Bajada Durian

Usually, I don't or seldom, I do post very personal stuff. Today is an exemption.

17 years ago, I planted the first Durian tree in my tropical garden in Bajada, in the middle of Davao City. Today the first harvest ever happenend.

Together with Mangos, Lanzones, Guava, and Rambutan.

Thank you Lord for the blessings.

Philippine National ID to cut red tape

Duterte: National ID to cut red tape, fight crime

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Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) - August 7, 2018 - 12:00am

No privacy breach, government assures public

MANILA, Philippines — Every Filipino must now secure a unique, permanent national identification number.

President Duterte rolled out yesterday the Philippine Identification System Act, allaying concerns that it would violate privacy and suppress civil liberties.

Duterte said the national ID would cut red tape and reduce corruption, improve the delivery of basic services, and serve as a tool for keeping the public safe.

He noted that several administrations have tried but failed to implement the law because of the apprehensions by some groups about privacy and data security.

“Let me be very clear about this: the information that will be included in the Phil-ID (Philippine identification system) will not be any different from the information already in the possession of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) or the former NSO (National Statistics Office), GSIS (Government Service Insurance System), PhilHealth, Pag-IBIG Fund, Comelec (Commission on Elections) and other agencies that gather personal data,” Duterte said as he signed the Philippine Identification System Act at Malacañang.

“There is therefore no basis at all for the apprehensions about the Phil-ID, unless of course that fear is based on anything that borders on illegal,” he added.

Duterte said the PSA would work closely with the National Privacy Commission, Department of Information and Communications Technology and the multi-agency PhilSystem Policy and Coordination Council to address all privacy and security concerns.

“If at all, the Phil-ID will even aid in our drive against the social menaces of poverty, corruption and criminal issues, as well as terrorism and violent extremism,” the President said.

The law would also promote good governance, enhance governmental transactions and create a more conducive environment for trade and commerce, he added.

The Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) Act will establish a single and streamlined identification system in the country. Once implemented, users will have just one ID for all government transactions.

“As we all know, the President is averse to bureaucratic red tape. Through PhilSys, we hope to improve efficiency and transparency of public services and promote ease of doing business,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a statement.

“For the ordinary Juan de la Cruz, the signing of this Act means that he will no longer have to present multiple identification cards simply to prove his identity. This streamlining of information makes it likewise harder to commit identity theft or fraud,” he added.

Better service

Laguna Rep. Sol Aragones said the law would promote seamless delivery of services, improve the efficiency, transparency and target delivery of public and social services, enhance administrative governance, reduce corruption and curtail bureaucratic red tape.

“This is a historical milestone, a landmark legislation and a life-changing measure all rolled into one. We will never ever be asked again to present multiple government-issued IDs for any transaction,” Aragones said.

“We will no longer need to present multiple IDs to transact with government and private establishments that require individuals to present two or more government-issued IDs,” she added.

“Promote greater convenience to the public, avert fraudulent transactions and misrepresentations, strengthen financial inclusions, promote ease of doing business,” Aragones, chair of the House committee on population and family relations, said.

The Phil-ID could be used for transactions with GSIS, SSS, PhilHealth, HDMF and other government agencies, passports and driver’s license, tax-related transactions, registration and voting identification purposes.

“Admission to any government hospital, health center or similar institution, application for admission in schools, colleges, learning institutions and universities, whether public or private, application and transaction for employment purposes,” Aragones enumerated.

Proponents of the national ID in the Senate assured the people that the law will protect citizens’ right to privacy while making transactions with the government and private entities easier.

Sen. Panfilo Lacson said Republic Act 11055, which harmonizes and integrates the redundant government ID cards into a single system, would also help deter criminality.

“At long last, we now have a law that breaks the formidable barriers between government and the downtrodden and the poor due to the lack of identification,” he said.

Lacson is the principal sponsor of the measure, aside from being a perennial author since his first term as senator in 2001.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, also an author of the law, thanked Duterte for signing it.

Drilon reiterated the law would not affect data privacy as the pertinent provisions of the Data Privacy Act will still apply.

Sen. Sonny Angara, another author of the law, said the ID system will not only cut down bureaucratic red tape but also empower many Filipinos formerly without appropriate identification cards to access the formal financial system and open bank accounts.

Under the bill, a foundational ID system dubbed PhilSys will be in place. It will have three components: the PhilSys Number (PSN), Phil-ID and PhilSys Registry.

Phil-ID is a non-transferable card with the PSN and basic information.

