News Roundup 24 September 2023
Sep 24, 2023 • 3 min Read
PCG: China’s floating barrier bars Filipino fishers from Bajo de Masinloc | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — China has installed a floating barrier in the southern portion of Bajo de Masinloc, preventing Filipino fishers from entering the shoal and engaging in fishing activities, the Philippine Coast Guard said Sunday.
PCG and Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources personnel on board BRP Datu Bankaw discovered a 300-meter floating barrier during a maritime patrol mission in the vicinity of Bajo de Masinloc, also known as Panatag or Scarborough Shoal, Friday.
Bajo de Masinloc is a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales.
“Three Chinese Coast Guard’s rigid hull inflatable boats and Chinese maritime militia’s service boat installed the floating barrier upon arrival of the BFAR vessel in the vicinity of the shoal,” said Commodore Jay Tarriela, PCG spokesperson for West Philippine Sea matters.
Citing the accounts from Filipino fishers, Tarriela said that the CCG typically deploys floating barriers whenever they observe a significant presence of Filipino fishermen in the area.
There were over 50 Filipino fishing boats in the area at the time of the maritime patrol mission of PCG and BFAR. BFAR provided them with food supplies and fuel subsidies to sustain their operations.
Full Story at: PCG: China’s floating barrier bars Filipino fishers from Bajo de Masinloc | Philstar.com
State colleges, universities call for restoration of budget | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — Presidents of more than 30 state universities and colleges have called on Congress to reinstate their funding following a P6-billion cut in the proposed 2024 national budget.
In a joint statement shared by Kabataan party-list Sunday, presidents of SUCs said that the majority of the P6-billion reduction in their budget will impact capital outlay, which includes facilities, equipment, and other investments “that will serve these institutions for periods longer than the next fiscal year.”
In the proposed 2024 national budget, SUCs have been allocated a total budget of P100.88 billion, marking a reduction of 5.75% compared to this year’s funding of P107.03 billion.
Out of the 188 SUCs, 30 are set to suffer cuts in their overall budgets. Ten SUCs will face cuts in personnel services, 39 in operating budgets and 36 in capital outlay.
Instead of implementing budget cuts, officials of state universities and colleges urged lawmakers to augment the budget for higher education. They stressed that the current educational system “fails to adequately cater” to the needs of students due to insufficient financial support.
Full Story at: State colleges, universities call for restoration of budget | Philstar.com
Makati exec says Taguig rejects memo on transfer of health facilities, services | PHILSTAR.COM – MANILA, Philippines — The Makati City government’s proposed memorandums of agreement (MOA) seeking for “smooth transfer” of health facilities, services, and data affected by the Supreme Court’s (SC) decision to Taguig has been “unreasonably” rejected, according to city administrator Claro Certeza.
Certeza claimed that Taguig’s refusal of the MOA proposals, which cover the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak), eight barangay health centers — their data and patients, hinders the swift transfer of these facilities to the city’s jurisdiction.
“These (MOA proposals) have been rejected outright without a valid reason. Unfortunately, Taguig seems adamant about taking over our hospital and health centers without acknowledging our ownership rights,” Certeza said in a statement issued on Sunday.
Full Story at: Makati exec says Taguig rejects memo on transfer of health facilities, services | Inquirer News
Hackers attack PhilHealth’s website, systems | INQUIRER.NET – MANILA, Philippines — Computer hackers attacked the website and online application of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth) on Friday, taking down the systems and blocking access for more than 24 hours.
In a statement on Saturday, PhilHealth said it has started containment measures as well as an investigation of the “information security incident,” together with the Department of Information and Communications Technology and other concerned government agencies “to assess its extent.”
Investigation
“While investigation is being undertaken, affected systems shall be temporarily shut down to secure our application systems,” PhilHealth president and CEO Emmanuel Ledesma said.
Full Story at: Hackers attack PhilHealth’s website, systems | Inquirer News
