Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, September 3, 2024.
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READ: Enteng leaves 11 dead
FLOODS and landslides killed 11 people after a fierce tropical storm dumped heavy rain on the Philippines for a second day, officials said Monday. Tropical Storm Enteng (international name: Yagi) brushed past the Bicol Region southeast of Manila overnight Sunday and made landfall Monday afternoon over the vicinity of Casiguran, Aurora. Schools and government offices across the capital Manila were shut for the day, while ferry services in affected areas were suspended, and at least 29 domestic flights were canceled due to the weather. Malacañang suspended work in government offices in the National Capital Region (NCR) on Monday due to the heavy rains. City governments in Metro Manila and the Senate also called off work. The Palace suspended classes at all levels in the NCR. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assured the public of the government's readiness to respond to the effects of Enteng. While the storm signal was lifted in some Luzon areas, Tropical Storm Enteng maintained its strength. Enteng was expected to intensify into a severe tropical storm within 24 hours after it made landfall in the vicinity of Casiguran, Aurora, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said on Monday.
READ: Storm disrupts Terranova oil recovery operation
TROPICAL Storm Enteng on Monday forced the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to suspend the siphoning of oil from the sunken MT Terranova in Limay, Bataan. The contracted salvor, Harbor Star Shipping Services Inc., secured all siphoning lines and containment equipment, closed all hot taps and postponed the transfer of recovered oil waste, the PCG said. So far, over 1.2 million liters of oil have been collected from the tanker. Harbor Star deployed additional pumps and said that the rate of oil flow last Sunday was 22,315 liters per hour.
READ: PH, Japan, Australia, EU call out China
THE Philippines expressed its displeasure to China over the "intentional" ramming by a China Coast Guard vessel into the BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal over the weekend, even as Japan, Australia and the European Union called out Beijing for its "dangerous actions" in the South China Sea. Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the BRP Teresa Magbanua, the biggest ship of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), merely heaved its anchor with the intent of loitering around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal when it was rammed by a Chinese vessel. He said they were contemplating whether to file another arbitral case against Beijing on the heels of its aggressive maneuverings in the contested waterway.
READ: Quiboloy has no right to impose conditions for surrender – Hontiveros
SEN. Risa Hontiveros said the fugitive evangelist Apollo Quiboloy, wanted for sex trafficking of children, has no right to impose conditions for his surrender, including an assurance from Malacañang that he would not be extradited to the United States, where he faces similar criminal charges. Quiboloy, leader of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC), was indicted in the US for conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion and sex trafficking of children. He is also on the Federal Bureau of Investigation's wanted list. The KoJC leader is wanted in the country for his refusal to appear before the courts to face violations of the Anti-Trafficking in Person Act and Special Protection of Children Against Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination Act.
READ: DepEd seeks P61.74B more for '25 budget
THE Department of Education (DepEd) and its attached agencies asked the House of Representatives on Monday for an additional budget totaling 61.74 billion pesos for 2025. Under the National Expenditure Program (NEP) submitted by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the proposed budget for the DepEd and its attached agencies is 793.177 billion pesos. The additional 61.7 billion pesos sought by the DepEd is broken down into an additional 59.45 billion pesos for the DepEd Office of the Secretary (OSEC) and an additional 2.29 billion pesos for its six attached agencies. Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara presented the budget request to lawmakers in the House Committee on Appropriations.
BUSINESS: BSP likely to mirror actions of US Fed
Topping business, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is likely to closely follow the US Federal Reserve's actions to maintain a healthy interest rate differential, Moody's Analytics said, with another rate cut anticipated in the fourth quarter. Fed chairman Jerome Powell has given out signals that the US central bank could start cutting rates this month, adding that the timing and pace of rate cuts will depend on incoming data, the evolving outlook, and the balance of risks. Most economists are forecasting a 50-basis-point rate cut by the Fed this year, which could lead to a weaker dollar.
SPORTS: Swimmer Otom makes Paralympics debut
Over to sports, continuing to defy the limitations brought by her "disability," Angel Otom makes her Paralympics debut in Paris on Tuesday. Otom competes in the women's 50-m backstroke S5 event at the Paris La Defense Arena at 4:30 p.m. here in Manila. Born with no left arm and an underdeveloped right arm, Otom is at heat 1 in the 2-group, 16-athlete field. The 21-year-old needs to be one of the eight fastest to qualify for the final set on Wednesday at 12:33 a.m. A Sports Science student from the University of the Philippines Diliman, Otom will also compete in the 50-m butterfly event on September 6. Otom first entered the mainstream consciousness as an Olongapo City National High School student competing at the 2019 Division School Press Conference editorial cartooning contest using her feet. Athletically, Otom made noise at the 2022 Asean Para Games where she splashed her way to three gold medals in the Covid-19 delayed tiff in Surakarta, Indonesia.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras looks at "contemptuous acts", Makabenta says now is the time to organize, coalesce and deal for the 2025 elections, while Mercado asks if congressional budget hearings are useful.
Today's editorial looks into the challenges the Department of Education is facing. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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