An der Nordseeküste droht eine Sturmflut - Frachter kurzzeitig in Seenot

Auf einem Strandabschnitt in Norderney hat das Sturmtief Schäden angerichtet

Quelle: dpa/Volker Bartels

Das Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt hat für die deutsche Nordseeküste eine Warnung herausgegeben. Auf Norderney wurde frisch aufgeschütteter Sand durch den Sturm erneut weggespült. Retter mussten auch einem Frachter mit Maschinenschaden helfen.

Für die deutsche Nordseeküste besteht am Mittwoch eine Gefahrenlage, auch eine Sturmflut könnte drohen. Wie das Bundesamt für Seeschifffahrt und Hydrographie (BSH) mitteilte, werde das Hochwasser am Vormittag und Mittag an der ostfriesischen Küste und im Wesergebiet dreiviertel bis einen Meter höher auflaufen als normal. An der Nordseeküste spricht das BSH von einer Sturmflut, wenn das Hochwasser mindestens 1,5 Meter höher als normal aufläuft. Von einer schweren oder sehr schweren Sturmflut wird erst ab Werten von 2,5 beziehungsweise 3,5 Meter gesprochen.

Der Höhepunkt des Sturms werde am Mittwochnachmittag und in den Abendstunden erwartet, sagte Meteorologe Andreas Tschapek vom Deutschen Wetterdienst (DWD) in Hamburg. Vor allem im Zusammenhang mit Schauern und Gewittern, die von der Nordsee kommend aufziehen, seien auch schwere Sturmböen mit Windgeschwindigkeiten um 95 Kilometer pro Stunde möglich.

Neben der Küste und im Harz ist es auch im Binnenland stürmisch: Dort erwartet der Wetterdienst Windböen der Stärke 7 um 55 Kilometer pro Stunde oder stürmische Böen der Stärke 8. „Ab der zweiten Nachthälfte wird sich der Wind wieder abschwächen“, sagte Tschapek.

Auch eine Fähre verzögerte sich

An der Küste überspülte das Wasser vereinzelt bereits am Mittwochmorgen Hafenflächen und Strände. Auf Spiekeroog war etwa die Hafenfläche überflutet, so dass sich eine Fährabfahrt verzögerte, wie die Nordseebad Spiekeroog GmbH mitteilte. Auch auf der Nachbarinsel Wangerooge sorgen hohe Wasserstände laut der Deutschen Bahn, die den Schiffsverkehr betreibt, für Abweichungen im Fahrplan. Von und zu anderen Inseln lief der Fährverkehr weitgehend nach Plan.

Auf Norderney tosten die Wellen am Strandabschnitt „Weiße Düne“ um ein Holzgerüst, auf dem in den Sommermonaten Umkleidekabinen und die Badeaufsicht untergebracht sind. Dann ist das Gerüst am Strand mit Sand zugeschüttet. Vergangene Sturmfluten haben den erst im letzten Jahr neu aufgeschütteten Sand bereits wieder fortgespült.

In Hannover blieben der Große Garten und die Freiflächen des Berggartens in den Herrenhäuser Gärten am Mittwoch wegen des Sturms geschlossen. Die Stadtverwaltung warnte vor dem Betreten von Wäldern und Parkanlagen.

Bei Sturm und vier Meter hohen Wellen sorgte bereits am Dienstagabend ein mit Maschinenausfall treibender Stückgutfrachter auf der Nordsee westlich von Helgoland für einen Einsatz des Havariekommandos. Der Notschlepper „Nordic“ lief zu dem Havaristen aus und stellte eine Notschleppverbindung her. Ein Hubschrauber der Bundespolizei setzte zudem zwei Spezialisten auf dem Frachter ab. Nach einigen Stunden konnte die Maschine des Frachters wieder zum Laufen gebracht werden.

Be amazed and avoid over-familiarity

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

“A PROPHET is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” (Mk 6,4) Famous words of Christ that tell us that we should be wary of our tendency to take the things of God for granted, especially nowadays when we can feel we can depend on God less and less because we happen to know more, do more and achieve more. 

This is a very common danger to all of us, and is at bottom a result of letting ourselves be simply guided by our senses, or feelings and our other ways of human estimation, without the guidance of our faith that should lead us to develop the appropriate piety.

