Following the landmark Subic Cable Loading Event in July, InfiniVAN, Inc. in a joint-build project with two other Philippine telcos, completed the Siargao landing of a segment of the Philippine Domestic Submarine Cable Network (PDSCN) in the Municipality of Dapa, Siargao Island on September 22.

InfiniVAN, Inc., a subsidiary of Tokyo Stock Exchange-listed IPS, Inc. (TSE: 4390) took part in the ceremonial cable pulling event of fiber optic cables that are part of the ongoing cable-laying phase of PDSCN. Five (5) of the 24 segments have already been completed to date.

The cable-pulling ceremony was witnessed by Dapa Mayor Elizabeth T. Matugas, Vice Mayor Gerry Abejo, and municipal officials along with representatives from InfiniVAN, Inc., Globe Telecom, and Eastern Communications. Once completed, the $150-million joint project that spans around 2,500 km will provide ultra-fast and reliable connectivity across the country.

InfiniVAN, Inc. Chief Technology Officer Alberto “Abet” Espedido said that aside from connecting major islands in the country, the project is designed to bring connectivity to tourist destination islands to further boost tourism and other industries in those places.

“We see this as an opportunity to fulfill our objective of providing connectivity to far-flung areas. We hope that the project does not only provide good communications infrastructure to Siargao but also help pump-prime the island’s economy,” he said.

Espedido shared that the fiber optic cable technology used in the country’s biggest and longest submarine cable installation is “future-proof.” This means unregistered 96- core fiber cables used in the project can handle large data throughputs that can be further expanded through advances in terminal equipment over the next 20 to 25 years.

This InfiniVAN-initiated submarine cable project is a cost-effective solution to building a massive and extensive transmission network through a joint-build arrangement with Globe, the Philippines’ leading digital solutions platform, and Eastern Communications, the premier telecommunications, and ICT solutions provider.

“We consider it an achievement, as a new entrant in the market, to be working with well-established partners on this project that will really make a difference in the next few years. It is gratifying to have so-called industry competitors join hands to provide a very precious resource to our countrymen and the country as a whole, in a most unselfish manner,” Espedido added.

The Express and Western routes connecting Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao will be ready by December this year and the remaining Eastern routes will be completed by April 2023

The South China Sea dispute has taken center stage since China emerged as the regional power in the Asia-Pacific. The focus has been on China with all sorts of accusations being thrown at its leadership for being aggressive and belligerent. The vilification of China is deliberate because the narrative being sold is plain good versus evil.

The reality however is, it’s not only China that has been posturing to strengthen its position but all other claimant countries which are in a position to do so as well. Among the most aggressive is Vietnam.

Vietnam actually occupies the most number of features in the South China Sea. It has also built military facilities on these structures. It has been engaged in poaching and continues to do so in the contested areas in the South China Sea using its fleet of blue boats.

It is estimated that Vietnam has a fleet of at least 105,000 of these wooden vessels which catch not only fish but other marine products for both domestic consumption and export to other countries. These blue boats have been caught illegally fishing not only in the South China Sea but as far off as the coast of Australia and New Zealand, Palau, and Papua New Guinea.

Vietnamese fishing boats normally poach in Philippine waters which suffer from a lack of patrol vessels for its long coastline facing the South China sea, from the north near the border with Taiwan to the south near the border with Malaysia.

The Vietnamese have also strained relations with Indonesia over its fishing activities in the North Natuna Islands and recently Vietnam and Indonesia have been engaged in bilateral negotiations in order to resolve the maritime border dispute in the North Natuna Islands, which both claim as part of each other’s territorial waters.

Vietnam is not an archipelagic state as Indonesia is. Yet Vietnam insists that a single boundary for both the continental shelf and the EEZ should be the starting point of bilateral negotiations to resolve disputes between the two countries even if both have ratified UNCLOS. This is the primary sticking point as there is the need for a basic definition of terms to be acceptable to both parties if a compromise agreement is to be reached.

The base points indicated by Vietnam are located offshore which is inconsistent with the provisions of UNCLOS which states that the drawing of straight baselines must not depart from any appreciable extent from the general direction of the coast and the sea areas lying within the baselines must be sufficiently closely linked to the coast to be classified as internal waters.

