US Peace Corps volunteers return

ON January 30 American volunteers arrived in the country to resume the United States Peace Corps’ work in the sectors of education, youth development, and coastal resource management to benefit communities in Luzon and the Visayas. The 37 newly arrived volunteers are the 279th US Peace Corps batch to serve in the Philippines since 1961. At the invitation of the Philippine government, they will fulfill a set of roles requested by host-communities for the coming 27 months. These include joint teaching of English in public elementary and secondary schools, serving as youth-development facilitators in Department of Social Wel- fare and Development-accredited organizations and residential shelters, while aiding local governments in establishing marine protected areas and implementing coastal resourcemanagement plans.

Starting this they will be deployed to their permanent sites in Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Zambales, La Union, Laguna, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Camarines Sur, Bohol, Cebu, Capiz and Negros Oriental. They will undertake two months of language, technical and cultural training prior to deployment.

Additional volunteers will arrive in the Philippines in May, August and September, as the US Peace Corps ramps up its operations anew this year.

“We are thrilled to welcome the first group of American Peace Corps volunteers to the Philippines since the start of the pandemic,” US Peace Corps country director Jenner Edelman said. “We are ready to meet this historic moment with our community partners and staff.”

The US Peace Corps suspended its global operations and repatriated American volunteers from more than 60 countries, including those from the Philippines, in March 2020 due to the onset of the Covid-19 health crisis. Despite their absence, US Peace Corps staff continued to work closely with the Philippine government and other local partners to vaccinate over 27,000 Filipinos against the coronavirus, support nationwide distance learning, prepare schools for safe resumption of face-to-face classes, introduce alternative income-generating activities to communities recovering from the pandemic, and strengthen community-level volunteerism.

For decades the US Peace Corps has engaged in critical global health-care work, and the pandemic was no exception. According to the US Embassy in Manila, volunteers will continue to work with community members to make progress against the biggest development hurdle the world has faced in more than a century.

UNDP enhances DICT’s emergency responsiveness with new equipment

THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Phils. held a ceremonial handover activity of disaster responsecommunications equipment on January 26 at the University of the Philippines-Diliman’s College of Science Amphitheater.

Under the “Immediate Response, Recovery, and Resilience Initiatives in Typhoon Odette Affected Areas” project of UNDP, the transfer aims to ensure the assets’ continued use for DICT’s disaster and emergency response by strengthening its coordination and communications capacity.

In the event Dr. Selva Ramachandran who is UNDP Phils.’ resident representative, together with Undersecretary Manuel Anthony S. Tan and Assistant Secretary Wilroy V. Ticzon of the DICT, signed the Deed of Transfer of all disaster-response equipment and assets to the agency, as four remaining emergencyresponse vehicles were also handed over to the agency. They will be instrumental in addressing the needs of the affected areas in the aftermath of Typhoon “Odette” (international name Rai), where coordination and communica- tions were severely disrupted.

“The Philippines is vulnerable to the effects of climate change and natural disasters. How do we lessen the burden on our people? The government is proactively working hand-in-hand to provide better disaster preparedness, speedy emergency response, and faster recovery time,” said Tan.

Dr. Ramachandran pointed out in his message that UNDP will remain committed to assisting national and local governments in building resilient communities, and in strengthening their adaptive capacity to climate-related natural hazards: “I… would like to commend the [DICT’s proactive stand…that played a key role during ‘Odette’s onslaught],’ and we hope…this joint endeavor will help in coping with future disasters.”

Ticzon also reaffirmed the DICT’s vow to disaster response and improving equal access to emergencies: “[We have a collaborative engagement with UNDP in carrying out disaster response and recovery work toward community resilience, with a goal of improving equal access to sustainable basic service through the provision of various emergency-response equipment. They will enable us to seek recovery, while planning the restoration of bypass services,] infrastructures and other measures in resiliencebuilding.”

In 2022 UNDP delivered the first set of assets and equipment to DICT, including six pick-up trucks, 20 units of mobile radio-communication systems, 40 units of very small aperture terminals or VSATs, 50 units of gen- erator sets, 30 units of rugged tablets, 40 units of satellite phones, and one base transceiver station.

In coordination with DICT’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Division, the items have been distributed among the department’s regional and provincial offices, as well as six severely affected local government units to provide rapid response in terms of emergency telecommunications.

