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COTABATO CITY – Three patients, including a pregnant nurse, who had tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), have recovered from the illness, health and local officials said Saturday.

Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco broke the good news after the Department of Health (DOH) 12 (Soccsksargen) released late Friday a situation report on Covid-19 that the 29-year old nurse from Kidapawan City has just tested negative for the virus.

The nurse (PH3671) traveled to Abu Dhabi in March to meet her husband, a Filipino migrant worker who had the virus but was "asymptomatic" or showing no signs of the disease.

"I am joyful that PH3671 has survived," Catamco said in a statement. "Congratulations also to our front-liners. My snappy salute to all of you!"

PH3671 was confined in a patient care center (PCC) in Kidapawan City on March 27, a few days after she arrived in the city from Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Philbert Malaluan, chief of the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on Covid-19 Command Center, said PH3671 was the second Covid-19 patient to have recovered in North Cotabato after a 45-year-old man from Midsayap town (PH3272) also tested positive for the disease.

PH3272 attended a week-long cockfighting derby in Matina, Davao City, which has been linked to at least 11 Covid-19 deaths.

"He (PH3272) has been out of the PCC after he was tested negative of the virus last week," Catamco said.

Pointing out that the fight is not yet over, she urged North Cotabateños "to stay vigilant and strictly follow the wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and washing of hands to keep us safe."

Meanwhile, DOH-12 said aside from the nurse, two other positive patients are now negative of the disease.

PH3268, a 56-year-old man from South Cotabato, and PH3269, a 38-year-old man from Sultan Kudarat, both have travel history to Davao City and had tested positive on April 6.

The two men and the nurse are currently in stable condition, DOH-12 said.

The same report placed the total number of Covid-19 recovered patients in the region at 13: PH145, PH599, PH2173, PH2235, PH2236, PH2240, PH3272, PH3669, PH3670, PH3374, PH3268, PH3269, and PH3671.



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BUTUAN CITY – A significant decrease in the number of traffic accidents has been recorded in the Caraga region, the police reported on Saturday.

The region's public safety index dropped to 648 incidents from January 1 to April 22, from the 988 incidents recorded in the same period in 2019, director of the Police Regional Office (PRO) 13 (Caraga), Brig. Gen. Joselito T. Esquivel Jr., said in a statement.

"This is a significant decrease of 340 incidents or 34.41 percent," Esquivel said, adding that the public safety index refers to incidents due to traffic accidents, such as reckless imprudence resulting in a homicide, physical injury or damage to property.

He attributed this to the continuing implementation of the enhanced community quarantine by local government units to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Citing data from the Regional Investigation and Detection Management Division (RIDMD) 13, Esquivel took note of the decline in the number of total crime volume from January 1 to April 22, which stood at 2,670, a 9.08 percent decrease from the 2,937 recorded in the same period last year.

"RIDMD-13 recorded a 13.37 percent decrease in total index crimes, from 471 in 2019 down to 408 this year," he said.

Index crimes, also known as the eight focus crimes, are murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, car theft, and motorcycle theft.

Esquivel, however, reported a 9.2 percent increase in the number of non-index crimes, such as illegal gambling, in the region – from 1,478 on January 1 to April 22 last year to 1,646 in the same period this year.

"I commend all the men and women of PRO-13 for ensuring the peace and order and public safety in the region despite the global health crisis we are facing today," he said, adding that the security and safety of Caraga residents are the top priority of the Philippine National Police amid the Covid-19 crisis. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Philippines, through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), and the Korean government, on Wednesday led the groundbreaking ceremony of the Mold Technology Support Center (MTSC) in Cavite, which aims to provide human resource development and technology upgrading for molding companies.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said all molding companies nationwide are welcome to use the facility.

MTSC will be manned by Filipino engineers or trainers, who are currently being trained in Korea, he said.

The center will rise in a PEZA (Philippine Economic Zone Authority)-owned land near the Cavite Economic Zone.

"We want our workers to be skilled, world-class," PEZA director Charito Plaza said.

South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines, Han Dong-man, told reporters that the center would provide an opportunity to the mold industry to enhance capabilities.

Mold technology, he said, is needed to develop more fundamental technologies.

The Korean government has allotted USD8 million as financial support for the MTSC, the ambassador added.

Dela Pena thanked Han for the support and also because the ambassador has been "very instrumental" in the bilateral agreement of Philippines and Korea in the area of science and technology (S&T).

Speaking to reporters, Han has acknowledged that S&T is very important.

"Part of our S&T mandate is to increase the competitiveness of our industries. The (MTSC), also intends to promote human capital development," dela Pena added.

Meanwhile, DOST-Metals Industry Research and Development director Robert Dizon said companies in the molding industry are those which manufacture almost everything that one could see in a household --bottles, gadget casings, food containers, toilet seats, among others. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST), in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), will train 30,000 individuals on data science and analytics, its chief said on Monday.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the program would run for three years, with a total budget of PHP50.84 million.

For the first year of the program, PHP16.67 million was allocated.

"We have designated DAP in carrying out this training to build competency in data analytics," he said in an interview, adding that the DOST and DAP signed partnership for this program last week.

Dubbed as the "Smarter Philippines Through Data Analytics R&D, Training and Adoption" (SPARTA), this program will be done online, according to dela Peña.

He added that those who will undergo the program are people from the government, academe, and those from the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry.

"The BPO industry might need retraining due to AI's (artificial intelligence's) (apparent) threat to lessen BPO jobs," dela Peña said.

He has also tasked DAP to choose the trainees.

"I also want other government agencies to at least have a substantial background (in data analytics)," dela Pena said.

The program would start as soon as the DOST releases the fund.

"We are currently processing the papers for the release of the fund. Hopefully, we could start the program before the yearend," dela Peña said. (PNA)



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MANILA – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Pena on Monday said he is hoping to increase the agency's scholars to at least 13,000 in 2020 after a big number of students took the scholarship exam last October.

"Eleven thousand at the least, but hopefully we could open 12,000 to 13,000 slots for SY 2020-2021," he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday.

The final figure, he said, would depend on the approved budget for 2020 and the department's savings.

Dela Pena said the number of examinees has significantly increased from 80,000 last year to 113,000 last October.

He said the examinees are applicants for college freshman scholarships.

The DOST chief noted that the number of scholarship slots grew from 8,000 in 2018 to 9,900 this year.

Dela Pena earlier said providing scholarships has always been among the DOST's priorities to help develop the country's human resources.

The DOST has supported a total of 36,772 scholars in 2018.

He renewed his call for Filipino students to pursue doctorate in science courses and advised them to take advantage of the DOST's scholarship grants. (PNA)



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MANILA -- A session in the 11th International Innovation Summit (IIS) organized by the IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP) on Tuesday clarified that artificial intelligence (AI) would not replace jobs, contrary to the beliefs and fear of some.

"Imagine being told by a robot that you have cancer. How would you react on that?," asked Carl Nicholas Ng, chief operations officer of Lifetrack Medical Systems. 

Ng said that AI does not replace workers, but rather, it replaces tasks. 

 

For the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry, for instance, some tasks are replaced because of AI. He cited as an example, that there is no more typing in some BPO companies. He said that AI would just probably change the nature of some jobs, and magnify what humans can do best.

"AI creates a lot of economic opportunities because it will replace a lot of tasks," Ng said, adding that on a management's perspective, one may find it easier to manage machines than to manage 100 people.

Joan Yao, vice president of Kickstart Ventures, said technology is enabling growth in unprecedented ways. Today, she said there is an estimated 25 billion connected devices globally.

Experts estimate this figure to reach 75 billion globally by 2025, she added.

According to Yao, businesses must take advantage of the technology to create social benefits, promote health, equity, and safety, among others.

Yao also agreed that it is impossible for AI to replace jobs.

"In 1956, Nobel Prize Winner in Economics, Herbert Simon, said, 'machines will be capable of doing any work a man can do'. Years have passed, but it doesn't appear that machines could actually replace humans," she said.

Meanwhile, other discussions in the summit focused on human capital, wherein speakers analyzed opportunities for the industry to re-skill or up-skill its policy. They looked at policies that will help companies to continuously develop and grow.

Lito Tayag, IBPAP chairman of the board, earlier said the summit aims to tackle creating business environment, while promoting an environment where the IT-BPM industry could thrive.

Members of the academe and the business sector, among others, attended the summit. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology - Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) on Wednesday urged students to take up STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) courses in college, via a robotics competition.

First launched in 2011, the "Tagisang Robotics" tilt is back after a five-year hiatus, and participants are set to showcase their entries at the Forum 2 Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay City from November 19 to 20.

"Robotics is a field of science that has many benefits. (For) example, it could automate a task, thus creating an output more efficiently,"  said Juan Antonio Tuazon, SEI senior science research specialist, in an interview.

For this year, SEI has allotted PHP6 million for the Tagisang Robotics. The SEI provides each school or team participants with a kit worth PHP80,000.

For the training on mechatronics and basic programming which was held last September, the cost was PHP7,500 per head/participant, according to Tuazon.

There are 16 schools competing this year, and the SEI required each team to be composed of four (two females and two males).

Overall, there are 64 students and 16 coaches who would showcase their works this month.

"From 2011 to 2013, there are about 1,000 students who participated in the Tagisang Robotics. We used to have 24 to 40 schools participating in this competition," said Tuazon, adding that the competition was stopped due to some funding issues.

The SEI targets Grades 7-10 public high school students to participate in the Tagisang Robotics. Interested participants may send a message via the SEI's website, or the Tagisang Robotics Facebook page, Tuazon said.

This year's participants are now testing their prototype.

Previous competitions focused on baseball, wherein robots should hit the goal. For 2019, the competition was based on basketball, so robots must be able to shoot as many balls it can.

"The entries will be judged based on their functionality. Also, what's new for this year is that we would have an 'autonomous period'. Here, students should be able to pre-program the robot to function without being controlled, for 30 seconds," he said.

The robot's performance should last 2 minutes, and the "autonomous period" requires that the robot should at least go outside of its original position for the first 30 seconds, without being controlled by the player.

The Best Team Award will receive a PHP100,000 cash prize, while winners of the Best Alliance Award will get PHP150,000. The winning team's coach will receive PHP30,000, and winning alliance coaches will get PHP15,000 each, according to SEI.

"SEI targets to increase the number of school participants next year. Although, this has to be limited also, because the SEI shoulders all the expenses, including the materials that participants would use," Tuazon said. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology - Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) will soon look for startup firms, which will get grants from a Singaporean company and the agency, its chief said on Thursday.

In a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), PCIEERD executive director Enrico Paringit said the startup firms they would look for are those involved in blockchain technology because a PHP15 million grant will be coming from Singaporean firm, BCB Blockchain.

Each chosen startup company will also receive up to PHP1 million grant from PCIEERD, he added.

Paringit clarified that he could not figure the estimated number of companies that will benefit from BCB's grant because PCIEERD has yet to announce that they would be looking for such startup firms.

He targets 2020 as the start of providing these grants. Paringit further clarified that BCB will directly give the grant to the chosen firms, and will not hand this to the government.

If for instance, there are three chosen companies by early 2020 and the total BCB grant for them is PHP10 million, PCIEERD will continue to search for beneficiaries until all of the PHP15 million BCB grant is used.

"We still need to sit down with BCB next year and discuss how they would like to administer the giving of grants. We would likely discuss probable expansion of our cooperation, too," he said.

Paringit said BCB representatives visited the DOST two or three months ago, and have offered partnership and co-financing of startup firms.

"They (BCB) are looking for demonstration projects that showcase the capabilities of blockchain (technology). If we're (Filipino companies) successful of developing these here, then we could probably have these replicated elsewhere," he remarked.

Thus, PCIEERD would look for budding entrepreneurs with an inclination in blockchain technology, fintech (financial technology).

"Blockchain enables one to create cloud storage to make permanent records, including financial records. This also enables one to track all the activities, (thus) providing a transparent transaction," Paringit explained.

Fintech, he said, is related to blockchain technology, and only a few companies in the Philippines are inclined with fintech.

Beneficiaries of the PCIEERD-BCB partnership will receive assistance in developing their prototypes, market validation, as well as in polishing their products.

BCB will also provide them with free workshops about blockchain technology.

Meanwhile, Paringit said a technical working group will be created to screen the application.

Interested parties may inquire directly to the PCIEERD's office, and they will be provided with documents they need to fill up.

Applications will be evaluated for more than a month, according to Paringit. (PNA)



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MANILA --- Department of Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato de la Peña is expecting more expanded scholarship programs and research collaborations between the Philippines and Republic of Korea particularly in the field of e-learning with the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT).

As discussed during the recently concluded 2019 Asean-ROK Commemorative Summit on November 26, the Republic of Korea has pledged to support the implementation of the Asean ICT Masterplan 2020 (AIM 2020) with emerging technologies such as 5G and Artificial Intelligence (AI), to enhance Asean's response to the digital transformation.

South Korea has committed to help transform Asean into a digital-driven economy and prepare our peoples for the newest technological developments in emerging industry sector including 5G technology, AI, banking and finance, and e-Commerce.

It also aims to increase people-to-people exchanges to 15 million by 2020 and has initiated to facilitate more people exchanges through improving the Visa System for ASEAN member states. (PR)



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MANILA -- National scientist (NS) Edgardo Gomez, founder-director of the University of the Philippines' Marine Science Institute (UPMSI), died at 81 on Sunday.

"The UPMSI announces with deep sadness the demise of our beloved founder, who established the field of marine science in the country and was instrumental in making the Philippines leader in the region," the UPMSI said on its Facebook page on Monday.

The post cited Gomez as a visionary academic leader, honest and dedicated public servant, and a great mentor.

UPMSI is a world-class research and teaching institution in marine science, and is an internationally renowned center of excellence for national and scientific initiatives, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) said.

"NS Gomez was a known researcher, scientist, conservation advocate, and mentor in invertebrate biology and ecology, giant clam culture and restoration, and coral reef assessment and conservation. He was also recognized for his outstanding contributions and researches on marine ecosystems which became the bases for management of and the conservation programs for the country's marine resources," the DOST said in a statement issued on Tuesday.

The DOST said worldwide conservation initiatives, such as the Global Reefs and Risk Analysis, Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network, and the International Coral Reef Action, were launched through his pioneering research.

Gomez was able to steer the world's first national-scale assessment of damage to coral reefs that led to the widespread concern over the status of coral reefs.

"One of his most notable works was his contributions in the baseline mapping of the Philippines to handle the highly-contested Spratly Islands and in the groundwork for the Archipelagic Studies Program that the UP System has established," it added.

He served as a member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Western Society of Naturalist, World Mariculture Society, National Research Council of the Philippines, and the International Society for Reef Studies.

He was awarded the Global 500 Roll of Honour by the United Nations Environment Programme in 1989, The Outstanding Filipino (TOFIL) in Science (Marine Biology) by the Philippine Jaycee Senate in 1992,

Outstanding Science Administrator by the Department of Science and Technology in 1996, the Presidential Lingkod Bayan Award by the Philippine Civil Service Commission in 2000, among others.

He was elected as a member of the National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines (NAST PHL) in 1993 and was proclaimed as National Scientist in 2014.

Gomez was born on November 7, 1938. He finished Bachelor of Arts/B.S. Education summa cum laude in De La Salle University (1962), M.S. Biology in St. Mary's University Minnesota (1967), and Ph.D. Marine Biology in University of California San Diego (1973). (PNA)

 



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MANILA -- Smart Communications Inc. (Smart) took the lead in fourth generation/long term evolution (4G/LTE) coverage in the country, according to independent mobile analytics company, Opensignal.

 

In a statement Thursday, Smart said the latest analysis from Opensignal, covering the period of September 1 to Nov. 30, 2019, showed it scoring 70.1 percent in terms of 4G availability in rural areas versus Globe Telecommunications Inc.'s (Globe) 64.8 percent.

 

In urban areas, Smart scored 82.5 percent against Globe's 80.3 percent.

 

Smart, the wireless subsidiary of PLDT, said the company's LTE coverage lagged behind Globe in previous Opensignal reports in the past two years but consistently delivered "better download experience."

 

"That deficit had been progressively narrowing as Smart stepped up its LTE and 3G roll out. The latest report shows these efforts have paid off and that Smart has overtaken Globe in terms of availability," it said.

 

In terms of LTE download speeds, Smart reached speeds of 8.8 megabits per second (Mbps) against Globe's 6.2 Mbps in rural areas, and 10.5 Mbps compared to Globe's 7.8 Mbps in urban areas.

 

"

• ur users on Smart enjoyed a download speed experience of almost 3 Mbps faster in both rural and urban parts of the country, or 38 percent faster than our users on Globe," Opensignal said in its report.
  
   
  
  The analysis showed that Smart offered significantly faster download speeds in the National Capital Region, and in both rural and urban areas in Ilocos, Central Luzon, Cagayan, Davao, Northern Mindanao, Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos City), Western Visayas, and Central Visayas.
  
   
  
  "Smart users' faster speeds made it untouchable in ten urban regions, including the National Capital Region, where our users on Smart benefited from an impressive 15.2 Mbps, an enviable 5.6 Mbps faster than the speeds our Globe users saw in the capital," Opensignal said.
  
   
  
  The independent wireless network analyst added that Smart's lead in 4G availability and download speed was "all the more remarkable" because of Smart's increase in 4G data users by 82 percent last year.
  
   
  
  "Normally, a larger number of users mean there is more competition for an operator's 4G resources, which usually results in increased congestion and therefore lower average speeds," Opensignal said.
  
   
  
  In September, Smart announced an increase in its LTE data users following sustained network improvement efforts and LTE migration campaigns by the company.
  
   
  
  In the first nine months of 2019, Smart increased the number of its 4G/LTE base stations by about 5,500, pushing the number of total LTE base stations across Smart's network to about 21,700.
  
   
  
  Following these improvements, Smart noted an 82-percent increase in the number of its LTE data users in September compared to a year ago.
  
   
  
  According to its website, Opensignal is an independent wireless network analyst which uses "scientific analysis to billions of on-device measurements to reveal the truth" about users' experience on mobile networks.
  
   
  
  It added the company independently measures mobile user experience on every major network operator around the globe. (PNA)
  
  
  
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GUIGUINTO, Bulacan -- The first Innovative Tissue Culture Laboratory (iLAB) for ornamental plants in this province will soon rise in Barangay Sta. Cruz here.

Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato Dela Peña, together with DOST-3 (Central Luzon) Regional Director Julius Caesar V. Sicat, Bulacan Governor Daniel Fernando, and Guiguinto Mayor Ambrosio Cruz, led the groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday for the construction of the first commercial plant tissue culture laboratory in the province.

Dela Peña cited the thriving business of garden or ornamental plants in this town, which he said can be further enhanced through the introduction of new product lines, the target of new market segments and expansion of territory.

"This new technology and through this Innovative Tissue Culture Laboratory that is going to be put up in this town, will create more opportunities in global trading that will give benefits to growers, farmers and garden and ornamental plant owners," he said.

He said that through tissue culture, a single plant can produce more planting materials or fruit trees that propagate from vegetative parts.

"In tissue culture, the number of planting roots is more. This tissue culture will benefit not only those garden owners but also students here in the province of Bulacan," he added.

Sicat said the project is a collaborative effort between the DOST and the local government unit of Guiguinto as a way to assist and promote the ornamental plant gardeners of this town.

He said the DOST regional office has donated PHP2,790,823 as an aid for the construction of the tissue culture laboratory.

With the introduction of the tissue culture laboratory, Cruz said he expects some 250 plant gardeners here to achieve national prominence and eventually, be recognized globally for its innovation efforts.

The innovative tissue culture laboratory for ornamental plants is set to rise at the Garden City Multi-Purpose Cooperative display area at the North Luzon Expressway Cloverleaf here.

The construction of the building will be shouldered by the LGU while the laboratory equipment, supplies and personnel will be provided by DOST through its Grants-In-Aid program which was approved last September 13.

Fernando thanked the DOST for putting the first tissue culture laboratory for ornamental plants in this booming town of Guiguinto. (PNA)



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BACOOR CITY, Cavite - The country's hope to get 5G, or the fifth generation wireless networking architecture, takes a big step Thursday with the groundbreaking of the first common tower at Addas Greenfield Village here.

Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary Elizeo Rio, who led the groundbreaking rites, said this shared infrastructure project of ISOC edotco Towers Limited (ISOC edotco), a regional end-to-end integrated telecommunications infrastructure services company, will support the country's target to improve the current infrastructure in telecommunications, "which, sad to say, is still 2G".

"We have the lowest tower in the city, maybe in the whole world, not only in this region, where over 7,000 subscribers are sharing, being serviced by a single tower," he said.

Rio said the country's current telecommunication infrastructure equates to slow and expensive connectivity and many blocked calls, which make the over-all telecommunication service not good especially in rural areas where the densities are even smaller.

To improve this, the DICT started the concept of common tower way back early 2018, he added.

Rio thanked ISOC edotco for being the first to step in and submitted its unsolicited proposal on the initiative.

He also hoped that the local government would not make it hard to establish such structures which he considered "very fast and cheap access to reach the digital world" and improve lives of all sectors.

The common tower, which is expected to rise within the next few months, hopes to host not just one but three of the country's major telecommunication operators.

edotco Chief Executive Officer Suresh Sidhu said "this is also a major step forward for the nation, towards embracing the shared infrastructure model and advancing overall connectivity".

ISOC edotco aims to build 400 to 500 towers within the first year of operation, contributing towards the 1,000 towers planned within the first phase of operations, which will span from two to three years.

"Our efforts in the Philippines are fueled by the clear opportunity to transform the telecommunications landscape and our commitment to improve the country's digital aspirations as a nation building partner," he added.

ISOC Infrastructure Inc. and edotco Group Sdn. Bhd will invest up to USD100 million each in the local market over the next three to five years. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) on Friday cited numerous achievements in various fields in 2019.

Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said these include accomplishments in the fields of transportation, healthcare, disaster mitigation.

He also said it was in 2019 when the Philippines ranked number 54 in the Global Innovation Index (GII), up 19 notches from its previous ranking of 73 in 2018 and 2017.

GII is a ranking of world economies based on innovative capabilities and ranks seven pillars: Institutions, Human capital and research, Infrastructure, Business sophistication, Market sophistication, Knowledge and technology outputs, and Creative outputs.

The country had high scores in all these pillars, except for Market sophistication (credit investments), wherein the Philippines ranked 110.

Despite this, the Philippines performed above average in knowledge and technology outputs and ranked in the top 25 in the following areas: trade, competition and market scale, knowledge absorption, and knowledge diffusion.

"Technology adoption was promoted and accelerated (in 2019)," added dela Pena.

In the field of transportation, the first locally-made hybrid-electric train (HET) was officially turned over to the Philippine National Railways (PNR).

Made by Filipino engineers, HET is powered by batteries, and could run at a speed of about 50 kph and could accommodate 220 passengers.

Dela Peña earlier said Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade has expressed interest to have more units of this DOST-made train.

In the field of healthcare, he noted the Biotek-M dengue diagnostic kit has qualified for Asean market penetration with the help of the Asean Network for Diagnostics.

Funded by the DOST and developed in partnership with the University of the Philippines - Manila, this kit was developed for early detection and management of dengue.

It has the power of DNA/RNA-based accurate detection of the dengue virus and can be used in health centers and hospitals.

Dela Peña said this kit is already sold by a spin-off company.

In 2019, Phase 1 of the clinical trials for an anti-dengue herbal medicine obtained from three herbs "showed very promising results", dela Peña said.

"We move to Phase 2 clinical trials now. If this will give positive results it can be applied at our FDA (Food and Drug Administration) as the first anti-dengue medicine," he added.

The country's largest satellite-tracking antenna, meanwhile, was launched last year.

Called the Philippine Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO), this ground receiving station (GRS) in Davao, was designed to communicate with earth observation satellites, including Filipino-made Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 microsatellites, by receiving, processing, and distributing space-borne imagery.

This will also be utilized for agricultural monitoring, maritime surveillance and urban mapping.

In line with disaster risk reduction and mitigation, the DOST has launched four applications (apps).

These apps are the GeoMapper-Exposure Data Mapper, GeoMapper-Situation Data Mapper, Geo Analytics, and HazardHunter PH.

Developed under the GeoRiskPhilippines Initiative project of DOST, these apps show hazard maps, exposure data.

Hazard Hunter, for instance, helps people to know if their location is at risk for volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, and other hazards.

A so-called USHER (Universal Structural Health Evaluation and Recording System) was also launched.

"USHER was launched as a commercialized R&D (research and development) product for passive seismic monitoring of buildings and bridges," dela Peña said.

Developed through research funding from the DOST, this equipment monitors the "health" of buildings, to determine if these could withstand a strong earthquake.

The data or analysis from USHER is accessible through a cloud system, enabling both the structural engineer and the building owner could access this anytime.

In case there is no internet connection, data can also be retrieved from the equipment.

Other notable accomplishments

Dela Peña also noted the increasing number of Balik Scientists, and there are 53 of them who have been working with various universities in 2019. Most of them are working in the fields of health, agriculture, aquatic and marine, and energy and emerging technologies.

Balik Scientists are science and technology experts residing abroad and who are contracted to return to the Philippines to work and use their expertise at home.

