Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, November 16, 2023.
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BANNER: Prosecutor summons Duterte over 'threats'
THE Quezon City Prosecutor's Office has ordered former president Rodrigo Duterte to appear on Dec. 4 and 11, 2023, and answer the complaint filed against him by ACT Teachers partylist Rep. France Castro. Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Ulric Badiola directed Duterte to show up during the preliminary investigation of the case. The former president and father of Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte is expected to submit his counter-affidavit and list of witnesses.
Filipino researchers win big in invention fair
RESEARCHERS from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology bagged gold, silver and special awards in the recently concluded 2023 Seoul International Invention Fair. P.N.R.I's technologies excelled among 484 innovations from 26 countries. Each entry was rated based on several criteria such as technicality, marketability, feasibility and design. The Hemostat Technology and Carrageenan Plant Growth Promoter brought home gold and silver awards, respectively.
Remulla: Teves is still in Timor-Leste
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla confirmed on Wednesday that expelled Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. is still in TimorLeste awaiting the decision on his appeal on the denial of his request for asylum. Remulla said Teves filed his plea before Timor-Leste's Court of Appeals, and the decision is still pending. Teves, who was designated as a terrorist in August by the AntiTerrorism Council, was tagged as one of the masterminds in the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and 10 other individuals.
PH, US to sign '123 nuke agreement'
THE Philippines and the United States will sign several deals, including the "123 Agreement" with Washington for nuclear cooperation, an envoy said Wednesday. Philippine Ambassador to the U.S. Jose Manuel Romualdez confirmed that the nuclear deal between Manila and Washington will be signed during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to San Francisco, California. The "123 Agreement" will provide the legal basis for civil nuclear energy cooperation and allow the export of nuclear fuel, reactors, equipment and special nuclear material from the U.S. to the Philippines.
'De Lima will likely be acquitted'
FORMER senator Leila de Lima will likely be acquitted in her remaining drug case, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said on Wednesday. Remulla said the drug case is non-bailable, but the former senator was allowed to post bail. De Lima's case, he added, shows the independence of the judiciary.
BUSINESS: PH inks Indo-Pacific supply chain accord
Headlining business, the Philippines has signed an agreement to strengthen regional supply chains under the United States-backed Indo-Pacific Economic Framework, Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said on Wednesday. In a virtual briefing, Pascual told reporters that the deal was inked during a November 14 to 15 ministerial meeting in San Francisco, California. Supply chain resilience is one of the four so-called pillars of the IPEF initiative, the others being fair and resilient trade; infrastructure, clean energy and decarbonization (a clean economy); and tax and anti-corruption (a fair economy). The IPEF, launched in May last year by US President Joe Biden, has been described as an effort to counter China's influence in the region. It currently has 14 members — the US, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia, Fiji, New Zealand and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations' Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — with an open invitation for others to join.
SPORTS: Cone: We can't compare Bishop to Brownlee
In sports, with Barangay Ginebra set to make its season debut this Friday, head coach Tim Cone knows very well that people would likely compare incoming Gin Kings import Tony Bishop to the franchise's manytime reinforcement Justin Brownlee. The 34-year-old Bishop came in to take the spot of the do-it-all Brownlee owing to the uncertainty surrounding the three-time P.B.A. Best Import's status who flunked the anti-doping test during the 19th Asian Games. Cone said as a team, Ginebra will have to understand the danger of comparing Bishop to Brownlee since both players play different styles.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses the rule of law, Makabenta looks into a stalled investment in green energy, and Remoto looks into two celebrities going to court.
Today's editorial believes China's loss could be the gain for the Philippines. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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