Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, September 29, 2023.
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READ: Support for Marcos administration slips
SENTIMENTS favorable to the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have slipped, while sentiments opposed to the Marcos administration have risen, a survey conducted by Publicus Asia found. In Publicus' third-quarter survey, the results of which were released recently, 43 percent of respondents expressed pro-administration sentiments, down from 48 percent in the second-quarter survey. In a statement issued Thursday, the polling firm said the decrease indicated "that fewer individuals are aligned with the current administration as well as its priorities compared to the previous quarter." Anti-administration sentiments grew from 18 percent in the first quarter to 23 percent in the third quarter. The shift indicates that a "greater number of respondents" are opposed to or dissatisfied with the administration's leadership, Publicus said. The quarter-by-quarter rise in anti-administration sentiment suggests a trend of increased dissatisfaction, it said.
READ: PH moves up in Global Innovation Index
THE Philippines moved up three spots, to 56th, in the 2023 Global Innovation Index among 132 economies, the World Intellectual Property Organization reported Wednesday. The country's GII spot this year improved on its ranking at 59th in 2022, which is a nine-place drop from its placement in 2021. In the last four years, the Philippines has consistently performed better in innovation outputs than in innovation inputs, the W.I.P.O. said. This year, it improved its ranking to 69th place in innovation inputs, compared to 76th in 2022, 72nd in 2021 and 70th in 2020. For innovation outputs, the Philippines was 52nd in 2023, 51st in 2022, 40th in 2021 and 41st in 2020. The innovation input sub-index includes five pillars that capture elements of the national economy that enable innovative activities. The innovation output sub-index is the result of innovative activities within the economy.
READ: PH, EU against use of force in the South China Sea
THE Philippines and the European Union urged countries with conflicting claims in the South China Sea to refrain from using force that fuels uncertainty in the region. They expressed serious concern over actions that endanger peace, security, and stability, and the rules-based international order, including recent incidents in the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Department of Foreign Affairs said the appeal was made during the meeting of the first subcommittee on maritime cooperation under the Philippine-European Union partnership and cooperation agreement in Brussels, Belgium, on Wednesday, September 27. The next meeting will take place in Manila in 2024.
READ: Ateneo stays on top of PH school rankings
ATENEO de Manila University remains the top university in the Philippines in the 2024 Times Higher Education survey released Thursday. Overall, the rankings of schools in the country dropped significantly from last year. From a rank of 351-400 last year, Ateneo slid to 1001-1200th place among the best universities in the world, followed by the University of the Philippines, which also dropped 1201-1500th from 801-1000th last year. De La Salle University also went down from 1201-1500th place to 1500+ place, while the University of Santo Tomas entered the rankings for the first time at 1500+th place.
READ: Marcos to sign tax, PPP bills
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is due to sign the proposed Ease of Paying Taxes Act and the Public-Private Partnership Code of the Philippines, two priority tax measures of his administration. The Senate and the House of Representatives ratified the bicameral conference committee reports on the disagreeing provisions of the two bills.
READ: LTO moves to ease license plates backlog
THE Land Transportation Office said it is expediting the manufacture of license plates to resolve the backlog for both motor vehicles and motorcycles. L.T.O. Chief Vigor Mendoza 2nd posted on Facebook Thursday that the agency placed orders for 15.9 million metal plates, and around 1 million have been delivered to the agency for embossing.The 15.9 million plates were acquired by the L.T.O. through the Department of Transportation.
BUSINESS: PH economy expected to 'catch up' in 2nd half
Topping business, a visiting International Monetary Fund team expects the Philippine economy to strengthen amid global headwinds, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said on Thursday. Following the second quarter's lower-than-expected 4.3-percent expansion, I.M.F. officials "said the Philippine economy has the potential to catch up in the second half of the year and faster growth in 2024 despite signs of a global slowdown compared to 2023," Romualdez's office said in a statement. The team, led by former IMF resident representative to the country Jay Pereis, flew in last week for regular Article 4 consultations with local officials. A formal briefing about the results of the visit will be held on October 3.
SPORTS: Gilas Pilipinas beats Thailand for 2nd victory in Asian Games
Over to sports, Gilas Pilipinas showed composure amid Thailand's heated fourth-quarter rally to hammer out an 87-72 win over its long-time Southeast Asian rival on Thursday, September 28, in the 19th Asian Games at the Zhejiang University Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China. Justin Brownlee, who shot a miserable 3-of-15 from the floor in the first half, managed to find his offensive game in the second half. The Filipinos, who took a slim 41-35 halftime lead, exploded in the third period to enjoy their biggest advantage at 68-47 on a June Mar Fajardo basket. But the Thais just refused to roll and die. With AmericanThai veteran gunner Tyler Lamb and Freddie Lish on the firing end, Thailand rallied and narrowed the gap at 63-68. Gilas Pilipinas, however, made the adjustments as Brownlee, C.J. Perez, Chris Newsome and Scottie Thompson delivered key baskets to keep the Philippines afloat and remain perfect in Group C with a 2-0 card. Thailand fell to 0-2.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao claims there is massive disinformation over the issues in the South China Sea, while Tatad calls for the removal of Smartmatic in future national elections.
Today's editorial looks at how the Philippines can draw the line with the disputed Scarborough (Panatag) Shoal. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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