Saba Sports provided sport date for 20 years in Asia

Saba Sports Asia market-leading sportsbook provider

Provides more than 5,000 live matches and 18,000 live betting types in more than 100 football leagues every month.

Besides large-scale events such as the Olympics, Winter Olympics, cricket, rugby, and World Cup football, which are more than twice as many betting types as usual.

In addition, the types of events include not only ball competitions, but e-sports and even unpopular choices such as darts and racing cars.

 

A team of 700 professional traders manages thousands of live events every day and maintains competitive odds. With 6 odds models, it provides British, European, Hong Kong, Indonesian, Malay, and American to conquer bettors from different regions.

 

Supports 16 languages. The most popular overseas markets are captured. Both the front and back end combined with powerful and complete sets of the game, which always provide satisfactory answers to game operators whose development focuses on sports.

Provides more than 5,000 live matches and 18,000 live betting types in more than 100 football leagues every month.

Besides large-scale events such as the Olympics, Winter Olympics, cricket, rugby, and World Cup football, which are more than twice as many betting types as usual.

In addition, the types of events include not only ball competitions, but e-sports and even unpopular choices such as darts and racing cars.

 

A team of 700 professional traders manages thousands of live events every day and maintains competitive odds. With 6 odds models, it provides British, European, Hong Kong, Indonesian, Malay, and American to conquer bettors from different regions.

 

Supports 16 languages. The most popular overseas markets are captured. Both the front and back end combined with powerful and complete sets of the game, which always provide satisfactory answers to game operators whose development focuses on sports.

As a sports betting game provider,Saba Sports is always on the top ranking

Check the Saba’s platform for free

TELEGRAM US

Email Us: cs@sabasports.com

Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds Issues Recommendations

Bonn, 25 January 2022 - - In response to recent large-scale outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in wild birds, the Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) convened the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds.

The highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 HPAI virus, plus other subtypes including H5N8 caused multiple avian influenza outbreaks that occurred in the UK, The Netherlands, Israel, and India and breaks of H5N1 seriously affectinged migratorywild birds.

The Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds provided recommendations and guidance for authorities and managers of countries affected or at risk.

CMS Executive Secretary Amy Fraenkel said: "We are pleased to share the advice of the Task Force and key recommendations for countries affected or at risk, and look forward to continuing our collaborative work to minimize risks to humans, poultry and wild populations of migratory birds."

Wild birds, including globally threatened species, are victims of HPAI viruses causing avian influenza. Affected sites also include areas of international relevance for conservation such as protected wetlands.

Authorities with responsibility for animal health should apply the One Health approaches for communicating and addressing avian influenza. That means recognizing that the health of humans, domestic and wild animals, plants, and the wider environment are interlinked and acting with a coordinated and unified approach.

It is recommended that surveillance and biosecurity measures be reinforced to reduce spillover risk between poultry and wild birds. Authorities need to fulfill their international obligations to avoid the culling of wild birds and damage to natural ecosystems, especially wetlands.

Dr. Ruth Cromie, coordinator of the Task Force said: "Avian influenza represents a One Health issue threatening health across the board. The highly pathogenic viruses are still relatively new in wild birds and this winter's high levels of mortality remind us of their vulnerability and that working to promote healthy wildlife benefits us all."

H5N1 is currently the avian influenza lineage most found in Africa and Eurasia in both poultry and wild birds. It affects wildfowl, waders, gulls, cranes, grebes, herons, pelicans, gamebirds, corvids and raptors, and occasionally mammals such as Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) and Harbour (Phoca vitulina) and Grey Seal (Halichoerus grypus).

In terms of human health, the currently circulating H5N1 HPAI viruses do not seem to pose the same zoonotic risk as the 'original' Asian lineage H5N1 (clade 2.2 and their derivatives plus clade 2.3.4.4b H5N6 viruses currently in China). Considering people working on poultry culling operations, the risk can be considered as moderate.

General recommendations concerning different categories of animals affected include:

Wild birds:

•    There is no benefit in attempting to control the virus in wild birds through culling or habitat destruction

•    All those with responsibilities for animal health are reminded of the advice of FAO and OIE, and international obligations under CMS, the Ramsar Convention and the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA), to ensure that there is no consideration of killing of wild birds, spraying toxic products or negatively affecting wetland and other habitats as disease control measures

Poultry:

•    Responses to HPAI in poultry must follow OIE international standards, guidelines and recommendations on notifications,     surveillance, diagnosis, trade and control measures

•    Biosecurity should include efforts to prevent the spread of infection from infected poultry holdings to wild birds

•    A reorganization of poultry production systems highly susceptible to avian influenza exposure will minimise the risk of virus  introduction and further spread

Captive birds:

•    There is no justification for any pre-emptive culling of zoological collections

Notes to Editors:

Statement of the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds on H5N1 Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza in poultry and wild birds: Winter of 2021/2022 with focus on mass mortality of wild birds in UK and Israel

About the Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds

The Scientific Task Force on Avian Influenza and Wild Birds is co-convened by the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). It works as a communication and coordination network that keeps under review the role of wild birds in the epidemiology of AI and the impact of the disease on wild birds, promoting a balanced opinion based on currently available evidence. It has been in existence since 2005. Task Force members include FAO, CMS, the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA), BirdLife International, EcoHealth Alliance, International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC), Ramsar Convention, Royal Veterinary College, Wetlands International, and Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT).  Task Force observers include the United Nations Environment Programme, World Health Organization and World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).

 

About the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS)

An environmental treaty of the United Nations, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. This unique treaty brings governments and wildlife experts together to address the conservation needs of terrestrial, aquatic, and avian migratory species and their habitats around the world. Since the Convention entered into force in 1983, its membership has grown steadily to include 132 Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Visit: cms.int      

Social Media Accounts:

https://twitter.com/BonnConvention

https://www.facebook.com/bonnconvention

https://www.linkedin.com/company/convention-migratory-species/

For more information, please contact:

Veronika Lenarz, Senior Public Information Assistant, press@cms.int

Mapping Out An Exit Plan

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion

We met recently with OCTA Research and some members of the private sector to come up with a proposal on how the Philippines can start moving on from the pandemic. Around the world, there is a growing chorus for a return to normal life. It is a debate that is unfolding in many countries.

