Phivolcs: 'Very weak' phreatomagmatic bursts recorded in Taal Volcano

(MANILA BULLETIN / FILE PHOTO)

by Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz, Manila Bulletin

Eight “very weak” phreatomagmatic bursts have been recorded in Taal Volcano on Saturday, Jan. 29, said the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs).

In its advisory late Saturday night, Phivolcs said short phreatomagmatic bursts, which lasted only 10 seconds to two minutes, occurred between 3:50 p.m. and 9:57 p.m.

 

Phreatomagmatic burst occurs when hot magma comes into contact with groundwater.

Phivolcs said the “very short-lived” bursts “produced only traces in the seismic record but were accompanied by distinct infrasound signals.”

However, the events generated steam-rich plumes between 400 meters and 900 meters high as detected by visual and thermal cameras around Taal Lake.

“Sulfur dioxide flux since the beginning of 2022 has averaged 10,668 tons per day, with the highest average emission at 18,705 tons per day on January 27, 2022,” Phivolcs said.

Meanwhile, “almost no volcanic earthquake activity has been recorded since Dec. 19,” it pointed out, adding that the volcano island has been deflating since October 2021.

Phivolcs said that Taal Volcano remains under alert level 2, which means that the volcano continues to manifest “increased unrest.” The volcano has been under alert level 2 since July 23, 2021.

It warned that gas-driven explosions and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas can occur and affect areas within and around the Taal Volcano Island.

Phivolcs reiterated that entry into the Taal Volcano Island, which is a permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, is strictly prohibited.

Boating and other activities on Taal Lake are also prohibited, Phivolcs said.

“Local government officials are advised to continuously assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays around Taal Lake in case of renewed unrest,” it added.

NCR, 7 provinces under Alert Level 2; 90 areas under Alert Level 3 on Feb. 1-15

(FILE PHOTO BY ALI VICOY / MANILA BULLETIN)

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin

The government’s pandemic task force has placed the National Capital Region (NCR) and seven other provinces under the coronavirus (COVID-19) Alert Level 2 starting February 1 to February 15, while 90 other areas will be under Alert Level 3, Malacañang announced.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles made the statement amid the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases in the country that came after a surge possibly caused by the Omicron variant.

In a statement on Sunday, January 30, Nograles said the following will be under Alert Level 2 on February 1 to 15:

Metro Manila

Batanes

Bulacan

Cavite

Rizal

Biliran

Southern Leyte

Basilan

Meanwhile, the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases placed the following cities and provinces in Luzon under Alert Level 3:

Abra

Apayao

Baguio City

Benguet

Kalinga

Mountain Province

Dagupan City

Ilocos Norte

Ilocos Sur

La Union

Pangasinan

City of Santiago

Cagayan

Isabela

Nueva Vizcaya

Quirino

Angeles City

Aurora

Bataan

Nueva Ecija

Olongapo City

Pampanga

Tarlac

Zambales

Batangas

Laguna

Lucena City

Quezon Province

Marinduque

Romblon

Occidental Mindoro

Oriental Mindoro

Puerto Princesa City

Albay

Camarines Norte

Camarines Sur

Catanduanes

Masbate

Naga City

Sorsogon

The IATF also placed the following areas in Visayas under Alert Level 3:

Aklan

Antique

Bacolod City

Capiz

Iloilo City

Iloilo

Negros Occidental

Guimaras

Cebu City

Lapu-Lapu City

Mandaue City

Bohol

Cebu

Negros Oriental

Siquijor

Ormoc City

Tacloban City

Eastern Samar

Leyte

Northern Samar

Western Samar

The following cities and provinces in Mindanao was also placed under Alert Level 3 by the IATF:

City of Isabela

Zamboanga City

Zamboanga Del Sur

Zamboanga del Norte

Zamboanga Sibugay

Bukidnon

Cagayan de Oro City

Iligan City

Lanao del Norte

Misamis Occidental

Misamis Oriental

Davao City

Davao Del Sur

Davao Del Norte

Davao Oriental

Davao de Oro

General Santos City

North Cotabato

Sarangani

South Cotabato

Sultan Kudarat

Surigao del Norte

Surigao Del Sur

Agusan Del Norte

Agusan del Sur

Butuan City

Maguindanao

Cotabato City

Lanao Del Sur

According to Nograles, the Alert Level 3 status in the said areas are also from February 1 to 15, 2022.

