Pisay Central’s Bentonite water filtration project wins in Hyundai New Thinkers Spotlight

As climate change causes water scarcity and contamination in most communities in the country, students from Philippine Science High School – Central Campus deviced a water filter system using a locally abundant material called Bentonite to source clean water from Abacan River for indigenous people.

 

With eutrophication and sedimentation prevailing in the Abacan River, Jan Louise Cabrera, Joshua Miguel Danac and mentor Karizz Anne Morante created a filtration system using Bentonite clay—a product of lahar erosion and an effective adsorbent of dirt—to benefit the Aeta community in Barangay Sapangbato in Angeles, City Pampanga.

 

The innovation earned the Best Bayanihan Project title at the Hyundai New Thinkers Spotlight recently held at the Hyundai Center for Green Innovation in Angat, Bulacan.

 

Their project entitled “Bentonite Absorbent as a Technological Improvement of Sapangbato Waters” bested 19 other climate change intervention projects and bagged medals, certificates, and a cash prize of P90,000 for the team. The students were also awarded college scholarship grants courtesy of Hyundai Asia Resources Inc. (HARI) Foundation.

 

“Water scarcity is a serious problem that already affects more than 1.2 billion people in the world and climate change worsens this problem as excessive groundwater extraction causes land subsidence and increases vulnerability to flooding,” said Cabrera and Danac during their project defense. “With our project, we are able to make use of available resource such as Bentonite to provide a means in bringing clean water to the Aeta communities in Sapangbato.”

 

They said the filtration system can also serve as model for other communities to adopt as an alternative way to source potable water.

 

“With improvements to our prototype filter, we believe that this can be of value to many other communities faced with the same problem,” they added.

 

The Hyundai New Thinkers Spotlight is the culminating phase of the Hyundai New Thinkers Circuit (HNTC) Program—a collaborative program of HARI Foundation and the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), together with the University of the Philippines’ National Institute of Geological Sciences (NIGS) and Marine Science Institute (MSI). The program aimed to develop students into becoming future climate scientists and leaders.

 

In the said Spotlight, 20 school teams showcased their innovative community development projects through exhibits and project presentations to compete for 20 scholarship slots. The Bayanihan projects were evaluated based on ingenuity, efficiency, sustainability, and the students’ overall participation in the HNTC cycle.

 

Emilio Bernabe High School’s Neal Renz Empleo, Sheena Coleen Labampa and coach Marites Banzon placed second with 90.1 points for their project “Motorized Boat Made of Junked Home Appliances as Alternate to Rubber Boat during Flood Rescue Operations”. They won medals, certificates, a cash prize of P75,000 and two scholarship slots.

 

Kasarinlan High School’s “Hydrocab”project, Philippine Science High School – Main Campus’ “Incorporation of Coir Geotextile, Aeration, and Rice Husk Filter into Localized Home Rainwater Harvesting”, and Sisters of Mary School’s “Electroschwartz Vertical Axis Wind Turbine” rounded up the top five.

 

Completing the top 10 are Marcelo H. Del Pilar National High School (rPLANT Project), Pateros National High School (Eco-Riders), Claro M. Recto Information and Communication Technology High School (5 E’s in Waste Segregation), Mariveles National High School (Biodegradable Tamarind Seed-Based Plastic: A Remedy for the Changing Climate), and Valenzuela City Science High School (H2O FLOOD).

 

Students from said schools comprised the 20 Hyundai New Thinkers Scholars. Their college studies shall be supported by HARI Foundation provided they choose a science course.

 

HARI Foundation President Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo congratulated the participants and encouraged them to be leaders in whichever field they choose in the future.

 

“We stand here with a dream to drive a new world of possibilities for our young people, the leaders and innovators of tomorrow,” said Agudo.

 

She also urged the Hyundai New Thinkers to be “part of the solution” as the answers could already be in front of them.

“You are more than brilliant scholars. You are a spark of hope for a better world,” disclosed Agudo.

 

Dr. Josette Biyo, the new Director of DOST-SEI, urged the students to continue to exemplify leadership in their own schools and communities even after the HNTC Program.

