Zambales Governor Amor Deloso has claimed that the Chinese are excavating mountains for material to shore up Scarborough Shoal.

Gov. Amor Deloso says the soil and rocks dumped by China in the region of Scarborough Shoal were taken from Zambales in a two-year operation that involved seven Chinese mining firms to mask the cover up.

The Zambales Governor said that the ex-governor was part of the clandestine plan. In a ‘mad dash’ to excavate rocks and dirt for the reclamation of Scarborough Shoal the mining firms excavated the tops of two mountains in his province.

The mining firms used in the massive ordeal ran under the guise as nickel miningfirms, when actually they were put there to steal the rocks and soil of the Philippines to build the artificial island.

The mountain top, located in the heavily forested highlands of Santa Cruz, has been flattened and damaged beyond repair.

Deloso added that the massive soil and rocks taken from the mainland have done irreversible damage to the environment.

A view from afar shows the visible damage, some saying the Chinese literally carved-out the mountainside for their own gain.

Ex-Governor Lined His Own Pockets
Gov. Deloso says that ex-governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. lined his pockets to appease the Chinese.

Deloso explained in detail that the shoal is purely made of corals and not anything solid such as the soil and rocks from Zambales.

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, nearly 3,000 hectares of Scarborough Shoal have been filled in with heavy rocks and earth by China’s reclamation workers.

The Zambales Governor said that a total of two mountains are nearly flat – and were running under the impression they were nickel mining with up to 450 trucks traveling night and day throughout the region – eventually damaging the roadways.

Deloso said that the Chinese have literally bought the entire mountains by using the pretext they were in fact mining the area, not stealing it.

He said “They destroyed the total environment of Sta. Cruz in the six years of your former friend the former governor.”

Local residents were questioned as to the effects of the heavy mining cover-up, many saying they found jobs in the mines and did not care where or who was stripping the mountains bare.

A task force is being formed to investigate the incident – the Department of Environment and Natural Resources was shocked by the news.

“It’s horrible. I’ll find out whoever gave the permit [while] they are getting the soil. If there are DENR officials involved they’ll be made accountable.”

The governor said that all mining activities in the province have stopped because of the massive cover up.

Source: philippineslifestyle.com

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MANILA, Philippines — Microorganisms capable of “eating” plastic have been discovered in a hyperalkaline spring in Zambales, paving the way for research on new approaches to dealing with the country’s growing plastic problem.

Researchers from the biology department of the University of the Philippines-Baguio have discovered four strains of bacteria that are capable of biodegrading low-density polyethylene (LDPE), which is commonly used for plastic bags, cling wrap, shampoo bottles and other containers.

The study, written by Denisse Yans dela Torre, Lee delos Santos, Mari Louise Reyes and Ronan Baculi, was published in the Philippine Science Letters last year.

It revealed that some bacterial strains collected from rock crevices of the Poon Bato spring in Botolan, Zambales are capable of degrading LDPE, which is highly resistant to degradation under natural conditions.

The researchers said four of the nine bacteria that they isolated from the spring significantly reduced the weight of plastic polymer they were introduced to during the 90-day incubation period.

After consuming the plastic, the bacteria produced byproducts that are environment friendly, according to the researchers.

“Results revealed changes in physical structure and also chemical composition of the films. Another method which determined plastic utilization of the bacteria was the evident decrease in the weight of the films,” the office of the UP vice president for academic affairs said in a brief about the study.

“Protein analysis also indicated that bacterial cells could live and proliferate with films as the source of energy. Looking at the physical and chemical changes of the plastics before and after some time with the bacterial isolates, it was deduced that these minute organisms can possibly end plastic domination by making a meal out of it,” it added.

In their paper, the researchers said the LDPE degradation capability of the bacterial strains may be due to the extreme conditions, particularly the hyperalkaline environment, that they thrive in.

