Author: user user

Lower palay harvest seen in Q3

Local palay or unmilled rice production is projected to decrease by 15 percent in the third quarter due to a drop in harvest area, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

Latest PSA data showed that palay harvest may decline to 3.19 million metric tons (MT) in the July to September period from 3.75 million MT last year.

Its latest projection as of Aug. 1 is also 2.2 percent lower than the 3.26 million MT estimate a month ago.

The PSA reported that the palay harvest area, based on standing crop from July to September, may decrease by 15.8 percent to 771,790 hectares from 916,770 hectares in the actual harvested area last year.

Despite the decline in harvest area, the yield per hectare for palay could slightly increase to 4.13 MT per hectare from 4.09 MT per hectare.

As of Aug. 1, an estimated 113,790 hectares, or 14.7 percent of the 771,790 hectares of the updated harvest area of standing crop, have been harvested. This translates to a palay output of 455,250 MT.

The PSA added that of the 1.55 million hectares of standing palay, 60.1 percent were at the vegetative stage, 26.1 percent were at the reproductive stage and 13.8 percent were at the maturing stage.

Meanwhile, the country’s corn production may also decline to 2.08 million MT in the third quarter, a 14.4-percent decrease from the 2.43 million in the same period last year.

Corn harvest area is also projected to drop to 688,030 hectares, 12.8 percent lower than the 789,240 hectares last year.

Similarly, yield per hectare may decline to 3.02 MT per hectare, a 1.6 percent decline from the 3.07 MT per hectare the same period in 2025.

About 129,950 hectares of corn area have already been harvested as of Aug. 1, representing about 18.9 percent of the 688,030 hectares of harvest area for standing corn. This translated to about 366,790 MT of corn production.

Of the remaining unharvested corn, 39.2 percent were at the reproductive stage, 31.2 percent were at the maturing stage and 29.6 percent were at the vegetative stage.

Camarines Norte robbery-shooting suspect nabbed after 8 hours

An eight-hour manhunt ended with the arrest of a man suspected of shooting a driver of a public utility during a robbery in Basud town, Camarines Norte, on Tuesday, a belated report says.

Police cornered the suspect at 5:35 p.m. in Purok 1, Barangay Napolidan in the municipality of Lupi, about 43 kilometers from Basud, according to Police Lieutenant Col. Maria Luisa Calubaquib, Bicol police spokesperson.

She said the robbery took place at around 9:30 a.m. along Metal Bridge in Barangay Tuaca. The suspect was commuting in a van bound for Daet from Naga City when he allegedly ordered the driver to stop and declared a holdup.

But the driver suddenly moved the vehicle as the suspect stood near the door, prompting him to shoot the driver in the chest, Calubaquib said.

The suspect then fled on foot toward the mountainous Bicol Natural Park. Police units from Camarines Norte and Camarines Sur launched a coordinated pursuit.

Police recovered about P24,000 in cash, three cellular phones and a wallet from the suspect, which investigators believed could have been taken from the van’s other passengers.

They also seized an Armscor pistol with one round in the chamber, a steel magazine and six additional rounds of ammunition.

Police said the suspect had also been tied to a September 14 shooting incident in Bato town in Camarines Sur.

Technocity | Lenovo Premier League 2026 brings Sri Lanka’s IT community together

Sri Lanka’s technology industry traded keyboards for cricket bats as the Technocity | Lenovo Premier League 2026 (TLPL 2026) brought together 18 leading companies from the country’s IT sector for a memorable day of competitive cricket and camaraderie.

More than a corporate cricket tournament, TLPL 2026 was created as a platform to bring together people from across Sri Lanka’s technology ecosystem -not only business owners and managers but employees representing their different organisations.

The event was graced by Technocity Group Chairman Famy Ismail; Laptop.lk Director Minhaj Farook; and Lenovo Sri Lanka Country Business Head Siraj Jabir.

Commenting on the initiative, Famy Ismail said:’TLPL gives us the opportunity to bring the technology community together in a completely different environment. Business is built on relationships, and events like this allow people to compete passionately while developing friendships that can continue well beyond the cricket field.’

A substantial cash prize of Rs 400,000 was awarded to the Champions, while Runners-up received Rs 200,000. Cash awards and recognition were also presented for outstanding individual performances, including Best Batsman, Best Bowler and Man of the Match.

