Monday, January 13, 2025

Assassinated Businessmen October to December, 2024

This is a list of businessmen who have been assassinated or survived an assassination attempt or who were kidnapped in the fourth quarter of 2024.


https://www.rappler.com/philippines/luzon/business-owners-killed-pampanga-shooting-incident-october-2024/

A husband and wife, who were also business partners, were gunned down by motorcyle-riding men along the road in Mexico, Pampanga on Friday afternoon, October 4, authorities said.

According to the police report, the victims, identified as Mabalacat residents Arvin Dayrit Lulu and Lerma Waje Lulu, were shot by two unidentified male assailants while traveling in front of a residence in Paroba Street, Barangay Santo Rosario at around 4:20 pm. 

The suspects fled the scene towards Jose Abad Santos shortly after the shooting.

The victims were reportedly aboard a black Hilux pick-up truck when they sustained gunshot wounds. However, Police Corporal Jonathan Roy Ilagan declined to provide further details as the investigation is still ongoing.

“The instruction to me was to investigate first since [the case] is still ongoing. Apologies, but we cannot provide any more details,” Ilagan told Rappler in Filipino on Friday.

Emergency responders from the Mexico municipal disaster risk reduction and management office transported the victims to the Mexico community hospital in Barangay San Carlos where they were declared dead on arrival.

Local police issued a flash alarm and launched dragnet operations across nearby municipalities. CCTV footage is also being reviewed for possible identification of the suspects. 

Meanwhile, the Angeles Forensic Unit has been called to process the crime scene for further evidence.



https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/11/2-businessmen-gunned-down-in-isabela

Two businessmen were shot dead in Barangay District 1, San Manuel, Isabela on Friday morning, October 11.

Police Capt. Beltran Velasco Jr., San Manuel police chief, identified the victims as Lordwin Ganio and Christian Acierto, residents of Barangay San Andres, Cabatuan, Isabela.

Velasco said the victims and two companions stopped by the road on their way to San Manuel to deliver meat.

One the victim's companion went to a store to purchase drinks when a man appeared and shot the victims.

The suspect who was wearing a black jacket, short pants, and black helmet escaped onboard a motorcycle. 

The victims were taken to a hospital where they were declared dead.

Scene-of-the-Crime Operatives recovered empty shells in the crime scene and conducting tests to find out the type of gun used.   

Velasco said they are looking at business as a possible reason for the killing.

 

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/10/13/2392091/businessman-shot-dead-malolos

A businessman was killed by an unidentified gunman in Malolos City on Friday.

In a report to Bulacan police director Col. Satur Ediong, investigators said businessman Christian Burdeos Uchi, 31, was about to leave the Ace Medical Center parking lot when the gunman appeared and shot him dead.

The suspect fled on board a motorcycle, the report added.

Investigators are doing follow-up operations to identify and arrest the gunman.                           


https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/14/vendor-gunned-down-in-quezon-public-market

A 44-year-old vendor was shot dead at the public market here on Sunday night, October 13.

Police identified the victim as Ariel Sabino Magsino from Barangay Tumbaga 1, this town.

Investigation said the victim was standing near a stall when a man wearing a black jacket and face mask onboard a car arrived and shot him.

The victim sustained multiple wounds and died on the spot.

The suspect fled towards the direction of Candelaria town, Quezon.

Police are conducting follow-up investigation.


https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/16/businesswoman-stabbed-dead-over-debt-in-quezon

A 42-year-old businesswoman was stabbed to death during an altercation with a customer over a debt in Sitio Stella Mariz, Barangay Bagong Bayan, this town, on Tuesday afternoon, October 15. 

Police said the victim, Michelle Calubayan Rajarillo, married, went inside the house of the suspect, Arlene, 45, with live-in partner, to discuss her obligation. 

Minutes later, the victim went out of the house with a stab wound in the chest.  

The suspect fled and Rajarillo was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead from a stab wound. 

Police are conducting a manhunt against Arlene who faces a homicide case.


https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/10/20/2393945/moneylender-moro-couple-killed-maguindanao-del-sur-gun-attack

Gunmen on a motorcycle killed a Moro couple who were moneylenders in an attack in Barangay Pagagawan, Montawal, Maguindanao del Sur, on Saturday afternoon, October 19.

In an initial report released on Sunday morning, Brig. Gen. Romeo Jaime Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office, stated that Soliven Salakob and his wife, Sempak Abas Salakob, both died at the scene from multiple bullet wounds.

