News: Our struggling salt industry, critical Angat Dam water level, momentous Nato summit, fanning the flame of territorial integrity, and much more

Thursday, July 13, 2023

Our struggling salt industry, critical Angat Dam water level, momentous Nato summit, fanning the flame of territorial integrity, and much more

The Week in Photos

July 14, 2023

Our struggling salt industry, critical Angat Dam water level, momentous Nato summit, fanning the flame of territorial integrity, and much more

Where's the Fish?

A cluster of Chinese vessels is seen at Del Pilar (Iroquois) Reef on June 30. Pilots who took this photo noted that while they appeared to be fishing boats, they just lingered in the area and hardly engaged in any fishing activity. The Armed Forces of the Philippines is laying the ground for another diplomatic protest over the growing number of Chinese vessels. —AFP

Toiling Away

In this photo taken in April, a salt farmer at Barangay Amalbalan in Dasol, Pangasinan, carries "kaing" (woven bamboo baskets) filled with salt, which is kept at a stockroom before being sold at the local market. Hundreds of Dasol residents rely on the town's salt industry for their livelihood. —WILLIE O. LOMIBAO

Almost Critical

This view of Angat Dam on July 9 shows how low its water level has dropped. On July 8, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said water reserve at the dam, which supplies 98 percent of Metro Manila's water, was at 179.99 meters, or some 20 meters above the critical level of 160. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Ready to Serve

The Central Visayas police office holds a sendoff ceremony for 100 policemen at Camp Sergio Osmeña Sr. in Cebu City on July 7. They will be assigned in Negros Oriental to help keep peace and order in the province hounded by killings in previous months. Lt. Col. Gerard Ace Pelare said the presence of police and military forces in the province should not alarm residents. —POLICE REGIONAL OFFICE

Still Dropping

Residents living near Angat Dam at Barangay San Lorenzo Hilltop in Norzagaray, Bulacan, are witnesses to the rapid drop in the level of the reservoir that supplies water to Metro Manila. The water level at Angat July 11, 2023, was 179.26 meters, down from 179.99 m on July 8. Starting July 12, more than half a million households within the concession area of water distributor Maynilad Water Services Inc. will have to endure service interruptions. —LYN RILLON

Fortress Vilnius

Patriot air defense systems are deployed in the Vilnius Airport to ensure security at the Nato Summit in Lithuania. Ukraine said Nato had decided to drop a requirement for Kyiv to follow a Membership Action Plan that sets out targets to be met before a country could join the military alliance. Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said the move would shorten Ukraine's path to Nato. —AFP

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Smuggled and Rotting

A raid on two makeshift cold storage facilities in Meycauayan, Bulacan on July 11, 2023 leads law enforcers to heaps of spoiled frozen meat, valued at P35 million, from Germany and India. The raid was led by the Department of Agriculture. Authorities say they found evidence that the meat shipment was being repacked to be sold despite its condition. —GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE

Conserve Water, Use a Dipper

As temperatures climb and Angat Dam's water levels go down, Malabon Zoo owner Manny Tangco uses a "tabo" or dipper to douse with water 2-year-old "Bongbong," one of the tigers at the zoo. Malabon is one of the cities in Metro Manila currently experiencing water service interruptions. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

Fanning the Flame

Militant groups gather for a demonstration outside the Chinese consulate in Makati City on July 12 to mark the seventh anniversary of the historic 2016 arbitration ruling that rejected China's sweeping claims in the South China Sea, which Beijing refuses to recognize. India added its voice to the chorus of nations calling on China to respect the 2016 arbitral ruling that voided Beijing's sweeping claims in the South China Sea. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Costly Haulers

With still only a minority of Filipino households engaging in composting, recycling, and segregation of garbage — and with the use of plastic packaging still the norm — trash collection remains a mammoth, billion-peso endeavor, especially in Metro Manila. The Commission on Audit noted how the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority's budget for haulers — like this one photographed in Cubao, Quezon City, on June 23, 2023 —has been growing each year. —NIÑO JESUS ORBETA

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