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DoLE confirms abduction of 2 Filipino seamen

TWO OF 11 Filipino seafarers who have been reported abducted in two separate incidents in the West African countries of Benin and Togo have been verified, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) reported on Tuesday.

DoLE said their employment agency, Eastern Ocean Maritime Corp., confirmed that the Greek-flagged vessel MT Elka Aristotle was boarded by pirates.

The two, identified as Second Officer Elmer L. Padecio and Seaman Rene M. Lazaga, were on board the oil tanker in Togo along with two others, a Greek and a Georgian.

Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday that it is still confirming reports of the two incidents.

On the other incident, “The Philippine Government is actively monitoring the reported piracy incident that occurred somewhere in Benin that led to the kidnapping of nine Filipino seafarers,” the DFA said in a statement.

Reuters on Monday reported that nine crew members aboard a Norwegian-flagged vessel were abducted by pirates in Benin.

Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Eduardo Martin R. Meñez told reporters that the DFA is monitoring the incident through the Philippine Embassy in Nigeria.

“In both cases, we don’t have an embassy in the countries where the incidents happened so we have to work through our embassy in Abuja, Nigeria and their network,” Mr. Meñez said in a message sent by phone.

“There are also special considerations to follow in cases of abductions of our nationals abroad,” he added.

The DFA also said it has already communicated with the crewmen’s employment agencies.

The Philippines accounts for more than a third of some 1.5 million seafarers worldwide, according to DoLE’s data as of 2015. — Charmaine A. Tadalan

Maguindanao massacre victims’ lawyer hopeful of conviction soon

AS THE 10th year anniversary of the Maguindanao massacre nears, a lawyer representing the families of the victims is hopeful that the principal suspects in the case, members of the Ampatuan political clan, will soon be convicted.

“We are hoping that a promulgation of judgment will be this November in time for the 10th year anniversary of the Ampatuan, Maguindanao massacre, (which happened on November 23, 2009),” Legal counsel Nena Santos said in a media briefing Tuesday.

Justice Chief Menardo I. Guevarra said in August that he expects a decision on the gruesome case to come out by November “and that justice will finally be served.”

Ms. Santos said they do not expect all of the 197 respondents in the case to get a conviction, but they expect a guilty verdict against the sons of the alleged mastermind, Andal Ampatuan Sr., who passed away in 2015.

His two sons who are also among the main suspects, Andal Jr. and Zaldy, are in jail.

“We are not sure of the 100% (conviction) but we are sure that the principal accused will be convicted,” she said.

“We are the prosecution and we know our evidence and we know that we have submitted to the Honorable Court the evidence to convict the accused,” she added.

The Maguindanao Massacre, where 58 people were killed including 32 members of the media, is considered one of the worst cases of violence in journalism history and the worst election-related violence in the Philippines.

“If there will be no conviction, I am sorry to say that press freedom in the Philippines is dead,” she said. — Gillian M. Cortez

Iloilo students invent devices that can help rural communities

ILOILO CITY — Two groups of high school students from Iloilo have created devices that would be useful to rural communities, and they have made it the global judging round of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Space Apps Challenge.

One group from the Philippine Science High School (PSHS) Western Visayas Campus developed “S-Light,” an electricity storage system that converts sound waves into storable energy.

Kirsten Dianne G. Delmo, one of the inventors, said their goal is help provide light to people living in remote areas.

“So what it does, it converts sound to electricity which can be able to power a light,” she said in an interview during last month’s the NASA Space Apps Challenge here, which served as a special pre-event for the Iloilo Innovation Expo 2019.

Her fellow inventors are Nico Andrei R. Serrato, Joecile Faith C. Monana, Frelean Faith M. Engallado and Raphael Francis E. Dequil. They explained that noise or sound waves will be picked up by the device’s speaker, causing the magnet to vibrate in the coil. This generates electricity, which is stored in the power box.

The S-Light received a silver award during the recent Young Inventors Challenge 2019 in Malaysia. The other group, coming from Iloilo National High School (INHS), have developed a plant monitoring robot, which has so far been tested on rice crops.

The ‘Short Message Service(SMS)-Based Plant Growth Monitoring Robot’ was created by Vincent Joshua L. Bendo, Alvin Alexander C. Buelos, and Robert Kobe T. Garcia.

“It monitors environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, moisture of the plants. It alerts in two ways. First, it alarms the user via SMS (short messaging system on mobile phone) and it has also a buzzer which emits a very high frequency, if the phone is not available,” Mr. Garcia explained. He said the device is currently limited to small-scale crop farming and nurseries, but they aim to improve it so it can cover bigger areas, especially in far-flung communities.

Xavier Romy O. Braña, the adviser of the PSHS students, said he hopes that the group would inspire other Filipino youth to be creative and work on innovations.

He said, “I am very proud of them. I hope they will become inspiration to the youth that if they have opportunities like this to develop their inventions, they will grab it. If they have an idea, they should pursue it and work hard and be creative.”

