Author: ug1881pr0

Caloocan Rep. Edgar Erice on Monday filed a bill seeking to require the candidates of all elective posts to submit their detailed campaign platforms and mandate their attendance to public debates as a way of promoting “issues-based elections.”

In a statement, Erice said he filed House Bill No. 9297 to revitalize Philippine politics and shift elections away from personality politics and into concrete plans offered by candidates.

“Elections should not be reduced to popularity contests or entertainment-driven campaigns,” he said. “The people deserve to know the plans, qualifications, and policy directions of those seeking public office.” 

Under the proposal, candidates running for president, vice president, senator, members of the House of Representatives, governor, mayor, vice mayor and local legislative posts would be required to present publicly their plan to resolve issues, like those concerning the economy, education and healthcare, among others.

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) is required to publish all candidates’ platforms on its official website, giving voters a way to review each contender’s stand.

“Candidates aspiring for public office must be willing to face the people, explain their programs, and answer difficult questions,” said Erice. “Public service demands transparency and accountability.”

Metro Manila and several areas across the country are expected to experience danger-level heat index on Tuesday, May 19, the state weather bureau said.

According to the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa), the heat index, or “apparent temperature,” refers to how hot it feels to the human body when relative humidity is factored in with the actual air temperature.

Pagasa classifies heat index values from 42°C to 51°C under the “danger” category, warning that heat cramps and heat exhaustion are likely, while heat stroke is possible with prolonged exposure to heat.

Meanwhile, heat index values from 33°C to 41°C fall under the “extreme caution” category, where heat cramps and heat exhaustion are possible, while heat stroke may occur during prolonged physical activity under the sun.

In Pagasa’s latest briefing this Tuesday, Pagasa weather specialist Veronica Torres said in Filipino: “Today, the heat index in Metro Manila is forecast to range from 40°C to 43°C.”

As of 5 p.m. Monday, Metro Manila posted 41 to 43°C while Sangley Point also logged the country’s highest computed heat index at 45°C.

Other areas that recorded 44°C were Virac, Catanduanes; Masbate City, Masbate; Roxas City, Capiz; Dumangas, Iloilo; and Catarman, Northern Samar.

Cost-of-living pressures, political divisions linked to the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, and concerns over a flood-control corruption scandal risk intensifying social unrest in the Philippines, according to BMI, a unit of Fitch Solutions.

In a report, BMI said the cost-of-living crisis triggered by the conflict in the Middle East has emerged as the “primary driver of rising social and political risk in the Philippines.”

“As a net importer of energy, the Philippines is especially vulnerable to higher global energy prices,” it said, pointing to the conflict’s economic impact, with inflation spiking to 7.2% last month.

It was the fastest since March 2023, when inflation hit 7.6%.

The government said the acceleration was due to record-high oil price hikes, with gasoline prices rising to 59.6% from 27.3% and diesel prices climbing to 122.7% from 59.6% before the conflict that started late February.

This has tightened household budgets and affected the livelihoods of workers in fuel-intensive sectors like transport,” BMI said. While the government declared an energy emergency and introduced initial remedies, it said measures remain constrained by limited fiscal space.

“If command responsibility will be the basis, the first person who should be suspended is Senator Alan Peter Cayetano.”

This was how National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag on Tuesday responded to Senate President Cayetano’s recent call for the Office of the Ombudsman to suspend Matibag.

The Ombudsman on Monday issued a six-month preventive suspension order to Aplasca after he admitted firing the first warning shot that led to more gunfires in the Senate last week.

In Tuesday’s Machra’s Balitaan news forum, Matibag mentioned that Cayetano’s call for him to be suspended is due to his leadership at the NBI and his command responsibility for the agents involved in the shooting.

He then pointed out that if the basis for his suspension is “command responsibility,” Cayetano should be the first to be suspended since he is responsible for Aplasca, who he noted initiated the gunshots.

While rains are expected to affect parts of the country on Tuesday due to the combined effects of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), easterlies, and localized thunderstorms, five areas in Cavite and Batangas are still projected to experience dangerous heat index levels.

In its Monday afternoon forecast, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Sangley Point in Cavite City may register a heat index of 45 degrees Celsius.

In Batangas, Tanauan City is forecast to record a heat index of 43°C, according to Pagasa.

Meanwhile, the local government of Calaca City advised residents to take precautionary measures as the city may experience a heat index of 44°C by noon.

In a Facebook post, the Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) of Talisay, Batangas, reported that the town is currently experiencing a heat index of 43°C.

Pagasa classifies heat index values ranging from 42°C to 51°C under the “danger” category, warning that prolonged exposure to extreme heat may cause heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.