In 2019, too, the DOST chief was among President Duterte's delegation in some of his official visits abroad. Through these, and also by participating in some technology exhibits, the DOST made bilateral cooperation with various countries, including Russia, Japan, China, United States, Indonesia, and South Korea.

Dela Peña's visit to South Korea in November 2019 made him hopeful for more research collaborations, particularly in the field of e-learning.

Two students from UP Manila, meanwhile, flew to Italy that month, as the DOST will partner with Italy on liver research. (PNA)



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MANILA -- Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said he is expecting more intellectual property (IP) applications and approvals with last month's launch of the National Intellectual Property Strategy (NIPS) 2020-2025. 

"Awareness campaign, strengthening of ITSO (Innovation and Technology Support Office) in different research institutions, improvement in procedures, international networking, and one government approach are among the salient features of this NIPS," dela Peña told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday.

One government approach means different agencies would complement one another towards one goal, communicating, and not duplicating or competing with one another, he explained.

Dela Peña chaired the committee created by the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) to help craft the NIPS.

In a statement released on Monday, IPOPHL Director General Josephine Santiago said the NIPS is their push to accelerate development of inventions.

The NIPS focuses on empowering the creative industry, Santiago said, noting that "the current technological and business landscapes have created unprecedented levels of demand for copyright works and materials."

In the same statement, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said his department also helped craft the NIPS, with focus on small- and medium-scale enterprises.

He added that the NIPS also aims to harness IP as a driver of economic growth.

"As far as inventors are concerned, I would like to assure them that they can come to the DOST, particularly the Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI), if they need assistance in filing applications to IPOPHL, whether it is for patent, utility, model, or industrial design," remarked dela Peña.

Meanwhile, according to IPOPHL, these are the strategies in the NIPS 2020-2025:

Support sectoral advancement through the use of the IP system

* Enhance the legal and the developmental aspects of the health care and pharmaceutical industry;
* Encourage productivity and technological systems of agricultural, animal husbandry, creativity, and innovativeness; and
* Increase the use of the IP system by MSMEs as a tool for productivity, creativity, and innovativeness.  

*Institutionalize the different industries' use of patent documents and capture the protection of 4IR (fourth industrial revolution) technologies in selected sectors

Promote innovation and utilization/commercialization of IP assets

* Improve the research and development (R&D) innovation performance;
* Enhance the funding rationalization and operations related to government-funded agencies; and
* Attract smart and high technology investors to set-up business in the Philippines.

Elevate the creative and cultural industries 

* Develop and nurture the growth and development of creative and cultural industries;
* Strengthen the protection of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources; and
* Enable access to information and knowledge on copyright and other related rights.

Enhance the legal system, institutions and structures related to intellectual property

* Amend the current IP laws, regulations, and issuances on IP;
* Strengthen the organizational structures to support the IP system;
* Conduct inter-agency initiatives on IP and IP-related matters;
* Enhance the enforcement of IP systems and procedures; and
* Capture international cooperation related to IP and increase roles on international IP systems.

Demystify, mainstream and professionalize intellectual property

* Develop a culture of innovation and creativity, and respect for IP through the IP Academy;
* Integrate the IP knowledge to the educational system; and
* Increase new knowledge on IP through academic, scientific, and advanced research and studies. (PNA)

 



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MANILA -- With the recent international recognition gained by one of its staff in the field of metrology, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) plans to further strengthen and promote this field of science, Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said Wednesday.

Benilda Ebarvia, assistant scientist and head of Metrology in Chemistry Laboratory of the DOST's National Metrology Laboratory, received the 2019 Developing Economies National Metrology Institute (DEN) Award in Sydney, Australia last December.

The award, established in 2010, recognizes the outstanding achievements of an individual from the Asia Pacific Metrology Programme's (APMP) 17 member economies. It is being awarded to just one winner yearly, and organizers may also declare no winner in a year.

Ebarvia is the first winner from the Philippines.

"Having been involved in the metrology program of the National Metrology Division of DOST, she was responsible for drafting the proposal for the 'Enhancement of the Competence and Capabilities of the National Metrology Laboratory of the Philippines' for funding. Through her leadership and technical know-how, the proposal was approved for funding by DBM with a project duration of five years, which started in 2017," dela Peña told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

He added that the award does not only aim to praise an individual's achievement, but also to encourage others within APMP's DEN community in years to come.

Ebarvia was nominated for the award by Annabelle Briones, DOST-ITDI (Industrial Technology Development Institute) director being a full member of the APMP.

She received a plaque of recognition for her work on developing the first Reference Materials (RMs) in the Philippines. RMs are used to confirm methods and to assess the accuracy of measurement results for use by measurement laboratories to analyze, for instance, the content of properties in food. These are also useful in proving what makes up a particular food, its micronutrients, or the extent of its authenticity.

Her RM work supports results of measurement laboratories to ensure that local commodities can pass stringent international trade standards on food quality and control, dela Peña added.

"The award is not just a recognition of the Filipinos' talent in the field of metrology, but rather, recognizes metrology's role in a country. (On) behalf of the ITDI, we are proud that the endeavors of our very own scientists were recognized outside the country. This is part of ITDI's mandate and consequently, puts the country in the map of international scientific advancements, and indicates improvements in the status of metrology in the Philippines," he said.

Dela Peña said the department will fully support endeavors in the metrology program, so it could achieve its vision to become the "provider of world-class scientific, technological and innovative solutions that will lead to higher productivity and a better quality of life."

The country needs to have "accurate, reliable, and traceable measurements," he added.

The DOST will organize awareness seminars and meetings to promote the importance of metrology.

Dela Peña also noted that the DOST's metrology laboratory is open to students and others from the public for a visit and orientation about the field.

"Active participation by the staff in local and international conferences are also venues for introducing researches and activities. We have received positive responses and interests from the academe, graduate students and researchers who want to pursue expertise on metrology," he added.

Dela Peña said the country still has a lot to do to be on par with other countries in the field of metrology. At present, metrology focuses on aspects such as mass, length, pressure, temperature, electricity, and volume, he said.

There is also a lack of awareness of the importance of metrology, he said.

"Laboratories are still lacking reference materials for testing to ensure that their measurements are accurate and traceable. The country needs local reference materials, which are more appropriate in testing Philippine products. Currently, local laboratories import from other countries and such reference materials may not be entirely appropriate," dela Peña explained.

"Proficiency testing (PT) schemes in the country are mostly consensus-based, therefore there is a need to promote accuracy-based PTs for competency," he said. (PNA) 



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MANILA -- Filipinos may look forward to continuous partnerships in the field of science and technology (S&T) between Japan and the Philippines, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said Wednesday.

Dela Peña said his Japanese counterpart, Information Technology Science Minister Naokazu Takemoto, visited the country earlier this month and expressed interest in expanding S&T collaborations with the DOST.

"It was Minister Takemoto who decided to come to the Philippines and meet with me," dela Peña told the Philippine News Agency (PNA), adding that they visited the University of the Philippines-Diliman Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (IEEE).

"He was very happy to note that the faculty members and researchers manning the ULYSSES (University Laboratory for Small Satellites and Space Engineering Systems) in IEEE got their training and advanced degrees in Space Engineering in Japan, specifically from Tohoku University. They studied through the DOST scholarship program," dela Peña shared.

The other scholars studied Space Science at Hokkaido University, and Space Physics at Kyushu University, he added.

There will be more exchange of scholars, dela Peña confirmed.

"We had a meeting, together with representatives from DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), DOT (Department of Tourism), BSP (Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas), private sector, Filipino Inventors Society Producers Cooperative, friends of the Minister. There was an assurance from both of us that the Philippines-Japan collaboration in the field of S&T will continue and will be expanded," he said.

"Exchange of scholars, particularly at the graduate level, will take place. PPP (public-private partnership) arrangements will be pursued, particularly in the translation of R&D (research and development) outputs into business or commercialization," he added.

Scholarships in Japan will be more in the area of Engineering, Space Science and Technology.

Dela Peña also mentioned that the Japanese government, through Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), will fund the establishment of a Philippine Earth Data Resource and Observation (PEDRO) in Dumangas, Iloilo.

"This will be the third PEDRO Center (in the country). The first two were funded by the DOST. These are located in Luzon and in Davao City for Mindanao. The third which will benefit from Japanese ODA (official development assistance) will be the one for the Visayas," he said.

According to DOST Undersecretary Renato Solidum, the cost shouldered by JICA for this project is roughly JPY70 million (more than PHP32 million), and the Iloilo Ground Receiving Station is expected to be inaugurated in June or July.

Meanwhile, dela Peña noted that Japan has been a partner of DOST for some years now.

In 2005, for instance, JICA collaborated with the DOST for the "Improvement of Packaging Technology for Philippine Food Products in the Regions" project.

The project aims to enhance the DOST Packaging Research and Development Center's capacity to upgrade packaging technologies of small and medium enterprises in the regions, to make their products more competitive in the local and export markets.

In 2017, JICA also collaborated with the DOST Food and Nutrition Research Institute for the "Verification Survey with the Private Sector for Utilizing and Disseminating Japanese Technologies for Low Protein Rice for Dietary Therapy of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the Philippines", according to dela Peña.

"Our DOST scientist implemented the study on the quality of life of non-dialyzed and dialysis patients with CKD after consumption of low protein rice and recipes in Metro Manila and Luzon hospitals," he said.

Dela Peña also noted that Japanese universities have teamed up with Filipino engineers for the creation of the country's microsatellites, the Diwata 1 and the Diwata 2. (PNA) 



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FUKUOKA, Japan -- TRIPLE-1, Inc. (TRIPLE-1) based in Fukuoka, southwestern Japan, has announced the development of the AI processor "GOKU" for deep learning that uses the world's cutting-edge 5-nanometer process.

Overview
"GOKU" is an AI processor for deep learning that uses the world-leading 5-nm process born from the development of the TSMC 7-nm process "KAMIKAZE." It utilizes core know-how such as design ability, optimization of power consumption, and yield improvement in cutting-edge processes cultivated in the "KAMIKAZE" project started in February 2017.

In addition, with the cooperation of research institutes related to AI core architecture, TRIPLE-1's elite engineers, who have been involved in ASIC development for over 20 years, design the circuit. The first-stage prototype has been completed and the company is inspecting its performance. Seeking to realize mass production in 2021, it will complete the prototype closer to a mass-produced product within 2020. It will be sold to equipment and device manufacturers for data servers or deep-learning centers around the world, and TRIPLE-1 has already begun to discuss commercial deals with multiple companies.

Development background

In recent years, various companies have entered the AI chip market, including not only giant IT companies but also fast-growing start-ups in China. As competition for edge AI chip development intensifies, oligopoly supply by several major companies continues in the deep-learning AI processor market. Currently, there are no mass-produced chips smaller than a 12-nm process.

On the other hand, the electrical consumption of data centers is expected to exceed 10 percent of the entire world's electrical energy by 2030. TRIPLE-1 believes that AI processors for deep learning need not only high "computing power" to learn and process a huge amount of data, but also a severe viewpoint on "power consumption" from the perspective of energy conservation and cost reduction.

Therefore, TRIPLE-1 has launched the project to develop "GOKU," a deep-learning AI processor dedicated to ultra-low power consumption, using the world's highly advanced 5-nm process and utilizing its unique low-power/high-performance technology and design know-how in the cutting-edge process.

"GOKU," an AI processor for deep learning with the world-leading 5-nm process

Feature: Using the world's leading advanced 5-nm process, it has 10 times higher power efficiency than the conventional process
TRIPLE-1's goal is to reduce power consumption to 1/10 of the equivalent performance compared to conventional products (process: 12 nm), and its feature is low-voltage operation that is inconceivable with existing products.
- Process: 5 nm
- Power consumption: 100 W
- Peak performance (half-precision): 1 PFLOPS (1,000 TFLOPS)
- Electrical efficiency (half-precision): 10 TFLOPS / W
Feature: Design to connect multiple calculation units

Like the structure of the human brain, where synapses connect neurons in a complex manner, a great amount of communication as well as very complex inter-core communication, is important for deep-learning AI processors.

Utilizing the unique circuit design technology of "GOKU," which arranges many small arithmetic units on one large die as much as possible, it is designed to secure the communication (interconnect) band between the arithmetic units as much as possible. It has been designed to get closer to the human brain.

Feature: Partially analog-designed to optimize multiplier performance
The highly power-consuming multiplier circuit was analog-designed. By designing analog (hand placement and hand wiring) instead of digital (automatic placement and wiring), it can be carefully designed by hand and designed to minimize power consumption.
-Challenge to 5 nm. Unique yield improvement technology used in cutting-edge

Process
As the process shrinks, the yield issue becomes more complex. The main determinants of yield in conventional processes were stuck-at faults and characteristic variations between lots. However, in the highly advanced process, characteristic differences between chips generated from a single wafer and variations within a single chip have become a major issue.

This has become a serious problem directly linked to the manufacturing cost in mass production, and it has been common sense that addressing this problem depends on the improvement of the manufacturing technology of the foundry (contract chip-manufacturing company) responsible for semiconductor production.

Considering this situation, TRIPLE-1 has succeeded in commercializing a unique circuit design technology that reduces the effects of characteristic variations in the highly advanced process and improves the effective yield. By doing so, the company can not only pursue high performance but also produce cost-competitive products, and its products will be used all over the world.



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MANILA -- Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña eyes the Philippines to rank 42nd in the Global Innovation Index (GII) by 2022, three years after placing 54th in 2019.

GII is a ranking of world economies based on innovative capabilities. The country's 2019 ranking was up 19 notches from its previous ranking of 73 in 2018 and 2017.

In an exclusive interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Tuesday, dela Peña said he is hopeful such ranking would improve in three years.

"I am hopeful. But just like what the WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) representative said (yesterday), it is okay if the ranking stays on the same level, or if it goes down a little bit," he said.

Dela Peña said he is positive that the ranking improvement is possible, considering the DOST has enlarged its research pool and has been doing more collaborations with industries and enterprises.

"(I) don't expect that the ranking would go up every year," he clarified.

Dela Peña said he realized that his goal of having the country rank 42nd from the 54th may not be impossible. "Rank 42 also means being included in the top 33 percent of world economies. That is my goal," he added.

On Monday, the DOST held a closed-door meeting with other government agencies as well as with WIPO to discuss the GII.

The 19 notches leap from the previous ranking was not just due to DOST's efforts, he noted.

Apart from agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry, National Economic and Development Authority, and the Department of Information and Communications Technology, dela Peña noted that export companies have also contributed to the rise in GII ranking.

Specifically, these companies include those that export electronics, he said.

"The DTI Secretary and I have agreed to present to the Cabinet the observations of WIPO, which it presented during our closed-door meeting yesterday," he shared.

Dela Peña reiterated that the GII ranking does not just rely on the efforts of DOST, but of other agencies as well.

"Among WIPO's observations was that the expenditure on education and science was very low. (Increasing the expenditure) does not only rely on the DOST and DepEd (Department of Education). There is also the Department of Finance and NEDA," he explained.

"We (officials present in the closed-door meeting) will jointly make the presentation to the Cabinet, so we could better discuss the things that need to be addressed," he said. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology's (DOST) "Smarter Philippines Through R&D, Training and Adoption" (SPARTA) program, which aims to produce 30,000 data scientists via online learning, was officially launched on Monday in Makati City.

"In 1992, I was a scholar of DOST at a university in Michigan. I studied signal processing, and part of our work was AI (artificial intelligence). When I came back in 1997, I taught many students on signal processing and AI, but there was no job for them. They ended up going abroad," remarked DOST Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara.

She said the DOST is developing human resources through SPARTA which was designed to retain the trainees in the Philippines.

About 30,000 will be trained in data science and analytics, she said, adding that this will be a breakthrough of a "knowledge economy".

Guevara noted that people use data every day -- to move around traffic, to order food or clothes online, among many others.

Director Enrico Paringit, of DOST's Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology (PCIEERD), emphasized that AI aims to develop smart solutions to the challenges that various industries are facing. These industries include the health and education sectors, information technology (IT), and business process outsourcing (BPO).

Data science, on the other hand, will provide opportunities for innovation, he added.

The DOST developed the SPARTA program, in partnership with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), Analytics Association of the Philippines, and CourseBank.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña earlier said the agency has allotted PHP50.84 million for this project that would run for three years.

He added that DAP was tasked to choose the trainees.

On Monday, dela Peña said he was told that priority would be given to those working in the BPO sector, government workers who use data analytics in their jobs, and the academe.

"This program intends to create 30,000 data scientists, he reiterated.

Dela Peña continued, "Data can fast-track Philippine growth, in every aspect. In the ease of doing business, for instance, we could do many things using data".

Meanwhile, those interested to undergo the training must first create an account at www.coursebank.ph.

A link to "become a SPARTA scholar" would appear upon registration. Follow the step-by-step guide for application. (PNA)

 



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MANILA – Six Filipino researchers were granted PhD scholarships on Wednesday through the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and British Council's Newton Fund Program.

This research and innovation program aims to support the economic development of the country, recognizing that science, technology and innovation capability are all vital to long-term sustainable growth, and in developing new technologies beneficial to society. The UK and Philippine governments co-fund this program.

In a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), DOST Assistant Secretary Leah Buendia said this is the first time that the recipients of the PhD scholarships were all female.

"There were only five males out of the 19 applicants," she said.

Since the DOST-Newton Fund program's establishment in 2015, it has already supported 15 PhDs, provided two Researcher Links Travel Grants, eight Research Links Workshop Grants, and one Institutional Links Grant.

"Ït's also the "first time that we have the Institutional Links Grant. For now, we only chose one grantee, because a huge budget is needed. For two years, the Philippine government would provide 10 million pesos while the UK government would also provide PHP10 million or approximately 150,000 pounds (sterling) for this," Buendia remarked.

The six Filipina researchers are Criselda Bautista from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, Maria Carmen Fernandez from Far Eastern University, Maria Jowina Galarion from the University of the Philippines-Manila, Carla Mae Pausta from De La Salle University, Pamela Louise Tolentino from University of the Philippines-Diliman, and Julianne Vilela from University of the Philippines-Los Baños.

Buendia said the Philippine government would shoulder their airfare and stipend, while the UK government would shoulder their tuition fees.

Three of them will study at the University of Glasgow, while the others will study at the University of Cambridge, University of Surrey, and Lancaster University.

Meanwhile, the Institutional Links, which "provides small-scale seed funding for research collaborations to access new research environments, facilities, knowledge and expertise to enhance the quality of their research", was awarded to Nelson Enano and his home institution, Ateneo de Davao University. He will work with the University of Strathclyde in utilizing marine renewable energy to satisfy community energy demands and stimulate socio-economic development within the country.

The Researcher Links Workshop Grant, which supports international researches relevant to development, was awarded to the following: Tirso Ronquillo from Batangas State University, with University of Wolverhampton as partner; Aleyla Escueta-de Cadiz from University of the Philippines Mindanao, who collaborated with London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and Lourdes Bernadette Sumpaico-Tanchanco from Ateneo School of Medicine and Public Health, who partnered with Public Health England.

The workshops will take place between October 2020 to February 2021, according to the British Council.

Buendia said the DOST-Newton Fund program is open to everyone. The DOST announces call for applications for this, and many experts are involved in the screening process, she added. (PNA)



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MANILA – Organized by the Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI), the Innovation on Disaster Preparedness and Response Expo will be held on March 11-14 at the World Trade Center in Pasay City.

With the theme, "Science for the People: Safer, Adaptive and Prepared Filipino Communities toward Sustainable Development," the expo will showcase the DOST agencies' technologies, innovations, inventions, and initiatives on disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM).

The Innovation on Disaster Preparedness and Response Expo is aimed at raising awareness of the existing disaster risks and environmental issues that could pose harm and danger to humanity.

"We, at DOST, acknowledge the vulnerable condition of our country and our people to disaster risks as we truly care for everyone's safety," DOST-TAPI director Edgar Garcia said.

Co-organized by the DOST-National Capital Region (NCR), the event will spread hope through the DOST initiatives to mitigate disaster risks for safer communities and to better the lives of the people, particularly of being resilient to disasters.

Among the exhibitors are the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs), Advanced Science and Technology Institute (ASTI), Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), Industrial Technology Development Institute (ITDI), Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI), and the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERRD).

The expo is composed of technology exhibits and forum which will be participated by DRRM Officers from various government agencies intended to capacitate them on locally-developed technologies and to strengthen their partnership and coordination among stakeholders.



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MANILA – An astronomer from the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said on Friday the conjunction of the moon and planet Venus is a normal phenomenon, noting it has no adverse effect on Earth.

Astronomer Mario Raymundo said the conjunction has no effect, whether on the weather or climate.

"Conjunction is normal, not a big deal. The thing is that, for those who are into photography, this looks good on photos," he told the Philippine News Agency.

Raymundo clarified that its eyesight, it only looks like the moon and a planet is too close with each other.
"The distance between them is still far," he said.

"Conjunction happens when two or three (celestial) objects meet in one quadrant. It (conjunction) happens regularly," Raymundo said, adding that It happens often they could not estimate when exactly it would take place.

He added that in February alone, PAGASA's astronomy diary already logged the moon's conjunction with Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn.

Raymundo said there are many apps that can be used to determine which specific planet is in conjunction with the moon. The moon takes about 29.5 days to complete a revolution, he added.

He added that PAGASA astronomers have no photo of Thursday's conjunction.

"Because the distance (between them) was about 7 degrees. Our lenses would not be able to capture that. It has to be less than 2 degrees," he said. (PNA) 



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MANILA -- Department of Science and Technology (DOST) officials are hoping more youth would be interested in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and would also try innovation.

In a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Taguig City, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and DOST-Technology Application and Promotion Institute (TAPI) director Edgar Garcia both mentioned they noticed many good entries of students in the National Invention Contest & Exhibits (NICE) currently being held at SMX Aura, BGC in Taguig.

"Maraming kabataan ngayon ang nagpapakita ng husay sa invention (Many of today's youth show their skills in invention)," dela Peña said, adding that there are some entrees that look better than those made by older people.

NICE is a biennial activity that showcases inventions that won in the regional leg. Winners in the national level would receive cash prizes, certificate of recognition. TAPI may also assist them in working on the inventions' intellectual property registration.

"We really encourage the youth, our students, to be more interested in STEM," he remarked.

The contest has five categories: "Likha" (creative research) for patent-pending inventions, registration-pending utility models and industrial designs, and research results not yet applied for patent, utility model, and industrial design registration; "Sibol" (student creative research category) for new and innovative projects or models developed by college and high school student; "Tuklas" (invention) for new and innovative projects/models developed by college and high school students, to be awarded to the most outstanding invention with the most potential for widespread commercialization; "Utility Model" for any technical solution of a problem in any field of human activity which is new and industrially applicable; and "Industrial Design" for any composition of lines or colors or any three-dimensional form whether or not associated with lines or colors, provided that such composition or form gives a special appearance to and can serve as pattern for an industrial product or handicraft.

TAPI staff Sonia dela Corte told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) that ideally, there are first, second and third prizes per category. However, it is possible that judges may not choose any entry for an award (e.g. no qualifier for the third place). It is also possible that judges may announce a tie in a prize, she added.

Winners may win PHP30,000 to PHP300,000, depending on the category.

Winners will be announced during the NICE closing ceremonies on Thursday.

There are 13 entries from college students, and 14 from high school students in the "Sibol" category. These will be judged based on originality (30 percent), methodology (30 percent), market potential (30 percent), presentation (10 percent).

Dela Peña and Garcia both clarified that those who would not win may still seek for assistance from TAPI through its various programs. "We, of course, would like to select the best (in this contest)," dela Peña said. (PNA)

 



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MANILA – An official of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is urging inventors to "transfer" their technology so it could have value.

"Until you convert your invention into innovation, it has no value. Are you going to transfer the technology? We challenge you. We hope to see your products in the market," DOST Undersecretary Rowena Cristina Guevara told the winners of the National Invention Contest & Exhibits (NICE) in Taguig City on Thursday afternoon.

Guevara noted that a product needs to have social value and economic value.

"If these two are not present, then it (product) has no value," she said.

Technology is transferred from an originator to a secondary winner, especially from developed to less developed countries, to boost their economies.

The NICE is a DOST biennial activity that showcases inventions that won in the regional leg. National winners received cash prizes and certificates of recognition.

Guevara also reminded the winners of the Philippine Innovation Act, which according to her, would resolve the barriers to innovation.

Signed in July 2019, the law would harness innovation efforts to help the poor and the marginalized and enable micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to be part of the domestic and global supply chain.

"As inventors, let us not forget to think like a child: 'Nothing is impossible'," she added.

The winners of the competition were:

*Tuklas (outstanding invention) category

First prize (PHP300,000): The Fluidized Bed Drying System, which enables rapid drying of harvested rice, avoiding delays. Drying can be completed in about two hours instead of the usual 12 hours, without affecting grain quality.

Second prize (PHP200,000) : "A Printing Machine"

* Utility Model category

First prize (PHP200,000): The "Composite Non-Woven Fabric Heavy Metal  Adsorbent and Method for Preparing the Same". In this utility model, the preparation involves non-woven fabric activation through electron beam irradiation, graft polymerization of the vinyl monomer from the activated non-woven fabric, post-graft modification with suitable functional groups, and application of the adsorbent in heavy metal adsorption.