We have to be more aware of this danger of over-familiarity and install the necessary defenses against it. More than that, we have to aggressively cultivate the art of always being amazed at God and at all his works. That should be the proper state for us to be in.

Yes, we should cultivate the attitude and habit of always being amazed at everything since everything in the end comes from God and is meant to lead us to God and to glorify him.

We always tend to believe that we can manage to live our life and to handle all kinds of situations just by relying on our own powers, practically denying the fact that our powers come from God and are supposed to be a participation of God’s powers. This is especially so since we now appear to be gaining more power through our inventions and creations.

We obviously have to do our part. In fact, we have to make full use of everything we have to resolve whatever problems, difficulties, issues, etc., we have in this life. Yes, we have to be very realistic and practical about everything. But we should not forget that we always need God.

Even in our small, usual and very manageable concerns, we should go and be with God first before we attempt to tackle them. We have to remember that everything depends on God, and also in a certain sense, everything also depends on us. It’s a 100%-100% proposition. 

This does not mean that we are getting too dependent on him. Truth is, we actually depend on him for everything even if we also should fully use whatever capabilities we have. Yes, we enjoy a freedom that enables us to have a certain autonomy but never a total independence or separation from God.

We have to remember that being God’s creatures who have been created in his image and likeness, we are meant to live our whole life with him. Our relationship with him is not that of a parasite to a host, but rather that of a child to his father. That is our undeniable and inalienable lineage. God and us are meant to be together always. We are meant to share the same life and nature, since God made us his image and likeness.

We have to understand, though, that this abiding state of amazement that we should try to develop is simply not a matter of sensations. Of course, it would be good if we can always feel amazed and in awe. But given the limitations of our bodily organisms, we cannot expect that to happen all the time.

The ideal abiding state of amazement is more a matter of conviction, of something spiritual, moral and supernatural. It should be the result of grace that is corresponded to generously and heroically by us. 

*Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Digital agenda of the Philippines

by Anna Mae Lamentillo

NIGHT OWL

Anna Mae Lamentillo

The Philippines gears up to be a digital nation. The government’s aim is to be a prosperous middle-class society by 2040 and we aspire to be a globally competitive knowledge economy.

In line with this, digital transformation is a national priority of the government. As information and communications technology (ICT) systems have become crucial in more aspects of people’s lives and the economy, President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. has emphasized the need for universal connectivity to ensure that no citizen is left behind, a fully digital government that is sensitive to the people’s needs, and enabling a conducive environment for the digital economy. 

The Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) under Secretary Ivan John Uy, is creating and implementing both mid-term and long-term plans for digital transformation across government sectors through improved interoperability and collaboration across the government and ecosystems.

The DICT is doubling efforts to provide mobile and internet services to the most remote parts of the country, aggressively implementing key programs such as the BroadBand ng Masa Program, which provides Free Wi-Fi sites in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs); the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure, which will increase total government capacity from 40,000 Mbps to 2,000,000 Mbps in the next six years; and the establishment of the National Government Data Center. Moreover, through the Common Tower Policy, we can fast-track the deployment of common towers across all regions of the country, especially in the unserved and underserved areas.

For this year, the DICT targets the completion of the Luzon Bypass Infrastructure (LBI) Phase 1; while 15,834 Free Wi-Fi sites are targeted to be launched for 2023 in public places, and 100,000 sites are expected to be made operational by 2025.

On e-governance, we are pushing for the consolidation of the E-Government and E-Governance bills that were filed before the two Houses of Congress. These measures will be crucial in transforming governance to one that is digital, anti-red tape, and efficient.

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The DICT’s efforts also gave way for the initiation of the eGov Super App, which aims to become the single application that any Filipino citizen would ever need to avail of virtually all local and national government services.

We were also able to pilot launch the Integrated Local Government System (iLGU) in partnership with the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to implement an end-to-end business registration with LGUs for business permits, clearances, real property tax, business tax, civil registry, and other permits. This will remove long lines in the city and municipal halls and streamline citizens’ transactions with LGUs. Currently, there are around 906 LGUs that will implement the Integrated Business Permit and Licensing System or iBPLS.

