01:14.0
The declaration will enable the local government to use its quick response fund.
01:17.0
Out of 42 million pesos worth of QRF, 30 million pesos will be allocated for Mayon response.
01:32.0
But Lagman said the fund would only last for 15 up to 20 days.
01:37.0
The needs of the evacuees, according to Lagman, are food, water and medicines.
01:42.0
On Friday, Mayon Volcano was covered by thick clouds.
01:46.0
But she cannot hide her fury as the monitoring instruments of PHIVOLCS show the volcano's activity.
01:52.0
For the past 24 hours, PHIVOLCS recorded 199 rockfall events, way higher than the previous record of 98.
02:00.0
PHIVOLCS resident volcanologist Dr. Paul Alanis, however, said the agency has yet to record lava flow.
02:07.0
He added the glow at the crater summit was due to the rockfall events.
02:11.0
Balik po mga lumalabasin na mga patubat o ang tinigil.
02:16.0
Yung lava talaga, hindi naman siya yung continuous na mga patubat o lang ng uulo.
02:23.0
Evacuation of residents inside the 6-kilometer permanent danger zone started on Friday.
02:29.0
Children, elderly, women, pregnant and persons with disability were prioritized in the evacuation center.
02:36.0
Naglikas na kami. Delikado na po.
02:38.0
But some still refused to evacuate.
02:41.0
Ito basta-basta mayiwan namin. Dito ang kabuhay namin. Hindi pa naman masyadong yung volcano.
02:47.0
Others like Thelma harvested their vegetables for fear they might be ruined by the ashfall.
02:52.0
Parang kumukulog. Kumukulog-kulog po siya. Tapos minsan may bumababang mga batong maliliit.
02:59.0
In Kamalig, residents as well as farm animals from four barangays inside the danger zone were evacuated.
03:06.0
Aside from Kamalig, evacuation were also implemented in Tabaco and Ligao City, as well as in Daraga, Ginubatan and Malilipot.
03:14.0
According to the Albay Public Safety and Emergency Management Office, thousands more need to be evacuated.
03:20.0
Jose Carretero, ABS-CBN News.
03:24.0
Respiratory ailments afflict more townsfolk in Philippine communities affected by sulfuric smog from the Taal volcano in Batangas province.
03:34.0
As Dennis Datu tells us, one town is already running low on medicines for the affected residents.
03:42.0
Health officials in Calabar zone visited the towns of Laurel and Agoncillo in Batangas to determine the health needs of residents affected by volcanic smog from Taal volcano.
03:53.0
They went house to house in Banyaga village, which is within the 7-kilometer danger zone, to explain to residents the dangers of sulfur dioxide emitted by Taal volcano.
04:06.0
Some of the residents say they already feel sick.
04:08.0
Naubo ho, at saka sipon. Minsan nawawala, minsan nabalik, nabaho po, at saka naubo. Masakit ho sa lalamunan.
04:17.0
Health officials distributed face masks to residents. The people were advised to always wear N95 masks.
04:23.0
But if these are not available, two surgical masks can be used, especially since the threat of COVID-19 is still present.
04:31.0
More than 30 high school students from villages of Banyaga and Bilibinuang experienced sore throat. These villages are within the danger zone.
04:45.0
Medicines for cough and paracetamol are almost sold out in pharmacies in the town of Agoncillo.
04:50.0
But Agoncillo Mayor Cinderella Reyes said they still cannot say if the illnesses are caused by the vag.
05:00.0
Ang araw ay sobra ho ang init ng panahon at pagpabago bago minsan uulan kaya maaring pong nagsamasama.
05:09.0
The DOH's Calabarzon brought additional medicines, face masks, hygiene and first aid kits to Laurel and Agoncillo towns to address the supply of shortage. It also raised the code white alert.
05:20.0
That means all chiefs of hospitals, all hospitals in Calabarzon region are on standby for any response operations. So we are ready for that.
