📰 News & Current Affairs

Philippine banks are still financing coal and fossil fuel investments in the country at such an accelerated pace that could derail hopes of averting climate disaster, a new report found. The domestic banking system, as the findings of the Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development assert, financed $867.08 million worth of projects in coal from April 2022 to March this year. These banks likewise bankrolled $930 million for the expansion and construction of new fossil gas projects. The report put out a scorecard, which computed for coal and fossil gas financing, divestment policy, and sustainability policies. Likewise, the report spotlighted that the majority of financing came from bonds, with most of these banks underwriting an...

FROM: PTV DAILYMOTION CHANNEL

POLA, Oriental Mindoro — Oriental Mindoro Governor Bonz Dolor on Saturday said Puerto Galera and nearby areas failed 4 consecutive water quality tests, deeming the popular tourist destination unsafe for swimming and other water activities. “As far as water quality is concerned, salt water, from Puerto Galera to Bulalacao, bagsak,” Dolor told reporters here. “Lumabas kagabi ang pinakahuling resulta, ang Puerto Galera ay bagsak na ang water quality for 4 consecutive tests. Ibig sabihin, prior to Holy Week, may findings na nabagsak ito on the level of oil or grease,” he added. Dolor said the local government of Puerto Galera earlier objected against the declaration of the state of calamity in the island. “There was an objection on...

LONDON – US President Joe Biden said that he had already made his decision about running for president in 2024 and would announce it relatively soon. "We’ll announce it relatively soon," the head of state told reporters, commenting on his reelection plans. "I told you my plan is to run again," Biden added. The US presidential election is scheduled for November 2024. The previous Republican head of state, Donald Trump, announced in November 2022 that he would enter the race for the highest public office in the country. (TASS)

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is hands-on in ensuring that the more than PHP3.48 trillion investment pledges Manila secured during his foreign trips would materialize and generate jobs as soon as possible, a Board of Investments (BOI) official said Saturday. At the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City, BOI Executive Director for Investments Promotion Services Evariste Cagatan said the Chief Executive had been closely monitoring the leads to provide assistance to fast-track these investors' entry into the country. “Investment leads pa lang iyan so marami pang kailangang gawin para tuluyang matuloy ‘yong mga pledges (These are only investment leads, so a lot still needs to be done before they materialize),” she said. “Ang...

A 7.0-magnitude earthquake was recorded in the sea north of the main Indonesian island of Java, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said on Friday, with no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The strong quake struck at 4:55 p.m. local time (0955 GMT), the USGS said, with Indonesia's geological agency ruling out a tsunami after the epicenter was detected to be at a depth of 594 kilometers (370 miles). Indonesia experiences frequent quakes due to its position on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an arc of intense seismic activity that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. Friday's quake struck roughly 160 kilometers northwest of the city of Surabaya, the country's second-most populous city that is...

MANILA – Parts of the cities of Caloocan, Navotas, and Quezon will go waterless as Maynilad Water Services, Inc. announced water interruptions on April 17-24 due to its network maintenance. In its advisory on Saturday, Maynilad said the maintenance activities are part of its continuous effort to improve water services in the West Zone. In Caloocan City, the affected areas from 11 p.m. of April 17 to 4 a.m. of April 18 are in Barangays 28, 31, and 35, specifically along Dagat-Dagatan extension corner C3, and Barangays 99 to 102, particularly along 9th Street and 8th Street corner Galino III. Barangays 20, 12, and 14, specifically along Tilapia corner Tamban, Lapu-Lapu (northeast) corner Dagat-Dagatan and Pagadang Alley corner C3...

The camp of Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Friday said they hoped that the Senate investigation into the killing of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo would not become a "witch hunt." Teves will attend virtually the investigation that the Senate Committee on Public Order and Dangerous Drugs would launch on Monday, said his lawyer Ferdinand Topacio. "Nagre-rely naman po kami sa assurances ni [committee chairperson] Sen. [Ronald] Dela Rosa na ito ay hindi magiging parang witch hunt or court of the star chamber ngunit ang mga questions po ay tungkol lamang sa maaaring legislation," Topacio told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo. (We are relying on the assurances of Sen. Dela Rosa that this would not be a witch hunt or court...