 

“Think of this event as a practice session for your would-be daily undertaking once you’ve become a scientist, engineer or a community leader,” Biyo said as she encouraged the participants to choose science courses in college.

 

The HNT Scholars, who will be required to take up S&T courses to avail of the scholarship, will be provided support in their tuition and other fees as well as a monthly stipend courtesy of HARI Foundation.  (30)

 

Contact person: Marco D. Melgar, SEI, Cell. No.: 0916-3485271, Tel. No.: 837-1925, 8372071 loc 2384

Domestic Work, Work Like Any Other

The Statement of Mr. Yoshiteru Uramoto

International Labour Organization - Regional Director for Asia and Pacific

on the occasion of the International Domestic Workers Day

16 June 2014

Two months ago, a 23-year old domestic worker from a little-known Indonesian city was named as one of Time's 100 Most Influential People. Ms Erwiana Sulistyaningsih was recognized alongside presidents and popstars for what she didn't do - Erwiana didn't stay silent.

Today is International Domestic Workers Day, and at the International Labour Organization we are reflecting on the contributions of women like Erwiana. Since she returned from Hong Kong to her home in Indonesia, Erwiana has been campaigning for the rights of domestic workers. During her eight months on the job in Hong Kong, Erwiana was violently abused by her employer, and when her injuries prevented her from continuing to work, she was sent home with just US$9 in her pocket. Erwiana began campaigning for domestic workers just like her, many of them migrant women, most of them still vulnerable in their workplaces across the globe.

There are over 20 million domestic workers in the Asia Pacific Region alone - that's the population of Sri Lanka - but because these workers are often hidden in private homes, in workplaces that remain unregulated, they are especially vulnerable to abuse. In many countries, domestic workers aren't protected by the general labour law, and are excluded from receiving the minimum wage. On average, domestic workers earn less than half of average wages; some earn less than a fifth.

Despite the risks, domestic work is a fast growing sector. There are 19 million more domestic workers today than there were in the mid-1990s - that's a thirty per cent increase in less than 20 years. Over eighty percent of these workers are women.

The Philippines is the first country to ratify the Domestic Workers Convention in the Asia Pacific region. In compliance with its obligations under C189, the Philippines introduced the Batas Kasambahay law in January 2013, bringing previously unprotected domestic workers into the formal sector. It is hoped that those protections be extended into agreements with countries that receive Filipina domestic workers.

Migrant domestic workers contribute significantly to their home communities and the larger society. They send remittances that are regularly spent on the education and health needs of the domestic worker's family, and increasing the GDP and development potential of their countries. Domestic workers enable members of the employer's household to go to work by reducing the time needed for cleaning, cooking, shopping and family tasks. 

We need to realize the benefits that domestic work, and migration into domestic work, can offer, and this can only be achieved if these women are in safe and profitable work. The International Labour Organization recently estimated that over US$8 billion dollars in profits are made each year from domestic workers in forced labour. These profits should rightfully go to the workers and their families, but instead line the pockets of fraudulent recruitment companies and exploitative employers.

This is in part because many people still see domestic work as a woman's unpaid familial duty, or a job for a lower class or caste of women, instead of as productive work for wages like any other. This misconception has slowed the process of recognizing domestic workers rights, in international law and in our own homes. On 16 June 2011, the first convention recognizing the rights of domestic workers was adopted.  Today, we commemorate that moment where the international community finally and positively stated that 'domestic work is work.'

So far, 14 countries have agreed to enshrine basic rights for domestic workers by ratifying ILO Convention No. 189. On the anniversary of its adoption, I call on all governments to consider ratification of the Convention and the inclusion of domestic workers in the general protections provided by the labour law.

But you don't need to wait for your government to act to improve the lives of domestic workers. If you employ a domestic worker, have a conversation with her about ways to implement the Convention in your own home. Recognize her right to a full day of rest each week, reasonable working hours, and fair wages in line with the minimum wage. Refuse to employ children under the minimum age for work and allow young workers to combine work and school. Encourage your domestic worker to join a network or association of domestic workers. Provide holiday and sick pay, freedom of movement, and payment in cash. Respect your domestic worker's right to privacy, and make sure she has a lockable bedroom if she lives in your home.