The victims' moneylending operation extended through the towns of Montawal and Pagalungan in Maguindanao del Sur, as well as the nearby areas of Kabacan, Matalam, Aleosan, and Midsayap in Cotabato province, including its capital, Kidapawan City.

Local officials and police investigators told reporters on Sunday that the couple were riding a motorcycle on their way to Kidapawan City when they were attacked by two motorcycle-riding gunmen along the Cotabato-Davao Highway in Barangay Pagagawan, Montawal.

The duo first flagged down the victims at gunpoint, forced them to hand over their bags containing their cash collections and repeatedly shot them with pistols when they refused. 

Relatives of Salakob and his wife told reporters that there is a possibility the two men targeted them deliberately due to significant unpaid cash loans.

“They had problems in collecting payments from clients who had loaned big amounts of money,” a cousin of Salakob, who requested anonymity, said.

Witnesses reported that the two gunmen first shouted invectives at the Salakobs in the Maguindanaon vernacular before gunshots were heard at the scene.

The assailants took the Salakobs' bags and removed items from their pockets before fleeing on their motorcycle. 

https://mb.com.ph/2024/10/27/businessman-shot-dead-in-quezon

A 54-year-old businessman was gunned down in a birth anniversary party in Barangay Manggalang 1, this town, on Saturday night, Oct. 26.

Police identified the victim as Roderick Geron. 

Investigation said the victim was having a drinking spree when a man, Enrico, also a resident of Barangay Manggalang 1, appeared and shot him. 

Enrico fled on foot and the victim was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead. 

Recovered from the crime scene were two fired caliber .45 cartridge cases which were turned over to the Quezon Provincial Forensic Unit in Lucena City for ballistic examination. 

The suspect is the subject of a follow-up operation and faces a murder complaint.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/11/21/vendor-driving-e-bike-shot-dead-in-laguna

A 54-year-old vendor was gunned down while driving an e-bike in Barangay Lingga, this city, on Wednesday morning, Nov. 20. 

Police said victim Emelito A. de Luna of Barangay Sampiruhan here was on his way to the bay walk when the suspects – Mark and an unidentified companion – shot him. 

De Luna died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds and the suspects fled onboard a motorcycle towards Barangay San Juan here. 

Police are conducting follow-up investigation and hot-pursuit operations against the suspects.


https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/4/businessman-shot-dead-in-bacolod-1

A 39-year-old businessman was gunned down at the parking lot of his computer store in Barangay 40 here on Tuesday, Dec. 3.

The victim was identified as Michael Garcia, 39, of Barangay 40.

Police Capt. Peter John Ramos, head of Police Station 6, said the victim was standing outside the store when two unidentified persons on a motorcycle entered the parking lot at around 3:30 p.m. 

The back rider shot the victim.

Ramos said the victim was taken to a hospital where he was declared dead from bullet wounds in the shoulder, chest, and back.

Police are conducting follow-up investigation. Motive of the incident could be business, police added.

https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/17/businessman-gunned-down-in-urdaneta-city

A businessman was gunned down and his wife and two-year-old child were wounded in Barangay Pinmaludpod here on Monday, Dec. 16.

Police identified the fatality as Ryan Agran Garcia, 39.

Garcia was driving  a Toyota Veloz with license plates IAF-9806 and wife Mary Anne, 34, and two-year-old child as passengers when unidentified gunmen riding a black motorcycle appeared and shot them.

A truck driver, Gerald  Aquino, 32,  was wounded and his truck was hit by stray bullets.

The gunmen fled and the Garcias and Aquino were taken to  hospitals here. Ryan was declared dead on arrival. Mary Anne and her child were wounded and recuperating.

Police are conducting follow-up investigation. 


https://www.philstar.com/nation/2024/12/26/2409948/businesswoman-shot-dead-maguindanao-del-norte

A gunman shot and killed a businesswoman in Datu Odin Sinsuat, Maguindanao del Norte on Wednesday, December 25. The victim was a community leader active in domestic peace and security initiatives.

Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters on Thursday, December 26, that the merchant Marissa Barrozo died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds.

She was standing at the entrance to her adjoining roadside stores, selling various commercial products, canned goods, rice and bottled water, in Sitio Semba in Barangay Tamontaka in Datu Odin Sinsuat when a man armed with a pistol approached her and opened fire, killing her on the spot.

Barrozo’s assailant and a companion, who acted as a lookout, had managed to escape before responding volunteer community watchmen and barangay officials could reach the crime scene.

Barrozo, a community leader who strongly supported the public service initiatives of the Tamontaka barangay government, was also known for gifting food to her Muslim neighbors and customers during the annual month-long Ramadan fasting season.

