News Roundup 28 September 2022
Sep 28, 2022 • 4 min Read
Typhoon Karding’s cost of damage to PH agriculture climbs to P1.97B | INQUIRER.NET – The cost of damage to the country’s agriculture sector brought about by the onslaught of typhoon Karding has reached P1.97 billion, said the Department of Agriculture (DA). Karding ravaged around 148,091 hectares of farm lands in the Cordillera Administrative Region, Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Bicol Region, affecting at least 88,520 farmers and fisherfolk, according to a report from the DA’s Disaster Risk Reduction and Management (DRRM) Operations Center. “Affected commodities include rice, corn, high value crops, livestock and poultry, and fisheries,” it further detailed.
The DA DRRM clarified, however, that all the figures are subject to validation. “The increase in overall damage and losses is due to additional reports on rice, corn, high value crops, livestock and fisheries in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon and Bicol Region,” it then explained. The DA said its regional field offices are continuous in its efforts to conduct a full assessment on the damages and losses brought about by the strong typhoon in the agri-fishery industry. It then spelled out the following assistance available for distribution to the affected farmers and fishers:
- P170.34 million worth of rice seeds, P23.16 million worth of corn seeds and P13.55 million worth of assorted vegetable seeds
- P 2.45 million worth of animal heads, drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry
- Fingerlings and fishing paraphernalia to affected fisherfolk from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources
- Survival and recovery loan program from the Agricultural Credit Policy Council with loanable amount of up to P25,000 payable in three years at zero interest
- P500 million worth of quick response fund for the rehabilitation of affected areas
- Mobile Kadiwa centers for rolling out in areas affected by Karding to stabilize prices and supply of agri-fishery commodities
Students of 2 Baguio universities slam threats to safety, ‘malicious labeling’ | INQUIRER.NET – The Student Council of the University of the Philippines Baguio on Tuesday (Sept. 27) condemned the threats to the safety of its students, accused of “fighting the government” by an anonymous sender of “malicious labeling.” In a statement, UP Baguio’s Student Council said it received text messages from an unidentified group “threatening to inflict harm and injury on our students.” “As a university, we encourage our students to engage in the discourse on social justice to serve as catalysts for change,” it said. The Student Council added:” As a democratic society, we should be open to varied perspectives and seek solutions to achieve inclusive development.” Similar threatening messages were received by the students of Saint Louis University (SLU) Baguio. ‘Wala kayong ginawa kung ‘di labanan ang gobyerno. Mga studyante kayo, gobyerno nagpaparal sa inyo peo kinakalaban nyo,” part of the threat said. (You do nothing but fight the government. You are students, the government educates you, but you fight it.) “Nasa loob na ng SLU Bonifacio ang iba naming kasama, humanda kayo bukas. Malalaman n’yo hinahanap ‘nyo,” it added. (Our members are already inside the SLU Bonifacio, be ready. You will find out what you are looking for.) The SLU’s student council also condemned what it described as a “crackdown against progressive youth.” “These acts of fascism must end now. We are one in the call to defend democracy and uphold our human rights,” the Student Council said.
ICC prosecutor’s insistence on ‘drug war’ probe a ‘disservice’ to Philippines — DOJ | PHILSTAR.COM – The Department of Justice on Wednesday took offense at the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court for pushing to launch an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in the Duterte administration’s “war on drugs.” ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan, in response to the Philippines’ submission of “drug war” findings, said the government did not give new arguments or information to preclude an official investigation. At a press briefing Wednesday afternoon, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said that while the country met its deadline for comment, Khan was “doing them a great disservice by putting a challenge to our system here.” “We submitted these things to the ICC out of the principle of comity, nothing more, nothing else. We are not there ‘complying’ with anything because we are not members,” he said. “I just hope that this matter is not politicized, not weaponized by people in political positions.”