The U.S. Army on Thursday ρáíd tribute to the nine soldiers killed from the March 29 crash of two Blackhawk helicopters near Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During a memorial service, Maj. Gen. JP McGee, commanding general of the 101st Airborne Division, said the fallen troops "represented the breadth and diversity of the United States." "They had pride in their competence," he said. "[They] were well-trained and had a deep and abiding sense of commitment to their mission." Two Filipino-Americans were among the fatalities of that crash -- Sergeant Isaac Gayo of Los Angeles and Sergeant Emilie Bolanos of Austin, Texas. Their families had flown in from the Philippines and from L.A. for the memorial. A video was also played during the...

MANILA – Metro Manila and the rest of the country will have partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers and thunderstorms due to the easterlies and localized thunderstorms, the weather bureau said Saturday. In its 4 a.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) also warned of possible flash floods or landslides during severe thunderstorms. The eastern sections of the Visayas and Mindanao will have slight to moderate coastal waters with light to moderate winds, blowing east to southeast. The rest of the country will experience light to moderate winds headed southwest to south, with slight to moderate seas. The temperature in Metro Manila will range from...

Biibid to be closed down by 2028 Saan naman kaya irerelocate ito?

MANILA – The first phase of the 11.7-kilometer (km) Light Rail Transit Line 1 (LRT-1) Cavite Extension Project is nearing completion, according to the Light Rail Manila Corporation (LRMC), the private operator of LRT-1. In a statement on Friday, the LRMC said the progress rate for the project has reached 82.7 percent as of March 2023, for both civil and rail system works since it started the construction in September 2019. “The viaduct was completed in February 2022, while the ongoing station construction includes architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and safety works. In terms of the rail system, trackwork, and overhead catenary system installation are almost complete,” it said. The first phase covers 7...

SOME PLDT users may be experiencing some downtime, as the company announced a problem with their underwater cables. "An outage by one of our international submarine cables may be causing service interruptions," the advisory read on Thursday on the PLDT Cares Facebook page. PLDT did not specify which submarine cable was hit, as of posting time, but had said that its partners are "already working" to fix the problem. In addition, PLDT on Thursday acknowledged that customers are having issues with their Messenger chat. "Customers may have issues chatting with us on Facebook Messenger. Our technical team is working on it with Facebook," PLDT wrote. PLDT customers can track their repair and installation status through the PLDT's...

MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Friday declared April 21 as a regular holiday for the observance of Eid'l Fitr, or the culmination of the Fasting of Ramadan. Marcos signed Proclamation No. 201 after the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos (NCMF) recommended to declare the date a national holiday. “In order to bring the religious and cultural significance of the Eid’l Fitr to the fore of national consciousness, and to allow the entire Filipino nation to join their Muslim brothers and sisters in peace and harmony in the observance and celebration of Eid’l Fitr, it is necessary to declare Friday, 21 April 2023, a regular holiday throughout the country,” the proclamation read. Eid'l Fitr, one of the two most important...

ZAMBOANGA CITY – Authorities arrested Friday a house caretaker and seized over P5.5 million worth of smuggled cig@rett3s in an operation here, according to the top police official. Col. Alexander Lorenzo, city police director, said the smuggled cig@rett3s were seized around 8:45 a.m. while being unloaded in front of the house of Kahil Aman in Dastun Drive, Barangay Kasanyangan. “The operatives launched the operation based on a report that smuggled cig@rett3s arrived in Kasanyangan,” Lorenzo said. He identified the arrested suspect as Junimar Sahisa, 24, who allegedly yielded 58 master cases of assorted smuggled cig@rett3s worth over PHP5.5 million. The confiscated contraband was turned over to the Bureau of Customs (BOC), while...

In a scene that came straight out of a revenge drama, a man from Texas had gotten his truck allegedly stolen by another man. He then used an Apple AirTag to track the thief down and killed him with his own hands. According to officers of San Antonio Police Department carried by Fox News, the man reported the theft to them at around one in the afternoon. However, he wasn't patient enough to let the officers handle the crime and took matters into his own hands with help from Apple's AirTag, a tracking device that allows people to find their personal objects. The man found his vehicle nearly 20 miles from where it was stolen, with the alleged thief completely oblivious that he was being tracked. Police detailed that the truck owner...