Officials of the Datu Odin Sinsuat Municipal Police Station and local executives are cooperating in identifying her killer for prosecution.

Macapaz said Barangay Tamontaka officials and relatives of Barrozo are uncertain yet if the atrocity that resulted in her death was related to her voluntary work as a community leader, or to her business.


https://mb.com.ph/2024/12/31/vegetable-vendor-shot-dead-in-laguna

A 32-year-old vegetable vendor was gunned down by his neighbor during an altercation in Barangay Laguerta, this city, on Monday morning, Dec. 30.

Police identified the victim as Bernie.

Investigation said the suspect, Guillermo, arrived onboard a motorcycle and confronted the victim.

A heated altercation erupted and the suspect shot the victim. Bernie died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds.

The suspect fled towards Barangay Palo Alto, this city, onboard his motorcycle. 

Police are pursuing the suspect.

Saturday, January 11, 2025

The God Culture: 100 Lies About the Philippines: Lie #32: The Philippines is Japan

Welcome back to 100 lies the God Culture teaches about the Philippines. Today's lie concerns Timothy Jay Schwab's claim that the Philippines is Japan. Specifically he claims the island known as Zipangu is the Philippines. Tim's proof for this claim comes from Marco Polo's description of Zipangu.



Tim has a lot of proofs for this claim but we shall listen to only one of them because it his most important. He calls it the "nail in the coffin."


35:38 Now we progress to the nail in the coffin for Japan, not just this criteria but the next coming because this is just like, ERRRR, that's it. This one's about geography. Oh yeah, this account actually has geography. Academics and Scholars ignore it but it's there and you can't ignore it. Yes, it is always provided the direction of Kubla Khan's Journey to Zipangu into the South China Sea. Oops. Japan's not there.

"You must know that the gulf containing this island is called that of Zin" or Sin or Sina. Oh, wait a minute that's a reference to China but specifically to South China. Oh. Oops! Now, what is its sea, well it's called the South China Sea also referred to as Sin or Zin uh even on some maps. The South China Sea. Now, we don't have to guess though because this is really simple to test. Meaning in their language the sea opposite to Manji. Oops. Wait. Manji is what? Manji is South China and this is specifically the South China Sea. "According to skillful and intelligent mariners who have made the voyage it contains," BOOM, this is huge, "7,448 isles mostly inhabited." Now, oops, that's only half of Japan. That's pretty bad. Uh, and yet the Philippines has about that number of islands even to this day.

The problem for Tim is that the section mentioning 7,448 islands is not about Zipangu. Just before proceeding to describe this area Marco Polo says he is done with describing Zipangu and is moving on to something completely different. 

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.48005/page/n285/mode/2up

But I must tell you one thing still concerning that Island (and ’tis the same with the other Indian Islands), that if the natives take prisoner an enemy who cannot pay a ransom, he who hath the prisoner summons all his friends and relations, and they put the prisoner to death, and then they cook him and eat him, and they say there is no meat in the world so good!—But now we will have done with that Island and speak of something else. 

You must know the Sea in which lie the Islands of those parts is called the Sea of Chin, which is as much as to say “The Sea over against Manzi.”

The edition of Marco Polo Tim is using omits that sentence about speaking of something else so it will simply not do to use this translation against him. Another edition from 1880 also omits that sentence. 

https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283939/page/n381/mode/2up

It is to be understood that the sea in which the island of Zipangu is situated is called the Sea of Chin and so extensive is this eastern sea, that according to the report of experienced pilots and mariners who frequent it, and to whom the truth must be known, it contains no fewer than seven thousand four hundred and forty islands, mostly inhabited.

A note on this passage says:

The limits of the China Sea, not being accurately defined, it is impossible to verify this pretended enumeration of its islands, which is evidently meant to include the Moluccas or those from whence the spices are chiefly procured.

The Sea being described by Marco Polo is the entire ocean east of China. It is not specifically the South China Sea. 

Looking at the edition of Marco Polo Tim uses we read the following: 


pgs. 275-276

You must know, that the gulf containing this island is called that of Zin, meaning in their language the sea opposite to Manji. According to skilfull and intelligent mariners, who have made the voyage, it contains 7,448 isles, mostly inhabited.

Even without looking at other translations it is clear that the one used by Tim does not say Zipangu is composed of 7,448 islands. What it says is Zipangu is in the Sea of China and the Sea of China is so immense it contains 7,448 islands.

The mention of 7,448 islands has nothing to do with Zipangu. At this point in the Travels he has finished talking about Zipangu and is discussing the expansiveness of the Sea of China and the numerous islands it contains. 

