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WORLD NEWS BY ASSOCIATED PRESS
INDONESIA’S ANAK KRAKATAU VOLCANO SHOOTS ASH, LAVA
Army spokesman Col. Azem Bermandoa said on Apr. 9 that 52 soldiers also were killed and 196 others wounded during the eight days of fighting. The operation cleared the extremists from the islands in a vast area between Chad, Nigeria, Niger and Cameroon, he said. The operation came after Boko Haram last month killed more than 92 Chadian soldiers in the deadliest attack on the nation’s forces. Boko Haram extremists have killed tens of thousands and forced millions from their homes during their more than decade-long insurgency.
FIRE, RIOTING BREAK OUT AT SIBERIA PRISON
M This Apr. 10 file photo shows the volcano, Anak Krakatau, seen from the coast of West Java, Indonesia. Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau in Lampung erupted on Apr. 10. Indonesia’s volcanology agency said the eruption is spewing the column of ash up to 500 meters high. (AP PHOTO/SUZANNE PLUNKETT)
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AKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesia’s Anak Krakatau volcano spewed a column of ash 500 meters (1,640 feet) into the sky in the longest eruption since the explosive collapse of the island caused a deadly tsunami in 2018, scientists said on Apr. 11. Closed-circuit TV from Indonesia’s Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation showed lava flares Friday night. The agency said that the volcano was continuously erupting until Saturday morning. A level 2 alert status remained in place, the second-highest on a scale of four. There were no casualties reported. The 2018 eruption caused a tsunami along the coasts of Sumatra and Java, killing 430 people. Anak Krakatau, which means Child of Kratakau, is the offspring of the famous Krakatau volcano, whose monumental eruption in 1883 triggered a period of global cooling.
CHAD SAYS 1,000 BOKO HARAM KILLED DURING WEEK OF FIGHTING
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’DJAMENA, Chad (AP) — Chad says its soldiers have killed some 1,000 jihadists in an operation on the islands of Lake Chad that targeted Boko Haram fighters.
OSCOW (AP) — Russian officials said a large fire was blazing at a prison in Siberia on Apr. 10 where inmates and guards have clashed. There was no official information about casualties or damage at the prison in Angarsk, 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) east of Moscow. But Pavel Glushenko, a local human rights activist, said on social media that “fullscale hostilities” were taking place at the maximum-security prison. Details were unclear about what set off the clashes, with reports either that prisoners attacked guards or that a guard beat a prisoner. State news agency RIA-Novosti cited a local official as saying the fire covered about 30,000 square meters (300,000 square feet) but had been localized. The prison holds about 1,200 inmates.
In this image taken from video provided by Instagram account @incident.38, a fire is blazing at a prison colony where inmates and guards have clashed in Angarsk, 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) east of Moscow on Apr. 10. Russian officials say a large fire is blazing at a prison in Siberia where inmates and guards have clashed. There was no official information about casualties or damage, but Pavel Glushenko, a local human rights activist, said on social media that “full-scale hostilities” were taking place at the maximum-security prison. (@INCIDENT.38 VIA AP)
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AP FEATURE
New, larger wave of locusts threatens millions in Africa BY RODNEY MUHUMUZA Associated Press
A swarm of desert locusts flies in Kipsing, near Oldonyiro, in Isiolo county, Kenya. Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years. And now, the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. (SVEN TORFINN/FAO VIA AP)
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AMPALA, Uganda (AP) — Weeks before the coronavirus spread through much of the world, parts of Africa were already threatened by another kind of plague, the biggest locust outbreak some countries had seen in 70 years. April 13, 2020
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Now the second wave of the voracious insects, some 20 times the size of the first, is arriving. Billions of the young desert locusts are winging in from breeding grounds in Somalia in search of fresh vegetation springing up with seasonal rains. Millions of already vulnerable people are at risk. And as they gather to try to combat the locusts, often in vain, they risk spreading the virus—a topic that comes a distant second for many in rural areas. It is the locusts that “everyone is talking about,” said Yoweri Aboket, a farmer in Uganda. “Once they land in your garden they do total destruction. Some people will even tell you that the locusts are more destructive than the coronavirus. There are even some who don’t believe that the virus will reach here.”
