NEWS
PAGCOR inaugurates 1st evacuation centers in Albay, CamSur
January 23, 2022 8:29 p.m.
A year after the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) bankrolled its Multi-Purpose Evacuation Center (MPEC) projects in the typhoon-prone Bicol Region, the city of Legazpi in Albay and the town of Sagñay in Camarines Sur became the first project recipients to finally complete the construction of two-storey MPEC structures.
PAGCOR, together with city government of Legazpi and the municipal government of Sagñay, Camarines Sur inaugurated the evacuation centers in Brgy. Homapon (Legazpi City) on January 20 and Brgy. San Isidro (Sagñay) on January 21.
Each MPEC worth P50 million has provision for kitchen, toilet and shower rooms for male and female, lactating rooms for nursing mothers, and a spacious badminton-court type area that may be used for sports events, trainings and other purposes when these are not being used as evacuation facilities.
PAGCOR President and COO Alfredo Lim, who graced the inauguration of both newly-built MPECs lauded the recipient LGUs for “completing the projects in record time.”
“Last year, we came here to initially fund the MPECs to be constructed in this place. Now, we are doubly happy as we see the completion of these evacuation center projects, which strictly followed the specifications set by PAGCOR. This achievement simply shows the competence, reliability and efficiency of our partner LGUs,” he added.
Lim explained that PAGCOR committed to build sturdy evacuation centers that are stronger than the typhoons so that more families in calamity-prone areas would have a better, more comfortable, and more typhoon-resilient place to stay in times of disasters.
“We are elated and proud that finally, we are now starting to inaugurate these evacuation centers. We hope that by February, we will be able to inaugurate five or six more and hopefully this year, we can turn over up to 30 evacuation centers,” he cited.
PAGCOR Chairman and CEO Andrea Domingo also congratulated the local governments of Legazpi and Sagñay for their dedication to immediately finish the projects, in spite of the ongoing pandemic.
Legazpi City Vice Mayor Oscar Robert Cristobal, who graced the inauguration ceremony in Legazpi said the PAGCOR-funded MPEC will provide shelter not only to the residents of Homapon but the entire city. “Alam naman po natin na madalas daanan ng bagyo ang Bicol, kasama ang Legazpi. Dahil dito, kailangan namin ng matibay na istruktura kagaya nito upang magamit sa tuwing may kalamidad. Ang evacuation center na ito ay hindi lamang magagamit ng mga taga-Brgy. Homapon kundi maging ng mga taga-ibang barangay sa Legazpi,” he said.
Sagñay Mayor John Vincent Fuentebella also expressed his gratitude to PAGCOR for funding the state-of-the-art MPEC in their town. “Kahit po hindi bagyo ay mapapakinabangan namin ang evacuation center na ito upang gawing venue ng mga trainings at iba pang activities ng mga taga-Sagñay.”
Aside from the inauguration of the MPECs in Legazpi City and Sagñay, PAGCOR also led the groundbreaking of the two-storey evacuation center in Brgy.Tagongtong, Goa, Camarines Sur. Said facility also has P50 million funding from PAGCOR.
To date, the state-run gaming firm has already released a total of P1.635 billion for the construction of 67 MPECs in various parts of the country. #
NEWS
SM Prime explores potential partnership with Japanese firm for waste-to-fuel solutions
September 25, 2023 12:39 p.m.
Shown here are (from left) SM Supermalls Vice President Liza Silerio, SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy, GUUN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda, GUUN Philippine Branch Senior Managing Director and General Manager Takeshi Konishi
Leading real estate developer in Southeast Asia, SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SM Prime) recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Japan’s GUUN Co. Ltd. to explore a potential partnership to implement waste management solutions by recycling waste paper and plastics as an alternative source of energy called ‘fluff fuel’.
Fluff Fuels are one type of RDF (Refuse Derived Fuel) which are produced from shredded and compressed plastics, papers, and fibers. These are used as fuels in cement manufacturing, paper mill companies, or power companies in Japan.
SM Prime Chairman of the Executive Committee Hans T. Sy is positive that a partnership with GUUN will contribute to the waste reduction goals of the country. “Today, Japan’s waste management and recycling technology is among the most advanced in the world,” he said. “There is no better partner for SM because we do not just talk about being big, we make sure we do it; we do not talk about being environment friendly but we do take bold steps to save the environment. I am looking forward to growing with GUUN as among leaders in solving environmental issues in the Philippines.”
GUUN Co., Ltd., founded in March 2001 and headquartered in Yokohama City, Japan, piloted the production of fluff fuel from plastic waste in Inayawan, Cebu in 2014 and recently inaugurated its P200-million, 2,400-square meter waste recycling plant in Tayud, Consolacion, Cebu.
