Day: June 19, 2024

MANILA: The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) on Wednesday said a certain misleading viral Facebook post regarding the schedules for grant payout for Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries is untrue.

‘The Department wishes to clarify that this information did not come from any of our official channels and may cause confusion among 4Ps beneficiaries,’ DSWD spokesperson Irene Dumlao said in a statement.

Dumlao, also assistant secretary for Disaster Response Management Group, said the DSWD, in compliance with the Data Privacy Act of 2012, ensures that beneficiary details are never posted publicly.

‘All official announcements, including payout schedules for the 4Ps program, are also disseminated through the official page of 4Ps: (https://www.facebook.com/DSWDPantawidPamilya),’ she said.

Dumlao said the City/Municipal Links (C/MLs), assisted by the Parent Leaders (PLs), directly provide the payout schedules to 4Ps the beneficiaries in their respective areas.

The Landbank of
the Philippines, she added, is also authorized to announce the payroll schedules through its official Facebook page once the cash grants have already been credited to the beneficiaries’ bank accounts.

‘We understand the critical role the 4Ps grants in supporting our beneficiaries. We urge everyone to be vigilant against any disinformation or misinformation and to always check our official social media platforms for updates,’ Dumlao said.

She reiterated that the DSWD is urging all 4Ps beneficiaries to rely solely on official sources for accurate information and to avoid confusion.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The first batch of P-8A Poseidon maritime surveillance aircraft South Korea ordered from U.S. defense firm Boeing arrived in the country on Wednesday, the Navy said, with the multi-mission assets expected to strengthen South Korea’s anti-submarine capabilities against North Korean threats.

Three P-8A aircraft, escorted by P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft, landed at the Naval Air Command in Pohang, 262 kilometers southeast of Seoul, according to the Navy.

Three more P-8A aircraft are slated to arrive on June 30, it added, under a US$1.7 billion project Seoul’s military acquisition agency launched in 2018 to purchase the aircraft through a government-to-government “foreign military sale” program.

The P-8A is capable of conducting an array of missions, including anti-submarine, anti-surface, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operations. Its maximum speed is 907 kilometers per hour, compared with 749 kilometers per hour of P-3 maritime surveillance aircraft currently in operation.

It is armed wi
th anti-ship guided missiles and torpedoes that can strike surface targets and submarines, as well as around 120 sonobuoys that can detect, identify and track enemy submarines, according to the Navy.

“The P-8A has made it possible for the Navy not only to enhance its anti-submarine capabilities against North Korean submarines but also to carry out strengthened maritime aviation operations through swift response and expanded surveillance capabilities,” the Navy said in a release.

The Navy also expected the introduction of the P-8A to enhance interoperability in joint maritime aviation operations with the U.S. Navy, which also operates the maritime patrol aircraft.

The Navy plans to deploy the P-8A next year following a yearlong training and evaluation of its operational capabilities.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

TACLOBAN CITY: The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) has confirmed the presence of toxic red tide in water samples collected in two bays in Samar provinces.

Citing the latest laboratory results, BFAR said on Wednesday that seawater samples collected in Irong-Irong Bay in Catbalogan City, Samar, and Matarinao Bay in General MacArthur, Quinapondan, Hernani, and Salcedo towns in Eastern Samar turned positive for toxic microorganisms that cause paralytic shellfish poisoning.

The fisheries bureau said in a statement that aside from tide changes, several factors also caused the recurrence of red tide in two areas.

‘Among these are currents, wind directions, and the availability of nutrients and sunlight, for instance, which are potential contributors to this situation,’ it said.

The bureau urged the public to refrain from gathering, selling, and eating all types of shellfish and Acetes sp., locally known as “alamang” or “hipon,” from these bays.

Fish, squid, shrimp, and crabs are safe for human
consumption provided that they are fresh and washed thoroughly, and their internal organs, such as gills and intestines, are removed before cooking.

The BFAR regularly analyzes water samples through its regional laboratory to ensure that shellfish gathered from different bays are safe for human consumption.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Romania has confirmed its plan to buy South Korean K-9 self-propelled howitzers for US$920 million, the defense ministry said Wednesday, in another boost for Seoul’s drive to clinch more arms export deals.

Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tilvar announced the decision during talks in Romania with Seoul’s defense chief Shin Won-sik, who is on a weeklong trip to Eastern Europe that will also take him to Poland, according to the ministry.

Shin thanked Tilvar for the decision and anticipated the deal — the biggest in Romania’s arms acquisition over the past seven years — will further activate defense and arms cooperation between the two countries.

“South Korea will become the optimal partner for Romania’s push to modernize its military,” Shin said, adding he hopes the deal will lead to an array of cooperation, including joint manufacturing, cross training between relevant units and exchange of personnel.

During their talks, Shin and Tilvar agreed to further improve their cooperation in areas of military educ
ation and training, sharing of information and exchanges, defense acquisition as well as science and technology, according to the ministry.

In April, President Yoon Suk Yeol and his Romanian counterpart, Klaus Iohannis, held a summit in Seoul and agreed to boost cooperation in defense and nuclear energy.

Shin and Tilvar called military cooperation between Russia and North Korea a security threat to Asia and Europe as they concurred on the need for close cooperation and responses by the international community, the ministry said. Their meeting coincided with summit talks between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Pyongyang.