Some farmers in Abokat’s village near the Kenyan border bang metal pans, whistle or throw stones to try to drive the locusts away. But mostly they watch in frustration, largely barred by a coronavirus lockdown from gathering outside their homes. A failed garden of cassava, a local staple, means hunger. Such worries in the village of some 600 people are reflected across a large part of East Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia and South Sudan. The locust swarms also have been sighted in Djibouti, Eritrea, Tanzania and Congo. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has called the locust outbreak, caused in part by climate change, “an unprecedented threat” to food security and livelihoods. Its officials have called this new wave some 20 times the size of the first. “The current situation in East Africa remains extremely alarming as ... an increasing number of new swarms are forming in Kenya, southernEthiopia and Somalia,” a new FAO assessment said. Favorable breeding conditions through May mean there likely will be another new round of swarms in late June and July, coinciding with the start of the harvest season, the agency said. The U.N. has raised its aid appeal from $76 million to $153 million, saying immediate action is needed before more rainfall fuels further growth in locust numbers. So far the FAO has collected $111 million in cash or pledges. The locusts are “invading the Eastern Africa region in exceptionally large swarms like never seen before,” the Nairobi-based Climate Prediction and Application Center said. The new swarms include “young adults,” voracious bugs “that eat more than the adult ones,” said Kenneth Mwangi, a satellite information analyst at the center. Mwangi and other officials in Kenya cited difficulties in fighting the infestation as coronavirus-related travel restrictions slow crossborder travel and delay the delivery of pesticides. The verification work of field officers has been curtailed, making it harder for the center to update regional prediction models, Mwangi said. In rural Laikipia county, among the worst affected in Kenya, some are calling attention to the threat to commercial farms. “I think, unfortunately, because of other things going on around the world, people are forgetting about the problem with the locusts. But it’s a very, very real problem,” farmer George Dodds told the FAO. Aerial spraying is the only effective way to control the locust outbreak. After the locusts
Some farmers in Abokat’s village near the Kenyan border bang metal pans, whistle or throw stones to try to drive the locusts away. But mostly they watch in frustration, largely barred by a coronavirus lockdown from gathering outside their homes. crossed into Uganda for the first time since the 1960s, soldiers resorted to using hand-held spray pumps because of difficulties in obtaining the needed aircraft. Uganda’s agriculture minister said authorities are unable to import enough pesticides from Japan, citing disruptions to international cargo shipments. The government is yet to meet an additional budget of over $4 million requested for locust control, the minister said. The sum is substantial in a country where the President has been fundraising from wealthy people to help respond to the virus and its economic disruption. Health workers are threatening to strike over lack of protective gear. Other countries face similar challenges. In Ethiopia, where some 6 million people live in areas affected by the locust outbreak, the infestation if unchecked “will cause large-scale crop, pasture and forest-cover loss, worsening food and feed insecurity,” the FAO says. Bands of immature locusts are forming in areas that include the country’s breadbasket, the Rift Valley region, it said. Ethiopia’s agriculture minister has said efforts are underway to deploy six helicopters against the infestation that could last until late August. But ministry spokesman Moges Hailu spoke of an ominous sign: The locust swarms are now appearing in locations where they had not been previously sighted. Elias Meseret in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia contributed.
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Pasig City
Kitchen warriors Pinoy of the Sea By Alma Anonas-Carpio PHOTOS BY CARINA DAYONDON
The container van that serves as the mobile kitchen inside the Rainforest and Rave Resort in Maybunga, Pasig City
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Text and photos by Bernard Testa
he deadly new coronavirus or COVID-19 has plunged the world into a battle mounted on face masks, face shields, gloves, and other personal protective equipment (PPE). April 13, 2020
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Volunteers placing rubber bands to packed meals
Essenntial city hall workers having lunch before their next assignment. The food came from the mobile kitchen
To date, no vaccine against COVID-19 has been discovered. Doctors, nurses, and other health frontliners struggle to save from death those afflicted with the virus. And in this battle, they need all the help they can get.
