Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, September 5, 2022.

READ: BBM starts Indonesia, Singapore state visits

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. on Sunday morning left for his inaugural state visits to Indonesia and Singapore where he is expected to seal key agreements on defense and security, creative economy, and cultural exchanges. Marcos will be in Indonesia until September 6, after which he will fly to Singapore for a one-day visit. He said his visits to the country's neighbors "will seek to harness the potentials of our vibrant trade and investment relations. As such, an economic briefing, business forums and meetings have been organized to proactively create and attract more investments and buyers for our exports, in order to accelerate the post-pandemic growth of our economy."

READ: Covid vaccination campaign stalled

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THE country's vaccination campaign has stalled during the past month, with only 18.1 million booster shots administered despite the 71.5 million people who are eligible, Go Negosyo founder Jose Ma. "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said, citing the figures from the National Covid-19 Vaccination Dashboard and adding that the government has a formidable task ahead of it. The former presidential adviser for entrepreneurship said the low turnout could also be due to the preference for antigen testing, which has contributed to the underreporting of cases.

READ: 'MSMEs must benefit from innovations'

SCIENCE and Technology Secretary Renato Solidum Jr. urged the local scientific community to develop an entrepreneurial mindset to help consumers develop products and technologies. Go Negosyo Founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said such innovations must be made more accessible to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Solidum has said the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) is realigning its programs to the economic agenda of the national government. He believes that scientists, researchers and engineers should come up with innovative solutions to pressing concerns and find ways to address the economic downturn due to the pandemic. He said the facilities of the department are being upgraded to help improve the quality of Filipino products and services.

READ: DLSU to resume admission test

THE De La Salle University (DLSU) will reimplement its College Admission Test for freshmen beginning Academic Year 2023-2024. The application period for incoming freshmen for the next academic year is from Sept. 12 to Nov. 30, 2022. Applicants will have to create an account to access the Online Admission Facility and log in and out of their account anytime during the application period to complete the required information including personal documents, academic and student records, recommendation letters, certifications, personal statement, and consent form. The school's campuses in Manila and Laguna were the designated DCAT venues, with examination dates Jan. 8 and 15, 2023, for Manila and Feb. 4, 2023, for Laguna.

BUSINESS: BSP not inclined to defend peso

Topping business, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) is not inclined to take steps to defend the Philippine peso despite the local currency's struggle last week against the United States dollar. The peso closed at a new low of P56.77 to the US dollar on Friday and fell to as low as P56.90 during intraday trading. The P56.77 was the lowest since the P56.45 logged in 2004. BSP Governor Felipe Medalla told The Manila Times in a text message that the central bank does "not target" any particular exchange rate and will not take steps to defend the peso.

SPORTS: Malixi, Singson beef up LPGT Valley cast

In sports, national players Rianne Malixi and Mafy Singson take time out from their respective overseas campaigns not only to reinforce a compact pro field in the ICTSI Valley Golf Ladies Challenge but also fuel another title run on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour. The P750,000 tournament unfolds beginning on Wednesday, September 7, at the Valley Golf Club's South course in Antipolo with Chihiro Ikeda seeking a third leg championship after winning at Mount Malarayat last May and at Eagle Ridge-Aoki last July before the country's premier ladies circuit took a two-month break.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are today's front page columnists. Tiglao discusses the reason why the ABS-CBN/TV5 deal fell through, while Fr. Aquino tackles on inclusiveness and reason.

Today's editorial calls on health experts to update their face mask policy. 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 week ahead.