This is not the nail in the coffin Tim thinks it is. It is however the nail in the coffin for Tim's claims the Philippines is Zipangu. If he had been paying attention to what this section actually says he would not have wasted time doing a resource test.



Instead he would have realized Marco Polo had moved on and was no longer talking about Zipangu. 

The claim the Philippines is Zipangu is simply one more lie being taught about the Philippines by Timothy Jay Schwab who is The God Culture. 

Friday, January 10, 2025

Retards in the Government 399

It's your weekly compendium of foolishness and corruption in the Philippine government.

 


https://www.philstar.com/nation/2025/01/04/2411840/2-barangay-execs-killed-mindanao-gun-attacks

A barangay chairman in Salibo, Maguindanao del Sur and a councilor in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur were killed in separate gun attacks on Friday, January 3.

The first to die in the two incidents is Kamran Abubakar, killed by gunmen right in their yard in Barangay Sambulawan in Salibo, Maguindanao del Sur.

Barangays in Salibo, a dangerous and politically-troubled town, where there is presence of remnants of the outlawed Dawlah Islamiya and Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters, are scenes of deadly gun attacks and clashes between armed groups in recent months.

Officials of the Maguindanao del Sur Provincial Police Office and Brig. Gen. Romeo Juan Macapaz, director of the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region, told reporters on Saturday, January 4, that Abubakar, chairman of Barangay Sambulawan, died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds.

Relatives of Abubakar had told reporters he had no known enemies and was not involved in any “rido,” or clan war, either.

His assailants managed to escape before responding policemen arrived at the crime scene.

The incident preceded the murder, late Friday, by pistol-wielding men of Michael Virallo in a dark and secluded area in Sitio Mangga in Barangay Upper Dumalinao in Dumalinao Zamboanga del Sur.

The slain Virallo, a member of the barangay council in Upper Dumalinao, died from 12 gunshot wounds in different parts of his body.

Officials of the Zamboanga del Sur Provincial Police Office and the Dumalinao Police Station told reporters that Virallo was walking alone in a dark area in Purok Mangga when he was approached and shot with pistols 12 times by his attackers, who immediately ran away, leaving him sprawled on the ground, lifeless.

A barangay chairman in Salibo, Maguindanao del Sur and a councilor in Dumalinao, Zamboanga del Sur were killed in separate gun attacks on Friday, January 3.

A 25-year-old man was allegedly gunned down by his father during a heated altercation in Barangay San Guillermo, San Nicolas, Ilocos Norte on Friday morning, Dec. 3. 
Police Capt. Randy Damo, San Nicolas chief of police, identified the victim as Jovanie Fer Cabbat. 
Investigation said that Jovanie saw his father, Fermin Cabbat Jr., 58, and a retired soldier, burning his mother’s belongings inside their house. Jovanie punched his father in the face to stop him. 
The suspect was irked and grabbed a firearm in his room and shot Jovanie. The victim sustained multiple bullet wounds and declared dead in a hospital.  
Police arrested Fermin and recovered five empty caliber 5.56 shells, two magazine assemblies for caliber 5.56, and two magazine assemblies for caliber 7.62 in the scene.  
Damo said they searching for the firearm. Fermin is facing appropriate cases.

A retired solider gunned down his son during an argument.

https://mb.com.ph/2025/1/4/retired-cop-gunned-down-in-cotabato

A retired police officer was shot dead in Barangay Simbo, Tupi town, South Cotabato province on Friday afternoon, Jan. 3. 

Police identified the victim as Teodorico Bastan, 79, of Barangay Datal Bob, T’boli town, South Cotabato. 

Investigation said Bastan, chief of barangay tanods of Barangay Simbo, was driving a motorcycle with his wife as back rider on their way home when two unidentified men on another motorcycle appeared and fired at them. 

Bastan sustained bullet wounds in the body and died on the spot. His wife was unhurt. The suspects fled. 

Three empty .45 caliber pistol shells were recovered in the area. 

Police said motive of the killing could be Bastan’s work as head of tanods. Follow-up investigation is under way.

A retired police officer who is chief of Barangay tanods has been assassinated. 

https://mb.com.ph/2025/1/5/bu-cor-relieves-preventively-suspends-4-corrections-officers-after-stabbing-incident-at-bilibid

Four corrections officers have been relieved and preventively suspended after the stabbing incident inside the New Bilibid Prison (NBP) in Muntinlupa City where one person deprived of liberty (PDL) died and two other prisoners wounded.

The Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) identified them as C/Insp. Louie Rodelas, acting commander of the guards; Corrections Officers 1 (CO1) Christian Alonzo and Joshua Mondres, both keepers of Building 8; and CO1 Glicerio Cinco Jr., officer of Gate 1 A.

“Our personnel should be alert and vigilant to enhance the safety protocols that govern the custody and management of inmates anytime of the day,” said BuCor Director General Gregorio Pio P. Catapang Jr.

The stabbing incident happened at 7 a.m. last Jan. 2 at Gate 1A of Quadrant 4 of the Bilibid’s Maximum Security Compound.

“This situation indicates a lapse in our operations, resulting in the death of PDL Ricardo Peralta and the wounding of PDLs Reginal Lacuerta and  Bert Cupada,” Catapang said. 

“It is essential that we hold individuals accountable for these failures," he pointed out. 

The BuCor had asked the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Philippine National Police (PNP) to conduct parallel investigations over the incident.

At the same time, Catapang said he had also asked the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) to conduct its own parallel investigation.

The investigations, he said, would establish the facts, promote transparency and determine accountability.

Four corrections officers have been relieved and preventively suspended after the stabbing incident inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City where one person deprived of liberty died and two other prisoners wounded.

Another barangay councilor in Zamboanga del Sur was killed in an ambush on Saturday afternoon, January 4, the second in the province in just two days.

Brig. Gen. Bowenn Joey Masauding, director of the Police Regional Office-9, told reporters on Sunday, January 5, that Joemar Requilme, a member of the barangay council in Lantawan in San Miguel town in Zamboanga del Sur, died on the spot from multiple bullet wounds.

A report from the San Miguel Police Station stated that Requilme was riding his motorcycle on his way to somewhere when he was attacked by men armed with pistols at a secluded stretch of a highway in Barangay Poblacion in San Miguel.

Officials of the municipal police and local executives told reporters the gunmen who ambushed Requilme immediately escaped using a getaway motorcycle.

Another barangay councilor in Zamboanga del Sur was killed in an ambush.

The former policeman who was part of a group behind the P3.1-million robbery on Jan. 5 in Pilar town, Capiz province has been identified. 

Police Col. Albert Tapulao, chief of the Capiz Police Provincial Office (CPPO), said the suspect Lyman John Ochenta from Iloilo province was one of the three suspects wearing police athletic uniforms when they and three companions  robbed collectors of a prominent bottling company.

The Iloilo Provincial Police Office (IPPO) said Ochenta was dismissed by the Philippine National Police (PNP) in September 2017 for the administrative case of grave irregularity in the performance of duty while assigned to the Sara Municipal Police Station in Iloilo.

Ochenta was allegedly involved in major crimes, including a P1-million robbery in Sara town, Iloilo.

He was also allegedly behind a robbery and homicide in Sicogon Island, a resort island in the northern Iloilo town of Carles in September 2022. He has warrants of arrests for these two crimes prior to the robbery in Pilar. 

The former policeman who was part of a group behind the P3.1-million robbery on Jan. 5 in Pilar town, Capiz province has been identified.

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2022577/south-cotabato-provl-board-suspends-2-mayors

The South Cotabato provincial board suspended two reelectionist mayors for abuse of authority and violation of the Constitution stemming from cases earlier filed against them by a Small Town Lottery (STL) operator and a constituent.

Banga Mayor Evangeline Palencia and Tboli Mayor Keo Dale Tuan were ordered suspended for 120 days and 180 days, respectively, in a resolution issued by the provincial board on Monday. Their suspension took effect on Tuesday.

Palencia’s suspension stemmed from a complaint filed by STL operator JY Archers against her and members of the municipal council last year after the council passed a resolution suspending all STL operations in the town.

JY Archers, in its complaint, said the local lottery was under the control and supervision of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office, a government-owned and controlled corporation under the Office of the President, hence, can not be closed down by local authorities.

Palencia said she would seek a temporary restraining order from the Court of Appeals or from the Office of the President.

Meanwhile, Tuan was suspended for 180 days for granting tax incentives to the family-owned Crown Jewel Hotel in his town.

Evelyn Montil Gregorio, a resident of Tboli who filed the complaint as a taxpayer, claimed that local officials bypassed procedures in the granting of tax incentives.

Albert Palencia, municipal administrator and the mayor’s husband, described the provincial board’s action as “politically motivated.”

