Sen. Imee asks Senate to investigate reported data breach of PNP firearms and explosives

​MANILA— Senator Imee Marcos asked the Senate on Monday, May 20, 2024, to investigate the reported data breach of the Philippine National Police’s (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office (FEO), as she expressed concern about its impact on national security, cybersecurity, and the potential misuse of hacked information involving over 1.5 terabytes of personal data.

“Over half a million Filipinos are now threatened by data thieves. Yet again our data privacy has been violated, this time escaping even the police! Again, simply filling out a government form has resulted in a data breach. Even more sinister, who hacked our firearms and explosives files?” the senator asked.

Marcos added that it is unforgivable for government to repeatedly fail in securing the public’s personal data. Ang seguridad ng bawat Pilipino ay hindi lamang kaugnay ng mga bantang pisikal, ngunit lahat na ng aspeto ng pamumuhay, lalong lalo na sa mga personal na impormasyong dapat ay pinangangalagaan.

The reported breach has allegedly exposed detailed personal information of numerous individuals, including names, addresses, dates and places of birth, occupation, educational background, medical records, religion, and family information.

“Financial transaction records such as names, transaction numbers, dates, payslips, firearm registration statuses, and emails were also leaked. Further, there were 1,562,463 entries in the transactions table on the leaked database, affecting approximately 589,615 individuals,” Marcos’ resolution stated.

On May 13, 2024, the PNP said it was looking into a possible breach in its logistics, data, information, and management system. News reports later stated the PNP FEO was the latest victim of a major data breach following the incident on their Logistics Data System.

The alleged hacker, known only as “ph1ns,” claimed the breach was facilitated by vulnerabilities in the PNP FEO’s online systems. The hacker exploited a lack of input sanitization and debug mode information to gain access to various servers, retrieving environment variables and database information.

“The recent breach follows a series of cyberattacks on various Philippine government websites, highlighting the urgent need for improved cybersecurity infrastructure and immediate intervention by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). Hindi maaaring walang gawin ang DICT, at lalong hindi katanggap-tanggap na maulit pa ito sa iba pang ahensya ng pamahalaan,” she added.

Recent reported hacking incidents of various government offices include the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), Bureau of Customs (BOC), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and the House of Representatives.

According to Kaspersky Security Network (KSN), the Philippines ranked fourth in the global ranking of countries most targeted by web threats in 2023 and the top in Southeast Asia.

Latest data of the PNP Anti-Cybercrime Group (ACG) show a total of 4,469 cybercrime incidents were logged from January to March 2024, which presents a 21.84% uptick from the 3,668 incidents in the fourth quarter of 2023.

Sen. Imee seeks to speed up proclamation of 171 hectares for socialized housing

MANILA -- Senator Imee Marcos sought to speed up a Presidential proclamation reserving 171 hectares of public land, known as Lupang Arenda in Taytay, Rizal, for socialized housing since almost 29 years have passed from the first presidential proclamation setting aside public land to develop low-cost and medium-rise housing for informal settlers living in Lupang Arenda and along the Pasig River.

Marcos, who chairs the Senate Committee on Social Justice, Welfare, and Rural Development, filed Senate Resolution 900 to inquire into the "unreasonable delay" in issuing a Presidential proclamation despite the completed staff work of a Pre-Proclamation Committee in 2018.

The Housing and Urban Development Coordination Council (HUDCC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and National Housing Authority (NHA) led the Pre-Proclamation Committee.

"Panahon na para tuldukan ang masalimuot na kwento ukol sa mga proklamasyon para sa pabahay ng mga informal settlers," the senator declared. (It's time to resolve the complex story of proclamations for housing informal settlers.)

In 1995, then President Fidel Ramos issued Proclamation 704 to set aside 80 hectares of land for informal settlers along the Pasig River and poor families in Taytay, Rizal.

Eleven years later, then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo issued Proclamation 1160 granting 20 parcels of land for urban poor families in the Manggahan Flood Complex and homeless employees of the Rizal provincial government.

However, in the aftermath of Typhoon Ondoy in 2009, Macapagal-Arroyo revoked both proclamations amid fears of obstructing the Napindan River - a tributary of the Pasig River - and causing severe floods and loss of lives.

