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South Korea has been pounded by heavy rains since July 9 forcing nearly 6,000 people to evacuate and left thousands without electricity the past several days while flooding or destroying dozens of homes.

PAGASA said that monsoon rain will affect Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and the northern portion of Palawan. 

California’s Death Valley, one of the hottest places on Earth, is also likely to register new peaks on Sunday, with the mercury possibly rising to 130F (54C).

It may sound like an official has leant on their keyboard - but it's an acronym we'll hear more often.

Threats by conservatives towards a newly engaged lesbian ex-lawmaker highlights how a resurgent religious lobby is shifting Malaysia away from personal freedoms.

Twenty years after he was first created in a comic book, Pavitr Prabhakar makes his film debut.

Amid growing concern about dollar risks, a stable, reliable non-Western alternative currency system would benefit a multipolar world and be a major milestone towards an Asian century

The two biggest economies and polluters need to work together to avert the crisis, experts say.

National's so-called "pothole repair fund" would raid other road safety funding to fix a problem that they created themselves, Transport Minister David Parker said today.

"This Government is spending more on road maintenance, including pothole repairs, than any previous government," David Parker said.

"The curre

A WASTE-TO-ENERGY (WTE) plant worth P32 billion will soon rise in Danao City in northern Cebu.

The plant will be constructed on a 6.3-hectare property in Barangay Dunggoan, according to Mayor Thomas Mark Durano on Saturday, July 15, 2023.

Once completed, it can process and treat 600 to 1,200 tons of mixed waste generated by the city’s residents and residents of neighboring towns and cities every day. These will include paper, plastics and products made from wood, among other solid garbage or trash.

On average, Danao City produces 20 tons of waste per day, he said.

The plant is also expected to generate a minimum of 12 megawatts (MW) and a maximum of 30 MW of electricity daily.

Mayor Durano said their aim is to have the facility ready and operational by 2024.

Ceremony

Durano, together with Michael Jimenez, president and chief executive officer of Integrated Green Technology (IGT), led the groundbreaking of the Ultramodern Solid Waste Management and Disposal Plant on Saturday.

The plant is one of Danao City’s big-ticket projects this year.

Durano and Jimenez were accompanied by the city councilors and city departments heads, Vice Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III, IGT chief operating officer and co-founder Leilani Cruz, Camarines Norte Gov. Ricarte Padilla, former tourism secretary Joseph Felix Mari “Ace” Durano, and Danao City Investment and Promotions Center officer-in-charge Red Durano VI during the ceremony.

Public-private partnership

The Danao City Government entered into a public-private partnership (PPP) with IGT Visayas Inc. for the construction of the WTE plant.

The partnership sealed a 50-year contract between the two parties to address the waste disposal problems of Danao and neighboring local government units at no cost to the City Government.

Jimenez said Danao City would no longer have to invest in material recovery facilities or a sanitary landfill.

He said the WTE plant would also resolve the problems of odor and pollution which are associated with waste disposal.

With its power generation capacity, the plant will supply power to local utility distributors and, in return, reduce the residents’ monthly electrical bills.

He said the plant will employ an estimated 300 workers. Some 80 percent of the jobs will be reserved for residents of Danao City.

Jimenez also applauded the support of the City Government, saying the project was approved in a span of four months since his first meeting with Mayor Durano.

He pointed to the business-friendly policy and aggressiveness of the City Government to bring in investors with the introduction of the PPP Ordinance that eases the legal framework of big-ticket projects.

Latest technology

Jimenez said the facility in Danao City is IGT’s first WTE plant in the Philippines.

He said they also plan to build one in Camarines Norte, Pangasinan, Bulacan, Davao del Norte and Quezon Province.

He said IGT, in partnership with foreign firms, uses proven technologies from Germany and France to ensure clean, safe and environmentally friendly emissions when converting waste into electricity.

He said these technologies comply with Republic Act 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, and follow the strict guidelines of the Department of Energy and the Department of Environment and Natural Resource’s WTE policy.

He said before burning the collected waste, it will undergo a process called “Mechanical Biological Treatment” to transform it into pellets that will then be used for power generation.

Meanwhile, Mayor Durano said the sanitary landfill in Barangay Taboc, Camaligbato is operating at normal capacity.

However, he said they have an ordinance that prohibits the City Government from opening up more cells in the landfill.

