Soldiers hurt in Bukidnon Landmine

Three soldiers were wounded after a landmine exploded near their vehicle in Valencia City, Bukidnon last Saturday.

A Philippine Army report said elements of the 29th Infantry Batallion were riding a KM 450 4x4 truck and an Isuzu Elf in Sitio Kapihan, Concepcion village when the landmine exploded at 3:20 p.m. An undetermined number of New People's Army guerrillas then attacked the convoy for five minutes before retreating.

Wounded in the blast were Privates First Class Cumahig, Variacion, and Velasco. They were rushed to Maramag Provincial Hospital for treatment.

Soldiers recovered a 100-meter electric wire at the blast site.

Army officials said the use of landmines violates the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and the Geneva Convention. They said Army troops thwarted a landmine attack set by an undetermined terrorist group at Sitio Tubak, Barangay Pagangan, Aleosan, North Cotabato last October 2.

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RP 2008 growth seen

Philippine economic growth will probably skid to a six-year low this year on sluggish exports and as high food and fuel prices depress consumption, a Reuters quarterly poll showed.

After hitting a more than three-decade peak in 2007, growth will slow this year and is likely to be almost flat next year as a global economic slowdown and the U.S. financial crisis dampen demand for the country's key electronics exports.

A Reuters poll of 10 economists last week gave a median forecast of 4.6 percent economic growth this year, off a July poll forecast of 5.1 percent and last year's revised figure of 7.2 percent, but sees growth strengthening slightly to 4.7 percent in 2009.

The economy will find support from strong inflows of remittances from overseas Filipino workers, equivalent to roughly 10 percent of GDP, which will continue to cushion private consumption and slow the peso's fall.

"Remittances remain on the rise this year, so far unaffected by what's happening globally," said Angus To, analyst at BNP Paribas in Hong Kong, adding that money sent home by Filipino workers abroad would prop up consumption despite global uncertainties.

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Dollar under pressure

The dollar drifted lower in Asian trade Friday as political wrangling held up a proposed Wall Street bailout plan, dealers said.

The dollar slipped to 105.92 yen in Tokyo morning trade from 106.53 in New York late Thursday. The euro firmed to 1.4670 dollars from 1.4608 but eased to 155.49 yen from 155.65.

Markets were waiting impatiently for US Congress to pass the much debated$ 700 billion financial sector rescue package.

Hopes that a deal was imminent faded after top lawmakers from the two parties failed to clinch a deal in key talks at the White House.

"The plan's contents are unclear and markets are uncertain how it's going to play out," said Kenichi Yumoto, vice president of forex sales at Societe Generale.

Congress has been bickering over the proposal, with Democrat lawmakers trying to add amendments that would help troubled US mortgage owners while Republicans are opposing the slashing of Wall Street executives' pay cheques.

"Investors will be waiting to see the extent to which the original package has been watered down, potentially reducing its effectiveness in reviving lending and credit markets," NAB Capital strategists wrote in a research note.

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C130 plane cruch off Davao Gulf

The Philippine Air Force (PAF) has confirmed Tuesday that a C130 Hercules transport plane with two pilots and seven crewmembers onboard, has crashed after takeoff from Davao International Airport Monday evening.

Air Force spokesman, Maj. Gerardo Zamudio, made the announcement after search and rescue operations for the missing military air transport on Tuesday recovered several debris believed to be parts of the transport plane, combat boots and body parts off Davao Gulf.

Quoting an earlier report from Col. Isagani Silva, the commander of Tactical Operations Group 11, PAF chief Lt. Gen. Pedrito Cadungog had said pieces of an aircraft, two combat boots, body parts and manuals were found in an area between Samal Island and Davao City.

Search and rescue operations were launched after the plane, with two pilots and seven crewmembers onboard, went missing shortly after takeoff from Davao International Airport Monday evening.

The two pilots were identified as Major Manny Sambrano and Captain Adrian de Dios.

Personnel from PAF, Philippines Army, Coast Guard, Navy and the Philippine National Police were deployed to scour sea and land areas, according to Cadungog.

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Bombing in India: 29 people killed

At least 16 small bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding 88, a day after another set of blasts in the country's IT hub, officials said.

On Friday, eight bombs exploded in quick succession in the southern information technology city of Bangalore, killing at least one person and wounding six others.

Saturday's blasts were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. One was in a metal tiffin box, used to carry food, another apparently left on a bicycle.

