Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2023.
READ: Quake kills over 1,200 across Turkey, Syria
The most powerful earthquake in nearly a century struck Turkey and Syria early Monday, killing over 1,200 people in their sleep, levelling buildings and causing tremors felt as far away as Iraq. The 7.8-magnitude quake wiped out entire sections of major Turkish cities in a restless region filled with millions of people who have fled the civil war in Syria and other conflicts. The head of Syria's National Earthquake Center, Raed Ahmed, told pro-government radio that this was "the biggest earthquake recorded in the history of the center." At least 326 people died in government-controlled parts of Syria, according to the latest toll. At least 912 people also died in Turkey, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said. The rescue was being hampered by a winter blizzard that covered major roads in ice and snow. Officials said the quake made three major airports in the area inoperable, further complicating deliveries of vital aid. The quake struck at 04:17 a.m. (0117 GMT) at a depth of about 17.9 kilometers (11 miles) near the Turkish city of Gaziantep, which is home to around two million people, the US Geological Survey said.
READ: China: US shooting down balloon 'damaged' relations
A US decision to shoot down a Chinese balloon that Beijing claimed had veered off course has "seriously impacted and damaged" relations between the two countries, China's foreign ministry said Monday. The aircraft, which Washington said was a spy balloon, had spent several days flying over North America, leading the United States to call off a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Washington on Saturday said a fighter jet had shot it down off the coast of South Carolina, because of what it called Beijing's "unacceptable violation" of American sovereignty. Beijing protested the move, claiming the balloon was a civilian aircraft that was blown off course, and on Sunday lodged an official complaint with the US embassy in China. Beijing, the statement added, "is paying close attention to the development of the situation" and "reserves the right to make further necessary reactions."Pentagon officials on Friday described the airship as a "high-altitude surveillance balloon."
READ: Bantag charged with plunder, graft
PLUNDER and graft charges were filed on Monday before the Department of Justice (DoJ) against suspended Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag and six other bureau officials in connection with the construction of three prison facilities costing almost P1 billion. The complaints were filed by BuCor acting chief Gregorio Catapang. Al Ferreras, BuCor legal counsel, said that aside from plunder, Bantag was charged with 11 counts of malversation through falsification of public documents, 12 counts of graft and corruption, and 12 counts of violation of the "Code of Ethics and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees" (Republic Act 6713). Also sued were Correction Technical Superintendent Arnold Jacinto Guzman, Correction Inspector 1 Ric Rocacurba, CO1 Solomon Areniego, CTO1 Jor-el de Jesus, CTO2 Angelo Castillo and CTO 2 Alexis Catindig. Plunder is a non-bailable offense.
Topping Business
READ: Two more rate hikes likely before BSP pause
MONETARY authorities will likely raise key interest rates by 25 basis points (bps) next week and follow this up with an identical increase in March, an economist said on Monday. The adjustments will be needed given still-high inflation, ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa told The Manila Times, after which the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) policymaking Monetary Board will likely hit pause on its tightening. Consumer price growth hit a 14-year high of 8.1 percent in December. Results for January will be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority today, February 7. The BSP expects inflation to have hit 7.5 to 8.3 percent last month. The median forecast in a Times poll of economists, meanwhile, was 7.6 percent. Pressure to keep raising rates will have eased, they said, but additional increases can be expected as inflation will likely stay above target this year.
In Sports
READ: Fil-Am Waskiewicz cops 2 golds in South Korea
PROMISING tanker Ethan Waskiewicz powered Brent International School Manila to two-gold medal haul in the boys' division of the Asia-Pacific Activities Conference (APAC) Swimming Championships held at the Seoul Foreign School swimming pool in Seoul, South Korea. Waskiewicz engaged in a thrilling battle in the finals before winning the gold medal in boys' 50m backstroke. He registered 29.22 seconds — just a hairline against Wilfred Ding of Hong Kong International School who submitted 29.61 seconds to settle for silver. Christian Lee of host team Seoul Foreign High School took home the bronze (31.16). Waskiewicz earned his second gold in the boys' 200m medley relay. He joined forces with Hodges brothers Ethan and Connor, and Yuan Wang in securing the top honors with a time of two minutes and 0.10 second. The Brent squad outclassed second placers Jude Kim, David Lee, Moonjin Hong and Emmett Hill of Chadwick International Varsity (2:05.06) and third placers Benjamin Josi, David Lee, Cedric Rombouts and Noah Josi of United Nations International School Hanoi (2:09.56).
READ: Irving going to Dallas Mavericks
Kyrie Irving is getting his wish. He's getting traded. And Luka Doncic is getting another All-Star to help him in Dallas. The Mavericks and Brooklyn Nets agreed Sunday on a blockbuster trade: Irving — the super-talented and often-enigmatic eight-time All-Star point guard — heads to Dallas, ending the pairing with Kevin Durant that never really had a chance to click. The Nets get Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith and a package of draft picks, according to a person familiar with the terms of the deal who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because it had not been finalized. Dallas also gets Markieff Morris. The Athletic and ESPN first reported the trade agreement. It will become complete once the teams have a call with the NBA, which is standard for all trades. The move comes just two days after Irving told the Nets that he wanted to be traded by Thursday's league deadline, after talks about a contract beyond this season didn't go to his liking. He wasn't with the Nets for their game Saturday, and by Sunday afternoon, his time in Brooklyn appeared to be at an end. It was not immediately clear when Irving would make his debut with Dallas.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
Today's editorial features the challenges and prospects of the Basic Education Report 2023. Read the full version on print or its digital edition or listen to the Voice of the Times. Antonio Contreras and Frank Ching are the columnists on the front page. Contreras writes about woke but broke politics; and Ching on Hong Kong and a crisis that had been averted. Find out whether First Lady Liza Araneta Marcos had a hand in the removal of columnist Ramon Tulfo from the Philippine Star. Dr. Dante A. Ang, the Times chairman emeritus, investigates.
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This is Kim Salinas reporting.