Maritime projects, initiatives support sea travel full passenger capacity under Alert Level 1

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




With completed projects and ongoing initiatives in the maritime sector, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) is ready to support and address the 100% passenger capacity for sea travel as parts of the country are placed under Alert Level 1 effective on 01 March 2022, Transportation Secretary Art Tugade said.
According to Secretary Tugade, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has completed port development projects nationwide, while the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) are continuing with initiatives to boost maritime operations.

“Mr. President, converting from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 1, masasabi ko ‘ho sa mga nagawa na at gagawin pa namin handa na ‘ho ang Department of Transportation. We support the move to lower the alert level following the guidance and mandates of the IATF,” Secretary Tugade said during President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s Talk to the People on Monday.

Secretary Tugade said 13 completed port projects are ready for inauguration under Alert Level 1 to accommodate seaport passengers.

Some of the ports ready for inauguration are the Ports of Currimao in Ilocos Norte; Bulan in Sorsogon; Legazpi and Tabaco in Albay; Basiao in Capiz; Banago in Negros Occidental; Baybay and Palompon in Leyte; Ozamiz in Misamis Occidental; Sultan Naga Dimaporo in Lanao del Norte; Mati in Davao Oriential; and Dapitan and Sindangan in Zamboanga del Norte.

He added that two more priority projects are for completion this March: The Port of Batangas' new Passenger Terminal Building (PTB) will accommodate 3,616 passengers, while the Calapan Port's new PTB will have a 3,500-passenger capacity.

“Ang mga terminal na itinatayo natin, ang capacity hindi na sa one hundred one hundred, thousand thousand na. Merong 3,000, merong 4,000,” Secretary Tugade said.

Aside from addressing the increase in capacity, Secretary Tugade said the PPA and MARINA are also solving port operations concerns for a seamless movement of passengers and cargo, including those in the Port of Matnog.

“Ang queueing diyan ng mga buses, nagtatagal ‘ho iyan from 16 hours to two days, ngayon po because of the system that we have organized in the Maritime Sector kasama ang PPA, PCG, MARINA, LGU, DILG, ngayon ‘ho iyong queueing time is three to five hours na lang,” Secretary Tugade explained.

To further manage the port arrival of vessels, the MARINA will be issuing around 20 additional travel permits for roll-on/roll-off vessels to cater to the growing number of sea passengers under thr more relaxed Alert Level 1.

Meanwhile, Secretary Tugade said the arrival of first of two 97-meter long Multi-Role Response Vessels (MRRVs) from Japan will also bolster maritime patrols in the country’s borders.

According to Secretary Tugade, as an additional maritime asset, the PCG-acquired BRP Teresa Magbanua can conduct patrols for three weeks in the West Philippine Sea, in the Benham Rise, and in the southern part of Mindanao. The second PCG MRRV is set to arrive in May 2022.

The PCG workforce likewise saw a significant increase with the addition of at least 22,000 Coast Guard personnel and an additional 33,000 Auxiliary members, Secretary Tugade reported.

Part of PCG and PCGA's personnel will be realigned for the heightened visibility and patrolling at various transport hubs nationwide, Secretary Tugade said.

President Duterte lauds Briones for advancing PH education reforms

Wazzup Pilipinas?!

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte lauded Education Secretary Leonor Magtolis Briones for her ‘splendid work’ in advancing reforms in the basic education system of the country.

 

“Alam ko 'yung fervor mo sa edukasyon ng mga batang Pilipino and I have always relied on your wisdom to do what is next, kung anong gagawin. And so far, I said, that is splendid work done by you to further the cause of education,” President Duterte said during the “Talk To The People” briefing on February 29.

 

Pres. Duterte also acknowledged the Education Chief’s commitment to advance the education sector in the country and her genuine concern for Filipino learners.

 

“Hindi talaga rin ako nagkamali sa pagkuha sa’yo. I knew that you would be of great help – this is not to flatter you – to the education of the Filipino young people. And again, I thank you also for your dedication,” he added.

