Angara directs offices to fill all vacant positions in DepEd

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


To ensure effective and efficient delivery of basic education services at all governance levels, Education Secretary Sonny Angara has directed offices in the Department to fill all vacant positions.

In DepEd Memorandum No. 42, s. 2024, DepEd Bureau and Service Directors in the Central Office, Regional Directors (RDs), and Schools Division Superintendents (SDSs) are instructed to exhaust all measures to expedite the hiring and filling up of all vacant DepEd-authorized positions, including the newly created teaching and school-based non-teaching positions for Fiscal Year (FY) 2024.

Based on the Department of Budget and Management-Government Manpower Information System (DBM-GMIS) as of May 2024, DepEd has 46,703 (4.53%) vacant positions out of 1,030,897 total authorized positions, which can be attributed to several reasons based on gathered reports.

The identified remaining vacant items pose a challenge to the operations of offices and the absorptive capacity of DepEd.

Further, DepEd directs all field offices to accomplish a catch-up plan, which can be downloaded through the link: bit.ly/UnfilledCatchUpPlan. The completed catch-up plan must be submitted to the Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development-Personnel Division (BHROD-PD) through the link: bit.ly/HiringCatchUpPlan on or before August 9, 2024.

Moreover, all DepEd offices are instructed to timely update the Personal Services Itemization and Plantilla of Personnel and the DBM-GMIS database. Other monitoring tools, such as the Program Management Information System, Quick Count for FY 2024 items, and the Deployment Monitoring Tool for school-based non-teaching items shall likewise be updated.

BAN Toxics Warns Consumers of Thailand-Made Cosmetic Products Tainted with Toxic Mercury

Wazzup Pilipinas!?



Toxic watchdog group BAN Toxics has raised the alarm against the online sale of Thailand-made skin lightening products (SLPs) that are contaminated with mercury – a known chemical hazard to human health and the environment.

In a recent online market monitoring, the group identified and purchased four (4) variants of the Dr. Yanhee Facial Cream Set in blue, green, purple, and red containers. Priced at P270, the sets include a soap, moisturizer, and day and night creams, with all labels written in Thai. The group has documented more than 50 sellers of these cosmetic products on popular e-commerce platforms Lazada and Shopee.

Each set comes with different applications: the blue set is for melasma and freckles, the green set is for anti-acne, the purple set is for gluta whitening, and the red set is for vitamins and glutathione. The products claim to be safe for teenagers, pregnant, and lactating mothers, with labels stating “No Mercury” and “No Hydroquinone.” They also claim to have been tested by Yanhee International Hospital, and certified by ISO and FDA.

“Consumers should take extra care not to be deceived by false advertisements that claim to be safe, effective, and free of harmful ingredients while hiding the danger of toxic mercury in cosmetic products,” said BAN Toxics Campaigner Thony Dizon.

Using a Vanta C Series HH XRF Analyzer, the group found high concentrations of mercury ranging from 11,300 to as high as 23,800 parts per million (ppm). This significantly exceeds the allowable limit of 1 ppm mercury content for SLPs set by the Minamata Convention on Mercury, a global treaty to which the Philippine Government is a party. The DENR and FDA regulations, as well as the ASEAN Cosmetic Directive, also adhere to the 1 ppm limit.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mercury and hazardous substances in cosmetics can cause kidney damage, skin rashes, discoloration, scarring, increased susceptibility to infections, anxiety, depression, psychosis, and peripheral neuropathy. For expecting mothers, exposure to these toxins is especially concerning due to potential transfer to the fetus through the placenta and breast milk. Such exposure during fetal development and infancy could lead to lasting health risks.

The group has been monitoring the proliferation of mercury-tainted SLPs for the past years and calling the attention of regulatory agencies such as the FDA and DTI for enforcement actions to end the illegal trading of mercury-added products in both online and on-site markets in the country.

“The existing health and e-commerce regulations in the country should restrain online shopping platforms from continuously marketing unnotified, unregistered, and prohibited SLPs. The consumer’s right to health and safety must be protected and safeguarded.”

