Myanmar's saga of misery continuesGood day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, February 3, 2023.
READ: PH gives US more access to bases
THE United States and the Philippines announced a deal Thursday to give US troops access to four more local military bases. The agreement to expand cooperation in "strategic areas of the country" was made during a visit by US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin 3rd. It comes as the countries seek to repair ties that were fractured in recent years — previous president Rodrigo Duterte favored China over the US, but the new administration of Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has been keen to reverse that. Beijing's growing assertiveness on Taiwan and its building of bases in the disputed South China Sea have also given fresh impetus to Washington and Manila to strengthen their partnership. Given its proximity to Taiwan and its surrounding waters, the Philippines' cooperation would be key in the event of a conflict with China, which a four-star US Air Force general has warned could happen as early as 2025.
READ: Marcos: PH future will always involve US
THE future of the Philippines will always involve the United States (US), President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday, as he cited the "terribly complicated" geopolitical developments in the Asia-Pacific region. Marcos stressed the importance of bolstering cooperation between the Philippines and the US during his meeting with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin 3rd in Malacañang on Thursday.
READ: Chinese vessels stalk PH ship
Meanwhile, Chinese maritime militia vessels shadowed a Philippine Navy ship in areas in the West Philippine Sea that are well within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), surveillance reports showed. On Wednesday at around 1 p.m., two vessels affiliated with Chinese government agencies were monitored leaving Panganiban (Mischief) Reef apparently "on an intercept course" with the Philippine Navy offshore patrol vessel BRP Andres Bonifacio
READ: Dumping of tomatoes in Vizcaya confirmed
THE provincial agriculturist of Nueva Vizcaya emergency confirmed that hundreds of kilos of tomatoes were dumped in the province. A video that went viral showed the tomatoes discarded in a vacant field in Barangay Almaguer South, Bambang town. In a radio interview, Nueva Vizcaya Provincial Agriculturist Absalom Rizal Baysa said the tomatoes had come from the trading post of Nueva Vizcaya Agricultural Trading (NVAT).
READ: AMLC freezes assets of doctor tagged as terrorist
THE Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) has frozen the assets of a community doctor who was earlier tagged as a terrorist by the Anti-Terrorism Council (ATC). The financial intelligence unit of AMLC issued Resolution TF-63 this week freezing the property or funds of Dr. Maria Natividad Castro that are directly related or can be tied to a particular act, plot or threat as well as the property or funds of persons and entities acting on her behalf. AMLC Secretariat Executive Director Matthew David said Republic Act (RA) 10168 or the "Terrorism Financing Prevention and Suppression Act of 2012" (TFPSA) mandates relevant government agencies — including the Land Transportation Office, Land Registration Authority, Registry of Deeds, Maritime Industry Authority and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines — to implement a freeze order against individuals or groups designated as terrorists.
READ: Mabasa's lawyer disbarred
THE lawyer of Roy Mabasa, brother of slain radio commentator Percival Mabasa, has been disbarred by the Supreme Court for accusing a Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) official of plunder in a social media post. In a ten-page decision, the Supreme Court ruled that Berteni "Toto" Cataluña Causing violated the Lawyer's Oath as well as Rules 1.01 and 7.03 of the Code of Professional Responsibility for accusing Jackiya Lao of plunder on Facebook. The decision was publicized on Feb. 1, 2023.
BUSINESS: NG debt hits P13.42T
Topping business, the national government ended 2022 owing a total of P13.42 trillion, the Treasury bureau reported on Thursday, 14.4 percent higher than the previous year's P11.73 trillion. The amount, however, was lower than the P13.64 billion recorded at the end of November due to the strengthening of the peso and as the government paid off some of its debt. Stronger-than-expected economic growth, meanwhile, limited the fullyear debt to gross domestic product (GDP) ratio to 60.9 percent, below the medium-term ceiling of 61.8 percent and improving from 63.7 percent at the end of the third quarter.
SPORTS: PBA legend Terry Saldaña dies at 64
In sports, former Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) player Antero "Terry" Saldaña died on Wednesday, his former team Barangay Ginebra San Miguel announced on their Facebook page. He was 64 years old. Reports said Saldaña died of a "lingering kidney ailment." Known as the "Plastic Man," Saldaña played for seven PBA teams throughout his career between 1982 and 2000. He began his career with the Toyota Super Corollas. He is more known playing for Barangay Ginebra, then known as Gilbey's Gin before rebranding to its current name, from 1983 to 1987, then again from 1997 to 1998, when it was known as Gordon's Gin. He was also known for playing alongside Robert "Big J" Jaworski during his tenure with the team. While with Gilbey's Gin in 1983 he led his team in scoring and rebounding, earning him the PBA's first Most Improved Player award. He was a five-time PBA champion.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao says President Marcos' advantage is an acquiescent press, while Tatad discusses the "travails" of first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos.
Today's editorial discusses the situation in Myanmar two years after the coup d'etat in the country. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
For more news and information, get a copy of The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and Keep Up With The Times.
For The Manila Times, this is Kim Isabelle Dignadice.