I admire Erwiana's courage. She stood up and fought for her rights and dignity as a human being, and for the rights of other domestic workers like her. Erwiana shouldn't stand alone. Stand with her by protecting the rights of domestic workers in your home and your community. Call on your government to ratify the Convention and ensure that women have safe and profitable access to these much-needed jobs. If we don't acknowledge domestic workers as the valuable members of society that they are and protect them fully under the law, how many more cases like Erwiana's will there be?

 Reference:

MINETTE RIMANDO, ILO-Manila

rimando@ilo.org / + 63 (2) 5809900 or 5809905 / +63 (917) 5353162

DOH looking for Surveillance Assistants

The National Epidemiology Center of the Department of Health is hiring Surveillance Assistants for the HIV & STI Surveillance and Strategic Information Unit. 

Application deadline has been moved to: June 20, 2014

Tentative date of interview: June 23, 2014 

Required Qualifications:

• Applicant must have a medical or allied medical degree; or have a social science degree with work experience in STI or HIV;
• Excellent in both written and spoken English;
• Proficiency in using MS Excel, MS Powerpoint and MS Publisher

Preferred Qualification:

• Knowledge on Epi Info, STATA and/or SPSS 

Interested applicants may submit their updated resume to hivepicenter@gmail.com or Rm 209, Bldg. 19, National Epidemiology Center, Department of Health, San Lazaro Compound, Quiricada St., Sta. Cruz, Manila

Kindly send to your contacts as well.

Thank you.

– 

Philippine HIV EpiCenter

National Epidemiology Center, Department of Health

2/F Bldg 19, San Lazaro Compound, Sta. Cruz, Manila

+632 4950513, +632 6517800 

World Day Against Child Labour 2014

Thousands of children and their families affected by Haiyan (Yolanda) along with government agencies, non-government organizations, international and humanitarian partners will march against child labour in Tacloban on 12 June (3-6pm) at the Balyuan Center near the DILG Office, Tacloban. (DETAILED ROUTE: From Balyuan Center to -> Real St.-> Avenida Veteranos -> Rizal Avenue ->Justice Romualdez St.-and culminate at the City Engineer’s Covered Court for the Programme)

The joint assessment of the Child Protection and Education Cluster (March-April 2014) in affected municipalities of Region VI and VII after Haiyan (Yolanda) revealed that 54 per cent of barangays reported that children are involved in child labour or in harsh and dangerous labour and 75 per cent of barangays reported that children who are working are not able to go to school. The joint assessment took place in 112 barangays and 125 schools and key informants included community leaders and head teachers.

In the Philippines, the 2011 Survey on Children by the National Statistics Office, conducted with the support of the International Labour Organization, revealed that there were 3 million child labourers (5-17 years old).

This year’s World Day against Child Labour (12 June) will focus on the global theme: “Extend social protection: combat child labour!” Poverty and shocks play a key role in driving children to work. Poor households are more likely to have to resort to child labour to meet basic needs and deal with uncertainty. Exposure to shocks, resulting in loss of family income, can have a similar effect on household decisions. For example, economic shocks, such an adult member of the family losing his/her job, health-related shocks like a serious illness or an employment injury, and agriculture-related shocks, such as drought, flood and crop failure, can dramatically reduce household incomes and cause children to drop out of school and go to work to contribute to the family income.

Social protection aims at providing support to poor families, and assistance to help them to weather various shocks. Social protection instruments which are most helpful in combatting child labour include:

Cash and in-kind transfer programmes that enhance income security for families and facilitate access to education and health care, conditional or not, help prevent child labour, and promote enrolling children into schools, taking children for health check-ups.

Public employment programmes, which provide jobs for adults to build and improve roads, schools, health centres and the like, helping to ensure that it is adults who are at work and not children.

Social health protection, which ensures access to health care and financial protection in case of sickness, and can stop households sending children to work when a member of the household falls ill.