The PSA is mandated to act as the PhilSys Registry. It protects the individual’s right to privacy, and may release information only under the following conditions:

• when the registered person has given his or her consent, specific to the purpose prior to the processing;

• when the compelling interest of public health or safety so requires, provided the risk of significant harm to the public is established and the owner of the information is notified within 72 hours of the fact of such disclosure;

• upon order of any competent court, and

• when a registered person requests from the PSA access to his or her registered information and record history, subject to the guidelines and regulations to be issued by the PSA.

Philippine National Police chief Director General Oscar Albayalde welcomed the enactment of the national ID system that assures access by citizens to a wide-range of government services and privileges.

“This much-awaited measure has become a necessity for any developing country to keep pace with global trends of technology in governance. An efficient national ID system offers benefits to practical applications in census, taxation, election registration, banking, travel documentation, social security, social welfare and other transactions with government agencies,” Albayalde said in a statement. – With Delon Porcalla, Paolo Romero, Cecille Suerte Felipe

The burning Mother Earth

My today's column

A heat wave is ravaging countries around the world. Although many celebrate sunny days, wildfires, wasted crops and health problems are some of the many disastrous consequences hot weather can have. Are we facing now the global heat wave that's been killing us?

This write-up seems to become the continuation of my previous column from last week in this publication. But it looks like much more dangerous:

Portugal breaks temperature records as European heat wave sizzles on! That's how one of hundreds headlines goes while browsing the latest news. Eight locations in Portugal have hit their highest-ever temperatures amid a heat wave across Europe. Two people are reported to have died in neighboring Spain of heat-related causes.

Portugal's weather agency said Friday that eight places in the center, south and east of the country experienced record-breaking local temperatures the previous day, as the Iberian peninsula bears the brunt of a heat wave across the European continent.

Two people in neighboring Spain are reported to have died amid the heat, with climate scientists saying such periods of scorching temperatures in Europe have been made twice as likely by the effects of global warming caused by human activity. The temperature reached 45.2 Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) (!) near Abrantes, a town 159 km (99 miles) northeast of Lisbon.

Many other European countries are also suffering unusually extended periods of very hot weather. The current heat wave in the Netherlands is the longest-ever recorded, while Sweden has experienced its hottest July in more than 250 years, accompanied by wildfires across the country.

Germany - my home country - has also been hit by hot weather, with fires breaking out in the national park of Saxon Switzerland in the eastern state of Saxony on last Thursday evening. The drought is so bad in northern Germany that a kindergarten burned down in the far north after firefighters couldn't get enough water. No one has been killed or injured.  

   

Most of us enjoy sunny days and complain on rainy ones — yet behind the clear skies lies a less pleasant reality. Since June 2018, numerous regions around the world have been facing infernal temperatures, which have caused wildfires, ruined crops and killed hundreds of people.

The hottest year ever recorded was 2016, due to a combination of global warming and a strong El Niño episode. Despite 2018 experiencing the opposite climate event, La Niña — which tends to cool temperatures — June has ranked as one of the hottest months on record. 

A heat wave describes a period of at least five days with a temperature of 5 degrees Celsius (9 degrees Fahrenheit) above the average. Extremely hot individual days can be a one-off, which doesn't always have a link to heat waves or global warming. However, a trend is clear: As a result of climate change, we can expect more extreme and frequent heat waves. That's the opinion of Clare Nullis, media officer World Meteorological Organization.

 For a south European person, 30 degrees Celsius (86 degrees Fahrenheit) is nothing special. But that definitely is hot for people in the United Kingdom and Ireland, where the normal temperature in June doesn't exceed 20 degrees. On June 28, Glasgow reached its hottest June day ever, with 31.9 degrees Celsius, and the Irish town of Shannon its highest temperature ever recorded at 32 degrees. 

Germans have enjoyed — or suffered — temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius for most of May and June. In the country of Georgia, July 4 made history with 40.5 degrees Celsius. 

North America has not escaped the suffocating wave either. Denver and Los Angeles were among several cities in the United States that tied or broke heat records.

Montreal, in Canada, recorded the highest temperature in 147 years of record-keeping on July 2. The heat wave there killed more than 70 people.

Thermometers in Japan, Russia and Algeria, among other places, were also on fire. On July 5, the Ouargla weather station in Algeria’s Sahara Desert reported the highest reliable temperature ever recorded in Africa: 51.3 degrees Celsius.

This increases the risk of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases. Substances like pollen, which can cause asthma, are also higher in extreme heat, the WHO said. Unusually high temperatures at night disturb restful sleep, preventing the body from recovering from daytime heat. 

Vulnerable groups such as young children and the elderly suffer the most, stated Simone Sandholz, associate academic officer at the United Nations University's Institute for Environment and Human Security. Most victims of extreme heat live in densely populated urban areas, where ventilation is scarce, she added.

