i-ACT and Metro Manila Mayors Agree on Unified Rates for Traffic Violations

Wazzup Pilipinas!

In a show of cooperation, national government agencies and Metro Manila mayors agreed to come up with a unified ticketing system for traffic violations.

In a special meeting of the Metro Manila Council (MMC) and Inter-agency Council on Traffic (i-ACT) earlier today, local chief executives committed to pass uniform ordinances on traffic violation fines and penalties. The MMDA, Land Transportation Office (LTO) and Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) also agreed to modify their rates.

This initiative is consistent with the government’s move to establish a single traffic authority through the i-ACT, which aims to centralize and solidify traffic enforcement in Metro Manila under one chain of command. Among the goals of the i-ACT is to get LGUs to eventually agree on a single ticketing system.

In the current set-up, the MMDA, LGUs, LTO, and LTFRB have different rates for different traffic violations. Apprehended motorists would have to pay different fines, depending on who flagged them and where.

Different agencies were able to come up with an agreement following a workshop conducted by the i-Act with LGU traffic managers last Friday.

This cooperation between the national government and the LGUs is seen as a positive move towards addressing traffic and transportation issues in the metropolis.

A Perfectly Balanced Sweet-Salty Goodness You Can’t Resist!

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Red Ribbon introduces its cheesiest, creamiest ensaimadas yet

Snacking with your family is definitely more enticing with the cheesy goodness of classic Red Ribbon ensaimadas. That is why it has been a favorite mainstay treat for the young and the young-at-heart.

Now, Red Ribbon, one of the leading bakeshop chains in the Philippines, makes a good thing even so much better with the all-time favorite Red Ribbon Cheesy Ensaimada.

The cheesy goodness of the ensaimadas has now leveled up to achieve the perfect balance of sweet and salty taste. This new and exciting flavor is brought by the perfect combination of butter and sugar toppings covered with long and thick strands of creamy cheese. 

Aside from the new twist, Red Ribbon Cheesy Ensaimada also introduces two new flavors that will surely satisfy your every ensaimada craving. 

The Strawberry Cheesecake Ensaimada is topped with a rich layer of luscious strawberry and cream cheese for that perfect complement to the salty cheese toppings while the Red Ribbon Salted Caramel Ensaimada is generously smothered with salted caramel topping and long strands of creamy cheese. These two new flavors are guaranteed to be the best snack time must-have in any lunch box.

Red Ribbon Cheesy Ensaimadas are available for P25 only while the Red Ribbon Strawberry Cheesecake Ensaimada and Red Ribbon Salted Caramel Ensaimada are priced at P35 each.

“We always want to serve new flavorful treats for our customers,” said Ned Bandojo, Head of Marketing of Red Ribbon. “These Cheesy Ensaimadas promise to deliver what our customers truly deserve, which is to have more reasons to make ordinary moments with family and friends so much sweeter.”

With Red Ribbon’s new and improved Cheesy Ensaimadas, snack time will be ever so memorable.

Red Ribbon Ensaimadas are now available in all stores nationwide.

Stricter Government Handling of Personal Data Ordered in Privacy Commission Issuance

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Personal data in the hands of government offices and all branches of government including state-run schools and colleges are expected to be made more secure with the issuance of the National Privacy Commission’s (NPC) first memorandum circular (#16-001) on the “Security of Personal Data in Government”. According to Commissioner Raymund E. Liboro, Chairman of the Commission, the circular is about “preventing and mitigating” potential data breaches. “Heightened awareness and setting the appropriate security measures will lower the risk of security incidents and breach,“ Liboro said.

As part of its mandate to provide public services, the government holds personal data of its citizen, as well as visitors from other countries; in fact, the government is considered the biggest repository and collector of personal data. With more and more services becoming more available online and with the increasing prevalence of cybercrimes like identity theft and hacking, it is vital that personal data of citizens be kept secure.

Among the obligations of government agencies contained in NPC Memorandum Circular 16-01 is the designation of a Data Protection Officer, the conduct of a Privacy Impact Assessment for processes that use personal data. The circular also obliges government agencies to create privacy policies, conduct regular training on privacy policies for its employees and contractors and register data processing systems that process personal data of at least one thousand (1,000) individuals. The circular likewise outlines rules on the storage, access, transfer and disposal of personal data in government IT systems.

Compliance of government institutions to this latest issuance by the NPC means that there will be less incidences of personal data breach like the one that happened to COMELEC in March this year, wherein millions of voter records were compromised. “Lessons from the incident and consultations with government agencies themselves through the CIO Forum (a nationwide association of government CIO’s) guided us in drafting the circular,” Liboro said.

Commissioner Liboro is confident that government institutions will be able to comply with the NPC’s memorandum circular. “The responsible processing of personal data is a vital component of e-government which is a major thrust of the Duterte administration. As more and more government records are digitized and services go online, we must make sure that citizen’s personal data is kept secure. It should be a top priority,” Chairman Liboro said.