They noted previous studies abroad that showed organisms thriving in extreme conditions as capable of biodegrading plastics.

In the case of their study, the bacteria were found in Poon Bato Spring, a natural alkaline spring in Zambales that contains calcium, magnesium, sulfate, chloride and iron.

With plastics emerging as a major environmental issue in the country and across the globe, the researchers said their discovery may be used in addressing the problem.

Specifically, they pushed for continuing research to determine the distribution and population of polymer-degrading microorganisms and the possible formulation of a “microbial consortia” that would be more effective in biodegrading plastics.

“This study demonstrated the ability of the isolates to degrade polyethylene even in the absence of prior oxidation treatments,” they wrote.

“The results showed that selected microorganisms exhibited great potential for LDPE biodegradation, a discovery which can be used in reducing solid waste currently accumulating in natural environments,” they added.

Source: philstar.com

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Photo Credit: toennjes.com

The Land Transportation Office (LTO) is optimistic that the backlog in the issuance of license plates will be completely eliminated by 2020 after it acquired robotic equipment to hasten their production.

“We feel we can cover up the backlog in due time,” Transportation Assistant Secretary and LTO chief Edgar Galvante said in a press conference in Quezon City on Tuesday.

“Zero plate backlog by mid-2020,” Galvante said.

The robotic equipment or IDEROBOT can produce 700 plates in an hour or an estimated 5,600 plates in an eight-hour shift per day.

“Gagamit na kami ngayon ng robot para mas mapabilis ito,” Galvante said.

The LTO chief added that the agency will print plates in advance so that new vehicles will have plates when purchased

The LTO has incurred a backlog of eight million vehicle plates since 2014 after Commission on Audit (COA) issued a notice of disallowance, which prevented the distribution of around 700,000 license plates then.

The Supreme Court lifted on January 2018 its order against releasing 700,000 license plates turned over by the Bureau of Customs to the LTO.

To address the backlog, the LTFRB opened its own plate-making facility and has so far printed 1.7 million and issued 1.3 million pairs of plates as of March this year.

Source: msn.com

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Photo Credit: fortune.com

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said the contractors of Hanjin Heavy Industries and Construction Co.-Philippines (HHICC-Phil) Inc. have officially terminated the employment of all their workers this month.

The labor department said that the contractors have already sent notices of termination to the remaining workers in HHICC-Phil which will take effect on March 30.

Greenbeach, one of the contractors was able to rehire 200 displaced workers after it was tapped by HHICC-Phil to maintain the 300-hectare grounds in Subic.

However, 53 of the affected contractual workers, who are members of the Samahan ng Manggagawa sa Hanjin Shipyard (Samahan), continue to reject the simultaneous termination orders issued on March 1 by respective contractors.

They said that they would still want to directly work for either HHICC-Phil or the company which will take over its shipyard in Subic.

Samahan President Efren Vinluan said the HHICC-Phil still has two ships and four in the pipeline which are still undergoing construction.

“We are asking DOLE to endorse our letter to Hanjin or the new company,” Vinluan said.

DOLE undersecretary Benjo Santos Benavidez said they are puzzled why the workers would still want to be employed despite the uncertain outcome of its rehabilitation.

The remaining workers also refused to receive their benefits because they did not want to apply for the voluntary retrenchment program.

“The Secretary of Labor pledged that we will facilitate the separation pay but the workers don’t want to take it because they want to return to Hanjin. They are questioning the retrenchment,” Benavidez said.

HHICC-Phil has already ceased all of its shipbuilding operations due to lack of funding.

In a “commencement order” dated Jan. 14, the Olongapo City Regional Trial Court Branch 72 has formally declared the debt-ridden shipbuilding firm under corporate rehabilitation.

Hanjin revealed that it has USD1.3 billion in outstanding loans — USD400 million from Philippine banks and USD900 million from South Korean lenders.

