Satellite image of Tropical Depression

Kabayan on the left and Tropical

Depression Liwayway on the right, as of
September 1, 2019, 10:30 am. Image
from NOA

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Two

tropical cyclones greeted the first day of
September.

Tropical Depression Kabayan formed at 2

am on Sunday, September 1, then left the
Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR)
just 4 hours later, at 6 am. It was previously a low pressure area (LPA) off Cagayan.

But at 8 am, the LPA east of Mindanao developed into Tropical Depression Liwayway.

Kabayan

In a bulletin issued past 11 am on Sunday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical
Services Administration (PAGASA) said Kabayan is already 390 kilometers west northwest of Laoag City,
Ilocos Norte, outside PAR.

It slightly accelerated as it left, now moving west toward southern China at 25 kilometers per hour (km/h)
from the previous 20 km/h.

The tropical depression maintained its strength, with maximum winds of 55 km/h and gustiness of up to
70 km/h. But it could later become a tropical storm. (READ: FAST FACTS: Tropical cyclones, rainfall
advisories)

No areas were placed under tropical cyclone wind signals due to Kabayan.

Even though Kabayan is already outside PAR, however, it is still causing rough seas, along with the
southwest monsoon or hanging habagat.

PAGASA said sea travel is not advised for small seacraft in the northern and western seaboards of
Northern Luzon and the western seaboard of Central Luzon.

Forecast track of Tropical Depression Kabayan as of September 1, 2019, 11 am. Image from PAGASA

Liwayway

In a separate bulletin, PAGASA said Liwayway is 405 kilometers east northeast of Hinatuan, Surigao del
Sur, or 510 kilometers east of Maasin City, Southern Leyte.
This new tropical depression is moving northwest at 20
km/h, with maximum winds of 45 km/h and gustiness of
up to 55 km/h.

There are no tropical cyclone wind signals due to

Liwayway, and it is unlikely to make landfall in the
country. It will probably remain over the Philippine Sea.

But PAGASA said the trough or extension of the tropical

depression may bring scattered rainshowers – ranging
from light to heavy – to Caraga and the Davao Region on
Sunday.

Residents of those two areas should watch out for

possible flash floods and landslides.

Kabayan and Liwayway are the Philippines' 11th and 12th tropical cyclones for 2019, and the 1st and 2nd
for September. (READ: LIST: PAGASA's names for tropical cyclones in 2019)

The country gets an average of 20 tropical cyclones annually, but since 2019 is an El Niño year, only 14 to
18 tropical cyclones are expected.

Below is the estimated number of tropical cyclones from September to December:

September - 2 to 4

October - 2 or 3

November - 1 or 2

December - 0 or 1

PAGASA declared the start of the rainy season last June 14.
Philippines, China sign 6 agreements

BEIJING – The Philippines and China have signed six

agreements to further strengthen their
relationship, which is being put to the test by the
longstanding dispute over the West Philippine Sea.

President Duterte and Chinese President Xi Jinping

witnessed the exchange of the signed agreements,
which took place after their much-anticipated
bilateral meeting yesterday here.

Among the agreements signed were a

memorandum of understanding on higher
education cooperation between the Commission on Higher Education of the Philippines and China’s
Ministry of Education; MOU on science and technology cooperation between the Department of Science
and Technology of the Philippines and China’s Ministry of Science and Technology; and a cooperative
arrangement between the Bureau of Customs (BOC), which is under the Department of Finance (DOF) of
the Philippines, and China’s General Administration of Customs on the implementation of the
intergovernmental agreement regarding cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters.

In 'must-win' game vs Italy, Gilas Pilipinas fires blanks

FOSHAN, China – Gilas Pilipinas suffered a huge

blow in its bid to reach the second round of the
FIBA World Cup following a disheartening 62-108
loss to Italy on Saturday, September 1.

Hoping to stun the Italians to remain on track of

their goal of winning at least 2 of their 3 games in
Group D, the Filipinos instead found themselves
absorbing one of their worst international losses
in recent memory.

