufficiency.

Dr. V. Bruce Tolentino, Deputy Director General of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), expressed hope that other countries would follow the Philippine example and utilize the Philippine Rice Information System (PRISM).

“Because the rice market is global, it’s not only Philippines.It is a good idea to know what the other countries are doing and how the other countries are faring in terms of their harvest so that we can predict the global market because we are affected by global prices,” he said in an interview with Philippine News Agency.

PRISM aims to deliver actionable information on rice crop seasonality, area, yield, pest injuries, crop management and damages during extreme weather events using data from remote sensing, crop models, smartphone-based surveys of farmers’ fields and farmer interviews, and other sources.

Under the PRISM project, Tolentino said the government appropriately targets and allocates the resources necessary for farmers to be able to increase their yields, and protect them from impacts of calamities and adapt to diseases, typhoon damages or natural floods.

“That means the rice sector will be much more effective and much more resilient,” he noted.

Tolentino said the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) would work to ensure that PRISM serves an area that has been underserved, particularly the Muslim Mindanao.

He stressed there are growing large rice areas in Davao Norte, Davao Sur and Cotabato. Most of the country’s rice products currently come from Central Luzon.

“A lot of support should also be directed to those areas, they were really neglected in the past,” he added. “IRRI is recommending to the DA that they consider increasing support to those areas.”

IRRI on Wednesday turned over PRISM technology for full operation by the DA through the PhilRice and the regional field offices (RFOs).

PRISM, which has been running for the past two years, is now ready to be fully operational based on its current status and capability to produce data.

The DA-RFOs oversee all activities in over 1,000 rice fields monitored by PRISM since its inception in 2014. They are responsible for validating and managing all data collected from their regions.

DA Undersecretary for Operations Ariel Cayanan said the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and other major project components already agreed that they will coordinate to come up with data and information needed by the farmers.

Cayanan noted these agencies will “not compete, not to contrast or look which would be more appropriate” data and information.

Engr. Christopher Morales, DA Field Operations Planning Division Chief, estimated that Php25 million to Php30-million budget is needed to sustain the operations of PRISM every year. (PNA)

2 Navy ships from Benham Rise dock at Poro Point
By Vicente Alhambra, Jr.

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union, March 30 (PNA) -- Two large Navy war ships docked at Poro Point pier Thursday after conducting patrols at Benham Rise for several days to check on the presence of Chinese vessels in the area.

The two are BRP Ramon Alcaraz (FF-16), PN frigate, and BRP Sultan Kudarat (PS-22).

“We are here to fill-up our logistic requirements like fuel, food, and others, and are standing by for new directives from our main headquarters," said Commander Jeff Rene S. Nadugo, commanding officer of the BRP Ramon.

We are going back to Benham Rise," Nadugo assured.

He added they are taking their requirements from the Naval Forces of Nothern Luzon at Poro Point in San Fernando City.

He also said it is good and important that Philippine Navy vessels were there at Benham Rise on patrol for the foreigners "to know that the area is our territory".

The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) earlier reported that the Navy’s sole oceanographic and hydrographic survey ship was conducting surveying and mapping on the 13-million hectare Benham Rise, a seismically active undersea region and extinct volcanic ridge located in the Philippine Sea approximately 250 kilometers or 160 miles east of the northern coastline of Dinapigue, Isabela.

Meanwhile, the BRP Ramon Alcaraz is open for public viewing on Saturday and Sunday.

Nasugo said that as part of the Navy's program is to showcase the new warship to the Filipino people. (PNA)

PIA conducts ASEAN Campus Forum at Tarlac State University
By Zorayda S. Tecson

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga, March 30 (PNA) -- The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) on Thursday kicked off the ASEAN Campus Forum as part of the continuing effort to create awareness on the significance of the regional community.

The activity was conducted at Tarlac State University where hundreds of students attended the first ASEAN campus forum in Central Luzon.

PIA regional director William Beltran said the campus forum aims to educate the youth on the relevance of ASEAN, its effects and impacts.

"We want to raise awareness of the people. We want Filipinos to embrace ASEAN as our extended community. A community that provides a peaceful and decent life," he said.

He likewise cited the youth as effective multipliers who can efficiently disseminate information and knowledge about ASEAN.

"Youth are effective multipliers. You are in the best position to make an advocacy work," Beltran told the students.

Meanwhile, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Department of Trade and Industry discussed during the forum the economic community pillar of the ASEAN wherein the economic regional integration offers new opportunities in the form of a huge market of USD2.6 trillion and over 622 million people.

"ASEAN is the 7th largest economy in the world and will be the 4th largest by 2050," Alfred Kristoffer Guiang of the DFA said.

Justine Santos of DTI, on the other hand, said that ASEAN has a gross domestic product of USD2.57 trillion with USD2.53 trillion trade with the world.

The PIA will also conduct ASEAN campus forum at the Central Luzon State University, Aurora State College of Technology, Bataan Peninsula State University, and Ramon Magsaysay Technological University. (PNA)

Blown up tire kills 11, critically injures four, in Zambales road mishap
By Ruben A. Veloria

BOTOLAN, Zambales, March 30 (PNA)-- Eleven persons were killed and four more were critically injured after a delivery van collided with a multi-cab Thursday afternoon, triggered by blown up tire along national highway here.

Police said the multi-cab was assigned as service vehicle of Sitio Ulpoy in Barangay Amungan, Iba, Zambales carrying 13 passengers while the delivery van belongs to Goldilocks.

According to sketchy report from Botolan police chief Chief Insp. Generico Binan, the delivery truck (XMD 934) was seen traveling fast at around 2:45 p.m. along national highway in Barangay Carael, Botolan towards south direction when one of the truck’s tires exploded a few meters from the Bucao Bridge.

The incident caused the truck to swerve to the left and collided head-on against the north-bound multi-cab, which had just crossed the Bucao Bridge, killing seven of the passengers on the spot, including the cab driver.

Died on the spot were Romulo Mantes, May Villanueva, Josephine Dorde, Marites Dela Cruz, Evangeline Capistrano, Linda Ruanto, Kenneth Ivan Capistrano, all of Amungan, Iba.

Zambales provincial administrator Atty. Izzele Iamly Deloso who led the Emergency Response Team, rushed the injured victims at the Iba District Hospital.

However, attending physicians declared three more victims as dead on arrival, namely Rose Candule, 50; Daniel Jay Dorde, 2, and Angelo dela Cruz, 1, all of Sitio Ulpoy.

One Ardin Villanueva, 6, also among the passengers, died hours later at the hospital.

Those still under observations are Manilyn Parilla, 27; Francis Matthew Parilla, 5, both of Amungan, Iba; and Dario Cruz Torres, 36, of Calumpit, Bulacan, and Jefferson Vray, 29, a resident of Macabebe, Pampanga.

Police learned that the passengers of the cab were returning home from watching a program in Ramon Magsaysay Technological University, Botolan Campus, which is just a few meters from across the Bucao Bridge.

Meanwhile, Governor Amor Deloso directed Izzele to extend all available assistance, including hospital and burial expenses of the victims.(PNA)

STATEMENT ON THE LTFRB PLAN ON DRIVER EDUCATION FOR JEEPNEY DRIVERS

Considering the sheer numbers of jeepney drivers in Metro Manila and other regions of the country, the Land Transport Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) simply does not have the personnel nor facilities to conduct its planned driver education for the public utility jeeps (PUJ) sector.

The solution I propose for this situation is that LTFRB team up with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) which has: (1) certified experts on driving and automotive technology; (2) training centers; and (3) linkages with local government units.

TESDA can conduct the training for jeepney drivers not just in the training centers but also at the barangay level, which would be more convenient for the drivers and mean better compliance from them.

Jeepney drivers would further benefit from TESDA certification, which the drivers can use to even seek other employment opportunities which require TESDA certification.

As to the funding, LTFRB, TESDA, and the Interior Department could confer with each other to ascertain where they can source funds from within their respective budgets and possibly even from available funds from the Office of the President.

Praise before Victory

And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Mark 14:26

Praise is greatly honoring to God! In the Old Testament account of King Jehoshaphat, God’s people faced a seemingly insurmountable enemy who was determined to destroy them. Yet God assured them that they would “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord” (2 Chron. 20:17). The people of Judah believed God. Their army was led by singers, offering praises to the Lord for their promised victory, and the victory came. When King David led the procession bringing the ark of the covenant into Jerusalem, he praised God with all of his strength (2 Sam. 6:12-23). David’s praise was pleasing to God, and God’s powerful presence remained in David’s kingdom to give him victory against every enemy.

Jesus was about to go to Gethsemane and to the cross, where God’s greatest victory would be accomplished. He led His disciples to sing a hymn. The disciples were all about to fail Him, and Jesus was about to be cruelly executed, yet Jesus insisted that they praise God. Their praise looked beyond the cross to God’s ultimate victory. Praise is rooted not in circumstances of the moment but in the nature and trustworthiness of God.

You ought to rejoice when God asks you to proceed in the work of His kingdom because you know the victory is already secured. Don’t focus on the problems and failures of others. Focus on God’s assurance of victory. If you have trouble praising God with a song in your heart as you serve Him, it may be that your focus is not on God, but on your circumstances    Henry and Richard Blackaby

NPAs not really interested in long and just peace, says AFP
By Priam F. Nepomuceno

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) --- The New People's Army (NPA) is not really interested in peace.

This after the insurgents vowed to step up their recruitment of more fighters as they celebrated their 48th founding anniversary Wednesday.

"This is a sad development granting this is truly their real intent. Why? Because it is an indication of an expansion program that ironically runs counter to the essence of the ongoing peace talks," said AFP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla reacting to the statement of the communist group.

"It also belies the real intent of the group... that they really do not desire a long, just and lasting peace for the country," he added.

Earlier, Padilla said all military units were placed on alert for this rebel event.

In the same vein, troops were also ordered to keep a tight watch on their surroundings to prevent the rebels from surprising them.

"All of our troops are told to prepare for any act of violence that the rebel group might undertake during their 48th founding anniversary," the AFP spokesperson added.

Likewise, civilian sympathizers of the NPAs, planning to conduct protest actions, are advised to coordinate with proper authorities so that their rallies will not affect traffic and inconvenience to the public. (PNA)

PAGASA: Easterlies to bring rains over Eastern Visayas, Caraga Thursday

MANILA, March 30 (PNA) -- Eastern Visayas and Caraga may experience cloudy skies with light to moderate rains and isolated thunderstorms due to easterlies affecting the eastern section of the country, state weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Thursday.

In its 24-hour forecast, PAGASA said Metro Manila and the rest of the country may have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

Moderate winds blowing from northeast to east will prevail over the eastern part of Luzon, and of Visayas.

Coastal waters along these areas will be moderate to rough.(PNA)
MA. CRISTINA C. ARAYATA

Manila â€" Puerto Princesa flights cancelled Wednesday evening due to bad weather

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) -- PAL Express’ Manila â€" Princesa â€" Manila flights were cancelled Wednesday evening due to bad weather.

These were the 2P 2787/2788 flights.

State weather agency Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) earlier forecast that some parts of the country would experience rains on Wednesday due to the tail-end of a cold front and the northeast monsoon. (PNA)
MA. CRISTINA C. ARAYATA

ICC has no reason to interfere with PHL affairs â€" Palace
By Cielito M. Reganit

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) -- Malacañang on Wednesday said the International Criminal Court (ICC) has no business to meddle with Philippine affairs, stressing that the international body has no reasons to do so.

In a statement, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said that the ICC cannot arbitrarily interfere in the domestic affairs of a sovereign country like the Philippines.

“There is no concrete evidence pointing to crimes against humanity here: such crimes must be widespread and systematically directed against a specific group. This element is absent in the Philippine situation,” Abella said.

His statements came after the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said that the ICC is closely monitoring President Rodrigo Duterte’s war against illegal drug due to the high number of deaths.

