Japanese bank interested in PH energy sector, MIF

MANILA -- The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) has expressed interest for energy tie-ups in the Philippines and the Marcos administration's proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF), Malacañang said Thursday.

JBIC's planned partnerships with Philippine firms for energy development and interest in the proposed MIF were raised during Marcos' meeting with the bank's Board of Directors led by Tadashi Maeda at Malacañan Palace in Manila on Wednesday.

Maeda pitched JBIC's plan to address the liquefied natural gas' (LNG) role as the Philippines' traditional source of power and tap other energy sources such as hydropower, solar and wind.

Maeda told Marcos that he had met with Private Sector Advisory Council lead convenor and Aboitiz Group chief executive officer Sabin Aboitiz to discuss JBIC's interest to sign a memorandum of understanding with several Philippine companies including Metro Pacific and San Miguel.

"We have the potential…between Japan and the Philippines to work together,” Maeda, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office, said, adding that there is a need to identify specific projects to ensure the successful transition to more efficient energy and the development of new technology like hydrogen.

The JBIC is seeking investments in renewable energy projects to address the Philippines’ power supply needs, as well as mitigate the effects of climate change in the country, according to a statement posted on state-run Radio Television

Malacañang's Facebook page.

The JBIC also had a separate meeting with Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman to discuss

By Lainie aLfaro

opportunities to accelerate sustainability efforts in the Philippines, in line with the bank's Environment, Social and

Governance Policy which outlines its goal to contribute to global carbon neutrality through energy transition.

Maeda, in a meeting with Pangandaman, mentioned the JBIC's financing options, which include Green Finance and Social Impact Finance that helped countries fast-track their transition to renewable energy, create waste treatment systems, and establish countermeasures for marine plastic waste.

MIF approval

During the courtesy visit to Marcos, Maeda also congratulated the Philippine government for the Senate and the House of Representatives' approval of the MIF bill which seeks the creation of the proposed sovereign wealth fund.

Marcos said his administration is eyeing the establishment of the MIF to attract more investments.

“It’s so that we, the Philippines, can participate in what would be, what is regarded, of course, as an investment for us. It is a necessary infrastructure that we are investing in,” he said.

“So, that is the plan for the sovereign fund. We now have to go and look at the design or the structuring of the fund. But it is basically seen as our government participation in projects that, mostly, it will really be in the Philippines,"

SAN DIEGO, CA -- San Diego County Library was among this year’s winners of the Little Free Library nonprofit organization Todd H. Bol Awards for Outstanding Achievement. The award announcement came during the celebration of Little Free Library Week, which ran from May 14-20.

Little libraries are mailbox-like structures put up in communities to create neighborhood book exchanges where people can freely borrow or leave books for others to read. They can be found all around San Diego County.

In 2021, the Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to create a “little libraries” initiative to boost literacy in low-income and communities of color by giving the people and children living in them more opportunities to have books to read in their homes. San Diego County Library (SDCL) currently has 45 Little Free Libraries installed across the region and 56 more on their way.

SDCL is working in partnership with the San Diego Council on Literacy, other public library jurisdictions in the region, collective Friends of the Library groups, and local non-profits and volunteer groups to implement Little Free Libraries throughout the county.

SDCL Little Free Libraries are now open at the following locations:

Sweetwater Community Garden

5354 Sweetwater Road, Bonita, CA 91902

Sweetwater Summit Regional Park 3218 Summit Meadow Road,

Bonita, CA 91902

Christmas Circle Community Park 700 Christmas Circle Drive, Borrego Springs, CA 92004

Lake Morena County Park 2550 Lake Morena Drive, Campo, CA 91906

Heritage Park 1381 E. Palomar Street, Chula Vista, CA 91913

Lauderbach Park 333 Oxford Street, Chula Vista, CA 91911

SBCS – Ken Lee Building 430 F Street, Chula Vista, CA 91910 Tiffany Park

1713 Elmhurst Avenue, Chula Vista, CA 91913

Flinn Springs County Park 14787 Old Highway 80, El Cajon, CA 92021

Felicita County Park 742 Clarence Lane, Escondido, CA 92029

Live Oak County Park 2746 Reche Road, Fallbrook, CA 92028

Vallecito County Park 37349 Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849, Julian, CA 92036

For more Little Free Library locations, please visit www.littlefreelibrary.org.

SAN DIEGO, CA -- When Dyna Jones first started serving seniors as a one-on-one care provider, the need for outreach and support in the senior community became clear to her. Rather than worry about the barriers to helping them get care, she decided to become part of the solution.

From the ground up, she and her husband created a caregiving facility to provide caregiving support to seniors. She could’ve stopped there, but she had the vision for how to activate her community.

Now, she has founded a network of services for senior care including an in-home care agency called First Promise Care Services, a non-profit offering free care services to seniors and a certified nursing assistant (CNA) school called Heart to Serve.

Within these services, she said she is motivated to help seniors and invest in the future of care providers to ensure they have the heart to serve.

Her introduction into serving seniors began when she arrived in the U.S. from the Philippines with, she says, just $35 in her pocket. She started getting involved with the senior community by cleaning at mobile parks. She then focused on one-on-one care and eventually bought a care facility, which she and her husband invested in from the ground up.

“I didn’t know what I was doing; I just know that I can care for them,” Jones said. “One of the things that helped me become a great caregiver is that I put myself in their shoes. How can I, if I am in their position in a wheelchair or bed bound, how can I make it better? How do I want to be cared for?”

These questions propelled Jones as she realized that many seniors in the El Cajon community were not receiving the support they needed due to the cost.

According to the Administration for Community Living, “Someone turning age 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care services and support in their remaining years.”

The U.S. Federal Reserve also reported that retirement savings by race and ethnicity retain significant differences: 46% white workers, 26% Black workers, 25% Hispanic workers and 52% Asian workers have retirement savings on track. However, according to a National Institute on Retirement Security report, “Only 54 percent of Black and Asian employees and 38 percent of Latino employees ages 25-64 work for an employer that sponsors a retirement plan, compared to 62 percent of white employees.”

Her answer to the financial dilemma among seniors was BLISS, an acronym that stands for “Blessed Low-Income Senior Support.”

“There needs to be some kind of solution. I want to be part of the solution. I see there is a problem. Let me be part of the solution,” Jones said.

With over 20 years of experience serving seniors, she created BLISS in 2019, which partners with licensed care providers to help low-income seniors get the support they need. According to Jones, all care providers part of BLSS are fingerprinted, health screened and are state-registered caregivers. The BLISS website states that over 13,803 hours have been donated.

When BLISS was first imagined, there were initial barriers she wasn’t sure how to overcome.

“We consulted a lawyer and at the time she said, ‘If you don’t have $1 million, you can’t start a nonprofit. I don’t have $1 million, but I have a one-million heart and a onemillion vision, so I will activate the community to help,” Jones said. “If I have the heart for it, I’m sure there’s people who can join in this mission.”

BLISS persevered and in July 2022 Bliss applied to become a certified 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. They were approved within a month, according to Jones.

On May 27, BLISS held its first fundraising event called “Fund in the Sun” as its own 501(c)(3). Jones said she’s hoping to have at least 120 people, including Senator Bryan Jones was invited.