Press Release: Marina inspects RoRo vessel

Marina OIC conducts random inspection of RoRo vessel in Batangas and Calapan Ports

The Officer-In-Charge of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has inspected at random a Batangas and Calapan Roll-on / Roll-off (RoRo) vessel at the Batangas Port to strenghen maritime safety measures and look for areas to further upgrade the domestic shipping industry in the Philippines, as part of its eight priority programs under the 10-year maritime industry development plan (MIDP) of MARINA. 

Photo courtesy of Marina

MARINA OIC Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr, together with Deputy Administrator for Operations Engr. Nanette Villamor-Dinopol; Capt. Rommel John Mendoza of the MARINA - Enforcement Service (ES); and Atty. Sharon Aledo of the MARINA Region IV, rode a RoRo vessel from Batangas City bound to Calapan, Oriental Mindoro to assess the maritime operations in these areas at the onset of the Lenten Season. 

Vice Admiral Vingson and his team inspected the basic condition of the passengers and observed compliances to cargo securing procedures of vehicles and trucks.

The MARINA OIC noted that the inspected RoRo vessel was generally clean with its engine room and emergency generator to be well-maintained and ventilated. Significantly, its sewage tank area was found safely secured and located in a separate compartment aboard ship that was also free from foul odor. 

Persons with Disabilities (PWD) elevator was also installed and accessible in the RoRo vessel, while the comfort rooms were well-managed and sanitized. 

However, there was a minor deficiency noted by the MARINA, wherein two drivers were seen inside their vehicles while the vessel was underway. 

Nonetheless, the deficiency was immediately rectified by the vessel’s crew, and requested the drivers to vacate their vehicles and stay at the passengers area for their safety.

“Maritime safety is non-negotiable. The MARINA is consistently working with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) and the PPA to ensure that our sea passengers enjoy a safe, comfortable, and convenient travel at all times,” Vice Admiral Vingson said. 

Finally, the MARINA is calling all shipping operators across the country to uphold all the fundamental elements of the maritime safety. 

The public, meanwhile, is encouraged to report violations by filing a complaint through these contact details: 0995 400 7336 or +632 521 804.

Press Release: Marina

MARINA promotes quality management on shipbuilding, ship repair industry

GENERAL SANTOS CITY – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has promoted quality management on shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR) industry through an intensive workshop on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 9001:2015 on 10 – 11 April 2019.

ISO 9001:2015 focused on the implementation of an organization’s Quality Management System (QMS) for the consistent provision of efficient public service and implementation of effective business processes.

Fifty (50) representatives from various shipyards in Mindanao were briefed on the MARINA Circular 2018-02 or the SBSR – Quality Management System (QMS) and its draft amendments based on stakeholder suggestions raised at the 2^nd National Shipyards Convention held in Cebu City on November 2018. 

Some of the suggestions made were a more relaxed compliance policy, specifically for small shipyards in the country, and more reasonable worker requirements, such as hiring a permanent naval architect only for facilities engaged in shipbuilding and ship repair. 

The MARINA also partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry – Bureau of Philippine Standards (DTI-BPS) to encourage the stakeholders to consider applying for ISO 9001:2015 certification through the presentation of its benefits such as more disciplined workforce, efficient operations, and commendable services. 

“Being ISO 9001:2015 - certified shows that our SBSR facilities are leveled or even better compared to the services offered by international shipyards. Our collective efforts to upgrade our facilities will result to a modernized SBSR industry, as envisioned in the 10-year Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP),” MARINA OIC Vice Admiral Narciso Vingson Jr said.    

The workshop will also be conducted in Cebu City and in Manila this year to cater to SBSR stakeholders in Visayas and in Luzon respectively.

Press Release: Technology generators pitch innovations to DOST Regional Offices

Participants of ROs Meet Tech Gens on 04 February 2019
at the Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila. Photo by DOST

Agricultural technologies find home in the regions

The Technology Application and Promotion Institute of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST-TAPI) brought together the technology generators and DOST Regional Offices to facilitate a technology pitching on 04 February 2019 at the Crimson Hotel Filinvest City, Manila.

