Good day. Here are the top stories of Manila Times for Monday, Jan. 16, 2023.

Clear roadblocks to PH growth

WHILE being upbeat on the Philippine economy, foreign business leaders are also wary about the bottlenecks on the road to recovery that the government needs to remove. Chris Nelson, executive director and trustee of the British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines, said his group is "very much optimistic for the Philippines," but "obviously inflation is still a concern because that directly impacts the consumers." Nelson said during The Manila Times Roundtable interview on Friday that inflation "will definitely impact" the pace of consumerism. Another roundtable participant, Italian Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines Executive Director Lorens Ziller, said that he was also upbeat on the economy. Ziller noted that Moody's and the World Bank have tagged the Philippines as the fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia "which we kind of expected from a democratic point of view and the drive the Filipinos have to come back after the pandemic." Nordic Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Executive Director Jesper Svenningsen shared Ziller and Nelson's optimism, and believes that the Philippines is a good destination for companies from Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. Svenningsen said President Marcos' talk on promoting e-governance is "something we are really looking forward to as this will make things more transparent, less red-tape."

China reports almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths

China on Saturday reported almost 60,000 Covid-related deaths in just over a month, the first major toll released by authorities since Beijing loosened virus restrictions in early December. The government has been widely accused of underreporting the number of coronavirus fatalities since the abandonment of its zero-Covid policy. Only a few dozen deaths had been recorded officially in December before Saturday's announcement, despite evidence of crematoriums and hospitals being overrun. A National Health Commission (NHC) official said Saturday that China had recorded 59,938 Covid-related deaths between December 8 and January 12. The figure refers only to deaths at medical facilities, with the total number likely to be higher.

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Fil-Am beauty wins Miss Universe crown

MISS USA's R'Bonney Gabriel won the Miss Universe crown at the 71st edition of the pageant held Sunday (Manila time) at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in Louisiana. Miss Venezuela Amanda Dudamel and Miss Dominican Republic Andreína Martínez were the first and second runners-up, respectively. Gabriel is half-Filipino whose father, Remigio Bonzon "R. Bon" Gabriel, immigrated to Washington state at the age of 25 and went on to earn his doctorate degree in psychology at the University of Southern California. Gabriel, who earned a bachelor's degree in Fashion Design with a minor in Fibers in 2018 at the University of North Texas, has been championing her Filipino heritage even during the Miss USA competition in October 2022 through the modern Filipiniana dresses she wore and personally designed. At the Miss Universe coronation night, Gabriel wore a black gown made by Filipino designer Rian Fernandez. Gabriel took home the new "Force for Good" crown made by Lebanon's Mouawad, the official jeweler for Miss Universe. The crown is estimated to be worth $5.5 million and comes embedded with 110 carats of blue sapphire and 48 carats of white diamonds.

'Rekindling love for reading to help address learning poverty'

TO help address the "learning poverty" in the country, schools need to teach the love for reading because that is where it all starts, Philippine Educational Publishers Association Executive Director Jose Maria Policarpio said. In an interview on "Business and Politics," a weekly Saturday program hosted by The Manila Times Chairman Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd on SMNI, Policarpio, noted that the way to instill the love for reading is to expose children at a very young age to interesting reading materials. Policarpio has had extensive experience in the publishing industry, having served for 25 years as senior management executive with one of the top educational publishing houses in the Philippines.

BUSINESS: War, recession, Covid to factor in 2024 budget

THE war in Ukraine, a likely global recession and the continuing Covid-19 pandemic have been tagged by the Budget department as primary considerations in determining the Marcos government's spending plan for next year. National Budget Memorandum 145, signed by Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, states that [T]he government will continue to implement risk-managed interventions in areas of food security, transport and logistics, energy, bureaucratic efficiency and fiscal management, health, education and social protection to ensure the unimpeded and adequate delivery of social services, mitigate inflation pressures, accelerate economic recovery and address economic scarring". It noted that the 2022-2028 Medium-Term Fiscal Framework (MTFF) would provide the blueprint for achieving the Marcos government's 8-point socioeconomic agenda but also noted that limited resources were up against the "competing demands" of government programs.

SPORTS: Brownlee to take Oath of Allegiance today

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has enacted into law a measure granting Filipino citizenship to American professional basketball player Justin Donta Brownlee. Republic Act 11937 confers the right to 34-year-old Brownlee to become a "bonafide citizen" of the Philippines. It was signed by the Chief Executive last Jan. 12, 2023, according to the copy of the law obtained by The Manila Times from a source. Malacañang has yet to release an official copy. Originally from Georgia, United States, Brownlee's first taste of the country's brand of basketball happened when he came in as a replacement import for Barangay Ginebra in the Philippine Basketball Association in 2016. He went on to lead the Kings to the championship and added a few more to the team's trophy case in the years that followed as the resident import.

Two eagles lift Buckley to Sony Open lead

Hayden Buckley had two eagles in a six-under-par 64 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila) to grab a two-shot lead after three rounds of the Sony Open, where he's chasing a first US PGA Tour title. The 26-year-old American holed out from the fairway for an eagle at the 10th, then broke free atop the leaderboard with another eagle at the par-five 18th, where his approach from the fairway settled two feet from the pin. He was two strokes clear of overnight leader Chris Kirk, David Lipsky and Ben Taylor. England's Taylor carded a five-under-par 65 to join the group on 13-under 197 while Lipsky fired a second straight 66 and Kirk posted a 68. Andrew Putnam charged up the leaderboard with an eight-under 62 that featured 10 birdies, and was joined on 198 by South K orean Kim Si-woo, who signed for a 64.

Opinion/Editorial

In today's Editorial, The Manila Times talks about faster reforms that come after foreign trips. In a roundtable interview at the Times, The executive directors of the British, Italian and Nordic Chambers of Commerce all lauded efforts by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to promote the Philippines abroad. Read the full version on print or digital or Listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tiglao writes about a Palace official who issued an anomalous order backing Chinese firm illegally mining nickel; Aquino on the failed scheme of Senior High School; and Tatad on the US vs China and Russia.

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This is Pete Llevares reporting.