Philippines News

After President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. lifted the state of public health emergency, Joey Concepcion, the founder of Go Negosyo, lauded the silver lining that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

MORE than P11 million worth of illegal drugs were confiscated and two drug suspects were arrested in separate anti-criminality operations in the cities of Cebu and Talisay on Friday, July 21, 2023.

First to fall was Janjan Lasco Bicada alias Butoy, 31, a high value individual in the regional level who hails from Calderon Street, Sitio Bato, Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

The Mambaling police carried out the raid at 10:10 p.m. in Sitio Ibabao, Barangay Mambaling, which led to the capture of Bicada and the discovery of alleged shabu weighing 110 grams and valued at P748,000.

According to Police Major Jonathan Bethooven Taneo, chief of the Mambaling Police Station, Bicada was previously detained for the same offense.

At 10:33 p.m., more than a kilo of suspected shabu were seized by the operatives of the Provincial Intelligence Unit of Cebu Police Provincial Office and Talisay City Police Station during a drug bust in Lower Kabanayan, Sta. Lucia Road, Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City.

The target of the operation was Jonathan Clemente Mendo alias Atan, 27, a resident of Hawod Compound in Barangay Bulacao.

Seized from him were four big packs of alleged shabu weighing 1.520 kilos with a street value of P10,336,000.

The operation was witnessed by the barangay officials and some media personnel. (AYB, TPT)

A WOMAN, her daughter and a relative landed in the hospital after their motorcycle was hit by a mini dump truck along the national highway in Barangay Cantuod, Balamban town, midwest Cebu at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, July 22, 2023.

The victims were identified as Jonesa Cereño Sorela, 32, her daughter Princess Lee, 8, and her relative Anilyn Garcia Sorela, 21.

The Isuzu Elf mini dump truck (KAJ 7211) was driven by Dionesio Hermino Alinghawa Jr., 28, single, a resident of Barangay Singsing of the said municipality.

Lieutenant Colonel Glenn Hife, chief of Balamban Police Station, told SunStar Cebu that the mini dump truck was heading north when it lost its brakes, causing Alinghawa to swerve to avoid hitting a car parked by the side of the road but instead colliding with the motorcycle from the opposite direction.

Due to the impact, the victim were thrown off the motorcycle.

They were brought to Balamban District Hospital for medical attention.

Alinghawa was taken to the Balamban Police Station where he was placed in jail, while the authorities prepared charges against him. (GPL, TPT)

Progressive groups slammed the Philippine National Police after authorities blocked a delegation of protesters  ahead of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s State of the Nation Address due to the "unworthiness" of a 16-foot effigy.

The Philippines has been nominated as the “most desirable country” at the 22nd Wanderlust Reader Travel Awards in the United Kingdom.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the suspension of classes on July 24 in Metro Manila — a move sought to ensure the safety of the public against Tropical Storm Egay and to alleviate the effects of the scheduled transport strike.

The Quezon City government said it has issued a permit to the progressive group Bayan, authorizing them to hold a protest along Commonwealth Avenue during the State of the Nation Address of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Monday, July 24.

Tokyo will suggest the idea to the International Energy Agency, the outlet has said  

Japan is planning to create a global strategic natural gas reserve to guard against energy crunches such as the one that hit the EU and its allies last year, Bloomberg reported this week.

Tokyo's plan will be presented t

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued Proclamation 297, effectively lifting the state of public health emergency throughout the Philippines — effectively revoking various orders, memoranda, etc. due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

PAGASA reported on Saturday that Tropical Storm Egay has slightly intensified and that wind signals are expected to be hoisted soon in the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas.

PAGASA reported on Saturday that Egay has further intensified into tropical storm as the Bicol Region and Eastern Visayas brace for a possible hoisting of tropical cyclone wind signals.

The state weather bureau said that Tropical Depression Egay continues to move west northwestward while maintaining its strength and with tropical cyclone wind signals possibly being hoisted on Saturday.

More than half of the country’s police force have rejected the proposed five percent contribution for their pension being pushed by the government’s economic managers, the Philippine National Police said.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised on June 8 the status of Mayon Volcano in Albay to Alert Level 3 after it showed an “increased tendency towards a hazardous eruption.”

The government will start deactivating unregistered mobile numbers on July 26, insisting that it has given enough time for subscribers to enlist their SIM.

Follow this page for updates on "Egay," the fifth tropical cyclone to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

(Photo credit: Cody Scanlan/Hollannd Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK) Cheyenne Knight and Elizabeth Szokol broke a tournament record for alternate-shot play to grab a three-shot lead after three rounds of the Dow Great Lakes Bay Invitational on Friday in Midland, Mich. Knight and Szokol teamed up to shoot an 8-under 62, the lowest round of alternate shot the event has seen in its four years of existence. That put them at 18

Philippine President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos Jr. has lifted the state of public health emergency over COVID-19 in the Philippines, local media outlet ABS-CBN News reported on Saturday.

Source: CGTN

AS EARLY as now, tourism stakeholders will need to think of ways to spare destinations and businesses from the rising heat index caused by climate change that may result in the loss of tourism attractiveness.

Antonio Gabriel La Viña, associate director at Manila Observatory, warned tourism players on Thursday, July 20, 2023, of the soaring temperature now experienced globally that could prompt a shift in tourist habits, picking cooler destinations instead.

67 degrees Celsius

La Viña said countries all over the world are already experiencing intensifying hot temperatures, whose impact and mitigation are something that the Philippines has not meticulously studied yet. He cited, for instance, the escalating heat in the Middle East, which has gone up to 67 degrees Celsius, double the temperature of Cebu.

“We have to expect and prepare for the worst,” said La Viña, who was one of the speakers during the first day of the Tourism Summit held in SM Seaside City Cebu. The Tourism Summit is one of the activities of the Cebu Business Months organized by the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Building code

“If we don’t do something about this, then in 20 years, easily we will also reach 60 or even 70 degrees Celsius. And you can’t wait for that to happen to change your building codes, and transportation networks, even the poor will have aircon facilities and so will all schools,” said La Viña.

As for tourism, La Viña, known for his climate change and environmental expertise, urged stakeholders to prepare ahead as it may take 10 to 20 years to put up infrastructure that would respond to what looks like the biggest impact of climate change.

“It is not storms, not even floods because we are beginning to manage that. Drought and water are also problems in Cebu, but I know lots of thinking has been going on about how to deal with these. But the pure high temperature?... This is something that we did not anticipate 20 years ago,” he said.

Citing the sixth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, La Viña said global warming of 1.5 degrees Celsius and two degrees Celsius will be exceeded during the 21st Century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse emissions occur in the coming decades. The report warned that if global warming transiently exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius in the coming decades or later, then many human and natural systems will face additional severe risks.

People living in coastal areas will be severely affected as well as industries like agriculture, fisheries and biodiversity, compromising livelihoods which may lead to more social conflicts. Workability and livability will also be affected in South Asia like in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan where extreme heat and humidity are observed.

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam in Southeast Asia will have extreme increases in heat and humidity by 2050 and extreme precipitation events.

This year’s highest heat index of 50 degrees Celsius scorched Legazpi City, Albay on May 12, according to Pagasa. Cebu also had its highest heat index recorded on March 31 at 41 degrees Celsius.

With the onset of the rainy season, Pagasa suspended its daily issuance of head index information on June 2 and announced that its daily monitoring will resume on March 1, 2024, which coincides with the hot and dry months in many parts of the country.

La Viña said there is still time to do things properly to lessen the impact of climate change on destinations and tourism businesses. He enjoined all tourism stakeholders to look at their respective business operations and see which processes they can turn green and transition to cleaner energy.

“We need to reduce emissions,” he said. He also suggested embarking on nature-based solutions that emphasize biodiversity and food security when dealing with climate change.

La Viña also warned of overdevelopment as this could lead to the depletion of natural resources. Proper waste management could also help mitigate the impact of climate change. (KOC WITH CNU INTERN KATE ANGEL LEDUNAS)

THE operator of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) is eyeing direct connectivity between Cebu and destinations like the United States and India.

Athanasios Titonis, Aboitiz InfraCapital (AIC) chief executive officer assigned to MCIA, on Thursday, July 20, 2023, named India as an upcoming market for MCIA, describing the most populous country with 1.42 billion in population as a market with “huge potential.”

Country mission

In fact, in August 2022, MCIA, GMR-Megawide Cebu Airport Corp. (GMCAC) in partnership with the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority, the Civil Aeronautics Board, and local carriers Cebu Pacific Air and Philippine Airlines went to India for a country mission.

MCIA, the second busiest airport in the country, is currently being jointly managed by AIC and GMCAC.

As of June 2023, MCIA recorded 3.757 million domestic passengers and 1.081 million foreign passengers.

India is the 12th source market for the Philippines. Beaches in Cebu are the top draw for Indian tourists.

Besides India, Titonis said they are also looking at developing the US market, following the entry of United Airlines, which is going to offer daily nonstop flights between Manila and San Francisco beginning in October this year.

The US is one of Cebu’s tourist source markets alongside South Korea, China and Japan.