Category: General

Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Teresito Bacolcol on Tuesday reiterated his call for the public to always be prepared for strong earthquakes, as these “will be experienced from time to time.”

His pronouncement came following the magnitude 6.8 quake off the coast of Davao Occidental last November 17, which has generated 113 aftershocks with magnitudes ranging from 1.4 to 4.9 as of 1 p.m. Tuesday.

“We are part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, and whether we like it or not, we will experience strong earthquakes from time to time, so we really have to prepare,” Bacolcol said at the Bagong Pilipinas public briefing.

The movement of the Cotabato Trench has caused the earthquake, Bacolcol said, adding that aftershocks could continue for several days or weeks, with magnitudes and frequencies decreasing.

The strongest earthquake along the Cotabato Trench was the magnitude 8.1 tremor that happened on August 17, 1976, and which produced a tsunami as high as nine meters, according
to the Phivolcs chief.

He noted that the tsunami waves arrived within two to five minutes after the main shock, thus the people were unable to prepare, and resulted to around 8,000 casualties.

Bacolcol also pointed out the need to make structures resilient.

“Ang lindol naman po ay hindi nakakamatay (earthquakes don’t claim lives). It is the collapse of man-made structures that may claim lives,” he stressed. ‘When you build a house, we should follow the minimum engineering standards and if necessary, it should be retrofitted to make it earthquake-resilient.”

The Phivolcs chief added that there are engineering techniques to lessen the impact of liquefaction hazards, such as soil compaction, ground piling, and deep footings, among others.

“For those who might notice huge fissures, it is best to consult with their municipal or city engineers so they could seek advice on how to strengthen their houses,” Bacolcol said.

Source Philippines News Agency

Low-income families in Singapore will be given financial incentives as part of the new ComLink+ scheme announced on November 20.

It consists of four support packages in areas like pre-school education, employment, debt payment and home ownership.

Specifically, families that enroll their children in preschool by age three will be given 500 SGD (374 USD) in Child Development Account (CDA) top-ups funded by a donor.

They can get an additional 200 SGD per quarter if they ensure that their children attend school regularly.

A second package aims to help adults in ComLink+ families build financial stability by encouraging them to stay in Central Provident Fund (CPF)-paying jobs that pay at least 1,400 SGD a month.

Those who do so will get 450 SGD to 550 SGD in cash and CPF payouts every quarter.

Higher top-ups will be given when two adults in the household work, but the top-ups are limited to a maximum of two working adults.

ComLink+ families will also get help to save up for a home. A progress package joint
ly funded by a donor and the government will match 2 SGD for every 1 SGD families contribute voluntarily to their CPF.

One package helps families to clear their debt, such as for utility and housing arrears. This debt clearance package will match dollar for dollar up to 2,500 SGD in sums repaid by the family, so the total debt cleared would be up to 5,000 SGD.

About 14,000 families on the Community Link (ComLink) scheme are eligible for these new areas of support, which will be rolled out from the second half of 2024./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

A total of 48 new hotels will soon rise across the Philippines, reflecting the strong investor confidence in the country, a hotels group reported Tuesday.

At a year-end briefing in Quezon City, Philippine Hotel Owners Association (PHOA) Executive Director Benito Bengzon Jr. said the projects will be constructed between 2023 to 2028 translating to at least 15,000 rooms.

‘They see a very bright future for Philippine tourism and for the Philippine hospitality industry that’s why many of the Philippine investors and developers are building projects not only in the main gateways like Manila and Cebu, but also in other cities,’ he told reporters.

‘The strong appetite for investment is a very strong indication of optimism in hotels as an investment and a reflection of their confidence in the market,’ he added.

Bengzon said PHOA is seeing a ‘demand’ in emerging destinations among its more than 200 hotel members, citing Park Inn by Radisson’s planned expansion in Olongapo, Laoag, and Dasmarinas; and Filinvest Hos
pitality in Dumaguete, Zamboanga, and General Santos, as some examples.

Bengzon, meanwhile, did not provide specific figures but said hotels ‘generally enjoyed higher’ room occupancy in 2023 compared to 2022.

The growth, he said, was driven by strong domestic demand and the return of key inbound markets such as South Korea and China.

Bengzon said efforts to upgrade facilities also proved critical for the accelerated recovery of the sector after reeling from the pandemic.

Among these initiatives were incorporating hyper-personalization for guest experience through data analytics and maximizing technology for contactless services.

The executive said hotels also adapted to the changes in consumer preferences, including increased demand for organic food and beverages and greater appreciation of local tradition and historical elements.

Meanwhile, he noted that further increase in air connectivity would boost the hospitality sector, which is dependent on planes in bringing in international guests.

‘The marke
t will grow, for sure, we just have to make sure that the fundamental elements are in place and I keep talking about air connectivity because without airplanes, you cannot bring in tourists,’ he said.

Source Philippines News Agency

The Department of Social Welfare and Development in the Caraga Region (DSWD-13) has started a special assessment program to validate the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) marked “not found” on Listahanan (List) 3 this year.

