NGA 911 briefs Metro Manila Council on advanced, next-gen emergency response and disaster preparedness in LA

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Next Generation Advanced (NGA) 911 -- an IP-based emergency communications system that transforms crisis response through technology, integration and real-time reporting -- presented the future of public safety and emergency response to a delegation of the Metro Manila Council and the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA) at an educational tour in Westin Bonaventure, Los Angeles California recently.

NGA’s Chief Executive Officer Don Ferguson and Chief Financial Officer Ishka Villacisneros welcomed the local government executives in LA and briefed them on NGA’s mission to enhance public safety and emergency response, letting them know that NGA, their technology and systems are already available, and infrastructure built in the Philippines.

The presentation included a demonstration of how the advanced system performs in various emergency response situations. Simulations of actual crisis situations where NGA 911’s next generation technology developed by the company in LA were highlighted.

“NGA 911 provides cities and communities in the US and other countries with peace of mind through our advanced and next generation emergency response systems. We are happy to announce that this next-generation 911 technology is now in the Philippines and we are looking to save more lives and empower more communities by unifying all systems in the future,” said Ferguson.

NGA 911 has ongoing deployments in Rizal, Pangasinan and Cagayan De Oro regions. These LGUs are now ready to provide the next-generation digital technology for emergency communication and public safety services that is used in the United States.

“We are partnering with NGA 911 to equip our public safety officers with a system that will enable them to provide immediate emergency assistance and help us adapt to the ever changing landscape of public safety,” Morong Mayor Sidney Soriano had said at the announcement of their LGU’s partnership with NGA 911 in April 2023.

Among the Metro Manila mayors present in the event were San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora, Mayor Jeannie Sandoval of Malabon, Mayor Ruffy Biazon of Muntinlupa, Navotas Mayor John Rey Tiangco, Pasay City Mayor Emi Calixto-Rubiano, Mayor Ike Ponce of Pateros, Vice Mayor April Aguilar Nery of Las Piñas, together with CDRRMMO officers and MMDA official led by Usec. Frisco San Juan, Atty. Vic Trinidad, and Atty. Cris Saruca.

The NGA presentation was part of the educational tour of the Philippine delegation on Disaster Preparedness, Emergency Response in the US that also coincided with the Manila International Film Festival itinerary organized by the MMDA in Los Angeles, California.





As part of the educational trip, NGA facilitated a Los Angeles City Hall tour for the Metro Manila mayors who had the opportunity to interact and talk with the City of Los Angeles Deputy Mayors and city officials.

PHLPost continues to send and receive mails in 192 countries worldwide

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) continues to accept and regularly sends letters and parcel post items in 192 countries around the world, which is relatively affordable when it comes to shipping costs.

A member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU) since 1922, the UPU is a specialized agency of the United Nations which has a membership of 192 postal administration countries providing international mail exchanges and a primary forum for cooperation between postal sector players.

PHLPost membership with the UPU helps ensure a universal network of up-to-date products and services of member postal countries in keeping pace with the changing communication market.

PHLPost continues to serve every city and municipalities in the country through post offices as well as postal stations in commercial and rural areas of the country.

The Postal Service is now coordinating with Local Government Units (LGU’s) in establishing Barangay Postal Stations nationwide for more efficient delivery, reaching out even to far-flung areas of the country; the implementation of the new seven (7) digit alphanumeric new Zip Code PH from the old four (4) digit that will standardize addreskasing system in the country; and, the “Kartero APP” or K-APP, a Real Time Visibility system to modernize the delivery and efficiency of its mail operations”.

To keep pace with the changing communication market, PHLPost is emphasizing the use of new communication and information technologies to shift from what is traditionally regarded as its core services.

PHLPost will expand its capabilities to take advantage of the fast growing e-commerce sector and enable SMEs in rural areas (not served by private logistics providers) to access new markets through e-commerce.

As a member of the Universal Postal Union (UPU), PHLPost is mandated to adopt continuous innovations and integration of its domestic and global networks, to be the primary development partner in providing postal services, especially in missionary areas.

E-commerce has driven major growth in the parcel delivery business using the Express Mail Service (EMS) as a competitive international express product to meet the growing needs of customers. MS is the postal service’s fastest means of sending time-sensitive items to addressees abroad.