05:30.0
According to the advisory, the recorded sulfur dioxide emission further decreased to only 2,941 tons.
05:37.0
Taal Volcano Island and Taal Lake were more visible Friday after the fog dissipated. There is no also significant emission of smoke from the volcano.
05:46.0
But Phibox reminds the public that this does not mean that the volcanic activity has completely stopped.
06:01.0
Despite these disaster officials are still continuing their preparations in case the Taal Volcano erupts again.
06:14.0
Dennis Datu, ABS-CBN News, Agoncillo, Batangas.
06:18.0
A third volcano in the Philippines shows signs of an impending phreatic eruption.
06:24.0
State volcanologists say Mt. Canlaon in Negros province has emitted over 1,000 tons of sulfur dioxide since Monday. At least three volcanic earthquakes have been recorded.
06:36.0
Authorities have placed Canlaon under alert level 1.
06:39.0
The chief of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology says the simultaneous restiveness of several volcanoes in the country is not unusual.
06:48.0
We have 24 active volcanoes and there is always this possibility that one or two volcanoes would be restive and would show some activity simultaneously.
07:02.0
So this is not surprising.
07:04.0
Canlaon volcano, again as I've said, has always been active on alert level 1 since 2020.
07:12.0
Yesterday we only recorded one low frequency volcanic earthquake, which is lower than the nine volcanic earthquakes that we saw the day before.
07:25.0
Indonesia's Anak Krakatoa volcano is also acting up.
07:29.0
It erupted twice Friday, spewing ash up to three kilometers high.
07:34.0
No casualties or evacuations have been reported.
07:37.0
The nearest settlements are located more than 16 kilometers away from the volcanic island.
07:43.0
Indonesia's volcanologist warns residents to avoid activities within the five-kilometer radius of the volcano.
07:51.0
Meanwhile, U.S. officials on Thursday lowered the warning level for Hawaii's Kalawea volcano a day after its latest eruption.
08:00.0
They say lava spewing from one of its craters has decreased.
08:07.0
Self-confessed Philippine drug lord Roland Kerwin Espinoza is acquitted of a drug charge due to lack of evidence.
08:14.0
A Makati City Court on Friday junked a drug trafficking and trading case against Espinoza and his co-accused Marcelo Adorco.
08:23.0
But Espinoza will remain in detention since he still has two pending drug-related cases.
08:29.0
Espinoza had previously implicated former Senator Laila de Lima in the narcotics trade,
08:35.0
but he retracted his accusation in 2022 and claimed he was coerced by authorities to testify against de Lima.
08:45.0
The National Bureau of Investigation is ordered to launch a parallel probe into the murder of Philippine radio broadcaster Cresenciano Bonducan.
08:54.0
The directive was issued by the Justice Secretary as prosecutors tagged a police official and another man as persons of interest in the case.
09:04.0
The chief of the Presidential Task Force on Media Security says prosecutors are mulling murder and frustrated murder charges against the alleged gunman, Istabelo Lopez.
09:15.0
The suspect is still at large some 10 days after Bonducan was shot dead outside his home in Calapan City.
09:24.0
Manila's international airport was hit again by a power outage, the third such incident since January,
09:49.0
but authorities say it was not due to any equipment failure similar to what caused the previous power interruptions at the airport in January and May.
09:58.0
They say a scheduled electrical audit was behind the nearly hour-long outage at the Terminal 3 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.
10:07.0
Seven flights were delayed. An eight-hour outage on May 1 affected nearly 9,000 passengers.
10:14.0
Southeast Asian nations will hold their first ever joint military drills in the South China Sea.
10:21.0
The exercise will take place in the North Natuna Sea in September.
10:26.0
The military drills will be held amid China's increasing aggression in the disputed waters.
10:31.0
Timor-Leste will also participate as an ASEAN bloc observer.
10:36.0
Indonesia says the drills will focus on maritime security and rescue, but will not involve combat operations.
