President Rodrigo Duterte signs Proclamation No. 555 declaring the regular holidays and special non-working days for 2019

MANILA, Philippines – Malacañang on Thursday, August 16, released the list of holidays for 2019.

President Rodrigo Duterte signed Proclamation No. 555 declaring the regular holidays and special non-working days for 2019 on Wednesday, August 15.

The regular holidays are:

January 1, 2019, Tuesday – New Year’s Day
April 9, 2019, Tuesday – Araw ng Kagitingan
April 18, 2019 – Maundy Thursday
April 19, 2019 – Good Friday
May 1, 2019, Wednesday – Labor Day
June 12, 2019, Wednesday – Independence Day
August 26, 2019, last Monday of August – National Heroes’ Day
November 30, 2019, Saturday – Bonifacio Day
December 25, 2019, Wednesday – Christmas Day
December 30, 2019, Monday – Rizal Day

Special non-working days:

February 5, 2019, Tuesday – Chinese New Year
February 25, 2019, Monday – EDSA Revolution Anniversary
April 20, 2019 – Black Saturday
August 21, 2019, Wednesday – Ninoy Aquino Day
November 1, 2019, Friday – All Saints’ Day
December 8, 2019, Sunday – Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary
December 31, 2019, Tuesday – last day of the year

Additional special non-working holidays:

November 2, 2019, Saturday
December 24, 2019, Tuesday

Malacañang will issue a proclamation to declare national holidays for Eid’l Fitr and Eid’l Adha after the approximate dates of the Islamic holidays have been determined.

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Source: rappler.com

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By Michael Angelo S. Murillo

PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez reaffirms his office’s commitment to helping ensure a successful hosting of the 2019 SEA Games by the Philippines. — PSC FACEBOOK ACCOUNT

WITH less than a year before the country’s hosting of the 30th Southeast Asian Games, local sports officials and offices are now busy getting the ball rolling in preparation.

One of the busier agencies is the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), which has vowed to do its part in having a successful, if not excellent, hosting by the Philippines of the biennial regional sporting meet set to happen from Nov. 30 to Dec. 11.

Tasked with among other things to ensure that venues and facilities to be used during the Games are ready and at par with international standards, the PSC said that things are on track albeit admitted there are still problems they have to address to.

“We’re on track. There are problems, of course, but it’s part of the one-year preparation. We should have prepared two years ago but we all know a lot had happened and it was already cancelled,” said PSC Chairman William “Butch” Ramirez in a recent interview with BusinessWorld, referring to an earlier decision of the government to cancel the SEA Games hosting to focus on the rehabilitation of war-torn Marawi before being reconsidered.

“Meetings are ongoing. We had two or three meetings already with the SEA Games Federation. The PSC is not involved in the number of sports to be played as it’s with the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee). But venues we are involved because we are the ones who are funding them. By August, or October at the most, we think almost all the venues will be ready,” he added.

Mr. Ramirez, who is in his second tour of duty as PSC chairman after holding the same position from 2005 to 2008, said they are now awaiting for the approval of the P7.5-billion budget for the SEA Games by Congress so they can further pick things up.

“If the budget will be approved by January then the money will be used for the preparation but if it will be a re-enacted budget there will be a problem. But even then if it is a re-enactment the government will try to find ways to get the money. It can be done. Back in 2005 we were able to do a good hosting job with a P500-million budget,” the PSC official said.

Late last year, the PSC identified the areas where the 55 sporting events in the 2019 SEA Games will take place, dividing them into four clusters.

The clusters are Clark, Pampanga; Metro Manila; Subic, Zambales; and the Batangas, La Union and Tagaytay.

In the Clark cluster are aquatics, underwater hockey, athletics, archery, rugby 7’S, arnis, baseball, softball, floorball, indoor hockey, net ball, golf, judo, jujitsu, kurash, smabo, wrestling, lawn balls, petanque, shooting, and wakeboarding.

Identified areas in Clark include the Parade Grounds, The Villages, Royce Hotel, Luisita Golf, ASEAN Convention Center, Clark Global City and Clark Wakepark.

Part of the Metro Manila cluster, meanwhile, are badminton, basketball (3-on-3), basketball full court, taekwondo. Bowling, boxing, fencing, kickboxing, wushu, figure skating, ice hockey, football, gymnastics, rowing, soft tennis, tennis, squash, volleyball, Esports, and billiards.

Among the venues are Philippine Sports Commission Philippines Arena, SM Mall of Asia Activity Arena, MOA Arena. Ninoy Aquino Stadium, World Trade Center, La Mesa Ecopark, Manila Polo Club, and Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Venues for Esports and billiards are still to be determined.

