Mass evacuations as Tenerife wildfire rages on

LA OROTAVA, Spain—Firefighters battling a vast wildfire on Tenerife are facing another very difficult night after severe weather conditions worsened the blaze, forcing thousands to flee their homes on the Spanish holiday island, regional officials said.

The huge blaze broke out late Tuesday in a mountainous northeastern area of the island, quickly morphing into the Canary Islands’ biggest-ever fire.

“It is a devastating fire... a fire on a completely different scale, a scale that the Canary Islands has never experienced before,” said Rosa Davila, head of the government of Tenerife.

So far the blaze, which now has a perimeter of 70 kilometers, has burned through 8,400 hectares, the equivalent of just over 4.0 percent of Tenerife’s overall surface area of 203,400 hectares.

In an update late on Saturday, Canary Islands regional president Fernando Clavijo said the voracious wildfire had so far displaced “a total of 12,279 people”, citing figures provided by the Guardia Civil police.

Earlier, regional officials had given a figure twice as high, with the emergency services saying “provisional estimates suggest that more than 26,000 people may have been evacuated”, which government officials later clarified was a number “based on census figures” from the areas subjected to evacuation orders.

And they did not rule out further evacuations, warning of a difficult night ahead.

“Last night was very complicated and tonight is likely to be just as bad, if not worse,” said Clavijo of an overnight battle with “severe weather” characterized by strong winds and higher-than-expected temperatures that saw the flames spreading to the north, forcing a fresh wave of evacuations.

“Tonight’s work is going to be very difficult but it will be vital for containing the fire,” he said.

As the fire spread down the mountainside towards the northern town of La Matanza de Acentejo, Candelaria Bencomo Betancor, a farmer in her 70s, looked on in anguish.

“The fire is close to our farm, we’ve got trucks, vans, chickens, everything... it’s a business that is going well but if the fire comes, it will totally ruin us,” she told AFPTV, on the verge of tears.

“They have to do something because the fire is right there.”

So far the blaze has affected 11 municipalities on Tenerife, the largest of the seven Canary Islands. AFP

The Forest Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will be having an Online Public Consultation on the proposed amendment of certain provisions of DENR Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2004-16 “Prescribing the Revised Schedule of Forestry Administrative Fees on the following dates and time:

Dates: August 29-31, 2023

Time: 0 I :00 PM - 05:00 PM

Everyone is invited to join and participate in the said public consultation.

Interested participants can register to: https://bit.ly/ConsultationAdminFees

Details of the proposed policy can be accessed through this link: https://bit.ly/AdminFeesPosting

For more details, you may visit the Official FMB Website: https://forestry.denr.gov.ph

KELOWNA, Canada—Officials in western Canada’s British Columbia implored tens of thousands of residents to heed warnings and evacuate Saturday as “severe and fast changing” wildfires threatened large parts of the scenic Okanagan Valley, including the city of Kelowna.

The situation in the popular boating and hiking destination was “highly dynamic,” said Bowinn Ma, the province’s minister of emergency management.

Around 30,000 people were under evacuation orders while another 36,000 were under alert to be ready to flee, she said.

“We cannot stress strongly enough how critical it is to follow evacuation orders when they are issued,” Ma said at an afternoon news conference.

“They are a matter of life and death not only for the people in those properties, but also for the first responders who will often go back to try to implore people to leave.”

Kelowna, a city of 150,000, was choked with thick smoke as it became the latest population center hit in a summer of dramatic wildfires across Canada that has left millions of acres scorched. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had spoken with British Columbia Premier David Eby about the “rapidly evolving and incredibly devastating wildfire situation” and pledged federal resources in responding to the disaster.

Blazes far away in the neighboring Northwest Territories have meanwhile prompted the evacuation of regional capital Yellowknife, leaving the remote city of some 20,000

In Brief

UN slams Russian strike on Ukraine city

CHERNIHIV, Ukraine—A Russian missile strike on Ukraine’s northern city of Chernihiv killed seven people and wounded 144 on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, in what the UN denounced as a “heinous” attack. The strike came during the Orthodox holiday of the Transfiguration of the Lord, as some attended morning church services in the city.

