BALITANG MARINO DAILY NEWS for March 6, 2023
HEADLINES
Poor nations’ leaders unleash anger and despair at UN summit
At least four dead, tens of thousands evacuated in Malaysia floods
U.S. and Fiji working on establishing green shipping corridor
UK Ports Group ABP Commits $2.4B for Net Zero Transition
MOL’s Smallest Ship Collects Marine Debris off Bali
Weeklong jeepney strike begins to demand for Marcos to scrap phaseout
BI vows faster immigration process amid tales of flights missed due to lines
Fuel prices expected to go up this week
Marcos: PH, Malaysia to hold talks on Sabah dispute
Marcos: PH will be an ideal destination for business
Gov’t asks ICC: Deny families’ bid to enter comment in case
DOH gives medical help to Oriental Mindoro communities amid oil spill threat
PAGASA monitors 2 weather systems affecting most of PH
Sarah Geronimo thanks parents as she marks 20th year in showbiz
Kris Bernal is pregnant with first child
Arjo Atayde pens sweet birthday message for Maine Mendoza
Abando wins first pro title as Anyang KGC crowned best in the east
Yulo amazes in Qatar
Ginebra wins pulling away as Converge import falls flat
Footprints in the Sand
FULL NEWSPAPER
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
Poor nations’ leaders unleash anger and despair at UN summit
DOHA, Qatar, March 6 —— Leaders from the world’s poorest nations poured out their disappointment and bitterness at a UN summit over the treatment of their countries by richer counterparts.
Many made pointed calls for the developed powers to come good with billions of dollars of promised aid to help them escape poverty and battle climate change. Central African Republic’s president told the UN Least Developed Countries meeting in Doha that his resource-rich but impoverished nation was being “looted” by “Western powers”.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres followed up an attack he made a day earlier on the “predatory” interest rates imposed by international banks on poor states. He said there could be “no more excuses” for not providing aid. But the opening day of general debate at the once-in-a-decade summit saw no major announcement of desperately needed cash — apart from $60 million that host Qatar said it would give to United Nations programs.
Leaders of the world’s major economies have been markedly absent from debate, which will last five days, on the turmoil in poor nations. At a meeting with LDC leaders, Guterres called for $500 billion to be mobilized for social and economic transformation. Leaders also used the first day of public debate to renew demands that industrialized governments hand over a promised $100 billion a year to support their efforts to counter global warming.
Presidents and prime ministers from Africa and the Asia-Pacific region made calls for financial action. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose country of 170 million is scheduled to graduate out of LDC status, said poorer nations “deserve” certainty over financing for development and climate. “The international community must renew its commitment for real structural transformation in LDCs,” Hasina said. “Our nations do not ask for charity. What we seek are our due international commitments.”
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema said providing the finance was “a matter of credibility”. “LDCs cannot afford another lost decade,” declared Narayan Kaji Shrestha, deputy prime minister of Nepal, which is also to leave the LDC club for the Middle Income Countries division by 2026. Shrestha said that in the five decades since LDC status was established to give countries trade privileges and cheaper finance, they had been “fighting an epic battle against poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy.” He highlighted that only six countries had so far escaped the LDC status that some nations consider a stigma.
Central African Republic’s President Faustin-Archange Touadera used his speech to lash out at sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council and other institutions against the huge but sparsely populated nation that has seen decades of instability. Touadera said the country’s 5.5 million people could not understand how, with vast reserves of gold, diamonds, cobalt, oil and uranium, it “remains, more than 60 years after independence, one of the poorest in the world”. “Central African Republic has always been wrongly considered by certain Western powers as a reserve for strategic materials,” he added. “It has suffered a systematic looting since its independence, helped by political instability supported by certain Western powers or their allies.”
The country has been under a UN arms embargo for a decade, while the EU imposed sanctions against the Russian mercenary group Wagner over its activities in Central African Republic and other neighboring countries. One sanctioned Wagner official was a “security adviser” to Touadera, according to the EU. Gold and diamond companies linked to Wagner in Central African Republic and Sudan were also hit by EU sanctions.
The LDC summit lasts until March 9 while hundreds of business executives are attending a parallel private sector forum.
Source: philstar.com
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At least four dead, tens of thousands evacuated in Malaysia floods
YONG PENG, Malaysia, March 6 —— Local reports and social media posts showed images of flooded roads, submerged cars, waterlogged homes and rows of shops closed in the affected areas, mainly in the southern state of Johor near neighboring Singapore.
The rains have continued unabated, hampering relief efforts. Police said at least four people have died, including a man whose car was swept away by floodwaters and an elderly couple who drowned. Nearly 41,000 people from six states, although mostly from Johor, have been evacuated to schools and community centers where food, water, and clothes were provided. The latest fatality was a 68-year-old woman who drowned near her flooded house after she left an evacuation center in Segamat town in Johor, police said.