In Pasig City, close to 3,000 frontliners are being provided nutritious hot meals by Mobile Kitchen Volunteers (MKVs). Headquartered at the Rainforest and Rave Resort in Maybunga, Pasig City, the MKVs are headed by Malou
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Gonzales, executive assistant to Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto. According to Gonzales, the MKV main force are the cooks who answered the call to volunteer their services in feeding fontliners. MKV
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» Pasig City Kitchen Warriors
Volunteers measuring monggo in a plastic wrap before putting in a packed meal
Volunteers putting rice and viand in every meal for packing
Volunteers measuring menudo in plastic wrap
support groups include the vegetable cleaners, cutters, and food packers. “There are 120 volunteers, who work in shifts since we started this last March 18.” Gonzales said. “Our main objective is to feed the hospitals and checkpoints. During our first two days, we were able to cook for at least 2,000 people. So we expanded the recipients of food packs.”
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Expanding their original objective, the MKVs now also feed those in the barangay health centers and the super health centers. They also feed the essential personnel and the skeletal staff of Pasig City hall. With over two hundred kilos of food cooked every day, they now serve 3,000 packed meals for lunch and another 3,000 for dinner. And with the support of the Pasig Mega
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market, they have managed to cope with the demand. “We are coping through our public market, the Pasig Mega Market, nabibigyan naman tayo ng discount ng mga store owner doon [we are given discounts by storeowners there], like in the meat and vegetables. Nakakatulong din tayo sa palengke natin, na sustain natin (sila) na magkakaroon ng hanapbuhay [We also help our
Malou Gonzales (Center) executive assistant to Mayor Vico Sotto gives the lunch to her volunteers during lunchtime.
Volunteers readying the packed meals for distribution
Mega Market. We sustain their operations and provide livelihood]. It works both ways. The market committee makes sure that we get the ingredients in making hot meals,” Gonzales said. For logistics, Gonzales said that they utilize the government vehicles. Schools also lent to the city government their service vehicles.
daily donations of food—like 50 pieces of food packs—stressing that these donations lessen the load of food prepared by the MKVs. “Malaking tulong ‘yun at sa mga at sa mga gusto mag-donasyon, lahat ng pwedeng iluto ay welcome [(Donations) are a big help. And those who still wish to donate, we welcome all kinds of food],” she said. G
“Iyong sa mga hospitals hindi na kailangan manghiram ng iba sasakyan. At may mga donors ring nagpahiram ng sasakyan [Our hospitals no longer need to borrow vehicles for their use. There are donors who lend to them the vehicles],” she said. Gonzales added that the Pasig City government is very thankful to donors who give
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A volunteer peeling, cleaning, and cutting vegetables
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Âť Pasig City Kitchen Warriors
Four cooks working inside the container van
Volunteers measuring menudo in plastic wrap
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MKVs: UP CLOSE F
or bread and pastry chef William Anselmo, 49, a trainer at the Pasig City Institute of Science and Technology, volunteering is a welcome respite from the daily grind of teaching Asian cuisine to his students. “Nakakatulong at nakakapagbigay serbisyo doon sa mga kasama natin sa labas, sa mga frontliners [We are able to help and provide service to our frontliners],” he explained. That day, Anselmo was busy cooking 20 kilos of menudo in two big talyasi (woks). On one wok, he sautéed fresh pork cuts in garlic and onions, while on the other, he had 10 kilos of
diced pork already dipped in tomato sauce. “It’s 10 kilos of pork per wok, and I need 120 kilos of menudo for lunch. Some are attending to the ginisang sayote (sautéed vegetable pears), others are cooking the monggo,” he said. Anselmo is one of eight cooks of the MKV working in different stations. Four are cooking under a tent next to the trees, while another four cook in synchronized efficiency inside the container van. He said that the cooks give their recommendations of the menu to the Health Department. “We forward
the recipe of meat and vegetables, and it is the Health Department who gives us the final list. We do not just cook what we like to cook. The DOH sees to it that we come up with a balanced and nutritious meal, every meal.” In another station, another cook is already tasting her menu, in a big pot, the greens are floating in boiling soup. She smiled and nodded, “Nilaga po ‘yan [It’s stewed], beef,’ confidently signaling she’s done. Chef Elou Anselmo is the better half of Chef William. “Actually we are City Hall employees. And
Chef William Anselmo with Chef Elou Anselmo
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since there is no work, the entire livelihood department volunteered to work in the mobile kitchen.” “Work of love po ito wala ho itong kung ano mang kapalit basta ho masaya kami nagtatrabaho para sa mga kasamahan namin, lalo na sa mga [We ask for nothing in return and are happy to work for our fellow employees, especially the] frontliners,” she said. Working for a straight week already, mounting an offensive in giving nutritious hot meals in every hospital, health center and checkpoint, these volunteers are heroes in their own right; helping frontliners flatten the curb.
