Author: user user

A UK-based firm has launched a new rice straw biogas hub in Laguna, establishing a two-hectare facility designed to process 10,000 metric tons (MT) of the plant material annually into methane, biochar and fertilizer.

Straw Innovations Ltd. built the P235 million facility in the municipality of Pila in collaboration with the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), Ashton University in Birmingham and the UK government’s innovation agency Innovate UK.

‘The rice straw biogas hub is a testament to what we can achieve when science and community come together,’ Straw Innovations founder Craig Jamieson said in his speech during the launch ceremony.

In an interview on the sidelines of the event, Jamieson said the Philippine market presents an annual revenue potential of about half a million pounds for their business model.

He added that with few players in the sector, their business model is among the first to show how rice straw can be profitably and sustainably collected and reused rather than burned or left to decay in the fields.

‘We’re breaking new ground here,’ Jamieson said, adding that there are plans to further scale up operations in the future.

Jamieson said the company is in talks with banks and investors to expand to other rice-producing provinces such as Nueva Ecija and Isabela.

Despite this, he acknowledged the challenges of operating in a typhoon-prone area and navigating local regulations.

For her part, SEARCA program specialist Lichelle Carlos emphasized the importance of collecting rice straw from farms instead of burning it, noting that proper management can reduce emissions and create value-added products for farmers.

Based on the center’s studies, around 24 to 38 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from rice cultivation can be reduced if farmers adopt technologies that collect and repurpose rice straw into bioenergy or organic fertilizer instead of setting it on fire after harvest.

‘Rice straw is also hard to collect for farmers because it is scattered across the fields and produced in large volumes,’ Carlos said, illustrating the logistical and cost challenges that make many farmers resort to burning the residue after harvest.

According to data from SEARCA, the Philippines produces 14 million to 28 million MT of rice straw annually, presenting both a waste management challenge and an opportunity to develop cleaner, more sustainable uses for agricultural by-products.

Manila Water Co., which supplies water to the eastern part of Metro Manila and nearby provinces, has transitioned 56 additional facilities to the Energy Regulatory Commission’s enhanced Retail Aggregation Program (RAP), further expanding its use of renewable energy.

The firm said the move includes 10 facilities under the non-East Zone operating unit Laguna Water, 45 facilities under Estate Water covering Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Metro Manila, and Manila Water Foundation’s La Mesa Ecopark, the first and largest ecopark fully powered by renewable energy under RAP.

It said the transition represents a total demand of 1,682 kilowatts and marks Manila Water’s fourth RAP switch this year.

‘Manila Water’s participation in RAP demonstrates its commitment to innovation and consumer empowerment. By aggregating demand and leveraging competitive supply options, Manila Water is helping pave the way for a more inclusive and resilient energy sector,’ ERC director Sharon Montaner said.

With the latest switch, Manila Water now sources electricity for over 210 facilities, representing a total demand of 11 megawatts supplied by PrimeRES Energy through Meralco’s distribution network.

‘This is all about the power of choice. We have 214 facilities switched now to RAP and that’s very powerful because at the end of the day we are held as a utility accountable to the costs that we charge our customers,’ Manila Water president and CEO Jocot de Dios said.

‘We’ve tried to rethink our approach toward tariff and our customer base and really be as sufficient as possible,’ De Dios added.

The company said earlier transitions this year include Laguna Aquatech’s 25 facilities in April, Laguna Water’s 67 facilities, and Boracay Water’s 11 facilities in May, making it the first Visayas utility to adopt RAP.

The move to shift more facilities to renewable energy follows Manila Water’s recent quarterly adjustment that reduced water rates for its customers.

The Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System Regulatory Office approved a slight decrease of 15 centavos per cubic meter for the East Zone, which includes Mandaluyong, Marikina, Pasig, Pateros, Taguig, San Juan, most of Quezon City and several towns in Rizal.

At least seven people were reported dead following the magnitude 7.4 and 6.8 earthquakes that struck Davao and nearby areas on Friday, authorities said.

As of yesterday, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported 11 people injured and no missing persons.

Details on the fatalities and injuries have yet to be released, except that they are from the Davao and Caraga regions.

The NDRRMC said a total of 3,519 families, or 8,436 people, were affected by the twin quakes. Of these, 2,468 families or 7,915 individuals are currently staying in 29 evacuation centers in quake-hit areas.

Disaster response teams continue to assess the extent of damage.

