Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, July 26, 2024.
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READ: Tanker sinks in Manila Bay
A Philippine-flagged tanker carrying 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil capsized and sank off Manila on Thursday, authorities said, as they raced to contain a spill that stretched out for more than three kilometers. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to assess the impact of the oil spill, which the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) warned could be the biggest in the country's history. The MT Terra Nova was heading for the central city of Iloilo when it capsized in Manila Bay, nearly seven kilometers off Limay municipality in Bataan province,
READ: 'Carina' death toll hits 21
THE death toll from floods and landslides brought about by Typhoon "Carina" and torrential rains climbed to 21, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Thursday. PNP Public Affairs chief Col. Jean Fajardo said 11 of the fatalities were from Calabarzon, seven were from the National Capital Region (NCR) and three from Central Luzon. The PNP said most of the NCR deaths were due to drowning. Three people in Montalban also drowned at the height of the massive flooding Wednesday.
READ: Flood control measures need to be reviewed, Marcos says
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday he is open to a review of flood control projects after Metro Manila and other parts of the country suffered heavy flooding caused by torrential rains brought by Typhoon "Carina." Speaking to reporters after inspecting storm-hit areas in Valenzuela and Navotas, Marcos said that although rains from "Carina" were not as bad as Typhoon "Ondoy," which ravaged the country in 2009, "the effect was greater than Ondoy."
READ: Marcos orders check of Navotas floodgate
Marcos ordered a prompt assessment of the damaged Tangos-Tanza navigational gate, which was blamed for severe floodings in Navotas and neighboring cities when torrential rains brought by a typhoon-enhanced monsoon hit Luzon on Wednesday. The President personally inspected the structure on Thursday. Marcos has directed the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to conduct a thorough evaluation of the structure. He added that the two agencies could coordinate with the Armed Forces of the Philippines in ensuring the safety of the people in the area during extreme flooding.
BUSINESS: Infra spending to support growth
Over to business, Asian emerging markets, including the Philippines, can achieve higher growth by accelerating investments in infrastructure assets on top of enhancing infrastructure efficiency, S&P Global Ratings said. Asia-Pacific growth excluding China, S&P said, could grow from $6.6 trillion in 2023 to $11.4 trillion by 2033, reflecting an annual expansion of about 5.5 percent. The forecast assumes that better infrastructure will play a key role. The report highlighted various infrastructure initiatives in the region, including in the Philippines, and noted that several governments had prioritized infrastructure development as a key policy.
SPORTS: Olympic boxing on the ropes
Muhammad Ali, Floyd Mayweather and Lennox Lewis are among the boxing greats who have cut their teeth at the Olympics, with a new generation of fighters eager to follow in their footsteps in Paris. But there are serious questions over whether the sport will even remain on the Olympic program. Boxing made its debut at the modern Olympics in 1904 and has been contested at every Summer Games since, apart from the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm as Swedish law banned the sport at the time. But it only went ahead at the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago after the International Olympic Committee stepped in to oversee the competition. The IOC suspended its recognition of the International Boxing Association in 2019 because of concerns over governance, financial and ethical issues and last year it withdrew its recognition of the governing body. The IOC will once again organize boxing in the French capital and has given the sport until 2025 to get its house in order, otherwise it risks being excluded from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Against this uncertain backdrop, nearly 250 boxers — evenly split for the first time between men and women — will do battle between July 27 and August 10, the penultimate day of the Games. This year's Philippine Olympic boxing team consists of Olympic medalists Eumir Marcial, Carlo Paalam, and Nesthy Petecio, along with newcomers Hergie Bacyadan and Aira Villegas.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao says the real state of the nation is one of calamity, while Tatad discusses the uses of a truly independent Senate.
Today's editorial calls for a fine tuning and not a replacement of the mother tongue-based education program. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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