ICYMI: Science and technology updates from May 19 to 25, 2019.
Davao braces for expected dengue ‘epidemic’
From SunStar Davao:
The Department of Health (DOH)-Davao reported that dengue cases in Davao region have more than doubled to 2,468 from January to May 16, as compared to the same period in 2018 with only 1,050 cases.
DOH-Davao records further showed a total of four deaths have been recorded due to late discovery of what is presumed to be just a mere fever but the condition of the patient has gotten worse when brought to the hospital.
In a press conference on Monday, May 20, DOH-Davao Regional Dengue Control and Prevention Program Manager engineer Antonietta Ebol said they this may still increase in the coming weeks.
Manila Bay reclamation ‘not a priority’ for newly elected mayor
From Rappler:
Reclaiming land in Manila Bay will not be a priority for Manila Mayor-elect Isko Moreno. Instead, he will focus on developing the land they have in Binondo and Ermita.
“It isn’t my priority. I would focus rather [on] developing the asset of the city, Binondo, the one in Pandacan,” Moreno said in a Rappler Talk interview on Saturday, May 18.
This comes as his predecessor Joseph Estrada left the city of Manila with 4 big-ticket reclamation projects in the pipeline: Manila Waterfront City, Horizon Manila, New Manila Bay International Community, and Manila Harbour Centre.
DOH to revive anti-smoking ‘Yosi Kadiri’ campaign
From Esquire Philippines:
One of the government’s most iconic campaigns of all time was the Department of Health’s Yosi Kadiri ads in the ’90s. In those ads, the government sought to discourage smoking by casting it as a social taboo. Yosi Kadiri was a cigarette mascot that represented smokers and the bad effects of smoking. The commercials depicted the mascot being ostracized and rejected by the public because it stank and was unhealthy.
The campaign was only effective to some degree because of the massive counter-campaigns that tobacco manufacturers also ran during that time.
This time around, the government’s anti-smoking campaign could be more effective. Senator Manny Pacquiao is part of the new Yosi Kadiri commercial, which depicts him beating up the mascot in a boxing match. The government is also aiming to significantly increase taxes on tobacco products and alcoholic beverages.
In a press conference on May 17, the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Finance (DoF) unveiled the move to revive the campaign while also pushing for the passage of Senate Bill 1599 in Congress. The bill seeks to enhance the Sin Tax Reform Law by increasing taxes for tobacco and liquor.
146 QC public schools to install solar panels as electricity-saving measure
From Manila Bulletin:
Quezon City Mayor Herbert M. Bautista expressed plans to install solar panels in all of the city’s 146 public schools to save on utility bills.
With the utility bills expected to soar due to the additional classrooms built by the city government, Bautista said expense saving measures should be in the offing.
He issued the statement during the Local School Board meeting where it was reported the city government had already constructed an adequate number of classrooms and buildings to cope with the increasing number of enrollees in public schools.
Has China been secretly emitting banned ozone-depleting gas?
From National Post:
The Montreal Protocol has been signed by 197 countries around the world, including Canada, the U.S., and China. As the ozone layer in our upper atmosphere slowly depleted — letting in an increasing amount of the sun’s ultraviolet rays — the protocol contributed to a significant reduction in harmful CFCs, which then allowed for a slow healing of the damaged ozone layer.
That is until last year, when scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association found that global emissions of Trichlorofluoromethane (CFC-11) have actually been increasing since 2013.
The increase implied that someone was secretly violating the Montreal Protocol. But the limitations of measuring devices meant the location of the polluter could only be traced to somewhere in east Asia.
Now, in a new study published in Nature on May 22, scientists from the University of Bristol, Kyungpook National University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology found that between 40 and 60 per cent of total global CFC-11 emissions originate from eastern China.
SpaceX launches 60 internet satellites in historic mission
Falcon 9 launches 60 Starlink satellites to orbit – targeting up to 6 Starlink launches this year and will accelerate our cadence next year to put ~720 satellites in orbit for continuous coverage of most populated areas on Earth pic.twitter.com/HF8bCI4JQD
— SpaceX (@SpaceX) May 24, 2019
From CNN Philippines:
SpaceX just vaulted a rocket full of 60 satellites into the sky, marking a huge leap forward on its mission to put up a megaconstellation that could beam cheap broadband all over the planet.
This is the first dedicated mission for SpaceX’s internet constellation mission, called Starlink. It kicked off when the company’s towering Falcon 9 rocket blazed toward the sky from a launch pad at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station at 10:30 pm ET.
Asteroid with its own moon trailing to pass by Earth this weekend
From CBS:
An asteroid nearly a mile wide with a moon of its own is expected to pass by Earth this weekend, traveling at 48,000 mph. The space rock, known as asteroid 1999 KW4, was discovered 20 years ago and is so large that it is orbited by a moon.
On Saturday evening, 1999 KW4 will make its closest approach to Earth. It will be visible until May 27. Because it carries a large moon along with it, the asteroid is technically designated as a binary system.