Former President Rodrigo Duterte restored Proclamation 704 through Executive Order 93 in 2019, but as of March 2022, only 41 certificates of land ownership had been distributed to informal settlers occupying 2.1 hectares of land in Lupang Arenda.

In September last year, the DENR had yet to provide the clearance required before the entire Lupang Arenda could be proclaimed a public housing area.

Senator Marcos noted that San Miguel Corporation's decision last March to cancel its Pasig River Expressway (PAREX) project has eased concerns about environmental degradation, flooding, earthquake risks, reduced river flow, and the interruption of duck raisers' livelihood along the Napindan River.

"Tens of thousands of informal settlers' households await a conclusive Presidential proclamation on Lupang Arenda. It would bring the government closer to its target of building one million housing units each year, as promised," she said.

 

NNC7 launches phase 5 of Tutok Kainan in Lila, Bohol

LILA, Bohol—The National Nutrition Council (NNC) launched Phase 5 of the Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program (TK DSP) for pregnant women in Lila, Bohol held simultaneously on February 16, with other local government units in Central Visayas.

TK DSP is a dietary supplementation program of the national government thru the National Nutrition Council (NNC) that aims to contribute to the prevention of stunting of 0-23 months children by providing supplementary food among nutritionally at-risk (NAR) pregnant women and young children to improve the quality and quantity of their food and nutrient intake together and utilization of related Early Childhood Care and Development First 1000 Days services. 

In her inspirational message during the launch, Dr. Anne Madelaine Blanes, Municipal Health and Nutrition Action Officer of Lila encouraged the mothers to cooperate and make the most of the opportunity given to them to make their motherhood journey an unforgettable, successful and the start of a healthy life for their babies.

There were 29 NAR pregnant women that attended the activity in Lila who were also oriented about the program including their roles and responsibilities.  TK DSP uses a dry feeding scheme where program beneficiaries received Brown Rice Bar (BRB), High Energy Biscuit (Prebis) and Iron Fortified Rice commodities.  

Each beneficiary took home “Kain Tayo” journal which served as guide and reference as the journal provides tips and guides in the motherhood journey and an array of simple and easy to follow recipes.

According to NNC-7, the beneficiaries went home with big smiles with the thought of improving the birth outcomes of their newborns. With the strong commitment of the LGUs both from the municipal and barangay levels in the program implementation, the active participation of the beneficiaries and continuous backing from the NNC, meeting the goals of TK DSP is achievable. (PR & photos: NNC7/Glenda Papeleras)

 

ZFF gathers local leaders, health teams to a learning forum in Cebu

CEBU CITY -- The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) gathered governors, mayors, and provincial health team core members of Cebu, Siargao, Sarangani, and Basilan in Cebu City at Golden Prince Hotel on May 21 for a learning forum to strengthen health outcomes and combat malnutrition. 

“Effective local nutrition governance starts with leaders. Nutrition should be considered as a major development outcome that local governments through their leaders would want to address and improve,” Austere Panadero, ZFF President and Executive Director said, in his opening message during the event.

The forum entitled “Responsive Nutrition Leadership and Governance for Faster Improvement of Nutrition Outcomes” highlighted the insights, valuable learnings, innovations, and achievements of recent local health governance projects implemented in Siargao, Sarangani, and Basilan.

According to ZFF Chairman, Ernesto Garilao, the ZFF, through the support of the Kristian Gerhard Jebsen Foundation (KGJF) for the provinces of Sarangani and Basilan and Alumni Association of Asian Institute of Management (AAAIM) for AHON Siargao municipalities – Burgos, Sta. Monica and Pilar, worked together to strengthen the Health and Nutrition Systems to combat malnutrition and improve health indicators in identified project sites.

F1KD Provincial Nutrition Governance Program (PNGP)

Garilao said that ZFF’s F1KD Provincial Nutrition Governance Program (PNGP), in partnership with KGJF and implemented in Basilan and Sarangani, is slated for completion in June 2024.

The Barangay Nutrition Program component addressed food and nutrition security, behavior change interventions, and established community engagement and leadership among barangay and indigenous people leaders, Garilao added.

Municipal Nutrition Governance Program (MNGP) In the municipalities of Pilar, Burgos, and Sta. Monica, Siargao, ZFF partnered with the AAAIM, to implement the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program (MNGP) under the AHON Siargao Capacity Enhancement Project (CAPE). The program’s thrust is to empower local government units on health and governance.

