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VOL. XXXVII • NO. 236 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES OCTOBER 8, 2023
www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
GILAS GOLD IN ASIAN GAMES WORTH A THOUSAND—POC
‘1.5 MILLION TONS OF PALAY COULD BE LOST TO EL NINO’ NIA: HUGE THREAT TO IRRIGATION SYSTEMS IN 7 REGIONS
NEWS | A2
ISRAEL SAYS 22 DEAD IN ‘WAR’ FROM GAZA WORLD | A4
By Charles Dantes
A
BOUT 1.5 million metric tons of palay (unhusked rice) could be lost due to El Niño’s threat to irrigation systems, a projection by the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) showed.
Josephine Salazar, NIA officerin-charge and Deputy Administrator for Engineering and Operations Sector, said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City that the agency has identified areas vulnerable to El Niño, totaling 257,600 hectares of rice lands. Data provided by the NIA showed that if the estimated 5.83 metric tons (MT) yield per hectare is multiplied by around 260,000 hectares, the projected palay yield loss could be around 1.5 million MT. Subtracting the estimated 6% palay-to-rice milling loss, the amount of rice output that could be lost due to the dry spell is around 1.46 million MT. Salazar said the bulk of vulnerable farmlands were in Central Luzon, accounting for 85,000 hectares, followed by Region XII or Soccsksargen with 27,000 hectares, and Region I or Ilocos Region with 24,000 hectares that would be affected by the dry spell. Other top El Niño-vulnerable regions are Mimaropa (17,000 hectares), Western Visayas (15,000 hectares), Central Visayas (14,000 hectares), and the Zamboanga Peninsula (13,000 hectares). The Department of Agriculture, NIA’s mother agency currently headed by President Marcos, is proposing the planting of high-yielding crop varieties, which need less water to grow than rice, Salazar said. The NIA is also implementing a solar-powered irrigation system, as well as an alternate wetting and drying technique, as a watersaving technology that can reduce irrigation water use in rice fields without decreasing yield.
PICTURE PERFECT. Pictured is the Pangulasian island portion of El Nido Resorts, which the annual Readers’ Survey of the magazine Condé Nast Traveler ranked as the top resort in the Philippines, the No. 2 Best Resort in Asia, and No. 39 among the Best Resorts in the World for the eighth consecutive time. Max Seigal/El Nido Resorts
MARCOS CREDITS PRICE CAP FOR CONTROLLING RICE INFLATION; AGRI EXEC SEES STABLE SUPPLY By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Saturday said the mandated price ceiling for rice that was in place for about a month has helped stabilize the prices of the staple in the market. In his YouTube vlog, Mr. Marcos cited the lifting of Executive Order (EO) No. 39, which imposed a P41 price ceiling on regular milled rice and a P45 price cap on well-milled rice as one of the main reasons for the recovery of the country’s supply. President Marcos assured that necessary assistance to affected sectors will continue, including efforts to strengthen and enhance the country’s agricultural
sector. He also said the government is exhausting all legal remedies against rice smugglers and hoarders. The President emphasized that he is more concerned about the movement of prices of basic goods in the market than the movement of his ratings in the recent Pulse Asia survey. “That is the true measure of whether we are doing the right thing and we can see it in the result, the stabilization of prices due to the price cap and the removal of the price cap and next to that are our other strategies to help our farmers so that they do not lose money,” the President said. He said the government is doing everything to ensure the continuous
stabilization and decrease of rice prices in the market. Meanwhile, a Department of Agriculture official on Saturday said the agency sees no pending price movement as the Philippines has been able to secure enough rice supply. Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the stable supply of rice began in August and is expected to last until next month. “Our harvest this wet season was high, or a bumper. From the end of August, this September until October, until November, we expect that really - we do not expect any price hike,” de Mesa said during the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.
AFP: PLAN IN PLACE TO STOP CHINESE MEDDLING IN WPS RESUPPLY MISSIONS THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) has a plan to stop or reduce Chinese interference in its resupply missions to its outposts in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), its spokesman said Saturday, as he slammed China’s latest “indisputable sovereignty” claim over the Spratly Islands. AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar said in a press briefing that the interference of Chinese vessels inside the country’s exclusive economic zone “should not become the norm” even as he was tight-lipped on how the Armed Forces would proceed with its plan. “We don’t want to telegraph our plan because it is a matter of national security,”Aguilar said while guaranteeing that
ENVOY AS OBSERVER.
Philippine Special Envoy to China for Special Concerns Teodoro Locsin Jr. (right) talks to a Philippine Coast Guard officer as he joined the resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, where he personally witnessed Chinese vessels’ maneuvers against local ships.
Filipino soldiers deployed in the WPS are “very much inspired” at the moment. “First, because of the completed supply missions. Second, because of the support they are hearing from almost all Filipinos, and for the international community for standing by the Philippines in its position on matters concerning the West Philippine Sea,” he said. “The morale of our troops in the West Philippine Sea is high and they are determined to work harder to make sure the interest of the country is protected,” Aguilar said. Meanwhile, China’s use of the word “indisputable” for islands in the WPS “is disputable,” the spokesman added. Charles Dantes
EL NIDO RESORT AGAIN AMONG WORLD’S BEST EL NIDO Resorts in Palawan is once again one of the 40 best resorts in the world, the second best resort in Asia, and the best getaway in the Philippines, the results of the annual Readers’ Choice Awards of Condé Nast Traveler magazine showed. Condé Nast Traveler ranked El Nido Resorts’ Pangulasian, Lagen, and Miniloc island resorts as No. 1 Best Resorts in the Philippines, No. 2 Best Resorts in Asia, and No. 39 Best Resorts in the World for the eighth consecutive time. The Readers’ Choice Awards are widely regarded as the travel industry’s most prestigious accolades with a long-standing legacy that also serves as the ultimate symbol and recognition of excellence within the sector. Over 520,000 readers of Condé Nast Traveler shared their ratings and reviews of their travel experiences worldwide, the magazine said. “Their valuable insights provided a comprehensive overview of the destinations they are excited to visit again,” it added. El Nido Resorts has established itself as a leader in the industry with Pangulasian Island consistently being among Condé Nast Traveler’s Best Resorts in the World since 2016. This year, Miniloc and Lagen joined Pangulasian as the secondhighest-ranked resort in Asia and the only Philippine resort named in the 50 Best Resorts in the World.