10:43.0
ASEAN nations have previously held individual naval drills with the U.S., but never as a bloc.
10:49.0
The Philippines and several Southeast Asian nations have competing claims over parts of the South China Sea.
10:56.0
Beijing insists it has full sovereignty over the area.
11:00.0
The chair of the Philippine Senate Foreign Relations Committee sounds the alarm over a U.S. request for Manila to grant special immigrant status to Afghan refugees.
11:11.0
Senator Aimee Marcos wants to know why the U.S. is bringing the refugees to the Philippines and not to the U.S. mainland or countries nearer to Afghanistan.
11:21.0
Senator Marcos notes there is no public data on the official status of the alleged refugees.
11:26.0
The senator has filed a resolution seeking a formal Senate probe of the U.S. request.
11:32.0
She has also urged the Defense Secretary and the National Security Advisor to provide more details.
11:40.0
Up next, former U.S. President Trump indicted for mishandling confidential government documents.
11:46.0
The World Tonight returns after a short break.
11:56.0
We're back on The World Tonight.
12:11.0
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is indicted yet again by a grand jury, this time for allegedly mishandling classified government documents and for obstruction of justice.
12:21.0
Trump announced this himself on his social platform. He says the Biden administration informed his lawyers about the development.
12:29.0
The criminal case brought by the U.S. Justice Department stems from the seizure of nearly 13,000 documents from Trump's Florida home about a year ago.
12:38.0
U.S. President Joe Biden asserts he did not interfere in the investigation.
12:50.0
Trump has been summoned to appear at a courthouse in Miami Tuesday.
13:06.0
This is another legal setback for Trump as he seeks to regain the U.S. presidency next year.
13:11.0
He's already facing a criminal case in New York that is due to go to trial in March.
13:17.0
Trump's indictment drew mixed reactions.
13:21.0
The top House Republican Speaker Kevin McCarthy calls it a dark day for the U.S.
13:27.0
McCarthy accused President Biden of indicting his leading rival candidate.
13:31.0
Another Republican, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, says there is no limit to what people can do to protect their power and destroy those who threaten it.
13:40.0
But for Democrat House lawmaker Adam Schiff, Trump's indictment is an affirmation of the rule of law.
13:48.0
A U.S. constitutional professor explains just how significant this indictment is.
14:10.0
The walls around former President Trump are closing in from a legal perspective.
14:17.0
These are very serious charges and they're also the kind of charges that if the federal prosecutors and the Department of Justice are bringing them, are likely to be particularly easy to prove.
14:31.0
U.S. President Biden meets with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and vow more cooperation on artificial intelligence as well as clean energy.
14:43.0
More in this report.
14:45.0
A deal to ensure U.S.-UK leadership in critical and emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence, economic security, digital transformation and clean energy transition,
14:57.0
was announced Thursday by President Joe Biden during a visit by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
15:04.0
I think we had a really good discussion today about our economic relationship.
15:10.0
We launched negotiations on critical materials and an agreement to deal with climate crisis.
15:18.0
The so-called Atlantic Declaration will reduce strategic dependencies on adversarial powers, Sunak said.
15:24.0
Countries like China and Russia are willing to manipulate and exploit our openness, steal our intellectual property, use technology for authoritarian ends or withdraw crucial resources like energy.
15:39.0
They will not succeed.
15:41.0
Sunak is under domestic pressure for a comprehensive free trade agreement with the U.S. that his party promised in 2019.
15:49.0
But there's no support from the U.S. Congress.
15:51.0
What Britain's trying to do now is forget about the comprehensive free trade issues and go for wins, selective wins that don't have to go through Capitol Hill.
16:03.0
Ahead of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania in July, the meeting between leaders of the top two military donors to Ukraine is also intended to signal commitment to support Kyiv in defending itself against the Russian invasion.
16:18.0
We will have the funding necessary to support Ukraine as long as it takes.