But South Cotabato Vice Gov. Arthur Pingoy Jr., the board’s presiding officer, said they processed the complaints against Tuan and Palencia with impartiality and objectivity

The South Cotabato provincial board suspended two reelectionist mayors for abuse of authority and violation of the Constitution stemming from cases earlier filed against them by a Small Town Lottery operator and a constituent.

Four National Bureau of Investigation employees were arrested for allegedly conniving with seven fixers at the NBI clearance center on Monday.

According to NBI Director Jaime Santiago, the operation targeted people accused of facilitating the expedited processing of NBI clearance certificates in exchange for bribes of P800 to P2,000.

The operation was conducted by the NBI Cybercrime Division and Special Task Force.

The NBI employees, who are assigned at the bureau’s Information and Communications Technology Division, are facing charges of graft and direct bribery.

They were also charged for violating the Cybercrime Prevention Act.

Four National Bureau of Investigation employees were arrested for allegedly conniving with seven fixers at the NBI clearance center.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

Coronavirus Lockdown: Firecracker Injury Rise, Passenger Volume Up, and More!

More news about how the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines is being handled by the public and the government.

Reports of another Chinese pandemic have been making the rounds lately. The DOH says that information is false. 

https://mindanaotimes.com.ph/reports-of-another-covid-like-outbreak-false-doh/

THE DEPARTMENT of Health (DOH)  debunked reports of an “international health concern,” stating that the World Health Organization (WHO) has not confirmed such an epidemic.

According to Dr. Albert Domingo, the OIC assistant secretary and spokesperson of the DOH, said the Philippines is an active participant in the network of WHO Member States that follow the International Health Regulations (IHR). 

The established system provides reliable updates about international health concerns. Philippine disease surveillance systems are in place and working. 

“The DOH is actively verifying all information and will keep the public updated. Please do not share questionable websites or online sources. Let us not spread misinformation and confusion,” he said. 

But who really knows? China is not very good at sharing information. 

Firecracker injuries have been on the rise since the end of the pandemic. 

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2020215/firecracker-injury-rise-shows-lessons-never-learned

While most Filipinos end the celebration of New Year’s Day with bliss, some don’t, especially those who end up in hospitals with second or third degree burns, blown off limbs, or severed fingers.

The use of firecrackers, especially at 12 a.m. on the first day of the year, is believed to ward off misfortunes, but again and again, they can be dangerous, with risks that can be serious or even downright deadly.

The Department of Health (DOH) saw a downtrend in cases of firecracker-related injuries a few years ago, with only 122 cases from Dec. 21, 2020 to Jan. 2, 2021, but as COVID-19 restrictions eased, cases are swelling again.

Based on data from the DOH, cases of firecracker-related injuries grew to 188 on Dec. 21, 2021 to Jan. 5, 2022; 291 on Dec. 21, 2022 to Jan. 5, 2023; and 307 on Dec. 21, 2023 to Jan. 5, 2024.

This year, 163 cases have already been reported from Dec. 22 to Dec. 30.

As pointed out by the American Society for Surgery of the Hand, the devastation that firecrackers can cause is serious and alarming as it can lead to burns, which may result in excessive scarring.

Cases related to the use of firecrackers can lead to loss of a finger as well as amputation of the hand or legs, and surgery. The smoke from firecrackers can also be dangerous to the lungs.

You could say the past few years have seen an explosion in injuries. 

A pandemic era project is now being expanded to the Western Visayas. 


https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/2025/01/06/2412190/western-visayas-benefit-das-copra-meal-project

Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. has ordered the expansion of the Protein-Enriched Copra Meal (PECM) commercialization project to Central Visayas’ neighboring region, Western Visayas, to boost local livestock production.

The PECM project was initially rolled out in CALABARZON (Regions IV-A) and SOCCSKSARGEN (Region XI) in 2022 as a response to supply disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.

The DA noted that the Russia-Ukraine conflict continues to disrupt global feed ingredient supply chains, keeping prices for essential commodities like soybean meal, feed wheat, and corn high.

Russia and Ukraine together account for about 30 percent of global feed grain supply, further exacerbating the pressure on feed prices.

According to the DA, the project is designed to mitigate the rising costs of animal feed as this uses copra meal—a by-product of coconut farming—as an affordable substitute for imported soybean meal, which has become increasingly expensive due to global supply chain issues.

PECM was engineered through a solid-state fermentation process, developed by the University of the Philippines-Los Baños’ Biotech Center, which enhances copra meal’s protein content to about 45 percent—comparable to soybean meal.

The enriched copra meal has been successfully incorporated into the diets of finfish and shrimp, with feeding trials showing that including 200 kilos of PECM per ton of finfish feed and 100 kilos per ton of shrimp feed leads to a 3.9 percent and 0.4 percent reduction in feed costs, respectively, compared to conventional commercial feeds.

