Celebrate Craft Beer Excellence at the MNL BEERFEST – Beer Festival October 2023

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Beer enthusiasts, mark your calendars for another MNL beerfest event for this year! The MNL Beerfest is back and set to take place from 4pm to midnight for 3 straight days on October 13-15 at Capitol Commons Park in Pasig City. This year's festival promises an extraordinary lineup of local craft breweries from the Philippines, Imported Beers, delectable food, and an unforgettable experience for all beer lovers.

The MNL Beerfest is a celebration of the artistry and innovation of craft brewers from across the region and imported beers available in the market. This year's festival will feature an impressive selection of craft breweries, each showcasing their finest creations, including IPAs, stouts, lagers, sours, and more. The event is supported by the vendors and patrons of local craft breweries.

Whether you're a seasoned craft beer connoisseur or just starting your beer journey, there will be something to tantalize your taste buds.



Highlights of the Beer Festival:

Craft Beer Tastings: Sample an extensive array of beers from both local craft breweries & Imported beers.

Gourmet Food: Savor mouthwatering food offerings from a variety of local food vendors.

Vibrant Venue: The festival takes place in the stunning surroundings of the Capitol Commons park beside Estancia, a lifestyle mall right across it.



"The MNL Beerfest regularly brings Beer festivals to the public to give Local Craft beer breweries an event to showcase craftsmanship and creativity that goes into making craft beer," said Cherry S. Genato, Festival Organizer. "We're excited to bring together beer enthusiasts, brewers, and food lovers for a day filled with great beer, delicious food, and good crowd."



Tickets are priced at Php 500 each with 2 drink servings and unlimited beer tasting to select beer vendors all night! Guests may purchase tickets in advance on the festival's Viber Community - MNL BeerFest or at the venue on the dates of the event. Attendees must be 18 years or older to enter the beer festival.

For the latest updates and to learn more about the participating breweries and vendors, visit the official MNL BEERFEST Facebook Account: mnlbeerfest



· FB Page Link:

https://www.facebook.com/mnlbeerfest?mibextid=MKOS29

· Viber Link: https://invite.viber.com/?g2=AQB7AQBS%2BJ8%2FdVDc2cp57kUxKurzmwB5aOPNluFXPeMDfpO1DXT3XZWLIhpL%2Fj4J

Investigating the role of bird perches in reforestation

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Reforesting damaged forests is crucial for fighting climate change and protecting wildlife. One common way to do this is by planting trees, but this can be expensive and labor-intensive. A cheaper and more effective approach is Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR), which can involve the use of bird perches to attract fruit-eating birds that can help spread tree seeds and speed up the natural regeneration of the forest.

A Philippine green pigeon (Treron axillaris) is seen eating a fig, the seeds of which will be dispersed the next time the bird defecates. Researchers are looking at the potential role of artificial and natural bird perches in this dispersal process towards restoring degraded forests.(Photo credit: Jelaine Lim Gan)

Researchers from the University of the Philippines - Diliman College of Science Institute of Biology (UPD-CS IB), the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, and the UK’s Newcastle University aim to embark on a systematic review and meta analysis of previous studies and observations to figure out how well artificial and natural perches work in increasing seed dispersal and seedling growth on degraded areas.

“The results will synthesize available evidence on the topic, identify knowledge gaps we need filling to upscale the strategy, and inform their use in concert with other ANR strategies,” the researchers said in their paper. “The search strategy was informed through a literature scan and discussions with stakeholders and experts,” they added.

The meta study aims to see if perches help bring in more seeds and seedlings in terms of numbers and types. The researchers hope to learn how to use perches better and combine them with other strategies to bring damaged forests back to life.

The results of the meta study are expected to be available in 2024.



References:

Gan, J. L., Grainger, M. J., Shirley, M. D. F., & Pfeifer, M. (03 August 2023). How effective are perches in promoting bird-mediated seed dispersal for natural forest regeneration? A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence, 12(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13750-023-00308-z

Marcos Jr's Energy Plan Remains Silent on Electricity Rate Cuts

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Kuryente.Org commended the Department of Energy (DoE) for publicizing its proposed road map for the country’s energy and electricity plan under the Marcos administration, but also scolded the agency for failing to present plans for electricity price reduction.

The DoE launched its Luzon-wide public consultation on its proposed Philippine Energy Plan (PEP) for 2023 – 2050 last August 30, 2023. The roadmap provides the guide and framework for the current government’s policies and programs to achieve its goal of energy sufficiency, reliability and affordability to boost its economic goals.

“The presentation provides a robust and vibrant economic projection and assumptions to ensure the country’s energy and power security for the next decades. True to the marching orders of the President during its second State of the Nation Address, the PEP also include its projection for renewable energy and nuclear energy development from which DOE projected by the end of current administration’s term the country will be enjoying 96MW of energy,” said Roland Vibal, national coordinator for Kuryente.org

However, the group is not satisfied with the proposed PEP as it failed to present a clear projection of how the current and projected efforts in energy supply will lead to lower electricity rates which ironically remains at the second highest after Singapore in the ASEAN region.

“We welcome the current DoE’s effort to ensure energy sufficiency and clean energy source, but this is not enough if such efforts do not redound to lower electricity prices,” Vibal added

“The roadmap is incomplete as it fails to provide electricity consumers, particularly household electricity consumers, with electricity price reduction in coming years. The PEP failed to lay down policies and programs to make the country’s electricity affordable to all. Assuring the public of energy and electricity security is not enough. It must also assure the public of lower electricity price,” Vibal said.

The group ended by reminding the DOE that its Electricity Power Roadmap must be aligned with the goals of Electric Power Industry Reform Act (EPIRA) to lower the country's electricity rate which two decades after remains just an aspiration.