Author: malaysiang

MANILA: Pioneering renewable energy (RE) firm Alternergy Holdings Corp. will source turbines for its Alabat and Tanay wind power projects from China-based Envision Energy.

In a statement, Alternergy said it awarded the turbine supply contract to Envision on Thursday for the Alabat and Tanay wind farms, which have a combined potential power generation of 162 megawatts.

Under the contract, Envision will design, engineer, manufacture, and deliver wind turbine generators (WTG).

Alternergy and Envision also signed a 10-year service and maintenance agreement for both projects.

‘Envision Energy was selected after a very thorough and rigorous tender process and due diligence. Our partnership with Envision, a leader in wind technology, will bring cutting-edge innovation to ensure optimal energy generation of Alternergy’s next wind projects,’ Alternergy Wind Holdings Corp. president Knud Hedeager said.

Envision general manager for Asia and Africa Markets John Lee said the company would deploy innovative technologi
es to the WTGs for Alabat and Tanay that would suit the wind climatic conditions of the areas where the wind farms are located.

Alternergy’s Alabat Wind Project is the first wind project in Quezon province while the Tanay Wind Project is the firm’s third wind project in Rizal.

The listed RE firm will commence construction of the projects by the second quarter of the year in time for their commercial operation by the end of 2025.

‘Alternergy’s pioneering efforts will again be demonstrated as we join forces with Envision, to use state-of-the-art solutions to achieve high performance and reliability of the wind turbines, and once installed, will be the largest wind turbines in the country,’ Alternergy president Gerry Magbanua said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TACLOBAN: The local government unit of Arteche, Eastern Samar is pushing for the development of an ecotourism site that would boast the largest mangrove forest in the province.

Mayor Roland Evardone said Friday the municipal government has already asked the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to fund the construction of a boardwalk within the 169-hectare mangrove area in the coastal village of Beri.

The budget requirement is PHP20 million, he told Philippine News Agency in a phone interview.

Evardone said TIEZA has yet to respond to the request.

‘Part of the project is to declare some parts of the mangrove forest as protected areas for different marine species. This is in support of our coastal resource management plan,’ he said.

Evardone said the mangrove forest in Beri is the largest mangrove forest in Eastern Samar and a natural habitat for different flora and fauna.

Mangrove forests also provide natural infrastructure and protection to nearby populated areas by preventing er
osion and absorbing storm surge impacts during extreme weather conditions such as hurricanes or typhoons.

Arteche is a third-class town with a 58.66 percent poverty incidence. The town has 16,320 population as of 2020.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) is taking steps to improve the production of quality onions in the country, including partnering with local government units in undertaking information awareness and training programs.

In a news release on Friday, the DA reported that surprise visits to production areas in Bongabon and Rizal, Nueva Ecija have been conducted by its officials to observe the ongoing harvest and discuss ways to assist onion farmers.

These officials include Assistant Secretaries Arnel de Mesa, Danny Atayde, and Genevieve Guevarra, together with Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI)Director Glenn Panganiban, and Agribusiness and Marketing Assistance Service Director Junibert De Sagun.

They all agreed that regular monitoring of onion farms could immediately address any production challenges that may affect the quality and volume of harvest.

“Let us practice early reporting and monitoring of unusual events in the farms,’ Guevarra said during a recent meeting with onion growers and members of th
e Provincial and Municipal Agriculture Office.

The government is ready to support the industry to ensure that farmers maximize productivity to increase their income, she added.

Meantime, Panganiban noted that the DA, through BPI, will provide a technical support program to onion farmers and agricultural extension workers to equip industry stakeholders with effective tools and knowledge in managing the production areas.

“We will also assist onion growers of Nueva Ecija in securing a Philippine Good Agricultural Practices certificate to enable them to access more markets,’ he said.

The BPI will hold training programs on Integrated Pest Management, efficient use of biocontrol agents, and judicious use of farm inputs, including fertilizer and pesticides in addition to the regular information campaign carried out by the Regional Crop Protection Center.

The DA also committed to establishing more storage facilities not only for onion but for other high-value crops as well.

Nueva Ecija is a major grower of onio
ns in Central Luzon with more than 10,500 hectares planted to the white bulb.

The volume of production throughout the country for 2024 is projected at more than 300,000 metric tons.

De Mesa said the DA is expecting positive onion production for this year as the presence of “harabas” or fall army worm has slightly affected yield.

“With the pro-active efforts of the national and local government, the effect is considered negligible,’ he added.

The provincial agriculture office has reported that only eight percent of the total production area was affected.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BACOLOD: The Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital (TLJPH) in Negros Occidental launched on Friday the operations of its family planning training center (FPTC).