Vietnam’s penchant for applying its own interpretation of international law, as defined by UNCLOS above, and imposing its own conditions in the conduct of bilateral negotiation, are often why it’s impossible to come to an agreement with them. This is also not in conformity with what has been adopted as the consensus in previous conferences, which have been sponsored by Thailand, for ASEAN member states which are claimants in the South China Sea. Thailand has taken it upon itself to be an honest broker because it is not a claimant and is a neutral party.

The fact remains that similar to Indonesia, the Philippines also have overlapping claims against Vietnam in the South China Sea. It’s not unlikely that there will be a conflict between the two in the near future, if and when bilateral negotiations take place to tackle the issue of conflicting EEZs and there is no doubt that Vietnam will employ the same strategy it has with Indonesia, with the Philippines, as far as the base points are concerned.

LOOK: Here are the artists who performed at the thanksgiving concert for PRRD in Manila on Sunday, June 26.

Rep. Cheryl P. Deloso-Montalla, Chairman of the House Committee on Revision of
Laws hails the ratification today by the House of Representatives of the bicameral
conference committee report on the disagreeing provisions of Senate Bill No. 2332 and
House Bill No. 7836 on increasing the age in determining statutory rape.
“In the report, we determined that the age of statutory rape be set to under 16
years of age in view of the global standard on statutory rape age,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla
explained. “We also aligned with this bill the age of consent in other crimes under the
criminal code and other anti-child abuse and exploitation laws like the R.A. No. 7610,”
she added.
The Representative of the 2nd District of Zambales also said that the Committee “…
also provided a “close-in relationship” or “sweetheart clause” to recognize the legitimate
relationship between 2 teenagers… that is in consonance with the age of criminal liability
under RA 7610 or the Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and
Discrimination Act and the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act or RA No. 9344, as amended by
RA No. 10630. Most importantly, rape and other acts of sexual exploitation, under this
bill is now applicable to a man, woman, or child.”
“The enactment of this bill is long overdue as the data scream loudly and clearly
speak that the crime of rape remains rampant in the country. What we know are the
reported cases but the true statistics may be higher considering that there are a lot of
unreported and unaccounted cases of rape and other forms of sexual abuse and
exploitation that is happening,” Rep. Deloso-Montalla further said.
“Now that we have ratified the Bi-Cam report on the anti-stat rape bill, it is now a
step closer to becoming a law! We will always endure ascertaining that our children are
given optimum protection under our laws and within the bounds of the democratic society
that we have,” she averred.
Initially, 9 bills were referred to the Committee on Revision of Laws relating to the
amendments to Anti-Rape Law with specific provisions on increasing the age of consent
on statutory rape. There were similar bills that were referred to the Committee on Welfare
of Children Chaired by Rep. Yedda K. Romualdez. The 2 committees jointly heard and
deliberated exhaustively on the proposed measures and came up with a substitute bill –
HB 7836 or An Act Providing for Stronger Protection Against Rape and Sexual Exploitation
and Abuse, Including Increasing the Age for Determining the Commission of Statutory
Rape.
The bill was approved on Third Reading by the House of Representatives on
December 1, 2020

Hindi lang ang buhay ng mga tao ang nagbago makaraang tumama ang COVID-19 na pandemya sa buong mundo noong nakaraang taon. Maraming namatay, nawalan ng negosyo at dahil walang negosyo, marami din ang nawalan ng trabaho. Marami din ang natigil sa pag-aaral at pagtuturo dahil nagsara ang mga paaralan.

Gayunpaman, nakasira man sa maraming aspeto ng buhay ang sakit na ito, mayroon din namang kung tawagin ni Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray na nagsilbing “silver lining” sa kabila ng mga masaklap na mga pangyayari. Napilitan mag-isip ang marami kung paano mabubuhay, ang mga negosyante nag-isip din dahil marami sa kanila sa negosyo din umaasa ng ikabubuhay ng kanilang pamilya.

Mabuti at marami ang nag “adapt” sa takbo ng sitwasyon, naging “innovative.” Dahil bawal lumabas, marami ang sumabak sa “e-commerce” kung saan ang negosyo ay lahat online. Marami man sa mga batikang negosyante at yung mga nagsisimula pa lamang ay natutong gawin ang negosyo online. Medyo mahirap sa umpisa ngunit noong lumaon ay nakasanayan din. At marami sa kanila naging matagumpay. Kaakibat ng “convenience” ng online business ay hindi pa din mawawala dapat ang sipag at tiyaga.