“We reiterate our appeal to online shopping platforms to take corrective action against cosmetic products that do not have proper authorization from the FDA. The deceitful actions of online sellers jeopardize public health and safety through toxic chemical exposure,” the group added.

The group communicated its findings to the Food and Drug Administration, urging it to conduct post-market surveillance, issue a public health warning to halt the unauthorized sale of Thailand-made skin lightening products tainted with mercury. The group also recommended reporting the issue to the ASEAN Post-Marketing Alert System (PMAS) to alert the FDA counterpart in Thailand.

Philippine Basketball as a cultural beacon of hope

Wazzup Pilipinas!?




Basketball is a sport created by James Naismith, a Canadian-American professor in December 1891 in Springfield, Massachusetts. What began as an attempt to get his students active and engaged, Basketball has become a global iconic sport that millions of followers around the world enjoy.

The American colonial period introduced the game of Basketball to the Philippines. When the country officially became part of FIBA (The International Basketball Federation, popularly known by the French acronym FIBA, Fédération Internationale de Basketball) in 1936, the Philippines made an instant impact in its debut in the 1936 Olympics, where we finished fifth, which remains as the best finish by an Asian team in the history of the tournament.

An upward view of a basketball hoop highlighting the Manila skyline. 

In the first basketball tournament of the 1951 Asian Games, the Philippines captured the gold medal with a team led by the legendary Carlos Loyzaga of San Beda and Lauro Mumar of Letran College.

Our great start continued when we also attained a bronze medal in the 1954 FIBA World Championships, once again the best Asian finish in the history of the competition. The Philippines will go on to dominate the FIBA Asia Championships where we won 4 gold medals starting in 1960 up until the early 70s.

A friendly match between Gilas Pilipinas and Taiwan Mustangs held last June 24, 2024 at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City.
 
Today, the Philippines remains one of Asia's elite basketball countries and Southeast Asia's best basketball nation. The country basks in the glory of hosting the recently concluded FIBA World Cup in Manila last August 2023. Not to mention the gold medals in the SEA Games (Southeast Asian Games) and Asian Games.

With all the accolades and victories, the Filipinos' passion for the game of basketball remains high. For numerous decades, the sport has remained the most popular in the country.

In every corner of the capital city of Manila in Luzon, and even in Visayas and Mindanao, you will either see a full-sized basketball court or a half-court setup where our countrymen from all walks of life play and enjoy.

The PBA (Philippine Basketball Association), established in 1975, is the oldest pay-for-play league in Asia and the second-oldest basketball association in the world. It has remained a pop culture icon for Filipinos who watch live games in venues, on television, and even on desktops and handheld devices.

When the global Coronavirus pandemic struck the globe in 2020, sports leagues around the world decided to forfeit their ongoing seasons and tournaments. The PBA, much like the NBA (National Basketball Association), remained and stood its ground to continue operating and provide quality basketball entertainment for Filipinos all over the world in the middle of the uncertainty of that time.

It is where Filipino resiliency truly lived up to its hype. Even after the trials and challenges, we continued to stand up and fight again. Not even the pandemic, the rainy season, or the heat of the summer can stop the country's passion for playing the game of basketball.

The mantra even became more evident when Gilas Pilipinas, the Men's National basketball team of the Philippines, ranked 37 in the world, defeated world number 6 Latvia for a historical upset win in the recently held FIBA Olympic Qualifying tournament in Riga, Latvia.

As we move forward to exciting times ahead for Philippine basketball, the dribbling sound of the ball for the Philippines and the Filipinos' love for basketball is like a heartbeat that we can hear. Every dribble signifies a beat. A true beacon of hope that never gives up.


Cover photo above: The basketball court of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 featuring the pre-game of Gilas Pilipinas versus China. Photo taken last September 9, 2024 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, Cubao, Quezon City, Philippines. 

by Miles Alimangohan, RND