MANILA, Philippines — A group of young Filipino scientists on Sunday completed a two-week expedition to the Kalayaan Island Group in the West Philippine Sea aimed at studying the connectivity of ecosystems.

Deo Florence Onda of the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute and chief scientist of the mission, described the two-week research a “success.”

The 74-member team aboard RV Kasarinlan left South Harbor last April 22 to explore marine life in the contested waters. While the institute had been doing this for years, it was extra special this time because they finally had their own research vessel.

“In terms of science, everything went well for us. For our part, we’ve proven that we can actually do it on our own. We used to be dependent on other agencies, which also have their own responsibilities. Now, we have the confidence that we can do this whenever we want and we can actually do it,” he told Inquirer.net.

The scientists have started to process the data they gathered during the expedition. It will take months up to a year before they completely make sense of the data they have collected at sea.

Divided into three teams depending on the tasks at hand, they have explored areas around Pag-asa Island, Kota and Panata Islands, Sabina Shoal and west of Palawan during the two-week expedition.

Humans and oceans

The mission, Onda said, has demonstrated the reach of human impact in the Spratlys, with plastics found near the isolated Philippine-occupied areas.

They didn’t even have to try so hard to find plastic refuse.

“We found so many of them floating along the way,” the scientist said.

Based on their observations, the trash did not come from a single place. Most of the litter found in a sandbar near Kota and Panata Islands, where plastic bottles and wrappers have drifted, bore foreign labels.

The team has collected six crates of plastic waste on their way back to Manila.

“This only emphasizes that the environmental protection of Kalayaan Island Group goes beyond territories. If you want to save the West Philippine Sea, it’s not a single country effort,” Onda said.

Microplastics, the tiny particles of plastic, were also found on Pag-asa Island, the largest occupied area of the Philippines in the contested waters. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration describe microplastics as less than 5mm in length.

“These tiny particles are ingested by small fishes, which are eaten by bigger fishes,” Onda said.

This was the first time that Filipino scientists made plastic pollution in the Spratlys as one of their focus of study.

In a two-week expedition to the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea, Filipino scientists witnessed firsthand the human impact on the oceans. They found damaged coral reefs and plastic litter in isolated islands and reefs. / SCREENGRAB FROM DENR BMB

Broken coral reefs

The team also witnessed firsthand the extent of damage on coral reefs in Pag-asa Island, Panata Island, and Sabina Shoal.

While Onda said the ecosystem appears to be thriving, the coral reefs in the areas they checked out were not in the healthiest state.

He noted the destroyed reefs appeared to have been caused by blast fishing.

“In Sabina Shoal, the corals were not only dead but totally broken. I think it has been that way for a long time,” the scientist said.

The government recently said it is looking at the possibility of declaring parts of the West Philippine Sea as marine protected areas (MPAs) as part of their efforts to protect the environment and marine life there.

Onda commended the move but said “it may not work well” if only the Philippines would implement it.

“It should be a network of MPAs… Preserving Kalayaan Island Group is a joint effort it will never be a one country effort,” he said.

The Philippines, China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and Taiwan have overlapping claims in the South China Sea.

The scientist said he hopes their findings could help with the government’s policy and contribute to government efforts to declare parts of Kalayaan as marine protected area.

“That’s one of our ultimate goals, to help with legislation and policy, with management crafting. Because after we have processed the data, it ends there. How do we push through with it?” he said.

Onda is also looking forward to the possibility of discovering new species from the samples they have collected.

“The potential on new discoveries is high, especially on the seaweeds, because there are not many studies about it,” he said

The scientific mission, called Predicting Responses between Ocean Transport and Ecological Connectivity of Threatened ecosystems in the West Philippine Sea (PROTECT- WPS) is funded by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Overall, Onda said the research was a “pleasant” experience for them despite the presence of Chinese vessels.

They have observed dozens of Chinese Coast Guard and militia vessels around the Kalayaan Island Group during the two-week journey, but there were no attempts to block, harass or contact them.

“We were prepared for any untoward incident but surprisingly, it was a very pleasant experience,” he said.

Source: globalnation.inquirer.net

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Persons applying for a job for the first time won’t have to pay to get an NBI clearance, police clearance certificate, and a barangay clearance, thanks to the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act

GETTING A JOB. Jobseekers flock a one-day job fair at the Resorts World Manila in Pasay City on May 1, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/Rappler

MANILA, Philippines – Under a new law, first-time job applicants no longer have to pay fees for government documents required for employment.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11261 or the First Time Job Seekers Assistance Act on April 10. Malacañang made it public on Tuesday, May 7.

Under the new law, national and local government entities must not collect fees from first-time job seekers when they apply for government documents needed for employment in the country or abroad.

The following government documents are covered:

• Police clearance certificate
• National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance
• Barangay clearance
• Medical certificate from a public hospital (fees and charges for laboratory tests and other medical procedures will not be waived)
• Birth certificate
• Marriage certificate
• Transcript of academic records issued by state colleges and universities
• Tax Identification Number (TIN)
• Unified Multi-Purpose ID (UMID) card
• Other documentary requirements issued by the government that may be required by employers from job applicants

Exceptions

Government fees for applications to take professional licensure examinations conducted by the Professional Regulation Commission are not covered by RA 11261.

First-time job applicants must also still pay fees for application for Philippine passport authentication and application for a Career Service Examination with the Civil Service Commission.

Fees for application for a driver’s license are also not among the fees to be waived.

A job seeker can only avail of the privilege once. To monitor this, government agencies are ordered to keep a roster of all persons who have benefited from the new law.

