Sweet Scent of Success for Hojap Coffee

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Hojap Multi-Purpose Cooperative (Hojap MPC) manager Shirley Tagtag shares how the cooperative grew to become one of the leading coffee producers in Asipulo, Ifugao, through the hard work and determination of its members.

"We started as a sari-sari store na ang binebenta namin ay basic needs ng mga tao," Tagtag said.

In 2002, the cooperative expanded its business to include lending services to help their farmer- members with their needs. According to Tagtag, Hojap MPC started venturing into the coffee industry in 2009 when its members participated in an educational trip in Cavite organized by the Department of Agriculture and Department of Trade and Industry.

"When they came home, nakita naman nila (participants) na may kape na sa Asipulo so why not start with coffee," she added. 

After years of catering orders for trade fairs, Hojap in 2014 began its regular coffee production.

“All year round available na ang (coffee) processing and we also started selling green coffee beans,” she said.

To help their farmer members, Hojap MPC conducts trainings; provides lending services to avail agricultural loans; and sells the produce to shield them from unscrupulous traders.

As shared by Tagtag, the cooperative aims to bring back the interest of the people to coffee farming.

“Nung bumagsak ang presyo noong 1980s, napabayaan ng farmers natin ang kape. If we give them sure market and sure price na hindi naman sila malulugi, I’m sure mae-encourage sila (magtanim).”

Hojap MPC, a partner of Peace and Equity Foundation in the development of Asipulo coffee farmers, currently has 962 members. They have been marketing their coffee products like Kesi’melan coffee not only within the province but also to specialty shops, cafes and supermarkets in Manila. HOJAP consolidates the local farmers’ harvests of green coffee beans, and fresh and dried coffee berries for volume-based incentives and better prices.

Hojap MPC is based in the municipality of Asipulo, Ifugao which hosts the biggest coffee planting area in the province with about 1,394 hectares, roughly 55% of the province’s total coffee area. The coop named itself as “Hojap”, an Ayangan term which means Haliap, the barangay where they are currently operating.

Website link: http://pef.ph/index.php/2019/04/29/sweet-scent-of-success-for-hojap-coffee/

3 PHL Container Ports Get Stamp of Approval in US Coast Guard Assessment

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Three of the country’s international container ports were found to have significantly improved in the conduct of the International Port Security Program (IPSP) Country Assessment by the United States Coast Guard (USCG) last 1-5 April 2019.

These ports are the Subic Bay International Terminal Corporation (SBITC), Davao International Container Terminal (DICT), and the Manila International Container Terminal (MICT).

Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade welcomed the positive security assessment given by the USCG, and promised to further improve security protocols in container terminals and seaports nationwide.

“We appreciate the USCG Team for the visit and the assessment, as this will give us the baseline for our security standards as maritime trading partners. We value all efforts that will futher enhance our interdependence leading to mutual prosperity,” the transportation chief said.

An in-country visit is conducted in all countries servicing US-flagged vessels engaged in international trade. This aims to facilitate sharing of port security best practices and development of mutual interests in securing ships coming in and out of the United States.

Included in a typical USCG visit are several observations such as port facility and vessel vulnerability assessment; security plan approval process leading to the issuance of an International Ship Security Certificate; and evaluation of security measures at a representative port or series of ports to verify compliance with the IPSP.

The USCG team provided its positive observations during the exit briefing held on 5 April 2019 at the Office for Transportation Security (OTS) in Pasay City. The briefing highlighted the exerted efforts of concerned parties in applying corrective measures on the observations reported on the said ports in 2015.

With this development, the USCG Team also pointed out areas that need to be improved in the said ports such as continuous monitoring of CCTVs; implementation of uniform security measures throughout the perimeter fence; employees Identification and Security Tags must bear expiry dates or have it color-coded; having a clear and direct communication link between the Port Facility Security Officer and ship's Security Officer; cargo Drivers should randomly be subjected to body search or inspection; and the improvement of security measures for Cruise Terminal Operation particularly in Subic.

“Our strong partneship with the U.S. Coast Guard bears proven positive results over the years. With this, we will continue to work hard to improve our security measures in our ports and carry on with this breakthrough. Rest assured, necessary steps will be taken for our ports to comply with the standards of the International Port Security Program,” Secretary Tugade said.

Present in the briefing were DOTr Assistant Secretary for Maritime Lino Dabi, on behalf of Secretary Tugade, OTS Deputy Administrator Miguel Oraa, Director for Transport Security Oversight and Compliance Service Gerardo Gambala and representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), MICT, DICT, and the SBITC.

Cyber Security: Threats That You Can Avoid

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The modern world is online from our everyday lives and social interactions to the way we run our businesses. The internet has opened up seemingly endless opportunities for communication and development, but it’s also brought a whole new world of criminality and risk. Cybersecurity threats can range from the mildly irritating or frustrating to attacks which threaten your data security, finances, and your reputation. However, many of these attacks are absolutely avoidable if you have the right protection and security procedures in place. In this guide, we’ll cover the most common cyber threats you need to be aware of and, crucially, how you can avoid them.

Phishing

Phishing is usually carried out via email. You or your staff may receive an email which may appear to be from someone you know or a business you recognize. In the email, you’ll be asked to take some sort of action such as sending money or sensitive information which can compromise your business. Sometimes, the email may ask you to click a link which is actually a harmful virus.

The key to avoiding phishing scams lies with you and your employees; you need to be vigilant when emails arrive which request information or appear suspicious. Never download attachments or click links from senders you do not recognize.

Malvertising

Malvertising is the placement of what appears to be an online advert on a website but is actually malware which will attack your system. In some cases, you don’t even need to click the advert; the act of loading the web page is enough to infect your computer.

To protect your computer from Malvertising, you need to ensure you carry out updates and install protection software.

Ransomware

Ransomware can be devastating to businesses and can be powerful enough to take down huge corporations and institutions. For example, in May 2017 the WannaCry ransomware attacked Microsoft Windows operating systems which had not carried out the latest update. It encrypted data and demanded ransom payments from major organizations such as the NHS and the BBC. While this attack took place on an international stage, ransomware can affect businesses and organizations of any size.

To defend your business against ransomware, you need to ensure that all your software and operating systems are up to date and that you have a back-up solution in case your data is attacked. You need to have a policy with a ransomware action plan in place, so your staff knows what to do should an attack occur. Consider a professional protection system such as McAfee Endpoint Security which protects a business’ mobile devices from cyber attacks.

Brute Force Attacks

A brute force attack is when a hacker attempts to access your files by working out your passwords. They don’t do this manually; there are tools and bots which take just a few hours to try thousands of passwords. It’s crucial to ensure that your passwords are complex and certainly don’t include your personal information such as date of birth. Use different passwords for different programs and accounts. A mix of numbers and letters is best and consider using unusual phrases rather than single words.