By Roel Catoto

SURIGAO CITY – An Australian sailor died while floating in the waters off Siargao Island for six days after the boat, he and his two friends are on, capsized, police reports said.

Anthony John Mahoney, 73, of Townsville, Queensland, was reportedly already unconscious when he and his friends were found floating 50 miles off Siargao by two local fishermen 10 a.m. Sunday.

Mahoney and his two friends Lawrence Alered Mallea, 68, also of Queensland and Lionec Peter Ansselin, 74, who is currently residing in Bauang, La Union were attempting to sail from Australia to Subic Bay.

Mallea and Ansselin are now recuperating at the Adela Serra Ty Memorial Medical Center in Tandag City, police said.

PO3 Evelyn Tidula, of the Tandag police, said Jonnifer Piosang and Albert Murillo saw the Australians holding on to a life buoy, waving their hands, while the fishermen were on their way back to Tandag.

The fishermen rescued the three foreigners and brought them to the hospital.

“The victims who were floating in the waters for six days kept holding on to their life buoy,” Tidula said Monday afternoon.

“Unfortunately, Anthony John Mahoney did not make it as he was unconscious at the time they were rescued,” she said.

Tidula said the Australians were sailing from Australia and heading towards Subic Bay aboard a yacht when it capsized due to a hole in the vessel’s lower portion.

“Based on the post-mortem examination, Mahoney died of severe dehydration,” she said, adding that the two survivors are now in stable condition.

Police has no further details yet but it was learned that the survivors would be brought to this city on Tuesday.

Source: Manila Bulletin

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By:  Jonas Reyes

Subic Bay Freeport — Officials of one of the biggest cruise ship liners in the world visited this premier Freeport weekend, gauging the area’s potential in the international tourism scene and finding out that it can compete.

Dr. Zinan Liu, president of the China and North Asia Pacific Region of the Royal Caribbean International, was welcomed by Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairperson and Administrator Wilma Eisma on Saturday during his visit to the Freeport.

Liu, along with Asst. to the President Anna Lian and Director Antonio Muresu, toured the Subic Bay Freeport’s tourist sites including Zoobic Safari, Ocean Adventure and Segara Villas during their two-day stay here.

The tour was not only limited to the Freeport as the entourage also went to the famed Las Casas Filipinas de Acuzar which, of course, features a glimpse of the Philippines during its early years.

Liu was impressed over the potential of the area, citing that Subic Freeport should be included in the Philippine itinerary of their cruise tours.

“Three days I’ve seen some ports in the Luzon region and I think it’s very attractive to Chinese. We have only been here for a few hours, and from your presentation, I can already imagine that we can develop a tour suitable and appealing to different age groups,” Liu said.

Source: Manila Bulletin

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In keeping up with a time-honored tradition, participants of the BOSS Ironman Motorcycle Challenge XIII will take off from Clark, Pampanga on Jan. 13, 2018 and complete the 1,200kms of the Northern Luzon Loop.

The event is expected to draw some 500-700 riders and car drivers not only in pursuit of fun and adventure, but to promote local tourism and road safety as well.

Lito Flores, chairman of the BOSS Ironman Challenge organizing committee, said they have adopted significant changes on the format to ensure that the riders and drivers comply with road safety measures by strictly observing traffic rules, particularly on speed limit.

With road safety as primordial concern, the Department of Tourism (DoT), the Philippine National Police (PNP), have thrown their support to the BOSS Ironman, one of the grandest and longest riding and driving endurance event in the country. BOSS stands for BMW Owners Society of Saferiders, Inc.

This event is also backed up by local government officials from 10 provinces which are part of the route. These include Pampanga, Bataan, Zambales, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte, Cagayan, Isabela and Nueva Ecija.

Topping the list of format revisions is for each of the participants or teams to strictly observe the speed limit in all areas. They are required to engage in fun activities like taking ‘groufies’ in designated checkpoints.

These fun photos will be posted on BOSS Ironman Facebook page in real time and the wackiest shots will win special prizes.

Source: Manila Bulletin

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SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma has challenged outstanding workers here to lead the Subic workforce in caring for the Freeport with “malasakit” and passion.