In an interview aired Tuesday over The World Tonight at ANC, CHR chair Chito Gascon said that number of deaths under the administration war against drugs has already breached the generally accepted threshold set by the international community for killings to be termed as widespread.

“The general consensus is that you have already reached at thousand deaths,” he said.

The Philippine National Police (PNA) has acknowledged that more than 2,500 have been killed in legitimate police anti-drug operations.

Thousands more were killed in vigilante-style killings believed to be the work of drug syndicate members out to silence their comrades.

But even Gascon admitted that while the CHR is investigating possible cases of human rights violations in the drug war, it is not yet time to bring matters to the ICC.

“CHR prefers to pursue justice within our own national mechanisms,” Gascon said.

Sometime in October last year, ICC chief prosecutor Fatou Bensouda warned that “any person in the Philippines who incites or engages in acts of mass violence, including by ordering, requesting, encouraging or contributing, in any other manner, to the commission of crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC, is potentially liable to prosecution before the Court.”

She added that extrajudicial killings (EJKs) may also fall under the jurisdiction of the ICC “if they are committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack against a civilian population pursuant to a State policy to commit such an attack.”

However, Abella pointed out ‘the Philippine Senate already absolved the President and there exists no such crime.”

The Senate Committee on Justice and Human Rights has concluded in October, 2016 that President Duterte has no involvement in alleged summary executions during his term as Davao City mayor and as President.

Sen. Richard Gordon, the panel chair, said that even the current EJKs could not be concluded as state-sponsored. (PNA)

US Embassy to help PHL law enforcers deter cybercrimes
By Aerol B. Patena

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) -- The United States Embassy in Manila will help enhance the capability of the Department of Justice (DOJ), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to prevent cybercrime incidents in the country.

Lamont Stiller, Legal Attache of the US Embassy in Manila said the goal of the training program is to enable the personnel from these law enforcement agencies to become first responders in addressing cyber threats that may emanate particularly from private business organizations.

Stiller said the embassy envisions strengthening the cooperation between the Philippine government and the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to address these security threats that might compromise data security and result to significant losses in businesses.

“We will focus on addressing cybercrime incidents being reported by the private sector to the government. We want to assist the government on how to deal with the private sector and resolve these threats through the use of forensic analysis and other best practices on cybersecurity,” Stiller said in an interview with reporters on the sidelines of the 2017 IT-BPM Cybersecurity Summit organized by the Information Technology and Business Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) Wednesday at the Marriott Hotel in Pasay City.

“We have an encyclopedia of malwares; we will be providing guidelines on malicious hashtags on social media and identify where they came from. We are willing to provide these resources to the government,” he added.

Stiller said around forty attendees from the DOJ, PNP and the NBI will participate in the training program to be conducted by cybersecurity experts from the FBI.

Eventually, the US Embassy expects that these individuals will serve as advisors to organizations that are willing to strengthen their cybersecurity measures.

For his part, Allan Cabanlong, Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Assistant Secretary for Cybersecurity and Enabling Technologies, urged the government agencies to migrate their websites to the National Government Portal to preserve data security.

The online portal, known as the Integrated Government Philippines (iGovPhil) project, is a single window containing all online information and operational infrastructures and public services of the government providing a one-stop shop of online government services to the public sector and private businesses.

The single government portal will also significantly reduce costs (financial, human resources, and spatial) typically incurred in managing multiple websites.

Stiller emphasized that private sector must cooperate in order to strengthen investigation of cybercrime incidents that would lead to the arrest of hackers in the country.

“Legislative measures should also take place that would assist the law enforcement here in the Philippines. The Internet service providers need a venue to preserve and store more data on their servers so that when law enforcers request they will be armed with the legislation to conduct their investigation,” he stressed.

The IT-BPM Cyber Security Summit 2017 aims to enhance the security and resiliency of IT-BPM companies while helping build sector capabilities to defend, mitigate and secure current and planned systems and infrastructure against cyber attacks.

The summit gathered experts and industry leaders who shared their best practices in addressing the emerging challenges in cyber security. (PNA)

ASEAN SOMRI institutes mechanisms to strengthen cooperation in promoting ASEAN vision, identity
By Aerol B. Patena

BACOLOD CITY, March 29 (PNA) -- The ASEAN Senior Officials Responsible for Information (SOMRI) have agreed to establish mechanisms that will strengthen coordination among its community pillars to further promote the vision and identity of the ASEAN region.

The SOMRI leaders, during the 15th ASEAN SOMRI held at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City from March 22 to 23, 2017, have committed to pursue the development of an outcome-based system for the monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of various activities of the information sector on creating awareness and understanding on the relevance of the ASEAN in improving the welfare of the people within the region during the 15th ASEAN SOMRI held at the SMX Convention Center in Bacolod City, from March 22 to 23, 2017.

The SOMRI discussed measures on institutionalizing linkages with the ASEAN Political Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community as well as their sectoral bodies pursuant to the directives of the ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Information (AMRI) to ensure effective promotion of ASEAN awareness, unity and centrality.

They also tackled the progress of the ASEAN information sector in implementing the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Information and Media 2016-2025, a year since its adoption by the AMRI in March 2016. It noted that the sector has conducted initiatives to fulfill the goals of the strategic plan.

The ASEAN Strategic Plan for Information and Media ‎2016-2025 serves as a roadmap on strengthening the role of information and media sector in the region towards supporting the community pillars with their communication needs; advocating the policies and initiatives implemented by ASEAN and communication with the people through different platforms and channels.

Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Undersecretary Noel George Puyat, chairperson of the 15th SOMRI, thanked his colleagues for the successful meeting.

“I congratulate my fellow senior officials for their dedication in creating the ASEAN identity and making sure, through proper policies and programs, that everyone benefits from our unity and centrality as a region,” Puyat stated.

“We are basically the support service of the three ASEAN pillars. We will know our work is effective if citizens of ASEAN Member States can answer questions about their neighboring countries and the positive effects of membership within ASEAN,” he added.

The PCOO official, in his keynote speech, reiterated that an effective communication strategy can help gain public support and commitment to the initiatives of the ASEAN.

He emphasized that communication should work towards promoting peace and stability in the region especially in affirming the need for a rules-based approach in the people resolution of disputes in accordance with the principles of international law; supporting the development of micro, small and medium enterprises; and inspiring citizens to protect the environment and live sustainably.

Among the agenda tackled in the summit include initiatives and priority areas of the three SOMRI working groups namely, ASEAN Digital Broadcasting, Content and Production, and Information, Media and Training for the promotion of ASEAN’s work and the development of the region’s information and media sector; the next phase of the ASEAN Communication Master Plan and the complementary National Communication Plans of the Member States for heightening awareness of ASEAN and its relevance and its benefits; and progress of work plans and strengthening of cooperation between ASEAN and dialogue partner countries including China, Japan, Republic of Korea, India and Russia.

Meanwhile, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Ismael Sueno pledged to support initiatives to create ASEAN awareness among local government units as the regional group commemorates its 50th founding anniversary this year.

He urged the attached agencies of the department such as the Philippine National Police (PNP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP), Philippine Public Safety College (PPSC) and Local Government Academy (LGA) to be active in the communication network and think creatively on their role on the region and the country’s success.

“We are harnessing all means for the local governments to reach all Filipino demographics, from interpersonal means of communication, community fora, barangay assemblies to the more sophisticated mass media of print, broadcast, electronic, and social media,” Sueno said.

“Helping all Filipinos identify ways in which they can be part of this integration process, add their voices to relevant dialogue in ASEAN and step up in their own initiatives will be part of local government’s approach to fostering change at wider levels,” he added.

The DILG has also committed that the ASEAN’s future programs and activities under the ASEAN Strategic Plan for Information and Media 2016-2025 will be implemented at the grassroots level.

The 15th ASEAN SOMRI gathered 54 delegates from the 10 ASEAN Member States and the ASEAN Secretariat.

The two-day event started on March 22, 2017 with an opening ceremony graced by Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno, the country’s representative to the ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Transnational Crime (AMMTC); Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia; officials and officers of the host agency Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO); and members of the media.

This was immediately followed by a closed-door plenary session of the senior officials and their delegations until March 23, 2017.

Singapore will be host the 16th SOMRI and the 14th AMRI Conference next year. (PNA)

Philippines should exercise sovereignty, assert rights on Benham Rise
By Lilybeth G. Ison

MANILA, March 29 (PNA) -- Since Benham Rise is part of Philippine territory, Filipinos must exercise their sovereignty over the area and assert their rights.

"We must work together and exercise our sovereign rights to nurture and protect it -- a first step would be to declare Benham Bank as a ‘no-take’ zone, immediately protecting it from any exploitation," said Oceana Philippines vice president Gloria Estenzo Ramos in an interview with the Philippine News Agency at the sidelines of the launching of "Sagip Sardines" held Tuesday at Luxent Hotel in Quezon City.

As defined by National Geographic, "no take zones" are areas set aside by the government where no extractive activity is allowed. Extractive activities include fishing, hunting, logging, mining, drilling, and shell collecting.

"Benham Rise is part of Philippine territory. We must exercise our sovereignty over this area and assert our rights," she stressed.

According to earlier studies, Benham Rise, a 13-million hectare extended continental shelf located east of Luzon, is a resource-rich area and the only known breeding ground of the critically endangered Pacific bluefin tuna.

As such, Ramos proposed for the creation of a management framework for the undersea territory "to ensure the protection of this special place and the conservation of its marine resources."

"The immediate creation of a management framework to ensure the protection of this special place and the conservation of its marine resources is a compelling first step," said Ramos.

The Department of National Defense (DND) earlier reported that a Chinese vessel conducted an unsanctioned survey in the region, believed to be rich in both marine and mineral resources.

Benham Rise is an undersea territory located east of Luzon. It includes a 13-million hectare extended continental shelf validated in 2012 by the United Nations’ Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UN CLCS) as the Philippines’ newest territory. This expanded the original region from 11.4-million hectares to 24.4-million hectares -- just under the total land area of the country, which currently stands at 30-million hectares.

The Philippine government has conducted numerous expeditions in the area to study its resources. In May 2016, Oceana Philippines joined government scientists from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), plus the University of the Philippines, Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and Philippine Navy (PN) for an expedition to Benham Bank -- the shallowest portion of the Rise.

The expedition team reported an astounding 100 percent coral cover in the surveyed area -- extremely rare in the country and perhaps the only one -- plus a diverse assemblage of marine resources.

Marine scientists also documented a vast "mesophotic" or deep-sea reef ecosystem at minimum depths of 50 meters, which experts cited as a potential source and refuge for shallow reef fish and other marine organisms that can be affected by climate change.

"With 100 percent coral cover, Benham Rise is possibly the only place left in Philippine waters in such a pristine state. Further research should be done to ensure that the area is developed sustainably," said Ramos.

"We must work together and exercise our sovereign rights to nurture and protect it," she added. (PNA)

God's Provision Brings Glory

Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Psalms 50:15

Did you know that you bring glory to God by calling upon Him when you are in distress? God promised He would deliver you if you turned to Him. You deny the Lord honor that is rightfully His every time you find yourself in difficulty and you fail to call upon Him for help! There may be times when God allows you to reach a point of need so that you can call upon Him, and thus let Him demonstrate to a watching world the difference He makes in the lives of His children. If God never allowed you to experience need, people around you might never have the opportunity to witness God’s provision in the life of a Christian. If you never faced a shortfall, you might be tempted to feel self-sufficient and without any need of God in your daily life.

Pride will tempt you to think that you do not need to seek God’s assistance. Self-regard will seek to convince you that you can handle your dilemma through your own wisdom, resources, and hard work. Pride will also rob glory from God and seek to give it to you. Don’t allow your pride to take what rightfully belongs to the Lord. Call upon your Lord and wait exclusively upon Him to rescue you. Then give Him the glory that He deserves.