In Subic, to be played are beach volleyball, beach handball, chess, muay, pencak silat, table tennis, weightlifting, karatedo, sepak takraw, obstacle sports, sailing, windsurfing, traditional boat race, triathlon and duathlon.

Areas of competition include Subic Tennis Court, Subic Bay Exhibition & Convention Center, Subic Gymnasium and Subic Bay Yacht Club.

Polo will be played in Calatagan, Batangas. Surfing is in La Union while cycling and skateboarding are to be held in Tagaytay.

Source: bworldonline.com

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Photo Credit: news.abs-cbn.com

MANILA (UPDATE) – The Philippine government will start returning to South Korea next week some 6,500 tons of waste that were dumped in Mindanao, a port collector said Wednesday.

An initial 5,100 tons of garbage arrived at the Mindanao International Container Terminal, Misamis Oriental province in July last year. More waste in 51 containers was shipped in October and later transferred to the consignee’s compound in Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental.

A later inspection revealed that the shipment contained used dextrose tubes, soiled diapers, batteries, bulbs, and electronic equipment, the environment department earlier said.

Authorities will send the 51 containers of waste back to South Korea on January 9, said John Simon, port collector at the Mindanao International Container Port.

The 5,100-ton batch of waste, meanwhile, has to be carefully repacked before it is shipped back later this month, he told reporters.

The consignee, Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corp, did not secure an import permit from the environment department and misdeclared the garbage shipment as “plastic synthetic fakes,” he said.

Eighty more containers of trash could have entered the country, earning Verde Soko $25 million, had authorities failed to discover the first 2 garbage shipments, said Simon.

The waste will be sent back after a bilateral meeting between Filipino and Korean authorities last Dec. 27 and 28, he said.

Source: news.abs-cbn.com

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Phot Credit: letsgopampanga.com

MANILA, Philippines — The New Year is looking a little glum for hot air balloon enthusiasts after organizers canceled the annual aerial festival set for February.

The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta (PIHABF) said it would not be holding its “Weekend of Everything that Flies in February” due to the lack of commitment of government partners.

“We regret to inform you that because PIHABF has not received the commitment from our government partners on time, we will not be able to organize the annual The Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Fiesta in Clark this coming February 2019,” the organizers said in a statement in its website.

However, the PIHABF said it might organize airshows outside of Clark in 2019.

The PIHABF last held a 4-day event from Feb. 8 to 11, 2018, and featured for the first time two women wing walkers. It was the 22nd edition of the fiesta.

The festival is dubbed as the longest-running sports aviation event in Asia where colorful hot air balloons from all over the world soar through the skies.

Source: lifestyle.inquirer.net

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San Fernando, Pampanga?A registered upland community farmer organization based in Zambales has now become a model for implementing a new international reforestation program promoted by member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

The Malatapi Community Livelihood Center Inc., based in Candelaria, Zambales, has so far reforested 60 out of the 1,400 hectares assigned to them to improve the ecosystem of the province.

The community-based farmer organization registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission since 1997 is the partner of the Department of Environment and Natural Resouces under its Community-Based Forest Management Program in the region.

The program, which is promoted by the Asean-Republic of Korea Forest Organization, aims to fast-track the reforestation of degraded forest lands and watersheds with less cost to the government.

Paquito Moreno Jr., executive director of the DENR in Central Luzon, said the organization used a new method called Assisted Natural Regeneration program.

Under the ANR, Moreno said about 35 upland farmers will find surviving trees species and seedlings, including wildlings. Once located, they uproot grass around the trees combined with grass pressing by foot to clean the surrounding of the trees of weeds.

According to the regional executive director, the farmers also protect tree species from grass fire by establishing fire-lines or fire breaks to ensure their survival.

Another protective measures being implemented by the farmers is the construction of the lookout tower for regular monitoring against any form of forest disturbance.

“We find this method very effective as we have already reforested a wide area under the CBFMP,” Moreno said.

The success of the four-year program started in 2016 was lauded by 16 international delegates from AFOCO who visited the project recently.

During their visit, the delegates who come from Singapore, Brunei, South Korea and Indonesia were very impressed on the successful implementation of the program in the country, he added.

They held an on-the-spot exchange of ideas on the implementation of the project like best technology, practice, experience and forest management, Moreno said.

Arthur Salazar, DENR assistant director in Region 11, said ANR is a cost-efficient technology of rehabilitating degraded forestland, shrubs and vegetation by protecting and nurturing the trees growing in the area.

Before the implementation of the program, MCLCI members underwent training on ANC application like forest development, landscape restoration, and vulnerability assessment, Salazar said.

The new method is also being implemented in the other Asean member countries, including Singapore, Brunei, and Indonesia.

Source: manilastandard.net

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