Pagasa declares onset of El Niño PH inflation

by danessa riVera romina Cabrera Philstar.com

MANILA — A severe dry spell looms in the country with the onset of the El Niño phenomenon, the impact of which would be felt toward the end of the year, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in an advisory on Tuesday, July 4.

“Recent PAGASA climate monitoring and analyses indicate that the unusual warming of sea surface temperatures along the equatorial Pacific that was established in March 2023 has further developed into a weak El Niño, which show signs of strengthening in the coming months,” PAGASA said.

World Meteorological Organization u PAGE 3

by ronnel W. domingo Inquirer.net

MANILA — Inflation in the Philippines eased for the fifth consecutive month in June to 5.4 percent, the lowest in 13 months, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

This brought the average inflation rate in the first semester of the year to 7.2 percent.

The readout for June is better than the expectation of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), whose guess was 5.7 percent, and close to the low end of the during the 2022 Philippine Tourism Satellite Accounts and Tourism Statistics Dissemination Forum.

“I think that is evident,” Frasco told reporters in an ambush interview when asked if the DOT will

‘Recalibrate’ or DDB fiasco will ‘hurt’ PH brand, Gordon tells DOT

by Kathleen de Villa Inquirer.net

MANILA — Former Sen. Richard Gordon, who was also a tourism secretary, has pressed the Department of Tourism (DOT) to “recalibrate” the Philippines’ brand image following uproar over its use of stock footage from other countries in a promotional video intended to drum up interest for local travel spots.

In a statement on Monday, July 3 Gordon, who popularized the “Wow Philippines” campaign of the early 2000s, said the government “must rise and correct the mistake right away,” noting that tourism was “far too important” a sector to be jeopardized by the blunder.

The DOT, headed by Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco, announced Monday, July 3 it was terminating its P49-million contract with the advertising agency DDB Group Philippines, which conceptualized the new “Love the Philippines” logo and slogan and u PAGE 2