So far, a total of 441 houses were damaged across 58 barangays in Davao Oriental, 15 in Davao del Norte, 14 in Davao de Oro and three in Dinagat Islands.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed 1,552 family food packs, 606 ready-to-eat meals and 969 non-food items worth P3.75 million to affected communities.

Two mobile kitchens and communication hubs were also deployed to restore connectivity and provide hot meals in areas where power was disrupted.

DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian directed a rights-based and rapid response approach, emphasizing the immediate delivery of food and humanitarian assistance, as well as psychosocial support for children and women in evacuation centers.

The Philippine National Police (PNP), meanwhile, ordered a comprehensive assessment of all police facilities and equipment in Davao Oriental and nearby provinces following the magnitude 7.4 earthquake that struck off the coast of Manay.

PNP acting chief Lt. Gen. Jose Nartatez Jr. instructed regional directors in affected areas, particularly in the Davao and Caraga police regional offices, to inspect all stations, headquarters and infrastructure for possible structural damage.

Reports from the regional assessments will be consolidated and submitted to the NDRRMC.

Nartatez said all police units in Mindanao remain on full alert and are ready to assist in rescue, relief and security operations.

He likewise reminded police commanders to maintain visibility patrols to deter looting and other crimes in evacuation centers and heavily affected communities.

Cebu quake

Meanwhile, the death toll from the magnitude 6.9 earthquake that rocked Cebu and nearby provinces on Sept. 30 remains at 74, with 559 others injured.

The NDRRMC said 79,959 houses and 773 infrastructure, including government facilities and schools, were damaged across Central Visayas.

San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora yesterday turned over cash assistance to the province of Cebu and Bogo City to support relief and recovery operations.

Zamora turned over a P1-million check to Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro at the provincial capitol in Cebu City, then traveled to Bogo City, where he handed another P1-million check to Mayor Maria Cielo Martinez. The cash assistance was sourced from the disaster risk reduction fund of San Juan City, as approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod.

Zamora, who is League of Cities of the Philippines president, also turned over another P1-million check from the LCP to Bogo City.

As part of ongoing humanitarian and disaster relief operations in Northern Cebu, the Philippine Air Force (PAF) transported relief items aboard a C-130 cargo aircraft from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City to Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

The shipment included water filters, sleeping mats, towels and blankets donated by the Rotary Club of Pasay Southeast, led by its president, Rynah Ventura.

Also onboard were folding beds, boxes of assorted relief goods and sacks of rice from the Office of Civil Defense.

‘These supplies were intended for communities affected by the recent earthquake in Northern Cebu. This sustained effort reinforces the PAF’s steadfast commitment to provide rapid airlift support and ensure the prompt delivery of vital assistance to disaster-affected communities, in close coordination with partner agencies and organizations,’ the PAF said.

The Army’s 10th Infantry Division (ID) has mobilized more than a thousand soldiers from its units to assist in emergency response and relief efforts in tremor-stricken towns in Davao Oriental.

Major Gen. Allan Hambala, commander of the 10th ID, said on Sunday, October 12, that among the first to respond and help villagers injured by the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that jolted the province on Friday morning, October 10, are personnel from two brigades of their division.

The assistant division commander of the 10th ID, Brig. Alvin Luzon, Brig. Gen. Jose Allan Taguba and Col. Harold Argamosa of the 701st and 1001st Infantry Brigades, respectively, are overseeing the division’s disaster response operations in Mati City, the capital of Davao Oriental and nearby towns in the province.

The epicenter of the 7.4-magnitude earthquake last Friday morning was in Manay town in Davao Oriental.

Army officials from the 10th ID dispatched to Davao Oriental for disaster impact mitigation efforts, along with Ednar Dayanghirang, director of the Office of Civil Defense 11, confirmed on Saturday, October 11, that eight individuals in the province died while 531 others were rushed to hospitals due to tremor-related injuries.

Officials of the 10th ID, citing reports from local government units and the OCD-11, said the strong earthquake completely destroyed 111 houses and damaged 1,019 other structures in different towns in Davao Oriental.

The 7.4-magnitude earthquake that shook Manay and nearby areas in Davao Oriental early Friday was followed by a 6.8-magnitude aftershock in the evening of the same day.

Hambala said officials of the units they dispatched to the province had reported that at least 70,471 families were badly affected by the disaster.

‘Our soldiers are out there supporting the relief operations of local government units and the OCD-11,’ Hambala said.

He added that their emergency response efforts also cover the provinces of Davao del Norte, Davao de Oro, and nearby areas in Region 13.

