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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 94 • 1 SECTION 8 PAGES MAY 21, 2023
LIKE A CAT WHEEL. A kitten is
seen playing on an art installation made of indigenous materials that resembles an exercise wheel for four-legged pets in a resort in Tanay, Rizal. Rey Baniquet
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NCR faces water interruption MWSS: Deteriorating Laguna Lake water quality to affect services
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HE Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System yesterday raised the alert on a possible water interruption in various parts of Metro Manila and Cavite amid the decreasing water quality of Laguna Lake. MWSS Division Manager Patrick Dizon said pollution, the presence of blue-green algae, and the high turbidity of the lake’s waters can affect water filtration systems, which in turn could result in water interruptions.
water filtration systems and cause fish kill in the lake. MWSS sources nine percent of its water distributed in Metro Manila from Laguna Lake, which also supplies 80 percent of the milkfish and tilapia requirements of the National Capital Region. “Our problem is that our water MWSS, Dizon said, is coordinating quality is not good,” he said. with experts from its Singaporean The Laguna Lake Development counterpart to address the water Authority earlier warned about the quality in Laguna Lake. proliferation of blue-green algae, locally “We have coordinated with the known as “liya,” which can complicate Public Utilities Board of Singapore.
They will arrive in Manila next week to assess the Maynilad plant in Putatan. We will seek guidance on what is the correct technology to be used based on the water quality,” he said. Meanwhile, National Water Resources Board executive director Sevillo David Jr. said the Marcos administration has adopted a wholeof-government approach to ensure water security amid a looming El Niño phenomenon. “We have various government
agencies and sectors that are already preparing for a possible El Niño crisis this year,” he said. El Niño increases the likelihood of below-normal rainfall conditions, which could cause dry spells and droughts in some areas. A recent study showed more than half of the world’s largest lakes and reservoirs are dwindling and placing humanity’s future water security at risk, with climate change and unsustainable consumption the main culprits.
PNP eyes money laundering probe on scalawag cops DMW unveils THE Philippine National Police will ask the Anti-Money Laundering Council to conduct a financial investigation on its personnel assigned to the PNP-Drug Enforcement Group as part of efforts to weed out so-called ninja cops involved in illegal activities. Ninja cops are those suspected of involvement in returning to the black market their confiscated illegal drugs.
At least 20 more members of the anti-narcotics unit of the PNP were relieved from their posts as part of a continuing internal cleansing, bringing the total number of cops sacked to 117. “This is on-going as part of our internal cleansing. We need to make sure that those who would be assigned in PDEG must be clean,” PDEG director Brig. Gen. Faro Antonio
Olaguera said. “We will also file a request before the AMLC for necessary financial investigation of other personnel involved,” Olaguera added. PDEG has at least 1,363 personnel, more than half of whom were assigned in 17 of its Special Operations Units (SOUs). PNP chief Gen. Benjamin Acorda Jr.
earlier said he was weighing options on the fate of the SOUs involved in the anti-illegal drugs campaign. Acorda said he was carefully studying the reforms amid controversies that hounded the SOUs, specifically in the conduct of buy-bust operations on the basis of information supplied by confidential informants or sources in the underground.
DSWD, BSP warn vs. ‘sangla-ATM’ scheme Christian Standhardinger
n By MARICEL V. CRUZ
cash cards or ATM cards as loan collateral. “Anytime you pawn a cash card given to you by the government, that is illegal. It was given to you and was issued in your name. Don’t ever give it to other people,” DSWD Secretary Rex
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development warned beneficiaries of the government’s cash transfer subsidy program against using their
Gatchalian said in a dzBB interview. “In effect, that new person becomes the new beneficiary. That is against the rules,” he added. Gatchalian said the “sangla-ATM” modus carries penalties for the subsidy beneficiaries.
Standhardinger retires from Gilas Pilipinas n By PETER ATENCIO
Standhardinger to hang up his Gilas jersey. And Standhardinger did just that, four days after Gilas Pilipinas completed its mission of redemption and regaining the SEA Games basketball throne. On Saturday,
BEING a vital part of the national men’s team that restored the country’s pride in Southeast Asian Games basketball proved to be the right time for Christian
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n By MARICEL V. CRUZ MIGRANT Workers Secretary Susan Ople said the government will assist some 815 overseas workers whose travel to Kuwait has been deferred due to the suspension of visa issuances for newly-hired Filipino workers. She said the DMW is preparing a financial aid package of P30,000 per OEC-holder (Overseas Employment Certificate) who has already spent money in applying for work in Kuwait. “We have agreed on a financial package and job-matching efforts for those whose dreams of working in Kuwait have been put on hold, temporarily, as both countries find the best way forward in addressing current concerns,” Ople said. This developed as the chairperson of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Pangasinan Rep. Rachel Arenas, on Saturday called for a complete deployment ban of all OFWs to Kuwait. “This total deployment ban must be enforced until the Kuwaiti government sits down with our officials and agrees to our demands. Until then, we should not entertain their demands and acts of intimidation,” she said.
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Standhardinger announced his decision to retire from the Philippine men’s basketball team, a few days following the Gilas’ successful gold medal match with Cambodia last Tuesday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
cash aid for OFWs affected by Kuwait ban
War with China is not an option, says Taiwan
Filing of exemptions for gun ban starts June 5
WORLD | A3
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