In the Johor town of Yong Peng, AFP journalists saw a family wading in brownish waters above knee-deep outside their home, with their children using tire tubes as floats. Safiee Hassan, 38, said he and his family managed to save their refrigerator, sofa and some electrical items. “Other things like our bed, mattress, cupboard, are damaged,” he told AFP. Malaysian Nature Society president Vincent Chow told AFP these were the worst floods to hit Johor since 1969. “Now, the weather is unpredictable. Climate change has outfoxed the weatherman,” he said. Chow said he had received urgent calls for help from villagers living along a riverbank in Peta village, about 120 kilometers (70 miles) north of Yong Peng. “People are crying for food and medicine. The only way to provide food and clothes is by air,” he said.
Malaysia is facing unprecedented continuous torrential rain from the annual monsoon season that began in November. Its previous worst flooding in decades had been in 2014, when about 118,000 people fled their homes. The Southeast Asian nation often experiences stormy weather around the year’s end, with seasonal flooding regularly causing mass evacuations and deaths. But Meenakshi Raman, president of environmental group Friends of the Earth Malaysia, said the large volume of rainfall is “unusual” at this time of the year, blaming the flooding on the lack of green spaces. “Forest and land clearings in the upper reaches of our rural areas, towns and cities lead to our rivers and drains choked with soil erosion and they cannot contain the increased volumes of rainfall,” Meenakshi said. “Moreover, the over-concretizing of areas also leads to overflows of water, as there is little green left to act as sponges.”
She warned that the people and authorities were “not paying enough attention to increasing our adaptive capacities to these increasing unusual weather events”. The Meteorological Department has warned that the rain could go on until April. “But we are not doing enough to build our climate resilience by protecting our forests, soils and rivers and creating sponge cities that are able to absorb increasing rainwaters,” Meenakshi said. “Business as usual approaches must stop and we must reduce and minimize the impacts of such intense rainfalls,” she said.
Some victims were fatalistic. “We just accept this, whatever God has given. What can we do?” said Kabibah Siam, 54. “We cannot moan about our luck because over here, everyone is going through the same thing.”
Source: mb.com.ph
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MARITIME NEWS
U.S. and Fiji working on establishing green shipping corridor
March 6 —— The United States of America, the Republic of Fiji, and the Pacific Blue Shipping Partnership have announced the intent to engage in technical cooperation to help facilitate the establishment of a green shipping corridor. Together, they intend to undertake a feasibility study to explore the potential of creating a green shipping corridor in the region, which can work to expand access to new fuels and technologies. Upon its completion, the partners will initiate discussions on the next steps among key stakeholders.
With this announcement, Fiji is also joining the Green Shipping Challenge, an initiative that catalyzes actions from countries and non-state actors to advance the transition to a 1.5-aligned shipping sector. For its part, the United States is pursuing this technical cooperation under the Green Shipping Corridor Initiation Project, announced under the Green Shipping Challenge at COP27. “Green shipping corridors are a key means of spurring the early adoption of zero-emission fuels and technologies to help place the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius,” according to the officials.
As part of the Green Shipping Challenge, governments around the world are creating green shipping corridors that will help put the shipping sector on a pathway to align with the 1.5-degree goal this decade. Green shipping corridors are specific maritime routes decarbonized from end to end, including both land-side infrastructure and vessels. Setting up such routes involves using zero-emission fuel or energy, putting in place refueling or recharging infrastructure at ports, and deploying zero-emission capable vessels to demonstrate cleaner, more environmentally-friendly shipping on a given route.
Source: offshore-energy.biz
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UK Ports Group ABP Commits $2.4B for Net Zero Transition
March 6 —— The UK’s leading ports group, Associated British Ports (ABP), has unveiled an ambitious $2.4 billion green growth and sustainability plan that is designed to decarbonize operations by 2040. The organization highlights that its plan will also significantly contribute to the wider UK net zero transition goals. ABP, which owns 21 ports around England, Wales, and Scotland including the port of Southampton, said its sustainability strategy dubbed “Ready for Tomorrow” aims to bring together projects that will deliver major greenhouse gas emission reductions and sustainability improvements for the company and its partners.
The plan involves investing $2.4 billion in green infrastructure and equipment. Specifically, $724 million will be committed to decarbonizing its infrastructure and equipment ranging from vessels and dredgers to cranes and vehicles, as well as the expansion of renewable power over the next 17 years. The company will utilize an additional $1.6 billion for infrastructure and facilities supporting customers involved in the energy transition. ABP, which managed to reduce its carbon footprint by 38 percent between 2014 and 2021 from 70,578 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO2e) to 43,730 tCO2e, says that deploying the strategy to look both internally at its operations and outwardly is critical in building greater partnerships and collaborations to meet the challenges and grasp the generational opportunities of sustainability.
