Latest news with #DepartmentofInteriorandLocalGovernment
Bangkok Post
25-07-2025
- Climate
- Bangkok Post
Typhoon May strengthen on track toward northern Philippines
MANILA — A typhoon moving toward northern Philippines may intensify further before making landfall as early as tonight, with heavy rain and strong winds likely to impact some rice and corn crops. Typhoon Co-may — known locally as Emong — has slowed and is sitting to the west of Dagupan, a small city about three-hour drive northwest of the capital Manila, according to an advisory from the national weather agency. The storm was packing top sustained winds of 120 kilometres per hour. The cyclone may undergo rapid intensification as it moves toward Luzon Island and potentially reach peak intensity of as high as 185km per hour, the US Navy's Joint Typhoon Warning Centre said. That would be equivalent to a major Category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale. Government work and classes in the Philippines will be shut for a fifth straight day on Friday in the capital region and dozens of provinces as heavy rains continue, according to Department of Interior and Local Government. The Philippines has already racked up 454 million pesos (US$8 million) in crop losses from the combined effects of an earlier cyclone, the developing Co-may, another tropical storm to its north, as well as the southwest monsoon, according to data from the agriculture department. The country sees an average of 20 cyclones a year, with eight or nine making landfall. Last year, a blitz of six powerful storms hit the Philippines within a matter of weeks, sapping economic growth and causing widespread agriculture losses. Rice harvesting started this month and collection of corn crops typically begins in August, according to the US Foreign Agricultural Service. The Philippines is the world's biggest rice importer and any damage to domestic crops could force the nation to seek more supply from overseas. The outer bands of Co-may are expected to dump rain across a large part of Luzon Island, and the Philippines Civil Aviation Authority has reported several domestic and international flight cancellations. 'Every day there are rains, so the soil is saturated,' state weather forecaster Aldczar Aurelio told local radio station DZMM. 'It means there's a high chance of floods and landslides.'
Al Etihad
21-07-2025
- Climate
- Al Etihad
Heavy rains force Philippines to shut down workplaces, schools
21 July 2025 18:37 MANILA (BLOOMBERG)The Philippines will suspend classes and government work in the capital region and nearby provinces for a second day on Tuesday due to heavy monsoon rains that caused floods and rains are likely to continue through Thursday, the Department of Interior and Local Government said in a Facebook post. Government work and classes were canceled Monday afternoon as local authorities began evacuating residents in flood-prone areas while dams near the capital Manila Philippine Stock Exchange said it will announce on Tuesday whether trading will be halted. The central bank has yet to say whether it will trade in the currency market weather bureau raised the second-highest rainfall alert over Metro Manila and nine provinces in the main Luzon island for Tuesday to Wednesday, warning the public of more flooding and in Quezon City, the largest and most populated in the capital region, have started evacuation and rescue efforts in more than two dozen villages where floodwaters were reported to be head-deep in some neighborhoods. In Manila, many commuters were stranded as they waded through flooded least five people died while seven are missing amid strong winds due to the southwest monsoon and Tropical Storm Wipha over the weekend that also caused landslides, the national disaster agency said in its latest the capital region, home to more than 14 million people, floods rendered some impassable roads. Nearly 90 vessels and motor boats are either stranded or taking shelter in various ports due to inclement weather, according to the coast guard. The Philippines, an archipelago of more than 7,600 islands, is one of the world's most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events. An average of 20 tropical storms annually passes through the Southeast Asian nation.