Any articles such as documents, merchandise and goods, not specifically prohibited by regulations, can be sent via EMS. Currently, PHLPost offers both Domestic (DEMS) and International Express Mails (IEMS). International Express Mail Service (IEMS) has bilateral agreements with over 45 countries with reciprocal exchange of EMS items.

This strategic approach ensures improvement in mail operations and creates wider accessibility to postal services even in far flung areas of the country.

Instituto Cervantes opens an exhibit on Nebrija, the grammarian who helped to preserve the Filipino vernacular languages

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Did you know that Tagalog had its first grammar published before English did? The linguistic milestone can be greatly credited to the Spaniard known as Nebrija, who played a pivotal role in that development. On March 12, Instituto Cervantes will unveil at its Intramuros branch the exhibition Nebrija en Filipinas, dedicated to celebrating the cultural contributions of Spanish grammarian Elio Antonio de Nebrija (1444-1522). Nebrija's impactful legacy extends to languages like Tagalog and Cebuano, which possessed grammars ahead of many European languages.

Nebrija en Filipinas, tailored for Filipino audiences, is an adaptation of the Nebrija exhibition organized by the National Library of Spain in 2022, commemorating the 500th anniversary of Nebrija's death. Through informative panels and displays of books, the exhibition will highlight Nebrija’s cultural contributions and seek to contextualize them within the publication of the first grammars of the Philippine vernacular languages. These linguistic endeavours were directly shaped by Nebrija's teachings.

Nebrija was a highly reputed scholar during the Renaissance period in Europe. His book Introductiones Latinae, a groundbreaking manual for teaching Latin, not only earned him recognition in Spain but also garnered international fame. He also wrote bilingual dictionaries in Latin-Spanish and a Gramática de la lengua castellana, published in 1492, which is recognized as the first grammar of modern European languages. It became the model for Spanish friars who attempted analyzing the grammars of the new world, both in America and the Philippines. These missionaries, who had learned Latin from Nebrija’s methods, applied the model, with its theoretical considerations and bilingual translations, in their description of these languages. As a result, Tagalog saw its first grammar book published in 1610 with Francisco Blancas de San José's Arte y reglas de la lengua tagala. It was followed by similar initiatives with other vernacular languages, among them the Arte de la lengua iloca, composed by the Agustinian Francisco López in 1627, and the Arte de la lengua bisaya de la provincia de Leyte, written by the jesuist Domingo Ezguerra in 1663.

Proud, intelligent, and audacious, Nebrija was a stalwart fighter for pure Latin and always wanted to go down in posterity with the nickname grammaticus (grammarian). When he presented a preview of what would later become his Grammar of the Castilian Language to Queen Isabel la Católica, the sovereign was initially surprised, unable to grasp the utility of a treatise teaching the rules of a language acquired naturally. However, Nebrija successfully persuaded her that languages benefit from both descriptive and normative grammars to prevent them from running amok. The paradoxes of fate have made his Castilian grammar his most renowned work today. Nevertheless, Nebrija deserves to be remembered for many other reasons.

For Nebrija, the revival of Latin was an incentive for other scholarly pursuits. The voyages of the discoverers aroused his curiosity, leading to a fascination with cosmography and a desire to learn about developments from across the Atlantic. In these and other scholarly ventures, Nebrija revealed himself as a full-fledged humanist.

Even after his death, Nebrija’s fame did not diminish. His grammars and lexicons were not only published in Spain but also gained recognition in France, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands. The Latin manual he had written for his students in Salamanca attained exclusive authorization for teaching the discipline, a decree made by King Philip III in 1598. Nebrija's Latin grammar manual continued to be esteemed, annotated, and adapted based on location and circumstances until the 19th century.

The exhibit Nebrija en Filipinas, which will run from 12 March to 12 June, 2024, is organized by Instituto Cervantes in collaboration with Fundación Antonio Nebrija (Madrid), the Embassy of Spain and AECID, Biblioteca Nacional de España, and the University of Sto. Tomas (Manila). Nebrija en Filipinas is an adaptation of the original exhibit Nebrija, curated by Dr. Teresa Jiménez Calvente, with addition of panels focused on the Philippines composed by Marlon James Sales, of UP Diliman. The exhibit will have a second leg from August to October in the Miguel Benavides Library of UST.

For further information about the cultural program of Instituto Cervantes de Manila, please visit their website (https://manila.cervantes.es), or follow Instituto Cervantes on the following social media pages: (Facebook: InstitutoCervantesManila; Instagram: institutocervantesmanila).