However, the recognition did not end with the winning teams.In a special ‘first of its kind’ initiative announced at TLPL 2026, Technocity will take the players from all 18 participating teams, together with their respective team managers, on a fully sponsored one-day adventure and team building experience to Kitulgala, including white water rafting. This is particularly significant, because many IT industry incentive programmes, overseas tours and partnership events tend to recognise top-performing sales personnel, managers, business owners or selected partners. However TLPL recognised participating employees of these organisations.

Minhaj Farook said: ‘Cricket is a great reflection of business. You may have talented individuals, but success comes when everyone understands their role and work towards one goal. TLPL is about bringing that same spirit.’

From the opening huddles and competitive matches to the awards ceremony, Technocity | Lenovo Premier League 2026 delivered an atmosphere of sportsmanship and unity.

With 18 companies competing for exceptional cash prizes and the fact that every participating team will be included in the upcoming ‘Kitulgala experience’. Technocity | Lenovo Premier League 2026 demonstrated that the tournament was ultimately about something greater than winning a trophy, it was about bringing an industry together.

CMCFeature-CARIBBEAN – CRIME – Crime thrives on weak justice, illegal guns and dirty money

Crime in Latin America and the Caribbean is no longer only a matter for the police. It is weakening societies, draining economies and obstructing development. It is also testing public confidence in courts, governments and democratic institutions. The figures are alarming. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean reports that the region, with only about 9 per cent of the world’s population, accounts for almost one-third of all homicides. In 2021 alone, at least 89,100 people were killed with firearms.

Behind every statistic is a human tragedy: a child without a parent, a mother mourning a son, a woman trapped with an abuser, or a family driven from its community. Fear changes how people live. Children are kept indoors. Businesses close early. Witnesses remain silent. Communities retreat behind bars and locked gates.

Killings are not isolated acts. They are the visible result of a larger system involving illegal weapons, criminal finance, compromised institutions and persons who profit without approaching the scene.

For women and children, institutional failure is especially dangerous. When complaints are disregarded, investigations are delayed and protective orders are not enforced, vulnerable persons are left within reach of their abusers. Impunity then becomes an invitation to repeat the offence.

The criminal justice system is a chain. Police, prosecutors, courts, prisons and rehabilitation services are all links in it. When any link breaks, the entire system is weakened.

Public impatience is now producing open confrontation between political leaders and the judiciary. In Costa Rica, where drug-related violence has risen sharply, President Laura Fernández has accused the judiciary of being infiltrated by organised crime. Her Security Minister has said that only 38 per cent of homicides result in convictions.

Judicial authorities have denied the allegations and warned that budget reductions will further weaken their capacity. That dispute contains a lesson for the entire region. Courts cannot retain public confidence if criminal cases collapse, convictions are rare and allegations of corruption are not credibly investigated. But governments have to demand accountability while providing courts with resources and maintaining judicial independence, consistent with clear rules.

In Antigua and Barbuda, Prime Minister Gaston Browne recently expressed strong concern about what he regarded as an unduly lenient judicial approach in a firearms case. His intervention reflected a wider public anxiety across the Caribbean: persons accused of serious firearms offences must be dealt with firmly and expeditiously, in accordance with law.

Criminal justice systems must demonstrate that unlawful possession and trafficking will attract consequences capable of deterring others. That requires clear laws, competent police investigations, forensic services, effective prosecution and courts equipped to dispose of cases promptly. Every part of the system must function if public confidence is to be maintained.

The 2023 Caribbean Firearms Study, jointly produced by CARICOM IMPACS and the Small Arms Survey, found that the Caribbean’s violent-death rate was almost three times the global average. Firearms were used in more than half of all homicides and, in some countries, in about 90 per cent.

Technology must also become a much stronger part of the region’s defence. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, in its World Drug Report 2026, shows that land and maritime routes dominate the movement of illicit drugs by volume, depending on the substance. Caribbean seaports, airports and unofficial landing points are therefore front lines in the struggle against organised crime.

Governments should invest in cargo scanners, container-tracking and surveillance systems, automatic number-plate recognition, canine units and advance passenger and cargo information. But machinery must be supported by intelligence-led risk assessment, trained and vetted officers, secure port access and regional information-sharing. A scanner within a compromised system will detect only what criminals permit it to find.

According to the Inter-American Development Bank, the direct costs of crime and violence in Latin America and the Caribbean amounted to approximately 3.4 per cent of regional GDP in 2022. That was equivalent to 78 per cent of all public spending on education across the region. Businesses lose sales, governments spend scarce resources on policing, prisons and emergency health care, and families lose income when breadwinners are killed or disabled.