Since then, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment has adopted GUUN’s waste-to-fuel technology as a model for advanced low-carbon technology innovation for further deployment in developing countries.
“This will be a milestone partnership for us,” GUNN Chief Executive Officer Shinji Fujieda said after the signing ceremony. “I understand very much how important waste management is for SM and for the Philippines and we look forward to more projects we can do with the properties of SM Prime.”
SM Prime’s initiatives for waste management include waste reduction and effective waste collection and segregation. Over the years, it has implemented programs such as Trash to Cash, Plastic Waste Collection, and E-Waste Collection that have contributed to reducing the total solid waste generation across its real estate portfolio.
Through its pioneering Trash to Cash recycling market, SM Prime has collected and recycled 1.4M kg of plastics, paper, metals, and others in 2022. “We have saved 16,766 trees from the 986,222 kg of paper recycled,” SM Prime disclosed in its 2022 Integrated Report to shareholders.
Meanwhile, SM’s Plastic Waste Collection program, a partnership with the Plastic Credit Exchange that was launched in February 2021, has accumulated 42,541kg of plastic waste from 14 mall sites. Also present in all its 83 SM Supermalls is the E-Waste Collection program for the responsible disposal of WEEE (Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment). This drive has helped process close to 7,000 kilograms of e-waste. (ENDS)
NEWS
Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks
September 15, 2023 3:30 p.m.
Nanyang isn’t only known for its Laksa Prawn, Cheesy Chicken Chop Noodles and Singapore’s best selling Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopi.
It also has several best-selling drinks to whet your appetite and satisfy your sweet tooth, such as Iced Teh Melaka, Kopi Jelly Milk Tea, Milo Dinosaur and Kopi O.
Head over to your nearest Nanyang branches nationwide.
NEWS
USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking
September 15, 2023 1:28 p.m.
MIES (Switzerland) – The recent completion of the prestigious FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 has produced some eye-catching positive climbs in the latest FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
USA reclaim pole position with 786.6 points after benefiting from their consistency at major tournaments over the last three summers. Finishing in fourth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup where they outperformed former number one nation Spain, their run to the Semi-Finals came off the back of winning an Olympic title at Tokyo in 2021 and also taking bronze at the FIBA AmeriCup 2022.
Recently crowned FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 champions Germany have another slice of history to enjoy as they step into the top three of the rankings for the very first time after moving up a massive eight places and onto 759.7 points. Their stunning success made all the more incredible because of the fact they made the journey to the top step of the podium without tasting defeat.
Canada also have another reason to celebrate too, with their maiden FIBA Basketball World Cup medal fueling an even bigger rise of nine spots. They now occupy sixth position with 745.5 points.
Serbia performed in outstanding fashion to make the title game and their second-placed finish gave their fans something to be proud of. Those supporters can also now enjoy and reflect on their country being a top five nation again as they move up a place and into fifth position on 755.6 points.
Meanwhile, when it comes to the scale and impact of climbing the rankings in the upper echelon, nobody can match Latvia. They have rocketed up a staggering 22 places and into the top 10 after their heroic underdog displays which ensured they took fifth place at the FIBA Basketball World Cup. They now sit in 8th position on 743.7 points.
There were many other teams who impressed at the flagship event, including Brazil who recorded three wins in five games and moves up a place into 12th in the rankings on 660.5 points. The Americas region can also boast a nice move upwards of five places into 16th for Puerto Rico on 611.1 points, while Dominican Republic rise six spots into 18th place on 561.9 points.
There were also notable improvements for Georgia who move up 10 positions and into 23rd on 465.9 points, Japan jump 11 spots to 26th on 432.2 points and Lebanon claim an uplift of 16 places into 28th on 423.3.
One nation that truly made everyone sit up and take notice at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 were first-timers South Sudan. They made history by beating China to claim a first win at the event, then pushing on to beat the Philippines and Angola. This has resulted in a sensational climb of 32 spots in the rankings. They now find themselves in 31st place with 375.5 points.
For more information about the method used in the calculation of the FIBA World Ranking Men, please refer to the “How It Works” section.
Click here to view the full FIBA World Ranking Men, presented by Nike.
SM Prime explores potential partnership with Japanese firm for waste-to-fuel solutions
Satisfy your cravings with these best-selling Nanyang drinks
USA back on top; Germany takes Top 3 spot in FIBA World Ranking
Ateneo gives PBA guest team fits in 102-93 loss
First in Manila! All immersive experiences lead to SM with its 3D Whale Shark billboard, Space Tunnel, Golden Gateway, dazzling light shows