Self-sufficiency can greatly hinder your ability to experience God and bring Him honor. The next time you are in distress, turn to Him!  Henry and Richard Blackaby.

Until now, wa pa mahurot ang mga drug pusher.

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Oriented by the Scriptures

"But the Scriptures must be fulfilled." Then they all forsook Him and fled. Mark 14:49b-50

There are times when, in the darkest moments of your life, the only comfort left for you is a word from God. Jesus faced the cruel injustice of a hostile world, but perhaps His deepest pain came when His closest friends deserted and betrayed Him. What could possibly sustain Him at such a dark moment? Jesus found His comfort in the Scriptures (Matt. 26:20-25, 31). The Scriptures kept everything in perspective for the Savior, holding Him steadfast in the knowledge that everything He was experiencing was according to His Father’s plan. Jesus could proceed with confidence because the Scriptures assured Him that the Father was in control.

The word of God will guide you in the same way. There will be times when events around you will confuse you. Those in whom you’ve placed your trust will fail you. Others will abandon you. You will be misunderstood and criticized. In these times of distress, when your devotion and obedience are put to the greatest test, you must let Scripture guide and comfort you. Never let the faithlessness of others determine what you do. Turn to the Scriptures and allow them to reorient you to God and His activity.

Even as a young boy, Jesus was already well acquainted with the Scriptures. He was never surprised by events; He lived with confidence because the Scriptures had prepared Him for everything that He would face.

If you will immerse yourself daily in the word of God, you will not be caught off guard when crises come. Your focus will already be on God, and He will safely guide you through your difficult moments. Henry and Richard Blackaby

BBM CAMP ASKS PET TO ACT ON HIS ELECTION PROTEST IN THE MIDST OF DESTABILIZATION PLOT vs DUTERTE

The camp of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. has asked the Supreme Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, to act on his Election Protest in the midst of a “well-funded and concerted” destabilization plot against President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a 25-page Comment/Opposition to the Motion for Reconsideration filed by former Camarines Sur Rep. Ma. Leonor “Daang Matuwid” Rodredo on the Tribunal’s resolution finding his Election Protest to be sufficient in form and substance, Marcos, through his lawyer George Edwin Garcia, asked the PET to proceed with his case by setting it for preliminary conference and ordering the retrieval of ballot boxes so his case can finally move forward.

Garcia said it has been nine months since Marcos filed his Election Protest and the Tribunal has yet to schedule the preliminary conference. In those nine months, he pointed out, destabilization efforts against the present government have been continuously waged.

“In those 9 months, several plots on destabilizing the government have surfaced which are contrary to public interest. There is clearly a well-funded concerted effort to undermine the Duterte administration.  Just recently, Robredo’s video message on the alleged extra-judicial killings caused quite a stir amongst our patriotic countrymen,” he pointed out.

He said the Tribunal should not tolerate the duplicity of Robredo who has been insisting the she won the vice presidential race but has been opposing every move to prevent the truth from coming out.

Garcia said, “Robredo cannot have it both ways.  She cannot keep claiming that she won the elections fair and square and yet, behind everyone’s back, she keeps finding ways to stop the truth from coming out.  The evidence of Marcos is probably the same evidence that Robredo has by now.  If this is the case, one cannot help but wonder why she does not want the proceeding to move forward.”

In arguing against Robredo’s claim that his protest should be dismissed because Marcos failed to allege the sufficiency of his evidence on election fraud, Garcia said the issue of sufficiency in form and substance had been settled by the Tribunal not just once but twice.

“The sufficiency of the form, substance and content of the election protest filed by protestant Marcos was judiciously AFFIRMED by this Honorable Tribunal in two (2) instances already.  First, when it resolved to issue the Summons (dated 12 July 2016) against protestee Robredo, and second, when it denied the special and affirmative defenses of Robredo as contained in the Resolution promulgated on 24 January 2017,” he noted.

He said the ruling on sufficiency in form and substance has become final because Robredo did not move for a motion for reconsideration on the 12 July 2016 resolution of the Tribunal in which it made a categorical declaration that Marcos’ Election Protest is sufficient in form and substance.

“It is now too late for protestee Robredo to question this finding because she did not move for the reconsideration of the pronouncement of Honorable Tribunal’s relevant to the sufficiency of this election protest.  Hence, this finding is now FINAL,” he stated.

Since the sufficiency in form and substance had already been settled twice, Garcia said public interest dictates that the Tribunal should now set the case for preliminary conference to give way to the reception of evidence, the re-opening of the ballot boxes and the manual recount, judicial revision, technical examination and forensic investigation of the paper ballots and / or the ballot images and other paraphernalia used in the elections.

“The term of an elective office is short.  There is the contestants’ personal stake which generates feuds and discords.  Above all is the public interest. A title to public elective office must not be left long under a cloud.  The efficiency of public administration should not be impaired (by delays),” Garcia said.

Ultimately the issue in Marcos’ Election Protest is quite simple, Garcia said, and it is the search for truth on the true will of the people. “The issue here is simple: do we want the truth to come out or not? More than nine (9) months have already gone by and all protestee Robredo has done is to file one dilatory motion after another.  If protestee Robredo has nothing to hide, then she should do everything in her power to encourage â€" rather than hinder ¾ this election protest to move forward. The millions of voters who trooped to the polls 9 months ago deserve no less.  They want the truth to come out.  The sooner the better,” he said.

PN formally accepts 2 Japanese TC-90s in Sangley Point ceremony

SANGLEY POINT CAVITE, March 26 (PNA) -- The Philippine Navy (PN)'s humanitarian and patrol capability got a big boost the Japan Ministry of Defense (JMOD) formally transferred two units of the Beechcraft TC-90 training aircraft Monday morning.

Transfer ceremonies took place at the Naval Air Group headquarters, Naval Base Heracleo Alano, Sangley Point, Cavite City.

The two aircraft landed at the said facility around 10 a.m.

Present during the transfer ceremony was Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and his JSMOD counterpart Kenji Wakamiya.

PN spokesperson Capt. Lued Lincuna said these aircraft were leased from the JMOD as part of the Navy's efforts to enhance its capability in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations, limited transport, and maritime domain awareness including maritime air surveillance and intelligence surveillance reconnaissance.

The whole project involves five units of TC-90s. The remaining three units are expected to arrive by mid-2018.

Last November, two PN pilots and six air crews left for Japan to start their TC-90 flight training.

The Department of National Defense (DND) earlier announced that the Philippines will be re-equipping the TC-90s as Japan have stripped of some its equipment, including its surveillance systems.

The country will pay Japan USD7,000 each for the first four aircraft yearly and only USD200 for the fifth, or total of USD28,200 as stipulated in its lease agreement.

The DND added it is also looking at the possibility of using the TC-90 for 20 years while the military is upgrading its equipment.

The TC-90, which is part of the Beechcraft King Air aircraft family, was offered by Japan shortly after the Agreement Concerning the Transfer of Defense Equipment and Technology was finalized last Feb. 29, 2016.

The TC-90's patrol range is double those of small Philippine aircraft which only has a maximum range of 300 kilometers. (PNA)
PRIAM F. NEPOMUCENO

PNP disproves 7,000 EJK cases

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- The Philippine National Police (PNP) on Monday disproved that there are 7,000 cases of extrajudicial killings (EJKs).

”We just want to disprove 'yung persistent and irritating claim by some sectors that there are 7,000 cases of EJKs,” said PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in a press conference in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

”Drug lords could be behind attacks against campaign on illegal drugs,” he added.

It was noted that since the start of the war on drugs in July 2016 until March 24, 2017, there were 6,011 homicide cases.

However, the PNP said that only 1,398 cases are drug-related.

”Importante masaya ang taumbayan (It’s important that people are happy). We are working for the Filipino people, not the foreigners,” Dela Rosa said.

”Gusto nila masira yung (They want to destroy the) war on drugs because the war on drugs is the face of the Duterte administration,” he added.

For his part, PNP Directorate for Investigative and Detective Management (PNP DIDM) chief Director Augusto Marquez said that out of the 6,011 homicide cases, about 23.7 percent are either cleared or solved.

The PNP DIDM maintained that the more than 6,000 homicide cases from July 2016 to March 2017 should not be blamed on the PNP.

Marquez added that the DIDM investigators are still in the “case build-up” stage on the remaining 76 percent of the cases.

Likewise, the DIDM chief noted that 215 policemen were found positive for drugs, which is only 0.12 percent of the strength of the whole PNP. (PNA)
/PERFECTO T. RAYMUNDO

Alvarez confident House can pass law postponing barangay polls by June
By Filane Mikee Cervantes

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez expressed optimism the House of Representatives will be able to pass a measure postponing barangay (village) elections by June.

In a radio interview on Monday, Alvarez said there is enough time for Congress to pass a legislation amending the Local Government Code for the postponement of the barangay elections in October, especially if President Rodrigo Duterte certifies the bill as urgent.

"Kaya po ‘yon… lalo na kapag ci-nertify as urgent ng ating Pangulo, (It’s possible… especially if the bill is certified urgent by our President)," Alvarez said.

Alvarez is also confident the House supermajority will support Duterte’s proposal, noting that no member from the coalition has voiced his/her opposition against it.

Alvarez said the proposal will be patterned after Republic Act 10923, or the law that resets last year’s barangay elections to Oct. 23, 2017, with an added provision of appointing barangay officials.

"Tapos dagdagan na lang kung sino ang mag-aappoint, (We will just add who will be appointing (the barangay officials)," Alvarez said.

Alvarez said he will discuss the matter with Interior Secretary Ismael Sueno and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III to ensure faster deliberation and approval of the proposal.

Earlier, Pres. Duterte warned that if the October barangay elections would push through many village officials with ties to the drug trade would likely get re-elected. Instead, the President said he wants the polls postponed and fill the vacant positions by appointment. (PNA)

Security, fire, safety solutions for Philippine market at IFSEC PHL 2017

MANILA, March 27 (PNA/PRNewswire) -- The global leading security, fire and safety event portfolio, IFSEC, is expanding its platform to Southeast Asia's most emerging market, the Philippines, from 3-5 May 2017 at the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

With the theme "Providing global innovation and expertise to the emerging security, fire and safety markets of the Philippines, " this three-day event will be the best platform for industry players to converge.

All ready to go for IFSEC Philippines 2017! The premier edition provides access to more than 150 world-renowned security, fire and safety companies and expecting more than 5000 trade visitors from around the nation.

The Philippine market is growing significantly with its neighboring countries. According to the World Bank, the country's GDP is expected to grow 6.4% this year, compared to 5.8% last year. The strong economy resulted from various government projects, including roads and infrastructure construction, which directly affects security, fire and safety by increasing demands.

Meanwhile, the government is expected to roll out smart or safe city projects where they could monitor the whole city including traffic situation and others.

With positive development on the market demand, the organiser, United Business Media (UBM) is encouraging manufacturers to take part in the premier edition of IFSEC Philippines. More than 150 world-renowned brands have already confirmed their appearance on the show floor, giving full-access to Philippine industry professionals and trade buyers to the latest technology available in the market.

IFSEC Philippines offers a free seminar for the visitors via IFSEC Technology Showcase. The seminar will feature industry experts and bellwethers addressing important topics such as "The state of the nation (safety and security in the Philippines )", "Business resiliency amidst a changing political, integrity and risk involvement", "Compliance on the data privacy act" and more.

Supported by the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP), Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Philippines Society for Industrial Security (PSIS), Accommodation Establishment Security & Safety Coordinating (AESSCCI), Mall Security Management Association of the Philippines (MSMAP), Transported Asset Protection Association (TAPA), Philippine Association of Detective and Protective Agency Operators, Inc. (PADPAO), Asian Professional Security Association (APSA) Philippines Chapter and Australian-New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ANZCHAM), and sponsored by Honeywell Automation and Control Solutions Philippines, the premier edition of IFSEC Philippines is expected to attract more than 5,000 trade visitors and professionals from around the nation.

