Photo Credit: Carmudi Philippines

MANILA, Philippines — The Toll Regulatory Board (TRB) has granted toll increase petitions for the Subic-Clark-Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) and the Muntinlupa–Cavite Expressway (MCX), an official said yesterday.

TRB executive director Abraham Sales said the SCTEX petition was filed in 2011 and that of the MCX in 2016.

“It was approved months ago, then we had to finalize the resolution. The promulgation was made this week,” he said in an interview.

For the SCTEX, Sales said the increase is likely to be 19 percent but noted that it is better to wait for the new toll matrix to be published next week.

“They are entitled to a yearly adjustment. So this one (was) really pending… since 2011. It’s the first of the petitions that has been resolved (for SCTEX),” he added.

The SCTEX – a 94-kilometer expressway spanning Subic-Tipo in Olongapo, Zambales to La Paz, Tarlac – is operated by NLEX Corp., a unit of Metro Pacific Tollways Corp.

Sales said the increase approved for the Ayala Corp.-operated MCX is minimal.

“I don’t know if they would even implement it since it would cost a lot to tweak their system,” he said.

The MCX, opened in 2015, is a four-kilometer tollway connecting Daang Hari Road to the South Luzon Expressway.

Source: philstar.com

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Photo By Grady Fontana | 190315-N-IX266-002 OLONGAPO, Philippines—Chief mate Conor Sullivan, a commercial mariner with M/V Cape Hudson (T-AKR 5066), speaks to Soldiers and Marines during a safety brief prior to a discharge operation of Military Sealift Command’s time-chartered vessel M/V Cape Hudson in preparation for exercise Balikatan 2019, March 15. This year’s Balikatan focuses on maritime security and amphibious capabilities, as well as multinational interoperability through military exchanges. (Navy photo by Grady T. Fontana/Released)

Story by Grady Fontana

OLONGAPO, Philippines (March 25, 2019)— Military Sealift Command (MSC) ships completed discharge operations at Subic Bay, Olongapo, Philippines, March 24, and delivered equipment and personnel destined for various locations in the Philippines in support of exercise Balikatan 2019.

Balikatan 2019 is a military training exercise led by the Philippines between the Armed Forces of the Philippines and U.S. military along with participants from the Australian Defence Force. It features military-to-military exchanges through various training events, including joint and combined interoperability events, humanitarian and civic assistance projects, and a staff exercise.

To enable the large-scale exercise, MSC vessels conducted two separate deliveries to the New Container Terminal at Subic Bay.

Time-chartered ship M/V Cape Hudson (T-AKR 5066) conducted its offload March 15-16, while maritime prepositioning ship USNS Pililaau (T-AKR 304) discharged its equipment and personnel March 23-24.

“The Republic of the Philippines is a key U.S. ally that promotes peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region,” said Navy Capt. Robert R. Williams, commodore, MSC Far East in Singapore. “Through engagements such as Balikatan 2019, we continuously improve our effectiveness in transportation and distribution activities with partnering nations. This discharge operation is a great example of our ability to provide on-time logistics and strategic sealift in an exercise, but also demonstrates our capabilities during a crisis or contingency.”

The Cape Hudson is a member of the Maritime Security Program, a listing of American-flag ships that are assets the U.S. military can draw upon during contingencies.

As a commercial ship that is also part of the Ready Reserve Force fleet of vessels, the Cape Hudson has supported many other military charters including Operation Iraqi Freedom deployments in 2003 and 2004. However, military missions are not a regular occurrence for most of the commercial mariner crew.

“This mission is not the cyclic routine that we have become accustomed to in a commercial cycle,” said 2nd Mate David Roach, a commercial mariner on the Cape Hudson. “Here, you get to work with military personnel from the Army and Marine Corps. We conduct a lot of interesting voyage planning here as opposed to that in commercial shipping because you get to go to these exotic places.”

The time charter is part of a concurrent mobility operation for U.S. Army Pacific called Pacific Pathways 19-1, where the ship makes stops around the Pacific supporting follow-on missions.

Pacific Pathways is an innovation that links a series of U.S. Pacific Command-directed Security Cooperation exercises with allied and partner militaries to a single MSC chartered vessel on a single voyage plan that delivers equipment to support multiple exercises.

The Pililaau, a large, medium-speed, roll-on/roll-off platform, is part of Maritime Prepositioning Ships Squadron Three (MPSRON 3), which consists of a fleet of government-owned ships operated by MSC and based in the Guam-Saipan area of the Western Pacific Ocean.

MPSRON 3 maintains tactical control of 16 ships carrying afloat prepositioned U.S. military cargo for the Marine Corps, Army and Air Force delivering a strategic power-projection capability known as the Maritime Prepositioning Force (MPF).

The squadron’s mission is to enable force from the sea by providing swift and effective transportation of vital equipment and supplies for designated operations.

“The Maritime Prepositioning Force is a key component to Marine Corps readiness in the Indo-Pacific and is a prime example of Navy and Marine Corps integration and teamwork,” said Navy Capt. Eric C. Lindfors, commodore, MPSRON 3. “As part of the MPF, the USNS Pililaau delivers a forward presence and rapid-crisis-response capability by pre-positioning equipment and supplies to various locations at sea. Its ability to deliver military equipment ashore from the sea enables deployment flexibility and supports the Philippines-U.S. alliance with expeditionary logistics in a crisis response, if called upon.”

At the conclusion of Balikatan 2019, both ships will return to the Philippine port and backload all equipment before conducting follow-on missions.

MSC operates approximately 120 non-combatant, civilian-crewed ships that replenish U.S. Navy ships, conduct specialized missions, strategically preposition combat cargo at sea around the world and move military cargo and supplies used by deployed U.S. forces and coalition partners.

Source: dvidshub.net

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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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