And that's no thanks to a woeful shooting performance that saw the Philippines knock in only 3 of 23
attempts from downtown as it missed its first 17 three-pointers.

The first triple the Filipinos made came at the 7:03 mark of the final quarter with Kiefer Ravena ending
the drought, but the game was all but over at that time with the Italians leading 90-46.

Add to that its 23 turnovers, the Philippines looked doomed to lose.

"Our problem was we had early turnovers – we fed their runs with our own turnovers – and we couldn't
make our outside shots, which to me was really key to beating a big team like Italy," rued coach Yeng
Guiao.
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Andray Blatche offers no excuse after accounting for 9 of Gilas Pilipinas' 23 turnovers in their 46-point loss
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on Saturday, August 31

Italy, on the other hand, barely committed mistakes and made each possession count.

Behind NBA veteran Danilo Gallinari and EuroLeague stalwart Luigi Datome, the Italians drained 15 of
their 31 three-point attempts and finished with 30 assists – 20 more than the Filipinos.

"They moved the ball really well. Anywhere or everywhere the ball lands, it's a threat. So we just need to
keep recovering on whoever is going to catch that ball," Guiao said.

"The problem there is we did not have that kind of speed. There's always a problem when you rotate and
your bigs are not able to keep up with that kind of rotation."

"Somebody's always going to be open on the third, fourth, maybe on the fifth pass. Whereas on the other
hand, they just kept switching us," added Guiao, who had tipped the match as a "must-win" game for the
Filipinos to gain a shot at advancing to the next round.

"Their guards could guard our bigs and their bigs could guard our guards. It's just really a dead end for us
especially if you're not making your three-point shots."

Dwelling on the blowout loss, though, is not an option for the Philippines considering its next assignment
is tournament favorite and world No. 4 Serbia on Monday, September 2.

Serbia, touted as the strongest threat to reigning two-time world champion USA, proved worthy of the
hype surrounding it by dealing Angola a sound 46-point beating in its tourament opener.
Pressure, prayers and protests: Amazon fires push Brazil to the forefront of international conversations

The Amazon rainforest is burning at a record rate. The fires are no accident, and we need to face it. How
does this affect our planet? Just the FAQs, USA TODAY

Amid an international outcry and protests at home over the proliferation of fires in the Amazon rainforest,
the Brazilian government has sent 44,000 troops to combat the environmentally damaging blazes.

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, whose pro-development policies have been blamed for the increased
illegal clearing and burning of the forest, authorized the troop deployment as global anxiety escalated.

Pope Francis expressed his concern Sunday while addressing the crowd at St. Peter’s Square, warning that
the green “lung of forest is vital for our planet’’ and adding, “let us pray so that, with the efforts of all,
(the fires) are controlled as quickly as possible.’’

At the meeting of the Group of Seven leaders in Biarritz, France, French President Emmanuel Macron said
they are closing in on an agreement to help Brazil put out the fires and repair the damage. Earlier in the
summit, he had declared the widespread blazes a global emergency and threatened punitive measures.

The Amazon stretches for more than 2 million square miles – about 2/3 the area of the continental U.S. –
across several South American countries, with about 60% of it located in Brazil. The vast rainforest is
believed to produce 20% of the world’s oxygen and represents a major factor in the fight against climate
change.

But deforestation has long been an issue, with farmers and ranchers clearing trees to use the land
for cattle pasture or agriculture, especially growing soybeans. Brazil’s National Institute of Space Research,
known as INPE, reported that last year’s rate of deforestation was the highest in a decade.

Setting fires is a quick and commonly used way to clear the trees, even though it’s illegal.
According to INPE’s figures, there have been more than 74,000 fires in Brazil this year, an increase of 85%
compared to the same period in 2018, and around 40,000 of them have taken place in the Amazon. August
alone accounts for 25,000.

#prayforamazonia