Author: malaysiang

BACOLOD CITY: Local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental will form technical working groups (TWGs) for the implementation of the Provincial Integrated Water Security Plan (PIWSP) for 2023 to 2030.

‘We will endeavor to operationalize our PIWSP through the establishment of technical working groups in each LGU,’ Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said in a statement on Thursday.

On Tuesday, LGU representatives and other stakeholders were equipped for the localizing of water security TWG during a cascading workshop conducted by the provincial government at the Capitol Social Hall in this city.

In 2022, Lacson issued an executive order creating the Provincial Integrated Water Security Council (PIWSC) and the province received assistance from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Safe Water project in formulating the PIWSP.

Lacson, who chairs the PISWC, pointed out that the initiatives and activities on water security are proof of the provincial government’s determination and resolute
commitment to promoting water security with a systematic, scientific, and sustainable approach.

‘It is anchored on the USAID Safe Water’s Integrated and Inclusive Water Security Framework and the 6th Sustainable Development Goal of the United Nations Development Program,’ he said.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the provincial government aims to integrate the approach to water security, which would enable the development and implementation of holistic solutions.

‘This would address multiple water-related challenges simultaneously, such as water scarcity, pollution, habitat degradation, and public health risks, resulting in comprehensive and long-lasting improvements in water security,’ he added.

Based on the province’s data, Negros Occidental’s groundwater availability is only at 8 percent, which indicates an urgent need to use other water sources, including surface water resources, which have 92 percent availability.

Current underground water resources will no longer hold the demand of t
he province by 2035, it added.

As part of the initiatives for water security, the province, in collaboration with the Public-Private Partnership Center and USAID Safe Water, has proposed the implementation of the PHP1.2-billion Negros Occidental Bulk Water Supply Project.

The Imbang and Malogo Rivers are considered as the surface water resources for the project.

The pre-bid conference held earlier this month was joined by 11 firms that bought bid documents while the project bidding is set in June.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CAGAYAN: 2024 came as a fresh start for the city government to do something about Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children (OSAEC).

Leading the filing of an ordinance for the purpose is 2nd District City Councilor Joyleen Mercedes Balaba.

The anti-OSAEC measure in the local council would complement the national law passed in 2022 – Republic Act (RA) 11930, or the Anti-Online Sexual Abuse or Exploitation of Children and the Anti-Child Sexual Abuse or Exploitation Materials (CSAEM) Act.

Balaba, who chairs the city council’s committee on social services and committee on women and family relations, organized a multi-sectoral hearing to cover the sentiments in the proposed legislation on anti-OSAEC.

‘Cagayan de Oro City has become a highly urbanized city, and even though the Internet speed is still not fast, compared to other LGUs, it is apparent that almost every household has connectivity,’ she said.

In the committee hearing last month, 1st District Councilor Romeo Calizo proposed a Technical Workin
g Group (TWG), where representatives of the city government would come up with a report on the state of the city when it comes to OSAEC as a basis for crafting the proposed ordinance.

This TWG will include the Cagayan de Oro City Police Office, the City Council for the Protection of Children (CCPC), and the Regulatory Compliance Board (RCB).

The CCPC was created by the city as the umbrella organization for all children’s concerns, which was tasked to advocate children’s rights, and OSAEC has been a growing concern as of late.

Prosecution of offenders

RCB chief Jose Edgardo Uy suggested a provision in the proposed ordinance that business owners operating lodging houses and other forms of temporary accommodations would be found guilty of hosting OSAEC incidents.

‘Owners often get away by saying they did not know they (the abuser and victim) checked in at their facilities,’ he said.

Lawyer Louie Borja of the City Prosecution Office said most of the offenders are often relatives of the victims, and during t
he trial, the victims fear testifying.

He proposed at the committee meeting with Balaba that the use of video testimony be considered as court evidence so that the victims could share all their experiences and knowledge without being near the offenders in the physical courtroom.

Borja is currently handling cases involving a foreign national who was charged with child pornography, which is also related to OSAEC.

Lt. Nera Cabrera, chief of the Women and Children Protection Desk of the Iligan City Police Office, said there were cases they followed where some OSAEC victims were also trafficked in this city.

‘There were cases in the offenders and the foreign clients agreed to meet in Cagayan de Oro City or would get their money remittances there,’ she said.

If Balaba’s ordinance on anti-OSAEC enforcement is passed this year, the city will become the second LGU in Northern Mindanao to have such legislation, next to Iligan City.

Policing the cyberspace

The police’s Region 10 Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU) 10 (No
rthern Mindanao) recorded OSAEC cases in the region even before RA 11930 became law.

From 2018 to 2023, RACU-10 operatives, in coordination with LGUs and non-government organizations (NGOs), were able to arrest 34 persons linked to OSAEC-related cases and conducted 19 rescue operations.

