Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, September 12, 2024.
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READ: PH most 'at-risk' from calamities
THE Philippines topped the list of 193 countries at risk of natural disasters, the 2024 World Risk Report revealed. According to the report, the country has a WorldRiskIndex score of 46.71, which is "very high," with exposure scoring 39.99 (very high), vulnerability at 55.03 (very high), susceptibility at 51.16 (very high), lack of coping capabilities at 58.07 (very high) and lack of adaptive capacities at 56.10 (high).
READ: PH ranks 3rd in countries with worst sleeping habits
Another survey showed that the country ranked third among countries with the worst sleeping habits, an Australian bed company revealed. A study by Onebed showed that the country averaged 6.13 hours of sleep per night and had the highest noise pollution level at 55.60. It also has an Air Quality Index of 31 and a stress level of 7.30. It also showed that the country's Google search volume for the topic of sleep deprivation is at 156,250, while 43,100 searched for "insomnia remedies."
READ: Lawmakers: No impeachment moves vs Sara
LAWMAKERS on Wednesday denied that there were moves to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte but urged her to answer questions relating to the use of the funds given to the Office of the Vice President (OVP). In the third part of an interview supplied by the OVP to members of the media, Duterte said talk regarding impeaching her was "not new," as there was open talk in the House of Representatives about a plan to file an impeachment case against her led by ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro over the use of her confidential funds and the alleged misuse of Department of Education funds.
READ: Tourists now staying longer, Frasco says
FOREIGN tourists are now staying longer and spending more during their visits to the Philippines, Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco said Wednesday. From an average of nine nights, tourists are now staying up to 11 nights during their visits to the various tourism destinations throughout the country, Frasco said during the Kapihan sa Manila Hotel media forum. Frasco said tourists were also now spending more, with visitor receipts having had a recovery of over 111 percent, constituting over 3.36 trillion pesos from 2023 up to the present and surpassing the month-on-month visitor receipts compared to 2019.
READ: Harris rattles Trump in fiery presidential debate
Kamala Harris put Donald Trump on the defensive in a fiery televised debate Tuesday, getting under her rival's skin as they battled for a breakthrough in an agonizingly close US presidential election. In a performance that earned her the endorsement of pop superstar Taylor Swift, the Democrat baited the "extreme" Republican into angry responses on issues ranging from abortion to democracy and foreign policy. The 59-year-old US vice president managed to knock former president Trump off his game in their first and only scheduled showdown, which featured a series of bitter personal attacks on both sides. Trump said afterward that the ABC News-hosted clash in Philadelphia was his "best debate," but snap polls and commentators said Harris had won, with her campaign quickly challenging him to a second debate in October.
BUSINESS: PH growth now seen hitting target
Topping business, the economy is on track to grow near potential, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said, and growth is now expected to hit the 6.0- to 7.0-percent target this year. The goals for both years are 6.5- 7.5 percent and 6.5-8.0 percent, respectively. A 6.3-percent expansion in the second quarter brought first-half growth to 6.0 percent, at the bottom end of the 2024 target.
SPORTS: An August to remember for PH sports
AUGUST 2024 will forever be remembered as the time Carlos Yulo took his place in the pantheon of greats. The two-time gymnastics world champion from Leveriza Street in Malate, Manila, carved his name in history when he flipped, twisted and tumbled to Olympic gold in Paris in two of his pet events — the floor exercise (15.000) and vault (15.116). Yulo's dazzling show he performed over two unforgettable days in August in the City of Lights installed him as the greatest Philippine Olympian of all time. He's the first Pinoy to win two gold medals in the Olympiad, surpassing what everyone had achieved before him. He joined weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, who scored the country's breakthrough mint in Tokyo three years ago, in the elite club of Philippine Olympic champs. Thanks to the 24-year-old Yulo, it was the best-ever showing for Team Philippines in a century of participation in the quadrennial Games. And for that, Philippine Sportswriters' Association is recognizing Yulo as its top achiever for the month of August. Honorable mention were lady boxers Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, who complemented the golden boy with bronze medals in the women's 57-kilogram (kg) and 50-kg class, respectively.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about the "reinvention" of Alice Guo, Makabenta wants to give culture its place and role in the nation's life, while Remoto weighs in on the Sara Duterte saga, Congress, and the Commission on Audit.
Today's editorial says policy cooperation can boost energy transition. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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