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Tuesday, February 21, 2023
House leader warns Pinoys vs cryptocurrency scams
Published February 21, 2023, 7:47 AM
If it’s too good to be true, then it probably is.
“We must continue to educate our fellow Filipinos against these illegal activities so we can minimize the victims of these criminal syndicates. We need to remind everyone that when the offer is too good to be true, then it must be a red flag,” said Salo.
The solon works closely with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in his capacity as chairman of the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega recently stated that criminals, particularly the Chinese mafia, operating cryptocurrency scams in Southeast Asia are targeting Filipinos due to their English proficiency and computer skills.
The Filipinos are then forced to trick individuals to invest in cryptocurrency.
“I strongly condemn the illegal trafficking of our fellow Filipinos allegedly being carried by a Chinese mafia operating in Southeast Asia. Taking advantage of the desperation of our kababayans looking for job opportunities is the peak of injustice and cruelty,” Salo said.
“I am calling on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to investigate and build the appropriate case against these unscrupulous individuals,” he said.
The Kabayan lawmaker also urged the Inter-Agency Council Against Trafficking (IACAT) to strengthen their monitoring and implementation of the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.
K-pop girl group IVE to visit Manila for first fan concert
by Jonathan Hicap
K-pop girl group IVE will be going to the Philippines to hold an event.
The group, which debuted in December 2021, will be having their “The Prom Queens: IVE: The First Fan Concert” on June 17, 6 p.m., at Araneta Coliseum, according to promoter DNM Entertainment and N2UNE Entertainment.
Ticket prices and other details of the event will be announced later.
IVE, composed of Gaeul, Wonyoung, Yujin, Rei, Liz and Leeseo, debuted on Dec. 1, 2021 with the album “Eleven.”
In just a span of over a year since debut, IVE won the “daesang” (grand prize) at music award shows.
Through their song “Love Dive,” IVE won the Song of the Year (grand prize) at the Golden Disc Awards, MAMA Awards, Asia Artist Awards and Melon Music Awards.
At the recent Circle Chart Music Awards 2022, IVE took home the New Artist of the Year (Physical) award for “After Like,” and Song of the Year (April) for “Love Dive” and Song of the Year (December) for “Eleven.”
DdO kicks off Bulawanong Dibuhista Arts Exhibit
Davao de Oro --- A total of 150 locally-made products were displayed in the Provincial Capitol Lobby during the official opening ceremony of the Bulawanong Dibuhista Arts Exhibit on February 20, 2023.
Senior Tourism Officer Christine T. Dompor said that the activity is part of the DdO Piyesta ng Sining with the theme: “Ani ng Sining, Bunga ng Galing,” which started on February 14-March 8, 2023.
Dompor also expressed gratitude for the support from the local, provincial, and national government agencies that include the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), and the Department of Education (DepEd).
Tie-Dye Making, Cultural Mapping Orientation, DdO Arts Camp, and the NabuntuRock, songwriting competitions are among the activities lined up for the month-long celebration.
Governor Dorothy Montejo-Gonzaga, Chairperson of the Provincial Council For the Promotion of Culture and the Arts, underscored the event's importance in showcasing the artistic talent of the golden people of Davao de Oro while also providing avenues for artists to channel their creativity.
She also called on everyone to take this opportunity to appreciate art, reflect on its significance, and pay tribute to our artists.
In addition, 50 visual artists from the province 10 Special Program of the Arts (SPA) Schools participated in the Community Mural Project, which allowed them to paint the 200-meter-perimeter fence of the Nabunturan Central Elementary School.
The artists experienced a sense of fulfillment and HeArts during the project, which showcased the "Masayang Kabataan" tribal concept conceptualized by the renowned sculptor and painter of Maragusan, Raffy L. Quimba.