In the Ready for Tomorrow strategy, ABP has identified five focus areas for action. This includes net zero, air quality, biodiversity, waste, and water management. Each area has a program of action plans designed to achieve ambitious but credible targets with the ultimate goal being to reach net zero from its operations by 2040. “Climate change is an era-defining challenge, but it is also an opportunity to scale innovative new industries to leave an optimistic legacy for generations to come,” said Henrik L. Pedersen, ABP CEO. “We are committed to working together with industry partners and authorities to turn this generational crisis into a generational opportunity, to create a decarbonized, dramatically more sustainable future and deliver the significant investment, economic growth, and thousands of new, good jobs.”
The company is a major player in the UK’s commercial shipping and logistics sector with its ports contributing $9 billion to the UK economy annually, employing 2,500 people directly, and supporting around 119,000 jobs. Annually, goods worth $180 billion pass through its ports, with the port of Southampton, which is the UK’s number one export port, handling $48.2 billion of exports for UK manufacturers every year.
ABP reports it is already investing in floating offshore wind, hydrogen, carbon capture and storage, industrial decarbonization, and alternative fuels projects. The strategy embraces the fact that ports have a vital and unique enabling role for a range of major decarbonization and sustainability projects in the UK. For ABP, this includes continuing to develop its leading offshore wind manufacturing and support hubs as well as more than doubling its green power generation.
Source: maritime-executive.com
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MOL’s Smallest Ship Collects Marine Debris off Bali
March 6 —— Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, best known for its fleets of dry bulkers and car carriers, has launched possibly its smallest and most unique vessel. The vessel is designed to collect debris from the waters and is part of the company’s environmental efforts.
Named Arika, MOL conducted a demonstration of its marine debris collection vessel off the coast of Bali in Indonesia on March 1. The vessel was apparently developed with a Turkish company EPS Marine which pioneered the concept of converting skinners into boats that could collect debris and trash floating in the water. MOL purchased the vessel through PT MOL Blue Ocean Indonesia, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the MOL Group. In addition to the boat, the company also demonstrated a collection device that is towed across the beach attached to a tractor.
While Bali, Indonesia, has a diverse and rich natural environment, the problem of marine debris is becoming more serious. MOL cites the impact of rapid urbanization and population growth as contributing to the increase in litter. The marine debris collection ship and coastal debris collection device both feature conveyor belts that collect debris from the water and along the shore.
Starting with a demonstration of marine debris collection in Bali, Indonesia, MOL aims to commercialize the technology and started a feasibility study of the business model for the introduction of a marine debris collection ship in Vietnam. Last year they reported the survey would last about a year and include verification of the business model and evaluations of local shipyards that could build collection ships while also considering cooperation with Vietnamese government ministries and agencies.
MOL cites experts who report that plastic waste accounts for an estimated 70 percent of marine debris, while forecasting by 2050, the volume of plastic waste in the oceans might exceed that of fish. The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) lists China, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam as leading sources of plastic waste. The volume of debris in Southeast Asia they report accounts for the majority of plastic in the oceans, with 700,000 tons, accounting for six percent of the worldwide total, originating in Vietnam and other Asian countries. Vietnam’s long north-south coastline makes it more susceptible to debris flowing into the ocean, and the volume of waste is increasing along with rapid urbanization.
Plastic debris floating in the oceans is also thought to contribute to the increase in microplastic particles which are of increasing concern to scientists and environmentalists. MOL previously announced that it was testing a filtration system that could remove microparticles during ballast water operations. Last year they also began testing a centrifugal-type microplastic collection device, which can continuously collect the material while a vessel is underway.
Source: maritime-executive.com
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PHILIPPINE NEWS
Weeklong jeepney strike begins to demand for Marcos to scrap phaseout
MANILA, Philippines, March 6 —— At least 100,000 jeepney drivers and operators across the country began their strike today, prompting local governments to offer free rides and some schools to shift to online classes as some transport groups demand President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stop the planned phaseout of traditional jeepneys.
Protests will be held in Metro Manila, southern Tagalog, Calabarzon, Bicol, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Ilocos region, Bulacan and Baguio City, Pinagkaisang Samahan ng mga Tsuper at Operator Nationwide president Mody Floranda told The STAR newspaper on the weekend.
In Metro Manila, Floranda said the protest begins at 7 a.m. at the University of the Philippines – Diliman, from there they will form a caravan to the Land Transportation, Franchising and Regulatory Board office, proceed to Delta, then Quezon Avenue and finally to Mendiola in Manila. Floranda said only an executive order from Marcos scrapping the Omnibus Franchising Guidelines which effectively phase out traditional jeepneys will stop the strike. While Malacañang and the LTFRB said a majority of transport groups in the country will not be joining the strike, Floranda, whose group is joined by Manibela in the stoppage, told The STAR newspaper that “the success of the strike is not measured on the extent of the mobilization, but the legitimate issue that the drivers and operators are presenting.”