Tourism and investment are not automatically destroyed by every increase in crime. But once international headlines, travel advisories and social media create an image of uncontrolled violence, tourists, airlines, insurers and investors reconsider their exposure. For small economies heavily dependent on tourism, the consequences could be unemployment, falling revenues and deeper poverty.

The guns themselves also tell only part of the story. A young man in a poor community does not manufacture an assault rifle, import ammunition, arrange international drug shipments or launder large sums of money. Someone finances these operations. Someone supplies vehicles, safe houses, communications equipment and protection. Someone converts criminal proceeds into apparently legitimate wealth.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, recently warned that the fight against crime must extend beyond street gangs to wealthy and influential persons suspected of facilitating organised criminal activity. She alleged that drug and firearms networks operate from affluent communities and that businesses and financial intermediaries may be involved in moving and laundering criminal proceeds.

Haiti shows how gangs can become economic and territorial powers when criminal finance, political protection, illegal weapons and institutional weakness converge. Ecuador shows how ports, prisons and local gangs can be absorbed into international cocaine networks. Trinidad and Tobago shows that substantial national resources offer no immunity when firearms, narcotics, gangs and illicit finance reinforce one another.

Governments cannot end this crisis by pursuing only the gunmen. Every major investigation involving gangs, drugs, firearms or contract killings should include a parallel financial investigation. Authorities must identify the beneficial owners of companies, scrutinise suspicious transactions, strengthen tax and customs enforcement, freeze criminal assets and cooperate across borders.

At the same time, justice systems must be strengthened. Police need training and forensic resources. Prosecutors require manageable caseloads. Witnesses must be protected. Courts must dispose of cases promptly and explain their decisions clearly. Judges must remain independent, but judicial independence cannot mean immunity from transparent standards of competence, integrity and accountability.

Crime is not separate from development. A society cannot achieve sustainable development when citizens are afraid, businesses are burdened by security costs, young people are recruited by gangs and courts cannot deliver timely justice.

The region must confront three connected failures: justice systems that do not deter offenders, illicit weapons that make crime more lethal, and financial systems that conceal the persons who organise and profit from it.

The gunman must be caught. But so must those who procured the weapon, financed the shipment, laundered the proceeds and corrupted the institutions that should have stopped them.

*(The writer is Antigua and Barbuda’s Ambassador to the United States and the Organization of American States. He is also Chancellor of the University of Guyana and current Chair of the Inter-American Council for Integral Development. The views expressed are his own.)

Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers: Coming of Niger Delta’s longest bridge

For many decades, the people of Ataba and numerous surrounding communities in Andoni Local Government Area lived by the tide and were exposed to many hazards in agricultural production and health emergencies. That era is about to end, as NDDC prepares to commission the 1.2-kilometre Kaa-Ataba Bridge, described as the longest in the Niger Delta.

The project has moved from an abandoned promise to near completion in under 18 months. When the ribbon is cut, a journey that took hours by boat will take minutes by road.

A recent inspection of the bridge project confirms that the final alignments and pavement work are racing toward a month-end finish line, with commissioning eyed for November. This milestone signals a renewed operational philosophy for the NDDC: prioritising the conclusion of long-stalled legacy interventions over endless groundbreakings.

When Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Regional Development, led an inspection of the project alongside Samuel Ogbuku, the NDDC Managing Director; Victor Antai, the Executive Director (Projects); and Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director (Corporate Services), he affirmed that the bridge would soon open to traffic.

The Minister noted that the bridge project demonstrated the Federal Government’s determination to develop the Niger Delta region, and commended the NDDC leadership for responding appropriately to President Bola Tinubu’s directives to deliver impactful projects in the Niger Delta region.

L-R: Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director, Corporate Services; Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Regional Development; Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director; and Victor Antai, the Executive Director, Projects; during the inspection of the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers State.

L-R: Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director, Corporate Services; Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Regional Development; Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director; and Victor Antai, the Executive Director, Projects; during the inspection of the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers State. L-R: Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director, Corporate Services; Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Regional Development; Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director; and Victor Antai, the Executive Director, Projects; during the inspection of the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers State.

L-R: Ifedayo Abegunde, the Executive Director, Corporate Services; Abubakar Momoh, the Minister of Regional Development; Samuel Ogbuku, NDDC Managing Director; and Victor Antai, the Executive Director, Projects; during the inspection of the 1.2 km Kaa-Ataba Bridge in Rivers State.

Momoh assured that the road and bridge project would be completed and commissioned in November.

