Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, Dec. 5, 2022.

READ: Climate change exec bats for 'green' energy

CLIMATE Change Commission (CCC) Commissioner Albert de la Cruz Sr. has underscored the need to shift to renewable energy if the Philippines wants to survive the effects of environmental degradation. Guesting at the SMNI's "Business and Politics" program hosted by The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd every Saturday, de la Cruz Sr. said the 2022 world risk index identifies the Philippines as the "number one vulnerable country all over the world" in terms of climate change. De la Cruz said the Covid-19 pandemic should be a wake-up call on the fallout from another global crisis in the face of climate change. He cited a recent study of the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that warned of a food shortage by 2030 and famine by 2050 if global warming is not fully addressed.

READ: Marcos, Duterte score high in nationwide poll

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PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte continue to reap encouraging feedback from the public as shown by the latest nationwide survey of the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. (RPMD). In RPMD's November 27 to December 2 poll, 83 percent of respondents expressed satisfaction for Marcos' leadership during his nearly first six months in office. Duterte earned 81 percent. The majority of respondents also gave the two high trust and approval ratings, with 87 percent expressing trust in Duterte and 87 percent in Marcos. Both officials scored well in performance and credibility across all regions and socioeconomic classes. The highest scores came from Mindanao with 87 percent, and the lowest from Metro Manila with 73 percent. Duterte's satisfaction rating was highest in Mindanao at 98 percent and lowest in Luzon at 70 percent.

READ: Turkey hails PH peace efforts in Mindanao

THE government of Turkey has hailed the Marcos administration's peace efforts in Mindanao, noting that they are worth emulating by other countries. Turkey's Ambassador to the Philippines Niyazi Evren Akyol made the remark during a recent meeting with Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Carlito Galvez Jr.Akyol reaffirmed his government's commitment of being "a longtime partner in the peace process." Galvez said some of the interventions being spearheaded by his office to address hostilities in Mindanao are in support of the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro. Among them are the socioeconomic aid to the six government-acknowledged Moro Islamic Liberation Front camps and 33 core barangay (villages) outside the Bangsamoro Region; the decommissioning of MILF combatants and their weapons; and the provision of capacity-building support to the BARMM government to ensure its smooth transition until the first BARMM elections in 2025.

READ: Letran foils Benilde, nears 3rd straight title

COLEGIO de San Juan de Letran fended off a valiant challenge by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, 81-75, in Game 1 of their NCAA Season 98 men's basketball best-of-three Finals on Sunday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum, moving on the cusp of a third straight title. Louie Sanggalang uncorked a career-best 24 points on 10-of-11 shooting while pulling down 10 rebounds to lead the way for the Knights. King Caralipio celebrated his birthday with 16 markers, while Kurt Reyson got 13 points, four rebounds and three assists. The Blazers stayed in the fight, but the Knights always managed to hold them off, especially in the fourth quarter, where Letran limited Benilde to just eight points while scoring 15. Letran turned the tide in its favor with a 7-0 run, turning a 68-69 deficit into a 75-69 advantage to take control for the rest of the way.

Topping Business

READ: Higher inflation seen in December

INFLATION might not have hit the upper end of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) forecast for November but could still trend higher this month, an analyst said. Domini Velasquez, chief economist at China Banking Corp., said consumer price growth likely settled at 7.8 last month, marginally up from October's near 14-year high of 7.7 percent. The BSP last week said that inflation could have accelerated to as much as 8.2 percent or slowed to 7.4 percent. Official inflation data will be released tomorrow, December 6, by the Philippine Statistics Authority. Velasquez said that higher vegetable prices following a severe tropical storm that hit late October would have driven November inflation. Core inflation, which excludes price-volatile food and energy items, is expected to have picked up to 6.1 percent from 5.9 percent.

In Sports

READ: Argentina reaches World Cup quarterfinals

Lionel Messi was pushed into the middle of a joyous post-match huddle as Argentina's players jumped up and down to celebrate reaching the World Cup quarterfinals. Messi delivered again for his country, marking the 1,000th game of his era-defining career with his first goal in the knockout stage of a World Cup to lead Argentina to a 2-1 win over Australia on Saturday. This was not the walkover most were expecting against the unheralded Australians, though. At the final whistle, Argentina was just as grateful for its goalkeeper as the No. 10 with magic in his boots. Emi Martinez came up with a sprawling save in the last seconds of an increasingly anxious match to prevent the need for extra time and the potential of another shock in a World Cup full of them.

READ: Hovland stretches Hero World Challenge lead

Viktor Hovland closed in on a second straight Hero World Challenge title on Saturday (Sunday in Manila), firing a sizzling eight-under par 64 to push his lead to three strokes in the unofficial US PGA Tour event. Norway's Hovland, trying to join tournament host Tiger Woods as the only back-to-back winners of the 20-player invitational, had 54-hole total of 13-under par at the Albany course in the Bahamas. World No. 2 Scottie Scheffler, who could overtake Rory McIlroy atop the rankings with a victory, carded a six-under par 66 to stand alone in second on 206. It was a further two strokes back to Americans Justin Thomas and Cameron Young, Thomas posting a 66 and Young a 68 as the winds that pushed up scores all week relented just a little.

READ: Opinion/Editorial

In today's editorial, the Times calls on the government to craft a maritime agenda aligned with the country's development roadmap and designed to address climate change. Read the full version on print or its digital edition or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Kit Tatad. Tiglao talks about the Energy Regulatory Commission's alleged intent on driving San Miguel power-generation corporations to bankruptcy; Aquino on the life of the world to come; and Tatad on looking for the next press secretary.

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This is Pete Llevares reporting.