Category: General

IPOH, Amendments to the Mineral Development Act 1994 must be made to meet the needs of the country’s rare earth element (REE) business model development framework, said Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad.

He said amending the act is a critical step that must be taken prior to engaging in discussions on the establishment of a government-linked company (GLC) to explore and regulate the sector.

‘We must establish a clear legal framework first before establishing a GLC.

‘…there might be certain aspects of the act that require amendments so that we can meet the needs of the REE sector,” he told reporters after the launch of the national-level International Day of Forests 2024 celebration at Sultan Azlan Shah Roundabout, Meru Raya here by Sultan of Perak Sultan Nazrin Shah.

He said this when asked to comment on the meeting between the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability (NRES) and three other ministries to discuss the development of the
country’s REE business model framework.

Elaborating, Nik Nazmi said the meeting discussed measures to propel both the REE industry and non-radioactive rare earth elements (NR-REE) forward.

In another development, he urged all state governments to expedite the adoption of amendments to the National Forestry (Amendment) Act 2022, with NRES prepared to act as a facilitator.

According to him, the amendment encompasses several provisions aimed at preventing arbitrary exploration of forest areas without complying with the established guidelines.

‘At the moment, only Perlis and Selangor have adopted the amendments, and I believe other states are also working on it. This act is very important because it can act as a safeguard against pressures for development,’ he said.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

LABUAN, PETRONAS today marked the inauguration of its 50th anniversary celebrations with a poignant ceremony, lighting a commemorative torch in this duty-free island.

This symbolic act represents PETRONAS’ enduring legacy and unwavering dedication to nurturing talent for the advancement of both the industry and the nation.

The ceremony, which witnessed the participation of 300 science-stream secondary students from 10 schools, served as the kick-off to the Discover PETRONAS @Schools initiative.

This day-long programme is designed to encourage secondary school students to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM), as well as Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) by highlighting the diverse career paths across the oil, gas and energy sectors.

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education (MoE), Petrosains, and TVET institutions under the PETRONAS Vocational Institutions Sponsorship and Training Assistance (VISTA), the programme offered interactive career forums, inf
ormational booths, and hands-on learning experiences.

Among the highlights of the event was a career experiential sharing session by PETRONAS senior vice president of Malaysia Petroleum Management Datuk Ir Bacho Pilong.

He shared about the company’s pivotal role in driving societal progress, shaping industries, and nurturing talent over the past five decades.

Hailing from Sebatik Island in Sabah, Bacho is a testament to the transformative power of PETRONAS’ education sponsorship programme, having pursued tertiary education in the United States and graduating with a Degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Texas in 1987.

“Our 50th anniversary is not just about celebrating a milestone of achievements but a reaffirmation of our commitment to cultivating the potential of tomorrow’s leaders.

‘By launching our torch here at Discover PETRONAS @Schools, we aim to empower young minds to dream big and strive for greatness,’ he said in a statement.

The torch, one of two, will embark on a nationwide to
ur titled ‘The Journey of the Twin Torches’ – paying homage to places and events across the country.

Among the distinguished guests at the event were PETRONAS senior general manager of Strategic Communications, Group Strategic Relations and Communications, Siti Azlina Abdul Latif; PETRONAS Sabah and Labuan Regional Office general manager, Siti Ayu Abdul Wahab; Human Capital Investment general manager, Syed Mohammad Muhafiz Syed Mohd Bakar, and PETRONAS Chemicals Methanol Sdn Bhd chief executive officer, Hiffani Mohd Jalil.

The second torch will be ignited at Malaysian Refining Company Sdn Bhd in Melaka on May 2, commencing its own journey along a separate route before converging with its counterpart at the culmination of the homecoming journey in Kuala Lumpur during the PETRONAS 50th Anniversary celebration on Aug 17.

Source: BERNAMA News Agency

MANILA: DMCI Holdings, Inc., which is acquiring the publicly listed cement manufacturer Cemex Holdings Philippines (CHP), is hopeful that the administration’s infrastructure program and the easing of monetary policy will help turn around CHP’s financial performance.

