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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, March 17, 2022.
READ: Duterte mulls 4-day workweek
MALACAÑANG is studying the proposal of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) to implement a four-day work week and extend the work-from-home (WFH) arrangement to cushion the impact of the steep climb of fuel prices on Filipinos and the economy, Palace acting spokesman Martin Andanar said. NEDA Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua on Tuesday proposed decreasing the number of workdays to limit the mobility of workers and soften the blow from skyrocketing fuel prices on the economy. Chua proposed a 10-hour, four-day workweek as an alternative to increasing minimum wage during President Rodrigo Duterte's "Talk to the People". The official said that the same arrangement was implemented in 2008 when fuel prices increased.
READ: P200 monthly aid to poor households proposed
TO help soften the impact of rising oil prices, the country's economic managers proposed a monthly cash aid to the poorest households. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said in addition to fuel subsidy and discount programs, the Cabinet's Economic Development Cluster (EDC) recommended additional relief in the form of an unconditional cash transfer (UCT) to the poorest half of the country's population. This will cover roughly 12 million households with a total population of around 74.7 million individuals. The proposed cash transfer will cost the government P33.1 billion, which will be financed from revenue from value-added taxes (VAT) on fuel.
READ: President not likely to back calls to scrap fuel excise tax
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte stood firm on his decision not to scrap the excise taxes on fuel products amid the continuing price surge resulting from Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Government's economic managers have ignored calls to remove fuel excise taxes, as mandated by the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) Law, warning that it will result in a P105.9-billion loss of revenue, which in turn would be detrimental to other sectors.The Train Law imposes an excise tax of P10 per liter for gasoline, P6 for diesel, P5 for kerosene and P3 per kilogram for liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). To mitigate the impact of fuel price hike, Duterte instead approved the disbursement of a P200 monthly subsidy to poor families.
READ: QC judge inhibits self from case vs vax for minors
THE petition questioning the constitutionality of the vaccination of children against Covid-19 will be re-raffled after a Quezon City trial court judge inhibited from handling the case. Public Attorney's Office (PAO) chief Persida Rueda-Acosta said that Judge Primo Sio Jr. of Regional Trial Court Branch 96 recused himself as he once served as counsel to Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd when he was connected with the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG). Sio granted PAO's petition for his inhibition. PAO acts as the counsel of a group of parents who sought to stop the Department of Health from proceeding with the mass vaccination of children ages 5 to 11 years old.
In Business
READ: Fundamentals to shield PH from crisis
PHILIPPINE monetary and finance officials are optimistic that the country's solid fundamentals will protect the economy from the negative effects of the Russia-Ukraine conflict. Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd said the geopolitical crisis has hurt the Philippines through four channels — commodity markets, financial markets, foreign investments and fiscal space — during the Bloomberg Asean Business Summit conducted virtually on Wednesday. The Finance chief cited three major bills liberalizing the Philippine economy, which will help the country to "stand in good stead" as it moves ahead through this crisis due to the conflict in Ukraine.
Topping Sports
READ: Irving casts spell over Magic with record 60
LOS ANGELES: Kyrie Irving scored a career-high 60 points in a dazzling display as the Brooklyn Nets stretched their NBA winning streak with a 150-108 thrashing of the Orlando Magic on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). Nets star Irving — who had bagged 50 points last week in a victory over Charlotte — delivered another performance for the ages against an outclassed Magic at Orlando's Amway Center. Irving's tour de force surpassed his previous career best of 57 points, set in 2015, while playing for the Cleveland Cavaliers in a victory over the San Antonio Spurs. Six other Nets players finished with double-digit points tallies, with Kevin Durant adding 19 points, Patty Mills 15 and Kessler Edwards 14. Cole Anthony led Orlando scoring with 19 points.
READ: Yulo banners SEA Games squad
THE Gymnastics Association of the Philippines will send 23 athletes to the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, which is scheduled from May 12 to 23 in Hanoi, Vietnam. Led by world artistic champion Carlos Edriel Yulo, the Filipino gymnasts hope to improve their third-place finish in the 2019 Manila SEA Games, where they won three golds, five silvers and four bronzes. Malaysia took the overall title with nine golds, three silvers and four bronzes, followed by Vietnam with six golds, two silvers and seven bronzes.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
The Manila Times Editorial calls on the government and the business community to stop doing business with Russia, echoing the official position of the Philippines, which voted on the March 2 UN General Assembly Resolution condemning its invasion of Ukraine and demanding an end to hostilities. Read the full version on the paper's Opinion Section or listen to the Voice of The Times. Arturo Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Edcel Lagman are the columnists featured on today's Front Page. Contreras writes about judicial truth vs truth in election protests; Lagman, about a verdict not a forecast; and Makabenta on two prognostications on the Ukraine war.
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This is Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.