MARINA Partners with DOF in Upgrading Motorbancas

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) partners with the Department of Finance (DOF) in pushing for the MARINA’s motorbanca upgrading campaign. It will commence next month. 

As the MARINA and DOF encourage the upgrading of wooden vessels into fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) boats, motorbanca owners may avail of the Municipal Development Fund (MDF) from the DOF's Municipal Development Fund Office (MDFO) upon the discretion of their respective LGUs.

Through the MDF, motorbanca owners may have a more effective and reliable structure for their vessels, ready for the future implementation of MARINA’s policy on modernizing the domestic shipping industry.

The MDF was initially allocated to provide concessional financing assistance to LGUs with revenue-generating sub-projects and other infrastructure projects. With the MARINA-DOF partnership, the local maritime industry will now be included in the disbursement of the fund. 

The motorbanca upgrading campaign is in line with the MARINA’s 10-year Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP) that involves the modernization of domestic ships through strengthening of the capability of local shipyards and fostering the construction of more Philippine-constructed ships.

“The full implementation of the upgrading of motorbancas can only be achieved through strong collaboration and support from national and local government units. This partnership with the DOF is a good start for us,” MARINA Domestic Shipping Service (DSS) Director Sonia Malaluan said. 

Aside from the DOF, the MARINA’s motorbanca upgrading campaign is also supported by the Boating Industry Association of the Philippines (BIAP), Office of Transportation Cooperatives (OTC), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), and Landbank of the Philippines (LBP). 

PH Team Wins Silver and Bronze at International Physics Olympiad

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Three Filipino students became a nigh-unstoppable force at the 49th International Physics Olympiad (IPhO), taking the country closer to gold than it has ever been at the annual worldwide competition.

Steven Reyes, who hails from St. Jude Catholic School (SJSC), bagged a silver medal for the Philippines. Meanwhile, Mikhail Torio from the Philippine Science High School-Main Campus (PSHS-MC) and Charles Bartolo from the Philippine Science High School-Central Luzon Campus (PSHS-CLC) each brought home a bronze medal.

Dr. Josette Biyo, Director of the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI), congratulated the team for placing 34th out of 87 delegations that participated in this year’s IPhO-- achieving the best ranking in 13 years of participation. Reyes, Torio, and Bartolo ranked in the 88th, 68th, and 58th percentiles, respectively, out of a total of 396 student-delegates.

“The triumph of our IPhO Team is nothing short of remarkable. Our latest S&T HRD Stat Updates reveal that the number of physicists in the country decreased significantly, yet technological advances are fueled by physics-based researches. We hope they will continue their interest in the field and soon pursue a career in physics. I cannot emphasize enough the need for skilled physicists and their innovative application of physics to enable our economy to move forward swiftly,” said Biyo.

Each year, the IPhO gathers teams of secondary school students from around the world to compete against each other in a set of individual theoretical and laboratory physics exams.

This year’s problems involved the detection of gravitational waves, the ATLAS instrument at the Large Hadron Collider, and the physics of blood flow and tumor growth-- for the theoretical exam-- and paper transistors and the viscoelastic properties of a polymer thread-- for the experimental exam.

Accompanied by team co-leaders Prof. Perry Esguerra and Prof. Ian Vega (both from the UP National Institute of Physics), the team competed in Lisbon, Portugal last July 21 to 29.

To prepare for the competition, Reyes, Torio, and Bartolo underwent intensive training under Prof. Esguerra, Prof. Vega, and Michael Solis of the Theoretical Physics Group and team co-leader Prof. Nathaniel Hermosa of the Photonics Research Laboratory at the National Institute of Physics. They also received training and guidance from coaches Russel Odi (SJSC), Vinni Dajac (PSHS-MC), Rex Forteza (PSHS-CLC), and Lemuel Pelagio Jr. (PSHS-CLC).

The team competed in the 2018 IPhO with generous support from the Unilab Foundation, the Philippine Science High School Foundation, Inc. (PSHSFI), PSHS-MC, PSHS-CLC, SJCS, and individual donors from the physics community. Dr. Reina Reyes, IPhO Team co-leader, expressed hope for the team to gain more institutional and funding support.

The Philippine team plans to send another delegation to the 2019 IPhO, which will be held in Tel Aviv, Israel.

For more details, interested parties may contact the Philippine IPhO team at ipho.team.ph@gmail.com. (30)

Contact person: Lovely B. Aquino, SEI

Mobile No.: 09179201122, Tel. No.: 837-1925, 8372071 loc 2384

Run For Wellness 9 on September 9 in Naga City

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Southstar Drug celebrates 81 years with Run for Wellness 9: The Color your Run which is now on the 9th installment!

Register for 3k or 5k in select Southstar Drug branches in Bicol and get 10% off until August 31, 2018. Run for Wellness 9 will be held at Plaza Quezon in Naga City on September 9.

The Color your run with two categories that you will surely enjoy, 3K and 5K Color Run. With the combination of different colors with shades plus giveaways. RUN FOR WELLNESS will truly be remarkable and you can just FEEL THE WELLNESS in the route.

After all the breathtaking and color your run, there will be a Zumba with the finale of color blast.

REGISTRATION FEE
Php 300 FOR 3K / 5K Inclusive of Racebib, Singlet and Finisher Medal

REGISTRATION VENUES
Select Southstar Drug branches: NAGA - Crown Hotel Bldg., Cor E. Angeles St. & P. Burgos St. San Francisco Naga City Camarines Sur - #77 Concepcion Pequeña, Naga City, Camarines Sur DAET - Elevated Plaza Vinzons Ave., Daet, Camarines Norte IRIGA - Alfelor St., Cor. Rotary Road, Iriga City, Camarines Sur LEGAZPI - Rizal St., Legazpi City, Alba

For More Information: Visit: www.southstardrug.com.ph Call: Tel. No. +63 (2) 643-3137