The project ensures that efforts on pregnancy tracking and monitoring, prenatal services, immunization, supplemental feeding for nutritionally-at-risk (NAR) pregnant and moderate acute malnourished (MAM) children, among others, are in place.

The municipalities of Burgos, Pilar, and Santa Monica successfully completed the Municipal Nutrition Governance Program - Nutrition and Health Leadership (MNGP-NutriHeaL) with promising results.

From 2022 to 2023, all three municipalities achieved a significant increase in their Operation Timbang (OPT) coverage rate, reaching an average of 85% coverage for three municipalities. A higher coverage rate in OPT paints a clearer picture of their current nutrition landscape and allows for data-driven planning and programming.

As the program closes, the local governments of Burgos, Pilar, and Sta. Monica believe that their work has just started and with renewed enthusiasm to ensure their children grow to be healthy individuals who will be the future leaders of their municipalities. The municipalities and leaders remain steadfast in realizing their vision to reduce malnutrition rates in their communities.

By 2025, Burgos aims to reduce stunting rates to 11.5%, while Pilar and Santa Monica aim for a figure below 10%. The Municipal and City Nutrition Governance Program was also implemented in Basilan in 2021.

Basilan has made substantial progress with its nutrition numbers, witnessing a decrease in stunting from 22.67% in 2022 to 14.51% in 2023. This positive trend was accompanied by reduced wasting rates and a decline in the number of nutritionally at-risk pregnant women.

To enhance health governance systems, a data dashboard called Pook Malusog dashboard, was also piloted in Siargao (Burgos, Pilar, and Sta. Monica) and in Basilan (Isabela City, Lamitan City, Maluso, Sumisip, Tipo-Tipo) earlier this year.

The dashboard makes data collection and analysis faster and empowers LGU partners in data analysis for planning, advocacy, and immediate response to health challenges.

In attendance to the learning forum were Basilan Governor Jim Hataman-Salliman; Bantayan, Cebu Mayor Arthur E. Despi; Mayor Maria Liza Resurreccion of Pilar, Siargao; Mayor Angie Arcena of Burgos, Siargao; and Mayor Arwela Dolar of Sta. Monica, Siargao.

Also present during the event were Dr. Azucena Dayanghirang, Assistant Secretary and Executive Director, National Nutrition Council and Dr. Cecilia Acuin, a Nutrition expert.  Dr. Ma. Ofelia Alcantara, Philippine Multisectoral Nutrition Project (PMNP) Lead, Department of Health (DOH) Central office also shared her insights and message through a video transformation in addressing nutrition challenges and inequities, both in normal and disruptive times.

The role of Zuellig Family Foundation

ZFF aligned the critical elements of its various nutrition programs and projects with the Philippine Plan of Action for Nutrition or PPAN. The PPAN has pinpointed four key areas to achieve the vision of reducing all forms of malnutrition: Food and Diets, Practices and Behavior, Multisectoral Nutrition-related Interventions, and an Enabling Environment.

Through comprehensive implementation at the LGU level, ZFF’s programs are poised to significantly and effectively contribute to realizing the goals outlined in the PPAN 2023-2028.

The Zuellig Family Foundation (ZFF) engages in public health leadership and governance training and public health advocacy.  Its strategy, the ZFF Health Change Model, has training, practicum, mentoring, and coaching components to build enrolled public health leaders like governors, mayors, and health officials. 

ZFF builds capacities in understanding the complexities of the healthcare system, accepting their roles in the existing health challenges and taking steps to come up with immediate and sustainable solutions.

The Foundation also advocates for equitable policies in public health and governance. To mainstream and scale-up its change strategy, it has partnered with local and international partners including the Department of Health, USAID, UNICEF, UNFPA, as well as academic institutions nationwide. (Photos: MBCNewman)

Invest in authentic Italian restaurant, a culinary journey with a Sicilian twist

CEBU CITY— Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast is an authentic Italian restaurant located at Ma. Luisa Road in Banilad, Cebu City for more than 20 years is now open for franchising with a franchise fee of P1.5M inclusive of use of trademark, site approval, training of franchisee and staff, procurement program, opening assistance and operations manual on loan.