Visitors will enjoy a wide variety of product categories on the show floor. Some of the products available are CCTV (video surveillance), access control and biometrics, fire alarms/detection/protection, cybersecurity, drones, perimeter protection, physical security and other categories, showcasing world-renowned brands such as Nemtek, Allied Telesis, Assa Abloy, Axis Communications, ELID, Fairetech, Internet of Things, Microsoft, Zhejiang Dahua Technology, ZKteco and more!

With all elements and products of security, fire and safety available, IFSEC Philippines 2017 will be the best platform for end-users and channel partners to come together. This is the best opportunity for industry players to build network, meet face-to-face and create business opportunities with experts coming from all around the world. (PNA/PRNewswire)

No formal mechanism yet for PHL, Japan joint patrols
By Priam F. Nepomuceno

SANGLEY POINT, Cavite, March 27 (PNA) -- Don't expect to see Japanese military ships and aircraft helping the Philippine military patrolling the country's vast maritime territories anytime soon.

This is despite the Japan Ministry of Defense's formal delivery on Monday of two Beechcraft King Air TC-90s to the Philippine Navy.

"There is no formal mechanism yet (for such matters)," said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana when asked by reporters on whether Japan is amenable to joint patrol operations with the Philippines.

The Philippine military is hard pressed to protect its vast maritime domains and now catching up with its Asian neighbors in modernizing its Armed Forces.

However, Lorenzana confirmed three more TC-90s are scheduled to be transferred to the Philippines within this year and the next, helping boost the Navy's patrol and disaster response capabilities.

Aside from the said aircraft, talks are underway regarding the transfer of UH-IH spare parts from Japan for the use of the Philippine military, he added. (PNA)

Sandiganbayan convicts ex-Abra Institute president of graft raps

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- The Sandiganbayan has convicted a former president of Abra State Institute of Science and Technology (Abra Institute) of graft cases.

Santiago Labanen was found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of two counts of violation of Section 3(e), and one count for violation of Section 3(g) of Republic Act No. 3019, or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act”.

He was also convicted of illegal use of public funds under Article 220 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC).

In a 91-page ruling, Labanen was sentenced to imprisonment ranging from six to 10 years for each count of graft and was meted the accessory penalties of perpetual disqualification from holding public office and forfeiture of retirement benefits.

In the event of separation from the service, the accused was ordered to restitute the full amount of his retirement benefits to the government.

He was also ordered to pay the total amount of PHP852,617.14 as indemnification and PHP36,000 as fine for the offense of illegal use of public funds.

Prosecutors from the Office of the Ombudsman established that from 1987 to 1988, Labanen caused undue injury to the government when he facilitated the following unlawful acts:

-- irregular disbursement of PHP289,000 to cover expenses for the renovation of the girls dormitory when post inspection and audit of the Commission on Audit showed that only minor repairs worth PHP14,862.25 were made;

-- irregular disbursement of PHP310,380 to cover the renovation of the vocational building when only the ceiling was repaired;

-- absence of approved plans, specifications and programs of work for infrastructure projects;

-- absence of approval from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the realignment of funds; and

-- irregular disbursement for the cost of repairs worth PHP140,328.85 on the Land Cruiser service vehicle.

“As head of agency, he is immediately and primarily responsible for all government funds and property pertaining to his agency. Exercise of reasonable care could have been enough to alert him that the projects suffer from documentary deficiencies, which expose the school to a financial overrun and post danger to ASIST employees and students who will use the buildings of questionable integrity. This duty is incumbent upon him as expected of a good father of a family,” the Sandiganbayan said. (PNA)
/PERFECTO T. RAYMUNDO

PNP neutralizes KFR syndicate victimizing Indian nationals
By Perfecto T. Raymundo

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -â€" The Philippine National Police (PNP) has neutralized a kidnapping-for-ransom (KFR) syndicate victimizing Indian nationals.

”I am pleased to announce the neutralization of a kidnapping for ransom syndicate led by an Indian national that victimizes fellow Indians who are doing business in the country,” said PNP chief Director General Ronald “Bato” Dela Rosa in a press conference Monday in Camp Crame, Quezon City.

Gurmeet Singh, one of the leaders of the KFR syndicate, was arrested in a follow-up operation by the PNP Anti-Kidnapping Group (PNP AKG) led by Senior Supt. Glenn Dumlao in Lupao, Nueva Ecija.

Singh was identified as the suspect who received the ransom payment from the family of kidnap victim Harvinder Singh who was abducted on March 9, 2017 in Barangay Sta. Barbara, Llanera, Nueva Ecija and was freed only last Saturday (March 25).

During the same press conference, Dela Rosa presented to media the members of the KFR suspects led by the Indian national who were arrested in Nueva Ecija.

”This successful operation was made possible through the cooperation of the victim’s family who immediately reported the kidnapping to the PNP. This goes to show how the police can work effectively with the cooperation of the victims,” Dela Rosa said.

The three other members of the KFR syndicate were arrested in separate follow-up operations in Lupao and Rizal towns in Nueva Ecija.

They were identified as Jerry Cabading alias “Tolox” and Francis Castro alias “Gorilla”, both of Barangay Agupalo Weste, Lupao, Nueva Ecija; and Gregorio Pena alias “Jun-Jun”, of Barangay Canaan East, Rizal, Nueva Ecija.

Recovered from the suspects were three handguns, a grenade and the PHP600,000 ransom money.

The recovered ransom will be returned to the victim while the firearms and explosives will form part of material evidence to be presented in court in the criminal case against the suspects.

The PNP AKG is now conducting pursuit operations against another leader of the group identified a Kikker Singh, who remains at-large.

The KFR syndicate is believed to be involved in eight other KFR cases, mostly involving Indian victims, in Pampanga, Bataan, Nueva Ecija and Metro Manila, including the kidnapping of Rakesh Kumar Sanny Singh in Nueva Ecija last May 2016. (PNA)

Aguirre backs President Duterte's plan to appoint village execs, defer October polls

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II on Monday said he supports President Rodrigo Duterte's plan to postpone anew the barangay (village) elections in October and instead appoint barangay officials to stamp out narcopolitics in the country.

”I’m in favor for the reasons given by President Rodrigo Duterte. It could help cleanse the ranks of barangay officials,” Aguirre said in a text message sent to reporters covering the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The Duterte administration is seeking to postpone barangay polls, claiming that 40 percent of officials in the country’s 42,028 barangays are either corrupt or into illegal drugs.

Instead of holding elections, the Duterte administration intends to appoint around 340,000 barangay chairs and council members.

While he said that there is nothing unconstitutional regarding the measure, Aguirre noted that a law must be passed to cancel the polls and appoint barangay OICs (officers-in-charge).

President Duterte had admitted that his plan to appoint barangay officials to fill the vacant posts would be “quite messy” because incumbent barangay officials would likely oppose the move.

According to the President, the first requirement for a barangay officer-in-charge nominee is that they should not have any connections at all with rebels. Second, is that they are not into drugs, and lastly, they are not really leaders of politicians.

The President said he would accept nominations from the Catholic Church, from Muslim leaders, religious denominations and other organizations.(PNA)

Ombudsman orders 6-month suspension of Aklan town mayor for immorality

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales has ordered a six months suspension of Altavas, Aklan Mayor Denny Refol for immorality.

This after Refol was found guilty of disgraceful and immoral conduct.

Tipped by an anonymous complaint, the Public Assistance and Corruption Prevention Office of the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas conducted a fact-finding investigation on the case.

Results of the preliminary probe show that despite being married, Refol maintained an illicit relationship with another woman with whom he has a child.

A certificate of live birth stated that Refol was the father as he acknowledged paternity of the child born in 2007.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) in Western Visayas Regional Office, “the relationship gained public knowledge in the municipality because respondent publicly displayed the same.”

As defense, Refol argued that “at present, there are only a few public officials who have no mistresses.”

He further argued that he had already stopped seeing the other woman which makes the complaint moot and academic.

In its ruling, the Ombudsman said that “the respondent has not denied the relationship despite the subsistence of his marriage or the fact that he has fathered a child with the woman.”

Ombudsman Morales ordered the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to implement the six-month suspension of Refol. (PNA)

New York Times articles part of well-funded demolition job vs Duterte -- Palace

MANILA, March 27 (PNA) -- Malacañang on Monday said the series of New York Times (NYT) articles on President Rodrigo Duterte is clearly a part of a well-funded demolition job mounted by certain groups that include politicians.

"NYT’s very obvious demolition work flies in the face of the very high approval of PPRD enjoys. The newspaper tries to stir global outrage in a nation that welcomes its newfound peace and order," Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella said in a statement.

"One can only conclude that certain personalities and politicians have mounted a well-funded campaign utilizing hack writers and their ilk in their bid to oust President Duterte," Abella said.

The Palace official noted how in a span of one week, NYT has published three pieces about the President.

He said the news feature “Becoming Duterte: The Making of a Philippine Strongman” narrated the rise to power of Duterte under the context of violence.

Meanwhile, the editorial, “Accountability for Duterte,” with jailed mutineer and Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano and Jude Sabio, lawyer of self-confessed assassin Edgar Matobato, mouthed unsubstantiated claims.

The third was a video documentary, “When A President Says, “I’ll Kill You,” that zeroed in on the vigilante deaths that occurred under the present administration.

But despite the obvious bid to malign the President and his administration, Abella said the government remains undaunted.

"The Administration will not be deterred in fulfilling its promise of building a progressive and inclusive nation free from drugs, crimes and corruption. (PNA)
CIELITO M. REGANIT

Too Late!

Then He came the third time and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? It is enough!" Mark 14:41a

“It is enough!” How these words from the Master stung the disciples! They were given the opportunity to share a sacred moment with Jesus. They failed Him. This time, not even Peter had an answer for Jesus. Jesus forgave them, and they went on to experience God working powerfully through their lives, but that unique moment with their Lord was lost. The angels had comforted the Savior on that lonely night as He prepared for the cross, not the disciples. Scripture indicates that the disciples later became diligent in prayer, but the memory of that night would remain with them for the rest of their lives. Like the disciples, you receive unique opportunities to serve your Lord. There are times when Jesus will ask you to join Him as He is at work in the life of your friend, family, or coworker. If you are preoccupied with your own needs, you will miss the blessing of sharing in His divine activity. God is gracious; He forgives, and He provides other opportunities. He will even use our failings to bring about good, but it is critical that we respond in obedience to every prompting from God. God does not need our obedience; He has legions of angels prepared to do His bidding when we fail Him. The loss is ours as we miss what God wants to do in our lives. Respond immediately when God speaks to you. His will for you is perfect, and it leads to abundant life.     Henry and Richard Blackaby

Sige lang Bay Hubs, mobalik ra pud ng uban. Ang atong payag mag 10 years na karong April 22, 2007.

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PCSO officer convicted for pocketing lotto prizes
23 March 2017

A division chief of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) was convicted by Branch 224 of the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City of Malversation of Public Funds under Article 217 of the Revised Penal Code.  Angelica Fajardo, Cashier V and designated Officer-in-Charge, Division Chief III of the Prize Payment Division was sentenced to imprisonment ranging from 13 to 19 years with the accessory penalty of perpetual special disqualification.  She was also ordered to pay a fine of P1,877,450.00.

Prosecutors from the Ombudsman presented four witnesses from the PCSO who testified during the course of the trial.  Witnesses testified that on 13 November 2008, Fajardo misappropriated portions of the P3,000,000.00 cash advance granted to her for the payment of sweepstakes and lotto low-tier prizes, including Scratch-it prizes.

Assistant General Manager for Finance Betsy Paruginog narrated that she received two letter-complaints in November 2008 regarding the inability of the Prize Payment Division to pay the winning Scratch-it tickets on time and the delay in the replenishment of the Teller and Provincial District Office’s Prize fund.

