HEADLINES: Houses submerged as river overflows | November 19, 2024

Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, November 19, 2024.

Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.

READ: Houses submerged as river overflows

FLOODWATERS submerged hundreds of houses in the northern Philippines on Monday after water released from the Magat Dam following Typhoon Pepito caused the Cagayan River to break its banks. Packing maximum sustained wind speeds of 185 kilometers an hour, Pepito slammed into Catanduanes island late Saturday and the main island of Luzon on Sunday afternoon. The sixth major storm to batter the Philippines in a month dumped heavy rain, smashed flimsy buildings, knocked out power and claimed at least eight lives.

READ: Comelec amends guidelines on use of social media

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has amended its guidelines on the use of artificial intelligence (AI), social media and other forms of internet technology for election campaigns for the 2025 national and local polls. The commission on Monday issued amendatory Resolution 11064-A, which exempts private individuals and entities from registering their social media accounts and pages, websites, podcasts, blogs, vlogs, and other online and internet-based campaign platforms primarily designed to solicit votes and promote the election or defeat of a particular candidate or candidates. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said the en banc’s decision was arrived at following consultations with election stakeholders, who cited the need to safeguard the freedom of expression of private individuals.

READ: US allots $1M assistance, signs info-sharing deal

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday welcomed the additional $1 million in urgent humanitarian aid from the United States government for those affected by the recent typhoons as he met with visiting Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin III in Malacañang. Austin extended his “condolences, thoughts, and prayers to all those who’ve been disadvantaged by these six significant storms that have taken place in a very short period of time.”

READ: Mercy Sunot, Aegis vocalist, 48

MERCY Sunot, one of the vocalists of the Filipino rock band Aegis, died after battling lung and breast cancer. She was 48. Her band confirmed her passing on Monday through their Facebook account. Two days before she died, Sunot appealed to her TikTok followers for prayers following a critical lung surgery. She said she underwent the surgery but experienced difficulty in breathing and was taken to intensive care. Sunot was one of the three sibling members of the band.

READ: Chinese cable-laying ship operating off Subic

THE presence of a Chinese cable-laying ship near the Subic Bay Naval Base in Zambales has raised concerns among security experts and United States officials. The CS Fu Tai was tracked on Monday by Sealight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea. Sealight Director Ray Powell said the Fu Tai was owned and operated by China’s SB Submarine Systems (SBSS) but was Panama-flagged.

BUSINESS: Peso seen hitting P59:$1

Topping business, the peso could return to its all-time low of 59 pesos against the dollar, and rate cuts by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) aren’t helping, ING said in a report last week. The currency, the Dutch multinational banking and financial services firm said, “was one of the worst performers in Asia last month, with rate cut expectations by BSP next month adding fuel to the fire.” The peso, which closed at 59 pesos against the dollar several times in October 2022 after the BSP failed to match aggressive rate hikes by the US Federal Reserve, fell to the 58-peso level last month as the greenback strengthened in anticipation of White House return for former US president Donald Trump.

SPORTS: Sotto good to go, Edu still questionable

Over to sports, Kai Sotto is cleared to see action for Gilas Pilipinas in a pair of big games for the second window of the FIBA Asia Cup 2025 Qualifiers this week. AJ Edu’s status, however, still hangs in the air. Gilas Pilipinas team manager Richard del Rosario said the 7-foot-3 Sotto is “good to go” after clearing the concussion protocol of the Japan B.League where he is currently playing. The presence of Sotto is a big boost for Gilas Pilipinas as he pairs once again with eight-time PBA Most Valuable Player and many-time national player June Mar Fajardo in the front court. Sotto averaged 15.5 points and 12.5 rebounds during the opening window of the Qualifiers last February where the Philippines ran roughshod over Hong Kong and Taiwan, respectively. However, the big question is whether the 6-foot-10 Edu can suit up for the second window as the Philippines takes on regional powerhouse New Zealand on Thursday at the Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today’s front page columnists. Contreras discusses the death of virtue and reason in politics, Makabenta revises a piece on the House Quad Committee, while Mercado takes a personal moment and relates it with the recent COP29 climate summit.

Today’s editorial talks about streamlining the primary education curriculum. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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