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China: PH is ‘straying down a dangerous path’
MANILA, Philippines — China continued to blame the Philippines and its ally, the United States, for the continued tensions in the disputed West Philippine Sea. In a statement on Thursday, Chinese Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Wu Qian warned that the Philippines is going down a dangerous path. READ: No letup in Chinese water cannon attacks.....»»
Unlock business success at Franchise Asia Philippines Expo
The Franchise Asia Philippines Expo 2024 is set to hold a series of dynamic seminars designed to empower entrepreneurs, investors and business enthusiasts with the knowledge and tools needed to thrive in the ever-evolving world of franchising. Slated from April 12 to 14 at the SMX Convention Center Manila, these seminars offer invaluable insights into key aspects of franchising and business growth......»»
Philippines lodges strong protest with China over water cannon attack in disputed South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): In the wake of accusation by the Philippines that the Chinese Coast Guard wounded three of its soldiers during a water cannon attack in the disputed South China Sea, Manila on Monday summoned Beijing's envoy to lodge its strong protest, Al Jazeera reported. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement said that Manila conveyed its "strong protest against the aggressiv.....»»
Man-made disasters cost Philippines 164.87 mln USD in 2023
MANILA, March 26 (Xinhua) -- Man-made disasters caused the total damage in the Philippines worth 9.29 billion pesos (164.87 million U.S. dollars) in 2023, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. The agency said that out of the total annual damage, 4.93 billion pesos (87.5 million dollars), or 53.1 percent, was due to the oil spill. "The reported oil spill in various regions resulted in dam.....»»
Poe: State of calamity won’t solve Metro traffic
With an estimated P3.5 billion in economic losses incurred per day due to traffic congestion, the government should listen to experts and stakeholders to address the monstrous traffic jams in Metro Manila, Sen. Grace Poe said yesterday......»»
Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at supply boats
Manila [Philippines], March 23 (ANI): The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at one of its supply boats in South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that BRP Cabra managed to manoeuvre and reach Unaizah May 4 to provide assistance to the Philippine supply boat, which had sustained "significant damage."According to the Philippine military, the confrontati.....»»
Philippines lodges strong protest with China over water cannon attack in disputed South China Sea
Manila [Philippines], March 25 (ANI): In the wake of accusation by the Philippines that the Chinese Coast Guard wounded three of its soldiers during a water cannon attack in the disputed South China Sea, Manila on Monday summoned Beijing's envoy to lodge its strong protest, Al Jazeera reported. The Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, in a statement said that Manila conveyed its "strong protest against the aggressiv.....»»
Philippines accuses Chinese coastguard of firing water cannons at supply boats
Manila [Philippines], March 23 (ANI): The Philippines has accused China's coastguard of firing water cannons at one of its supply boats in South China Sea, Al Jazeera reported. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said that BRP Cabra managed to manoeuvre and reach Unaizah May 4 to provide assistance to the Philippine supply boat, which had sustained "significant damage."According to the Philippine military, the confrontati.....»»
China coastguard uses water cannons against Philippine ships in South China Sea
MANILA/SHANGHAI (Reuters) -China’s coastguard said it had taken measures against Philippine vessels in disputed waters of the South China Sea on Saturday, while the Philippines decried the moves, including the use of water cannons, as “irresponsible and provocative”. China’s actions led to “significant damage” and injury to personnel on a civilian boat hired to resupply.....»»
MAP wants Metro under ‘state of traffic calamity’
Business group Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) is calling on the government to declare a “state of traffic calamity” in Metro Manila, citing the economic losses from the congestion on roads......»»
Losses to Philippine agriculture due to El Nino reach 31 mln USD
MANILA, March 20 (Xinhua) -- The El Nino dry spell and ensuring drought have caused over 1.75 billion pesos (roughly 31 million U.S. dollars) in damage to Philippine agriculture, a senior government official said Wednesday. This year's losses due to El Nino are still low compared to 2009 when the damage to agriculture reached 17 billion pesos (302 million dollars), Presidential Communications Office Assistant Se.....»»
Palay prices dip to P11/kg in some areas
Palay prices continued to go down, even dipping to as low as P11 per kilogram (/kg) as farmers approach the tail-end of the harvest season with a series of strong typhoons. Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the average farm-gate price of palay continued its downward movement, falling by 4.1 percent to P15.79/kg from the price level of P16.47/kg in the previous week. Year-on-year, the price increased by 0.2 percent from its average price of P15.76/kg in the same week of the previous year. Unfortunately, prices went down to as low as P11/kg in areas like Surigao del Sur and Cavite, which means some farmers were forced to sell their produce at a loss. In other areas like Agusan del Sur and Bulacan, farmers barely made money, with palay sold at exactly or just slightly above P12/kg. In the Philippines, the average production cost of rice farmers stood around P12.72/kg, which is higher or nearly double than what rice farmers in Vietnam and Thailand spend to produce the staple. This means that if prices fell below that amount, farmers would receive earnings that are lower than what they spent for. Some said that with the current production cost, the breakeven farmgate price of fresh harvest should be around P14.50/kg. Meanwhile, highest palay prices were recorded in areas like Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Zambales, Pampanga, Rizal, and Palawan wherein the commodity were sold at P18/kg to P21/kg, the same PSA data showed. Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Montemayor said that in the next few weeks, as farmers approach the tail-end of the harvest season, palay prices will definitely go down further. This, as palay, when damaged by storms, could yield to poor quality rice, which, among other reasons like the continuous entry of imported rice, could result in traders deciding not to buy at all. “Rainy weather is also to blame since traders have to discount for grain deterioration due to lack of drying facilities,” he said. A data from the Department of Agriculture (DA) showed that as of October 29, Typhoon Quinta already destroyed 79,239 metric tons (MT) of palay worth P1.13 billion within 62,880 hectares of farms. Then there’s the threat of Typhoon Rolly, which is expected to make landfall in Quezon and Aurora provinces on Saturday (October 31) and become a super typhoon. Montemayor also thinks that the continuous decline in palay prices is already “not surprising” since government intervention is doing very little for farmers. According to him, the National Food Authority’s (NFA) palay procurement has had minimal impact despite pronouncements of DA, while the planned suspension of sanitary and phytosanitary import clearances (SPS-ICs) on rice “came in too late, as in last year, to influence farmgate prices.” “Too little too late [actions] again by the DA,” Montemayor said. “At this time, [DA can do] very little. Damage was already done and most farmers have already harvested. Some typhoon-affected farmers (like those in Occidental Mindoro and Isabela) are asking NFA to buy storm-damaged palay but I doubt if they will do that since the agency itself doesn’t have dryers,” he added. Montemayor was particularly referring to Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s previous order for NFA to intensify its palay procurement in order to address decline in palay prices. To recall, NFA, whose sole mandate now is to secure the government’s buffer stock, buys palay at P19/kg and is given P7 billion every year to do this. Also, more than a week ago, Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the senate agriculture committee, asked the DA to stop issuing SPS-ICs to rice importers during harvest time, which would probably take effect after the next planting season. Business Bulletin sought the reaction of DA Spokesperson Noel Reyes regarding the decline in palay prices, but he is yet to respond......»»
Coconut farmers are poorest agri people
Coconut farmers are now the poorest people in the agriculture sector, much poorer than when they were 30 years ago. This was the assessment of Danny Carranza, a coconut farmer and member the Kilusan Para sa Tunay na Repormang Agraryo at Katarungang Panlipunan (Katarungan). (MB FILE, Keith Bacongco) Carranza blamed the coconut farmers’ poverty on the low copra prices, inability to intercrop and modernize, and now the COVID-19 pandemic, which isolates some of them who are living in far-flung areas. “If you’re going to compare, we are much poorer now than we were back in 1990,” said Carranza. Carranza said the “crisis in coconut” that started in the 1990s was never resolved, but even worsened especially when farmers failed to diversify and intercrop before copra prices, dictated by world prices, crashed in 2019 and in the previous years. “The price of copra is improving, reaching P16/kg from P8/kg last year, but that is still not enough,” Carranza said, adding that farmers’ income from a hectare of coconut plantation does not reach P10,000 anymore. At present, about 95 percent of the 3.5 million hectares of coconut farms in the Philippines are meant to produce copra, which is the material for coconut oil manufacturing. But with the collapse of the prices of coconut oil in the world market over the last two years, prices of copra have also dropped plunging farmers into deeper poverty. According to the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA), prices of copra at farmgate as of October 15 stood at P21.86/kg, which is higher compared to P14.55/kg price level during the same day last year. But Carranza said that it normally takes three to four years for coconut farmers to recover when a typhoon hits their plantation because coconut trees don’t recover fast. Several typhoons have devastated coconut trees lately. “Farmers’ income is dictated by world prices, they don’t have enough funds to modernize their industry, and the government has failed to support them in the diversification of their coconut plantations,” Carranza said. “Then things got worse because of climate change. And then, because of lockdown, a lot of farmers who live in far-flung areas were isolated and couldn’t deliver their produce,” he added. In 2018, farmers working in coconut farms only received a daily nominal wage rate of P264, based on Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data. To alleviate the current situation of coconut farmers, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has announced that it will soon distribute a P5,000 worth of assistance to coconut farmers, which will be withdrawn from the agency’s P24-billion stimulus package granted under ‘Bayanihan 2’. The problem, according to Carranza, is that the assistance may only benefit farmers who own 1 hectare of coconut plantations or less. The PCA is also setting aside a portion of its budget to finance on-farm and off-farm livelihood projects for coconut farmers such as intercropping and livestock. Meanwhile, Pambansang Kilusan ng Magbubukid sa Pilipinas (PKMP) Chairman Eduardo Mora said the legal team of Senator Bong Go pledged to help coconut farmers push for provisions that they want to be included in the Coco Levy Act, the proposed law that will pave the way for the release of the P100-billion coco levy fund. “It was the office of Senator Bong Go that informed us that the senate version of Coco Levy Act was already passed in third and final reading. But his legal team also assured to help us in the congress version of the law, in bicameral, and in the drafting of the IRR [implementing rules and regulation] of the law,” Mora told Business Bulletin. Mora’s group, which represents more than a hundred thousand coconut farmers in the country, has been calling for increased farmers’ representation in the planned coconut trust fund management committee. Coconut farmers also don’t want the funds to be handled by PCA, Mora said. Business Bulletin already sought for Agriculture Secretary William Dar’s reaction regarding the farmers’ opposition of the Coco Levy Act, but he hasn’t responded yet. .....»»
DOLE: Distressed businesses may avail of bank loans for 13th month pay
The Department of Labor and Employment told distressed businesses which can’t afford to pay for their employees’ 13th-month pay to avail of loans from banks. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III (ROBINSON NIÑAL JR. / PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / FILE PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the Bankers Association of the Philippines had earlier said it is open to offering loans for businesses heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. “Siguro pwedeng umutang muna para may pambayad sila (Maybe they could borrow from banks so they could pay their employees’ 13th month),” Bello told DZMM Teleradyo in an interview. Aside from borrowing from banks, Bello said the labor department is also eyeing to subsidize the 13th-month pay of employees from micro and small enterprises (MSE). Malacanang said it will discuss the matter with the Departments of Budget and Management (DBM) and Finance (DOF) to see if the government can shoulder the 13th month P13.7 billion needed to subsidize the 13th-month pay of MSE workers. Bello reiterated that there should be no deferment in the giving of 13th-month pay to employees. The labor secretary said it should be given on or before December 24, with no extensions. Employees entitled to a 13th-month pay include those who have been working at a business or company not less than a month regardless of their employment status......»»
Manila Archbishop: Washing of feet maintains faithful’s connection to Jesus
In his homily at the Manila Cathedral on the evening of Maundy Thursday, Advincula stressed the importance of the washing of the feet, not merely as a hygienic act but as a sign of one's relationship with Jesus......»»
Philippines announces decisive measures amid tensions with China
Manila [Philippines], March 28 (ANI): Amid the escalating tensions in the South China Sea, Philippine President Ferdinand R Marcos Jr has announced decisive measures to protect his country's sovereignty and maritime rights while ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. Marcos, known as Bongbong, said that the measures, aimed at addressing what he said is the "open, unabating, and illegal" actions by China's Coast.....»»
Contagious pertussis disease continues spreading in Philippines
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- The contagious pertussis has continued spreading in the Philippines, where it has caused at least 40 death cases, after a province near the capital region reported an outbreak of the disease. In a social media post on Wednesday night, the Cavite government posted a resolution declaring the province under a state of calamity "due to the outbreak of pertussis" after logging 36 cases an.....»»
Akbayan to Sara: You don’t have to be president to speak vs China
MANILA, Philippines — Party-list group Akbayan said on Thursday that Vice President Sara Duterte does not have to be a president of the country for her to call out China’s intrusive actions over the West Philippine Sea (WPS). Empathy and a moral backbone is just what it takes to stand up with fisherfolk and frontline.....»»
7 lumang simbahan sa Metro Manila na swak pang-‘Visita Iglesia’
TUWING sasapit ang Semana Santa, isa sa mga tradisyon ay ang “Visita Iglesia.” Para sa mga hindi aware, isa ito sa mga taunang ginagawa ng mga Katoliko na bumisita sa pito o higit pang simbahan upang magdasal at magmuni-muni sa mga istasyon ng Krus. Sa pamamagitan nito, ibinabandera ng mga deboto ang kahalagahan ng pananampalataya,.....»»
Philippines logs 40 pertussis deaths this year
MANILA, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Forty children have died of whopping cough, a respiratory infection also called pertussis, since this year, the Philippines' Department of Health (DOH) has reported. The DOH said in a statement on Wednesday that cases have continued to increase since the start of this year, recording 568 cases from Jan. 1 to March 16. "The total number of cases for the same period in 2023 was.....»»