Manila Bulletin and realme seals partnership for Sketchfest 2023

Aims to promote unity, celebrate diversity, and champion individual rights

BY MB LIFESTYLE

  

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Etched to redefine the art scene through innovation, Manila Bulletin's Sketchfest has named realme Philippines as its official smartphone partner.

realme, a global technology brand that champions today’s youth, continues to support activities that foster the young generation’s creative minds such as the Manila Bulletin Sketchfest, to uphold its mission to champion the youth through cutting-edge technology.

“Let this partnership be a celebration of art and innovation because we are dedicated to supporting the artistic community and empowering young talents to reach new heights in their craft. We believe in the principle that 'We Are All Created Equal,' fostering an inclusive and inspiring environment for all artists to thrive. Join us this September as we put forward realme’s latest product. Get an array of fun-filled and exciting activities, along with exclusive promos that cater not only to artists but to everyone at the realme Fan Fest.” Jane Yan, realme Philippines Vice President for marketing, said during an interview.

The annual on-the-spot poster-making contest with the support from realme Philippines, aims to promote unity, celebrate diversity, and champion rights of individuals through this year’s theme and advocacy "We Are All Created Equal."

This partnership between the dynamic smartphone brand and one of the country’s most trusted news outlets will transcend next-level technologies to the creative community through art.
Now on its 12th year, the art competition will be held on August 5, September 2, and September 30 at SM City Davao, SM Seaside City Cebu, and the Music Hall, SM Mall of Asia respectively which will once again gather together students, art enthusiasts, and creative groups from all corners of the Philippines. Participants will have the chance to win exciting prizes, with a total value of P50,000 up for grabs.

Moreover, realme is set to have an upcoming product launch and a fan festival which will be announced during the regional leg of MB Sketchfest. Log on to sketchfest.mb.com.ph for the mechanics and registration.

For more realme product updates, visit its official website and click this link to know more about Manila Bulletin Sketchfest 2023.

180 families evacuated in Taguig due to heavy rains

BY JONATHAN HICAP

Jul 31, 2023 09:02 AM

  

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The Taguig City government preemptively evacuated 180 families due to continuous heavy rains enhanced by typhoons “Falcon” and “Egay.”  

The evacuation was implemented in high risk areas that are prone to landslides and flooding to ensure the residents’ safety. 

Mayor Lani Cayetano visiting evacuation centers (Photos from the Taguig City government)

Mayor Lani Cayetano at the landslide area along C5 Road in Taguig (Photos from the Taguig City government)

On July 30, Mayor Lani Cayetano visited the evacuation centers where the families are temporarily taking shelter. 

These are the Eusebio Elementary School, Taguig Integrated School, Hagonoy Gym, Napindan Integrated School, Diosdado Macapagal High School, Tenement Elementary School, and Nabua covered court. 

Cayetano also visited the landslide area on C5 Road in Barangay Western Bicutan to see the extent of the damage. 

Last 28, heavy rains caused a landslide that resulted in a perimeter wall to collapse. No one was hurt from the landslide. A total of 23 families were evacuated and are staying at Nabua covered court. 

Cayetano said there is a need to enhance the campaign and programs about disaster preparedness and risk reduction. 

She will convene a meeting to assess flooding and landslides, and check the protocol in disaster response and plans for the city government to be more prepared for any event.

Tropical storm may enter PAR within 12 hours, will be named ‘Falcon’ — PAGASA

BY ELLALYN DE VERA-RUIZ

  

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The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Friday, July 28 said a tropical storm spotted east of Luzon may enter the country’s area of responsibility within 12 hours.

The storm has an international name of Khanun, but it will be called Falcon once inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR).

In its 10 p.m. bulletin, PAGASA said the center of Khanun was last located 1,245 kilometers east-northeast of southeastern Luzon.

It has maximum sustained winds of 65 kilometers per hour (kph) near the center and gusts of up to 80 kph, while moving north-northwestward at 20 kph.

(PAGASA)

PAGASA said Khanun may become a typhoon on Sunday, July 30, and continuously intensify over the next five days.

Although the hoisting of wind signal is unlikely because Khanun may remain far from the country, PAGASA warned that it may strengthen the southwest monsoon, or “habagat,” which will bring occasional rains to the western parts of Luzon and Visayas until next week.

“However, the magnitude, extent, and timing of monsoon enhancement and resulting rainfall may still change due to dependence of southwest monsoon enhancement on the intensity and movement of this tropical cyclone,” PAGASA said.

The storm will likely be outside the PAR by Monday, July 31.