Second prize (PHP100,000): The Tractor-Drawn Cassava Digger, which was developed to reduce the manual digging or uprooting of cassava tuber. It was designed with minimum power requirements.

Third prize (PHP50,000): The Method of Producing Coco Board and Product for Various Housing and Carpentry Works. The coco board was developed to convert coconut husks to particle boards. It is less flammable, resistant to white ants and molds, and possesses heat and sound insulation properties. These can be produced and sold at 10 percent to 20 percent lower than conventional wooden boards, according to DOST.

*Industrial Design category

First prize (PHP200,000): The Hybrid Electric Train. DOST's Metals Industry Research and Development Center has locally designed and developed this hybrid-electric train for public use at the Philippine National Railways. The train is composed of five coaches powered by a generator set and/or batteries.

Second prize (PHP100,000): The "Armchair", which was designed for multiple uses in different student grade levels, has an adjustable height, and is foldable.

Third prize (PHP50,000): The "Grain ProBe (Buriki) Moisture Meter", which was designed to integrate a moisture sensing mechanism to a tool called "buriki" and offers accurate and rapid measurement of the moisture content of paddy and corn in bags.

*Likha (Creative Research) category

First prize (PHP100,000): The UH1 Shofar: Mass Notification System for Local Disasters. The "Shofar" is a four-in-one solution that increases the capacity of local disaster risk reduction offices to respond quickly and seamlessly to local disasters by providing quick remote alarms and announcements.

Second prize (PHP50,000): The Design and Prototyping of Continuous Screw-Type Salt Iodizing Machine, which uniformly infuses iodine in salt continuously with capacity suitable up to large-scale processors. It is transportable, easy to operate, and has a low power requirement.

Third prize (PHP30,000): The Mechanical Cacao Sheller/Huller, which was designed to convert roasted beans into cacao nibs by breaking and winnowing them. It can process about 96.3 kg. of roasted beans in an hour.

*"Sibol" (College Student Creative Research) category

First prize (PHP100,000): The Development and Fabrication of  Digital Apparatus for Sieve Analysis and Soil Classification (SASC). This study focuses on the development and fabrication of a digital soil-weighing apparatus – the SASC Apparatus, a two-in-one apparatus that can do multiple functions with the help of the developed software. This invention aims to aid specific tests, such as analyzing the concept of sieve analysis and soil classifications.

Second prize (PHP50,000): The Highly Accessible and Rapidly Deployable Emergency Network (HARDEN), which aims to provide an alternative method of communication for the victims of disasters and calamities, especially when cellular and Internet service is not available. They would be able to create an emergency signal and communicate with each other through the chat functionality of the HARDEN website.

Third prize (PHP30,000): The IoT-Based Soil Moisture and Soil Movement Monitoring System for Landslide. This study presents the development of a low-cost, real-time electronic device that measures the moisture content, and monitors the soil movement in slopes. A microcontroller with an embedded Wi-Fi module allows data transmission from the sensor to a cloud server.

Science and Technology Secretary Fortunato dela Peña and Technology Application and Promotion Institute director Edgar Garcia earlier expressed hope that more youths would be interested in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and innovation. (PNA)



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DAGUPAN CITY — A smart home, mirror, and trashcan are among the inventions of the students in Colegio de Dagupan (CdD) here.

In an interview Monday, Grade 12 student Dexter de Guzman said he came up with a smart trashcan that does only serve its main purpose, but could prevent the spread of viruses and germs.

"Naisip ko po na madami na ngayong kumakalat na viruses or bacteria baka po dahil din iyon sa mga maruming basurahan (I thought that the spread of viruses or bacteria are prevalent nowadays, and it could possibly be because of dirty trashcans)," he said.

Unlike the typical rubbish bins, de Guzman's invention he called "CdD robotrash" opens on its own through a sensor, thus there is no need to lift its cover using a hand or a foot.

"With some trashcans, you still need to use your hand that makes the spread of germs (which) might be containing viruses or bacteria, high risk.

While with bins that open by stepping a foot on it, I noticed that some covers spew wastes, especially liquid ones, whenever you open the trashcan, still offers a possibility of spreading germs," he said.

Garbage bins without cover are not also advisable since these could accumulate water during rainy seasons, or can be infested by insects and other animals, he added.

De Guzman's robotrash can be controlled via a remote for its relocation. It also has speakers, charges phones and is powered by a solar panel.

"For its improvement, I was advised to use (install) global positioning system on it to further its mobility," he said.

[https://files]ROBOTRASH. Dexter De Guzman (right) demonstrates how his invented robotrash works. His invention is one of the projects exhibited at the Arzadon Research Center at the Colegio de Dagupan. (Photo by CdD's Facebook page)

Meanwhile, fifth year Electronics and Communications Engineering (ECE) student Lorden Kim Cornel came up with a program called smart home, wherein appliances in a house could be monitored and controlled through a voice command even away from home provided there is an internet connection.

"This works well, especially if a person forgot to turn off his or her appliance, he or she could easily monitor and control the appliances still working even after he or she left the house with the use of his or her cellphone by a voice-activated command," he said.

Franz Velasco, also a fifth year ECE student, has invented the smart mirror which is now installed at the Arzadon Research Center (ARC) where the other inventions of CdD's students were displayed.

Velasco's smart mirror is a voice commanded program that can control the switching on and off of the lights at the ARC, as well as provides updates on the weather, news, upcoming events, among others.

Engr. Roderick Cabaña, assistant dean of CdD's engineering department, said some 15 projects of about 150 students are displayed at the ARC.

"The materials they used in some of their inventions are mostly recycled and eco-friendly products," he said.

One of the inventions presented in the exhibit is the hollow blocks made from cement and organic waste materials such as rice husk, potato, and banana peel ash.

"Most of their inventions are geared towards improving the lives of the people but also sustaining the environment," Cabaña said.

CdD president Dr. Voltaire Arzadon said there are some more inventions of the students that are on the works, such as a drone that could readily check the air pollution in a certain area.

He said the exhibit of inventions is being done by the school to encourage more students to innovate or invent new technologies or equipment that would be beneficial to the community.

"We have been encouraging our students for as long as I could remember to be innovative and some of their inventions really made it to the top," he added.

Engr. Gerwin Guba, a graduate of Computer Engineering at CdD in 2003, is the brainchild of the Project NOAH (Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards), which is a breakthrough in the country's disaster management.

He is also one of the engineers who developed and designed the DIWATA-I and II, Philippine microsatellites launched to the International Space Station on March 23, 2016, and October 29,2018, respectively.

Guba was awarded with the Presidential Lingkod Bayan 2019 by President Rodrigo Duterte. (PNA) 



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MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) is looking at launching three cube satellites or nanosatellites this year.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña announced the launching of the two nanosatellites-- Maya-3 and Maya-4 -- in a presentation to the media last February 20.

Cube satellites are small satellites originally designed to provide hands-on experience in developing satellites. These are usually sent to Low Earth Orbit (LEO).

"In this orbit, the satellite passes in a particular part of the earth for about 10 minutes. Maya-1, for instance, passes (to capture) the Philippines twice a day for six to 10 minutes. We need more cube satellites for continuous coverage of the Philippines," Space Science Proliferation through University Partnerships (STeP-UP) Project member Mara Mendoza told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in email correspondence.

The development of Maya-3 and Maya-4 cube satellites are part of the STeP-UP Project.

Cube satellites last for six months to more than a year in orbit, depending on satellite mass, surface area, electronics inside, and the solar cycle, Mendoza said.

Maya-1, which was developed by two Filipinos students at the Kyushu Institute of Technology (Kyutech) in Japan, is still in space since its launch in 2018.

Maya-1 contains an Automatic Packet Radio Service Digipeater which can communicate with ham radios. It also carries two cameras that have a wide-angle and narrow-angle lens to capture images and videos for research purposes.

In 2016 and 2018, the DOST also launched Filipino-made microsatellites, the Diwata-1 and Diwata-2, respectively.

Microsatellites are used to capture images that will be used for remote sensing (data-gathering about the earth's surface) and for research. They also gather data on natural and man-made disasters, to monitor vegetation and water changes, among others.

"Since microsatellites are bigger, they require more expensive components, development process, and launch," she said, adding that developing microsatellites usually takes time to source the components, for fabrication and testing.

She said a cube satellite weighs approximately 1 kilogram and measures 10 centimeters on each side.

Compared to Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 that both have better cameras and more payloads, the cube satellites' components are cheaper since they are smaller, Mendoza said.

"Because of this, it is better to create 'a constellation of satellites' that does not need huge cameras. The use of amateur radio communications also has something to do with the cube satellite's size," she said.

"We hope that in the future, high school students would also learn to develop and launch cube satellites," she added.

The cube satellites have the same payloads for imaging and radio communications.

Maya-2, which is in the final stage of development, has additional experimental payloads, such as different antenna design and other materials used for the solar panels of a cube satellite, Mendoza said.

Maya-2 is being made by three Filipino students, with the help of representatives from Japan and Paraguay.

"Maya-3 and Maya-4 were based on the satellite bus of Maya-1, and their missions are also the same with Maya-1. Experiments and improvements such as camera filters, new antenna, were added," Mendoza said.

She said launching the three cube satellites this year would still be dependent on coordination with international regulatory bodies, with regard to the frequency and rocket launches that will be used.

The DOST is currently coordinating with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency and other partners for the launch of the three cube satellites, Mendoza said.

Dela Peña earlier announced that the DOST has allotted PHP20 million for Maya-3 and Maya-4.

The fund was allocated for the scholarship of eight graduate students who would develop these, for the components, space environment tests, pre, and post-launch safety reviews.

The scholarship covers the students' tuition, stipend, research grant, a "sandwich" program in Japan for them to undergo training in satellite development. (PNA)



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MANILA – Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña on Wednesday said the department will focus first on researches that have the potential to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

"Maybe we will focus first on taking advantage of some researches which we have already supported, and which have the potential to help in addressing the Covid-19 problem now," he told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

Dela Peña mentioned the Ateneo de Manila University's study on whether virgin coconut oil (VCO) components could be used as a safe antiviral agent against the novel coronavirus.

"While it (study) was more on developing standards, there is some knowledge derived from it which we can extend. Since it is widely cited in publications that VCO has anti-viral properties, we can look into that through some tests on Covid-19. We can have it tested in Singapore where they have the facilities in place," he said.

Ateneo's study was done in partnership with the Duke-National University of Singapore.

Another DOST-funded study that ADMU did, in partnership with the Department of Health (DOH), was the Feasibility Analysis of Syndromic Surveillance using Spatio-Temporal Epidemiological Modeler (FASSSTER) for early detection of diseases.

The researchers developed the FASSSTER app for visualizing the spread of diseases, using data from the Philippine Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (PIDSR) system, Electronic Medical Records, and SMS-based reports of primary care facilities.

"This app might be able to predict how long this Covid-19 problem will last, given the data that DOH is collecting and compiling in relation to the outbreak," he said.

Currently, the FASSSTER app is being used to create predictive models and visualize possible scenarios of outbreaks of dengue, typhoid fever, and measles, at specified time periods. According to DOST, the researchers will enhance the system so it could be used for Covid-19 surveillance and response.

Diagnostic kit

Dela Peña said the DOST is also looking to locally produce raw materials that can be used for test kits if a patient is positive for the coronavirus.

The DOST, he added, is studying possible partnerships with some of its partner institutions abroad who are already advanced in the field of vaccine development.

"DOST's support to the diagnostics kit research of UP (University of the Philippines) Manila started in 2009. Their (study and development of) a dengue diagnostic kit was already finished and has been commercialized. Soon, the one for leptospirosis would be released, and there are other things that they develop," he shared.

When news about the new coronavirus came in December 2019, he said UP immediately sent a proposal, "and they started the study by mid-January".

A team of researchers from the UP-National Institutes of Health led by Raul Destura developed a diagnostic kit that aims to detect Covid-19.

According to DOST, this kit has a high specificity and efficiency through a one-step multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction platform. The kit is projected to cost PHP1,320 per test.

On March 9, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a certificate of exemption for this locally-developed kit for use in field testing coupled with gene sequencing at the Philippine Genome Center.

Dela Peña said Destura got a total research grant of PHP55.72 million, including the research for the dengue diagnostic kit.

"We at the DOST are proud of our local researchers having breakthroughs that will help our country. We are also happy that they could do these with the modest amounts of grants," he said.

"Things have fallen well into place, including our decision to jointly put up the Philippine Genome Center with UP, and with CHED (Commission on Higher Education) assistance also because it becomes a big help in times like this," he said. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) and partners plan to start producing 500,000 reusable face masks, and donate the first batch to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF), a staff said on Friday.

"With the implementation of the Enhanced Community Quarantine, we are laying out the logistics and securing necessary permits to move and produce these masks. We aim to get going by next week and release the first batch," Evangeline Manalang, DOST-Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) promotions head, told the Philippine News Agency (PNA). 

The plan is to donate the masks through the IATF and/or DOH which are in better position to identify who needs the mask the most, she added.

Manalang said PTRI Director Celia Elumba already approved the funding for the mask production, adding that PHP15 million from the government and PHP3 million from DOST's private partners were allotted for this.

With the rising concerns about protection from the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and the shortage of masks available in the market, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña announced on his Facebook page last Wednesday that the PTRI has partnered with the local government of Taytay, Rizal and some private firms to produce 500,000 reusable masks using the PTRI-developed technology. 

This mask is washable for up to 50 times, according to his post.

"We are finishing the masks with a protective treatment that will repel liquid. There are tons of cloth masks, but unless they are repellent, they are just good for street pollution, or maybe ashfall," Elumba told the PNA in a text message.

She added that her research team is doing many tests to make sure that the mask, which will be called "REwear Face Mask Made Smart" delivers the idea.

Manalang then explained that since "REwear" is water-repellent, this would prevent liquid droplets from coughing and sneezing that potentially carry the virus and bacteria, from penetrating the mask.

"These masks will use a textile finishing technology based on the linkage on cellulosic textile substrate that will make it repellent to liquids. This finishing technology is the subject of a pending IP application," Manalang said.

Durability testing was done for PTRI to determine that the mask could be washed for up to 50 times.

PTRI developed the water-repellant finishing technology in 2012, and its scale up production testing was done in 2016.

The DOST-attached agency collaborated with local retailer-manufacturer, Power Fashion, Inc., dyeing and finishing mill, Saffron Philippines, Inc., and the Reliance Producers Cooperative to produce the 500,000 masks.

"REwear" will be made of regular fabrics. The outer layer of the mask will use the coating technology. 

The technology would not coat the fabric, but would coat the fibers instead so that the fabric is still breathable, according to Manalang.

"With the mask's rewearability, this would practically mean 25 million masks in the system, hopefully freeing up much needed surgical and N95 masks for medical frontliners," Manalang said. (PNA) 



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MANILA -- The public can expect faster weather forecasting as the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) eyes launching the ULAT (Understanding Lightning and Thunderstorm) research project this year.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said this is the only research in the country that is involved in lightning.

How can lightning make weather forecasting faster?

In an email correspondence with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), Alvin Retamar, chief of DOST-Advanced Science and Technology Institute's Solutions and Services Engineering Division, explained that lightning occurrences would be monitored to find out its relation to the weather forecast for the next hours or days.

"According to experts on study on lightning, there are evidences showing that lightning data collected could be used for a more accurate weather forecast for the next days.

"This would give the public additional information, and warning about the strength, direction and other pertinent details related to a rain event," he said.

ULAT would use computer systems that would run models and machine learning algorithms to automatically process data from ULAT data sensors, with a goal of giving the right information at the right time, Retamar added.

"ULAT has something to do with detecting low radio frequency related to lightning strikes, even far lightning strikes. This has a correlation with possible rainfall," he said.

According to Retamar, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) funded the development of a Ground Receiving Station in Dumangas Climate Field School in Iloilo, to receive satellite data from Filipino-made Diwata-1 and Diwata-2 microsatellites.

Data from these microsatellites will be used to a "3D Cloud Reconstruction" that would help in studying thunderclouds and the rains brought by these thunderclouds.

For this project which Retamar said started in April 2019, some PHP53 million came from JICA for lightning detection stations, satellite ground station, weather observation operations, and other equipment.

The DOST, meanwhile, allotted PHP32 million for the construction of Dumangas Ground Receiving Station's server room, surveys, and deployment of instruments, research activities, and for hiring of engineers and research and development personnel.

Retamar said other countries have been studying lightning activity and have been using lightning data in their weather forecasts.

In the Philippines, he said, Filipino researchers are studying this together with experts from Japan.

"There are companies selling lightning data using lighning data they gathered from their own lightning sensing system. Before ULAT, we were looking at the possibility of buying lightning sensors and install these locally. Because of the ULAT project, we had the chance to deploy dense network of lightning sensors in Metro Manila and nearby areas," he said.

Without ULAT, Retamar said the state weather bureau is using satellite, synoptic observation data, automated weather data, historical data, doppler data and other modern instruments in forecasting.

"They (forecasters) combine these data to provide accurate weather forecast to the public. ULAT will serve as a complementary system to these data," Retamar remarked.

Faster forecasting, Retamar said ULAT could enable shorter and faster forecasting because of the data to be collected from the lightning detection stations in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

He, however, could not give an estimated time or period of a "faster" forecasting.

"The speed in forecast is still part of the research that Filipino researchers are looking at together with experts from Japan. We also expect that the high- performance computing and machine learning algorithms would help speed up forecasts," he said.

"The lightning detection stations can detect lightning occurrences thousands of kilometers away. If for example, there is a lightning activity detected in the direction of the pacific, it is a sign that there is weather disturbance in the pacific. (Forecasters) could immediately inform the public of the weather forecast for the coming hours or days," Retamar added.

He continued that ULAT could be used for localized thunderstorms developing.

"Based on studies, lightning and thunderstorm occur in between two hours. Therefore, if we could detect a number of lightning strikes, thunderstorms may likely happen in two hours. Lightning would serve as an early warning for the possibility of the development of a thunderstorm, " he said.

Retamar, meanwhile, said that the Philippine Atmopsheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is also part of the project.

The lightning detection stations were placed in PAGASA's synoptic stations.

All the instruments from JICA will be transferred to PAGASA once the ULAT project is finished, he said. (PNA) 

 



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MANILA -- Parents can't always be with their kids, but would always want to see what they are doing, how they grow.

Lionel Sinai-Sinelnikoff, who co-founded the Milky Chat app with his wife, eyes bringing this app in the Philippines soon.

Basically, Milky Chat app works like a combination of Viber and Instagram, based on how Sinai-Sinelnikoff showed the app to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) recently.

The user can select who could have access to an account (e.g. spouse, teacher, nanny). Those who were granted access are able to share photos or videos of the child in real-time. The parent and those who were granted access could also "like" and comment on the posts.

Sinai-Sinelnikoff shared that the name "Milky Chat" came from the word, "milk", which describes the strong bond between a mother and her child.

He said there was a time when his wife had to fully care for their child. He has been busy with work.

"I'm loving the bond with our kids," he said, adding that they now have two children -- a three-year old and the other is turning six.

"(Through this app), you can follow the life of a kid. Look at this, my child's teacher is giving me an update. So I could see my daughter even if I am here in the Philippines," he said.

Sinai-Sinelnikoff resides in Singapore, but frequents the Philippines because of another business that he co-founded.

He said that he is looking for investors so he could finally bring the app to the Philippines.

Once available here, Sinai-Sinelnikoff said this would be downloadable for free.

The key features of this app, which has been available for download in Singapore, are free. Users could also opt for add-on purchase. (PNA) 

 



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MANILA -- To help those in the frontline in dealing with the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, an attached agency of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) eyes producing as much as 10,000 3D printed face shields and donate these to health workers.

In an online interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Friday, Executive Director Enrico Paringit, of the Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD), said they would produce as many as they can while printing supplies last.

Initial 1,000 pieces will be delivered to the Philippine General Hospital (PGH), he added.

"We estimate 10,000 face shields will be needed, but we understand that the demand is increasing. So to increase the production rate, we are strategizing to apply faster production methods like plastic injection mold," he said.

Paringit explained that practically every plastic product that we see uses injection mold, which is faster. A mold is yet to be created, he said.

Two hundred out of 1,000 pieces will be delivered to the PGH either Friday or Saturday, and the remainder will be delivered next week.

In producing the face shields, Paringit said PCIEERD already spent PHP500,000 for the materials. About PHP1.9 million is needed to produce 10,000 pieces.

He clarified, however, that PCIEERD did not have a separate budget for this, and instead, just realigned their resources. Materials on stock that were meant to be used for research and development were also rechanneled to produce the face shields.

Further, Omnifab 3D Technologies, which has the same machines as those that can be found in the DOST, volunteered to help in the production.

"Omnifab is cooperating because they have additional machines that can be used. The additive manufacturing sector is closely knit so they help each other," Paringit remarked.

As for the other hospital beneficiaries when more than 1,000 face shields are already produced, Paringit said PCIEERD would consult the Department of Health in identifying the needy hospitals.

PCIEERD have been producing the frames, while the acetates were donated by an association of semiconductors and professionals, according to Paringit. PCIEERD attaches the donated acetate into the frame.

He said PCIEERD eyes producing a mold made of metal by next week.

"There is a manufacturing company willing to produce (face shields) using the mold. They would fix their factory first so they could integrate the molds," Paringit said.

Production of 3D printed face shields would continue while waiting for the injection mold production to start.

"Once injection mode production starts, 3D printing will be devoted to other uses such as ventilators and pumps. We are currently discussing about these," Paringit said. (PNA)



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MANILA -- Field implementation of the University of the Philippines (UP)-developed diagnostic kit to detect coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is scheduled from April 4-25, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said Monday.

"The (ongoing) field validation for 500 tests is up to April 1. We hope to get FDA (Food and Drug Administration) Certificate of Product Registration (CPR) by April 3," dela Peña said in a text message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

He added that the DOST funded the 26,000 tests for PHP53.2 million.

"Beyond that, Manila HealthTek's production is not covered by the DOST-funded project anymore," he said.

In a social media post, dela Peña announced that the Manila HealthTek told them that the first batch of reagents has arrived to enable the startup company to commence manufacturing the test kits that could accommodate up to 120,000 tests.

"A certain number of test kits that can do up to 26,000 tests will be prioritized by the DOST for field implementation and distribution to the Philippine General Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and Baguio General Hospital," his post read.

Dela Peña told the PNA that 6,000 kits are already available.

"The rest will be produced immediately after the CPR is granted. These will be delivered as produced," he said.

He added the remainder or the kits that are good for up to 94,000 tests will be sold commercially by Manila HealthTek for around PHP1,300 per kit, cheaper than other kits being used in hospitals which cost around PHP8,000.

The Manila HealthTek said they have enough orders from the private sector who intend to donate these in turn to the Department of Health and other hospitals, dela Peña said.

According to the DOST, the UP-developed kit has a high specificity and efficiency through a one-step multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction platform.

On March 9, the FDA issued a certificate of exemption for this locally-developed kit for use in field testing coupled with gene sequencing at the Philippine Genome Center. (PNA) 

 



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MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) delivered on Tuesday 106 units of RxBox to the Philippine General Hospital (UP-PGH) to respond to the Covid-19 pandemic.

RxBox is an innovation developed by researchers from UP Manila and UP Diliman with support from the DOST through the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.

It is a multi-component biomedical device capable of measuring a patient's temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation, uterine contractions, and electrocardiogram readings.

It can reduce contact between patients diagnosed with Covid-19 and healthcare workers.

The devices will be used for bedside monitoring of the vital signs, oxygen saturation, and electrocardiogram readings of Covid-19 patients, especially those in severe or critical conditions who need continuous monitoring.

It will also provide an efficient way for healthcare workers to monitor multiple patients at once.

The other features of the RxBox are the following :

1) Blood pressure monitor - Measures the patient's blood pressure to detect cardiovascular problems especially hypertension;

2)Pulse oximeter - Measures the level of oxygen in the patient's blood and can help detect lung and cardiovascular problems;

3) Electrocardiogram - Monitors the heart's movement to pump blood throughout the body, helpful for those with acute and chronic heart problems;

4) Fetal heart monitor - Measures the baby's heart rate while in the womb

5) Maternal tocometer - Measures the strength of a mother's uterine contractions during labor and delivery;

6) Temperature sensor - Measures a patient's body temperature. It can help detect fever, a common medical sign of infection and other disease conditions.

The DOST Calabarzon regional office is the implementing agency that will coordinate with other regional offices for the distribution of the remaining 894 RxBox units to selected healthcare facilities.



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MANILA — The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) is seeking for textile donations for the 500,000 reusable face masks it would produce, its chief said Thursday.

"We are using donated finished fabrics which will have to be deresinized. We have established a test protocol, and only after we have ascertained the results can the fabrics be sent to Saffron for deresination and then finishing," PTRI Director Celia Elumba told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) thru email.

Elumba admitted it would take time for them to produce the masks due to lack of resources such as materials, and the equipment for full round of testing.

The mask, which will be called "REwear Face Mask Made Smart", will have a protective treatment that will repel liquid, making it prevent liquid droplets from coughing and sneezing that potentially carry the virus and bacteria, from penetrating the mask. 