GMA Network
09-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
House reso seeking DILG probe on sister city pacts with China filed
The Department of Interior and Local Government should investigate the Philippines' sister-city agreements with Chinese cities and terminate any deals detrimental to the national security of the country, lawmakers who are expected to join the House minority bloc said Wednesday. Reps. Leila de Lima of ML party-list; Chel Diokno, Perci Cendaña, and Dadah Ismullah of Akbayan party-list; Arlene Bag-ao of Dinagat; and Krisel Lagman of Albay, who called themselves as the West Philippine Sea (WPS) bloc, made the call under House Resolution 39. The lawmakers, who are all on their first terms as House members, cited Section 7, Article 2 of the 1987 Constitution which recognizes the policy of the State to "pursue an independent foreign policy" and mandates that "in its relations with other states, the paramount consideration shall be national sovereignty, territorial integrity, national interest, and the right to self-determination.' They also mentioned National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) Deputy Director General Francisco Ashley Acedillo confirming the existence of Chinese malign influence and foreign interference activities in the Philippines during a Senate inquiry in November 2024, They also cited a 2024 study of the Ateneo Policy Center about Chinese foreign interference activities in the Philippines stating that "the most likely targets of malign tactics are the Philippines' electoral, legislative, and sub-national governance processes, while the country's current geopolitical context and domestic vulnerabilities render it likely susceptible to these unique forms of statecraft.' 'Now, therefore, it is resolved that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) be urged to conduct a comprehensive investigation of sister city arrangements with Chinese cities, and similar local government agreements with PRC counterparts, with a view towards rescinding arrangements that are inimical to Philippine national security interests,' they said. They said the investigation must include, but not limited to, the following areas: Monitoring and evaluation of all sister city and other local government agreements with China; Conducting risk assessment to determine malign interference and influence at the subnational level; Compiling the information gathered and developing a comprehensive database of sister city agreements and other similar arrangements; and, Coming up with recommendations in aid of revising policy frameworks governing sister cities in the Philippines. Based on DILG records, there are 16 China-Philippine sister city partnerships. The League of Cities of the Philippines listed 29 Philippine LGU-Chinese city partnerships. The lawmakers said the lists do not include the three sister-city agreements with Davao City publicly announced by Vice President Sara Duterte and Mayor Sebastian Duterte in 2023. "Sister-city partnerships ideally provide LGUs with an avenue to foster international cooperation, facilitate knowledge exchange, and promote deeper social-cultural understanding [but] regrettably, there have been reported cases in other states, where sister city agreements were used by the People's Republic of China to exert influence in furtherance of its national security interests,' the lawmakers said. 'These reports of China's "pervasive" malign foreign interference and influence require deeper investigation, and must include a comprehensive assessment of risks and vulnerabilities of China's direct engagement with our local government units,' they added. They also said the policy framework on sister cities has not been updated since 1997, posing risks that the Philippines should address immediately. 'There are no existing regulations that call for comprehensive databasing, monitoring and evaluation of sister city arrangements. The Philippines, as a sovereign and democratic republic, must respond to these evolving threats with vigilance, transparency, and resolve,' the lawmakers said. 'While international cooperation remains essential, the state must also guard against undue foreign control or manipulation of domestic policies, institutions, and national identity,' they added. Also on Wednesday, the lawmakers filed a bill mandating the inclusion of the history and legal basis of the Philippines' jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea in the curriculum of all public and private educational institutions at the primary and secondary level in the country. They also filed a bill declaring July 12 as the West Philippine Sea Victory Day. It was on July 12, 2016 when the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of the Philippines over China's claims in the South China Sea, saying that it had "no legal basis." The decision also ruled that the Ayungin Shoal, the Spratly Islands, Panganiban or Mischief Reef, and Recto or Reed Bank are within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). 'When disinformation attempts to rewrite our history, we answer with education. Our 'WPS Mandatory Education' bill is simple: if they can flood the internet with lies, we will fill our classrooms with facts. Our youth deserve the truth, not historical fiction,' De Lima said. 'Commemorating July 12 as National WPS Victory Day is a reminder that international law is on our side. Panahon nang ipagdiwang ito, hindi lang sa korte, kundi sa puso ng bawat Pilipino,' she added.—AOL, GMA Integrated News
GMA Network
22-05-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Ombudsman tells Cebu's Gwen Garcia, DILG to explain defiance of suspension order
The Office of the Ombudsman has directed Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia to explain her failure to heed its earlier suspension order. Ombudsman Samuel Martires also sought an explanation from the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) why it has yet to implement the suspension, which was supposedly "immediately executory." In a communication dated May 19, 2025, the Ombudsman ordered Garcia "to show cause within five days from receipt thereof why you should not be cited for indirect contempt for continuously defying the 23 April 2025 Order of the Ombudsman preventively suspending you from office." The suspension does not exceed six months. It added that Garcia received a copy of the suspension order on April 29, 2025, and despite its "immediately executory nature" of the implementation, it said the governor "publicly avowed not to abide" by it. The order addressed to DILG Undersecretary Rolando Puno said that in a press conference held on May 9, 2025, the official said the agency will not act on the suspension order because it was still awaiting the response of the Commission on Elections to its query "as to the need to secure the Commission's approval for the suspension of elected officials during the campaign period." The Ombudsman said this was the DILG's response "when you office knows fully well that the Order has already been implemented and is immediately executory." "In view of this, you are hereby ordered to show cause within five days from receipt thereof why you should not be cited for indirect contempt for tolerating or consenting to the acts of defiance of respondent Garcia to the lawful order of preventive suspension issued against her..." Garcia is accused by a certain Moises Deiparine of granting a special permit to Shalom Construction, Inc. last May 14, 2024 without an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) or a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) or prior study/consultation with other relevant government agencies. Garcia ran for a third consecutive three-year term as Cebu governor. However, she lost to Pamela Baricuatro. GMA News Online reached out to Garcia and the DILG for a comment. —LDF, GMA Integrated News