Ahead of the strike, Metro Manila mayors have agreed to provide commuters free rides during the weeklong jeepney strike, while Malacañang said the government will mobilize around 106 vehicles to help the riding public. The Department of the Interior and Local Government, meanwhile, said service patrols of the 1,700 barangays in Metro Manila will be used to ferry passengers affected by the strike. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has lifted the number coding scheme on the first day of the jeepney strike and announced that it will provide 25 vehicles, including buses to pick up passengers. Vice President Sara Duterte, who is concurrently education chief, said all schools may hold asynchronous classes during the strike.
Some groups are pushing ahead with their strike despite the LTFRB extending the deadline for individual operators to consolidate under a cooperative or corporation to year-end from June 30 in deference to the Senate which “strongly urged” it to do so in a resolution. But during a hearing on the looming transport strike last week, senators tried to sway transport officials to not impose a deadline for consolidation as they flagged flaws in the implementation of the modernization program, including the lack of route plans. Still, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista insisted that there must be a deadline. “It cannot be open-ended because if we don’t impose a deadline, no one will follow,” he said in Filipino.
Ultimately, though, what some transport groups want is not just for the deadline to be scrapped, but for the entire phaseout of traditional jeepneys to be abandoned. “Whatever deadline they give us, it will still be a phaseout,” Manibela national president Mar Valbuena said, alleging that the consolidation plan is backed by a big “mafia”. He said that even if they had agreed to consolidate “in the end we still need to surrender our franchises.”
Under the current PUV Modernization Program, operators must surrender their individual franchises for consolidation into a Fleet Management System, where cooperatives would have to purchase 15 imported minibuses per route.
Source: philstar.com
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BI vows faster immigration process amid tales of flights missed due to lines
March 6 —— The Bureau of Immigration (BI) over the weekend committed to boosting its electronic gates to lessen processing times at the immigration counters, following a number of social media posts claiming that the long process caused them to be offloaded from their flights.
According to the BI, it is set to improve the immigration process, as it has looked at ways to improve and fast-track the process in the coming months. “The BI commits to explore the use of additional electronic gates to lessen processing times,” it said in JP Soriano’s report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend”. “The e-travel portal for departing passengers will likewise be launched in March, which will decrease paper-based forms for passengers,” it added.
This comes after a number of posts circulated online, with passengers at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) saying they were offloaded from their flights due to the time needed to go through immigration. One of the posts was a passenger going to Palau, who said that the lengthy immigration process caused him to miss his flight. The BI said that it deployed 21 immigration officers on duty during the said period, processing 15 flights with a load of approximately 3,900 passengers.
“While the BI has maximized its manpower complement, the issue of long lines remains a worldwide concern as countries open up its borders,” it said. “We are thankful to the Manila International Airport Authority for committing to increase the space allocation for the immigration area in the next few months. We are likewise grateful for the support of the airlines in studying flight schedules to minimize overlapping of flights,” it added.
Source: gmanetwork.com
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Fuel prices expected to go up this week
Metro Manila, March 6 —— Diesel and gasoline prices are expected to go up this week, according to forecast.
In its advisory, Unioil Petroleum Philippines said diesel prices will increase by P1.30 to P1.50 per liter while gasoline prices are expected to have a minimal increase of P0.10 to P0.30 per liter. The oil company said the price adjustment will take effect on March 7 until next week, March 13.
According to the Department of Energy (DOE), as of Feb. 28, oil companies have implemented a year-to-date rollback for diesel and kerosene at P2.40 and P2.30 per liter, respectively. Gasoline, on the other hand, has a net increase of P5.30 per liter, the DOE added.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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Marcos: PH, Malaysia to hold talks on Sabah dispute
Metro Manila, March 6 —— The Philippines and Malaysia will hold talks on their long-standing territorial dispute over Sabah, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said after Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s visit to Manila.
In a recent video blog, Marcos said he and Anwar discussed the issue during their March 1 bilateral meeting and agreed on the two countries’ foreign affairs chiefs to meet over the matter. “Alam niyo naman meron tayong claim dyan sa Sabah na sinasabi natin na nasa Pilipinas ‘yan. Eh ngayon, sila ang administrator ng Sabah, kaya’t sabi namin kailangan natin pag-usapan nang masinsinan ‘yan,” Marcos said. “‘Yung mga foreign affairs secretary namin ay mag-uusap tungkol dyan, kung anong pwede pa nating gawin,” he added.