Also speaking during the inspection, Ogbuku reiterated the Commission’s commitment to the presidential mandate to change the narrative in Nigeria’s oil-producing region.

The NDDC boss restated the Commission’s commitment to the presidential mandate to complete all legacy projects in the Niger Delta region.

Antai said the project’s significance went beyond its engineering scale, reflecting the transformation under the current NDDC Board and Management. He described it as evidence of the Commission’s shift ‘from transactional to transformational,’ where projects are designed to create lasting economic and social impact for host communities.

He linked the bridge to President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, particularly the Federal Government’s commitment to completing critical legacy projects and delivering infrastructure that connects communities and unlocks economic opportunities.

Ogbuku reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to completing legacy projects in line with the presidential mandate, noting that adverse weather had slowed the movement of construction materials and contributed to delays.

He said that the bridge was part of NDDC’s push to link riverine and hinterland communities in the Niger Delta, noting: ‘For residents, it is more than concrete and steel. It is access to schools, hospitals, and markets that were previously cut off for half the year.’

Ogbuku appealed to communities in the area to protect the legacy infrastructure. Recall that at the flag-off of the reconstruction of Sapele-Benin in Delta State recently, the NDDC boss assured: ‘We will not be on this site for too long.’ The same urgency is driving the Kaa-Ataba Bridge to the finish line.

Giving technical details of the project, Antai said the landmark project comprises a two-kilometre double-lane road with two bridges, including the 1.2-kilometre main bridge linking Kaa in Khana Local Government Area with Ataba in Andoni Local Government Area.

He explained that the Kaa-Ataba Bridge project comprised two bridges, stating: ‘The first bridge has 57 piers, while the second bridge, which is 250 metres, has 15 piers.’

He added that the bridge would link communities long separated by waterways, reduce reliance on boat transport, ease the movement of agricultural produce, boost trade, and improve access to schools, healthcare and other essential services. It would also open an additional route toward Bonny Island, expanding economic opportunities across Rivers State and the wider Niger Delta.

Christian Emeozor, an engineer and Managing Director of the contracting firm, Christian Emeozor, said work on the bridge has reached 95 per cent completion and promised to deliver the project within a few weeks.

For members of the benefiting communities, better days are here. Idan-Owaji Erasmus, the second-in-command to the Paramount Ruler of Ataba Kingdom in Andoni Local Government Area, applauded the NDDC for executing the project, noting that it would enhance social and economic activities in the local communities.

He assured the NDDC that his people would cooperate with the contractor to ensure the project was completed on schedule.

A community leader in Ataba, James Akpotor, put it simply: ‘We have buried people waiting for boats. We have lost perishable farm produce because we couldn’t cross. This bridge means our children can go to school and come back safely.’

The NDDC has tied infrastructure to agriculture in its mandate. The Kaa-Ataba Bridge sits on a corridor that feeds Bori, Port Harcourt, and beyond with farm produce. Right now, post-harvest loss is high. Perishables rot waiting for boats. Input costs are high because fertiliser and seedlings must also come by boat. With the bridge, trucks will roll in. Middlemen will disappear. Prices will drop.

The NDDC says the project aligns with its goal to ‘enhance food security and poverty reduction in the states under its purview.’ It also supports the larger Agric Summit plan where NDDC is pushing for ‘regional agricultural integration’ across the nine Niger Delta states.

The Kaa-Ataba Bridge reflects a shift in how NDDC is delivering projects. After years of delays, the current board prioritised completing legacy projects. Instead of commissioning for optics, NDDC is linking roads and bridges to economic corridors; farms to markets, islands to cities.

A commercial motorcycle rider in Kaa, Johnbull Shedrack, said: ‘Now we carry passengers to the waterside and wait. When this bridge opens, we will ride straight to Ataba and charge half the fare, and our business will double.’

Edna Ikuru, a fish seller in Ataba, said: ‘My fish will reach the urban markets fresh. No more ice, no more losses. God will bless the NDDC leadership for giving us this bridge.’

The Niger Delta is crisscrossed by rivers that both sustain and separate its people. For decades, development for two local governments in Rivers State stopped at the water’s edge. With Kaa-Ataba, NDDC is saying that development must cross the river too.

Beyond concrete and asphalt, the economic implications are profound. The bridge creates an unfettered artery directly into Andoni’s rich terrain, vastly improving logistics for the fishing settlements, reducing post-harvest and catch spoilage, and introducing land-based security against maritime piracy. It also establishes a strategic alternative economic gateway toward Bonny Island and neighbouring Akwa Ibom.