SPORTS in Philippine Daily Inquirer

 

July 28, 2023

A powerful header from Sarina Bolder took New Zealand's keeper out of the picture.  (Reuters)

Hey there sports fan, If someone told you a week ago that on the third match day of the Philippine women's football team in the Fifa Women's World Cup, the squad would still be playing for something, you might have laughed. Or, if you agreed, it would be based on pure optimism and blind faith more than anything else. After all, the Filipinas are the lowest-ranked squad in Group A and are playing in the sport's biggest stage for the first time. And yet, here we are.  When the team battles Norway on Sunday, the team will be battling for a spot in the last 16. This gutsy group of gals are playing to extrend what has already been a dream stint in front of the eyes of the world.  There were clues scattered all over the loss to Switzerland that the Filipinas are not in New Zealand merely to bask in the World Cup spotlight, a privilege they earned with a dramatic victory over Taiwan in the qualifiers last year. In that 2-0 defeat, the team had the audacity to go out and celebrate the match's first goal, courtesy of a sublime strike by Katrina Guillou.  Yeah, so the offside flag nullified that goal eventually, cutting short the rapture of the team and its supporters. But Guillou firmed up the team's belief that it was capable of magic. And ta-daaa: The Filipinas pulled one memorable rabbit out of the hat. Sarina Bolden converted a pass by Sara Eggesvik into a country's core memory, blasting in a header that knocked down New Zealand's goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead over the tournament cohost. And then, amid a desperate fight by their foes, Olivia McDaniel made sure that the score would hold until the final whistle. That brings us to Sunday. The Philippines will need another epic shocker against a past champion—one groping for form amid injuries and team turmoil, but a powerful squad nevertheless—to qualify to the knockout rounds.  Will they succeed? The smart money is on Norway. It is hard to imagine the Filipinas bringing down such a collection standouts (or even holding them to a draw, which would still allow the Philippine to advance if coupled with a Switzerland win over New Zealand). But then, a week ago, it was difficult to believe too that on its third match day in the World Cup, the national team would still be playing for something. And yet, here we are.

Olivia McDaniel was a lifesaver for the Filipinas. (AFP)

Meanwhile... It's going to be a bit difficult to talk about anything outside of the Women's World Cup. How about a trivia question? Japan scored two goals in the span of two minutes against which World Cup foe? The answer, in a bit.   Also, let me just leave you with this: Remember how, before the tournament started, Filipinas defender Hali Long said the team was playing for more than just match results? The most capped player of the team said the Filipinas wanted to be examples of making dreams come true.   Well, their message is being heeded by young girls who also made their mark on the pitch, more than 17,000 kilometers away from the World Cup floodlights.  What we're up to next: On Sunday, our eyes will be everyone else's will be: On the match between the Philippines and Norway for a spot in the next round. We will have more features and updates straight from New Zealand, where Inquirer's football guru, Jonas Terrado, is currently following the exploits of the country's heroines. Number of the Week: 1-0 A score that will be forever etched in our hearts. Need I say more?

QUOTE OF THE WEEK “I’ll remember this moment, forever. For the rest of my life.” —Sarina Bolden, Philippines forward, on her first World Cup goal,and the country's first win on the sport's biggest stage.

The answer to the question above? Costa Rica. There are more trivia questions on our weekly sports quiz which you can access by joining our Viber community, which also featres the freshest sports updates. Fo Buy the Inquirer at newsstands, subscribe to our digital edition, Inquirer Plus, visit our online site and follow us on socials (Twitter: @inquirersports; FB: facebook.com/inquirersports) for more stories and updates—or to send us questions or suggestions of stories you'd want to read. Have a great and safe weekend! See you next Friday. Francis Francis T. J. Ochoa is the Sports Editor of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. For comments, suggestions and questions, hit him up on Twitter (@ftjochoaINQ).

MJ Lastimosa defends opinion on 'Barbie'

BY STEPHANIE BERNARDINO

  

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Beauty queen-actress-TV host MJ Lastimosa was quick to erase her controversial post relating the Hollywood film "Barbie" after she was bashed by fans.

Note that the post read: "Sobrang waley ng barbie movie sayang 600 ko haha!"

It didn't end there.

In another post she said, "Okay naman some parts but in general mehh parang school project film."

As usual, some fans were only too quick to react.

"If you did not like the movie, you could have said it in a better way. Remember, public figure ka at former Miss Universe candidate. Think through ur tweets next time," a netizen said.

MJ explained, "...yung pagkakagawa lang scenes and conflict kasi Diko maxadong nagustuhan not the message it was great."

Then she reacted to the backlash.

It read: "Wait lang naman sobrang online bullying naman agad kayo. Nakakatakot naman mag ka opinion dito minumura nako ng iba sa ibang socmed ko only because I did not like a film? I liked Little Women and Lady Bird naman, why attack me if I say I didn’t find it as good."

"It’s just my opinion and it has nothing to do about the movie being feminist, which is the only part that I liked, specially the speech of America Ferre, parang dapat nga wala na si Will Ferrell dun. But it’s just me, you’re entitled to like and dislike a movie. It’s not that deep mare."

MJ pointed out: "Wala akong inapakang tao."

"Natatakot din akong itweet to kasi magagalit nanaman kayo kasi dapat in unison ang opinion naten dito or else bobo na agad kami? sorry na agad mga mare kalma na maxado na kayong galit." 

The challenge of our century

 (Reflections by Klaus Döring)

Jul 28, 2023 | Reflections

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Klaus Döring

If I think about it, peace is first in my mind. But there is still another challenge. Worldwide population is expected to grow to nearly 10 billion by 2050 – but agricultural lands won’t be able to follow the same pace. The problem is clear: something has to change. The question is what.