Hot weather coupled with humidity is also a perfect setting for insects to thrive. In England, helpline calls for insect bites almost doubled in early July. And if you've ever felt it was so hot your brain doesn't work, science says you could be right. Hot weather can make your thinking more than 10 percent slower, a new study shows.

Farmers and crops are further victims of heat waves and droughts. In the UK, growers of peas and lettuce have struggled to meet demand due to low yields and crop failure this growing season; wheat, broccoli and cauliflower are also on the list of crops affected by the weather. In Germany, farmers have resigned themselves to a much lower grain harvest due to the heat and dryness.

While writing this piece, I am sitting in my cool office. But every specialist will tell you: access to air conditioning and cooling systems, though vital in a warmer world, can be part of a vicious cycle. Increasing use of cooling devices, currently powered largely by fossil fuels, would further contribute to climate change — and therefore rising temperatures.

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant: Deutsches Buffet/German Buffet Menu

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant

Deutsches Büffet - am Sonntag, den 12. August um 16 Uhr

“Iss so viel Du kannst” – 300 Pesos

Salate

Deutscher Gurkensalat – Geschnittene Gurken mit Zwiebeln,

Sauerrahm und Dill.

Karottensalat – Geriebene Karotten mit Ananas, Rosinen und Mayonaise.

Hauptgerichte

Rouladen – Zart geschmortes Flankensteak mit Dijon-Senf,

Zwiebeln, Speck und Rotwein.

Jägerschnitzel – Zartes Schweinekotelett (ohne Knochen), paniert und mit Pilzsoße.  

Bratwurst – Die klassische (deutsche) Bratwurst.

Beilagen

Deutscher Kartoffelsalat – Gekochte Kartoffeln mit Speck, Sellerie,  Zwiebeln, Käse, Frühlingszwiebeln und Essig.

Käspätzle – Hausgemachte Spätzle mit Emmenthaler Käse und

mit angerösteten Zwiebeln.  

Biere

Oettinger – 125 P  Diebels - 150 P  Paulaner – 200 P

The Mansion Hotel and Restaurant

German Buffet Menu

Sunday, August 12 at 4 PM

All You Can Eat – 300 Pesos

Salads

German Cucumber Salad – Sliced cucumbers with onions, sour cream, and dill.

Carrot Salad – Shredded carrots with pineapple, raisons, and mayonnaise.

Entrees

Rouladen – Tenderized flank steak braised with Dijon mustard, onions, bacon, and red wine.

Jagerhnitzle – Tenderized, boneless pork chops, breaded and fried with mushroom gravy.

Bratwurst – The classic German sausage.

Sides

Hot German Potato Salad – Boiled potatoes with bacon, celery, onions, cheese, green onions, and vinegar.

Kasespatzle – Homemade spatzle with baked with caramelized onions and Emmentaler cheese.

Beers

Oettinger – 125 P  Diebels - 150 P  Paulaner – 200 P

See you all there!

Wir sehen uns dann!

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Klaus, from everybody at Classic FM!

From all of the team here at Classic FM (and Pavarotti), we wanted to wish you a very happy birthday.

Digital Insecurity

Mindanao Daily Mirror

The cyber attack on Germany's government network several months ago, tells us nothing new about espionage but a lot about risk in the digital age. And that calls for some rethinking, said already German columnist Matthias von Hein.

What is still safe in the digital age? What can even be kept safe? Those questions are a cause for public concern after it was revealed that hackers had successfully breached Germany's well-protected government network — copying, stealing and spying for more than a year. The only thing that is clear at this point is that the digital cat-and-mouse game is heading into the next round. 

Just an hour ago, next news are on my desk. Two of Germany's largest public broadcasters, ZDF (Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, the 2nd National TV broadcaster and  the WDR (the Westdeutscher Rundfunk - West German Radio), have been attacked by a Russian hacking group, according to reports. It remains unclear what the group's intention was or whether any sensitive data was stolen.

A Russian hacking group known as "Sandworm" targeted them.

Security officials told German weekly Der Spiegel that hackers had managed to compromise the broadcasters' networks already in June. Although the cyber attack was detected relatively quickly, it remains unknown what the group was after or whether any sensitive data was compromised.

ZDF confirmed the attack on Friday, adding that only 10 computers on its network were affected. WDR decline to comment for "security reasons."

Sandworm is a hacking group believed to be run by Russia's military intelligence service, GRU. According to US federal investigators, the group is suspected of also being behind the attack on the US Democrats' computer servers during the 2016 presidential election.

