Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, June 2, 2023.
READ: Ex-Agri chief denies link to onion cartel
FORMER Agriculture secretary William Dar on Thursday said he had nothing to do with the increase in the price of onions, which was blamed on a cartel. Dar testified during a hearing in the House of Representatives that was looking into the surge in the price of onions last year. He said the price rise happened after his term ended on June 30, 2022. He said he detests being linked to a cartel and a certain Leah Cruz, who had been dubbed as the "Sibuyas Queen" by the Department of Justice in 2014, and whose business had reportedly flourished during the term of former Agriculture secretary Proceso Alcala. Enverga had claimed during a hearing last month that Cruz had been manipulating the onion market even before the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
READ: Duterte not keen on becoming anti-drug czar
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte is not keen on being named the antidrug czar by his successor, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. During an interview with Pastor Apollo Quiboloy Wednesday night, Duterte said that addressing the drug problem is a "matter of leadership."
READ: PH Book Festival opens
THE Philippine Book Festival that opens today, June 2, 2023, at the World Trade Center, Pasay City, will have a "Disneyland" feel to it, the National Book Development Board said Thursday. Aside from books, children can enjoy puppet shows, storytelling activities and Play-Doh toys, the board said. Visitors will be greeted by an exhibit featuring rare books from the National Library of the Philippines.
READ: Senate ratifies bicam report on OTOP bill
DURING its plenary session on Wednesday, the Senate ratified the bicameral conference report on the "One Town, One Product" bill, an act institutionalizing the OTOP Philippines program. Sen. Mark Villar, chairman of the Committee on Trade, Commerce and Entrepreneurship, reported the highlights of the reconciled version of Senate Bill 1594 and House Bill 1171. Villar said some of the provisions added to the new version are the formulation of a national OTOP strategic development plan and the setting of qualification criteria for OTOP products consistent with elements of culture, community resources, connection, creativity and competitive advantage.
BUSINESS: PH factory output accelerates in May
Over to business, domestic manufacturing conditions improved in May with a key measure rebounding from an eight-month low, S&P Global Market Intelligence reported on Thursday. At 52.2, the Philippine purchasing managers' index rose from April's 51.4. P.M.I. readings above 50 indicate an expansion while those below point to a contraction.
SPORTS: Mycah Go works hard to recover from injury
In sports, Mycah Go, the women's volleyball Most Valuable Player of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Season 97, said she is working hard in her recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury she sustained last January. Go, who plays the open hitter position for the Saint Benilde Lady Blazers, made this known after receiving the Collegiate Press Corps N.C.A.A. Volleyball Player of the Year Award for the 2021-2022 season at The Hummingbird Rooftop Bar on May 29.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao gets the pros and cons of the Maharlika Investment Fund, while Tatad talks about a "patriotic call".
Today's editorial talks about the upskilling of Filipinos for jobs in Saudi Arabia. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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