Palace declares April 21 a regular holiday for Eid'l Fitr

BY ARGYLL CYRUS GEDUCOS

Apr 14, 2023 7:59 PM

  

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AT A GLANCE

• Eid'l Fitr is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide as it marks the end of Ramadhan.

• In the country, Eid'l Fitr has been recognized by the Philippine government as a regular holiday under Republic Act No. 9177.

• This is the second of the three long weekends Filipinos get to experience this month. The first was a five-day holiday during the Holy Week.

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Malacañang has declared April 21, 2023, a regular holiday across the country for the observation of Eid'l Fitr or the Feast of Ramadhan.

File photo

The Official Gazette announced this on its Facebook page on Friday evening, April 14, a week before the observation.

Based on Proclamation No. 201, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, it was necessary to declare the holiday to allow every Filipino to be one with the Muslim community in the celebration of Eid'l Fitr.

"In order to bring the religious significance of the Eid'l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness and to allow the entire Filipino nation to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in peace and harmony in the observance and celebration of Eid'l Fitr, it is necessary to declare Friday, 21 April 2023, a regular holiday throughout the country," the Proclamation read.

Proclamation No. 201, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin (Eid'l Fitr)

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This is the second of the three long weekends Filipinos get to experience this month. The first was a five-day holiday during the Holy Week.

The Muslim world celebrates Eid'l Fitr for three days after the end of the month of fasting. It is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide as it marks the end of Ramadhan, or the Islamic holy month of fasting.

In the country, Eid'l Fitr has been recognized by the Philippine government as a regular holiday under Republic Act No. 9177, also according to Presidential Proclamation No. 1083, signed into law on November 13, 2002.

Some Filipino Muslims celebrate and observe Eid'l Fitr at the Manila Golden Mosque in Quiapo, Manila, while Muslim communities in Mindanao stage large public celebrations.

Eid'l Fitr, also the first day of the Islamic month of Shawwal, signifies the Muslims' successful journey towards spiritual purification through month-long fasting.

BI rolls out electronic registration of passengers starting April 15

BY JUN RAMIREZ

  

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AT A GLANCE

• The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will start on Saturday, April 15), the electronic registration of arriving and departing passengers to simplify immigration procedures and clearances.

• BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the bureau has discarded the paper-based registration and adopted e-travel platform to establish an integrated border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.

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The Bureau of Immigration (BI) will start on Saturday, April 15), the electronic registration of arriving and departing passengers to simplify immigration procedures and clearances.

(Bureau of Immigration / file photo)

BI Commissioner Norman Tansingco said the bureau has discarded the paper-based registration and adopted e-travel platform to establish an integrated border control, health surveillance, and economic data analysis.

"The system consolidates operations of all border management agencies to save government resources," the BI chief said.

The system is a joint project of various government offices under the Inter-Agency Task Force which included the  Department of Information and Communications Technology, the Department of Tourism, the Bureau of Quarantine, the Bureau of Customs, the Department of Health, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Justice, the National Privacy Commission and the BI.

All passengers and crew members arriving into the Philippines are required to register through etravel.gov.ph not earlier than 72 hours from their scheduled arrival.

Those who fail to register will be assisted by airline staff upon their arrival.

Tansingco said outbound Filipino passengers are required to register in the e-travel system 72 hours, but not less than three hours before flying out of the country.

Already registered passengers may update their e-travel status under the Edit Registration tab while crew members may update under the Registered Crew tab.

"The paper-based arrival and departure cards can only be used by passengers who are incapable of e-travel registration, or when the electronic system is inaccessible," Tansingco said.

Tansingco said registration in the e-travel portal is free of charge. 

BLACKPINK’s YouTube channel sets Guinness World Records title

BY JONATHAN HICAP

  

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K-pop girl group BLACKPINK’s official YouTube channel has set a new Guinness World Records title. 

According to Guinness World Records, BLACKPINK’s YouTube channel has set the record for the most viewed channel on YouTube for a group. 

BLACKPINK in the Philippines (YG Entertainment)

As of April 12, the YouTube channel had garnered 30.15 billion views to achieve the world record. It has 86.6 million subscribers as of April 14. 

“As of the last update back in 2018, Maroon 5 were the previous holders with just over 9 billion views,” Guinness stated. 

Of the videos on BLACKPINK’s YouTube channel, their music video for "뚜두뚜두 (DDU-DU DDU-DU)" has over two billion views.

“As a band, BLACKPINK still hold multiple records including the most subscribers for a band on YouTube as well as becoming the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the UK albums chart (female) and the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the US albums chart (female),” Guinness added. 

BLACKPINK set a record last month for “the most streamed female group on Spotify with over 8.8 billion individual streams.”

“Also, the quartet have previously held Guinness World Records titles for the most viewed music video in 24 hours and most viewed YouTube video in 24 hours, however these records are now held by fellow K-pop band BTS for their single ‘Dynamite,’” according to Guinness.

What’s your Philippine Travel Level?

 Filipinos flex their past local travels with this web app.

Singapore-based Filipino software engineer Denz del Villar created a web app that can help you visualize the places you’ve been to in the country.

