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Tag: Local Government Units

  • 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐨𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬’ 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐃𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬

    The National Book Development Board (NBDB) believes that the determination of reading advocates in the Philippines remains strong despite the current challenges facing the state of reading in the country.

    The State of the Reading Nation Address (SORNA) for the second quarter of this year was presented during the inaugural Milestone Meeting of the National Alliance of Reading Advocates (NARA). This initiative, a project of the NBDB, brings together numerous readership advocates and plays a crucial role in the NBDB’s ongoing efforts to foster a love for reading in the Philippines.

    The second-quarter SORNA highlighted three key areas: the importance of community engagement and support networks, the necessity of teacher training and professional development, and the critical issue of access to resources and materials.

    “To address these vital points, advocates and stakeholders across government, non-government, and private sectors are working tirelessly to rekindle a love for reading among Filipino adults and children and to prevent a reading crisis,” emphasized Daniel Lorenzo Mariano, OIC of NBDB’s Readership Development Division (READ).

    Established in the second quarter, the NARA and its members are collaboratively working to enhance Philippine readership. In April, the NBDB hosted the second edition of its flagship event, the Philippine Book Festival (PBF), a four-day fair attended by over 30,000 people. This event also served as the platform for the soft launch of NARA. The all-Filipino book fair aims to promote a culture of reading and simultaneously support the growth of the publishing industry in the country.

    In response to the 2022 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) results, which underscored the need to address literacy and reading issues, the Department of Education (DepEd) has adopted a science-based approach to teaching reading. Stakeholders are hopeful that the incoming DepEd chief, Senator Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara, will advocate for reading and address the country’s literacy challenges.

    In collaboration with DepEd, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is promoting a reading mindset through its nationwide tutoring program, “Tara, Basa.” This initiative has trained thousands of student-tutors and youth development workers to conduct reading sessions for struggling and non-reader Grade 2 learners in public elementary schools. The program also includes “Nanay-Tatay” teacher sessions to empower parents and guardians to actively support their children’s reading journeys.

    Several Local Government Units (LGUs), along with private and non-profit organizations, have also launched their own readership development programs.

    Other efforts implemented during the second quarter aim to foster a reading culture among Filipinos and shape the country’s reading landscape.

    “The NBDB, through NARA, is working on developing a NARA Readers’ Agenda. Alongside passionate advocates such as educators, librarians, publishers, community leaders, and students, we will continue to raise our collective voice to highlight the power of reading and make it an exciting and enriching adventure,” added Mariano.

    NBDB PRESS RELEASE – 19 July 2024

    Communications and Promotions

    National Book Development Board

    View Books Philippines Catalog

    Visit the www.philippinebookfest.com

  • Resilience through preparation: PCPPI reinforces disaster preparedness capabilities to build stronger Filipino communities

    Resilience through preparation: PCPPI reinforces disaster preparedness capabilities to build stronger Filipino communities

    In the Philippines, the second half of the year not only signals the start of the long countdown to Christmas, but also monsoon season. Traditionally, typhoons sweep across the country during this time, often aggravating the south-western spell (“Habagat”) that trigger flooding and other concerns.

    At least 20 typhoons hit the Philippine area of responsibility every year, with the violent ones often posing the biggest threat to human lives and industry, that may result  in costly economic loses and damages.

    Given the frequency of natural hazard events in the country, Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI)—the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages in the country—ensures that its Environment, Health, Safety, and Security (EHSS) teams are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to mitigate disaster risk by regularly conducting refresher training courses.

    “We conduct policy and procedure refreshers among our EHSS teams to enhance our disaster preparedness. We revisit our strategy, which are aligned with guidelines set by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) policies, on what to do before, during, and after hazardous events,” said PCPPI Sr. Manager for Safety and Security Dindo C. Garcia.

    “We also conduct monthly performance monitoring to see if our teams across the country are consistently aligned with the regulatory standards and to assess the areas that merit improvement,” he added.

    PCPPI is also committed to building on stronger relationships with local government units (LGU) to help enable and support communities in times of natural hazard events.

    “Our employees are at the heart of our operations. It is our responsibility to ensure we not only empower our teams and partners, but also our customers and the communities where we operate. We recognize our responsibility to prepare and help them in times of emergencies and calamities towards quick recovery with minimal disruption to their activities,” Garcia added.

    PCPPI is the exclusive manufacturer and distributor of well-known beverage brands in the Philippines, such as Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting, Premier, Milkis, and Chum Churum Soonhari. More information about the organization is available via www.pepsiphilippines.com.

    About Pepsi Philippines

    Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. (PCPPI) is the exclusive manufacturer of PepsiCo beverages & snacks in the Philippines, with a relationship spanning 70 years. PCPPI manufactures and sells well-known food and beverage brands: Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting, Premier, Sips, Milkis, Let’s Be and Aquafina. It has established 14 manufacturing facilities across the country, serving more than 700,000 outlets and providing employment through its extensive distribution network.

