𝐊𝐖𝐅 𝐚𝐭 𝐓𝐒𝐔, 𝐥𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐝𝐚 𝐧𝐠 𝐌𝐎𝐔

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 






Pormal nang nilagdaan ng Komisyon sa Wikang Filipino (KWF) at Tarlac State University (TSU) ang Memorandum ng Unawaan (MOU) noong 4 Marso 2026, sa Bulwagang Romualdez ng KWF.

Layunin ng MOU na paigtingin ang kolaborasyon sa pagpapaunlad, pagpapalaganap, at preserbasyon ng wikang Filipino at iba pang mga wika ng bansa, partikular na sa loob ng akademikong komunidad.



Binuksan ang programa sa isang bating pagtanggap mula kay Fultaym Komisyoner Benjamin M. Mendillo, Jr., ang kinatawan sa Wikang Ilokano ng KWF.

Nagbigay ng mensahe si Tagapangulo Atty. Marites A. Barrios-Taran ng KWF ukol sa kritikal na kalagayan ng wikang Abëllën, na batay sa datos ng KWF sa Sigla ng Wika, ang Abëllën ay kasalukuyang nasa Grado 4 o "Di-ligtas" (Unsafe).



Ipinaliwanag ni Barrios-Taran na bagaman ginagamit pa ang wika ng ilang bata sa lahat ng domeyn, ang kabataan ay gumagamit na lamang nito sa mga limitadong pagkakataon. Sa ilalim ng Salik 3 (Proporsiyon ng mga Ispiker), ang wika ay nasa antas na "Tiyak na Nanganganib" (Definitively Endangered).



"Ang liit ng bilang ng mga ispiker kompara sa kabuoang populasyon ay isang malakas na hudyat na kailangan natin ng mabilis na aksiyon. Ang ating paglalagda sa MOU na ito ay hindi lamang pormalidad, ito ay isang pagsagip sa isang nanganganib na kultura," dagdag pa niya.

Ipinahayag naman ni Dr. Erwin P. Lacanlale ang kahandaan ng Tarlac State University na isulong ang mga probisyon ng MOU at isabuhay ang pagpapahalaga sa pambansang wika sa kanilang kampus.



Nagtapos ang programa sa pangwakas na mensahe ni Fultaym Komisyoner Carmelita C. Abdurahman, Kinatawan ng Wikang Samar-Leyte. Hinikayat niya ang parehong panig na huwag hayaang manatili lamang sa papel ang lagdaan, kundi magbunga ito ng mga kongkretong aksiyon at proyekto para sa kapakanan ng mga mag-aaral at ng sambayanang Pilipino.

Marcos admin brings YAKAP at Kalinga health caravan to schools nationwide

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

MAKATI CITY, 18 March 2026 — Spearheaded by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., the Department of Education (DepEd) recently conducted the Yaman ng Kalusugan Program (YAKAP) at Kalinga Caravan at Marcelo B. Fernan-Polambato Elementary School in Bogo City to bring essential medical services directly to learners, teachers and the school community.

The initiative, a joint project of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) and DepEd, aims to link schools with the local healthcare system for better accessibility to preventive care and diagnostic services. 

During the latest YAKAP at Kalinga mission, some 200 beneficiaries received free medical consultations and laboratory tests.

The President, together with First Lady Louise Araneta-Marcos and Education Secretary Sonny Angara, also witnessed the distribution of reading glasses and essential medicines.

Along with medical services, President Marcos also inspected the new disaster-resilient Learning Continuity Spaces (LCS) at Marcelo B. Fernan-Polambato Elementary School as part of the larger effort to ensure uninterrupted education following the 6.9-magnitude Cebu earthquake last September.

The program is set to expand its reach to Bataan, with a dedicated caravan scheduled to bring these vital health interventions to the students and faculty of Mariveles National High School-Cabcaben Annex Alasasin.

Secretary Angara said the YAKAP at Kalinga Caravan is a cornerstone of the agency’s reform agenda to prioritize learner wellness.

"This project reflects the marching orders of President Marcos to ensure that no Filipino learner is left behind, even in the face of the most challenging health and environmental calamities," Angara said.

