Women power in Sarangani Bay keeps coral predators away
GENERAL SANTOS CITY—The crown of thorns starfish that have been destroying corals in the 215,950-hectare Sarangani Bay Protected Seascape (SBPS) have found their match among women in coastal communities here. “We are delighted that most of our volunteers are women,” said Maria Elvira Lumayag, the provincial environment and natural resources officer of Sarangani. ADVERTISEMENTAt least 51,491 crown of thorns have been collected, so far, across Sarangani Bay, the Pamo said. She said Sarangani Bay had been experiencing crown of thorns outbreaks since November 2021.Considered by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a key marine biodiversity area, Sarangani Bay is host to coral resources, including 60 important live hard coral species, 411 reef species and 11 species of seagrass. Dense aggregations of crown of thorns can strip a reef of 90 percent of living coral tissue, the network said.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 28, 2022 00:55 UTC
US sees strong post-poll ties with Philippines
US sees strong post-poll ties with PhilippinesChargé d’Affaires (CDA) ad interim Heather Variava said the “US has a lot of faith and belief in the democratic process here in the Philippines.”MANILA, Philippines — The United States looks forward to continuing strong and productive relations with the Philippines regardless of who is elected president in the May 9 elections, the top official of the US embassy in Manila said yesterday. Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) ad interim Heather Variava said the “US has a lot of faith and belief in the democratic process here in the Philippines.”“Regardless who is elected in May we look forward to strong and productive relations. We look forward to continuing the relationship,” Variava said at a virtual media briefing. According to Variava, the embassy has received inquiries from leading organizations in the US to come to the country as election observers. The United Nations said election observation is a valuable tool for improving the quality of elections.
Source:Philippine Star
January 28, 2022 00:37 UTC
Meta, OVP deny claims of Robredo-Facebook talks to shut down pro-Marcos pages
ADVERTISEMENTIn a statement sent to INQUIRER.net, Meta said that no one from Robredo’s team met with Facebook representatives to discuss such matters contrary to the claims of Larry Gadon. Meta manages Facebook and other social media and messaging apps like Instagram and Whatsapp. According to a Meta spokesperson which the firm did not name in its statement: “No one from Meta recently met with the Vice President or her team, or made any agreement to remove political content from our platform. Earlier, Gadon claimed of getting a tip from a source in Facebook about a meeting between Robredo’s camp and the social media firm’s officials supposedly for the removal of pro-Marcos accounts. “I have it confirmed that the camp of a presidential aspirant has met with officials of the social media platform Facebook Phils.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 27, 2022 23:40 UTC
Petrov: I was never Juico's vault coach
"I was never Philip Juico's pole vault coach," the Ukrainian coach posted on his Facebook page on Wednesday. Petrov said that he developed Obiena to become one of the best pole vaulters in the world today, but is disheartened after Patafa recommended dismissing him as coach of Obiena. We are now a true contender in the event and one of the best pole vaulters in the world," Petrov said. "I am a coach who has trained and prepared multiple world champions, Olympic champions/record holders and 30 world records under my 57 years of coaching pole vault. On Wednesday, the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) affirmed the board resolution to declare Juico as persona non grata.
Source:Manila Times
January 27, 2022 22:34 UTC
China faces tough fight in Winter Games
BEIJING: China topped the medals table at its 2008 Summer Olympics, but expectations are much lower for next month's Beijing Games as the country attempts to build a winter sports industry nearly from scratch. China did not appear at a Winter Olympics until 1980 at Lake Placid and has hardly sparkled since, winning one gold medal — in short track speed skating — at the last Games, in South Korea's Pyeongchang, in 2018. With foreign coaches drafted in to boost expertise, forecasters Gracenote expect China to win six golds at Beijing 2022 and enjoy its "best-ever Winter Olympics." China set itself the goal of competing in all 109 events at Beijing 2022 — nearly double the number the country qualified for at Pyeongchang. China has also turned to naturalized athletes, including California natives Eileen Gu — who looks set to be the face of the Games — and ice skater Beverly Zhu.
