Author: malaysiang

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s ‘no wang-wang’ (sirens) policy and Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez’s ‘8’ protocol plates prohibition provide motorists with a level of playing field amid the crippling traffic situation, particularly in Metro Manila.

Cagayan De Oro City 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez on Monday said the use of sirens and police escorts ‘are a symbol of entitlement of power and privileges, which our people frown upon and do not accept.’

‘Let us have a level playing field in suffering the terrible traffic situation. All officials must go early to their appointments taking into account the traffic. No one should be above the traffic crisis,’ Rodriguez said in a statement.

He said the people regard public officials who flaunt their position, power and influence as arrogant and they should not be emulated.

Public officials, he added, should heed the admonition in the Code of Conduct for Public Officials and Employees that they should, at all times, be accountable to the people a
nd ‘shall discharge their duties with utmost responsibility, integrity, competence, and loyalty, act with patriotism and justice, lead modest lives, and uphold public interest over personal interest.’

‘We are not leading or living modest lives if we demand that we should be entitled to certain privileges as public servants,’ he said.

Rodriguez proposed that only the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chief Justice of the Supreme Court can use protocol plates.

He said other members of Congress, Cabinet members and other officials should use regular plates.

‘I have never used No. 8 since I became a congressman in 2007. I could not understand why many officials, including undersecretaries, judges and prosecutors, are using low-numbered plates,’ Rodriguez said.

In an advisory to House members, Romualdez said ‘in view of the issuance by the President of Executive Order (EO) No. 56 last March 25, we are not authorized to use the protocol ‘8’ plates.’

He sa
id the House would coordinate with the Land Transportation Office and the Metro Manila Development Authority on the use of protocol plates once the rules implementing EO 56 are issued.

Under the President’s Order, those allowed to use low-numbered plates are the President, Vice President, Senate president, Speaker, chief justice and associate justices of the Supreme Court, Cabinet members, senators, House members, presiding justice of the Court of Appeals, Court of Tax Appeals and Sandiganbayan, solicitor general, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine National Police chief, Ombudsman, and chairpersons of constitutional commissions.

Source: Philippines News Agency

LAOAG CITY: Members of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (provincial board) on Monday commended 10 Mathletes for scooping awards in the World International Mathematical Olympiad (WIMO) finals in Macau, China in March.

Sarrat National High School (SNHS) students Brian Jansen Vallejo, Allen Iver Barroga, Natalie Margaret Balisacan, Zyrene Angelica Dulluog and Ivan Genesis Calaro bagged two world championships, one world first runner-up and four gold medals.

First-time participant Bacarra Comprehensive High School (BCHS), represented by Ezekiel Arellano, Hyacinth Albano, John Daniel Cadavona, John Bernard Yanos and Azaleah Cyryll Villaluz, took home one silver and three bronze medals and a merit award.

‘We are so proud of you. Thank you so much for bringing so much pride and honor to our province,’ Vice Governor Cecilia Araneta-Marcos told the 10 WIMO contestants and coaches during their courtesy call at the capitol’s session hall on Monday.

Dr. Danny Daquioag, head of the provincial education department, said th
ey are hoping the mathletes will qualify anew for the Australia WIMO next year.

‘Thank you for your unending support. May we continue to celebrate and inspire more Ilocanos to achieve greater heights,’ Daquioag told the provincial council.

Under the annual Sirib (Knowledge) Awards, which was institutionalized through Provincial Ordinance No. 010-2016, outstanding Ilocanos, categorized as individual and group who have excelled in academics, leadership, sports, journalism, culture, and arts, among others, are entitled to receive cash incentives between PHP5,000 and PHP8,000 from the provincial government.

Coaches and teachers also get recognized for sharing their expertise with the learners.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday appealed to the media to continue exposing what he branded as ‘illegal and aggressive’ actions in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) that are detrimental to the country’s sovereign rights.

