A measure seeking to declare a portion of Philippine Rise as a protected area has hurdled committee level at the House of Representatives. During a hearing on Wednesday, the House Committee on Natural Resources chaired by Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., approved the unnumbered substitute bill to House Bill 36, which would declare a portion of the Philippine Rise situated within the exclusive economic zone as a protected area, to be referred to as the “Philippine Rise Marine Resource Reserve.” The bill states that it shall fall under the category of marine resource reserve under the National Integrated Protected Areas
At least five phreatomagmatic bursts were recorded in the Taal Volcano on Wednesday, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) Director Renato Solidum, Jr. said. These were all short-lived phreatomagmatic eruptions lasting from one to seven minutes, Solidum told the Philippine News Agency. Data he sent bared that these eruptions occurred at 5:18 a.m. (2 minutes), 8:46 a.m. (7 minutes), 9:15 a.m. (2 minutes), 9:26 a.m. (5 minutes), and 11:56 a.m. (slightly less than 1 minute). The first two eruptions both produced 300 meters of grayish column, while the third eruption generated a 700-meter high dark gray column. The fourth
The number of drug-cleared and unaffected barangays in Region 12 (Soccsksargen) has increased to 985 as of start of July and more are expected to join the list in the coming months. Kath Abad, spokesperson of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency-Region 12 (PDEA-12), said on Wednesday the number comprises 85 percent of the 1,158 barangays within the region’s four provinces and four cities. She said the regional oversight committee on the barangay drug-clearing program is set to assess more areas out of the 173 still listed as affected based on the parameters set by the Dangerous Drugs Board. The committee,
President Rodrigo Duterte has assured the public that he is trying his “very best” to eradicate corruption in government under his watch. Duterte gave the assurance during his meeting with the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) executives and other government officials at the Malago Clubhouse in Malacañang Manila on Monday. “You know, I’ve been trying really my very best to curb corruption,” Duterte said, amid Senator Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao’s allegation that corruption in government remains widespread. Duterte admitted that Pacquiao’s corruption allegations riled him. While he is exhausting all efforts to stamp out corruption, Duterte said he could not
A joint venture between the government and the country’s leading geothermal producer will uplift the lives of upland farmers in this city engaged in coffee and cacao farming. After almost three years of preparation and planning, a 45-hectare coffee and cacao farmstead will be established in the city’s upland village of Tongonan, the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) said in a press statement released late Tuesday. The initiative seeks to provide livelihood opportunities to the 107 members of Tongonan Farmers Association (ToFA). “Aside from providing ToFA a steady income through the livelihood, the government and the EDC saw the project as
The rate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) term deposit facility (TDF) declined on Wednesday due to strong demand. The average rate of the seven-day facility slipped to 1.7176 percent and of the 14-day facility to 1.8014 percent. These were at 1.7261 percent and 1.8114 percent for the seven- and 14-day TDF during the auction last June 30. The BSP increased the offering for the one-week facility to PHP150 billion from last week’s PHP140 billion, and tenders amounted to PHP216.209 billion. This tenor was fully awarded. This resulted in a bid coverage ratio of 1.4414, lower than week-ago’ 1.4887
