Submarine cable woes slow PLDT internet services

By Darwin G. Amojelar

PLDT Inc. on Monday said some of its customers experienced slower internet connection due to networks problem with one of its submarine cable partners.

“One of our submarine cable partners confirms a loss in some of its internet bandwidth capacity, thus causing slower internet browsing,” PLDT said in a statement.

The company did not disclose the identity of its submarine cable partner.

loaded with 8.1 kilos of shabu.

“We saw suspicious X-ray images, prompting us to put an X mark on the baggage for physical examination. In the presence of the passenger, both bags were found to contain balled-up white crystalline substances concealed inside packs of spices (of different varieties) and packs of dried small shrimps,” the Customs statement said.

A field test conducted by a task force from NAIA and Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency confirmed that the content was ‘methamphetamine, weighing 8.138 kilograms with an estimated street value of P55,338,400.

The suspect is now in detention while the illegal drugs were turned over to achieved the top rank in the 1989 Bar Examinations and furthered his legal education by obtaining a Master’s degree in Law from Harvard University.

Herbosa, on the other hand, obtained his medical degree from the University of the Philippines Manila and holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology from UP Diliman.

He previously served as Health Undersecretary from 2010 to 2015, contributing to various initiatives such as the Hospital Accreditation Commission and the modernization of the Philippine Orthopedics Center, and promoting Public-Private Partnerships in health.

From October 2017 to April 2021, minimize risks from sudden explosions, rockfall, and landslides.

In case of ash fall, people were advised to cover their noses and mouth with a damp, clean cloth, or a dust mask.

Civil aviation authorities were asked to tell their pilots to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from any sudden eruption can be hazardous to aircraft.

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines on Monday issued a notice to airmen advising them to avoid flying near Mayon and Taal volcanoes.

CAAP chief information officer Eric Apolonio said the agency issued the notice due to increasing unrest in two volcanoes.

“With Mayon Volcano now on Alert Level 2 and Taal Volcano on Alert Level 1, flights have been prohibited to operate 10,000 feet from the surface and advised to avoid flying close to the volcano’s summit as ash from the sudden phreatic eruption can be hazardous to aircraft,” Apolonio said.

Since 10:30 p.m. Saturday, the visible upwelling of volcanic fluids in the Main Crater Lake produced voluminous steam-rich plumes that rose to 3,000 ian Defense Force concluded the first part of their Kasangga bilateral exercise on Monday.

A total of 114 soldiers from the Philippine Army 2nd Infantry Division (2ID) and 43 soldiers from the Australian Defense Force took part in the three-week exercise.

The troops exchanged knowledge and skills on urban operations, combat tracking, long-range marksmanship, jungle warfare, and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance operations.

Australian Defense Attache to the Philippines Col. Paul Barta said Australian troops learned so much about jungle warfare and survival from their Filipino counterparts.

“Kasangga or partnership, we have an Australian term, mateship or bayanihan. What we’ve seen in the recent weeks is soldiers who did not know each other coming together, training and developing trust and interoperability,” Barta said.

“The big thing is that Australia is part of the region and we are working with friends in deepening relationships and

PDEA for proper disposition.

The foreigner will be charged with violating Republic Act No. 9165, the Comprehensive Drug Act, and RA 10863, the Customs Modernization And Tariff Act (CMTA) before the Pasay City Prosecutors’ Office.

Airport authorities have heightened vigilance in the campaign against illegal drug trafficking in a bid to discourage international drug syndicates from using the Philippines as a transshipment point for illegal substances.

Customs bureau officials said their campaign against the drug trade is in full support of Commissioner Bien Rubio’s border control initiatives.

Herbosa served as the Executive Vice President of the University of the Philippines System, contributing to its development and growth.

He has held various key positions, including Chief Division of Trauma at the Department of Surgery, Philippine General Hospital, Chairman of the Board for Physicians for Peace Philippines, and 3rd Vice President of the UP Alumni Association.

Herbosa also served as a Special Adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, offering expert guidance and contributing to the formulation of strategies to mitigate the impact of the virus.

Joyce Pangco Panares

meters above Taal Volcano Island.

On Monday, Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) Secretary Rex Gatchalian on directed the field offices (FOs) in the Southern Tagalog and Bicol regions to prepare amid volcanic unrest recorded both in the Taal and Mayon volcanoes.

“The concerned regional field offices have been directed to stockpile their family food packs and ensure that they have sufficient standby funds as part of the preparation for both the Taal and Mayon volcanic unrest,” Gatchalian said in a statement.

He specifically ordered the regional directors of DSWD FO 4-A (Calabarzon) and FO 5 (Bicol) to get the “historic data” in their respective regions to include the number of families affected, the number of municipalities affected, and the duration of the volcanic unrest.

“The historic data will be very helpful in determining the approximate number of FFPs that need to be stockpiled. It is very important to closely monitor the activities of the Taal and Mayon and updates be sent in real-time,” he told the regional directors.

interoperability. We’re at the home of jungle fighters. Australia has not fought in a jungle in a long time, so we are learning a lot from Filipino soldiers.”

In the same way, Filipino soldiers gained knowledge and skills from their Australian counterparts, especially in urban operations and close-quarter battles.

Maj. Gen. Roberto Capulong said the training that Filipino soldiers gain from Kasangga will make them more confident when it comes to critical missions.

“With the kind of training they received from our Australian counterpart, it’s something new to them and will really help them be more effective in the performance of their mandate,” he said.

He said during the siege of Marawi in 2017, the Army lacked skills in urban operations, so this is one focus of their Australian counterparts.

The two armies also opened the second part of Kasangga on Monday. This time, a new batch of 122 soldiers from the 2ID will take part in the bilateral exercise, which will be held from June 5 to 25 in Rizal.

“We are now working with our partners to provide alternate capacity that would restore the browsing experience in the next few hours,” it added. PLDT has a total of 3.97 million fixed line and fixed wireless broadband subscribers as of March this year.

As of end-March, PLDT had expanded its total fiber footprint to over 1.1 million kilometers, consisting of over 231,000 kilometers of international fiber and over 874,000 kilometers of domestic fiber.

Its fiber infrastructure also supports Smart’s 2G, 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G network, which covers 97 percent of the country’s population.

Kuwait...

From A1 agreed to start deporting 50 Filipino workers to Manila daily amid their long-running dispute over worker protections and employer rights.

Meanwhile, Al Dakhnan predicted a substantial number of Ethiopian workers will be brought in to meet the demand caused by the halted recruitment from the Philippines, Gulf News reported.

He urged haste in finalizing the labor agreement with Ethiopia to prevent any potential crises, particularly with the upcoming school season in September, as he revealed ongoing discussions with other countries, including Kenya and Uganda.

Al Dakhnan assured that the value of employment contracts would align with the Ministry of Commerce and Industry’s decision and not exceed 500 Kuwait dinars (about P91,000), Gulf News reported.

The designated monthly wage is set at KD 90 (about USD 300 or P16,000), which is recognized as the highest among neighboring Gulf countries, the report added.

In Manila, DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said the repatriated OFWs include “distressed workers with labor cases, those with problems with employers, and some who were overstaying their visas or had decided to stay without work permits.”

“Between May and June, we have 644 repatriated distressed OFWs from Kuwait. We still have two more flights arriving till June 8,” he said in an interview with TeleRadyo.

The Kuwaiti government has demanded that the Philippines close its shelters housing OFWs who have escaped from their employers.

The Philippines, however, has stood firm on maintaining the shelters, saying this is non-negotiable.

The DMW earlier imposed a deployment ban in February for newly hired or first-time domestic workers in Kuwait following the murder of Jullebee Ranara. Jimbo Gulle

Capulong said the two batches of Army personnel will cascade newly learned tactics and procedures to other units.

“Our training system is structured. We usually train the trainers. But if we feel the unit needs these types of skills, we program them in our in-house training,” he said.

Meanwhile, the United States and China have sent warships to the multinational naval drills that began in Indonesia on Monday, despite the rifts between the two powers.

Washington and Beijing are engaged in fierce competition on diplomatic, military, technological, and economic fronts.

The US military has stepped up its Asia-Pacific operations to counter an increasingly assertive China, which has recently staged several rounds of war drills around Taiwan.

But both dispatched warships to the 2023 Multilateral Naval Exercise ( MNEK) hosted by Indonesia in its eastern waters off Sulawesi Island from Monday to Thursday. Charles Dantes with AFP