Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, March 29, 2023.
READ: Come home, face raps
Former Negros Oriental governor Pryde Henry Teves has called on his older brother, suspended Rep. Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr., to return to the Philippines and face the charges that government prosecutors had filed against him. In a news conference on Monday, Henry said his sentiments are shared by his family. He admitted that his family had been greatly affected by allegations that the embattled lawmaker was involved in the murder of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla had said the congressman is considered among the masterminds in Degamo's killing. The House of Representatives suspended the lawmaker for 60 days for his continued absence from work after his travel authority lapsed last March 9. Meanwhile, Representative Teves said he will not comment on charges that he faces after weapons and explosives were recovered inside the Tolong Sugar Mill Corp. located in Caranoche, Sta. Catalina town, which his family supposedly owns.
READ: Chinese ships sighted off Pag-asa Island
MORE Chinese militia ships have been monitored in areas near islands in the South China Sea that are within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone (EEZ). According to defense and security expert Raymond Powell, based on their automatic tracking system or ATS, at least seven Chinese maritime militia ships were sighted 3 to 5 nautical miles off Pag-asa (Thitu) Island while the Philippine Coast Guard's (PCG) BRP Melchora Aquino is anchored off the island. Fifteen probable China maritime militia and/or fishing ships were visible in Iroquois Reef, which is inside the Philippines' EEZ and 125 nautical miles from the Palawan coast, he said. On Monday, six other militia ships were monitored to be "in the Paracels" before they continued their voyage south, Powell said.
READ: Asian interconnectivity pushed
LEADERS of the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) are pushing for connectivity in Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) member countries driven by micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are considered the foundation of all economies of Asean states. Arsjad Rasjid, chairman of ICCI, disclosed this on Monday, March 27, in a roundtable interview with The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City. According to Rasjid, they were planning to implement it by September after a meeting with Asean leaders, particularly the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
READ: CHEd: We have no money to disburse
COMMISSION on Higher Education Chairman J. Prospero de Vera 3rd has countered claims from community colleges that there are still funds in the Tertiary Education Subsidy (TES) program under the Unified Student Financial Assistance for Tertiary Education (UniFAST). In an interview with The Manila Times on Tuesday, de Vera said the funding under the Free Higher Education program has been used by UniFAST historically for reimbursement of tuition and miscellaneous fees for both state and local universities and colleges, the TES subsidy for students under the Listahanan 2.0 program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and TES for private universities and colleges in municipalities and cities that do not have public universities.
READ: Marcos backs move to reform pension system
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the proposed reforms on the military uniformed personnel (MUP) pension system to avoid a "fiscal collapse," Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Thursday. The suggested tweaks include receipt of pension at the age of 57; mandatory contributions for active personnel and new entrants; removal of automatic indexation of pension to the salary of active personnel of a similar rank; and application of reform for all active personnel and new entrants.
BUSINESS: Govt to merge LandBank, DBP
Topping business, the government is moving to merge state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines (LandBank) and the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) in a bid to strengthen the country's financial system, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Tuesday. LandBank, given its larger capitalization and financial position, will be the surviving entity. The consolidated bank will be the largest in the Philippines with assets totaling P4.18 trillion and a deposit base of P3.59 trillion. The Finance department said the merged bank would be better placed to withstand economic shocks. Consolidation is also expected to enhance retail and wholesale banking operations. LandBank currently has 752 branches in total while the DBP has 147. However, only 22 DBP branches will be retained as a result of the merger, which the government wants to finalize before the end of the year.
SPORTS: Ginebra guns for semis sweep vs SMB
Over to sports, sensing blood, defending champion Barangay Ginebra will be shooting for no less than a sweep against sister team San Miguel Beer when both squads collide in Game Three of their 2022-23 PBA Governors' Cup best-of-five semifinal series today, March 29, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Gin Kings took the first two games behind a strong start as well as composure every time the Beermen tried to mount a comeback from big deficits. With the team holding a commanding 2-0 series lead, Ginebra guns for a rare sweep and advance to the championship round with a win in their 5:45 p.m. encounter. Ginebra took Game One 121- 112 before following that up with a 121-103 rough-housing of San Miguel in Game Two.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Francisco Tatad and Rafael Alunan 3rd are today's front page columnists. Tatad continues his column on charter change, while Alunan believes President Marcos' decision to shift to external defense is the right call.
Today's editorial talks about the current state of the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian in Quiapo, Manila. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Kim Isabelle Dignadice. -