Category: General

PUTRAJAYA, Vern’s Holding Sdn Bhd today gave its statement to the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM) regarding the issue of the logo resembling the word Allah on the soles of its shoes.

Its founder Datuk Seri Ng Chuan Hoo, also known as Ah Foo, 51, was present to give his statement to JAKIM officials for almost an hour since 11 am.

Met by reporters after giving his statement, Ng said his company would give full cooperation regarding JAKIM’s investigation and to the Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) on the issue.

Acknowledging that the matter may offend Muslims, he apologised and hoped the issue will be used as a lesson in the future.

“Ah Foo apologises on this issue, I learned from this misunderstanding and will be more sensitive and careful in the future.

“In the future, doing business one has to be careful and respectful,” he said while repeatedly bowing his head to apologise after the issue emerged.

Ah Foo said when the issue arose, he ordered that the shoes be kept and not to be sold in
any shop.

“Ah Foo kept giving instructions to keep them and not to sell again… the first step is respect,” he said.

Earlier, a three-minute video went viral on social media about a man claiming that the Vern’s shoes he bought displayed a logo believed to be the word Allah.

Inspector-General of Police Tan Sri Razarudin Husain said today that 1,145 pairs of shoes were seized to assist in the investigation into the logo of the shoes allegedly resembling the word Allah.

Previously, Razarudin said eight reports were lodged on the issue of the logo of a famous shoe company allegedly resembling the word Allah on the soles of its shoes.

According to him, an investigation paper was opened to investigate the matter under Section 298 of the Penal Code and Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

Nghe An: A 226-kilogramme bomb left over from the war was safely deactivated by the military command and sappers of the central province of Nghe An on April 8.

Locals in Thach Son hamlet, Ngoc Son commune, Thanh Chuong district discovered the bomb at a depth of 50 centimetres while digging soil for road construction.

The bomb, 25 centimetres in diameter, 150 centimetres in length, and labelled MK-82, was safely removed and defused at a designated site in Thanh Thuy commune.

According to the Technology Centre for Bomb and Mine Disposal under the Engineering Command, up to 7,645 of the 8,686 communes in Vietnam’s 63 provinces and cities are polluted with unexploded ordnance (UXOs).

Statistics from the National Steering Committee for Recovery over Postwar Bomb and Landmine Impacts showed that some 800,000 tonnes of UXOs are scattered across 6.6 million hectares, or 20.12% of the country’s land, mainly in the central region, putting people in danger everyday./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte underscored the urgency of entrepreneurial mentorship to the youth, particularly for senior high school learners, to address skills mismatch in the country.

“We need to maximize their potential to make our Senior High School learners match their skills and competencies in attaining their future roles in society,” she said in a speech during the DepEd’s 4th Youthpreneur program in partnership with Go Negosyo at the Rizal High School in Pasig City on Monday.

“Youthpreneur enhances financial literacy levels and educates you about viable business ideas, money opportunities, and market linkages,” she added.

Duterte said acquiring these skills poses innovative benefits both for the youth and the society, as learners are given the opportunity to secure alternative career options besides employment.

“To cultivate a culture of innovation and equip the next generation with essential life skills, it is imperative to introduce entrepreneurship education at a
n early age,” she said.

For his part, Go Negosyo Founder Joey Concepcion III urged learners to take advantage of the mentorship opportunities in the Department of Education (DepEd).

“Your school is going to be very important as a mentoring agent for you to guide you through and eventually as you graduate, the decision to either become an employee, which is nothing wrong about that, and succeed in the professional life or an entrepreneur,” he said.

Earn, invest

Duterte also challenged learners who will join the general workforce to try having their own business for further financial freedom.

“Totoo iyan, paano ba tayo magkakaroon ng pera? Magtatrabaho tayo, mabibigyan tayo ng sweldo. Pero iyong sweldo natin, hindi lumalaki, diba, paulit-ulit lang iyon (That’s true, how can we earn money? We work, we will be paid. But our salary, it’s not increasing, it’s just repetitively the same),” she said.

Duterte said an earned salary might even grow when invested in business or other livelihood projects.