"The blasts occurred in 90 minutes, one in a hospital, others in the old city of Ahmedabad," Narendra Modi, the state's Hindu-nationalist chief minister told reporters.

There were two separate series of bombings, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said.

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Bombing in India: 29 people killed

At least 16 small bombs exploded in the Indian city of Ahmedabad on Saturday, killing at least 29 people and wounding 88, a day after another set of blasts in the country's IT hub, officials said.

On Friday, eight bombs exploded in quick succession in the southern information technology city of Bangalore, killing at least one person and wounding six others.

Saturday's blasts were in Ahmedabad's crowded old city dominated by its Muslim community. One was in a metal tiffin box, used to carry food, another apparently left on a bicycle.

"The blasts occurred in 90 minutes, one in a hospital, others in the old city of Ahmedabad," Narendra Modi, the state's Hindu-nationalist chief minister told reporters.

There were two separate series of bombings, the first near busy market places. A second quick succession of bombs went off 20 to 25 minutes later around a hospital, where at least six people died, police said.

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Oil prices

Global oil prices will likely determine the direction of the Philippine stock market in the coming week, dealers said Friday.

"There will be rallies but they will be small ones. The trend will still be downward unless there will be some miracle that will bring the market up," said Sandra Araullo of Regina Capital Development Corp.

"Everything is still dependent on oil and sentiment," she said, remarking that the increase in oil prices "doesn't look like it's going to end soon."

"It will sustain its rise, especially with new missile testing in Iran," she predicted.

Araullo added that "historically, July and August are the leanest months for the market," which will further hurt trading.

"Right now, there is no significant catalyst that will send the Philippine market upwards compared with the rest of the world. It shares the same concerns as other markets globally," said George Ching of Citiseconline.

Diarrhea, tetanus outbreak

One week after Typhoon Frank ravaged the Philippines, Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III is worried of the possible health risks faced by the typhoon-ravaged areas because of the widespread shortage of potable water and poor sanitation.

“The devastation was really terrible, particularly in the provinces of Aklan and Iloilo . The whole of Kalibo town in Aklan is under mud. Many of them get their drinking water from open sources. This poses a threat to the people’s health. They may suffer from diseases like typhoid fever, infections, or diarrhea,” Duque said in a recent interview.

Iloilo and Aklan are provinces of Region VI or western Visayas, the hardest hit when typhoon Frank hit the Philippines. Water supply is still irregular in both areas. They remain under mud, too.

In Iloilo city, one resident already died because of diarrhea, vice mayor Jed Mabilog today told abs-cbnNEWS.com/Newsbreak. “But it’s just one case so we still can’t attribute it to the typhoon,” he said.

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Toxic scare stops search

The government on Friday ordered salvage divers to halt retrieval operations at the sunken M/V Princess of the Stars off Romblon province due to the presence of a 10-ton chemical shipment in the ship's cargo hold.

"We've temporarily aborted retrieval operations at the ship. Starting today, no one will dive into the wreck because of the presence of the pesticide inside the vessel," said Vice-President Noli de Castro, also chief of a task force overseeing retrieval and relief operations following the sinking on Saturday.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque, another member of the inter-agency task force, said that the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC) confirmed the presence of 10 metric tons of endosulfan. It was learned that the substance is inside a 40-foot container van.

"Endosulfan is a restricted pesticide for use in pineapple plantations. At toxic levels and following ingestion it can cause death or affect the central nervous system, manifesting as headaches, dizziness, nausea, tremors, convulsions which may also include cardiovascular symptoms," Duque explained.

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Ferry body search may take a month

Divers Thursday prepared to smash their way into a stricken Philippine ferry containing hundreds of bodies as officials warned it may take a month to recover the corpses with just three pulled out so far.

As concern grew over the slow pace of recovery efforts, divers gathered tools to break through doors and windows of the Princess of the Stars, whose passage ways have been blocked by debris since it went down on Saturday.

Poor visibility and strong undercurrents have also hampered some 100 US and Filipino divers, who have spotted but been unable to reach dozens of bodies.

"It will take a month to retrieve all the bodies," Coast Guard spokesman Jansen Benjamin.

"Divers have sighted many bodies but have not been able to retrieve them as the entrances and exits are blocked. Some of the cadavers are tangled in wires."

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US Navy battle group

The USS Ronald Reagan Carrier Strike Group could be in Philippine waters in the next 24-48 hours to help scour for victims of Typhoon Frank and help in salvage operations for the ill-fated MV Princess of the Stars.

President Bush offered the help of the USS Ronald Reagan, the newest of the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, during his meeting with President Arroyo at the White House Tuesday morning.

The President later called on US Defense Secretary Robert Gates at the Pentagon. The meeting lasted less than half an hour, but Philippine Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro was left behind to discuss details of Bush’s offer of assistance, as well as other security and military matters.

“Unang-una sa dami ng helicopter na kanyang karga malaking tulong ito. Na-realize natin ang mga katawan baka kalat-kalat o 'yung mga tao stranded kalat-kalat, kailangan nila ng projection na mabilis at ang aircraft carrier, imbes na dalawa ay kaya nito walo o sampung helicopter malaking tulong na ito,” Teodoro explained.

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Philippine ferry victims

Rescuers halted efforts on Monday night to find nearly 800 people missing from a capsized ferry in the Philippines as darkness fell and large swells prevented divers from drilling holes into the doomed vessel.

Many passengers were feared trapped inside the Princess of Stars after a handful of survivors said people were still onboard when the ship sank off the central island of Sibuyan in waves as big as houses during Saturday's typhoon.

But officials held little hope of finding people alive in airpockets on the ferry.

"We feel there is no life inside," said Lieutenant-Colonel Edgard Arevalo, a Philippine navy spokesman.

The ship was resting upside down with the tip of its bow above water and its stern resting on the bottom of the sea, easily visible from shore.

The coast guard said divers would cut open the 23,824 metric ton vessel on Tuesday after rescue efforts were halted for the night.

At least 20 new survivors and 15 bodies were found close to Masbate island, at least 70 km away from where the ship sank.

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US state jobless rates higher

All but one US state reported a higher jobless rate in May, led by Michigan and Rhode Island.

Michigan, hit hard by a slumping automotive industry and high home foreclosure rates, saw its unemployment rate rise 1.6 percentage points to 8.5 percent in May from 6.9 percent in April.

Only Louisiana showed a month-on-month decrease in its seasonally adjusted unemployment rate, edging down to 4.0 percent in May from 4.1 percent in April. But the Gulf Coast state's labor force declined about 11,300 during the month, indicating fewer people actively were seeking jobs.

All other states and the District of Columbia, showed increases in their unemployment rates in May versus April.

The national unemployment rate rose to 5.5 percent in May compared to 5.0 percent in April, the Labor Department reported on June 6. A number states exceeded the national half-percentage point rise for the month.

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Mike Defensor as NAIA-3 task force head

President Arroyo has appointed former presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor as the head of the new powerful task force that would work on the immediate opening of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport International Passenger Terminal 3 (NAIA-3).

Mrs. Arroyo signed last June 9, Executive Order No. 732 creating the Presidential Task Force on the NAIA-3 that was "mandated to ensure the immediate opening and operation of Terminal III."

In her EO, she said the NAIA-3 was a major infrastructure project initiated in 1997 to service heavy passenger traffic.

"Since its construction in 1998, Terminal III has not been operational due to several legal, technical and other controversies," she said in her order. "The immediate opening and operation of Terminal III is of paramount national importance."

The government in 2004 took expropriated and took physical control of the facility after the Supreme Court ruled that the contract to build it with the Philippine International Air Terminal Co. (Piatco) and its German partner, Fraport AG, was onerous.

Since then, the NAIA-3 remained closed amid ongoing arbitration cases in the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) in Singapore and in the International Center for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in Washington D.C.

Buying more Rice

The Philippines is negotiating with the Vietnamese government about buying an unspecified quantity of rice, taking advantage of a recent drop in international prices to boost stocks of its national staple.

Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap told reporters on Friday that Manila, the world's biggest rice importer, had asked eight countries to submit offers but only Hanoi returned with terms.

Yap declined to say what volume or price was under discussion but said Manila was holding out for better conditions and would make a decision on a deal within seven days.

The Philippines and Hanoi have already signed an agreement for Vietnamese traders to supply up to 1.5 million tons of rice for this year but the Vietnamese government has previously said only around 1 million may be possible due to rising food inflation at home.

So far, the Philippine government has bought around 1.7 million tons of rice from overseas sources, mainly Vietnam and Thailand, at a total cost of around $1 billion. It wants to import around 2.1 million tons for this year.

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