It is understandable how two years of disruption can be too much for many societies, including those who have patiently waited out wave after wave of infections with measures meant to delay and decrease the adverse impact on the population’s health. But that’s exactly what they were: measures meant to delay and decrease the impact.

One can only do so much with delaying and decreasing. Our MSMEs cannot afford to wait for much longer. Every day spent shuttered is one day of lost income and opportunity. On a larger scale, every day that our country is shut out from the rest of the world is a day of lost income and opportunity. Our neighbors in Asia seem to know this.

Among the Asian countries, only the Philippines, Myanmar, and Japan have the strictest travel restrictions. The rest have either lifted curfews and stay-at-home orders, opened their borders to non-citizens and non-residents, and have allowed all or most commercial flights to the country.

But even in cautious Japan, there are increasing calls to treat COVID as endemic, from the governor of Tokyo to former PM Shinzo Abe. The latter, in particular, was quoted in an interview, saying, “We need to be cautious of Omicron, but if drugs and vaccines can prevent the disease from becoming severe, we could treat COVID like seasonal influenza.”

The Philippines’s economic health has become a serious issue and should be treated as such. I believe it is time that we turn our attention to how the country will exit this pandemic.

To begin, we must reinstate the international travel protocols in place prior to Dec. 3 last year, which was three days’ quarantine for the fully vaccinated, and testing prior to departure and upon arrival. This was already in place when cases started to drop following the Delta surge, but was put on hold when Omicron started driving up new infections.

However, we have learned many things since then, and this time we must do better. We must update our quarantine protocols to reflect the experience and success of other countries. Specifically, allowing the use of rapid antigen tests 24 hours prior to departure and again upon arrival at a designated facility - much like the US’s international travel protocol. We might also consider taking a cue from our neighbor, Thailand, which decided on a “test-and-go” system where only one day is spent at a hotel quarantine facility while waiting for the test results.

Moreover, to further ease the bottlenecks at the quarantine facilities, we must consider exempting from quarantine those who have had COVID within 60 days of travel, with an RT-PCR test to prove such. We all know remnants of the virus can still linger on and create false positives.

The government should re-examine the use of facility-based quarantines and instead re-allocate its resources to more intensive surveillance of positive COVID cases among arriving passengers. Doing so will generate more data that will be indispensable in guiding future policy decisions. Eventually, we must be open to home quarantines for arriving international passengers.

This will allow us to accept more incoming travelers, including business and foreign travelers. By doing so, we help our airlines return to viability, and we help our tourism sector, which has been closed to international travelers for the last two years. Down the line, the shuttle operators, the small sari-sari stores, the banca operators, and the souvenir shops will get a chance to earn a living once more.

As a parallel effort, we will have to rationalize lockdowns in areas where vaccination levels are 90 percent or higher. As we saw during the last Omicron wave in the NCR, when Pinoys got sick, they stayed home and restricted their movement even without the government imposing an Alert Level 4. Whether it was fear or a sense of responsibility, the point is, we must give our countrymen enough credit that they have learned how to live with the virus during the last two years.

At some point, the pandemic will reach endemicity. The scenario that is now being thought as most likely is that COVID will become like the flu. Not a cold, it must be emphasized, but a flu - which may be fatal to vulnerable people. And like the flu, vaccinations for the vulnerable will be life-saving.

We are doing everything possible to convince the unvaccinated. Ultimately, however, it will be their choice and they must bear the consequences that come with their choice.

It is time to assure the vaccinated to take that leap of faith and believe that the vaccines work. Vaccines and boosters will not insulate them from infection, but they will be protected from severe illness and death. The next few months will be critical in how the country will move on from the pandemic. I believe the government should set an example and start opening the country to the world. This will instill confidence in the vaccines and encourage more of our countrymen to take them.

###

TIME TO GET MOVING

After two years of not taking a plane or a break, I recently decided to join my family and fly to San Francisco. I have been told that the situation is quite different there.

READ MORE

AN APPEAL TO THE UNVACCINATED

This week, I issued an open letter to the unvaccinated. I was prompted by the increasing number of unvaccinated people getting very ill from COVID, no doubt needlessly since the vaccines are already available for them to take. 

READ MORE

Catch Mr. Joey Concepcion's column on The Philippine Star every Monday and Thursday.

JANUARY 28, 2022

[GO NEGO SHOW] PANDAGDAG PUHUNAN PANG NEGOSYO | 6PM

Copyright © 2022 Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship, All rights reserved.

This is the Official Newsletter of Go Negosyo.

Our mailing address is:

Philippine Center for Entrepreneurship

5/F RFM Corporate Center

Pioneer cor. Sheridan Sts.

Mandaluyong 1550

Philippines

Add us to your address book

Want to change how you receive these emails?

You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Show quoted text

View this email in your browser

         

Mapping Out An Exit Plan

Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Joey Concepcion

We met recently with OCTA Research and some members of the private sector to come up with a proposal on how the Philippines can start moving on from the pandemic. Around the world, there is a growing chorus for a return to normal life. It is a debate that is unfolding in many countries.

It is understandable how two years of disruption can be too much for many societies, including those who have patiently waited out wave after wave of infections with measures meant to delay and decrease the adverse impact on the population’s health. But that’s exactly what they were: measures meant to delay and decrease the impact.

One can only do so much with delaying and decreasing. Our MSMEs cannot afford to wait for much longer. Every day spent shuttered is one day of lost income and opportunity. On a larger scale, every day that our country is shut out from the rest of the world is a day of lost income and opportunity. Our neighbors in Asia seem to know this.

Among the Asian countries, only the Philippines, Myanmar, and Japan have the strictest travel restrictions. The rest have either lifted curfews and stay-at-home orders, opened their borders to non-citizens and non-residents, and have allowed all or most commercial flights to the country.