With this, Laurel then ordered the expansion of the project to Western Visayas.

Copra mean is animal feed made from dried coconut. 

The Philippine Ports Authority is expecting passenger numbers to exceed pre-pandemic numbers this year. 

Busy local sea terminals saw growth in volume of travelers during the holidays and even early this month as passengers returned from vacations, according to the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA).

The ports regulator, in a statement on Monday, reported that passenger volume from Dec. 15 to Jan. 5 rose by about 7 percent to 4.67 million from 4.37 million in the same period in 2023.

This surpassed the initial estimate of 4.59 million passengers.

Most of the passenger movement was recorded in Batangas, with over 601,000 travelers.

This was followed by Bohol and Siquijor with 482,694 passengers and 433,282 passengers. Rounding up the top five are Davao with 442,929 passengers and Bicol with 312,530 passengers.

This year, the ports regulator projected passenger volume at sea terminals to exceed 85.4 million.

Achieving this projection will surpass traffic in 2019, or before the pandemic when mobility was curtailed. Back then, passenger volume reached 83.72 million.

Another statistic that life is back to normal. For now. 

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

New Year's Garbage

The New Year brought with it a whole lot of garbage. In Cagayan de Oro there were piles of uncollected garbage left at the public markets. 


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1240854

Waste management in this city is the top priority after the New Year celebration, following reports of piles of uncollected trash in public markets.

In a radio interview on Wednesday, Allan Villalba, chief of the City Public Service Office, said the local government's third-party contractor for garbage collection has deployed workers in major public markets and streets to immediately collect the piles of garbage on the first morning of 2025.

"There's more garbage this year because more vendors were selling in the sidewalks than before," he said.

Villalba said two city government departments are already working to speed up garbage collection and street cleaning.

In major public markets, garbage has started accumulating on the sidewalks several hours before the New Year celebration.

Garbage collection in the city is observing a scheduled rotation of trucks by the third-party contractor under the management of Tencil company.

More sidewalk vendors means more people able to sell their products and make a living. It also means more garbage. 


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1240915

More than 75,000 kg. of waste were collected in this city a day after the New Year celebration.

In a radio interview on Thursday, Jermie Danuco, operations manager of Tencil, a third-party waste collector firm, said the estimated weight of collection came from five public markets in the city but the volume was lower this year than last year.

"Based on the previous action plan, the volume this year was lessened because as early as Dec. 24 (2024), we deployed trucks to collect the garbage in public markets," she said.

The city government awarded Tencil, a private company, to collect and manage waste disposals.

The City Economic Enterprises Department and the City Engineering Office have also been responding to keep the city streets free of garbage.

In another interview, Armen Cuenca, chief of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office, suggested limiting the number of vendors selling on the sidewalks to reduce garbage piling during the holiday season.

He said the vendors had been reminded earlier about the importance of waste segregation and keeping it tidy and ready for collection. However, despite these warnings, some still chose not to follow the rules.

75,000 kg of trash were collected mostly from the city's five public markets. The amount of garbage appears to be due to the number of sidewalk vendors which is why chief of the City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office has "suggested limiting the number of vendors selling on the sidewalks to reduce garbage piling during the holiday season." How did they not see this coming?

While the amount of garbage collected in CDO was lower than last year the amount of holiday waste in Iloilo City surged by 20%.

 

https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1240909

The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) reported a 10 percent to 20 percent increase in garbage volume during the holiday season, driven largely by unsold fruits and packaging materials.

CENRO head Neil Ravena said most of the waste were rotten or overripe fruits, particularly those used for the traditional New Year displays, such as the 13 round fruits.

“On the other hand, we collected lesser firecracker debris this year. Maybe it was due to the campaign of the Department of Health and the Philippine National Police against the use of firecrackers,” Ravena said in an interview Thursday.

During the peak holiday period from Dec. 24 to Jan. 1, waste collection reached 480 tons daily, up from the usual 400 tons.

About 60 percent of the waste comprised biodegradables, 20 percent were packaging materials such as cartons and styrofoam, and 10 percent were firecracker remnants.

To manage the increase, the city deployed three additional garbage trucks alongside those of a private contractor, focusing on high-traffic areas, such as the terminal market, JM Basa, Iznart, and Delgado streets. By the morning of Jan. 1, major thoroughfares were clean.

Ravena urged residents to dispose of garbage responsibly at designated points and reduce reliance on plastic trays and styrofoam to minimize landfill waste.