The PCSO conducted two spot audits, including a cash count, on 13 November 2008 and 08 January 2009.  The results of the audit revealed that “after reconciling all the documents, checks, winning tickets, issuances and vouchers against the cash on hand of the accused, Ms. Fajardo, incurred a total cash shortage of P1,877,450.00.”

On 13 January 2009, the audit team issued a demand letter to Fajardo requiring her to restitute the missing funds and to explain the shortage.  On 27 January 2009, Fajardo submitted a letter “admitting her liability for the shortage of the public funds which she misappropriated and for which she was accountable.”  In addition, the accused offered to make a partial payment for her accountability.

According to Presiding Judge Tita Marilyn Payoyo-Villordon, “the prosecution was able to prove that the accused being the OIC-Division Chief III of the Prize and Payment Division actually misappropriated the missing funds and that the accused cannot offer sufficient explanation for the loss of the same.”

“The failure of a public officer to have duly forthcoming any public fund or property with which he is chargeable, upon demand by any duly authorized officer, shall be prima facie evidence that he has put such missing funds or property to personal use,” added Judge Villordon.

Malversation is committed by a public official who has custody or control of public funds by reason of the duties of his office and misappropriates, takes, or through abandonment or negligence, permitted another person to take the funds.

EMB issues notices to LGUs in Negros Oriental for violation of solid waste management law

DUMAGUETE CITY, March 23 (PNA) -- All local government units (LGUs) in Negros Oriental except for Bayawan City were issued notices of violations by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Region 18 for failure to establish sanitary landfills in violation of Republic Act 9003 otherwise known as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

They were penalized ranging from P500,000 to P2.5 million.

Among those issued with a notice of violation for the Nth time is Dumaguete City, said City Administrator Ricardo Gonzales on Thursday, specifically for violation of Section 48, paragraphs 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 15 and 16 for littering, throwing, dumping of waste matters in public places, such as roads, sidewalks, canals, esteros or parks, and establishment, or causing or permitting the same, open burning of solid wastes, causing or permitting the collection of non-segregated or unsorted waste, squatting in open dumps and landfills, among others.

EMB Region 18 director Engr. Sophie Manuel said a field inspection and investigation was conducted last Saturday by EMB personnel from the region at the garbage dumpsite in Candau-ay, to verify persistent reports of violations of the provisions of RA 9003.

Other findings showed unauthorized removal of recyclable materials intended for collection by authorized persons, open dumping, burying of biodegradable or non-biodegradable materials in a flood-prone area, establishment or operation of open dumps as enjoined in RA 9003, construction of an establishment within 200 meters from the open dumps or controlled dumps or sanitary landfill and the construction of operation of landfills or any waste disposal facility or any aquifer, groundwater reservoir or watershed area and or any portions thereof.

As a result of the findings of the technical committee, EMB has directed the concerned local government units including Dumaguete City to explain in writing within seven days upon receipt of the notice of violation why they should not be penalized.

For Dumaguete City, the penalty is P2,514,000.00.

Meanwhile, Provincial Environmental Management Officer (PEMU) of the EMB in Negros Oriental Forester Lloyd Patrimonio has confirmed an invitation for all LGUs that were issued notice of violations to attend a technical conference on March 30, 2017 at the DENR-EMB PEMU office located at the PENRO building in Larena Drive, Dumaguete City to discuss pertinent issues in compliance to the environmental laws.

Patrimonio said compliance with RA 9003 is long overdue and that the LGUs concerned will be given a chance to explain the delay.

As to why Bais City was issued a notice of violation when it has also established a sanitary landfill, Patrimonio said inspectors found out its operation is backsliding to an open dump site, even if it has established other components such as the establishment of a leachate treatment pond.

Supposed to be, no more open dumpsites are allowed to operate at this time, he said.

Patrimonio told LGUs concerned that while operating a controlled dumpsite, they should already start a closure plan, to include perimeter enclosure, among others.

He believes this is a great challenge for Dumaguete due to lack of enough space to operate a sanitary landfill, while plans are afoot to organize neighboring municipalities into clusters to minimize the cost. (PNA)

Asa na kaha ning mga bataa karon?

A Soul Distressed

He began to be troubled and deeply distressed. Then He said to them, "My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch." Mark 14:33b-34

Who can know the depth and intensity of the heart of God? No one could measure His sorrow over an unrepentant sinner or His joy over a spiritual rebel who relinquishes everything to Him. We can begin to understand what is on the heart of God only when He shares His heart with us (Amos 3:7).

Are you aware of the fervent emotions in the soul of your Lord, as He carries the weight of the world? The disciples were unaware of the deep anguish in the heart of Jesus. Yet, He willingly shared His heart with them. The disciples often seemed disoriented to what Jesus was feeling. When He took delight in young children, His disciples attempted to chase them away (Luke 18:15-16). When Jesus had compassion for a woman living in sin, they acted confused (John 4:27). While Jesus wept at the hopelessness of those facing death, His closest friends grieved as if Jesus had no power to raise the dead (John 11:1-44).

You can choose to be alert to the heart of God. As you seek to understand what God is feeling, He may share with you the intensity of His heart. When you are around other people, God may sensitize you to the love He feels for them. When you see others suffering, you may feel the compassion Jesus feels. When sinners return to God in repentance, you may share the Father’s joy. You will react to evil the way Jesus reacts. If you will remain alert in prayer, Jesus will share His heart with you.     Henry and Richard Blackaby

Comelec studying President Duterte's call for postponement of barangay polls anew

MANILA, March 25 (PNA) -- An official of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said the commission is studying the implications of the call of President Rodrigo Duterte to postpone anew the barangay polls.

Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez believed that they should look at the effects of moving again the village polls to another date.

“What is being studied is what are the ramifications of another postponement because obviously this barangay elections have already been postponed once and as a result of that the barangay officials were holdover,” said Comelec Spokesperson James Jimenez.

With this, the poll body official noted that it would entirely depend on the new law that would be passed to postpone the polls, if the lawmakers decide to reschedule it anew.

“We don’t know if the next law that postpones it, if such a law comes, will also provide for a holdover or will provide for a different solution ‎to the question of leadership at the community level,” he said.

Jimenez added, “It's entirely possible for some provision to be inserted there that will not say holdover. It's possible na holdover, possible din appointment. At this point hindi pa namin alam kung ano mangyayari.”

Likewise, he said that they were looking at other possibilities.

“Number two, inaaral natin kung ano ang magiging consequence at epekto sa ating electoral system kung wala nga magiging holdover or magkakaroon appointment,” Jimenez said.

He was also asked if the Constitution allowed the appointment of barangay officials.

“Malalim na tanong ‘yan. At this point we cannot opine on that one way or the other kasi nga pinag aaralan kung ano consequence postponement,” the poll body official said.

“Siguro sa mga darating na araw may masasabi tayo d’yan pero sa ngyon wala muna,” Jimenez added. (PNA)
FERDINAND G. PATINIO

SAMOYED: breed of working dog developed in Siberia, where it was kept by the Samoyed people as a sled dog and companion and as a herd dog for their reindeer. The Samoyed is a sturdily built, huskylike dog with erect ears, dark, almond-shaped eyes, and a characteristic “smile.” Its long, heavy coat is white, cream, grayish yellow (biscuit), or white and biscuit. The Samoyed stands 19 to 24 inches (48 to 61 cm) and weighs 50 to 65 pounds (23 to 29.5 kg). It is considered to be a gentle, loyal, and intelligent dog, a capable guard, and a good companion.

Kaluoy pud ani nga mga bata

Happy Life

DTI, SM’S KULTURA SIGN DEAL TO OPERATE GO LOKAL! Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and Kultura, the country’s largest retailer of homegrown products, signed an agreement on 24 March in Makati to open Go Lokal! stores in SM Makati. Go Lokal! is a design-led concept store and market platform showcasing modern and indigenous quality products crafted, designed, and created by innovative Philippine micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), mostly found in consumer-frequented locations as a mainstream distribution channel for world-class products while offering value for money to consumers. A public-private collaboration, it serves as avenue for incubation, marketing, and branding for the best of Philippine MSME products including the next generation One Town One Product (OTOP) offerings. DTI Secretary Ramon Lopez (R), together with Assistant Secretary Rosvi Gaetos and DTI-4B Regional Director Joel Valera signed the agreement with Kultura represented by its Senior Vice-President for Operations Ivy Frances Yap (left) and Merchandising Head Fatima Uy.  The trade chief said that aside from providing market access for MSME products, the Go Lokal! is a platform for new entrepreneurs to test the marketability of their products without fear of losing out on rental and commercial costs because their Go Lokal! experience is free-of-charge.

A Fatal Moment

"Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Mark 14:38

At times your spirit must demand supremacy over your flesh. Your spirit will know what your Lord wants you to do, but your flesh will cry out for its own fulfillment. There are times when sleep must be denied, even when you are exhausted, because it would be disastrous for you to rest at such a time. When the Lord commands you to “watch and pray,” it is crucial that you obey. As Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He knew that the pinnacle of His ministry was quickly approaching. He was aware that the legions of hell were marshaling their forces to defeat Him. If there were ever a critical time for His closest friends to be undergirding Him in prayer, this was it. Jesus told them that He was deeply distressed, even to the point of death. Surely they could have sensed the intensity in His voice and the urgency of His demeanor, and surely they could have found the strength to obey His request. Yet He found them asleep. No excuses. They had fallen asleep at the most pivotal moment in human history, not once but three times! Jesus asks you to join Him in what He is doing. He may ask you to watch and pray for an hour. You may have to deny your physical needs and desires in order to pray with Him. You may have to leave the comfort of your bed or your home. You may even have to sacrifice your safety in order to be where Jesus is. Seek to bring every physical desire under the control of the Holy Spirit so that nothing will impede your accomplishing what Jesus asks of you.   Henry and Richard Blackaby

Mga estoryang pangwakwak sa US kaniadto.

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Bugsay, maayo kay ikaw nilabay. Musta, Bugs?

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Hope more schools would be equipped with solar panels.

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New products seek boosting Philippine food production, security

Manila - Several climate- and weather-based knowledge products aimed at enhancing Philippine agricultural and fishery production to further promote food security nationwide.

Presented Thursday (March 23) in Metro Manila, the products are results of collaboration of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) and Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO) carried out over the years in coordination with the agriculture department to help build up the country's resilience particularly to climate change.

"The products will help us adapt," said PAGASA Administrator Dr. Vicente Malano during the event.

Among those products is the technology bulletin "Impact Management of Weather Systems on Tilapia Pond Aquaculture."

Such bulletin covers Philippine weather system's immediate impact on production of "tilapia", a popular local fish.

Also covered in the bulletin are tilapia growers general emergency response measures against adverse weather and climate conditions.

"Information in the bulletin seeks helping guide food production before, during and after disasters so people don't go hungry," said PAGASA Climate Monitoring and Prediction Section OIC Analiza Solis at the event.

FAO is looking forward to further collaborating with government on building up Philippine agriculture and fisheries' resilience to climate change.

"Resilience is indispensable," said FAO disaster risk reduction and climate change specialist Claudius Gabinete at the event.

The agricultural department's Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) believes the products will help the country's farmers and fisherfolk better understand Philippine weather so they can respond accordingly.

Presentation of the knowledge products were among activities PAGASA lined up for its celebration of this year's World Meteorological Day (WMD) and the weather bureau's 152nd anniversary.

PAGASA also conducted a forum on the basics of clouds.

The 2017 WMD theme is "Understanding clouds" as WorldMeteorological Organization said these floating masses have "enormous importance" for weather, climate and water.

Weather, climate and water are among factors affecting food production.

WMD is observed worldwide annually on March 23. (PNA)

Wa na ko kakita ani nga saging nga gibaligya pa sa merkado. Murag wala na ganiy nananom sa ani nga klase.