But even in cautious Japan, there are increasing calls to treat COVID as endemic, from the governor of Tokyo to former PM Shinzo Abe. The latter, in particular, was quoted in an interview, saying, “We need to be cautious of Omicron, but if drugs and vaccines can prevent the disease from becoming severe, we could treat COVID like seasonal influenza.”

The Philippines’s economic health has become a serious issue and should be treated as such. I believe it is time that we turn our attention to how the country will exit this pandemic.

To begin, we must reinstate the international travel protocols in place prior to Dec. 3 last year, which was three days’ quarantine for the fully vaccinated, and testing prior to departure and upon arrival. This was already in place when cases started to drop following the Delta surge, but was put on hold when Omicron started driving up new infections.

However, we have learned many things since then, and this time we must do better. We must update our quarantine protocols to reflect the experience and success of other countries. Specifically, allowing the use of rapid antigen tests 24 hours prior to departure and again upon arrival at a designated facility - much like the US’s international travel protocol. We might also consider taking a cue from our neighbor, Thailand, which decided on a “test-and-go” system where only one day is spent at a hotel quarantine facility while waiting for the test results.

Moreover, to further ease the bottlenecks at the quarantine facilities, we must consider exempting from quarantine those who have had COVID within 60 days of travel, with an RT-PCR test to prove such. We all know remnants of the virus can still linger on and create false positives.

The government should re-examine the use of facility-based quarantines and instead re-allocate its resources to more intensive surveillance of positive COVID cases among arriving passengers. Doing so will generate more data that will be indispensable in guiding future policy decisions. Eventually, we must be open to home quarantines for arriving international passengers.

This will allow us to accept more incoming travelers, including business and foreign travelers. By doing so, we help our airlines return to viability, and we help our tourism sector, which has been closed to international travelers for the last two years. Down the line, the shuttle operators, the small sari-sari stores, the banca operators, and the souvenir shops will get a chance to earn a living once more.

As a parallel effort, we will have to rationalize lockdowns in areas where vaccination levels are 90 percent or higher. As we saw during the last Omicron wave in the NCR, when Pinoys got sick, they stayed home and restricted their movement even without the government imposing an Alert Level 4. Whether it was fear or a sense of responsibility, the point is, we must give our countrymen enough credit that they have learned how to live with the virus during the last two years.

At some point, the pandemic will reach endemicity. The scenario that is now being thought as most likely is that COVID will become like the flu. Not a cold, it must be emphasized, but a flu - which may be fatal to vulnerable people. And like the flu, vaccinations for the vulnerable will be life-saving.

We are doing everything possible to convince the unvaccinated. Ultimately, however, it will be their choice and they must bear the consequences that come with their choice.

It is time to assure the vaccinated to take that leap of faith and believe that the vaccines work. Vaccines and boosters will not insulate them from infection, but they will be protected from severe illness and death. The next few months will be critical in how the country will move on from the pandemic. I believe the government should set an example and start opening the country to the world. This will instill confidence in the vaccines and encourage more of our countrymen to take them.

ANZCHAM raises half-a-million pesos for SaferKidsPH

MANILA, 27 January 2022 – The Australian and New Zealand Chamber of Commerce Philippines (ANZCHAM) raised a total of PHP 517,000 for the benefit of the SaferKidsPH program through its 40th Anniversary Charity Ball and Christmas Party celebration last 20 November 2021.

ANZCHAM is a private sector partner of the SaferKidsPH consortium, which seeks to address the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children (OSAEC) in the Philippines. SaferKidsPH, an Australian Government initiative, is delivered through the pioneering consortium of UNICEF Philippines, Save the Children Philippines, and The Asia Foundation.

In a festive online event that featured auction sales, raffle draws, and personal pledges from members, ANZCHAM celebrated its 40th anniversary by holding a fundraising for the SaferKidsPH program. “ANZCHAM has committed to supporting advocacy, volunteerism, and fundraising activities to keep Filipino children safe online. This very event is our way of saying that our commitment to protecting this country’s children is firm and solid,” said Daniel Alexander, President of ANZCHAM.

Australian Ambassador to the Philippines Steven J. Robinson AO joined ANZCHAM members at the event for a cause to speak about the SaferKidsPH advocacy and encourage support from the private sector and the Chamber.

“I welcome the support of ANZCHAM members for SaferKidsPH. Keeping children safe from online dangers is not just the work of governments, but of all sectors of society including communities, families, and the private sector. This call to action is critically important at a time when factors related to the pandemic have increased the risk to some children from online predators.”

Carli Snyman, Chief of Private Fundraising and Partnerships at UNICEF Philippines, received the donation on behalf of the SaferKidsPH consortium.

“We would like to thank ANZCHAM for organizing this fundraising event to support our collective work on ending the online sexual abuse and exploitation of children. Together, we will be able to support children and adolescents demonstrate personal skills in managing and protecting themselves from risks in digital platforms, reporting their experience of violence, and seeking professional help when needed,” said Snyman.

ANZCHAM has sustained its efforts to advocate for the SaferKidsPH initiative in 2021. Aside from the 40th Anniversary Charity Ball, ANZCHAM created OSAEC-related information drives through its various platforms. It also held town hall meetings for its member companies to help employees in the private sector understand the dangers of OSAEC, as well as provide parents tips and guidelines on how to help their children be safe as they use the Internet. 

 

DOST-CRADLE Cooks Up Nutritious Food Innovations to Improve Industry, MSME Products

With its crispy pork skin, juicy meat, and savory sauce – Filipinos carved a place for lechon to be a highlight in every community and holiday celebration.  This product creates hefty business opportunities, most especially to small business owners or the local lechoneros.   Post-holiday woes, however, include the subject of income loss due to food waste.  

The pandemic also brought additional burden to many Micro-to-Small-Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as they needed to adapt and change products and mode of business transactions to comply with health and travel restrictions. 

Finding solutions to the problems of private companies and MSMEs through research and development (R&D) is the objective of the Collaborative Research and Development to Leverage Philippine Economy (CRADLE) Program of the Department of Science and Technology.  Through the 1st CRADLE Symposium held last Tuesday, January 18, 2022, research collaborations and technologies related to food and nutrition innovations were showcased.  