This was not the first time Marcos and Anwar briefly talked about Sabah. In September 2018, Marcos — who was not in the government after his failed 2016 vice presidential bid — said he and Anwar touched on the matter over “casual” dinner when the latter visited the Philippines. That year, Anwar was already poised to become Malaysia’s next prime minister but was later denied the premiership. According to Marcos, Anwar’s view on the dispute at that time is that “both countries should move on and go to other issues.” “Of course, our position in the Philippines is that our claim on Sabah is maintained,” Marcos said in 2018. “We feel that it is a righteous claim. But I agree with his suggestion that the relationship between Malaysia and the Philippines should not be centered only around Sabah but should be expanded to include other sectors.”
Years after being occupied by the Japanese and eventually becoming a British Crown Colony, Sabah became a state under Malaysia, which gained independence in 1963. Manila insists that Sabah was merely on lease to Malaysia by the Sultanate of Sulu, which has ceded sovereignty over the area to the Philippines. The Sultanate signed a lease agreement in 1878 with the now defunct private firm British North Borneo Company over a part of Sabah, which Malaysia absorbed after the British colonizers left.
The dispute stems from the term “pajak” in the agreement written in Arabic. The Philippines maintains it means lease, while Malaysia says it translates to cession.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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Marcos: PH will be an ideal destination for business
Metro Manila, March 6 —— President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has assured traders that necessary initiatives to make the Philippines an ideal player in the export sector are in place and will be effectively implemented.
As he graced “Tanyag,” a gathering of local and international trading partners, Marcos has made a pronouncement that “the Philippines will be a destination of choice when it comes to doing business.” To achieve this, the President said various government initiatives will be implemented under his term. “Since taking office, I have ensured the implementation of initiatives that will make the Philippines an ideal player in the export sector,” Marcos said in his speech. “For instance, we are creating high-value and competitive Philippine products and services capable of serving the needs of consumers and producers worldwide,” he added.
He cited digital transformation, infrastructure development, and expansion of domestic capabilities as among the efforts the government is taking to spur development and growth of the export sector. “Our campaign to attract foreign investments is also aimed at facilitating technology and knowledge transfers to local industry and creating a robust export ecosystem within our country,” he said. “We are also intensifying our trade promotion activities to help open opportunities for small businesses in the global market,” he added.
Marcos further said that the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will expedite the completion of the Philippine Export Development Plan 2023-2028 to implement a holistic plan that will align the priorities of concerned stakeholders, produce quality export products, and to further expand their reach across the globe. He expressed hopes before the trade diplomatic partners, legislators, partners from foreign embassies, private, and government sectors in attendance that the country will be able to demonstrate the meaning of “Tanyag”—outstanding—when it comes to doing business.
“Ladies and gentlemen, as we step out of the shadows of the economic setbacks that we have experienced in the past few years, I invite you to see the break of day here in the Philippines,” he said. “In the years ahead, you will see that the Philippines will be a destination of choice when it comes to doing business– where innovation, excellence, and sustainability meet with Filipino creativity and ingenuity to secure the needs of our time,” he added as he concluded his remarks.
The event, which was spearheaded by DTI, is a formal export trade networking activity that gathers various government agencies, business leaders and trade diplomatic partners to showcase Philippine-made products and services to the rest of the world. It aims to promote a whole-of-the-government and whole-of-nation approach in promoting Philippine exports, as well as to maximize the endless potentials of the country’s export industries as an economic driver for growth and development.
Source: mb.com.ph
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Gov’t asks ICC: Deny families’ bid to enter comment in case
MANILA, Philippines, March 6 —— The Philippine government has asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to reject the requests of both the relatives of drug war victims and the court’s independent Office of Public Counsel for Victims (OPCV) to appear before the tribunal.
In its March 3 submission to the appeals chamber, the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) said both requests “fall foul of procedural and substantive requirements which are necessary in these proceedings before the appeals chamber.” The government’s petition came after relatives of drug war victims invoked their right to object formally to the government’s effort to halt the ICC prosecutor’s investigation of the thousands of drug suspects killed during the term of former President Rodrigo Duterte. The appeal was signed by some 90 family members and their legal representative whose names were redacted in the copy furnished to the government. The OSG said the application also removed what the applicants wished to comment on.
Given those missing details, there was no way to discern “who the legal representative is, whether they have authority to represent all 90 applicants, and if so, whether all 90 applicants had been subject to a preliminary assessment,” the OSG said. “As the appellant, the Philippine government cannot effectively exercise its rights if it is precluded from scrutinizing the submissions of all other participants,” it added. As for the OPCV’s request to appear before the court and represent the victims’ views, the government argued that it has had “no role or involvement in the collection or presentation of the views and concerns of victims.”
Before this, the victims filed their comments with the court’s Victims Participation and Reparations Section (VPRS), which is a separate office, back when the court first sought out the victims’ comments on whether they wanted a full investigation of the charge of crimes against humanity against Duterte. The VPRS primarily acts as a reference point between victims and the court, while the OPCV may in certain circumstances act directly as legal representative for victims.
