Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, July 21, 2021.
READ: Duterte blasts del Rosario
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte again lashed out at former Foreign Affairs secretary Albert del Rosario after he claimed that China helped him win the presidency in 2016. Del Rosario, in a recent media forum, said he had received information that high officials from China are bragging that they had been able to influence the 2016 elections so that Duterte would be President. Del Rosario is guilty of treason for "transmitting" the message, according to Duterte. Duterte then asked del Rosario where he could meet him so he could pour a cup of coffee on his face.
READ: Tighter restrictions loom
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte said the government might again impose stricter restrictions as he expressed alarm over the reported local cases of the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) Delta variant in the country. In his public address on Monday, Duterte said mass gatherings and superspreader events should be prevented to stop the possible spread of the Delta variant. The Philippines has so far reported 35 cases of the variant in the country, including 32 recoveries and three deaths. He ordered the Department of the Interior and Local Government to implement existing pandemic protocols with "urgency and necessity." The President also directed concerned agencies to heighten their vaccine information drive. He expressed hopes that health-related infrastructure in the country will be able to cope with the possible surge of Covid-19 cases from the Delta variant.
READ: AMLC freezes accounts linked to NDF
THE Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has frozen the accounts of groups and individuals linked to the National Democratic Front (NDF), which was tagged as a terrorist group by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC). The AMLC said it ordered the issuance of freeze orders against the NDF, also known as the NDFP or National Democratic Front of the Philippines. The freeze orders took effect immediately. The council also ordered the immediate freezing of any property or funds owned or controlled by the NDF, including connected accounts.
READ: 91 PERSONS CLOSE CONTACTS OF DELTA CASES FOUND SO FAR
THE Department of Health (DoH) on Tuesday said about 91 individuals were traced as close contacts of the 16 recent Delta variant cases. For Region 6 (Western Visayas), Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DoH was able to trace 10 individuals; 27 individuals in Region 10 (Northern Mindanao); and 46 individuals who are returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). According to Vergeire, there are 35 Delta cases detected in the country and 16 of them are recent ones and 11 are local cases and five are returning OFWs. She noted that there are still eight active cases of the Delta variant. Of the eight active cases, one is in Manila, four in Cagayan de Oro, one in Misamis Oriental and two are returning OFWs.
READ: Fitch slaps negative outlooks on PH banks
Topping Business, FITCH Ratings has changed its outlook on the credit ratings of several Philippine banks to negative. The Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank), Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), Philippine National Bank (PNB), Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), BDO Unibank Inc., and Metropolitan Bank and Trust Co. (Metrobank) were among the lenders affected by Fitch's latest action announced on Tuesday. In a statement, the credit rater said the negative outlook on state-owned lender LandBank's "BBB" rating reflects The negative outlook on Ayala-led BPI's "BBB-" rating reflects Fitch's assessment of the government's "deteriorating fiscal flexibility to support the bank." The negative outlook on Tan-led PNB's "BB" rating "mirrors that of the sovereign and also reflects sustained challenges in the operating environment, which would continue to weigh on the bank's credit profile over the rating horizon," according to the debt watcher. Fitch said the negative outlook on the government-run DBP's "BBB-" rating reflects its "assessment of the state's weakening ability to support the bank as indicated in the sovereign rating." The negative outlook on Sy-led BDO's "BBB-" rating follows the credit watchdog's "assessment of the state's weakening ability to support the bank as indicated in the sovereign rating."
READ: Bucks poised to make history
In Sports,THE Milwaukee Bucks can make history Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) when it wins its first NBA championship since 1971. But the Bucks have to resist thinking about what happens if they beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6. The Bucks have won the last three games to set up a potential party 50 years in the making. If the Suns win, they would bring the series back to Phoenix for Game 7 on Thursday.
READ: Covid-19 cases in Tokyo rise to 71
AMERICAN gymnastics alternate Kara Eaker and Czech team member Ondrej Perušic were announced Monday as having tested positive for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Eaker was at a training camp in Chiba prefecture and Perušic stayed at the Olympic Village in Tokyo Bay. Eaker and Perušic were added to the tally on Tuesday of people accredited for the Tokyo Olympics who have tested positive for Covid-19 this month.Tokyo Olympics organizers said 71 people have now tested positive. The total includes 31 people among the tens of thousands of international visitors expected in Japan to compete or work at the Games, which open Friday.
READ: Opinion and Editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are today's columnists on the front page. Tiglao writes about PH being the only country in the world without a map. Fr. Aquino talks about the whole idea of the common good.
The Times, in its Editorial, writes about the Bureau of Internal Revenue exceeding its target in the first half of 2021. Read the full version on the Opinion Section on print or listen to the Voice of The Times.
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