Good day. Here are the Top Stories of The Manila Times on Thursday, May 26, 2022.

READ: The son rises

FERDINAND "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. was proclaimed the 17th President of the Philippines on Wednesday, May 25, securing the post that was occupied by his father, Ferdinand Marcos Sr., for more than 20 years. After less than two days of counting election returns and certificates of canvass, Congress, sitting as the National Board of Canvassers (NBOC), proclaimed the former senator and his running mate, Sara Duterte-Carpio, as vice president. His proclamation was witnessed by his mother Imelda, his sisters Sen. Maria Imelda Josefa "Imee" Marcos and Irene Marcos-Araneta, his wife Louise "Liza" Araneta-Marcos, and his son, Joseph Simon Marcos. Marcos thanked the Filipino people for their trust and promised that his administration will strive for "perfection." Marcos, 64, will take office next month.

READ: 19 children, 2 teachers dead in US shooting

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A teenage gunman killed at least 19 young children and two teachers at an elementary school in Texas on Tuesday, prompting a furious President Joe Biden to denounce the US gun lobby and vow to end the nation's cycle of mass shootings. The attack in Uvalde — a small community about an hour from the Mexican border — was the deadliest US school shooting in years, and the latest in a spree of bloody gun violence across America. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, addressing an earlier news conference, named the suspect as Salvador Ramos, an 18-year-old local resident and a US citizen. Texas Department of Public Safety officials told CNN the gunman is believed to have shot his grandmother before heading to Robb Elementary School around noon where he abandoned his vehicle and entered with a handgun and a rifle, wearing body armor. The gunman was killed by responding officers, the officials said, adding later two teachers also died in the attack.

READ: Be mindful of libel, campus journalists told

AS campus journalists and teachers engage more in the practice of journalism with online and social media, education experts and lawyers reminded them to be mindful of libel, cyberlibel, copyright and fair use in producing their works to ensure that press freedom prevails. Speakers during The Manila Times and Manila Times College online forum "Libel, cyberlibel, copyright and fair use: Media practices and individual rights in the age of social media" were San Beda University College of Law Professor and former Asian Development Foundation College of Law dean, lawyer Saul Hofileña Jr. and Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (Cocopea) Managing Director and Estrada and Aquino Law Managing Partner lawyer Joseph Noel Estrada.

READ: Risk of blood clots in lung doubled for Covid survivors

Coronavirus survivors have twice the risk of developing dangerous blood clots that travel to their lungs compared to people who weren't infected, as well double the chance of respiratory symptoms, a large new study said Tuesday. The research by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that as many as one in five adults ages 18 to 64 years and 1 in 4 of those over 65 went on to experience health conditions that could be related to their bout of Covid — a finding consistent with other research. Among all conditions, the risk of developing acute pulmonary embolism — a clot in an artery of the lung — increased the most, by a factor of two in both adults younger and older than 65, as did respiratory symptoms like a chronic cough or shortness of breath. The study was based on more than 350,000 patient records of people who had Covid-19 from March 2020 to November 2021, paired with 1.6 million people in a "control" group who had sought medical attention in the same month as a corresponding "case" patient, but weren't diagnosed with Covid.

In Business

READ: Defer income tax cuts, impose new taxes

THE next government should postpone scheduled personal income tax cuts, impose new taxes and remove certain tax exemptions if it is to keep the economy growing and manage the record debt it will inherit from the Duterte administration, the Department of Finance (DoF) said on Wednesday. In a briefing, Finance Undersecretary Valery Joy Brion said that a second tranche of personal income tax cuts set to take effect next year should be moved to 2026, adding that this would lead to P97.7 billion in annual savings. The tax cuts, primarily aimed at working Filipinos, are mandated under the 2017 Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (Train) law. The proposal is part of a "fiscal consolidation and resource mobilization plan" that the Finance department said would be "critical" to "helping the government continue its productive spending, grow out of its pandemic-induced debt, and provide substantial buffers to respond to lingering and future economic shocks."

Topping Sports

READ: Mavs down Warriors to avoid a sweep

DALLAS: Luka Doncic scored 30 points as the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Golden State Warriors 119-109 to keep their NBA Western Conference finals series alive on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The Mavericks, needing a victory to avoid a clean sweep, delivered a revived offensive performance to ensure a game five in San Francisco on Thursday (Friday in Manila). No team in the 75-year history of the NBA has ever come back from 3-0 deficit to win a best-of-seven playoff series. But after Tuesday's performance, the Mavericks have at least a lifeline to cling to as the series heads back to California with the Warriors needing just one win from three remaining games to advance to the NBA Finals.

READ: Nadal, Alcaraz star at French Open

PARIS: Reigning champion Novak Djokovic will come up against his long-time former coach when he plays Slovakia's Alex Molcan in the second round Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) at Roland Garros, while Rafael Nadal and Carlos Alcaraz look to keep their French Open title ambitions on course. World number one Djokovic eased to victory in round one in his first Grand Slam match since losing last year's US Open final, but standing in the way of a record-equaling 21st major are both potentially Nadal and Alcaraz in the second week. Chasing a 14th French Open title, Nadal goes up against French wildcard Corentin Moutet in the evening session. Alcaraz, 19, is attempting to become just the eighth teenager to capture a major men's title, and is widely tipped to break the stranglehold of Djokovic and Nadal.

READ: Opinion/Editorial

The Times, in its Editorial, asks govt, telcos to take stronger action against scam texts. Read the full version in the Opinion Section of the print and digital editions or listen to The Voice Of The Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto. Contreras writes a series on academics and partisan scholarship; Makabenta on Robredo waving the white flag at the Congress canvass; and Remoto on Archbishop Teofilo B. Camomot as the third Filipino saint.

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