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(Bulatlat) Upper Katablangan in Conner, Kalinga enjoys 20 years of nearly uninterrupted power supply from the community’s micro-hydro project this year. This remote community located 20 kilometers from its nearest neighboring barangay could be reached with an eight-hour trek up a perilous foot trail when it is rainy or two hours on expertly-driven motorcycles when the road is dry enough. It is one of the first barangays in Abra, Kalinga and Apayao provinces to build a micro-hydro power plant for electricity, a vital service often taken for granted in lowland communities.

Building a micro-hydro power project—it took the indigenous Isnegs of Katablangan six long years—is one thing, keeping it dependably running is another however. Maintaining a 7.5kw power plant where destructive typhoons often wreak havoc on lives and property, where replacement parts are hard to purchase and deliver, and where engineers of the Sibol ng Agham at Teknolohiya (SIBAT, their project partner) usually takes weeks to reach for repairs is hard. When these happen, these are the times that Katablangan reverts to dark nights, save for good old-fashioned kerosene lamps… Read More

(Interaksyon) MANILA— The Philippines is open to new talks with China on oil and gas exploration, the Southeast Asian country’s foreign affairs chief said on Wednesday.

A deal with China or any other country on joint oil and gas exploration, however, should comply with Philippine laws, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, said during a congressional hearing on his department’s 2023 budget.

Talks over joint energy exploration between Manila and Beijing in the South China Sea had been terminated, Manalo’s predecessor said in June, citing constitutional constraints and issues of sovereignty.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, who took power in June, said last month he would try to “find ways to work to resolve the conflicts that we have” with China, so ties could normalize after years of maritime disputes… Read More

(Bulatlat) MANILA – Farmers can feed the nation if only the government will prioritize agriculture and food production.

In a forum titled “Economic Briefing on the Food Crisis,” Kilusang Magbubukid ng Pilipinas chairperson emeritus Rafael Mariano called on Marcos Jr. to address the food crisis. “It is already of national concern. What follows the food crisis will be the worsening hunger of the people.”

Prices of rice, onion, sugar, flour, and vegetables continue to increase. There is also a possible shortage of salt and sweet potatoes.

The Philippine government, according to independent think tank Ibon Foundation, needs to be more determined as the contraction of the economy in the second quarter of 2022 shows that economic recovery “remains weak.” This, IBON added, is a sign that Filipino households are struggling.

“To get out from this vicious cycle of food insecurity and hunger, the government must decisively reverse its liberalization policies that bolster food import dependency. Local food production must seriously be strengthened than food importation,” Mariano, a former agrarian reform secretary, said.

Mariano said that instead of turning to importation, the government should strengthen local production and provide much-needed significant aid to farmers, fisherfolk and food producers. “We are an agricultural country of more than 100 million. Farmers can feed the population if the government prioritizes agriculture and food production.”… Read More

(Manila Bulletin) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday acknowledged the suggestion of former Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Liu Jianchao to jointly yet legally explore oil and gas in the West Philippine Sea, although it deferred the conduct of its process to the Department of Energy (DOE).

While the Philippines did not object nor agree with the proposal, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Daza said DFA “is guided by the Constitution” on the possible exploration as well as on development and utilization of natural resources located within the exclusive economic zone, continental shelf and jurisdiction of the Philippines.

So, DFA welcomed the appointments of former Chief Justices Artemio V. Panganiban and Reynato S. Puno as co-chairs of the DOE’s Law and Energy Advisory Panel to guide the legal process moving forward, she added.

“The Department looks forward to working with the DOE on a way that is anchored in the Constitution and with the protection and promotion of Philippine national interests as the paramount consideration,” Daza said… Read More

(Daily Tribune) Jordan Clarkson knows the sky’s the limit for his Gilas Pilipinas teammate Kai Sotto.

Seeing Sotto’s development after two games in the FIBA World Cup Asian Qualifiers, Clarkson advised the 7-foot-3 Filipino youngster to continue making strides on his dream of still making it to the National Basketball Association.

The Utah Jazz stalwart said Sotto still has a lot of time to catch up and turn into the best version of himself.

Sotto led Gilas’ interior defense by posting a double-double game of 16 points and 13 rebounds to support Clarkson’s 23-point outing in their 84-46 win over Saudi Arabia late Monday.

“Sky’s the limit for him, he just got to keep putting the work in and keep making strides in his career path,” Clarkson said.

“I think he’s 20 years old, I didn’t make it to the league until I was 21 or 22 years old. I think he’s going to Australia to play against pros at a young age and really learn the game.”

Sotto can definitely seek inspiration from Clarkson… Read More

(The Manila Times) CHINA, the world’s biggest producer of hydro power and solar panels, wants closer renewable energy cooperation with the Philippines, a visiting ranking Chinese official said on Sunday.

Liu Jianchao, minister of the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, has identified four “key priority” areas of cooperation that Beijing intends to further develop: agriculture, infrastructure, energy and people-to-people relations.

Liu, a former Chinese ambassador to Manila, is on a three-day visit to the Philippines.

“We are ready to work with the Philippines in energy sectors. We have the largest hydro power generation in the world,” he said.

China, he said, also intends to discuss “coal power plant financing” with the Philippine government since both countries support efforts to address climate change… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The Philippine Embassy in Islamabad on Sunday said there are still no reports of Filipinos affected by deadly flooding in Pakistan that hit around 33 million people.

“As of 27 August, no reports of affected Filipinos from Sindh and Punjab,” the embassy said in a statement, noting that the most affected areas are Sindh and Balochistan.

“The embassy is still waiting for response from the Filcom (Filipino community) leader in Balochistan on their situation,” it added.

According to the embassy, there are around 3,000 Filipinos in Pakistan, and 90% of them are household service workers. The rest are professionals and international organization staff.

Latest figures from Pakistani authorities showed that over 900 people died from severe rains and flooding, as the country sees its eighth cycle of monsoon rains.

Pakistan’s Minister for Climate Change Sherry Rehman called the floods “unprecedented” and “the worst humanitarian disaster of this decade.”… Read More

(CNN Philippines) Metro Manila — The COVID-19 reproduction number in Metro Manila has gone down to 0.99, according to independent watchdog OCTA Research.

In a report on Saturday, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the metric dropped below one as of Aug. 23 from 1.02 on Aug. 16.

The reproductive number ideally should be one or less, as anything higher means there is still significant community transmission, medical experts have pointed out.

“The last time the reproduction number was less than 1 was on May 11, 2022,” David wrote on Twitter. “A reproduction number below 1 indicates infections are trending downward.”

David added that the COVID-19 positivity rate and healthcare utilization in the region also dropped in the past days.

The Department of Health earlier said the case peak in Metro Manila is already over, but noted the COVID-19 wave may still persist due to increasing infections in other parts of the country.. Read More