Sustainable food for everyone! Food – besides water!

The world’s population continues to grow – but the Earth’s surface doesn’t. And already one in nine people around the world suffers from hunger. Although fertility levels worldwide are declining, life expectancy is increasing – and therefore, the global population keeps growing. The United Nations estimates that the world’s population is increasing by more than 80 million people every year.

Forecasts offer a nonstop rise: The global population is expected to reach 8.6 billion in 2030, 9.8 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion by 2100. So allow me to ask: How can we feed all these billions without destroying the Earth?

Although it’s a dire picture, let’s face it: the situation is not as disastrous as it might seem. Food is not lacking – it is just poorly managed. I got the idea for this post after having watched an interview with Ralf Südhoff, head of the World Food Program of the United Nations in Berlin. He said: “Today, we would be able to feed many more people than we do”. “But we waste too much of the food we produce, and we lack efficient production – particularly in Africa”.

Forgotten are many rural areas. I agree with Südhoff who says that population growth is not the key cause of hunger, but rather a lack of efficiency in managing our resources. Indeed, farmers in rural areas of some African and Asian countries still lack the necessary means to maximize crop yields, misusing vast areas of land.

Imagine, the productivity of existing arable lands could be doubled, experts believe. And experts agree that productivity could be increased through very simple means. Allow me to quote again Ralf Südhoff: “Efficiency could be doubled or tripled in African countries by providing basic means such as training, credits and land rights”.

According to Valentin Thurn, director of the German documentary “10 Billion- Whats on your plate?”, farmers in rural areas are the most affected by hunger – and the ones most commonly left behind. He believes, and he is “deadly” correct, smallholders should get integrated into the modernization processes – until now, only limited to big industrialized farms.

While it won’t necessarily be easy to feed 10 billion people sustainably, it is possible, experts believe.

“We are producing at such a pace that the natural cycle cannot recover fast enough,” Klingholz said. “And this is mainly rich countries’ fault.” Global agriculture currently produces some 4,000 calories per capita per day – the double of what each person needs. Sad to say but it’s also true: we are already producing enough for 9 to 12 billion people – but we discard a third of the harvest worldwide!

Farmers are adapting to climate change. Yes, there is climate change! The World Food Program estimates that under climate change scenarios, the risk of malnutrition for children will increase 20 percent by 2050 – meaning 24 million more children could soon suffer from it. Industrialized countries are therefore even more responsible for mitigating the effects of climate change. Südhoff believes this and so do I and many others on this globe.

LAZY DAYS

"Lazy Days" is a song by English singer-songwriter Robbie Williams. It was released in the United Kingdom on 14 July 1997 as the second single from his debut studio album, Life thru a Lens (1997). According to Williams, the song is about being young, optimistic about the future and not afraid of committing mistakes. The song became a top-10 hit in the United Kingdom, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart. I just listened to it and got today's idea for my column.

Is it normal to have lazy days? Having the occasional lazy day should be a more widespread tradition. Rather than being seen as unproductive, a lazy day should be viewed as a day dedicated to well-deserved idle time and improved mental health. I even like to talk about more than a single day.

Doing nothing  brings a lot of positive impacts on your physical health by giving relaxation. Stay in your bed for the entire day, enjoy a sound sleep without any stress or work, and believe me, every muscle and bone of your body will feel refreshing because of the rest.

Indeed, you don't get anything for nothing in life. This is our life's main motto. This is our biography's epigraph - whether we like it or not. Many times, I stressed this already in different write-ups in distinct publications.

Hurray, doing nothing is really something. No, I am not talking about those people, who just hang out day-by-day and week-by-week by doing nothing and -maybe- just fed by someone. No, I mean doing nothing is really something great after a period  of really hard work. By the way, it doesn't matter, if it regards us or our children. 

I still remember several lazy summer days, sitting in the blazing sun (shouldn't be done anymore of course!), eating a Popsicle, getting all sticky, and running away from the bees. Of course, while still in Germany, those old lazy summer days turned into lazy winter days too. Lazy days shaped and characterized my whole (especially professional) life until now.

Relaxation, meditation and reinvigoration are needed. Life, affected by the "burnout syndrome" needs to reanimate with energy. Burnout is a condition in which people are emotionally, mentally, cognitively, and physically exhausted by their work responsibilities. Most people spend a significant portion of their time at work and, as a result, can easily become burned out.

So let's rest for a while to acquire new energy. 

Quirino Bridge in Bantay town, Ilocos Sur

 

ILOCOS SUR CUTOFF Quirino Bridge in Bantay town, Ilocos Sur, had two sections washed away by the swelling, raging river, its water thickened with mud, during the onslaught of Typhoon “Egay” in northern Luzon on Wednesday. Among the worst hit by the typhoon, Ilocos Sur and neighboring Ilocos Norte have been declared under a state of calamity. —JOHN NOEL ANDAYA/CONTRIBUTOR