Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, March 27, 2023.
El Niño could bring prolonged dry spell
THE El Niño weather episode could bring a long dry spell and even droughts to the country, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has predicted. The El Niño will begin between July and September this year and could last until the first or second quarter of 2024, Pagasa administrator Vicente Malano told The Manila Times on Sunday. There is a 55 percent or higher chance the weather phenomenon will develop in the third quarter of the year, Malano said.
173,000 affected by Mindoro oil spill
ABOUT 173,000 individuals or 36,700 families have been affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Center (NDRRMC) reported on Sunday. The NDRRMC said the biggest number of affected residents were from the Mimaropa (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan) Region with 138,043. Western Visayas followed with 27,145, and Calabarzon (Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Quezon and Rizal) with 7,740.The oil that had leaked from the sunken tanker Princess Empress also caused injuries to 206 persons. Damage to agriculture was estimated at P3,850,500. The oil has also affected the livelihoods of 13,654 farmers and fisherfolk. Four provinces, 14 municipalities and 163 barangay have felt the impact of the oil spill. Assistance provided to stricken communities has reached P136.5 million. The MT Princess Empress sank off Naujan town, Oriental Mindoro, on February 28. It was carrying a cargo of 800,000 liters of industrial fuel oil.
Coast guard chief botched oil spill response – Roque
THE impact of the oil spill would have been less damaging if only the head of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) was aware of certain remedies that were readily available for such maritime accidents, former Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said.
German company offers kite-based energy system
A GERMANY-BASED firm wants to introduce a kite-based energy system
in the Philippines. Nico Leibenguth, consultant in Southeast Asia for SkySails, said during a program on SMNI hosted by The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd the company is looking for potential partners in the country. SkySails Power launched its first commercial airborne wind energy system in Mauritius, off the coast of East Africa. The system works by flying giant kites up to 400 meters in the sky while attached to the ground by a tether, allowing the delivery of high energy yields even at low wind sites.
PH lifters bag gold, silver in World Youth meet
PRINCE Keil de los Santos ruled the International Weight-lifting Federation (IWF) Youth World Championships men's 49-kilogram division on Sunday in Durres, Albania. The 15-year-old de los Santos scored his best lift of 92 kilos in the snatch and 113kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 205kg to claim the gold medal. It was his second gold in his second international major event after winning in the 2022 Asian Youth Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Finishing second to de los Santos was fellow Filipino, 15-year-old Eron Borres, with a total of 201kg. Borres scored 87kg in the snatch and 114kg in the clean and jerk. Finishing in third place was Indian Danush Loganathan who lifted a total of 200kg — 88kg in the snatch and 112 in the clean and jerk.
SBP names SEAG 'redeem team'
Staying in sports, naturalized player Justin Brownlee and six-time PBA Most Valuable Player June Mar Fajardo lead the 28-man Gilas pool the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) submitted under the Entry By Name category to the Philippine Olympic Committee as part of its initial preparations for the Cambodia Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) men's basketball in May 5 to 17. The latest solid Gilas pool composed mostly of veteran PBA players is the SBP's version of the "Redeem Team," a term coined for the NBA-led US Team that went on to regain the Olympic gold medal in Beijing, China, following the Americans' bronze medal finishes in the 2004 Athens Olympics and the 2006 FIBA World Championships in Japan.
BSP 'leaning towards a pause', says Diokno
Over to business, monetary authorities could pause from hiking interest rates when they next meet as the impact of the current tightening cycle has yet to be fully felt, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Sunday. The BSP's policy making Mon-etary Board has raised key interest rates by a total of 425 basis since May last year in a bid to tame surging inflation, which hit a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January.
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao agreed with Pres. Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in his view of the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) while the latter was still senator, Fr. Aquino also looks into the EDCA, and Tatad weighs in on the issues surrounding the constitutional convention.
Today's editorial says the origins of Covid-19 are an enduring enigma. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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This is Peter Stephen Llevares reporting.