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Here are the Top Stories of The Manila Times for May 19, 2022.
READ: Villar, Zubiri to contest Senate presidency
THE Senate presidency will be a fight between Sen. Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri and Sen. Cynthia Villar, Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara said on Wednesday, May 18. Angara issued the statement hours before the Commission on Elections (Comelec) proclaimed the 12 winning senators. Speaking at the "Kapihan sa Manila Bay" a weekly media forum, Angara admitted that Zubiri and Villar have talked to him about their plans to become the Senate president in the 19th Congress. While other senators have also expressed their interest to lead the chamber, Angara said that Zubiri and Villar were the frontrunners because of their wider alliances with their peers in the Senate. Reelectionist Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian who ran under the UniTeam of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio had also his eye on the top Senate post. Gatchalian shared that he has talked to some of his colleagues about his plan.
The name of returning senator Sorsogon Gov. Francis "Chiz" was also floated, but he is yet to make a formal announcement. Angara said he expects the Senate of the incoming 19th Congress to have some degree of independence given the diversity of its members.
READ: PPA, Marina adopt measures to modernize shipping industry
THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) are keen to accelerate the implementation of the 10-year Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) that will turn the country into a competitive player in the global shipping industry. Marina Administrator Robert Empedrad said in the The Manila Times forum titled "Sea Power: The game-changer" that Marina has successfully replaced 60 percent of wooden-hulled vessels for better and safer sea transport. It also managed to convince the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) to loan money to shipowners wanting to modernize their fleet. Marina has opened 19 routes in the country since 2020, on top of 245 seaport improvement and development projects completed. Hiyasmin de los Santos, PPA's officer in charge and assistant general manager for operations, said the agency has spent P19.87 billion for projects using internally generated funds. Among the completed port projects were the Port of Batangas Integrated Passenger Terminal Building, Port of Currimao port expansion project and construction of port operations building (Ilocos Norte), Port of Bulan expansion project (Sorsogon), Port of Legazpi rehabilitation and upgrading project (Albay), Port of Tabaco rehabilitation and upgrading Project (Albay), Ozamiz Port improvement project (Misamis Occidental), Sultan Naga Dimaporo port expansion project (Lanao Del Norte), Port of Mati improvement project (Davao Oriental), and Port of Dapitan reinforced concrete pier extension (Zamboanga del Norte).
READ: Erap APPCU Hall of Fame awardee
FORMER president Joseph "Erap" Estrada has been chosen as one of the 2022 Awardees for Promoting Philippines-China Understanding (APPCU) Hall of Fame honorees. The other Hall of Fame winner was the former ambassador to China, Francisco Benedicto, the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) and the Chinese Embassy in Manila said as they announced the 10 APPCU laureates for 2022. The APPCU committee on Wednesday also said that it extended a special award posthumously, the Gawad Sultan Paduka Pahala, to the late Philippine ambassador to China, Jose Santiago "Chito" Sta. Romana, who died on April 19. APCU said the APPCU pays special tribute to Filipinos who have promoted mutual understanding between the Philippines and China using their advocacies and expertise in mass media and public service; trade and commerce; and arts, culture and the sciences. The awardees for the APPCU Outstanding Contributions category are Wilson Lee Flores, honorary chairman of Anvil Business Club and moderator of Pandesal Forum; Rodrigo "Rod" Kapunan, Manila Standard columnist and contributor of China Daily Global Edition; Mauro Gia Samonte, The Manila Times columnist and book author; and Princess Jacel Kiram of the Sultanate of Sulu, co-founder and president of the International Center for Peace, Reconciliation and Development.
READ: Pollution behind 1 in 6 global death in 2019 – study
Pollution caused some 9 million people to die prematurely in 2019, according to a new global report published Wednesday, with experts raising alarm over increasing deaths from breathing outside air and the "horrifying" toll of lead poisoning. Human-created waste in the air, water and soil rarely kills people immediately, but instead causes heart disease, cancer, respiratory problems, diarrhea and other serious illnesses. The Lancet Commission on pollution and health said the impact from pollution on global health remains "much greater than that of war, terrorism, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, drugs and alcohol."