16:26.0
In his first visit to the United States since taking office, Sunak also met congressional leaders including Republican Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy.
16:35.0
He paid respects at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and stopped by a baseball game.
16:40.0
Patsy Widakuswara, Viewing News at the White House.
16:44.0
Many Canadians have resorted to wearing face masks again, not because of COVID, but because of hundreds of wildfires ravaging the country's forests.
16:55.0
Details in this report.
16:58.0
Hundreds of wildfires are still burning in Canada.
17:02.0
Authorities say there are over 400 active wildfires as of Thursday, mostly in Quebec, where temperatures are expected to rise further.
17:10.0
There have been no reports of injuries or deaths so far, but it remains unclear when thousands of evacuees can return to their homes.
17:18.0
The hazardous conditions also prompted Canadians to begin wearing masks again.
17:24.0
I believe in following public health guidelines and if that's what you need to do to stay safe and keep other people safe, then I'm all for it.
17:32.0
The U.S. continues to send much needed help for Canada's wildfire response.
17:37.0
U.S. President Joe Biden has ordered American agencies to respond promptly to Canada's requests for more firefighters and air tankers.
17:46.0
The U.S. has so far deployed 600 American firefighters to Canada.
17:51.0
Meanwhile, heavy smoke from the Canadian wildfires continue to choke U.S. cities, disrupting flights and outdoor events.
17:59.0
In Washington, the air quality alert was raised to code maroon, the highest category, signaling hazardous conditions.
18:07.0
This prompted the White House to postpone an outdoor pride event.
18:11.0
In New York, the governor reminds residents not to be complacent as air quality levels continue to pose health hazards.
18:19.0
The message is this is not over.
18:21.0
We might get a little respite, but I don't want people to let down their guard and to become complacent about this
18:28.0
We have to be prepared for the winds to shift. This is the unknown.
18:32.0
We're tracking the large plume that is originating from primarily Nova Scotia and also Quebec,
18:39.0
but also knowing that this is going to continue to have a negative impact on our health.
18:47.0
Philippine unemployment eased to 4.5% in April, but as Lady Vicentia tells us, most available jobs offer low wages.
18:58.0
2.26 million Filipinos were jobless in April, based on the latest labor force survey conducted by the Philippine Statistics Authority.
19:08.0
The unemployment rate slightly eased to 4.5% in April from 4.7% in March.
19:15.0
But because of the long holiday season in April, leading to less hours for the workforce, underemployment went up to 12.9%.
19:23.0
The construction subsector generated the most jobs year-on-year for the January to April period with 301,000, followed by wholesale and retail trade at 183,000.
19:37.0
PSA data show elementary and service jobs still provided the most employment.
19:42.0
The problem is these jobs offer low wages.
19:45.0
Furthermore, basic pay for the first quarter of the year for that sector only increased by an average of 5%.
19:53.0
Meanwhile, sectors engaged in administrative and support service, real estate, and information and communication had a 10 to 20% increase in basic pay.
20:04.0
Kung i-compare natin yung January to April, ang average increase niya ay 7.7%. May mga increases naman tayong nakikita.
20:15.0
Now of course, I would like to just be cautious that this is average.
20:21.0
While we are seeing increases, may mga subsectors talaga na may flat yung kanilang wage or daily basic pay.
20:29.0
BPI economist Jun Neri, however, says overall the improvement in jobs data bodes well for economic activity moving forward.
20:38.0
We welcome that the demand implications of Filipinos still finding jobs despite the high inflation environment tells you a lot about consumer and overall demand remaining generally firm.
20:54.0
On the other side of the spectrum, manufacturing was the biggest loser, shedding 225,000 jobs quarter on quarter, followed by information and communication which lost 66,000 jobs.
21:08.0
Lady Vicencio, ABS-CBN News.
21:10.0
The Philippine government revises its inflation forecast for this year given positive developments in the domestic economy and recent global trends.
