XiELEd

If you guys listen to radio, what stations (can be FM, AM, even SW) do you usually listen to, your location, and why do you like these stations?

Any discussion related to Philippine radio welcome.

p. s. I hope Citizen's Band radio becomes legal in the Philippines again someday (it was banned during Marcos' regime)

Last Saturday in Northern Mindanao it was nonstop rain since Friday night. Today we have barely any rain at all and the occasional clear skies, but it's not surprising since the trajectory of the supertyphoon eventually goes North. I'm worried about everyone else up there though

MINDANAO, Philippines — A nickel mining project in the southern Philippine island of Mindanao is facing renewed calls for closure after a recent government inspection revealed that strip mining there has stripped bare about 200 hectares (494 acres) of forest land in an ecologically sensitive area.

The Pujada Nickel Project, in the province of Davao Oriental, stands about 8 kilometers (5 miles) from the Mount Hamiguitan Range Wildlife Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site and ASEAN Heritage Park. It also sits 7 km (4.3 mi) upstream from Pujada Bay, a nationally protected seascape into which several rivers and creeks within the Mount Hamiguitan sanctuary drain, including waterways affected by the mining venture.

The Pujada mine is operated by Hallmark Mining Corporation and Austral-Asia Link Mining Corporation under the management of Asiaticus Management Corporation, which are all controlled by Filipino mining investor Pedro O. Tan and his family.

Part of a 2004 action plan to revitalize the nation’s mining industry, the project was awarded a Mineral Production Sharing Agreement in the same year and began commercial shipments in 2016.

Due to its proximity to two protected areas and the anticipated environmental damage associated with large-scale mining, the project has faced opposition for more than a decade from the community-based Macambol Multi-Sectoral Association for Integral Development, the regional environmental group Interfacing Development Interventions for Sustainability (IDIS) and the Catholic Diocese of Mati.

Opposition reached a new level this month, after the Davao Oriental Provincial Engineering Office conducted a visual inspection of the mining site as part of preparations for a government road project in the area, revealing the scope of deforestation.

Read the full article

cross-posted from:
https://ibbit.at/post/90191

cross-posted from: https://mander.xyz/post/40486357

A midday fire broke out on Wednesday at the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) compound in Diliman, Quezon City, engulfing the third floor of one of its buildings and triggering a third alarm response from firefighters.

The blaze, which began around 12:30 PM, affected three offices of the DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards (BRS): the Materials Testing Division, the Technical Services Division, and the storage room of the Standards Development Division.

Over 60 fire trucks responded to the scene before the fire was declared out past 2:00 PM. There were no reported casualties while a fire volunteer sustained minor injuries from the incident.

"Immediately ang BFP ay nagpalabas ng 8 fire trucks po, actually 66 fire trucks po ang nandito. Pasalamat tayo walang major injuries na nangyari, walang fatality po. In less than an hour po ay napatay natin ang sunog," said FSSupt. Rodrigo Reyes, Fire Marshall of the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Quezon City.

The Office of the Ombudsman ordered an investigation into the fire that broke out at a Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) building in Quezon City on Wednesday, which the agency said spared documents related to alleged flood control anomalies.

"The Ombudsman has directed the immediate coordination with the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) to determine the cause of the fire and to establish whether arson or any deliberate act was committed," the office said in a statement.

Thick smoke and flames consumed the upper floor of the building located along NIA Road, prompting firefighters to break windows for ventilation and quicker suppression of the fire.

According to initial findings by the BFP, burned items include documents, computers, office tables, and other equipment. Some offices on the floor, including the stockroom and the office of the Technical Working Group, were spared.

DPWH Bureau of Research and Standards Director IV Juliana Vergara confirmed that the fire originated from one of the cubicles in the Materials Testing Division.

"Yun pong third floor kung saan nagsimula ang apoy, ay bakante, umaattend ng training yung tao sa fourth floor. Kaya po nung nakita, medyo may apoy na. Isang cubicle na walang tao, may computer, doon po nag-umpisa [ang sunog]," Vergara said.

During a Senate Committee on Justice hearing held the same day, DPWH Assistant Secretary Melody Villar identified the affected building as housing Region 4-B’s testing facilities.

"This is actually the regional office, Regional 4B of the DPWH. Dito po ang site ng testing material ng DPWH ng mga supplier like semento, mga bakal dito tinetest. So we are looking into it already pero ito yung testing site," Villar told senators.

Senator Kiko Pangilinan raised concerns during the hearing, asking: "Testing site? …yung mga dokumento ng DPWH regional office Region 4B is housed in that office?"

To which Villar responded: "A number but most of it naman po nasa data base na ng central."

However, BRS Director Vergara later clarified: "Ang mga nasira pong dokumento, ay mga reports sa mga validation ng materials yung regular na ginagawa ng Bureau of Research. Wala pong documents pertaining to the issues na yung pong pinaguusapan ngayon, dahil kami po ay nagcoconduct ng research. Wala po kaming dokumento dito na tungkol doon sa mga projects na under investigation."

She emphasized that testing of materials for district and regional engineering projects is handled by their respective offices: "Sila ang nagcoconduct dahil sila ay capable of doing tests."

The DPWH, in a statement, said that the department has initiated its own investigation to assess the extent of the damage and determine necessary safety improvements to prevent future incidents.

Meanwhile, the affected staff will be relocated to a nearby covered court, and it remains unclear when they will temporarily resume work.

This book by Renato Constantino aims to focus on the people's history of the Philippines and break free from the prevailing narratives at the time (some of which persist until today) and it can get surprisingly in-depth. It is also a required reading for History GE in certain universities such as UP. If you are able to get a physical copy of the book I would recommend you to get one because it's more easier to check the sources by flipping from one page to the next if you're interested.

Anyway, this book made me aware of what my education had neglected to teach me and even challenged my assumptions. That of our historical figures, our institutions, heriarchical systems and economic decisions. And most importantly, the role of the educated middle class, the primary audience of social media like Reddit and probably this one as well. I believe that anyone who is a part of this stratum in the Philippines should read this. The actions of certain people in our history showed me how our personal interests, no matter who we are, does not make us immune to bias, hypocrisy and sanctimony, clouding our ideas of what is right and wrong. It certainly is true that we must learn history so that we do not repeat the same mistakes.

Have you guys experienced these policies?

I remember the first taste of this policy when I was an elementary student in a private school. I thought it was dumb because we're filipinos and it wasn't even an international school, but since I was good at English, after some time complaining I let it go because it didn't affect me that much, and I didn't want to be seen as a bratty kid.

Now in college, we visited a museum showcasing the local Filipino culture. After exiting the museum, I glimpsed a sign that said something along the lines of "This is an English Only Zone". I felt betrayed, because the museum was benefiting from Filipino culture but at the same time they're suppressing it. Just like my previous private school, is it all just for the prestige?

And I think to my current situation. I am barely a fluent speaker in Tagalog. I often trip when it comes to uncommon words in Bisaya. And the worst part is that while filipinos are very ubiquitous around the world and on the internet, there are a dearth of resources in learning the national language at an advanced level, let alone the regional ones. I don't even know where to find Bisaya fiction in my city!

How much more until we start forgetting ourselves in our self-loathing? When we start forgetting how to convey intelligent thoughts in our language to the point we sound stupid if we don't speak in some other language?

Experienced the earthquake in Region 10. That makes around 4 earthquakes in 7 days?