Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, October 19, 2021.
READ: Maynilad cuts service for 2.9M
Almost 3 million customers of Maynilad Water Services in parts of Metro Manila and Cavite will have no water supply during certain hours from October 25 to October 28. Maynilad Water Supply Operations head Ronaldo Padua said water service will be cut to give way to pipe realignment work as part of the Department of Public Works and Highways' (DPWH) flood control project. Maynilad has to realign its seven-foot-diameter pipe along Sobriedad corner Cristobal Street in Manila. Padua said the interruptions, ranging from 25 to 85 hours, will affect 2.9 million Maynilad customers, with 420,000 in Sampaloc, Manila, having no water for three days. The cut-offs will affect parts of the cities of Las Piñas, Makati, Manila, Parañaque and Pasay in Metro Manila as well as Bacoor City, Cavite City, Imus City, Kawit, Noveleta and Rosario in Cavite. While the pipe realignment activity is in progress, Maynilad will do simultaneous maintenance work to maximize the downtime, Padua said.
READ: Ex-solgen bolts Isko party, endorses Leni
Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay has resigned from the Aksyon Demokratiko party of Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso and endorsed the presidential bid of Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo. In a tweet on Monday, Hilbay said his departure from Aksyon was due to "ethical considerations." Aksyon chairman Ernest Ramel said on Monday Hilbay's departure from Aksyon Demokratiko and his endorsement of Robredo will not derail the party's plans for the 2022 polls. While acknowledging Hilbay "was a good representation" of the party when he ran for the Senate in 2019, his departure was cushioned by the throngs of others who "will contest the 2022 elections belonging to different and bigger political parties."
READ: Give Rappler a chance — Marcos
FORMER senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. appealed to his supporters to give Rappler "a chance" after they raised a howl against the online news outfit for allegedly manipulating an online presidential survey. Marcos thanked his supporters for checking the survey facts of Rappler, the Facebook fact-checker in the Philippines, which conducted an online survey on presidential preference in the 2022 elections. He asked them to remain vigilant amid reports that some poll trendings for the presidential race were being doctored to favor certain candidates, particularly those with low survey numbers. A group of vloggers and Marcos supporters last week called out Rappler over its questionable online survey.
READ: DoH urges caution as crowds fill malls, parks
The Department of Health (DoH) is reminding the public to continue following health protocols as crowds began to return to malls, markets and parks after the National Capital Region shifted to Alert Level 3 on Saturday. Restrictions in Metro Manila have been relaxed, allowing many establishments to open at 30-percent capacity and exclusively to fully vaccinated individuals. But Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire reminded the public not to be complacent as the Covid-19 situation in Metro Manila continues to improve.
BUSINESS: Sustainable finance roadmap to be launched
Over to business, the government will launch a roadmap on the use of low carbon energy to support global efforts to fight climate change, the Department of Finance (DoF) said on Monday. In a statement, the Finance department said the Inter-Agency Technical Working Group for Sustainable Finance (Green Force) led by the Department of Finance (DoF) and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), in partnership with the British Embassy Manila (BEM), will launch on Wednesday the Philippine Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Guiding Principles. This event will present the Philippine Sustainable Finance Roadmap and Guiding Principles (GP) on policy and regulatory gaps in promoting sustainable investments through finance, implementing sustainable government initiatives, facilitating investments in public infrastructure, and developing projects that promote sustainable financing in the Philippines. The master plan will also give an overview of the Sustainable Finance landscape in the Philippines.
SPORTS: TNT, Magnolia seal finals showdown
Topping sports, it will be a survival of the fittest in the coming PBA Philippine Cup best-of-seven finals as scrappy teams TNT and Magnolia, both of them banking mostly on effort than talent, square off this coming week. The two defensive-minded squads are making their return to the championship round. For the Tropang Giga, this will be the second straight season the team is advancing to the finals of the Philippine Cup — both of them happened inside a bubble setup.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses a candidate's supposed divisive tactics, while Makabenta believes it's time to chart on the country's own road map out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Today's editorial believes the upcoming Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit gives a chance for the bloc to redeem itself. 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.