“It is heinous to attack the main square of a large city, in the morning, while people are out walking, some going to church to celebrate a religious day for many Ukrainians,” said Denise Brown, the UN’s humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine.

“I condemn this repeated pattern of Russian strikes on populated areas of Ukraine... Attacks directed against civilians or civilian objects are strictly prohibited under international humanitarian law,” she added.

Audrey Azoulay, director general of the UN’s cultural organization UNESCO, said she was “appalled” by the attack, in a post on social media.

Ukraine’s culture ministry said the center of Chernihiv, a city with a thousand-year history, is a candidate for nomination to the UNESCO World Heritage List. AFP

Niger military ruler warns vs attack

NIAMEY, Niger—Niger’s new military ruler has warned any attack on the country would not be a “walk in the park,” as a delegation from West African countries made a final push to find a diplomatic solution following last month’s coup.

General Abdourahamane Tiani—who took power after army officers toppled Niger’s president Mohamed Bazoum on July 26—said in a televised address that a transition of power would not go beyond three years.

largely a ghost town. Winds have been fanning the wildfires towards Yellowknife, but Saturday saw some relief after overnight rain brought a sharp dip in temperatures.

Since the evacuation was ordered Wednesday, most people have fled by road with several thousand taking emergency flights, Northwest Territories environment minister Shane Thompson said Saturday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.

“Approximately 1,000 essential staff remaining in the city and surrounding area,” he added.

Those crews were remaining to erect defenses from the flames, while water bombers have been seen flying low over the city, with the Canadian military also helping out. AFP

Dangerous Hilary hits California

CABO San Lucas, Mexico—Hilary brought heavy rains Saturday to portions of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and the southwestern United States, as officials warned the powerful hurricane was likely to cause “catastrophic and life-threatening” flooding.

The storm had weakened Saturday from a powerful Category 4 to Category 2 on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale—but it was still deemed capable of “extensive damage,” and hurricane conditions were expected to continue along the Baja California coast through Sunday morning, the US National Hurricane Center said. By Saturday afternoon, Hilary was packing maximum sustained winds of 110 miles per hour (175 kilometers per hour), with higher gusts, the NHC said. “Heavy rains” were affecting portions of Baja California and the southwestern United States, with “catastrophic and life-threatening flooding likely.” the right to reject any bids, waive any formality therein, accepts proposal most advantageous to the Cooperative and assumes no obligation to

“The center of Hilary will move close to the west-central coast of the Baja California Peninsula tonight and Sunday morning then move across southern California Sunday afternoon and Sunday night,” the hurricane center said.

The storm is expected to weaken to a tropical storm before reaching southern California and southern Nevada, with heavy rainfalls and flooding still possible.

Residents and workers in the Mexican tourist resort of Cabo San Lucas have put up protective boarding and laid thousands of sandbags as large waves began crashing ashore. Military personnel were seen patrolling the beach in the city, a popular destination for both Mexican and foreign tourists.

“We took all the precautionary measures last night,” Omar Olvera told AFP on Saturday at the Cabo San Lucas beachfront restaurant where he works.

But he added: “If an attack were to be undertaken against us, it will not be the walk in the park some people seem to think.”

He spoke after a delegation from West African bloc Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) visited Niger for a final diplomatic push before deciding whether to take military action against Niger’s new military rulers. They met ousted president Mohamed Bazoum on Saturday, and a source close to ECOWAS told AFP he was “in good spirits”.

Bazoum remains under detention and has been held with his family at the president’s official residence since the coup, with growing international concern over his conditions.AFP

With sandbags piled protectively around the restaurant, he said, “We’re just looking out for the workers and waiting for the weather to come.” Streets in the town of Todos Santos, on the west coast of the peninsula, were largely deserted Saturday while the beach in nearby Cerritos was closed due to rough waves. AFP

By Julito G. Rada

debt-to-GDP ratio stood at 61 percent, lower than the full-year target of 61.4 percent.

additional taxation on sugar-sweetened beverages and salty products such as junk foods.