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Rice Farmers in Batuan, Bohol

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By Janet Villarojo
Gov. Edgar M. Chatto and Provincial Administrator Alfonso Damalerio sat with the Bohol Energy Development Advisory Group (BEDAG) for matters for information,  discussion, endorsement and approval, such as the One Bohol Power Aggregation (OBPA), presentation and confirmation of Distribution Utilities' power demand situation, presentation on the draft MOA for OBPA, and the presentation of the draft EO on Bohol Power Ecozone with COMPETE and BIPC. Letters of Intent of other energy investors like the SOWI Renewable Technologies, Inc., Solar Philippines, CITCORE Power, Inc., EcoGen, Symbior Solar and ProEnergy, were likewise presented. USAID COMPETE Consultant Prof. Wali del Mundo, COMPETE Infrastructure Team Leader Arlene Donaire, DU representatives, and the BEDAG Secretariat attended the discussions.

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Municipal Hall of Sierra-Bullones, Bohol
#LGU #Philippines

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Farm land in Batuan town, Bohol
#philippines

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Stopover in Batuan, Bohol

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Cockpit Arena in Batuan, Bohol, Philippines


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Philippines: Farmland
Batuan, Bohol


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Easy ra pud mag upload sa picture from your phone, Bel

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If you have the app installed, Bel, mo-appear ang notification for replies and new posts.

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In Batuan town, Bohol

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Tagbilaran City Hall Bldg #bohol

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COMPANY OVERVIEW

The P.J. Lhuillier Group of Companies is composed of various companies ranging from its flagship business of pawn brokering  to local and international remittance, micro-insurance, rural banking, hotel and restaurant management, jewelry and sports accessory retail, information technology, real estate, professional management, and corporate social responsibility.

History

Formally established in 1988, PJ Lhuillier,Inc. (PJLI) is a dynamic, multi-industry company that owns and operates businesses dealing with pawnshop, non-pawnshop financial services (banking, international and local remittance, non-life insurance, electronic loading, bills payment, and collection service), retail (jewelry and health and wellness products), hotel and restaurant management, information technology management, sports, and real estate/property management.

It is the proud parent company of Cebuana Lhuillier, one of the leading and largest non-bank financial services providers in the Philippines with over 1,700 branches nationwide. PJLI attributes its dominance in the industry to integrity and heartfelt service, its robust network of local and international industry partners, and its steadfast commitment to nurture market-leading businesses for its growing clientele.

Today, the P.J. Lhuillier Group of Companies seeks to become the best and preferred microfinancial and business-to-business solutions partner. The company intends to fulfil this vision through rendering dedication, hard work, and service.


Company Mission
To enable more Filipinos to have access to financial solutions.

Company Vision
To be the best and preferred microfinancial and business-to-business solutions partner with a heart.

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Pres. Duterte seeks ASEAN-China collaboration to boost tourism

By Azer N. Parrocha
MANILA, March 17, 2019, Tourism in ASEAN member states and China can get the needed boost if there is stronger collaboration rather than conflict and division, Pres. Rodrigo Duterte said Thursday night.

ASEAN member states include Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

Reading from a prepared speech of Pres. Duterte, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo opened the 2017 ASEAN-China Year of Tourism Cooperation seeking collective effort from ASEAN and China to raise tourism numbers.

“The bond between ASEAN and China, which just last year reached its 25tth year, is a welcome and timely one. The current global situation calls for collaboration rather than conflict and division,” Teo said, reading from Pres. Duterte’s speech.

“A stronger ASEAN - China cooperation beacons as a testament to the principles of achieving great and good things together,” she added.

Year of Tourism Cooperation, which took place at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City, was attended by ASEAN tourism ministers, China National Tourism Administration (CNTA) officials, members of the Philippine cabinet, diplomatic corps, tourism stakeholders in the private sector.

Aside from this event, also expected to take place are the China ASEAN Expo Travel Mart, and China ASEAN Tourism Ministers Meeting.
Pres. Duterte, through Teo, also said that tourism has always been a “top priority” as it would “benefit more people.”

“Focus on sustainable and inclusive growth, we endeavor to implement policies and programs that would benefit more people in the region. With tourism, we anticipate growth in our trade export, agriculture, transportation, logistics, and business process outsourcing,” the speech read.

The President also maintained that the government stood steadfast in its principles of diplomacy and belief in a non-zero sum game.

”Tourism is just a start. With the sustainability of our resources in mind, the boom in travel through a dedicated leadership and knowledgeable strategy brings all of our great nations closer to one another,” it further said.
In an interview with reporters, Teo said that the Year of Tourism Cooperation marked the start of more meetings between China and the Philippines in the following months.
“They’re investing us to a summit in September,” Teo said, not elaborating which summit she meant.

“We’re also inviting them to attend the UNWTO,” she added, referring to the upcoming International Conference on Tourism Statistics slated in June.

This conference was held in response to the UN World Tourism Organization’s wish for the conduct of a forum to measure sustainable tourism.

Chinese Vice Premier Wang Yang, for his part, noted how the number of outbound visits by Chinese has grown in the past five years by average annual rate of 11.7 percent reaching 120 million last year.

He mentioned the increase in the number of Chinese traveling to the Philippines has increased so much that Chinese airline, China Southern Airlines, which flies from Beijing to Manila, has had plans to replace its current model with a bigger Airbus 330.

“There are more and more Chinese tourists traveling to the Philippines and the (airline) company has to change the plane's model from small to big Airbus 330. All the airlines traveling between ASEAN and China will have to shift their airline models,” he added.

He, meanwhile, expressed hope that Year of Tourism Cooperation would bring China and ASEAN even closer together than it already is.
Among the top ten sources of tourists to China, half are ASEAN countries. Meanwhile, of all foreign tourists visiting China, a third are from ASEAN countries, Wang said.

Data from the DOT showed that China is the third top visitor market to the Philippines as of January 2017 with 85,948 visitors.

Teo, meanwhile, said that the Department of Tourism (DOT) is still on track of hitting its target of 1 million Chinese tourists by yearend.

Wang is the highest Chinese official to visit the country since Pres. Duterte visited China last year.

Relations between the Philippines and China have vastly improved under Pres. Duterte, who has sought Chinese trade and economic aid while shelving long-running territorial disputes in the West Philippine Sea. (PNA)

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Basketball Court in Dauis, Bohol

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Trinidad, Bohol

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Ananyana Resort in Panglao, Bohol

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Budbod

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Carabao Farm Display Center in Ubay, Bohol

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Carabao Farm in Ubay, Bohol

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NGCP Station in Corella, Bohol

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Covered Court of Baclayon, Bohol

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Robredo involved in impeach rap vs Pres. Duterte -- Alvarez

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday tagged Vice President Leni Robredo for allegedly being involved in the filing of the impeachment complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte.

In a TV interview, Alvarez accused Robredo for having a hand in the first impeach move against the President.

"Definitely yes. Sino pa ang magbe-benefit diyan?” Alvarez said when asked to clarify Robredo's possible involvement in the plot against Duterte.

Alvarez explained that the filing of the impeachment complaint came on the heels of a video message Robredo sent to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs where she criticized the conduct of the administration’s drug war.

"Maliwanag na maliwanag po. Nakita naman natin na kahit sa United Nations ay nagpadala pa siya ng tape, na sinasabi niya na yung mga reklamo dito sa Pilipinas daw,” Alvarez said.

Alvarez also said Robredo is likely "worried" about the results of the recount of the ballots cast for Vice President in the last elections, which might reveal she is not the real winner.

Robredo is facing an election protest lodged by her rival, former Sen. Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. before the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, which recently decided to proceed with the hearing of the case.

"Malamang natatakot siya na kapag binilang yung resulta noong eleksyon ay talagang hindi aabot dahil alam naman niya na hindi totoong talagang nanalo siya,” Alvarez said.

On Thursday, Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte before the Office of Secretary General at the House of Representatives, the first ouster move since Duterte’s assumption to office as President.

Alejano cited five grounds for Duterte's impeachment including violation of constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. (PNA)
JBP/FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES

Impeachment complaint against Duterte will not prosper, says Macalintal
By Ferdinand G. Patinio

MANILA, March 18 (PNA) -- As majority of the members of the House of Representatives are supporting President Rodrigo Duterte, an election lawyer believed that the impeachment complaint filed against the Chief Executive will not prosper.

“The move to impeach President Duterte and remove him from office is, at this time, an impossible dream,” said Atty. Romulo Macalintal in a statement.

He added, “It will never happen and will not even reach the first base, so to speak, at the House of Representatives (HR) which will determine if the complaint for impeachment is sufficient in form and substance.”

For the impeachment complaint to be approved, it needs one-third of the 292 members of HR, or 97 votes. After getting the needed votes, it will be referred to the Senate for trial.

It was reported that 260 representatives currently supporting the President, and only 42 lawmakers left to support moves to impeach him.

“With the tremendous support the President gets from the House leadership and his steady high approval and trust ratings, his impeachment and removal from office is a long shot and is not likely to prosper. It is just a waste of time,” Macalintal said.

“It would be for the highest interest of public service that this impeachment case be dismissed outright by the allies of the President instead of prolonging the agony of the complainant,” he added.

At the same time, the election lawyer noted that eventual dismissal of the impeachment will give Duterte an entire year that he will not face the danger of any impeachment in view of the “one-year ban rule”.

Under the constitution, “no impeachment proceedings could be instituted against the same official more than once within a period of one year”.

“Our representatives have better things to do than this partisan action which, like a vagrant, has no visible means of political support,” he added.

Last week, Magdalo party-list Rep. Gary Alejano filed the first impeachment complaint against the President for possible violation of the 1987 Constitution, engagement in bribery and several high crimes under Sections 2 and 3 of the Charter. (PNA)
RMA/FGP/SSC

Alvarez mulls impeachment complaint vs VP Robredo

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on Friday said he is studying the possibility of filing an impeachment complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo, whom he tagged as one of the plotters behind the supposed attempts to destabilize the Duterte administration.

"Pinag-aaralan natin. Hindi naman ako sulong ng sulong. I have to make sure it can start trial," Alvarez said in a TV interview.

Alvarez also said Robredo could be impeached on the ground of betrayal of public trust as Robredo sent a video message to the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs where she criticized the conduct of the administration’s drug war.

Alvarez explained that the video message may create a negative perception of the Philippines before the international community, which could lead to dire economic consequences.

"Ang pananaw ko dito may betrayal of public trust. Kung ikaw ipagpalagay nating totoo ang pagkakahalal, sisiraan mo ang bayan sa international community ng walang pakundangan, economically may impact po yun," he said.

"Pinipinta niya ang bayan natin na hindi maganda sa mata ng international community," he added.

Earlier, Alvarez accused Robredo for having a hand in the first impeach move against the President.

On Thursday, Magdalo Partylist Rep. Gary Alejano filed an impeachment complaint against Duterte before the Office of Secretary General at the House of Representatives, the first ouster move since Duterte’s assumption to office as President.

Alejano cited five grounds for Duterte's impeachment including violation of constitution, bribery, betrayal of public trust, graft and corruption, and other high crimes. (PNA)
JBP/FILANE MIKEE CERVANTES/RSM

Advanced computer imaging tech tapped to reconstruct bladder

SAN FRANCISCO, March 18 (PNA/Xinhua) -- Researchers have used images from cameras attached to long, flexible instruments called endoscopes and then advanced computer imaging technology to create a three-dimensional computer reconstruction of a patient's bladder.

With this fusion of medicine and engineering, doctors could develop organ maps, better prepare for operations and detect early cancer recurrences.

With endoscopes but without the computer imaging technology, the way doctors examine the bladder for tumors or stones is like exploring the contours of a cave with a flashlight, as they find it sometimes difficult to orient the location of masses within the bladder's blood vessel-lined walls.