21:27.0
Economic managers narrowed the forecast range to 5 to 6% from the previous 5 to 7%.
21:35.0
The Development Budget Coordination Committee attributed a better outlook to a consistent slowdown in inflation in the past four months.
21:44.0
It expects inflation to settle between 2 and 4% over the next five years.
21:52.0
The Philippine government's economic team is preparing a 5.75 trillion peso national budget for next year.
22:00.0
That's 9.5% higher than the current year spending plan.
22:04.0
The proposed budget will prioritize infrastructure development, food security, and digital transformation.
22:11.0
Budget planners say the national expenditure program will only include agency proposals that are ready for implementation.
22:20.0
The Philippine Stock Exchange caps the week in the red as investors digest a slew of economic data.
22:27.0
Michelle Long tells us more.
22:30.0
Asian risk assets up again on Friday inspired by the S&P 500's bull market run as the rally in tech shares resumed.
22:39.0
The regional benchmark now on its second weekly gain.
22:42.0
In the Philippines, investors also digested a mixed bag of economic data.
22:46.0
Unemployment slipped while underemployment picked up in April and trade deficit hit $4.5 billion.
22:52.0
BPI's chief economist Jun Neri more bullish expecting to see growth accelerate in the second half on the back of sharp deceleration of inflation but warns the central bank against cutting too soon.
23:23.0
For the day, the PSC index fell half a percent to close just a hairline above 6,500.
23:42.0
AIA's group market economist Hervé Liavoir, meanwhile, raised some concerns over holding risk assets in this environment.
23:50.0
The success of equities since the beginning of the year is very much narrow-based.
23:54.0
It's only a few names that are driving the market as a whole and it makes for a fairly unstable situation.
24:03.0
There is an even more tricky situation which is more on the credit side of things, so corporate credits.
24:11.0
So far, both investment-grade and high-yield bonds have seen their credit spreads remain very well anchored.
24:19.0
The expectation is that the rate of defaults, especially when you go into high yield, is likely to start to spike as we get into the second half of this year.
24:31.0
There are plenty of models showing that.
24:33.0
While Regina Capital's Geri Alfonso says investors are looking to next week's Fed meeting.
24:38.0
So I think after the earnings season, the market has really been quiet.
24:43.0
For this week, stocks have been tanking with a low value turnover.
24:49.0
I would say we do not have that much catalyst that could prompt or pump the market right now.
24:56.0
Investors now await the Federal Reserve's interest rate decision which will also be announced next week.
25:03.0
The Fed meets on June 13-14 and traders are pricing in a pause this month, then an 80% chance for another hike in July.
25:11.0
Michelle Long, ABCBN News.
25:15.0
The onset of the El Niño phenomenon is announced by scientists of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
25:24.0
They warn of a range of impacts from the climate phenomenon alternating from heavy rainfall to drought and extreme temperatures.
25:32.0
Climate change is also seen to exacerbate the effects of El Niño.
25:36.0
Most of the warmest years on record occurred during periods of El Niño.
25:41.0
Scientists fear this year and the next could see record temperatures.
25:46.0
Forecasters say the Philippines will see most of El Niño's impact in the country's Mindanao region.
25:53.0
As El Niño arrives, the Philippine Presidential Palace orders state agencies to conserve water.
26:00.0
Malacañang requires all government agencies to reduce their water consumption by 10%.
26:06.0
The new Water Management Office will spearhead the implementation of the Water Conservation Program.
26:12.0
Local water districts must also submit a monthly projection to identify any possible water shortages.
26:21.0
Our final word tonight is a quote from Richard Cushing.
26:25.0
Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noah built the Ark.
26:33.0
And that is The World Tonight, the 9th of June, 2023. I'm Pia Guchevez.
26:38.0
I'm Tony Velasquez from the Philippines. Thank you. Mabuhay!
26:54.0
For live UN video visit www.un.org
