MORE FISSURES SPOTTED NEAR TAAL VOLCANO AS MAGMA ACTIVITY CONTINUES —PHIVOLCSThe Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Wednesday saidthat while Taal volcano is having a "generally weaker eruption" at the maincrater, the fissuring of areas around it shows that it is very much activeunderneath."It’s the rising of the magma that is causing the fissures,” said PhivolcsDirector Renato Solidum during a press conference. “If the rise of magma iscontinuous, there is higher possibility of activity in Taal Volcano.”Phivolcs earlier explained that fissures happen before an eruption as magmarises towards the volcano. This is followed by subsidence as the movement ofmagma creates empty space.In its 8 a.m. bulletin on Wednesday, Phivolcs said it recorded 466 volcanicearthquakes since 1 p.m. on January 12. Of that number 156 were of IntensityI to IV.“For volcanic earthquakes, that is strong,” said Phivolcs Volcano Monitoringand Eruption Prediction Division chief Bornas. “The earthquakes are alsogenerated by the moving magma.”Meanwhile, new fissures or cracks were observed in the villages of Sinisian,Mahabang Dahilig, Dayapan, Palanas, Sangalang, Poblacion, Mataas na Bayan inLemery; Pansipit, Bilibinwang in Agoncillo; Poblacion 1, Poblacion 2,Poblacion 3, Poblacion 5 in Talisay; and Poblacion in San Nicolas.Asked if the new fissures or cracks observed in Batangas were signs that amajor or climactic explosion was fast approaching, Bornas said it would behard to tell."It is better to observe the earthquakes,” Solidum said, although bothearthquakes and fissures are indications of magma movement."If we observe harmonic tremors or continuous earthquakes then it should beclose (to a major eruption),” he said.Included in the bulletin was the level of sulfur dioxide emission at 1,686tons/day as of Tuesday. This is much lower than the 5299 tons/day recordedon Monday, but still higher than usual."Even if the concentration went down…if it’s more than 500 tonnes per daythen it’s still significant,” Solidum said.WHILE PHILIPPINES WELCOMES CHINA COAST GUARD, ANOTHER SHIP LOITERS NEARAYUNGIN SHOALMANILA — As the Philippine Coast Guard officially welcomed its Chinesecounterpart Tuesday, another China Coast Guard (CCG) ship has been locatedmonitoring Ayungin or Second Thomas Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.Ryan Martinson, assistant professor at China Maritime Studies Institute,posted a photo of the track of a CCG ship near the shoal, where Filipinotroops are stationed."Meanwhile, a China Coast Guard ship steams back and forth, menacingPhilippine Marines posted at Second Thomas Shoal," Martinson posted onTwitter.Martinson added that the ship operating near Ayungin Shoal is part of thesame unit where the CCG ship visiting the Philippines belongs to.CCG Vessel 5204 docked at the port of Manila Monday afternoon for a five-daygoodwill visit.On Tuesday morning, the PCG led by Adm. Joel Garcia held a welcome ceremonyfor CCG Director General Maj. Gen. Wang Zhongcai.Last year, the Department of National Defense reported to the House ofRepresentatives that CCG ships have been in close proximity to Ayungin Shoalsince January 2019.The DND also reported an incident wherein a CCG ship blocked the route ofthree Philippine civilian vessels on a resupply mission to grounded BRPSierra Madre on the shoal.The CCG vessel with bow number 3305 came as close as 1,600 yards to thePhilippine boats, according to the DND.Following this report, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin ordered thefiling of a diplomatic protest over the entry of Chinese vessels in the WestPhilippine Sea.Ayungin Shoal is less than 20 nautical miles from Mischief Reef, one ofChina's artificial islands in the Spratlys.FIRST BATCH OF OFWS REPATRIATED FROM IRAQ TO ARRIVE IN MANILAMANILA — The first batch of Filipinos coming from Iraq after the governmentordered mandatory repatriation will be arriving in Manila Wednesdayafternoon.The Department of Foreign Affairs said 13 overseas Filipino workersrepatriated from the Gulf state will arrive via Qatar Airways at around 4:10p.m.The first group, composed of seven adults and two minors, will be comingfrom Baghdad. They were supposed to arrive Tuesday but were held at theBaghdad International Airport due to baseless allegations of visa fraud, theDFA said.A second group composed of four adults will be coming from Erbil, a citynorth of Baghdad.Both groups will be transiting Doha, Qatar before arriving in the country."More Filipinos from affected areas are expected to come home in the comingweeks," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Arriola said.DUTERTE CRITICS ONLY USING ICC, PALACE SAYSMANILA- Critics of President Rodrigo Duterte are only using theInternational Criminal Court to ruin his reputation, Malacañang saidWednesday after a lawyer withdrew his communication to the tribunal on thechief executive’s supposed "crimes against humanity."Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said it is high time that the ICCwakes up from its supposed ignorance as he claimed that lawyer Jude Sabio’scase against Duterte was only part of a "vilification campaign.""The ICC has to wake up from its stupor if not ignorance. It should realizeby now that it is being used by disgruntled and discredited persons toadvance their goal of besmirching the reputation of [President Duterte] andachieving their impossible dream of brining down the Duterte presidency,"Panelo said.Sabio filed a communication with the ICC in April 2017, alleging thatPresident Duterte and other Philippine government officials committed crimesagainst humanity in instituting extrajudicial killings first in Davao Citythrough the Davao Death Squad, which they allegedly continued on a nationalscale through the war on drugs.On Tuesday, however, Sabio announced that he was withdrawing thecommunication, saying he doesn’t want it used for political purposes.DUTERTE CONFERS MEDALS ON MARAWI MARINESMANILA — President Duterte has honored 140 Marines who helped liberateMarawi from extremists in 2017.Duterte conferred the Order of Lapu-Lapu on eight officers and 132 otherpersonnel of the Marine Corps at Fort Bonifacio on Monday.“Our nation is forever grateful to the brave men and women of our MarineCorps who went above and beyond the call of duty to fight terrorism andinsurgency to secure our sovereignty,” the President said.The Marine officers received the Kampilan medal, which is given to those“seriously wounded or suffered great loss of property as a direct result oftheir participation in an activity pursuant to a campaign or advocacy of thePresident.”The enlisted personnel were awarded the Kamagi medal, which is given tothose “who actively participated in and contributed significantly to anactivity pursuant to a campaign or advocacy of the President.”Maute militants and Abu Sayyaf bandits attacked Marawi on May 23, 2017,prompting Duterte to declare martial law in Mindanao.The President declared Marawi liberated from terrorists after five months.Meanwhile, Duterte gave assurance that his administration would continue toimplement programs that would strengthen the capabilities and boost themorale of soldiers. He said the government has been fasttracking theacquisition of new vessels, aircraft, trucks, drones and other militaryequipment since 2018.PRICE FREEZE ON DRUGS, MEDICAL SUPPLIES IMPOSED IN AREAS AFFECTED BY TAALUNRESTMANILA — The Department of Health imposed a price freeze on over 200essential medicines and medical supplies to ensure their availability tothousands of individuals affected by the eruption of Taal Volcano.Among the 218 items under the price cap are N95 masks, disposable masks,nebulizers, paracetamols, anti-histamines and antibiotics.According to the memorandum signed by Health Secretary Francisco Duque III,the price freeze will be implemented in “all areas affected by the volcanoeruption.”“Essential medicines have been identified as a basic necessity especially intimes of natural calamities and man-made disasters that put the health andlives of Filipinos at risk because of unfavourable conditions that cause oraggravate disease which may lead to epidemics and massive death,” Duquesaid.The price freeze will be in effect for the duration of the situation, unlesslifted by President Rodrigo Duterte.LAWMAKER SEEKS DELIBERATIONS ON ABS-CBN FRANCHISE RENEWALMANILA — A lawmaker yesterday asked the House of Representatives to startdeliberations on measures seeking renewal of the ABS-CBN franchise.Cagayan de Oro Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, one of the proponents of the bills,urged the House committee on legislative franchises to conduct the hearingwhen session resumes next week after the holiday break.“Time is of the essence because ABS-CBN’s franchise will expire on March 30.Congress will adjourn on March 11,” he said.Rodriguez, chairman of the committee on constitutional amendments, said thetelevision network’s franchise should be renewed as a matter of right.“Congress must uphold the Constitution to ensure press freedom,” he said.Palawan Rep. Franz Alvarez, who chairs the committee on legislativefranchises, said the network’s franchise is a “matter of privilege and not aright.”Alvarez said the constitutional right to press freedom is irrelevant to theissue and should not be tackled during Congress deliberations.“There is no attempt to muzzle or control the media here. So this is not apress freedom issue. We should be reminded that under the law, the grant ofa franchise is not a right but a privilege,” he pointed out.Aside from Rodriguez, 11 lawmakers, who are allies of the administration,filed bills supporting ABS-CBN’s application for franchise renewal.President Duterte has maintained his opposition to the renewal of thenetwork’s franchise and even told its owners to just sell the company.HUNT DOWN ‘SERIAL RAPIST’ IN QUEZON — DUTERTEMANILA — President Duterte has ordered a manhunt for a “serial rapist”preying on children in Quezon.Duterte lamented that Quezon is “always in the limelight” because of rapeand killing of children.“There are things which I would like to bring to the attention of theFilipino people... In Quezon,... there is a serial rapist. Someone was rapedand killed yesterday,” the President told reporters at Fort Bonifacio onMonday.“I would like to know what steps have been taken to protect the public inthat place. Hanapin nila kung sino man yan at huwag nilang buhayin,” Dutertesaid.The President said he would meet with concerned police officials to discussthe issue.Last week, police arrested a 54-year-old man accused of raping and killingan eight-year-old girl in Candelaria. The body of the girl was found in agrassy portion in a subdivision.DUTERTE PLEASED WITH BOC CHIEF’S PERFORMANCEMANILA — Saying he is satisfied with the performance of Bureau of CustomsCommissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, President Duterte has denied appointinga new BOC chief.A newspaper had reported that Duterte would name William de Jesus Lima, aspecial envoy to China, as Customs chief.The President supposedly offered the post to Lima during a dinner hosted forChinese Ambassador Huang Xilian at Malacañang.“No, no, no, no. We were just shooting the breeze, who are the capable guysto handle Customs just in case. But I’m satisfied with Jagger and he staysthere,” Duterte said, referring to Guerrero.While he is pleased with Guerrero’s performance in the BOC, Duterte admittedthat the former military general needs to address some problems in thebureau, including corruption.“There are still complaints about corruption. So I will talk to him aboutthe people he should remove from the BOC. Some of them are lingering there,”the President said.Guerrero took over the BOC post in October 2018. He is the third Customschief under Duterte.METRO MANILA CRIME RATE DOWN – NCRPOMANILA — The crime volume in Metro Manila went down by six percent in 2019,the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) reported yesterday.NCRPO acting director Brig. Gen. Debold Sinas said 48,182 crimes wererecorded from January to December last year. The figure is lower compared tothe 51,322 crimes recorded during the same period in 2018.Index crimes such as murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery andtheft dropped from 13,732 to 12,695.Sinas said murder cases went down from 745 to 640 and homicide from 273 to190.Rape cases decreased from 1,170 to 1,136.Non-index crimes, including violation of traffic laws decreased from 37,590to 35,487.Sinas said the police crime solution efficiency improved by 2.06 percentlast year.He attributed the improvement to the intensified law enforcement operationsagainst high-value criminals.WHAT'S AT STAKE FOR TOURISM IN SOUTHERN LUZON AFTER TAAL ERUPTIONMANILA -- An "ecosystem" of resorts, hotels and their suppliers generated P1billion in Tagaytay City, the visitor hub of the region that is shrouded inash from the Taal Volcano, the Department of Tourism said Wednesday.The P1 billion represents "direct and indirect" contributions to the city'seconomy and excludes other tourist spots in Calabarzon that are affected bythe volcano, said Undersecretary Arturo Boncato Jr.Tourists flock to Tagaytay for the cool weather and Instagram-worthy viewsof Taal Lake, which holds the volcano. It is also easily accessible from thecapital, at just a 2-hour drive.In the first 3 months of 2019 alone, Tagaytay had 6.9 million visitors whostayed overnight, compared to 7.5 million in the entire 2018. Last year,there were 6.3 million day visitors, Boncato said.Calabarzon, composed of Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon, alsohost tourists looking for adventure and beaches, he said."Its contribution to Philippine tourism, regardless of number, isimportant," he said.With a "hazardous" eruption still possible, Boncato said tourism inCalabarzon would take a back seat to disaster response, he said."After they're all out of harm's way, the DOT will come in to assess andthen map out a strategic program to bring them back to their feet," he said.The Philippines welcomed its 8 millionth tourist last Dec. 27, Boncato said.Full year data was not immediately available but the full year target wasset at 8.2 million.The target for 2020 is 9.2 million and as many as 12 million by 2022, hesaid.JOHN LLOYD CRUZ, SHAINA MAGDAYAO SET TO REUNITE IN FILM PROJECTMANILA — A film starring former couple John Lloyd Cruz and Shaina Magdayaowas among the titles unveiled by ABS-CBN on Monday for release this year.“Servando Magdamag” will mark Cruz’s film comeback after his two-yearhiatus, and his first project with Magdayao since their 2012 split.In ABS-CBN’s “Sama-Sama Tayo sa 2020” trailer, which enumerates itsentertainment lineup across platforms, separate scenes of Magdayao and Cruzin “Servando Magdamag” were shown.“Servando Magdamag” is based on the short story by acclaimed writer RickyLee, who previously said that its film adaptation would be helmed by LavDiaz.Diaz, a frequent collaborator of Magdayao and Cruz in separate projects, hasnot yet been announced as the director of ABS-CBN Films’ “ServandoMagdamag.”PACQUIAO CAMP NOT RULING OUT FIGHT WITH CONOR MCGREGORMANILA – The camp of Manny Pacquiao is still working on the fightingsenator’s return to the boxing ring, with no definite opponent yet for about reportedly planned either for April or July this year.At this point, Pacquiao could end up fighting anyone.That even includes UFC star Conor McGregor.McGregor, who is set to return to the MMA circuit with a fight againstDonald Cerrone at UFC 246 on January 19, claimed he is close to sealing adeal with Pacquiao.“I would be open to other boxing bouts. You know, Manny (Pacquiao). We’reactually close to signing Manny,” the MMA star recently told ESPN MMA'sAriel Helwani in a one-on-one interview for the US sports network.“There’s been talks about the Manny fight as well. There’s been an offermade on (a fight with Pacquiao),” added McGregor.McGregor tried his hand at boxing — and was paid handsomely in doing so —when he fought and lost to Floyd Mayweather Jr. in November 2016. He thentook a hiatus from fighting since and is set to end that break with the boutagainst Cerrone.Sean Gibbons, Pacquiao’s right-hand man and currently the go-to guy at theFilipino icon’s MP Promotions, said anything could happen as they continueto explore their options.“Looking at all possibilities,” Gibbons told Philstar.com, withoutconfirming if there are indeed talks with McGregor’s camp.Those possibilities also reportedly include Pacquiao fighting in the MiddleEast.Pacquiao hasn’t seen action since dominating Keith Thurman last July tobecome the WBA “super” welterweight champion — the second of two fights in2019. Earlier in January, he routed Adrien Broner.NBA SCORES JAN 13FINAL/OT    1    2    3    4    OT    Tteam logo Pelicans 15-26    32    31    26    13    15    117team logo Pistons 14-27    23    29    25    25    8    110SCORING LEADERS    J. Okafor NO25 PTS, 14 REB, 5 AST    D. Rose DET23 PTS, 4 REB, 8 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo 76ers 25-16    23    26    20    26    95team logo Pacers 25-15    22    18    29    32    101SCORING LEADERSB. Simmons PHI24 PTS, 14 REB, 3 ASTM. Brogdon IND21 PTS, 7 REB, 9 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Bulls 14-27    14    23    34    30    101team logo Celtics 27-11    28    27    28    30    113SCORING LEADERSZ. LaVine CHI30 PTS, 5 REB, 2 ASTJ. Tatum BOS21 PTS, 6 REB, 2 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Thunder 23-17    30    33    29    25    117team logo Timberwolves 15-24    33    27    19    25    104SCORING LEADERS    D. Gallinari OKC30 PTS, 4 REB, 1 AST    N. Reid MIN20 PTS, 1 REB, 1 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Hornets 15-28    26    20    43    23    112team logo Trail Blazers 17-24    25    37    29    24    115SCORING LEADERS    D. Graham CHA27 PTS, 3 REB, 10 AST    D. Lillard POR30 PTS, 3 REB, 9 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Magic 19-21    33    32    21    28    114team logo Kings 15-25    25    27    33    27    112SCORING LEADERS    N. Vucevic ORL26 PTS, 15 REB, 2 AST    N. Bjelica SAC34 PTS, 7 REB, 2 ASTFINAL    1    2    3    4    Tteam logo Cavaliers 12-28    27    21    22    29    99team logo Lakers 33-7    21    26    37    44    128SCORING LEADERSK. Love CLE21 PTS, 11 REB, 3 ASTL. James LAL31 PTS, 2 REB, 8 AST