PEACE UPDATE: COTABATO CITY —Interior Secretary Manuel “Mar” Roxas and presidential peace adviser Teresita Deles arrived Saturday for the inauguration of the office of the Bangsamoro Transition Commission amid tight security. Gov. Mujiv Hataman of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and other local officials were also in attendance. The Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which is tasked to draft the Bangsamoro Basic Law, is chaired by Mohagher Iqbal, chief peace negotiator of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. The commission immediately held a meeting at the new office. The commission’s draft is to be submitted to Congress for passage into law, formally creating the Bangsamoro autonomous region in the place of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao under the terms of a comprehensive peace agreement recently concluded by government and MILF negotiators. Read more: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/575578/security-tight-as-roxas-deles-attend-inauguration-of-bangsamoro-office#ixzz2stRVv6WI Follow us: @inquirerdotnet on Twitter | inquirerdotnet on Facebook - Office of Bangsamoro transition body opens | Inquirer News

Office of Bangsamoro transition body opens | Inquirer News:



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WELLNESS IN ARTS: Art Fair Philippines 2014 (AFP 2014) is set to provide an even bigger and better experience to art enthusiasts. From Feb. 20 to 23, The Link Carpark, located near the Landmark Department Store in Ayala Center, will once again be transformed into a surprisingly sophisticated and much wider art space. AFP 2014 will extend to a second floor area and showcase more art galleries as it make use of both the 6th and 7th floors of the carpark with the exhibition venue designed by Leandro V. Locsin Partners and styled by design luminary Kenneth Cobonpue. In addition to several international galleries, AFP 2014 will primarily focus on galleries from the Philippines, emphasizing local ingenuity. Visitors of the fair can expect works by established names of the Philippine art scene, as well as by promising newcomers, showcased in thoughtfully designed exhibit spaces. Participating galleries include Altro Mondo, Archivo, Art Cube, Art Informal, Avellana Art Gallery, Blanc, Boston Gallery, Canvas, Crucible, Equator Art Projects, Finale, Galleria Duemila, Light and Space Contemporary, Liongoren Gallery, Manila Contemporary, Mo_Space, Nova, Now Gallery, Pablo, Paseo Art Gallery, Secret Fresh, Richard Koh Fine Art, Silverlens, Taksu, The Drawing Room, Tin-Aw, West Gallery, and 1335 Mabini. - The best in Philippine contemporary art at Art Fair Philippines | Arts and Culture, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

The best in Philippine contemporary art at Art Fair Philippines | Arts and Culture, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com: "In line with the Art Month celebration in the country, people will truly have an enriching and inspiring experience of the best of the Philippine Contemporary Art that cannot be experienced anywhere else except in Makati, reinforcing the city’s position as the country’s leading lifestyle and cultural district. These art events are in line with the Make it Happen Make it Makati project that is a campaign spearheaded by Ayala Land to showcase the many vibrant things that will make you fall in love with the city. For information, visit www.artfairphilippines.com and www.facebook.com/artfairph."



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WELLNESS IN EDUCATION: Philippine Science Centrum launched nine new exhibits aimed at teaching kids how to save the environment. All these exhibits, like everything else in the Science Centrum, are interactive. Interactive exhibits “In most museums, you see the description, you see the explanation, but you don't see the action. With this one, you touch it, you do something, it explains what happens,” said Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology President Engr. Filemon Berba, Jr. in an interview with GMA News Online during the exhibit launch on Wednesday. “We waste too much in our environment. We waste electricity, we waste materials, (but these) are preventable. We have to have what we call a war on waste.” One of the exhibits is called Standby (Phantom) Power, which features a television connected to a device that measures the electricity it consumes. With a push of a button, the viewer can turn the television on or off. The exhibit shows that a plugged-in television, even when turned off, still consumes electricity. Lesson learned: When appliances are not in use, don't just turn them off. Unplug them as well. - Philippine Science Centrum marks 24th anniversary with new exhibits | SciTech | GMA News Online

Philippine Science Centrum marks 24th anniversary with new exhibits | SciTech | GMA News Online: "A set of exhibits on climate change is to be expected in the summer, Dr. Corazon Claudio, member of the Philippine Foundation for Science and Technology Board of Trustees, said during the launch."



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WELLNESS IN ARTS: As the country’s main agency for the arts and culture, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), headed by its chairman Felipe de Leon, Jr., leads in celebrating National Arts Month with the Philippine Arts Festival (PAF) in February. Spearheaded by the NCCA’s Subcommission on the Arts, PAF comprises mainly the flagship projects of the seven committees of the sub-commission — architecture, cinema, dance, literature, music, theater and the visual arts. It aims to highlight the artistic talent and brilliance of the Filipinos. PAF activities will be held all over the country. For 2014, PAF has taken the theme “Art on the Edge: Arts for Healing, Arts for All,” highlighting the advancements achieved in different art forms, the innovations, the modern evolution of art and the artistic creations in the peripheries. - NCCA set to open Philippine Arts Festival 2014 for National Arts Month | Arts and Culture, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

CLICK LINK TO READ MORE> NCCA set to open Philippine Arts Festival 2014 for National Arts Month | Arts and Culture, Lifestyle Features, The Philippine Star | philstar.com: "For details, contact PAF media director and NCCA-Public Affairs and Information Office (PAIO) head, Rene Sanchez Napeñas at 527-2192 or 0928-5081057, visit www.ncca.gov.ph or e-mail ncca.paio@gmail.com."

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WELLNESS IN ENVIRONMENT: Hydroelectric power remains the most attractive renewable energy investment in the Philippines as eight new mini hydro projects gain approval for construction this year. Hydrotec Renewables, the developer of the eight projects, which champions the use of low-impact hydropower construction said this week the company is investing US$53 million to US$62 million on the combined 25-30-MW projects, eyed for completion by 2016. The projects are located in nearby provinces outside Metro Manila, with three in Rodriguez City (Sitio Wawa, San Isidro and San Jose), one in San Mateo, two in Marikina City (Tumana and Nangka 4) and two in Antipolo City (Hinulugang Taktak and Nangka 1).- Hydro, wind power booms in Philippines in 2014 | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific

CLINK LINK TO READ > Hydro, wind power booms in Philippines in 2014 | News | Eco-Business | Asia Pacific: "The company applies a ‘sustainable small hydro approach’, where it incorporates data gathered from hydrological, topological and metrological research in the construction process, including project site attributes to avoid the need to cut trees and inflict environmental disruption to the flora and fauna and existing communities, its website said."

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WELLNESS IN ARTS: A FILIPINA BREAKS THE STEREOTYPE! Competing in Israel's X-Factor, Rose Fostanes, 47, swept the judges off their feet with a tear-jerking rendition of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" on Tuesday night's live final. Her victory came as a surprise in Israel, where about 20,000 Filipinos work mostly as caregivers and cleaners. In the run-up to the final, Fostanes said she hoped her popularity on the show would shine a spotlight on Israel's low-paid foreign workers. "I didn't expect that I will win," Fostanes told reporters in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, speaking in English. "Because I'm not Israeli and I don't have residence here and I'm only a worker," she said. For many Israelis, the word "Filipino" has become synonymous with caregiver, and Fostanes' appearance and success on X-Factor could help break the stereotype. - Filipina caregiver wins Israel's X-Factor song contest - Yahoo News Philippines

Filipina caregiver wins Israel's X-Factor song contest - Yahoo News Philippines: "Fostanes, who came to Israel several years ago, has been working for about 20 years across the Middle East, and currently cares for an ailing woman in Tel Aviv. She has been compared to the Scottish singer Susan Boyle, 52, who shot to fame in 2009 after appearing on the TV show "Britain's Got Talent" and performing "I Dreamed a Dream" from the musical "Les Miserables". Boyle's rise from unknown to multi-million-selling recording artist has been made into a musical."

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WELLNESS IN CULTURE: National Day of Prayer declared in typhoon-hit areas. Jan 20 National Day of Prayer and Solidarity with the theme ‘One Nation in Prayer’ will be held as the Filipino people’s way of recognizing the power of the Almighty God who guides us in our journey towards a brighter future,” Coloma told radio dzRB yesterday. “President Aquino will lead the nation in prayer in a simple program to be held in Malacañang,” he said. Coloma said the declaration serves as a call for all sectors to pray for the country, which was battered by successive calamities last year. Headlines ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 In his toast during the vin d’honneur held last Friday, Aquino said the Filipinos’ constant faith in God enabled them to weather the disasters that confronted them.- | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

"“Some of you have marveled at the resilience of our nation, a people whose faith, though challenged, remains constant and only deepened. Our unbreakable spirit and ability to recover find root in our firm belief in a benevolent God who has the perfect plan for all of us,” he said.  “These tragedies tell us that despite all our efforts, we are indeed powerless without God,” he added." CLICK LINK TO READ MORE: National Day of Prayer declared in typhoon-hit areas | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com:

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