DOST-PTRI claims this can be washed for up to 50 times.

Earlier, PTRI planned to donate these masks to the Department of Health (DOH) and the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF).

However, it was decided that the masks would go to the front-liners of national government agencies primarily based in the National Capital Region, according to Elumba.

"Masks will also be sent to the regions through DOST regional offices," she added. 

DOST-PTRI earlier announced it collaborated with local retailer-manufacturer, Power Fashion, Inc., dyeing and finishing mill, Saffron Philippines, Inc., and the Reliance Producers Cooperative to produce the reusable masks.

Elumba noted they got two additional partners for this project -- Chemrez Technologies, and Air21.

She clarified that Air21 did not offer the logistics services for free.

"They made themselves available and accepted our request even if we do not have a credit line," she said.

Meanwhile, those who would like to donate fabrics may find the complete mechanics and contact details on the PTRI's website, http://www.ptri.dost.gov.ph. (PNA)



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MANILA – For the first time, a Filipino emerged as the World Summit Awards (WSA) Global Champion under the Young Innovators category for 2020.

Ryan Gersava, 26, of Sultan Kudarat, bested some 407 entries from 91 countries for establishing the pioneering virtual school, "Virtualahan", which equips persons with disabilities and members of other disadvantaged groups with digital skills and a mindset to become competitive employees and entrepreneurs.

Integrating life coaching with career guidance and leadership development, Virtualahan harnessed the power of technology to give people a fair fighting chance to get out of poverty.

Gersava is in fact the first Filipino to win in WSA not just in his category. His firsthand experience of being denied access to better employment opportunities due to a chronic medical condition provided the impetus for him to find a social enterprise that specifically caters to marginalized sectors such as out of school youth, solo parents, recovering drug addicts, and former sex workers.

To date, Virtualahan boasts of more than 350 graduates, with a 78 percent employment rate.

Philippine Ambassador to Austria Maria Cleofe R. Natividad hailed Gersava's victory as a well-deserved win that comes at a time when the Philippines and the world are in need of hope and inspiration.

In congratulating and thanking Gersava, Natividad said, "By making it your life's work to create opportunities for the disadvantaged -- as only someone who has personally overcome hardships can -- you have set an excellent example of passion and perseverance for the Filipino youth.

"Your story is both challenge and testament -- a reminder that the empowerment of the marginalized is an imperative of a just and humane society; and a proof that the human spirit triumphs over the human condition," Natividad added.

The WSA Young Innovators is a special recognition for young entrepreneurs under 26 years of age, who use digital innovation as a way of tackling the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The awarding ceremony took place on March 11, 2020 in Vienna, Austria, a few days before the lockdown due to the coronavirus disease. (PR)



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MANILA -- With the checking of temperature becoming a requirement almost everywhere, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) funded the production of six units of mobile artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled thermal scanners mounted on drones, to help minimize contact between individuals in checkpoints.

 

DOST allotted PHP561,000 to cover the cost of labor, materials and equipment to produce the system, and other costs that may be incurred during pilot testing.

 

 Startup company DWARM Technologies developed and produced the system, while Far Eastern University (FEU) and UPSCALE Innovation Hub served as technology business incubators.

 

In an email correspondence with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday, DWARM Technologies team leader Samantha Bautista said the unit will work somehow similar with an airport thermal scanner.

 

"Immediate identification of a person is made through the AI developed for detecting a person," she said.

 

 If a person has a high temperature, the operator will receive an alert, the picture of the person with a high temperature would be taken, and a buzzer would make a sound, she added.

 

 According to DOST, these AI-enabled thermal scanners mounted on drones could provide real-time data transmission, are equipped with GPS, and has a 2-km range for communication between the system and the base station.

 

 The six units, Bautista said, will be pilot tested in Caloocan and Quezon City.

 

"Hopefully, other LGUs (local government units) will adopt the technology upon successful deployment," she said.

 

 Bautista said the target for deployment is before the end of April.

 

"We are currently procuring other materials needed, which is estimated to be completed this week. (It takes about) one to two weeks to replicate the system," she said. 

 

 Meanwhile, other industry partners in the development of this project are the Orbital Exploration (OrbitX) Technologies, and PLDT Innohub, Bautista said. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) urged the public to download its own mobile app to remain updated about the agency's programs and services, as well as updates on the department's efforts in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a message to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Monday, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said the mobile application is downloadable in Android phones via Google Play.

The DOST mobile app, he said, contains information on research and development, call for research proposals, and technologies that are ready for production, among others.

"There is a special section for (our) Covid-19 efforts," he added.

These efforts include the funding of the locally-developed Covid-19 test kits; study on how virgin coconut oil may help fight Covid-19; the use of RxBox telehealth device at the Philippine General Hospital; production of face shields and reusable face masks; and the co-development of the RapidPass system, which enables front-liners to pass the checkpoints faster by just scanning their QR codes.

Dela Peña said the DOST also started producing ventilators.

He emphasized that through this app, the DOST wants the public to see how Filipino inventors and researchers contribute to society. (PNA

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MANILA – The Department of Science and Technology-Metals and Industry Research and Development Center (DOST-MIRDC) is still accepting donations to produce face shields using plastic injection molding technology. 

 

In a social media post on Thursday, DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said one could reach out to the MIRDC to donate raw materials like acetate and polypropylene.

 

They could also reach out to them to request to receive face shields, he added.

 

Dela Peña noted there are organizations and firms which have already partnered with the MIRDC for the production of face shields.

 

These include the Traffic and Transport Management Office (TTMO) and Tzu Chi Foundation Philippines that donated more than 6,000 rolls of acetates; Manly Plastics, Inc., Prima Plastics, and the University of the Philippines-Visayas (in cooperation with Frabelle Fishing Corporation, Inc. and Philippine Fishing Gear Industries, Inc.), that donated polypropylene. 

 

Omnifab provided additional injection molds, while Mega Samsotite in Laguna will also serve as the venue for the production, he said.

 

With the use of plastic injection technology, the MIRDC is able to produce 2,500 pieces of face shields per day. The production process is fast since the mold was made of iron.

 

Aside from the local government of Taguig, and Philippine Red Cross-Valenzuela, dela Peña said the following hospitals already received face shields from the DOST: Philippine General Hospital, Taguig Pateros Hospital, Ospital ng Parañaque, Ospital ng Muntinlupa, Ospital ng Lipa, Christ the Saviour General Hospital and Don Manuel Lopez Memorial Hospital.

 

The others include Martin Marasigan Memorial Hospital, Medical Center Western Batangas, Ospital ng Calaca, Bauan General Hospital, Ospital ng Sampaloc, Ospital ng Maynila, Calumpit District Hospital, Baliuag District Hospital, Emilio G. Perez Memorial District Hospital, San Juan District Hospital, Santos General Hospital, Sto. Nino Hospital-Hemodialysis Unit, Allied Care Experts Medical Center-Valenzuela, and Valenzuela Medical Center. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Caraga State University (CSU) targets producing filters for at least 600 masks that would be distributed to front-liners in Caraga.

 

In a phone interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Thursday, CSU president Anthony Penaso said the nanocellulose filters will be inserted in 500 face masks made from ordinary cloth and will be used on an initial 100 pieces 3D-printed masks.

 

The CSU laboratory where the nanocellulose filters are being produced was funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) from 2017-2018, under an Institutional Development Project called "Development of Material Science and Polymer Chemistry Laboratory".

 

The total project cost was PHP6 million, and this will be monitored by the DOST until 2022, he said.

 

"(The) production of nanocellulose filters uses personal funding and donations. At present, we have already collected PHP33,500 for the 3D-printed masks, and we can make 100 pieces out of that (amount)," Penaso said.

 

For the face masks made from ordinary cloth, CSU is targeting at least 500 pieces, he added.

 

Initially, front-liners such as medical professionals and police personnel manning checkpoints in Caraga will be the recipients of these masks.

 

"Once we can do mass production, we can also distribute (masks) to other regions where needed," Penaso said.

 

CSU will continue the production until there are supplies, and until there are front-liners needing these face masks, he added.

 

Both the fabrication of filters as well as 3D printing are ongoing. CSU will distribute the masks once it finishes producing the initial target numbers.

 

CSU earlier distributed food packs, instant foods, and face shields, he said. (PNA)



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MANILA – At least 35 units of thermal scanning devices made by the Department of Science and Technology - Advanced Science and Technology Institute (DOST-ASTI) will be distributed to front-liners working to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), an official said Friday.

 

There are three types of these thermal scanning devices: one that can be attached to smartphones using wire interfaces; one that can be attached to smartphones with a Bluetooth interface; and a modified wood moisture meter retrofitted with a thermal sensor.

 

In an email correspondence with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), ASTI officer-in-charge Alvin Retamar said the DOST has allotted PHP100,000 for the development of three prototypes and 35 units to be given to front-liners.

 

Intended users are those assigned in building entrances and health workers, among others.

 

Retamar, however, could not provide the target locations or cities where the 35 units would be distributed.

 

Developing thermal scanning devices is ASTI's way of providing a basic tool during this pandemic, he said, adding that they saw some reports about the need for thermal scanners.

 

"On top of that, there were concerns that some of the thermal scanners (being) used may be giving incorrect readings. DOST-ASTI thought of how it will be able to help, given its capability in electronics development," Retamar said.

 

He explained that the thermal scanner prototypes can be used via a device that people use every day – the mobile phone.

 

Using a medical-grade thermal sensor, on the other hand, would address accuracy issues, he added.

 

"Since the thermal scanner will be used with a powerful computing device (the phone), we can further increase the use (of) the device, such as (for) storing historical information, details of (a) person showing fever, location data, and other information. These features are generally not available in typical thermal scanners," Retamar said.

 

Meanwhile, he said the modified wood moisture meter functions similarly with a typical thermal scanner.

 

"The modified wood moisture meter will essentially just give temperature readings to detect possible fever. However, we will be using a medical-grade sensor to address accuracy concerns," Retamar said.

 

The wood moisture meter, which has been an existing product of ASTI, was modified to add a thermal sensor so that it can be used to help during the pandemic, he said. (PNA) 



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MANILA – A total of PHP19.7 million was allotted for the production of 132 specimen collection booths (SCB) to be delivered to various hospitals across the country and select Department of Health (DOH) Center for Health Development offices, an official of the Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) said Monday.

 

In an online interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA), PCIEERD executive director Enrico Paringit said the funding for the production of 132 units came from the DOST and that the agency targets to distribute the SCBs before the end of April.

 

"Since Friday, we have four units distributed to the RITM (Research Institute for Tropical Medicine), PGH (Philippine General Hospital), Lung Center, and JRNMH (Jose N. Rodriguez National Memorial Hospital) to study whether these prototypes follow the safety protocols of doctors with regard to getting specimen for Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019). Testing these four prototypes will end on April 20, then we will start on distributing the SCBs to other hospitals listed by the DOH," he said.

 

The DOH has tapped the DOST for the production of the SCBs.

 

According to Paringit, the design of the local SCB was based on the designs of testing booths in other countries.

 

With the DOST's design, both the medical personnel and the patient would be seated.

 

The design was modified to ensure the safety of both the medical personnel and the patient, he added.

 

The booth has an ample ventilation and air-conditioner so that the medical personnel would be comfortable.

 

It has a pressure sensor that would alert the medical personnel in case the door was not properly closed, or if there is air from the outside is coming in.

 

There are disposable gloves that could be worn on the SCB's main gloves. Disinfection sprays are available in the seats.

 

Further, the SCB has a thermal scanner to record the temperature readings of the patients.

 

The thermal scanner, Paringit said, was developed by the Futuristic Aviation and Maritime Enterprise (FAME), DOST's partner in developing the SCBs.

 

"The SCB's design will be provided by FAME for free to fabricators who would like to help producing SCBs for other areas where needed," Paringit said.

 

Anyone interested with the SCB's design may coordinate with the DOST, he added. (PNA) 

 



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MANILA -- While looking at various ways on how research and science could help address coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña on Friday said Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval may be sought to make virgin coconut oil (VCO) a supplement.

 

During the "Laging Handa" public briefing, dela Peña said clinical trials will soon be executed to see the effectiveness of VCO in Covid-19 patients' recovery.

 

"The Ethics Committee already approved this yesterday. It (clinical trial) needs the patients' consent, but we know that VCO has no harmful effects and toxicity," he said, adding that VCO has antiviral properties.

 

"Pwede s'yang i-apply ng approval from FDA para gawing supplement (It can be applied from FDA, to make it a supplement)," he said. 

 

Dela Peña said there would be two clinical trials -- a hospital based, and a community based trial.

 

Earlier on his social media account, he mentioned that the hospital-based clinical trial would assess the possible benefits of VCO if given to patients with moderate to severe Covid-19.

 

In the community-based study, on the other hand, VCO will be incorporated in the food provided to the patients, as well as their contacts and other high-risk groups.

 

The DOST will fund the two clinical trials, and will also give directions.

 

S&T's help

 

Meanwhile, dela Peña said he is happy that some of the DOST-funded projects are now being used for Covid-19 efforts.

 

Among these, he said, is the diagnostic kit for Covid-19, which was developed by researchers who previously made diagnostic kits to detect dengue and leptospirosis.

 

"This (diagnostic kit for Covid-19) was approved by the FDA for commercial use last April 3," he said.

 

The kit has a high specificity and efficiency through a one-step multiplex real-time polymerase chain reaction platform, according to the DOST.

 

Test kits that can do up to 26,000 tests will be distributed by the DOST to the Philippine General Hospital, Makati Medical Center, The Medical City, Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, Southern Philippines Medical Center, and Baguio General Hospital until May 15, he said. (PNA) 



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GENERAL SANTOS CITY -- Environment personnel have limited the entry of visitors to a declared tarsier sanctuary on Mt. Matutum in South Cotabato province in a bid to protect the critical primate and its habitat.

Forester Gabriel Baute, area superintendent of the Mt. Matutum Protected Landscape (MMPL), said Thursday they stopped accommodating walk-in visitors at the sanctuary in Barangay Linan, Tupi starting this holiday season as part of their enhanced conservation and protection program.

He said the influx of visitors might disturb the tarsiers, dubbed the world's smallest primate, and threaten their natural habitat.

Baute cited that tarsiers are nocturnal animals, normally sleeping during the day and active only during the night, like owls.

"Hence, visitors are enjoined to avoid disturbing these animals in their natural habitat or when visiting the tarsier sanctuary," he said in a statement.

Baute said like other wildlife species, tarsiers are best left in their natural habitat rather than being captured and caged as pets.

Tarsiers are known to commit suicide when in captivity and exposed to stressors like camera flash, human touch, and other forms of disturbance, he said.

It is listed under "near threatened species" by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.

In response to the move, the municipal government of Tupi has adopted a program dubbed "voluntourism," which mainly raises awareness on the need to protect the tarsiers and their sanctuary.

Visits to the site are currently allowed through pre-arranged schedules with the Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (Menro).

Rolando Visaya, Tupi Menro chief, said the program promotes the principles of volunteerism and responsible tourism.

Through the program, he said they tap visitors to help plant trees at the site and its immediate environs.

Their primary targets are individuals with high regard and motivation for the protection and conservation of biodiversity, especially the tarsiers, he said.

"This gives our visitors the opportunity to see the tarsiers in their natural habitat and at the same time take part in protecting them," he said.

Mt. Matutum is a known sanctuary of tarsiers, which are called "mal" by Blaan and Tboli tribal residents in the area.

The area is part of the 13,947-hectare MMPL, which covers the municipalities of Tupi, Tampakan, and Polomolok in South Cotabato and Malungon in Sarangani province.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources declared parts of Barangay Linan, Tupi as a tarsier sanctuary by virtue of Proclamation 1030 signed by former president Fidel Ramos on June 23, 1997.

It declared the Philippine Tarsier (Tarsius syrichta) as specially-protected faunal species mandated the establishment of appropriate sanctuaries to preserve and protect them. (PNA)



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MANILA -- It was a typical Sunday for most Filipinos on January 12 when the Taal Volcano in Batangas province began spewing ashes in the afternoon.

Alert Level 3 was raised only about two hours after Alert Level 2 was announced. By 7:30 p.m., authorities raised the Alert Level 4 status, meaning hazardous explosive eruption is possible within hours to days, over the volcano.

Many people were caught off guard. "Why so sudden?" some asked.

But for geologist Carlos Arcilla, director of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), the volcanic eruption was not sudden.

"There was gas surge, base surge (pyroclastic surge). This is too fast, and if it hits someone in the danger zone, he or she would die," Arcilla told the Philippine News Agency (PNA) in an interview.

It has been a week since Taal Volcano's eruption, and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Philvolcs) recorded fewer sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions and volcanic earthquakes for the past 24 hours.

This is good news but Arcilla noted that this does not signify the volcano would calm down anytime soon.

Nobody could predict when a volcanic eruption would happen, Arcilla said, adding that things might escalate today and subside tomorrow.

He said that in the 1754 Taal eruption, the volcano was erupting for six months.

"There's no timetable," he said, noting that even if the eruption subsides for one month, it is not an assurance that there would be any hazardous eruption after.

As long as there are sulfur dioxide emissions, Arcilla said there is always risk for earthquakes, and volcanic inflammation.

Arcilla also refuted claims that Taal Volcano would only erupt after 55 years.

Seeing a record of low sulfur dioxide emission and few volcanic earthquakes is good news, but this has to be consistent, he added.

"There is a lot of data that need to be studied. It's hard to predict. Even if you see low SO2 emissions and few earthquakes for a week, the volcano would not calm in the near future," he said.

Dangerous

Arcilla said a volcanic eruption is still very dangerous even if the volcano does not reach the Alert Level 5 (hazardous eruption in progress).

"It's because (we're talking about) phreatic eruption. One cannot run away from gas. An N95 mask could not save him or her, since this mask is only used (to protect oneself) from the ashes," he said.

Arcilla cited as an example the Mount Pelee eruption in 1902, which had left thousands dead in a matter of minutes.

"They (people around Mount Pelee) saw the ash cloud. Everybody, except one, died," he said.

"You can compare a base surge to shaking a bottle of (soda). Gas would explode if you shake the soda bottle. You multiply that (impact) to one million times, and it would shock you," Arcilla said.

Arcilla noted that people could run from the lava flow but they could not run away from toxic gases.

"Look at the ash plume in Mount Pinatubo eruption. The plume reached 40 kilometers in height. The plume was emitted vertically. If it was emitted across or vertically, then that would be a problem as it would directly hit the people," Arcilla said.

Correcting misconceptions

He said people must understand the nature of eruption, adding that they should not think that the possibility of explosions would take much longer time.

Arcilla noted that even if it rains hard, for instance, this would not reduce the risk of big explosions.

The rain, he said, would only reach the surface, and would only be good to clean or wipe away the ashes.

"Understand also that there are at least 40 craters around Taal. There are craters beneath the lake," he said.

Phivolcs, he said, has the instruments vital to studying volcanic activities, and so the public should listen to it.

"If they (Phivolcs) would not warn the public and something happens, they would be blamed. If they warn the public and nothing happens, people would still blame them," Arcilla said.

"They must heed Phivolcs' advice, stay away from the 14-kilometer radius from Taal crater. They have the tools. They coordinate with international experts or scientists before issuing advisories. People should listen to them," he said. (PNA) 



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CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga—Some 600 residents in this city joined the "Refill Revolution" and trooped to the Poblacion Basketball Court in Barangay Sto. Rosario here, bringing recycled plastic bottles and containers, which were refilled with condiments and household products.

"Refill Revolution" is an advocacy campaign of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) in Central Luzon that is aimed at beating plastic pollution by reducing its production and necessity.

During the activity organized by the City Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO), the locals were able to refill kitchen condiments, laundry products, and other household items by bringing clean and reusable bottles, containers and "eco bags".

These items were sold at prices that were 50-70 percent lower than the actual retail prices in supermarkets.

CENRO officer Regina Rodriguez said they want to teach residents to avoid single-use plastics and instead promote eco-friendly and sustainable ways of utilizing plastic products.

"We are encouraging every household to avoid regular purchase of products in plastic sachets or containers. If possible, re-use plastic containers and grab every opportunity of refilling activities," she said, adding that another Refill Revolution is set on February 21 as part of the "Kaganapan" cityhood celebration.

Manufacturers and retailers like Nutri Asia Inc., Classic Brand Distributorship, and Glochem Marketing & Recycling Corp. took part in the refilling activity. Nutri Asia, which is among the country's top condiments maker, was one of the stakeholders that rallied behind the initiative.

Pepsi Cola, Water District Prime Water, and Soliman E.C. were also present to give away freebies to the residents.

City Mayor Edwin David Santiago reiterated his desire for San Fernando to remain a "Zero-Waste City" in the midst of progress and development.

"We are the first-ever model of Zero Waste City in the whole country. Let us prove it by remaining educated and disciplined enough to protect and preserve our environment," Santiago said. (PNA)



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DUMAGUETE CITY – The city government here through its Environment and Natural Resources Office (ENRO) is looking at establishing additional Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) in the barangays to help address the growing problem of garbage disposal in the city.

The mayor is appealing for the barangays to establish their own MRFs with the possibility of funding their construction to ensure a more sustainable Solid Waste Management program, according to a statement from the City Public Information Office over the weekend.

Mayor Felipe Antonio Remollo has already started the implementation of the Safe Closure and Rehabilitation Plan of the Candau-ay dumpsite as approved by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), according to City Public Information Officer Dems Rey Demecillo.

The central MRF where residual wastes from the barangay MRFs will be brought is almost complete, while the city is also preparing for the construction and establishment of a sanitary landfill currently being reviewed by the DENR.

The barangays that are operating their own MRFs are Junob, Piapi, Bantayan, Calindagan, and Lo-oc.

Two others in Candau-ay and Camanjac will soon have their MRFs operational.

The non-government group War on Waste-Negros Oriental, the proponent of the Zero Waste Cities-Dumaguete project, had initiated the MRFs with some funding in the barangays of Looc, Piapi, and Bantayan.

Clustering of barangays for a shared MRF for those who do not have spare land is also being recommended.

Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2003 mandates all barangays to enforce the directive for residents to segregate their trash and practice the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

MRFs can help drastically reduce the volume of garbage being collected and brought to the open dumpsite in Barangay Candauay, and these facilities can also provide additional income for residents, such as waste-pickers and segregators, among others. (PNA)



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CEBU CITY – To put religious perspective in the global environmental conservation effort, the Roman Catholic Church in Cebu is set to hold a convention on climate emergency.

Archbishop Jose Palma on Wednesday announced that the Cebu Archdiocesan Commission on Environmental Concerns (CACEC) will take an active role in the two-day (Jan. 31 to Feb. 1) convention in a hotel in Barangay Lahug this city.

"In the CBCP (Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines), much of our gatherings have focused on what we can do to a respond to the many forms of degradation and ways our environment had been destroyed," Palma said during a press briefing.

He commended the collaborative effort of various stakeholders to help the archdiocese come up with the 1st Cebu Archdiocesan Convention on Climate Emergency which aims to become a venue for discussion of the church's ecological actions.

Fr. Murphy Sarsonas, chair of CACEC, said the church has 13 ecological actions but the convention will tackle only five which are considered "closer to Cebu."

The church in Cebu is also set to launch on the second day of the convention the Cebu Climate Emergency Center, he said.

As the CBCP issued pastoral letter on July 16, 2019 on ecological conversion in the face of climate change, the Roman Catholic Church in Cebu responded by holding such convention.

According to a statement furnished to the media, the first archdiocesan conference on climate emergency will be attended by some 500 members of the clergy and lay leaders from 160 parishes in the province.

Representatives from the academe, business sector, civil society groups and local government units also signified their intention to attend the gathering.

Sarsonas cited Pope Francis' 2015 encyclical "Laudato Si" which highlighted the care of "common home" and pressed the 2030 sustainable development agenda as a means to combat climate change.

The encyclical is recognized as the first papal document ever devoted entirely to ecology that champions renewable energy as the best alternative to fossil fuels.

"We have to stop using fossil fuels because it's not just their use that is damaging to the human health, but the mining operations to dig them out of the ground are also se destructive to the environment," Sarsonas said in a statement.

Palma praised the organization for setting the church-initiated environmental conference in time with the 500th anniversary of the Christianity in the country. (PNA)



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COTABATO CITY -- Environment officials have monitored thousands of waterbird species freely moving around the wetlands of Sultan Kudarat province.

Dr. Sabdullah C. Abubacar, executive director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 12 (Soccsksargen), said the high number of water birds were found in the marshland and inland waters of Sultan Kudarat during the census of waterbirds in the region that began on January 23.

The birds were monitored and sighted in the 6,300-hectare Lake Buluan in Lutayan, Sultan Kudarat, Abubacar said in a statement on Wednesday.

During the conduct of the annual Asian Waterbird Census (AWC), personnel of the environment offices of Tacurong City and Sultan Kudarat documented some 8,928 species in the lake and its environs.