However, bladder cancer has among the highest recurrence rates of any cancer. From 50 percent to 70 percent of tumors return after removal, according to Joseph Liao, an associate professor of urology at the Standford University School of Medicine and co-senior author on a paper published in Biomedical Optics Express.

Being able to see each patient's bladder as a three-dimensional model could improve surgical planning and monitor cancer recurrence.

"The beauty of this project is that we can take data that doctors are already collecting," Audrey Bowden, assistant professor in Stanford's Department of Electrical Engineering and co-senior author on the paper, was quoted as saying in a news release.

Endoscopy of the bladder, called cystoscopy, is an integral part of cancer management, according to Liao. One of the technique's advantages is that doctors don't have to buy new hardware or modify their techniques significantly. Through the use of advanced computer vision algorithms, the team reconstructed the shape and internal appearance of a bladder using the video footage from a routine cystoscopy, which would ordinarily have been discarded or not recorded in the first place.

To test the accuracy of their reconstruction, the team created a model based on endoscopy images taken in a 3D-printed bladder, known as a tissue phantom. Because the details of the tissue phantom are known, the researchers compared their rendering to the real thing and found they matched with few errors.

"Sometimes you don't have a sense - where was I in the bladder?" Liao said. Seeing a three-dimensional rendering of an organ before operating, like having a map before embarking on a trip, could make the procedure easier for doctors. Other potential applications include using the 3D reconstruction as a visual medical record.

Although the team developed the technique for the bladder, it could be applied to other hollow organs where doctors routinely perform endoscopy, including the stomach or colon. "We were the first group to achieve complete 3D bladder models using standard clinical equipment, which makes this research ripe for rapid translation to clinical practice," said Kristin Lurie, lead author on the paper, a recent PhD graduate and postdoctoral fellow at Stanford, and a current software engineer at Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.

This technique is the first of its kind and still has room for improvement, the researchers said. Primarily, the three-dimensional models tend to flatten out bumps on the bladder wall, including tumors. With the model alone, this may make tumors harder to spot. The team is now working to advance the realism, in shape and detail, of the models. (PNA/Xinhua)
RMA/SSC

PHL bags USD 64.6-M World Bank funding for 1st BRT project
By Kris M. Crismundo

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- Washington-based World Bank approved on Friday (Manila time) the funding for the Philippines’ first bus rapid transit (BRT) project.

World Bank and Clean Technology Fund (CTF) will be funding USD64.6 million or around Php 3.24 billion for the Metro Manila BRT Line 1 Project.

The BRT project costs USD 109.4 million (Php 5.49 billion). The remaining USD44.8 million (Php 2.25 billion) will be funded by Philippine government.

The country’s first BRT system will stretch along España Boulevard in Manila and Quezon Avenue in Quezon City, providing safe, reliable, and comfortable rides for about 300,000 commuters daily.

“By providing an affordable and convenient public transport option, this project will help make job and education opportunities more accessible, especially for the poor residing around the BRT route,” said World Bank Country Director Mara Warwick.

“High-capacity transport systems like BRT help reduce greenhouse gases, boosting the country’s contribution to the global fight against climate change,” she added.

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) will be implementing the project, which is expected to be operational by 2020.

Aside from the BRT line, the project will also involve construction of bus terminals and stations, segregation barriers, sidewalks, warning and direction signs, and pedestrian crossing facilities, among other facilities.

“Bus systems like BRT are cost-effective options for reducing emissions of harmful gases that cause climate change,” CTF Senior Program Coordinator Zhihong Zhang said.

CTF is managed by the World Bank. It provides funding to developing countries and emerging economies to scale up technologies that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

CTF has funded USD3.8-billion projects globally supporting clean technologies such as renewable energy, energy efficiency, and transport.

“Implementation of this project alone will prevent the release of around 2.6 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents into the atmosphere in the next 20 years. Transport is the fastest growing source of greenhouse gas emissions globally and projects like this show the road to a cleaner future,” Zhang added.

Over 150 cities in the world are operating and developing BRT system. (PNA)

PHL foreign debts down to USD74.8 B in end-2016
By Joann Santiago

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- Strengthening of the US dollar against other currencies along with repayments by the national government (NG) of its foreign liabilities helped lower the Philippines’ outstanding foreign debt in end-2016.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), in a release posted on its website Friday night, said outstanding external debt of the Philippine government and the private sector as of end-December last year declined by 2.4 percent to USD74.8 billion from the previous quarter’s USD76.6 billion.

Year-on-year, the debt level is also lower compared to the USD77.5 billion in end-2015.

BSP Governor Amando M. Tetangco Jr., in a statement, said that aside from the payment of the government of its liabilities, another factor in the quarter-on-quarter drop in the country’s debt level was the audit adjustments on the liabilities done in the previous months.

Specifically, revaluation adjustments as a result of the dollar’s appreciation against the Japanese yen, among others, amounted to USD1.8 billion; net principal repayments by the government, particularly the Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corporation (PSALM), amounted to USD611 million, while audit adjustments amounted to USD73 million.

The BSP, on the other hand, noted that the effect of these downward adjustments on the liabilities was countered by the transfer of USD591-million worth of government-issued debt instruments from onshore investors to overseas fund sources.

Even with the new foreign last year, Tetangco said the country’s external debt indicators “remained at comfortable levels at the close of 2016.”

He said the country’s gross international reserves (GIR), or foreign exchange reserves, reached USD80.7 billion at the end of 2016, enough to cover 5.6 times of the country’s short-term debt, which in turn amounted to USD 14.526 billion as of last year.

As of end-2016, bulk or about 80.6 percent of the country’s foreign debt, have tenors of medium- to long-term (MLT) with a weighted average maturity of 16.9 years.

Public sector MLT loans have a weighted average maturity of 22.9 years, longer than the private sector’s 7.9 years.

As of end-2016, public sector’s liabilities amounted to USD37.5 billion, lower by USD1.8 billion compared to the end-September 2016’s USD39.3 billion.

Private sector’s debt during the same period totaled to USD37.29 billion, down from the previous quarter’s USD37.33 billion.

Bulk of the country’s debt as of last year is accounted for those denominated in US dollars, 65.1 percent, followed by Japanese yen, 12 percent; US dollar-denominated multi-currency loans from multilateral lenders - Washington-based World Bank (WB) and Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB) - USD12.8 percent.

The remaining 10.1 percent is accounted for by loans denominated in 17 other currencies such as the Philippine peso, 6.3 percent; International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) special drawing rights (SDR), 2.1 percent; and Euro, 1.1 percent. (PNA)

Filipino delivery app eyes expansion in PHL, Singapore
By Kris M. Crismundo

MANILA, March 18 (PNA) -- Mober, a home-grown web and mobile platform for delivery of bulky items, targets to strengthen its presence within and outside the Philippines.

Mober Founder and CEO Dennis Ng said the tech firm was currently seeking at least USD1.0 million worth of funding to facilitate its expansion in Cebu, Davao, and Singapore, as well as other Asian markets like Hong Kong.

Ng added that the investor would get 10 percent of the company’s equity for every USD1.0 million worth of investment.

He mentioned that Mober will open its operation in Cebu next month, while eyeing to expand in Davao and Singapore within the year.

Mober app is a logistics solution for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and individuals who want same-day delivery of their bulky items like appliances, baggage, agricultural products, and even pets that cannot be catered by other transportation apps.

Ng added that the company would like to see SMEs in agriculture to use the app to handle the transport of their goods such as fruits, vegetables, poultry, and fish products.

“In the Philippines, the logistics here is not well-established,” he said.

“Because of this, SMEs are forced to buy delivery vans which cost around Php 600,000 while maintaining salary for drivers, gasoline, among others,” the Mober chief added.

Ng noted that many of these vans become underutilized as they were used once or twice a day for delivery.

For SMEs who cannot afford to buy delivery vans, they opt to rent transportation services which costs at an average of Php 2,500 per day within Metro Manila.

“They are paying the same rental rate whether they use the van whole day or for one delivery trip only,” Ng said.

In Mober, SMEs will be paying the service per trip which cost at a minimum rate of Php 500 for a five-kilometer trip and additional of Php 25 per kilometer.

Mober currently operates within Metro Manila and nearby provinces like Cavite, Rizal, and Bulacan.

Aside from increasing its bookings, Ng said the company wanted to invite van owners to cater their services through Mober.

He mentioned that Mober implements no joining fee for interested van owners.

The company only gets 20 percent commission for every booking.

Mober is also looking at giving 20 percent of its equity to their registered and accredited drivers in the future.

In 2016, Mober had 6,842 bookings for its 100 vans. Revenue last year reached USD160,000.

Ng said Mober eyes for a USD12 million revenue in 2019, with van partners climbing to 3,000. (PNA)
RMA/KMC

ASEAN not ready yet to have single currency
By Sammy F. Martin

MANILA, March. 18 (PNA) -- Having one currency note to be use by members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is not yet feasible in this point in time.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary for ASEAN Affairs Ma. Helen dela Vega said Asean was not yet ready to duplicate what the European Union (EU) had done.

“Most members of the ASEAN are still considered developing countries and Philippines is one of them,” dela Vega said in an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency at the sidelines of Joint Consultative Meeting of the ASEAN 2017 at the Philippine International Convention Center Thursday.

She said EU members have almost on equal level of gross national product and they were considered rich countries in that part of the world.

However, she said, still EU had not perfected Euro as their common currency and there were some glitches needed to be address.

She even cited London who refused to use Euro as their currency and continue to use Pounds as their currency.

“Take a look at London, they are the richest among EU members but refused to follow what they have agreed upon,” she pointed out.

Now, London has decided to leave EU as member-country,” she stressed.

Dela Vega is not discounting the possibility of duplicating what EU had done in the future but before ASEAN will give weight on this, they want first to improve the status of being a developing country to developed country in the future.

That was why, she said, in ASEAN, they already removed tariff to all commodities to make it affordable to consumers and continue transfer of technology to help each other grow faster and compete globally. They also remove visas to all ASEAN-member who want to visit their country to boost tourism.

She noted that the whole world is now watching ASEAN because they foresee the big and fast development of member â€"countries who had been very vocal on how they can share to boost the morale of every member.

She added that the whole world was steadily watching ASEAN as they already projected that in this part of world would be the next tiger economy globally.

The reason, dela Vega said, “we have a common goal to improved not only trade and commerce, but also enhancing regional security, exchange of culture and many more” that will make ASEAN the next region you can be proud of. (PNA)

Globe strengthens cybersecurity measures

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- Globe Telecom has further strengthened its initiatives on data security amid increasing threats of cyber attacks endangering both government and the private sector.

The company’s information and communications technology arm Globe Business has recognized that there has been an upswing in cybersecurity threats given the increased focus on digital transformation in both public and private sectors.

“The frequency and sophistication of cyber-attacks and breaches are on the rise across all industries. Because we always take security seriously, Globe Business has evolved to put itself in the best position to protect its customers by growing its Managed Security Services portfolio and improving its expertise and ability to deliver these solutions,” Globe Business Senior Advisor Mike Frausing said in a statement.

Its Advanced Security Operations Center (ASOC), powered by Trustwave, houses the infrastructure and teams which provide services such as customer service platform management, threat detection, threat hunting, and incident response to help businesses address advanced information security threats.

The ASOC combines local threat awareness from Globe, with global threat visibility from Trustwave's network, which is supported by a team of more than 1,600 cyber security professionals worldwide.

The facility provides enterprises with real-time monitoring and protection against cyber threats through sharing threat intelligence, threat data analytics and advanced security information.

Furthermore, Globe Business has also partnered with Singtel to further boost its expertise on delivering comprehensive cybersecurity solutions.

“It is imperative for businesses and the government to stay one step ahead of such cyber threats. This partnership leverages Globe Telecom’s understanding of the Philippine landscape, Singtel’s expertise in providing managed services, and Trustwave’s experience in delivering enterprise-grade managed security services,” according to Frausing.

