S. Korea reports 5th case of highly pathogenic H5N8 bird flu

SEOUL, Nov. 19 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's agriculture ministry said Thursday it has confirmed another case of highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu in wild bird droppings, raising concerns over the disease's possible spread to poultry farms.

It marked the fifth outbreak of highly pathogenic H5N8 avian influenza this year. The latest outbreak in Icheon, Gyeonggi Province, came just five days after a fourth case broke out in the same area, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The government banned the entry of people and vehicles within a 500-meter radius of the location where the fifth outbreak was reported. A transportation ban was issued on farms within a 10-kilometer range as well.

South Korea has raised its guard against the disease since late October, when it found the highly pathogenic H5N8 strain of bird flu near a creek in Cheonan, 92 kilometers south of Seoul. It was the first avian influenza case in the country in 32 months.

Highly pathogenic AI is very contagious and can cause severe illness and even death in poultry.

 

Cebu City eyes new tourism products to attract more visitors

By Carlo Lorenciana 

TOURISM PLAN. The Magellan’s Cross is one of the frequently visited historical structures in Cebu City. The Cebu City Tourism Commission has announced that it plans to develop new tourism products starting next year to help the industry recover from the coronavirus crisis and attract more visitors. (Photo courtesy of mycebu.ph)

CEBU CITY – The Cebu City Tourism Commission (CCTC) here has bared plans to offer new tourism products to travelers visiting the provincial capital.

CCTC chairperson Jocelyn Pesquera on Wednesday said they will be developing coastal tours in the city, which is hoped to become a new tourist draw as the industry eventually recovers next year.

CCTC is looking to take advantage of the city’s long coastline stretching from the South Road Properties, which is seeing rapid commercial developments, to the city’s ports in the downtown areas.

This also bodes well for the redevelopment project for the Carbon Public Market, which could soon become a new tourist attraction in the city’s downtown.

Development works for the coastline tour project are expected to take off in 2021, Pesquera said in a statement.

Further developing mountain tours will be also prioritized, she said, to offer tourists more outdoor experiences.

In recent years, the city had seen the rise of farm tourism sites in the mountain barangays that give travelers an escape from the bustling city life.

Pesquera also revealed that they plan to expand tour routes that would explore the city’s historical connections to the American and Japanese era.

“We’re not limiting our tour routes to the Spanish era. We have structures here that trace back to the American and Japanese era. We just need to develop this with the help of the creative industry,” she said.

Meanwhile, CCTC commissioner Butch Carungay emphasized the contribution the creative sector can bring to tourism.

He added that the creative community will be closely working with the tourism industry on how they can further collaborate.

Carungay is among those in the private sector who, together with the Department of Trade and Industry in Central Visayas, had worked hard for the designation of Cebu City as a creative city.

He said CCTC is now exploring the prospect of experiential creative tourism in Cebu City, to diversity from the traditional mass cultural tourism, which mostly involves tangible heritage sites.

While there aren’t concrete plans yet, Carungay noted they are working to “get this moving forward.”

Part of the plan, he said, is to create tours that allow tourists to discover and develop their own creative potential; and give more flexible and authentic experiences which can be co-created between the host and the tourist.

“We just need to unlock synergies from, already, the intertwined sectors,” he said.

Carungay said the city has to take advantage of its designation as a Creative City by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to further its tourism appeal.

The city’s vibrant creative scene is already given, and it’s just a matter of bringing this to its good advantage by integrating it into the tourism sector, he pointed out. (PNA)

 

 

Bangsamoro Gov’t launches 1st development plan

COTABATO CITY — Bangsamoro Planning and Development Authority (BPDA) officially launched today the 1st Bangsamoro Development Plan (BDP) 2020-2022.

BARMM Executive Secretary Abdulraof Macacua and BPDA Director General Engr. Mohajirin Ali led the unveiling of the plan in a ceremony held at the Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex inside the Bangsamoro Gov’t Center.

The plan is in line with the 12-point priority agenda of the Bangsamoro Government which aims to harmonize existing development plans in the BARMM such as BDP I and II (MILF-BDA), Unified Bangsamoro Development Plan (MILF and MNLF) and ARMM Regional Development Plan (RDP) 2017-2022.

It is a product of extensive planning workshops with the BARMM’s ministries, offices, and agencies, and consultations with civil society organizations and various stakeholders of the region.

According to Director Ali, the overall goal of the plan is the “upliftment of the lives of the Bangsamoro and establishment of the foundations of self-governance through moral governance.”

The BDP 2020-2022 was adopted by the Bangsamoro Economic and Development Council (BEDC) on June 5, 2020 and was later approved by the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) Parliament on July 3, 2020.

“Today marks another milestone as we launch the 1st BDP 2020-2022 which aims to accelerate the economic growth in BARMM region in line with the National Development plan,” said Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim.

“This Bangsamoro Development Plan is crafted to ensure our efforts for the next year 2021 will contribute to the achievement of the better future for the next generation of our people,” he said.

In a message read by Assistant Secretary Wilben Mayor, Secretary Carlito Galvez of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) congratulated the BARMM Government “in seeing through the realization of the BDP in recognition of the needs and aspirations of the Bangsamoro.”