Among the documented waterbird species, also known as "aquatic birds", were the Great Bittern, Cinnamon Bittern, Black Crown Night Heron, Rufous NH, Cattle Egret, Little Egret, Intermediate Egret, Great Egret, Purple Heron, Grey Heron, Javan Pond Heron, White-Breasted Waterhen, Barred Rail, Banded Rail, Water Rail, Common Crane, Philippine Duck, Lesser Whishing Duck, Serpent Eagle, Brahminy Kite, and Wandering Duck.

The census was conducted by personnel of Tacurong's Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO), Sultan Kudarat's Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), Tacurong City's Protected and Wildlife Section (PAWS), and the local government of Lutayan.

"We are conducting this activity every year so that we can compare the current condition and population of various waterbirds to our data in the previous years," said Mama Mulimpay, chief of Tacurong's CENRO - Protected Area and Wildlife Section (PAWS).

Forester Sainoding Hadjimanan of PENRO-Sultan Kudarat said aside from bird counting, the AWC also helps the DENR in monitoring possible illegal activities, such as bird-hunting, in the marshland.

"The DENR, in cooperation with the local government units of Lutayan and Buluan, Maguindanao conducts regular monitoring in the area not only during the celebration of AWC. We are doing this to protect and preserve the various species of waterbirds in the lake," Hadjimanan said.

Mulimpay said the DENR has embarked on massive information dissemination around Lake Buluan to increase public awareness of the importance of these water birds.

Abubacar again reminded the public and the locals living near the wetlands not to harm and capture these birds "because they contribute a lot to a balanced ecosystem."

Soccsksargen comprises the provinces of South Cotabato, North Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and Sarangani and the cities of Cotabato, Kidapawan, Tacurong, Koronadal, and General Santos. (PNA)

 



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MANILA -- Education begins at home.

While this concept generally means parents should set an example for their children in many aspects of life, it can be the other way around, particularly in terms of caring for the environment.

This was the aim of the Department of Education's (DepEd) Taguig and Pateros (TaPat) division in coming up with a project where students are tasked to watch over their parents' compliance with cleanliness measures, including garbage disposal, segregation, and reduction.

In an interview on Thursday, Taguig City's education czar Dr. George Tizon said the project, dubbed as the "Bantay-Magulang" Waste Management Project, was based on the division's Memorandum 13, series of 2020, or the Waste Management Program, which has been integrated in the schools' homeroom class as part of the students' elective subjects.

"The problem of garbage reduction is not confined within a particular city but Mayor Lino Cayetano is formulating policies that will benefit not only the city of Taguig but the rest of Metro Manila, such as the Bantay-Magulang Waste (Management) program, where students and parents at home play a very vital role," said Tizon, who is also DepEd TaPat's chief education supervisor for school operations and governance.

The project, which will be participated in by parents, teachers, and student-leaders, will be launched at the Gat Andres Bonifacio Elementary School in Barangay The Fort on Saturday, during which parents and local officials would also sign a covenant to show their support for the program.

The goal of the project is to teach the children the importance of segregating biodegradable waste from non-biodegradable waste and achieve the project's goal of decreasing the collected garbage in the city by 50 percent.

Under the program, students will be required to teach their parents on proper waste segregation and reduction efforts. They will also have to report the volume of garbage collected from their homes.

Students who report that their parents have failed to comply with the program will be given the task of encouraging and guarding their parents until they are obliged to follow.

Based on the program, each household will be encouraged to separate the garbage that can be sold at the junkshop to avoid adding to the waste volume, as well as those that are still recyclable to be made useful through the assistance of the Solid Waste Management Office (SWAMO) of the city or barangay.

"It will be monitored and reported by the children in their classes to ensure their compliance," Tizon said, adding that this will have repercussions on the academic performance of the pupils.

Parents are also encouraged to provide their children with water tumblers or containers because the school would discourage the use of single-use plastics.

DepEd-TaPat Schools Division Superintendent, Dr. Margarito Materum, meanwhile, said the program would help promote a culture of discipline among households.

"We know that children sometimes obey their teachers more than their parents. So we want to take advantage of this situation for the parents to follow the Waste Management Program of the local government because of their children's involvement," Materum said in a text message.

"Children do not want to be embarrassed in class simply because of their parents' non-adherence nor do they want to lie to their teachers. This may probably resolve the discipline problem we need in every household," he added.

Meanwhile, Taguig Mayor Lino Cayetano said reducing the amount of waste and proper recycling of garbage are long-term solutions to Metro Manila's garbage problem.

"This is part of our Green Governance agenda here in Taguig City, which aims to decrease the amount of waste by avoiding single-use plastics, segregating, and recycling the garbage," the local chief executive added.

While Taguig has yet to create a policy on single-use plastics, some establishments in the city have already initiated a ban on it.

Some Metro Manila cities that have either banned or regulated the use of plastics and other similar materials are Las Piñas, Pasay, Pasig, Makati, Muntinlupa, and Quezon City. (PNA



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MANILA -- Love makes the world go round. But as climate change and related issues continue to break the heart of the planet, people, governments and institutions make small but meaningful moves to fix and heal it.

On Valentine's Day, the city government of Taguig strengthened its resolve to nurturing the environment through its commitment to reduce its solid waste by 80 percent within the next three years which would help its goal of becoming a zero-waste locality.

This, as it unveiled its Zero Waste Plan, an integrated program that introduces measures to reduce solid waste and improve waste management, leading up to an 80-percent solid waste diversion, or reduction in waste going to landfills and dumpsites, by 2023.

"The zero-waste city is the pinnacle of our green governance agenda, so we will pull all the stops to make this target a reality," Mayor Lino Cayetano told reporters after the program's launch at the Lakeshore Tent in Barangay Lower Bicutan.

The move aims to contribute to overall health and wellbeing in Taguig, address water and soil contamination, and reduce air pollution.

It will also create employment opportunities and curb flooding in many areas which will yield higher productivity and greater economic development.

The unveiling coincided with the first quarterly meeting of the Taguig City Solid Waste Management Board for this year, where some 150 barangay and city leaders discussed the Ten-Year Solid Waste Management Plan that was rolled out in 2014 and the state of all the city's materials recovery facilities (MRFs), which will play a key role in the zero waste roadmap.

The Zero Waste Plan scales up successful efforts in Barangay Fort Bonifacio, which now stands as a model community.

To further strengthen this program, the city government also announced to establish a Sustainable Livelihood Office that will help look for sustainable alternatives, in the event attended by city environment committee heads, barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) chairs and cluster heads.

All succeeding infrastructure projects of the city will also have an MRF.

The waste collected and brought at MRFs goes toward composting for plants, repurposing for community gardens, and landfills.

A technical working group that will survey all 28 barangays for the appropriate land for the facilities will be formed for this purpose.

Taguig will also join global efforts to phase out single-use plastics. Citizens are encouraged to use canvas bags or eco-bags as an alternative to plastic bags when shopping for sundries such as meat, fruits, and vegetables.

Cayetano urged each barangay captain to take the lead in their communities for this initiative with the city committing to provide training and support.

"The key to this is information dissemination. Focusing on segregating-at-source, every household, school, business in Taguig will be taught how to properly manage their trash," said Cayetano.

He also rallied for the support of the Taguigeños for the success of the program.

"We are pledging our full support to the Zero Waste Plan. We will make sure all the barangays implement everything in it. We will also onboard experts and build all the required hardware to make our beloved city truly green," he added.

Meanwhile, funds collected from the city's recycling efforts will be used to build classrooms, low-cost housing, and other infrastructure projects and provide financial assistance to teachers and police officers in the city.

He said the city is determined to see that every barangay will have diverted solid waste from landfills and dumpsites by 80 percent in the next three years.

"We are launching this plan ultimately to teach Taguigeños to own up to the waste they produce and to always choose green alternatives. The Earth is currently very sick, and we have to do our part. This is to leave behind a city that our children and their children will be proud of," he said. (PNA)



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MANILA --As part of the company's efforts of promoting environmental protection and sustainable eco-development, Quadruple-A developer DMCI Homes has reaffirmed its commitment to support the government's Manila Bay rehabilitation project through the cleanup of Metro Manila's waterways.

DMCI Homes recently helped in the installation of a floating trash trap in a 1.63-kilometer segment of Pasong Tamo Creek in Quezon City which is part of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' (DENR) Enhanced Adopt-an-Estero campaign with the Rotary Club of Diliman Silangan (RCDS); Rotary International District 3780; the Quezon City Council of the Boy Scouts of the Philippines; and barangays Culiat, Pasong Tamo, and Bahay Toro in Quezon City.

The trash trap installed near DMCI Homes' Stellar Place condominium community in Barangay Culiat, Quezon City aims to snare trash that finds its way into the Pasong Tamo Creek to prevent them from polluting the waterway and ultimately reach the sea.

DMCI Homes together with the barangays situated along the waterway were also tasked to monitor the trash trap and coordinate with DENR for the collection of accumulated garbage.

"On behalf of the DENR and Tayo ang Kalikasan, I'd like to thank all our partners in this campaign for helping us in our effort to clean all the waterways in Quezon City that leads to the Manila Bay," said Roberto Feliciano, technical assistant of DENR'S Task Force Tayo ang Kalikasan.

Feliciano underscored the importance of the campaign as studies have shown that the root cause of the trash problem in Manila Bay is the garbage emanating from the upstream areas and communities.

"This will be a convenient model for other barangays and other Rotary Clubs on how to install the trash trap in their respective areas," Feliciano added.

Meanwhile, RCDS charter president Rod Bernardo lauded the contribution and support of private companies such as DMCI Homes for this campaign noting that the enormous task of cleaning the Manila Bay entails a multi-sector approach.

"DMCI Homes has been our partner for the last seven years, initiated as early as 2012 by past president Bobby Sheen, with then DENR Secretary Ramon Paje and now with DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu. We are glad to have DMCI Homes as a partner in this noble undertaking," Bernardo said. (PR)



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HERMOSA, Bataan -- Mayor Antonio Joseph Inton padlocked on Thursday the province's only sanitary landfill facility (SLF) for alleged violation of environmental laws.

The mayor personally served the closure order to Econest Waste Management Corporation, operator of the Hermosa sanitary landfill facility in Barangay Mambog here.

A staff of the company received a copy of the order in the absence of lawyer Beulah Coeli Fiel, president and chief operating officer of Econest, and other officials.

"Ngayong araw na ito, inisyuhan natin ang operator ng (today we issue the operator of) Hermosa sanitary landfill the stoppage of operation which is temporary in nature in view of the investigation being conducted by Department of Environment and Natural-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) dahil sa kanilang mga violation (because of their violations)," Inton said.

He said the municipal government also issued a notice of violation (NOV) last January 28, while the DENR-EMB issued its own NOV on February 13.

Inton said he wanted to inform everyone that the operation of Econest is under a public-private-partnership (PPP) with the municipal government of Hermosa.

"This is not a private entity that's why the municipal government has the right to close or stop whatever operation that is harmful to the environment for the welfare of the people. While we are waiting for the technical conference of the DENR-EMB and we are conducting other investigation on their violations, let us stop the operation for the meantime effective today)," he said.

Inton said the sanitary landfill operator is continuously polluting the environment.

Econest, however, claimed it has not committed violations of the environmental law.

Fiel said they were surprised that the NOV of EMB was just a repetition of that listed in the show cause order of the Hermosa LGU that they have answered, with a copy furnished to the EMB.

"On the issue that Econest does not have a discharge permit and not registered as hazardous waste generator, we never intentionally discharged wastewater. We are currently applying for a discharge permit after we have passed laboratory testing," she said.

Fiel said the LGU based its finding on "unavoidably and unintentional overflow of the leachate."

"Sa kasalukuyan ay pending ang aming application for discharge permit kasi lumalabas na ang laboratory test ng aming treated waste water ay pumasa sa lahat ng maraming parameters under EMB standards (our discharge permit is pending because laboratory test showed that our treated water has passed all the parameters under EMB standards)," she said.

On the issue that the earthen lagoon and temporary cell for compostable waste do not have lining, thus allowing the leachate to seep into the soil, Fiel said the right handling of biodegradable waste, aside from having it separate from non-biodegradable waste, was intended to ripen it to be turned into fertilizer.

Fiel said that EMB inspected the facility in December 2019 and again on January 30, 2020 and issued no negative findings. 

The EMB, she said, even recommended the Hermosa sanitary landfill for benchmarking by other LGUs that desire to operate their own SLFs.

"Dahil abogada ako at nakataya diyan ang aking lisensiya, mas malaki ang aking dahilan para sumunod sa batas kasi kung halimbawang mawala sa akin ang proyektong ito, maski papaano makakakain pa rin ako (Because I am a lawyer and my license is at stake, the more reason that I have to follow the law so that if I lose the project, more or less I still can eat)," Fiel added.

She said that they accept waste from the towns of Hermosa, Orani, Samal and Balanga in Bataan and also Castillejos, San Marcelino, San Narciso, San Antonio, San Felipe, Cabangan, Botolan, Masinloc, Iba and Palawig in Zambales.

She belied allegations that they receive waste from Quezon City or Laguna but she made it clear that their contract does not prohibit acceptance of garbage from areas outside Bataan.

Fiel said if the LGU no longer wants them as partner, they are willing to leave, provided their investment will be returned to them.

"Gusto lang namin makaalis ng matiwasay. Nagko-compute kami. Bibigyan namin ang isa't isa na makita at mabuksan ang libro nang magkakwentahan (We just want to leave peacefully. We are computing so each one of us can open the books)," she said.

"Kung mabibigyan kami ng isa pang taon na mamahala ay maaaring ma-recover pa namin pero puhunan lang yon (If we can be given another year to operate, we may be able to recover but only the capital)," Fiel added.

She said she is still hopeful that everything will be settled. (PNA)



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ANKARA — China's 14th five-year plan (FYP) to go into effect in 2021 will be one of the world's most important documents for global efforts to fight climate change, according to a report released on Tuesday.

 

While local and global efforts continue to increasingly curb climate change across the world, many are eyeing how China's climate and energy policy moves as the country constitutes the world's largest carbon dioxide (CO2) emitter.

 

For this reason, the FYP, which will define China's goals from 2021 to 2025, will most likely be one of the world's most important documents on tackling climate change, according to an analysis by the UK-based Carbon Brief.

 

The study claimed that powerful parties, such as the State Grid Corporation of China and China Electricity Council, were lobbying to get a green light for hundreds of new coal-fired power plants to be built.

 

"The push for more coal power also appears at odds with China's climate goals, including a target to peak its CO2 emissions no later than 2030," it said, adding that to meet this goal, low-carbon sources would need to cover any increases in energy demand.

 

Citing last month's energy data, it said clean energy investment would need to accelerate substantially to meet the country's climate goals which now seem to be far away as CO2 emissions increased in China for the third year in a row in 2019, by around 2 percent.

 

"Coal is the most carbon-intensive fossil fuel and still accounted for 57.7 percent of China's energy use in 2019, the data shows. Coal plants, which burn approximately 54 percent of all coal used in the country, provide 52 percent of generating capacity and 66 percent of electricity output -- down from a peak of 81 percent in 2007," the report added.

 

China's 14th FYP for economic and social development will be finalized and approved in early 2021, followed by more detailed sectoral targets over the next year.

 

Carbon Brief is a UK-based website covering the latest developments in climate science, climate policy, and energy policy, according to its website. (Anadolu)

 



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MANILA — Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has ordered an investigation of the hotels and establishments in the Manila Bay area after discoloration on the waters of the bay was observed last Thursday.

"We suspect that this sudden color change from the previous dark blue to turquoise blue is caused by the direct discharge of wastewater from the treatment plants of buildings and establishments in the vicinity," Cimatu said. 

The environment chief made the statement after he personally inspected the Baywalk near SM Mall of Asia (MOA) on March 28 to check the color of the waters of the bay in the area. 

Cimatu also inspected Outfall No. 3 located near SM MOA to check the wastewater discharged by the outfall, and instructed the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) National Capital Region and the Environmental Management Bureau "to conduct a joint investigation on the sudden color change of Manila Bay."

At the same time, the environment chief instructed DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny D. Antiporda "to monitor the investigation that will be conducted by the two offices." 

"We assure the public that the incident is now being investigated by the DENR to find out who is responsible for the discoloration," said Cimatu adding that "once the investigation is completed, appropriate and immediate actions will be taken on who or what caused the incident." 

Last week, a netizen uploaded a video of the historic bay with turquoise blue waters on the social media platform Facebook after noticing the change of its color. 

Cimatu is chair of the Manila Bay Inter Agency Task Force tasked to clean the historic bay dubbed as "Battle for Manila Bay".

The Manila Bay rehabilitation is a top priority of the government until 2022. (PR) 



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MANILA – Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Friday that she would undergo self-quarantine after the announcement that Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff, Gen. Felimon Santos Jr., has tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

In a statement, Romulo-Puyat noted that she was in close contact with Santos in a meeting on March 20.

"Since I do not show any signs nor symptoms, I will not be having myself tested in order to save the limited supply of testing kits to people who truly need it. By staying at home, I will not put anyone I come in contact with at risk. The safety of those around me is my priority," she said.

Romulo-Puyat said she would continue working while on self-quarantine as the Department of Tourism's (DOT) staff members have been performing their jobs remotely since the enhanced community quarantine in Luzon began.

"Our locations will not beset us from fulfilling our duties to serve our tourists and stakeholders in this time of need," she said.

To date, the DOT has assisted 11,863 travelers nationwide while 1,466 remain stranded, mostly from Region 7 (Central Visayas), 700; Region 11 (Davao region), 218; and Region 5 (Bicol), 177. (PNA)

 



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MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) said on Saturday it has assisted 1,044 foreign tourists stranded in the Caraga region after the travel restrictions and flight cancellations due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

In a statement, the DOT said its Caraga regional office response team closely coordinated with the local government units to locate through phone, e-mail, and social media the distressed tourists and facilitate their evacuation under ECQ conditions.

Caraga localities include Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Surigao City, Butuan City, and Siargao Island.

Of this number, at least 416 stranded tourists signed up and availed of the five sweeper flights from Sayac Airport in Siargao Island to the Clark International Airport for their flight to their home countries or point-to-point (P2P) bus trips to the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) for their onward flights abroad.

Of this figure, 244 tourists were brought to the two airports on March 22 and 172 tourists on March 23.

Meanwhile, the remaining 628 stranded tourists were assisted via DOT's virtual help desk and provision of land transports.

Earlier, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said foreign governments are now "to take full responsibility in mounting the special flights from the provinces and back to their countries starting Friday" as the last of the sweeper flights mounted and funded by the Philippine government ended on Thursday.

Locsin also urged the members of the diplomatic community to advise their nationals to return home while there are still available flights, otherwise, they will have to stay in the Philippines until the end of the ECQ period.

He said at least 11,863 foreign tourists have been assisted by the DOT as of Thursday. (PNA)



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MANILA -- The Department of Tourism in Region 4B (DOT-4B) has assisted 6,371 tourists stranded, mostly in Palawan province.

The DOT southwestern Tagalog regional office, whose areas of responsibility include Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan (MIMAROPA), recently set up a command center in coordination with the region's local government units (LGUs) and facilitated the transfer of the stranded foreigners of different nationalities through 87 recovery flights of various airlines and chartered private planes in coordination with the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) and Immigration authorities.

The daily recovery flights were conducted from March 15-28, in partnership with Air Swift, Philippine Airlines, Air Asia, Cebu Pacific; and private chartered planes AV Aviation, Don Air, and Leading Edge Fokker.

Transit points included the airports of Puerto Princesa, El Nido, Busuanga and San Vicente where the DOT-4B team set up on-site registration and assisted the tourists with departure procedures, such as checking of passport and visa validity, confirmation with concerned embassies, and clearance from the local health offices.

The DOT-4B, led by Director Christopher Morales, also extended various forms of assistance to 32 domestic tourists.

Meanwhile, the provincial government of Palawan arranged the land transportation of some 275 stranded tourists from San Vicente and El Nido, Palawan going to the Puerto Princesa International Airport for recovery flights where free lunch were served.

At least 266 were assisted in their sea voyage while accommodations were arranged with establishments in Palawan for the extended stay of remaining tourists. (PR) 



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MANILA — As a tribute to all the front-liners facing the threat of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the Department of Tourism (DOT) has recently released a moving clip capturing not only these people's resilience but their sacrifices and dedication, too.

"Filipinos are known for their smiles. Even if we can't see the smiles behind the masks, their warmth can be felt in acts of compassion and kindness. As we wait out the end of this challenging time, let us never forget to show the world who we truly are: a nation of kind, caring, and compassionate people," the DOT said.

Directed by Joel Limchoc, the video was pieced together from existing user-created videos and photos already posted online in social media and the news media.

The video titled "Smile" features the men and women at the front lines such as medical health workers, grocery and convenience store clerks, delivery men, basic services and utility crew members, and the police and military officers.

Ely Buendia, who composed "With a Smile" for the legendary band, the Eraserheads, generously allowed the use of his composition while singer and songwriter Bea Lorenzo provided vocals over a sparse, cinematic reworking of the classic anthem.



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MANILA -- Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat confirmed a total of 11,549 hotel rooms for the accommodation of homebound overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are required to undergo the 14-day quarantine upon their arrival to the country.

Meanwhile, business process outsourcing (BPO) employees are currently billeted in some 13,287 hotel rooms located in the National Capital Region.

Under Administrative Order 2020-001B issued by Puyat, BPO employees fall under the category of "other guests" who may be accommodated in double occupancy rooms.

"The overwhelming show of support of the hotel sector to our government's call to make their rooms available to OFWs should somehow ease their anxiety, having to wait for another two weeks till they eventually reunite with their families. Meanwhile, we can expect more rooms as the DOT continues to encourage our private partners to extend the world-renowned Filipino hospitality to our kababayans," she said.

Puyat added that at least 209 hotels have participated to date, 160 of which are in Metro Manila that have accommodated some 5,289 OFWs who have arrived.

At least 49 of the hotels with 3,343 rooms available are located outside Metro Manila, including those in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Central and Eastern Visayas, and Davao regions, where those OFWs may be billeted near their home destinations.

Additional hotel rooms may be reserved as needed for more returning OFWs.

The arrangement for the accommodations of the returning Filipino workers is a joint effort with the departments of health and interior, in coordination with the departments of labor and foreign affairs and the inter-agency task force on the Covid-19 crisis, as provided for in Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act of 2020.

The costs of the accommodation may be shouldered by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), other national government agencies, the OFWs' recruiting agencies, or the OFWs themselves, as may be applicable.

During their quarantine, OFWs are confined to their assigned single-occupancy, fully-furnished rooms, complete with sanitation and hygiene kits, as cleared by authorized Department of Health - Bureau of Quarantine personnel. (DOT PR) 



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MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) on Wednesday vowed to help the travel and hospitality sectors hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

"The DOT assures its tourism stakeholders that it will continue to extend them assistance to cushion the impact of the crisis on the industry," the agency said in a statement following a request for relief and stimulus packages from the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA).

At present, the DOT is communicating with the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) to provide rehabilitation financing support to tourism enterprises that have been severely affected by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The DOT noted that the DBP already categorized the tourism industry under its program called Rehabilitation Support Program on Severe Events (RESPONSE) that seeks to support businesses affected by calamities.

It added that the Land Bank of the Philippines will also assist tourism stakeholders under its program called: Rehabilitation Support to Cushion Unfavorably Affected Enterprises by Covid-19 (I-RESCUE) Lending Program.

The DOT has also made representation with the Social Security System (SSS), Pag-IBIG Fund, and PhilHealth for the deferment of tourism workers' contributions.

"Upon these representations, PhilHealth has agreed to extend the deadline to remit the members' savings/contributions until two weeks after the lifting of the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) without any penalty. Pag-IBIG has also agreed to extend its deadline for payment of premium contributions for the first quarter of 2020 to 30 April 2020. Social Security System agreed to extend the deadline for the remittance of contributions until 01 June 2020," the DOT said.

The DOT is also coordinating with relevant government agencies for the requested deferment of corporate income tax payments by the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

On PTAA's request for rent and utility discounts as well as travel agency commission from airlines, the DOT said "these are normally matters governed by contracts between private parties, and not subject to government intervention" although these can be a subject of legislation to provide financing or subsidies.

"The same thing may be said for the association's request for salary and travel tour expo subsidies. All these matters will be raised by the DOT to the Congress which is also currently considering a bill granting a fiscal stimulus package to the tourism industry," the agency said.

Initial response

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the government had laid out initial programs to help tourism-related businesses since the early stages of the Covid-19 outbreak.

"To cushion the impact, the DOT and its attached agencies, even before the lockdown, laid out the response and recovery plan during the initial stages of the Covid-19 outbreak in the country with the tourism sector taking a direct hit early on," she said.

This includes the implementation of a moratorium on the collection of accreditation fees from new and renewing applicants from Tourism Enterprises (TEs) and Tourism-Related Enterprises (TREs) for the year 2020.

Among others, the DOT and the Tourism Promotions Board waived the participation fees in international fairs and exhibitions until the end of 2021 and mounted 20 sweeper flights that assisted the travel trade's stranded foreign clients.

As of April 14, the DOT said a total of 19,898 foreign tourists and 1,456 domestic tourists have been provided assistance by the agency.

The DOT was also able to help find accommodations for repatriated Filipinos, business process outsourcing (BPO) companies, and bank workers.