Initial franchise term of six years and continuation fees of P25K for the 1st and 2nd year; P35K for the 3rd & 4th year; P45K for the 5th and 6th year.  Franchise renewal of 50 percent of the then current franchise fee. 

Space needed for the restaurant is 150sqm.  For more details and information, contact Paseo Saturnino, Ma. Luisa Rd., Banilad, Cebu; giuseppepizzeriacebu@gmail.com and at these numbers: +63 9274755593 & +63 9682222061.

Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast, a culinary journey

Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast is a family-owned restaurant established by its namesake, Giuseppe Genco, an acclaimed Italian chef with an impressive career spanning over 30 years in the hospitality industry. 

Giuseppe has honed his culinary skills at prestigious 5-star hotels, including Shangri-La Beijing, Shangri-La Mactan, and The Peninsula Manila.  Hailing from Sicily, Giuseppe Genco aspired to introduce authentic Sicilian flavors to Cebu with his wife, Rachel, he rented a cozy space on Ma. Luisa Road, Banilad, Cebu and in 2003, they opened a modest 50sqm "Mom and Pop" restaurant.

“The initial setup was simple: a take-out concept with just 2 tables, 8 chairs, and 12 sets of plates and cutleries, with Giuseppe managing the kitchen and I was overseeing the dining area,” mom Rachel Genco told the media/bloggers in an intimate media huddle and food tasting.

The restaurant quickly gained popularity, prompting the Gencos to expand with sons Lorenzo and Carmelo holding the business operations for Bohol and Cebu respectively.  The Genco family's commitment to quality and authenticity is further enhanced by the contributions of these two.

In 2005, they moved to a larger location on Paseo Saturnino, Ma. Luisa Road, where they built and own a full-fledged restaurant, only a few meters away from their original spot.  Buoyed by their success in Cebu, Giuseppe and Rachel expanded the brand.

In 2009, they opened another branch of Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast in Panglao, Bohol and continuing the expansion, they entered into a franchise agreement in 2020, opening new locations in Boracay and Iloilo.

Today, Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast is renowned for its authentic Italian cuisine with a Sicilian twist, offering a delightful culinary experience that brings a taste of Sicily to the Philippines.

Carmelo Genco graduated with a degree in Culinary Arts and has gained valuable experience working at renowned establishments such as the Faena Hotel in Miami and The Westgate Hotel in San Diego. For the past two years, he has been managing and cooking full-time at Giuseppe, bringing fresh ideas and upholding the family tradition of excellence.

Lorenzo Genco, a professional football player turned restaurateur, has been working with Giuseppe for about three years now. His unique background and passion for the restaurant business have brought a dynamic energy to the team, contributing to the ongoing success and growth of Giuseppe Pizzeria & Sicilian Roast.

Challenges of putting up new franchise Giuseppe restaurants

“In the food industry, specifically when you’re putting up authentic Italian dishes/menu, and since we are a family-run restaurant, quality control and sourcing and maintaining authenticity in the dishes are of utmost importance,” Rachel added.

She emphasized the need to explained and stick to the legalities of franchising agreements, now that the Giuseppe brand is calling for possible franchisees.  Franchise agreement documents must outline legal requirements and quality standards.

Location proposals are also approved before opening new franchise branches as well as procurement of ingredients from approved suppliers listed in the agreements, Rachel said, “We have to continue to protect brand reputation by ensuring all locations meet quality standards.”

“Maintaining the authentic Giuseppe brand was also a challenge for the first few years because Filipinos have that kind of sweet tooth palate, but my husband never wavered in his resolve to introduce the unique Italian cuisine here. Today, our brand is well-accepted,” Rachel said.

Food presentation and tasting

Lorenzo and Carmelo shared some of the restaurant’s menus, ingredients and some of the customers’ preferences as different kinds of signature and authentic Italian dishes were presented for media/bloggers to experience this flavorful culinary experience.

First on the table were the appetizers—Focaccia and Antipasto Giuseppe; Focaccia is a flat leavened oven-baked Italian bread, in some contemporary places, such as Rome, it is a style of pizza, also called pizza bianca. Focaccia may be served as a side dish or as sandwich bread and it may be round, rectangular, or square shape.

Antipasto is the traditional first course of a formal Italian meal. It is usually made of bite-size small portions and served on a platter from which everyone serves themselves, the purpose of antipasti is to stimulate the appetite.

From the appetizers, followed the Pizza—the Stella Pizza and Arugula & Parma Ham Pizza.  Next of the table were Tortelli de Zucca in Salsa di Pistachio (made of pumpkin with pistachio, tortelli & sauce) and the Gnocchi (are Italian dumplings made of potatoes, semolina wheat flour breadcrumbs & more). 

Then there was Spaghetti Marinara. Marinara” translates to “seafaring”—or colloquially to “sailor style” or “mariner style.” It was given the name marinara not because it was once a seafood-style sauce, but because it was the preferred meal of Italy's merchants during long expeditions at sea.

Pappardelle al Ragu is one of the most famous meat-based sauces from Italy. This recipe surely requires patience because the sauce is slowly simmering for hours, an hearty and rich sauce that is perfect for winter.

The star of the show was the Ossobucco, is a specialty of Lombard cuisine of cross-cut veal shanks braised with vegetables, white wine, and broth. It is often garnished with gremolata and traditionally served with either risotto alla milanese or polenta, depending on the regional variation. The marrow in the hole in the bone, a prized delicacy, is the defining feature of the dish. (Photos: MBCNewman and Dish description source: Wikipedia)

 

 

240 children from Pamplona and Bais City complete phase 3 of ‘Tutok Kainan’

BAIS CITY – Some 240 children ages 6-23 months old who were enrolled under the “Tutok Kainan Dietary Supplementation Program” (TK DSP)-Phase 3 from Pamplona town and Bais City in Negros Oriental have completed the 180 days food supplement program in April this year.

According to the National Nutrition Council (NNC)-Region VII, theTKDSP-Phase3 and Phase 4 were simultaneously re-launched on February 16, 2023 but were halted due to the non-availability of food commodities. Pamplona town and Bais City welcomed the resumption of TKDSP in Negros Oriental especially the parents and the children beneficiaries.

Bais City Nutrition Program Coordinator (CNPC) Ramon Anton Valencia and Nutrition Officer, Kristal Katrina Bacay reoriented parents and program beneficiaries as part of the preparation for the resumption of TK DSP Phase 3 in the City. 

The TKDSP provides food commodities to children who are enrolled in the program good for 180 days as supplement to their regular meals, according to NNC-7, the supplemental food is given at 10:00AM and at 3:00PM everyday with allocation distributed for the weekend.

With the dietary supplementation is the provision of complimentary activities such as health and nutrition education and teaching the household on food security with the available resources in the community, NNC-7 said.

NNC-7 said, the TK DSP aims to improve the quality and quantity of food and nutrient intakes of beneficiaries by providing nutritious food commodities to pregnant women for 90 days and to children 6-23 months old for 180 days.

Priority beneficiaries of the program are nutritionally at-risk or undernourished pregnant mothers and children 6-23 months old.  It also ensures the delivery of complementary early childhood care and development (ECCD) services in the first 1000 days pursuant to RA 11148 or the Kalusugan ng Mag-Nanay Act.

As part of the preparation for the resumption of program implementation, the local nutrition committees were reoriented on the program objectives, roles of parties, scheme of feeding, commodities to use, complementary activities and other relevant information to ensure the success of the program.

The program beneficiaries were also reviewed on their tasks and responsibilities and ways to feed their children using the commodities provided by NNC. They were also reminded to participate in the complementary activities initiated by their Barangay Nutrition Committees (BNC). 

Nutrition Officer Kristal Katrina Bacay took the opportunity to gather feedbacks from parents of children enrolled in the program. Majority of the parents expressed gratitude of being part of the program as it has helped their children improve their weights.

“Abtik na kaayo akong anak Mam kon itande sa iyang maguwang,” said by one of the mothers interviewed. They also collectively shared that they participated in the activities conducted by the BNC such as growth monitoring, nutrition education activities, and counselling on the best soil to use in the seeds provided by the City Agriculture Office.

With the aligned efforts of the local, provincial, regional, and national government, these minor steps would help accomplish the goal of providing quality nutrition services to the constituents and contribute to achieving Nutrisyong sapat, para sa lahat. (Photos: NNC7/Kristal Katrina Bacay)