Bb. Pilipinas queens set to banner Filipina excellence on international stage

by Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Bb. Pilipinas queens set to banner Filipina excellence on international stage_BBP Queens.

The mighty queens of Bb. Pilipinas are set to conquer the international stage as they banner Filipina excellence during the Miss Intercontinental, Miss Globe and Miss Grand International pageants happening this October.

“Pasabog Queen” Gabrielle Basiano is eyeing a back-to-back win for the Philippines as she prepares for the 50th Miss Intercontinental pageant in Sharm El Sheik, Egypt on Oct. 14.

The Waray beauty hailing from Borongan, Eastern Samar aims to follow in the footsteps of reigning Miss Intercontinental 2021 Cinderella Faye Obenita.

Bb PIlipinas Intercontinental 2022 Gabriel Basiano

“Nobody said it would be impossible. I am here to make history; giving me a sense of place,” Basiano said.

Basiano advocates for mental health and grief support, and she hopes to touch more lives as she strives to win the Miss Intercontinental crown this year.

Meanwhile Bb. Pilipinas Globe Chelsea Fernandez has her eyes on one thing and one thing only: winning the Miss Globe crown for the Philippines for the second straight year in a row in Tirana, Albania on Oct. 15.

“My heart is so full, witnessing all your support, and for believing in me. Let’s all use social media to spread positivity. I am in a winning mindset. Now that I’ve been given the chance to wear a Philippine sash, ‘di ko sya sasayangin. A back-to-back win is hard but, with determination, it is possible,” said the Tacloban queen.

Bb Pilipinas Globe 2022 Chelsea Fernandez

Fernandez recently won the Head-to-Head challenge, where she competed against the top 20 finalists of the Miss Globe pageant this year. She hopes to empower women and children through her advocacy through education.

“Education is important because it empowers the future. I wish that all Filipino children would have access to education so that they can pursue their aspirations in life,” she wrote on Instagram.

For Bb. Pilipinas Grand International Roberta Tamondong, this is the year for the Philippines to win the Miss Grand International Crown, as no Filipina has ever won the crown.

Bb. Grand International 2022 Roberta Tamondong

Tamondong expressed her gratitude for being chosen as the country’s representative for the said pageant happening on Oct. 25.

“Every day is a day for us to learn, to learn from our mistakes and turn it into a lesson, for us to grow as a person,” said the beauty queen who hails from San Pablo, Laguna.

Tamondong is known to be an advocate for environmental awareness, and she will surely banner her mission as she jet off to Jakarta, Indonesia for the pageant’s Grand Coronation Night.

For more information about Binibining Pilipinas, visit the new and improved https://www.bbpilipinas.com/. You can also download the new Bb. Pilipinas mobile app, it’s available for both Android and iOS users. You may also like and follow them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also subscribe to Bb. Pilipinas on YouTube.

DOT chief highlights PH recovery in MAP assembly

by Jun Marcos Tadiosm Manila Bulletin

Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco has highlighted the government’s effort to overcome the adverse effect of the Covid-19 pandemic by pushing through a much eager campaign to ensure the full recovery of the Philippine economy.

Department of Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco (Courtesy of DOT)

Talking in front of 1,000 attendees in the general membership assembly of the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) on Thursday, Oct. 13, Frasco thanked the top management executives for spearheading the resiliency of Philippine tourism.

“We all have a vital role to play in our aspirations for the economic resurgence of the Philippines,” Frasco enthused.

MAP is a 70-year-old management organization composed of top-tier practitioners, educators, and officials from local and multinational companies operating in the country.

With the overarching theme “Tourism Outlook Beyond 2022,” the DOT chief underscored the importance of the private sector in carrying out institutional progress not only in the tourism industry but also in regaining Philippines’ fiscal stability.

Joining Frasco at the assembly were Philippine Airlines (PAL) President and COO Capt. Stanley Kua Ng and Manila Marriott Hotel General Manager Bruce Alexander Winton.

Frasco assured the MAP members that the DOT is in a “right place” in executing plans and actions to ensure the strengthening of tourism through institutional improvements in terms of connectivity, convenience, and equality in tourism product development and promotion.

Furthermore, Frasco uttered that the DOT shares a positive outlook on the potential of economic resurgence through tourism, as the country remains a top-of-mind destination among travelers.

“The success of the tourism industry means more jobs for our people, more active spending activities, a more productive workforce, sparking a recovery not only for the industry but also for the national economy,” she added.