Data released by the DSWD-13 bared that some 11,466 4Ps household beneficiaries need to be assessed and validated.

‘The special assessment is designed to ensure their inclusion in the Listahanan 3 database,’ DSWD-13 said in a statement Tuesday.

Despite unfavorable weather conditions on Monday, DSWD-11 field workers started their rounds for the assessment.

‘Among the initial activities were the courtesy visits to provincial, city, and municipal social welfare and development offices for coordination in the assessment activities,’ the DSWD-13 said.

Unlike the regular assessments, the special validation will include interviews to update the information of 4Ps households.

Of the total number of 4Ps households to be assessed regionwide, 4,260 are in Agusan d
el Sur; 2,562 in Surigao del Sur; 2,031 in Agusan del Norte; 1,984 in Surigao del Norte; and 629 in Dinagat Islands.

Source Philippines News Agency

This city will highlight the best of its local cuisine during the launch of The Philippine Experience Culture, Heritage, and Arts Program (PEP) of the Department of Tourism (DOT) here with Secretary Christina Frasco on Nov. 29.

Councilor Jason Villarosa, chairman of the committee on tourism at the City Council, said in an interview on Tuesday that Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez led the meeting to finalize the plans for the event.

‘We will showcase our local delicacies. This is one of the plans of our mayor, after the successful staging of MassKanamit during the MassKara Festival, to do it on a bigger scale. We are not just concentrating on chicken inasal. We are expanding our food tourism,’ he added.

Aside from the famous chicken inasal, local restaurants also offer versions of Filipino dishes, particularly those originating in Western Visayas, including appetizers, soups, main courses, and desserts.

During the PEP launch in the city, Frasco will grace the showcase of local delicacies at Bantug Lake Ranc
h in Barangay Alangilan and another event at the Government Center.

Bacolod City and Negros Occidental are part of the launch of the initial leg of the PEP in Western Visayas on Nov. 29 to Dec. 31.

The PEP, which covers four themes – Hain/Salo-Salo, Kalinaw, Paman, and Likha – is the newest cultural tourism product conceived by the DOT to highlight and herald the Filipino Brand and identity in all aspects of the travel experience.

Benitez said that among the major attractions of the city has always been the local cuisine.

‘One of the things visitors talk about when they come here is the food. They always remember our food, and that’s the reason why we should develop our food tourism,’ he added.

The mayor said he would also push for a bigger food event during the MassKara Festival through the MassKanamit Culinary Showdown, which held its maiden edition in October this year.

‘I think there’s much room for improvement for MassKanamit. We will come up with a grander, more exciting (food festival) next year.
We will make sure that the heart of Bacolod’s tourism attraction would be centered on food,’ he added.

Source Philippines News Agency

The House of Representatives on Tuesday approved a measure that would allow tapping the excess funds of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) for unprogrammed appropriations in the 2023 budget.

During the plenary session, the chamber approved through voice voting House Bill 9513, which provides an additional criterion for the availment of the unprogrammed appropriations by amending Republic Act 11936 or the 2023 General Appropriations Act.

The bill proposes that the funds of GOCCs determined to be in excess of their current administrative or operational expenses, benefit obligations, or reserve requirements may be used to implement the vital purposes under the unprogrammed appropriations.

The Department of Budget and Management defines unprogrammed appropriations as items “which provide standby authority to incur additional agency obligations for priority programs or projects when revenue collection exceed targets, and when additional grants or foreign funds are generated.”

The current law
provides that the unprogrammed appropriations are funded using excess revenue collections in any non-tax revenue sources from its corresponding revenue collection target as reflected in the Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing (BESF); new revenue collection or those arising from new tax or non-tax sources which are not included in the original revenue sources in the BESF; or approved loans for foreign-assisted projects.

“It is an accepted fact that certain government corporations have funds far exceeding their current administrative and operational expenses, benefit obligations, and/or reserve requirements. These funds lie idle in the banks or are invested in time deposits and other securities with other government and non-government financial institutions and results in the inefficient use of national government resources,” the bill’s explanatory note read.

It further noted that these government corporations can readily provide the necessary funds to assist the national government’s requirements
and fund “much-needed” unprogrammed projects.

Source Philippines News Agency

The death rate from cardiovascular diseases such as cardiac stroke is on the rise in Laos, marking it as the third major cause of death in the Southeast Asian country with a mortality rate of 9.01%.

According to local media, in Laos, there is currently only one trained cardiologist while the number of heart stroke cases is rising. The country does not have any statistics on the number of strokes or the rate of people diagnosed with strokes. The cause is believed to be inadequate data or records and a lack of awareness of the signs and symptoms.

Dr. Sysavath Keosotsay, Director of the Department of Neurology at Mittaphap Hospital in Vientiane recommended that the Lao Government call for support from international agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) in monitoring, treating and preventing recurrent strokes./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency