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Here are the latest stories this Wednesday, June 5.
‘Sulfur dioxide haze’ in Cebu? Pagasa-Mactan says there’s none
LOOK: A day after the eruption of Kanlaon Volcano, nearby residents harvest their crops and vegetables to prevent the destruction that may result from the ashfall. | via Ferdinand Edralin / AFP
While the presence of sulfur dioxide has been detected in several areas in the Visayas following Mount Kanlaon’s eruption, the air here remained safe for breathing.
The state weather bureau made this clarification after reports of dangerous levels of sulfur dioxide and sulfur dioxide haze in Cebu went viral.
Sulfur dioxide is expected in the air after volcanic eruptions, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration in Mactan (Pagasa-Mactan) said today, June 5.
But in Cebu, its concentration on the surface level has not reached dangerous levels, said Joseph Merlas, weather specialist at Pagasa-Mactan. Furthermore, the cloudy skies Cebu experienced since Monday were due to localized thunderstorms and not because of sulfur dioxide haze.
Meanwhile, acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia is optimistic that all the venues for the Palarong Pambansa 2024 will be ready in time for the meet’s opening this July.
Garcia met with the contractors and the local school board at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) to follow up on the preparations of the city’s hosting of the country’s largest school-based meet.
Garcia said that he had given the contractors a strict deadline to follow.
The oval’s contractor, he said, promised him that the installation of the rubberized track will be finished in 15 days from today, June 5.
Garcia said that his ultimatum to the billeting quarters’ preparations is on June 27 because they are expecting delegates to arrive by June 28.
Taiwan: Visa-free entry for Filipinos extended until July 2025
The visa-free entry of passport holders from the Philippines, Thailand, and Brunei had been extended until July 2025 by Taiwan.
The decision was made in line with their efforts to promote the New Southbound Policy (NSP). This was according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) in a statement.
In a meeting last April 12, MOFA and relevant government agencies conducted a comprehensive review of existing visa and entry measures, focusing on the trial visa-free entry program for nationals of Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines.
Citing the effectiveness of the aforementioned measures over the past years, Taiwan said it decided to extend the trial visa-free entry program for another year solely for the nationals of Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines.
This means that visa-free entry to Taiwan will be extended from its original deadline of August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.
NBA: Doncic and Irving to lead Mavs against Celtics for crown
In the NBA, scoring champion Luka Doncic and sharpshooter Kyrie Irving spearhead the upstart Dallas Mavericks against the favored Boston Celtics when the NBA Finals begin on Thursday.
Ex-Celtics standout Irving is bracing for a hostile road reception in Boston, five years after quitting the franchise for Brooklyn, leaving Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown to turn the Celtics into the league’s top club with an NBA-high 64 wins this season.
Doncic said that the Celtics are the best team in the NBA, with the best record and some incredible weapons on offense and defense, and that they need to play hard and amazing basketball to beat them.
The Celtics seek an unprecedented 18th all-time NBA crown, one more than the record they share with the Los Angeles Lakers. The Mavericks won their only NBA title in 2011 after reaching the 2006 final, losing to Miami.