CRAVINGS
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IN MET R MANILAO
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 163 • 4 SECTIONS 16 PAGES « JULY 28, 2024
ANNIVERSARY SUPPLEMENT C1-4 & D1
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OIL SLICK MAY IMPACT CAVITE, PAMPANGA, AND BULACAN
Filipino gymnast Carlos Yulo competes in six apparatus for the all-around qualification in Bercy Arena. He needs to be in the Top 8 of each apparatus to qualify. As of press time, he is on track to compete in the all-around final. (See online for Yulo’s final standing)
CHINA TAKES 1ST OLYMPIC GOLD AS RAIN DISRUPTS PARIS GAMES
MARCOS CREATES TASK FORCE TO AVERT SPILL CATASTROPHE By Charles Dantes
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OME of the 1.4 million liters of industrial fuel oil inside the sunken MT Terra Nova tanker started to leak into Manila Bay, the Philippine Coast Guard said Saturday, as the government raced to avoid an environmental catastrophe. The oil slick has more than tripled in size and is now estimated to stretch 12-14 kilometers across the bay, which thousands of fishermen and tourism operators rely on for their livelihoods. Environment Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga told President Marcos the oil spill might affect Bulacan, Cavite, and Pampanga. Yulo-Loyzaga showed Mr. Marcos a diagram from the Biodiversity Management Bureau identifying coastal and marine resources and
EPIC OPENING. The delegations from the Philippines, Poland and Puerto Rico sail in a boat along the river Seine during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games on July 26, 2024, as the Eiffel Tower is seen in the background. AFP
marine protected areas that might be affected by the oil spill as well as an image from the Philippine Satellite Agency showing the track of the oil slick. “We are on the lookout now for the possible contamination that could happen in the wetlands and the coastline areas not just of Bataan, but we are also looking at Bulacan, and we are also looking at Pampanga, possibly Cavite because of Corregidor,” she said. The President created an inter-
EXTENT OF THE OIL SLICK. President Marcos conducts an aerial inspection to determine the extent of the oil spill in Manila Bay from the sunken tanker MT Terra Nova on Saturday, July 27, 2024. Inset photo shows a map generated by the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) showing the extent of the possible oil spill.
agency task force to quickly address the potential effects of the oil spill. Led by the Office of the Civil Defense, the task force also includes the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. Mr. Marcos said indigenous materials to absorb the oil should be used. “Let’s simulate it because no matter what happens, we will really need the commercial booms. Whatever we can get, let’s get it... Let’s get ready for the time when we have to deploy them. Actually, we should already be deploying them,” the President said. Divers inspected the hull of the vessel on Saturday and saw a “minimal leak” from the valves, PCG spokesman Rear Admiral Armando Balilo said, adding it was “not alarming yet.” “It’s just a small volume flowing out,” Balilo said, adding “the tanks are intact.” “We’re hoping that tomorrow (Sunday), we will be able to start siphoning the oil from the motor tanker,” he added. The ship that will carry the recovered oil is on its way to the area, he said. AFP
PH: 1ST RESUPPLY MISSION IN WPS AFTER CHINA DEAL By Rachelle Tonelada THE Philippines carried out a rotation and resupply (RORE) mission to troops on Ayungin Shoal Saturday without “untoward incidents,” more than a month after a violent clash with Chinese forces in the area. The Department of Foreign Affairs said it was the first RORE mission in the West Philippine Sea since Manila and Beijing reached a “provisional arrangement” earlier this month for the delivery of daily necessities for Filipino troops based on the BRP Sierra Madre, a rusty warship grounded atop the shoal. China Coast Guard spokesman Gan Yu claimed the Philippines carried out Saturday’s resupply mission “in accordance with the temporary arrangement reached between China
and the Philippines.” “The Chinese coast guard acknowledged and supervised the whole process,” Gan said in a statement. China also warned it will “respond resolutely” to any violation by the Philippines of the recent deal aimed at de-escalating tensions between the two countries, its top diplomat, Wangi Yi, told his Filipino counterpart, Secretary Enrique Manalo, at an ASEAN gathering in Laos. Wang Yi called on the Philippines to “honor its commitments” under the deal rather than “backtracking or creating complications,” according to a readout of the meeting released by Beijing. “Otherwise, China will definitely respond resolutely,” he said. Wang also warned the Philippines against deploying a US missile de-
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fense system. “If the Philippines introduces the US intermediate-range missile defense system, it will create tension and confrontation in the region and trigger an arms race,” he said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, for his part, hit out at China’s “escalatory and unlawful actions” in the South China Sea on Saturday in Laos. The United States and ASEAN had to work together to “address challenges,” Blinken told ministers from the 10-member bloc, including China’s “escalatory and unlawful actions taken against the Philippines in the South China Sea over the last few months.” Speaking to reporters late Friday evening, Manalo said he hoped Beijing would keep its side of the bargain. AFP
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CHINA took the first gold of the Paris Olympics on Saturday, as the rain that dampened the opening ceremony took its toll on the first full day of sporting action. In a closely fought final of the mixed-team 10-meter air rifle, teenage duo Sheng Lihao and Huang Yuting outscored Keum Ji-hyeon and Park Ha-jun from South Korea 16-12, Kazakhstan grabbing the bronze. The rain already claimed one sporting casualty early Saturday as the wet weather which deluged Friday night’s audacious festival on the River Seine continued to cause headaches. The men’s street skateboarding competition, due to take place at the Place de la Concorde in the historic heart of Paris, was postponed until Monday due to rain overnight, organizers said. The downpours also disrupted play at the opening rounds of tennis at Roland Garros, with no action on the 10 uncovered outside courts until 13:30 local time (1130 GMT), organizers said. Torrential rain had lashed participants and spectators in Friday’s amphibious opening ceremony, where around 7,000 athletes paraded along the Seine in an armada of boats before a show-stopping finale which climaxed with a glittering light show at the Eiffel Tower and a performance from singer Celine Dion. The ceremony received broadly favourable reviews, with France’s centre-right Le Figaro daily describing it as “full of surprises but often disjointed.” The International Olympic Committee however was forced to apologize however for a gaffe during the ceremony that saw South Korea’s athletes incorrectly introduced as North Korean. “We deeply apologize for the mistake that occurred when introducing the South Korean team during the broadcast of the opening ceremony,” the IOC said in a post on its official Korean-language X account. AFP
OVER 1,000 PUBLIC SCHOOLS TO DEFER OPENING TO AUG. 5 SOME 1,002 public schools nationwide will postpone their opening to not later than August 5 following the severe flooding caused by Super Typhoon “Carina” and the enhanced “habagat.” “Some schools will really have to postpone their opening because they have a lot to fix and clean,” Education Secretary Sonny Angara said. In Metro Manila, all 190 public schools in Malabon, Pasig, Marina and Valenzuela will open on August 5 instead of on Monday, July 29, DepEd data showed. Some 35 public schools in Navotas, Manila, San Juana
and Quezon City will also move their opening to August 5. In Ilocos Region, 331 schools will open after July 29 but not later than August 5. Central Luzon will also have 442 schools moving their opening. In Region 12, four schools near the Ligurian Marsh in Cotabato will open on August 5. “The regional directors will also work with the principals to assess readiness for school opening. We will not force those who were devastated and will really have a hard time to open on Monday,” Angara said.
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