FROM local to international races there is no stopping Cagayan de Oro triathlete John Rey “Totax” Tumanda from achieving more.

Fresh from winning the Surigao Strait Duathlon in Surigao City, the 28-year-old Tumanda, who’s still an active traffic enforcer, triumphed in the Black Arrow Express 5150 category for the 25-29 male age group participants in Olongapo City on November 4.

“It’s always a pleasure to be at the top of the podium in every race that I competed. I’m so thankful for those who keep supporting me with the hope of accomplishing more in our next international adventures,” Tumanda said.

Tumanda’s team finished third overall with the contribution of Paul Jumamil as fourth-place in the Asian Elite and another teammate, Satar Salem as second-place in the 20-24 male age category.

Tumanda, who placed 17th overall among 382 males, and 19th among 469 contestants in the Black Arrow Express, acknowledged Mayor Uloy Dimaporo, Sami Dee and the Dimaporo family for making his Subic trip possible.

Source: sunstar.com.ph

Continue Reading

In Photo: Members of Dirty Hands Divers make their Halloween more significant by cleaning the water off Anilao in Batangas by collecting underwater trash

Over 60 divers celebrated Halloween in a different manner. They had no candles nor flowers. They went underwater not to check on tombs.

Instead, they dove in Anilao in Mabini, Batangas, and collected trash in the deep in order to help clean and preserve it for future generations, and to raise awareness about the problem of plastics use, while they banded together.

Collecting about 274 pounds of mixed trash—such as discarded fish nets, PET bottles, grocery bags, cigarette butts and many others—the Halloween cleanup demonstrated how single-use plastics have been threatening the fragile oceans for decades now and is now a major global problem which needs to be addressed.

Single-use plastics, which are used by billions of people daily, is now the No. 1 source of pollution affecting the oceans. Conservation groups abroad have found marine life and sea birds with microplastics in their digestive systems during an autopsy on them. They said wildlife animals mistakenly consume plastics as food.

It is this reason the group Dirty Hands Divers was formed by concerned divers Warren Co, Jojo Gador, John Calbalde, Eugene Te and resort manager Janneth Cubabab. Their Halloween event not only gave reason for divers to be united but also gave the ocean a voice through the efforts of more than 60 volunteer divers.

Held during the weekend of October 26 and 27, the awareness effort was not only educational but also provided a platform where different diver groups were given the opportunity to work together not just by celebrating Halloween for fun but also for many dirty hands sweeping the ocean of debris and also collectively helping build several coral nests to help replenish the declining coral population.

The Dirty Hand Divers plans to do more underwater cleanup, believing that communication must be addressed on a sustained basis.

Those interested in joining the cause, can contact Jun V. Lao at 09159473888 or follow the Dirty Hands Divers page on Facebook for more information.

Source: businessmirror.com.ph

Continue Reading

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT – A fire razed the historic APEC Villa clubhouse, now called the Triboa Country Club, on the early morning of Monday, November 12 inside this premier Freeport.

According to witnesses, the fire started at around 7:40am when they heard small explosions on the ceiling of the lobby.

People inside the structure saw that the fire was starting, prompting them to escape the premises.

SBMA fire officials, including DA Rani Cruz, rushed the scene and extinguished the fire.

To the dismay of the company, the fire destroyed the lobby, sales office and show units.

Important documents, office equipment, including the diorama that was a prominent centerpiece in the lobby were also destroyed. Luckily, nobody was injured.

SBMA Chief Ranny Magno declared that the fire was under control at 8:45am, and later declared fire out at 9:26am

Source: zambalesherald.blogspot.com

Continue Reading

Photo Credit: canadianinquirer.net

CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga — Senior Superintendent Benjamin Sembrano was recently appointed new police chief of Olongapo City.

Sembrano is a member of the Philppine National Police Academy Patnubay Class of 1995 who was previously assigned at the PNP Directorate for Logistics.

He replaced Sr. Supt. Melchor Cabalza as Olongapo City police chief.

A simple turn-over ceremony was held last week at the Olongapo City Police Office Headquarters.

Chief Supt. Leonardo Cesneros, Central Luzon deputy regional director for administration, led the turn-over rite.

Source: news.mb.com.ph

Continue Reading

A representative of Verde Soko Philippines declined to discuss why the shipped items were wrongly declared.

MANILA, Philippines — Tons of garbage from South Korea were reportedly shipped to the Philippines.

According to a November 10 report by ABS-CBN News, a trash-loaded ship from South Korea arrived at Mindanao International Container Terminal last July.

Based on documents obtained by Customs officials, South Korean company Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corporation was the consignee of the shipment, which was incorrectly declared as “plastic synthetic flakes.”

A representative of Verde Soko Philippines declined to discuss why the shipped items were wrongly declared.

In 2013, Valenzuela-based company Chronic Plastics Inc. imported more than 50 containers with waste from Canada, worrying environment groups who fear that the shipment might contain toxic materials.

More than half or 29 of the containers with trash were dumped in a landfill in Tarlac.

In 2017, the Bureau of Customs has also called on a South Korean shipper to take back some 5,000 metric tons of suspected garbage that was dumped in Mandaue City in Cebu. — Ian Nicolas Cigaral

Source: philstar.com

Continue Reading