...the energetic journalist

MB's energy reporter wins ASEAN Journalism Award

 

Manila Bulletin

February 19, 2011

 

MB’s energy reporter Myrna M. Velasco (L) poses at the Green Technology Awards sponsored by German firm Siemens AG for ASEAN professional journalists during ceremonies held in Singapore last Feb. 14, 2011.

SINGAPORE – Manila Bulletin’s energy reporter, Myrna M. Velasco, has won one of the coveted awards in the Green Technology Journalism Awards sponsored by German firm Siemens AG for ASEAN professional journalists which was conferred last February 14 at the Conrad Centennial Hotel here.

Velasco was declared merit winner in the “Energy Efficiency Category” for her article-critique on the Philippines’ renewable energy policy, entitled: “The country’s renewable energy ambition: Fact or Fiction?”

With her winning piece, she joined the roll of other winners from leading publications in the ASEAN region, such as those from The Star of Malaysia; Singapore’s Straits Times; The Jakarta Globe;
Media Indonesia; as well as magazine publications like Newsbreak (Philippines); Vietnam Investment Review; and Thailand’s Engineering Today.

The winning articles have been chosen based on the journalists’ grasp and explanation of the subject matter; display of adequate research and analytical ability; as well as on the style of writing and presentation of ideas.

Apart from pre-qualification at country-levels, the winning entries were comprehensively chosen by a panel of international judges headed by Dr. Constantin Birnstiel, head of Corporate Communications at Siemens AG’s headquarters in Munich.

The approximately 200 entries considered in the pre-qualification process came from a wide spectrum of media outlets – from the mainstream news dailies and magazines from eight ASEAN countries, the contest-organizers have announced in a press statement. Winning entries were also chosen from the rank of undergraduate students under the young journalists’ category.

“We were very impressed with the quality of journalism displayed by the media in this region. The enthusiasm shown by journalists and editors toward our award program proves that sustainability is no longer just a buzzword in this part of the world – it has grown to become a real and pressing issue in both growing and developed economies,” said Mr. Lothar Herrmann CEO of Siemens Pte. Ltd. Singapore and CEO of Siemens ASEAN.

During the awarding rites, Siemens AG Chief Sustainability Officer and Member of the Managing Board Barbara Kux noted that the launch of the journalism award in ASEAN “is part of our effort to facilitate a deeper awareness of the global green transformation and appreciation for the profound effects of the world’s megatrends.”

She added that for Siemens, “sustainability means acting responsibly on behalf of future generations to achieve economic, environmental and social progress.”

...the green transport

Villar seeks support for nationwide bike lanes

 

By MARIO B. CASAYURAN

Manila Bulletin

February 19, 2011

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Manuel Villar Jr. asked Saturday for congressional support for the passage of his bill which seeks to promote bicycles as an alternative mode of transportation in the face of the increasing price of fuel and fares.

Villar authored Senate Bill No. 2688 or the Bicycle Act of 2011 which seeks to provide a framework for a bicycle law on a national level. The bill states that all main roads and highways shall be provided with bicycle lanes or bike ways as identified by the Local Bikeways Office (LBO).

“Bicycle riding not only promotes health and leisure but also provides for an alternative solution to high fuel prices, increasing transport fares, traffic management, air and noise pollution and high cost of motorized vehicles including maintenance and parking fees,” Villar said.

The LBO is the agency which will be in charge of implementing the policies, rules, and regulations pertinent to the Bicycle Act, including the registration of bicycles using the bike ways. This agency will be under the supervision of the city or municipal engineering office.

One of the first measures related to bicycle use in the Philippines was enacted by the Marikina City Council in 1996, Villar said.

The Marikina ordinance defined the use of all streets, avenues, alleys, sidewalks, bridges, parks, and other public places as bicycle lanes.

Recently, a bicycle ordinance was approved on second reading in Davao City.

The Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex has also integrated a bicycle lane in its road network, Villar said.

“The worsening pollution problem also calls for the promotion of the use of non-motorized vehicles that is free from harmful emissions,” he added.

The Villar bill also provides for the creation of Bicycle Parks in each city and municipality where provisions for bicycles are present such as bikeways, bicycle parking areas and similar infrastructure.

Funding for the construction of bicycle parks will be sourced from revenues raised from the locality’s miscellaneous activities like parking and license fees.

The bill also includes a section indicating the rights, duties, and obligations of cyclists, promoting safety of bicycle riders and all road users.

Other features of the bill are: The use of helmets and appropriate signals and the use of reflective materials especially at night; restrictions on cyclists and the right to use a bicycle such as the prohibition for a bicycle to carry more persons than it was designed to carry, except when another regular seat or trailer towed by the bicycle is present; and prohibits the parking of bicycles in areas not specifically marked as parking areas for bicycles.

According to the bill, once bike lanes are established on a road, any person is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle to drive in the bikeway.