In a media forum organized by the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines (FOCAP) for its 50th anniversary, Marcos emphasized the crucial role of the press in uncovering the truth in the disputed waterways as he noted that the Philippines ‘has been on the receiving end of illegal, aggressive, and irresponsible actions’ in the West Philippine Sea in recent years.

‘It is crucial that the media, including the members of FOCAP, to continue to expose these actions that not only threaten the peace and stability in the region but also undermine the rules-based order that has undertaken global development and prosperity over the previous century,’ Marcos said in his opening speech.

‘We must do everything to defend our shores, exercise our sovereign rights and jurisdict
ion, and uphold the national interest,’ he added.

According to the President, the rule of law and the global consensus are now the Philippines’ ‘greatest tool’ in securing its maritime territory.

The National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) recently warned the public against the misinformation being spread allegedly by pro-Chinese trolls on social media to downplay Chinese aggression.

Commodore Jay Tarriela, spokesperson of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), said the NTF-WPS is taking on a transparency strategy to combat the fake news being propagated online to sow confusion among Filipinos on the West Philippine Sea issue.

‘PH better served by critical press’

In the same speech, the President also encouraged journalists and media practitioners to perform their jobs without restriction as he emphasized the relevance of a critical press in the country.

‘Unlike many of my predecessors, I do not seek collaboration, for that implies a surrender of your independence. I am of the opinion that n
ational interest is better served by a press that is critical rather than a press that is cooperative,’ Marcos said.

The President said that nothing should stop members of the media from imparting the truth to the public.

‘It (the press) must have the untrammeled freedom to do its work, not just to arm the citizenry with the truth, but also to deepen discernment in this age of mass disinformation. In fact, this has been the hallmark of FOCAP’s relationship with the presidency and the government for this half century,’ he said.

Marcos is the first president to attend the annual FOCAP forum in nine years. He was initially scheduled to attend the forum on March 21 but was forced to cancel after developing flu-like symptoms.

The Chief Executive’s father, former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr., started the tradition and was the first Philippine leader to grace it 50 years ago.

Defending press freedom

The President, likewise, pounced on the opportunity to renew his vow to continue defending press freedom in th
e Philippines and to continue protecting and ensuring the welfare of media practitioners in the country.

‘As President, I will seek this forum, not only to explain our policies, but to renew my vow to what I deeply believe in: That the President’s role is to defend press freedom, and not lead in destroying it or demeaning its practitioners,’ he said.

President Marcos said his duty was not to ask special favors, but only fairness which everyone deserves from the Fourth Estate.

The President also lauded the FOCAP for living up to the public trust without compromising their principles in a manner that is ‘fair but nuanced, balanced but critical.’

Source: Philippines News Agency

STA. FE: For three decades, Joey Mercades, 40, has been highly dependent on resources from the nearby peatland to support his growing family.

Just like the rest of his neighbors, his awareness on the importance of this distinctive wetland type is very limited.

With little education and no land to till just like his forefathers, Mercades spends most of his time catching fish and gathering whatever valuable plants from the peatland in San Isidro village here to feed his wife, Roisa, 27, and their five children.

He earns an average of PHP200 daily from catching pantak (freshwater catfish) and some wild plants from Leyte Sab-a Basin Peatland (LSBP), the country’s second-largest peatland next to Agusan Marsh.

A portion of this wetland is located just behind Mercades’ makeshift house made up of rotten wood, with some portions patched with empty sacks or old fabric.

Pantak, a native catfish, is in demand in the community since it is better tasting than the foreign catfish species introduced in the country.

In
a 2022 study by the International Institute of Rural Reconstruction (IIRR), the group found five fish species from the pool and stream channel habitats of LSBP. The five fish species were catfish, striped snakehead, climbing perch, snakeskin gourami, and tilapia.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said fishing within the peatland is strongly discouraged since local catchers commonly use electro-fishing method.

It is a technique that uses direct current electricity flowing between a submerged cathode and anode.

This affects the movements of nearby fish and kills other freshwater species.