    PCPPI is committed to create a positive impact on society with programs focused on environmental sustainability, nutrition, education, and livelihood. For more information, visit www.pepsiphilippines.com.

    Reference & Media Contact:

    Kristine Facto

    Corporate Affairs and Communications

    Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc.

    E: kristine.facto@pcppi.com.ph

    Mikey de Quiros

    Head, Media Relations Department

    Full Circle Communications, Inc.

    E: mikey.dequiros@fullcirclecomms-pr.com

  • Taiwan offers knowledge in combating Covid-19 through smart solutions and effective communications

    Taiwan offers knowledge in combating Covid-19 through smart solutions and effective communications

    New Covid 19 info drive website offers information for stakeholders, local and foreign expertise

    There is no doubt that the best and most effective way of combating the Covid-19 virus and prevent its further spread, aside from an effective vaccine, is for the public to be well informed.

    Taiwan is among the more than 200 countries around the world affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. The World Health Organization (WHO) said there are 18,354,342 confirmed cases globally, with deaths amounting to 696,147. Despite these alarming numbers, Taiwan met the challenge with effective contact tracing measures, smart products and solutions, advanced preparations, swift action, and enough forward-thinking vision. Thus, the country became one of the most successful when it came to early containment and prevention to minimize the virus’ impact.

    To date, Taiwan is largely considered as among the global “gold” standards in fighting the dreaded Covid-19. The Global Covid-19 Index (GCI), which compiles and analyzes daily data from 184 countries around the world, in its July 25, 2020 report, ranked Taiwan as among the Top 5 countries that can best recover from Covid-19.

    Taiwan believes effective communication should be at the forefront of the fight against Covid-19 so it recently launched https://www.anticovid19tw.org, a website where Taiwan shares its experience in fighting Covid-19 to affected countries around the world, including the Philippines. The website provides information to various stakeholders and also features some of Taiwan’s most advanced and state-of-the-art epidemic prevention measures and smart technologies in fighting the virus.

    Equipping the Public with Information

     For the general public, the website effectively and comprehensively answers common questions and other information the public needs to know regarding the virus, such as the virus transmission, risks and complications that affect various age and gender demographics, even mental health concerns, the usual symptoms, and also what to do immediately in case of suspected infection and where to go for medical assistance.

    Measures that the government can consider

    In the Philippines, Local Government Units (LGUs), mostly the densely populated ones, may also benefit from the website since they can learn how the Taiwanese government conducts its own “Contact-Information-Based Measures” or “Contact Tracing” as it is called locally. It also shows how the Taiwanese government responds in terms of providing assistance to foreigners in Taiwan who may have Covid-19 related concerns, and how the Taiwanese government implements health and safety regulations and other important protocols to help prevent the spread of the virus upon initial reporting. It even shows how foreign governments can enter into collaborative and cooperative agreements with Taiwan and seek its knowledge in combating the virus.

    Empowering the medical industry

    Finally, by browsing the website, the Philippine medical community can also discover various Covid-19 diagnostic and treatment modes employed in Taiwan for confirmed cases that can be adopted locally. Medical professionals are also presented with different scenarios on how patients with special needs can be treated in case they are infected.

    Enabling the business community to cope

    To help them cope with the pandemic, the Philippine business community may also browse through the website and learn how to keep their businesses afloat in such a difficult time. Information on smart supply management solutions, plus measures on how companies can help protect their employees through face masks and other protective equipment, may be found on the website. There are also actual experiences by Taiwanese businesses that enabled them to mitigate the devastating impact of the Covid-19 contagion.

    Over the past few years, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) has been a reliable partner of Filipino businesses in connecting and doing business with quality Taiwan suppliers, products and services. TAITRA continues to introduce Taiwan companies to its Philippine counterparts through frequent dialogues and business familiarization tours even prior to Covid-19. The contagion did not stop TAITRA in its endeavors as it organized various online events for the benefit of stakeholders amid the pandemic, such as “Taiwan’s Medical Services and Epidemic Prevention Experience Sharing”

    held last July, and even the online product presentation via YouTube of “Taiwan Biomedical Solution to Covid-19 and Genetic Analysis,” organized by Hsinchu Science Park and TAITRA, and featured some of the top biomedical companies in Taiwan. Taiwan believes that the fight against the virus continues and there should be no letup to control it. Its model of excellence in fighting the disease has become a hallmark, and the Taiwanese government is more than willing to share to other affected countries in the world its best practices to help finally end this debilitating pandemic.

    REFERENCE:

    Richard Mamuyac