Source:Manila Times
January 27, 2022 22:20 UTC
Hong Kong reports 164 Covid cases -- highest ever since the pandemic
Among the confirmed cases reported today, 48 were imported from overseas. Chuang Shuk-kwan, head of the center’s communicable disease branch, said the untraceable cases reported today were scattered. Nga Kwai House saw three new cases today, while Hui Kwai House, Chun Kwai House, and Chui Kwai House each reported one more case on Thursday. At Kwai Chung Estate, so far, 251 cases have been detected at Yat Kwai House, 81 cases at Ying Kwai House; 13 cases at Ha Kwai House; nine cases at Nga Kwai House; four cases each at Chun Kwai House and Hui Kwai House; three cases at Yuk Kwai House; two cases at Chui Kwai House. Five cases were reported at Chin Kwai House, Pik Kwai House, Luk Kwai House, Pak Kwai House, and Chau Kwai House.
Source:The Standard
January 27, 2022 22:14 UTC
Philippine economy exceeds expectations with above-target 2021 growth
Philippine economy exceeds expectations with above-target 2021 growthCommuters wait for public utility buses along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City as the full implementation of the "no vaccine, no ride" policy begins on Monday, Jan. 17, 2021. MANILA, Philippines (Update 1, 1:48 p.m.) — The Philippine economy grew beyond the government’s expectations last year, with growth in the fourth quarter surprising on the upside despite the onslaught of Typhoon Odette and a prolonged pandemic. Gross domestic product, the sum of all products and services created in an economy, grew 5.6% year-on-year in 2021, a dramatic turnaround from the historic 9.6% collapse recorded in 2020, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Thursday. Quarter-on-quarter, the economy grew 3.1%. While last year’s growth figures got a lift from favorable base effects, PSA data showed the country’s major growth drivers are showing signs of recovery.
Source:Philippine Star
January 27, 2022 19:46 UTC
Online scams drive increase in crimes in Hong Kong: police
Police commissioner Raymond Siu Chak-yeeHong Kong police recorded a total of 64,428 criminal cases last year, an increase of 1.9 percent compared to 2020, it was announced on Thursday. It was driven by a 24 percent increase in fraud cases to 19,249, with over 70 percent of them happening online.They involved part time girlfriends, online dating, investment, and job seeking scams. There was also a rise in the number of serious drug crimes, whose number increased to 1,570 last year from 1,149 in 2020. In addition, police saw a 60 percent increase in child abuse cases, including those involving the Child’s Residential Home in Mong Kok. The police’s national security department arrested 162 people for violating the National Security Law, with over 100 of them prosecuted so far.
Source:The Standard
January 27, 2022 17:53 UTC
SB19 credits fans for Billboard success
SB19 credits fans for Billboard successMANILA, Philippines — Filipino boy band SB19 credited their fans for their achievement of longest-staying track at No. “We wouldn't be able to arrive at this milestone if not for our fans, A'TIN. The group also said they are honored to be in the Billboard chart with their favorite artists. It just means how much our fans love us and how eager they are to bring us to new heights,” they added. SB19 acknowledged that they still need to improve and develop as they thanked their fans.
Source:Philippine Star
January 27, 2022 10:58 UTC
Jumper talked off ledge at Kwai Chung Estate
Emergency services this morning talked down a man preparing to jump from the top of a block of the Covid-hit Kwai Chung Estate. Police received a call around 9.54am that a man had been spotted on top of Hiu Kwai House of the estate, with the man sitting and walking on the unfenced ledge of the residential building. Police cordoned off the area around the street, and firefighters brought in an air cushion in the hope of breaking any fall. Police negotiators eventually managed to talk the man off of the ledge, and the man was taken to Yan Chai Hospital for treatment. 24 hours suicide prevention hotlines:- The Samaritan Befrienders HK: 2389 2222- Hospital Authority Mental Health Direct: 2466 7350- The Samaritans: 2896 0000- Suicide Prevention Services: 2382 0000- CEASE Crisis Centre of Tung Wah Groups of Hospitals: 18281- Caritas Family Crisis Support Centre: 18288
Source:The Standard
January 27, 2022 06:09 UTC
Choi Hung lockdown extended
A Choi Hung residential block has seen its lockdown extended for another day after more residents tested positive for Covid-19. Cheung Bor House of Choi Wan (I) Estate in Choi Hung had been placed under lockdown on Wednesday night after a security guard and two residents there tested positive for the coronavirus. Authorities on Thursday morning announced that the lockdown will be extended for one more day to Friday (Jan 28), in view of the significant risk of infection at the residential block. “There are a couple of positive cases affecting residents of Cheung Bor House, Choi Wan (I) Estate and more preliminary tested positive cases have been identified under the ‘restriction-testing declaration’ operation conducted yesterday,” said a government spokesman. The spokesman also added it is worrying to note that there are around 20 cases tested preliminarily positive or positive cases so far.