‘Authorities have been coming to tell us that this is a peatland and there are prohibited activities, but we don’t really understand its function. We just live here since we don’t have any place to go to,’ Mercades told the Philippine News Agency.

His neighbor, Neomi Ending, 26, said they were informed that behind their houses is a peatland and they’re not allowed to start fire, plant, gather wood,
or catch fish.

‘If my husband has no work in the construction firm, his option is to go fishing so we won’t go hungry. We have no other alternative,’ said Ending, whose husband, Joseph, earns PHP300 daily as a roadwork laborer to support their three children.

The families of Mercades and Ending are among the estimated 20 households living near the confirmed peatland in San Isidro village here.

The settlement is located along an alternative road that links Sta. Fe town to Tacloban City, the regional capital.

Most of the makeshift houses and toilets were built near the peatland’s stream channel, where household waste drains. There are also farming activities near the peatland.

IIRR reported that a recent study on the impact of land-use conversion in LSBP revealed that when peatlands are turned into grasslands or agriculture, their ability to act as carbon sinks is reduced.

The study found that moisture and the water table decreased from forest to cultivated areas. This ability of the peatland to hold wate
r is essential to flood mitigation. It acts as a sponge during the rainy season, letting the water seep out during the dry season.

ing confirmed that in recent years, flooding has been more evident in the peatland during rainy days.

‘This is the most evident threat that we are aware of,’ she added.

Carbon emission

For Winston Solite, chief of Leyte’s Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) technical service division, flooding is just one of the problems.

Without disclosing figures, he said there are also increasing greenhouse gas emissions from the peatland.

‘Draining the peatland by building water canals for planting may lead to the oxidation of peat, making it more vulnerable to peat fires, which can take time, and the burning of peatlands makes the peat a carbon emitter instead of a carbon storage,’ Solite added.

Peatlands store up to 30 percent of the world’s carbon.

If degraded, it becomes a significant source of greenhouse gases, releasing almost five percent of global carbon
emissions caused by human activities, according to the IIRR.

Land conversion

LSBP is the second-largest peatland in the country. It was confirmed to measure 2,107.64 hectares, covering the villages of Gapas and San Isidro in Sta. Fe town; Divisoria, Langit, Tabongohay, and Veteranos in Alang-alang town; and Capilihan and Guinciaman in San Miguel town.

Citing studies by the Visayas State University, some 38.5 percent of the peatland is threatened, mostly by land use conversion and fires.

But the problem of land conversion can be traced back to the 1970s. That was the time when the swamp forest and the most significant water catchment basin in Leyte were identified by the government as becoming Leyte’s food basket, resulting in the degradation of more than half of its cover.

‘There’s a very low level of awareness about the existence of peatland in the country until 2015, when smoke from peatland fires in Indonesia reached some parts of our country,’ Solite recalled.

Better management

To better manage the
peatland, Leyte PENRO is drafting a memorandum of agreement establishing a governing body responsible for overseeing interventions and plans within the peatland area. This is done through consultations with local government units.

‘I hope we continue to extend to other people our appreciation for peatland, its role, and why it should be protected because once it is damaged, it will be gone forever,’ Solite concluded.

The presence of biodiversity calls for bolder moves to preserve the peatland. This was found through trail marks, animal tracks, animal poops, feathers, skulls, and other wildlife derivatives.

Among the threatened and vulnerable species present in LSBP are the Philippine duck, blue-naped parrot, Philippine frogmouth, Philippine nightjar, Samar Water Monitor, Philippine box turtle, Philippine tarsier, and common palm civet.

Leyte’s Sab-a Basin exhibits diverse vegetation, having a wetland forest, boggy areas, sedge and grasslands, and a diversity of endemic flora and fauna, as well as threaten
ed animals and freshwater fish species found mostly in the wetland forest ecotype.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BATANGAS CITY: The provincial government of Batangas is set to honor the police officer who led the team that managed to seize the largest single shipment of shabu in the country’s history.

Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas said a recognition ceremony will be held for Capt. Luis de Luna, Jr. on April 22 after he led the confiscation of two tons of shabu worth PHP13.3 billion at a checkpoint in Barangay Pinagkurusan, Alitagtag on Monday afternoon.

Mandanas’ office will also commend the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) for a job well done.

Mandanas said a plaque of recognition and financial reward will be given to De Luna, who was given a spot promotion by DILG Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. during a press briefing.

‘This is the biggest drug bust in the history of the country,’ Abalos said.

Mandanas said staff and officials of the DILG, PNP and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency are ‘great agents of the national government, under the leadership
of the President (Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr).’

The governor said the drug bust showed that the campaign against illegal drugs is being implemented ‘not only in words, but most especially in acts that are lawful.’

For his part, De Luna Jr. expressed his gratitude for the recognition given to him by the DILG and the provincial government.

‘On behalf of Alitagtag MPS (Municipal Police Station), it just reflects my view on determination and dedication to my work. That is because our faith in God is our weapon in our daily service to the people,’ he said.

Source: Philippines News Agency

BUTUAN CITY: From 2.7 percent in February, the inflation in the Caraga Region spiked to 3 percent last month, the Philippine Statistics Authority in the region (PSA-13) said Monday.

However, PSA-13 said this year’s March inflation was lower at 7.3 percent compared to the same period last year.

Housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels were identified as the primary sources of the acceleration of inflation in the region, which registered -4.1 inflation last month compared to -5.4 in February.

‘The housing, water, electricity, gas, and other fuels logged a 55.1 percent uptrend share to last month’s inflation,’ the PSA report said.

Other causes of increased inflation last month were food and non-alcoholic beverages and transport.

Food and non-alcoholic beverages accounted for a 23 percent share of last month’s inflation uptrend, and transport at 16.8 percent.

In general, PSA-13 said food and non-alcoholic beverages are the inflation’s main contributors in the region, posting 6.3 percent and contrib
uting a 94.5 percent share in last month’s inflation.

Furnishings, household equipment, and routine household maintenance also posted a 2.7 percent increase in March from 2.5 percent in February.

The agency added that health was also a factor in last month’s inflation uptrend, with a 1.3 percent increase compared to 1.2 percent in February.

Constant inflation was also recorded in education services at 1.7 percent and in financial services at -0.3 percent.

Source: Philippines News Agency

SAN JOSE DE BUENAVISTA: The Antique provincial government will provide 3,000 tumblers to learners, especially Kindergarten and Grade 1, in the province as part of its ‘Tubig Time (water time)’ strategy to encourage hydration amid the extreme heat.

The provincial government will launch Tubig Time in a ceremony at the Assemblyman Segundo Moscoso Memorial School in San Jose de Buenavista on April 24, where 678 learners will receive tumblers.

“We are encouraging the learners to stay hydrated through the program launching,’ said Governor Rhodora Cadiao in an interview on Monday.

Cadiao said the distribution of tumblers will motivate other parents to provide one for their children to bring during their face-to-face classes.

During the class hour, the teacher will call for a break time for learners to drink water.

The governor added that schools have the discretion whether they proceed with face-to-face classes or alternative delivery mode (ADM) depending on the situation in their schools.

‘The heat index that
reaches up to 43 degrees Celsius is really dangerous for the learners, so as governor, I will just abide by the decision of the DepEd and the school heads,’ Cadiao said, referring to the heat index recorded in the province on April 1.

Public schools under the Division of Antique shifted to ADM or asynchronous classes on April 15-16, following a memorandum of the central office of the Department of Education (DepEd).

Meanwhile, DepEd Schools Division of Antique Superintendent Dr. Nicasio Frio and other members of the provincial school board met Monday to prepare for the Western Visayas Regional Athletic Association (WVRAA) Meet hosted by Negros Occidental on May 2-7, 2024.

‘We will send a strong athletic delegation to the WVRAA,’ Cadiao said.

The Antique provincial government has allocated PHP16.09 million for the more or less 555 athletes and coaches to the regional sports meet.

Source: Philippines News Agency