PAGASA: Brace for strong winds, heavy rains due to 'Crising', 'habagat'

 

SATELLITE IMAGE OF TROPICAL DEPRESSION CRISING (PAGASA)

 

By Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz

Published Jul 16, 2025 06:32 pm

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) warned on Wednesday, July 16, that tropical depression “Crising” may bring strong winds and heavy rains as it moves closer to Northern Luzon, while the enhanced southwest monsoon (habagat) continues to affect large parts of the country.

As of 5 p.m., Crising was spotted 625 kilometers east of Virac, Catanduanes, and is moving west-southwestward at 20 kilometers per hour (kph).

It has maximum sustained winds of 45 kph and gusts of up to 55 kph.

PAGASA said Crising is expected to move generally westward over the next 12 hours before shifting northwestward by Thursday afternoon, July 17.

It may either pass close to or make landfall over mainland Cagayan or the Babuyan Islands between Friday evening, July 18, and early Saturday morning, July 19.

In a press conference on Wednesday, PAGASA Administrator Nathaniel Servando warned the public not to dismiss the potential impacts of Crising.

“While Crising may not be a strong typhoon, we must not underestimate the hazards it may bring, especially the combined effects of the tropical cyclone with the enhanced southwest monsoon or habagat,” Servando said.

“Pinapayuhan natin ang ating mga kababayan na maging alerto dahil ang bagyong ito ay posibleng magbibigay ng mga malalakas na mga pag-ulan—moderate to heavy rains—na maaaring magdulot ng mga pagbaha sa mga mababang lugar at landslides sa mga bulubunduking lugar. Even in areas that are not directly in the path of the tropical depression Crising ay maaari pa ring maapektuhan dahil sa epekto ng enhanced southwest monsoon (We advise our fellow Filipinos to stay alert, as this storm may bring moderate to heavy rains, which could result in flooding in low-lying areas and landslides in mountainous regions. Even areas not directly in the path of tropical depression Crising may still be affected due to the influence of the enhanced southwest monsoon),” he added.

Servando advised the public to stay alert and closely monitor official bulletins and advisories to be issued by PAGASA.

The weather bureau also said Crising is likely to intensify into a tropical storm by Thursday morning and may strengthen further into a severe tropical storm by Friday afternoon or evening.

Intensification to typhoon status prior to its approach to Northern Luzon is also possible.

Wind signals

PAGASA said Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal No. 1 may be hoisted over portions of Cagayan Valley as early as Wednesday night or early Thursday morning.

If Crising maintains its current westward movement or increases its radius, Signal No. 1 may also be raised over Catanduanes.

The highest wind signals that could be raised during Crising’s passage are Signal No. 3 or 4, depending on its development and proximity to land.

Rainfall, wind forecasts

Heavy rainfall associated with tropical depression Crising, combined with the habagat, is expected to bring widespread rain and possible flooding in affected areas.

From Wednesday to Thursday, moderate to heavy (50-100 mm) rainfall is forecast over Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Albay, Sorsogon, Masbate, Northern Samar, Eastern Samar, Samar, Biliran, Palawan, Occidental Mindoro, Cebu, Antique, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, and Zamboanga del Norte.

From Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon, heavy to intense (100-200 mm) rainfall may affect Catanduanes, Occidental Mindoro, Antique, and Negros Occidental.

Moderate to heavy rainfall may persist in Isabela, Aurora, Quezon, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Albay, Sorsogon, Northern Samar, Metro Manila, Zambales, Bataan, Cavite, Batangas, Laguna, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, Aklan, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Oriental, and Zamboanga del Norte.

From Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, heavy to intense precipitation may prevail over Batanes, Cagayan, Apayao, Ilocos Norte, Zambales, Bataan, Occidental Mindoro, and Antique.

Meanwhile, moderate to heavy rains may continue to affect Isabela, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Ilocos Sur, Metro Manila, La Union, Pangasinan, Benguet, Tarlac, Pampanga, Bulacan, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Laguna, Palawan, Oriental Mindoro, Romblon, Aklan, Capiz, Iloilo, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, and Negros Oriental.

PAGASA warned that rainfall could be heavier in mountainous and elevated areas, and antecedent rainfall in some areas may worsen the impacts.

PAGASA also warned that strong to gale-force winds from the habagat will affect several areas over the coming days.

Gusty conditions are expected in Palawan, Siquijor, Bohol, Camiguin, Southern Leyte, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands on Wednesday; expanding to Batangas, Quezon, Bicol Region, Mimaropa, Visayas, Zamboanga del Norte, Camiguin, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Davao Occidental, and Davao Oriental on Thursday; and further reaching Bataan, Metro Manila, Calabarzon, Bicol Region, Mimaropa, Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Basilan, Sulu, Tawi-Tawi, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, and nearby areas on Friday.

Sea conditions

Coastal waters are expected to experience rough seas, with waves reaching up to 2.5 meters along the western seaboard of Palawan, northern and eastern seaboards of Catanduanes, and other areas including Zamboanga del Norte, Camiguin, Southern Leyte, and Davao Region.

Moderate seas up to 2 meters are forecast in parts of Occidental Mindoro, Antique, Negros Occidental, and Northern and Eastern Samar.

Mariners of small vessels are advised to exercise caution or avoid venturing out to sea.

PAGASA said Crising is expected to exit the Philippine Area of Responsibility on Saturday afternoon or evening.

Concealment of homosexuality a ground for marriage nullity – SC

 

By Rey G. Panaligan

Published Jul 15, 2025 11:34 am

The Supreme Court (SC) has ruled that fraudulent concealment of homosexuality from a spouse before and at the time of marriage is a valid ground to annul marriage.

With the ruling, the SC reversed both the decisions of the trial court and the Court of Appeals (CA) as it granted the nullification of marriage sought by a wife who found that her husband is a homosexual.

The decision in the case docketed as GR No. 268109 and posted in the SC website – sc.judiciary.gov.ph – on Tuesday, July 15, was written by Associate Justice Antonio T. Kho Jr.

The SC decision was grounded on the provisions of Articles 45, 46, and 47 of the Family Code on consent obtained by fraud; concealment of drug addiction, habitual alcoholism or homosexuality or lesbianism existing at the time of marriage; and filing of case for annulment of marriage within five years from discovery of the fraud.

In 2010, the wife met through social media her husband who was then working in Saudi Arabia. In 2011, they became sweethearts. They met personally in 2012 when the husband came back to the Philippines.

On their first date, the wife noticed that her husband was very distant and she wondered why they neither kissed nor held hands. The husband did not even sit beside her when they commuted not even when they had lunch.

The wife confronted her husband who confessed his timidity and lack of confidence. The husband disclosed that his wife was his first girlfriend even if he was already 31 years old at that time.

They were married in 2013. After their wedding, they lived together but the husband continued to avoid intimacy and often started arguments to avoid being close to his wife.

Two months after their marriage, the husband returned to his overseas work and stopped communicating with his wife.

Later, the wife found magazines of half-naked and naked male models among her husband’s things.

When the wife confronted him, the husband admitted he is a homosexual. The wife left their conjugal home and returned to her parents. She then filed a case in 2017 for nullity of marriage based on fraud committed by her husband.

She told the court that she would not have married him if she knew the truth that he was a homosexual.

The husband did not appear during the trial court’s proceedings. Only the wife’s testimony and the testimony of the husband’s father were presented in court.

Both the trial court and the CA, on appeal filed by the wife, dismissed the marriage nullification case with rulings that there was lack of sufficient evidence to show the husband’s homosexuality or that he deliberately concealed his sexuality to persuade her to marry him.

The trial court and the CA also found that the testimonies of the wife and the husband’s father were self-serving and unverified by other evidence.

Undaunted, the wife elevated the case to the SC.

The SC said: “Marriage is a special contract of permanent union between a man and a woman entered into in accordance with law for the establishment of conjugal and family life. To be valid, consent must be freely given by both parties. Thus, a marriage may be annulled when consent was obtained by fraud.”

It also said that contrary to the ruling of the trial court and the CA, the wife was able to prove that her husband concealed his homosexuality from her and thus vitiating her consent to marry him.

It pointed out: “No woman would put herself in a shameful position if the fact that she married a homosexual was not true. More so, no man would keep silent when his sexuality is being questioned thus creating disgrace in his name.”

Thus, the SC ruled that the marriage “must be annulled on the ground of fraudulent concealment of homosexuality pursuant to Article 45(3) in relation to Article 46(4) of the Family Code.”

German customs officials seize tarantulas hidden in sponge cake boxes

 

This photo dated June 18, 2025 and provided by the main customs office Cologne, shows plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. (Haupzollamt Koeln via AP)

By The Associated Press

Published Jul 15, 2025 10:54 am

BERLIN (AP) — Arachnophobes beware: Customs officials on Monday released photos from a seizure of roughly 1,500 young tarantulas found inside plastic containers that had been hidden in chocolate sponge cake boxes shipped to an airport in western Germany.

Customs officials found the shipment at Cologne Bonn airport in a package that had arrived from Vietnam, tipped off by a "noticeable smell" that didn't resemble the expected aroma of the 7 kilograms (about 15 pounds) of the confectionery treats, Cologne customs office spokesman Jens Ahland said.

"My colleagues at the airport are regularly surprised by the contents of prohibited packages from all over the world, but the fact that they found around 1,500 small plastic containers containing young tarantulas in this package left even the most experienced among them speechless," Ahland said in a statement.

Ahland hailed an "extraordinary seizure," but one that "saddens us to see what some people do to animals purely for profit."

Many of the eight-legged creatures didn't survive the trip, in a suspected violation of German animal-welfare rules, while survivors were given to the care of an expert handler, the office said. Reached by phone, Ahland said that the estimated value of the shipment was being assessed.

This photo dated June 18, 2025 and provided by the main customs office Cologne, shows plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. (Haupzollamt Koeln via AP)

This photo dated June 18, 2025 and provided by the main customs office Cologne, shows plastic containers holding young tarantulas that had been hidden in chocolate sponge-cake boxes shipped to Cologne Bonn airport, western Germany. (Haupzollamt Koeln via AP)

Criminal proceedings are underway against the intended recipient in the Sauerland region, east of the airport, in part for alleged violations of failure to pay the proper import duties and make the proper customs declarations, the office said.

The tarantulas were discovered about three weeks ago, but the customs office only made the images public on Monday.

Empowering youth in the digital age

By Manila Bulletin

Published Jul 16, 2025 12:02 am | Updated Jul 15, 2025 05:44 pm

Yesterday, July 15, World Youth Skills Day was observed without much fanfare.

This year’s theme, “Empowering Youth for a Sustainable Future through AI and Digital Skills,” is both timely and urgent. In a world wracked by climate crises, inequality, conflict, and technological disruption, there is a force we often overlook—the fierce, untapped potential of our youth. 

Young people are not only the inheritors of tomorrow’s problems; they are our future and the architects of today’s solutions. But their brilliance can only shine when we invest in them, placing the right tools in their hands and harnessing their skills. And in 2025, that means digital fluency, artificial intelligence (AI) literacy, and a reimagined understanding of skills—not just traditional trades or rote academics, but creativity, ethical reasoning, and innovation powered by technology.

Across continents, from bustling urban centers to remote rural villages, youth are already leading. They’re coding climate solutions, using AI to improve education access, and challenging systemic injustices with digital platforms. Yet, access to these transformative tools is anything but equal. A staggering digital divide still separates those who can shape the future from those who are shackled by the present. Girls in many regions lack access to STEM education. Refugee youth often go without even basic connectivity. The marginalized remain digitally voiceless.

This is not just a failure of policy; it is a moral failing of humanity.

Committing to youth empowerment is not merely to invest in job-readiness, but also in investing in justice, in peace, in sustainability itself. Because when youth are equipped with digital and AI skills, they do more than build careers. They build communities, question oppressive systems, and innovate toward equity. They challenge misinformation, design inclusive apps, develop tools for mental health, and use data to make governments more accountable.

But empowerment is not just about access to tools; it's about trust. It's about handing over the mic, the code, the decision-making, to young minds unburdened by cynicism and ripe with vision. It’s about educators who move beyond textbooks to teach problem-solving, empathy, and responsible AI use. It’s about policymakers who consult youth voices not as tokens, but as thought partners. And it’s about corporations that train, mentor, and hire not just to fill quotas, but to cultivate change-makers.

We must act now. Not in five years. Not after the next election cycle. The time is now. The climate clock is ticking. Inequity is growing. Authoritarianism lurks in algorithmic shadows. And still—young people rise. They march, they code, they create. The question is: Will we rise with them?

We view World Youth Skills Day not as a mere celebration, but a call to arms. A call to equip, uplift, and unleash a generation that is waiting to lead us to the future.

Let us equip them with the skills. Let us give them the stage. And then, let us get out of the way. Let’s empower the youth for they will be leading us in navigating the future.

Renten-Umfrage zeigt: Aus Angst vor Altersarmut – mehr als die Hälfte will bis 70 arbeiten

16.07.2025, 13:32 Uhr

Von: Carmen Mörwald    

Laut einer aktuellen Umfrage haben die Deutschen wenig Vertrauen in die gesetzliche Rente. Mehr als die Hälfte zieht drastische Konsequenzen.

Hamm – Wenn es nach Bundeskanzler Friedrich Merz (CDU) geht, sollen Rentner länger arbeiten. Diese politische Linie trifft auf eine Bevölkerung, die ohnehin schon aus Sorge vor Altersarmut plant, über das gesetzliche Rentenalter hinaus erwerbstätig zu bleiben. Wie aus einer aktuellen YouGov-Umfrage für die Postbank hervorgeht, glauben fast drei Viertel der befragten Arbeitnehmer in Deutschland nicht an eine auskömmliche Altersversorgung durch die staatliche Rente. 

Die Zahlen sprechen Bände: Mehr als die Hälfte (54,3 Prozent) der 1163 befragten Erwerbstätigen wäre bereit, länger zu arbeiten, um ihren Lebensstandard zu halten – vorwiegend in Teilzeit und bis zum vollendeten 70. Lebensjahr. Die Ergebnisse verdeutlichen eine besorgniserregende Tendenz, die sich infolge des demografischen Wandels weiter verschärfen dürfte. Dabei ist klar, die „Renten-Titanic“ fährt bereits seit 50 Jahren Richtung Eisberg, wie es in einer ZDF-Dokumentation heißt.

Schlager- und TV-Stars packen über Höhe ihrer Rente aus: Einer kriegt nur 41 Euro im Monat

Fotostrecke ansehen

Passend zu den Plänen der Merz-Regierung: Mehrheit will über Rente hinaus arbeiten

Allerdings knüpft ein Fünftel dieser Gruppe (19,8 Prozent) ihre Bereitschaft zur längeren Erwerbstätigkeit an die Bedingung, dabei mehr zu verdienen. Ein Drittel lehnt eine längere Erwerbstätigkeit wiederum ab. Die schwarz-rote Koalition unterstützt diese Entwicklung, indem, sie Hürden für die Weiterbeschäftigung älterer Arbeitnehmer abbaut. Zudem plant die Bundesregierung, Rentner mit der Aktivrente durch einen Freibetrag von 2000 Euro monatlich im Arbeitsleben zu halten.

Eine Umfrage zeigt: Mehr als die Hälfte der Rentnerinnen und Rentner wäre bereit, über das gesetzliche Rentenalter hinaus zu arbeiten. (Symbolfoto) © Karl-Josef Hildenbrand/dpa 

Während Bundesarbeitsministerin Bärbel Bas (SPD) plant, das Rentenniveau mit Milliardensummen aus Steuergeldern bis zum Jahr 2031 bei 48 Prozent zu stabilisieren, zweifelt mehr als jeder zweite Befragte (57,3 Prozent) daran, dass diese Maßnahme langfristig wirksam sein wird. Gleichzeitig halten 63 Prozent der insgesamt 2069 Ende Mai befragten Erwachsenen den verstärkten Einsatz von Steuergeldern zur Rentenstabilisierung grundsätzlich für richtig, wie die YouGov-Umfrage zeigt.

Unsicherheiten beim deutschen Rentensystem: Immer mehr setzen auf private Altersvorsorge

Angesichts dieser Unsicherheiten treffen etwa die Hälfte der Befragten bereits heute private Vorsorge für einen finanziell abgesicherten Ruhestand. Fast 70 Prozent befürworten eine staatliche Förderung der Geldanlage in Wertpapiere wie Aktien und Fonds zur Altersvorsorge – auch schon bei Kindern und Jugendlichen. In diesem Zusammenhang plant die Regierung die sogenannte Frühstart-Rente. Millionen Kinder sollen damit ihre spätere Rente aufbessern können.   r große Renten-Ratgeber

Mit unserem umfangreichen Renten-Ratgeber erhalten Sie alle wichtigen Informationen und Tipps rund um das Thema Rente übersichtlich zusammengefasst. Jetzt kostenlos herunterladen.

Laden Sie sich HIER den großen Renten-Ratgeber kostenlos herunter. © IMAGO / Bihlmayerfotografie

In anderen Ländern wie den Niederlanden, Großbritannien, Schweden oder den USA spielen Erträge aus Aktien und anderen Finanzprodukten bereits eine wesentliche Rolle bei den Einkommen von Rentnern. Deutschland könnte einen ähnlichen Weg einschlagen, wenn die Bürger ihr Vertrauen in die umlagefinanzierte Rente weiter verlieren. Fakt ist, dass die aktuelle Entwicklung wenig Hoffnung auf hohe Renten macht. Auch ein Fachmann zeigt sich alarmiert. (cln/dpa)