The Kaa-Ataba Bridge is one of several legacy infrastructure projects the NDDC has prioritised for completion under its current Board and Management, as part of a broader push to close out long-delayed interventions across the nine Niger Delta states.

As the final asphalt layers roll out across the spans of the Kaa-Ataba crossing, the isolation of Andoni’s riverine landscape recedes into history. For the people of Rivers State, the long wait is finally meeting the horizon of modern connectivity.

Rochelle Pangilinan admits misunderstandings within SexBomb Girls

While Rochelle Pangilinan admitted that there have been misunderstandings within the SexBomb Girls, she stressed that they respect each other’s decisions on whether or not to take part in the group’s projects.

Pangilinan spoke about this during an interview on ‘Fast Talk with Boy Abunda’ on Wednesday, Sept. 16, which was also attended by some of her fellow group members.

The topic was brought up after show host Abunda asked about the absence of Sunshine Garcia and Jopay Paguia from the music video of the group’s latest song ‘Mama Mama.’ He further cited speculations of a rift between Pangilinan and Paguia.

‘Hindi ko naman talaga ikakaila na sa isang pamilya, sa mga magkakaibigan, nagkakaroon talaga ‘yan ng hindi pagkakaunawan. But, nakadepende pa rin ‘yan kung paano maging maayos. Case-to-case basis,’ she said. ‘Kung gustong maging maayos ng isa, magiging maayos talaga e.’

‘Kasi lagi kong sinasabi sa kanya-sa kanila, sa lahat, isa lang dapat ang goal natin. Kasi tinanong ko silang lahat, ‘Anong gusto niyo? Longevity?’ So, ito yung way natin na tatahakin,’ she continued.

Pangilinan then emphasized her role as the group’s leader and the importance of mutual respect among the members.

‘Kung gusto niyo na maging leader ako, kailangan rumespeto tayo. Kailangan magkaroon tayo ng respeto sa isa’t isa,’ she stressed. ‘Kailangan magkaroon tayo ng work ethic, discipline. Maraming kailangang gawin na mapagkakasunduan ng bawat isa.’

‘Kumbaga sa isang boat, kailangan isa lang tayo ng sagwan kasi hindi pwedeng hindi kayo makikinig sa akin, tapos may gusto kayong iba. Mahihirapan tayo no’n. Hindi natin alam kung saan tayo pupunta,’ she continued.

She reiterated that she gave her fellow members the freedom to choose what they wanted for the group, saying she would be fine should they decide to stop the projects altogether.

‘Kasi kung ayaw niyo na, I’m good, let’s stop. Kasi nakagawa na tayo ng legacy,’ she added. ‘Hindi na tayo bata para mag-away-away pa sa ganito.’

‘Gagawan pa tayo ng tsismis. Pulutan tayo sa ganito. Hindi na siya maganda para sa edad natin,’ she stressed. ‘So kailangan lang, isa lang tayo ng goal. Kung ayaw mo na, we’re good. Just say it.’

Pangilinan, along with fellow member Aira Bermudez, nonetheless noted that they always make sure to include every member in their projects, but that they do not insist if anyone chooses not to participate.

PSEi slips below 6,000 on growth worries

Investors have gone on a selling spree over worries that the Philippine economy would struggle to post respectable growth in the third quarter due to currency and inflation risks.

The benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) yesterday fell by 1.51 percent or 90.84 points to close at 5,916.94, as investors were cowered by economic concerns.

The broader All Shares index also retreated by 1.26 percent or 42.26 points to 3,300.26.

Regina Capital Development Corp. head of sales Luis Limlingan said investors raised concerns over the possibility of slower economic growth in the third quarter.

Limlingan also said that investors are anxious about the absence of a long-term peace deal in the Middle East.

Similarly, investors await the decision of the US Federal Reserve on its monetary policy.

Analysts expect the Fed to raise interest rates to prevent inflation from running away, and this could be countered with an off-cycle hike by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas.

‘Market sentiment remained cautious, as investors assess the potential impact of weaker growth and heightened geopolitical risks,’ Limlingan said.

RCBC chief economist Michael Ricafort said the PSEi declined for the second straight trading day amid elevated global crude oil prices, thereby exacerbating inflationary pressures that could lead to higher borrowing costs.

The market saw P5.89 billion worth of shares change hands yesterday, as the losers edged out the winners, 139 to 54, though 58 issues were unchanged.

