South African Workshop Links Chemical Safety To Human Rights

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Environment and human rights organizations gathered in South Africa to identify links between sound chemicals management and human rights in a workshop conducted last July 21-23, 2015 in Pretoria, South Africa.

A workshop spearheaded by Philippine-based environmental justice group BAN Toxics (BT), Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and South African group groundwork highlighted the need to integrate human rights laws when implementing chemicals management policies and practices.

“To attain global sustainable development, it is essential to acknowledge the impact of pollution from industrial and agricultural chemicals to human health and the environment. It is important to understand the connection of these two issues and make it work for communities which are most affected by toxic pollution,” says Baskut Tuncak, United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Hazardous Substances and Wastes.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) states that unintentional poisonings from inappropriate and excessive exposure to toxic chemicals kill an estimated 355,000 people globally each year, where two thirds of these deaths occur in developing countries. 

Manhattan Property Versus The Rest Of The World

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The average price to buy a Manhattan apartment hit a record US$1.87 million in the second quarter of this year - an 11 percent increase on the same period in 2014, according to a report from Douglas Elliman Real Estate.

As the price to buy real estate in New York City skyrockets, global property portal Lamudi looks at what the average Manhattan apartment is worth elsewhere in the world.

An island lot in the Philippines

Cost: 80,000,000 Philippine pesos (~$1.84 million)

Of course you could buy an apartment in Manhattan with that spare $1.87 million. Or, for roughly the same price, you could get 215,000 square feet of beach frontage in one of the Philippines’ best island destinations. Located in El Nido on the scenic island province of Palawan, the lot has two hectares of land and hotel villas right on the beach.

Local Cloud Computing Firm Walks for Children’s Wishes

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Local cloud computing and data center services firm IPC (IP Converge Data Services, Inc.) has linked hands with non-profit Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines to help uplift the lives of children with life-threatening illnesses.

IPC recently participated in Walk for Wishes, a one-day event which allowed individual and group sponsors to meet their beneficiaries. Held at the Bonifacio Global City in Taguig, IPC’s contingent of 20 volunteers joined Wish Kids in a 500-meter health walk. The event was capped with the granting of specific wishes.

“IPC’s participation allowed our employees to engage in an activity that benefits society. We are able to extend assistance to the children of Make-A-Wish, and at the same time we have set a culture of community involvement within our company,” said Jefrri-ann Santiago, IPC Human Resources Manager.

Walk for Wishes is one of the activities spearheaded by Make-A-Wish Foundation Philippines. The charitable organization benefits children three to 17 years old battling life-threatening diseases. Make-a-Wish’s primary focus is to grant wishes to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy.

The photo above is Team IPC with Wish Kid Amie (fifth from left) at the finish line.