Category: General

Fruit and vegetable exports are forecast to continue going smooth in the time ahead thanks to abundant domestic supply and foreign markets’ growing demand. The exports brought home 3.4 billion USD during the first half of 2024, surging 28% year on year, reported the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD). The Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association (VINAFRUIT) said durian, dragon fruit, banana, and longan were major contributors to exports growth. Shipments to key markets also increased 10-50% from the same period last year. China, Thailand, and the Republic of Korea (RoK) remain large importers, with their purchases from Vietnam up 30-60% year on year by the end of May.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Finance (DOF) said the Philippines’ successful bid to host the Loss and Damage Fund (LDF) Board is due to the country’s leadership in tackling climate change through concrete solutions and actions.

‘We were chosen because of our strong commitment and concrete climate actions on the ground, and we thank the President for his steadfast support and dedication in making this happen,’ Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said in a statement on Wednesday.

‘Hosting the LDF Board will unlock more opportunities for the Philippines to accelerate its access to climate finance and investments, which are critical for future-proofing our economy and ensuring sustainable and inclusive growth for all Filipinos,’ he added.

The LDF is a global financial mechanism designed to provide support to countries’ response and recovery from losses and damages caused by climate change.

The Philippines secured a seat on the Board in December 2023.

To secure the spot to host the LDF Board, President Ferdinand R. Mar
cos Jr. established a technical working group (TWG) on March 1, 2024 to prepare the country’s bid submission.

The country’s bid offer was spearheaded and prepared by the TWG interagency team composed of the DOF, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Budget and Management, and the Climate Change Commission.

The Philippines was chosen over seven other contenders namely Antigua and Barbuda, Armenia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Eswatini, Togo, and Kenya.

The 26-member LDF Board selected the Philippines as the host during its second board meeting in Songdo, South Korea on July 9, 2024.

The DOF said that by hosting the LDF Board, the Philippines will play a leading role in helping attract significant support from developed countries and development partners to provide concrete financial contributions in averting, minimizing, and addressing losses and damages.

It will also serve as an avenue for the Philippines to showcase its initiatives, transform
ative reforms, and science-based innovations on adaptation and mitigation actions as well as disaster risk management aligned with its national plans and strategies.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The House Committee on Dangerous Drugs on Wednesday cited for contempt former presidential economic adviser Michael Yang for his refusal to attend hearings on the September 2023 illegal drug seizure worth PHP3 billion in Mexico, Pampanga.

During the hearing, Antipolo Rep. Romeo Acop moved to cite former president Rodrigo Duterte’s economic adviser for contempt over his non-appearance at the congressional hearing despite the issuance of a show cause order.

Yang was invited to the hearing to shed light on the interlocking incorporators of all the corporations connected with Empire 999 Realty Inc.

“I move then, Mr. Chair, that we cite Mr. Michael Yang in contempt for continually being absent in spite of the subpoena, in spite of the invitation given him,’ Acop said.

Panel chairperson and Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said Yang was implicated in the hearings because his interpreter, Lincoln Ong, was identified as an incorporator of Empire 999, which owned the warehouse where the illegal dr
ugs were seized.

Barbers further noted that Yang violated Section 11 of the House rules for his refusal to obey the summons without a legal excuse.

Acop’s motion was approved by the committee without any objection.

The investigation also touched on the PHP3.8 billion worth of shabu shipment intercepted at the Subic Freeport.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) is pushing for amendments to the “already defective” Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991.

This is to address problems and challenges encountered by local government units (LGUs) in the implementation of projects and delivery of services, Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. said in a pre-SONA (State of the Nation Address) special over state-run People’s Television Network.

“Ang lahat ng barangay road, dapat ang gumastos barangay, ‘yun ang nasa Local Government Code. Ang lahat ng eskwelahan ay pananagutan ng mga lungsod at munisipyo, sila ang magpapagawa. (All barangay roads must be funded by barangays. That is stated in the Local Government Code. Cities and municipalities are responsible for schools in their areas, they would fund its construction),” Abalos said, noting that some areas, especially 5th and 6th class municipalities, do not have to capability to fund these projects.

