Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times on Thursday, June 9, 2022.
READ: Drastic steps pushed vs food, energy crunch
THERE is an urgent need for the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to consider drastic measures that would ease the adverse effects of a looming food and energy crises in the country brought about by global environmental and health woes and the war in Ukraine. Albay Second District Rep. Jose Ma. Clemente "Joey" Salceda said that fighting inflation and keeping food affordable should be the immediate economic priorities of the incoming administration. Salceda said some of the proposed measures are enacting a package of anti-inflationary measures, such as anti-price gouging in the food and fuel sectors, price unbundling for fuel, some key tariff removals for imported farm inputs such as fertilizers and equipment, and boosting the production of domestic energy sources such as coal. Meanwhile, Energy Undersecretary Benito Ranque said one of the viable solutions which should go hand in hand with other energy measures is the use of modular nuclear reactors for deployment to island provinces suffering weeks of darkness and economic standstill in the aftermath of strong weather disturbances.
READ: Carlos, Estrella join Marcos Cabinet
PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Wednesday picked two more officials joining his Cabinet, including retired University of the Philippines (UP) political science professor Clarita Carlos. Marcos met with Carlos along with former Abono Party-list representative Conrado Estrella 3rd at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City, where the two accepted the offer to become new members of the Cabinet under his incoming administration. Carlos was appointed National Security Adviser (NSA) while Estrella was named Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) secretary.
READ: Enhanced PH-China ties seen under BBM
PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is expected to continue the Duterte administration's enhanced ties with the Chinese government, but with a twist. Prof. Rene de Castro, a political analyst and a Stratbase ADR Fellow, gave this observation when asked how he would foresee Philippine-China relations under the incoming Marcos government. He said Marcos will continue what his predecessor, President Rodrigo Duterte, has started in ramping up the Philippines' ties with China.De Castro, however, told The Manila Times that Marcos might pursue his foreign policy with China "using a different approach" that would not antagonize both Beijing and Washington. He believes that Marcos Jr. will not rely heavily on China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to jump-start infrastructure projects nationwide. Marcos Jr. had mentioned that he will bring back the PPP (Public-Private Partnership) with incoming Public Works secretary Manuel Bonoan at the helm, to boost his government's infrastructure program.
READ: Sara spent over P216M in vice presidential bid
VICE President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio spent a total of P216,190,935.06 for her vice presidential campaign, according to her Statement of Contributions and Expenditures (SOCE) submitted to the Commission on Elections (Comelec) Tuesday. Duterte-Carpio, daughter of outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte, received a total of P216,190,935.06 in contributions. Of this amount, P79,581,690.15 came from in-kind contributions received from other sources while P136,609,244.91 was in-kind contributions from her political party. Based on the SOCE, she did not receive cash contributions either from other sources or her political party. Duterte-Carpio, who ran under the Lakas-CMD party, claimed no personal funds were used for the campaign.
READ: 'Connectivity' on TMT forum
How the telecommunication industry will continue to play a vital role as the country adopts new realities and continues with the normal routines will be the focus of the The Manila Times (TMT) online business forum aat 10 a.m. today. Titled "Connectivity resiliency for the country's productivity," the forum will have Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for Digital Philippines Uundersecretary Maria Victoria Castro, National Telecommunications Deputy Commissioner Ella Blanca Lopez, InfiniVAN Chief Technology Officer Alberto Espedido and Ella Blanca Lopez, director of the Legal Department of the National Telecommunications Commission before being appointed as NTC deputy commissioner. The forum will be simultaneously livestreamed on The Times Facebook page, YouTube channel and Dailymotion account with TMT editor Dafort Villaseran and Hungry Workhorse CEO and TMT business columnist Rey Lugtu as forum moderators.
Topping Business
READ: PH debt spikes less concerning – PIDS
STATE think-tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PDS) said the country's most recent debt spike appears to be less concerning than previous debt episodes. PIDS senior research fellow Margarita Debuque-Gonzales, in a briefing on Wednesady with Department of Finance and the media, said her statement was based on the main findings of a report she co-authored with Charlotte Justine Diokno-Sicat, John Paul Corpus, Robert Hector Palomar, Mark Gerald Ruiz and Ramona Maria Miral titled "Fiscal Effects of the Covid-19 Pandemic: Assessing Public Debt Sustainability in the Philippines." The report noted that the immediate effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on fiscal performance was a collapse of revenues due to a shrinking economy, an inevitable widening of the fiscal deficit as the revenue drop coincided with increased spending, and eventually a sharp accumulation of public debt.
In Sports
READ: Celtics ready to get physical vs Warriors
Boston Celtics coach Ime Udoka has urged his team to fight fire with fire as they prepare for the physical challenge of the Golden State Warriors in Game 3 of the NBA Finals on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). The Warriors outmuscled the Celtics in their series-leveling Game 2 win on Sunday (Monday in Manila), with Golden State enforcer Draymond Green leading a superb defensive performance that shut down Boston's scoring threat. Green was a thorn in the side of the Celtics lineup throughout the win, sparring both physically and verbally with Boston's players incessantly. Udoka says he has given his players no special instructions in how to deal with Green other than to be who theyy are.
READ: Woods will miss US Open next week
Tiger Woods announced on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) that he will not play next week's US Open at Brookline to continue his recovery from severe leg injuries sustained in a car accident last year. The 15-time major champion withdrew from the PGA Championship last month after the third round. Woods, in a post on Twitter, said however that he was still planning to play in the British Open at St Andrews, which starts on July 14. The 46-year-old made a surprise return at the Masters in April, after needing surgery to repair his right leg following the car crash in February 2021. He made the cut at Augusta National and at the PGA at Southern Hills, where he pulled out following the third-worst major round of his career.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
In its Editorial, the Times talks about why the Philippines cannot afford to reject RCEP. Read the full version in the Opinion Section of its print and digitial editions or listen to the Voice Of The Times. The featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto. Contrerars writes about when journalists behave like bloggers; Makabenta asks whether Cabinet nominees can make public policy before they are confirmed; and Remoto on a teacher's tales.
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This is Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.