Meanwhile, he said that the IATF is yet to decide on the Alert Level for the province of Ifugao. They shall approve the risk classification on January 31, 2022.

DA and Philrice grant agricultural assistance to DdO Farmers

Davao de Oro Province--- More farmers in Davao de Oro recently received agricultural grants from the Department of Agriculture and PhilRice to lessen their cost of production since weather conditions in the province affected their farming in the past few weeks.

DA-RFO XI provided a total of 853 bags of certified rice seeds (40 kg per bag), while PhilRice also provided 3,000 bags (20 kg per bag). Rice farmers from the municipalities of Nabunturan, Montevista, Compostela, Mawab, and Laak received the said assistance through the Provincial Agriculturist Office (PAGRO) of DdO.

Further, another set of farmers’ associations all from insurgency-free and geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas in the province received another batch of Abaca seedlings (35,000) from DA’s SAAD Program (Special Area for Agricultural Development Program). 

The distribution of the assistance was initiated by PAGRO on January 24-28, 2022 to Tagbaros Integrated Farmers Association (TIFA) in Tagbaros, Maco, Sitio Estabillo Rural Association of Farmers (SEAFA) in Andili, Mawab, Golden Valley Upland Farmers Association, Brgy. Golden Valley, Mabini, Anitapan Improvement Community Farmers Association, Brgy. Anitapan, Maragusan, Parasanon Multipurpose Cooperative, Brgy. Parasanon, Maragusan,  Tugunan Cadan Farmers Association, in Brgy. Katipunan, Nabunturan, and Camlon Buhay Association, Brgy. Camanlangan, New Bataan. 

(JA, PAO-IPRD, photos by PAGRO)

Bigger problem, stronger hope, greater grace

By Fr. Roy Cimagala *

WE should always remember this comforting triad. When we encounter big problems in life, let’s react with stronger hope, and expect some extraordinary grace, favor and mercy from God, our Father.

This truth of our faith is somehow dramatized in that gospel story where Christ was confronted with a man so possessed by a legion of devils that “no one could restrain him any longer, even with a chain.” (cfr. Mk 5,1-20)

That gospel story somehow demonstrates what can happen to us individually or collectively as a society. If we are not careful, we can allow the devil to enter and possess us. And things can get worse when, God forbid, a demonic infestation can occur.

We should always be wary of the devils and be ready to handle them properly. They exist. And their only purpose of their existence is to do evil, to go against God and to everyone and everything that God loves. They were originally good angels who rebelled against God upon their creation.

Being pure spirits and therefore free and intelligent beings, the devils misused their intelligence and freedom by choosing to replace God upon their creation. That choice has plunged them, being pure spirits, into an irreversible eternal state of enmity against God and against everything else that comes from God and is still with God.

Many if not all the temptations that come our way originate or are being orchestrated by devils. The proper attitude we should have when temptations come is to reject these temptations immediately, never giving them a chance to advance in their plot by dialoguing with them, and to go to God immediately.

Let’s remember that when temptations come, it is because we have let down our guard. It means that our union with God has loosened, if not completely broken, often without even our noticing it. 

Thus, when temptations come, we really should intensify our prayers and hope in God’s merciful providence, since only with God can we resist them. We should also submit our body to some severe discipline because when tempted the body easily falls and drags our spirit with it.

We have to reassure ourselves, based on what Christ has promised and has actually done for us, that there can be no crisis that is too big for the grace of God to handle.

We have to remember that nothing happens in this life without at least the knowledge and tolerance of God. And if God allows some really bad things to happen, it is because a greater good can always be derived from them. 

We just have to put ourselves in God’s side to tackle whatever crisis plagues us. That is the real challenge we have to face. And just like what Christ did and continues to do to redeem us, we have to follow the formula he once spelled out: deny ourselves, carry the cross and then follow him. (cfr. Mt 16,24)

If we are willing to do that, then we can even gain a lot more than what we appear to lose and to suffer. In other words, we can say that the bigger, the more serious the problem is, the bigger, plentier and stronger also the grace God will give us. So, let us just be game and do our part of the bargain.