Abalos said President Ferdinand R.
Marcos Jr., a former governor of Ilocos Norte, directed all concerned agencies to come up with solutions to these problems.

The DILG chief said among the amendments to the more than three-decade-old law they have recommended is that the national government would fund construction projects of educational facilities.

“Mga solid waste management (problems), mga tapunan ng basura, probinsya ba ito, munisipyo ba ito. Ang problema, saan mo itatapon (We also included measures to address solid waste management problems. Would these be under the provincial or municipal government? Now the problem is where do you dump these?),” Abalos said.

Abalos added that they are working with the Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP) to address these concerns linked to the “proper” devolution of functions from the national government to the LGUs.

“‘Yung ospital, nakalagay dyan (Local Government Code) lahat ng (As for hospitals, the Local Government Code states that all) provinces must have a tertiary hospital per
o di lahat mayaman, may mga probinsya na di kaya, kaya eto sinabi namin, baka pwede ang national na rin (but not all provinces are rich, some provinces cannot afford it, so we said, maybe the national government can also shoulder this),” he added.

Abalos also expressed hope that lawmakers would support these amendments to the law.

Boosting infants’ nutrition

Abalos, meanwhile, said the DILG has ordered LGUs to include in their annual investment plans the nutrition programs for infants in their first 1,000 days to prevent malnutrition and stunting.

The DILG chief said LGUs must prioritize the nutrition of pregnant and lactating women and newborn children under two years of age, especially those residing in disaster-prone and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas.

He further committed to empowering LGUs to integrate maternal, neonatal, and child health and nutrition programs into Local Nutrition Action Plans to foster policies that champion local investments in nutrition.

“The DSWD (Department o
f Social Welfare and Development), DOH (Department of Health), and DILG are jointly working on this program. We pinpoint pregnant women, on the average we have 12 or 13 per barangay. For DSWD, we have the food stamp program, then for the DOH, the provision of vitamins, then once the child has been born, you also take care of the mother who would breastfeed. Barangay health workers would monitor their nutrition to ensure that they eat healthy food and the children are vaccinated,’ he said in Filipino.

Under Abalos’ term as mayor, Mandaluyong City bagged the Nutrition Honor Award, the highest accolade conferred by the National Nutrition Council to an LGU.

Source: Philippines News Agency

Although apartment prices are no longer skyrocketing, this segment still records the best liquidity compared to other product segments in the real estate market. Experts said that apartments are also the type that creates the driving force for recovery for the real estate market in the first two quarters of this year, especially in two large urban areas, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. If calculated from October last year until now, apartment searches reached their ‘peak’ around March this year and have now increased by 29% in Hanoi and 32% in HCM City.

Source: Vietnam News Agency

MANILA: The Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) on Tuesday launched its digital platform to improve delivery of universal health care to Filipinos.

In his speech at the ceremonial launch of e-PhilHealth, PhilHealth president and chief executive officer Emmanuel Ledesma said the platform is part of the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. in his State of the Nation Address last year to expedite digitalization efforts.

‘Our integration to the eGov (PH) app is a testament to our commitment to delivering strategic nationwide digitalization. This integration is not just about technology, it is about transforming lives by enhancing the ease of access to government services provided by these current agencies,’ he said.

The e-PhilHealth platform centralizes clinical information, streamlines processes and enhances efficiency for all users.

Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan John Uy said the enhancements provide secure and user-friendly government servi
ces.

“With these new features, PhilHealth members can now effortlessly access new membership portal which includes their profile, contributions, beneficiaries and even claims history. They can also register now in any Konsulta package provider and apply for new membership,’ he said.

He added PhilHealth is transitioning from its legacy databases to the new national health data repository, which incorporates advanced security features such as integration with the digital national ID, enhancing the security of identity verification.

Source: Philippines News Agency

KIDAPAWAN CITY: Police operatives arrested a drug suspect and seized from him PHP1.2 million worth of ‘shabu’ drugs during a buy-bust operation in this city on Tuesday night.