“Paano na
tin padamihin itong sweldo ko buwan-buwan, dapat maging PHP50,000 ito, hindi lang PHP25,000 at iyong possibility pa na maging PHP100,000 (How can we increase our monthly salaries? This should be PHP50,000 not just PHP25,000, and even the possibility for it to grow into a PHP100,000),” she said.

Duterte also told learners some specific goals, saying that entrepreneurship not only results in financial literacy to meet needs but also achieve wants.

“Hindi pwedeng maging pangarap niyo lang ang manood ng Taylor Swift na concert (It’s not okay that your dream to watch a Taylor Swift concert remains a dream). Gusto ko manood, mag-aaral ako mabuti. Magkakaroon ako ng trabaho, magkakaroon ako ng negosyo. Bibili ako ng ticket, pupunta ako doon sa kung nasaan man iyan si Taylor Swift (I want to watch, I will study hard. I will have a job, I will start a business. I will buy a ticket, I will go wherever Taylor Swift is),” she added.

Concepcion, meanwhile, shared that ‘youthpreneurs’ must focus on the technological tre
nds, particularly in social media, to attain success in the business industry.

He said that even the business sector has shifted from traditional to social media marketing, maximizing platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.

“Be aware of the changing phase in the lifestyle, in the economy, things to do. Social media has rapidly changed the landscape of how products are being sold today. That is an area that all of you can do,” he said.

Through the Youthpreneur program, SHS learners shall be able to connect with successful business mentors to discuss the dynamics and innovation of entrepreneurship in the country.

To date, the DepEd and Go Negosyo have rolled out the Youthpreneur program in Baguio, Bataan, and Pasig City.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Eight aspiring film directors who are students from different colleges and universities have been named as finalists of “The Manila Film Festival 2024”.

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna, in a press briefing during the festival’s launch at the City Hall on Monday, said each student would receive a production grant worth PHP150,000 to produce a short film that will run at least 15 to 20 minutes with a theme ‘Manila in Me.’

From full-length movies that were showcased last year, she said the festival would feature short movies that would enable young filmmakers to express a subject within a limited time frame.

The eight finalists are:

–‘Happy (M)others Day!’ by Ronnie Ramos (University of the Philippines Film Institute);

–‘Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo’ by Miko Biong (University of the Philippines Film Institute);

–‘An Kuan’ by Joyce Ramos (Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila);

–‘Threefor100: o ang tamang pormang paguukay at iba pang mga bagay-bagay, I think!’ by Cedrick Labadia (iAcademy)

–‘Ditas Pinamalas’ by
Adrian Reno Espino (Adamson University);

–‘Pinilakang Tabingi’ by John Pistol Carmen (Bicol University);

–‘Una’t Huling Sakay’ by Vhan Marco Molacruz (Colegio de San Juan de Letran)

–‘Ballad of a Blind Man’ by Charlie Vitug (De La Salle University-College of Saint Benilde)

The student directors, meanwhile, thanked the Manila City government for providing a platform to help them showcase and hone their filmmaking skills.

On the other hand, Vice Mayor John Marvin ‘Yul Servo’ Nieto said that based on the request of the mayor and tourism chief Charlie Dungo, the Manila City Council which he heads would pass a measure that would make venues or sites to be used by the filmmakers free of charge.

Nieto said the eight entries will be joined by four movies made by featured directors during the festival.

A total of 69 entries were screened for the competition. This was initially reduced to 15, with only eight making it to the list of finalists.

The festival’s premiere night will be on June 4 and will run from
June 5 to 11. Ticket prices will be announced later.

Source: Philippines News Agency

ILOILO CITY: The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) in Western Visayas turned over on Monday a PHP2 million check to support the nutrition program of the local government of Iloilo City through a food production facility.

‘Our support will be for equipment mostly for the facility and other support on supplies and materials and expendable items for the nutrition center,’ DOST Regional Director engineer Rowen Gelonga said in an interview.

Gelonga turned over the check to City Administrator Melchor Tan on behalf of Mayor Jerry Treñas and witnessed city health officer Annabelle Tang at the city mayor’s office.

The nutrition program is a partnership initiative of the city government, private partner Bombo Radyo Philippines Foundation, Inc., and DOST.