Top seeds AJ Lim and Eric Jed Olivarez launched their title bids with ruthless efficiency, setting the tone for what many expect to be a blockbuster showdown in the inaugural Gentry National Tennis Open Championship at the Colegio San Agustin courts in San Jose Del Monte, Bulacan over the weekend.

Lim, the No. 1 seed and a perennial force in local tennis, dismantled Patrick Paumar with a commanding 6-0, 6-0 win. The recent PCA Open winner barely gave Paumar room to breathe as he cruised into the second round, where he is set to meet Richard Bautista, a walkover winner over Philippe Coteron.

Not to be outdone, second seed Olivarez mirrored Lim’s dominance with a similar 6-0, 6-0 drubbing of Kian Sanchez. He now faces John Christopher Sonsona, who showed grit in overcoming Carlos Austria in three sets, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, in the lower half of the 64-player draw.

The blue-ribbon event, which features a record-breaking P2 million in total prize money, including P300,000 for the men’s singles champion, has drawn some of the country’s finest and hungriest talents, making this edition one of the most competitive in recent memory.

While pundits are already anticipating another classic Lim-Olivarez final – a rivalry that has headlined many local Open tournaments – several rising stars and seasoned campaigners have shown they’re ready to crash the party.

Among those who advanced with impressive wins were John Benedict Aguilar, who turned back Hilbert San Jose, 6-4, 6-2, and John Kendrick Bona, who dispatched Nash Agustines, 6-4, 6-1. Ronard Joven blanked Sammie Quiño, 6-1, 6-0, while Nilo Ledama overwhelmed Kean Enriquez, 6-2, 6-0.

Loucas Fernandez, Alexis Acabo, Elvin Geluz, Charles Kinaadman, Kenzo Brodeth, and Eric Jay Tangub also moved forward with convincing victories, showcasing the depth and potential of the field.

In particular, Kinaadman’s 6-0, 6-0 rout of John Rey Moreno and Brodeth’s 6-1, 6-3 win over Jose Bernardo served notice of their capability to mount deep runs and possibly derail the projected Lim-Olivarez finale.

Also progressing were veterans and rising names such as Allyson Cabanilla, John Jeric Accion, Tanakorn Srirat, Miguel Iglupas, Patrick Tierro, Jeremiah Latorre, Martin Libao, Jarell Edangga, Eury Dice Gaspar, Ariel Cabaral, RJ dela Fuente, Jovanie Pilares, Craig Pantino, Klyde Lagarde, Al-Zayeed Baid, Gabriel Gurria, Evan Bacalso, and Jude Ceniza.

With the first-round jitters out of the way, the second round is expected to tighten, with players sharpening their form as they eye a spot in the later stages of this prestigious tournament.

The two-week showcase, presented by Great Wall Motor Philippines and supported by title sponsor Gentry Timepieces through Hayb Anzures, represents a major leap forward for Philippine tennis. It raises the bar not only in prize money but also in tournament prestige and player development.

The event is held in partnership with the Palawan Pawnshop National Tennis Championships and supported by sponsors including Hiessence, Purse Maison, Mobile Cart, Primoshine, Sole Avenue, PDAX, Darling’s Fine Jewels, Luxetrust by Amethyst, The Watch Reserve, and Guapo Car Care Solutions. Official balls are provided by Dunlop and Icon.

Meanwhile, the women’s Open singles – offering P100,000 to the champion – got underway Sunday afternoon with top seed Mikaela Vicencio battling Geraldin Robles and second seed Tiffany Nocos clashing with Estela Frias.

Other contenders include consistent performers Elizabeth Abarquez, Victoria Peña, Niña Alcala, Tenniele Madis, Stefi Aludo, and Rachel Velez, all hoping to stake their claim in what promises to be an equally competitive women’s field.

Running concurrently with the Open is the juniors division – part of the Palawan Pawnshop junior tennis circuit initiated by president/CEO Bobby Castro, aimed at nurturing young talents inspired by the meteoric rise of Alex Eala. The juniors competition offers budding stars valuable match experience and ranking points.

Top juniors in the boys’ 18-and-under category include Gavin Kraut, Brendan Morales, Julio Naredo, Jade Laurente, Krelz Gecosala, Lance Maglaqui, Aeyshaun Gomez and Martin Paulsen.

In the girls’ premier division, Jan Cadee Dagoon and Izabelle Camcam lead the way, alongside top 16-and-U names such as Ayl Gonzaga, Dania Bulanadi, Vania Parawan, Natasha Gabriel, Francine Wong and Athena Liwag.