(Rheafe Hortizano, Photos by Jonie Cadiz)
Post erwägt Briefzustellung im Zweiklassensystem
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By WELT
Die Deutsche Post dringt weiter auf eine Umstellung des Briefsystems auf die sogenannte Zwei-Klassen-Zustellung. „Der Verbraucher kann sich entscheiden, mit welchem Tempo sein Brief transportiert wird“, sagte Personalvorstand Thomas Ogilvie der Funke Mediengruppe. „Im Sinne der Angebotspalette halte ich das für einen guten Schritt.“ Eine Reduktion der Briefzustellung auf nur noch fünf Tage in der Woche sei dagegen kein Ziel, das derzeit verfolgt werde. Schon länger ist bekannt, dass der Konzern künftig Post in zwei Geschwindigkeiten ausliefern möchte – mit unterschiedlichen Preisen. Unterschiedliche Zustellgeschwindigkeiten gibt es nach Darstellung des Unternehmens bereits in anderen europäischen Ländern. Voraussetzung für einen solchen Schritt wäre, dass bei der anstehenden Reform des Postgesetzes die Verpflichtung gestrichen würde, wenigstens 80 Prozent der Briefe am folgenden Tag zuzustellen. Die Ampelkoalition will das Postgesetz ändern und modernisieren. Bei der Deutschen Post drohen vom kommenden Monat an erhebliche Verzögerungen bei der Zustellung von Briefen und Paketen. Grund ist der Tarifkonflikt mit der Gewerkschaft Verdi. An diesem Montag startet Verdi die Urabstimmung über flächendeckende und unbefristete Streiks.
Our tendency to be impertinent
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By Fr. Roy Cimagala *
YES, we have such a tendency, and so we have to be wary of it. We are reminded of this fact of life when after Christ told his apostles about his impending suffering, death and resurrection, the apostles were caught simply discussing who the greatest among them was. (cfr. Mk 9,30-37)
That’s when he told them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” And taking a child, he told them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me.” This is how we can counter our tendency to be impertinent.
If we truly want to be an authentic Christian, and not just Christian by name, we have to realize that we somehow cannot avoid the same fate that Christ had, that is, we are also meant to suffer and die not only for our sins but also for the sins of the others, and that in our heart of hearts, like Christ, our desire is to serve and not to be served, and that we should be as simple as a child whose heart is always open to the things of God.
We all need to be reminded that all our suffering has a positive and favorable aspect. It’s not all entirely bad and negative, though in itself it will always be bad. But if viewed and lived through our Christian faith, that is, with Christ, there is something in it that can give us a greater good.
Our pains and suffering are always the result of sin, ours and those of others. They are the necessary consequence of our separation, whether temporary or permanent, from God from whom all good things come. (cfr. Ps 16,2; James 1,17) We may not be the direct cause of our own suffering, but in this world, we cannot escape the effects of sin, and so we must be ready for them just the same.
We just have to remind ourselves that we are not meant to suffer. Our original as well as our ideal definitive state in heaven excludes suffering. Our first parents, Adam and Eve, were in the state of original justice, where everything was in order and in harmony. No pain and suffering touched them, until they fell into sin.
Also, we have to realize that like Christ, we should have the attitude of wanting to serve and not to be served, to do a lot of good while passing unnoticed, looking always for the last place in any situation.
This is what love is all about, love in its most distilled form. It goes beyond merely wishing others well, or giving something and sharing things. This is love in action, in total self-giving even if nothing can be gained by doing so.
Besides, it is a love done in total obedience and availability to his loved ones. For love is true when done both at the instance of the loved ones and of one’s own personal gratuitous initiative.
We have to do everything to acquire, develop and enrich this attitude in ourselves and among ourselves, inspiring and inculcating it in others as much as we can, for it is what truly proper of us all.
With God’s grace, we have to exert effort to overcome the understandable awkwardness and tension involved in blending the natural and the supernatural aspects of this affair, as well as the expected resistance we can give, due to the effects of our sins.
This attitude will restrain our tendency to be impertinent!
* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
Monday, February 20, 2023
Facebook-owner Meta to roll out paid subscription
Facebook-owner Meta to roll out paid subscription
By Agence France-Presse
February 20, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO: Facebook, the social network that was supposed to stay free "always," and its stablemate Instagram launched on Sunday a paid subscription service, as the advertising-based business model that has long dominated the internet falters.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook-parent Meta, announced on Sunday the launch of Meta Verified, a service starting at $11.99 a month to authenticate one's account, which follows a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter.
"This new feature is about increasing authenticity and security across our services," Zuckerberg wrote in a statement posted to Facebook and Instagram.
Meta Verified will be rolled out in Australia and New Zealand this week before coming to markets in the United States and other countries.
Subscribers will get a badge indicating their account has been verified with a government ID, extra protection against impersonation, direct access to customer support and more visibility, according to the company.
The social media giant said the service would be primarily aimed at content creators looking to expand their presence on the platforms and could see adjustments after a test phase.
There would be no changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified, the company said, adding that only users who are over the age of 18 will be allowed to subscribe. The service is not yet available to businesses.