The food production facility will adopt the DOST-Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) complementary food product, specifically the rice-monggo-sesame blend and the squash variant of the enhanced nutribun.

The rice-monggo-sesame blend is a ready-t
o-cook blend of rice, mungbean and sesame beans containing four grams of protein and 130 kilocalories (kcal) energy per 30 grams pack, meeting 18 percent of recommended energy and 28.6 percent of the recommended protein for six months to less than 10 months old children.

The enhanced nutribun is ready-to-eat bread and a good source of energy, protein, Vitamin A, iron, calcium, potassium, and zinc. Each bun weighs 160 grams, containing 500kcal energy and 18 grams of protein.

He added they will start with the production once the equipment is available.

‘Our formal training will start once the equipment is available, tapping our experts from FNRI. The city government is also planning to train its personnel on other dimensions of running a production facility,’ Gelonga added.

Data from the city government showed that based on the 2023 Operation Timbang Plus, 628 preschool children were underweight and 384 were wasted.

Source: Philippines News Agency

TAWAU, The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA)’s noble intention to inspect and offer help when its personnel spotted a boat which looked “to have run aground in the waters of Kampung Pangi, Kunak took an unexpected twist, with for shots fired by boat’s tekong (skipper).

Recalling the incident, MMEA Petty Officer Zainal Abad Komel, 45, said it happened very fast and they did not expect criminals to be on board the boat.

“Usually at 8.30 am, fishermen will head home. Furthermore, the location in front of Kampung Pangi is usually filled with villagers returning from fishing…the cargo on board the boat was covered with canvas.

“As I got near the boat, I saw the suspect aiming a pistol right at my face and two shots were fired. But I managed to turn my face away while pulling on the throttle to speed away,’ he said when met by Bernama here today.

Yesterday, the media reported that two MMEA personnel, on duty under Ops Khas Pagar Laut with four others, were injured when four shots were fired toward
s them when they approached a boat to carry out an inspection.

Following the 8.30 am incident at 0.2 nautical miles northwest of Kampung Pangi in Kunak, Zainal was blinded in his left eye while Leading Rate Prayrie De Cuella Jimin, 35, was injured in both hands

Zainal said that while he managed to evade the first shot, the second shot hit him below his left eye and blood started gushing out.

“This incident will not dampen my spirit, if I am all right today, I want to get back to work and track them down,’ he said, adding that he has come to terms with the injury to his left eye.

Zainal, who is from Negeri Sembilan, said this was the first time he had faced such an incident in his 19 years of service with the MMEA.

Meanwhile, the other injured personnel, Prayrie, said that during the incident, only the boat’s tekong was holding a weapon and fired four shots at the MMEA boat.

“The boat tried to speed away, but I also fired five shots towards the boat, I saw two people collapse, but I am not sure if they c
ollapsed because they were hit or were trying to avoid being hit.

“After I fired the shots, the suspects’ boat stopped for about two minutes before taking off again,’ he said, adding that they could not give chase due to the low tide.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MANILA: A hefty oil price hike will greet motorists and consumers on Tuesday (April 9).

Oil firms are expected to implement a PHP1.10 per liter increase for gasoline, a PHP1.55 per liter increment for diesel, and a PHP1.40 per liter hike for kerosene.

As of this writing, only Cleanfuel, Seaoil, and Shell have confirmed the oil price hike, but other industry players are expected to follow suit.

Last week, oil companies had mixed price adjustments, increasing prices for gasoline while slashing diesel and kerosene prices.

Department of Energy (DOE) data showed that the price adjustments last April 2 caused gasoline and diesel year-to-date prices to have net increments of PHP8.20 and PHP4.50 per liter, respectively.

In Metro Manila, gasoline prices ranged from PHP58 to PHP86.67 per liter, diesel prices ranged from PHP53.15 to PHP73.80 per liter, and kerosene prices from PHP72.04 to PHP83.79 per liter.

Industry experts attributed the higher global oil prices to ongoing geopolitical tensions and output cut of
f the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Plus or OPEC+, while fuel demand continues to rise.

Source: Philippines News Agency