It’s not easy, of course. But neither is it impossible. If we consider God’s abundant grace, even the impossible can be possible for us.

.

* Chaplain Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE), Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

Filipino films win at Sundance Film Festival 2022

The Philippines’ entries to this year’s Sundance Film Festival bagged major nods. Martika Ramirez Escobar’s directorial debut film “Ang Pagbabalik ng Kwago” (“Leonor Will Never Die”) took home the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Innovative Spirit, while filmmaker Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan’s featurette “The Headhunter’s Daughter” won the Grand Jury Prize in the Short Film category.

by John Legaspi, Manila Bulletin

“Hello, Sundance jury. Thank you for recognizing our team’s labor of love. This is special coming from a film set that felt like one giant friendship film. I’d like to say thanks to the entire Sundance team for treating us like family. I’d like to thank everyone who had showed their love and support for our film,” Escobar said during her virtual speech. “You are proof that finally after eight years, our film is alive.”

It took eight years for “Leonor Will Never Die” to complete its production. Its plot centers on Leonor Reyes, a retired action film writer and director in the ‘80s, who enters the world of her unfinished screenplay after experiencing a coma when a television landed on her head. Leading its cast is stage veteran Sheila Francisco as Leonor, alongside actors Rocky Salumbides, Bong Cabrera, Anthony Falcon, Rea Molina, Tami Monsod, Allan Bautista, and Dido de la Paz.

On the other hand, Eblahan, an Ifugao-Visayan director, isn’t new to having his works featured in international festivals. Among them are the Toronto Reel Asian Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the Clermont-Ferrand International Film Festival where his short film “Hilum” won the Student Prize and Special Mention from the International Jury.

As COVID-19 infections decline, de-escalation of alert levels and easing of restrictions imperative

Manila Bulletin EDITORIAL

After nearly a month of severe restrictions, there is ample basis for a more hopeful scenario that would enable the government’s anti-pandemic task force to consider easing health and safety protocols to “pre-Omicron” levels.

Based on internationally-developed COVID Act Now indicators used by OCTA Research Group, Metro Manila — the epicenter of the “severe outbreak” since the start of the year — is now classified at “moderate risk” from a “high risk” due to the steady decline of COVID infections in the capital region.

An even more optimistic scenario is a further de-escalation to Alert Level 2 sometime in early February, if the rapidly declining benchmark indicators would justify this.

Presidential Adviser on Entrepreneurship Jose ‘Joey’ Concepcion III has spearheaded the private sector’s thinking-through process. This would enable business and industry — as well as the citizenry in general — to make the necessary adjustments for resuming a more energetic pace that would be helpful to the country’s recovery on three fronts: health, the economy, and in learning and education.

Enforcement of a three-day quarantine for the fully vaccinated, which was approved and implemented prior to Omicron has been proposed. Home quarantine for fully vaccinated individuals has also been suggested in lieu of the facility-based quarantine.

Granting more mobility and exemption from mandatory testing for on-site workers should further incentivize vaccinations. In contrast, the unvaccinated will still have to undergo the more stringent quarantine and testing protocols. In particular, there is a “No vax, no ride” policy being enforced in public transportation that restricts the movement of unvaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated workers who have been exempted from the strict enforcement of this policy have been given only until Feb. 25 to get them vaccinated.

Fr. Nicanor Austriaco of OCTA Rsearch, who is also a doctor in molecular biology has expressed the view that the Philippines should follow Thailand’s “test-and-go” system where arriving passengers only need to spend one night in a hotel while they await their COVID-19 test results. He said that by the end of February, the National Capital Region (NCR) and the rest of the country will have moved past the Omicron wave, paving the way for the government to re-examine its travel and mobility protocols.

On the educational front, the easing of restrictions would enable more students to have increased opportunities for face-to-face classes. Prolonged school shutdowns aggravate serious deficits in the development of young learners’ basic skills and aptitudes.

Observing the sluggish pace of economic recovery in 2021 due to the on-and-off quarantine restrictions, Concepcion said: “The Philippines’ economic health is now a serious issue. Whatever we decide now will impact the country’s economy for years to come.”

Metro Manila now down to 'moderate' risk COVID-19 case classification—DOH

The Department of Health (DOH) said that Metro Manila is now under the “moderate” risk classification after a decreasing trend of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases was observed in recent days.

