Photo Credit: wikimedia.org

MANILA, Philippines — The Senate approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to boost the powers and functions of Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB).

The upper chamber of Congress approved Senate Bill No. 2133 or “An Act Further Strengthening the Powers and Functions of the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan.”

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, the sponsor of the bill, said the measure seeks to maximize the potential of AFAB to improve investment opportunities in the Philippines.

“The FAB has contributed not only to Bataan’s economy but also to the entire country over the past few years,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

“From 2010 to 2016, the FAB was able to contribute more than P74 billion to the Philippine economy, net of costs. In other words, the government has gained P6.45 for every peso it has spent or foregone on the FAB,” he added.

Under the measure, the FAB will include land territories in the Municipality of Mariveles, which used to be part of the Bataan Economic Zone, and other areas in Mariveles that are not included in the FAB Main Zone.

The Senator said the bill will permit AFAB “to create model business centers and a one-stop shop for locators by offering AFAB certain powers within the FAB territory.”

Gatchalian also noted that strengthening AFAB can address poverty in Bataan. He cited that the number of registered enterprises in FAB rose from 33 with P5 million investments in 2010 to 130 with P6.99 billion investments in 2018.

He said the FAB was also able to offer 39,266 jobs to Bataan citizens in 2018, up from 12,777 jobs in 2010.

The bill will be brought to the bicameral committee for further deliberations and returned to both Houses of Congress for ratification of the final version.

Once the bill is ratified, its final version will be sent for President Rodrigo Duterte for signature.

Source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Continue Reading

Photo Credit: ironman.com

THE Century Tuna Ironman 70.3 Subic Bay Philippines continues to draw not only a stellar international cast but also another chief backer in Big Boss Cement (BBC) when it marks its fifth staging on June 2 in Subic Bay.

A new player in the industry specializing in production of environment-friendly cement in the country, Big Boss Cement comes in as the event’s presenter at a time when local triathlon is enjoying tremendous boom with top-notch endurance races held regularly across the country the last decade or so.

Sunrise Events Inc., organizer of the biggest, premier triathlon races in the land, recently inked a four-year pact with Big Boss Cement as presenting sponsor of the CT Ironman 70.3 up to 2022.

“The growth of triathlon in the country has considerably increased over the past few years. With Big Boss Cement’s support, we are assured of the sport’s continued advancement in line with our commitment to promote a healthy lifestyle among Filipinos,” SEI General Manager Princess Galura said.

“Big Boss Cement represents innovation and environment conservation by producing super strong premier cement that is eco-friendly,” said BBC Vice President and long-time triathlete Ishmael Ordoñez. “The CT Ironman 70.3 Subic Bay will be a test of human endurance but to be enjoyed in the surrounding nature which Big Boss Cement aspires to preserve through its products.”

Source: businessmirror.com.ph

Continue Reading

By: Tonette Orejas

DANGEROUS PATH The road leading to Barangay Diaz in Porac, Pampanga, is accessible only by motorcycles and carabaos. The upland village is prone to landslides, prompting environment officials to recommend the relocation of Aeta families living there after a strong earthquake hit the province last month. —PHOTO COURTESY OF MGB CENTRAL LUZON

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — Some 260 Aeta families have been advised to permanently move out of harm’s way as the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) tagged their villages as prone to landslides after the 6.1-magnitude earthquake on April 22.

Noel Lacadin, chief geologist of MGB in Central Luzon, recommended that Sitio Tagak at Barangay Nabuklod in Floridablanca town and Barangay Diaz in Porac town be considered “no habitation zone.”

“Severe ground shaking occurred [in the villages],” Lacadin told the Inquirer on Wednesday.

Hazards assessment

Both villages are within the 10-kilometer radius of Mt. Pinatubo, which last erupted on June 15, 1991 after a strong earthquake in July 1990.

Lacadin said he issued a landslide threat advisory to the local governments after the MGB and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology conducted hazards assessments following the April 22 temblor.

Porac Mayor Condralito dela Cruz said 110 Aeta families from Barangay Diaz had moved to Barangay Babo Pangulo and then to Sitio Pangaralan there, about 3 kilometers away.

“They refused to return to Diaz. They claimed seeing a family buried by the landslide,” De la Cruz said.

Lacadin said cracks already formed on the only road in Barangay Diaz. The 150 Aeta families in Tagak refused to leave their village, opting to build sheds as they awaited relocation, according to Roberto Delgado, head of the local disaster risk reduction and management office.

A signboard has been put up in Tagak to remind the indigenous folk that the place is highly prone to landslides, Delgado said.

QUAKE DAMAGE An Aeta resident in Floridablanca, Pampanga, checks his house after it crumbled when a 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck in April. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Evacuation assistance

The Philippine Air Force at Basa Air Base in Barangay San Jose is on standby for evacuation assistance.

The provincial government has negotiated to buy a 28,000-square-meter land as a relocation site for the displaced Aetas, according to Angelina Blanco, executive officer of the Pampanga Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office.