...the trees

MMDA to plant trees, build EDSA tramway

 

By RIZAL S. OBANIL and ELLSON A. QUISMORIO

Manila Bulletin

February 19, 2011

 

 

MANILA, Philippines — The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) will plant trees in vacant lots and build a tramway along EDSA within five years.

MMDA Chairman Francis Tolentino said plans to build a tramway and plant trees around the metropolis is part of the agency’s urban renewal program.

The programs came up from a recent meeting with the 17 mayors in Metro Manila.

Under the program, trees will be planted to counter the effects of air pollution.

Tolentino also encouraged establishments along the major streets in the metropolis to do their own planting, for which they will receive incentives from the agency.

The idea of building a tramway along EDSA, which will transport passengers to key points in the city, was born out of the same mode of transportation seen in major cities around the world like London, Finland, Egypt, Alexandria, Helsinki, Timisoara, Romania, Latvia, Riga and some cities in the US.

The MMDA also plans to modernize traffic control by installing more traffic lights and closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras within two years.

Road widening, sidewalk rehabilitation, improvements in major thoroughfares of Metro Manila, EDSA, Commonwealth Avenue, Marcos Highway, Quezon Avenue, C-5 Road, McArthur Highway and Road 10 are also part of the program.

In a related development, the Metro Manila Council (MMC), the governing and policy-making body of the MMDA has approved the implementation of a re-greening program for the entire metropolis.

The MMC in effect agreed to create a Metro Manila Greening Committee which shall be composed of a chairman, vice chairman, and three members to be appointed by the council.

As agreed upon by the mayors during their regular council meeting held in Malacañang last Thursday, the Greening Committee will come up with an integrated clean-and-green program to be undertaken by the 17 local governments.

...the future star

Lady Gaga praises young Pinay singer

abs-cbnNEWS.com

02/18/2011 8:15 PM

 

Courtesy of Youtube

CANADA – No less than Lady Gaga has described 10-year-old Filipina singer Maria Aragon from Winnipeg, Canada as “the future."

In her Twitter account, which has more than 8 million followers, the pop superstar said: “Can’t stop crying watching this [video]. This is why I make music. She is the future."

Lady Gaga was referring to a video uploaded by Aragon where she performs the pop singer’s “Born This Way."
Lady Gaga tweeted Aragon’s video link on her account.

Can't stop crying watching this. This is why I make music. She is the future. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xG0wi1m-89o17 Feb via webLady Gaga
ladygaga

Aragon could not believe the video would be a hit just a day after her siblings uploaded it on video sharing site YouTube.

The video gained 3,000 hits even before Lady Gaga’s tweet. Now, the video has more than 900,000 hits.
Meanwhile, Aragon was also interviewed by a local radio show and became the subject of local news.

The young singer said she started uploading her videos on YouTube 3 years ago.

The Lady Gaga fan also said she dreams of becoming a guest in Ellen DeGeneres’ show in America. -- report from Marieton Pacheco, ABS-CBN North America News Bureau


..

...the cue master

Pagulayan tops US 9-Ball tiff The Philippine Star February 17, 2011

Alex Pagulayan| Zoom

MANILA, Philippines - Former world pool champion Alex Pagulayan held off American Mitch Ellerman, 11-6, in the final game to complete a sweep of the 15th Annual Jay Swanson Memorial Tournament at the Hardtimes Billards in Bellflower, California over the weekend.

It was Pagulayan’s second straight victory in as many weeks as he also ruled the 9-Ball Banks event of the Derby City Classic in Louisville, Kentucky.

The Fil-Canadian cue master went undefeated, highlighting his title romp with an escape win over Tommy Tokoph of Arizona, 7-6, who crumbled under pressure on a hill-hill match and missed what had appeared to be an easy shot on the 9-ball.

Pagulayan took the top $3,000 purse.

Against Ellerman, Pagulayan raced to a 9-3 lead but missed clinching it outright when he muffed a 9-ball shot on the corner pocket. Ellerman took the cue and won three straight racks but lost in a duel of safeties on the 17th rack to concede the title.

...the high tech fisherman

IT project for fisherfolk pilots in San Pablo City The Philippine Star  February 17, 2011

Ateneo students set up the floating server which collects information on water quality in Lake Palacpacin in San Pablo City, Laguna.

MANILA, Philippines - The Commission of Information and Communications Technology (CICT) and its partner research institution Ateneo de Manila University recently launched a project that promotes growth and development for fisherfolk communities.

CICT Commissioner Francisco Perez II, students and faculty from the Electronics, Computer and Communications Engineering department of the Ateneo de Manila University and representatives of Japanese and Thai partners unveiled the first Telecenter or community e-center in Lake Palacpacin in San Pablo City, Laguna.

The Asia Pacific Telecommunity SHARE Project dubbed “A Broadband Farm to Market Ecosystem for Fisherfolk Communities” is aimed at preventing fish kill incidents using Internet communication technology that can warn fisherfolk when fish kill will occur, thus helping them harvest fish on time.