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UP Vanguard, UP ROTC cadets join fight vs. COVID-19 UP VANGUARD, INC. (UPVI) NATIONAL COMMANDER GUIDO DELGADO EXPLAINED THAT THIS WAS THE UP VANGUARD, INC.’S RESPONSE TO PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE’S CALL TO MOBILIZE ROTC CADETS AND ROTC ALUMNI TO JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19.
By Fil V. Elefante
UP Vanguard National Commander Guido Delgado (SCREENCAPTURE BY FVE)
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lam niyo, maraming mga estudyante na stranded sa UP Diliman, Los Baños at sa Baguio. So ang mga kadete namin doon ay tumutulong sa feeding program at hygiene kits na kailangan ng mga estudyante natin [You know, many students were stranded at UP Diliman, Los Baños and Baguio. So our cadets there are helping with the feeding program and hygiene kits our students need]” University of the Philippines Vanguard, Inc. (UPVI) National Commander Guido Delgado announced during an interview aired on the government’s Laging Handa program on April 8. April 13, 2020
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During the interview, Delgado explained that the UP Vanguard, the UP ROTC’s alumni organization, was in the process of procuring badlyneeded personal protection equipment (PPE) for medical professionals and health care workers engaged in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re acquiring 500 hazmat suits, 800 isolation suits, and masks for our frontliners,” he said. Delgado explained that this was the UP Vanguard, Inc.’s response to President Rodrigo
Some of the supplies donated by the UP Vanguard Capitol Chapter (PHOTO COURTESY OF ALEX TAMAYO)
Duterte’s call to mobilize ROTC cadets and ROTC alumni to join the fight against COVID-19. “Sana po makakatulong kami kahit konti [We hope that we can provide even a little help],” Delgado said during the interview, adding that the focal point of the UP Vanguard’s support in the fight against COVID-19 was the UP Department of Military Science and Tactics in Diliman, Quezon City.
UP VANGUARD CAPITOL CHAPTER DONATES PPEs
Even as the UP Vanguard National Commander was being interviewed in Wednesday’s airing of the government’s Laging Handa program, the UP Vanguard Capitol Chapter turned Delgado’s words into reality with a delivery of PPEs to the University of the East Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center (UERMMMC), Jose Reyes Memorial Hospital, Quezon City General Hospital and Amang Rodriguez Hospital. Additional PPEs were also turned over to the UP Diliman police force and its security detachments. This activity was supported by the UP Vanguard University Chapter, UP DMST personnel, UP Diliman ROTC, UP ROTC Band, and the Philippine Coast Guard.
Food packs for stranded students are prepared at Magno Hall in UP Diliman (PHOTO BY CEL AGAPITO)
UP VANGUARD MAKATI CHAPTER FEEDS STRANDED STUDENTS
The feeding program the UP Vanguard National Commander mentioned was being implemented in the UP Diliman campus through the support of the UP Vanguard Makati Chapter. Those availing of this feeding program were UP students who were stranded in the
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Diliman campus because of the Luzon-wide Enhanced Community Quarantine. The primary beneficiaries of this feeding program were 35 students in the Kalayaan dormitory, 16 students in Sangumay and the five students in the UP DMST compound. The meals, which are delivered to the student dormitories, were prepared in the UP DMST’s Magno Hall. This feeding program is already on its third week and will continue for as long as the ECQ is in effect.G
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