On fake news and social media in the country

by Professor Rom Feria, Manila Bulletin

This week, politicians’ attention is on the Pulse Asia survey on Filipinos’ take on fake news and its sources. One senator even wants the government to make social media companies accountable (see “risa-on-fake-news-govt-must-hold-social-media-networks-accountable”). If Meta refuses to go to the EU, appear in their chambers and be questioned, who the heck is the Philippines, why would they listen to PH congressmen and senators? What can the government do to address this problem? I have a couple of suggestions which can be done without the need for legislation.

First - start weaning away from these social media services, and instead use the official government websites for proper information dissemination. One of the possible reasons why government agencies use social media is because it is easy and convenient to post articles, unlike their websites. This should not even be an issue (what is the DICT doing?). That being said, government agencies can also tap the University of the Philippines Office of the Vice-President for Development’s IT Development Center for assistance and training.

Another possible reason is social media access is free (on mobile) or has preferential affordable packages for these online services. Why is this? PH telcos and social media companies have a deal - which always involves money (business first, as always, who cares about its impact on Philippine democracy!?). First thing to do is to compel PH telcos to provide the same preferential treatment to all government online services, everything under .gov.ph (and whilst they are at it, CHED and DepEd must also get .edu.ph included!). Imagine, it is free or more affordable to access social media sites, which promotes and spreads fake news, than sites that debunk these fake news. How is this fair? This anti-competitive behavior calls for an Philippine Competition Commission inquiry on why and how PH telcos selected these online services, whilst not providing the same for other less known social media services (e.g., how can Mastodon sites compete against them?) and online services or even locally-developed online services. And in the long term, a new law that enforces net neutrality (hello, madam senator)- that prevents the internet service providers to provide preferential treatment to any online service (including their own).

Finally, we hear about educating Filipinos to be more critical of what they read, hear and watch. However, to be very effective, this should have started at the elementary level (yeah, DepEd again!). Whilst fake news and misinformation cannot be eradicated, what can be done is to restrict its spread. Companies such as Meta (which owns Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp), Alphabet (which owns YouTube and Google Search), Twitter, and ByteDance (which owns Tiktok) bombard users with fake news and misinformation because it provides better engagement, translating to more revenue - so despite what they say about cooperating with governments (Yes, not only the Philippines) to combat fake news, at the end of the day, profit still rules for them.

With the exception of a law on net neutrality, the government has options on how to mitigate the spread of fake news. The real question is “Is the government willing?” What can DICT do? Well, that is for another article.

PH celebrates National Tamaraw Month: Endangered species now only about 600

by the Manila Bulletin Team

Tamaraw
(Gab Mejia/Manila Bulletin file photo)

The tamaraw, a wild cattle species only found in Mindoro Island and listed as critically endangered, is the focus of attention of many activities as the country observes National Tamaraw Month.

Activities of government agencies tasked to take care of the tamaraw will center on raising awareness of the importance of the protection and conservation of the tamaraws.

Its population is about 600, with 480 in Mounts Iglit-Baco Natural Park, the United Nations Development Program – Philippines reported in March 2022.

The special month for the endangered water buffalo started in 2002 when former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo declared October a “special month for the conservation and protection of the Tamaraw in Mindoro” through proclamation no. 273. The proclamation encouraged all government agencies in Mindoro to implement activities to conserve tamaraws and their habitats.

The tamaraw (scientific name Bubalus mindorensis) is the largest endemic mammal in the Philippines. It is a dwarf water buffalo from the water bovine family that can live up to 20 to 25 years.

Here are the differences between a carabao and a tamaraw, according to a World Wildlife Fund for Nature article by Gregg Yan: The horn of a tamaraw is V-shaped, its coat is shaggy, and fur can be a chocolate color to ebony, and its tail is shorter than a carabao. An adult tamaraw is four feet tall with an average weight of 300 kilograms (kgs).

The Biological Resource Research Institute for Mindanao described the horn of a carabao as a sickle shape with a body color of light grey to slate grey.

The average weight of a matured Philippine carabao is 500 kg for males and 425 kg for females, according to the Agri-Infohub of the Provincial Agriculturist’s Office of Oriental Mindoro.
The tamaraw population declined over the years due to illegal poaching, habitat loss, and diseases, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said.

The tamaraws lost their habitat because of “infrastructure development, illegal logging, and deforestation,” a Manila Bulletin article reported.

A Rinderpest outbreak in the 1930s also contributed to population decline.

Today, the tamaraw still belongs to the list of critically endangered species of the International Union for Conservation and Nature and the DENR.

The theme of this year’s celebration is “Tamaraw na Tinatangi, Pamana ng Lipi” (Revered tamaraw, our people’s legacy), which highlights the importance of supporting joint efforts to protect and conserve Tamaraws. (Alexa Basa)