The Philippine government argued that the OPCV “fails to establish which specific victims it seeks to advance the views of,” adding that there was “no compelling reason nor procedural basis to grant the office leave to participate in proceedings where it was not a prior participant.” “As such, there is no basis to regard the OPCV as participants in the broader proceedings and no concrete reasons are provided as to why the interests of those victims … should now be represented by the OPCV,” it added.
Source: inquirer.net
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DOH gives medical help to Oriental Mindoro communities amid oil spill threat
Metro Manila, March 6 —— The Department of Health has provided medical assistance to affected Oriental Mindoro communities as authorities rush to contain the oil spill from a sunken tanker.
“This recent incident calls for a whole-of-government approach, and with the environment being a major determinant of the health of our people, the DOH is working closely together with other concerned national government agencies and local government units to mitigate the effects of the oil spill to the affected communities,” said Health officer-in-charge Maria Rosario Vergeire.
The DOH has given medicines, face masks, nebulizers, oxygen concentrators and other health supplies to the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro. The agency also had also readied its toxicology experts to support local primary care providers. Volunteers in the coastal cleanups were also told to temporarily stop working as many have become ill because of not wearing protective gear. Vergeire said mask guidelines are being finalized, adding that residents near the oil spill-affected areas might be required to wear “high-level” masks.
The local government will also start rationing water as residents were told not to use water from direct sources, especially those living near the coasts. “Ia-anticipate natin, ite-test natin ‘yong sources of water nila para makita natin kung may bahid na or may contamination na. At kung hindi pa, gagawa na ng paraan with the help of the local government, of course, kung paano namin mapoprotektahan ang ating sources of water,” Vergeire told reporters. Vergeire also said the agency will continue its surveillance even after the oil spill is contained to monitor the long-term effects on the residents’ health.
According to the DOH, toxic chemicals from the oil spill can cause skin and lung diseases, aside from nausea, vomiting, and upset stomachs. On the other hand, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is preparing more activities to hasten coastal cleanup efforts. The agency added it is coordinating with other regions for access to their treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, as these are lacking in Mimaropa.
Based on the latest data from the University of the Philippines’ Marine Science Institute, over 36,000 hectares of marine habitats may be at risk due to the oil spill. MT Princess Empress was transporting 800,000 liters of industrial oil when it capsized last Feb. 28 near Naujan town and sunk. Authorities are still trying to pinpoint the location of the sunken tanker. Experts think the oil slick might reach Cuyo Island in Palawan in the next few days. The Philippine Coast Guard reported that the oil spill has already reached Antique province.
More Oriental Mindoro towns will be placed under a state of calamity on Monday to augment funds to support affected families.
Source: cnnphilippines.com
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PAGASA monitors 2 weather systems affecting most of PH
March 6 —— Two weather systems – the northeast monsoon and the shear line — are being monitored by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) as these are seen to affect most parts of the country in the next 24-hour period.
While the northeast monsoon, locally known as “amihan,” is bringing cold winds and light rains in Northern Luzon, PAGASA weather specialist Benison Estareja warned of the high chances of rains in parts of Southern Luzon and Visayas due to the shear line. “Ang shear line ay nagbabalik. Meron pa ring kalat kalat na pag-ulan and thunderstorms sa bahagi ng Southern Luzon and Visayas,” said Estareja in a public weather forecast. Areas affected by the shear line are as follows: Bicol Region, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, and Samar.
For Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon, hot and humid weather with temperatures ranging from 22°C to 32°C will prevail. Mindanao, the rest of Visayas, and Palawan may also expect a generally fair weather condition with chances of isolated rain showers in the afternoon or evening due to localized thunderstorms. In the same public weather forecast, Estareja said no tropical cyclones are expected to develop or affect the Philippines in the coming days. He, however, warned of the possible formation of a low pressure area (LPA) off Mindanao by next weekend.
“Towards the next weekend, base sa ating models, ay possible po na may mabuong low pressure area or circulation sa may southeast portion ng Mindanao. Patuloy po tayong magmo-monitor,” he furthered.
Source: mb.com.ph
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ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
Sarah Geronimo thanks parents as she marks 20th year in showbiz
MANILA, March 6 —— Pop superstar Sarah Geronimo expressed her gratitude to her parents Delfin and Divine Geronimo as she marked her 20th anniversary in show business.