Maternity benefits, that protect pregnant women and recent mothers and allow caring for new-born children, have a key impact on improving the health of mothers and children and avoid that older children have to work to replace the mothers’ lost income.

Social protection for people with disabilities and those who suffer from employment-related injuries or diseases, prevent households from resorting to child labour.

Income security in old age, providing pensions to older people helps protect younger generations by contributing to the economic security of the household as a whole.

Unemployment protection, which provides adults with at least partial income replacement, reduces the need to rely on the income of working children when facing job loss.

World Day against Child Labour (12 June) promotes awareness and action to tackle child labour globally. Support for the World Day grows every year. Join us and add your voice to the worldwide movement against child labour.

You can also add your voice against child labour by donating a Tweet, Facebook or Tumblr post for free at https://www.thunderclap.it/projects/11571-red-card-to-child-labour (Choose: Support with – Twitter, Facebook or Tumblr). At the global level, the International Labour Organization – the United Nations specialized agency for the world of work, will launch the 2014 edition of its Red Card to Child Labour Campaign as billions of people prepare for the opening of the 2014 FIFA Football World Cup in Brazil.

A new song, written by Grammy-nominated musician Mike Einziger and internationally acclaimed violinist, Ann Marie Simpson, will be released. It features several award-wining artists committed to the cause including Travis Barker, drummer from Blink-182; Minh Dang, activist and survivor of human trafficking; Dominic Lewis, composer; LIZ, R&B pop-artist; Pharrell Williams, Grammy award-winning singer/producer; and Hans Zimmer, Oscar award-winning film composer. Everyone who joins the Thunderclap Red Card to Child Labour campaign will be able to download the song.

The campaign’s launch will also feature an aerial art event in Rio de Janeiro with over 1,000 people coming together to form a giant human pinwheel (the symbol of the fight to end child labour), against the backdrop of the Sugar Loaf mountain. And in New York, the giant screens on Times Square will display the campaign’s messages throughout the day, inviting passers-by to join the fight against child labour.

For more information about the campaign: http://www.ilo.org/redcard.

BIMP-EAGA: twenty years of pushing regional development

LYNDON PLANTILLA, PIA-Mimaropa

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (middle) march along with President Benigno Simeon C. Aquino III  in Malacanang during his recent state visit.

In 1994, the governments of Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia-Malaysia, Philippines (BIMP) established the BIMP-East ASEAN Growth Area (BIMP-EAGA) cooperation program to help develop marginalized and far-flung areas and reduce poverty within the sub-region.

Twenty years later, in the advent of an ASEAN Integration, no less than the presidents of the Republics of the Philippines and Indonesia, underscored the continuing relevance of BIMP-EAGA.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, during his state visit in the country Thursday, said BIMP-EAGA has motivated local economies and tourism and thus this cooperation must proceed with more participation from the business community.

For his part, President Benigno Aquino said he has discussed with President Yudhoyono, the importance of pursuing continuing cooperative activities between Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines within the BIMP-EAGA framework.

“This will ultimately redound to more doors of opportunity opening for all our peoples, enabling them to contribute further to the advancement of our nations and our region,” President Aquino said.

The BIMP-EAGA covers the entire Sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; nine provinces in Kalimantan and Sulawesi, the island chain of Maluku, and Papua (Indonesia); the Federal States of Sabah and Sarawak and the Federal Territory of Labuan (Malaysia); and the entire island of Mindanao (26 provinces) and the island province of Palawan (Philippines).

These areas have a long history of trading through the traditional barter system.

Among the goals of BIMP-EAGA are to turn the sub-region into the food basket for ASEAN and Asia and position itself as a single regional eco-tourism destination.

Puerto Princesa City of Palawan, along with Lake Cebu (South Cotabato) and Tibolo (Davao Del Sur), is one of the BIMP-EAGA’s pilot sites for community-based eco-tourism.

The cooperation program also looks into improving cross border flow of people and goods---by air, land and sea transports---within the sub-region and into the rest of Asia.

The development of the Puerto Princesa and Brookes Point ports is among the BIMP EAGA Priority Projects that were identified in its Implementation Blue Print (2012-2016).   