The Silay City-based healthcare facility, which is the first provincial hospital in the Philippines to host an FPTC, is carrying out the program in partnership with the Department of Health, United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Research Triangle Institute (RTI) International.

Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that through its establishment, the province will be able to develop and capacitate both new and existing primary care providers in line with the implementation of the Universal Health Care (UHC) Act.

‘What we are launching today is the first LGU (local government unit)-owned FPTC in the country in TLJPH,’ Lacson said during the ceremonial launch held at the Capitol Social Hall here.

He was joined by Dr. Girlie Pinongan, provincial health officer; and Dr. Mary Ann Maestral, chief of hospital of TLJPH; Dr. Marc
Franco Leong, training team head; and Dr. Laurentiu Stan, chief of party for USAID’s ReachHealth project in the Philippines.

Stan said that in the past year, the project has put efforts towards supporting the UHC implementation and along with it, the strengthening of family planning and adolescent reproductive health programs in Negros Occidental.

Specifically under family planning, the USAID supported the establishment of the training center at the TLJPH through plan development, orientations, project management and collaborative discussions.

Also, they provided support for the capacity-building of health providers from all 31 LGUs as trainers for the community health workers’ taskshifting course.

‘We hope to continue to provide our support across the planned activities this upcoming year,’ Stan said, particularly in the functionalization of the FPTC by assisting in the conduct of training for health services programs across the province and related activities.

The establishment of the FPTC, with its pr
ovincial training network, is a major strategy adopted by the province to sustainably address continuing needs for family planning training through the building of local training capacities.

The network consists of 15 preceptor facilities or field training areas, 18 trainers and 18 preceptors for trainings in family-planning competency-based training (FBCBT) Level 1 and long-acting family planning methods.

Training courses offered are for FBCBT-1, progestin-only subdermal implant insertion, removal and replacement, postpartum and interval intrauterine device (IUD) insertion and removal, and no scalpel vasectomy.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The 2024 Travel Tour Expo (TTE), touted as the biggest travel fair of its kind in the Philippines, has opened its doors to the public on Friday, offering discounted tour packages to popular and undiscovered destinations across the country.

One of the unique offerings at the three-day expo are discounted tours to Spratlys for leisure travelers.

Kalayaan municipality tourism officer Ken Hupanda, who was manning the town’s TTE booth, said the Spratly tours was piloted in March 2023 and had journalists as its first clients.

Months since the launch, Hupanda said the week-long tours had managed to attract local and foreign travelers, majority of whom are sport fishing enthusiasts and scuba divers.

‘We have accommodated foreign tourists already. For the organic, our first batch of local tourists and fishing enthusiasts was able to capture a record-breaking size of tuna, (the biggest) in the whole Palawan-a 74-kilogram tuna around Pag-asa Island,’ he said.

The tours, which range from PHP40,500 to PHP150,
000, have already catered to at least 80 travelers since March.

The most expensive is the Kalayaan Fish and Dive Expedition, with inclusions of liveaboard accommodation, camping/homestay in Pag-asa Island, full board meals for a seven-day-six-night tour to Pag-asa, Lawak Island, Patag Island, and Likas Island in the West Philippine Sea.

Hupanda said there will be four Spratly leisure trips scheduled for 2024, more than 50 percent of which were in fact already booked.

3-day fair

Apart from local destinations, the Philippine Travel Agencies Association (PTAA)-organized TTE is also selling heavily discounted tour offers in international destinations from full travel packages down to visa services.

The TTE 2024 hosts over 200 participating exhibitors with 702 booths and is expected to generate at least 100,000 in foot traffic.

The other booths are airlines, domestic and international travel agencies and tour operators, hotels and resorts, cruise liners and shipping, and merchandisers, among others.

‘Post-p
andemic, many travelers are eager to make up for lost time. Revenge travel has undeniably played a role in the resurgence of tourism. But more importantly, people have realized that life is short. This renewed eagerness to travel, to live life and experience other places and cultures is definitely long-term,’ PTAA President Evangeline Tankiang-Manotok said.

Tourism Secretary Christina Frasco also graced the TTE opening ceremony and encouraged more travelers to visit Filipino destinations.

She also backed PTAA’s efforts to boost travel activities across the country as she highlighted the Department of Tourism’s target to reach more than 7 million tourists by end of 2024.

‘Upon all of our shoulders rests the necessity of sustaining tourism for the years to come and we are called to steer the industry to new opportunities, hence, 2023 was a year of innovation. And we are hopeful that 2024 will be another year of exceeding expectations,’ she said.

The TTE 2023 will run from Feb. 2 to 4 at the SMX Convention C
enter in Pasay.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on Friday led the ceremonial payout of the increased social pension for indigent senior citizens at the agency’s Central Office in Batasan, Quezon City.

