Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, July 21, 2023.
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READ: PH girds for war in Taiwan
THE Philippine government is preparing contingencies in case China invades Taiwan, Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. said Thursday. He said the preparations are a multiagency effort, not just the Department of National Defense. He said he was "not at liberty to specify" what the contingencies are. Many security experts pointed out that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is no longer a question of "if," but "when." Based on the latest reports, a record number of Chinese warships have been spotted in the waters around Taiwan as tensions continue to escalate between the island and mainland China. Taiwan's defense ministry said 16 Chinese warships have been sighted near the island over a 72-hour period last week.
READ: Sainthood eyed for 13-year-old Filipina
THE Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines said the Diocese of Laoag has started the long and rigorous process of making a teenage girl one of the youngest saints of the Catholic Church. Laoag Bishop Renato Mayugba said Niña Ruiz-Abad showed behavior and acts that were unusual for her age. Abad was only 13 years old when she lost her battle against hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in 1993, an incurable heart disease she was diagnosed with at the age of 10. While she died young, the girl left a major impact on people whose lives were touched by her deep faith in God and acts of charity, the bishop said. Abad devoted her life to distributing rosaries, Bibles, prayer books, holy images and other religious items. She was also known for always wearing white dresses and a rosary around her neck.
READ: Marcos, Sara get high approval, trust ratings
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte recorded high approval and trust ratings in a recent nationwide survey by the R.P.-Mission Development Foundation Inc. Released on Thursday, the independent and noncommissioned "Boses ng Bayan" poll, conducted between June 25 and July 5, shows Marcos with an impressive 82 percent approval rating, and Duterte with 86 percent.
READ: Marcos to PMMA grads: 'Help elevate PH maritime industry'
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday urged graduates of the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy to help the country "maintain its name as a global figure in the maritime industry" as he ordered a whole-of-government approach to boost the maritime sector. In his speech during the 200th P.M.M.A. commencement exercises in San Narciso, Zambales, Marcos encouraged the graduates of the institution's "Madasiklan" Class of 2023 to sustain the passion and resilience they have shown during their stint in the academy
READ: 'Maharlika' microsite up
A MICROSITE for the Maharlika Investment Fund is now accessible to the public, the Presidential Communications Office said Thursday. The website contains the M.I.F. Act, related news and events, as well as explanations on how it can help the country's economy. Enacted into law by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on July 18, 2023, the M.I.F. is one of the prime components of the government's medium-term fiscal framework. The M.I.F. aims to complement the Marcos administration's 8-Point socioeconomic agenda and the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, both designed to bolster the country's investment capability in areas such as agriculture, infrastructure and digitalization, as well as strengthen the value chain. Moreover, the fund has external financing potential that could ease the government's reliance on loans and taxes in financing infrastructure.
BUSINESS: Balance of payments deficit widens in June
Topping business, the country's balance of payments deficit widened in June as the government moved to settle some of its foreign debts, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported late on Wednesday. The shortfall rose to $606 million from $439 million in May but was still less than half the $1.6-billion deficit recorded a year earlier. The B.o.P. position remained positive year to date, however, but the surplus narrowed to $2.26 billion from $2.87 billion as of end-May. It was also a reversal from the $3.1-billion deficit posted in the same five-month period last year.
SPORTS: Filipinas begin historic World Cup campaign
LUPANG Hinirang, the Philippine national anthem, will finally be played in the World Cup of football on Friday, July 21. This historic moment will usher the country's participation in the world's most prestigious women's football event. No Philippine team — at any gender or age — has ever played in the FIFA-organized World Cup until the Filipinas qualified for the event last year. The Philippines open its campaign against Switzerland at the Dunedin Stadium in New Zealand. Game time is 1 p.m. on Friday (Manila time). The Philippine women's football team is ranked 46th in the world and looking for an upset victory against the Swiss who are ranked 26 notches higher at No. 20. Local fans can watch the Philippines-Switzerland game through free T.V. channel One Sports or through the Pilipinas Live app. The Philippines will next face New Zealand on July 25 and Norway on July 30. The Filipinas qualified for the 2023 World Cup after making the semifinals of the Women's Asian Cup in January last year following a dramatic penalty shootout win over Chinese Taipei in the quarterfinals, 4-3 (1-1).
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao continues to obsess over a firm regarding the arbitral award for the Philippines in the maritime dispute, while Tatad believes the President needs a program and not a slogan to shore up his leadership.
Today's editorial discusses the issues in the nursing "brain drain". Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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