Latest news with #Visayas
UAE Moments
6 days ago
- Climate
- UAE Moments
Back-to-Back Storms Slam PH, Fuel Flash Floods & Calamity Declarations
Two tropical cyclones just entered the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR), and they're making their presence known — big time. Tropical depression Emong and tropical storm Dante are bringing heavy rains, floods, work and class suspensions across the country. Emong Hits Closer to Home Emong formed on the morning of July 23 and is already affecting Northern Luzon. As of 10 a.m., it was just 115 km west-northwest of Laoag City, packing winds of 45 km/h and gusts up to 55 km/h. PAGASA warns that rains will only get heavier — especially in Ilocos, La Union, and nearby provinces — with possible intense to torrential downpours in the next 48 hours. Signal No. 1 has been raised in parts of Ilocos, La Union, and Pangasinan, where strong winds and flash floods are expected. Dante Staying Distant, But Still Messy While Emong's busy soaking the north, Dante is floating farther out — 900 km east of Northern Luzon — and headed for Japan. But even at a distance, it's boosting the southwest monsoon or habagat, making everything wetter for days. No cyclone signals for Dante, but its monsoon boost is still a problem. Habagat Means Days of Rain With both storms feeding the habagat, rains are expected to keep pounding Luzon and parts of Visayas through July 26. Expect heavy showers especially in Zambales, Bataan, Metro Manila, and nearby provinces. Gusty winds are also hitting Luzon and Visayas, making outdoor plans a washout. Class and Work Suspensions Malacañang suspended classes in all levels and government work in Metro Manila and 36 provinces on July 24. Emergency and essential workers, though, still need to clock in. Several Areas Under State of Calamity Due to nonstop rain and flooding, many areas have declared a state of calamity, including: Manila Quezon City Malabon Cavite Cainta Cebu City Roxas, Palawan Multiple towns in Bulacan, Antique, and Pangasinan
Reuters
02-07-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Philippines' Citicore expects nine-fold increase in solar capacity by 2026, CEO says
SINGAPORE, July 2 (Reuters) - Philippines-based Citicore Renewable Energy Corp ( opens new tab expects a nearly nine-fold increase in its solar installed capacity to about 2.56 gigawatts by 2026, Chief Executive Oliver Tan told Reuters in an interview on Wednesday. One of the Philippines' largest solar power producers behind ACEN Corp ( opens new tab, Citicore will add 1 GW of capacity by the end of this year, and a further 1.17 GW in 2026, Tan said. The company, in which the renewable energy arm of Indonesia's state-owned oil producer PT Pertamina bought a 20% stake this year, currently has 0.29 GW of installed solar capacity. Citicore's solar expansion plans are in line with the Philippines' push to decarbonise its grid, after years of slow progress made the Southeast Asian nation's grid the region's most coal-dependent in 2023, surpassing Indonesia. The Philippines' renewable capacity increased by a record 0.8 GW, or nearly 10%, to 9.2 GW in 2024, government data showed, with installations in the last year surpassing green capacity installed over the preceding three years combined. Six of Citicore's solar projects that will come online this year will be south of the capital Manila, while three will be in the country's north and one of them will supply the demand-heavy Visayas region, Tan said. The company's expected additions this year alone will boost the Philippines' installed solar capacity by nearly half from 2024 levels of over 2 GW. Solar currently accounts for about 3% of power generated in the country of over 115 million people, data from energy think-tank Ember showed, which the country wants to increase to 5.6% by 2030. Tan said the 2.17 GW of additions from now through 2026 would put the company on track to achieve its 2030 solar capacity target of 5 GW. It is also targetting 0.36 GW of wind capacity additions by 2027. The aggressive state push is likely to crowd out private power supply deals with corporations in the renewable sector this decade, Tan said. "We are likely to see the share of corporate power purchase agreements shrink this year as the government increases tendering of projects supplying the grid," he said.
Arab News
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Most Filipinos in favor of rejoining ICC, study shows
MANILA: The majority of Filipinos support the Philippines rejoining the International Criminal Court, the results of a new opinion poll showed on Monday. The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2019 under ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, as the court's prosecutors began to look into his 'war on drugs' campaign in 2016-22, which they estimate has resulted in the extrajudicial killings of 30,000 Filipinos. Despite the Philippines' withdrawal, the court has issued an arrest warrant against Duterte, as it keeps jurisdiction over alleged crimes committed while a country was a member. The current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. complied with the arrest warrant and Duterte has been in ICC custody since March, awaiting trial. The Marcos's spokesperson, Claire Castro, said earlier this month that he was also 'open to talking about' rejoining the ICC. The move would be supported by 57 percent of Filipinos, according to the latest survey by OCTA Research. 'A clear 57 percent of Filipinos support the Philippines rejoining the ICC. In contrast, 37 percent are opposed, and 6 percent remain undecided, indicating broad, though not unanimous, public backing for renewed engagement,' the Quezon City-based polling and research firm said in its report. The study was conducted between April 20 and April 24, on 1,200 respondents in Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. In Mindanao, where Duterte traces his political roots and despite detention won the mayoral election last month, the support for rejoining the ICC was the lowest. 'In Metro Manila, Balance Luzon, and the Visayas, at least 60 percent of respondents express support,' the OCTA Research report said. 'In Mindanao, however, is an exception — with only 30 percent supporting the move and 66 percent expressing opposition, the highest rate of opposition recorded across regions.' The highest rate of support for reengagement with the ICC was among people aged 25-34, with 62 percent of them in favor of the move, while the lowest support was among those aged 45-54, at 50 percent. Duterte's arrest has likely contributed to awareness about the ICC across the Philippines, with 85 percent of adult Filipinos claiming to have seen, read, or heard about the court and only 13 percent reporting being unaware of it. 'This widespread awareness sets the stage for significant national conversations on justice, accountability, and the Philippines' potential reengagement with the ICC,' OCTA Research said. 'Awareness levels are consistently high nationwide. In Metro Manila, 89 percent of respondents indicated familiarity with the ICC, followed closely by Balance Luzon (86 percent), Mindanao (85 percent), and the Visayas (77 percent).'
