Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, July 28, 2022.
BUILDINGS and houses were either toppled or flattened when a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit the province of Abra on Wednesday morning. The epicenter of the most powerful temblor to hit the country this year was three kilometers northwest of the municipality of Tayum. Other provinces were hit by the quake, including Kalinga, Benguet, Ilocos Sur, Ilocos Norte and as far as Pangasinan. At least five persons died and dozens were injured. All 27 towns in Abra were affected, four of which were isolated — Tubo, Daguioman, Bucloc and Lacub. Provincial disaster officials said seven towns — Bucloc, Daguioman, Malibcong, Manabo, Pidigan and Tineg — suffered landslides. At least two major bridges — Manabo and Calaba — were damaged as well as more than 20 government installations. At least 15 provinces, 15 cities, 218 municipalities and 6,756 villages were affected by the earthquake. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said that the earthquake, tectonic in origin, had a depth of 17 kilometers. Abra mayors reported that the buildings were either flattened or sustained cracks. The full extent of the damage to the province and neighboring areas had yet to be assessed. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday postponed a planned visit to the quake-hit areas to give local officials time to attend to the needs of their constituents. Marcos tasked the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) "to immediately provide support" to the local government units and affected citizens. The President underscored the urgency to restore power in hardest-hit areas. However, he said there was no need to declare a state of calamity. Marcos appealed to affected residents to wait for officials and experts to inspect their houses first before going back. Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo flew to Abra province to oversee government aid and assistance operations. In a quick press statement after he met Abra governor Dominic Valera, Vice Gov. Ma. Jocelyn Valera, former Rep. JB Bernos and other officials, Tulfo said P6 million in aid was allotted for the province while over 2,000 family food packs are ready for distribution for the earthquake victims. An additional 5,000 more food packs were expected to arrive anytime in the province.
LANDSLIDES caused by the powerful quake that hit many areas in Luzon rendered 14 national roads in the province of Abra and the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) impassable, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said. A number of bridges connecting Abra to nearby provinces were also damaged. The DPWH has sent road maintenance crews and equipment for debris clearing operations to affected areas.
READ: GSIS to grant loans to quake survivors
THE Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) said it will grant emergency loans to members and pensioners affected by the 7.3-magnitude earthquake that struck the northern part of the country on Wednesday. Members affected by the quake with an existing emergency loan balance might borrow up to P40,000 to pay off that sum and still receive a maximum net amount of P20,000. First time borrowers and retirees can apply for a P20,000 loan. Applications should be filed after the government declared the area under state of calamity. Members must be in active service and not on a leave of absence without pay in order to be eligible for loan. They must also have paid their premiums for at least three months in the previous six months, have no pending administrative or criminal cases, and have a net take-home pay of at least P5,000 after all required monthly obligations have been deducted.
READ: PH scraps Russian chopper deal
The government has scrapped a deal to purchase 16 Russian military transport helicopters due to fears of possible US sanctions, Philippine officials said. Former Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday night he canceled the P12.7-billion ($227 million) deal to acquire the Mi-17 helicopters in a decision last month that was approved by former president Rodrigo Duterte before their terms in office ended on June 30. American security officials were aware of Manila's decision and could offer similar heavy-lift helicopters for Philippine military use, he said. After serving as defense chief under Duterte, Lorenzana was appointed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to head a government agency in charge of transforming former military bases into business hubs. Philippine Ambassador to Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez told The AP that the deal was canceled because Manila could face possible sanctions under a US federal law called the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act if the helicopter deal went through. A Philippine military official said the helicopter deal would undergo a "termination process" after the decision to cancel it was made since a contract has already been signed. The Russians can appeal but there is little room for the Philippine government to reconsider, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of a lack of authority to publicly discuss the issue. Under the helicopter purchase agreement, which was signed in November, the first batch of the multi-purpose helicopters would have been scheduled for delivery by Russia's Sovtechnoexport in about two years.
READ: 'Inclusive agri key to growth'
GO Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd pushed for a more inclusive agriculture system to speed up recovery and inclusive growth. Concepcion believed that small farmers will have a chance to grow and become successful in a more inclusive agriculture ecosystem with the help of private sector participation. He added that a healthy agriculture industry would enable the country to better handle the food supply crisis, especially with the private sector's participation through Kapatid Angat Lahat program, which aims to create linkages between big business and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to aid inclusive growth. In line with the efforts of big businesses to help MSMEs in agriculture scale up and become more productive, an initial meeting was recently held to explore inclusive solutions to the food security problem.
BUSINESS: Govt to borrow P215B in Aug
Over to business, the government intends to borrow P215 billion from domestic sources next month, according to a borrowing program released by the Bureau of the Treasury on Wednesday. Treasury bills (T-bills) were intended to raise P75 billion, while T-bonds were anticipated to secure P140 billion. Additionally, T-bills with tenors of 91, 182 and 364 days are all programmed to yield P25 billion each during the month. T-bonds with tenors of threeand-a-half, seven, 10 and five-and-a-half years are expected to generate P35 billion each. The national government has set a gross financing ceiling of P2.74 trillion for this fiscal year, according to the Department of Budget and Management's Budget of Expenditures and Sources of Financing for Fiscal Year 2022. The amount of domestic financing was pegged at P1.91 trillion. Fixed-rate T-bonds will bring in P1.86 trillion while T-bills would bring in P52 billion. In the five months ended in May this year, domestic funding plunged by 57.35 percent to P644.81 billion from P1.51 trillion a year ago. To raise money from domestic sources, retail Treasury bonds worth P457.79 billion and fixed-rate bonds for P446.44 billion were both issued. This brought actual gross financing for the period of January to May 2022 to P924.42 billion, a decrease of 47.5 percent from P1.76 trillion for the corresponding period in 2021.
SPORTS: PLDT guns for semifinals berth
Topping sports, PLDT Home Fibr and Choco Mucho collide in a crucial game today, July 28, in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Invitational Conference at the FilOil EcoOil Center. A win by the Power Hitters will assure the team of a semifinals berth. A loss by the Flying Titans, on the other hand, would eliminate Choco Mucho from contention and hand idle Army Black Mamba a ticket to the final four. Game time is 2:30 p.m. In the other game, Creamline guns for its fourth win in five games when it battles the struggling Chery Tiggo team at 5:30 p.m. The Cool Smashers are already assured of a final four spot along with the Cignal HD Spikers.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses bitterness among the President's critics after his SONA, Makabenta analyzes the said address, and Remoto discusses life during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today's editorial believes the country is a bright spot in the regional economy. Read a full version on the paper's section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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This is Pete Llevares reporting.