VP Sara, Speaker wish harmony, unity, success for Muslims on Eid’l Fitr
MORNING OF EID. Filipino Muslims gather at the Quirino Grandstand in Luneta Park to pray in unison the Salat-Al-Eid, a prayer intended for the celebration of Eid’l Fitr, ending Islam’s holy month of Ramadan on Saturday. Danny Pata
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 65 • 2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES APRIL 23, 2023
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IN HER message for Eid’l Fitr on Saturday, Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio asked for prayers for “harmony, unity, and success for each one.” “As we celebrate with our family, friends, and communities, let our hearts be filled with joy knowing that love, kindness, respect, faithfulness, and peace reign supreme in our hearts and in our lives,” Duterte said in a statement. Also, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Saturday joined Filipino Muslims in celebrating Eid’l Fitr, saying respect for each other despite diverse religious beliefs is a potent force towards nationbuilding. “Let us continue to pray for harmony, unity, and success for each one as we strive to grow deeper in our faith and service to others,” the Vice President said. Duterte-Carpio hoped that the words and actions of everyone speak only of the “good and may our character reflect the ideals that Allah wants us to live out each day.” On Friday, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. encouraged the Muslim community to embody the values they learned during the month-long celebration of Ramadan. “We extend our warmest greetings to our Muslim brothers and sisters as we join them in celebrating Eid’l Fitr marking the end of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic faith,” Romualdez said in a statement. “May you and your families be blessed with good health, happiness, and prosperity. May peace reign over your hearts and your households and may the blessings of life be upon you and your loved ones.” The House of Representatives leader pointed out that recognition and respect for the diversity in our religious beliefs are deeply enshrined in our Constitution. Maricel V. Cruz
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PH, China set more talk lines PBBM to envoy: Taiwan, WPS statements ‘might be misinterpreted’
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said some of the pronouncements that have been made recently on various issues by the Philippines and China “and many other countries might be misinterpreted” as he welcomed visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the Philippines’ top diplomat expressed his concern to Qin over escalating tensions in waters around Taiwan, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “As to the conflicts, we agreed to establish more lines of communications so that any event that occurs in the West Philippine Sea that involves China and the Philippines can immediately be resolved,” Mr. Marcos added in a statement from the Presidential Communications Office last night. “So, we are currently working on that and are awaiting the Chinese response and we are confident that these issues would be worked out that would be mutually beneficial for both our nations,” the President added.
Mr. Marcos said it was “really useful” that he was able to speak to Qin “so we can talk directly to one another and iron things out,” adding the meeting was “very useful, very productive.” “We were able to talk things a little bit through, make plans for the future, continue to work on growing the relationship between the Philippines and China, not only in the economic field but in the cultural and educational and other exchanges,” the President said. Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo met Qin as the two countries seek to deepen economic ties while also managing their bitter dispute over islands in the strategic South China Sea, the DFA said in a statement after the talks.
WELCOME TO MANILA. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. welcomes Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang to Malacanan Palace on Saturday after the envoy met his Philippine counterpart, Enrique Manalo, who expressed Manila’s concern over tensions in the Taiwan Strait. PPA, DFA photos “Secretary Manalo reaffirmed the Philippines’ adherence to the One China Policy, while at the same time expressing concern over the escalating tensions across the Taiwan Strait,” DFA said.
The differences over the South China Sea should not prevent Manila and Beijing from seeking ways to manage the maritime rows Manalo added after meeting his Chinese counterpart at the Diamond Hotel
in Manila. “Our leaders have agreed that our differences in the West Philippine Sea are not the sum (or) total of our relations,” Manalo said. AFP
PAGASA set to raise El Nino alert in May; save water, NWRB warns n By MARICEL V. CRUZ THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is expected to come up with an El Niño Alert starting next month as the likelihood of the weather phenomenon lasting from June until the first quarter of 2024 has increased.
This developed as the National Water Resources Board on Saturday told the public to begin conserving water and use it correctly amid El Niño, which is characterized by below-normal rainfall that can lead to dry spells and drought. Meanwhile, water service interruptions will be experienced in several parts of Caloocan and Quezon City from April 24 to May 1 due to network maintenance, the
Maynilad Water Services, Inc. announced on Saturday. “We are expecting by next month, May, we will raise the El Niño ‘Watch’ status to ‘Alert’ status,” said PAGASA Climate Impact Assessment and Application Section Climatology and Agrometeorology Division chief Marcelino Villafuerte at a news forum. Villafuerte said an El Niño Alert status
Marcos on Earth Day: Let’s fight climate change PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has urged the public to participate in the global action against climate change in celebration of International Mother Earth Day. “Our administration remains fully supportive of environmental programsand policies,” he said, noting these were in the Climate Change Commission PH Facebook account. The Department of Budget and
Management on Saturday also called on fellow government agencies to intensify climate change planning and programming, as the world observes Earth Day. Meanwhile, the Climate Change Commission said that by “investing in our planet, we can take concrete steps toward mitigating the effects of climate change. This includes implementing sustainable practices, reducing our carbon footprint
and promoting conservation efforts.” The social arm of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines(CBCP) also joined the call for the government to declare a climate emergency. According to Fr. Antonio Labiao, Caritas Philippines executive secretary, they call on the government to take action on how to address the effects of climate change. Vince Lopez
Magnate Oscar Lopez passes away, 93 OSCAR Moreno Lopez, the patriarch of the Lopez clan that owns media giant ABS-CBN, has passed away at the age of 93. Lopez was chairman emeritus, chairman and chief executive officer of Lopez Holdings Corporation and First Philippine Holdings Corporation, which he headed for almost 25 years before stepping down in 2010 to serve as its chairman emeritus. He also served as a director of ABS-
CBN Corporation which is part of the Lopez Group, and served as chairman of the Lopez Group Foundation, and was chairman and president of the Eugenio Lopez Foundation, which administers the Lopez Museum and Library. He is survived by eight children, including Federico “Piki” Lopez, the chairman and CEO of First Philippine Holdings, and several grandchildren.
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meant there was a 70 percent chance that the dry spell phenomenon would occur within the next two months. “When it’s already the onset of El Niño we call it ‘Advisory,” he said. PAGASA earlier said that from a 55-percent probability, the chances for an El Niño between June and August have increased to 80 percent. The probability of El Niño between
November and January 2024 also rose to about 87 percent. The weather bureau has said El Niño’s possible impacts in some areas of the country are drought or dry spell, but this will be felt towards the last quarter. Villafuerte in the news forum maintained that “by July, August, and September, there is an 80 percent chance that El Niño will happen.”
Kin: Ex-DFA head del Rosario died of massive heart attack THE late former Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario suffered a “massive heart attack” during a flight to San Francisco, his family confirmed Saturday as his remains arrived in Manila last night. In a statement signed by his daughter Dr. Inge V. del Rosario, the former ambassador to the United States was en route to the US with his wife Gretchen and son-in-law on Tuesday when he “breathed his last,” as his family released more details of his passing.“ It was determined that the causes of death were cardiac insufficiency, congestive heart failure, and cardiomyopathy. He had suffered a massive heart attack. He died in the arms of his wife,” the family revealed. “While there were valiant attempts to resuscitate him by two doctors who were passengers on the same flight, these efforts were to no avail.” The wake will be open to the public
Albert del Rosario today (Sunday) and Monday at the Chapels of the Santuario de San Antonio in Makati, according to his family. “We ask the Filipino people to pray for the peaceful repose of his soul and for consolation in our time of grief. We are grateful for the outpouring of support for the family,” they said.
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