Japan to send team of experts to assist in oil spill removal ops

Published March 9, 2023, 9:25 AM

by Aaron Recuenco 

The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) has committed assistance to the Philippine government in containing and cleaning the oil spill off the waters of Mindoro Island. 

In a statement, the Philippine Coast Guard said personnel from the JCG are expected to be deployed in the country to assist in the ongoing oil spill response operations, particularly in Naujan town of Oriental Mindoro.

photo: PCG

“According to Ambassador of Japan in the Philippines Kazuhiko Koshikawa, Japan will send a disaster relief expert team on oil removal and control to augment the country’s manpower and assets,” the statement read. 

Aside from Japan, the United States Coast Guard has already informed the Philippine government that it will assist in the same operation.

The oil spill occurred after the MT Princess Empress sank off the waters of Oriental Mindoro on Feb. 28. It carries more than 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.

The oil spill has already affected the coastal areas of at least eight towns of Oriental Mindoro while oil slicks were monitored in nearby areas. The oil spill also threatens to reach tourist spots in the nearby areas. 

Discussions are still ongoing to contain the spread of the oil spill, including the mapping out of strategies on what to do with the oil tanker. 

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In a statement, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources said the location of the vessel was already located through the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) BRP Hydrographer Ventura.

Based on the DENR data, the vessel was located about northeast of Pola, Oriental Mindoro but it is “believed to have moved southeast from its last known position where it completely submerged.”

The site is about 1,200 feet or approximately 400 meters below sea level.

Cash-for-work

On Wednesday, March 8, the PCG started meeting with the Provincial Government of Oriental Mindoro to deploy as many people to help in the oil spill clean-up drive.

photo: PCG

During the meeting, it was agreed that the government will hire one person per family in all affected coastal areas under the “cash-for-work” program.  

“There will also be a massive and simultaneous shoreline clean-up on Friday, March 10,” the PCG statement read.

For other missions, BRP Bagacay (MRRV-4410) applied 1,200 liters of oil dispersant in the vicinity waters off Naujan, Oriental Mindoro. 

Meanwhile, shoreline clean-up teams, LGU representatives, and volunteers collected several sacks of oiled debris in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

BLACKPINK sets Guinness World Records title as most streamed female group on Spotify

Published March 9, 2023, 8:43 AM

by Jonathan Hicap

The Guinness World Records officially declared that K-pop group BLACKPINK as the most streamed female group on Spotify.

Guinness World Records made the announcement on March 8, tallying that BLACKPINK’s “songs have a whopping 8,880,030,049 individual streams.” 

BLACKPINK in Hong Kong (Twitter)

It said BLACKPINK “overtook British pop group Little Mix by 400 million streams.” 

Their most streamed songs on Spotify include “How You Like That” (746,198,263 streams), “Kill This Love” (672,084,360) and “DDU-DU DDU-DU” (574,613,362).

“All four individual members of BLACKPINK have at least 66 million followers on Instagram, while the group’s joint account has racked up 53 million followers,” Guinness World Records added. 

BLACKPINK have several Guinness World Records titles such as “most subscribers for a band on YouTube as well as becoming the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the UK albums chart (female) and the first K-pop group to reach No.1 on the US albums chart (female).”

“Spotify currently has over 480 million users worldwide, making genres like K-pop a lot more accessible to global audiences,” it said.

Sara Duterte says capability, not gender, was main reason why Pinoys elected her VP

by Raymund Antonio

Despite receiving more than 32 million votes, the highest in the country’s election history, during the 2022 national elections, Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte on Wednesday, March 8, claimed that there were Filipinos who did not vote for her simply because of her gender, and that more Filipino men voted for her than women. 

Vice President Sara Duterte delivers a speech on the International Women’s Day celebration organized by the Philippine Council for Women and United Nations Women in Taguig City on Wednesday, March 8, 2023. (Screenshot from PH Council for Women/Facebook)

In a forum with the theme “Breaking the Code: Equality for All Through Technology and Innovation” at the Samsung Theatre in SM Aura for the International Women’s Day celebration hosted by the Philippine Commission on Women and United Nations (UN) Women, the official shared how she managed to survive a male-dominated election. 

“But I have to tell you that I never saw myself by my gender, I never presented myself ever when I campaign, when I go out and talk to people and say na, ‘Piliin ninyo ako (Choose me) because I am a woman.’ I never show myself by my gender. I only see myself as a person, an individual with my unique qualities,” she told the audience. 

