UNCLOS Must Take Precedence in South China Sea Dispute —British Envoy
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Inflation steady at 4.5 percent for 3rd consecutive month–PSA BYCAI ORDINARIO JUNE 4, 2021 3 MINUTE READ THE country’s inflation rate was steady at 4.5 percent for the third consecutive month, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA). The PSA data showed inflation at the same rate since March. However, inflation in May 2021 was still higher than the 2.1 percent posted in May 2020. In a briefing on Friday, National Statistician Claire Dennis S. Mapa told reporters this was the first time when inflation was at the same rate for three consecutive months. “Movements of prices in the 11 commodity groups are different. There are prices that increased, there are prices that decreased,” Mapa said. He explained that while there were price decreases in some commodities with higher weights in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), there are also commodities which saw increases and this kept inflation at the same rate for the past three months. Mapa said inflation of food and non-alcoholic beverages averaged 4.6 percent, which accounted for 39.5 percent of May 2021 inflation. This was mainly driven by meat prices, which posted a growth of 22.1 percent in May 2021. Meat inflation, Mapa said, has been increasing in double digits since December 2020. Meat prices steadily increased from 10 percent in December 2020 to 17.1 percent in January 2021; 20.7 percent in February; 20.9 percent in March; and 22.1 percent in April and May. For May, Mapa said, pork prices grew 58.4 percent, making this the main driver of meat prices. Beef and chicken prices, however, also recorded double-digit increases at 13.2 percent and 12.6 percent, respectively. However, other food items posted contractions in prices in May 2021. Rice prices, which have a weight of 9.59 percent in the Consumer Price Index, contracted 0.8 percent in May. Fruits and vegetables also contracted in May 2021—fruits contracted 1.1 percent while vegetables, 6.6 percent. https://businessmirror.com.ph/2021/06/04/inflation-steady-at-4-5-percent-for-3rd-consecutive- month-psa/ Philippine police to wear body cameras after calls for scrutiny grow Hundreds of police in the Philippines will start wearing body cameras during operations, it police chief said on Friday, heeding demands from human rights groups for accountability after thousands of killings and allegations of cover-ups. The announcement came after public outrage over the fatal shooting on Monday of a woman by an off-duty policeman, which led to condemnation from activists who say police brutality has become systematic under President Rodrigo Duterte and his bloody war on drugs. The shooting of Lilibeth Valdez, 52, was recorded on a mobile phone and shared on social media. Policeman Hensie Zinampan was seen in the video pulling Valdez's hair before he shot her in the neck. Administrative and criminal charges have been filed against him. The Commission on Human Rights said it was investigating the killing. Valdez was laid to rest at a ceremony on Friday. Philippine police have been accused of executing suspects then staging crime scenes and fabricating reports, emboldened by what activists say is a culture of impunity under Duterte. Police and government reject that. Police chief Guillermo Eleazar said to combat police abuses and erase doubts about the legitimacy of operations, more than 600 officers would be using body-worn cameras on Friday. In a statement Eleazar also said the cameras were a tribute "to the policemen whose ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty were tainted by claims of extra-judicial killings, planting of evidence and other unfair allegations." Carlos Conde, Philippines researcher for Human Rights Watch, said the killing of Valdez underscored the need for police body cameras. "The case shows that police accountability may only be possible if the crime is caught on camera," said Conde. "While cameras alone won't stop police abuses, they bring a measure of transparency during police operations." https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/philippine-police-wear-body-cameras-after-calls- scrutiny-grow-2021-06-04/ The Senate energy committee is looking for solutions to the perennial power shortage Published June 4, 2021, 4:40 PM by Mario Casayuran The Senate energy committee on Friday stressed that the primary responsibility of the Department of Energy (DOE) is to assure the public that there would be constant supply of electricity at all times. ‘’One cannot blame the public of “dramatizing the brownouts” if there are unending threats of yellow and red alert hanging on your head while the whole country is struggling to go back to normal,’’ Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, committee chairman, said. Gatchalian said his committee is looking for solutions to the perennial energy shortages, particularly in Luzon. House Deputy Speaker, a resident of Cagayan de Oro, said Mindanao has a surplus of power, during a hearing by the House energy committee chaired by Rep. Juan Miguel ‘’Miokey’’ M. Arroyo. It was during the hearing that DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi stated that people are ‘’dramatizing’’ the brownout situation. To this, Gatchalian said ‘’we are ready to support the department with the powers they need to end this perennial problem of brownouts.’ ‘’ Finger-pointing will not do the country any good. The last thing DOE wants is to end its term with a legacy of brownouts,’’ he added. The Senate energy committee on Friday stressed that the primary responsibility of the Department of Energy (DOE) is to assure the public that there would be constant supply of electricity at all times. ‘’One cannot blame the public of “dramatizing the brownouts” if there are unending threats of yellow and red alert hanging on your head while the whole country is struggling to go back to normal,’’ Senator Sherwin T. Gatchalian, committee chairman, said. Gatchalian said his committee is looking for solutions to the perennial energy shortages, particularly in Luzon. House Deputy Speaker, a resident of Cagayan de Oro, said Mindanao has a surplus of power, during a hearing by the House energy committee chaired by Rep. Juan Miguel ‘’Miokey’’ M. Arroyo. It was during the hearing that DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi stated that people are ‘’dramatizing’’ the brownout situation. To this, Gatchalian said ‘’we are ready to support the department with the powers they need to end this perennial problem of brownouts.’ ‘’ Finger-pointing will not do the country any good. The last thing DOE wants is to end its term with a legacy of brownouts,’’ he added. https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/04/the-senate-energy-committee-is-looking-for-solutions-to-the- perennial-power-shortage/ 'Dante' reenters PAR, weakens into tropical depression By Ma. Cristina Arayata June 4, 2021, 7:29 pm (Image grabbed from PAGASA's Facebook page) MANILA – Weather disturbance "Dante" has further weakened into a tropical depression (TD), and reentered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) on Friday afternoon, a state forecaster said. "Dante" was last tracked 210 km. west-northwest of Basco, Batanes or 185 km West of Itbayat, Batanes. It packs maximum sustained winds of 55 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 70 kph. "Due to Dante's location, Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal no. 1 has been hoisted over Batanes," said Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) weather specialist Raymond Ordinario. Batanes will experience strong winds, and a gale warning is in effect over the northern seaboard of northern Luzon. Ordinario said those venturing out to the sea must take precautionary measures as sea travel is risky for small seacrafts over these waters. "Dante" is expected to exit PAR by Saturday afternoon. It may also likely to downgrade into a low pressure area (LPA), according to Ordinario. Meanwhile, Ordinario said Ilocos Region, Zambales, and Bataan may experience scattered rain showers due to "habagat" or the southwest monsoon. Metro Manila and the rest of Luzon will have generally fair weather, but may also experience isolated rain showers caused by localized thunderstorms, he said. PAGASA also forecast the same weather condition over the rest of the country. (PNA) https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1142654 'Dante's' damage to agriculture now at P82.46M Published June 4, 2021, 7:58 PM by Betheena Unite The latest figures from the Department of Agriculture (DA) Friday night, June 4, showed that tropical storm “Dante” has caused at least P82.46 million in agricultural damage to the Based on the department’s assessment report released at around 6 p.m., the losses to agriculture are now pegged at P82.46 million, up by nearly P20 million from Thursday’s figure. A total of 2,132 farmers have been affected by Dante, the DA said. The losses covered 2,949 hectares (ha) of agricultural areas in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Davao Region, SOCCSKSARGEN and Caraga. This translates to 3,060 metric tons worth of lost production. The affected commodities include rice, corn, and other high value crops, even fisheries. Meanwhile, 86,448 metric tons of produce amounting to P1.59 billion were harvested early in the bid to prevent further agricultural losses. This covered around 20,000 ha of rice in Regions I, II, III, IV-A and VI. As for corn, a total of 7,758 ha have been harvested from Regions I and Mimaropa, with an equivalent production of 42,365 metric tons valued at P720 million. https://mb.com.ph/2021/06/04/dantes-damage-to-agriculture-now-at-p82-46m/ 16 areas register 41°C and above heat index as hot weather continues Published June 4, 2021, 7:12 PM by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz Several parts of the country continue to experience hot weather as 16 monitoring stations registered above 40 degrees Celsius (°C) heat index on Friday, June 4.