Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, June 10, 2022.
READ: Manila, Washington seek to fortify ties
PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Thursday met with United States Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman in an effort to strengthen the economic partnership and alliance between Manila and Washington. Incoming Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez said Marcos and Sherman reaffirmed their commitment in various areas of cooperation. Sherman is the first high-ranking foreign government official to meet with Marcos since his landslide victory in the May elections.
READ: PH to pursue 'critical engagement' with China
THE administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos will pursue a "critical engagement" with China despite the dispute over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), incoming National Security Adviser (NSA) Clarita Carlos said on Thursday. Carlos, a former University of the Philippines professor, said she discussed the Philippines' relationship with China during a lengthy meeting with Marcos on Wednesday prior to her appointment.
READ: Stronger common tower policy urged
THE new administration must push for a common tower policy that will allow businesses and entities to boost productivity and consumer service, speakers at the The Manila Times online forum urged on Thursday. Speaking at the forum titled "Connectivity Resiliency For The Country's Productivity," Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) Undersecretary for Digital Philippines Maria Victoria Castro presented the agency's plans to improve the country's digital economy. The plans included the common tower policy, regulations for in-building solutions, fiber permitting and spectrum management. Castro stressed the need to upgrade ICT infrastructure like cell towers to strengthen internet connectivity and to address the rising demand for data as online users increase. She believes the common tower policy will encourage telcos and internet service providers to share cell towers. The DICT issued the Common Tower Policy in June 2020.
READ: Palace accreditation for bloggers to be reviewed
PRESS Secretary-designate Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles on Thursday said they are reviewing Malacañang's media accreditation policy to see if it allows them to give bloggers and social media influencers access to events in the nation's seat of power. Cruz-Angeles said they will be closely studying whether to let social media personalities attend regular Palace briefings and other presidential engagements. She said they will study their "level of inclusion" if ever they would be given access to Malacañang and if they would be treated as "regular" media practitioners just like those who are part of the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC). Among the factors to be considered are a vlogger's number of followers and average engagement per content.
BUSINESS: 'Investment Imperative' urged
Over to business, to recover from both the immediate and long-term repercussions of the Covid-19 pandemic, the incoming administration must transform the Philippine economic paradigm from services-led to "The Investment Imperative," a former central banker stressed. In his paper titled "Philippines: Pursuing an Investment-Led, More Sustainable Economic Growth," Diwa Guinigundo, a former deputy governor of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, stressed that "the Philippines has to attract the right kind of investments that have the highest potential to attain higher levels of growth and productivity." Guinigundo established the positive association between investments and economic growth in his article, claiming that there is a feedback loop that supports both public and private investments in either or both directions.
SPORTS: Converge, Magnolia gun for win No.1
Topping sports, one team will get a chance to crack the win column while another squad will try to remain unbeaten when the PBA Philippine Cup returns to the Ynares Center in Antipolo City today, June 10. Opening day losers Magnolia Timplados and new team Converge try to register win number one when they collide at 6 p.m. NLEX and San Miguel Beer, two teams which carved out contrasting victories in their first game of the season, square off at 3 p.m. The Hotshots and the FiberXers encountered roadblocks after they lost similar close matches against the TNT Tropang Giga and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters, respectively. Converge is set to welcome a new addition in the lineup after Maverick Ahanmisi agreed to a deal with the squad, which took over the franchise of his former squad — the Alaska Aces.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao discusses about a political argument with a classmate, while Torres talks about the intractable problem of gun violence in the United States.
Today's editorial discusses Filipino basketball players playing in foreign leagues. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Friday ahead.