US Embassy Cultural Attaché Matt T. Keener said the Innovate Iloilo movement gave the perfect opportunity for the holding of the NASA Space Apps Challenge.

“The reason we chose Iloilo this year as a city because we know that Iloilo is invested in becoming a Smart City by investing on its youth, in its science and technology, and education. It’s part of the reason why we worked closely with CPU (Central Philippine University in Iloilo City). Government agencies are already demonstrating their commitment with events like Innovate Iloilo,”

Mr. Keener said. — Emme Rose S. Santiagudo

Tetangco receives recognition from Japanese government

FORMER BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) governor Armando M. Tetangco Jr. has been recognized by the Japanese government for his role in liberalizing the entry of foreign banks in the Philippines. Mr. Tetangco has been conferred with the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold, and Silver Star, an award given for exemplary civil and military service. A statement from the Japan Information and Culture Center (JICC) says Mr. Tetangco has contributed to the “strengthening of the relations between Japan and the Philippines in the financial sector.” It added, “Mr. Tetangco also helped in regional finance stabilization by promoting both regional and bilateral financial cooperation led by Japan in order to overcome the global financial crisis that occurred in 2008.” Mr. Tetangco, who joined the BSP in 1974, served as the central bank’s head for two terms covering 12 years under the Arroyo and Aquino administrations. — Luz Wendy T. Noble

Over 300 illegal Chinese workers deported

MORE THAN 300 undocumented Chinese workers, including seven minors, were deported on Tuesday, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported. In a statement, BI said “it has deported 294 Chinese nationals in two chartered flights earlier today at the Puerto Princesa International Airport.” They were arrested last Sept. 16 for working without permit in eight hotels and restaurants. The seven minors were nabbed on the same day. BI Intelligence Division Chief Fortunato C. Manahan said they were arrested for “violating the conditions of their stay by working in the country without the necessary permits and visas.” — Gillian M. Cortez

Ormoc remembers 1991 flash flood

ORMOC CITY commemorated on Tuesday the Nov. 5, 1991 flash flood, brought about by typhoon Uring (international name: Thelma), where over 8,000 people died, including some 3,000 whose bodies were never found. Mayor Richard I. Gomez, in a simple ceremony at the Anilao Bridge, stressed the importance of planting trees and environmental protection as well as following disaster preparedness protocols. “Let us not experience that tragedy again.”

Homes, schools damaged by tornado in Marawi City, no casualty reported

TWO HOUSES and seven classrooms were totally destroyed when a tornado struck Marawi City at around 2:10 p.m. on Nov. 4, but no casualties were reported, the local disaster management office said in its rapid damage assessment report released Tuesday. An auditorium was also knocked down while partial damage were recorded in at least 42 houses and public infrastructure, including some buildings at the Marawi City government compound. The tornado, which lasted for about 10 minutes, affected the five villages of Sagonsongan, Barrion Fort, Bangon, Green, and Saber.

Cotabato appeals to residents to stop begging for relief goods along highways, says it’s unfair to emergency workers

COTABATO ACTING Governor Emmylou Talino-Mendoza appealed to residents, whether they have been affected or not by last month’s triple earthquakes, to stop begging for relief goods along the national highway, stressing that both the local government and national agencies have been working 24/7 for the emergency operations. Ms. Mendoza said while they are free to do such acts, it is unfair to the emergency workers who have been doing their best. “Hindi nagkulang ang national at local governments sa pagtulong sa kanila (We have not been remiss in the emergency response),” Ms. Mendoza said in a telephone interview, noting that evacuation areas were immediately set up, and relief goods distribution and rescue operations have been continuing. She also said the province — which was the epicenter of the magnitude 6.4, 6.6, and 6.5 earthquakes — fully supports the directive of Defense Secretary Delfin N. Lorenzana to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to set up checkpoints in quake-affected areas in Mindanao to properly monitor the movement of relief goods and workers as well as ensure peace and security. “My position is to maintain the security and the orderliness by supporting the directive of (Mr.) Lorenzana for an orderly flow of the distribution of the relief goods.” Meanwhile, Cotabato Police Chief Maximo C. Layugan has reported incidents of looting in Barangay Batasan. — Maya M. Padillo

Mt. Apo trails temporarily closed

ENTRY POINTS to Mt. Apo, the country’s highest peak, from towns in Davao del Sur have been temporarily closed following the three earthquakes that hit parts of south-central Mindanao last month, including the province. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office said the local governments of Sta. Cruz, Bansalan, and Digos City have made their trails off limits for now to avoid risks to climbers. Landslides triggered by the earthquakes occurred in some areas at the foot of Mt. Apo. “The safety of the climbers is of utmost priority,” DENR said. Meanwhile, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), in an announcement posted Nov. 3, has stressed that the earthquakes are “tectonic,” which means these were due to movements in faults, and not arising from volcanic activity. Nonetheless, PHIVOLCS said it continues to closely monitor the two active volcanoes near the earthquakes’ epicenter, Mt. Matutum and Mt. Parker, and the “potentially active Mt. Apo.” — Carmelito Q. Francisco

Nation at a Glance — (11/06/19)

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

Nation at a Glance — (11/06/19)

Guided growth: Google and IdeaSpace team up for the Philippine ecosystem

Last October 17, Google Developers Launchpad and IdeaSpace announced their partnership towards the common goal of boosting the Philippines’ startup ecosystem. By offering an acceleration program tailor-fitted specifically for emerging economies, IdeaSpace will enjoy access to a wide array of tools and networks.