According to its latest data, a total of 13,116 rooms in Metro Manila for overseas Filipino workers and 25,687 rooms have been allotted for BPO agents, bank workers, and frontline health workers.

"The DOT also submitted to the Department of Labor (DOLE) the list of displaced workers from various tourism-related enterprises for cash assistance. Along with other industries, employees of tourism enterprises will be provided with a PHP5,000 to PHP8,000-wage subsidy per worker under the Department of Finance's program," the DOT said.

The agency also lobbied with the DOLE to include tourism front-liners among the recipients of Hazard Pay for the duration of the ECQ, especially those who work at accommodation establishments that house health workers and repatriated OFWs. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Department of Tourism (DOT) has launched an online training program for the country's tourism stakeholders to stay relevant and learn to cope with the difficulties arising from the global pandemic coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) and to facilitate transition to recovery.

DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the program, dubbed DOT Online Training, is done via Zoom video-conferencing and offers the stakeholders an option to use their time productively during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), which has been extended to April 30.

"The DOT is developing online courses for tourism stakeholders. This was conceptualized as an alternative to the regular training programs being conducted by the Office of Industry Manpower Development. This is our vision in embracing a new normal for our industry," Puyat said in a statement.

She added the course covers two subject areas: 1) Tourism Enterprise which involves monitoring, evaluating and learning from past and present situations to enable tourism stakeholders to prepare better for the future; and 2) Filipino Brand of Service which applies the seven Filipino values or "7Ms" that characterize Filipino hospitality -- May Likha, Makatao, Makakalikasan, Makabansa, Masayahin, May-Bayanihan and May-Pag-asa.

"We can turn the temporary inactivity during lockdown into an opportunity to enhance the quality of tourist services. We can objectively look back at our past and current performance and utilize the breathing space to plan how we can further upgrade our services in our respective areas in the industry with the values of Filipino hospitality," Puyat said.

She enjoined the tourism stakeholders to participate in the online training program, adding the department is set to develop additional modules on other topics.

"The DOT will continue to develop other online courses to enhance skills, assist and encourage stakeholders to cope, transition and move towards recovery". (PR)



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MANILA – An online version of the Philippine Harvest, a trade and food expo, was launched on Wednesday to adapt to the current health crisis and the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

Through the innovative "online trade fair", consumers may order directly from the social media accounts of participating farmers and producers and deliveries will be made via services such as GrabExpress and Lalamove.

The Department of Tourism (DOT) said the Philippine Harvest Facebook page at facebook.com/PhilippineHarvest will feature products from 27 local food producers starting April 22.

"With our efforts in taking the Philippine Harvest online, we are showing that Covid-19 will not stop our mission of making locally-sourced food sustainable and available to Filipinos," Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement.

"Not only can Filipinos continue to enjoy the best of local food products, but the hardworking farmers of our farm tourism sites and MSMEs can still receive the support they need," she added.

DOT's Philippine Harvest Trade Fair was established in 2018 in partnership with SSI Group and Central Square Mall in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig to champion the richness of Philippine agriculture, through local, organic, artisanal, and indigenous food products from each of the Philippines' regions.

The endeavor aims to link the farms and the private sector to new markets as well as promote local cuisine and ingredients amid the community quarantine.

The participation of featured merchants is free of charge, and intends to soften the economic impact of the pandemic on local food and farm producers, DOT said. (PNA)

 



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DAVAO CITY -- The Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) has welcomed the "Balik Probinsya Program" proposed by Senator Christopher Lawrence Go.

On a Facebook post on Friday, MinDA Secretary Emmanuel Piñol said he has been advocating a similar program when he was still North Cotabato governor and when he became the Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA).

Go said the whole government should learn from the experiences encountered in the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis, and provide long-term solutions to stop the current public health emergency and contain the spread of the disease.

Go said his proposal aims to resolve long-standing issues in urban areas, especially Metro Manila, which accelerates the spread of diseases due to highly-dense communities.

The problem, he said, has resulted in faster rate transmission, poor sanitation, overburdened health care facilities and inefficiencies in the delivery of services.

Piñol said that the agency has committed to help the senator in crafting the "Balik Probinsya" Program for Mindanao, taking into consideration the lessons learned from previous initiatives that will encourage people back to their home provinces to mitigate urban congestion problems.

"For example, previous attempts only involved giving urban informal settlers money for their fare back home without any viable program on how they could be reintegrated into a rural setting," he noted.

Piñol said the failed initiatives in the past had only resulted in families returning to the big cities after their financial incentives had run out.

"Today, with the announced support of President Rody Duterte to the program, MinDA staff will start working on a rural reintegration and income generation program to support the "Balik Probinsya" Program," he said.

Piñol said that depopulating the urban centers of informal settlers who troop to the big cities to find jobs and income opportunities will "definitely resolve so many social and poverty issues."

"On the other hand, informal urban dwellers who will agree to go back to their home provinces will definitely result in sufficient manpower requirements to undertake food production and rural development activities," he said. (PNA)

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ZAMBOANGA CITY – The Department of Health (DOH) has no confirmed case of 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) for a week here in the region.

Dr. Joshua Brillantes, DOH assistant regional director, said Friday the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the region remain at 12 as there is no new patient recorded in the region since Friday of last week.

Of the 12, eight are from the city, two of whom were diagnosed in Manila but listed in their hometown in Zamboanga City; the remaining four are from Zamboanga del Sur.

Brillantes said the provinces of Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga Sibugay and Isabela City have no recorded Covid-19 cases since the start of the pandemic.

Brillantes said there are 521 recorded suspected cases in the region and these are as follows: Zamboanga del Norte, 127; Zamboanga del Sur, 83; Zamboanga Sibugay, 42; Zamboanga City, 256; and, Isabela City, 13.

He said that 42 of the 521 suspected Covid-19 patients have died while 198 are admitted in the hospitals and the rest are on quarantine.

On Tuesday, Brillantes reported that there were 461 suspected Covid-19 cases in the region: Zamboanga del Norte, 120; Zamboanga del Sur, 69; Zamboanga Sibugay, 32; Zamboanga City, 227; and Isabela City, 13.

Meanwhile, Brillantes said there are no recorded probable cases of Covid-19 in the region as of Friday. (PNA)

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DAVAO CITY – In compliance with the recommendation of the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), Mayor Sara Z. Duterte announced on Friday the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) here until May 15.

Based on the IATF recommendations, Davao del Norte and Davao City are still considered high-risk, along with Davao de Oro province that will also be subjected to reassessment.

High-risk areas will be under ECQ until May 15, subject to further evaluation by health authorities. Areas under ECQ would again undergo evaluation if the decision can be relaxed starting May 16, according to IATF-MEID.

The mayor said the city government is bound to extend the ECQ after April 26, instead of adopting the less-restrictive modified community quarantine (MCQ).

Earlier, she said the team of epidemiologists and infectious disease specialists who have been advising the city's Covid-19 response had recommended the MCQ effective April 27.

"We cannot go on MCQ on Monday (April 27); we cannot go against the classification of the national government in the areas," Duterte said, adding nothing will change under the extended ECQ.

"Still, there is no mass transportation. We will apply the work-from-home scheme and the FM Pass (food and medicine pass) schedule will continue," she said.

Duterte reiterated her call to the Dabawenyos to stay home, observe social distancing, and regularly wash hands with soap and water.

"The success of ECQ will depend on your compliance," she added.

As of 8 a.m. Thursday, the city had 33 positive Covid-19 cases, 49 recoveries, and 18 deaths.

Meanwhile, Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib canceled an executive order that would have put placed the entire province under MCQ on April 27.

Davao de Oro Jayvee Tyron Uy, on the other hand, announced on Friday that the province will also extend the ECQ until May 15. (PNA)

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – The city government has placed a village here under "strict quarantine measures," after a resident in the area died of 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

The confirmation came after swab samples of the patient arrived on Friday (April 24), the Department of Health Region 10 (DOH-10) said.

City Mayor Oscar Moreno said Friday he has already ordered local officials, including barangay leaders in Sitio Pinikitan, Barangay Camaman-an, to further heighten safety and health protocols.

Moreno also advised the residents to stay in their homes as DOH and City Health Office staffers have begun extensive contact-tracing of the patient who died on April 18.

Moreno said at least 16 family members of the deceased patient have been placed on quarantine at an isolation facility set up by the city government.

Likewise, he also said the City Health Office and other health authorities are still trying to determine if the latest coronavirus case is locally-transmitted.

The patient, identified as "PH 6783" by the DOH, was a 69-year-old man who was admitted at the state-run Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC).

He showed "influenza-like symptoms" on April 10, and was brought to the NMMC on April 15.

Dr. Adriano Suba-an, DOH-10 regional director, during a separate press briefing also Friday, said that the patient had a chronic respiratory disease, diabetes, hypertension, and benign prostatic hyperplasia.

"On April 17, a swab was taken from the patient, but the test result came out Thursday (April 23)," Suba-an said.

According to the DOH-10, the city's first Covid-19 case--PH 597--was a 71-year-old male with a travel history abroad but has since tested negative after undergoing treatment at NMMC.

The second case was an 18-year-old male who died while being treated for cancer in Davao City and may have been infected with the virus during his confinement at a hospital there.

Moreno said that due to PH 6783's test result, the city government's plan to reopen commercial establishments and bring the local economy back to life may have to be put on hold as health personnel are now conducting contact-tracing and isolating the family and those who have come in contact with the infected patient.

Dr. Jose Retuya, the city epidemiologist, said they began the contact-tracing when PH 6783 was admitted at the NMMC, who was then categorized as a suspected Covid-19 case.

Meanwhile, Moreno said that he will abide by the National Inter-Agency Taskforce's recommendations on the guidelines set on local governments placed under "General Community Quarantine." (PNA)

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CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY --The chief of Lanao del Norte's provincial agriculture office has encouraged residents to do backyard farming while on community quarantine to ensure sufficient food supply and save.

Letecia Ditucalan, Lanao del Norte Provincial Agricultural Officer, said Friday her office has been distributing various vegetable seeds to the different municipalities in coordination with the Department of Agriculture Region 10 (DA-10).

The move, he said, is part of the provincial government's strategy to mitigate the impact of the 2019 coronavirus disease (Covid-19) crisis on poor families.

"We encourage the people in the province to plant even in their backyard. Their vegetable garden can be essential food source in case the quarantine or lockdown will last longer," Ditucalan said.

She also acknowledged the help provided by the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance (RFFA) of DA-10, saying it has provided significant agricultural assistance for rice farmers in the province.

"We are thankful to DA-10 for this financial assistance, which is a big help for our rice farmers. Through this, our farmers can buy fertilizers and spend it for farm labor since it is almost planting season," Ditucalan said.

"The farmers can now buy their daily needs with this assistance while they are under quarantine or lockdown," she added.

Audy G. Maagad, Meanwhile, DA-10 officer-in-charge, said he hopes the RFFA initiative would encourage Lanao del Norte's farmers to "continue with their farm works" amid the Covid-19 crisis.

Maagad led the distribution of DA-10 RFFA to 3,719 rice farmers in the 12 municipalities of Lanao del Norte on from April 20-23, 2020.

'Kadiwa on Wheels' continues

Meanwhile, farmers and consumers continue to benefit from the Kadiwa on Wheels program by DA-10 in two barangays in Cagayan de Oro City this week.

Spearheaded by the Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Division (AMAD), DA-10 continues its collaboration with the City Agriculture Office and farmer-associations in bringing agri-fishery products directly to the consumers in barangay Balulang and Gusa, this city.

Johanie Buawaya of the Canitoan Farmer's Association Multi-Purpose Cooperative is thankful that they were able to dispose their produce.

"Before, our eggplants rotted since we have difficulty in disposing them. Through DA's Kadiwa on Wheels, we earned around PHP40,000 a day."

The same response was also shared by True Chef Sales Representative Regel Capuyan, who said that Kadiwa on Wheels helped them with their sales when they had an oversupply of goods.

"We sought DA's assistance for possible market and Kadiwa was the answer," he said. (PNA)

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MANILA – Some 21 hospitals across the country will be participating in the solidarity trial that will look into the effects of different drugs on coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients, a health official said Thursday.

"Noong Lunes, kakapirma pa lang namin ng mga dokumento at naipadala na natin sa World Health Organization [WHO] at tayo ay nakapagbigay na rin ng unang listahan ng protocol, kung ano-anong ospital, ilang pasiyente ang kasama, gaano karami ang mga pangangailangan ng mga gamot (On Monday, we have signed the documents and sent them to the WHO and we've provided the first batch of protocols, which hospitals, number of patients, amount of medicines needed), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.

These hospitals include the Philippine General Hospital in Manila City, The Medical City in Pasig City, San Lazaro Hospital in Manila City, Lung Center of the Philippines in Quezon City, Research Institute for Tropical Medicine in Muntinlupa City, Baguio General Hospital in Benguet, East Avenue Medical Center in Quezon City, Makati Medical Center in Makati City, St. Lukes Medical Center Global, St. Lukes Medical Center Quezon City, University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Medical Center in Quezon City, Cardinal Santos Medical Center in San Juan City, Manila Doctors Hospital in Manila City, Manila Medical Center in Manila City, Chinese General Hospital in Manila City, San Juan de Dios Medical Center in Pasay City, Diliman Doctors Hospital in Quezon City, University of Santo Tomas Hospital in Manila City, Vicente Sotto Medical Center in Cebu City, Southern Philippines Medical Center in Davao City, and World Citi Medical Center in Quezon City.

Vergeire said there are 500 patients who will participate in the solidarity trial.

"Ang protocol na ginawa ay adaptive, maaaring mag-expand (The protocol is adaptive, it can expand) into having additional patients that can be included in the trial and might also be able to expand the time that were going to do the trial," she added.

Earlier, the WHO said the solidarity trial will compare the safety and effectiveness of four different drugs or drug combinations against Covid-19.

The WHO described it as a "historic trial" which will "dramatically cut the time needed to generate robust evidence about what drugs work".

"We'll give information tomorrow if we have submitted all the documents so we can start with the trial. The drugs will be shipped to the Philippines so this shipment will have a process but we already have a plan while the shipment is not yet here...we'll use the stocks here which will be replaced by the shipment from the WHO," Vergeire said in Filipino. (PNA)



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MANILA -- More units of RxBox biomedical device will be delivered anytime soon to hospitals, to help health workers attend to more patients while also protecting themselves during the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato dela Peña said Friday.

 

In the "Laging Handa" public briefing, dela Peña said RxBox was actually developed few years ago, with the objective of deploying these to rural areas where there are only a few clinical specialists.

 

The RxBox is capable of capturing medical signals through built-in medical sensors, storing data in an electronic medical record, and transmitting health information via internet to a clinical specialist in a hospital for expert advice.

 

It could monitor a patient's vital signs, pulse rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and even electrocardiogram readings.

 

Dela Peña said the DOST have repurposed at least 1,000 units of RxBox, for use during the Covid-19 pandemic.

 

"This (RxBox) would enable (health workers) to monitor patients without getting near them. They would be able to attend to more patients, check their vital signs, since this is very easy to use," he said.

 

An initial 200 units were delivered to the Philippine General Hospital, and a hospital in Laguna. He said the DOST already received new batteries, so deployment of more units will happen anytime soon. (PNA) 



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MANILA – Professional karter Jomar Ang succumbed to a reported serious injury that happened last January.

His parents, no less than San Miguel Corporation president Ramon Ang and wife Tessie, confirmed the news on Monday.

"Our beloved son, Jomar, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 11, 2020. It has been a painful experience, but we have been comforted by the expressions of love and sympathy sent to us is so many ways," the couple said in a statement.

Jomar Ang, the chief financial officer of RSA Motors, delved into the motorsports scene through karting along with brother Jacob.

The siblings ruled the Formula 125 Seniors Open and x30 SR divisions of the Asian Karting Championship.

"Jomar was a dutiful, loving, and kind-hearted son, brother, and a loyal and dedicated friend to many. He was a source of great joy to us and we are truly blessed to have had his love and presence in our lives. We know in our hearts that he is in a much better place now," Ramon and Tessie Ang further stated.

Meanwhile, the couple said they opted to go away with a regular funeral in favor of "a private service to celebrate his life on Easter Sunday." (PNA)



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BAGUIO CITY – International Master Paulo Bersamina scored 105 points in 43 games to win the KingHari Chess Tournament over Lichess on April 10.

Hosted by Baguio's International Master Haridas Pascua, the online tournament that drew 399 players saw Bersamina, "fastestmanalive" over Lichess, score a 72 percent winning rate.

In scoring 105, Bersamina, who is one of the five players to qualify for the 44th Chess Olympiad supposedly in August in Russia, lost only nine games in the 90 minute, play to win as many possible tournaments.

Only AJ Literatus was able to catch Bersamina in terms of speed as he also recorded 43 games but finished second with 100 points on a higher winning percentage rate of 77 percent after eight losses.

Literatus had the highest performance rate of 2710, better than the 2648 peak rating despite coming in as the highest-rated player with 2707.

IM Joel Pimentel landed third after coming in with 91 points on 40 games with eight losses for a 68 percent winning rate.

Pimentel had a performance rating of 2636.

Another IM, the 15-year-old protégé Daniel Quizon, finished fourth with 85 points.

The online tournament hosted by Pascua and staged on April 10 during the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) while games and tournaments are either postponed or canceled due to the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic.

Played on the free chess online server, players from Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam joined the competition, said the 26-year-old Mangatarem, Pangasinan-born chess master.

Pascua, who is one of the highest-rated players on the online chess server with a 2800 rating was able to get a tough field that included GM Darwin Laylo, fellow IMs Bersamina, and Quizon, FIDE (Federation Internationale des Eshekes) Master [FM] Cuaso and the 14-year-old FM Alekhine Nouri.

Pascua said that the tournament is an arena format where players must earn wins within 90 minutes with the player with the most wins winning the title.

He said that the winners, top 10, received cash prizes sent through GCash.

Pascua joined Bersamina in the 44th Chess Olympiad in Khanty-Mansiyak, Russia this August, which was moved to August next year, after ruling the Chess Olympiad qualifier last February beating Laylo and Quizon, whom he lost to in the last round.

Pascua is the second Baguio resident to reach the IM level after the late Andronico Yap in the late 80s. Yap, who died in a drowning incident in 1990 is also a University of Baguio alumnus like Pascua. 



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MANILA – The Filipinos' "Bayanihan" spirit is alive even in sports.

The Pinoy Youth Dreamers (PYD), headed by well-known coach Beaujing Acot, continues to take a more active role in providing much-needed assistance not only in the sports community but to various front-liners in the battle against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

"Even before this Covid-19 pandemic, we are already trying to help our friends in whatever way possible. We provide scholarships and conduct outreach and feeding programs. In PYD, we care a lot," said Acot, who established the basketball-oriented program seven years ago.

"And with this worldwide pandemic which greatly affected lives due to the enhanced community quarantine, we feel it is part of our obligation to lend a helping hand not only to our friends in sports but to our front-liners as well," added Acot, also the coach of Makati Super Crunch in the MPBL.

With the help of his wife Bliss and children Bailey and Baffy and friends in the sports community, PYD has already provided assistance to workers in the sports community, including referees and table officials.

Assistance was also given to hospital workers, policemen, MMDA, barangay security force, construction workers and garbage collectors.

Among the hospitals whose front-liners have benefitted from the PYD Cares program are East Avenue Medical Center, Rizal Medical Center, Mandaluyong City Medical Center, Santa Ana Hospital, Medical Center Manila, Quirino Memorial Medical Center, Cainta Municipal Hospital, VRP Hospital, Philippine Orthopedic, UST Hospital, National Center for Mental Help, Ospital ng Paranaque, Quezon City General Hospital, Ospital ng Makati and Philippine Heart Center.

"The PYD is really fortunate to have friends in the sports community who are willing to share their blessings during this most trying time," Acot said.

A former UST Tigers coach, Acot thanked Xavier Alumni Batch 92, Gary and Cathie Altuna (Abu Dhabi), Tan and Chinky Acot-Garcia (California), Andre and Marga Go (Purple Elephant), Ruel and Giselle Alvarez-Pili (PA Properties), Congressman Fidel Nograles, Paulo De Castro (MPBL), Coach Ricky Magallanes (USA), Jonathan David and Family (SR), Vino Veluz (Buddy's Pancit Lucban), Paolo Orbeta (MPBL-Makati Super Crunch), Allan Castro (Xavier '92), Mark Boceta (SOL '94)-LA California, Alsim Tacud (BSA Pasig), Ron and Edith Torres (South San Diego), Carlton Sotto (SFN), Perry Maravilla (Malabon), lawyer Charlie Cuna (SR), Dennis and Emily Balajadia, Jason Tobillo, Oliver and Cristina Horsburgh (Papua New Guinea), Joel and Girlie Caluste (Bacolod City), Rissa Gesalem (Cebu City, Maynard and Jessa Marcellano (Singapore), Francis Tiu (Mang Yelo and Mr. Yelo and BBNC Tube Ice), Civil Defense Action Group (CDAG) and Team Network Fire and Rescue Department, Tess Concepcion, Nancy's Delite, Harold Villanueva (JH Athletics), Eric and Mitch Concepcion-Reyes and Lily Vergara.

Assisting Acot are PYD Cares front-liners Harpinder Singh, Jocelyn Jacob, Coach Vengie Gabales and Coach Lito Jacob, and volunteers Coach Keno Bautista and Brian Ligtas. (PR)



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BAGUIO CITY – A young athlete member of the Philippine Muay Thai team has donated her one-month allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the purchase of relief goods for some of the city's indigent families.

Islay Erika Bomogao said that she instead gave her monthly stipend to help in the relief efforts of her councilor dad – Benny Bomogao.

The 18-year-old silver medalist during the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) said that she will also give her stipend this coming month for the relief efforts.

"The first batch (allowance) was spent for 50 solo parents at Barangay Dontogan, Green Valley here," said in a mix of English and Ilocano.

The food pack contained milk, sugar, canned goods, noodles, and rice.

"The next batch, from my incoming allowance, will be used to purchase the same goods. But we still do not know who will be the beneficiaries yet. We will see," she said.

"But then it will be up to my daddy," she told the Philippine News Agency via a private message on Monday.

The young Bomogao, who recently enrolled at the University of Baguio for a degree in teaching, said that it was her father who inspired her.

"My dad donated his pay for a month to jumpstart a relief effort for our indigent fellow Baguio citizens," she said.

"He pledged his salary while asking for help from willing donors. So I wanted to help and gave my allowance. Anyways I got a lot of blessings last year so I thought (that) this is a nice way of sharing those blessings," she said.

Bomogao finally made it to the national team after finishing her senior high.

Then was sent to Thailand for a 45 days training before she returned home to compete in the SEAG which the Philippines hosted.

Her efforts yielded her a silver medal which entitled her to a PHP300,000 incentive from the PSC, aside from a PHP25,000 Christmas bonus.

She is also entitled to a PHP20,000 cash reward from the city.

"Hopefully this will also inspire other athletes to be kind and help," she said.

Some 40 Baguio athletes won gold, silver and bronze medals in the last SEAG. A gold medalist netted PHP750,000. (PNA)



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MANILA – As the whole world continues to battle the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, chess players are now going online to continue to play the game.

This time, it will be the Philippines vs Sweden All-Female Chess Showdown on Sunday (April 26) at Lichess.

The 20-board match is being organized by Sweden-based WIM Cristine Rose Mariano-Wagman of the Philippines and her friend Susanna Berg-Laachiri of Sweden.

Games will be played online starting at 9 p.m. Sunday Manila time.

"It will be just a friendly 20-board match featuring the top female players of the Philippines and Sweden," said Mariano-Wagman, who still holds the record as the youngest female player to become a national women's champion at age 14.

"But I expect real good matches during the competition," added Mariano-Wagman, who is married to Swedish businessman Jorgen Wagman.

Woman Grand Master (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna will spearhead the Philippines' campaign in the online dual match.

Joining Mariano-Wagman and Frayna in the Philippine team are Woman International Master (WIM) Catherine Pereña-Secopito, WIM Shania Mendoza, WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, WIM Bernadette Galas, WIM Kylen Joy Mordido, WIM Vic Glysen Derotas, WFM Cherry Ann Mejia, WFM Allaney Jia Doroy, WFM Samantha Glo Revita, WFM Ella Grace Moulic, WFM Jerlyn Mae San Diego, Woman National Master Francois Marie Magpily, Rowelyn Joy Acedo, Franchell Eds Javier, Daphne Dy, Mary Joy Tan, Florence Faith S. Guevarra and Zsuzsa Tabudlong.

Sweden will be bannered by WIM Inna Agrest, WIM Christine Andersson, WIM Viktoria Johansson, Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Jelena Andric, WFM Emilia Horn, WFM Susanna Berg, Eva Johansson, Alva Ling Tran, Matia Berg, Linn Olsson, Cajsa Lindberg, Pia Franson, Yvonne Wetterling, Angelica Lindberg, Victoria Stromberg, Paula Svensson, Konah Anderrsson, Ofelia Eriksson, Julia Östensson and Helena Gustafsson.

Well-known Swedish GM Pia Cramling will not play in the friendly match but will join as live commentator-observer.

Although she acquired her Swedish citizenship in 2016, Mariano-Wagman said she chose to play for Team Philippines during the friendly match.

