Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, November 26, 2021.

READ: 4 parties support BBM-Sara tandem

FOUR major political parties have merged to support presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. The BBM-SARA UniTeam led the signing of the memorandum of agreement (MoA) between the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP) and Pwersa ng Masang Pilipino (PMP) at the Sofitel Philippine Plaza Manila in Pasay City on Thursday. In his speech, Marcos said the merging of the four parties signifies unity that would heal and bring peace to a country that dirty politics has long polarized. Duterte-Carpio thanked the parties for coming together to support the UniTeam and asked them to "invite more parties to join the alliance."

READ: Food, IT, logistics growth sectors beyond pandemic – DTI

TRADE Secretary Ramon Lopez on Thursday identified food, logistics, information technology (IT), artificial intelligence (AI) and renewable energy as sectors of growth during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking during The Manila Times forum on MSMEs: Rising Enterprises, Raising the Economy, Lopez noted the Philippines' proclivity to e-commerce, adding that e-commerce adoption went up to 76 percent in 2020 and 80.2 percent this year from 70 percent in 2019. Data revealed that there are 73.91 million internet users in the country, and 80.2 percent of them purchase online. He added that the rapid shift toward digitalization and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) also entail more jobs and business opportunities in the technology field.

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SPECIAL REPORT: UN agency takes on synthetic drugs

Today's special report continues on the discussion of illegal drugs, as a United Nations agency takes on synthetic drugs. Read a full version on the Times' print, digital and online editions for more details.

READ: More volunteers needed for 3-day vaccination drive

VACCINE czar Carlito Galvez Jr. is calling for more volunteers for the national Covid-19 vaccination drive so the government could reach the goal of inoculating 15 million Filipinos during the three-day period. Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF), said that preparations for the event "have shifted to high gear." He said the government is looking at opening over 5,000 more vaccination centers to complete the 11,000 sites needed for the event, as well as the recruitment of about 51,000 volunteers.

READ: 'PH has sovereign rights over Ayungin'

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana on Thursday maintained that the Philippines has sovereign rights over Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal as it is within the nation's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Reacting to a Chinese foreign ministry statement that Ayungin Shoal is part of China's territory, Lorenzana pointed out that the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) set the guidelines in regard to exclusive economic zones. Beijing is a signatory to the convention.

BUSINESS: Budget gap breaches P1T

Topping business, the government's budget deficit increased to P64.3 billion in October, bringing the yearto-date shortfall to over P1 trillion, based on Treasury data released on Thursday. The gap was greater than the P61.4-billion shortfall posted a year ago. The Treasury bureau said the deficit had widened by 4.77 percent "on the back of 10.90-percent year-over-year revenue growth alongside a 9.60-percent increase in government spending."

SPORTS: Brownlee eyes 5th title with Ginebra

In sports, a fifth championship with Barangay Ginebra will be the target of returning import Justin Brownlee as he leads the country's most popular basketball team anew. Ginebra's resident reinforcement was expected to arrive on Thursday, although head coach Tim Cone has yet to confirm if he is already in town. Once he arrives in the Philippines, he will have to wait for a few more days before joining the Gin Kings' practices. Brownlee and the defending Governors' Cup champions will be among the favorites in the coming tournament as the Gin Kings hope to bounce back after getting the early boot and dethroned in the recent Philippine Cup by new champion TNT Tropang Giga.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao hits the Lacson-Sotto tandem over the controversial new building for the Senate, while Torres discusses regrets from his youth.

Today's editorial believes social media is reshaping campaign strategy in the upcoming elections. 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 Friday ahead.