News Briefs: July 12, 2019

Angat Dam again drops below critical level

The water level in Angat Dam again breached its critical low level after a week of fair weather and continuous consumer demand in Metro Manila and adjacent provinces. As of Thursday morning, the dam’s elevation was recorded at 159.93 meters above sea level (masl), down by 0.37 m from the previous day. Angat’s low water level is at 160 masl. Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration hydrologist Adel Duran said the month of July usually has below normal rainfall and will only normalize from August to October.—Jhesset O. Enano

7,000 foreigners in Pogos face deportation

Some 7,000 foreign nationals currently working for Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (Pogos) may face deportation for apparently failing to secure alien employment permits from the Department of Labor and Employment. Bureau of Local Employment director Dominique Tutay said the figure could still increase as the list, to date, only covers workers of Pogos in the National Capital Region. “We are still coordinating with different economic zones because companies are mostly there,” she said.—Tina G. Santos

Military: No indications of coup plot

The Armed Forces of the Philippines maintained on Thursday that no attempt to oust President Duterte through a coup d’etat would succeed because of the maturity and professionalism of the military. AFP spokesperson Brig. General Edgard Arevalo said rumors of a coup d’etat have been emanating directly from Malacañang but military intelligence has not monitored any plans of a putsch or a destabilization plot. “Our armed forces, headed by General Benjamin Madrigal Jr, is a mature organization, very professional,” Arevalo said.—Jeannette I. Andrade

Church’s move to divest from coal lauded

The Center for Energy, Ecology, and Development (CEED), a think tank on renewable energy, on Thursday lauded the decision of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to divest from “dirty energy” sources such as coal. The CBCP decided to divest their funds companies linked to coal as a response to Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment “Laudato Si.” CEED executive director Gerry Arances said the “moral leadership of the Church lends great weight to our cause for a coal-free Philippines. No amount of short-term profit justifies the long-term compromise of the health of our people and the Earth’s climate.” —Tina G. Santos

SC hikes budget for magistrates’ retirement bashes

The Supreme Court has increased six-fold the budget for the retirement rites of Court of Appeals justices. In a five-page resolution, the high tribunal granted the request of Court of Appeals Presiding Justice Romeo Barza to increase the maximum allowance for retirement celebrations of appeals magistrates effective July 1. From P200,000, the budget would now be P1.2 million per associate justice and P1.5 million for the presiding justice. The high court, in a decision written by Justice Ramon Paul Hernando, said the retirement budget for the 68-member appellate court, which has been much lower than the corresponding retirement budget in the Sandiganbayan and Court of Appeals of P450,000 and P650,000, respectively.—Jerome Aning