‘While cement demand is currently soft, we expect it to rebound as our turnaround plan progresses, supported by the Build Better More program and the anticipated easing of interest rates next year,’ DMCI Holdings chairman and president Isidro Consunji said in a disclosure to the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

DMCI Holdings is acquiring CHP after buying the latter’s parent company Cemex Asian South East Corp. (Casec) for USD305.6 million (PHP17.6 billion). Casec owns 89.86 percent of CHP.

DMCI Holdings said this acquisition is its first in a decade and also its largest investments to date.

Moreover, Consunji said the company eyes a turnaround in CHP’s operational and financial performance by 2025 with the cement producer’s ongoing expansion a
nd synergies with DMCI Holdings’ subsidiaries.

Currently, CHP is constructing an integrated cement production line at its Solid Plant in Antipolo, Rizal. It will have a capacity to produce 1.5 million tons of cement.

Once operational, the new production line will double CHP’s production capacity in Luzon and boost its installed and production capacity by 26 percent from 5.7 million tons to 7.2 million tons.

The new facility is expected to begin its commercial operations in September this year.

DMCI Holdings’ unit Semirara Mining and Power Corp. (SMPC) will also benefit from the parent company’s buying of the cement manufacturer.

SMPC expects a significant increase in its coal sales to CHP, estimating a 227 percent rise to 500,000 metric tons annually compared to 2024 levels.

Aside from coal sales, SMPC can also supply CHP with 50 megawatts of electricity and fly ash that is used for cement production.

In return, DMCI and DMCI Homes will now be buying around 400,000 metric tons of cement from CHP, which
also has the potential to expand depending on the growth of projects of DMCI and DMCI Homes.

CHP is the fourth largest cement producer in the country.

For the past two years, CHP reported losses of PHP1 billion in 2022 and another PHP2 billion in 2023 due to higher operating costs and lower sales volume.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte has approved a more streamlined and classroom-based work, as well as specific ancillary tasks for all public school teachers nationwide.

“Vice President and Secretary of DepEd Sara Duterte signed DepEd Order 05, s. 2024 as a further step to ensure that teachers can devote more to classroom teaching,” the DepEd said in a statement on Tuesday.

Duterte allowed the rationalization of public school teachers’ workload as a follow-up policy on DepEd Order No. 2, s. 2024, an earlier order providing for the removal of their administrative tasks.

The DO stated it intends to promote teachers’ welfare, help teachers enhance learning processes, and improve learning outcomes, among others.

Under DO 5, “teachers shall render eight hours of service per day, of which six hours shall be devoted to actual classroom teaching.”

Public school teachers shall also use the remaining two hours for their ancillary tasks, which may be done within or outside school premises
.

In terms of specific ancillary tasks, the DO limits its coverage to “curriculum planning, curriculum delivery and pedagogy, assessment of learner’s progress, and homeroom guidance and management.”

“Other tasks that do not fall under the specified teaching-related and ancillary tasks of the teachers shall be delegated to the administrative personnel of the schools,” the DepEd said.

Overload pay

The DO 5, meanwhile, assured overtime pay for teachers in excess of the prescribed six hours, provided it will not exceed two hours per day.

“The number of minutes accumulated on a weekly basis shall be converted into hours for the computation of appropriate teaching overload pay,” it reads.

Teachers in schools with teacher shortages and those relieving for other teachers, affecting their vacant periods, are eligible for the overload pay.

“Payment of teaching overload shall be made every quarter, subject to the extent of allotment for the purpose,” the DepEd said.

If there are insufficient funds, however, the
overload pay shall be converted to earned vacation service credits or leave credits.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: An increase in the sulfur dioxide (S02) emission reaching 2,707 tons was observed in Kanlaon Volcano on Tuesday, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The volcano has been emitting an average of 1,300 tons per day this year, while a high average of 3,098 tons was recorded last January 19.

In an advisory, Phivolcs noted that although Kanlaon’s volcanic earthquake activity has remained at a baseline average of three per day, increased seismicity has been recorded several times this year.

“The volcano is continuously releasing sulfur dioxide. Although this volume is quite significant since Kanlaon normally spews out very minimal SO2 of about 50 tons per day, this does not mean this will lead to a magmatic eruption which is driven by magma coming from deep down the volcano,” Phivolcs Director Teresito Bacolcol told the Philippine News Agency.

He explained they still have to look at other parameters such as the increasing number of volcanic earthquakes and they do not
see that at the moment.