Logistics giant ICTSI was the most actively traded stock yesterday, surrendering 3.76 percent, or P36, to dip to P922 a piece.

Palace leaves impeachment vote threshold to Senate

Malacañang said Thursday, September 17, that it would stay out of the Senate impeachment court’s deliberations on the number of votes needed to convict Vice President Sara Duterte in her impeachment case.

Palace Press Officer Claire Castro made the statement following the appearance of former members of the Supreme Court in the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday, September 16, to help resolve the voting threshold issue.

‘Muli, ang Palasyo ay hindi po manghihimasok kung ano man po ang sasabihin or magiging desisyon ng Senado dahil malinaw naman po ang sinabi ng mga justices natin. Dapat ito ay para sa katotohanan. Truth, fairness and justice,’ Castro said in a press briefing.

(Again, the Palace will not intervene in the decisions of the Senate because our justices have made it clear already that the decision must be for truth. Truth, fairness and justice.)

Retired chief justices Artemio Panganiban and Reynato Puno, including retired Supreme Court associate justice Adolfo Azcuna, personally appeared before the Senate impeachment court on Wednesday as amici curiae, or friends of the court, to answer questions from senator-judges.

Retired Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr., meanwhile, sent a memorandum containing his views on the voting threshold issue.

‘Naging maganda po ang naging talakayan ng mga amici curiae sa nasabing conference dahil mas naliwanagan ang taong-bayan. Naliwanagan din po siguro ang mga maraming mga mambabatas patungkol sa issue sa threshold,’ Castro said.

(The discussion among the amici curiae during the conference went well, because it helped clarify the issue for the public. It may have also helped many lawmakers with the threshold issue.)

Senate’s decision

The senator-judges tapped the help of former justices to resolve what the constitutional rule on the required ‘two-thirds of all members of the Senate’ for conviction means.

The Senate impeachment court is trying to determine whether the rule covers the entire 24 elected senators, or only those who are actively participating in the trial, excluding those who are jailed, out of the country, or in hiding.

While Panganiban, Puno, and Davide expressed that the rule must not be interpreted literally, Azcuna said the rule means 16 votes out of the 24 senator-judges are needed for conviction.

The chief justices, however, said the Senate impeachment court has the ‘sole power’ to decide on the voting threshold issue.

This was backed by the Palace, saying that any decision that will come up from the senator-judges’ differing interpretations of the rule no longer concerns the administration.

‘Hindi po nangangamba ang Palasyo dahil kahit ano po ang kanilang maging opinyon diyan, ‘yan po ang kanilang magiging pagpapasya. So kung ano po ang mangyayari sa Senado, nasa kanilang responsibilidad ‘yan; wala po sa administrasyon,’ Castro said.

(The Palace is not concerned, because whatever their opinions will be, those will be their decisions. So whatever happens in the senate, that’s their responsibility, not the administration’s.)

Ferry fire death toll hits 77

One of the survivors of the MV June Aster fire has died in a hospital in Palawan, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said yesterday.

Fatalities are now at 77, with 43 survivors and 12 missing.

The June Aster crewman died on Tuesday at the Culion Sanitarium General Hospital, PCG spokesperson Noemie Cayabyab told radio dzBB.

Roel Sarmiento, the ship’s captain, said he tried to warn people about the fire, but the vessel’s public address system failed after June Aster lost its power.

In a testimony, Sarmiento recalled assisting passengers and feeling dazed upon returning to land.

‘Due to so much trauma, I just walked down a road until I arrived wherever,’ he said.

Cayabyab said the PCG will conduct maritime safety and crime investigations.

June Aster caught fire on Sept. 9 following an explosion in the cargo hold.

Atienza Interisland Ferries owns the ship.

German, EU flags removed from Consulate building in St. Petersburg

The European Union and German flags have been removed from the flagpoles of Germany’s Consulate General in St. Petersburg.

According to TASS, the German coat of arms and other emblems have also been removed from the facade of the building on Furshtadskaya Street.

The move follows a decision by Russia’s Foreign Ministry in response to measures taken by Germany against Russian diplomatic and cultural institutions.

On September 7, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Germany’s chargé d’affaires in Moscow had been informed that Russia was withdrawing its consent for the German Consulate General in St. Petersburg to operate.

The consulate must cease its activities by September 18, with all of its employees required to leave Russia by the same date.

The Russian Foreign Ministry also said that Goethe cultural centers operating in Russia must shut down. Staff members sent to Russia were instructed to leave the country no later than September 13.

The German Consulate has been operating in St. Petersburg since 1972.