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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

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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

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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.