The Vice President shared that a focus group discussion (FGD) during the 2022 campaign period revealed that “people do not vote for me because I am a woman, and more men voted for me than women.”

In her speech, she underscored the importance of education, financial literacy, and economic empowerment for women, especially those in far-flung areas in Mindanao. 

“Gaya po ninyo, naniniwala rin ako na kapag ang mga kababaihan sa isang komunidad ay nabigyan ng pagkakataong maging produktibo, kapag sila ay nabigyan ng edukasyon at nagkaroon ng kapangyarihan ng kaalaman, at kapag sila ay nahasa na mamuno, kaya po nilang baguhin ang mukha ng kanilang komunidad (Like you, I also believe that when women in a community are given the chance to become productive, when they are educated and empowered with knowledge, when they are trained to lead, they can change the face of their communities),” Duterte said. 

As the former mayor of Davao City, the official shared the  transformation story of Paquibato District, which used to be a “stronghold” of the New People’s Army (NPA) there. 

She reflected on how the district became a “landscape of peace” by simply empowering the women there through livelihood programs, financial literacy, and by setting up a market for their produce. 

Through her Peace 911, “a government-initiated but civilian-led peace initiative that required people to help us help themselves,” they were able to turn Paquibato District around. 

“Today, it is important for us to advocate for an inclusive digital education that will provide opportunities for women and girls to overcome any inequality affecting their development and involvement in the community,” Duterte said, expressing hopes for several programs, such as the Innovations for Women Enterprises or iWomen Project, Women-Helping-Women: Innovating Social Enterprises (WHWise) Program, and the newly launched Mag Negosyo Ta ‘Day program.

Meanwhile, Duterte also stressed that while the country tries to “narrow the gender gap to digital accessibility,” it should likewise protect Filipinas, including girls, from violence committed against them at home, in their workplaces, and in online communities.

As an Education chief, which she holds in a concurrent capacity, the Department of Education (DepEd) launched Learner Telesafe Contact Center national hotline, where learners can report cases of abuse including online child sexual exploitation.

And while teenage pregnancy is still a problem in the country, Duterte said this could be addressed by allowing teenage mothers to continue their education through Alternative Learning Systems (ALS), open universities, and Alternative Delivery Modes. 

“Let me emphasize that the pursuit of gender equality is not solely a women’s issue. Filipino men are encouraged and have been advocating for gender equality, too,” she stressed. 

“By helping women access economic opportunities, for example, we empower them to be financially independent, improve the standard of living of their families, and are better able to ensure the good health and education of their children,” the Vice President added.

Alex Eala stuns seeded rival, advances to second round of W60 Trnava tourney

by Kristel Satumbaga-Villar

Alex Eala returns to action with a stunning first-round victory in Slovakia. (File Photo/Alex Eala Facebook page)

Alex Eala returned to competition on a high note after stunning Leyre Romero Gormez of Spain, 6-1, 6-0, at the start of the W60 Trnava 2nd Empire Women’s Indoor Tennis Tournament in Slovakia Tuesday, March 7 (Wednesday in Manila).

The 17-year-old Eala hardly broke a sweat in dispatching her sixth-seeded rival with superb shots to advance to the second round of the $60,000 event.

The easy victory arranged the Filipina tennis sensation a meeting with fellow unseeded rival Sonay Kartal of Great Britain, who needed more flexing in edging wildcard bet and hometown player Natalia Krockova, 6-4, 6-3.

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This would be the first time that Eala and Kartal are facing in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) scene, with the PH bet holding a slight advantage against her Slovakian rival.

Though younger than Kartal by four years, Eala boasts of a higher ITF ranking at No. 220 compared to the Slovakian’s No. 262.

Kartal, however, has four ITF titles last year – all from $25,000 events – and is coming off a semifinal appearance at the W25 Glasgow tournament in Great Britain last February.

Eala, for her part, is coming off a one-month respite from competitions, with her last appearance at the Thailand Open in January where she finished in the first round after going through two qualifying matches. 

Aside from the singles, Eala is also seeing action the doubles with Lithuanian partner Justina Mikulskyte where they are set to clash against Slovakian pair Ela Platenikova and Nina Vargova in the opening round.