Read my entry about this tourism campaign [ here ].

loveandcosmicdust:

Sikat II set to compete in World Solar Car Challenge

THE Philippine Solar Car Challenge Society Inc. (PSCCSI) on Monday launched the Sikat II solar-powered car that will compete in the 2011 World Solar Challenge in Australia from October 16 to 23 this year.

A test run of the Sikat II designed by engineering students of De La Salle University was conducted at the North Luzon Expressway (Nlex) to demonstrate the car’s readiness to compete in this year’s solar challenge. 

The test run of Sikat II came as Jan H. Kierulf, director for research and development of Victory Liner, a Luzon based bus company, stressed during the launch of “Victory Against Climate Change” program in Quezon City that a partnership initiative between the bus company and the Climate Change Commission (CCC) found the necessity for lawmakers to pass a measure that will “legalize” electric-powered vehicles, or e-vehicles, and allow the Land Transportation Office to set-up specifications and establish safety standards for such type of vehicles.

The “Victory Against Climate Change” program was highlighted by the signing of a memorandum of understanding that formalizes the partnership between Victory Liner-CCC to promote e-vehicles.

Ramon Agustines, PSCCSI president, said in a press conference the country is challenged by the fact that it does not have the courage to invest in solar-power technologies.

“And though the Sikat II, we, at the society, want to show that solar-power technology is already available and is ready to be used for different applications,” Agustines said.

Federico Lopez, PSCCSI chairman and chief executive, said the Sikat II is a testament to Filipino ingenuity, talent and technological capability in tapping clean and natural sources of energy such as solar power.

Like its predecessors—Sinag and Sikat I—Lopez said Sikat II is beaming with promise as it not only shows the world what solar energy can do, but what Filipinos can do too.

“We are very optimistic that Sikat II will shine in the World Solar Challenge,” Lopez said.

Jack Catalan, Sikat II team leader, said they are honored to represent the country and that they are proud to have been able to design and create a solar car within seven months.

“Our target for this year’s competition is to finish the race and beat the 12th place performance of Sinag in 2007,” he said. ?Sikat II boasts many improvements to its design and mechanical features. It sports a sleek and aerodynamic body made of lightweight carbon fiber-honeycomb composite. Faster than its predecessors, Sikat II can run at top speed of 110-kilometers-per-hour with its 2-kilowatt motor and weighs less than 180 kilograms, which is 10-kilogram lighter than Sikat I and 110 kilogram lighter than Sinag. 

When running on its 4,000 watt-hour Lithium-ion battery and solar array power at a speed of 85 kilometers per hour, Sikat II can travel more than 800 kilometers.

Sikat is fueled by solar energy harvested and converted into electricity by photovoltaic cells. Sikat II is equipped with solar cells from Sunpower Philippines, a leading manufacturer of high-efficiency solar cells in the world. These solar cells are proudly Philippine-made and are manufactured by Sunpower in their Batangas and Laguna plants.

Sikat II is set to race with 20 other countries in the 3,000-kilometer World Solar Challenge that runs from Darwin to Adelaide in Australia. It will be the second time that the Philippines will be competing in the international challenge. In 2007 Sinag delivered a remarkable debut performance by finishing 12th place among 40 other participants from around the world.
(With report filed by Jonathan Mayuga)

———————-
Business Mirror
By Paul Anthony A. Isla
August 09, 2011

 

“This is a testament of what we can do as Lasallians.”

-Br. Ricky Laguda, FSC -Sector Leader/President, De La Salle Philippines

Makes me proud to be a Lasallian. Animo La Salle! 

NEXT STOP: Flying cars!!!! AYE? AYE? AYE!?!?

copyeditor:

A victim of the Ferdinand Marcos regime cries as he finally receives a $1,000 compensation

A claimant for human rights violations during the regime of Ferdinand Marcos, the former ruler of the Philippines, cries while looking at his check at the Commission on Human Rights office in Quezon city, Metro Manila on March 1. On Monday, lawyers started handing out $1,000 checks to 7,500 victims of the Marcos regime, saying they could get more compensation if the new government could agree on a settlement deal. [Erik de Castro/Reuters via MSNBC]

My heart rejoices yet also aches for him. $1,000 is a small amount, it really is—it doesn’t even exactly compensate for all the physical and emotional suffering they went through—but it’s better than not receiving anything. I just hope it didn’t take this long for the higher-ups to decide on compensating the victims… and I also dearly hope that the government tries to get a settlement deal. Soon.

Reblogged from: pinoytumblr

BSP launches redesigned bank notes

BSP Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the new bank notes took three years to conceptualize and print. The idea to include Mrs. Aquino in the P500 bill, however, was conceived when she passed away due to colon cancer in August 2009.

Tetangco said the BSP decided to include Mrs. Aquino in the bank note even before President Aquino announced in September that he would seek the presidency.

All six denominations — P20, P50, P100, P200, P500, and P1,000 — have new designs and security features. Below are the new designs:

 
P20 bill
Obverse: Manuel L. Quezon
Reverse: Banaue Rice Terraces and a palm civet from the Cordilleras, which are famous for producing the coffee alamid

P50 bill
Obverse: Sergio Osmeña 
Reverse: Taal Lake and the Giant Trevally (locally known as Maliputo), a delicious milky fish which thrives only in the waters of the lake.
 

P100 bill 
Obverse: Manuel A. Roxas
Reverse: Mayon Volcano and “butanding” or whale shark, the world’s largest living fish which is the main attraction of Donsol, Sorsogon

P200 bill
Obverse: Diosdado Macapagal
Reverse: Chocolate Hills and the Philippine tarsier, one of the world’s smallest primates 
 

P500 bill
Obverse: Corazon Aquino and Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr.
Reverse: Puerto Princesa Subterranean River National Park and the blue-naped parrot, which thrives in the forests of Palawan and Mindoro
 

P1,000 bill
Obverse: Josefa Llanes Escoda, Vicente P. Lim, and Jose Abad Santos
Reverse: Tubbataha Reef Marine Park and the South Sea Pearl, which is produced by oysters that thrive in the South Seas which the Sulu Sea is a part of  

The images of the national figures on the obverse side of the bills show them at a younger age. Fe Dela Cruz, director of the BSP’s corporate affairs office, said in an ambush interview the younger images were chosen because the public servants and heroes on the bank notes served the country during their prime.

The new security features of the bank notes include embossed prints, serial numbers, security fibers, watermarks, security thread, optically variable device, optically variable ink, and a see-through mark. The features increase as the value of the note goes higher. 

The see-through mark is the word “Pilipino” written in Baybayin, a pre-Spanish Philippine writing system, which is only seen in complete form when the note is viewed against the light. 

A banknote’s design is first conceptualized before it is drawn by an artist into a prototype banknote. Once the prototype has been approved, printing plates will be produced.

 The production of banknotes consists of litho printing; intaglio printing; sheet inspection; numbering; tenning (where numbered sheets are inspected every tenth sheet to check if there are defects); and finishing which includes cutting, counting and packaging, according to the BSP.

OMG! I guess if this will start circulating, I’ll be keeping prints of the old designs :))