Before 2022, offenders accused of OSAEC were charged with violation of RA 9775 or the Anti-Child Pornography Act of 2009, and RA 10364, or the Expanded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2012.

RA 9775 has been amended and is now part of RA 11930.

Staff Sgt. Idy Ann Flor Aca-ac, RACU-10 head of the Women and Children Protection Section, said the surveillance of OSAEC cases would be done with the help of the international group, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

‘They developed a case management system, which was adopted by the DOJ (Department of Justice), and we have seen results in our case buildup,’ she said.

Aca-ac said NCMEC’s case management system improved the ‘cybertip’ mechanism in RA
CU-10, which helped them identify and monitor online activities.

‘We have cases here of Internet users using government emails, who were reported as potential OSAEC materials being sent or forwarded; the rest were common email domains,’ she said.

Once suspects are identified, Aca-ac said authorities would start the investigation and operational planning.

Helpline

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 10, meanwhile, has extended support to the victims of OSAEC through temporary shelters.

Social Worker Honey Grace Mendoza, DSWD-10 focal for the Trafficking in Persons Unit, said these shelters are also a refuge for other trafficking victims, where they receive support and interventions, including assistance to LGUs who have no existing safe shelters.

‘What we are doing now is improving our IECs (Information Education Campaigns) on this new OSAEC law so that communities will be encouraged to report incidents,’ she said.

Other than DSWD-10, Aca-ac said, NGOs, such as the Philippine Island
Kid International, have been helpful to RACU-10 in providing temporary shelters for OSAEC victims.

Also, the Center for the Prevention and Treatment for Child Sexual Abuse (CPTCSA) has been helping survivors through ‘kinship care,’ a care option for children who cannot live with parents to enable them to continue growing while protecting their well-being.

Zenaida Rosales, executive director of CPTCSA, said children who may not be able to complain, voice out their feelings, or avoid conversations about their experience of abuse are the most vulnerable and may be undergoing distress.

Council for the Welfare of Children Undersecretary Antonio Tapales said kinship care is provided under RA 11642 or the Domestic Administrative Adoption and Alternative Childcare Act. (PNA)

(Editors’ Note: This story was produced under the 2023-24 ‘WebSafeandWise’ Media Fellowship by Probe Media Foundation, Inc. and ChildFund Philippines. The views and opinions expressed in this piece are not necessarily those of PMFI, ChildFund
Philippines, and the Philippine News Agency. Names and locations involved in OSAEC cases are withheld to protect the identities of the victims.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: There is a slim chance for a tropical cyclone to develop or enter the country in early March, a forecaster said Thursday.

“Based on our analysis, there is still a slim chance for a tropical cyclone in the first few days of March,” Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

PAGASA forecast, however, noted that the trough of a low pressure area (LPA) would bring scattered rain showers and thunderstorms across Davao Region.

The LPA is still outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility, Estareja said.

Moderate to heavy rains in the area could result in flash floods or landslides, the bureau added.

Meanwhile, the northeast monsoon will cause light rains over Aurora, and isolated light rains over the rest of Luzon.

The easterlies and localized thunderstorms, on the other hand, will cause isolated rain showers over the rest of the archipelago.

Moderate to strong winds and moderate to rough coastal waters will prevail over the no
rthern and eastern sections of the country.

Elsewhere, winds will be light to moderate with slight to moderate seas.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Over 6,000 soldiers will join the Philippine Army (PA)’s first-ever “combined arms training exercise” (CATEX) “Katihan” this March which would highlight the service’s shift from internal security to territorial defense operations.

“The large-scale exercise will effectively test the Army’s capability to move, maneuver, and sustain large-scale forces during combat operations,” PA spokesperson Col. Louie Dema-ala said in a statement late Wednesday.

He added that the drills would be held in various camps in Nueva Ecija and Tarlac.

The final planning for the exercise took place on Wednesday at Fort Magsaysay, Nueva Ecija.

It involves 4,706 “dismounted contingents” and 1,463 “mounted contingents” from various Army units in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

“Dismounted contingents” refers to units without any transport while “mounted contingents” are troops serving in motorized, armor, and tracked artillery formations.

Source: Philippines News Agency

CAGAYAN: The Northern Mindanao Region on Thursday led the 5th Philippine Silk Summit that opened new networks in the silk industry with investment potential.

One of the main developments was the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI), the Department of Tourism (DOT), and the local government of Villanueva in Misamis Oriental for the Tourism Development Plan in sericulture.

Dr. Romela Ratilla, director of the Department of Science and Technology-10, said additional filature machines will be opened on March 2 in Villanueva town to encourage farmers to engage in sericulture.