Meanwhile, the Philippines is consolidating its global leadership in IT-enabled services through the provision of analytical and AI skills development, a competitive enabling environment, cost efficiencies and the close cultural proximity to an international audience thereby ensuring that investors can profitably serve international and fast-growing regional markets.

The Philippines is a top-tier destination for IT-BPM services such as contact center and business process, global shared services, IT and software, healthcare, animation and game development.

To further support the growth of this industry and nurture investments in the ICT sector, aside from our efforts to provide robust and strong digital infrastructure, the Philippine Government is creating a favorable regulatory environment, including through the enactment of laws such as the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Act; the Amended Public Service Act (PSA), which allows full foreign ownership in key sectors, such as telecommunications, data center operations and logistics that will support IT- BPM activities; the Amended Foreign Investments Act (FIA), which allows investments from foreign startup firms involved in advanced technology; and the Ease of Doing Business (EODB) Act, which led to a series of improvements in the delivery of government services that catapulted the country’s competitiveness ranking from 124th to 95th in 2020, making it to the top 100 economies cited by the World Bank in 2019.

The DICT has also laid out programs to help cities and municipalities in the countryside become better suited to host IT-BPM companies, side by side with programs that will help promote digital inclusion and narrow the digital skills gap in the country. 

The Digital Cities 2025 program highlights the value of countryside development and the capability of key locations outside Metro Manila to become thriving business districts and viable investment hubs for IT-BPM services; while the Digital Startup Development and Acceleration Program (DSDAP) aims to raise awareness and offer programs that will guide start-ups to improve their respective communities.

The DICT is also implementing learning and capacity-building programs that will help our people adapt to new modes of learning and working, such as the Tech4Ed Program, a national digital inclusion initiative that establishes physical centers or hubs that provide critical e-government and ICT-enabled services in communities with minimal to no access to information and government services. At present, we have more than 1,000 centers nationwide.

In addition, the DigitalJobsPH Program is creating meaningful ICT- enabled jobs in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas in the country, while providing technical training to develop the digital skills of Filipinos, especially those living in the countryside.

Finally, on cybersecurity, we hope to strengthen cybercrime education by promoting cyber hygiene education especially in the primary level, and prevent cybercrime by putting in more resources in cyber investigation and computer forensics. The SIM Registration Law is seen to help deter cybercrime in the form of scams, harassment, libel, and smishing, among others.

As the primary agency tasked to develop and promote the use of ICT in the country, the DICT is fully committed to do it

Minority congresswoman only has good things to say about VP Sara

Published February 1, 2023, 9:44 AM

by Ellson Quismorio

A member of the House minority bloc is backing the efforts of Vice President and Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Sara Duterte in addressing the challenges hounding the country’s basic education system. 

BH Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera (left) and Vice President Sara Duterte

“I personally laud and support the Vice President for her commitment to improve the quality of basic education in the country in her capacity as the Secretary of the Department of Education,” Deputy Minority Leader and Bagong Henerasyon (BH) Party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said in a statement Wednesday, Feb. 1. 

The minority bloc in the House of Representatives are traditional composed of government critics. But in this case, Herrera only has good things to say about the former Davao Ciity mayor.

“I have absolute confidence in her ability to institute much needed reforms to make the Philippine basic education system competitive and at par with other countries,” Herrera added of Duterte.

The party-list solon issued the statement after Duterte launched the “MATATAG” agenda, which would serve as the DepEd’s roadmap in addressing the challenges in the basic education sector under her term as education chief. 

MATATAG aims to focus on making curriculum relevant to produce competent and job-ready, active, and responsible citizens; taking steps to accelerate delivery of basic education facilities and services; taking good care of learners by promoting learner well-being, inclusive education, and a positive learning environment; and give support to teachers to teach better.

These key strategies, according to Herrera, would “surely help the basic education sector continue to recover from the pandemic and address the problems that have long existed in our education system.”

Herrera said she is also ready to support whatever laws or policies that the Vice President wants Congress to prioritize for the basic education sector.

Herrera said she was particularly amazed by the Vice President’s determination to get children’s education back on track with the resumption of full face-to-face classes after two years of intermittent distance learning during the pandemic.