"Gusto nga po sana nila na maglaro ako sa Swedish team, pero pinili ko sa Philippines para ma-inspire ko ang mga kababayan natin (They want me to play for Sweden team but I chose to play for the Philippines to inspire countrymen)," said Mariano-Wagman, who also now has a six-year-old son named Logan. (PR)



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TOKYO – Organizers of the Tokyo Olympic Games are angry at the unilateral comment from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) that Japan will pay the additional cost for the postponed Tokyo Games.

In a Q&A post on its website, the IOC said, "Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed that Japan will continue to cover the costs it would have done under the terms of the existing agreement for 2020, and the IOC will continue to be responsible for its share of the costs.

"For the IOC, it is already clear that this amounts to several hundred millions of dollars of additional costs."

Tokyo 2020 spokesman Masa Takaya told reporters at an online briefing, "We think it is not appropriate for the PM's name to be quoted in this manner."

He said that Tokyo 2020 had sent an email to the IOC to request the IOC to remove the comment from their website.

"We are requesting the IOC team that the name of the Prime Minister should not be quoted and the website should not express comments beyond what we agreed," he said.

"We haven't received any response," he said.

He said that during the teleconference on March 24 between the Prime Minister and IOC President Thomas Bach, the issue about who should pay the cost was not talked about.

Takaya admitted that although Tokyo 2020 is looking to host the Games in the summer of 2021, no one can predict "accurately" when the pandemic will end.

"Tokyo 2020, the IOC and relevant organizations will keep assessing the common issue," he said.



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BAGUIO CITY – National athletes from the Muay Thai Association of the Philippines (MAP) started receiving on Tuesday PHP5,000 financial assistance from their mother sports association.

Jearome Calica, a gold medalist from the 33rd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in November last year, received the assistance on April 21.

"Maraming salamat po (Thank you)!" posted Calica on MAP president Lucas Managuelod's social media account after receiving his PHP5,000 financial assistance from the Philippine National Bank which was transmitted to his LandBank of the Philippines through InstaPay.

LandBank is the official bank for national athletes.

"MAP is the best. But I haven't checked if there is already," said 18-year-old Islay Erika Bomogao although she was told that it will be sent through her ATM account.

"I don't know what to do with it yet, but I already told my mom about it and she jokingly said to buy groceries. So maybe that," she told the Philippine News Agency.

Aside from the two, muay Thai athletes from the Cordilleras include Jennilyn Olsim and Rusha Bayacsan, who won silver medals in the last SEAG in the combat side and waikru-taksa and simulated fight.

Ariel Lampacan on the combat side of the sport won a gold medal in the last SEAG.

The four athletes all won medals in the last SEAG with Calica taking home a gold, while the three female athletes brought home silver medals.

Bomogao said that there are eight other Cordilleran members of the national team-- Alexis Mayag-as, Shaquille Soriano, Bryan Aban, Ezra Saclag, Aldrich Toralba, Liane Benito, Hansel Bilog and Team Lakay founder Mark Sangiao's son Jhanlo.

Former University of Baguio boxing team member Billy Alumno is one of the national coaches of MAP and is entitled to receive a PHP5,000 stipend.

In his letter to all athletes dated April 22, Managuelod said that the money was released as a supplemental allowance for all athletes and coaches.

"We know that the past few weeks have been difficult and challenging for our fellow Filipinos. The Covid-19 (coronavirus disease) pandemic has brought uncertainties for the future that affect the overall well-being of everyone," he said.

He added that in giving the supplemental allowance, MAP has "recognize(d) the hardships and sacrifice that our athletes and coaches continue to make in ensuring that they remain dedicated to their responsibilities and expectations of their governing bodies."

He said that it has prompted the MAP to grant the supplemental budget "to augment their monthly allowance from the Philippine Sports Commission."

Bomogao has recently donated her month's allowance for the relief efforts initiated by her father, councilor Benny Bomogao.

She is also expected to donate her incoming allowance for the same project as she is trying to inspire her fellow athletes to donate their allowance for the worthy project. (PNA)



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ANKARA – Spanish football powerhouse Barcelona will give a sponsor naming rights to the Camp Nou stadium for the first time to raise funds for the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the club announced on Tuesday.

In a statement, the club said its board of directors has "approved the ceding of the title rights to Camp Nou for the season 2020-2021 to the Barca Foundation to raise money to invest in research projects being carried out in Catalonia and the rest of the world involved in the fight against the effects of Covid-19."

The foundation will now look for a sponsor who will be able to rename the Camp Nou stadium for one season – the first time in the iconic venue's more than six-decade history.

Camp Nou, which has a capacity of nearly 99,000, has been Barcelona's home since 1957.

Commercializing stadium names through sponsorship deals has been a rising trend worldwide in recent years as it allows clubs to generate extra revenue.

Europe, along with the US, is the hardest-hit area in the world in the coronavirus pandemic.

Spain has the highest number of cases – more than 204,100 – in the continent and its death toll of more than 21,200 is behind only the US' more than 43,600 and Italy's more than 24,600.

More than 2.5 million cases have been reported in 185 countries and regions since the virus emerged in China last December, with the death toll close to 172,000 and nearly 660,000 recoveries, according to data compiled by the US' Johns Hopkins University. 



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MANILA – While everyone in the sports community is feeling the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19), the Community Basketball Association (CBA) Pilipinas is doing its best to help.

CBA Pilipinas is now working closely with the Inner Wheel Club of Rosario Diamond and the Rotary Club of Heroes Hills District 3780 to assist medical workers and other front-liners in the fight against Covid-19.

Carlo Maceda, founding president of CBA Pilipinas, said CBA and Inner Wheel Club of Rosario Diamond and the Rotary Club of Heroes Hills District 3780 have donated PHP10,000 worth of liquid disinfectant "Master Disinfector" to the Philippine National Police in Camp Vicente Lim in Calamba, Laguna.

Face shields and masks sponsored by IWC Chinatown were also turned over to PNP front-liners.

Answering President Rodrigo Duterte's "We Heal as One" program, CBA also provided food packs to doctors, health workers and other front-liners at the Philippine Heart Center and Lung Center of the Philippines in the past weeks.

"We at CBA Pilipinas, Inner Wheel Club of Rosario Diamond and Rotary Club of Heroes Hills District 3780 feel blessed to be able to lend a helping hand to our front-liners now working hard to prevent the spread of the virus," said Maceda, a well-known actor-director who founded the CBA in 2018.

"We are very thankful to all our friends in the CBA for their generous support to our program to support our front-liners. Tuluy-tuloy lang ang tulong (assistance will continue)," he added.

Maceda lauded the hard work of his wife Derlyn, who is CBA vice president for corporate social responsibility, charter president of Inner Wheel Club Rosario Diamond and president-elect of Rotary Club Heroes Hills.

Last month, CBA declared defending champion San Juan Knights Navy and Palayan City Capitals as co-champions in the 2020 CBA-Pilipinas basketball tournament.

Maceda said the decision was reached upon consultation with officials of both San Juan and Palayan City due to the Luzon-wide enhanced community quarantine.

Team managers Christopher Conwi of San Juan Knights Navy and Ryan Ripalda of Palayan City Capitals signed on behalf of their respective teams.

Palayan, which is handled by veteran coach Alvin Grey, drew first blood with a 79-74 win in the opener of the best-of-three title showdown last Feb. 29.

But San Juan, coached by Randy Alcantara, evened the series with a 74-66 victory in Game 2 held in Gapan City last March 8.

The Covid-19 outbreak forced the cancellation of the scheduled Game 3. (PR)



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MANILA – As the whole world continues to battle the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic, chess players are now going online to continue to play the game.

This time, it will be the Philippines vs Sweden All-Female Chess Showdown on Sunday (April 26) at Lichess.

The 20-board match is being organized by Sweden-based WIM Cristine Rose Mariano-Wagman of the Philippines and her friend Susanna Berg-Laachiri of Sweden.

Games will be played online starting at 9 p.m. Sunday Manila time.

"It will be just a friendly 20-board match featuring the top female players of the Philippines and Sweden," said Mariano-Wagman, who still holds the record as the youngest female player to become a national women's champion at age 14.

"But I expect real good matches during the competition," added Mariano-Wagman, who is married to Swedish businessman Jorgen Wagman.

Woman Grand Master (WGM) Janelle Mae Frayna will spearhead the Philippines' campaign in the online dual match.

Joining Mariano-Wagman and Frayna in the Philippine team are Woman International Master (WIM) Catherine Pereña-Secopito, WIM Shania Mendoza, WIM Marie Antoinette San Diego, WIM Bernadette Galas, WIM Kylen Joy Mordido, WIM Vic Glysen Derotas, WFM Cherry Ann Mejia, WFM Allaney Jia Doroy, WFM Samantha Glo Revita, WFM Ella Grace Moulic, WFM Jerlyn Mae San Diego, Woman National Master Francois Marie Magpily, Rowelyn Joy Acedo, Franchell Eds Javier, Daphne Dy, Mary Joy Tan, Florence Faith S. Guevarra and Zsuzsa Tabudlong.

Sweden will be bannered by WIM Inna Agrest, WIM Christine Andersson, WIM Viktoria Johansson, Woman FIDE Master (WFM) Jelena Andric, WFM Emilia Horn, WFM Susanna Berg, Eva Johansson, Alva Ling Tran, Matia Berg, Linn Olsson, Cajsa Lindberg, Pia Franson, Yvonne Wetterling, Angelica Lindberg, Victoria Stromberg, Paula Svensson, Konah Anderrsson, Ofelia Eriksson, Julia Östensson and Helena Gustafsson.

Well-known Swedish GM Pia Cramling will not play in the friendly match but will join as live commentator-observer.

Although she acquired her Swedish citizenship in 2016, Mariano-Wagman said she chose to play for Team Philippines during the friendly match.

"Gusto nga po sana nila na maglaro ako sa Swedish team, pero pinili ko sa Philippines para ma-inspire ko ang mga kababayan natin (They want me to play for Sweden team but I chose to play for the Philippines to inspire countrymen)," said Mariano-Wagman, who also now has a six-year-old son named Logan. (PR)



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DAGUPAN CITY —The city government here confirmed on Friday an additional four new coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients, bringing the total cases in the city to 11.

 

The Dagupan City Public Information Office (PIO) posted on its Facebook page that the laboratory test results received by the city government from the Baguio General Hospital indicated that the new cases are three medical front-liners and a 37-year-old woman.

 

"The medical front-liners work at the Region 1 Medical Center (R1MC), where they were exposed to Covid-19 cases being treated there. The 37-year-old woman, a resident of Barangay Bonuan Boquig, has a travel history to Mabini town Pangasinan, which she reached by foot," the post stated.

 

The PIO added the Department of Health and the City Health Office had begun conducting contact tracing.

 

Of the total 11 cases in the city, eight were medical front-liners.

 

"Mayor Marc Brian Lim reiterated his appeal to city residents to stay home and strictly follow quarantine rules," the PIO said.

 

Lim extended the extreme enhanced community quarantine (EECQ) in the city after President Rodrigo Duterte earlier extended the ECQ in Pangasinan until May 15, the post added.

 

The additional four new cases in Dagupan City ended the zero new cases trend in Pangasinan since April 15 when the number of confirmed cases remained at 36.

 

Of the total number of cases in the province, 23 have already recovered, while nine patients have died.

 

In a previous radio interview, Provincial Health Office chief, Dr. Anna Ma. Teresa de Guzman, attributed the big recovery rate in Pangasinan to the better treatment procedures by front-liners in the health sector and also to the early consultation of patients.

 

"The people of Pangasinan should follow home quarantine regulations, including social distancing strictly and to always wear face masks in public," she said.

 

De Guzman added the four remaining cases admitted to the hospitals are in stable condition with a strong chance to recover.

 

Two of the remaining cases are from Urdaneta City and one is from Laoac town, who are all confined at the Pangasinan Provincial Hospital in San Carlos City. The other patient from Dagupan City is currently confined at the Region 1 Medical Center.

 

The latest recovered patients in the province are a male from Rosales town and a female from Bayambang town.

 

The 49-year-old male from Rosales town was admitted at the PPH on April 5, while the 31-year-old female from Bayambang town was confined at her home since March 17.

 

There are a total of 230 suspect cases in the province as of 7 p.m. April 23. 

 

Of the total number, 164 have already recovered from the symptoms, while 44 have died, and 22 are still admitted to the hospitals.

 

The PHO confirmed that out of the 44 suspect cases who died, 37 have tested negative for Covid-19 while five are awaiting test results and one whose specimen was not collected.

 

Pangasinan is among the high-risk areas that will remain under ECQ until May 15. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Joint Task Force Corona Virus Shield (JTF CV Shield) on Friday said it will remain vigilant after President Rodrigo Duterte has extended anew the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other 'high risk' areas amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Joint Task Force Covid Shield commander, Lt. Gen. Guillermo Eleazar, said while the ECQ will still be in place in these areas until mid-May, the implementation of quarantine measures will be partly eased in most provinces and regions of the country which will be placed under a general community quarantine after April 30.

"Our troops in those areas are expected to remain vigilant and continue to implement the guideline of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) pertaining to this," Eleazar said in a statement.

Currently, the PNP has around 64,000 personnel for the enforcement of the ECQ and a standby force of 43,000 personnel ready to be deployed.

Eleazar said that the JTF CV Shield is currently waiting for the guidelines of the IATF-EID on the implementation of quarantine measures beyond April 30.

"Will wait for the details of any changes or any additional guidelines from the IATF-MEID that will serve as the basis in the implementation of the ECQ and General Community Quarantine or GCQ," he said.

Eleazar welcomed the development because as far as the JTF CV Shield is concerned, the recommendation of the IATF-EID which was approved by the President is a form of recognition of the hard work and sacrifices of uniformed personnel in preventing further spread of Covid-19.

"Through the dedication and determination of every member of the JTF Covid Shield to protect the Filipinos from COVID-19, we were able to do our part in the national government's effort to save as many of our countrymen from being infected and prevent our territory from being overwhelmed by this unseen enemy," he said.

He also lauded the sacrifices of uniformed personnel as the government's main front-liners who continue to fulfill their mandate despite the intense social media bashing, name-calling and unfair allegations being hurled at them.

Meanwhile, PNP spokesman, Brig. Gen. Bernard Banac said the police are ready for the changes in the implementation of quarantine measures.

He said all arrested individuals would be brought to temporary holding facility or other holding areas in police stations.

He added that the PNP has enough equipment and medical support for the policemen. Regular rotation of duty of the police assigned in control points is also being observed.

"Rotation of duty for police officers deployed in ECQ duties remains regular to give them a chance to undergo quarantine and prepare for their next duty. With the help of the LGU and cooperation of the people, the implementation of the lockdown will be easier," he said in a statement.

On the other hand, more than 100,000 families have received assistance from the police from the "Kapwa Ko, Sagot Ko" program.

Under the said program, PNP personnel provide aid to families during the implementation of the ECQ. (PNA)



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MANILA – Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday said he will first consult leaders of the House of Representatives on how they would convene for the resumption of the session on May 4, as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been extended anew in Metro Manila and other select areas.

Cayetano said the lower chamber would most likely hold sessions in a virtual platform, similar to the special session last March 23 when it passed the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

It was the first time in the chamber's history to hold a "virtual" session to strictly observe social distancing measures, wherein only around 21 lawmakers were physically present while the remaining 279 House members participated via teleconferencing.

"Well, I have to consult the leaders of the House but most probably kung paano din nag convene nung March 23 (it would be similar [to the session] convened on March 23). Totoo po na may risk, totoo po na may danger (The risk is real; the danger is real)," Cayetano told reporters in an interview.

"Pero ang katotohanan kailangan makita ng tao na may gobyerno, na yung gobyerno nagtatrabaho para sa kanila (But the truth is the people need to see that the government is working for them). So we will take all the precautions," he added.

Cayetano said the chamber would be prioritizing the stimulus bill seeking to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic on the Philippine economy.

He noted that the House would also look into the 2019 and 2020 national budgets to see if the Department of Budget and Management is canceling "the right projects".

"Remember, there's life after Covid or life after ECQ. And life after ECQ, siguro may Covid pa rin (Covid-19 would still probably be there), but it still means that dapat development sa bawat sulok ng ating bansa (there should be development in every corner of the country)," he said.

"Meron po tayo talagang mga project na apektado at kailangan magsakripisyo pero meron ding mga (We have projects that would be affected and must be sacrificed, and we have) priorities and the law we gave them, empower them," he added.

In a recorded public address aired Friday on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to extend ECQ until May 15 in areas with high cases of Covid-19 to effectively stop the contagion.

Roque said ECQ would be maintained in Metro Manila, Benguet, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, and Catanduanes, Davao del Norte, and Davao City. (PNA)




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MANILA – Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Friday said he will first consult leaders of the House of Representatives on how they would convene for the resumption of the session on May 4, as the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) has been extended anew in Metro Manila and other select areas.

Cayetano said the lower chamber would most likely hold sessions in a virtual platform, similar to the special session last March 23 when it passed the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.

It was the first time in the chamber's history to hold a "virtual" session to strictly observe social distancing measures, wherein only around 21 lawmakers were physically present while the remaining 279 House members participated via teleconferencing.

"Well, I have to consult the leaders of the House but most probably kung paano din nag convene nung March 23 (it would be similar [to the session] convened on March 23). Totoo po na may risk, totoo po na may danger (The risk is real; the danger is real)," Cayetano told reporters in an interview.

"Pero ang katotohanan kailangan makita ng tao na may gobyerno, na yung gobyerno nagtatrabaho para sa kanila (But the truth is the people need to see that the government is working for them). So we will take all the precautions," he added.

Cayetano said the chamber would be prioritizing the stimulus bill seeking to mitigate the impact of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic on the Philippine economy.

He noted that the House would also look into the 2019 and 2020 national budgets to see if the Department of Budget and Management is canceling "the right projects".

"Remember, there's life after Covid or life after ECQ. And life after ECQ, siguro may Covid pa rin (Covid-19 would still probably be there), but it still means that dapat development sa bawat sulok ng ating bansa (there should be development in every corner of the country)," he said.

"Meron po tayo talagang mga project na apektado at kailangan magsakripisyo pero meron ding mga (We have projects that would be affected and must be sacrificed, and we have) priorities and the law we gave them, empower them," he added.

In a recorded public address aired Friday on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque confirmed that Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to extend ECQ until May 15 in areas with high cases of Covid-19 to effectively stop the contagion.

Roque said ECQ would be maintained in Metro Manila, Benguet, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, and Catanduanes, Davao del Norte, and Davao City. (PNA)



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MANILA – The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the entire Luzon remains effective until April 30, Malacañang clarified on Friday.

The clarification was made after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposed implementation of ECQ in select areas that are deemed at "high risk" for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), as well as the imposition of a general community quarantine (GCQ) in "moderate- and low-risk" areas.

In a virtual presser aired on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the ECQ and GCQ enforcement would take effect only from May 1 to 15.

"Bagama't may mga area ngayon na sinabi na mapapasailalim sa GCQ, ang effectivity po ng GCQ ay May 1. Sa ngayon po, lahat po tayo ay nasa ilalim ng ECQ (Although there are areas that will be under GCQ, its effectivity will be on May 1. As of now, we are still under ECQ)," Roque said.

Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other high-risk areas will remain under ECQ until May 15, subject to evaluation to determine whether it can be relaxed afterward.

"I-maintain ang current ECQ sa NCR (Metro Manila), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Calabarzon), and iba pang mga lugar na mataas po ang risk hanggang May 15 and to evaluate further pagkatapos po ng May 15 (The current ECQ will be maintained in the NCR, Region 3, Region 4-A, and other high-risk areas until May 15. It will be evaluated further after May 15)," Roque said.

Strict home quarantine, work stoppage and suspended mass public transportation have been implemented in areas under ECQ.

Meanwhile, the movement of people in areas under GCQ would be limited to accessing basic necessities and work.

He said the GCQ in low-risk provinces might be relaxed by May 15, in case there is "no deterioration in condition."

Situation in areas under ECQ, GCQ

Roque noted that in areas under ECQ and GCQ, all airports and seaports would be opened for "movement of goods only."

Starting May 1, there will also be several changes in areas under GCQ, he said.

In areas under GCQ, workers would be allowed to go out and work in phases, Roque said, adding that the government would also authorize the "100 percent" opening of agriculture, fishery, and forestry; food manufacturing; food retail; health care; logistics; water; energy; Internet and telecommunications; and media.

He added that the "50 to 100 percent" opening of electronics and exports; electric commerce and delivery of essential and non-essential items; repair and maintenance services; and housing and office services in moderate- to low-risk areas are likewise approved.

Roque said the "50 percent" on-site work and "50 percent" work-from-home scheme of financial services; business process outsourcing; other non-leisure wholesale and retail trade; and other non-leisure services would be applied in areas under GCQ beginning May 1.

Restricted mall opening, resumption of priority and essential construction projects, buying of goods and services, operation of some public transport modes, and enforcement of curfew at night for non-workers would also be observed in moderate- to low-risk areas, he said.

Supermarkets, drugstores, banks, laundry service, restaurants offering takeout or delivery, and hardware can resume operations once GCQ is implemented, Roque added.

People aged 21 years to 59 years would be allowed to go to malls, so long as they have identification cards and are not sick, undergo mandatory temperature checks, wear a face mask, and use alcohol.

Mall operators are required to limit the number of people inside the establishment, set the air conditioning's temperature to 26 degrees, remove free Wi-Fi, and provide face masks and gloves to employees.

Local government units (LGUs) in areas under GCQ should also consider "reprioritizing" the distribution of cash relief under the Special Amelioration Program (SAP) to people living in high-risk areas, Roque said.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who joined Roque at the virtual presser, noted that more than 91 percent of funds for the implementation of the SAP had been downloaded to LGUs.

"Ngayon na nasa LGU na ang pera, sisiguruhin namin na makakapag-comply sila (Now that the LGUs have received the money, we will make sure that they are complying)," Año said. "'Yung mga hindi nabayaran, lalo na dito sa Luzon, babalikan natin at ibibigay natin yung amelioration (Those who are did not receive the money, especially those from Luzon, will get the amelioration)."

Roque said LGUs should also consider allowing the higher education institutions' school year to finish and give credentials to students.

He added that there was also a proposal from the Department of Education (DepEd) to resume classes by September.

Roque, however, said the recommendation would still be "subject to compliance with the law."

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the DepEd is expected to present new recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

"Hintayin na lang po natin ang DepEd kung mag-present. Ang IATF ang magsabi kung policy na (Let's just wait for the DepEd's presentation. The IATF will decide whether it will become a policy)," Chua said.

Under the law, the school opening shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August. (PNA)



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MANILA – The enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the entire Luzon remains effective until April 30, Malacañang clarified on Friday.

The clarification was made after President Rodrigo Duterte approved the proposed implementation of ECQ in select areas that are deemed at "high risk" for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), as well as the imposition of a general community quarantine (GCQ) in "moderate- and low-risk" areas.

In a virtual presser aired on state-run PTV-4, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the ECQ and GCQ enforcement would take effect only from May 1 to 15.

"Bagama't may mga area ngayon na sinabi na mapapasailalim sa GCQ, ang effectivity po ng GCQ ay May 1. Sa ngayon po, lahat po tayo ay nasa ilalim ng ECQ (Although there are areas that will be under GCQ, its effectivity will be on May 1. As of now, we are still under ECQ)," Roque said.

Metro Manila, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and other high-risk areas will remain under ECQ until May 15, subject to evaluation to determine whether it can be relaxed afterward.

"I-maintain ang current ECQ sa NCR (Metro Manila), Region 3 (Central Luzon), Region 4-A (Calabarzon), and iba pang mga lugar na mataas po ang risk hanggang May 15 and to evaluate further pagkatapos po ng May 15 (The current ECQ will be maintained in the NCR, Region 3, Region 4-A, and other high-risk areas until May 15. It will be evaluated further after May 15)," Roque said.

Strict home quarantine, work stoppage and suspended mass public transportation have been implemented in areas under ECQ.

Meanwhile, the movement of people in areas under GCQ would be limited to accessing basic necessities and work.

He said the GCQ in low-risk provinces might be relaxed by May 15, in case there is "no deterioration in condition."

Situation in areas under ECQ, GCQ

Roque noted that in areas under ECQ and GCQ, all airports and seaports would be opened for "movement of goods only."

Starting May 1, there will also be several changes in areas under GCQ, he said.

In areas under GCQ, workers would be allowed to go out and work in phases, Roque said, adding that the government would also authorize the "100 percent" opening of agriculture, fishery, and forestry; food manufacturing; food retail; health care; logistics; water; energy; Internet and telecommunications; and media.

He added that the "50 to 100 percent" opening of electronics and exports; electric commerce and delivery of essential and non-essential items; repair and maintenance services; and housing and office services in moderate- to low-risk areas are likewise approved.

Roque said the "50 percent" on-site work and "50 percent" work-from-home scheme of financial services; business process outsourcing; other non-leisure wholesale and retail trade; and other non-leisure services would be applied in areas under GCQ beginning May 1.

Restricted mall opening, resumption of priority and essential construction projects, buying of goods and services, operation of some public transport modes, and enforcement of curfew at night for non-workers would also be observed in moderate- to low-risk areas, he said.