The YAKAP at Kalinga Caravan for schools aims to make preventive care accessible within the campus to reduce out-of-pocket expenses for learners and teachers.

President Marcos and Secretary Angara have led several of these missions in several school locations across the country, recently in Minuyan Elementary School in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan and in San Francisco High School in Quezon City, to ensure primary healthcare reaches the most remote teaching communities.

DepEd remains committed to expanding these caravans nationwide to institutionalize comprehensive school-based health services.

EcoWaste Coalition Flags 1,041 Online Product Listings for Skin Lighteners Banned for Mercury Adulteration and/or Lack of Authorization

Wazzup Pilipinas!? 

18 March 2026, Quezon City.  While women’s contributions to society are celebrated during the National Women's Month, the EcoWaste Coalition is demanding real action from government regulators and administrators of online shopping and social media platforms:  protect women from hazardous products, specifically mercury-laced skin lightening products, which threaten women’s health and the safety of their families.

“We appeal to e-commerce regulators to use their powers under the Internet Transactions Act and related laws to enforce the prohibitions against skin lightening products with mercury content to protect our women and their families, knowing exposure risks can extend beyond the primary users of contaminated cosmetics,” said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator, EcoWaste Coalition.

“Administrators of online shopping and social media platforms must take down without delay all product listings and related materials promoting the consumption of products flagged by health authorities or civil society groups due to mercury adulteration and/or for lacking the required authorization,” she said, emphasizing “they need not wait for takedown orders to protect their customers.”  

The EcoWaste Coalition’s latest call for action came on the heels of the monitoring conducted by student interns from the University of Rizal System (URS), confirming the presence of hundreds of online product listings for mercury-containing and other unauthorized skin lightening products. The monitoring was conducted between March 10 and 16, 2026.

The interns identified 1,041 product listings on Shopee, Lazada, Carousell, Alibaba, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for skin-lightening products flagged by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for containing mercury and/or lacking market authorization. A similar monitoring conducted in July 2025 identified 1,146 online listings for mercury and mercury-added products, including 1,057 for non-compliant skin lighteners.

Among the FDA-flagged products with the most number of product listings and related promotional materials were Goree Beauty Cream with Lycopene, Goree Day & Night Beauty Cream, Goree Gold 24K Beauty Cream and the newly-introduced Goree 4-in-1 Beauty Kit and Goree Gold 24K 3-in-1 Beauty Kit, as well as other Pakistan-made products such as Faiza Beauty Cream, Golden Pearl Beauty Cream, Parley Goldie Advanced Beauty Cream, and Sandal Beauty Cream.

Product listings for China-made skincare products such as Aichun, Ailke, BIB, Feique Jiaoli, and S’Zitang were also found, as were listings for Thailand-made 4K Plus, 88 Total White, Dr. Yahnee, and Meyyong products, Indonesia-made Collagen Plus Vit E, and Malaysia-made Erna.  Some of these products may be counterfeits.

Previous studies by the EcoWaste Coalition of skin lightening products sold online have detected extremely high mercury concentrations in numerous samples at levels way above the one part per million (ppm) trace amount limit for mercury under the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive.

Other studies have also affirmed the prevalence of mercury-laden cosmetics peddled online. For instance, a study published in 2025 by researchers from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) detected mercury ranging from 1.8 ppm to 144,894 ppm in 58 percent of the 134 samples of skin lightening products bought online from seven Asian countries, including the Philippines, “reflecting significant regulatory gaps.”

“The findings highlight widespread non-compliance with safety standards, especially for online cosmetics, where regulatory oversight is limited,” the report abstract stated. “Immediate action is needed to strengthen enforcement, enhance consumer awareness, and implement routine monitoring to address the health risks posed by mercury-containing cosmetics.”

Aside from urging government regulators and digital platform administrators to act, the EcoWaste Coalition implored consumers, especially women, to shun chemical whiteners, resist color-based bias, discrimination, and prejudice, and embrace the natural color of one's skin at birth, noting that beauty and success come in every shade.