BIMP-EAGA is also pushing for a sustainable environmental management for the sub-region’s rich biodiversity and natural resources. (LBR/LP/RTVM/BIMP-EAGA/PIA4B)

Palawan: Kota Kinabalu's next door eco-tourism hideaway

Lyndon plantilla

Palawan is irresistible---from a backpacker with shoes-string budget to the corporate mammal who would trade suits with bright-colored tropical shirts, walking shorts and slippers.

Why not? The nature haven called Palawan is known for the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park (a World Heritage Site for its fantastic coral reef colony located at the island municipality of Cagayancillo);  the Calauit Game Preserve and Wildlife Sanctuary (home to giraffes, zebras, impalas, waterbucks, bush backs, gazelles, elands, topis, Calamian deer, mouse deer, bearcat, Palawan peacock pheasant, sea turtles and Philippine crocodile) and the Puerto Princesa Underground River in Puerto Princesa City, one of the world’s newest wonders.

Online magazine Travel + Leisure listed El Nido’s Pangalusian Island---where chances of meeting turtles and parrot fish on top of a reef in Bacuit Bay are high---as the sixth out of the 27 Best Places to Travel in 2014.

Last year, readers of same magazine rated Palawan as the World’s best island.    

So it would not be suprising when Governor Jose Alvarez reported in a recent Development Communicators Network (DevComNet) Meeting in Makati City that tourist arrivals in Palawan will hit the million mark this year.

To would be visitors, Governor Alvarez suggested to book ahead of schedule because catching a plane to Palawan and back to Mega Manila may be a headache during peak season  (even the governor himself had a hard time getting a seat last April).

Despite these achievements and acknowledgements, Governor Alvarez thinks Palawan deserved more visitors than what it is receiving today because the province  and its peoples' livelihoods rely on agriculture and tourism.

The governor said Palawan require more roads and schools and the violent passage of Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) has also affected four municipalities and 52 barangays making it difficult for  the province to push the needed developments to take place.
One solution that Governor Alvanez could think of is maximizing the proximity of Malaysia.

If only the Department of Foreign Affairs would allow Palawan to put up an extension office in Kota Kinabalu—something Governor Alvarez had wished for---so the province can promote its gems and get a chunk of the 4. 5 Million tourists in that part of Malaysia.

Travelling between Palawan and Kota Kinabalu is easy. 

Governor Alvarez said a boat ride crossing the West Philippine Sea from Balabac Island will reach Malaysia’s Kudat in three hours.   

Kudat, a resort town in Sabah, is 190 kilometers or three hours away by car from Kota Kinabalu.

But if passengers prefer flying, then they take regular flights from Kota kinabalu to Palawan and vice versa, Alvarez advised.

Currently, the Puerto Princesa International Airport has also direct links to other rest and recreation venues such as Caticlan, Davao, Cebu and Clark.

The airport served some 1.3 Million passengers in 2013 making improvements in its facility a  necessity.

Right now the maximum number of passengers that the  airport can deal properly is 350,000 per year. 

PIA-Palawan reported that the airport will undergo construction on the last quarter of 2014 to improve its capacity to handle flights and passenger loads.

Construction will include a new passenger terminal building, cargo terminal building, apron, connecting taxiways, a new air navigation system, and other support facilities.

The project is expected to be completed in  2017: by then,  the airport may be able to handle 2-Million passengers a year. (LBR/LP/DevComNet/VSM) 

UN Peacekeeping: A Force for the Future

By Hervé Ladsous, Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, and Ameerah Haq, Under-Secretary-General for the United Nations Department of Field Support.

It was a dark, February night in the hilly North Kivu province of Eastern Congo. At 02h45 a small, silent Unarmed Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, circled the sky around a village in Masisi territory and sent back live video of a group of armed men who had recently overrun a local military post. As the UUAV relayed pictures to a control room, senior military officers prepared to move their soldiers if the civilian populations in the area were directly threatened. The attack never materialized, but if it had, the band of marauders would have gotten a most unpleasant welcome. This scene isn’t from a Hollywood studio film -- it’s happening right now with the UN Peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Today, 29 May, we mark the International Day of UN Peacekeepers and honour the 106 Peacekeepers who lost their lives in 2013. Over the last year, UN Peacekeeping has been asked to adapt to new threats and new challenges, helping more people than ever through some of the world’s most destructive conflicts.

