MANILA, Philippines- Kayang pangasiwaan ng bansa ang population growth nito sa pamamagitan ng patuloy na implementasyon ng family planning at reproductive health programs.

“Ideally, a population growth rate of 1 percent can maintain a good number of effective workers who can support older, retired, or partly retired seniors,” ayon kay Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM) Executive Director Undersecretary Juan Antonio Perez III.

“Conditions will get worse if the country keeps growing at a rate of 1.6 percent, which was seen before the Covid-19 pandemic,” anito.

“This effective workforce is crucial not only to support pensions of older Filipinos but also to cover increasing costs of geriatric health care and social services for disabled and isolated older Filipinos,” ang pahayag pa rin ni Perez.

Base sa 2020 Census of Population and Housing na isinagawa ng Philippine Statistics Authority, ang percentage share ng mga kabataang pinoy na may edad na 5 pababa ay bumaba ng 10.2% noong 2020 mula 10.8% noong 2015 at 12.6% noong 2000.

“The decreasing number of children is indicative of the choice of women and couples to have smaller families with just two children at the most,” ayon kay Perez.

“Worldwide as well, the trend in the last half century is for smaller families. The number of seniors is on the rise due to better health and socioeconomic conditions. Seniors are better educated and have healthier lifestyles,” aniya pa rin sabay sabing “the relatively large numbers in the age group 5 to 14 who will gradually join the workforce up to 2035 can be an advantage or a disadvantage.”

“Policies which take advantage of this potential can reap a demographic dividend during this period, with policies to increase the employability of the young and women, greater entrepreneurship, incentives for local MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises), and increasing financial literacy. The bane of social unrest and instability will result from increasing poverty in the general population and joblessness among the young Filipinos,” litaniya ni Perez.

Ang kasalukuyang situwasyon aniya sa Pilipinas bilang “demographic window of opportunity”, ay nakita rin sa mga bansang Europa, North at South America, West, at iba pang Southeast Asian countries.

Ang demographic dividend o window of opportunity ay ” period during which a country’s population experiences age structures that are highly favorable for development.” Kris Jose

MANILA, Philippines- Binuksan ng Marikina LGU ang COVID-19 booster vaccination para sa mga estudyante ng lugar sa mega vaccination center nitong Lunes, bilang paghahanda sa muling pagbabalik ng face-to-face classes sa Agosto 22. Danny Querubin

MANILA, Philippines- Inilatag ni Department of Science and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum nitong Lunes ang mga plano na aniya ay alinsunod sa socio-economic agenda ng Marcos administration.

Sa Palace public briefing, sinabi ni Solidum na may mga plano sila para sa paglikha ng trabaho, research and development, food security and resiliency, kalusugan, at human resource development.

“Nandyan po ‘yung job creation sa pamamagitan ng science technology and innovation and also this is for countryside development,” pahayag niya.

Sinabi rin niya na ang DOST ay may science para sa change program na tututok sa research and development engagement para sa mga organisasyon sa DOST at sa higher education institutions. Idinagdag din niya na tutulong siya sa start-ups at small at medium enterprises.

“Pagdating naman po sa food security, meron pong mga tinitignan diyan na posibleng makatulong sa production ng agricultural crops tulod po nung plant growth o water,” ani Solidum.

“Magkaiba po ito sa fertilizer na nilalagay sa lupa, display lang po ito sa dahon, pwede po magkaroon ng 15 to 30% increase in rice yield. Ganon rin po sa munggo at iba pang crops,” patuloy niya.

Samantala, inilahad niya na sinimulan na ng DOST ang Virology and Vaccine Institute of the Philippines.

“Habang hindi pa naisasabatas, meron na pong mga proyekto na ginagawa ang iba’t ibang ahensya ng DOST patungkol sa virus na puwedeng makaapekto sa tao at siyempre sa mga hayop at halaman kasi importante ito sa food supply,” paglalahad niya.

“At marami na po tayong nahihikayat na mga Pilipino na at least panandalian ay tumulong sa iba’t ibang ahensya, ‘yung mga unibersidad, para ma improve po ang ating research,” dagdag ng DOST chief.

“‘Yung human resource development ay pagpapatuloy po ang ating scholarship sa Philippine Science High School, sa mga undergraduates, masters, and PhD degree.” RNT/SA

MANILA, Philippines- Sinita ng isang MMDA Traffic Enforcer fang sasakyan sa paglabag sa number coding scheme sa kahabaan ng EDSA, New York sa Quezon City, Agosto, 15 2022.

Simula ngayong Lunes, muling ikinasa ng Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) ang number coding scheme kabilang ang morning rush hours. Danny Querubin

MANILA, Philippiens- Nagpahayag ng suporta ang Philippine Sugar Millers Association (PSMA) sa Sugar Order 4 (SO 4), na pumapayag sa pag-angkat ng 300,000 metric tons ng bigas, at sinabing ang hindi pagkasa rito ay posibleng dahil lamang sa “ministerial misunderstanding.”

Sinabi ni PSMA President Pablo Lobregat na kinakailangan ang SO 4, dahil sa pagpapatigil ng Negros Occidental courts sa SO 3, na ipinalabas noong Pebrero na pumapayag sa pang-angkat ng 200,000 metric tons ong asukal.

“If Sugar Order number 3 was realized, the rise in sugar prices wouldn’t be astronomic. But it was not to be. Sugar Order 4 should have provided compensation for that additional requirement,” ani Lobregat sa hearing sa SO 4 House Committee on Good Government and Accountability at ng House Committee on Agriculture and Food.

“I don’t think it is a matter of whether there is a lack of sugar but a matter of ministerial misunderstanding between the SRA (Sugar Regulatory Administration), the DA (Department of Agriculture) and the President [Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.],” dagdag niya.

Ito ang nagging tugon ni Lobregat sa tanong kung ano ang posisyon ng PSMA sa SO 4,na ayon sa Malacañang ay iligal at hindi pirmado ni Marcos, na kasalukuyang DA chief.

Subalit, nanindigan si Lobregat, na makatutulong ang SO 4 sa sugar producers at consumers.

“SO 4’s inclusion [in our policy] will bring down prices to acceptable levels,” aniya. “We do not want high prices because it will encourage smuggling.”

Iginiit niya na ang “requirement for imported sugar is there, just look at the prices.”

Batay sa pinakabagong datos mula sa DA, makikita na ang presyo ng refined sugar way pumapalo sa P100 kada kilo, washed sugar sa P75 kada kilo, at brown sugar sa P70 kada kilo sa Metro Manila hanggang nitong Agosto 12, 2022.

“Those insinuations that this (importation) will be used in making money, bribery, I do not think individuals and industries… will do that because these are well known companies whose corporate governance prohibits such [practices],” sabi niya.

Nauna nang inihayag ni Pangulong Marcos na posible na mag-angkat ang bansa ng mas kaunting asukal sa Oktubre. RNT/SA