The event, “ROs Meet Tech Gens,” is a preparatory activity of the Technology Transfer Day which creates a venue to fast-track the adoption and commercialization of DOST-funded and -generated technologies.

A total of 21 technologies from the Philippine Council for Agriculture, Aquatic, and Natural Resources Research and Development (DOST-PCAARRD) and the Forest Products Research and Development Institute (DOST-FPRDI) were presented during the event.

“We want our technologies to find home to capable adoptors,” said DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development Rowena Cristina L. Guevara.

Discussed in the event are the step-by-step guide in technology transfer and adoption through the signing of the term sheets, issuance of the Fairness Opinion Report, and signing of the Technology Licensing Agreements.

Agricultural Machineries

Among the technologies presented are machines for agricultural productivity including the coffee depulper – helps reduce the breakage of coffee cherries and attain high quality coffee beans, coffee moisture meter – provides accurate results in determining the moisture content of coffee beans, peanut stripper – separates and sorts the peanut pods from the vines, and peanut sheller – separates and sorts the peanut kernels from the pods.

Innovative Infrastructures

Included in the offering are technological infrastructures for postharvest activities such as the coffee dryer which provides a drying alternative through a greenhouse-type solar dryer retrofitted with biomass furnace for coffee beans, operating at low temperature without electricity.

Moreover, the integrated postharvest facility for mango includes an automated table sorter, wash tank, hot water treatment, industrial fan, weight classifier, and table for packing.

Sustainable Nourishment

To ensure that agricultural products attain their maximum potential, it is important that their source has the optimal environment setting or nutritional status for growth and development.

Pellet feeds are bite-size pieces and nutritionally-balanced mixture of forage and grain ingredients, which provides nourishment to goats.

The protein-enriched copra meal (PECM) is the product of the bioprocessing of copra meal through solid state fermentation to improve its nutritive value.

Hi-Yeast is a yeast-based biocontrol agent (BCA) that prevents fruit and vegetable decay caused by pathogens during postharvest handling. This technology is designed as an alternative and/or supplement to reduce the use of chemicals in nature and reduce the human health and environmental risks that comes with the use of existing synthetic control agents.

Kakawate Fertilizer is an organic liquid plant supplement used for improving the flowering and fruiting of various plants including chili pepper, tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and squash.

MicroMix is a biostimulant composed of a consortium of bacteria that enhances the growth of crops, particularly bell pepper and bittergourd. It was developed as a response to the excessive use of costly chemical stimulants and fertilizers that significantly increases crop production costs.

Fraud Prevention

The meat detection kit authenticates and identifies various meats, and can be used by regulation agencies to prevent frauds in the meat industry.

Useful Wastes

To reduce wastage and environment impacts from byproducts, pineapple wastes are transformed into useful products through the forms of molded and briquetted coals for cooking, bran as feed supplements for chicken and fowls, and multi-use marinade or meat tenderizing product for food processing and other food preparation processes.

Forest Products

Forest products were also presented for the direct consumption or commercial use of stakeholders, such as the wine barrels from santol, high-pressure sap displacement (HPSD) system to force the bamboo sap out, do-it-yourself bamboo shelter, kiln for the production of bamboo charcoal, bamboo veneer lathe is for varying thickness bamboo veneers production, non-wood dryer, and dryer with heat facility for eliminating insect pests and disease-infesting wooden packaging materials.

DOST-TAPI S&T Media Service

Press Release: Globe Telecom Debuts DisneyLife in Asia



At the launch of DisneyLife App are Mickey and Minnie Mouse together with Head

of Media Distribution and OTT, The Walt Disney Co. South Asia Amitra Pandey, EV

& Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company South Asia Mahesh Samat, Globe

President and CEO Ernest Cu and Globe Chief Commercial Officer Albert De Larrazabal.