Supermarkets, drugstores, banks, laundry service, restaurants offering takeout or delivery, and hardware can resume operations once GCQ is implemented, Roque added.

People aged 21 years to 59 years would be allowed to go to malls, so long as they have identification cards and are not sick, undergo mandatory temperature checks, wear a face mask, and use alcohol.

Mall operators are required to limit the number of people inside the establishment, set the air conditioning's temperature to 26 degrees, remove free Wi-Fi, and provide face masks and gloves to employees.

Local government units (LGUs) in areas under GCQ should also consider "reprioritizing" the distribution of cash relief under the Special Amelioration Program (SAP) to people living in high-risk areas, Roque said.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, who joined Roque at the virtual presser, noted that more than 91 percent of funds for the implementation of the SAP had been downloaded to LGUs.

"Ngayon na nasa LGU na ang pera, sisiguruhin namin na makakapag-comply sila (Now that the LGUs have received the money, we will make sure that they are complying)," Año said. "'Yung mga hindi nabayaran, lalo na dito sa Luzon, babalikan natin at ibibigay natin yung amelioration (Those who are did not receive the money, especially those from Luzon, will get the amelioration)."

Roque said LGUs should also consider allowing the higher education institutions' school year to finish and give credentials to students.

He added that there was also a proposal from the Department of Education (DepEd) to resume classes by September.

Roque, however, said the recommendation would still be "subject to compliance with the law."

Acting Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua said the DepEd is expected to present new recommendations to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

"Hintayin na lang po natin ang DepEd kung mag-present. Ang IATF ang magsabi kung policy na (Let's just wait for the DepEd's presentation. The IATF will decide whether it will become a policy)," Chua said.

Under the law, the school opening shall start on the first Monday of June but not later than the last day of August. (PNA)



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MANILA – Several senators on Friday supported President Rodrigo Duterte's decision to extend the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and other high-risk areas in the country until May 15.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian said the ECQ extension in high-risk areas buys the government time to boost its testing capabilities to further prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

"We are winning the war.. we are slowly flattening the curve. Lifting it (ECQ) prematurely, our efforts might go to waste and I think this is the most conservative and the most prudent decision," he said in a televised interview.

He said that easing the ECQ over low-risk areas or provinces with zero Covid-19 cases would now allow small and medium businesses to interact slowly and do business in these areas.

"These small businesses can thrive and make the local economy work, at least may income ang mga kababayan natin doon at hindi sila aasa sa ayuda ng gobyerno (our countrymen in those areas would have income and not depend on government assistance)," Gatchalian said.

Senator Sonny Angara said Duterte was just exercising the "required caution and diligence" of a good father of a family.

"The decision was based on consultations with several experts and department heads based on the data on cases as well as the experience of other countries I'm sure. Countries which relaxed their quarantines too early saw early gains being erased by virus outbreaks," he said in a statement.

He said he is hoping that the government, hopefully, aided by media, would advise local government units (LGUs), especially barangay officials, on the dos and don'ts of the general community quarantine (GCQ).

"Otherwise baka happy-happy ulit and magkahawaan (people might become too relaxed and the virus will spread). Important to remember that we are only as strong as our weakest links," Angara said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson said that it cannot be denied that the ECQ has contributed to minimizing the spread of the virus, despite some missteps and shortcomings of some government agencies.

"That said, an extension is necessary for highly infected areas as identified by the President to sustain social distancing as an indispensable aspect of our country's fight against Covid-19," he said in a separate statement.

"Unfortunately, the virus dictates when to end the lockdown, not the other way around. It doesn't mean though that government will not adopt other measures to save our economy from imminent recession," he added.

Senate President Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, on the other hand, said that President Duterte's decision "was expected," and urged the government to prepare for mass testing, isolation, and treatment, as well as to invest more on health care infrastructure.

"We will eventually have to allow people to get back to work little by little," he said.

Senator Grace Poe said extending the ECQ in high-risk areas is a "cautious and calculated step" that, at the very least, buys the country more time.

"We have to be discerning on our next steps so as not to squander whatever gains we have achieved," she said.

She also urged concerned agencies to work double-time so that all forms of assistance reach target families who are in need.

"We also ask the police, military, and local government unit personnel to exercise the highest degree of restraint as they enforce the lockdown," she said.

Poe urged Filipinos in high-risk areas to obey ECQ protocols and stay at home for their own safety.

"By adhering to a well-thought-out and data-based plan, together, we will inch closer to minimizing the pandemic and breathing life once again into our communities and the economy," she said. (PN



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MANILA – President Rodrigo R. Duterte's decision to extend the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila and some areas in the country involved thorough thinking and consultation, a prelate said Friday. 

"I am sure that it was a well-thought decision after consulting some important government agencies," Cubao Bishop Honesto Ongtioco said in a statement.

Ongtioco said he is convinced that the decision is for the "good and safety of the people".

Meanwhile, a Manila priest said the government should have a plan to ensure that the people would not go hungry during the quarantine period.

"By deciding to extend it, the government should better be ready with stimulus packages that will keep the people from hunger and the adverse effects of isolation," said Fr. Jerome Secillano of the Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Parish in Sampaloc, Manila.

Secillano said if people are assured of aid and wages even without working, their burden would be less.

On Friday, Duterte announced that the ECQ, which was originally set to end on April 30, has been extended to two more weeks or until May 15 in Metro Manila, Benguet, Pangasinan, Bataan, Bulacan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Batangas, Laguna, Cavite, Rizal, Quezon, Oriental Mindoro, Occidental Mindoro, Albay, Catanduanes, Davao del Norte, and Davao City.

The ECQ was implemented in Luzon to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). (PNA)



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MANILA – Over 400 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Davao Region were able to avail of the cash aid from the government amounting to more than PHP4 million, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) reported on Friday.

In a statement, the OWWA Regional Office 11 (Davao Region) said as of Thursday, it has released a total of PHP4.2 million cash assistance to 420 out of 550 approved and qualified beneficiaries of the DOLE-Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong (AKAP) program.

As of Thursday, the OWWA Davao Region has received a total of 3,463 applications since its launch on April 13.

"After a thorough assessment and evaluation of the submitted documents, 550 applications have been approved and endorsed to DOLE 11 for the disbursement of the financial assistance. A total of PHP8.9 million is allotted for Region 11 from the DOLE Covid-19 Adjustment Measures Program (CAMP)," it said.

It added that the remaining beneficiaries are expected to be able to claim the same assistance through M Lhuillier cash remittance service.

The DOLE-AKAP for OFWs is a one-time cash assistance worth PHP10,000 intended for displaced land-based and sea-based (regular/undocumented) workers, returning workers (Balik Manggagawa) to their jobsites but were stranded in the Philippines.

Also qualified under the program are undocumented OFWs who have experienced job displacement due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

Qualified applicants may log in to dole-akap.owwa.gov.ph and submit their application form and required documents online. More details of the program are available at owwa.gov.ph.

At present, OWWA 11 evaluators are still processing the applications for endorsement to DOLE.

Approved OFW applicants will be notified and may claim the cash assistance at any M Lhuillier branch.

"As of April 23, 2020, many OFWs have claimed their financial assistance. They sincerely extend their gratitude to DOLE and OWWA through the agencies' hotline numbers, email accounts and Facebook page. According to them, the cash assistance they received would greatly help their families in sustaining their needs amidst COVID 19 pandemic," it added. (PNA)



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MANILA – Metro Manila police officers have raised more than PHP30 million in personal contributions to the Philippine National Police' (PNP) 'Team PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge' aimed at supporting government response efforts to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

In a statement released on Friday, the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) said this exceeded the unit's original target of PHP25.7 million from 25,805 personnel of the NCRPO and 116 personnel of its Regional Support Units (RSUs).

"There is no standard amount specified for their contribution. It is purely voluntary for we know that they, too, have families who are affected by this health crisis and most of them are sole providers," NCRPO chief Maj. Gen. Debold Sinas, said.

The top three donors were the Quezon City Police District with PHP5.3 million; Eastern Police District with PHP4.87 million; and Northern Police District with PHP4.45 million.

The Manila Police District, Southern Police District, and Regional Headquarters also donated more than the targeted sum of donations for the project.

"This reflects the innate generosity of our police officers towards their community amid the fight against the unseen. Verily, their selfless dedication in putting the people above and beyond their personal and family needs deserves commendation and accolades" Sinas said.

The NCRPO's donations for the Team PNP Bayanihan Fund Challenge will be turned over to the Finance Service, which in turn will deposit it to the "PNP Support Funds" account at the Landbank of the Philippines. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Friday formally handed over a newly-constructed emergency quarantine facility (EQF) to the La Consolacion University General Hospital (LCUGH) in Plaridel, Bulacan.

Navy Captain Jonathan Zata, AFP public affairs office chief, said the 15-bed air-conditioned EQF is a project of Architect William Ti of the WTA Architecture + Design Studio under the 'We Build As One' initiative.

The project's construction team is led by Engineer Felipe Agustin.

The facility was completed through the efforts of the Office of The Chief Engineer, AFP led by Brig. Gen. William Ilagan, through the 355th Aviation Engineering Wing of the Philippine Air Force, Zata said.

The EQF is designed for hospitals and institutions that are at maximum capacity to provide proper facilities for patients who need to undergo quarantine.

The turnover and blessing ceremony was attended by Agustin, Col. Arnfin Arce, AFP Deputy Chief Engineer; and Dr. Manny Aves, LCUGH Director.

The LCUGH is being administered by a religious organization.

As of April 23, the hospital has one probable case and one suspect case of Covid-19.

It currently accepts patients having mild symptoms of the disease.

The WTA is collectively pushing to build a total of 62 emergency quarantine facilities within and outside Metro Manila.

On its 28th day of construction, it has completed 39 EQFs while 23 are still being built.

Meanwhile, the AFP received donations consisting of 20,000 surgical masks; 20,000 pairs of surgical gloves; 4,000 pieces of 125-ml bottles of disinfecting alcohol; 1,000 pieces of adjustable protective eyewear; and 41,600 canned goods.

AFP Chief-of-Staff, General Felimon T. Santos, Jr., presided over the turn-over ceremony on Friday afternoon at the General Headquarters canopy area in Camp Aguinaldo, Quezon City.

He expressed AFP's gratitude to the donors who requested anonymity. (PNA)



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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte has revealed that he might ask Congress to approve a supplemental budget to augment the national government's resources for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) response.

Duterte, in a taped public address aired on Friday, said the funds earmarked to combat Covid-19 is already depleting.

"Ako ho, dependent ako sa Congress (I am dependent on Congress)," he said in a speech aired on state-run PTV-4. "They hold the purse. Ibig sabihin hindi ako makagastos ng pera hanggang hindi sabihin ng House, then approval by the Senate (Meaning, I can't spend the money unless there is approval from the House of Representatives and the Senate)."

Congress, through Republic Act 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, has granted Duterte special powers to tap some PHP275 billion in unused government funds to stop the further transmission of Covid-19 in the country.

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the national government has already spent PHP352.7 billion to address Covid-19.

Dominguez added that the government has sufficient budget for Covid-19 response but admitted that it lacks the authority to spend bulk of money to fight the new coronavirus.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque, in a virtual presser on Friday, was confident that lawmakers would grant the possible request for a supplemental budget.

"Kampante naman po kami dahil sa napatunayan na kooperasyon ng ating Kongreso na kung ano ang kinakailangan natin para labanan ang Covid-19, ibibigay naman po ng Kongreso (We are confident that because of their cooperation, Congress will give the money needed to fight Covid-19)," he said.

Both the Senate and the House of Representatives are expected to resume sessions on May 4.

In an interview over dzMM, Roque said Congress' approval is necessary to allow the government to tap more funds in a bid to stop the contagion.

"May pondo po tayo. Ang problema, kinakailangan siguro talagang mag-enact ng supplemental budget ang Kongreso kasi hindi naman magagastos 'yung iba pang mga na walang mandato ng ating mga mambabatas (We have funds. The problem is we need the Congress' approval for a supplemental budget because we can't use it without the lawmakers' approval)," he said.

As of April 24, the Philippines has 7,192 Covid-19 infections, with 762 recoveries and 477 deaths. (PNA



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MANILA – Criminal charges have been filed before the Manila City Prosecutor's Office against a Chinese national who was caught in the act of selling unregistered medicine which he claims to be a cure for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said Friday.

 

In a statement, NBI OIC-Director Eric Distor identified the Chinese national as Shi Jianchuan who was arrested by operatives of the NBI Anti-Organized and Transnational Crime Division in Binondo, Manila in an entrapment operation on Wednesday.

The suspect yielded six boxes of the drugs which were sold at PHP240,000 per box. Each box contains 400 packs of 24 capsules per pack.

The packages of the medicine bear Chinese character markings and English markings "Linhua Qingwen Jiaonang".

The drug was being peddled using the social media app WeChat.

Charges of violation of Republic Act (RA) 3720 otherwise known as the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 2009 and RA 11469 or the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act were filed against the suspect.

The Food and Drug Administration earlier said there is no registered drugs or vaccines yet that are licensed specifically as a cure for Covid-19.

Up to 70 ongoing projects worldwide are working on a possible cure and/or vaccine for the virus which has infected more than 2.7 million individuals globally and killed over 190,000 individuals.

 

In a taped address to the nation on Friday aired over state-run PTV, President Rodrigo Duterte has offered a reward of PHP50 million to any local individual or group that can develop a vaccine against Covid-19. (PNA)



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MANILA – President Rodrigo Duterte can wield his "extraordinary" power to declare martial law, in case the lawlessness of the New People's Army (NPA) becomes unmanageable, Malacañang said on Friday. 

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte would not hesitate to declare martial law should NPA rebels continue to attack government troops who are assisting local officials in distributing emergency assistance to people affected by the crisis driven by the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

Roque said the NPA's relentless attacks against state forces would be Duterte's legal basis to impose martial rule.

"Gagamitin po niya (Duterte) ang (He will use the) extraordinary power of the presidency to declare martial law against this group na engaged in an act of rebellion against the government," he said in a virtual press briefing aired on state-run PTV-4.

In a taped public address aired on Friday morning, Duterte clarified that he never has the intention to place the country under martial rule.

The President, however, said the lawless acts of the NPA, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), might prompt him to declare martial rule.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año backed Roque's statement, saying that Duterte can take such an "extreme" measure, "if public safety is so required."

Año, who joined Roque at the virtual press conference, said Duterte has the right to implement martial law to protect the public against those who intend to sow chaos amid the health crisis in the country.

"Ano ang magiging batayan kung bakit magde-declare ng martial law? Kapag nagkaroon ng massive public disorder at kung meron talagang grupo na magti-take advantage katulad ng CPP-NPA sa crisis na ito (What would be the basis for declaring martial law? In case there is massive public disorder and if there are groups that would take advantage of the crisis, such as the CPP-NPA)," he said.

The 1987 Constitution allows Duterte to declare martial law in case there is "invasion or rebellion" or "when the public safety requires it." 

The NPA's recent attacks came amid the government's fight against Covid-19.

The CPP-NPA is tagged as a terror organization by the Philippines, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. 

Año assured the public that the government is on top of the situation.

He said appropriate measures are in place, while Luzon and other parts of the Visayas and Mindanao are under the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ). 

"Sa ngayon naman, kontrolado natin ang mga sitwasyon dito sa ECQ (As of now, we are still able to control [the areas that are under] ECQ)," Año said.

"So makakaasa ang ating mga kababayan na tayo ay sisiguraduhin natin ang kaligtasan ng lahat sa panahon ng krisis na ito (The public can expect the government to ensure their safety amid this crisis)," he added. (PNA)



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MANILA – Criminal charges have been filed against the police officer who reportedly shot and killed a former Philippine Army (PA) soldier near a quarantine checkpoint in Quezon City.

In a virtual press briefing Friday, Quezon City Police District (QCPD) director, Brig. Gen. Ronnie Montejo said Master Sgt. Daniel Florendo is facing homicide charges for the death of 34-year-old Winston Ragos.

"As of now, Police Master Sergeant (Daniel) Florendo was subjected for inquest proceedings. He was subjected to online inquest," Montejo said.

Florendo, who is assigned at the Fairview Police Station, will also face administrative investigation. He voluntarily surrendered himself and his service firearm used in the shooting.

"We only based our decisions on the evidence that we have for the conduct of inquest proceedings. As of now, there is no established conspiracy so we are only focusing on the principal (suspect)," Montejo said.

The PNP Internal Affairs Service has already started its own investigation on the incident.

Lawyer Alfegar Triambulo, IAS Inspector General, said he ordered Brig. Gen. Gerry Galvan, chief of National Capital Regional-Internal Affairs Service for a motu proprio (on its own) investigation.

He said aside from Florendo, they will also look into the commander or immediate supervisor on the issue of command responsibility.

Meanwhile, National Police Commission (Napolcom) vice-chairman and executive officer Rogelio Casurao said they will also probe the shooting.

"The family expressed their preference that Napolcom should handle the investigation," Casurao said in a TV interview.

At around 2:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Florendo and four police trainees from the PNP Highway Patrol Group were manning a quarantine control point on Maligaya Drive, Barangay Pasong Putik when Ragos approached and shouted at the police trainees.

He was asked by the police to go home and stay inside as he was violating the ECQ but he ignored the authorities and identified himself as a former soldier.

Upon learning that Ragos was carrying a .38 caliber revolver loaded with ammunition inside his sling bag, Florendo drew his firearm and cautiously approached him.

The police officers ordered Ragos to yield peacefully but he allegedly attempted to pull out his handgun, prompting Florendo to disable Ragos who was rushed to Commonwealth Hospital but was declared dead at 5:57 p.m. of the same day.

Investigators recovered the sling bag and .38 caliber revolver loaded with four live ammunition without serial number. (PNA)



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MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) reported on Friday a total of 7,192 confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases in the Philippines. 

"As of 4 p.m. today (Friday), April 24, 2020, the Department of Health reports 211 new cases (PH6982 to PH7192) of Covid-19. The total number of cases in the country is now at 7,192," the DOH said in a bulletin.

The department also announced 40 new recoveries and 15 new deaths, bringing the total number of recoveries and fatalities to 762 and 477, respectively.

"Kami po ay taos-pusong nakikiramay sa mga pamilya at kaibigan na naulila sa ating mga kababayang pumanaw dahil sa virus na ito (We send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of those who died due to this virus)," DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said in a virtual press briefing.

As of Thursday, Vergeire said, the Philippines, which has 18 licensed Covid-19 laboratories nationwide, was able to conduct tests on at least 68,765 individuals, 60,004 of whom were negative while 8,645 were found infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus strain that causes Covid-19.

She explained that there may be discrepancies between the total confirmed cases and the number of positive individuals as the latter still undergo "case validation and processing."

Meanwhile, Vergeire also shared that the DOH Covid-19 tracker website has been updated and will now feature new sets of information, such as the health status of confirmed Covid-19 cases and the health system capacity by region and provinces.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday extended the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 15 in the National Capital Region and several other provinces tagged as high-risk areas.

The ECQ, originally scheduled to end on April 30, was imposed in Luzon to arrest the spread of Covid-19. (PNA)



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MANILA – A party-list lawmaker on Friday proposed the creation of an Epidemic Management Commission (EMC) to primarily deal with the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic and epidemic-preparedness in the future.

In a statement, Ako Bicol Party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin said the country needs a permanent body that will not only serve as the "institutional memory of our collective experience on the coronavirus", but shall also have the mission to provide better defenses and countermeasures against lingering Covid-19 effects and future epidemics.

"As early as now, we need an exit strategy. The IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) is an ad hoc body, busy with day-to-day matters. For the years ahead, we need this commission as a permanent structure," Garbin said.

Garbin said the EMC can be initially created through an executive order, and Congress can institutionalize it with a bill containing its formal charter.

He noted that the EMC should have its own epidemiology and quarantine unit, a governing body like the IATF, and coordination authority over the network of molecular and microbiology laboratories nationwide.

"What I also have in mind for future epidemics are molecular laboratories that are mobile quick deploy units, perhaps in the form of a small fleet of hospital ships manned by a corps of highly-trained health professionals," he said.

"These ships can be built at the shipyard in Bataan. With these hospital ships, we can respond to outbreaks and epidemics in the most remote areas of our country," he added.

He said the EMC could be temporarily attached to the Office of the President for administrative and budget purposes, noting that it can be transferred to the Department of Disaster Resilience once the latter is operational.

As of Friday, the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the country breached the 7,000th-mark with a total of 7,192. (PNA)



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MANILA – Local carriers Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Cebu Pacific (CEB) announced Friday that all their domestic and international flights would remain canceled until May 15.

 

Malacañang announced that the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) will be extended in Metro Manila and other select areas considered high risk for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

 

"Regular, commercial flights of the PAL Group remain suspended until May 15.

 

Should the lockdown be lifted by end-day May 15, there will be a gradual and calibrated resumption of operations starting May 16," PAL spokesperson Cielo Villaluna said in a text message.

 

The complete list of flights to be operated once the ECQ is lifted will be released as soon as possible.

 

In the meantime, domestic sweeper flights and special flights -- arranged by several foreign embassies to ferry stranded nationals out of the country -- will continue, she added.

 

The gradual resumption of commercial flights would depend on travel restrictions in each country, as well as the travel demand, Villaluna said.

 

Meanwhile in an advisory, CEB said it will continue to mount all-cargo flights to support the movement of vital goods, including medicines and personal protective equipment across the country.

 

Affected passengers of canceled flights may rebook their tickets within three months, with fare difference and rebooking fees waived.

 

They may also put the ticket value to a travel fund, or get a full refund. (PNA) 



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MANILA – The Philippine Army (PA) on Friday sought the help of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to look into the case of a former soldier who was shot and killed by a police officer at a quarantine checkpoint in Barangay Pasong Putik in Quezon City.

In a letter addressed to NBI OIC-director Eric Distor, PA chief Lt. Gen. Gilbert Gapay requested an impartial investigation in view of the apparent conflicting claims of police operatives involved, witness accounts, and materials available from open sources, to include video footages of the incident.

Gapay said apparent pre-judgment by police investigators prompted the PA to seek help from the NBI so that justice may be served for retired Cpl. Winston Ragos and his family.

The incident, he said, has also raised awareness and concern on the plight of soldiers suffering from mental health disorders incurred during their military service.

Gapay ordered the PA staff to review existing policies and programs dealing with combat stress, trauma risk management, and other health concerns related to mental health.

He added that assistance to Ragos' family is now being facilitated.

Gapay also reiterated that the Army puts a premium on the well-being of its personnel, active or retired, especially those who have left the service with "scars of war" and those who suffered mental challenges in the line of duty like of Ragos, who was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

"What happened to Cpl. Ragos was unfortunate but an avoidable event. Let his death serve as an awakening on the plight of other soldiers who are being plagued by the traumas of war," he said.

"The Army assures the family of Ragos that it will extend to them the assistance they need," Gapay said.

He also ordered to look for the other retired soldiers out there suffering from the same conditions as Ragos, for the provision of appropriate assistance.

"The Philippine Army prioritizes taking care of our troops and sustaining the wellbeing of our soldiers and their families," Gapay added. (PNA)



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MANILA – The joint circular between government agencies for the seizure of goods from smugglers, profiteers, and hoarders has been finalized, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said Friday.

In a press statement, Justice Undersecretary and spokesperson Markk Perete said the Departments of Justice, Trade and Industry, Health, Interior and Local Government, and Agriculture, as well as the Bureau of Customs, have finalized the joint circular for the seizure, forfeiture, and disposition of basic or prime commodities, and health products and other goods necessary to address the coronavirus disease 2019 (CoVid-19), and articles of prime necessity pending preliminary investigation or trial.

The circular deputizes the Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG), the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and other law enforcement agencies to conduct operations against persons and establishments violating the Price Act or the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA), and to confiscate goods from said persons or establishments.

The goods will be turned over to either the DTI, DOH, DA, or DOH, as the case may be, which shall then initiate summary proceedings for the seizure of the goods.

Under the circular upon presentation of substantial evidence that the goods were imported, held or otherwise possessed by the person or establishment in violation of the Price Act or the CMTA, the goods will be formally seized and thereafter either forfeited in favor of the government or disposed of in accordance with the law.

In cases where the law requires the holding of a public auction or sale as a mode of disposition, the government is given the preference to purchase the goods at the existing suggested retail price (SRP).

In the absence of an SRP, the purchase will be at the market price. When permitted by law, an outright donation to the government shall be resorted to.

The joint circular likewise required law enforcers and the agency conducting seizure proceedings to strictly follow rules on the inventory of confiscated goods so as to avoid compromising the criminal prosecution where such goods are originally supposed to be used as evidence.

It likewise directs prosecutors to cause the transfer of custody of these goods to the appropriate agency for seizure.

To guarantee the safety of goods and medical supplies, consultation with the Food and Drug Administration and other regulatory agencies is required prior to the seizure of confiscated goods.

The joint circular has been issued to ensure that prime commodities, especially medical supplies and personal protective equipment, seized from persons and establishments engaged in illegal importation, hoarding, price manipulation, and fraudulent practices are made immediately available for use by hospitals and medical facilities. (PNA)



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