Entitled “DOST-CRADLE’s Science Kusina - Innovative breakthroughs in food technology, health and nutrition: Sarap at Sustansya, mula sa agham at teknolohiya ng DOST CRADLE”, the event presented breakthrough technologies such as longer-shelf life for lechon, deriving additional nutrients from pineapples, locally formulated vegan sausages, and potential health and nutrition benefits from marine species.  

“DOST-CRADLE enables industry members to pandemic-proof their business by solving the problem through R&D,” says DOST Undersecretary Rowena Cristina L. Guevara. “Innovation is the key for our private companies to sustain their business performance, despite the challenges brought about by restrictions in health and travel.”

The Tacloban City Litson Industry Association (TACLIYA), a group of twenty-four (24) micro entrepreneurs, experiences an average excess of 30 kg of lechon produced every day, which even surges up to 200 kg during off peak season. Through the DOST-CRADLE Program, TACLIYA partnered with the Eastern Visayas Food Innovation Center (EVFIC) and the Eastern Visayas State University (EVSU).  The EVFIC works to reprocess the excess lechon into shelf-stable products such as "Lechon Paksiw de Leyte" that can provide potential for expansion of their existing market. The products will be processed through acidification and retort technology which is available at the EVFIC. These are also seen to serve as emergency food in times of calamities in the region. 

Another breakthrough is the partnership between the University of Santo Tomas (UST) and the Banawe Soybean Corporation. In view of the company’s commitment for environmental protection and waste management, they used R&D to address food waste generated from soymilk and tofu processing called okara.  This product contains high amounts of protein and fiber that can help prevent diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and obesity. It is also known to have high antioxidant content and prebiotic benefits. The study will develop gluten-free, vegan sausages from okara.  

Del Monte Philippines and the University of San Agustin will also address agricultural waste from pineapples.  Del Monte faces the problem of waste amounting to 1 million metric tons a year, from pineapple stems and core which are brimming with nutrients. These nutrients are in the form of pineapple metabolites that have bromelain-like properties which include hypocholesterolemic effects and lipase activities that can be extracted through metabolomics. Extracted compounds from waste plant parts will be developed into high-value products such as functional food ingredients and dietary supplements in foods and beverages which produce desired health benefits.

The partnership of Pascual Pharma Corporation and University of the Philippines-Visayas will address generating better foods for better survival and therapy, particularly to those who are afflicted with disease (especially chronic or terminal diseases). The project will create foods that are easy to digest, appropriate for recovery and will increase immune system responses.  The project will use bioavailable proteins and bioactive peptides from low-cost fish species. These peptides can be used as a component of low-cost adjunct therapies for post-surgery patients and other persons with health dysfunctions. There will also be commercial value as this study explores mixing the extracted fish proteins and peptides in beverages. 

For companies who are also seeking to explore the benefits of the DOST CRADLE Program, you may contact the DOST-Science for Change Project Management Office at 2/F ADMATEL Bldg., DOST Compound, Gen. Santos Ave., Bicutan, Taguig City, with telephone numbers (02) 8837-2943/ 8837-2930.  You may also send an email s4c.ousecrd@dost.gov.ph.

DOST-PCIEERD target P6.79B for 304 R&D projects in 2024

The Department of Science and Technology Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD) seeks to target P6.79 billion to fund a total of 304 research projects for 2024 aimed at leveraging the country’s economic progress and provide solutions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

Of the 304 research projects, 204 will be funded through the PCIEERD Grants-in-Aid (GIA) worth P3.25 billion and 100 will be funded under the DOST Grants-in-Aid (GIA) worth P3.54 billion.

This covers 21 priority areas, namely: Energy; Construction; Utilities; Transportation; Food; Process; Mining and Minerals; Metals and Engineering; Advanced Materials and Nanotechnology; Optics and Photonics; Information and Communication Technologies; Electronics; Artificial Intelligence (AI); Space Technology Application; Convergence of Emerging Technologies/Industry 4.0 and Smarter Cities; Environment; Disaster Risk Reduction-Climate Change Adaptation (DRR-CCA); Unmanned Vehicle System; Creative Industries (Game, Animation, and Film), Creative Industries; and Science Communication.

Researchers may submit their proposals from March 1 to 31, 2022 via the DOST Project Management Information System (DPMIS). 

“We encourage our researchers and innovators to answer our call. The pandemic has put almost everything at a standstill, thus the need to continuously make solutions through science-backed projects that would aid us to bounce back in the new normal,” Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, DOST-PCIEERD Executive Director said.

Paringit added that this funding opportunity primarily encourages S&T collaboration and applied research among Higher Education Institutes (HEIs), government Research and Development Institutes (RDIs), and non-profit S&T networks and organizations seeking funding for their R&D/S&T initiatives.

The announcement for the approved proposals will be made on June 8, 2022. (30)

PDRF showcases Odette relief and recovery efforts; vaccine support to business leaders

January 24, 2022, MANILA— The Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PDRF), the country’s primary vehicle for private sector support during emergencies, showcased its efforts at providing relief to Super Typhoon Odette victims and supporting government initiatives through its T3 (Test, Trace, Treat) task force at its board meeting this week, attended by various business and NGO leaders, and government representatives. PDRF sent aid missions to Southern Leyte, Cebu, Siargao, Dinagat Island, and Surigao City soon after the storm struck and delivered goods from its network including food from McDonald’s, Jollibee, ICTSI, and One Meralco Foundation and water from Coke, Maynilad, and Manila Water.  

Meralco and Aboitiz Power linemen are currently in Cebu and Bohol helping restore power while Magsaysay Shipping Line through Lorenzo Shipping transported Caritas relief packs to Cebu. DMCI supplied barges that brought the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Energy (DOE) and United Parcel Service (UPS) trucks to Siargao, Surigao City, and Palawan. Air Asia and Cebu Pacific provided free seats and cargo space for humanitarian workers and relief goods. Maynilad also supplied mobile water treatment plants to affected areas. Delnet International is delivering fishing boats to Malitbog, Leyte. JP Morgan, Maynilad, MPIC Tollways, and others provided funding. PDRF's Clark Operations Center provided four briefings to the private sector in the days following the typhoon. 

