Manila—On January 19, the United States government donated two vehicles valued at P2.1 million ($39,400) to the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) to enhance its international anti-drug operations at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and Clark International Airport.

Donated by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), the vehicles will assist PDEA’s Inter-Agency Drug Interdiction Task Group (IADITG) in its efforts to prevent the entry and exit of illegal drugs and substances used to manufacture illegal drugs through the two airports. In particular, the new vehicles will boost the mobility of law enforcement personnel and transport narcotics-detection dogs in both airports.

“The United States is committed to this partnership, through which we believe we can foster and enhance the international cooperation needed to effectively combat transnational criminal networks and drug trafficking,” visiting INL Acting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lisa Johnson said at the turnover ceremony in Manila.

The IADITG was established to bolster the government’s efforts to address drug interdiction challenges in major entry points.

In 2021, Clark IADITG seized a total of 3.34 kilograms of shabu (methamphetamine) worth P22.3 million ($410,000) while NAIA IADITG confiscated a total of 8.96 kilograms of shabu worth nearly P60 million ($1.1 million).

PDEA expressed appreciation for the continued partnership with the U.S. government to support its campaign to stop the transit of illegal drugs through the Philippines.

This vehicle donation is part of a broader INL counternarcotics program in the Philippines through partnerships with PDEA and other agencies. (PR)

TACLOBAN CITY- Motorists are now utilizing the solar road studs installed by the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Leyte Second District Engineering Office, on the Palo-Carigara-Ormoc (PCO) intermittent road section from Jaro to Capoocan in Leyte.

The project, worth P10.47 million and sourced from the Special Road Fund—Motor Vehicle User’s Charge (MVUC), has installed 2,537 solar studs to illuminate 14.735 lane kilometers of the PCO road.

District Engineer Leo Edward Oppura said that the project is more beneficial to public utility vehicles and cargo trucks because they are usually on the road at night transporting passengers and goods.

“Usually, road accidents happen at night and during inclement weather due to poor visibility; with these devices, drivers will have a visible guide while traversing the road,” he said.

The solar pavement leveling marker stud is an internally illuminated device.
Solar studs are a good solution for both safe and sustainable infrastructure, providing superior long-distance visibility of the road layout ahead.

Internally illuminated solar pavement leveling studs activate at the beginning of twilight. Once daylight exceeds a certain intensity in the morning, the lights will turn off and the battery will start charging.

The district office maintains 44.831 kilometers of the Palo-Carigara-Ormoc road network, traversing the municipalities of Jaro, Tunga, Barugo, Carigara, and Capoocan, all in Leyte. (LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)

Leading digital solutions platform Globe blocked a record high 2.72 billion scam and spam messages in 2022, more than double the 2021 total of 1.15 billion, reflecting the impact of its stepped up campaign against malicious SMS.

As a result of its intensified crackdown against fraudsters, Globe also blocked 83.4 million bank-related spam messages last year. Globe has partnered with all major commercial banks and online retailers in the country to ensure quick and efficient information exchange for a more efficient response to spam and fraud SMS.

Blocking spam and scam messages continues to be a crucial component of Globe’s cybersecurity strategy, and it has managed to spare customers from dangerous and disruptive SMS before the enforcement of the SIM Registration Act.

“Our customers are our top priority so we do our best to ensure that they are protected from scammers and fraudsters. We will continue to invest in cybersecurity systems and work tirelessly to provide them with a safe and enjoyable online experience as we also take part in the full implementation of the SIM Registration Act,” said Anton Bonifacio, Globe Chief Information Security Officer.

“With our relentless proactive blocking efforts and implementation of the new law, we are taking great strides in our campaign to end text fraud,” he said.

Globe has spent about $20 million to step up its spam and scam SMS detection and blocking system. Its round-the-clock Security Operations Center filters out these unwanted messages, including app-to-person and person-to-person SMS of international and domestic sources.

In an industry first, Globe also started blocking person-to-person SMS with clickable URLs from all networks in September last year amid growing concern over escalating scam and spam messages, particularly those containing mobile users’ full names.

In just two weeks after enforcing its unprecedented measure, Globe blocked over 32.2 million scam and spam text messages with clickable links, or an average of 2.4 million SMS daily from September 28 to October 13, 2022.

Because of rising SMS-related crimes, the government enacted Republic Act No 11934 or the SIM (subscriber identity module) Registration Act last year to address the problem. The law requires individuals to register their SIM and present a valid identification document to their respective service providers.

Aside from investing in tools to proactively detect suspicious content on the internet to protect its customers from online attacks, Globe has deployed fraud and security chatbots to assist employees with privacy and cybersecurity-related concerns.

It also regularly provides customers with relevant information via social media advisories about fraud, cybersecurity, and data privacy to boost awareness and help them protect themselves against these threats.(PR)

ORMOC CITY– A family whose house was crushed by a fallen tree due to the bad weather was provided with cash assistance by the municipal government of Lope de Vega, Northern Samar.

The house of the affected family in Barangay Gebonawan was hit by a fallen tree due to the strong winds and heavy rain experienced by the town on Jan.27 at about 6:30 pm, town information officer Francine Acasio said.

The cash assistance was personally given to them by Mayor Bobby Saludario and councilor Ester Carduce, Acasio said.

No one was hurt in the incident as the occupants of the house happened to be outside at that time.
(ROBERT DEJON)