“Our hats off to the BARMM Government, to the Bangsamoro Parliament, to the BEDC, and the BPDA for the hard work, dedication and determination you have shown as you fulfil your crucial mandate,” Galvez said.

Meanwhile, National Economic Development Plan (NEDA) Acting Secretary Karl Kendrick T. Chua, who was represented by OIC Undersecretary Mercidita Sombilla, said that NEDA is fully committed to support the implementations of all initiatives and strategies on the BDP, as well as the successful transition of the region for the development of BARMM.

Also present during Wednesday’s activity were some BTA members with Speaker Atty. Pangalian Balindong Sr., representatives from different BARMM ministries and offices, representatives from European Union (EU), Australian Embassy, International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), The Asia Foundation (TAF), Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue (CHD) and United States AID (USAID). (Bureau of Public Information)

US on edge as it awaits results 2 days after election

 An election ballot box is seen at a polling site in upper Manhattan where people cast their vote for the 2020 US Presidential Election, in New York City, United States on Nov. 3, 2020. (Tayfun Coşkun/Anadolu photo)

WASHINGTON – The US continued to brace Thursday evening for news on who its next president would be as Democratic nominee Joe Biden continues to maintain a sizable lead over incumbent Donald Trump two days after Election Day.

Biden is just six Electoral College delegates away from being able to declare victory, according to an Associated Press tally. That means with any additional state victory, excluding Alaska, he would win the race for the White House.

Trump, however, remains competitive, though his path to victory is far more difficult.

There are currently just five states that The AP has yet to declare for either Biden or Trump, but only it and conservative television network Fox News have called Arizona for the Democratic nominee.

Biden is ahead in just one of the outstanding states, Nevada, where he has a narrow 0.9 percent lead with over 10 percent of the vote outstanding. He trails the president in Georgia, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania, but Trump's lead has narrowed considerably in the states as they process mail-in ballots.

The jurisdictions did not allow for mail-in ballots to be tabulated until at least the start of Election Day, despite the expected deluge of early voting that manifested due to health concerns caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the three, North Carolina is the only state that allowed mail-in ballots to be tabulated at the start of Election Day. Georgia and Pennsylvania did not start tabulating mail-in ballots until after polls closed on Tuesday.

Biden has closed Trump's considerable double-digit lead in Pennsylvania to just 0.5 percent, bolstered by absentee ballots, while he is behind in North Carolina and Georgia by 1.4 percent and 0.4 percent respectively.

Nevada officials have announced they will not be providing any additional vote tallies until Friday morning, but Pennsylvania and Georgia have said they expect results tonight, though a Trump campaign lawsuit could delay results in Pennsylvania.

Alaska is widely expected to be decided in Trump's favor.

The president has vowed to demand a recount in Wisconsin, which has been called for Biden, and has filed legal challenges in Georgia, Michigan, and Pennsylvania to halt vote counting. An appeals court judge has dismissed the Michigan lawsuit.

Trump and his team have continued to make allegations of widespread fraud but have not provided evidence to support their claims.

"STOP THE FRAUD!" Trump said in a Twitter post flagged by the microblogging website with the label "Some or all of the content shared in this Tweet is disputed and might be misleading about an election or other civic process."

Biden, meanwhile, has urged his supporters to remain patient as votes are tallied.

"I ask people to stay calm. The process is working. The count is being completed," he tweeted.

Further down the ballot, Democrats appear to have maintained their hold in the House of Representatives, but their chances of taking control over the Senate appear to be dwindling with Republicans posting a stronger-than-expected showing.

The easiest path for Democrats to split the chamber 50-50 would be to win both of Georgia's Senate seats, which are quite possibly headed for run-offs in early January. The party appears unlikely to win in Alaska, where incumbent Dan Sullivan has a considerable lead over his Democratic challenger. (Anadolu)

Zambo mayor alerts residents against terror attack

 By Teofilo Garcia, Jr.  

ZAMBOANGA CITY-- Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar warned Zamboangueños Friday against renewed terror threats in this southern port city.

Salazar said the Western Mindanao Command (Westmincom) informed her about potential terrorist attacks, specifically bombing in this city following the ongoing military operations in Sulu province.

The mayor said he directed village officials to intensify the monitoring on suspicious-looking persons and vehicles, abandoned baggage, and other suspicious activities.

Seven Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) bandits were killed in an offshore clash Tuesday near Sulare Island in Parang, Sulu.

Lt. Gen. Corleto Vinluan Jr., commander of Westmincom, said the firefight broke out when the troops aboard a helicopter gunship and a multi-purpose attack craft (MPAC) intercepted a twin-engine speed boat with seven ASG bandits aboard believed on the way to stage abduction in mainland Mindanao.

Salazar said government forces have already strengthened shoreline protection and intensified security measures to ensure that residents are protected.

“But we need the support of the 98 barangays and the residents. Stay alert against people acting suspiciously and suspicious activities in our community,” the mayor said. “Please report to the police, military, or barangay leaders immediately because of the threat of IED (Improvised Explosive Device) bombing in the city.” (PNA)