Photo from Globe Telecom.

DISNEY fans in the Philippines can now enjoy their favorite Disney content everywhere they go. Globe Telecom, together with The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia, today introduced DisneyLife: The World of Disney in One App.

Through Globe Telecom, DisneyLife makes its first release in Asia. Disney fans can enjoy over 350 movies from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars; more than 5,000 kids’ TV episodes; and over 6,000 music tracks, all in one app. Fans of all ages can access the best of Disney’s world-class stories at their fingertips and enjoy shorts, behind the scenes and other exclusive content on-the-go. In addition, all content on DisneyLife can be downloaded and enjoyed for offline viewing and listening.

"In the three years we’ve been working with Disney we’ve provided our audiences many unique and innovative entertainment experiences. Today we are launching the first complete entertainment app in Philippines that carries movies, TV series, and music from the world’s biggest family entertainment company. The DisneyLife app will super-serve Filipinos with entertainment when they want it, where they want it,” said Ernest Cu, President and CEO of Globe.

“DisneyLife is a unique digital content offering for fans of Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Star Wars in the Philippines. Globe Telecom has been a valuable partner in our endeavor to be a part of the everyday lives of Filipino kids and families,” said Mahesh Samat, EVP and Managing Director, The Walt Disney Company South Asia.

DisneyLife offers fan-favorite stories, characters and music from memorable Disney movies and television shows over the decades. Fans can look forward to heartwarming moments from classic Disney animation films like The Lion King, Disney•Pixar classics like The Incredibles, and Star Wars journeys like Star Wars: The Return of the Jedi whether they are at home or on the go. In its first year, DisneyLife will also carry the top grossing movies of all time in the Philippines – Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Age of Ultron, The Avengers, and Iron Man 3.

 

Image from Globe Telecom

Kids and families can enjoy new episodes of their favorite Disney television series first on DisneyLife. These episodes and the classics can be streamed from the biggest library of Disney Kids’ TV series including favorites such as Disney Channel’s Big Hero 6 and Tangled; Disney Junior’s Mickey and the Roadster Racers; and Disney XD’s Spider-Man and Star Wars Rebels.

DisneyLife users will have access to an extensive library of soundtracks from Disney movies’ and TV series’. Through the magic of music, fans of all ages can wander the seas with Moana, feel empowered with Frozen, and enjoy family moments with Coco.

Araneta Center is now pet-friendly

Paw-some! Araneta Center is now pet-friendly

Already considered as the premium live-work-play community in the country, Araneta Center opens its doors to the cutest members of your families—your pets—as it officially becomes a pet-friendly destination.

Already considered as the premium live-work-play community in the country, Araneta Center opens its doors to the cutest members of your families—your pets—as it officially becomes a pet-friendly destination.

Araneta Center will be celebrating the paw-sitive development when it launches its Pet Pals program with a pet soiree on Sunday, May 27, at the Gateway Mall Activity Area.

Pet owners and their fur babies will be treated to an afternoon of bonding and talks on taking care of pets despite the owners’ busy schedules and on first aid for pets facilitated by experts Jester Jo Onchuan and Dr. Flori-Ann Buiser. A handful of cute freebies—including leashes for the early birds—will also be given to the attendees and their pets. The Quezon City Hall Animal Care and Disease Control Division will also administer free rabies vaccination.

Binibining Pilipinas Supranational Jehza Huelar and Binibining Pilipinas Grand International Eva Patalinjug will also join in the fun and share their fun stories about their own pets.

Now that it is pet-friendly, Araneta Center will start allowing owners to bring their pets to the Gateway Mall, Ali Mall, Farmers Plaza and other parts of the Center, provided that they have secured the Pet Pals ID.