ZAMBOANGA CITY – The city police director here has appealed for the support and cooperation of the community in curtailing incidents of gun shootings here. Col. Alexander Lorenzo, Zamboanga City Police Office (ZCPO) chief, said Friday the residents can help police investigation by breaking "the barriers of fear.” “We need to help each other. Our citizens should be living security cameras who will report to us what happened,” Lorenzo said, adding that civilian tip-offs can save lives. He added: “The culture of ‘I don’t know’ should stop or as if implying that if it’s not our business, we will not help the authorities." The ZCPO has recorded 22 shooting incidents since January this year, with motives usually emanating from personal...

MANILA – A lone bettor from Agusan del Norte province became an instant millionaire after winning the jackpot of the Super Lotto 6/49 in Thursday night’s draw. In an advisory Friday, Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) general manager Melquiades Robles said the bettor guessed the winning combination 48-19-10-17-47-49, which carried a total jackpot prize of PHP27,978,266.40. The ticket was purchased in Santiago, Agusan del Norte. Meanwhile, 19 other bettors won PHP50,000 each for guessing five out of the six winning digits, while 716 will get PHP1,200 each for four correct digits, and 11,190 will settle for PHP50 each for three correct digits. The bettor can claim the check at the PCSO main office in Mandaluyong City upon...

ISTANBUL – International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said Thursday the global economy has proven resilient to shocks in the past three years, but it is yet to overcome weak growth and inflation. "Underlying inflation remains stubbornly high, geo-economic fragmentation affects trade and capital flows, and downsides risks have increased," she said at a press conference in Washington, D.C. "Fighting inflation and safeguarding financial stability have become more complex with the recent banking sector pressures," she added. The IMF chief said central banks should address financial stability risks, and urged them to work closely with regulators and supervisors. "The key is to monitor risks that may be...

KABACAN, North Cotabato – Two youngsters drowned while seven others were rescued after they swam on a river dam here Thursday afternoon. Mark Osoteo, the town’s information officer, on Friday said the two fatalities, both 16 years old, are junior high school students. Two others were confined at the hospital and are now in stable condition, while the remaining five are safe, he said. “All of them are minor students and are residents here," Osoteo said, adding that the group went to the river during lunch break. He was unable to disclose to identify the school pending an ongoing query. According to Osoteo, the incident took place around 1:30 p.m. at the river dam of adjacent Sitio Kinudal, Barangay Kilada in Matalam town. "They were...

MANILA – The Department of Health (DOH) has detected 39 more cases of Omicron XBB.1.91 subvariant, an XBB sublineage. In its latest surveillance report, the DOH said the subvariant was added to the list of variants under monitoring by the World Health Organization on March 30. “The variant was initially flagged due to its increasing global prevalence and higher growth advantage. The variant has been detected in 63 countries or jurisdictions across six continents, according to sequence submissions in GISAID [Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data],” the DOH said. About 199 samples were sequenced by the University of the Philippines - Philippine Genome Center Main and Mindanao branches last April 3 to 11. Out of these, 114 or...

he National Food Authority (NFA) is planning to import over 330,000 metric tons (MT) of rice to replenish the country’s buffer stock of the staple in anticipation of calamities. advertisement In a statement, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the NFA is proposing the importation of 330,000 MT of rice “to cover an expected deficit in the country’s buffer stock for the relief operations of various agencies in the event of calamities this year.” On Thursday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who also sits as the secretary of Agriculture, said the Philippines’ rice supply is in “good shape” but the NFA’s buffer stock is currently low and need to be replenished to reach at least nine days worth of buffer stock. The PCO...

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MANILA, Philippines — The passing rate for the 2022 Bar exams — the second one conducted under the shadow of the COVID-19 pandemic — yielded a passing rate of 43.47%. This means a total of 3,992 new lawyers will be welcomed into the practice after they take their oath on May 2 at the Philippine International Convention Center and sign the Roll of Attorneys. From the initial Bar exam applicants of 10,006, only 9,183 people were able to finish the second-ever digitized and regionalized exams held over four days in November at 14 testing centers across the country. The slump in the turnout of examinees prompted Bar exams chairperson Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa to tell them not to give up. This was the second Bar exams...

