Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Friday, Nov. 25, 2022.
READ: Ex-QC lawmaker charged with graft
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) has filed graft charges against former Quezon City Second District representative Precious Hipolito-Castelo, five members of her staff, and two officials of the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) before the Office of the Ombudsman for the alleged illegal disbursement of P56 million from the Tulong Panghanapbuhay para sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (Tupad) program. NBI spokesman Giselle Garcia-Dumlao said on Thursday that an administrative case was also filed against Hipolito-Castelo and her co-respondents last November 7. The charges stemmed from a request made by former Labor secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd to the NBI to investigate irregularities in the implementation of the Tupad program. Hipolito-Castelo said the NBI investigation has consistently indicated that there is a lack of reliable, impartial evidence suggesting her office was involved in misconduct. She said that she and her office have fully cooperated and supported all efforts to investigate allegations of wrongdoing, including the submission of records to establish proper implementation of the Tupad program.
READ: Covid-19 positivity in Metro Manila spikes anew
THE Covid-19 positivity rate in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila has spiked in just one week, OCTA Research said. Infographics shared by OCTA Research senior fellow Dr. Guido David showed Metro Manila's positivity rate going up to 9.2 percent on November 22, from 7.4 percent last November 15. The last time the Covid positivity rate reached that level was on October 25. David said the rise is not alarming but urged the public to remain vigilant against the possibility of an increase in cases. He also said that unless the trends shift, he sees "another wave of infections" in the region with the possibility of an increase in the next few weeks. David noted that the waves in June and September were caused by new Omicron subvariants. He added that the spike could be caused by a new subvariant of Omicron, the BQ.1.1, that is prevalent in some countries.
READ: Israel offers PH water management technology
ISRAEL is offering innovative solutions to help the Philippines improve water resource management and conservation. Israel's Agency for International Development Cooperation and the United States Agency for International Aid shared with the Philippine government and local water concessionaires in the Philippines the expertise and experience of Israel on water resource management. Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said during a recent seminar that Israel faced challenges in water conservation and management. The Middle East is a dry area and more than 50 percent of "Israel is actually desert," he said. The Israeli Embassy in Manila said National Water Resources Board Director Susan Abano shared the challenges that the Philippines faces as water availability continues to fall due to rising demand. The embassy said that engineers Rodel Rik Tumanda and Jon Michael Esteban of Maynilad and Manila Water, respectively, as well as Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System chief regulator Patrick Ty presented their perspectives on managing water scarcity.
READ: Marcos doing well as PH Inc. CEO – Concepcion
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is doing a good job as the "CEO of Philippines Inc.," Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said. According to the former presidential adviser for entrepreneurship, Marcos has received several invitations to official meetings, such as the working visit to the US last September, the Asean Summit in Cambodia and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Thailand in November, and the coming World Economic Forum in Switzerland in January due to his ability to effectively articulate his administration's post-pandemic economic agenda. He also observed that Marcos was effective in convincing investors that the Philippines is a good place to do business.
In Business
READ: 'Hot money' flows turn positive in Oct
FOREIGN investments registered with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) turned positive in October, snapping a four-month run of net outflows that began in May. At $83 million, the net "hot money" inflow was a reversal from September's $367-million net outflow, the BSP said in a statement. Gross inflows of $645 million, while 27.7 percent lower month on month, more than offset the $561 million in gross outflows that were down a much steeper 55.4 percent. Formerly called foreign portfolio investments, the transactions represent foreign money registered with the BSP through authorized agent banks (AABs) that is used to buy stocks, government bonds, time deposits and similar instruments. They are also known as "hot money" given the ease by which the funds can be invested in and taken out of a country.
Topping Sports
READ: Japan gets 2 late goals to upset Germany, 2-1
Another World Cup day, another World Cup shock. Substitutes Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano scored late goals Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) to help Japan come from behind and upset Germany, 2-1. Both Doan and Asano play for German clubs. It was the first competitive meeting between the two nations. They played two friendlies in the past, with Germany winning 3-0 in 2004 before a 2-2 draw in 2006. Germany outplayed Japan for much of Wednesday's match and had 24 attempts on goal compared to Japan's 11. The Japanese had only 24 percent possession. The match was played a day after Argentina's 2-1 upset loss to Saudi Arabia.
READ: Ginebra guns for 6th straight win
BARANGAY Ginebra guns for its sixth straight win to enhance its bid for a top two finish when it goes up against back-against-the-wall NLEX in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup today, November 25, at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The Kings enter the game at third spot with a 7-2 record, just a half-game behind second-running Magnolia Hotshots (8-2). Tournament-leader Bay Area has already secured one of the twice-to-beat incentives after closing the elimination round with a 10-2 card. Game time is at 5:45 p.m.
READ: Celtics outplay Mavs; Nets slaughter Raptors
Jayson Tatum had 37 points and 13 rebounds and Jaylen Brown scored 31 points to help the NBA-best Boston Celtics bounce back from a rare loss and beat the Dallas Mavericks, 125-112, on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). The Celtics, who have an NBA-leading 14 wins, had won nine straight before losing to the Chicago Bulls on Monday (Tuesday). Luka Doncic scored 42 points for the Mavericks, who had beaten Boston four straight times. In Toronto, Kyrie Irving scored 19 of his 29 points in the third quarter, Nic Claxton had 14 points and 12 rebounds and Brooklyn beat short-handed Toronto. Royce O'Neale made a career-high five 3-pointers and scored 15 points, and Ben Simmons had 14 for the Nets, who bounced back after losing at Philadelphia on Tuesday. Brooklyn has won three of four. Gary Trent Jr. scored 19 points for Toronto.
The Times in its editorial asks Pagcor to end its love affair with POGOs. Read the full version on print, on digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. The featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Ruben Torres and Kit Tatad. Tiglao tells readers not to believe Vice President Kamala Harris and the offer of US help; Torres on Pinatubo Lake and Occam's Razor; and Tatad on abrogating the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement or EDCA.
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This is Kim Dignadice reporting.