Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, Aug. 14, 2022.

Sebastian authorized to act on sugar import

MALACANANG "authorized" resigned Agriculture Undersecretary for Operations Leocadio Sebastian to "sign contracts, memoranda of agreement," among others, "necessary to effectively carry out objectives, plans and projects" of the Department of Agriculture (DA), which included the controversial decision to import sugar amid a looming shortage. The authorization is contained in a memorandum dated July 15, 2022 issued by Executive Secretary Victor Rodriguez, a copy of which was obtained by The Manila Times on Saturday. The memorandum, its legitimacy confirmed by a Palace source who was not authorized to speak to media, surfaced a day after Sebastian resigned and took full responsibility for the "unauthorized" meeting with the Sugar Regulatory Board (SRB) and subsequent issuance of Administrative Order 4 that called for the importation of 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar to stem a possible shortage. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Press Secretary Rose Beatrice "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles said on Saturday, will spare no one in his administration's investigation into the sugar importation mess that "will go as far as it needs to go."

PPE at Health dept passed quality standards

THE government will never distribute any personal protective equipment (PPE) that did not pass stringent quality standards, the Department of Health (DoH) said. This comes after the Commission on Audit (CoA) flagged the Procurement Service-Department of Budget and Management (PS-DBM) for not submitting the Certification of Medical Device Notification (CMDN) requirement for seven PPE contracts worth P1.386 billion. A CMDN from the Food and Drug Administration is required prior to the commercial sale and distribution of medical devices such as PPE sets, which include medical-grade N95 face masks, surgical masks, shoe covers, gloves, head covers and gowns. CoA said that two contracts from the PPE procurement did not include the product notification as a requirement for a licensed importer or wholesaler of personal protective equipment, while in five contracts, the supplier failed to submit the CMDN despite it being required. Health Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire stressed that they will never give to their implementing units any PPE that did not pass their stringent quality and safety standards.

Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Education on Wheels delivers learning in poverty-ridden Tondo

THE Education on Wheels initiative of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) Open University recently held its on-site pilot run for in-person classes with around 60 participants. Converting a bus donated by Century Peak Corp. into a mobile classroom, these young and adult learners enrolled in the program will be able to access free education — as learning is brought closer to their community. The university partnered with the Sandiwaan Center for Learning in Tondo, a nongovernment organization providing basic and technical education to the poor, to identify a pilot community in Manila for the project implementation. Through its Education on Wheels, the PUP Open University aims to serve the marginalized sector and help them find and land jobs upon completion of their degree in Office Administration.

Broader use of local disaster funds sought

SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian on Friday proposed expanding the use of the Local Disaster Risk and Reduction Management (LDRRM) Fund in order to improve the capacity of local government units (LGUs) in responding to disasters. Toward this end, Gatchalian filed Senate Bill (SB) 939, which seeks to amend the Philippine Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Act of 2010 (Republic Act 10121) to broaden LGUs' options in the utilization of the LDRRM Fund. Under Gatchalian's proposal, the LDRRM Fund may be used to finance infrastructure projects designed to mitigate the effects of natural disasters. Gatchalian also proposed the use of the LDRRM Fund to pay for obligations incurred in funding projects related to disaster preparedness and mitigation. He also proposed the use of the LDRRM Fund to hire necessary personnel that would implement local DRRM programs.

YouTube to host live global gaming event

YOUTUBE will celebrate all things gaming — from popular titles to top content creators — through the first-ever "YouTube: Game On," which is a two-hour interactive livestream event to premiere live globally on Sunday, August 28, at 4 a.m. Philippine time. YouTube: Game On brings together more than 60 top gaming content creators, including Markiplier, Ali-A, AyChristene, Bazerk, Caylus, Chica, CouRage, Dream, EddieVR, EyStreem, Kwebbelkop, Neto, GeorgeNotFound, Jake Fellman, Lachlan, LARRAY, LaurenzSide, LDShadowLady, MatPat, Muselk, Myth, Preston & Brianna, Sapnap, Sidemen, Slogo, SunlessKhan, Sykkuno, The Grumps, TommyInnit, Typical Gamer, and Wirtual, with even more to be announced. They represent over 400 million subscribers and more than 150 billion combined lifetime views on the platform. They will be playing and featuring today's hottest games, including "Among Us," "Fall Guys," "Fortnite," "Free Fire," "Friday Night Funkin'," "Grand Theft Auto V," "Minecraft," "Mortal Kombat 11," "Poppy Playtime," "Rocket League," "Street Fighter 6," "Trackmania" and more. Gaming fans could watch and play along by voting in real time on unique gaming challenges and influence how the stream will play out.

Beermen seek finals berth

THE Magnolia Timplados Hotshots are still alive and kicking following their 105-97 victory over TNT, denying the Tropang Giga an early entry back to the championship round. Now the Hotshots want to equalize and push the series to a rubber match when they shoot for a win in Game 6 of their best-of-seven semifinals series. Magnolia squares off with TNT at 6:30 p.m. right after the 4:30 p.m. match between San Miguel Beer and Meralco, which play Game 6 of their own best-of-seven semis series.

Spaun seizes one-stroke Memphis lead

J.J. Spaun sank two late clutch putts to fire a three-under par 67 and take a one-stroke lead after Friday's (Saturday in Manila) second round of the US PGA Tour's St. Jude Championship.The 31-year-old American sank a 13-foot birdie putt on his penultimate hole then closed with a seven-foot par putt to stand on 11-under 129 at TPC Southwind in Memphis, Tennessee. Austrian Sepp Straka, who missed six consecutive cuts entering the event, shared second on 130 with American Troy Merritt and American Denny McCarthy another stroke adrift. British Open champion Cameron Smith of Australia shared fifth on 132 with Americans Brian Harman, Ryan Palmer and Tony Finau. The tournament is the opener of the FedEx Cup playoffs, a season-ending trio of events with a winner's prize of $18 million. Only 125 players qualified on season points and only the top 70 advance to next week's BMW Championship, where the 30 qualifiers for the Tour Championship in Atlanta are decided.

Opinion/Editorial

Today's Times Editorial calls on Congress to convene the Second Congressional Commission on Education or Edcom 2 and start working amid a "learning poverty" that the Philippines is experiencing, according to the World Bank. The bill creating Edcom 2 had lapsed into law after then president Rodrigo Duterte failed to sign the measure. Read the full version on print, its Digital edition or listen to the Voice of the Times. Marlen Ronquillo is the featured columnist in the front page. He writes about the wrongs dragging "rightsizing" efforts.

For more news and information, get a copy of The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and Keep Up With The Times.

This is Paulo Dimaapi reporting.