special on saturday
special on saturday Page 11 of 17
Dry soil plus sudden heavy rain is a flash flood recipe, Filipino climate scientist warns
A warmer planet does not simply mean hotter days—it means more energy circulating in the climate system, producing wider swings between drought and intense rainfall that can trigger flash flooding when dry, hardened soil suddenly meets heavy rain, a Filipino climate scientist warned Saturday.…
World likely to breach 1.5°C warming cap by 2050, Filipino climate scientist warns
The world is likely to exceed the 1.5 degree Celsius global warming threshold by 2050 under a business-as-usual scenario, a Filipino climate scientist and member of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change warned Saturday, stressing that what was once theoretical…
‘Fever na ito’: Filipino climate scientist uses body temperature to explain the urgency of global warming
Manila Observatory Executive Director Fr. Jose Ramon “Jett” Villarin used a body-temperature analogy to explain the urgency of global warming, comparing the Earth’s current 1.1 to 1.2 degree Celsius temperature rise to a person running a low-grade fever—one that could escalate to…
NIA chief flags gap in protecting irrigated land, laments absence of national land use plan
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) has no power to stop the conversion of irrigated farmlands to commercial or industrial use, its administrator admitted Saturday, as both he and a former senator flagged the long-running absence of a National Land Use Plan as a critical gap undermining…
NIA shifts cropping calendars, installs solar pumps, deploys brush dams to brace for El Niño
The National Irrigation Administration is deploying a multi-pronged strategy to cushion the impact of El Niño on irrigated farmlands, combining cropping calendar adjustments, solar pump installations, desilting operations, and brush dam construction under a short, medium, and long-term adaptation…
Long-stalled major dams now fully funded and moving under Marcos administration: NIA chief
Several large irrigation dam projects that had been stalled for years or decades under previous administrations are now fully funded and under active construction, the National Irrigation Administration chief said Saturday, crediting President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for treating food security as a…
PH irrigable land potential expands to 4.2 million hectares after NIA revises slope standard
The Philippines has more irrigable land than previously thought, with the National Irrigation Administration (NIA) revising its estimate upward to 4.2 million hectares after factoring in upland communities previously excluded from national irrigation planning, its administrator said Saturday. NIA…
Solar pump irrigation systems reviving failed stations along major river basins, says NIA chief
The National Irrigation Administration (NIA) is converting failed diesel and electricity-driven pumping stations along major river basins into solar pump irrigation systems, with results so far proving positive, its administrator said Saturday. In an interview on DZRH News program Special on…
PHIVOLCS explains what caused the June 8 Mindanao quake
The magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern and Central Mindanao on June 8 originated from the Cotabato Trench, one of six active underwater trenches surrounding the Philippines, all of which are capable of generating earthquakes of magnitude 8 and above, the director of the Philippine…
PHIVOLCS calls for nationwide earthquake drill participation on June 18
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) is urging all Filipinos to participate in a nationwide earthquake drill scheduled on June 18, with its director emphasizing that the exercise is most effective when paired with structurally sound buildings and a genuine culture of…
‘Duck-cover-hold’ not enough if buildings fail: PHIVOLCS chief pushes for strict National Building Code compliance
Earthquake drills and the duck-cover-hold protocol are not enough to save lives if the buildings people are inside are not structurally sound, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) warned Saturday, saying strict compliance of the National Building Code…
No one can say when the next big earthquake will hit: PHIVOLCS
No technology currently exists that can predict the exact date, time, or location of an earthquake, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS) said Saturday, stressing that preparedness—not prediction—remains the only reliable defense against seismic…
Aftershocks from Mindanao earthquake now at 4,554: PHIVOLCS
The number of aftershocks recorded following the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that struck Southern and Central Mindanao on June 8 has reached 4,554 as of 7:00 AM Saturday, with daily counts showing a gradual decline, the director of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS)…
TB cases rebounding in PH, drug-resistant strains rising: PhilHealth chief
Tuberculosis cases in the Philippines are rebounding after years of decline, with multi-drug resistant and extensively drug-resistant strains on the rise—a trend the country’s top health insurer attributes largely to patients failing to complete their treatment despite medicines being provided for…
PhilHealth warns Congress, budget officials: benefit cost baseline has tripled, funding model must change
PhilHealth is sounding the alarm on the long-term sustainability of its benefit expansion program, with its president and chief executive officer warning that the current pace of growth in benefit costs cannot be maintained beyond 2026 without a fundamental shift in how the country’s health…