During the recent awarding ceremony for the Ten Outstanding Freeport Workers at Cinema 4 of Harbor Point Ayala Mall here, Eisma encouraged the winners to cultivate and practice a sense of community, as they are considered model employees.

“You are the Ten Outstanding Freeport Workers. I salute you,” Eisma said. “But, I challenge all of you to be the leaders to lead your people, to lead your company and co-workers to care for this place, to make us even better.”

The SBMA official told the awardees and the audience that what motivated the pioneer employees in Subic 25 years ago should still apply today, pointing out that she was among those who came forward and volunteered their services to give the community a better future.

“And here we are now. Can you imagine? Before the Americans left, they created 35,000 jobs. But now, we have more than 120,000 workers employed by more than 2,000 investor- companies. And you have to keep this going,” she said.

Eisma added she felt sorry that some Freeport stakeholders had lost the value of malasakit or passion for the common good, given the way people are taking care of each other and the community they are living in.

“This is our home and it is not my sole responsibility to fix this. It’s also yours. So, I challenge all of you to take care of one another, to take care of the Subic Bay Freeport,” she also said.

As an example, Eisma pointed out that instead of simply noticing the trash in some areas in Subic and posting them on social media, stakeholders should take the initiative to pick them up, or report the same to her office.

“I’m not saying we should cover up problems like this, but the business of SBMA is tourism, and the business of the Freeport is investments. If we keep on washing our dirty linen in public, it will only shoo away the tourists and the investors. So, please reach out to me,” she said.

Eisma added that stakeholders can even punch 8888, a Malacañang hotline dealing with complaints against government officials. “I really want to keep this place clean. You know why? Because this is my home, and even after my term as chairman and administrator, you would still see me here,” she added.

Today’s crop of top workers included a former dish washer, a welder, and a warehouseman who were honored for excellent performance and remarkable dedication and commitment to their respective jobs.

Eisma also encouraged the winners to give their all their best, reminding them that “Here in Subic, it doesn’t matter what kind of job you keep; what really matters is how you do it well.”

A total of 11 workers won the recognition this year, according to the Subic Bay Workforce Development Foundation, Inc. (SBWDFI, which gives out the awards, because two finalists had tied up in one place.

The 2017 outstanding workers in Subic are: Philip Villa, chef at Segara Villas and Hotel; Vergel Osorio, warehouseman at CRESC Inc.; Nilo Del Rosario, welder/pipefitter at Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corp.; Engr. Marnue Veneracion of the General Facilities and Design Engineering Section of Nicera (Phils.); Engr. Alexander Poblete, Product Engineer II at Nicera (Phils.); May Ordaz, planning and purchasing supervisor at Koushin Mechatronics; John Louis Ducus, Meter and Revenue Protection Engineer at Subic Enerzone Corp.; Joseph Paje, Logistics Specialist at SubicWater; Joseph Malana, inventory controller at PTT Philippines Corp.; Jaylyn Zapata, external relations assistant at PTT Philippines; and Engr. Reynante Reyes, maintenance engineer at Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corp

Source and photo: Headline Zambales Online

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The Geminids are considered one of the best meteor showers every year because the individual meteors are bright, and the peak can see meteors stream across the sky at rates as high as 120 meteors an hour. Under light-polluted skies, fewer meteors will be visible.

The annual Geminids meteor shower will be active from December 4-17. The observation of its peak activity is on the night of December 14 until the early morning hours of December 15 on the eastern horizon, meteors or “falling stars” can be seen at an average rate of forty (40) meteors per hour under a dark and cloudless sky condition. The shower will appear to radiate from the constellation of Gemini, the Twin. Gemini is easy to spot through its two bright stars Castor and Pollux, which are just to the left of constellations Orion and Auriga.

There is a big difference between the Geminids and other meteor showers. The Geminids meteors do not originate from a comet, they come from an asteroid (3200 Phaethon). Meteors from this shower are very rocky and gritty and slightly easier to see compared to the other showers.

Source: pagasa.dost.gov.ph
Photo Courtesy: Kenneth Brandon

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