The 13 round fruits made up the bulk of the trash. What are the 13 round fruits? 

Eating round fruits on New Year’s Eve is a beloved tradition in many cultures, believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year. The round shape of these fruits symbolizes unity, completeness, and the cyclical nature of time. In many Spanish-speaking countries, it’s customary to eat 12 round fruits at midnight, one for each stroke of the clock as it strikes midnight. This practice is thought to bring good luck and prosperity in the new year.

In the Philippines, the tradition of eating 12 round fruits is a cherished family custom passed down through generations. The fruits typically include apples, grapes, oranges, watermelon, pomelo, pineapple, pears, golden melon, guava, kiwi, rambutan, chico, and lemons. The round shape of these fruits is believed to symbolize unity and completeness, and eating them is thought to bring good fortune and blessings to the family.

The sweetness of the fruits is also believed to attract positive energy and remove negative energy from the previous year. In some cultures, it’s customary to eat sweet fruits like grapes and pineapple to invite good luck. This tradition is often combined with other auspicious foods to create a bountiful and prosperous New Year’s celebration.

https://blog.atlastravelweb.com/special-interests/festivals-2/lucky-fruits-for-new-years/

Is it 12 or 13? Doesn't matter. Eating these fruits are supposed to be for good luck. Yet the bulk of the garbage was rotten lucky fruit. Go figure. 

In Manila the holiday trash piled up real quick because the contracted garbage collector decided to stop collecting garbage. 


https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1241044

The city government of Manila vowed on Saturday to hold its former garbage collector accountable for failing to perform its duties during the holiday season.

Mayor Honey Lacuna, in a statement, slammed Leonel Waste Management Corporation for abandoning garbage collection responsibilities amidst a 400-percent surge in waste volume during Christmas and New Year celebrations.

“Rest assured, I will not let this sabotage pass and those responsible will be held accountable,” Lacuna said.

She said two firms, MetroWaste and PhilEco Systems Corporation, are currently trying to clear Manila’s streets of garbage 24/7.

The mayor assured residents that those responsible for the lapse would face accountability.

"We will address the negligence of the previous garbage collector. Now, we have two contractors, MetroWaste and PhilEco, ensuring that the city is cleaned efficiently," she added.

Lacuna also encouraged residents to report uncollected garbage to the city’s Department of Public Services and Task Force Against Road Obstruction.

Lacuna said PhilEco Systems Corporation and MetroWaste have expedited the collection of garbage that piled up after the revelries as she assured the city government’s continued commitment to ensuring efficient garbage collection across all districts.

Leonel Waste Management Corporation says they did not abandon their duties. Rather, they claim the City of Manila owes them 561,440,000 pesos and they gave a notice in September 2024 they would not be doing trash duty after December 31st

https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2021925/manila-ex-waste-contractor-denies-abandoning-duty-cites-payment-issues

The previous waste management contractor in the City of Manila has disputed allegations that it abandoned its duty to collect trash, maintaining that it informed the local government that it would no longer serve the city once the contract ended on December 31.

In a statement on Monday, Leonel Waste Management Corporation (Leonel) clarified that they met with Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna in September 2024 to tell her that they will not participate in the new contract bidding for the city’s trash collector, as the local government has failed to pay them for months.

“We are deeply concerned that news is circulating that we abandoned our duty with the City of Manila before our contract ended on December 31, 2024. We strongly refute this accusation, which grossly undermines the hard work and efforts of all our garbage collectors, who we thank deeply for their outstanding service,” Leonel said.

“Last September 2024, we met with Mayor Lacuna informing her that we will not participate in the 2025 bidding because of the City’s mounting unpaid obligations to Leonel, in order to give the City enough time to prepare and ensure a smooth transition to the new service provider,” it added.

According to the company, it instructed employees to continue working during the holiday season until the end of the contract period on December 31, even though Manila’s unpaid obligations had risen to P561.4 million.

“In fact, last December 23, 2024, when we announced to our employees that our contract of service is ending on December 31, 2024, we mandated them to continue doing our usual services until the end of our contract, especially in anticipation of the usual surge of garbage brought about by the holiday season,” Leonel said.

“Our company, Leonel, has always put our clients first and has never, nor will ever, abandon our duty of garbage collection. We have faithfully served our contract until December 31, 2024, despite the City of Manila’s total debt to our company amounting to PhP561,440,000,” it added.

Manila Mayor Honey Lacuna denies such a massive debt is owed. Either way these are just a highlights of the Holiday Waste problem which troubles the Philippines every year.