Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, September 28, 2021.
READ: Sotto turns ire on Pharmally lawyer
SENATE President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd on Monday chewed out the lawyer of an executive of Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. after he described the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee as a "kangaroo forum." The committee of Sen. Richard "Dick" Gordon held its ninth virtual hearing on the alleged overpricing of medical supplies the government purchased from Pharmally. Ferdinand Topacio is the counsel for Pharmally executive Linconn Ong, who was placed under Senate custody after he was cited in contempt for not cooperating with the Blue Ribbon inquiry. Topacio made the remark when asked if Ong will continue to cooperate with the Senate investigation.
READ: Fariñas backs BBM's presidential bid
FORMER Ilocos Norte representative Rodolfo Fariñas on Monday voiced support for the 2022 presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. However, the patriarch of the Fariñas political clan opposed the plan of Marcos' son, Sandro, to run for the First District of Ilocos Norte. House Deputy Majority Floor Leader Ria Fariñas is seeking reelection in 2022. Marcos was endorsed as presidential candidate of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP). He was also nominated by the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan (KBL) to be its standard-bearer in the May 2022 presidential race.
READ: DepEd, DoH sign memo for in-person classes
THE Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DoH) on Monday signed the joint circular for the pilot implementation of limited face-to-face classes for basic education. The circular was signed by Education Secretary Leonor Briones and Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd. Based on the guidelines, pilot schools must be located in areas with a minimal risk for Covid-19 and must pass the School Safety Assessment Tool. A list of 95 elementary schools and five senior high schools that require workshops and laboratories, including 20 private schools endorsed by DepEd Regional Offices, will be finalized soon.
READ: Samira Gutoc, Carl Balita join Senate race
The Aksyon Demokratiko party on Monday named Civic leader Samira Gutoc and radio host and entrepreneur Carl Balita as its first two senatorial candidates. Gutoc and Balita were among the 71 new members of the group who were sworn in by party president and Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso. Gutoc first ran for a Senate seat in 2019 under the "Ocho Direcho" of the Liberal Party but lost. An advocate for peace and rights of women and internally displaced persons, she officially made the jump last August. Gutoc was a member of the Regional Legislative Assembly of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao and the Bangsamoro Transition Commission, which drafted the Bangsamoro Basic Law. Balita is an educator who established several companies and businesses around the country including the Dr. Carl E. Balita Review Center and Ultimate Creatives LYF Center Inc.
READ: 'Too early' to downgrade NCR alert level
AN official of the Department of Health (DoH) believes it is too early to decide to change the Covid-19 alert level in the National Capital Region (NCR) or Metro Manila. Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. has urged the government to drop Alert Level 4, the second strictest level, to Level 3, which allows more businesses to reopen. Abalos cited figures from the DoH and the independent OCTA Research Group showing the reproduction rate in the region dropping because more people are getting vaccinated and the stringent implementation of the alert level system. But during a briefing on Monday, DoH Epidemiology Bureau (EB) Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman cautioned against lowering the alert level, saying the average daily attack rate (ADAR) in Metro Manila remained high.
READ: Senate passes bill extending voters' registration
THE Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading the bill extending the voters' registration for one month or from September 30 to October 31. The senators have repeatedly appealed to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to extend the registration to prevent the disenfranchisement of over 12 million who are eligible to vote but are not registered. The poll body declined the Senate's request saying it will affect their operations.
BUSINESS: Faster vaccination vital vs 'economic scarring'
Over to business, ramped-up vaccination, and limiting the spread of Covid-19 will help lessen the long-term economic scarring in the Philippine economy, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Monday. To curtail the spread of Covid-19, the government imposed quarantine restrictions which led to the economy contracting by 9.6 percent in 2020. While the economy grew by more than 11 percent in the second quarter of the year, the first-half gross domestic product (GDP) at constant prices, which is at P8.9 trillion, is still down by 6 percent from the pre-pandemic level of P9.4 trillion in the first half of 2019. To help the economy recover, the government is ramping up efforts to vaccinate the entire adult population before the end of the year. Data however showed that as of September 26, only 20.30 million have been fully vaccinated. Central bank governor Benjamin Diokno however believes that the country's monetary and fiscal policy space will help the country recover from the pandemic.
SPORTS: Saso joint fourth in Arkansas, earns P5.3M
Topping sports, Filipino golfer Yuka Saso finished joint fourth at the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Monday (Philippine time) at the Pinnacle Golf Club in Rogers, Arizona. Saso, who carded 2-under 69 and 6-under 65 in the first and second round, respectively, fired 65 anew in the third and final round for a total of 14-under 199 to share the fourth spot with American Danielle Kang. The reigning US Open Women's champion, who is half Japanese, scored a birdie on the sixth and an eagle on the seventh hole. The 20-year-old Saso incurred bogeys on 11th and 14th, but tallied a birdie in between on the 12th. She then scored birdies on the 15th and 17th holes before finishing the course with an eagle on the 18th to win a prize of $104,506 or P5.3 million. Saso, who was at 44th after the first round and ninth after second, was two shots behind tournament champion Japanese Hataoka Nasa, who carded 4-under 67 in the third for a total of 16-under 197. South Korean Eun-Hee Ji and Aussie Minjee Lee shared the second place as they both totalled 15-under 198.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras believes in fair history and Makabenta analyzes the Left's plans for next year's elections.
Today's editorial discusses calls for new summits between North and South Korea. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Tuesday ahead.