Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, August 16, 2024.
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READ: Filipinos most disaster-ready
THE Philippines tops a list of 142 countries in disaster preparedness, a recent global survey showed, with the highest proportion of households — 84 percent — having a disaster plan. This was higher than Vietnam (83 percent), Cambodia (82 percent), Thailand (67 percent) and the United States (62 percent), the survey by Gallup for the Lloyd's Register Foundation showed. The level of preparedness is not surprising, since no country ranked higher than the Philippines for having experienced a natural disaster in the last five years, with 87 percent of respondents saying they had. Southeast Asia is among the regions most prone to natural disasters, but a new analysis released Thursday showed its people also feel the best equipped to deal with them. It seemed logical that the countries in and around the Pacific Ring of Fire, vulnerable to earthquakes, typhoons, storm surges and other dangers, are also the best prepared, but the survey by Gallup for the Lloyd's Register Foundation showed that's not always the case in other regions.
READ: PH wins 'Best Diving Destination Award' in China
THE Philippine Embassy in China on Wednesday said the Philippines won the "Best Diving Destination Award" at the recent Diving Resort Travel Show in Beijing. The embassy said the Philippines also won "Best Tourism Promotion Partnership Award" during the Diving Resort Travel Show Beijing 2024 held from August 1 in Beijing. Twelve dive shops, resorts or liveaboards from the Philippines took part in the event to showcase the country as a dive destination, which "generated substantial sales leads for the participants," the embassy posted on the X social media platform. Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz said dive tourism contributed over P73 billion to the Philippine economy in 2023, twice the revenue generated by the industry in 2022.
READ: $240B in recyclable water squandered every year
THE Philippines yearly wastes about $240 billion worth of recyclable water from rainfall due to the lack of water catchment basins in the country, said Carlos Vasquez, Unicef (United Nations Children's Fund) Philippines chief of its climate, environment and resilience program. During The Manila Times' "Roundtable" hosted by Chief Executive Officer Dante Ang II, Vasquez on Thursday said "there is a wealth of technology existing in the Philippines" to provide potable and safe water, especially in remote areas. The Unicef Philippines chief said WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) practices are essential for children's survival and well-being.
READ: Liza Maza declares Senate bid
FORMER Gabriela Partylist representative Liza Maza will run as senator under the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan (Makabayan) party in next year's elections. In her speech in Quezon City on Thursday, Maza also accused the Caloocan City government of denying her camp's request for a permit to hold the launch of her candidacy in Caloocan. Her supporters claimed that on the eve of the launch, members of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) and the Philippine National Police harassed Caloocan residents to prevent them from attending the launch that was to be held at two venues. Maza said the incident made her more determined to pursue her candidacy.
READ: Law creates more Shari'a districts
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has signed into law Republic Act (RA) 120181, creating three more Shari'a Judicial Districts and 12 circuit courts across the country, Malacañang said Thursday. RA 12018, signed by Marcos on August 12, amends Articles 138, 147 and 150 of Presidential Decree (PD) 1083, or the Code of Muslim Personal Laws of the Philippines. By virtue of PD 1083, only five Shari'a judicial districts were created, with the first one covering the province of Sulu; the second in Tawi-Tawi; and the third in Basilan, Zamboanga del Norte and Zamboanga del Sur provinces and Dipolog, Pagadian and Zamboanga cities. The fourth Shari'a judicial district is for Lanao del Norte and Lanao del Sur provinces and Iligan and Marawi cities, while the fifth district comprises Maguindanao, North Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat provinces and Cotabato City. Under the new law, the sixth Shari'a district will cover Bukidnon, Camiguin, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Davao de Oro, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao del Oriental, Davao Occidental, Sarangani, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Dinagat Islands, Surigao del Norte, and Surigao del Sur provinces and Cagayan de Oro City.
BUSINESS: Monetary Board cuts key rates by 25 bps
Topping business, monetary authorities decided to reduce key rates by 25 basis points (bps) on Thursday as inflation is expected to decline in the next few months despite an uptick in July. The benchmark rate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) currently stands at 6.25 percent, ending the 17-year high of 6.5 percent. Overnight deposit and lending facilities were accordingly adjusted to 5.75 percent and 6.75 percent, respectively. The last time the BSP's Monetary Board ordered a 25 bps rate was in November 2020. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr. told reporters that headline inflation is "projected to trend downward to within the government's 2.0 to 4.0 percent target range despite the uptick in July."
SPORTS: Vargas says PBA 'listens to fans'
Over to sports, PBA chairman of the board Ricky Vargas said the league is "listening to basketball fans" and is, in fact, making major changes for the game such as the four-point shot which will be implemented for Season 49. The four-point shot emerged as a hot topic among basketball fans since its approval during the PBA board's annual meeting in Japan recently. Fans, coaches and some players, however, are divided on this particular innovation. Some players love this, some players do not like the idea, and others just keep silent about it. Yet, Vargas eventually had to explain at length that while the PBA has been drawing flak in its inability to achieve parity among its 12-member squad, this has been the same concern that other leagues are facing each year.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao analyzes a supposed video of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. sniffing cocaine, while Tatad honors exemplary Filipinos.
Today's editorial says the world's children are threatened by increasingly hotter days. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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