Photo Credit: http://iorbitnews.com

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) will release a total of P6.5 million in financial aid to Pampanga and Zambales – provinces hit by the recent magnitude 6.1 Luzon earthquake.

According to PCSO board member Sandra Cam, the board has agreed to allocate P5 million to Pampanga, and another P1.5 million to Zambales.

The earthquake’s epicenter was located in Castillejos, Zambales, but Pampanga was the hardest-hit province. The PCSO’s financial aid will be turned over directly to the affected local government units.

The PCSO will help earthquake victims who are still in hospitals through its Individual Medical Assistance Program. The agency will also provide artificial legs to two victims who became amputees following the disaster, Maria Lourdes Martin and Desiree Pacun.

The total death toll from the earthquake has reached 18, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said in its bulletin on Tuesday, April 29. At least 243 people were also injured, while 3 are missing, all in Central Luzon.

The latest NDRRMC report also said a total of 924 aftershocks have been recorded since the April 22 earthquake.
Source: rappler.com

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May 1, 2019

9:00 AM onwards
Fashion Hallway, Harbor Point Ayala Malls

Join us at the Fashion Hallway, Harbor Point Mall, Subic Bay Freeport Zone and at the Kingsborough International Convention Center (near S&R Pampanga), City of San Fernando, Pampanga in celebration of Labor Day from 9:00 am onwards.

The Pampanga job fair is hosted by the Department of Labor and Employment with the Build Build Build and Trabaho, Negosyo at Kabuhayan Service Caravan while the SBFZ job fair is a yearly event with the Freeport Games and Sports happening simultaneously, which aims to promote health awareness, camaraderie and team spirit among Freeport Zone workers and their employers. Events include Fun Run, Dance, Singing, Float competitions and the Mister and Miss Freeport Games and Sports at the second level (near Abenson store) Harbor Point Mall.

Source: Labor MSD FB Page

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A supermarket in Legazpi City, Albay, goes for eco-friendly alternatives to wrap fresh produce

ALBAY, Philippines – A local supermarket in Legazpi, capital city of this province, has started using banana leaves and abaca ties in place of plastic for wrapping fresh produce.

Liberty Commercial Center (LCC), a commercial establishment in Bicol, initiated this program for its supermarket branch at Ayala Malls Legazpi to reduce single-use plastics.

LCC marketing head Ging Guerra said this is part of their eco-friendly mission, which they started by using paper bags and reusable ecobags at their checkout counters instead of plastic bags.

According to him, Bicol has plenty of agricultural raw products, so it serves as “a juncture between using what we have…and harnessing these to implement a cause-worthy initiative.”

Guerra also said that aside from being eco-friendly, banana leaves could make products fresher longer, probably because they lock in moisture and block heat.

LCC employees have showed their support for the project since day one of its implementation in March by volunteering to bring the banana leaves and abaca ties.

“We find it very inspiring to know and see that our people share the same enthusiasm for this program,” said Guerra.

When asked how many plastic wraps they’ve saved so far, he said that they don’t have the numbers yet.

“We do hope to gradually roll out this program in our other stores, but our priority is sustainability over scope, studying how we may do it well consistently,” said Guerra.

Source: rappler.com

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Photo Credit: elp.com

Redondo Peninsula Energy Inc. may put on hold the development of a 660-megawatt coal-fired power until 2020 due to construction issues, an official said over the weekend.

RP Energy is a joint venture among Meralco PowerGen Corp., Therma Power Inc. of the Aboitiz Group and Taiwan Cogeneration International Corp.

“The management of RP Energy have engaged a consultant and the consultant’s recommendation is to stabilize the slope first. Issues like this with geological conditions is very tricky. In fact, one of the recommendations I believe, is to let it rest for one rainy season and that’s rainy season up to 2020,” said Aboitiz Power chief operating officer Manny Rubio said.

“There’s a hill behind the site, that’s the one that’s moving, not the site itself. We just want to make sure we protect ourselves from that geological condition once we make a decision on putting up the plant,” he said.

Once the solution is approved by the board, construction can be started on stabilizing the slope.

Source: manilastandard.net

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Clark Freeport—The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology is keeping a tight watch on Mount Pinatubo following reports of “unusual” smoke emitting from different areas near the volcano’s summit.

ACTING UP? The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology allays fears of Mt.Pinatubo eruption although it is keeping a tight watch on the volcano following reports of “unusual” smoke emitting from different areas near the volcano’s summit after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake and a series of aftershocks that jolted Luzon on April 22, 2019.

“The Department of Science and Technology-Phivolcs is closely monitoring 24/7 the Pinatubo Volcano. So far, the Pinatubo volcano-seismic monitoring network has not detected any changes in the condition of the volcano after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake [on April 22],” said Phivolcs in a statement posted on social media.

Philvolcs, however, said the steam activity may have been caused by rock slides.

The generation of dust clouds, blown by winds, was verified by a team of volcanologist who went to Sitio Pasbul, Barangay Camias, Porac, Pampanga on April 24.

Residents near the volcano have observed poor to zero visibility shortly after the earthquake, apparently brought by ash fall at Barangays Sta Fe, San Marcelino, Yangil and Banawen in San Felipe, Zambales. Similar events have been noticed in Brgys. Nabuclod in Floridablanca and Brgys. Inararo and Camias both in Porac, Pampanga.

“These observations were relayed to us after the earthquake that raised concerns on the effect of temblor on the volcano,” Phivolcs said.

The April 22 earthquake, left damages to private and government infrastructure including Chuzon Supermarket in Porac town that left more than a dozen of people pinned to death, according to Pampanga Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) headed by Angie Blanco.

The quake killed 18 people, including at least nine in a flattened supermarket in Porac Pampanga.

It also did P505.9 million in damage to more than 300 structures in Metro Manila, the Ilocos, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon, with Central Luzon bearing the brunt of the damage.

Phivolcs said there were no signs of volcanic unrest following the April 22 earthquake.

Source: manilastandard.net

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