Shin is set to leave for a three-day trip to Poland later Wednesday, where he will co-chair a joint ministerial committee meeting on bilateral defense and arms industry cooperation with his Polish counterpart, Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, and visit an air base where South Korean FA-50 light combat aircraft have been deployed.

In 2022, Poland signed pro
curement deals worth 17 trillion won ($12.3 billion) to buy K2 tanks, K9 self-propelled howitzers, FA-50 light attack aircraft and Chunmoo multiple rocket launchers to bolster its defenses in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war.

Source: Yonhap News Agency

MANILA: The National Food Authority (NFA) Council announced Wednesday the approval of the Bigas 29 program, or the sale of ‘aging but good’ rice stocks to select beneficiaries in Kadiwa sites starting July.

“This program primarily aims to provide rice at an affordable price of PHP29 per kilogram for the vulnerable sectors of society,’ Agriculture Secretary and NFA Council chairperson Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said in a statement.

He stressed that the Bigas 29 is still in line with the food security and affordability targets under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Among the target beneficiaries are solo parents, senior citizens, persons with disability (PWD), and eventually Indigenous People (IP).

Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa, meanwhile, assured the good quality of ‘aging’ NFA rice which undergoes laboratory tests.

‘Hindi maglalabas ang NFA ng stocks na (the NFA will not release stocks that are) unfit for human consumption. So, may procedure naman sila diyan kung tala
gang hindi na nabenta iyong mga lumang-luma na. Pero hindi naman umaabot doon (they have procedures for stocks that have not been bought and are very old. But it hasn’t reached that point),’ he said in an interview.

De Mesa said palay is considered ‘old’ when it has been stocked for six months, while it is three months for milled rice.

NFA typically sells its stocks to the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Office of the Civil Defense (OCD), and local government units (LGUs), among others.

Purchase limit

The NFA Council, meanwhile, set a purchase limit of 10 kilograms per household per month since the program targets to cater to 6.9 million families or more than 34 million Filipinos.

‘Of course, this will not cover the requirements on a daily basis, but malaking bagay na makakatulong sa kanila na iyong sampung kilo na iyon ay nabili nila at PHP29 (that 10 kg. of rice bought at PHP29/kg. is a big help for them),’ De Mesa said.

The DA said identification or monitoring cards will be used
to check on the one-time or staggered buying of 10 kg per beneficiary.

Overall, the NFA will target to supply 69,000 metric tons (MT) of subsidized rice, with social costs ranging from PHP1.39 billion to PHP1.53 billion per month.

De Mesa also clarified that NFA’s import plan concerning the Bigas 29 program is just ‘an option for augmentation’ in case its stocks run out.

Tariff cut

Laurel, meanwhile, said he will discuss with President Marcos issues concerning the planned tariff reduction to 15 percent on imported rice, as it may affect farmers if implemented over a long period.

He said there’s a need for a ‘periodic review instead of a fixed reduction’ until 2028.

‘In our discussions with industry representatives, the suggestions ranged from reviewing the tariff every six months to one year or even every four months,’ Laurel said in another statement.

Earlier, the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board approved the reduction of tariffs from 35 percent to 15 percent to minimize the im
pacts of high retail prices on the general public.

The tariff cut is expected to lower the retail price of imported rice by PHP6 to PHP7 per kilo.

Source: Philippines News Agency

President Yoon Suk Yeol declared Wednesday that South Korea is in a “demographic national emergency” due to its declining population, vowing to make all-out efforts to tackle the country’s ultralow birth rate.

Yoon made the remark during a meeting of the presidential committee on the low birth rate and aging population amid grim prospects and warnings that South Korea’s population could ultimately become extinct unless the trend is reversed.

“Today, I officially declare a demographic national emergency. We will activate a pan-government comprehensive response system until the low birth rate issue is overcome,” Yoon said during the meeting held at a child care center in HD Hyundai’s R and D Center in Seongnam, south of Seoul.

South Korea’s total fertility rate — the average number of children a woman bears in her lifetime — fell to a fresh low of 0.72 in 2023, well below the replacement level of 2.1 needed to maintain the country’s population at 51 million.

The government has tried various incentives to
help entice families to have children over the past decade, but a number of factors, including expensive housing prices, education costs and long working hours, have made young people reluctant to start families and have babies.

Yoon outlined three main areas focused on balancing work and life, improving child care and providing better housing to address the complex issues.

The measures include increasing parental leave allowances and extending leave for fathers, aiming to raise the usage rate of paternity leave from the current 6.8 percent to 50 percent during Yoon’s term.

They also include implementing flexible work hours, extending the age limit for reduced working hours for parents of young children and providing subsidies for employers who hire temporary replacements for employees on parental leave.

Yoon also vowed to increase support for child care and expand after-school programs at elementary schools to ease the educational burden on parents.

Households with newborns will be given priority in hou
sing allocations and low-interest loans for home purchases to encourage more newlywed couples to have babies. Additionally, tax benefits for households with children will be expanded.

To ensure the implementation of the measures, Yoon said a new ministry, tentatively named the Ministry of Population Strategy Planning, will be established, and the minister will serve as the deputy prime minister for social affairs.

The ministry will be in charge of crafting strategies concerning population issues, including the low birth rate, the aging society and immigration policies, with the authority to review budgets and consult with provincial governments on related projects.

Yoon asked for the National Assembly’s cooperation to establish the envisioned ministry as soon as possible.

Source: Yonhap News Agency