Source: news.mb.com.ph

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Nearly 1,400 passengers and crew members on board the Viking Sky were being evacuated on Saturday after the ship lost engine power.

By Mihir Zaveri and Sandra E. Garcia

A cruise ship with nearly 1,400 passengers and crew members lost engine power in heavy winds and more than 25-foot waves near the coast of Norway on Saturday, injuring several people and prompting a painstaking, hourslong evacuation, the authorities said.

The evacuation of the ship, the Viking Sky, began around 2 p.m. local time and stretched through the darkness into the early morning. At 4 a.m. local time, only 280 of the 1,373 people on board had been removed, according to officials with the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Southern Norway, which was conducting the operation.

When helicopters reached the ship, rescue personnel were lowered to remove passengers by winch one at a time, in wind speeds of more than 45 m.p.h. Filled with 10 to 15 people, the helicopters then returned to land.

Hundreds of other people wearing life jackets, meanwhile, waited on board, in a dramatic scene captured by photos and videos shared on Twitter.

The images showed the Viking Sky listing in the midst of whipping winds and white-capped waves. Water could be seen rushing onto the ship and furniture sliding from one side to another.

Rescued passengers being helped from a helicopter in Hustadvika, Norway.

“The evacuation is very slow,” Alexus Sheppard, who had been waiting to be evacuated for six hours, said in an interview from aboard the ship.

“The ship is rocking and rolling but at anchor,” she said. “Everyone is calm, except when we get rolled by a big wave.”

We’re waiting for evacuation by helicopter #VikingSky #Mayday pic.twitter.com/rqSYaWGi0k

— Alexus Sheppard ?️‍? (@alexus309) March 23, 2019

A spokesman for Viking described the injuries as not life-threatening but did not answer questions seeking more information. The spokesman said the Sky was not sinking, despite photos and videos showing water on the ship.

“The people on board the ship are safe, though it’s not a pleasant cruise for them any longer,” said Per Fjeld, a spokesman for the rescue center. “Those who are on the ship, there’s no real hurry. They are not in any danger or anything like that.”

The crew on the 47,800-ton ship, which was traveling from Tromso to Stavanger in Norway, sounded a mayday around 2 p.m. local time near the city of Molde. Mr. Fjeld said that at that time, only one of the ship’s four engines was working.

The majority of the passengers were American, said Eirik Walle, rescue coordinator for the center.

It was not immediately clear what caused the cruise ship to lose power. But it did so in a particularly dangerous part of the Norwegian coastline called Hustadvika, Mr. Walle said.

The Norwegian cargo vessel Hagland Captain also foundered in heavy seas. Its crew had to be evacuated.

“Its reputation is fierce,” he said.

Mr. Walle said that for a period of time, the ship was close to one mile away from the shore, and without power, it could have drifted dangerously close to rocks on the coastline. The crew threw down anchors, but for some time, they struggled to catch on the ground, Mr. Walle said. Eventually, they caught.

Mr. Fjeld said that as of Saturday evening, the coastline was no longer a danger.

“That was a situation that was rather critical from the start, but it managed to move away from the dangerous part of the coast,” he said.

The Viking spokesman said the Viking Sky was “proceeding on its own power.” Mr. Fjeld said that three of the ship’s four engines were working and that the ship was slowly moving south, away from the coastline.

Mr. Walle said he expects that the ship will eventually be towed to a harbor. Then the helicopter rescues will stop.

“That will take several, several, several hours,” he said. “That depends on the weather.”

People who had been flown off the ship were being put up in hotels, and Viking would arrange return flights for all guests, the spokesman said.

“We are working closely with the relevant authorities and all operational procedures were followed in line with international regulations,” the spokesman said. “In addition, Viking has dispatched an operational task force, including the company’s owner, to Molde.”

Mr. Fjeld said the heavy winds and poor weather also led a cargo ship to sound a mayday, and rescuers had to pluck nine people from that ship on Saturday.

Source: nytimes.com

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