“Moderate-risk na po ang NCR (National Capital Region) kahapon pa. Bumababa na po ng husto ang ating mga kaso at nakarating na tayo sa moderate case classification (NCR is now at moderate-risk since yesterday. The cases are declining significantly and we have reached the moderate case classification),” said DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire during the Malacanang press briefing on Friday, Jan. 28.

(C) 2022 Manila Bulletin

Pagasa sees warmer days ahead

Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star 

January 29, 2022 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — Though the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) is yet to declare the end of the northeast monsoon season, it is now predicting warmer days ahead for Metro Manila and the rest of the country.

In a three-day weather forecast yesterday, the state weather bureau said the National Capital Region can expect temperatures ranging from 23 to 33°C from Saturday to Monday.

Baguio City, the country’s summer capital, is also starting to warm up a little, with temperatures ranging from 15 to 24°C during the next three days.

PAGASA said the shear line or the meeting of the northeast monsoon and the easterlies is affecting Northern Luzon, thus bringing warmer weather despite cloudy skies and isolated rainshowers.

The easterlies or the warm air coming from the Pacific Ocean will affect Central Luzon down to Mindanao, resulting in warmer weather but with localized thunderstorms.

PAGASA said no low-pressure area is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility until the end of the month.

The state weather bureau declared the onset of the northeast monsoon season in late October 2021 which was expected to cold temperatures to Metro Manila and the rest of Northern Luzon until January to February this year.

Uniform protocols for arriving int’l travelers starting Feb. 1

FILE PHOTO

By THIRD ANNE PERALTA-MALONZO

THE National Government will implement uniform entry, testing and quarantine protocols for all international arriving Filipinos and foreign nationals regardless of their country of origin, acting presidential spokesperson Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Friday, January 28, 2022.

Nograles said starting February 1, Tuesday, the government will no longer implement the Red, Yellow and Green country classification, the guidance being used to identify the entry, testing and quarantine protocols of arriving international travelers.

He said the entry, testing and quarantine protocols of arriving international travelers will already depend on their vaccination status.

For fully vaccinated international arriving passengers, they will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin.

Upon arrival in the Philippines, they will no longer be required to observe mandatory facility-based quarantine and should instead self-monitor for any signs or symptoms within seven days with the date of arrival as their first day.

Fully vaccinated arriving travelers are required to coordinate with their respective local government units upon the manifestation of symptoms.

They should also present their proof of vaccination recognized by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), such as the World Health Organization Certificates of Vaccination and Prophylaxis, VaxCertPH and national digital certificate of foreign governments that also accept the country’s VaxCertPH.

For unvaccinated, partially vaccinated or individuals whose vaccination status cannot be verified, they will be required to present a negative RT-PCR test taken within 48 hours prior to departure from the country of origin and undergo a facility-based quarantine until the release of a negative RT-PCR test taken on the fifth day upon arrival.

“Afterwhich, they shall be required to undergo home quarantine until their 14th day,” said Nograles.

“The local government units of destination and their respective Baranagay Health Emergency Response Teams are tasked to monitor those arriving passengers undergoing home quarantine,” he added.

Nograles said children 12 years old and below who cannot be vaccinated should follow the quarantine protocol of their adult companion.

Those who are currently undergoing quarantine may avail themselves of these protocols by February 1. (SunStar Philippines)

IATF places 6 areas under Alert Level 3

by Argyll Cyrus Geducos, Manila Bulletin

The government’s pandemic task force has escalated six areas to Alert Level 3 due to the rising number of local coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases.

El Nido is a municipality on Palawan Island. It is one of the most popular destinations in the Philippines thanks to its absolutely stunning islands and beaches. (Photo by Erwin Lim, courtesy of the Department of Tourism)

In a statement, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said that the Inter-agency Task Force (IATF) for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases decided to raise the classification of the following areas from Alert Level 2 to Alert Level 3:

• Palawan
• Camiguin
• Davao Occidental
• Dinagat Islands
• Tawi-Tawi
• Sulu

The new risk classification will take effect on Jan. 28 and will last until Feb. 15.

As for Metro Manila, whose Alert Level 3 status will lapse on Jan. 31, Nograles had said that the IATF will make the announcement regarding its status this weekend or before Feb. 1.