Iyong mga nawalan ng trabaho, sumabak naman sa online delivery. May mga online delivery platforms, partikular pagdating sa pagdeliver ng pagkain at iba pang bagay, ang nakapagbigay trabaho sa mga unemployed. Basta may motorsiklo o kahit bisikleta man, pwede na sa online delivery. Maraming nagtiyaga kahit mahirap kaya marami din ang nakinabang at kumita ng maayos para sa ikabubuhay ng pamilya.

Naapektuhan din ang sektor ng edukasyon dahil natigil ang “face-to-face” classes. Mabuti na lang din at nauso ang “online classes” para sa mga may internet at kung wala man, ginawan ng paraan ng Department of Education (DepEd) na matuloy ang pag-aaral sa pamamagitan ng “blended learning” o paggamit ng “modules” kung sakaling walang internet sa bahay. Maraming naging pagsubok, pero hindi nagpadaig ang mga Pilipino sa hamon, guro man or mag-aaral, kaya tuloy ang pag-aaral. At kamakailan ay nagsimula na din ang “limited face-to-face classes” sa kung tawagin ay “low-risk areas” o yaong kakaunti ang kaso ng Covid-19.

Madami pang mga naging pagbabago sa buhay ng tao bunsod ng pandemya. Mabuti din at napilitan ang mga Pilipino na maging malikhain. Dati-rati, ang pagsabak sa “online” gamit ang “digital technology” ay hindi gaanong pinapansin at lahat ay puro “manual” na pamamaraan pa din. Mabuti at namulat ang mata ng karamihan sa mga pakinabang gamit ang internet, ang pagnenegosyo o pag-aaral online. Dahil sa pandemya, napabilis ang “adoption” o ang pagyakap ng tao sa digital technology at kung paano nito mapapagaan ang buhay.

Subalit sabi nga ng isang superhero, “with great power comes great responsibility.” May kapangyarihan na ang tao gamit ang “digital technology” subalit may kaakibat itong mga responsibilidad. Dapat ang mga aktibidad online ay naaayon din sa batas. Sa pagbugso ng paggamit ng internet at digital technology, napapanahon na pagukulan ng pansin ang mas masidhing paggamit nito at may kaakibat na mga batas na magbibigay proteksiyon sa mga gumagamit nito para sa kabuhayan at iba pang aktibidad, at karampatang parusa din para naman sa mga aabuso nito.

Isa sa mga layunin ng “CLICK” o ang “Computer Literacy, Innovation, Connectivity and Knowledge” ay ang mabigyang-proteksiyon ang maraming sektor sa lipunan, yaong mga nagne-negosyo online, mga guro at mag-aaral para sa online classes, at pati na din ang mga konsyumer na bumibili online. Sa pamamagitan ng batas, maisusulong na ang abot-kayang internet para sa lahat kahit saan man lugar nakatira, lalo na sa may gustong pumasok sa “e-commerce,” makipag-“network” sa iba pang negosyante na may karanasan na dito, o yung may gustong mag-aral online at kahit sa mga empleyado na nais ipagpatuloy ang “work from home setup.”

Marami pang dapat pag-usapan tungkol sa mga gawain “online,” lalo na sa aspeto ng “online privacy” at
“data security.” Subalit sa pamamagitan ng mga panukalang batas, unti-unti ay maisasaayos lahat ng ito upang mas lalong mapabilis at maging “convenient” ang buhay, at magamit ng tao ang digital technology at gawin itong kapaki-pakinabang sa mamamayang Pilipino, ngayon at sa mga susunod pang mga henerasyon.

Para malaman ang iba pang detalye tungkol sa CLICK, sundan lamang sila sa kanilang social media pages.

Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, Youtube: CLICK Partylist

LinkedIn: Partylist CLICK

Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson plans to solve the country’s serious poverty problem by providing more people the opportunity to get an education.

            In his latest video, the presidential aspirant, who has battled government corruption throughout his career in public service, points out that many young people are forced to drop out of school because of the need to help their families and because being in school is proving to be a heavy financial burden. Thus, they remain mired in poverty because without a good education their prospects are limited so they often have to settle for jobs that do not pay much.

He will launch an innovative Edukasyon Plus program if elected President that will provide free education and institute a government internship program. Each family will receive a P5,000 monthly allowance during their family members’ internship. Lacson believes that this arrangement will allow students to focus on their studies as they will not be under pressure to help their families.

