DOE Rolls Out Efficiency and Conservation Plans ‎2018-2040

EFFICIENCY PLANNERS: Participants and organizers of the Energy Utilization Management Bureau's Strategic Planning Workshop (SPW) in a unity photo after their culmination activity in Tagaytay on setting programs and projects for the country's effective utilization of energy. The event aims to further align EUMB’s plans and projects with the DOE’s direction for 2017 to 2040.

Aiming to empower consumers to be more energy efficient, the Department of Energy-Energy Utilization and Management Bureau (DOE-EUMB) and its stakeholders conducted a Strategic Planning Workshop (SPW) from 16 to 20 October in Tagaytay City.

“Diskarte and efficient ways through our short, medium and long term programs are the things we can share to our consumers to be smarter in utilizing their energy,” Energy Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi said.

The SPW kicked off highlighting the proposed activities and updates on the Department’s programs of promoting energy utilization such as the government enercon program, e-vehicles, fuel economy run and the “E-Power Mo” Campaign.

According to Dir. Jesus T. Tamang, OIC for EUMB, “SPW is an opportunity for us to assess and evaluate our programs and projects and to identify the items for improvement.”

On the second day, EUMB’s Energy Efficiency and Conservation Division (EECD) and the Alternative Fuels and Energy Technologies Division (AFETD) presented their individual roadmaps.

Some of EECD’s plans include: the advocacy for the legislation of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Bill; conduct of information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns; integration of energy efficiency and conservation (EE&C) in the LGU development plans and in the curriculum of the educational system; and, expansion of financing opportunities for EE&C stakeholders and projects.

AFETD for its part, plans to increase the public use of alternative fuels and other emerging energy technologies. This includes the establishment of mechanisms for the promotion, adoption and commercialization of alternative fuels and capacity building for innovators in the energy sector.

Other topics include risk and opportunity assessment, Corrective and Preventive Action Plan (CAPA), vision sharing and firming up ‎‎2018-2020 targets for Energy Utilization Management Bureau and the DOE Field Offices.

Days 3 and 4 covered the review of the budget for FY2017 and proposed budget for FY2018 and FY2019.

“This event is also a way to recalibrate our schedule and work program to achieve the goals set by Sec. Cusi,” Dir. Tamang said.

Philippines’s ‘The Stripboys’ Heats Up Asia’s Got Talent

You have never seen this on Asia’s Got Talent before! The Stripboys from the Philippines are baring it all in the upcoming episode of Asia’s Got Talent, but will they impress the judges enough to get through to the next round? 

In the same episode, look out for Deniel Sarmiento, a contortionist from Boracay who moved to Manila to pursue his dream of being a professional dancer. He joined Asia’s Got Talent without any expectations, but he wants to show the world what he can do.

To relive the Golden Buzzer moments and for more exclusive behind-the-scenes clips, subscribe to Asia’s Got Talent Official YouTube Channel at www.YouTube.com/AsiasGotTalent. For a full recap of past episodes, visit www.AXN-Asia.com/AsiasGotTalent/Episodes. 
A new episode of Asia’s Got Talent airs every Thursday at 8:30pm on AXN. To follow the journey of this season’s acts, check out #AXNAsia and #AsiasGotTalent.
Asia’s Got Talent is the 67th adaptation of the Guinness-World-Record-breaking hit “Got Talent” format, which was created by Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment and is co-produced by FremantleMedia. The “Got Talent” format is officially the most successful reality TV format in history and currently airs in 186 countries.
Asia’s Got Talent is supported by presenting sponsor Traveloka, the leading travel booking app for all flight and hotel needs; sponsoring partner Great Eastern Life, the market leader in the conventional life insurance business and the largest life insurer in Malaysia by asset size; and GoDaddy, the world's largest cloud platform dedicated to small, independent ventures.

In the Philippines, Asia’s Got Talent is brought to you by Cherifer, Tangkad Sagad, KFC Delivery and Vivo Smart Phone.
Marina Bay Sands, Asia’s leading business, leisure and entertainment destination, is the official venue partner of Asia’s Got Talent.
@AsiasGotTalent / #AXNAsia / #AsiasGotTalent / #AsiasGotTalentAuditions
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AXN is available on Cablelink Channel 38, Cignal Channel 121, Destiny Cable Channel 61, Dream Satellite TV Channel 20, G Sat Channel 51, and SKYCable Channel 49. AXN HD is available on SKYCable Channel 247.

NPC Reminds DPOs to be Alert During Long Holidays

With the upcoming All Saints Day and the long holidays brought about by the ASEAN Summit, the National Privacy Commission reminds Data Protection Officers (DPO) of government offices and private companies to protect their networks and data processing systems from data breaches by taking the necessary precautions.

The Commission would also like to remind individuals going out of town to secure their personal files as well as their homes, particularly during long weekends and holidays.

Personal data breaches have been known to happen during holidays because of the minimum compliment of personnel available during these times. The largest personal data breach in the country's history, the COMELEC data breach of 2016 happened during a long weekend, while Bangladesh bank heist which also involved a Philippine bank happened during a holiday.

Close to five thousand organizations that process personal data have registered their DPOs with the NPC.

The NPC recommends the following precautions to safeguard networks and personal data held by organizations. 

• Place non-mission critical systems off-line especially those that contain or have access to personal data.
• For systems that are kept off-line, ensure that all system activities are recorded and the aforementioned logs are secure.
• Password protect or encrypt files and databases on servers, desktop computers and other devices.
• Conduct a backup of systems and databases.
• Information Security team needs to retain the ability to remotely monitor systems and be ready respond to any unusual activity.

• Discourage physical breaches by securing office premises adequately.

Privacy Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro likens the protection of personal data during long holidays to securing one's home when leaving for an out of town trip, "When one leaves for a long vacation or when you leave home for a long period of time unattended, you make sure that security precautions are in place to ensure that break-ins do not happen. The same way our Data Protection Officers (DPO) should ensure that their I.T. systems are secure, and that adequate physical security is in place during times of minimal staffing". Chairman Liboro said.

"Breach management protocols need to be in place to ensure compliance with the Data Privacy Act as well as minimize the damage brought about by the breach". Liboro added

Data Protection for individuals

For individuals going on the road for the holidays, Privacy Commissioner Liboro recommends doing the following for data protection measures for their devices: (in italics: direct quote from Privacy Commissioner Liboro)

1. Double-check if your laptop or mobile phone have been updated with

the latest security patches

"Being on the road or away from your home network would mean that data connectivity would be slow and quota is very limited, and so you won't be able to do this reliably"

2. Make sure your personal and work data are backed up securely

"Personal records and files that contain personal data, like passports, health records, bills or tax returns should be kept secure, and if they are no longer relevant, it's a good idea to destroy them by shredding them or burning them"

3. Turn off your home network router if nobody is going to be left at home

"Powered-off devices, not just home appliances will not only save you money from unnecessary electricity consumption, but also deny criminal an avenue to attack your home remotely."

4. Be aware of Phishing scams and fake websites

"Users need to be vigilant of emails and fake websites that aim to extract log-in credentials from unwary users. There has been an increase in these, and users need to be cautious in accessing their accounts from their own devices and most especially from shared devices"

5. Do not connect to Wi-Fi Networks you do not know.

"Just because a Wi-Fi network announces itself to having free internet it doesn't mean you should connect to it, only connect to official and trusted wireless networks of hotels and resorts."