Beyond the elite-level Open, the event also features men’s and women’s doubles, collegiate and inter-school competitions, Legends play, team events, and club-level classified matches.

Manny V. Pangilinan will receive his own MVP plaque in the 31st PBA Press Corps Awards Night tomorrow at the Novotel Manila Araneta City.

The managing director and CEO of Hong Kong-based First Pacific Company will be honored with the Danny Floro Executive of the Year award following a season to remember for the TNT Tropang 5G – the flagship team under the MVP umbrella.

The Tropang 5G claimed the first two championships of Season 49 and fell short of the rare grand slam after it lost to San Miguel in the finals of the Philippine Cup.

Nonetheless, it was a fitting campaign for the MVP Group which came in the heels of Meralco winning its first-ever PBA championship the previous season.

Pangilinan, who also chairs PLDT and the Metro Pacific Investments Corp., will receive his third Executive Award from the scribes who cover the PBA beat led by its president Vladi Eduarte of Abante.

He shares the limelight with the winner of the Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year Award being contested by TNT’s Chot Reyes and San Miguel’s Leo Austria.

Pangilinan is just the third executive to win the honor thrice after the late RFM team manager Elmer Yanga (1993-95) and SMC sports director Alfrancis Chua (2017, 2021 and 2024).

The Las Vegas Aces, powered by 31 points from A’ja Wilson, captured their third title in four seasons on Friday, beating Phoenix 97-86 to complete a sweep of the WNBA Finals.

Wilson went 7-of-21 from the floor but 17-of-19 from the free throw line as the visiting Aces took the best-of-seven series 4-0.

‘We understood the assignment and what was in front of us,’ Wilson said. ‘All we had to do was believe in one another and you see that. We’re grateful.’

ARQ Stable stalwart April Jay Astroboy Abne faces another tough test in his fistic career as he trades blows with the world-ranked Jesse Little Giant Espinas for the International Boxing Federation (IBF) Asia flyweight crown in the main event of Bugbugan sa Abra:Tapatan ng Kampeon fight card presented by Solid North Sports Promotions today (Sunday, October 12) at the University of Abra s Gov. Andres B. Bernos Memorial Gymnasium in Bangued.

Abne will see action for the first time in seven months. He hasn t fought since fighting to a majority draw with Anthony Gilbuela last March 8 in Cawayan, Masbate.

The 26-year-old brawler from Manticao, Misamis Oriental hopes to shake off the rust he may have had from his long layoff as he shoots for his second regional belt. He once reigned as the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) Silver flyweight champion back in 2023.

Abne holds a 15-1-1 win-loss-draw record with six knockouts, while the Ozamiz City-native Espinas sports a 24-7 card with 14KOs.

It s an uphill battle ahead for Abne against the World Boxing Organization No.7 contender Espinas, who once held the WBC Asia super flyweight, WBO Oriental light flyweight, OPBF light flyweight, and ABF minimumweight titles.

The rest of the slam-bang show backstopped by Abra Lone District Rep. Joseph Sto. Ni o JB Bernos features Romer Pinili vs Eduardo Mancito, Bimboy Ibunes vs Raymond Bangquiao, Editho Embrado vs Gian Villanueva, and Rolymhar Napase vs Mark Anthony Agbay.

These past months – years, actually – I have been sharing my wife Neni’s plans and frustrations in preparation for the Philippines to be the Guest of Honor in the Frankfurt Book Fair, the largest in the world, with a proud history and tradition that began in 1949. Although this grand initiative has taken her away from home, as a lover and collector of Philippine books, I thoroughly support this endeavor which I know is a once-in-a-lifetime break for the Philippine publishing industry. On the eve of her departure, Neni writes:

‘This is my nth trip to Frankfurt, Germany for the Frankfurter Buchmesse. It began during my term as chair of the National Book Development Board (NBDB) when Sen. Loren Legarda was approached by then NBDB governor and publishing icon Karina Bolasco, to help the publishing industry the way she helped Philippine art and architecture return to the Venice Biennale after a 50-year absence. And what tremendous help she has been extending – with the kind of all-out assistance the industry had never before received from anyone in government – so that what we all thought was another wild dream of hers will be a reality in a few days, on Oct. 14 – for the Philippines to be Guest of Honor (GoH), only the second Southeast Asian country to be so privileged, after Indonesia in 2015.