It was not immediately clear how Zuckerberg planned to price Meta Verified in countries where users cannot afford to pay $12 a month, or in cash-based economies where they may have fewer ways to get the money to Meta.
Musk's initial attempts to launch a similar service at rival social media network Twitter last year backfired, with an embarrassing spate of fake accounts that scared advertisers and cast doubt on the site's future.
He was forced to briefly suspend the effort before relaunching it to muted reception in December.
'Free'?
Facebook helped establish the dominant model of large platforms on the internet today, which sees users benefit from "free" services that collect their data to sell personalized ad space.
It is a model that has earned the company, along with other advertising titans such as Google, tens of billions of dollars a year.
For years the Facebook homepage proudly declared that the site was "free and always will be."
But in 2019 the company quietly ditched the slogan. At the time experts suggested it was because the value of users' personal data meant the site was never truly free.
In 2022, Meta saw its ad revenue decline for the first time since the California-based group went public in 2012.
The company recently announced that the number of Facebook's daily users hit two billion — but between inflation eating into advertisers' budgets and fierce competition from apps such as TikTok, those users are not bringing in as much revenue as they used to.
The company has also suffered from regulatory changes introduced by iPhone maker Apple, which restrict the ability of social networks to collect data and sell advertising.
Similar factors have already pushed other networks, from Reddit to Snapchat as well as Twitter, to launch paid plans.
Meta is also under pressure for making a huge gamble on the metaverse, the world of virtual reality that Zuckerberg believes will be the next frontier online.
'Not a small fee'
Investors last year punished Meta, sending the company's share price down by an astonishing two-thirds over 12 months, but the stock has recovered some ground in 2023.
Meta announced in November it would lay off 11,000 employees, or 13 percent of its staff — the largest worker reduction in the company's history.
Meta Verified will be cheaper on the web than on mobile applications because of commissions taken by Apple on the iPhone or Google on smartphones operated by its Android system.
Zukerberg said it would cost $11.99 on the web, and $14.99 per month on iOS or Android.
The company said it doesn't expect to make significant revenue from the service during the test phase but that it is part of diversification efforts.
"Personally, I think it's more about diversifying revenue," said Carolina Milanesi, an analyst at Creative Strategies.
After Twitter launched its subscription, other social media groups thought "well, we might as well try," she told AFP.
"Justifying that from a creator perspective I think is more of a marketing pitch than of true value to creators," she added.
Platforms are fighting for users and that of influencers that draw their attention.
But for Milanesi, the Meta Verified offers are "a weird mix."
"I don't know if it gives enough to one category (of users) to justify the amount of money, which is not a small fee."
Plane wreckage found near Mayon crater
By Rhaydz Barcia
February 20, 2023
(UPDATE) THE wreckage of a plane was spotted near the crater of Mount Mayon Sunday.
An aerial reconnaissance conducted by Ayala Corp. spotted what's left of the plane, including the tail, in the gully, the steepest part of the volcano.Rescuers struggled on Sunday to reach the slopes of Mayon, an active volcano, with the fate of those on board still unconfirmed.
The Energy Development Corp. (EDC)'s Cessna plane carrying four people was reported missing on Saturday after taking off at the Bicol International Airport.The EDC said the missing plane belonged to the company and it was seeking to confirm if the wreckage spotted on Sunday in "very steep terrain and high altitude of about 6,000 feet" was theirs.
The aircraft was piloted by Capt. Rufino James Crisostomo Jr. With him were Joel Martin (aircraft mechanic) and Simon Chipperfield and Karthi Santanan, technical consultants of EDC.
The company has informed their respective families about the incident."Our primary concern is the swift and safe rescue of our four colleagues who were onboard the aircraft. We are thankful to Mayor (Caloy) Baldo for mobilizing his team to help us do this," said Allan Barcena, assistant vice president and head of corporate relations and communications at EDC.
The Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office (Apsemo) earlier said they will focus the search at the foot of Mayon Volcano.
Cedric Daep, chief of the Apsemo, said the missing Cessna plane may have gone down in Barangay Quirangay in Camalig town.
Earlier reports said air traffic controllers at the Bicol International Airport lost contact with the Cessna 340 plane on Saturday.
The aircraft with registry number RP-C2080 left the airport at 6:43 a.m.
The controllers made their last contact with the plane at 6:46 a.m., when the Cessna was in the vicinity of Camalig at an altitude of 2,600 feet.