MANILA – The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) strongly condemned on Thursday Myanmar’s deadly air attack in Pazigyi believed to have killed more than 100 villagers, including children. “All forms of violence must end immediately, particularly the use of force against civilians,” the bloc said in a statement. “This would be the only way to create a conducive environment for an inclusive national dialogue to find a sustainable peaceful solution in Myanmar,” it added. Meanwhile, it reiterated its commitment to continue assisting Myanmar in seeking a “workable and durable solution to the ongoing crisis through promoting the full implementation of the Five-Point Consensus.” The Myanmar Armed Forces reportedly carried out...

MANILA – The Naval Forces West (NFW) on Thursday night announced that Philippine and American ships participating in this year's "Balikatan" exercises have entered the "joint operational area" (JOA) of the Puerto Princesa, Palawan-based Western Command (Wescom). These ships were identified as the Philippine Navy’s (PN) missile frigate BRP Jose Rizal (FF-150) and landing dock BRP Tarlac (LD-601), and the US Navy's USS Makin Island (LHD-8). "Said vessels will meet up at the vicinity of Dumaran Island and perform communication exercises while en route for the amphibious raid over the beach of Barangay Samariñana, Brooke’s Point all in the province of Palawan on April 14, 2023," NFW commander Commodore Alan Javier said in a statement. He...

CEBU CITY – The regional police here will make Cebu a pilot province on a new method of combating criminalities this time utilizing “bystanders” and “street people” in crime reporting and prevention. Lt. Col. Mark Gifter Sucalit, deputy chief for operations of the Cebu Provincial Police Office, said the director, Col. Rommel Ochave, has directed municipal and city station commanders to implement Active Bystandership for Effective Response and Intervention (ABERIN) Program of the Police Regional Office (PRO)-Central Visayas. The program aims to maximize the presence of people hanging around the streets to report occurring crimes. Bystanders, he explained, would have a huge participation in sustaining peace and order in every...

MANILA – Several areas in Luzon will continue to get dampened with rain showers due to the low-pressure area (formerly Tropical Depression Amang) last tracked 40 km. southwest of Iba, Zambales, the weather bureau said Friday. Scattered rain showers and thunderstorms will prevail over Metro Manila and the provinces of Pangasinan, Tarlac, Pampanga, Zambales, and Bataan. Flash floods or landslides are possible in these areas due to moderate to at times heavy rains, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in its 4 a.m. weather bulletin. The rest of the country will have isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms. Meanwhile, light to moderate winds and slight to moderate...

MANILA – The amount of rainfall caused by Tropical Depression Amang which has weakened into a low pressure area (LPA) did not raise the water level of dams in Luzon, a spokesperson of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Thursday. "Amang did not cause heavy rains enough to increase the water in monitoring dams in Luzon. In fact, it only caused little to no effect on the dams," Adel Duran of PAGASA said in a public briefing. Monitoring dams in Luzon have decreased by 0.15 to 0.66 meter, she added. Duran said that as of 6 a.m., the water level in Angat Dam decreased by 0.31 meter from the previous day while Pantabangan Dam's water level also dropped by 0.17 meter. Ambuklao...

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) is reviving plans to install train platform barriers and screen doors at the stations of Metro Manila’s railway lines, starting with the Metro Rail Transit (MRT 3) on Edsa. This was after a 73-year-old woman died after jumping onto the southbound tracks at the MRT 3’s Quezon Avenue station shortly before noon on Wednesday. The woman was still breathing when emergency responders brought her to East Avenue Medical Center but was pronounced dead about two hours later. The rescue effort prompted an evacuation of passengers and about an hourlong disruption of train operations. At a media briefing on Thursday, Transportation Assistant Secretary Jorjette Aquino made references to the incident as she...

A Pulse Asia survey, which showed that nearly 8 in 10 Filipinos back the revival of the mandatory ROTC program, prompted Sen. Risa Hontiveros to ask: Did it capture the sentiment of the youth? READ: inq.news/Hontiveros-rotc

The Davao Region logs 223 new COVID-19 cases from April 3 to 9, and 26 out of 339 admissions are classified as severe and critical cases, as of April 10.