“We have seen the tremendous work VP Sara has done to help schools reopen for in-person learning and allow our children to safely return to school,” she pointed out.

“I believe this is just a preview of how she will lead the DepEd in the next six years. With her strong leadership and firm political will, people can expect VP Sara to undertake some bold reforms that will help improve and transform our country’s basic education system,” she added.

‘The Clash’ earns more than 200 million views on TikTok

by Manila Bulletin Entertainment

Julie Anne San Jose and Rayver Cruz

GMA Network’s all-original Filipino singing competition, “The Clash,” remains as one of the top sources of entertainment to Kapuso viewers both on air and online.

Recently, #TheClash has earned more than 200 million views on TikTok! The said hashtag includes snippets of unstoppable performances from the Clashers and fun behind-the-scenes from the previous seasons.

Last Jan. 22, the show made its much-awaited comeback. The formidable trio of Asia’s Nightingale Lani Misalucha, Asia’s Romantic Balladeer Christian Bautista, and Comedy Concert Queen AiAi Delas Alas returned as The Clash Panel together with Clash Masters Asia’s Limitless Star Julie Anne San Jose and Total Heartthrob Rayver Cruz.

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Lani Misalucha

In the pilot episode, viewers witnessed the fresh faces and spellbinding voices of the Top 30 Clashers. As the competition moves forward, Kapuso fans will get to know more about the Clashers’ unique and inspiring stories.

Christian Bautista

The audience must also expect unpredictable twists and shocking surprises that will make The Clash 2023 its best season yet!

Ai AI Delas Alas

Find out who among the Clashers will advance to the next round! Catch The Clash 2023 every Sunday at 7:50 p.m. on GMA Network. Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV.

Netizens can also catch it via livestream on GMA Network and The Clash’s Facebook pages, The Clash’s YouTube account, and on GMA Network’s website.

Rare comet is coming: Here’s how to see this celestial spectacle

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin

(SCREENGRAB FROM PAGASA’S OFFICIAL FACEBOOK PAGE)

Grab your camera, telescope, or binocular as a rare comet will begin its closest approach to Earth in February.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) will be brightest on the first day of February. 

PAGASA said the comet is located in the constellation Camelopardalis and will be observed at night.

“Since it is circumpolar, it becomes visible all night, reaching its highest point in the sky around 9:48 p.m.” PAGASA said in its astronomical diary for February.

“To locate this comet, find the north star Polaris as it points to the comet, 32 degrees above the northern horizon,” it added. “It will then sink towards the horizon as the sun rises the next day.”

However, PAGASA told skygazers that they need patience and perseverance, as the waxing gibbous moon may affect their observation.

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“This comet may be challenging to see with the naked eye,” it said as it advised skygazers to use the telescope or binocular to see the comet.

According to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility in California in early March 2022.

This is the first time it will make a close approach to Earth in over 50,000 years.

The comet is also known as the “green comet” because of its green glow coming from the comet’s coma, caused by glowing carbon gas.

 

Marcos appeals support from diplomatic community in achieving PH dev’t goals

by Betheena Unite

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has urged the diplomatic community to support the Philippines in its mission to achieve its development plans, which he approved a day ago.

President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. (RTVM Screenshot)

During the Vin d’ Honneur held at the Malacañang Palace on Tuesday night, Jan. 31, Marcos appealed for support as he informed the attending foreign envoys that he just rolled out the Philippine Development Plan on Monday, Jan. 30 which will serve as his administration’s roadmap for economic and social transformation in the next six years.

“I urge our friends in the diplomatic community to work with us in achieving our development goals through partnerships and cooperation with your respective government and also your private sectors. Let us discuss opportunities where our countries can participate to the mutual benefit of the Philippines and your countries,” Marcos said.

In his speech, Marcos said that “the Philippines is poised to reach upper middle income status very soon,” telling his diplomatic guests that it “is a daunting but achievable milestone and the development well-earned and long overdue.”

“We want this to have meaning and impact to the lives of more than 110 million Filipinos and to set the future generations of Filipinos,” he said, thus he urged them to work with the Philippines in its endeavors under his term.