‘Yes, the work to bid, to prepare and to vie to be GoH needed many years of preparation. The country’s visibility at the Buchmesse was an important requirement as manifestation of our genuine interest. Karina Bolasco prepared the excellent Bid Book for the Philippines. The pandemic happened and we thought that was the writing on the wall. But post-pandemic, at the Philippine Book Festival in Davao in 2023, Juergen Boos, Buchmesse CEO, announced that the country had been approved as GoH for 2025. While we were elated by the news, we also knew that we did not have the advantage of the usual five-year advance planning afforded other countries. But buckle down to work, we did.

‘The initial necessary step as we learned from Indonesia and the Buchmesse officials was that first and foremost, a Core Team needed to be organized. Since Karina Bolasco, Ani Almario and I were on the board when the idea was first born and pursued, we became part of the Core Team and the subsequent working committees. Sen. Loren was the project visionary, while National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA)’s tried and tested administrator Riya Lopez (also of the Venice Biennale successful exhibitions) and NBDB executive director Charisse Aquino Tugade were the project co-directors. Other members were writer and publisher Kristian Sendon Cordero, publisher Nida Ramirez and NBDB reliables, Maria Christina Pangan-Cagalingan and Charmaine Capuchino. Providing valuable support was the office of Sen. Legarda and other government agencies, the NCCA, the Department of Foreign Affairs, the NBDB. Philippine Ambassador to Germany Irene Susan Natividad and Frankfurt’s Philippine Consul General Ivy Banzon Abalos have been such supporters. It certainly takes more than a village to mount a GoH.

‘This trip to the Buchmesse is different from all previous trips. While we used to have a national stand to display our latest titles in various genres, this time we will have the usual stand – larger than usual – and a Pavilion of 2,000 square meters as GoH with us as central focus. It will exhibit the important books that tell the story of Philippine publishing and will also display a yearly tradition of books that the Buchmesse collects from publishers all over the world – books published in the last five years on the Philippines.

‘The Pavilion, conceptualized and designed by Stanley Ruiz and Patrick Flores, is promising as it attempts to capture the color, vibrance and diversity of the Filipino way of life.

‘It will be the venue for the hundred-plus sessions envisioned by Karina Bolasco for the international audience to discover the diversity and richness of Philippine art and culture, hardly known beyond its shores.

‘It is absolutely exciting that as GoH, a large 500+ strong delegation of Filipino creatives, publishers and supporters (and Pinoy style, family and friends) will be in attendance. Over a hundred creatives and publishers are travel grantees who applied when NBDB made the call.

‘While the Buchmesse officially ends on Sunday, Oct. 19, with the Philippines turning over the GoH distinction to Prague, the connections will certainly continue and be nurtured. It is a fortunate coincidence that Prague succeeds the Philippines as GoH, because the two countries have had a close link long before the shared GoH honor. The Philippine-Prague connection first began and was enriched during the tenure of Ambassador Jaroslav Olsa Jr. in partnership with Savage Mind’s Kristian Cordero, formerly Ateneo de Naga University Press director.

‘On the collaboration between these two countries, Cordero and I are proceeding to Prague to launch our titles which have been translated into Czech language. The launch is in partnership with the Philippine embassy in Prague headed by Amb. Eduardo Martin R. Meñez and Martin Vopenka, publisher of Prah and president of the Czech Publishers Association.

‘As co-chairs of the Translation Subsidy Program for GoH, Cordero and I are excited about the display the Philippine stand will proudly display – of the 28 (and counting) German editions and the countless others in over 30 different languages.

‘May GoH open doors for our writers and publishers.’

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has shut down three branches of a visa consulting firm for allegedly engaging in illegal recruitment activities.

Padlocked were the branches of GST International Education and Visa Consultancy in Polomolok, South Cotabato; Iloilo City and San Fernando, Pampanga, which were found offering jobs abroad instead of visa consultancy services.

The DMW said the company and its branches have no license to recruit workers for overseas jobs.

Initial investigation showed that the GST offers career matching services and charges applicants from P30,000 to P50,000.

Applicants were reportedly promised to work as pipefitter, factory worker and caregiver in Australia, New Zealand and Canada with corresponding salaries ranging from P47,000 to P66,000.

The DMW said it would file charges against GST owner Nicole Salazar and her employees involved in illegal recruitment.

‘The GST, along with its officials and personnel will be included in the list of people and establishments with derogatory records. This means they cannot participate in the government’s overseas recruitment program,’ the agency said as it urged victims to cooperate with proper authorities for the filing of a case against the company.

Victims may contact the DMW office or send a message so they could be provided free legal assistance, the DMW said.