Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, May 15, 2022.
Smooth transition of power assured
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will ensure a smooth transition of power when he steps down on June 30, 2022, his long-time aide said on Saturday. Duterte is expected to pass on the reins to President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his daughter, Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio, who are both assured of a landslide victory in the May 9 national and local elections. Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go, in a statement in Filipino, said the President and his transition team prepared early to ensure the "smooth and systematic transition of power" for "uninterrupted government service." Go said the incoming department and agency heads can be assured that they will find their offices in order and ready to carry out their mandate according to the direction of the newly elected leaders. On May 10, Duterte signed Administrative Order (AO) 47 which establishes a Presidential Transition Committee, which Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea heads. Go said despite the fact that the elections were divisive, healing would eventually occur and the Filipino people will once again come together. Go said the incoming administration will inherit an economy determined to achieve recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. On May 12, the Philippines' gross domestic product was reported to have grown by 8.3 percent in the first quarter of the year, exceeding forecasts and expectations.
Arroyo throws support for Romualdez speakership
FORMER president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo endorsed on Saturday House of Representatives Majority Leader Ferdinand Martin Romualdez for Speaker of the 19th Congress. Romualdez has referred to Arroyo as a "mentor" over the years. Romualdez also has the support of the Nacionalista Party to become the next Speaker of the House of Representatives. Romualdez's record as Majority Floor Leader of the 18th Congress, shepherding essential legislation and forging compromise and peace among the varied members of the House, makes him well-suited for the speakership, according to the Nacionalista Party. Former senator Manuel "Manny" Villar currently leads the Nacionalista Party. This is also the political party of former president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. For its part, the members of the Party-list Coalition Foundation, Inc. (PCFI) have also given their support to Romualdez. The PCFI is associated with the National Unity Party, which has previously stated its support for Romualdez. There are 54 PCFI-affiliated lawmakers among the 61 party-list representatives. Romualdez vowed to the House members that he would continue to be a consensus builder, treat them equally, and listen to all viewpoints. Meanwhile, the reported nomination of Sen. Cynthia Villar as Senate president of the incoming 19th Congress is expected to be contested by another nominee who is also a member of the pro-administration coalition in the Senate. On Friday, May 13, six senators, composed of incumbents and returning ones, had a private meeting that political pundits said was to finalize their decision on who to support as the next Senate president. The incumbent Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd will step down on June 30 following the completion of his two terms as a senator.
20k hacking tries recorded on Comelec site
MORE than 20,000 cyberattack attempts to hack the Commission on Elections (Comelec) website were recorded by the Department of Information and Technology (DICT) before and during the May 9 elections. Comelec acting spokesman John Rex Laudiangco disclosed on Saturday that the attempts to hack the automated election system, including the "election results" website, were done on May 8 and 9. Laudiangco said the DICT continues to monitor all those who attempted to hack the Comelec website to the point that "they were able to identify certain IPs (internal protocols). The IP address is a unique string of characters that identifies each computer using the IP to communicate over a network.
Private sector urged to back BBM
PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship and Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Saturday urged the private sector to support the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. as the more infectious BA.2 subvariant of Omicron threatens the country's economic recovery. Concepcion will meet the country's business leaders, as well as medical and data experts on Monday to discuss what can be done to mitigate the hazards of "stealth Omicron." Among those who will present their opinions are Vaccine Expert Panel member Dr. Nina Gloriani, data expert Fr. Nic Austriaco of OCTA Research, Dr. Maricar Limpin and local business community leaders. Highlighting the efficacy of vaccines and boosters, Concepcion noted that even though Omicron sublineages BA 2.12 and BA.2.12.1 were already detected in the country, those who were infected did not manifest severe symptoms.
Special elections set for Tubaran, Lanao Sur
The Commission on Elections (Comelec) announced on Saturday that the special elections in Tubaran, Lanao del Sur will be held on May 24. Acting Comelec spokesman John Rex Laudiangco said the projected date for the special elections is for planning purposes because, according to the Omnibus Election Code, "the cause of the failure of elections should have ceased first" before a special election could be set. Laudiangco said there is no need to print ballots and prepare the vote-counting machines to be used in the special elections in Tubaran.
Obiena wins gold, breaks own SEA Games record
ERNEST John Obiena lived up to his billing as the region's best pole vaulter after clearing the bar in 5.46 meters to claim the gold medal in the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) at the My Dinh National Stadium on Saturday. The 26-year-old Obiena shattered the 5.45 meters record he set during the 2019 SEAG held in the Philippines. Fencer Samantha Catantan contributed to the country's gold medal haul when she topped the women's individual foil event while Filipino-Spanish Fernando Jose Caseres and Marion Kim Mangrobang swept the men's and women's individual titles in triathlon. The four gold medals enabled the Philippines to regain fourth place with a total of nine golds, 14 silvers and 15 bronzes. Thailand is fifth with six golds, 12 silvers and 22 bronzes followed by Singapore (4-7-9). Host Vietnam fortified its hold on the top spot with 31 gold medals, 18 silver medals and 26 bronze medals. Indonesia moved to second place with 13 golds, 15 silvers and three bronzes, while Malaysia slid to third place with 13 golds, five silvers and 15 bronzes.
Pinoy triathletes sweep SEAG golds
Sticking to the ongoing Southeast Asian Games, Fernando Casares and Kim Mangrobang extended the Philippines' domination of Southeast Asian Games triathlon by winning the gold medals on Saturday at Tuan Chau in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. Andrew Kim Remolino bagged the silver medal to make it a 1-2 finish in the men's division while Raven Alcoseba earned a bronze for a 1-3 performance by the women's team. Kickboxers Jean Claude Saclag and Gina Iniong Araos topped their respective categories late Friday night, adding two more gold medals for Team Philippines. Saclag dominated the men's low kick -63kg category he won in the 2019 edition while Araos, the reigning women's kick light -55kg champion, ruled the -60kg category. The Philippines had earlier won two more golds from kurash and gymnastics but slid to fifth place with a total of five gold medals, 11 silver medals and 11 bronze medals as of press time. World gymnastics champion Carlos Yulo won the men's individual all-round event with 85.150 points. Vietnam's Le Thanh Tung (84.050) took the silver medal while compatriot Dinh Phuong Thanh (82.450) got the bronze medal. Yulo, who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, also pocketed the artistic team silver medal with Juancho Miguel Besana, John Matthew Vergara, Jann Gwynn Timbang and Justine Ace de Leon. Jackielou Escarpe defeated Thailand's Apicha Boonrangsee in the men's -73kg. final to claim the gold medal in kurash.
MBC commits to working with govt
In business, the Makati Business Club (MBC) expressed its desire to collaborate with the government to help Filipinos find jobs and opportunities. It congratulated President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio on their victory in the May 9 elections in a statement released over the weekend. The MBC also praised the other candidates' efforts, claiming that they contributed to the highest voter turnout in history. It expressed gratitude to teachers and other election officials, election monitoring organizations, volunteers, and voters who turned out in record numbers.
Marlen Ronquillo is our front page columnist, as he compares a town in Batanes to New York City.
Today's editorial congratulates the winners of this year's national elections. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.