Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, July 18, 2022.
READ: Marcos will 'tread carefully' in sea row
PRESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos will be taking a "very measured and balanced approach" in the Philippines' territorial dispute with China over the West Philippine Sea, an envoy said Friday.Marcos made the statement during his meeting with Australian Ambassador Steven James Robinson at his headquarters in Mandaluyong City.Robinson assured Marcos Australia will continue to support the Philippines' victory in its arbitral case against China's sweeping claims over the disputed waters.On July 12, 2016, the Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) favored the Philippines' petition to invalidate China's claim of its supposed historic rights over practically the entire South China Sea.
READ: Concepcion backs Cebu's optional masking rule
LOCAL government units should be given the leeway to make decisions regarding mask-wearing as a protection against Covid-19 infection in their jurisdictions, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said Friday.Concepcion was referring to the recent directive of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to make the wearing of masks optional in open areas and well-ventilated places across the province.Mask-wearing is still mandatory as far as the government's Inter-Agency Task Force against Covid-19 is concerned.
READ: Business execs offer wish list to BBM
KEY officials of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) presented a wish list for the government of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. that includes prioritizing digitalization and industrialization in agriculture, improving ease of doing business, and strengthening support to micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs). The Manila Times invited the PCCI local chamber network to a roundtable discussion on Friday to submit their list of priorities the Marcos administration must focus on during its first 100 days. The forum was moderated by The Manila Times Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd. Franklin Carbon, area vice president of PCCI Visayas, wants the next administration to transform agriculture into a dynamic, high-growth sector, and espouse poverty reduction and inclusive growth. Carbon said the way to do this is through agro-industrialization and promoting agribusiness, particularly among small farmers and fishers.
READ: Marcos names Enrile as chief legal counsel
RESIDENT-ELECT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. or BBM has named three more appointees to his Cabinet, including former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile as his chief legal counsel, his incoming Press Secretary Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles announced on Friday. In a statement, Cruz-Angeles said Marcos has chosen two legal luminaries and a former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff to fill critical posts in his Cabinet. Enrile, a staunch supporter of Marcos and Vice President-elect Sara Duterte-Carpio during the 2022 elections, reaffirmed his commitment to serve the country and ensure the success of the incoming Marcos administration. The Press chief said the 98-year-old Enrile has served the people in various roles for the past 50 years, including interim secretary of finance from 1966 to 1968, secretary of justice from 1968 to 1970 and minister of national defense from 1972 to 1986. Marcos picked outgoing Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra as his solicitor general and former AFP chief of staff and now retired general Jose Faustino Jr. as senior undersecretary and officer in charge of the Department of National Defense (DND). Cruz-Angeles said Guevarra has accepted the nomination as solicitor-general-designate during his meeting with Marcos on Thursday.
READ: SUV driver no-show in case hearing
THE driver who ran over a security guard who was directing traffic near a mall in Mandaluyong City did not show up at the preliminary hearing of the frustrated murder complaint filed against him before the prosecutor's office. Jose Antonio Sanvicente, who fled and went into hiding after the incident, was represented by a lawyer at Friday's hearing.The victim, Christian Joseph Floralde, together with his lawyer Atty. Federico Biolena, appeared in the hearing which took place a day after Sanvicente surrendered to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief LtGen. Vicente Danao Jr. in Camp Crame. The incident went viral online after a video recording from a dashboard camera from another vehicle showed how the victim fell to the ground after getting hit by a sport utility vehicle driven by Sanvicente and was apparently run over as it sped away after the incident. Floralde said he was disappointed with Sanvicente's absence.
BUSINESS: BSP widens BoP deficit forecast
Over to business, after taking into account the rise in external risks, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has widened its forecast for the country's balance of payments (BoP) deficit for this year.At a press conference on Friday, Zeno Ronald Abenoja, managing director of the central bank's Department of Economic Research, announced the BoP shortfall was now estimated to reach $6.3 billion this year, or -1.5 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), up from a prior projection of $4.3 billion, or -1.0 percent of GDP.The payments balance is a record of all trade and financial transactions that took place between entities in one country and the rest of the world within a specific time period. When a country imports more products, services and capital than it exports, it has a deficit; when it exports more, it has a surplus.
SPORTS: Meralco guns for 3rd straight victory
In sports, after the world saw the Golden State Warriors win their NBA championship on Friday morning, back here, in the PBA the Meralco Bolts are making their presence felt right from the get-go of the PBA Philippine Cup. In its first two games of the season, Meralco walloped Phoenix, 109-98, and Converge, 90-74.Today, the Bolts face another acid test against the defending champions TNT Tropang Giga in the main game of the scheduled double header at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. Meralco guard Aaron Black who had an impressive showing in the last Governors' Cup Finals, picked up from where he left off as he matched his career-high 25 points, which he posted in Game 5 of the recent title series. This time, though, he was able to give his team the win.His vast improvement will be tested against the Tropang Giga. Although the Tropang Giga had won only once in three games, Bolts coach Norman Black believes their current standing doesn't reflect on how great the team is.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses on the persona non grata declaration of Quezon City against two celebrities, while Remoto talks about a house of "many languages".
Today's editorial believes the country's economic strength lies on biodiversity. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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This is EJ Gomez reporting.