It was supposed to arrive in Manila at 7:53 a.m.The Philippine Air Force deployed air assets also for search and rescue operations.
Mount Mayon is currently at alert level 2, a restive status.
Baldo said some 218 personnel, 34 vehicles, 11 drones and four K9 dogs were deployed for the massive ground search and rescue operations.
Daep warned the rumbling volcano could erupt at any time, which was complicating rescue efforts.
"There might be a sudden ash explosion and we could be added to the casualties," he told radio DZBB.
An aerial search will continue Monday to locate the missing people.
"We are not discounting the possibility that they could still be alive," Daep said.
WITH REPORT FROM FRANCIS CUETO and AFP
Why is WASH a crucial element of response and recovery from climate disasters?
In this photo taken on January 5, 2022, residents carry bottled water given as aid from a non-governmental organisation in Burgos town, Siargao island, weeks after super Typhoon Rai devastated the island.
Gaea Katreena Cabico, Ann Gabrielle Domingo - Philstar.com
MANILA, Philippines — When Super Typhoon Odette (Rai) struck southern and central parts of the Philippines in December 2021, people’s access to clean drinking water and sanitation facilities was compromised, leading to increased risk of water-borne diseases.
Typhoon-ravaged residents were left with no money to buy drinking water or were forced to rely on water from open springs and on hand pumps contaminated by mud, flood and sea waters.
According to the International Federation of Red Cross, there were over 400 cases of diarrhea and gastroenteritis, likely resulting from contamination of water sources, in Odette-hit areas. Eight people reportedly died due to diarrhea.
In the town of Del Carmen on Siargao Island, a child died after drinking contaminated water. While it was an isolated case, according to the town mayor, the incident highlighted the nexus of health and climate change.
“If we didn’t lack water supply due to the emergency, maybe [the death of the child] wouldn’t happen, there wouldn’t be a reaction to drink the water in the tank,” said Jerlyn Rabaca, administrator of Espoir School of Life. Espoir, which is situated on a resettlement area in Del Carmen, is a non-profit organization that provides free education to underprivileged children.
Damaged water infra
According to the United Nations Children's Fund, some 2.4 million people needed water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) support following ‘Odette.’ The typhoon also damaged 141 water structures and over 410 sanitation facilities.
“During climate disasters, infrastructure gets damaged. Not just electricity, communication, but most importantly, water,” said Jenica Dizon, country director of Waves for Water Philippines. The presence of Waves for Water in the country began in 2013 as a response to Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan), one of the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded in the world.
Extreme weather events and other climate impacts contaminate water supply, increasing risk of water-borne illnesses such as diarrhea and cholera to which children are particularly vulnerable.
Dr. Renzo Guinto, who specializes in planetary and public health, has observed this reality in coastal municipalities in the Philippines. Guinto found that Alabat in Quezon province and Ajuy in Iloilo province are more prone to water-borne diseases due to intensifying flooding from sea-level rise.
In 2050, climate change could be responsible for approximately 32,954 additional diarrheal deaths worldwide among children aged 0 to 15, the World Health Organization estimated.
The WHO stressed that investing in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is a core element in both preparedness and response, and prevention and mitigation of the impacts of future emergencies.
“It’s paramount to plan for and create more resilient water infrastructure because access to clean water is a human right and a basic need. Without water, there really is no life,” Dizon said.
Crucial need
With water infrastructure damaged and essential health services crippled by the pandemic, access to clean water is an immediate need to prevent the spread of infectious and water-borne illnesses, and life-threatening dehydration.
In the case of Del Carmen, the town’s mangrove forest protected the residents from large waves brought by Odette, allowing owners of water refilling stations to immediately continue their operations, Mayor Alfredo Coro II said.
However, the water coming from the municipality’s water provider “took a while to be stabilized” after the storm, he said.
According to Coro, children aged five and below, pregnant and lactating mothers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities were prioritized in the provision of clean drinking water after the onslaught of Odette. The local government also focused on providing water supply to island barangays.
Non-profit organizations like Waves for Water played an important role in the response to the storm. Waves for Water deploys clean water filtration systems, water pump generators, and catchment tanks to disaster-hit areas.
DOH, WHO guidelines
Besides ensuring proper facilities, Guinto believes that normalizing WASH practices are crucial elements in disasters and humanitarian settings.
In July 2020, the Department of Health issued the “National Policy on Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Emergencies and Disasters” in recognition of the country’s disproportionate vulnerability to disasters and emergencies.