DOE Undersecretaries Alex Lopez and Felix Fuentebella updated the board on the power situation in the Visayas after Odette.  

“PDRF was able to facilitate the transport vessels that shipped our Task Force Kapatid Contingents to Palawan and Surigao City. The assistance provided by PDRF is helping the energy sector achieve its targeted power restoration timelines in these disaster-stricken areas,” said Undersecretary Fuentebella in his remarks.  

“We will be assisting communities in Calape, Bohol, Sibonga, Cebu, Tomas Oppus, Southern Leyte, and Dinagat and Siargao islands with shelter and hygiene kits, solar power and water filters,” said Executive Director Veron Gabaldon.  

Transitioning from relief to recovery, PDRF will be focusing on revival of livelihoods by supplying fishing boats to coastal communities and assistance to sari-sari stores and small businesses along with repair of water systems, schools, health clinics, and evacuation centers.  

“Just having the different sectors of the business community come together during a crisis gives us all hope for the future, “said PDRF President Butch Meily.

Also active in numerous areas of the COVID-19 battle, PDRF’s Task Force T3, led by Chief Resilience Officer Bill Luz, has been assisting the government since the beginning of the health crisis in March 2020 by increasing testing capacity, recruiting workers for the Department of Health, providing cold storage facilities for vaccines through Zuellig Pharma, establishing the One Hospital Command where public and private hospitals can exchange information, retaining the Boston Consulting Group to advise the government, and supporting vaccination campaigns through ads and additional inoculation areas. 

“PDRF is committed to and has been deeply engaged in the country’s COVID response efforts over the last two years, from RT-PCR testing to the One Hospital Command and Vaccine Deployment Program. We need to work as a team to manage this pandemic and get the economy back on its feet,” said Mr. Luz.     

The private sector organization recently celebrated its Tenth Anniversary, one year late due to the pandemic, at which several dignitaries and beneficiaries expressed their gratitude to PDRF. The UN’s Resident Coordinator Gustavo Gonzales lauded PDRF for “anticipating the next generation of development partnerships and breaking down traditional silos in the humanitarian, business and development communities by demonstrating that we can have a common agenda which is saving lives, protecting livelihoods and finding sustainable solutions.” 

PDRF Co-Chairman and Chairman of Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) and PLDT Inc., Manuel V. Pangilinan, expressed his wish that the group continue to “pick up the burden for our country and support Filipinos during our darkest hours.” Fellow PDRF Co-Chairman and Chairman of Ayala Corporation, Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, hailed the “network of partnerships among businesses, between business and government and between business and international organizations and governments” as the “secret behind the organization’s success over the last decade.”

Others who greeted PDRF included Undersecretary Ricardo Jalad of the Office of Civil Defense, Hank Hendrickson, Executive Director of the U.S. Philippines Society, Hans Peter Teufers of the UPS Foundation, Zamboanga City Mayor Beng Climaco, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Alonto Adiong Jr., Batangas Governor Hermilando Mandanas and DTI Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona. Beneficiaries from Marawi to Catanduanes also sent videos of gratitude.  

PDRF is headed by Co-Chairmen Mr. Pangilinan, Mr. Zobel de Ayala, and Cardinal Luis Antonio G. Tagle. Aside from the three co-chairs, the newly-elected board members include Federico R. Lopez, Chairman and CEO of First Philippine Holdings Corp., Sabin M. Aboitiz, President and CEO of Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc., Doris Magsaysay-Ho, CEO of A. Magsaysay, Inc., Edgar O. Chua, Chairman of the Makati Business Club, Lorelie Quiambao-Osial, President, CEO and Executive Director of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation, Ray C. Espinosa, President and CEO of Manila Electric Company, Jose Victor Emmanuel A. de Dios,  President and CEO of Manila Water Company, Rogelio L. Singson, President and CEO of Metro Pacific Water, Jose Maria Lorenzo Tan, adviser to the World Wildlife Fund Philippines, June Cheryl A. Cabal-Revilla, CFO and Chief Sustainability Officer of MPIC, and Mr. Meily. As an alliance of businesses dedicated to building the disaster management capabilities of the private sector in the country, PDRF works on all areas: prevention and mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and rehabilitation. 

Experts Urge Return to Pre-Omicron Protocols

A return to pre-Omicron protocols. This was the suggestion of private sector representatives and experts when they met recently to find ways on how the Philippines can start moving on from the pandemic. 

The meeting was organized by Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion and was attended by experts from OCTA Research. “We should revert back to the three-day quarantine for the fully vaccinated, which was approved and implemented prior to Omicron,” said Concepcion. He further proposed that the country should eventually eliminate facility-based quarantine and instead impose home quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals. “The unvaccinated will still have to go through the usual quarantine and testing protocols,” he said.  

Specifically, the view is that the Philippines should ease quarantine stays for arriving overseas passengers to three days. Moreover, vaccinations should be further incentivized with more mobility and exemption from mandatory testing for on-site workers. 

“The Philippines’s economic health is now a serious issue,” said Concepcion. “Whatever we decide now will impact the country’s economy for years to come.” 

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco said that these protocols were already in place and approved by the government and were only put on hold because of the Omicron surge. The molecular biologist believes that the National Capital Region (NCR) and the rest of the country will have passed the Omicron wave by the end of February, paving the way for the government to re-examine its travel protocols.  

In particular, he thinks the Philippines should follow Thailand’s “test-and-go” system where arriving passengers only need to spend one night in a hotel while they await their COVID-19 results. 

Furthermore, Concepcion believes that arriving passengers who have had COVID within 60 days should be exempted from quarantine and should instead present an RT-PCR test showing this. “We all know remnants of the virus can still linger on creating false positives,” he said. 

