Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, February 11, 2022, brought to you by Wilcon Depot, the country's leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer. Shop conveniently 24/7 with the Wilcon online store, just go to shop.wilcon.com.ph.
READ: Comelec junks cases vs Marcos
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) lifted obstacles to the presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. when it dismissed all of the remaining disqualification cases filed against him. In a 44-page resolution penned by Commissioner Aimee Ferolino of the First Division and concurred in by Commissioner Marlon Casquejo, the poll body dismissed the three remaining petitions for lack of merit.
READ: Alert Level 1 shift could add P11B to economy
SOCIOECONOMIC Planning Secretary Karl Chua believes that shifting the National Capital Region (NCR) to Alert Level 1 next month could add P11.2 billion to the economy. Metro Manila is under Alert Level 2 along with Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Batanes, Biliran, Southern Leyte and Basilan. Chua said the downgrade from Alert Level 3 will bring in P3 billion a week and cut the number of unemployed by 51,000. He said ramping up vaccination, improving health care capacity and returning to face-to-face schooling will help the country recover faster from the coronavirus pandemic.
READ: PAO presents witness in pediatric jab hearing
THE Public Attorney's Office (PAO) on Thursday presented a veteran physician as a witness during a virtual hearing on the petition for temporary restraining order and writ of preliminary injunction against the vaccination of children ages 5 to 11. Dr. Benigno Agbayani Jr., co-founder and past president of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines, in a judicial affidavit submitted before Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 96 Judge Primo Sio, argued that Covid-19 vaccines are experimental in nature hence their safety and ill effects are yet to be determined.
READ: 'Strong mandate' on vaccinating children urged
VACCINE czar Carlito Galvez Jr. sees the need for the government to impose a "strong mandate" on the vaccination of children once the majority of them receive Covid-19 shots. Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of National Task Force Against Covid-19, reiterated the urgency of vaccinating students against Covid-19 as part of the government's preparation for the safe resumption of face-to-face classes.
READ: Sara to ask father to support Bongbong
VICE presidential candidate Sara Duterte-Carpio hopes to get the endorsement of her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, for Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in the May elections. Speaking to reporters in Bulacan on Thursday, Duterte-Carpio said she hopes to get her father's backing for her partner in the UniTeam, but she will also respect his decision if he refuses. The Davao City mayor said she has not spoken with her father recently, but they are expected to meet during upcoming family occasions. She said there are birthdays in the family in March and April so she could talk with the President during those events. The President will celebrate his 77th birthday on March 28. In November, Duterte called Marcos "a weak leader" and ruled out a coalition with his daughter's Lakas-CMD. Duterte and the administration party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) have yet to endorse a presidential candidate. The PDP-Laban has no standard bearer and has adopted Duterte-Carpio as its vice presidential candidate.
READ: Vaccine cards from 4 more countries accepted
THE government's pandemic task force on Thursday released a resolution recognizing Covid-19 vaccination certificates of arriving passengers from four more countries. Cabinet Secretary and acting Palace spokesman Karlo Alexei Nograles said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved the proposal of the Department of Foreign Affairs to accept the vaccination certificates issued by the governments of Brazil, Israel, South Korea and Timor Leste. The IATF previously approved the entry of travelers with the World Health Organization international certificates of vaccination and prophylaxis, VaxCertPH, or the national digital certificate of their government that also accepts VaxCertPH as status proof. Nograles said that foreign spouses and children of Filipino citizens or former citizens with balikbayan privileges will no longer be required to carry return tickets to their country of origin or outbound tickets to their next destination not later than 30 days from their arrival to the Philippines. The IATF earlier approved the entry of fully vaccinated foreigners both from non-visa-required and visa-required countries, provided they follow the government's Covid-19 protocols.
BUSINESS: Unemployment rate up in December
Over to business, the number of unemployed Filipinos slightly went up in December, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. In a virtual briefing on Thursday, National Statistician Dennis Mapa said that based on the preliminary results of the latest Labor Force Survey, the number of out-of-work individuals was estimated at 3.27 million from 3.16 million in November 2021. This translates to an unemployment rate of 6.6 percent, slightly higher than the 6.5 percent the month before.
SPORTS: Scholarship adds to my legacy – Diaz
In sports, the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) awarded Filipino Olympic gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz with the Benilde Medallion on Wednesday. Diaz is the first recipient of the award which symbolizes the highest recognition the academic institution can give to its members. In addition, DLS-CSB also introduced a new scholarship program on the Olympian's behalf named the Benilde Hidilyn Diaz Scholarship for Athletes. The program will award full scholarships to five national athletes.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao proposes how he can tackle the maritime disputes in the South China Sea, while Torres begins a series of the labor platforms of presidential aspirants, beginning with Vice President Ma. Leonor "Leni" Robredo.
Today's editorial tackles another missile being assembled in North 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 Friday ahead.