Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, May 4, 2023.

READ: LGUs told to brace for strong El Niño

AMID the warning issued by the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) that there was a 40 percent probability of a strong El Niño, the government said it would cut irrigation supply for two provinces beginning next week and local government units were told to prepare contingency measures. The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) directed local government units (LGUs) to beef up their contingency measures and take steps to conserve water. The National Water Resources Board (NWRB) on Wednesday said that it decided to slash the water for irrigation from Angat Dam to 10 cubic meters per second from 30 cubic meters. NWRB Executive Director Sevillo David Jr. said the supply reduction will be from May 1 to 10. After that, the supply for irrigation will be cut off.

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READ: US not keen on forming new alliance

THE United States is not keen on forming another four-member country alliance or "new quad" partnership in the IndoPacific involving the US, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines. US Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Kritenbrink made the remark when asked whether Washington was looking to establish a new Quad in East Asia based on its treaties with Tokyo, Seoul and Manila.

READ: Moderna to set up vaccine facility in PH

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomed the plan of pharmaceutical and biotechnology company Moderna to set up a vaccine facility in the Philippines to service the Asia-Pacific region. The Chief Executive, with key government officials, met with Moderna Chief Commercial Officer Arpa Garay and Senior Vice President and General Manager Patrick Bergstedt on Wednesday (Manila time) at the Blair House here to discuss the establishment of a "Shared Service Facility for Pharmacovigilance" meant to provide more employment opportunities to health professionals in the country. Garay also underscored the successful public-private partnership between the Philippine government and Moderna that they wanted to explore further.

READ: Marcos concerned over Chinese 'provocations'

Meanwhile, the President said he was "concerned as could possibly be" over China's continued provocative actions in the South China Sea (SCS). The Chief Executive made the remark during his meeting with United States Vice President Kamala Harris at the Number One Observatory Circle in Washington DC. It is for this reason that the President said the Philippines' alliance with the US "should keep going" to keep in check "the rising tensions in our region and the world." Harris reiterated her country's commitment of working with the Philippines to address issues involving the contested waterway.

BUSINESS: First quarter growth seen at 6.1%

Over to business, the economy likely grew by 6.1 percent in the first quarter and is expected to stay strong despite global headwinds, Robert Dan Roces, an economist and Security Bank Corp. assistant vice president, said on Wednesday. A 6.1-percent first-quarter expansion falls within the interagency Development Budget Coordination Committee's (DBCC) 6.0- to 7.0-percent target for 2023. It is slower, however, than the 7.1 percent recorded in the last three months of 2022 when annual growth hit an above-target 7.6 percent. Preliminary first-quarter growth data is scheduled to be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) next Thursday, May 11. As for inflation, Roces said the headline rate was expected to average 5.4 this year, still above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 2.0- to 4.0-percent target but within the DBCC's upwardly revised 2023 forecast of 5.0 to 7.0 percent.

SPORTS: La Salle back in UAAP finals

Headlining sports, De La Salle University made its second consecutive finals appearance after fending off University of Santo Tomas (UST), 26-24, 25-22, 20-25, 25-19, in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball semifinals before 6,694 fans at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Wednesday. Super rookie Angel Canino, who is one of the leading contenders in the Most Valuable Player race, posted a game-high 19 points on 18 attacks to go along with 10 excellent digs as the Lady Spikers made their 20th finals appearance in the UAAP.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about what to do with basic education, while Makabenta discusses a day in the life of the Philippine communist insurgency.

Today's editorial believes that artificial intelligence needs intelligent regulation. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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For The Manila Times, this is Kim Luden Salinas reporting.