Sinabi ng Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) na magtatalaga sila ng 33 tauhan ng militar para tumulong sa patuloy na search and rescue operations sa Turkey na niyanig ng magnitude 7.8 na lindol noong Lunes.

“Nagpapadala kami ng dalawang grupo, mula sa Army at Air Force. A total of 33 personnel — 21 from the Army, 12 from the Air Force,” ani ayon kay AFP chief-of-staff Gen. Andres Centino.

Sinabi ni Centino na pinayuhan niya ang mga tropa na maghanda para sa malamig na panahon ng Turkey, na bababa sa 3 degrees Celsius sa susunod na dalawang linggo, ayon sa mga pagtataya.

Magbibigay ang AFP ng tamang damit at kagamitan habang inihahanda ang mga kaayusan sa seguridad. RNT

MANILA, Philippines – Kapit-bisig na isinusulong nina Congressmen Paolo Duterte at Eric Yap na magkaroon ng special hospital sa ibat ibang bahagi ng bansa upang tumugon sa pangangailangang medikal ng bawat mamamayang pilipino.

Ito ay sa pamamagitan ng isinampang panukalang batas bilang 6857 na tinawag na Regional Specialty Hospitals Act na layong makapagtayo ng regional branches ng mga specialty hospitals sa bansa tulad ng Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute, Lung Center of the Philippines, Philippine Children’s Medical Center at Philippine Cancer Center.

“This is to provide access to affordable and quality healthcare services to all Filipinos, through the provision of specialty hospitals in the different regions of the country,” pahayag ni Duterte.

Aniya pa na mas makabubuting mayroon ding mga specialty hospital sa mga rehiyon sa bansa upang hindi na magpapagod at magsasayang ng oras ang mga taga probinsiya para magpunta sa mga naturang specialty hospital na matatagpuan lamang sa Metro Manila.

“However, in order to afford the expertise of the hospitals’ medical professionals and its advanced amenities and equipment, patients are being encumbered by the additional expenses on transportation and accommodation for their medical needs to be catered, most especially those that are from far-flung areas or provinces,” dagdag ni Duterte.

Sa kanyang panig, sinabi naman ni Congressman Yap na ang Department of Health (DOH) ay nagsasagawa na ng development plan para sa specialty care bilang bahagi ng Philippine Health Facility Development Plan (PHFDP) 2020-2040 na kapapalooban ng paglikha ng 328 specialty centers sa lahat ng rehiyon sa bansa.

“In addition, no less than the Local Government Code of 1991 (LGC) itself has devolved the health services to the LGUs with the objective of making quality health services easily accessible to every Filipino. The case of decentralizing specialty hospitals are no different,” sabi pa ni Yap.

Ang panukalang batas oras na maisabatas ay magkakaroon ng kahit isang specialty hospital na itatayo sa Northern Luzon, Southern Luzon, Visayas, Northern Mindanao, at Southern Mindanao. RNT

KAMAKAILAN lamang ay muling  kinilala ang PMFTC Inc., local affiliate ng Philip Morris International (PMI), bilang “Top Employer in the Philippines” para sa ikaapat na sunod-sunod na taon.

Ito’y bilang pagkilala at pagpapahalaga sa kagalingan ng kompanya sa human resources at talent management.

“To be recognized as the Top Employer for four years now is no small accomplishment and one that we take to heart. It is an incredible testament to PMFTC’s long-term dedication to embedding inclusion in our company policies and nurturing an engaging working environment where our employees can bring their best selves to work,” ayon kay PMFTC Director of People and Culture Andreea Chiriac.

Ang Top Employee Certification ay isang proseso na nagpapakita o nagpapatunay sa mga independent auditor ng commitment ng kompanya para sa maganda at mahusay na “Human Resource processes, equity, diversity, at inclusion” sa  pamamagitan ng panayam sa mga empleyado, surveys at documented evidence.

“We continue to invest in our talent and foster a culture of positivity. This for us is the workplace of tomorrow – one that celebrates our differences, focuses on mental and physical wellbeing, meets the needs of globally-diverse workforce and optimizes new technologies to enable our workforce to act and lead with purpose,” dagdag na pahayag ni Chiriac.

“We are humbled and grateful to again receive this recognition as an employer of choice. When we committed to our vision of a smoke-free future, that led us down an exciting journey of not only innovating our products to help the millions of adult Filipino smokers who would otherwise continue to smoke, but to also transform our organization, our people and our culture. Our people have been instrumental in this journey to achieve our vision. This certification recognizes the progress we’re making as part of our transformation,” ayon naman kay PMFTC Communications Director Dave Gomez.