OCTA’s Dr. Michael Tee, meanwhile, explained that quarantines are meant to catch the entry of variants of concern, which have already managed to enter the country anyway. “We don’t see any variants of concern at the moment,” he said.  

Dr. Tee further believes that the money spent on facility quarantines would be better spent on surveilling positive cases as the information gathered from such an activity would be useful in crafting policy. He also believes that the economic value produced by MSMEs and airlines is far greater than that produced by hotel quarantining and testing. 

It was also proposed that quarantines be offloaded from the national government to the provincial governments as this would further ease bottlenecks. PAL reports that 30 to 40 percent of returning Filipinos who arrive in the NCR eventually connect to the provinces. 

Dr. Tee said any move to further ease quarantines should be backed by data. He further said that there might be no need anymore to distinguish between vaccinated and unvaccinated travelers as long as there is credible testing in place. 

On the vaccination front, OCTA’s latest Tugon ng Masa survey conducted last December 2021 showed a dramatic drop in vaccine hesitancy among Filipinos, from 22 percent in September 2021 to the current 5 percent. It further found that almost seven out of 10 Filipinos approve of mandatory vaccinations. “And this was even before Omicron hit,” observed OCTA Research’s Dr. Ranjit Rye. 

“We are doing everything possible to convince the unvaccinated, but in the end, it will be their choice and they will have to bear the consequences that come with staying unvaccinated,” said Concepcion.  

The move to ease into a post-pandemic life has been seen in a growing chorus around the world, and the debate is now unfolding in many countries. 

DAVID D’ANGELO AIMS TO BE “BOSES NG KALIKASAN SA SENADO”

David D’Angelo, a long time environmental advocate, cosplayer and National President of the Green Party of the Philippines is running for Senator in the 2022 elections.  He says he wants to be the voice for the environment in the senate, hence his tagline, “Boses ng Kalikasan sa Senado.”

D’Angelo had filed his Certificate of Candidacy for Senator under the Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM), a registered political party that is part of the Kalikasan Muna (Nature First) Coalition.

“We are running under PLM because they are the only registered political party who wholeheartedly and holistically supported our green agenda even before we discussed it with them. We are part of the slate of candidates that are both progressive and green and is pursuing the Kalikasan Muna or Nature First agenda,” said D’Angelo.

Declaration of a National Climate Emergency, moratorium on mining, food sovereignty, green education, green communes, push for renewable energy, use of blockchain and smart contracts in governance, and criminalization of environmental offenses are some of the key agenda under the platform spearheaded by David D’Angelo in his run for the senate.

David D’Angelo is a longtime youth advocate for the environment dating back 1995.  He has been a member of the Youth for Sustainable Development Assembly, the Asia-Europe Youth Network for Sustainable Development, and Sustainability Watch Network.  Currently he is a member of various organizations including Aksyon Kalikasan (Eco Actions PH), Bayanihan para sa Kalikasan Movement, Inc., Rotary Club of Alabang Madrigal Business Park, Upper Marikina Watershed Coalition, the Climate Reality Project Philippines, Lupang Arienda Multi-Purpose Cooperative (LAMCO), Naruto Cosplayers PH (NCPH) and Brotherhood of Destiny (BROOD).

He is also well-known in the cosplay community as Master Pogi owing to his nearly perfect cosplay of Master Hercule from Dragonball Z. In 2010, he co-founded Naruto Cosplayers PH (NCPH) which is one of the first cosplay for cause oriented organizations in the Philippines. Their cosplay for a cause includes helping young children with cancer, disaster assistance, environmental response, charity events, and more.

Other candidates under Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) include Leody De Guzman for President, Walden Bello for Vice President, Atty. Luke Espiritu for Senator, and Roy Cabonegro for Senator

Comelec Filling speech video:

https://youtu.be/-exgTJm-hvA

You can follow David D’Angelo through his social media channels on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @daviddangeloph and @dangelo4senator.  Follow the hashtag #dangelo4senator online or visit the website www.dangelodavid.com for more details.

Nurses Groups ask for support, prompt, correct pay & risk benefitss Alert Level 3

Philippine nurses’ groups at the January 4 Pandesal Forum of 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe appealed for prompt, correct pay & risk benefits, they also asked for an end to contractualization in gov’t. and private hospitals. They expressed support for government’s Alert Level 3 and proposed lockdown for unvaccinated people. They appealed for national unity and vigilance for the Philippines to overcome the new pandemic surge… The nurses’ leaders who spoke at the Pandesal Forum were Aksyon Demokratiko senatorial candidate & registered nurse Dr. Carl Balita; Association of Nursing Service Administrators of the Phil. President Emeritus Dr. Maria Linda Buhat; Philippine Nurses Association President Melbert Reyes

Dr. Carl Balita lamented the Philippines lacks 92,000 physicians & 44,000 nurses, also lacks 19,000 medical technologists, 14,000 pharmacists & 17,000 radiologic technicians & radiologic technologists because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On the Metro Manila Film Festival, former producer of 2 movies Dr. Carl Balita said Filipinos still continue to watch Filipino films but have changed habits due to pandemic, rise of online entertainment and said Filipino filmmakers can still thrive and showcase talents by adapting and adjusting. He said MMFF low box office revenues are similar to lower retail sales of other businesses due to pandemic, but expressed hope for a better future for the Philippine movie industry. One of the movies he produced before was about the life of Filipino nurses.

Nurses groups leaders appealed for prompt and correct pay and risk benefits, also an end to contractualization for nurses in gov’t. and private hospitals at the Jan. 4 Pandesal Forum of 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City. They also expressed full support for the government’s Alert Level 3 and the proposed lockdown for unvaccinated people, saying that this restriction for unvaccinated is actually to protect them. Licensed nurse Dr. Carl Balita said he plans to file an omnibus Senate bill to uplift benefits of all Philippine health workers, from doctors, nurses to other health personnel to lessen the exodus of health workers abroad and to improve medical care in the country.  

