111 yrs. old na British, "World's Oldest Man"

ni Eli San Miguel - Trainee @News | April 7, 2024

Opisyal na binansagan bilang "World's Oldest Man" ang 111-anyos na si John Alfred Tinniswood mula sa England.

Inihayag ito ng Guinness World Records noong Biyernes, dalawang araw matapos ang balita ng kamatayan ng naunang title holder na si Juan Vicente Pérez, sa kanyang edad na 114, isang buwan bago ang kanyang ika-115 na kaarawan.

Isinilang si Tinniswood sa hilagang-kanlurang lungsod ng Liverpool sa England noong Agosto 26, 1912.

Sa kabuuan ng kanyang buhay, nagawa niyang dumaan sa panahon ng dalawang digmaang pandaigdig, pati na rin sa Great Influenza at COVID-19 pandemic. Nakatala rin siya bilang pinakamatandang World War II veteran na nakaligtas sa trahedya, ayon sa Guinness.

Sa kabilang banda, 117-anyos naman ang pinakamatandang babae sa buong mundo, si Maria Branyas Morera, na nakatira sa Spain.

PH Red Cross, nagbigay-suporta sa mga biktima ng lindol sa Taiwan

ni Eli San Miguel - Trainee @News | April 6, 2024

Inihayag ng Philippine Red Cross (PRC) nitong Sabado ang kanilang suporta sa Taiwan matapos itong makaranas ng lindol na may 7.4 magnitude na yumanig sa buong isla.

“Our hearts go out to the people of Taiwan as they grapple with the aftermath of the recent 7.4 magnitude earthquake,” pahayag ni PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Richard “Dick” J. Gordon.

“Our thoughts are with those who have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods in this tragic event,” dagdag niya.

Nangyari ang trahedya noong Abril 3, na itinuturing bilang pinakamalaking lindol sa Taiwan sa loob ng 25 taon.

Ayon sa mga ulat, nagdulot ang pangyayari ng maraming pagkasawi at higit sa 1,000 katao ang nasaktan.

Bukod dito, ipinunto ni Gordon na nakatuon ang organisasyon sa pagbibigay ng anumang suporta sa mga tao ng Taiwan, lalo na sa panahong ito.

“As Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, together with our global network of partners, we are committed to providing any support we can to our brothers and sisters in Taiwan during this challenging time,” aniya.

“We stand in solidarity with Taiwan during this difficult time and pray for recovery and healing,” dagdag ni Gordon.

PCEO Macasaet pushes SSS Voluntary Provident Fund to OFWs in Singapore

Social Security System (SSS) President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet (left) paid a courtesy visit to Philippine Ambassador to Singapore, His Excellency Medardo G. Macaraig (right) during his visit to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Singapore.

Social Security System (SSS) President and Chief Executive Officer Rolando Ledesma Macasaet urged Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Singapore to avail of the SSS Voluntary Provident Fund Program, also known as the Worker’s Investment and Savings Program (WISP) Plus.

Macasaet told the 83 OFWs who attended the 1st SSS Kapihan sa Singapore on March 10, 2024 to put their hard-earned money in the WISP Plus to build on their retirement savings and augment their pensions.

Macasaet said that the voluntary retirement savings program was being offered to SSS members to increase their retirement pension on top of the benefits they will get under the regular social security program.

“Save your money with us through the WISP Plus and we will take care of it. When you reach the age of 60, you can get it back together with its investment earnings,” Macasaet said.

Macasaet explained that the program was an affordable and flexible savings scheme as SSS members could contribute as low as P500 whenever they want.

“Members can contribute for as low as P500 per payment whenever they want for this additional layer of social security protection,” he noted. “The members’ pooled contributions under WISP Plus will generate investment earnings, which will be credited to their individual accounts, tax-free.”

“The program is off to a good start with an estimated 6.86 percent return on investment (ROI) in 2023. It outperformed the average 1-year Treasury bill rate, which stood at 6.01 percent in 2023,” he added. “It is an indication that members’ savings invested in the program will generate decent earnings, which will be added to their total contributions resulting to higher benefits when they retire.”

Macasaet said that for example, if a WISP Plus contributor invested P10,000 at the start of the year, he would have already earned P690, which was a reasonable amount considering that if he put that in a bank savings account, he would only earn a little more than 1 percent or only P100.

He said that members can check the status of their voluntary retirement savings under WISP Plus online by logging in to their My.SSS account.

In 2023, Macasaet said the total member savings collection from the Voluntary Provident Fund Program reached P386 million from more than 30,000 SSS members in its first year of its implementation.