Ashfall covers Metro Manila, stalls markets and travel

January 13, 2020 | 8:39 pm

By Genshen L. Espedido and
Gillian M. Cortez, Reporter

ASH from Taal Volcano in Batangas province covered large parts of Southern Luzon and cities near the capital on Monday, forcing financial markets to suspend trading and the Manila airport to close.

The volcano spewed lava on Monday, a day after it blew ash and steam into the air, Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology Director Renato U. Solidum said at a briefing. He warned that a “hazardous” eruption could happen in days as the agency raised the alert status to level 4, the second-highest in a 5-step scale.

In an advisory, the Health department said inhaling ash could lead to cough and difficulty of breathing and could also irritate the eyes.

The local disaster agency said more than 302 domestic and 237 international flights were canceled.

The Philippines lies in the so-called Pacific “Ring of Fire,” a belt of volcanoes around the Pacific Ocean where most of the world’s earthquakes strike.

Taal Volcano on the Philippines’ main Luzon island is the country’s second most active volcano. All of its eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Tourists often go to Tagaytay City, which is a two-hour drive from Manila, to get a glimpse of the picturesque Taal Volcano and Taal Lake below.

Taal volcano continued erupting “with weak sporadic lava fountaining and hydrovolcanic activity at the Main Crater that generated steam-laden plumes approximately 2 kilometers tall,” according to the local volcanic agency’s 4 p.m. update on Monday.

“New lateral vents were observed to have opened up on the northern flank where short 500-meter lava fountains emanate,” it said.

The agency has recorded 144 volcanic earthquakes in the Taal region since Sunday afternoon, 44 of which were felt with intensities ranging from 1 to 4 in Tagaytay City, Alitagtag, Lemery, Santo Tomas, and Talisay, Batangas.

These earthquakes signified “continuous magmatic intrusion beneath the Taal edifice” that could lead to further eruptions, it said.

Ma. Antonia V. Bornas, a division chief at the volcanic agency, told reporters the progression of Taal Volcano’s activities has been faster than in past events, including the 1911 eruption that killed 1,500 people. The volcano’s last reported eruption was in 1977.

RELIEF GOODS
More than 5,000 families were taking temporary shelter at 75 evacuation centers in Batangas province, according to the disaster agency’s 12 p.m. report.

The volcanic agency reiterated that people within a 14 kilometer radius from Taal Volcano’s Main Crater must be evacuated.

The Social Welfare department said it would send 5,000 food packs and sleeping kits to evacuees after local government leaders in Batangas complained against the lack of relief goods.

Police would deploy eight rescue vehicles and 30 pick-up trucks to help in the evacuation, according to Colonel Marlon Santos of Cavite.

Seven cities and municipalities in the provinces of in Batangas and Cavite experienced power failures, including Amadeo, Tagaytay, Lipa, Tanuan, Laurel, Talisay and Lemery.

The Batangas provincial government declared a state of calamity, which would allow the local government to use emergency funds and freeze the prices of basic goods.

Meanwhile, the local weather bureau said on its website Taal Volcano’s eruptions had caused “cloudy skies with isolated rains and thunderstorms” over the areas of Batangas, Cavite and Laguna provinces.

This could cut visibility and create mud flows during ashfall, as well as light to moderate rains, it said.

Senator Richard J. Gordon, chairman of the Philippine Red Cross, said he had activated assistance teams and placed Red Cross chapters in Metro Manila and Calabarzon region on alert.

“Those who are living in the danger areas should evacuate to safer grounds immediately,” he said in a statement. “Bring animals and livestock to designated evacuation areas. Follow any evacuation orders issued by authorities and put your emergency plan into action.”

Senator Aquilino L. Pimentel III warned shops against overcharging consumers for basic goods, which he said is illegal.

“We should not allow anybody to take advantage of the current difficult situation brought about by the Taal Volcano eruption by increasing the prices of needed goods and materials like face masks,” he said in a statement. — with Charmaine A. Tadalan

Manila airport partially resumes flight operations

January 13, 2020 | 8:38 pm

MANILA’S Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Monday partially resumed operations after more than 500 flights were affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano, whose ash enveloped some cities near the capital on Sunday evening.

In a joint statement, the Department of Transportation, Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced that airport operations had resumed for departures starting at 10 a.m. yesterday and at noon for departures.

“This, however, will be subject to terminal capacity of the four NAIA terminals and airline consent,” according to the emailed statement.

Departure flights will be prioritized so that the airport ramps may be cleared of planes parked there since Sunday night, they said.

Second priority will be given to regular scheduled flights for Monday. “This arrangement will also give both MIAA and CAAP better capability to allocate slots.”

About 80,000 passengers and 516 flights were affected by Sunday’s volcanic eruption,

MIAA General Manager Eddie V. Monreal said at a briefing.

“We are trying our very best to bring back the operations to normalcy,” he said, adding that they were appealing to the public for “a bit of patience.”

Airline operators were asked to submit their flight cancellations for Tuesday “to give the slotting committee more room to allocate slots to airlines wishing to mount recovery operations.”

They also said MIAA had been clearing the runways, taxiways and ramps of ashfall since 4 a.m. on Monday. — Arjay L. Balinbin

7 of 10 Filipinos think rights violated in Duterte’s drug war

January 13, 2020 | 8:38 pm

SEVEN of 10 Filipinos think human rights violations had been committed in President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s deadly war on drugs, according to the latest poll by the Social Weather Stations (SWS).

The polling firm’s December poll showed that 76% of Filipinos thought human rights had been violated, even as 73% thought the government’s anti-illegal drug campaign had cut the number of drug users.

Mr. Duterte had promised to eradicate the country’s illegal drug menace, a foundation of his presidential campaign in 2016.

Philippine police have said about 6,000 people have died in illegal drug raids, many of them resisting arrest. Some local nongovernmental organizations and the national Commission on Human Rights have placed the death toll at more than 27,000.

Vice President Maria Leonor G. Robredo, the opposition leader whom Mr. Duterte had put in charge of his drug war in November — only to fire her weeks after because he said he didn’t trust her — last week said the campaign had failed, with only 1% of illegal drugs seized by police. She also cited inconsistencies in drug data released by different agencies.

The SWS poll showed that 60% of Filipinos agreed that Ms. Robredo should have been allowed to see the government’s list of high-value drug targets.

SWS said 56% agreed with the United Nations Human Rights Council’s investigation of alleged extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.

SWS interviewed 1,200 adults for the poll, which had an error margin of ±3%.

Presidential spokesman Salvador S. Panelo said the palace was “unsurprised” by the findings because the war on drugs had been “demonized by relentless misinformation” by Mr. Duterte’s critics and the opposition.

“These rambunctious peddlers of disinformation have associated the extrajudicial killings, which are not state-initiated, with the government’s drug-related operations,” he said in a statement. “This constant vilification have gained an undeserved currency.”

He said the deaths linked to drugs was due to “violent resistance by the suspects in buy-bust and police operations, endangering the lives of the law enforcers hence their resort to self-defense sanctioned by law.” — Vann Marlo M. Villegas

QC keeps watch on small meat retailers over ASF virus

January 13, 2020 | 8:36 pm

THE QUEZON City government is keeping an eye on small meat retailers since they are more at risk of selling African Swine Fever (ASF)-tainted meats. “The meat supply chain is not just the supermarkets. May mga [There are] small retailer shops din [also], so kasama pa rin sila sa [they are still included in the] food chain and therefore as long as they are in Quezon city, we need to look into them,” Emmanuel F. Velasco, action officer of the city’s ASF Task Force, said in an interview. He said small-scale meat retailers are more likely to purchase from suppliers who usually do not obtain the necessary permits. “Mas hindi clear ‘yung sourcing nila [They do not have clear sourcing]. Unlike ‘yung mga [the] large ones, accredited suppliers.” On January 10, Quezon City Mayor Maria Josefina G. Belmonte said she will be issuing an executive order to ensure that meat being sold in supermarkets in the city are ASF-free. The announcement came after two supermarkets were found to be selling ASF-tainted meat, with one being supplied by North Star Meat Merchants, Inc., which has operations at Cherry Congressional grocery in Quezon City. The supermarket operators were given until this Friday to submit their documents, and additional recommendations, which will be used by Ms. Belmonte’s legal team in coming up with the order. — Vincent Mariel P. Galang

Davao City lines up construction of 2 colleges

January 13, 2020 | 8:35 pm

THE DAVAO City government will build two colleges, one is partnership with the University of Southeastern Philippines (USEP) and the other a city college, Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced. The USEP campus will be located in the upland Paquibato District, where the city government has been pursuing various projects in line with its anti-insurgency program dubbed Peace 911. “We already have a budget of P54 million for the three- storey building USEP annex campus in Barangay Malabog,” Ms. Carpio said last week, noting that the whole process could take a while given the documentary and bidding process requirements. As a start, the city government, the Peace 911 Task Force, and USEP are preparing to sign a memorandum of understanding for the project. Ms. Carpio added that the city has also allocated a P1.5 million budget for the feasibility study of the school. The Peace 911 Task Force proposed the construction of the college to cater to high school graduates in the area, including members of indigenous communities. “So that students don’t need to go down to the Poblacion (city center) to study. The school also aims to help those students that do not have the financial capacity to pursue further studies in the downtown area,” the mayor said.

CITY COLLEGE
For the city college, Ms. Carpio said they are still looking at possible funding sources with the cost initially estimated at about P100 million. “As of now, the funds are still not available, as the needed budget is a bit expensive,” she said, noting that one possible source is the unspent portion of the city’s 2019 Supplemental Budget. Final approval of the proposed school is also pending, but the mayor said she is optimistic that this can be done by the second half of the year. The feasibility study of the project has been completed, including learning manuals and the required human resources. — Maya M. Padillo and Carmelito Q. Francisco

Chinese investors eye GenSan for manufacturing plants

January 13, 2020 | 8:34 pm

A DELEGATION of Chinese businessmen, together with Chinese embassy officials, visited General Santos City last week to explore investment opportunities, particularly manufacturing plants, according to Mayor Ronnel C. Rivera. In a statement, Mr. Rivera said the investors are looking at setting up a tire manufacturing facility on a 300-hectare property, and a battery recycling and manufacturing plant. “You are welcome to invest here. GenSan wants investors,” the mayor told the delegation during their courtesy call to his office. He quoted one Chinese government official as saying: “These Chinese businessmen toured the Philippines last year looking for viable locations in the country. It just so happened they saw the plans of the mayor for GenSan and they found it to be business-friendly.” Should the projects push through, Mr. Rivera said they expect “billions in revenue for the local government” and more than 5,000 job opportunities.

Social compensation packages readied for jeepney drivers, operators affected by new bus system in Davao

January 13, 2020 | 8:33 pm

THE LIST of jeepney drivers and operators who will be affected by the roll-out of the High Priority Bus System (HPBS) in Davao City will be finalized by March for the distribution of social compensation packages. Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, in a statement released late Sunday, assured that various “social safety nets, economic assistance and capacity building” will be available to cushion the impact of the shift to a more efficient public transport system. Ms. Carpio said “eligible jeepney operators, operators-drivers and drivers” can choose “whether to participate in the HPBS, or to exit from the public transportation sector,” which will be the basis for the assistance package that will be extended. Among the social compensation items are scholarship for a beneficiary’s dependent with support from the Congressional fund, cash assistance, training from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and livelihood kits from a P95-million fund under the Department of Trade and Industry. The city government has also allocated P540 million from its budget. Around 1,000 units will be deployed for the HPBS, replacing 7,000 public utility jeepneys in 29 routes around the city. “The city government is eyeing the first quarter of 2020 to roll out the first operation of low-floor buses in Catalunan Grande and in Diversion Road, and the opening of the proper route for the north to south commuters,” she said.

Snapshots of the impact of Taal Volcano’s eruption

January 13, 2020 | 8:32 pm

Soldiers assist in the evacuation of residents in Lemery, Batangas on Jan. 13 amid the continued ashfall from Taal Volcano.

Members of the Bureau of Fire Protection flush out ashfall along the National Highway in Biñan City, Laguna on Jan. 13.

Government agencies and various other organizations such as the Philippine Red Cross have been carrying out evacuation and relief operations for families affected by the ashfall from Taal Volcano. The PRC has set up various drop-off points for those who want to extend help.

Nation at a Glance — (01/14/20)

January 13, 2020 | 8:30 pm

News stories from across the nation. Visit www.bworldonline.com (section: The Nation) to read more national and regional news from the Philippines.

PearlPay, Malayan Insurance launches ‘Pearl Protect’, an insurance package for OFWs

January 13, 2020 | 12:00 pm

Local fintech PearlPay closed 2019 with the launch of Pearl Protect, a new insurance package targeted towards overseas Filipino workers. The announcement came after a memorandum of agreement signing last Dec. 18, 2019, between them and Malayan Insurance Inc, their partner in the new project.

PearlPay Chief Strategy Officer Precious Silva says their partnership with Malayan Insurance, a leading non-life insurance provider in the country, positions the group to better pursue their vision of improving the international remittance industry.

This project follows PearlPay’s recent partnership to digitize rural banks across Pangasinan, expanding their offerings to service Filipinos not only across the country, but the world.

“This partnership is a breakthrough to support our OFWs to secure and improve their lives overseas,” said Jerwin Operio, PearlPay’s chief marketing officer.

Residents flee as Taal Volcano spews ash column

January 13, 2020 | 1:00 am

RESIDENTS near Taal Volcano in Batangas province were being evacuated to safer ground after one of the world’s smallest volcanoes erupted on Sunday.

Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo M. Año ordered local government units near the volcano to evacuate people while authorities were assessing the situation.

“The most important thing to do now is to evacuate people near the volcano who are at risk,” he told dzBB radio.

Mr. Año also urged tourists to leave the place for their safety. He also ordered local chief executives to help affected residents.

Taal Volcano on the Philippines’ main Luzon island is the country’s second most active volcano. All of its eruptions are concentrated on Volcano Island, an island near the middle of Taal Lake.

Vulcan Point in the Philippines is the world’s largest island within a lake — the Main Crater Lake — that is situated on an island — Taal Island — located in a lake ( Taal Lake) within another island, which is Luzon.

“It also happens to be one of the cones of the active Taal Volcano, so Vulcan Point is also the world’s largest volcano in a lake (Main Crater Lake) on a volcano (Taal Volcano),” according to the website of the Geography Department of the University of California, Santa Barbara.

The Main Crater Lake also happens to be the largest lake on an island (Volcano Island) in a lake (Lake Taal) on an island (Luzon), it said.

Tourists often go to Tagaytay City, which is a two-hour drive from Manila, to get a glimpse of the picturesque Taal Volcano and Taal Lake.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology raised the alert status to level 2 on Sunday afternoon due to increased steaming activity.

“The public is reminded that the main crater should be strictly off limits because sudden steam explosions can occur and high concentrations of lethal volcanic gases can be released,” the volcanic agency said on its website.

“The northern portion of the main crater rim, in the vicinity of Daang Kastila Trail, can also become hazardous when fumarolic or degassing activity along existing fissures suddenly increases,” it said.

Increased steaming activity was observed in at least five spots in Taal Volcano’s main crater. The largest activity was an explosion that generated a plume about 100 meters high, the agency said, adding that three earthquakes had been recorded related to the eruption.

The entire volcanic island is a permanent danger zone, and permanent settlement on the island is strongly not recommended, it added. — Emmanuel Tupas, PhilStar and Genshen L. Espedido

Veto sought for part of sin tax bill

January 13, 2020 | 12:32 am

FINANCE SECRETARY Carlos G. Dominguez III has asked the President to veto a provision in the sin tax bill passed by Congress that states the government cannot conduct a raid without a court order, saying this is currently allowed by law.

“I want him (President Rodrigo R. Duterte) to take out one line there. May line there na we cannot raid before the court order. Hindi pwede ’yan (That’s not allowed), Mr. Dominguez told reporters on Friday evening.

The bill imposing higher excise taxes on electronic cigarettes, vapor products and alcoholic products was passed and ratified by the 18^th Congress on Dec. 18 and is now up for the President’s approval.

Mr. Duterte has until Jan. 24 to sign or veto the bill before it lapses into law.

Mr. Dominguez said currently, investigations can be done without court orders to check further anomalous or discrepancies in the firms’ records or inventories.

“That’s allowed by the law. Why will you remove that? That’s how we catch these guys. Hindi pwede ’yun (That can’t be). This one will only apply to the alcohol…bill eh. Alcohol and e-cigarettes,” he said.

Mr. Dominguez said the provision was likely inserted at the House of Representatives under the alcohol bill.

“Sa House. They think we do not read it line by line, we do. Wala pang isang line eh (It did not cover even one line),” he said.

Under Article VI, Section 27 (2) of the Constitution, the President may execute a line or item veto in an appropriation, revenue or tariff bill. This veto will not invalidate the entire bill, just the particular item under consideration.

Mr. Dominguez said he met with Mr. Duterte almost four times last week but forgot to bring up the issue.

However, the Finance chief said his office already sent a memorandum to Mr. Duterte’s office on the matter after the bill got out of the Congress last month.

“I should have mentioned it to him. I sent him a memo already right after the bill was passed towards the end of the year (2019),” he said.

The tax measure is expected to raise P22.2 billion in fresh revenues during the first year of implementation where 60% will be earmarked for the Universal Health Care program, 20% for Health Facilities Enhancement Program and the remaining 20% to support initiatives for the attainment of the country’s Sustainable Development Goals.

The measure is the Package 2+ of the Duterte administration’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, along with other measures such as Package 1 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion Act and Package 1B or the Tax Amnesty Act, which were already signed into law.

The remaining priority measures that have yet to be passed by Congress are the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization bill, the mining tax bill, the real property tax bill and the measure that will simplify the tax structure for financial investments. — Beatrice M. Laforga