Category: General

KUALA LUMPUR, The Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) certification scheme has been introduced as an effort to enhance the sustainability of the palm oil industry in Malaysia, but its implementation has also presented various impacts and challenges, especially for smallholders. MSPO is a national certification scheme introduced for oil palm plantations, smallholders and palm oil processing mills in Malaysia. Smallholders with less than 40.46 hectares (100 acres) of plantation are eligible for free MSPO certification incentives. The MSPO aims to establish national standards in sustainable palm oil production, focusing on environmentally friendly agricultural practices, social responsibility and sustainable economic management.

Manila: The Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Center currently has 169 projects worth PHP3.2 trillion in the pipeline for undertaking between the government and private sector. Data obtained from the PPP Center on Wednesday showed that to date, majority or 113 of these projects are at the national level and the remaining 56 projects will be implemented by local government units (LGUs). The updated list includes 91 solicited and 78 unsolicited projects. Data provided by the PPP Center also showed that projects that will likely be awarded by the end of the year include the upgrade, expansion, operations, and maintenance of the

Manila: Senator Loren Legarda underscored on Wednesday the importance of inclusivity in disaster risk reduction, particularly for women, persons with disabilities, and marginalized communities. In her speech at the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) being held in Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, Legarda highlighted the need for gender-responsive disaster risk governance and the empowerment of women as leaders and agents of change. “Clearly, inclusivity is not a choice -it is a necessity if we are to build truly resilient societies. Gender-responsive disaster risk governance recognizes that women and girls are not merely victims; they

Cebu’s Sinulog Festival was declared champion in the Kasanggayahan National Festival of Festivals 2024 final competition, with First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos as one of the judges, at the Sorsogon Sports Arena Wednesday night. The winning team brings home with them the PHP4 million prize. They also received the Best in Costume and Best in Moving Choreography awards, each worth PHP200,000. The Tanglawan Festival of San Jose Del Monte Bulacan was the first runner-up, winning PHP3 million and an additional PHP100,000 for the special award of Festival Queen. The Cagsawa Festival of Daraga Albay secured the second runner-up position and

Government programs keep improving the socio-economic conditions of more people from the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) after the region registered lower poverty incidence in 2023 at 10.9 percent. Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data show that the latest data is lower than the 13.2 percent in the previous report or in 2021. The report said the region recorded a 7 percent poverty incidence among the population in 2023, lower than the 7.7 percent in 2021. These improvements were driven by the provision of social protection programs and services, regional economic growth, decelerating inflation rate, and stable employment and income, according to