Good day. Here are the top stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, June 13, 2021
READ: Opposition group bares 6 President, VP bets
VICE President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo is one of six nominees of 1Sambayan for the 2022 presidential elections, the opposition coalition disclosed on Saturday. Former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario, a member of the group, made the announcement to mark the 123rd Independence Day of the Philippines. The other nominees are former senator Antonio "Sonny" Trillanes 4th, Sen. Mary Grace Poe, Cibac party-list Rep. Eduardo "Bro. Eddie" Villanueva, Batangas Sixth District Rep. Vilma Santos-Recto and lawyer Jose Manuel "Chel" Diokno.
READ: Duterte: 'Wall of heroes' for frontliners
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte led the nation in celebrating its 123rd Independence Day on Saturday as he paid tribute to the country's health care workers and other frontliners who have been battling the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic. In his message during the Independence Day rites in Malolos, Bulacan, Duterte recognized the sacrifices of these "modern day heroes" whose names will be inscribed in a "wall of heroes" at the Libingan ng mga Bayani in Taguig City.
READ: New Sputnik V doses set for NCR Plus 8
VACCINE czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the fresh supply of 100,000 doses of Sputnik V vaccines from Russia would go to the NRC Plus 8 and other cities where cold chain facilities are available. The NCR Plus 8 includes the National Capital Region (Metro Manila), Metro Cebu and Metro Davao, and the provinces of Bulacan, Pampanga, Rizal, Cavite, Laguna and Batangas.
READ: Consumer groups split on power takeover
CONSUMER groups expressed contrasting views on the proposal to return to
government control the Luzon grid, currently managed by National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP). Kuryente.org, a consumer advocacy group focusing on energy issues, said it was against the proposal, citing the possibility of monopoly and increased government debt. Laban Konsyumer, Inc. (LKI) said the ultimate goal was better power supply regardless of who is in charge of the Luzon grid.
READ: Business: 3.8M Filipinos get LandBank accounts
IN Business, over 3 million unbanked Filipinos have registered transaction accounts with Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) after signing up for the National Identification (ID) system. The cards are part of the lender's ongoing partnership with the Philippine Statistics Authority to co-locate in the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) rollouts nationwide and provide unbanked registrants with their own transaction accounts free of charge and with no initial deposit requirement.
READ: Sports: Suns take 3-0 lead against Nuggets
TOPPING Sports, Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns spoiled Nikola Jokic's Most Valuable Player celebration with a 116-102 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 on Friday (Saturday in Manila), putting "The Joker" and the rest of the reeling Nuggets on the brink of a quick second-round exit. In Atlanta, Joel Embiid scored 27 points, and the 76ers rode a dominant third quarter to a 127-111 victory over the Atlanta Hawks and a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference semifinal series.
READ: Obiena wins another gold in Germany
FILIPINO pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena seized a gold medal and bested his own Philippine outdoor record in the Jump and Fly competition in Mossingen, Germany on Saturday (Philippine time). Obiena cleared 5.85 meters to rule the championship and eclipse the previous national record of 5.81 meters which he set in Chiara, Italy in 2019 when he became the first Filipino to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics.
READ: Lifter Ando claims ticket to Olympics
FILIPINO weightlifter Elreen Ando qualified for the Tokyo Olympics after she made the cut via the Absolute Continental Ranking of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) released on Saturday morning. Ando is ranked 12th in the women's -64 kg division after accumulating 2634.9334 points. She is the highest-ranked Asian in the weight class.
Marlen V. Ronquillo is today's front page columnist. He writes about "Whatever happened to the crypto haven in Cagayan Valley." This Sunday's editorial, meanwhile, calls on the Palace to revisit its policy on face shields.
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For The Manila Times, this is Currie Cator, reporting.