This payout for the first batch of indigent seniors from Quezon City also marked the culmination of the DSWD’s 73rd Founding Anniversary.

Gatchalian emphasized that the social pension payout for older persons is the Marcos administration’s way of recognizing the significant role of senior citizens, both in their family and society.

‘Alam ko na marami sa inyo na bagamat may edad na ay patuloy na naglalagay ng pagkain sa hapag, patuloy na nagtatrabaho para matustusan ang mga pangangailangan ng pamilya. Higit sa lahat alam ko na marami sa inyo ay kayo pa rin ang nagpapalaki ng inyong mga apo dahil busy sa trabaho ang inyong mga anak. Iyan ang mga kwento ng sakripisyo na gusto naming parangalan ngayon araw (I know that many of you, despite
your age, continue to put food on the table, persistently working to provide for the needs of your families. Above all, I am aware that many of you are the ones raising your grandchildren because your children are busy with work. These are the stories of sacrifices that we want to honor today),’ Gatchalian said in his speech.

Under the ‘Bagong Pilipinas’, he said senior citizens’ welfare is a priority, and that they will never be left behind.

‘Yan ang kabilin-bilinan ng ating mahal na Pangulo at ng ating Unang Ginang na kasama natin ngayong umaga (That’s the directive of our President and our First Lady who joined us this morning),’ Gatchalian said.

In her message, the First Lady, the event’s guest of honor, underscored the role of the social workers, which she referred to as ‘the heart and soul of the DSWD’, in the development, implementation, and delivery of social protection and welfare services to the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors.

‘Your empathy in action, integrity in service, and unity in
community are the guiding principles that make the DSWD an invaluable force for good in our nation,’ she said.

Addressing the senior citizens present in the payout, First Lady Araneta-Marcos said: ‘So, sa mga lolo at lola diyan [So, to all the seniors out there], you are in good hands with DSWD’.

Some 250 indigent senior citizens from different barangays in Quezon City received their social pension for the first semester of 2024 worth PHP6,000, which was personally handed out by the First Lady and the DSWD Secretary.

Republic Act No. 11916 or an Act Increasing the Social Pension of Indigent Senior Citizens which lapsed into law in July 2022, provides for a 100 percent increase in the monthly pension of indigent seniors from PHP500 to PHP1,000 to further help the vulnerable sector cushion the impact of high inflation.

Social pension beneficiary Nanay Rosita Lopez, 71, from Barangay Batasan Hills, said she is thankful for the additional amount of pension from the government.

‘Masaya po ako na nadagdagan an
g aming social pension. Malaking tulong siya sa aming mahihirap (We are happy that the social pension has increased. It’s a significant help to us who are in need),’ Nanay Rosita said.

Nanay Rosita said she uses her pension for their daily needs, such as food as well as water and electricity bills.

Meanwhile, Gatchalian assured senior citizens that the increased pension is just the first of the many plans of the current administration to protect their welfare and well-being.

‘Sa katunayan, itong isang libo kada buwan ay pauna pa lamang sa marami pang programa na inilalatag at iniisip na ng ating Pangulo at ng ating Unang Ginang upang mapakita pa ng husto ang kanilang pagmamahal para sa ating mga lolo at lola (In fact, this PHP1,000 per month is just the beginning of other programs that our President and our first lady are considering and laying out to more fully demonstrate their love for our older persons),’ he said.

The monthly social pension for seniors is given to qualified beneficiaries on a semestra
l basis with a total amount of PHP6,000 per payout to augment their daily subsistence and other medical needs.

Some 4,085,066 indigent senior citizens are covered by the social pension program for the year 2024.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) targets to double the passenger volume at the Clark International Airport this year to 4 million, its president and chief executive officer Arrey Perez said Friday.

In a press briefing for the Philippines’ debut at the 2024 Singapore Airshow in Taguig City, Perez remained optimistic for CIAC’s outlook this year after Clark airport nearly hit the 2-million mark for passenger volume in 2023.

Perez said the introduction of new domestic and international routes at the Clark airport will drive the growth in passenger volume this year.

He said the Clark airport will be opening 13 new destinations within the year including Bacolod, Cagayan de Oro, Coron, Davao, General Santos, Iloilo and Puerto Princesa for domestic flights, and Bangkok, Cheongju, Hong Kong, Macau, Narita and Taipei for international flights.

‘We’re continually expanding the operations of the Clark International Airport. The terminal building has a capacity of 8 million passengers per annum. T
he capacity we set now for this year is 4 million,’ Perez said.

He added the recovery from the pandemic and the aggressive plans for tourism will fuel the passenger traffic at the Clark airport.

Aside from attracting passenger airlines, CIAC also sees expansion of more cargo operators and new players in logistics to locate in Clark.

Source: Philippines News Agency