BY JOHN LEGASPI

  

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As an archipelago, the Philippines is teeming with tourist destinations waiting for travelers to explore. Some document their adventures by taking photos and videos to share online, while others immortalize their experiences by writing them in a journal. If you’re among the lucky ones who are able to travel the many parts of the country, then you’ll love this web app. 

Singapore-based Filipino software engineer Denz del Villar created a web app that can help you visualize the places you’ve been to in the country. Dubbed the My Philippines Travel Level, the software features the Philippine map divided into 83 provinces where users can “choose the appropriate level of travel.” They can select if they have lived in the area, stayed there, visited, alighted, and passed or tag it as never been there. After going through all the regions of the Philippines, the app will present your total score or your Philippines Travel Level. According to its website, the app is a project inspired by JapanEx.

“This is my first time dabbling with ReactJS, and I used ChatGPT heavily to help me with the project,” Denz wrote.

Currently, Filipino netizens are using the app to see their Philippines Travel Level. Among the many who flexed their result is former vice president Leni Robredo, who got a 315 score. 

You can find out your Philippines Travel Level here. And if you’re surprised by the result, take it as your sign to discover and see more local destinations this year.

Bong Go warns vs possible water crisis

SEN. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go Photo by Bibo Nueva España /Senate PRIB

By Javier Joe Ismael, Manila Times

April 15, 2023 

SEN. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go is urging the government to strengthen its reforestation and greening programs as the reported possibility of a water crisis looms.

In a chance interview after aiding fire victims in Parañaque City on Wednesday, April 12, Go, a member of Senate Committees on Agriculture and on Environment, noted the importance of enhancing the country's greening efforts, involving local communities, local government units and the private sector to address growing concerns over the country's water supply.

"If there are more trees in our forests, more rainwater will be accumulated in the soil," the senator said.

Go acknowledged the move of the previous administration of then-president Rodrigo Duterte to make irrigation free for farmers.

He, however, said the incoming El Niño phenomenon may make it difficult to release sufficient volume of water from dams, affecting the farmers' ability to plant their crops.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration has issued a warning that the country may experience El Niño starting in the latter part of this year and persisting until 2024.

The weather phenomenon can cause a prolonged drought and significantly impact the country's agricultural crops, a vital source of livelihood for many Filipinos.

The senator expressed concern for the plight of farmers and called on government agencies to take action.

He called on the government to enhance and build more water-related infrastructure, such as irrigation canals and water pumping stations, to help support the agriculture industry.

"The effect of climate change has intensified. We cannot 100 percent rely on rain to irrigate our farmlands, especially during the summer dry season," Go said.

He also called on the Department of Agriculture (DA) to provide alternative sources of income or assistance to farmers who could be affected by the possible water crisis.

As part of its 2023 El Niño Mitigation and Adaptation Plan, the DA has announced that it will promote several measures to help farmers cope with the anticipated drought.

These measures include encouraging the use of organic fertilizers, promoting the use of drought-tolerant and early-maturing crops and adjusting planting calendars to optimize crop yields.

A consistent advocate for stronger agricultural support systems and infrastructure in the country, Go co-authored Republic Act 11901, which expanded the financing system for agriculture, fisheries and rural development.

He also supported programs to enhance irrigation, expand the National Rice Program and combat agricultural smuggling.

Additionally, the senator backed proposals to convert idle government lands into agricultural areas to boost food production.

He cited the vital role of farmers in ensuring food security and he aims to provide them with the necessary support to succeed.

Go co-sponsored Senate Bill 1850 or the proposed "New Agrarian Emancipation Act," which seeks to condone almost P58 billion worth of loans that agrarian reform beneficiaries incurred in owning lands under the government's Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program or from other agrarian reform programs.

The measure is now awaiting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s signature to become a law.

Manila shows sharp increase of COVID-19 cases

By: John Eric Mendoza - Reporter / @JEMendozaINQ

INQUIRER.net 

MANILA, Philippines — The number of COVID-19 cases in Manila City has shown a sharp increase, its mayor Honey Lacuna said on Friday.

Lacuna said that as of April 14, there are 19 new confirmed active cases, bringing the total count to 71.

“Ano pong ibig sabihin niyan? Ibig sabihin po tumataas na naman po ang kaso ng COVID-19. Although, ‘di ba kung tutuusin hindi naman po ganoon kalaki ang pagtaas, pero tumaas pa din po, yun ang nakakatakot,” Lacuna said in a social media address.

(What does that mean? It means the COVID-19 cases have increased, but if we look at it, the increase is not that high, but it is still increasing, which is still alarming.)

“For the past few weeks, bumababa ang kaso; ngayon, sunod-sunod na araw tumataas po ang mga cases,” she added.

(For the past few weeks, the cases had been decreasing, but now, for the past few days, the cases have been increasing.)

Despite this, Lacuna said that the reimposition of the mandatory face mask policy is not yet needed at present.

However, Lacuna said the city will continue to observe closely in the next coming days the trend of new COVID-19 cases to determine if mandating the use of face masks indoors and outdoors will be necessary.

Meanwhile, Manila also recorded 122,939 recoveries and 2,065 deaths.

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