EASING TRANSPORT COSTS TEMPER INFLATION TO 4.1% IN JUNE

MANILA — A slower increase in transportation fares tempered inflation in June, a welcome reprieve to consumers still reeling from pandemic-induced economic shocks and giving the central bank enough reasons to sustain its easy-money policy.

After three straight months of steady reading, inflation, as measured by the consumer price index, eased to 4.1% year-on-year in June, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported Tuesday. This was slower than 4.5% clip recorded in May.

The softer price uptick brought the six-month average to 4.4%, still above the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ 2-4% annual target. It was a much-needed respite for consumers whose livelihood and incomes were hurt by the pandemic-led recession, with inflation felt by poor Fillipino families also easing to 4.3% on-year in June from 4.5% in the previous month.

In a statement, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno, who ushered in massive cuts to the policy rate to support an ailing economy, said the latest reading was “consistent with expectations that inflation could remain above target in the near term as meat and oil prices remain elevated.”

“The risks to the inflation outlook remain broadly balanced. The uptick in international commodity prices owing to supply chain bottlenecks and the recovery in global demand could lend upward pressures on inflation,” Diokno said.

“However, downside risks to the inflation outlook continue to emanate from the emergence of new coronavirus variants which could delay the easing of lockdown measures and temper prospects for domestic growth,” he added.

Meanwhile, fuel prices softened 21.5% annually in June from 33% in May.

Contributing the most to last month’s inflation were food and non-alcoholic items, which registered a slightly faster price growth of 4.7% last month. Prices of meat climbed at a milder pace of 19.2% — albeit still at double-digit rate — as pork imports meant to plug a supply hole left by the local African swine fever outbreak start arriving. Fish inflation, however, quickened to 8.7% driven by more expensive galunggong (mackerel scad) and tulingan (bullet tuna).

Moving forward, Mapa said “threats” to the inflation outlook include a sudden surge in prices of transportation and food, as well as rallying oil prices. Analysts agreed.

“Even with transport costs related to higher fuel are expected in the near term, for as long as food inflation stays behaved and base effects from pandemic-related price increases wash out (tricycle fares and other service) we could see inflation sliding below 4% as early as July and staying within target for the balance of the year,” Nicholas Antonio Mapa, senior economist at ING Bank in Manila," said.

PHILIPPINES ORDER PROBE AFTER WORST MILITARY ACCIDENT IN 3 DECADES

Philippine authorities ordered an investigation on Monday into the crash of an Air Force plane that overshot a runway and killed more than 50 people, including civilians, in the country’s worst military air accident in nearly three decades.

President Rodrigo Duterte flew to a military camp in the southern city of Zamboanga, where the dead and dozens of injured were brought following the crash on Sunday of a transport plane the defense ministry said was in good condition.

“I commiserate with you. I am as sorrowful as you. And as commander-in-chief, I am hurting the most because of lives lost,” Duterte said at a navy base after saluting the flag-draped coffins.

With all 96 passengers accounted for, the death toll from the crash rose to 52, including three civilians, after two of 49 injured soldiers succumbed to their injuries on Monday, the defense ministry said.

Seven out of 49 soldiers who were killed in the C-130 plane crash in Sulu have been identified and the aircraft's black box has been recovered, the military said Tuesday.

The fallen soldiers will be identified through DNA testing and their dental records, said Armed Forces of the Philippines chief of staff Gen. Cirilito Sobejana.

Military spokesman Edgard Arevalo said the plane was in “very good condition” and had 11,000 flying hours remaining before its next maintenance was due.

“We are determined to find out what really transpired in this very tragic incident, because according to available information the aircraft followed the specified protocols,” he told a news conference.

1.9K FAMILIES AFFECTED BY TAAL VOLCANO UNREST — NDRRMC

MANILA — The unrest of Taal Volcano has affected more than 1,900 families or more than 6,500 families, the latest report from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council showed.

As of 8:00 a.m.Tuesday, days since volcanologists raised Taal Volcano to Alert Level 3, 1,902 families or 6,585 persons were recorded as affected in 77 barangays in Batangas province.