He said the WTE plant will be instrumental in the rehabilitation of the landfill by feeding existing and new waste into the plant.

Jimenez said that in the coming years, the WTE plant will reduce the amount of waste that will be dumped in the landfill. Ultimately, the landfill can be used for other purposes, he added.

THE Cebu City Government expects the transition housing for informal settlers at the South Road Properties to be finished in October this year.

“The technical report is done. The engineering plan is complete. Everything is prepared,” according to Jerone Castillo, head of the City Legal Office, during a press conference on Saturday, July 15, 2023.

However, the City has yet to identify the project’s implementer.

“We will do the bidding for transitional housing any time soon,” Castillo said.

The project will first accommodate the 146 individuals living in the three-meter easement zone along Tagunol Creek, which runs through the barangays of Basak San Nicolas and Basak-Pardo, he said.

He said the 146 individuals were prioritized because they live in structures that were identified as flood contributors.

The Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor has already identified 6,241 individuals who live in structures that are up for demolition as part of the City Government’s “Task Force Gubat sa Baha” program.

Aside from the 146 living along Tagunol Creek, they include the 926 individuals along Mahiga Creek, 1,117 along Lahug River, 412 along Butuanon River, 1,086 along Guadalupe River, 1,982 along Kinalumsan River, 406 along Bulacao River and 166 along Estero de Parian.

According to Castillo, Harold Alcontin, head of the Cebu City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (CCDRRMO), had informed him that the structures in the two barangays have shortened the Tagunol Creek, resulting in the water not flowing properly.

“We have to clean that up, restore the river. And hopefully, once they are removed from the area, the flooding will ease,” Castillo said in a mix of Cebuano and English.

According to Gubat sa Baha’s data, 144 houses and two business establishments will be affected by the demolition along Tagunol Creek.

Castillo assured that they will not demolish the houses until their occupants are given proper relocation, which is the transitional house project.

However, demolition will start once the transitional house project, which can accommodate around 1,200 families, is completed in October, he said.

He said their next priority will be the 166 individuals living along the Estero de Parian.

He reiterated that clearing these structures will also allow the water in the estero to drain into the ocean.

“The measures we are undertaking are really long term in character,” he said.

Cebu City Councilor Jerry Guardo of the committee on infrastructure told SunStar Cebu on Saturday that the City will provide alternative housing for informal settlers who cannot be accommodated in the transitional housing at the SRP.

Guardo said the City intends to build medium-rise buildings in Barangays Quiot and Lahug for this purpose.

He said some of the affected individuals can avail themselves of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

Meanwhile, Alcontin said the CCDRRMO and the Department of Engineering and Public Works are working together to oversee the City’s three-meter easement zone project.

He said the team is keeping a close eye on Tagunol Creek, Estero de Parian and Lahug River, which are the sources of flooding in the northern part of the city.

HUNDREDS of people from different barangays in Lapu-Lapu City availed themselves of free medical checkup and legal aid, among other government services, as the Bayan Babangon Muli (BBM) caravan of government services kicked off in the city on Saturday, July 15, 2023.

Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (Opav) Secretary Terence Calatrava said they intend to add more services as they bring the caravan to other parts of the Visayas.

Opav Assistant Secretary Antonio Veloso Jr. said they plan to include “libreng tuli” (circumcision) during the next caravan, in addition to the free haircut, dental services, medical check-up and legal aid they offered in Lapu-Lapu City in partnership with the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the Philippine Army Task Group Cebu and some private companies.

The attendees also took advantage of the free feeding program for children and the distribution of backpacks to 200 elementary school students in partnership with the Tingog Partylist. They also got a five-kilo sack of rice.

The activity held at the Lapu-Lapu City Sports Complex was graced by Mayor Junard “Ahong” Chan and the Opav officials.

In an interview, Veloso said they target to bring the services to Bacolod for the Caravan’s next stop.

Rosales Espina, 32, of Sitio Paradise in Barangay Pajo, said she was glad the officials chose Lapu-Lapu residents as some of the program’s beneficiaries. It is a big help for families like them who struggle just to meet their daily needs.

“Dako na kaayo ni ug tabang namo ang bugas, labi na sa kalisud karon. Dili mi makakaon ug katulo sa usa ka adlaw,” she said after receiving a sack of rice. (This is a big help for people like us in these difficult times. We can barely eat three times a day.)

