Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, May 24, 2023.

READ: China harassment continues in WPS

THE China Coast Guard continues to harass Filipino troops in the West Philippine Sea which has sometimes resulted in the delayed delivery of provisions to soldiers stationed at the Ayungin Shoal in the Kalayaan Island Groups. Brigadier General Charlton Sean Gaerlan, Armed Forces of the Philippines deputy chief of staff, confirmed the "continuous harassment" by the C.C.G. when he faced the Commission on Appointments for the deliberation of his ad interim appointment on Tuesday.

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READ: Bersamin on legality of sugar importation (Sugar Order 6) last February

EXECUTIVE Secretary Lucas Bersamin said the shipment of 440,000 metric tons of imported sugar early this year is "legally covered" by a presidential directive and that it was part of government efforts to control inflation. Bersamin on Tuesday testified before the Senate blue ribbon committee, headed by Sen. Francis Tolentino, looking into an alleged government-sponsored sugar smuggling. According to him, there are at least four ways of legally importing sugar, and a sugar order from the Sugar Regulatory Authority is just one of them.

READ: Quick response fund enough as strong typhoon approaches

THE government has enough funds to respond to calamities, Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon "Rex" Gatchalian assured the public, ahead of a strong typhoon that is forecast to enter the country's monitoring area later this week. At a Palace press briefing on Tuesday, Gatchalian said the Department of Social Welfare has prepositioned relief to areas that may be affected by Typhoon "Mawar".

SPECIAL REPORT: No end to smuggling as Customs grapples with solutions

WHILE the Bureau of Customs is making big strides in curbing smuggling as it moves closer to full computerization of its system, it remains clueless though on how to completely put a stop to "undervaluation, misdeclaration, misclassification and underdeclaration," problems that have stuck with the bureau since its inception. Assistant Commissioner Philip Maronilla, concurrent Customs spokesman, admitted to The Manila Times on Sunday that undervaluation and misdeclaration were the most common schemes used by unscrupulous importers and brokers to evade payment of correct customs duties, resulting in billions of pesos in tax losses that could have otherwise been used by the Marcos administration in vital government projects and assistance to the poor and marginalized sectors of society.

READ: DSWD shuts down 'overcrowded' orphanage

THE Department of Social Welfare and Development has shut down a private sector-run orphanage in Quezon City in alleged violation of Republic Act 7610 or the "Special Protection of Children Against Child Abuse, Exploitation and Discrimination" for its failure to meet safety and living standards. Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon "Rex" Gatchalian said 149 children were "rescued" from the facility run by Gentle Hands Inc. in Project 4, Quezon City following a complaint that the orphanage was cramped. D.S.W.D. officials and personnel escorted by police went to the orphanage Monday night to serve a cease-and-desist order that was issued after a surprise inspection over the weekend led by Gatchalian himself.

BUSINESS: Fitch revises PH outlook to 'stable'

Topping business, debt watcher Fitch Ratings has upgraded its credit rating outlook for the Philippines to "stable" from "negative" and also affirmed the country's triple B investment grade score, citing the country's recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The stable outlook means that Fitch is unlikely to lower its credit rating — triple B is one notch above minimum investment grade — over a one- to two-year period. The ratings firm lowered the outlook to negative in July 2021 as the government borrowed heavily to support the economy.

SPORTS: POC on SEAG campaign: It was a strong performance

Over to sports, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino commended the efforts of Team Philippines following its campaign in last week's 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia. The national team placed fifth behind overall champion Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia and host Cambodia as the Filipinos had a medal haul of 58 gold medals, 85 silvers and 117 bronze medals. The medalists, he said, will be receiving their incentives based on what the law states, which is P300,000 for gold medal winners, P150,000 for silver medalists, and P60,000 for bronze medal winners.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao believes there will be a rivalry between Vice President Sara Duterte and House Speaker Martin Romualdez in 2028, while Tatad wonders if China is the cause of former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo being demoted in the House of Representatives.

Today's editorial says lessons should be learned after the blaze that destroyed the Manila Central Post Office. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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