In a video uploaded on her Facebook page, Sarah was all smiles as she ran through her list of thank you’s, mentioning her parents, with whom she had a falling out after she decided to marry Matteo Guidicelli. “Nagpapasalamat po ako kay Lord at umabot po ako ng dalawang dekada sa showbiz. At sa lahat po ng mga sumusuporta sa akin, ang Popsters, maraming salamat. At sa akin pong mga magulang, sa aking Mommy Divine at Daddy Delfing gwapo, thank you,” the singer-actress said. “Sa aking family, thank you. Sa aking fur babies, thank you. My VIVA family, thank you. My ABS-CBN family, thank you. And, my husband, thank you, my love, Matteo Guidicelli,” she added.
Geronimo also greeted and thanked her fans as she marked her showbiz anniversary. She also released her new song “Habang Buhay” on digital streaming platforms on March 1.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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Kris Bernal is pregnant with first child
MANILA, Philippines, March 6 —— Filipina actress Kris Bernal is expecting her first bundle of joy with husband Perry Choi!
Kris shared the news in a series of Instagram posts. The quirky pregnancy photoshoot was creatively designed to mimic movie posters, complete with adorable made-up movie titles, awards, taglines, and the baby’s due date, which is in August. “It happened – we weren’t really ‘trying,’ but we were blessed with pregnancy! I can still remember I’ve felt a rush of different emotions when the test showed two lines. Did you sense I was already pregnant? Finally, I can share this wonderful journey with you all,” Kris wrote in her caption, telling her followers to await the full story on her upcoming YouTube vlog.
Kris also said that her first trimester was “no joke” (alluding to morning sickness), and that she hasn’t experienced anything like that before, since she feels like a “stranger in her own body.” She also wrote an appreciation post for soon-to-be dad Perry, who has been very “hands on in taking care of Kris.” “He put up with all my crazy mood swings, reminds me of the dos and don’ts of my doctor, makes sure I take my medicines on time, and the list goes on! Perry, you have what it takes to welcome parenthood,” Kris wrote.
Kris and Perry got engaged in February 2020 and tied the knot in September 2021. Kris first made her relationship with Perry public in November 2017.
Source: rappler.com
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Arjo Atayde pens sweet birthday message for Maine Mendoza
MANILA, Philippines, March 6 —— Actor-politician Arjo Atayde wrote a short but sweet message for his fiancéé Maine Mendoza who celebrated her 28th birthday.
On his Instagram account, Arjo posted three photos of himself with Maine on a beach bathed in the light of the sunset. “I will love you beyond this lifetime. Happy birthday, my fiancé. I love you today and always,” Arjo wrote in the caption. Maine jokingly said her thanks in the comments, “Lolol love you love you!” Fellow celebrities who greeted Maine on Arjo’s post were Maja Salvador, Zeus Collins, Tim Yap, Christine Babao and Arjo’s sister Ria.
Rumors of Arjo and Maine dating first circulated in December 2018 after they starred together in the Metro Manila Film Festival entry “Jack Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles” alongside Coco Martin and Vic Sotto. The couple officially announced they were exclusively dating a month later, and became engaged in July last year.
Source: philstar.com
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SPORTS NEWS
Abando wins first pro title as Anyang KGC crowned best in the east
March 6 —— Three Filipinos played on the final day of the 2023 East Asia Super League Champions Week in Okinawa on Sunday. But it was Rhenz Abando who stole the show after helping Anyang KGC take bragging right and a cool $250,000 in beating fellow KBL team Seoul SK, 90-84, in the final. Abando pumped 11 points, the majority of which came in the second quarter which helped KGC take control of the game for good.
Leading the charge for Anyang were Daryl Monroe and Omari Spellman with the former tallying 21 points and 16 rebounds while the latter added 19 points and 11 boards. Spellman was named the tournament MVP. The victory marked Abando’s first championship outside of the Philippines and a major milestone in his professional career. He had previously won the NCAA crown with Letran in NCAA Season 98 where he was also named MVP before signing as a pro.
Kim Sunhyung led the defending KBL champs with 25 points while Jameel Warney added 22 points. The Knights will still bank $100,000 for their second-place finish.
Meanwhile, another Philippine basketball talent, Sedrick Barefield, also made waves to close out the week as he helped Bay Area secure third place in the competition. Bay Area’s imports, Myles Powell and Andrew Nicholson, teamed up with Barefield to dominate Japan B.League side Ryukyu Golden Kings in a 90-70 win. Powell led the team with 29 points, while Nicholson added 18 points and eight rebounds. Barefield also contributed 17 points and six rebounds to help the Dragons clinch third place and a cash prize of US$50,000.
Ryukyu’s Filipino import Carl Tamayo only played 10 minutes in the contest, finishing with two points. Allen Durham had 19 points and seven rebounds for the Golden Kings.
As the dust settled in Okinawa, TNT and San Miguel finished in seventh and last place. P.League+’s Taipei Fubon was sixth due to a superior quotient over the two PBA squads. Utsunomiya placed fifth.