One of the children of Rutchel Nedamo, 29, of Sitio Kamansi, Barangay Pajo, has been down with fever for the past three days, but she could not take her child to the doctor as she did not have money. She was happy to learn there were doctors who offered free medical consultation during the caravan.

Her children also received free bags, which they can use for the next school year.

The BBM Caravan was first launched on May 21 in Barangay Canamucan, Compostela town in northern Cebu.

Calatrava said then that the caravan will go to different parts of the Visayas to bring government services closer to people.

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) and the hoteliers aim to overhaul the country’s hotel and accommodation industry in the next 10 years, including adopting new standards.

Benito Bengzon, executive director of the Philippine Hotel Owners Association (Phoa) made the announcement during the second day of the first-ever VisMin Tourism Congress 2023 on Friday July 14, 2023 at the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino.

Bengzon said Phoa, formerly known as the Philippine Hotel Federation, has an ongoing partnership with the DOT for the formulation of the Philippine Hotel Industry Strategic Action Plan (Phisap) that revamps the industry and seeks to address the challenges faced by the country’s hotel industry.

Phisap’s strategic direction also includes the expansion of the economic opportunities in the hotel industry and driving forward the enhancement of the industry’s global competitiveness.

“It is basically a roadmap that will tell us what kind of room inventory we will see in the next 10 years,” Benzon said in his speech entitled “How hotels are adjusting to travel trends and shifting consumer preferences.”

The action plan allows the hoteliers and tourism industry players to identify which areas or regions in the country have high demand for additional hotel and accommodation establishments.

Also included in the roadmap, Benzon stressed, is reconfiguring the National Accommodation Standards (NAS) to match the high-quality hospitality services from other leading Southeast Asian countries.

Low room inventory

In comparison to other countries in Southeast Asia, Benzon said the Philippines is currently facing low room inventory for hotel and resort accommodation.

In a Go Tourism Summit forum last May 6, Benzon also made the same remark as to the status of the hotel industry in the country when he emphasized bumping up room inventory in major and emerging tourism destinations in the country to catch up with the other popular tourist destinations in Southeast Asia.

“That is the thing that we are trying to address, to bump up the inventory (and) to increase the capacity, so that development will be in sync with the upgrade and development of the strategic infrastructure,” Benzon said.

Increasing the number of hotel rooms will also be beneficial for Cebu, Benzon said, stressing the various improvements and developments of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport since its privatization that has attracted more tourist arrivals.

Accommodation standard

Benzon stressed that there is a need to upgrade the NAS for Hotels, Resorts and Apartment Hotels dated in 2012.

It uses the Star Rating System that employs a points-based rating system focused on inventory, availability, condition and quality of a specific facility or service.

“To put it in a simpler form, once you finalize the checklist, you want to make sure that five-star properties in Manila will have the same amenities, facilities and the same experience for the tourist when they go to a five-star hotel in Bangkok, Singapore or elsewhere,” Bengzon said.

Reconfiguring the NAS will cover seven key dimensions starting from Arrival & Departure, Public Areas, Bedroom, Bathrooms, Food & Beverage, Amenities & Services, and Business Practices, he added.

This is to make the industry standards in the country globally competitive.

“As far as timetable is concerned, we and the Department are looking to roll this out by the third quarter of this year,” Benzon said. / EHP

July 16, 2023 2:13 AM

Mr Modi’s government has been widely accused of using India's defamation law to silence critics.

The opposition leader was sentenced to two years in prison for comments he made in 2019 which a court ruled were insulting to PM Narendra Modi. Gandhi filed an appeal asking the Supreme Court to stay his conviction, one of his lawyers said on Saturday.

Plaza Rizal in Caloocan City, long considered “lost,” has been restored and is now open to the public.

The Maharlika Investment Fund is a “major milestone” for the Marcos administration as it places the Philippines in the economic map of the ASEAN Region, House committee on ways and means chair Joey Salceda said.

Amid a looming water crisis due to the threat of El Niño, local government units in Metro Manila have yet to “finalize” their measures to conserve water.

As the nation commemorated the 7th anniversary of its legal victory in an international court against Beijing over the latter’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, a think tank has denounced what it called “blatant disregard of the ruling and persistent violation of international law” by “antagonistic states.”

Dodong intensified into a tropical storm as it made its way out of the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday afternoon, according to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration.