Unpredictability makes slides, floods deadly By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga
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CLIMATE ACTION (From left) Amb. Laure Beaufils (UK Ambassador to the Philippines), Mayor Joy Belmonte (Quezon City), Hon. Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr (Mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone), and Shruti Narayan (Managing Director, C40) at the C40 Cities Southeast Asia Regional Academy Global Workshop on September 3, 2024. Mayor Belmonte and Mayor Aki-Sawyerr lead a crucial dialogue on integrating Inclusive Climate Action (ICA) into city governance. This Regional Academy, running from September 2 to 6, is part of the Climate Action Implementation Programme, supported by the UK's Urban Climate Action Programme. NONOY LACZA
ANDSLIDES, flash floods and the unpredictability of when and where these will happen are a deadly combination, especially for the Philippines, tagged as one of the most vulnerable countries in the world. On Monday, landslides in Antipolo, R izal claimed the lives of seven people following the onslaught of Tropical Storm Enteng amid the prevailing southwest mon soon t h at i nduce d huge volumes of water. Oddly, some parts of Antipolo
and Rodriguez which sit on highelevation areas in the Province of Rizal, were flooded, along with low-lying areas in Metro Manila and other provinces in Luzon. Photos of logs being washed down a street-turned-river in Rodriguez, Rizal circulating on the internet is fueling anger over the government’s failure to stop forest denudation in the Marikina Watershed.
Landslide: Deadly geological hazard
LANDSLIDES, according to experts, are a deadly geological hazard and can be triggered by strong
earthquakes or heavy rain. Like flashfloods, it can bury an entire community underneath mud, or rubbles of rock and soil. Rain-induced landslide happens when the soil loosens because the volume of rain exceeds the soil’s capacity to absorb it, Dr. Arturo S. Daag, an Associate Scientist at the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) explained. When nothing is holding the thick soil buildup like rocks or roots of trees, the tendency is to fall, he added. Days of rain, he said, usually degrade the soil, thereby
losing its strength, and making it prone to landslide events. This, he said, could have been prevented with a proper early warning system in place, citing an ongoing initiative of the DOST called Dynaslope Projet, which installed an early warning system for deep-seated and catastrophic landslides, through landslide sensor technology and community participation in the Philippines. There are 50 pilot sites around the country which the Dynaslope Project implementers in the DOST is monitoring. See “Landslide,” A2
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PHL’S DEBT RISES 10.1% TO P15.7T BY END OF JULY By Cai U. Ordinario
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@caiordinario
EBT papers and the increase in loans for various government programs caused the country’s debt to rise to P15.69 trillion by the end of July 2024. Based on data from the Bureau of the Treasury (BTr), there was a 10.1-percent increase or an addition of P1.45 trillion in the year-on-year level of the national government’s debt. Compared to June 2024, the national debt increased 1.3 percent or P206.49 billion; compared to December 2023, there was a 7.3-percent or P1.07-trillion increase in the national government’s debt. “The NG’s debt portfolio has increased by P206.49 billion or 1.3 percent from the end-June 2024 level, primarily driven by the net issuance of both domestic and external debt,” BTr said in a statement. Based on the data, the country’s total debt stock comprises 68.54 percent domestic debt and 31.46 percent external debt. BTr said the national government’s domestic debt reached P10.75 trillion as of July 2024. This was 9.6 percent or P940.78 billion higher than the P9.81 trillion posted in the period ending July 2023. See “Debt,” A2
CARVING A LEGACY Ramer Magana, 57, skillfully carves a life-sized Virgin Mary statue in his workshop along Paete, Laguna’s national road—a craft that has long been the pride of his town. As a manguukit (wood carver) for over three decades, Magana has mastered this revered art. However, a deep concern lingers: the future of this cherished tradition. With the new generation turning toward modern careers, his children, despite possessing the skills, have chosen different paths. This shift puts Paete’s once-flourishing legacy of manguukit at risk of fading away. BERNARD TESTA
DOMESTIC TRAVEL TO BREAK RECORDS IN 2024–LEECHIU
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OMESTIC travel in the Philippines is expected to break records this year, exceeding prepandemic levels. In a recent presentation at the recent Hotel Sales and Marketing Association general membership meeting, Leechiu Property Consultants (LPC) Director for Hotels, Tourism, and Leisure Alfred Lay projected domestic trips to reach close to 130 million this year, exceeding the 122 million in 2019 by some 6.6
percent, and even higher than the 93.5-million domestic trips projected by the Department of Tourism (DOT). “In six short years [from 2022 to 2028], we could see a doubling of domestic tourism, hitting 195.7 million,” he said. He attributed the surge in domestic trips to the overall improvement in the general welfare and standard of living of Filipinos. “Increasing gross domestic product (GDP) per See “Leechiu,” A2
Processing all Marawi siege claims entails ₧5B-₧6B budget
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F the government intends to address all the claims filed at the Marawi Compensation Board (MCB), the board needs additional manpower and a budget of P5 billion to P6 billion every year. The MCB, which is tasked to operate for four more years to address the claims of Marawi Siege victims, estimates that assuming the board can decide on 180 cases monthly, it requires a budget of P5.87 billion in a year. This was based on the actual decisions made by the MCB in August 2024. The 180 cases led to a total award of P488.97 million in one month. “From July 3, 2023 until July 4, 2024, we received 14,495 [claims], almost 15,000 people who incurred property damage, lost homes, or had loved ones dy-
ing,” MCB Chairperson Maisara Dandanum-Latiph said, partly in Filipino, during a Senate Hearing. However, in order to continue their work and meet their target of deciding on 3,000 cases annually, Dandanum-Latiph said, the board would require another 51 plantilla posititions. Currently, there are 122 plantilla positions for the MCB. Without the additional personnel, the MCB may not be able to address all the claims. This means, the work of the government, particularly the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), would increase when the MCB ends its run. She added that the P50-million per year budget for MCB would be insufficient in terms of capacity building, which is needed by the
staff as well as equipment and office space. The MCB is also undertaking a social cartography which helps as additional basis for the verification of demolished structures. Meanwhile, total claims received by the MCB were broken down according to multiple claims, including property claims, which reached 8,292 as of July 4, 2024. This was followed by other property claims which reached 5,702; death claims, 192; structural property claims, 210; and multiple claims with death claims, 99. The total claims filed at the MCB would require the government to extend a total of P36.08 billion. This is broken down into P31.56 bil lion for str ucturerelated claims; P4.44 billion for
personal properties; and P71.4 million for the loss of lives. In order to address all these claims, Dandanum-Latiph said the MCB aims to process 45 claims weekly, which will require an estimate of P122.24 million worth of award. A s of 2024, t he MC B h a s awarded a total of 271 claims worth P485.76 million. This is broken down into 164 multiple claims worth P445.5 million and 107 death claims worth P40.25 million. In terms of claims that have yet to receive the actual awards, the MCB has approved 685 claims worth P1.16 billion. This is broken down into 556 multiple claims worth P1.11 billion and 129 death claims worth P49.7 million.
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 56.3270 n JAPAN 0.3834 n UK 74.0475 n HK 7.2247 n CHINA 7.9145 n SINGAPORE 43.1030 n AUSTRALIA 38.2291 n EU 62.3596 n KOREA 0.0421 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.0109 Source:
Cai U. Ordinario
BSP (3 September 2024)