There are 1,044 families or 3,480 persons are temporary staying in 23 evacuation centers, the NDRRMC said. Some 709 families or 2,565 families, meanwhile, were displaced and are being serviced outside these evacuation centers.

The affected families are from the towns of Taal, Lemery, Agoncillo, Balete, Cuenca, Talisay, Tanauan, Laurel, Mataasnakahoy and San Nicolas in Batangas province.

So far, the government has so far released P1,849,765 in assistance, in the form of food packs and food items to affected families, the NDRRMC report also showed.

NATIONS NEED TO VACCINATE 85 PERCENT OF POPULATION VS COVID-19: WHO

MANILA - Countries need to vaccinate some 85 percent of their population against COVID-19 following the emergence of more transmissible variants, the World Health Organization said Tuesday.

The world health body set the target due to the spread of the Delta and Alpha variants, first detected in India and the UK, respectively, said Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe, WHO representative to the Philippines.

"We’re looking at approximately 85 percent or beyond. That’s why we now advocate not to talk about herd immunity but talk about how many people can be protected," he told ANC's Headstart.

"As new and more transmissible variants emerge, it means you have to protect a larger proportion of population to achieve what you term 'herd immunity.'"

The WHO said it advocates for countries to inoculate 10 percent of their population by September, 40 percent by yearend, and 70 percent by June next year, said Abeyasinghe.

The Philippines is likely to meet the world health body's goals as it has so far administered at least 10 million first doses, he added.

"We believe you will exceed the 10 percent before September and certainly you may exceed 40 percent threshold before end of year," he said.

Some 2,868,905 Filipinos are fully-protected or have received their second COVID-19 jab as of Sunday, government said. A total of 11,708,029 doses of the anti-virus jabs have been administered in the country, it added.

Authorities expect to receive at least 1 million more jabs this week, Malacañang said on Monday.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate at least 58 million out of its 110 million population this year to safely reopen the economy, which recorded its worst post-war slump last year, as the pandemic left businesses struggling and millions jobless.

WHO: PHILIPPINES STILL NOT AT LOW RISK FOR FUTURE COVID-19 INFECTIONS

MANILA — The World Health Organization’s representative to the Philippines said the country is still not at low risk for future COVID-19 infections despite a decline in new cases which prompted the health department to classify the country as a “low-risk” area.

“If you’re looking at it from the perspective of are we at low-risk of future COVID cases, no, we are not at low risk for future cases,” WHO country representative Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe told ANC’s Headstart on Tuesday.

Abeyasinghe said health authorities must remain cautious in their messaging so the public remains aware that the risk of infection remains.

“Giving them wrong messaging could result in lower compliance to minimum public health standards,” he said.

He added that it is not yet appropriate to call a country low-risk as new, more infectious variants of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 crop up.

“Until we are reasonably confident that we have beaten the variant, I think we shouldn’t cross there,” he said.

The Department of Health announced last Thursday that it now considers the Philippines as a “low-risk” area after the growth rate of the virus dropped by 9% over the last two weeks, while the average daily attack rate, or the number of cases divided by the population, stood at 5.42.

In total, the country has reported 1,441,746 COVID-19 infections, with 51,594 still active as of Monday. Total deaths stood at 25,192 deaths, and total recoveries at 1,364,960.

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‘FACE-TO-FACE CLASSES TO HAPPEN SOON’

MANILA — It may not take long before pilot face-to-face classes are held because of the rising number of individuals who got vaccinated for COVID-19, Malacañang said yesterday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said while President Duterte rejected the holding of in-person classes because of the emergence of more transmissible COVID-19 variants, the setup would “not be the same forever.”

He noted that the Philippines has administered close to 12 million vaccine doses while some Metro Manila cities have given the first dose to 70 percent of their population.

“The President said he wanted our people to be vaccinated. As to how many, we are not yet sure,” Roque said at a press briefing.

“But with 12 million of our people being vaccinated and with... some cities of Metro Manila hitting 70, even 100 percent of their population being given the first dose, let’s say that it won’t take long and it may be possible for us to have a pilot.

Let’s just wait for the vaccines to be administered,” he added.

DFA IS OPENING 177.5K PASSPORT SLOTS AT METRO MANILA MALLS

MANILA -- The Department of Foreign Affairs is opening five special off-site locations in Metro Manila on Wednesday to provide an additional 177,500 passport appointment slots to residents of the region and nearby areas.

DFA Undersecretary for Civilian Security and Consular Affairs Brigido Dulay on Monday announced that Temporary Offsite Passport Services (TOPS) offices will open at SM Mall of Asia, SM City North Edsa, SM Aura, Robinsons Place Las Piñas, and Robinsons Place Magnolia.

Each TOPS site has the capacity to receive 500 appointments daily and will operate from Mondays to Saturdays, DFA also said in a statement released Tuesday.

With each site operating at full capacity, a total of 177,500 additional passport appointment slots will be available until the end of September on the DFA’s online appointment system.

This is on top of the regular appointment slots at the Department’s ASEANA office and its consular offices all over the country.

Appointment slots for all five sites may be accessed through the DFA’s online appointment system website www.passport.gov.ph.

As of this writing, all TOPS sites are already reflected on DFA's appointment system and slots are available for reservation.

Courtesy lane clients can also email the DFA directly at oca.cl@dfa.gov.ph.

“We advise applicants to avoid falling prey to online fraudsters and scammers who are taking advantage of the situation by charging hefty fees,” Dulay cautioned.

Passport appointment slots, he emphasized, are free of charge and are only available through the DFA’s official website.

229 FAMILIES RECEIVE HOMES IN BASECO

MANILA — Manila Mayor Isko Moreno yesterday led the inauguration and distribution of 229 housing units at the BaseCommunity, the city’s first townhouse-style project at the Baseco Compound in Port Area.

Moreno awarded the houses located in Barangay 649, Zone 68, Bagong Lupa, Baseco to 229 families displaced by a fire in February last year.

Moreno said the project is a realization of his promise to address the city’s housing problem by providing decent and affordable homes to informal settler families.

“While my parents failed to fulfill their dream for us, I thanked God that you gave me the chance to serve as your mayor,” Moreno said during his speech.

434 PROFESSIONALS TO FILL PNP VACANCIES

MANILA — A total of 434 legal, medical and information technology professionals are set to fill vacancies in the Philippine National Police (PNP), the National Police Commission (Napolcom) announced yesterday.

The Napolcom said 163 medical officers would be assigned to the Health Service, 100 to Legal Service, 20 medico-legal officers to the PNP Crime Laboratory, 100 IT officers to Information Technology Management Service and 51 IT officers to the Anti-Cybercrime Group.

The Napolcom has approved Resolution 2021-0612 authorizing PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar to recruit doctors, lawyers and IT experts for lateral entry to the police service, with the ranks of captain and lieutenant.

The PNP lateral entry program aims to strengthen the human resource and technical capability of the police organization, according to Napolcom vice chairman Vitaliano Aguirre II.

SIGNAL NO. 1 OVER BATANES AS 'EMONG' SLOWS DOWN AHEAD OF EXIT

MANILA — Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 remains hoisted over Batanes as Tropical Depression Emong continues move slowly away from the Philippines, the state weather bureau said Tuesday.

PAGASA said residents of the province will continue to experience strong winds that will gradually weaken as Emong moves away from extreme Northern Luzon.

The tropical depression may leave the Philippine Area of Responsibility Tuesday morning. It was last seen 165 kilometers northwest of Itbayat in Batanes packing maximum sustained winds of 55 km per hour near the center and gusts of up to 70 kph.

It was heading northwest at 25 kph.

PAGASA warned that sea travel is risky over the seaboards of Batanes and Cagayan, including Babuyan Islands due to rough seas (2.5 to 4 meters).

Forecast position

Wednesday morning: 810 km northwest extreme Northern Luzon or in the vicinity of Sanming, Fujian province, China (outside PAR)

The southwest monsoon or habagat is expected to bring scattered rainshowers and thunderstorms in Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Zambales, Bataan, Palawan, and Mindoro provinces.

The rest of the country may experience isolated rainshowers or thunderstorms.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

SHARON CUNETA GOES VIRAL FOR "REVIRGINIZED" TRAILER

Sharon Cuneta went viral Sunday (July 4) on Twitter following the launch of her new movie’s trailer.

In a series of tweets, the Megastar said her sultry film “Revirginized” may “shock” audiences so she issued a disclaimer on Sunday morning, July 4, hours before the official trailer of her controversial movie was released.

“Hi, everyone! I just KNOW that my role of Carmela in this movie, and THIS TRAILER, and THE MOVIE as a whole, WILL SHOCK YOU.

"Please remember that it is just a movie, just another role that is VERY, VERY DIFFERENT from ALL THE OTHER ROLES you have seen me play.

The Megastar also asked the public to broaden their minds and just enjoy the film.

“And this movie is the opposite of ALL the movies you have ever seen me in! Please broaden your mind, enjoy it, and I sincerely hope you watch it on Vivamax starting August 6!,” she said.

Sharon remarked that she would like to work on different projects every now and then.

“At least on the screen, I am, after all, an actor. And doing all kinds of roles is part of my job!”

“And doing all kinds of roles is part of my job! Thanks so much! And PREPARE YOURSELVES, PLEASE! Upo lang po at kapit sa upuan! Kung ako nga na-shock – pero inenjoy ko naman po – sa pinagsasabi at pinaggagawa ko sa movie na ito, kayo pa kaya?! (Just sit and grab your chair! If I was shocked – but I enjoyed it – by what I said and did in this movie, I am sure you will too?!) Love you all! God bless us all, always.”

Sharon did not forget to remind her fans that the film is for mature audiences. "P.S. BAWAL PO MANOOD ANG MGA BATA NG TRAILER!” she added in post-script.

BOY ABUNDA RULES OUT SENATE RUN; ‘NOT CLOSING DOORS’ ON LOCAL BID

MANILA — TV host Boy Abunda, who is dubbed local showbiz’s “King of Talk,” has ruled out the possibility of running for a national post in 2022, but is “not closing doors” on a local bid or an appointed position in government.

Abunda confirmed with ABS-CBN News on Monday that he has been invited to seek a senatorial seat in the coming elections, but has declined.

“It’s a major decision. I’m not ready to run for the Senate. I have been invited to run for the Senate. I don’t have the tenacity, I don’t have the strength to run a national campaign. I don’t have the money. I don’t have the national political organization. It takes a national organization to run a national campaign. Kailangan mo ng logistics. I don’t have that,” he said.

“Most important of all, wala akong apoy sa bituka. I don’t have fire in my belly for the Senate,” Abunda added.

Abunda, however, said his “doors are open” for a local post, whether elected or appointed.

The veteran host, who hails from Borongan, Eastern Samar, explained that he has been considering a local bid since mid-2020, when his home network of 22 years, ABS-CBN, was forced off free television after its broadcast franchise was denied by a congressional panel.

“I was very emotional, I was very angry. Ang kapatid ko, sabi niya sa akin, ‘E ‘di tumakbo ka sa atin, mag-congressman ka,’” he said.

Abunda’s sister, Maria Fe Abunda, is the incumbent congresswoman of the lone district of Eastern Samar.

“It was half-meant, but I knew when she said that, it also came from the heart. ‘Why not go to public service?’ Ang aming nanay at tatay ay nasa public service. Ang kapatid ko ay three-term mayor. Ngayon, congresswoman,” he said.

“I thought about. ‘Oo nga, ‘no? I can actually run.’ I’m not closing my doors on politics. Doors are open,” Abunda added.

When asked to clarify whether he sees a 2022 bid as a possibility, Abunda answered: “Senate? No. National position is out of the question.”

Abunda, meanwhile, urged Filipino voters, especially the youth, to register to vote and to exercise their right to vote in the next elections.

“Ang kapangyarihan ay na sa ating mga kamay. Mas makapangyarihan tayo kahit kanino man, kung ito’y ating gagamitin. It starts by voting for who we think is right to serve our country,” he said.

“Think about them, think about yourselves, think about now. So go out and vote. That way, you exercise that power.”

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can't lose. - Bill Gates