Owners who want to apply for the Pet Pals ID only have to submit the following requirements to the malls’ concierges: original and photocopy of rabies vaccination record, 1x1 colored photos, and Pet Pals ID application form, which is also downloadable on www.aranetacenter.net. The ID will be given for free.

The temporary Pet Pals Day Pass IDs will also be available to those who have yet to complete the requirements.

Even after they have secured their Pet Pals ID, pet owners still have to be responsible in bringing their pets around the Center by keeping them on a leash while they are walking, carrying them while riding escalators and elevators and cleaning after their wastes.

For other guidelines on this initiative, visit Araneta Center’s website and follow it on its social media pages: @AranetaCenter on Facebook and Twitter and @TheAranetaCenter on Instagram.

News Release from Arcsea

Dengvaxia victims demand anew: Speedy,

transparent and genuinely free health services!

Photo from Association for the Rights
of Children in Southeast Asia

About 100 children and their parents from Quezon City gathered and demanded government support for their health needs in Barangay Bagong Silangan basketball court today. They also labeled President Duterte’s response to Dengvaxia victims as slow, corrupt and not for free.

ARCSEA, a child focused rights group, gathered Dengvaxia immunized children and their parents from Quezon City for their Dengue awareness campaign caravan called “May K din Kami!,” which goes around Metro Manila and Southern Luzon and aims to educate children on Dengue and the controversial issue of Dengvaxia.

Dengvaxia victims shared their stories and emotions during the brief psycho-social first aid activity which ARCSEA facilitated.

“It turns out that even after almost half a year since the controversy broke, children and their parents still fear for their health and lives. The fear that they might die due to the previous 87 recorded and suspected Dengvaxia related deaths still haunts them,” said Madella Santiago, a social worker and executive director of ARCSEA.

The children demanded genuinely free medical check-up and laboratory services during the Children Speak Out program, which they held after the first aid activity.

“It’s been a while since the disaster affected many families but up until now, the free health service that the Duterte administration is bragging about is not clear and some parents are saying that payments for their check-ups and laboratory services have come from their pockets,” continued Santiago.

“The victims need to have the clear protocols and along with that is a budget that will ensure the services for victims. We don’t need a budget that will again be corrupted by politicians. We warn politicians that this budget is for justice that the victims have been asking for,” added Santiago.

The group reiterated their calls for a speedy, transparent and genuinely free health service and accountability of then budget secretary Abad, health secretary Garin and former President Aquino.

Photo from Association for the Rights
of Children in Southeast Asia

“We want justice for the victims through holding accountable not just former president Aquino and responsible cabinet secretaries but we also hold accountable the Duterte administration that apparently neglects the victims,” Santiago concluded.

Association for the Rights of Children in Southeast Asia (ARCSEA)

www.childrightssea.org

www.arcsea.blogspot.com

www.facebook.com/ARCSEAchildrights

www.twitter.com/KayaNatintoKids

Press Release: Makati Diamond Residences

MAKATI DIAMOND RESIDENCES HOLY WEEK STAYCATION

Have a meaningful stay with your family at Makati Diamond Residences this Holy Week. Feel at home in the well-appointed rooms with special features that include a fully- equipped kitchenette, a complimentary mini bar, and complimentary Wi-Fi and local city calls. Access the health club amenities including our 24-hour gym, daily TRX classes at the TRX studio, and an indoor lap pool so you can stay on track with your fitness regimen. Inspire the chef in you and participate in a cooking demonstration, or visit the inflatable play area, arts and crafts station, and more. Enjoy the privilege of a 20% discount on the Easter Brunch Buffet. Book a room with breakfast for two at ₱5,800 net per night for the 41sqm Studio or ₱7,800 net per night for the larger 64sqm One Bedroom Suite. Studio Room-only packages start at ₱5,000 net per night.  The Holy Week room package is available from March 24 to April 1, 2018. This offer is exclusive to local residents and foreigners with ACR I-Card certification. NOTE: This blogger has not received any compensation, in cash or in kind, for the posting of this entry.