Nearly two months ago, the UN Security Council established our newest peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, a country that continues to experience widespread violence. Once fully deployed, our mission’s 12,000 strong military and police presence will protect the population, Christians and Muslims alike, and assist authorities to re-establish state institutions that ultimately guarantee longtermstability. 

Elsewhere, our mission in Mali faces the constant threat of asymmetric attacks and simmering violence as it continues to promote an inclusive dialogue and a sustainable settlement to the conflict. In South Sudan, the world’s youngest country, our mission operates within a political crisis that has seen thousands killed and many millions displaced. With the national army becoming a party to the conflict, the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the country has had to adapt itself overnight to assume the primary role of protecting over 85,000 civilians by opening its gates and allowing them inside.

In the face of these new challenges, UN Peacekeeping is being asked not only to deliver new solutions but to offer real value for money. Within increasing global financial constraints we are finding opportunities to innovate and modernise and ensure we have a peacekeeping force that is fit for purpose and ready for the future. 

Last year, to help meet the challenges of protecting civilians in the vast Democratic Republic of Congo – where there is just one peacekeeper per 117 square kilometres – we launched a UUAV programme, a technological first for the UN. Also in the East of the country, where communities are under threat from armed militias, we deployed a specially equipped ‘Force Intervention Brigade’ to support the Congolese Army.

Last November, the Brigade successfully supported the military defeat of the Mouvement du 23 Mars (M23), an armed group operating in the North Kivu province, liberating areas under their control and removing the threat posed to civilians.

As the demand for UN Peacekeeping grows and the Organization is expected to deliver in fast-evolving scenarios, the UN is creating platforms that help it to adapt quickly and do more with its limited resources. For example, UN Peacekeeping will launch an Expert Panel on Technological Innovation that will advise on how we can best use new and emerging technologies.

The UN has also set up a regional centre in Entebbe which allows our missions to share the use of our air assets and has already saved the organization about $100 million between 2011 and 2013. Our Blue Helmets are also getting ‘greener’ through the responsible use and stewardship of limited resources, as we aim to leave our Mission areas in better shape than when we arrived. We are using Geographic Information Systems data to help find water sources for missions so that we do not impact negatively on the local water supply. Waste water treatment and recycling projects are installed in nine peacekeeping missions, with the goal to eventually implement it in all of our operations.

Member States and the UN have a fundamental responsibility to prevent armed conflict and to protect people from atrocities and egregious crimes. Today, protection is at the heart of modern UN Peacekeeping, with ten peacekeeping operations, containing 95 per cent of all our deployed personnel, having a mandate to protect civilians.

For UN Peacekeeping to quickly respond to a crisis, such as in South Sudan, or to deal with the complexity of contemporary threats faced in Mali or the Central African Republic, we are also increasingly strengthening our partnerships with Member States and regional and sub-regional organizations as well as pursuing cooperation between missions. In Mali and now the Central African Republic we have worked closely with the African Union and with sub-regional groups.

With a track record over 65 years, UN Peacekeeping continues to do hard jobs in difficult places. UN Peacekeeping brings a unique, universal legitimacy that is unmatched by any other international peace and security instrument. This with an annual budget that represents less than half of a percent of the total world military expenditure, UN Peacekeeping is not only indispensable it is simply put, good value.

Today, as we remember our fallen colleagues, we dedicate ourselves and the Blue Helmets as a force for peace, a force for change, a force for the future.

United Nations Information Centre Manila
5th Floor, GC Corporate Plaza (formerly JAKA II Bldg.)
150 Legazpi St., Legaspi Village
Makati City 1229, Philippines
Tel. Nos:  (632) 336-7720 to 22
Fax Nos:  (632) 336-7177