Source: tiebreakertimes.com
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Yulo amazes in Qatar
MANILA, Philippines, March 6 —— It wasn’t the medal color Caloy Yulo yearned for. But striking a silver and a bronze in addition to a gold medal, Yulo came through with an amazing feat in the Doha, Qatar leg of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Series. The 22-year-old Filipino star claimed first runner-up honors in parallel bars and snatched a vault bronze that went with his top-podium finish in floor exercise.
Yulo scored 14.933 to cop the silver in the parallel bars topped by Ukrainian Illia Kovtun (14.966) and had 14.833 to claim the bronze in the vault ruled by Armenian Artur Davtyan (15.083). Those podium finishes completed an impressive haul highlighted by Yulo’s golden feat in floor exercise where he blew away the field with a magnificent 14.833 Friday. In parallel bars, Yulo gained improvement from a bronze showing in the kickoff leg in Cottbus, Germany less than a week ago.
And the pocket-sized dynamo from Leveriza in Manila is expected to shoot for more as he’s scheduled to see action in the final two legs of the series in Baku, Azerbaijan slated March 9 to 12 and Cairo, Egypt set April 27 to 30. These events are part of Yulo’s preparation for next year’s Paris Olympics where he will shoot for nothing less than a breakthrough gold.
Source: philstar.com
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Ginebra wins pulling away as Converge import falls flat
March 6 —— BARANGAY Ginebra cruised to a 120-101 win over Converge and denied the FiberXers a Top 4 finish in the PBA Governors’ Cup at the Philsports Arena on Sunday. The Kings won for the third straight game and tied idle San Miguel at second place as the reigning champions continue to climb up the standings in the homestretch of the eliminations.
Overshadowed by the blowout win was the sudden dip in the play of Converge import Jamaal Franklin, who was held to just four points and attempted just five times in 35 minutes of play. The figures were a far cry from Franklin’s season-high 57 points in the team’s 132-139 loss to Meralco just last Friday. The explosive import leads the league in scoring with 37.3 points per game average. “Better ask them. It’s not me,” said Ginebra coach Tim Cone when asked about the odd performance of the usually prolific Converge import.
With Franklin failing to put up his usual numbers, the Kings were quick to take advantage, taking a 64-55 lead at the break and a 93-78 spread by the end of the third quarter, which saw the Converge import not taking a single attempt. Jamie Malonzo had a career-high 29 points, including 22 in the first half to go with eight rebounds and five assists, while Justin Brownlee and Christian Standhardinger each had a double-double of 28 points with 10 and 12 rebounds, respectively. “We knew this one is a big game in terms of taking us over the hump and getting to the Top 4,” said Cone. “I think officially we still have to get one of our next two to qualify to the Top 4.”
All-Star snub Maverick Ahanmisi carried the load for Converge with 24 points, spiked by five three-pointers with Franklin refusing to take shots. Jeron Teng added 12 and rookie big man Justin Arana and David Murell had 11 each. The loss relegated Converge to the lower half of standings entering the playoffs, where it needs to win twice against its seeded opponent to advance to its first semifinals appearance.
The scores:
Ginebra (120) — Malonzo 29, Brownlee 28, Standhardinger 28, Gray 16, Thompson 5, Pinto 4, R.Aguilar 4, Pringle 3, Onwubere 3, Pessumal 0, Dillinger 0.
Converge (101) — Ahanmisi 24, Teng 12, Murrell 11, Arana 11, Stockton 10, Tratter 9, Racal 7, Balanza 7, Franklin 4, Ebona 3, Tolomia 3.
Quarterscores: 29-24; 64-55; 93-78; 120-101.
Source: spin.ph
Editor’s note:
In the first game, the Meralco Bolts went to work in the final quarter to pull away for a 92-86 win over Phoenix Fuel Masters and remain in the running for a Top 4 berth. KJ McDaniels had 19 points, 16 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 4 steals, Aaron Black had 18 points, Chris Banchero scored 13 and Cliff Hodge with 12 points.
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Footprints in the Sand
One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
“Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I’m aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don’t understand why, when I need You most, You leave me.”
He whispered, “My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.”
Source: www.ryanhart.org
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2012 CAR CARRIER OF THE YEAR AWARD
We are please to announce that 10 vessels have demonstrated excellence in safety, delay-free, and bunkering-saving operations and have thus been selected to receive the Car Carrier of the Year Award for 2012
The M/V Santa Lucia saved human lives.
The M/V Santa Lucia, an 180,000-ton bulk carrier we operate with 22 Pilipino crew, saved human lives.
In the early hours of March 16, while sailing in the Molucca Sea, Indonesia, on a voyage from Japan to Australia, the ship received a distress call from an Indonesian fishing boat.
The M/V Santa Lucia proceeded to the site and rescued all 15 crew members from the boat. All the rescued crew were safe and sound and handed over to Indonesia’s coast guard in the afternoon of the same day.