The Department of Information and Communications Technology is to keep a database of all these individuals.

Source: rappler.com

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Chinese businesses are still in the running to take over a Subic Bay shipyard and could soon also control nearly 2 square miles of what was once America’s largest air base in the Philippines, according to local media reports.

Photo Credit: armytimes.com

Philippines Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said the government would not, and could not, block Chinese offers to buy Subic Bay shipbuilder Hanjin Philippines, which has defaulted on $1.3 billion in loans, according to an April 25 Reuters news agency report.

Meanwhile, a Philippine government spokesman told the Asia Times April 27 that China will build an industrial park on the former Clark Air Base, north of Manila.

The industrial park project, which, according to CNN Philippines would encompass almost 2 square miles of the site, was first announced in a joint statement by Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping in November.

“The two sides will speed up the implementation of the Philippines-China Industrial Park Development Program, which was signed during this visit, and will continue to provide an enabling environment for their enterprises to invest in each other’s country,” the statement said.

The moves are symbolic, Patricio Abinales, a Philippines expert at the University of Hawaii, said in an email Tuesday.

“It is intended to show the US how much the Philippines is under [China’s] sway, this despite a majority of Filipinos remaining pro-American,” he said.

Subic Bay, once known as Naval Base Subic Bay, was home to thousands of U.S. sailors and their families before the Navy left in 1992. It’s still a regular port call for U.S. warships and Marines who practice beach landings nearby in Zambales province.

Subic’s importance has grown in recent years amid Chinese efforts to build military facilities on artificial islands and claim sovereignty over territory to the west in the South China Sea.

Clark, home to thousands of American airmen and their families before the 1991 eruption of Mount Pinatubo badly damaged the facility, is still a hub for U.S. Air Force and Navy planes operating in the Philippines.

The Chinese commercial moves send a message to Duterte critics that China can do what it likes in the Philippines, Abinales said.

“There will be protests, but unless the business sector puts its foot down (which I doubt it will), Duterte will continue with this sell-out to China,” he said.

Source: stripes.com

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THE North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) and Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) were declared safe for motorists despite several pavement cracks observed in the bridge approaches along SCTEX, after the 6.1-magnitude earthquake that affected Pampanga and other parts of Central Luzon on April 22.

Photo Credit: live.staticflickr.com

NLEX Corp. and its engineering consultant AMH Philippines, said inspection showed no major structural damage in NLEX-SCTEX bridges and slopes, but cracks and deformations on pavements and bridge expansion joints that need immediate repairs.

It was also noted that the bridges performed well and the cracks and deformations were evidently within anticipated range of the design assumptions.

“To ensure the comfort of our motorists, damaged pavements will be replaced and distorted posts as well as bridge expansion joints will be repaired,” said NLEX Corp. President and General Manager Luigi Bautista.

Four bridges in SCTEX Porac — Pasig-Potrero, Babo Pangulo, Planas, and Porac — and two bridges in SCTEX Floridablanca — Caulaman and Gumain — bore pavement cracks, while steel plates and expansion joints became uneven. Some median concrete toppings in the said areas were also broken.

Meanwhile, a few light and sign posts along the Candaba Viaduct and Dau and Sta. Ines interchanges along NLEX had noticeably leaned.
But Bautista said the structures, including the elevated ones, were designed and built in such a way that they do not collapse during an earthquake.

He added the NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10, the elevated expressway from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City to Caloocan Interchange in C3 (Metro Manila) was earthquake-resistant and could withstand high magnitude quakes.

“Rest assured that our roads adhere to world-class standards as we use top grade materials and undertake regular road condition surveys,” he said.

Source: manilatimes.net

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Photo Credit: i.ytimg.com

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT: The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) warned that truck trading companies found violating rules, policies and the terms and conditions of their lease contract with the Subic agency would be shut down.

In a meeting with truck traders at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center here recently, SBMA Chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma said the agency found at least 11 violations and issues committed by several truck trading firms at the Freeport.

These include problems on working visa and royalty, as well as violations of policies on working permit, importation, use of marshalling yard, subleasing, occupancy and use of leased property, parking and environment.

The SBMA said 88 vehicle trading companies were operating in Subic, the only free port wherein the importation of used vehicles and heavy equipment from abroad is allowed by law.

During the meeting, Eisma specifically inveighed against the practice by some truck traders to secure only one work permit for multiple employees, the sponsorship of foreign workers to secure work visa for a fee, and the use of one company’s importation privileges by another firm also for a fee.

“It has been brought to my attention by the Bureau of Immigration that some of your employees are out here employed without working visas. If your work visa is only for one company, you cannot work for another company here in Subic,” Eisma told the traders and their staff.

She said they had submitted the names of erring companies to the Bureau of Immigration.

Eisma also stressed that the locators’ importation privileges were provided for under their individual Certificate of Registration and Tax Exemption, and is not transferable.

She told business locators that the SBMA had the power to pre-terminate contracts, including those that govern industrial parks inside the Subic Bay Freeport, upon any violation of the terms and conditions of its lease agreement with the SBMA without a court action.

The SBMA chief also noted that the huge time lapse in the issuance of the admission permit against the actual pullout of equipment and trucks is another violation.

Eisma said some companies were found to be importing more than the volume allowed for their leased areas, thus leading to the illegal parking of these imports on the side of the roads.

Eisma gave errant truck traders until June 1 to comply with the SBMA requirements before their registration as business locators are revoked or canceled.

Source: manilatimes.net

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