Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, March 6, 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.
BANNER: Russians stop firing, Ukrainians flee
The Russian military is observing a temporary ceasefire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate, Russian state media reported Saturday, the first breakthrough in allowing civilians to escape the war. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces to allow civilians to leave the strategic port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern town of Volnovakha "from 10 a.m. Moscow time" (8 a.m. GMT.) The vaguely worded statement did not make clear how long the routes would remain open. A top official in Mariupol said the ceasefire there is to last until 4 p.m. (2 p.m. GMT) and an evacuation along a humanitarian corridor would begin at 11 a.m. (9 a.m. GMT) Pavlo Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk military-civil administration that includes Mariupol, said the humanitarian corridor would extend from the city to Zaporizhzhia. The head of Ukraine's security council, Oleksiy Danilov, had called on Russia to create humanitarian corridors to allow children, women and the older adults to get away from the fighting, calling such corridors "question No. 1." As Russian forces batter strategic locations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has lashed out at NATO for refusing to impose a no-fly zone over his country, warning that "all the people who die from this day forward will also die because of you." NATO said a no-fly zone could provoke widespread war in Europe with nuclear-armed Russia. But as the United States and other NATO members send weapons for Kyiv and more than 1 million refugees spill through the continent, the conflict is already drawing in countries far beyond Ukraine's borders. Russia continues to crack down on independent media reporting on the war, also blocking Facebook and Twitter, and more outlets say they are pausing their work inside the country.
Marcos backs BNPP, Ka Leody for renewable energy
TWO presidential hopefuls presented divergent views on the country's use of nuclear power, following President Rodrigo Duterte's signing of an executive order adopting a nuclear energy program for the country. Part of Executive Order (EO) 64, which Duterte signed last week, is a recommendation to revive the mothballed Bataan Nuclear Power Plant (BNPP). Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is keen on reviving the BNPP if he becomes president, his spokesman Victor Rodriguez said on Saturday. Meanwhile Partido Lakas ng Masa (PLM) standard-bearer Leodegario "Ka Leody" de Guzman on Saturday said nuclear energy was not the solution to the looming power crisis in the country and will only exacerbate problems on environment and public finances. According to the labor leader, many studies have warned of the dangers from this energy source, as he recalled the "tragedies at Chernobyl and Fukushima" and "the issue of radioactive waste".
Marcos to Catholic clergy: Stop meddling with politics
The camp of presidential candidate and former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Saturday urged the Catholic clergy not to meddle with politics. The Catholic Church in the Philippines played an important role in the ouster of Ferdinand Marcos Sr. through the EDSA Revolution in 1986. Religious organizations of various denominations were known to be endorsing the candidacy of both Marcos and Robredo.
Biden invites Duterte to attend Asean leaders' summit
US PRESIDENT Joe Biden has invited Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) leaders' summit in Washington at the end of March. No less than Duterte himself mentioned this in his speech at the inauguration of the Narvacan Farmer's Market in Ilocos Sur on Friday. Duterte said Philippine Ambassador to the US Jose Manuel Romualdez gave him the invitation letter from Biden for the summit on March 28.
Duterte-Carpio calls on allies to unite
VICE presidential bet and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio has urged his allies to unite after her father, President Rodrigo Duterte, expressed willingness to campaign for his party's candidates in the May 9 elections. Duterte, whose six-year term will end in June, is the chairman of the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) faction led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi. The Duterte-backed PDP-Laban wing has adopted Duterte-Carpio as its candidate for vice president. Duterte-Carpio is running under the Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats party, with former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as standard-bearer. The ruling party proclaimed Duterte-Carpio and its national candidates without a presidential bet during a proclamation rally held in San Mateo, Rizal on Saturday. Apart from Duterte-Carpio, the ruling party led by Cusi also proclaimed its seven senatorial candidates namely actor Robin Padilla, broadcaster Rey Langit, House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta, former cabinet secretaries Greco Belgica, Salvador Panelo, and John Castriciones and former energy undersecretary Astra Pimentel. The PDP-Laban is expected to announce guest candidates from other political parties in the next few days.
Unresolved DQ case vs Marcos could backfire
The non-resolution of the last remaining disqualification case against presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. could result in his non-proclamation in the event he won the May 9 national polls, said the petitioners. Petitioners Margarita Salonga Salandanan, Crisanto Ducusin Palabay, Mario Flore Ben, Danilo Austria Consumido Raoul Hafalla Tividad, Nida Mallare Gatchallan and Nomer Calulot Kuan filed a motion to resolve the case on Friday, March 4. In a six-page motion filed by their legal counsel Christian Monsod, the petitioners cited Sections 4 and 5 of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Rules of Procedure. to support their argument.
BUSINESS: SSS assures 100% operations of branches
In business, to deal with the expected rush of transacting members, state-run Social Security System (SSS) assured all of its 281 branches nationwide under Alert Level 1 will be fully operational, particularly in select locations in the National Capital Region (NCR). The SSS said all transacting members were accommodated by the branches, particularly the estimated 100 members who camped outside the SSS Diliman Branch on East Avenue in Quezon City.
SPORTS: Cayetano blasts Patafa over Obiena row
In sports, Sen. Pilar Juliana "Pia" Cayetano called out the Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association (Patafa) for its refusal to endorse Olympian pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena for international competitions. In the Senate Committee on Sports' hearing on February 7, Cayetano, along with fellow Senators Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, Francis Tolentino, Ronald "Bato" dela Rosa and Franklin Drilon, urged Patafa and Obiena to reconcile. Patafa and Obiena have not been on good terms for more than three months now, with the core of the feud being the athlete's alleged falsification of liquidation reports of his coach Vitaly Petrov's salaries, misappropriation of government funds, and failure to compensate Petrov.
Our front page columnist today is Marlen Ronquillo, who weighs in what is happening in Ukraine.
Today's editorial believes the Philippines' national debt is politicized and often misunderstood. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
LIGHTS CAMERA BOTO: Legazpi City mayor Noel Rosal: The alternative 'oragon' for Albay province.
Today on Lights, Camera, Boto, we will be interviewing Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal, who discusses his life and plans for this year's elections. The mayor is set to run for reelection. Join us at 10 a.m. on the Times' Facebook, YouTube, and DailyMotion channels. See you there!
For more news and information, get a copy of The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and Keep Up With The Times.
For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.