Globe Telecom’s strategic partnership with Singtel, the ecosystem of cybersecurity players such as Trustwave and Palo Alto Network, complements its existing partnerships with FireEye and Arbor, and strengthens the services and solutions that help keep customers secure from ever-evolving threats.

The collaboration of Globe Business with best-of-breed technology partners has allowed to provide a comprehensive suite of cybersecurity services such as Vulnerability Assessment, Network Security, Application Security and Content Security, Anti-DDoS, Endpoint Security and Access Control, and Security Management.

Its enhanced Managed Security Service ensures that it maintains to be well positioned to address evolving threats that put Globe and its customers at risk. (PNA)
RMA/ABP/

Bangko Sentral closes Rural Bank of Goa (Camarines Sur)

MANILA - The Monetary Board (MB) of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) closed the operations of the Rural Bank of Goa (Camarines Sur), Inc.

Under Resolution No. 428.A dated March 16, 2017, the MB directed the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC) to act as Receiver and proceed with the takeover and liquidation of the bank.

PDIC took over the bank on Friday.

Rural Bank of Goa is a two-unit rural bank with Head Office located in San Jose (Poblacion), Goa, Camarines Sur. Its lone branch is located in San Vicente, Pili (Capital), Camarines Sur.

Based on the Bank Information Sheet filed by the bank with the PDIC as of December 31, 2016, Rural Bank of Goa is owned by Erlinda V. Castillo (39.74 percent), Christine Mae V. Tan (17.01 percent), Glenda S. Villamora (16.53 percent), Oscar B. Villamora (10.89 percent), Ma. Emma Portia V. Garcia (7.88 percent), and Claudia S. Villamora (7.80 percent). The Bank’s Chairman and President is Erlinda V. Castillo.

Latest available records show that as of December 31, 2016, Rural Bank of Goa had 2,230 deposit accounts with total deposit liabilities of Php 115.3 million. Total insured deposits amounted to Php 114.0 million equivalent to 98.9 percent of total deposits.

PDIC assured depositors that all valid deposits and claims shall be paid up to the maximum deposit insurance coverage of Php 500,000.00. Depositors with valid deposit accounts with balances of Php 100,000.00 and below shall be eligible for early payment and need not file deposit insurance claims, except accounts maintained by business entities, or when they have outstanding obligations with Rural Bank of Goa or acted as co-makers of these obligations.

Depositors have to ensure that they have complete and updated addresses with the bank. They may update their addresses until March 23, 2017 using the Mailing Address Update Forms to be distributed by PDIC representatives at the bank premises.

For depositors who are required to file claims for deposit insurance, the schedule of claims settlement operations will be announced as soon as possible through posters in the bank premises and in other public places, the PDIC website, www.pdic.gov.ph, and PDIC’s official Facebook account.

PDIC also reminded borrowers to continue paying their loan obligations with the closed Rural Bank of Goa and to transact only with designated PDIC representatives at the bank premises.

For more information on the requirements and procedures for filing claims and settlement of loan obligations, all depositors and borrowers of the bank are enjoined to attend the Depositors-Borrowers' Forum which will be held in venues near the two banking offices of the bank on March 28-29, 2017. Details will be posted in the bank premises and in other public places.

Depositors may communicate with PDIC Public Assistance personnel stationed at the bank premises or call the PDIC Public Assistance Hotlines at (02) 841-4630 to (02) 841-4631, or send their e-mail to pad@pdic.gov.ph.

Depositors outside Metro Manila may also call PDIC at its Toll Free Hotline at 1-800-1-888-PDIC (7342). Inquiries may also be sent via private message to the official PDIC Facebook account at www.facebook.com/OfficialPDIC. (PNA)
RMA/PR/RSM

MS Europa Cruise Ship Visits Bohol

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New Davao restaurant offers healthy food for kids

DAVAO CITY, March 17 (PNA) -- A newly-opened restaurant here is venturing on a different kind of a green or healthy food dining experience, especially for kids.

Lenlen Uy-Bosquit, owner of Sundays Resto, said feeding children with healthy food like green vegetables is a challenge for many parents.

"As a mother, I was challenged too and that inspired me to serve it here," she said.

Bosquit said among the dishes they serve, which appealed to the tastes of the kids, are malunggay dip with gourmet bread, mashed cauliflower and veggie-laden lasagna.

Veggie salads mixed with Davao fresh fruits like pomelo and ripe mango are winners, too.

Meanwhile, Bosquit, who does some of the cooking herself, said they also offer special comfort foods, which are "heirloom family recipes" from her Chinese grandmother, like "humba", ox tail, pochero steak and chicken tender.

Sundays complements the Go Hotel, a family venture with the Gokongwei led-Robinsons Land Corporation, which caters to foreign and domestic visitors.

She said they get "good feedback" from foreign visitors involving Filipino comfort dishes.

The family also operates Dencios Kamayan, which has eight branches around Davao City. Sundays Resto is the newest family baby under the supervision of Bosquit.

"The homey setting is what we want to offer to our diners plus our family recipe at an affordable price," she said.

Bosquit said the opening of more restaurants in Davao City is a welcome competition.

She said that the raw materials they use like vegetables, meat and other products are sourced locally except the cheese, which they import.

Sundays is one of the participants at the "Visit Davao Fun Sale," a sales event in Davao. (PNA)
LAP/BS/LCM/DIGNA BANZON/LDP

Catholic Church declines Pagcor offer to finance drug rehab center
By Mark Francisco

CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY, March 17 (PNA) -- Officials of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (Pagcor) offered to help the Roman Catholic Church to finance the archdiocese’s drug rehabilitation program in exchange for operating a casino here last year, a top Roman Catholic official said Friday.

Archbishop Antonio Ledesma, head of the Roman Catholic’s Archdiocese in Misamis Oriental, said they refused the offer.

Ledesma said that Pagcor, the government-owned gambling firm, has sent “feelers” to his office explaining its willingness to finance the construction of the archdiocese’s drug rehabilitation center here.

He said that in his reply to the offer, he told the Pagcor’s liaison officer that “you cannot stop an addiction by creating another addiction” â€" referring to addiction to illegal drugs and addiction to gambling.

During the press conference Friday afternoon, Ledesma reiterated the firm stand of the Roman Catholic Church against the operation of the casino in Cagayan De Oro, saying that the economy could be developed without gambling.

Pagcor reportedly proposed the operation of a casino at the Limketkai Center, a commercial complex in the village of Lapasan, in the city’s eastern district.

About 20 years ago, PAGCOR’s first attempt to operate a casino in an uptown hotel here failed amid heavy resistance by the city government and the Roman Catholic Church. (PNA)
LAP/BS/CD/MF/RSM

2017 'Gawad Parangal'

SAN JOSE De BUENAVISTA, Antique, March 17 (PNA) -- The Association of Local Social Welfare and Development Officers of the Philippines, Incorporated (ALSWDOPI) has finished its evaluation of nominees from the Visayas for the 2017 Gawad Parangal award.

Lazaro G. Petinglay, ALSWDOPI executive vice president, said the search committee for the Visayas conducted their evaluation of the nominees for Outstanding Local Chief Executive and Outstanding Local Social Welfare and Development Officer in Iloilo on Thursday.

There were only two nominees for the Visayas - Badiangan Mayor Serafin S. Villa Jr. for Outstanding Local Chief Executive (LCE) and Lambunao Municipal Social Welfare and Development Officer Imelda Lopez for Outstanding Local Social Welfare and Development Officer, he said.

The search committee for the Visayas is chaired by Janet Alonday, MSWDO of Balasan, Iloilo with Agnes Solania, MSWDO of Talisay, Cebu, as the regional convenor. Antique provincial social welfare and development officers Dr. Neneth Pador and Petinglay were also part of the search committee.

The awarding will be on April 26 during the ALSWDOPI National Convention at SMX Convention Center in Davao City. (PNA)
LAP/BS/AJPETINGLAY/KVB

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Century-old Tree in Antequera, Bohol

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Road to Badiang, Anda, Bohol

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Baclagon, Bohol Horizon

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DENR Sec. Gina Lopez visits Bohol.

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Borongan bishop appeals to Senator Pacquiao not to back reimposition of death penalty
By Ferdinand G. Patinio

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- The Diocese of Borongan, Samar has appealed to Senator Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao not to vote in favor of the death penalty.

In a letter, Bishop Crispin Varquez asked the legislator not to support the controversial bill, which members of the House of Representatives has approved and passed on third and final reading their version of the measure.

"On behalf of the Catholic clergy, religious and faithful in Eastern Samar, I make this spirited appeal to you, our Honorable Senator, not to vote for the reimposition of the death penalty," according to the one-page letter dated March 16.

With this, the Catholic prelate is hoping that Pacquiao will be enlightened by the sacrifices of the nation's national heroes, some of which are victims of the capital punishment.

"May the sacrifices of our country's forefathers- national heroes (many of them victims of the death penalty) and our faith heroes, Sts. Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod (themselves victims of state-sanctioned death) enlighten you to choose light over darkness, civility over barbarism, and life over death," he said.

Varquez added, "Nearly 500 years after the coming of Light of Faith to our nation, such as initiative is a costly, cowardly and shameful movement towards darkness. At a time when other older and more industrialized countries are now affirming the futility and barbarism of the Death Penalty, the Philippines can do no less."

Pacquiao together with five other senators have expressed support on the reimposition of the death penalty.

The senators who are supporting the capital punishment, based on their earlier pronouncements are: Alan Peter Cayetano, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Vicente Soto III and Joel Villanueva.

A total of 217 members of the lower house have voted in favor of the measure, while 54 voted against it and 1 abstained. (PNA)

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U.S. Government awards science, technology, innovation grants to Filipino scholars, universities

MANILA, March 17 (PNA) -- The United States government, through the U.S. Embassy in the Philippines’ United States Agency for International Development (USAID), recognized 10 research scholars and 37 grant recipients in science, technology, and innovation who support the Philippine government’s push for innovation-led and inclusive growth.

The grants and scholarships were awarded by USAID’s Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) project, which boosts science and technology research in the Philippines to stimulate inclusive economic growth.

U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Y. Kim personally acknowledged the individual scholars and the research grant recipients.

“Our grantees represent the best scientific minds in the Philippines,” said Ambassador Kim. “We look forward to the results of their research projects that will upgrade industries, generate jobs and investments, and build skills and capacities in communities, academic institutions, and companies.”

Today’s awards included 24 PHP5 million (USD100,000), one-year research grants to Philippine universities to undertake collaborative research with U.S. universities on disciplines that contribute to high-growth sectors, including electronics, chemical industries, alternative energy, agri-business, and information technology.

USAID also funded 10 prototype development research grants, valued at PHP1.15 million (USD23,000) each, and three innovation development grants that address human development challenges, valued at about PHP4 million (USD80,000) each.

The universities who received research grants include University of the Philippines-Diliman, Western Philippines University, University of Southeastern Philippines, and the Technological Institute of the Philippines.

USAID’s USD32 million Science, Technology, Research, and Innovation for Development (STRIDE) Project is the U.S. government’s largest higher education project in the Philippines.

The five-year project strengthens the Philippines’ capacity for innovation-led inclusive growth through strengthening applied research capabilities in Philippine universities and industries, and bolstering human capacity development in science, technology and innovation (STI).

To date, the project has awarded approximately USD5.5 million in collaborative science, technology, and innovation research grants to more than 20 universities around the country.

It has awarded 56 scholarships to Filipinos to study in U.S. universities, provided advanced technical training to scientists and researchers, and brought 28 U.S. professors to visit the Philippines.

STRIDE is also establishing 10 knowledge and technology transfer offices at select universities in the Philippines.

USAID’s STRIDE project is implemented by RTI International, in collaboration with sub-grantees including the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan, Florida State University, Rutgers University, and local non-profit Philippine Business for Education. (PNA)
LGI/PR-US EMBASSY/RSM

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