The group first appeared in 2013 and, according to German intelligence, has targeted NATO servers, several western telecom companies and Ukrainian energy suppliers.

Earlier this year, the German government admitted that its computer network had been compromised via a piece of malware. The Russian hacking group APT28 is believed to have been behind the attack.

Germany's intelligence service (BND) had warned two weeks ago of the potential cyber threats facing several key bodies, including the country's public broadcasters and media companies.

The BND also said that the Spiez Laboratory in Switzerland, which specializes in chemical weapons research, was also among Sandworm's targets. Its Swiss lab had been tasked with analyzing the Soviet-era nerve agent Novichok that was used to poison former Russian double agent Sergei Skripal in Salisbury.

A spokesperson for Spiez Laboratory said officials had encountered one phishing attack, sent via a document used in a workshop. However, the institute itself had not been affected.

Once again, the prime suspect in the attack is a hacker group with links to Russia’s GRU intelligence agency. Thus far, however, German authorities have found no solid evidence leading to the perpetrators. But the fact that hackers exhibited no interest in economic gain after infiltrating a government network would seem to point away from ordinary cybercriminals. 

This was clearly a case of espionage. And that – as long as one is not dealing with corporate espionage – is something conducted at the behest of the state. And it is most certainly the case when such attacks are carried out with a great deal of sophistication and staffing resources over a long period of time. 

Digital insecurity - an important topic for each and everyone nowadays.

EU and UN hail Rody's Bangsamoro Law

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By Helen Flores, Pia Lee-Brago (The Philippine Star) 

MANILA, Philippines — The European Union and the United Nations hailed President Duterte’s enactment of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) which, according to the EU, represents an opportunity for the Filipino people to embrace peace and stability after decades of conflict, and which the UN called a “landmark achievement on the road to lasting peace in southern Philippines.”

European Commission for Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations spokesperson Maja Kocijancic on Friday said the signing of the BOL comes after 21 years of formal talks after the first ceasefire agreement between the government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).

“It underlines both parties’ commitment to peace and their ability to tackle a variety of complex matters through a comprehensive and inclusive law,” she said.

The regional group also hailed those involved in the negotiation and adoption of the law who have undertaken important work to bring stability and well-being to the people of Mindanao.

Kocijancic said the EU remains a staunch supporter of the Mindanao Peace Process and is prepared to support the implementation of the BOL in the future, in view of long-lasting peace, development and prosperity in Mindanao and for the Filipinos.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres yesterday congratulated negotiators of the Philippine government and the MILF, the Bicameral Conference Committee, the Bangsamoro Transition Commission and civil society groups for their efforts.

“The United Nations will continue to support the Philippines in the implementation of the law and to help build the capacity of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority as an effective conduit for peace, democratic governance and human rights,” the UN said in a statement.

‘Important step’

Japan also welcomed the enactment of the BOL for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono said “the enactment of this law is an important step toward the establishment of the new (Bangsamoro) autonomous government in Mindanao.”

“Japan sincerely commends the efforts of the government of the Philippines, the MILF and all others concerned,” Kono said.

Japan strongly hopes that the transition process toward the inauguration of the Bangsamoro will be steadily implemented, including ratification of the organic law and establishment of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority.

Japan has been supporting the peace process for many years under the conviction that peace in Mindanao will contribute to regional peace and stability, as declared in the Japan-Philippines Joint Statement on Bilateral Cooperation for the Next Five Years announced in October 2017.

Kono said Japan would enhance its support for the development of Mindanao in a wide range of fields, in accordance with progress in the peace process.

The House of Representatives approved the proposed BOL, which the administration and its authors said is the key to promoting lasting peace in Mindanao.

The BOL will create a new Muslim regional entity and replace the current Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

Are LED lights making us ill?

My column in Mindanao Daily and BusinessWeek Mindanao

HAVE MY SAY


OVER the last decade, much of Europe and the US have changed the way they illuminate city and town streets. Not only there, also in the Philippines. And while checking my monthly electric bill, I followed many councils and local governments having replaced high-energy sodium bulbs (the warmer, yellow ones) with energy-saving LED bulbs (with a blue light emitting diode, which can feel harsh in comparison).

As well as street lights, most of us are exposed to blue light through smartphones, computers, TVs, and in the home.

Only an hour ago, I came across a short BBC-article written by Lucy Jones saying that earlier this year, the World Journal of Biological Psychiatry published a paper by a group of prominent psychiatrists that warned of the potential effects of LED lighting on mental illness.