DOT-10 Director Marie Elaine Unchuan said the MOA is an addition to the agency’s tourism circuit in Misamis Oriental.

“It will not only extend PTRI (programs) but also to beneficiary farmers, and we aim to make sericulture farm part of farm tourism site as well,” she said.

Florentino Lamba III, one of the sericulture farmers in Claveria, Misamis Oriental, said he was inspired
by his father to farm mulberries, which were used to feed silkworms.

These silkworms will then create a cocoon used as raw material for silk.

“In 2018, I started with 500 hills of mulberries and now we are growing over 1,000 hills,” he said.

Lamba said that PTRI and DOST programs were essential in honing their skills and knowledge in sericulture.

Legislation

Meanwhile, Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Yevgeny Vincente Emano said there is still time for Congress to institutionalize the program and technical support for sericulture farmers.

“We need a law to create a roadmap to improve the sericulture industry, there are no doubts that we can achieve it because the market is already here,” he said.

Emano said having a law that will provide support and intervention to the silk industry in the Philippines will keep the mission and objectives of PTRI and DOST in place as a priority.

Senator Maria Lourdes Nancy Binay, who attended the Thursday event, noted that last year’s summit was a significant step to
wards capitalizing on the global market of the silk industry.

She said the Philippines can achieve the production of 20.4 million tons of silk by 2031.

Source: Philippines News Agency

COTABATO CITY: Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim expressed confidence that the regional government can withstand any legal challenges filed against the proposed Bangsamoro Local Governance Code.

This was the reaction of Ebrahim on the petition from three provincial governors questioning the constitutionality of the BLGC.

‘Although the Government of the Day is confident that the version approved by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament can withstand any legal challenges, we acknowledge that the petitioners are all well within their democratic rights as citizens of the country and residents of the autonomous region,’ he said in a statement Thursday.

‘Government of the Day’ refers to the BARMM chief minister, his Cabinet members, and BTA members.

Ebrahim said the legal challenge is proof that the vibrancy of democracy is very much alive in the BARMM and ‘that all groups and sectors can participate in nation-building and assert their respective suggesti
ons during the transition period.’

On Feb. 26, Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan, Maguindanao del Sur Gov. Mariam Mangudadatu, and Lanao Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong have asked the Supreme Court to declare the BLGC ‘unconstitutional and invalid.’

The petition claimed that the BLGC is riddled with provisions that violate the Constitution, the Local Government Code, the Bangsamoro Organic Law, and the constitutionally guaranteed local autonomy of LGUs.

‘We shall submit to the wisdom of the High Court and will ensure that we comply with whatever their decision is,’ said Ebrahim, even as he called upon the petitioners to collaborate with the BARMM government for the benefit of the people.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Thursday sought Australia’s influence to help the Philippines advance its position in mitigating the effects of climate change.

In his remarks during a state luncheon hosted by Australian Governor-General Davis Hurley in Canberra, Australia, Marcos said work needs to be done to achieve the cause and a sustainable future for both countries.

‘The challenges posed by the prevailing dynamic security environment in our region are compounded by global threats such as climate change and the rapid advancement of technologies that affect all states, and even the individual lives of our citizens,’ Marcos said.

‘Still, I remain confident and optimistic knowing that we have a like-minded and responsible partner in Australia that shares our positive outlook and is willing, as history has shown, to exert its influence for the benefit of our region and of our peoples,’ he added.

Marcos hoped that the two nations would pursue closer ties and collaboration, stressing that thei
r strategic partnership and long-standing friendship make Australia a ‘natural partner’ of the Philippines.

Commitment to peace, stability

Meantime, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Australia and the Philippines are committed to sustaining peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific.

Albanese said Australia shares a similar vision with the Philippines for an ‘open, stable, and prosperous region where disputes are settled through agreed rules, norms and institutions.’

He said the shared vision with the Philippines includes civil maritime security, marine environment protection, maritime demand awareness, and the promotion of respect for international law.

‘We’re ambitious for what we can achieve together and on place that way our working actively to build a peaceful region where international law is respected and waterways are open for trade,’ Albanese said.

‘I’m pleased that with our new MOU [memorandum of understanding] on enhanced maritime cooperation, which we have signed today, we will c
ollaborate more closely to promote our shared vision for the region,’ he added.

Marcos is in Canberra, Australia for a two-day visit upon Hurley’s invitation. The President is expected to return to Australia to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-Australia Special Summit in Melbourne from March 4 to 6.

Albanese said the special summit is an opportunity for Australia to highlight its commitment to drive growth in trade and investments, in line with the Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040 launched by Melbourne last year.

‘ASEAN centrality is critical to this and it will be a great honor to host all the leaders of Southeast Asia in Melbourne next week, for the ASEAN-Australia special summit’ he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency