IN BRIEF

Gadon lays out plan to fight PH poverty

figures in tourism revenues, employment, international arrivals and domestic trips, saying these indicate the country’s recovery from the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“All of these are encouraging signs that the tourism industry in our country as a whole is headed well towards full recovery. It also conveys a strong message to the world that we are ready and fully equipped to welcome tourists, travelers as well as investors,” Mr. Marcos said.

To realize his administration’s goal of transforming the Philippines as Asia’s tourism powerhouse, the President urged Filipinos to be the country’s tourism ambassadors.

DENR bares new geomapping tool to manage forests

By Charles Dantes and Rio N. Araja

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has built a new geomapping tool to address climate change and manage the country’s forestlands.

In a public briefing in Malacañang, DENR Secretary Toni Yulo-Loyzaga said that the DENR’s Geospatial Database Office (GDO) was planned way back since her first meeting with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. following her appointment.

This was also after the President on Monday urged Filipinos to protect the

5.7m Pinoy...

From A1 which honors the willingness of Ibrahim (Abraham among Christians) to sacrifice his son Ishmael as an act of obedience to God’s command.

It marks the end of hajj, a key pillar of Islam that able-bodied Muslims must undertake at least once in their lives.

Eid’l Fitr, which commemorates the end of Ramadan, is the other important holiday of Islam.

During the feast of Eid’l Adha, Muslims re-enact Ibrahim’s obedience by sacrificing a cow or ram. The family will eat about a third of the meal, a third goes to friends and relatives, and the

PHAPI:...

From A1

Health Secretary Ted Herbosa noted there are 4,500 vacancies in more than 70 government hospitals nationwide.

Herbosa announced on Monday that he plans to establish a National Nursing Advisory Council that will focus on addressing the concerns of Filipino nurses.

The plan drew support from the chairperson of the House committee on civil service and professional regulation, Bohol Rep. Kristine Tutor.

The chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on labor and employment called for a dialogue among stakeholders to address the shortage of nurses in government hospitals.

“We should have a dialogue first, then craft a workable strategy to address the shortage, with the view towards implementing a long-term solution instead of temporary measures,” Rizal Rep. Fidel

Group:...

From A1

“Children are most vulnerable in disasters. Their world has been upended, their sense of stability shattered,” said Alberto Muyot, chief executive officer of Save the Children Philippines.

“Children are experiencing difficulty sleeping due to worries and fears. They are also suffering from respiratory illnesses. Children require specific support, and balancing their immediate requirements with recognizing their long-term needs is imperative. We must country’s forestland in addressing the problems caused by climate change.

Mr. Marcos stressed during the celebration of the 160th anniversary of the Philippine Forestry Service that taking care of the environment redounds to the benefit of the present and future generations.

The Environment chief said recommendations for the establishment of a physical baseline were made by environmental officials to ensure the proper management of natural resources.

“So, what this will do for us is it will allow us to identify where we should prioritize in terms of forestation, reforestation, or where should the water systems and infrastructure be in order to reach the most populations in need,” Yulo-Loyzaga explained.

According to the Environment chief, the geospatial database will use satellite imagery and other tools to monitor the available natural resources.

Moreover, she said the mapping tool could be also used to aid in climate change mitigation, carbon dioxide sequestration from the atmosphere, flood management, and soil erosion control.

NEWLY-appointed poverty alleviation adviser Larry Gadon said he is setting his sights on solving problems related to nutrition and job creation among the youth.

During the Laging Handa public briefing, Gadon bared his “BBM: Bata˙ng Busog, Malusog’’ feeding program aimed to address the importance of nutrition and education for the younger generation.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday named Gadon as Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation due to his “wealth of experience” in various fields as a legal counsel and a corporate executive. Charles Dantes

Herbert bid to nix graft case rejected

FORMER Quezon City mayor Herbert Bautista’s bid to dismiss the graft case filed against him involving a P32-million computerization project has been rejected by the Sandiganbayan.

The anti-graft court in a sevenpage resolution dated June 22 but released on Tuesday said “Accused Bautista cavils that the amended pre-trial brief [of the prosecution] is fatally defective for non-compliance with the rules governing pre-trial in civil cases, specifically Rule 18 of the Rules of Civil Procedure.”

“At this juncture, it must be emphasized that what primarily governs the pre-trial of this case is the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure,” the Sandiganbayan said. Maricel V. Cruz

Malaysia...

From A1 the case to the Hague Appeals Court. They were asking Dutch judges to enforce a decision by a French court last year which ordered the $14.9 billion payout. remaining third is donated to the poor and needy.

The giving of charity in the form of money, food or clothes to the homeless or poor is another key tradition of Eid’l Adha.

Employees who would report to work on regular holidays are to be paid 200 percent of their daily wage rate in the first eight hours.

Workers must receive an additional 30 percent of their hourly rate today for work rendered in excess of eight hours or overtime.

Those who will not show up at work on regular holidays will still receive 100 percent of their rate.

In the Philippines, Eid’l Adha has been a public holiday since 2002.

Nograles said.

Nograles issued the statement after Herbosa drew flak for a proposal to tap unlicensed nurses to fill vacancies in public hospitals.

The Professional Regulation Commission on Thursday said that nursing graduates who failed the board exam cannot be granted temporary or special licenses and work in government hospitals.

Nograles said the furor over the issue could have been minimized had there been “a meaningful consultation with stakeholders.”

The lawmaker said government agencies including the Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, the Budget department, and local government units, along with other stakeholders of the health sector, should immediately conduct a formal dialogue on how to address the issue.

“We should discuss the issues such as nurse to patient ratio, working hours, salary, among others,” he said. “What is act decisively to ensure their emotional well-being remains intact during this challenging period.”

Disaster officials say about 31 percent of 10,000 evacuees within the permanent danger zone are children. They are uprooted from their homes and deprived of their education because schools are used as evacuation centers.

Moreover, the Department of Education (DepEd) says 22,000 students from Albay, Ligao and Tabaco school divisions in Albay province have been affected by Mayon Volcano’s unrest.

Modular instruction is now being implemented and classes will still be stopping us from hiring more nurses?

Enshrined in law, Republic Act 9849 states the 10th day of Dhu al-Hijjah or the 12th month of the Islamic Calendar, is declared as a national holiday for the observance of Eid’l Adha.

Known as Eid al-Adha, Eid’l Adha, Idul-Azha, Id-ul-Zuha, Hari Raya Haji or Bakr-id; the ‘Feast of Sacrifice is the most important feast of the Muslim calendar.

The festival may also be known as Al Eid Al Kabeer, which means the ‘Grand Eid’ and has this more important status as in religious terms as this Eid lasts for four days whereas Eid’l Fitr is one day, even though most countries observe about the same number of public holidays for both Eids.

As the exact day is based on lunar sightings, the date may vary among countries.

Let’s identify these barriers and closely collaborate to find a solution that we can implement.” conducted until the end of the academic year in July. However, should the situation continue through the new academic year beginning August, the DepEd projects the need to install temporary learning spaces and decongest schools.

The DOH earlier said it will hire nursing assistants to help address the nurse shortage in government hospitals, but Herbosa said his plan to employ nursing graduates who failed the board exam would not be shelved.

The World Health Organization recommends a ratio of 27 nurses per 10,000 population. In the Philippines, there are only 16 nurses per 10,000.

The country would need an additional 127,000 nurses to meet the WHO target, the Health department said.

Entry-level nurses in private hospitals take home between P15,000 ($271) and P25,000 ($452) a month, about the same as new teachers, but less than junior police officers.

But it is a far cry from nurses’ average monthly salary of $3,000 in the US and 2,000 pounds ($2,530) in the UK.

After speaking with families in evacuation camps, Save the Children is raising the alarm of urgent and long-term needs of children as the prolonged disruption of children’s daily lives is having a significant impact on their mental and emotional well-being.

In the face of the ongoing volcano’s eruption, we are working swiftly to establish temporary schools,” Muyot said.

“The Hague Appeals Court today rejected the request of the Philippine nationals for the recognition and enforcement of the final arbitral award in the Netherlands,” the Dutch court said in a statement.

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim welcomed the “landmark” decision.

“This decision has blocked any attempt by the claimants to enforce their illegitimate claims against the government of Malaysia in the Netherlands,” the prime minister said in a statement.

“We are now closer than ever to completely nullifying the sham and abusive final award” by the French court, he added.

Oil-rich Sabah fell under the control of European colonial powers in 1878 in an agreement that saw the sultan and his descendants receive annual payments -- the equivalent of around $1,100 -- that Malaysia continued to make after it was formed in 1963. AFP

Speaker:...

From A1 are crucial for job creation, particularly for marginalized communities,” Romualdez added.

Addressing several foreign dignitaries present, Romualdez said now is the time to invest in the Philippines which has the fastest-growing economy in the world, apart from having a very popular leader in President Ferdinand Marcos.

He said the House of Representatives is working hard to institutionalize needed reforms, noting that before the 19th Congress adjourned its First Regular Session, the chamber approved 33 out of the 42 priority legislations in the common legislative agenda of the Legislative-Executive Advisory Council (LEDAC).

“These educational sanctuaries will nourish their minds and provide a semblance of normalcy, a lifeline to hope and stability. While we tend to their material needs, our responsibility is to foster an environment that nurtures their resilience, allowing them to weather the storm.”

Save the Children in the Philippines is providing psychosocial support through art intervention activities in three evacuation centers in Camalig, Albay, together with local partner Tarabang para sa Bicol (TABI). These activities aim to provide children with a safe space to express their emotions and cope with the stress caused by the volcanic eruption.