Manila Standard - 2020 November 18 - Wednesday

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Cagayanos damn Magat Dam Gov says people press for raps, water reservoir no benefit to province By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

DAM’S FAULT? In this screen grab of a video posted by the Philippine Navy on Twitter, Magat Dam discharges murky water to prevent from overflowing amid the heavy rains brought about by Typhoon ‘Ulysses’ last week. Officials said Tuesday Magat Dam would have collapsed had it not discharged the equivalent of two swimming pools of water per second at the height of the storm.

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AGAYAN Gov. Manuel Mamba said residents of his province want charges filed against the operators of Magat Dam, which opened seven spillway gates at the height of Typhoon “Ulysses.” Mamba earlier blamed the heavily silted Cagayan River, rainfall from nearby provinces, and water release from Magat Dam for the massive floods that submerged the province and left at least nine people dead there. Speaking to ANC’s Headstart, Mamba said “there is a real clamor from people” who text him every now and then to pursue the lawsuit. "We will have to study this with our legal team just to effect change,” Mamba said. He added that dam management must ensure that its watershed was well maintained and noted that his province does not even benefit from Magat Dam, either for irrigation or for power. Next page

Planting trees must for firms seeking DENR, NIA franchise

RICE INDUSTRY DOWN P34B AFTER ‘ULYSSES’ NEWS / A3

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 257 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 18, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

P1.5b for release to typhoon-affected LGUs this week By Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja THE Department of Budget will release P1.5 billion to local government units (LGUs) affected by the recent typhoons within this week, after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the immediate release of additional funds to provinces hard hit by the storms. In a press briefing, Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado said additional financial aid is on the way as the government will release P1.5 billion to LGUs that suffered the brunt of typhoons Quinta, Rolly and Ulysses. “Don’t worry, your government has enough funds to address your needs,” he said. Duterte directed the DBM to cut in half the time spent in processing papers before funds are released. Next page

By Willie Casas TO HELP arrest deforestation nationwide, Malacañang said Tuesday applicants for franchise and license with the National Irrigation Administration and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources must plant trees. Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said this would be government policy, seen as in response to deforestation which has been among factors blamed for record flooding seen in Luzon following Typhoon "Ulysses." The government will also coordinate with the education department on possibly requiring students to plant trees, said Roque. The National Irrigation Administration said Tuesday "massive" reforestation was needed, as the governor of Cagayan called for the urgent improvement of the Magat watershed. Gov. Manuel Mamba said release of water from the Magat Dam while the 505-km-long Cagayan River was swelling was one of the main reasons the province was inundated last week as Ulysses crossed Luzon. Magat Dam is a large rock-fill dam Next page

WATER DAMAGE. Sisters Gene and Lisa Jean Espenida let their learning modules dry out in the sun as their family settles back in their neighborhood in Barangay Siramag, Balatan, Camarines Sur. Waves swept homes in the community during the onslaught of Typhoon ‘Rolly’ this month. DSWD Photo

Palace assures No academic break amid calamity PH has access to US vaccine By Vito Barcelo and Rio N. Araja

By Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas

THE Philippines will have access to the coronavirus vaccine of the United States, Malacañang said Tuesday, after a biotech firm there—Moderna—announced its drug against the COVID-19 disease was Next page almost 95-percent effective.

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM NOV. 17)

410,718 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,148 28,313 NEW

ACTIVE

7,862

23

374,543

186

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

THE government on Tuesday rejected calls for an academic break due to the recent destruction wrought by three recent typhoons, which left vast areas of Luzon under water and hundreds of persons dead, amid the continuing threat of the coronavirus pandemic. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the primary mode of instruction in public schools currently makes use of learning modules did not affect all schools. "It did not really affect us because there are no face-to-face classes in our schools,” Roque said.

After the country was battered by typhoons after another amid the COVID-19 pandemic, many student groups sought for a nationwide academic break to assess the education situation and review the workload of both faculty and students. “Instead of an academic break for state universities and colleges (SUCs), they will only be allowed to extend their academic calendars for one to two weeks,” he said. He said the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) en banc has already convened and decided that the academic calendar of universities can be extended following the series of typhoons that hit the country and trigNext page gered class suspensions.

SC denies plea to inhibit Leonen By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court on Tuesday denied the motion filed by former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who asked the tribunal to compel Associate Justice Marvic Leonen to inhibit himself from participating as justice-in-charge of his election complaint against Vice President Leni Robredo. Marcos and the Office of the Solicitor General had sought the recusal of

Leonen, both citing his alleged bias and partiality. Both motions accused Leonen of deliberately delaying the resolution of the election protest that Marcos filed against Robredo in 2016. But in a resolution, the Court, sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal, denied both motions. The PET also required the OSG and a reporter of the Manila Times to explain why they should not be cited in Next page contempt.

FULL OF SUPPLIES. The Philippine Navy’s BRP Tarlac leaves Pier 15 at South Harbor in Manila with 250 tons of relief goods (inset) to be distributed to the residents of Catanduanes severely affected by Typhoons ‘Rolly’ and Ulysses. Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and Navy officers sent the ship off Tuesday. Norman Cruz

Curfew hours adjusted for Simbang Gabi LOCAL governments can adjust curfew hours so their constituents can attend Simbang Gabi, the traditional pre-dawn Masses for Christmas, Malacañang said Tuesday. Metro Manila officials have set curfew hours from 12 to 3 a.m. from Dec. 1, noted Next page


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