Ang Top Employer certification ay resulta ng independent assessment ng Top Employers Institute, na kinilala ng “parent company” ng PMFTC, PMI,  bilang Global Top Employer para sa  ikapitong magkakasunod na taon.

Kinilala rin ang affiliates ng PMI bilang leading employers sa 33 bansa  gaya sa buong Europa, Gitnang Silangan, Africa, at Asya-Pasipiko.

Sa loob ng 30 taon, ang  Top Employers Institute (TEI) ay naging  global authority sa pagkilala sa kahusayan sa kasanayan ng mga tao.

Tumutulong ang TEI para “accelerate these practices to enrich the world of work.”

Ang mga lumahok na kompanya ay maaaring  “validated, certified, and recognized as an employer of choice through the Top Employers Institute certification program.”

Sinertipikahan naman ng Top Employers Institute ang 2,053 organisasyon sa 121 bansa/ rehiyon.

Ang mga sertipikadong  Top Employers ay  positibong nakaapekto sa buhay ng mahigit sa  9 milyong empleyado sa buong mundo.

Ang PMFTC Inc. ay isang agriculture at consumer products company  na siyang nangunguna na baguhin ang buong Philippine tobacco industry. Isang business combination sa pagitan ng  LT Group Inc. at Philip Morris International (PMI), ang PMFTC Inc. ay isang  “employer of choice;  isang major leaf buyer at taxpayer; at katuwang sa law enforcement.”

company that’s leading change across the Philippine tobacco industry. A business combination between LT Group Inc. and Philip Morris International (PMI), PMFTC Inc. is an employer of choice; a major leaf buyer and taxpayer; and a partner to law enforcement.

“Around the world, PMI is building a future on a new category of smoke-free products that, while not risk free, are a much better choice than continued smoking due to the elimination of combustion — the primary cause of smoking-related problems.,” ayon sa PMFTC.

“Through multidisciplinary capabilities in science and technology, PMI aims to ensure that our smoke-free products meet adult consumer preferences and rigorous regulatory requirements. As the market leader, we are committed to offering adult consumers who would otherwise continue to smoke better alternatives and playing an active role in making Philippine society smoke-free,” dagdag na pahayag ng PMFTC. RNT

MANILA, Philippines – Niyanig ng magnitude 5.1 na lindol ang Tinaga Island, Camarines Norte nitong Martes ng gabi, iniulat ng Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS).

Batay sa earthquake bulletin nito, naganap ang alas-9:46 ng gabi at ang epicenter ay nasa 15 km N 87° E ng Tinaga Island, Camarines Norte.

Tectonic in origin, ang lindol ay may lalim na isang kilometro, ayon sa PHIVOLCS.

Walang inaasahang pinsala ngunit maaaring mangyari ang mga aftershocks, ayon pa sa ahensya. RNT

MANILA, Philippines – Iniutos ng Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) sa Altai Mining Philippines Corp. (AMPC) na itigil ang mga aktibidad sa pagmimina tulad ng pagtatayo at pagpapatakbo ng isang daanan at transportasyon ng ore sa Sibuyan Island, ayon sa isang environmentalist.

“This is just one of the fruits of the barricade. We appreciate the action by the DENR but we will not leave the barricade until the Mineral Production Sharing Agreement (MPSA) is revoked,” ani Rodney Galicha sa isang tweet.

Wala pa namang pahayag ang DENR para sa kumpirmasyon.

Ang MPSA ay ipinagkaloob sa AMPC noong Disyembre 2009 alinsunod sa Republic Act No. 7942 na kilala rin bilang Philippine Mining Act of 1995.

Noong Disyembre 2022, binigyan ng Mines and Geosciences Bureau MIMAROPA ang APMC ng permit na maghatid ng 50,000 metric tons ng ore para masuri sa ibang bansa.

Sa unang bahagi ng buwang ito, naglabas ng notice of violation ang Provincial Environment and Natural Resources officer-in-charge Arnoldo Blaza sa pagtatayo ng causeway ng APMC nang walang aprubadong lease agreement o provisional permit.

Sinabi ng DENR na ang cease-and-desist order ay isang precautionary measure para sa “potential irreparable damage to the environment.”

Samantala, sa parehong araw, naglabas ng pahayag ang APMC na nagsasabing “kusang-loob” nilang isuspinde ang kanilang operasyon sa pagmimina upang mapanatili ang “responsibilidad sa kapaligiran at pakikipag-ugnayan sa komunidad.”

Una rito, itinanggi rin ng mining company ang lahat ng alegasyon na ilegal ang kanilang aktibidad sa Sibuyan Island. RNT