It raised concerns about the influence of blue light on sleep, other circadian-mediated symptoms, use of digital healthcare apps and devices, and the higher sensitivity of teenagers to blue light. Indeed, using my tablet while already in bed during nighttime gave me some problems in getting to sleep.Or does my brain making a fool on me?

“My concern about LED lighting followed from a larger, earlier concern about the relationship between light exposure and the occurrence of manic and mixed symptoms in bipolar disorder,” said John Gottlieb, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago and an author of the paper.

“I had already clearly seen that supplemental light exposure - in the form of bright light therapy - was extremely helpful to patients with depression. What I was slower to realize was that excess and poorly-timed light exposure could have adverse effects on manic states and the sleep-wake cycle,” he said.

And here we are: the paper has implications for the treatment of mental illness. If a person is prescribed a self-monitoring app, and instructed to use their smartphone to document mood changes, for example, and they do this before bed, it could have an adverse effect on their sleep, circadian rhythms and health.

“Because they are ubiquitous, smartphones represent the larger public health hazard,” said Gottlieb. “Streetlights, though, are not benign and together with the entire set of nocturnal lighting for entertainment, traffic, reading, etc contribute to the phenomena of light pollution, which we are becoming increasingly sensitised to.”

As BBC-Lucy Jones explained in her article: studies of the impact of blue light on healthy adults show it inhibits Melatonin secretion which disrupts sleep and can affect quality of life, physical and mental health and susceptibility to illness. Previous studies of sleep disorders in children and adolescents show a clear and consistent relationship between sleep disorders and frequency of digital device usage.

Currently, the British National Sleep Foundation guidelines suggest not using technology 30 minutes before bed and removing technology for the bedroom. I’ll try to follow the advise. However, there are currently no specific guidelines for people with an underlying mental illness or sensitivity to circadian disruption. We should give it a try, though I remember several decades ago, when we got the advise banning all electric alarm-clocks, radios and TV from our bedrooms.

As LED technology has rapidly spread across the globe, the focus has been on the visual element and the energy-saving element. Now, scientists, health professionals and the LED industry are working to minimize the blue light in LEDs and create customizable lights that won’t harm those suffering from psychiatric disorders.

More rain as 'Inday" to leave Philippines by Saturday

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(The Philippine Star) - July 20, 2018 - 

MANILA, Philippines — The southwest monsoon, or habagat, will continue to bring rain over the western section of Luzon — including Metro Manila — as Tropical Storm Inday moves northwest, PAGASA said.

In its morning press briefing, the weather bureau said that Inday was 995 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes early Friday morning and is forecast to move northwest at 15 kph. It has maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of 105 kph.

The storm is not expected to make landfall and is forecast to be outside the Philippine Area of Responsibility by Saturday morning.

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PAGASA said the storm will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon over most of Luzon.

PAGASA WEATHER FORECASTPAGASA WEATHER UPDATES

As It Happens

LATEST UPDATE: July 20, 2018 - 11:31am

The low pressure area monitored east of northern Cagayan has developed into a tropical depression Wednesday morning, state weather bureau PAGASA says.

The tropical depression has been named Inday. This is the ninth tropical cyclone in 2018.

It packs maximum sustained winds of 55 kilometers per hour and gustiness of up to 65 kilometers per hour. “Inday” comes a day after Tropical Storm Henry left the country.

No tropical cyclone warning signal has been raised over any part of the country.

July 20, 2018 - 11:31am

State weather bureau PAGASA says that “Inday” has intensified into a severe tropical storm Friday morning.

It packs maximum sustained winds of 90 kilometers per hour near the center and gustiness of up to 115 kilometers per hour.

Moving northwestward, “Inday” is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility between tonight and tomorrow morning.

July 20, 2018 - 9:46am

Bad weather has led to some flights being cancelled while others have had to be diverted, the Manila International Airport Authority says.

In an advisory, it says the following flights scheduled to land at NAIA Terminal 3 had to be diverted to Clark International Airport:

• Cebu Pacific 5J 752 Saigon-Manila (ATA 0704H)
• Cebu Pacific 5J 679 Shanghai Pudong-Manila (ATA 0750H)

The following flights scheduled to take off from NAIA Terminal 4 have been cancelled:

• Air Asia Z2 438/439 Manila-Puerto Princesa-Manila
• Air Asia Z2 773/774 Manila-Cebu-Manila

July 20, 2018 - 7:55am

"Inday", last seen 995 km east northeast of Basco, Batanes early Friday morning, is forecast to move northwest at 15 kph. It has maximum sustained winds of 85 kph near the center and gustiness of 105 kph.

The storm is not expected to make landfall but will continue to enhance the southwest monsoon over most of Luz

American Chamber celebrates Philippine American Friendship Day