“Even if education is free, young people cannot finish their studies because they have to help their families. If this vicious cycle continues, when will they be able to lift themselves from a life of poverty?” he says.

Studies show that among member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Philippines have the highest school dropout rate.

Lacson is convinced that education is the only way to give people the chance of a better future and to improve the lives of Filipinos, many, if not most, of whom still live below the poverty line. People remain mired in poverty, unable to get better-paying jobs, for lack of education, he stresses.

With Edukasyon Plus, young people can avail themselves of free education and participate in a government internship program that will pay their families a monthly allowance. “They won’t have to choose anymore between education and work to help their families,” Lacson says. He believes the program will help many people leave behind lives of poverty.

“Edukasyon Plus is the real solution to the problem of poverty,” Lacson adds.

Lacson and his running mate, Senator Vicente “Tito” Sotto, are running on the slogan “Aayusin ang gobierno, aayusin ang buhay mo.” (They will fix the government and put your life in order.)

For more info on Ping Lacson, follow https://www.facebook.com/PingLacsonOfficial.

            Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson is leveraging his reputation as a crime-buster and anti-corruption champion in his bid to become the next President of the Philippines.

            His video advertisement (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yv_HZnGnsow) highlights some of his major accomplishments as a senator and former head of the Philippine National Police (PNP).

            Lacson plans to expand on his initiatives to prevent public money from being lost through corruption as president and bring the government closer to the people. His main advocacy is to give more power to local government units that are closest to the citizens and understand the people’s needs best and are in a better position to respond to their problems more effectively.

            As highlighted in his TV ads, Lacson’s careful and detailed scrutiny of the national budget has saved the country P300 billion. He proved his strong opposition to the pork barrel that had become for legislators a major perk of their jobs, by refusing it.

            Among the accomplishments, Lacson has listed as proof of his qualification for the highest post in the country are the investigations of the P728 million fertilizer scam, the anomalous $329 million contract between the Philippines and China’s ZTE Company, and Payola or bribery in the Bureau of Customs by exposing the TARA list.

            He also brought to the public’s attention the “Hello Garci” tapes, an attempt at cheating during the 2004 elections.

            The former military officer and PNP chief exposed the chopper scam where the government paid brand-new prices for second-hand helicopters.

            Lacson’s initiatives as PNP chief earned him a trust rating of 78+ percent from the public, the highest rating ever recorded for the position.

Filinvest Land Inc. turned over to the City of Dagupan, Pangasinan 170 sacks of rice, 1650 packs of canned goods, and 4,300 packs of noodles to help around 165 families evacuated due to severe flooding caused by strong and sustained rainfall from Severe
Tropical Storm Maring (Kompasu) last week. Maring also left P 263 million worth of damage to the province.

Dagupan City Mayor Marc Brian Lim received the donation today (Oct, 23) from Filinvest. “Thank you to the Filinvest Group for this very timely donation for Dagupan. Your contribution will definitely help those gravely affected by this calamity. We all wish you the best in your endeavors,” said Mayor Lim.

In an interview, Filinvest Land Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer Tristan Las Marias said, “Filinvest is committed to being an active and supportive member of any community where it operates. When we heard the news that 31 barangays were flooded and families were being evacuated in Dagupan, we knew right away that the city will need help to provide food for them for days. This is why we immediately mobilized our team to send relief and we are happy to be amongst the first from outside the City to help.”

The real estate developer said it has been Filinvest’s advocacy to help our countrymen at times of calamity as a way of giving back to the people and partner local governments.

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About Filinvest Land, Inc. 

Filinvest Land Inc. is one of the country’s leading full-range property developers. For almost 50 years, the company
has built a diverse project portfolio spanning the archipelago including large-scale townships: Havila (306
hectares), Timberland Heights (677 hectares) and Manna East (60 hectares) in Rizal, Ciudad de Calamba (350
hectares), City di Mare in Cebu (50 hectares) and Palm Estates in Talisay City (51 hectares). FLI has since built more
than 200 residential developments across the country.

FLI owns 20% of Filinvest Alabang, developer of Filinvest City (244 hectares), a central business district in southern
Metro Manila. FLI is also developing two townships in the Clark Special Economic Zone: its industrial and logistics
park and mixed-use development at New Clark City (288 hectares) and Filinvest Mimosa+ Leisure City (201
hectares) in partnership with Filinvest Development Corporation.
For more information call (02) 850-0888 or (0917) 877-0888 or log on to http://www.filinvestland.com