The project, with its pilot location in Lake Palacpacin aims to warn fisherfolk about the gradation of water quality to prevent fish kill.

Perez said the process starts by measuring the lake’s oxygen levels through the instruments set up around the lake.

The servers were donated by the project’s Japanese and Thai partners.

Fisherfolk also play a crucial role in data gathering by inputting information through an interactive blog such as their catch of the day, be it tilapia, prawns, shrimp or some other seafood, as well as the condition of the lake as they see it.

The data collected by the servers and the information provided by the fisherfolk are then transmitted for analysis and interpretation by experts at the Ateneo de Manila and its partners through broadband Internet connection.

After this, information is disseminated to fisherfolk in easy-to-understand language. An early warning will hopefully help them cope with the occurrence of a fish kill.

If successfully implemented in Lake Palacpacin, the project may be replicated in other parts of the country.
The challenges, according to Perez, is in helping the community understand the process and importance of the project, gathering ample resources for implementation, overcoming time constraints, and ensuring the project’s sustainability.

Ateneo School of Science and Engineering students Michael del Rosario, Gerald Mateo, Mae Villanueva and Chris Favila demonstrated to Japanese and Thai partners, fisherfolk, government representatives and other stakeholders the future website to be used by fisherfolk in providing data about the lake.

The website, a work in progress, contains photos of the project development, data from the servers about the lake, videos of interviews with the locals, and other information on the project.

The students also gave a demonstration on one of the site’s main features — an interactive blog that fisherfolk will use in providing information on the lake. Through the blog, they will be able to post their catch of the day as well as the condition of the lake.

Soon, fisherfolk will be trained on how to use computers, the Internet and the website and eventually make the website fully operational.

For Fernando Espallardo, a consultant of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resource Management Council, the project is making the fisherfolk’s dream of preventing fish kill a reality.

Meanwhile, Dr. Yuji Inoue, executive adviser of the Telecommunications Technology Committee in Japan, expressed commitment to improving people’s lives by introducing IT to rural communities.

“This is just the beginning. We’re very happy to work with all of you,” he said.

The Asia Pacific Telecommunity SHARE Project is a partnership among Ateneo de Manila University, Manila Observatory, Japan Radio Co., Tokyo University, CICT, PDLT, Smart, Department of Science and Technology, Agricultural Land Reform Office, National Electronics and Computer Technology Center, Telecommunications Technology Committee, and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp.

...the super farmers

Nueva Ecija farmers earn millions from hybrid onions

 

By MARVYN N. BENANING

February 17, 2011

Manila Bulletin

 

 

MANILA, Philippines – Millionaires in just one cropping.

This is the sanguine prospect for onion growers in Bongabon, Nueva Ecija who shifted to hybrids from traditional varieties, said Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) assistant director Dante Delima, who doubles as the coordinator of the national High-Value Crops Development Program (HVCDP).

Hybrids produce up to thrice the output of traditional strains, he added.

Delima said the bumper crop is expected since BPI had restricted the importation of onions in response to the persistent complaint of Bongabon onion growers who could not compete with onions dumped in the country.
Known as the country's onion capital, Bongabon has a total of 3,000 hectares devoted to onion cultivation, more than half of the total areas devoted to the crop in the province.

Nueva Ecija accounted for 72.7 million kilos of onion output in 2009, 57 percent of the national yield of 127 million kilos for the same year.

Since it is still off-season, hybrids and the traditional red creole and yellow granex fetch higher prices, at P100 per kilo for the hybrids and P60 per kilo for the traditional varieties.

Farmer Quirino Francisco of Barangay Vega, Bongabon, who expects to harvest up to 28,000 kilos of hybrid red onions and 42,000 kilos of yellow hybrid onions from his two-hectare farm, would earn millions, according to BPI.

Another reason for the good yield this year was the direct assistance of Agriculture Secretary Proceso J. Alcala, who provided P15-million worth of hybrid onion seeds, P4.5-million worth of Red Creole and Yellow Granex seeds and P500,000-worth of onion seeds to farmers in nearby towns, said Fernando Lorenzo, Region 3 HVCDP coordinator.

As hybrid onions mature earlier than traditional varieties, those who planted in November last year will begin harvesting by the end of the current month and on to April, Lorenzo revealed.

Since supply is still low, prices are relatively high, favoring farmers like Francisco and other Bongabon farmers who planted hybrid onion, he added.

“This is good news for them, especially those who planted early, as they are so used to selling their produce at a measly price from P30 to P50 per kilo in previous years,” Lorenzo explained.

Delima said HVCDP will concentrate this year in participatory production technology development and providing onion farmers with appropriate postharvest and storage techniques and facilities.

“These efforts aim to maximize the production area in the different regions suitable for onion production to attain sufficiency and maximize export potential in the near future,” he stressed.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) has been helping close to 2,500 onion growers in Bongabon and other towns in of Nueva Ecija, who suffered huge losses in previous years due low prices and the entry of cheap imported onions from China, Lorenzo said.