The Aetas of Mt. Pinatubo used to roam the Zambales mountain range, changing abode after a death, illness or bad luck in the family or clan.

Lacadin confirmed that damming or ponding of water has occurred at a tributary of the Porac-Gumain River on the side of San Marcelino town in Zambales province. The water could flow toward Floridablanca should it burst open.

Source: newsinfo.inquirer.net

Continue Reading

PAMPANGA. The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority employees line up along Alava Wharf to welcome the arrival of the cruise ship Costa Atlantica. (SBMA Photo)

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) plans to develop a cruise ship-handling protocol to sustain the growth of this booming industry.

SBMA chairman and administrator Wilma Eisma said she had instructed the agency’s cruise ship committee to produce a manual or guidebook for better management and sustainability of cruise ship arrivals.

“We have been successful so far in carving a new tourism niche in Subic with this booming cruise industry, and in order to sustain this growth we have to incorporate best practices into a structured system,” Eisma said.

“We also have to institutionalize the process of handling cruise ships so that we can provide quality service and effective assistance to the passengers and crew of the visiting vessels, as well as their ship agents,” she added.

According to the SBMA Tourism Department, a total of 19 cruise ship arrivals were recorded here last year, with the Italian-flagged Costa Atlantica setting the record at 14 visits. The rest were made by three other cruise ships: twice by SuperStar Gemini, which is operated by Star Cruises; once by Ovation of the Seas, which is owned by Royal Caribbean International; and twice by World Dream, operated by Dream Cruises.

Each of the arrivals brought in an average of 3,500 tourists who disembark in Subic and then go on tours of various destinations in the Subic Bay Freeport Zone, as well as the neighboring communities of Olongapo City, Clark Freeport, and the provinces of Zambales and Bataan.

Last year, the Central Luzon Regional Development Council cited the SBMA for developing Subic into a premier cruise ship destination in the country and noted that cruise ship arrivals in Subic had generated more than P85 million worth of economic activity in the first eight months alone.

Meanwhile, 11 cruise ship arrivals have been recorded this year: seven for World Dream and four for Costa Atlantica. The latest was on May 16, when Costa Atlantica docked with 2,000 passengers and 800 crew and officers.

Eisma also said that the SBMA’s successful initiative to develop complementation programs with nearby communities to offer curated experiences to tourists now make it necessary to develop a protocol for handling cruise ship arrivals.

Marcelino Sanqui, SBMA senior deputy administrator for port operations who is also chairman of the SBMA Cruise Ship Committee, said that they will produce a handbook that will contain step-by-step procedures from the moment a cruise ship enters Subic Bay, drops anchor at Alava Wharf, disembarks its passengers, and so forth.

“The handbook may also help inform the passengers of the do’s and don’ts in Subic, such as our No Smoking and No Littering policies. This will also include road directions and emergency numbers,” Sanqui added.

The handbook, Sanqui also said, may be uploaded on the SBMA webpage so that would-be visitors to Subic may get to know the attractions in and around Subic Bay area and learn how to conduct themselves while in the area. (Ric Sapnu)

Source: sunstar.com.ph

Continue Reading

An anonymous person once said that our efforts may cause a tiny dent, but we should never stop fighting for our cause.

We are killing mother Nature, and things have taken the wrong direction. Tons of industrial, domestic, and commercial waste are released into the environment every day. Will Earth survive?
A 2016 stats that 7 billion people produce 320 millions tons of plastic. This number will double by 2034. More than 100,000 marine animals died as a result of plastic pollution in waters. P

Plastic is non-biodegradable and and takes hundreds years to decompose. Tons of dangerous chemicals and gases are leached into the environment, and we die. Animals die. Plants die. Plastic pollution affects the quality of the soil and it’s no longer safe for cultivation.

Plastic straws aren’t the biggest contributor to plastic waste, but definitely represent a big problem. Americans use 500 million plastic straws every day, and 8.3 billion of these end up on beaches. Plastic straws make 4% of the plastic waste. Let’s not forget that the tiny pieces are non biodegradable.

Small changes matter

Sarah Tiu is a manager of Café Editha in Surigao Del Norte, The Philippines. She was never a fan of plastic straws, and first tried to use paper and stainless straws. Customers didn’t like them, and she had to think of something else.

Tiu had a trip to Corregidor Island, and this trip helped her find a solution. Her cafe had the chance to become eco-friendly, and customers would love the new idea.

The owner said they used fresh buko and cut lukay, turning it into straws. Tiu asked them to teach her how to make the straws. If by any chance you don’t know, Buko is coconut juice and lukay is actually coconut leaves and fronds. Coconut leaves are biodegradable and safe.

Customers loved the new idea and even shared pics on their social media accounts. The biodegradable straws were leak-proof and there were no annoying sounds.

Tiu shared pics of the new straws in an effort to encourage other owners to do the same. You can make a straw in just under two minutes, and Tiu makes hers with the help of her workers early in the morning.

Plastic straws are banned from use now, and lukay straws aren’t the only option. Do your own research and replace plastic straws with other safer alternatives.

Source: healthyfoodhouse.com

Continue Reading