This is the media statement of health professionals advocate & Aksyon Demokratiko senatorial candidate Dr. Carl Balita

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS LACKING, BLEEDING, LEAVING

The world will be short of 5.6 million nurses by 2030, based on the WHO’s State of World Nursing Report in 2020. The Filipino nurses are the best for the Filipinos and the choice of the world, as envisioned in the Philippine Nursing Roadmap. The Filipino nurses are the best for the Filipinos but they are leaving to respond to the irresistible offers of foreign countries which proves that Filipino nurses as the choice of the world. The WHO recommends that countries need to invest in massive acceleration of nursing education, create at least 6 million new nursing jobs by 2030 and strengthen nurse leadership. These are the information provided by Aksyon Demokratiko Senatorial Candidate, Dr Carl Balita, the first registered nurse-midwife to run in Senate history. He is also a licensed teacher and Doctor of Humanities and Doctor of Education. Dr Balita has been in the forefront of advocacies for the advancement of nurses, health workers and health care in general. As a former faculty and dean of nursing, his review center has bridged the licensure of hundreds of thousands of Filipino nurses. Dr Balita quotes DOH For the past 20 years, Dr Balita presents that the Professional Regulation Commission has registered 606,428 nurses and 55,783 physicians. “There was an average of 30,000 nurses registered a year for the past 20 years, and there is no reason for the country to have scarcity of nurses, if only we give our Filipino nurses reasons to stay in the country,” says Dr Balita. With the threat of the Omicron variant surge, the full implementation of the Universal Health Care Law, and the availability of the local resources due to the Mandanas-Garcia Ruling, the welfare of health professionals should be and may be addressed properly, before it is too late. The Problems “Nurses are not regarded well in the Philippines,” asserts Dr Balita. He cites that the Salary Grade 15, which was provided by RA 9173 in “During the pandemic, the nurses were deployed as ‘casual, job orders’ under the Nurse Deployment Program, which gave the ‘carrot’ of high salary but lacks plantilla positions for job security and career progression,” cites Dr Balita. “Their services are under contractualization scheme which does not provide for security of tenure, that we prohibit in private agencies but tolerate in government,” asserts Dr Balita. “If not for the Omicron surge looming, many nurses faced non-renewal of their contracts,” according to him, citing that some have given up on their regular jobs in private hospitals due to lower salary offers. As Dr Balita commends the Build-Build-Build program that built health facilities and infrastructures, he notes that the human resource through permanent job positions need improvement to complete the seriousness of the government, national and local, in prioritizing health specially amid the pandemic. There was also the imposition of the deployment ban after the cap of 6,500 deployments in 2021. As the ban is increased to 7,000 deployments in 2022, Dr Balita still regards the number as a big threat to the lack of nurses in various hospitals, especially the private hospital. Recently, the COMELEC rejected the application for accreditation of the Nurses United Party List. All these reveal that the problem is not really a shortage of nurses. On the contrary, we have a surplus of competent nurses. What we are short of is societal compassion and the initiative to pay attention to their needs and provide immediate adequate solutions.

Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines Gerard Ho Joins Asia Leaders Awards’ 2022 Awards Committee

Ambassador Gerard Ho of Singapore (Right) with 1Pacman Partylist Congressman Mikee Romero and Air Asia Philippines Chairman Sheila Romero 

Singapore Ambassador to the Philippines The Honorable  Gerard Ho Wei Hong sits on the Awards Committee of the Asia Leaders Awards—the Philippines and Southeast Asia’s biggest business recognition event. 

This year’s Asia Leaders Awards (ALA) Awarding Ceremony will be held on November 22, 2022.

Selecting the Philippines and Southeast Asia’s Best

Ambassador Gerard Ho Wei Hong, together with the ALA Awards Committee for the past five years has truly proven how their selections go beyond and growth by putting premium on the extent of winners’ individual and corporate social responsibility efforts: from their own employees further out to their communities to the whole nation! 

“The past year has been extraordinarily challenging for all of us. Despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, our economic ties are robust. Singapore remains one of the top investors int eh Philippines, and our companies are bullish about the Philippines,” shared Ambassador Ho.

“Another testament to the enduring friendship between our two countries is the donations of medical equipment like RT-PCR machines, COVID-19 test kits, and oxygen concentrators from the Singapore government and Singapore organizations like Temasek Foundation to support the Philippines’ fight against COVID-19. International cooperation remains ever more important as the world, and especially our region, continue to battle new waves and variants of the virus.” 

Thus, Ambassador Ho is all out in supporting Filipino individual and business achievers, in industry and civil society, who have shown the same dedication to thriving as an organization and, while doing so, helping others to rise above the circumstances.

To further fortify their support, 2021’s Awarding Ceremonies were hosted by no less than the Singapore Embassy along Rizal Drive at the heart of Bonifacio Global City. 

BGC used to be a sprawling fishing community skirting the Laguna de Bay until it was transformed into a prime real estate enclave for industrial bigwigs. 

For more information on the Singapore Embassy, which was founded in 1973, check out their website https://www.mfa.gov.sg/Manila. 

Combining Brave Strength and New Happiness

Being the epitome of strength and positivity, Engineer Nicolas opens 2022 with the March 22, 2022 launch of “Rising Tiger: Nation Builders” Top 50 enterprise, organizations and leaders—The Year of the Water Tiger, with Asia Leaders Awards’ take on the theme of Very Peri, “the happiest and warmest of all the blue hues,” Pantone’s Color of the Year.

“This combination of bravery, strength, newness, and happiness is what symbolizes the changes and the difference the world is experiencing as we look to move beyond the isolation and uncertainty of the pandemic,” explained Engineer Grace Bondad Nicolas, the moving force behind the ALA Board and the first woman president of American Association of the Philippines after its 73 years of establishment in the country. 

By taking on this “empowering mix of newness” with a “carefree confidence and a daring curiosity that animates the creative spirit that in result helps a bigger community or the world,” 2022 will be an auspicious year for both leaders and constituents, businesses and customers!

Recognizing the Leaders of Tomorrow

With 2022—The Year of the Water Tiger promising 365 days of positive changes, “business will be stable  and finances will flow smoothly throughout the year with grit in its side.” 