The project aligns with a component of the DICT-UNDP’s “Connectivity, Capability and Resiliency through Free Wi-Fi for All” project, which seeks to improve disaster preparedness and response for emergency connectivity and communications. More disaster communications equipment will be deployed under it, such as generator sets, satellite phones, and base transceiver stations.

Pursuant to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council Memorandum Circular 1, series of 2019, the DICT is designated as the lead agency for the Emergency Telecommunications Cluster, and is mandated to strengthen the ICT capacities at the national cluster level down to local levels to prepare for, respond to, and recover from the impacts of disasters.

FOR Representative Michael Peiyung Hsu of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (Teco), the Year of the Rabbit bodes good fortune for Taiwan’s tourism sector.

T his was well manifested during last week’s 30th Traveltour Expo of the Philippine Travel Agencies Association or PTAA, where the islandstate brandished its beautiful attractions with an imposing exhibit at the SMX Convention Center.

A ccording to Hsu, Taiwan is targeting to welcome some 300,000 Filipinos this year, on the strength of its visa-free travel privilege until July 31. He is optimistic that the concession would be extended beyond the said date.

T he Teco representative, however, articulated his hopes that the Philippine government will reciprocate the same travel benefit to Taiwanese tourists, whom he estimated would only total to about 200,000 by yearend.

T he official bared that there are already “78 flights per week” operating between the Philippines and Taiwan, which exhibits and heightens the enthusiasm of both peoples in discovering each other’s attractions.

For further appreciation of its republic’s alluring destinations, the Taiwan Tourism Bureau is currently embarking on a 16-country tour this year, holding 20 workshops in the process. The Philippines was its first stop, where it rolled-out an array of Taiwan’s outstanding cultural and travel products.

Since Taiwan’s border reopened on October 13, 2022 the number of Filipino visitors to Taiwan has grown rapidly to 29,831. Total number of arrivals in 2022 reached about 65,000, according to Teco.

T he Taiwan Tourism Bureau also held two tourism workshops on February 3 at the Conrad Manila Hotel in Manila and February 7 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu to forge closer bilateral cooperation for operators of both sides through travel marts and product briefings, so that Filipinos can find out more about the exciting facets of Taiwan. As shared by Teco, Taiwan has tremendous resources for its tourism sector. In a recent report, CNN Travel listed Kenting Basha Bay, Wanlitong Beach and Longpan Park as some of its most underrated tourist hotspots. Rizza T. Danila

Logo-making contest launched to showcase PHL-Morocco links

THE Philippine embassy in the Kingdom of Morocco unveiled a logo-making contest to increase the locals’ awareness about the two countries’ bilateral relations, which is set to reach its golden anniversary in 2025.

In an interview, Ambassador Leslie Baja said the diplomatic relations started on April 10, 1975. However, the Philippine embassy in Rabat was shut down 27 years ago due to budgetary concerns.

“The embassy reopened only in 2020…So, in this sense, [for] the last two years, we had a lot of catching up to do,” Baja said.

Nonetheless, the Philippines signed a number of agreements with the North African country, the first of which happened in 2004.

“It is the Joint Commission on Bilateral Cooperation. We hope to have that…hopefully running this year,” the Filipino envoy shared. “This is a high-level commission chaired by the foreign ministers of the [two countries].”

The country, he added, was able to sign more pacts with Morocco during former secretary of foreign affairs Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s visit last year.

They include an air-service agreement; those on the hosting of political consultations; memorandum of understanding between the Foreign Service Institute and the Moroccan Academy for Diplomatic Studies; as well as the agreement between the Moroccan Press Agency and the Philippine News Agency.

The contest is the first activity that the Philippine embassy is jointly organizing with its Moroccan counterpart to move forward toward the celebration of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

“[This…competition…is open to all residents of Morocco and the Philippines…,” Baja said. “Deadline of submission is on the 30th of June of this year.”

He noted the winning entry or chosen logo will be used for both embassies’ year-long anniversary celebration beginning April 10, 2024 up to April 10, 2025.

“Some of the mechanics that we have identified, is that the logo must be emblematic of what the Philippines and Morocco have, and reflective of their relations for the last 50 years,” the Filipino envoy said. “We look forward to some creative submissions.”

Both embassies are giving a P50,000 cash prize, or its equivalent in Moroccan dirhams, to the winner. Ma. Teresa Montemayor/PNA