Topping Business
READ: Bangko Sentral hints on policy tightening
THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has hinted at abandoning its accommodative monetary policy stance, admitting that rising inflation rates are now having second-round effects on consumers. In recent months, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said in a virtual briefing that inflationary pressures have been mostly caused by supply side factors, which monetary authorities feel are still best addressed by focused non-monetary initiatives by the national government. Diokno said second round effects are starting to manifest, noting that the recent approval of wage hikes in the National Capital Region and Western Visayas opens the door for further increases in other regions, as wage petitions have been deferred since 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic's disruption of economic activities. He went on to say that all of this is happening at the same time as the Philippine economy outperformed forecasts, increasing 8.3 percent year over year in the first quarter of the year. Diokno warned that there are still substantial downside risks to growth, including the danger of a recurrence of Covid-19 infections and a slowing of global economic activity.
In Sports
READ: Butler scores 41 as Heat trip Celtics in Game 1
MIAMI: Jimmy Butler decided to let his play do the talking as he scored scored 27 of his 41 points in the second half, that and a huge third quarter by the Miami Heat carried them to a 118-107 win over the short-handed Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference finals on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). Tyler Herro scored 18 and Gabe Vincent added 17 for the Heat, who outscored Boston 39-14 in the third quarter. Butler had 17 alone in the third, outscoring the Celtics by himself over those 12 minutes. Boston shot 2 for 15 in that third quarter. Max Strus scored 11 and Bam Adebayo added 10 for Miami. Jayson Tatum scored 29 for the Celtics, who were without starters Marcus Smart and Al Horford. Jaylen Brown added 24 for Boston, which got 18 apiece from Robert Williams 3rd and Payton Pritchard. Game 2 is Thursday (Friday in Manila).
READ: Filipinos continue to rule dancesport
THE country's successful campaign in dancesport at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Hanoi, Vietnam, has proven once again that the Filipinos are the best in the region. After winning five golds, five silvers and two bronzes, the Philippines retained the overall title it won during the 2019 edition held at Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga. Philippine Dancesport Federation president Becky Garcia commended the Standard and Latin teams for making their country proud. Ana Leonila Nualla and Sean Mischa Aranar produced three gold medals in Standard Viennese Waltz, Standard Tango and Standard All Five Dances, the same three events they ruled in 2019. In the Viennese Waltz event, they defeated Thailand's Anucha Wijitkoon and Pasraporn Phandech while Vietnam's Minh Vu Hoang Anh and Xuan Nguyen Truong won the bronze. They triumphed in the Tango event, beating Thailand's Thanawan Yananun and Issaparung Duangkaew (silver) and Vietnam's Duc Hoa Nguyen and Yeu Nguyen Thi Hai, while in the All Five Dances, they conquered Anucha and Pasraporn (silver) and Duc Hoa and Yeu Nguyen (bronze).
READ: All eyes on Tiger's comeback
Tiger Woods and his incredible injury comeback and Jordan Spieth's quest for a career Grand Slam will seize the spotlight in Thursday's (Friday in Manila) opening round of the 104th PGA Championship. Woods, a 15-time major champion, and three-time major winner Spieth are grouped with four-time major winner Rory McIlroy in a marquee trio for the first two days at Southern Hills. Top-ranked Masters champion Scottie Scheffler, 2021 British Open winner Collin Morikawa and second-ranked Spaniard Jon Rahm are among the most fancied players and are together as well, but might struggle to match the Woods group spectator count. Woods suffered severe leg injuries in a February 2021 car crash, spending weeks hospitalized and months unable to walk. His emotional return at last month's Masters ended with a share of 47th and a stamina struggle, but he saw walking 72 holes as a major feat and says he's stronger as another endurance test looms.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
The Times, in its Editorial, talks about the Bureau of Internal Revenue's closure order against property developer Megaworld Corp. and why this isn't the BIR's finest hour. Read the full version in the Opinion Section on print and on Digital or listen to Keep Up With The Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto. Contreras talks about the media credibility crisis; Makabenta on Marcos in Australia and Robredo in New York; and Remoto on 'Banaag at Sikat' goes global.
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This is Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.