ILOILO CITY — The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) regional office here reported a steady rise in the economy of Western Visayas, and is targeting a gross regional domestic product (GRDP) growth rate of 9.8% to 11% by 2022.
BACOLOD CITY — The unemployment rate in Western Visayas declined to 6.2% in 2013 on the back of continued expansion in the business process outsourcing (BPO) sector.
Residents carry a coffin containing the body of a victim of Typhoon Haiyan during a funeral in Tanauan, Leyte, central Philippines November 14, 2013. (MNS photo) MANILA (Mabuhay) – The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said on Monday morning the official death toll from supertyphoon “Yolanda” has reached 3,976, while the number of families affected also rose slightly as relief efforts from the government and other sectors continue for the victims. The death toll is broken down by regions as follows: CALABARZON, 2; MIMAROPA, 7; Bicol, 5; Western Visayas, 161; Central Visayas, 74; Eastern Visayas, 3,725; Zamboanga Peninsula, 1; and CARAGA, 1. NDRRMC said that 18,175 persons were injured, broken down as: 2 for CALABARZON, 21 for Bicol, 228, Western Visayas; 102, Central Visayas; 17,821, Eastern Visayas; and 1, Zamboanga Peninsula. Still missing are 1,598 individuals and these can be broken down into 19 for Western Visayas, 5 for Central Visayas, and 1,574 for Eastern Visayas. NDRRMC said a total of 2,212,955 families (10,306,318 persons) were affected in 44 provinces, 574 municipalities, and 57 cities. Of the total number of affected residents, 850,058 families or 4,008,894 persons were left homeless, NDRRMC said, prompting over 74,000 to stay inside evacuation centers. Number of damaged houses also rose to 571,806. The cost of damages breached the P10-billion mark at P10,384,690,061, with P1,295,508,600 for infrastructure facilities and P9,089,181,461 for agriculture. NDRRMC spokesman Major Reynaldo Balido said the province with most damages is Leyte with P1.2 billion in agriculture, P1.6 million Read More …
Typhoon Huaning (Soulik) moved closer to Batanes in extreme northern Luzon early Thursday, while state weather forecasters were not discounting the possibility that it could further intensify into a supertyphoon. “Hindi pa siya umaabot pero nariyan posibilidad na maging supertyphoon kasi nasa karagatan pa siya,” PAGASA forecaster Buddy Javier said in an interview on dzBB radio. Javier said a cyclone must have maximum sustained winds of 210 kph and gustiness of 250 kph to be considered a supertyphoon. But Javier said Huaning was moving west-northwest and was unlikely to make landfall over the Philippines. “Pinapakita ng model natin maliit chance tumama sa kalupaan ng ating bansa. Tinatahak niya papunta northern Taiwan gigilid lang pero maapektuhan ilang part ng Batanes,” he said. As of Thursday morning, he said Huaning had maximum sustained winds of 175 kph near the center and gustiness of up to 210 kph. 5 a.m. advisory PAGASA’s 5 a.m. advisory said Huaning was estimated at 910 km east of Itbayat, Batanes as of 4 a.m. It said Huaning was moving west-northwest at 20 kph and is expected to be 550 km northeast of Itbayat, Batanes Friday morning. By Saturday morning, it is expected to be 420 km north of Itbayat, Batanes. By Sunday morning it is expected to be 710 km northwest of Itbayat, Batanes or outside the Philippine area of responsibility. Batanes remained under Storm Signal No. 1. PAGASA said Huaning may bring rainfall of 10 to 25 mm per hour (heavy to intense) within its 800-km Read More …
MANILA, Philippines – Flag carriers Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines are looking into the possibility of offering direct flights from Iloilo to Korea, the firms’ representatives said on Friday. PAL Iloilo Area Manager Juancho Demaguila said the company’s general sales agent is now considering an Iloilo to Korea flight due to the influx of Korean tourists coming to Iloilo to travel and study. Meanwhile, Rosalie Gamutan, senior supervisor of Cebu Pacific, said the budget carrier is also planning to offer the same flights following its launch last year of direct flights from Iloilo to Hong Kong and Singapore. Overseas Filipino workers from Western Visayas are expected to benefit from the direct flights, along with tourists from the region. The two airline companies are also reportedly studying the possibility of having direct flights from Iloilo to Xiamen, China and Japan to boost tourism in the country.
Satellite Image at 7 a.m., June 6, 2013. | Weather Central At least two flights between Manila and Mindanao were canceled Friday afternoon due to bad weather, the Department of Transportation and Communications said. The DOTC said on its Twitter account the affected flights were those of Cebu Pacific, between Manila and Cagayan de Oro City. It said these included 5J-389 from Manila to Cagayan de Oro, and 5J-390 from Cagayan de Oro to Manila. As this developed, state weather forecasters warned of heavy rain in several parts of Mindanao, due to a potential cyclone. In a post on its Facebook page, PAGASA warned of heavy rain over Zamboanga del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Lanao del Norte, Davao del Norte, Misamis Oriental and portions of North Cotabato, Maguindanao, Agusan del Norte and Agusan del Sur. “Flooding is threatening in low-lying areas,” it said. PAGASA, in its 5 p.m. bulletin, also said a potential cyclone – a low-pressure area – may trigger flash floods and landslides in parts of Palawan, Western Visayas and Mindanao in the next 24 hours. “Mindanao, Western Visayas and Palawan will experience cloudy skies with moderate to occasionally heavy rains and thunderstorms which may trigger flash floods and landslides,” it said. — TJD, GMA News