On foreign relations, the President stressed that the Philippines will continue to elevate its foreign relations with bilateral and multilateral partners, saying that “we are a staunch champion of multilateralism and remain invested in working with partners in building a stronger united nations, one that is more fair, more constructive, more united.”

He also took the opportunity to campaign for the Philippines in its goal to secure a seat in the UN Security Council as the country’s bid stands on its “strong foundation” of “well-recognized contributions” to the shaping of a global rules-based architecture and respect for the sovereignty of nations.

“The Philippines counts on your support for our candidature for non permanent seat in the UN Security Council for term 2027-2028. You’ll excuse my little bit of campaigning for the Philippines and our membership,” he said.

“The legacies of the Philippines as a responsible global citizen I dare say are solid,” he added.

The chief executive also called on the diplomatic community to “continue to strengthen the bond of our countries for the mutual benefit of our peoples and our countries.”

Papal Nuncio Charles Brown, Apostolic Nuncio to the Philippines, meanwhile, expressed that the “diplomatic corps assures you our support for this goal in the new year of 2023 and beyond.”

“So your excellency, it is an honor for me to express in behalf of all members of the diplomatic corps our heartfelt best wishes for a new year blessed by peace, prosperity, mutual understanding and global solidarity,” Brown said as he offered a toast to the President.

5 CHANGES TO PH TRAVEL/TOURISM APPROVED BY PRES MARCOS: E-TRAVEL, E-VISA...

Wow! Does Philippine Airlines really have bad service?

More reforms needed to lure foreign investors

 

By Niña Myka Pauline Arceo  and Jenica Faye Garcia

Private sector representatives urged the government to focus on making the country more attractive to investments as the Marcos administration formally launched its 2023-2028 Philippine Development Plan (PDP).

"I used to say it's not enough for us to be in the radar but we really have to provide the runway lights for them for... investments to land in our country," Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George Barcelon said in a forum organized by the National Economic and Development Authority.

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George Barcelon. Screengrab from Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 Live Forum

Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry President George Barcelon. Screengrab from Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 Live Forum

These "fundamental issues" such as "power, production costs, logistic costs, connectivity, and human skills sets" will be addressed by the PDP, he noted, along with improving the ease of doing business where the Philippines had already made improvements in the last few years.

Barcelon, however, noted that the last Philippine Business Conference had stressed the need to reinvigorate the resource-based sector, particularly mineral mining, oil exploration, forestry, and salt harvesting.

"We have legislators looking into that and improving the ASIN law," he said, "We need to tweak it, so that we can grow our salt industries. Our shoreline worldwide is number five, but we import 93 percent of our salt."

As for oil exploration, he pointed out that Indonesia has seen 20 projects in the past two-three years compared to the Philippines' three in the past decade.

Also noting the country's vast mineral resources, Barcelon said "I think the government is cognizant of that and they will open it up".

The PCCI chief also pointed to the importance of the agricultural sector to economic development. He urged the provision of insurance support and called for a push to involve more of the youth in the sector.

"Aside from the usual talk about farm to market road, post harvest infrastructure, cold storage, and so forth, one of the areas... is that we really have to fortify our crop insurance, otherwise the banks would see that the farmers are not bankable. So, I hope that the government will look into that."

The youth also have to be induced into joining the agriculture sector via the establishment of more technical schools that provide training on the latest farming advancements.

The farm sector, he continued, should also be opened up to foreign investors and scaled up.

Local governments, meanwhile, should emulate the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA), which Barcelon said is favored by investors given the clarity of its rules.

"I think our solution is for the local government to have the DNA of PEZA," he said.

"If you're talking about growth, inclusivity for the country, the growth should be throughout the Philippines and I think the local government plays a key role in making things easy for people to want to invest in the area of their jurisdiction."

Private Sector Advisory Council digital infrastructure lead Henry R. Aguda, meanwhile, said digital development was enjoying a "watershed moment" in the Philippines.

However, while adoption markedly accelerated over the last few years, private sector concerns with regard to digital initiatives remain high.

"It's highest next to energy sufficiency," Aguda noted, but added that "the nice thing about it ranking high is there's a lot of effort right now to actually improve it".

Barcelon raised the issue of connectivity costs, saying that local subscriptions rates remained high compared to other countries.

"It should not go beyond three percent of take-home pay," he said.