Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, November 19, 2022.

READ: Marcos-Xi meeting dials down sea row President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping avoided any mention of the arbitral tribunal ruling on the South China Sea that favored the Philippines when they sat down for a bilateral meeting Thursday. Instead, the two leaders agreed to settle disputes between their countries through "friendly consultations." The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 29th Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Leaders Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand. China asserts that most of the South China Sea is part of its maritime realm, while Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) members Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts of the strategic waterway. The claimants have been holding bilateral and multilateral talks to sort out the maritime row. The talks include the crafting of the Code of Conduct (COC) for the South China Sea.

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READ: Senate moves closer to passing 2023 budget THE Senate is expected to pass the House version of the proposed 2023 General Appropriations Bill next week after it ended plenary debates on the measure on Friday. Tackled during the more than 12- hour session are the proposed budgets of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), the Department of Science and Technology (DoST), the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), Congress, the Department of Health (DoH), and the National Commission on Senior Citizens. Sen. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, defended the PSA budget for the second time after the Senate deferred its submission last Wednesday, pending the interpellation of Sen. Francis "Tol" Tolentino. After Tolentino's interpellation, the P9.73 billion budget was deemed submitted for the chamber's consideration. On the last day of the plenary session, Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano challenged the CHEd to come up with a "breakthrough legislation" that would bring the quality of education in the country to the next level.

READ: Confusion over address delays serving of Bantag subpoena WITH days to go before the start of the preliminary investigation on the murder of broadcaster Percival "Percy Lapid" Mabasa and the death of alleged middleman Cristito Villamor, suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) Director General Gerald Bantag, who is accused as the mastermind in the killings, is still waiting to be served a subpoena. The subpoena orders Bantag to appear at the Justice department building in Manila on November 23 and December 5. He must bring with him counter-affidavits — as well as the affidavits of his witnesses — to be sworn before the panel of DoJ prosecutors handling the case. Failure to comply will indicate that Bantag is waiving his right to participate in the preliminary investigation, and the case will be considered submitted for resolution.

READ: DoST: Climate change affecting PH the most WITH the effects of climate change being clearly seen with stronger typhoons lashing the Philippines and causing much damage to lives and property, the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) on Friday called for more collective action from both Filipinos and people from other countries. Dr. Sancho Mabborang, DoST undersecretary for regional operations, cited the "massive repercussions to and impact of climate change, especially on the Philippines" during a forum organized by Advantage Austria and Impact Hub Manila. The DoST said the Philippines is among the countries most at risk from climate change hazards.

READ: Kadiwa selling P25/ kilo rice until Dec 31 AGRICULTURE Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista on Friday clarified that "Kadiwa ng Pasko" rolling stores will be selling cheaply priced rice every payday until December 31. In a radio interview, Evangelista said the next Kadiwa ng Pasko will roll out in 14 areas — 11 of which are in Metro Manila — on November 29 from where a kilo of rice will retail for P25.

REGIONS: OVP sends aid to towns affected by 'Paeng' THE Office of the Vice President (OVP) has sent additional relief aid in Cabuyao City and Pagsanjan in Laguna which were both affected by Tropical Storm "Paeng." Through the OVP-Disaster Operation Center (DOC), each town received 50 sacks of rice, 15 boxes of noodles and 75 packs of biscuits, which were delivered last Thursday. Pagsanjan Mayor Cesar Areza thanked Vice President Sara Duterte for sending the relief assistance to their town, which will be given to affected families in riverside areas. He noted that the town is easily flooded as there are seven tributaries across Pagsanjan. He added that it was the OVP who was the first agency to respond to their needs.

BUSINESS: BSP to raise rates along with Fed Topping business, monetary authorities will raise key interest rates further if the US Federal Reserve continues with its policy tightening, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) chief said on Friday. The BSP's policymaking Monetary Board on Thursday raised key interest rates by 75 basis points (bps), matching the Fed's three-quarter-percentage-point hike earlier this month. It noted that inflation, which reached 14-year high of 7.7 percent in October, was likely to go higher and added that the move also aimed to support the peso. Analysts expect the Fed to deliver a smaller rate hike in December following four consecutive 75-bps increases but also see a prolonged tightening period. The Fed next meets on December 13 to 14, while the Monetary Board will hold its final meeting for the year on December 15.

SPORTS: Petro Gazz seeks to secure semis spot Over to sports, defending champion Petro Gazz looks to clinch a semifinals berth as it battles winless United Auctioneers Inc.-Army in the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) Reinforced Conference today, November 19, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The third-running Angels take on the cellar-dwelling Lady Troopers at 2:30 p.m. Petro Gazz is coming off a five-set win over Chery Tiggo last Saturday to bounce back from a five-set loss against Cignal on November 10.

READ: Opinion and editorial Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses the US mid-term elections, Makabenta tackles how the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine poses a medical and ethical puzzle, while Remoto ponders on pre-colonial poetry.

Today's editorial has suggestions for the government with creative solutions for flood resiliency. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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This is EJ Gomez reporting.