Source:The Standard
January 27, 2022 05:15 UTC
Israel broadens eligibility for fourth dose of COVID vaccine
JERUSALEM — Israel on Wednesday broadened eligibility for a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to include adults under 60 with underlying medical conditions, their caretakers, and others over 18 at significant risk of exposure to the coronavirus. An official statement said the Health Ministry’s director-general had approved the measures. Earlier this month, as the Omicron variant swept the country, Israel began offering a fourth dose, meaning a second booster, of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to people over 60. I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy PolicyFor more news about the novel coronavirus click here. For more information on COVID-19, call the DOH Hotline: (02) 86517800 local 1149/1150.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 27, 2022 02:53 UTC
COVID narrows door to dialysis, options for kidney disease patients
Dr. Carlo Trinidad, a nephrologist (specialist in kidney diseases), said that while data were lacking, there’s a consensus that there were kidney disease patients whose deaths were because of complications from “missed” dialysis treatments. Trinidad said some kidney disease patients were unable to continue dialysis because of lack of dialysis centers dedicated to kidney disease sufferers who also had COVID. Last year, the NKTI opened a new hemodialysis center that is exclusive to kidney disease patients with COVID-19. Trinidad said that when COVID hit, dialysis centers were unprepared to handle the rise in COVID cases because free-standing centers were ill-equipped to handle confirmed and probable COVID-19 patients. In a research by PSN, out of 27 dialysis centers in the Philippines which were serving 1,700 kidney disease patients daily, only eight were prepared to handle COVID-19 patients.
Source:Philippine Daily Inquirer
January 26, 2022 22:44 UTC
Times forum to feel PH logistics industry's pulse
THE country's logistics industry expects to rebound this year following a slump because of the coronavirus pandemic. In a January 2022 report, the India-based market intelligence adviser Mordor Group sees the Philippine freight and logistics market growing at a rate of no less than 8 percent this year. The industry includes the courier, express and parcel (CEP) market and the sectors of transportation, warehousing, cold storage and e-commerce. The logistics sector has exponentially grown, contributing 70 percent to the economic growth from 2020 to 2021 in spite of the pandemic, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). The growth is expected to carry over this year, with the logistics industry's forecasts hitting a high of P1 trillion by the year 2024.
Source:Manila Times
January 26, 2022 22:18 UTC
‘NCR daily cases may drop to 500 by mid-February’
‘NCR daily cases may drop to 500 by mid-February’The national government allows the voluntary use face shields mandate in areas under Alert Levels 1, 2 and 3 as the Philippines sees a new surge in COVID-19 infections in January 2022. MANILA, Philippines — Daily new cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) may drop to less than 500 per day by Valentine’s Day, a member of the OCTA Research Group said yesterday. OCTA fellow Guido David said actual cases in the region in recent days are below his earlier projection of around 1,000 daily new cases by mid-February. “At this rate, new cases in the NCR could go below 500 by Feb. 14,” he said, noting that reproduction number in the region is now at just 0.71. On Tuesday, only 2,751 new cases were recorded in NCR, out of 17,677 reported nationwide.
Source:Philippine Star
January 26, 2022 22:09 UTC