FINANCE

Secretary Benjamin Diokno said over the weekend the implementation of prudential measures would help bring down the government’s debt-toGDP ratio below 60 percent.

The debt-to-GDP ratio calculates the country’s public debt as a percentage of its gross domestic product. It allows finance managers to determine the capacity of a country to settle its debt, including principal amortization and interest payments.

Diokno said in a statement reduc-

Analysts see tough trading this week

ANALYSTS expect a challenging trading week on hawkish signals from US Federal Reserve and concerns about China’s economic slowdown.

“Investors face a potentially challenging trading week after the index broke below its five-month consolidation range and printed its lowest close since November 2022,” China Bank Capital managing director Juan Paolo Colet said.

Colet said investor sentiment turned negative in view of rising US bond yields and growing worries about China’s economic slowdown and risks from property and shadow banking sectors.

He said investors would remain cautious this week ahead of the Fed’s annual economic policy symposium at Jackson Hole, Wyoming later this week.

“All eyes and ears will be on the speech of Fed Chairman Jerome Powell, which investors hope could offer clues on the direction of US monetary policy, particularly whether the narrative is ‘how high will rates go’ or ‘how long will rates remain high’,” Colet said. The local index could see support in the 6,150 to 6,200 area with resistance in the vicinity of 6,370 to 6,400 this week.

Jenniffer B. Austria

DTI says private sector key to economic growth

DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry secretary Alfredo Pascual underscore the importance of the private sector in ensuring continued growth and stability amid the challenges brought about by the pandemic and geopolitical tensions.

Pascual, speaking during the ASEANBusiness Advisory Council meeting on Aug. 19, 2023 in Semarang, Indonesia, called for a comprehensive and collaborative approach on climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, promotion of renewable energy sources, responsible urban planning and enhanced regional cooperation in disaster risk reduction.

He said partnership with the private sector is critical in developing and implementing sustainable business models, including those relating to technological innovation in production and product development in agriculture.

Pascual also encouraged the private sector to continue advocating for sustainability as a core business principle. He said continued public and private partnership would generate high-quality and better-paying jobs for all.

The Philippine delegation welcomed the key initiatives of the private sector under Indonesia’s ASEAN 2023 chairmanship.

Othel V. Campos

Davao Light sets P2.4-b capex for ‘24 expansion

DAVAO CITY—Davao Light and Power Co. Inc. is looking at capital expenditure of P2.4 billion in 2024 as it undertakes capacity expansion to serve the needs of customers.

Davao Light president and chief operating officer Rodger Velasco said about P200 to P250 million of the capex would be spent for underground cabling.

The underground cabling project aims to upscale the image of Davao as an internationally competitive city and enhance the safety and reliability of power and telecommunication services not only in the Kadayawan route, but also in the central business district.

“The rest for expansion and new substation, more on capacity expansion,” Velasco said.

Davao Light’s capex was about P1.5 billion to P1.6 billion annually prior to the pandemic.

“Last year, capex was close to P2 billion. We ramped up starting last year. We’re going full blast. The challenge is capacity so we are upgrading capacity,” he said.

Davao Light is a subsidiary of Aboitiz Power Corp., the holding company for the Aboitiz Group’s investments in power generation, distribution and retail electricity services. Alena Mae S. Flores ing the debt-to-GDP ratio to less than 60 percent is possible through fiscal consolidation, prioritization of quality spending, prudential borrowing and effective management of the Maharlika Investment Fund.

He said the latest numbers showed that as of the first semester of 2023, the

“The economic team will ensure that the debt-to-GDP ratio will be below 60 percent by 2025, if not earlier, through the following measures: adherence to the fiscal consolidation program of reducing the deficit gradually from 6.1 percent this year to 5.1 percent next year and 4.1 percent in 2025 to slow down the accumulation of debt,” he said.

He said the government could further narrow the deficit by passing new revenue measures such as those proposed by the Finance Department, including the