Hence, Asia Leaders Awards take the opportunity to present Ambassador Gerard Ho Weih Hong as one of the leaders shaping Asia now and beyond and as part of the esteemed credible and exceptional committee. 

Continuing the Asia Leaders Awards Legacy

Asia Leaders Awards is only the recognition giving body whose awards committee is composed of respected leaders from different chambers, organizations, and embassies such as Embassy of Singapore, Embassy of Poland, and Korean Council among others. 

 

Its main objective is to promote the Philippines as a premier business hub and destination in Asia.

 

For more information about Asia Leaders Awards, visit https://www.facebook.com/AsiaLeadersAwards.

2021 DOST-Elsevier Awards for Outstanding Research Institutes

The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (DOST-PCIEERD), in partnership with global scientific publisher Elsevier, has recognized outstanding research institutes in the 2021 DOST-Elsevier Awards.

The awardees were chosen among DOST Research, Development Institutes (RDIs) and Science and Technology (S&T) institutes and the 10 state universities and colleges (SUCs) who were given IP-based access to the subscription.

The winners for the Highest ScienceDirect Usage were:

· DOST-Forest Product Research and Development Institute (FPRDI) for the Highest ScienceDirect Usage this year under the RDI category;

· DOST-Science Education Institute (SEI) under the S&T institutes category; and

· DOST Regional Office No. 2 under the Regional Office (RO) category.

The Central Luzon State University bagged the remaining major awards Highest Publications Scopus and the Most Accepted Proposals, both under the State University and College (SUC) category. The Most Accepted Proposals award is given to the institution that got the most number of proposals submitted to DOST.

ScienceDirect is Elsevier’s leading information solution for researchers, teachers, students, healthcare professionals and information professionals. It offers millions of full-text publications, including journal articles and books chapters from Elsevier, its imprints and society partners.

From researchers pursuing scientific breakthroughs to academic institutions and government agencies evaluating research, Scopus is the abstract and indexing database of choice. Worldwide, Scopus is used by more than 3,000 academic, government and corporate institutions and is the main data source that supports the Elsevier Research Intelligence portfolio.

Certificates of Appreciation were also given to all participating institutions as well as to Elsevier Coordinators.

Dr. Enrico C. Paringit, Executive Director of DOST-PCIEERD underscored the importance of comprehensive scientific literature, thus his call to the scientific community to use the platform.

“Science-based researched and science-backed decisions are critical especially at these trying times. While we navigate our way through the new normal, we wish to increase the numbers of our partner intuitions who will use Elsevier in whatever science breakthroughs they will do in the future,” he said.

“Greater access to high-quality scientific literature is encouraged now that our way of lives has changed amid the pandemic. As we strive to find solutions, all these available resources will help us innovate more,” he added.

Elsevier is the world’s largest scientific publisher of peer-reviewed journals and articles. 

For the 4th time, the DOST revitalized its subscription to the scientific publishing giant’s online journals, citation index database, and capacity building of researchers on authorship to scientific journals which allows access of researchers to more than 3,000 journals and 25 million research articles across 26 subject areas and citation index database with over 5, 000 publishers and about 76 million articles.

At present, there are 667 higher education institutions (HEIs), R&D institutes, government agencies and DOST regional offices nationwide, that are utilizing the online journal articles acquired through Elsevier 

DOST Promotes Synchronizing PH Time

From January 1 to 7, 2022, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) leads in the observance of the 2022 National Time Consciousness Week with the theme, “Bangon Pinas para sa Bagong bukas: Sundin ang tamang oras” to synchronize all timepieces across the country. This advocacy to promote the new Pilipino time is in accordance to Republic Act No. 10535 or The Philippine Standard Time (PST) Act of 2013.

This year’s theme aims to advocate the use of the PST or the now called ORAS PINAS to help in nation-building and to support efforts to achieve sustainable development and inclusive growth by valuing time.

The main campaign launched last year, “ORAS PINAS” with the tagline “One Nation, One Time: Pilipinas ON TIME” promotes the use of PST nationwide and syncing of timepieces with the PST. The campaign also hopes to institutionalize the new Filipino culture of being always on time and having only one time as a nation.

The NTCW is observed during the first week of January of every year to instill the value of time and the need to respect the time of others, so that the people may realize the imperative of synchronizing the official time.

The ORAS PINAS is set by the DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country’s official timekeeper since 1978 as mandated by Section 6 of Batas Pambansa Bldg. 8.

DOST-PAGASA sets the timing system that consists of a rubidium atomic clock, a Global Positioning System receiver, a time interval counter, a distribution amplifier, and a computer.

The ORAS PINAS is set by the DOST’s Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), the country’s official timekeeper since 1978 as mandated by Section 6 of RA. 

To sync your timepieces, just visit the DOST-PAGASA website (http://bagong.pagasa.dost.gov.ph/) and get the official ORAS PINAS.

Atty. Alex Lopez, Raymond Bagatsing discuss vision for better Manila at Pandesal Forum

Manila City mayoralty candidate Atty. Alex Lopez and vice-mayoralty candidate Raymond Bagatsing on December 27 announced their detailed proposed reforms and socio-economic advocacies at the non-partisan Pandesal Forum of 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Café in Quezon City. An economist, entrepreneur, lawyer, college professor at Pamantasan ng Maynila and candidate of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas, Lopez is the eldest son of the late Manila Mayor Mel Lopez and great-grandson of the writer and anti-colonial revolutionary Honorio Lopez. Actor of the 2021 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entry the suspense thriller movie “Nelia” and the TV series “La Vida Lena”, Raymond Bagatsing is the eldest grandson of the late Manila Mayor Ramon Bagatsing.  Atty. Alex Lopez said that although his father Mayor Mel Lopez and his late father-in-law Senator Sotero Laurel were stalwarts of the anti-martial law opposition, he and Bagatsing now support Bongbong Marcos and Sara Duterte-Carpio for president and vice-president in the May 2022 election because he explained that they are highly-qualified leaders working for national reconciliation and unity.