Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, May 15, 2023.
READ: LTO contractor has poor record abroad
THE German firm Dermalog that operates the Land Transportation Management System (LTMS) for the Land Transportation Office (LTO) has a poor track record in Indonesia and several other countries, reports show. In Indonesia, Dermalog was contracted by the National Police's Criminal Investigation Agency to set up the Indonesia Automatic Fingerprint Identification System (Inafis) from 2005 to 2012. The system digitally recorded fingerprints for criminal and noncriminal databases in that country's 32 regional police offices. But in a letter to Abono partylist Rep. Robert Raymund Estrella, Indonesian Ambassador to the Philippines Agus Widjojo said Inafis has since been discontinued because it was taking too long to capture and match fingerprints.
READ: Privacy agency to probe GCash glitch
THE National Privacy Commission will investigate the "compromised accounts" of GCash users who complained about unauthorized money transfers from their digital wallets. The commission said it would look into the possible breach of personal data. On Tuesday, GCash extended their maintenance service after several of their customers "experienced a deduction" in their accounts. The digital wallet platform quickly ruled out any possibility of hacking, but said that the majority of the accounts that were affected were possible victims of phishing. In phishing, the victims receive emails from supposedly reputable companies convincing them to reveal personal information such as passwords and credit card numbers.
READ: Palafox pushes urban devt outside Metro Manila
PROMINENT architect Felino "Jun" Palafox said urban development outside of Metro Manila must start now. Guesting in SMNI's weekly public affairs program "Business and Politics" hosted by The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd, Palafox predicted that all of the country's cities will be congested by 2050.
READ: France looking forward to Marcos state visit – envoy
FRANCE is looking forward to the state visit of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this year, Ambassador Michèle Boccoz said. She told The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd that Malacañang has accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation, but no date has been set. The envoy said Paris and Manila are working on the trip's "deliverables," which would focus on four priority areas earlier discussed by the two leaders. These are defense and security strategic issues, especially the maritime sector; the Ukraine situation; food and energy security; and climate change.
READ: Olympians Ando, Paalam win gold
Tokyo Olympians Elreen Ando and Carlo Paalam on Sunday delivered gold medals for the Philippines in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Ando took the gold in a record-breaking fashion in the weightlifting women's 59-kg class, while Paalam ruled the men's boxing 54-kg division. Ando established a new SEA Games record in her weight class with a total lift of 216 kg at the National Olympic Stadium's Taekwondo Hall. Her best lift snatch (98 kg) and clean and jerk (118 kg) are also new records. Paalam bested Indonesian Aldoms Suguro via unanimous decision in the men's 54-kg final to make a winning comeback in the SEA Games at the Chroy Changvar Convention Center Hall G. Paalam missed the last year's Games in Hanoi due to weight issues.
SPORTS: Well-rested Gilas eyes finals berth
Meanwhile, while Gilas Pilipinas has punched in a spot in the crossover semifinals, the national side will be keenly watching the final day of group stage play of the 32nd Southeast Asian Games men's basketball when defending champion Indonesia plays title contender Thailand in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Timnas, bannered by three naturalized players led by former Terrafirma import Lester Prosper and Anthony Beane are playing the Thais led by Moses Morgan, Tyler Lamb, Freddie Lish and veteran big man Chanatip Jakrawan as of press time Sunday evening. Both Southeast Asian rivals entered the Sunday night showdown with identical 2-0 slates after registering victories over their Group B opponents in the preliminary stage. Gilas Pilipinas faces the Group B winner in the knockout crossover semifinals, which will begin today, May 15.
BUSINESS: Monetary Board seen pausing rate hike cycle
Over to business, monetary authorities could hold off from further policy tightening this Thursday as key interest rates are already high enough to temper inflation, analysts said. Seven out of 10 analysts polled by The Manila Times favored a rate hike pause, noting that inflation had slowed for a third straight month and economic growth also decelerated in the first quarter. Consumer prices grew by 6.6 percent in April, markedly lower than January's 14-year high of 8.7 percent. Core inflation — which excludes volatile food and energy items — also began easing. While the full-year average is still expected to breach the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 2.0- to 4.0-percent target, inflation is expected to fall within the range by the fourth quarter of this year. Key interest rates have been raised by a total of 425 basis points (bps) since May of last year by the BSP's policy-making Monetary Board — the last a 25-bps hike on March 23 — in a bid to address surging inflation.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao believes President Marcos' pivot to Washington worries fellow Asean neighbors, Fr. Aquino looks into why philosophers should think more often of the law, while Tatad asks if the world is in another Cold War.
Today's editorial talks about the dangers of microplastics in the environment. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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This is Peter Stephen Llevares reporting.