The administrative order’s main objective is to “institutionalize and implement the WASH cluster approach at all levels of governance to ensure the coordinated delivery of appropriate, effective and timely WASH services in emergencies and disasters.”
For the WHO, the top three priorities in promoting WASH for vulnerable communities are ensuring sufficient amounts of safe water, arranging basic sanitation necessities and promoting good hygiene practices.
The United Nations health agency said the first priority necessitates that each person be provided with 15 liters of water, but this can be limited to 7.5 liters after a disaster. Water sources must also be protected in the case of contamination.
Toilet facilities should be provided immediately when sanitation structures are damaged due to disasters, it added. Securing toilet facilities prevents the further spread of contamination to community members or water sources.
If toilet systems are damaged beyond immediate repair, the community should be given designated defecation fields and provided shovels for families to dig small holes into to bury excretions.
Lastly, good hygiene should still be promoted to prevent disease transmission. To ensure that good hygiene practices are followed, enough water should be provided for rinsing after excretion. The water can also be used for handling infants’ wastes and food preparation.
While the DOH and the WHO have already integrated WASH into their disaster setting guidelines, Guinto believes that simply providing recommendations is not enough.
“What needs to be further enhanced is the way we implement these guidelines,” said Guinto, who is also the inaugural director of the Planetary and Global Health Program of the St. Luke’s Medical Center College of Medicine.
“Further, we must find ways to ensure the sustainability of WASH infrastructure after the disaster response phase. When communities return to normalcy, their water systems must not only be restored, but made even much better,” he added.
WASH and education
“After the typhoon, because of what happened, we've also learned that water is important and that now we give value to it and people also saw the need of the island to have clean water,” Espoir’s Rabaca said.
The resettlemtn area of Espoir has a water system with 30 faucets that can be accessed by community members and a dry compost toilet.
Rabaca also emphasized that access to water plays a big role in the learning of students.
“We connect water to the education that we are giving by making sure that they go to school healthy, that they go to school after taking a bath. We’re making sure that if they go home, their dishes have been washed, that they can wear uniforms on the next day because they can wash their clothes,” Rabaca said.
She added that Espoir, in partnership with other private firms, plans to put up a “STEM Lab for Humanities” which will tackle the importance access to access to water inside classrooms.
Thousands flee homes as LPA hits Butuan, Caraga
BUTUAN CITY (PNA) – Thousands of residents here as well as in the neighboring provinces of Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur fled their homes as the trough of a low-pressure area (LPA) brought heavy rains that caused flooding and landslides on Saturday, Feb. 18.
As of the 10 a.m. weather bulletin on Sunday, Feb. 19, the LPA was already in the vicinity of San Vicente, Northern Samar or 40 kilometers east of Masbate City, Masbate.
The probability of a tropical depression within 24 hours is less likely, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration.
The LPA will bring moderate to heavy with at times intense rains over Cagayan, Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, the Bicol region, Eastern Samar, Northern Samar, and Samar.
In this city, 5,026 families from 38 barangays moved to evacuation centers for safety.
Heavy rains started to lash this city in the early morning of Saturday, flooding most streets, subdivisions, and barangays.
A landslide was reported in Barangay De Oro on Saturday morning but was immediately cleared out in the afternoon.
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The City Social Welfare and Development Office (CSWDO) here said 2,543 food boxes worth P642,880 were distributed as of Saturday night.
Distribution of food packs in evacuation centers will continue until the flooded areas are cleared.
“We remind our residents in Butuan to be always on alert, especially in times of disasters, to save lives,” the CSWDO said in a statement on Sunday, Feb. 19.
In Cabadbaran City, Agusan del Norte, the City Disaster Risk Reduction Management Office reported that 15 baragays were hit by flooding as of Saturday.
A total of 803 families or 3,516 individuals were directly affected and are temporarily sheltered in 22 evacuation centers.
In Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, four barangays were affected by flooding that sent 216 families or 720 persons to evacuation sites while in Agusan del Sur, 83 families also abandoned their flooded areas in Talacogon.
Evacuation of residents was also reported in the towns of San Francisco, Prosperidad, Bunawan, and Rosario; and in the province of Dinagat Islands on Saturday.
Landslides were reported in the town of Sibagat in Agusan del Sur, particularly in Barangay Kioya and in Purok 1, Barangay Mahayahay; and in Barangay Tigbao in Cagdianao, Dinagat Islands.
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