Krystlenn Ivany Quemado, valedictorian of this year’s Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class “Bagsik-Diwa” (Bagong Sibol Kinabukasan Didigma Hanggang sa Wakas), did not have it easy even if she is a military officer’s daughter. As the daughter of Col. Nicolas Quemado Jr. of PMA Maalab Class of 1993, she always had to prove herself. “Many people think that I grew up in a sheltered, privileged life. People do not see the other side of the coin, where I carry the burden of proving myself. That I can create my own identity through my own effort and determination,” she said in her
The 31st Southeast Asian Games here will function as a springboard for Filipino athletes to prime up for the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China and the 2024 Paris Olympics. “We are expecting that the SEA Games will be a great exposure for our athletes going to the Asian Games up to the Olympics just like what we did last time,’’ said Philippine Sports Commission Chairman William Ramirez in Manila where he has been closely monitoring the progress of Team Philippines in the Games. No wonder the PSC never wavered in providing financial support for the entire 980-strong Philippine delegation
The surge in mobile phone sales in Surigao del Sur cannot be automatically attributed to vote-buying, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) said Sunday. Acting Comelec spokesperson John Rex Laudiangco said reports that popular mobile phone brands were sold out in three shopping malls in the towns of Tagbina, Barobo, and Lianga should not be linked to poll-related violations. “Coming not from the Comelec but coming from siguro (perhaps) a lawyer’s point of view, the escalation of the purchases in itself does not automatically mean anomalies or crimes,” he said in a press briefing. Escalation of purchases cannot even be considered
Urban planners are urged to integrate cybersecurity investments in smart city blueprints to avoid attacks on the operational technology infrastructure of the country’s future smart cities, a cybersecurity firm said. Cyfirma president for delivery and operations Saurabh Lal told the Philippine News Agency that it is critical to integrate cybersecurity investments during the planning stage for a smart city, and not after all digital technologies are already in place. “If you don’t take them into account while at the planning stage—because this is what we call shift left approach—considering all these pieces when you are designing, not later on that,”
Germany on Saturday accused Russia of waging a “grain war,” endangering global food security. Addressing a news conference at the end of the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting at the Baltic resort town of Weissenhaus, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Moscow was consciously trying to expand the Ukraine war in the world, particularly in Africa. Accusing Russia of trying to prevent grain from being exported by blocking ports in Ukraine, she said this was not part of the war’s collateral damage. “We must not be naive,” the minister warned, saying Russia is deliberately trying to weaken international unity. Baerbock said millions
The passage and implementation since 2019 of the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) has slashed prices of the country’s staple food to the current average of PHP39 per kilogram (kg) or a reduction of about PHP7 per kilogram compared to its cost in 2018 when it peaked to a per-kilo retail cost of around PHP46. Freed from local entrenched interests that took advantage of the protectionist policy on rice for decades, this staple food is now more affordable, especially for low-income Filipinos who spend about 16 percent of their total household budget on rice. President Rodrigo Duterte signed the RTL into