“The overall monitoring parameters indicate that degassing of deep magma may be driving increased hydrothermal activity beneath the edifice, causing increased volcanic gas emission, swelling of the edifice, and occasional volcanic earthquake activity,” the advisory read.

Bacolcol said this means it appears like there is a lot of sulfur dioxide gas coming out of Kanlaon Volcano because magma from deep down is releasing it.

“This is making the volcano inflate and causing occasional earthquakes around it.”

Meanwhile, Kanlaon remains under Alert Level 1 (low level unrest).

Phivolcs advises the public to be vigilant and refrain from entering the 4-km. permanent danger zone due to increased chances of sudden and hazardous phreatic eruptions without warning.

It also urged aviation authorities to advise pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit, as ejecta from any sudden phreatic eruption could be hazardous to aircraft.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: AnaKalusugan Party-list Rep. Ray T. Reyes on Tuesday urged fellow legislators to revisit the law and existing policies that govern and regulate the use of vape products amid the growing concern over the possible onset of e-cigarette or vape-associated lung injury (EVALI) among the youth.

Reyes is calling for a thorough review of the Republic Act 11900, or the Vaporized Nicotine and Non-Nicotine Products Regulation Act, and is pushing to transfer the mandate of regulating vape products from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“We’ve been warning everyone for years on the mistake of putting the vape law under DTI supervision. Two years lang ang lumipas (Only two years have passed) and now we see the consequences of it,” Reyes said.

“We need to revise the IRR (Implementing Rules and Regulations) to return vape products to DOH (Department of Health) and FDA instead of DTI,” he added.

Reyes cited reports from the Philippine College of Chest Physicians w
hich showed a nationwide surge in the number of cases of EVALI, a medical condition causing lung damage from substances found in vaping products.

“While these products are usually branded as a safer alternative to cigarettes, they still pose many health risks,” Reyes said as he expressed serious concern over the increasing number of teenagers in the country

using vape.

He also cited the latest Global Youth Tobacco Survey showing that 14 percent of Filipinos – or one in every seven – between 13 and 15 years old, are already using e-cigarettes.

“It is very alarming that more and more Filipino youth are using vape and e-cigarettes. We should double our efforts in enforcing smoking and vaping laws, especially for minors,” Reyes said.

According to the Philippine National Police, more than 8,600 minors were caught violating vaping and smoking laws from May to December 2023.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Hoi An: The Field Restaurant, managed by EMIC Hospitality, situated in the ancient city of Hoi An in the central province of Quang Nam, has been awarded the Gold Platinum Low-Carbon Tourism Standard certification by Magnus International, a leading company in environmental project management and carbon offsets. This distinction marks it as the first tourism establishment in Vietnam to achieve such a high standard.

Renowned for its exceptional dining experiences that honour indigenous culture while promoting natural ecosystem regeneration, the restaurant has dedicated considerable time to establishing a foundation rooted in zero waste principles, circular economy practices, and sustainability standards within the tourism sector.

Comprehensive waste management protocols have been implemented across all service areas, including waste management training programmes, initiatives to minimise waste, and measures to enhance energy efficiency. Additionally, the restaurant actively participates in community-based envi
ronmental and livelihood projects.

Operated within a self-sufficient garden setting, the restaurant employs biological wastewater treatment systems, as well as effective energy and water management practices, all situated amidst picturesque paddy fields.

It’s hailed as the pioneering restaurant in Hoi An championing a sustainable approach based on the 5-R principle – Refuse, Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, and Repurpose – since 2017.

EMIC Hospitality, in partnership with the Environmental Management Fund Foundation and Magnus International Thailand, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at enhancing their commitment to sustainability and positioning Hoi An as a model for sustainable and responsible tourism.

Kulladejha Siriwattanawat, President of the Environmental Management Fund Foundation, highlighted the significance of the Platinum level certification of the Low Carbon Tourism standard (LCTS), emphasising that while tourism is a vital industry for Vietnam, it also comes with environmental consequen
ces.

Quang Nam province pioneered the ‘Zero Plastic Waste Tourism’ campaign in Vi?t Nam in 2019. Over 100 hotels, homestays, villas, and restaurants have pledged to reduce plastic waste./.

Source: Vietnam News Agency