Through Google Launchpad, IdeaSpace will be connected to fellow accelerators around the world to help them leverage on their best practices and resources. They will likewise gain access to Google’s global network and learn from 20 years’ worth of research and best practice insights on building businesses, products, and teams at scale.

“Google believes in empowering startup communities around the world, and helping them leverage each other for insights and resource sharing,” said Samuel Jeanblanc, Market Lead for Google Philippines. “We are thrilled to partner with IdeaSpace to support more startups and fuel the local ecosystem’s growth over the long term.”

Adding further value, with values

These benefits will be felt throughout the entire IdeaSpace ecosystem. During the 7th Demo Day held last October 22, it was announced that the next cohort and current alumni of IdeaSpace’s acceleration program will also be enjoying the same resources.

“We’re excited to be a Powered by Launchpad partner for the Philippines, because it represents an influx of talent, knowledge, experience, and resources into the Philippine startup ecosystem,” said Butch Meily, President of IdeaSpace. “As our startups grow in number and mature, we need to ensure that we have the resources necessary to support their growth and development.”

Beyond the technical privileges that the partnership will offer, IdeaSpace believes that it’s the values that they share with Google that will ensure the best kind of growth for their startups.

“Google was very selective also on the kind of accelerator that they were going to provide the support for, because it has to first fall into the same values,” said Dianne Eustaquio, Executive Director of IdeaSpace.

“We used to have partnerships with other companies, but all they really wanted to do was sales. We know that eventually Google will want to have these people engage with them, but they give before they get. And that jives with our values.”

Meet the 12 new startup graduates of IdeaSpace’s Accelerator Program

For the participants of IdeaSpace’s 7th Demo Day held last October 22 at Whitespace Manila, the event was a conclusion that opens the door to a promising beginning.

After months of intensive training and mentoring, the latest cohort of IdeaSpace’s Accelerator Program presented their respective product offerings and business models. The 12 tech-based startups all have a common hyperlocal focus, whether it’s through partnering with other businesses or empowering other members of the community:

● Airship Logistics: An end-to-end solution for courier companies to manage operations
● Automart: An online car auction platform that ensures the best price for used vehicles
● BukidFresh: A platform that provides customers with fresh, fair-trade greens from local farmers
● Brooky: An AI-enabled marketing assistant for real estate developers and brokers
● Cocotel: A hotel aggregator that also assists smaller chains in upscaling their services
● Contrack: A platform that connects home and business owners to accredited local improvement services providers
● DCLA: An end-to-end computer learning scheme for basic education
● ExperiencePH: A community travel platform that offers themed and gamified experiences
● IOL: A gamified e-learning platform for business education
● Olivia: A gamified app for women to help track expenses and decide on the best investment options
● Omnibus: A cloud-based platform to help legal practitioners manage their daily operations
● Pandalivery: A food delivery solution designed for the Philippine market

“We’ve high hopes for this cohort. They’re more mature,” said Butch Meily, president of IdeaSpace. “In the past we would take prototypes, but we’re no longer doing that. We’re looking for more mature startups that have a business model, revenues, and that are going for the long run.”

As new members of the IdeaSpace’s alumni program, the 12 startups will be granted access to additional resources such as mentors, office space, business matching, and funding. They will also be able to compete for the chance of receiving a P1 million equity investment from IdeaSpace.

Learning from one’s battle scars

For the cohort’s graduates, much had changed for their startups since the beginning of the program. Olivia, for instance, was supposed to start off solely as an investing app.

“The program really helped us validate the market and understand what the real pain points are,” said Jocs Pantastico, Olivia’s CEO and founder. “So after going through weeks of marketing validation… we found out that while investing was aspirational, the need was more basic than that. It was understanding where money was going first, and then eventually investing.”

For some of the founders, change started on a more personal level. “As an IT student, I really didn’t know how business worked,” said Jude Salvador Buelva, CEO and founder of Pandalivery. “[The program] really honed me to become an entrepreneur, and to become the best startup founder that I can be.”

[Read more about Jude’s journey putting up Pandalivery here.]

A safe space for growth is one of the key benefits of any incubation or acceleration program. But now that these startups have graduated, it’s important that they keep on learning- even if it means earning a few more battle scars along the way.

“Just keep on failing,” said Buelva. “Pandalivery failed a lot in terms of implementation. And that’s where we learned that we should focus on this and that. It really gave us the path on where we should go.”

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