Fil-Am International Artist JEFRЁ Reconnecting With His Filipino Roots

Wazzup Pilipinas!

JEFRЁ – a name that’s been steadily gaining recognition in the Manila creative scene. As the internationally acclaimed public artist and former landscape architect brings his considerable talents from his Florida studio to create even more thought-provoking pieces here at home, it won’t be long ‘til JEFRЁ becomes a Filipino household name.

Born and raised in Chicago to parents who were natives of Ilocos Sur and Laguna, Jefre Manuel Figueras studied at the Art Institute of Chicago before pursuing a degree in Landscape Architecture from Ohio State University.

“I went into the arts at the Art Institute of Chicago in the beginning 'cause I wanted to pursue my passions from high school into college. But then my parents were concerned about the struggles of a starving artist, saying, how am I gonna make money in art? So I went to Ohio State to study Urban Design and Landscape Architecture to be a city planner.”

His first decade out of college had him working for established firms like Skidmore Owings and Merril; and working for clients and involved in partnerships with some of the biggest industry names Santiago Calatrava, BIG Architect’s, Zaha Hadid and Philippe Starck – until a heart attack changed his view of the world and the legacy he wanted to leave. 

DOE to Ensure Continuous Power Supply in the Country

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Department of Energy (DOE) is reinforcing efforts to ensure continuous power supply in the country by requesting the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to look into the recurring Yellow and Red Alert Statuses due to the lack of power supply for the period 25 to 29 July 2016.

Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi specifically asked ERC to look into whether there is the existence of an anti-competitive behavior from industry players. He was pleased to learn that ERC is already looking into it.

The coordination between the DOE and the ERC was triggered following the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines’ declaration of the Yellow Alert status from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., Red Alert status from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Yellow Alert by 5:00 p.m. today (29 July).

As an immediate response, Manila Electric Corporation (MERALCO) has already coordinated with its Interruptible Load Program (ILP) participants to augment supply. As of 8:45 a.m., there were about 156 ILP participants that had confirmed their availability equivalent to 311.22 megawatts (MW).

The DOE is likewise closely monitoring developments in the plants that have undergone Forced Outage accounting for a total of 1,451 MW.

The DOE earlier stated that it will create technical audit teams for generation companies and distribution utilities to assess the reliability of the entire power industry.

Social Protection Laws Vows to Protect Sectors from Inequality

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"In times of growing inequality, the duty of the government is to protect the people not neglect them."

This was the statement of Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros as she filed four (4) new bills that she said will help "reduce inequality and address the exclusion of the most marginalized and vulnerable sectors in the country."

Hontiveros described social inequality as the unequal distribution of wealth and power that alters rights and privileges, social status and access to important social services. Her proposed measures tackle the concerns of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, informal settlers, small fisherfolks, and coconut farmers, groups that she said are some of the most vulnerable sectors of society.


Farmers and fisherfolks

Hontiveros said she is pushing for the passage of the Coco-Levy Trust Fund law to create a trust fund for the sole use of the coconut farmers from the PhP 73-billion coco-levy fund. "The Coco-Levy Trust Fund will ensure that the money is collectively owned by small and poor farmers to promote their welfare and help revitalize the coconut industry by developing global and domestic markets."

The Senator also planned to establish a separate agency for fisheries and fisherfolks’ concerns through the Department of Fisheries Act. Hontiveros said that the Filipino fisherfolks are one of the poorest sectors”, citing the Comprehensive National Fisheries Industry Development Plan 2016-2020 that reported that poverty incidence in the sector is at 39.2 % in 2014. “It’s time to develop our oceanic activities, especially in the light of our victory in the Permanent Court of Arbitration, to benefit our small fisherfolks without compromising ecological sustainability," she said.


Informal settlers and the LGBT

Meanwhile, Hontiveros filed the In-City Resettlement Act to protect informal settler communities who are in danger of violent and illegal demolitions by mandating the government to provide in-city or near-city resettlement.

The neopyhte Senator also pushed for the enactment of the Anti-Discrimination Bill, which seeks to penalize all forms of discrimination according to gender identity, ethnicity and religion in schools and workplaces. A similar bill has been filed by Dinagat Islands Representative Kaka Bag-ao and co-authored by Bataan 1st District and first transgender Congresswoman Geraldine Roman in the House of Representatives.


"Fight inequality"

"Through these bills, we will address inequality by protecting the people from its multiform effects such as poverty, violence, inhumane treatment and discrimination. We must fight inequality to promote a more sustainable approach to development. This will guarantee the rights of all people and safeguard democracy," Hontiveros concluded.