In an interview on Wednesday, Lt. Col. Dominador Palgan Jr., city police director, identified the arrested suspect as Ryan Espiritu Sunga, 45, a farmer and resident of Crossing Conel, Lagao, General Santos City.

Palgan said the suspect was arrested after the poseur-buyer positively bought suspected shabu items following an 8:30 p.m. transaction in Purok Jackfruit, Barangay Upper Kalaisan.

Confiscated from the suspect were 181 grams of shabu sealed in several plastic sachets and the motorcycle he used to deliver the illegal drugs.

“The evidence was submitted to the police’s provincial forensic unit for qualitative and quantitative examination,” Palgan said.

A police follow-up operation is underway to get the cohorts of the suspect in the illegal drug trade.

Source: Philippines News Agency

MANILA: The Department of Agriculture (DA) on Wednesday assured the public that spiking prices of select vegetables will be tempered starting this week.

‘Ang good news dito as I mentioned, nag-start nang mag-harvest ngayon iyong Southern Tagalog Region. And ine-expect natin, unti-unti nang bababa iyong presyo (The good news here, as I mentioned, is the harvest in the Southern Tagalog Region has already started. And we are expecting that the prices will drop) in the coming days,’ DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said in an interview, referring to the harvest of tomatoes.

As of Tuesday, the prices of tomatoes in Metro Manila range from PHP140 to PHP220 per kilogram, higher than the price range two weeks ago set at PHP90/kg. to PHP160/kg.

Other agricultural products with increasing prices were carrots ranging from PHP100/kg. to PHP180/kg., eggplant ranging from PHP60/kg. to PHP120/kg., and bell pepper set at PHP200/kg. to PHP350/kg., among others.

De Mesa added that spiking prices would be immediately re
versed considering the faster cycle in vegetable production.

‘Iyong presyo ng gulay parating pabagu-bago iyan, iyong presyong nakataas (the prices of vegetables really vary, and the increasing prices), they are very temporary at kapag bumalik uli iyong malaking harvest, bababa uli iyan (and when the huge harvest comes in, it will also drop),’ he added.

De Mesa attributed the spiking prices to the harvest delay due to the changing season, not to mention the impacts of the El Niño phenomenon and Typhoon Aghon.

Increasing fuel prices may have also posed an impact on the farmers’ transportation cost, especially in agricultural products being sourced from far areas like Benguet, Baguio, and Southern Tagalog, he added.

‘May additional na expenses kapag mahal ang gasolina. Of course, ang lalaki ng increases, PHP1 to PHP2 di ba (There’s an additional expense when the fuel prices increase. Of course, there’s a huge increase, it’s around PHP1 to PHP2 right?) So, that would also be the reason for the increase,’ De M
esa said.

For low-land vegetables, products are sourced from Southern Tagalog, Central Luzon, Cagayan Valley, and Ilocos Region; while highland vegetables usually come from La Trinidad, Cordillera, and Southern Tagalog.

Earlier, the DA said a total of PHP510.447 million in assistance will be given to 160,000 crop, livestock, and poultry farmers who own or rent machinery, including PHP3,000 worth of fuel subsidies for each farmer.

The DA eyes its distribution in August once the average monthly price of Dubai crude oil reaches USD80 per barrel, as per the requirement set under the 2024 General Appropriations Act.

Source: Philippines News Agency

The Ho Chi Minh City Department of Tourism has announce a series of short films to promote local tourism, delivering the message “Welcome to Ho Chi Minh City” to domestic and international tourists. The series, themed ‘A Vibrant Journey’, will offer new experiences and perspectives to tourists to explore and learn about the city’s history, culture, cuisine, architecture, and diverse arts, tourist attractions, and tourism services. The movies present many tourist attractions in the list of ‘Ho Chi Minh City-100 interesting things’ and restaurants rated by the Michelin Guide Vietnam. In the first six months of 2024, the city welcomed about 17.1 million domestic tourists and more than 2,6 million international arrivals with a total revenue estimated at more than 92 trillion VND (3.6 billion USD), an increase of 14,6% over the same period last year.

Source: Vietnam News Agency