 

Secretary Briones expressed gratitude to the President for trusting her knowledge and expertise and supporting her decisions and vision for the Department.

 

“We are grateful to President Duterte for recognizing our efforts and work in DepEd. Your constant affirmations help us boost the morale of the whole Department from our top officials to our regional directors, school heads, and teachers on the ground,” she said.

 

During the briefing, Sec. Briones shared that one of her administration’s major contributions is strengthening regional offices by giving them the authority to decide based on their analysis of the actual situation and solve specific problems in their units.

 

“Isang malaking contribution ‘yan, the strengthening of the regional units because we have to decentralize dahil napakalaki ng Department of Education. The superintendents are empowered. That is our policy, and I think it’s a major contribution of the department that we have developed very strong regional units,” Briones noted.

 

Moreover, DepEd hopes to continue the blended learning approach and implement protocols for face-to-face classes as NCR and 38 other areas are put under the Alert Level 1 starting on March 1.

 

“This Friday, mag-usap ang Department of Health at saka ang DepEd para pag-usapan kung alin ang mga protocols na puwedeng i-relax kasi right now, 6,145 ang nag-qualify. Pero sa tingin namin, baka dadami pa ‘yan kasi Level 1 na tayo. Wala na tayong Level 3,” Briones said.

 

“Itong Alert Level 1, will be aligned to ‘yung sinasabi nating impending return to normalcy sa ating ekonomiya, sa ating society, dahil luluwag din ang mga requirements natin para sa edukasyon,” Sec. Briones added.

 

StackLeague 2022: Pioneer eSports for Programmers Announces First Weekly Rankings

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The competition has begun! StackLeague 2022 opens its second competitive season with a bang with cash prizes for the players who dominated the first week of the StackLeague Treasure Chest Individual and Team categories.

Go Big or Go Home

 

StackLeague - The Philippines’ Largest Online Programming League, is going for the big bucks as it breaks off the first bit from its Php 10 Million cash prize pool to reward the programmers who dominated the first week of competition.

In the first week of the StackLeague Treasure Chest Individual category, Mark Kevin Ong Yiu, a student of BS Applied Mathematics - Master in Data Science at Ateneo de Manila University, ranked first with 4, 510 points. Rae Gabriel Samonte came in a close second with 4, 373 points, while Raphael Jose Montemayor came in third with just 314 points off Samonte at

4, 060 points.

The StackLeague Treasure Chest Team category, on the other hand, saw Doki Doki Coding Team on top of the leaderboard with Hack of All Trades and Can This Please Work trailing tightly at 2nd and 3rd respectively.

All players and teams who emerged on top of the ranking in the first week also received multipliers on their cash prizes, increasing their take-home prize by 1.5x.

The StackLeague Challenger Level-up which rewards players each time they conquer different levels also sees great turnout as more programmers reach Master Level Challenges - the league’s not-so-secret secret boss level.

What’s Next in the Competition

The year-round programming league expects major movements in the ranking as more programmers from all over the Philippines continue to join even weeks after the competition started. Rankings are determined by the number of points accumulated by each player after solving coding challenges, giving latecomers the chance to catch up and rise through the ranks. In the end, those who can stay on top in this marathon of coding challenges get the biggest reward.

Beyond the League

Behind the virtual arena, StackLeague continues to inspire the nation into coding by connecting the league’s players to career growth opportunities. Challenges are designed to push them to their limits and explore what skills they have yet to unleash, which equips them to compete in the real world - the ever-evolving tech industry.

Coupled with thousands of tech job opportunities from some of the biggest names in tech, including Microsoft, AWS, Deltek, Coding Chiefs, and Apper.ph, StackLeague players are set to dominate not just competition rankings, but also the Philippines’ biggest tech teams.

 

Join the League!

Be a part of the country’s biggest programming competition and see what doors open for you in tech! Register via stackleague.com to start solving challenges.