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12-hr. water interruptions start July 12
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 146 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JULY 11, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
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A vendor arranges a display of water containers for sale at a roadside shop in Bacoor, Cavite on Monday. Customers of Maynilad Water Services in greater Metro Manila may experience supply interruption of up to 12 hours starting Wednesday owing to the low water levels of Angat Dam. Norman Cruz
Lower supply from MWSS, says Maynilad By Othel V. Campos, Joel E. Zurbano and Macon Ramos-Araneta
M LIST OF AFFECTED AREAS (from 7 p.m. to 4 a.m.) Manila Navotas Valenzuela Caloocan – up to 6 a.m. in some areas Malabon – up to 6 a.m. in Dampalit, Hulong Duhat, Tañong Quezon City – up to 5 a.m. or 6 a.m. in some areas (see full list online at manilastandard.net)
AYNILAD Water Services, Inc. (Maynilad) is cutting water flow to five of its service areas for as much as 12 hours daily starting July 12, following a further reduction in the supply of raw water from the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS).
“The water interruption will be every 7 p.m. starting July 12. It is expected to be extended until 6 a.m. [the next day], but the supply should be available by as early as 4 a.m. in some parts. We just need to build up pressure so water can flow as swiftly as possible during the hours it is available,” said Maynilad vice president and head of water supply operations Ronald Padua. This came a day after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources Next page
DOH: Cholera, dengue, malnutrition cases could rise amid El Niño By Gabriellea B. Pariño THE Department of Health on Monday warned against the risk of cholera and dengue outbreaks in the country as well as a possible spike in malnutrition cases
linked to the El Niño phenomenon. “Weather affects health. We are handling diseases that deal with drought. If there is drought, there is low food production and we are going to focus on malnourished-sensitive populations,”
Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa told DOH Usec. Eric Tayag also warned reporters in a press briefing. that water-borne diseases such as denFood shortages and inaccessibility to gue and cholera may also spike during food products due to high prices may the dry spell. result in malnutrition cases in poverty“People tend to reserve water by inclined communities, Herbosa said. Next page
Japan, France backstop PH stance on WPS By Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta
POWER COSTS DROPPING BY P0.72/KWH NEWS / A2
AI-POWERED TRANSLATOR FOR BAYBAYIN NEWS / A2
JAPAN has vowed to strengthen security partnerships with the Philippines and other like-minded nations such as the United States and Australia to maintain peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. During the 69th anniversary of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF), Japanese Ambassador to the Philippines Koshikawa Kazuhiko emphasized the importance of stronger cooperation with Manila, saying unity is necessary “to lead the international community towards greater cooperation while deterring unwarranted division and confrontation.” Besides the Philippines, Japan is bolstering its ties with the US and Australia—two countries with which the
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PALACE VISITORS. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. receives the credentials of Ambassador-Designate Lee Sang-hwa of the Republic of Korea (left) and Daniel Hernandez-Joseph of Mexico at Malacañan Palace on Monday. Rolando Mailo
DOJ orders POGO workers freed, hits case buildup ficking operations, who were arrested during a Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO) raid in Las Piñas City, as it lamented that the police failed THE Department of Justice on Monday in its case buildup. But as of last night, the foreign POGO ordered the release of five Chinese suspects allegedly involved in human traf- workers remained in police custody,
By Rey Requejo, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Vince Lopez
By Julito G. Rada and Maricel V. Cruz tions and strengthening the commodity
NEWS / A3
BUSINESS / A7
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Gov’t inks $600-m World Bank loan to modernize agri, fisheries sectors
BIZ GROUP CALLS FOR K-12 REFORM FIRST GEN, PRIME INFRA IN GAS TALKS
their lawyer told reporters after the DOJ ordered their release “for further preliminary investigation.” “We told them to cooperate with us first before acting, and then they want us to file cases without evidence. Our
NEW ENVOY. New Singaporean Ambassador to the Philippines Constance See (left) pays a courtesy call on Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez at the Manila Golf and Country Club on Monday. Singapore is the Philippines’ top source of investments in 2022 and the country’s 7th largest trading partner. Ver Noveno
THE government and the World Bank signed the agreement for a $600-million (roughly P33.3 billion) loan for a project to modernize the agriculture and fisheries sector in the country. The World Bank and the Department of Finance, on behalf of the government, signed the deal on July 7, 2023. The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP) Scale-Up aims to transform the agriculture sector into a modernized and industrialized sector through public infrastructure interven-
value chain. Meanwhile, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said hundreds of thousands of farmers will now have extra resources to spend on food, education, shelter, wellness, and other family expenses after the New Agrarian Emancipation Act gave them a clean slate by condoning their debts worth P57.56 billion. Romualdez said more than 600,000 agrarian reform beneficiaries can now focus on “living their lives to the fullNext page