Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, August 8, 2024.
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READ: China carries out 'combat patrol'
THE Philippines launched on Wednesday two days of joint sea and air exercises with the United States, Canada and Australia, a joint statement said, as China carried out a combat patrol to test its "strike capabilities" near Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal in the South China Sea. Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Public Affairs Office chief Col. Xerxes Trinidad said the four-nation maneuvers that would last until Thursday would demonstrate regional strength and international cooperation inside the Philippine exclusive economic zone. The sail would also emphasize the lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, as well as respect for maritime rights under international law, as reflected in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), Trinidad said.
READ: Duterte blasts govt for 'bowing to ICC'
VICE President Sara Duterte on Wednesday blasted the Marcos administration for "acting as a lackey" for foreign powers, such as the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, for crimes against humanity over the thousands of people killed in his bloody war on drugs. In a statement on Wednesday, Duterte thanked the different Muslim tribes of Davao City such as the Iranun, Kagan, Maguindanao, Maranao, Sama and Tausug for voicing out their support to her and offering their services to protect her family. However, she said what is important right now is not her security but the "safety of the country." She said the Philippines should have been led by persons who have genuine concern and the ability to promote clean governance and the country's prosperity, speaking out against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who was her running mate in 2022.
READ: Ex-PDEA agent found guilty of perjury
THE former Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) agent who alleged he had a list of prominent drug users — supposedly including President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. — has been found guilty by a San Fernando, Pampanga, court of perjury, for giving false testimony against two suspected drug traffickers eight years ago. In a decision promulgated on Wednesday, San Fernando, Pampanga Municipal Trial Court (MTC) Branch 9 Acting Presiding Judge Jason Alquiroz sentenced Jonathan Morales to four months imprisonment. Morales was also ordered to pay a fine of P1,000 with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
READ: Angara gets confirmation after less than 10 minutes
THE Commission on Appointments (CA) took all of 10 minutes to unanimously approve the ad-interim appointment of former senator Juan Edgardo Angara as secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday. As chairman of the CA Committee on Education, Sen. Raffy Tulfo endorsed Angara's appointment following a brief panel deliberation. Within less than 10 minutes of Angara's appearance before the CA Committee on Education, the Senate and the House swiftly approved his ad interim appointment as he was excused from delivering his opening statement, and the members from both chambers no longer questioned his fitness to the DepEd portfolio. Sen. Loren Legarda promptly moved for quick approval and referred the matter to the plenary for final approval. She noted that this was also a courtesy to Angara, who had previously served as a member of the Senate, the CA and the House. Sen. Ronald dela Rosa seconded the motion, which was approved by House Majority Floor Leader LRay Villafuerte and the 12-member House contingent. They affirmed that Angara's competence and qualifications for the position were beyond question. Angara thanked his former colleagues from the Senate and the House for their trust and confidence in him and assured them of his commitment to working with all sectors of society to ensure that every Filipino child has access to quality education.
READ: Muhlach shares anguish over sexual abuse of son
FORMER child star Niño Muhlach told lawmakers on Wednesday that he was dismayed at how his son Sandro was sexually abused by independent contractors working for the GMA television network. During a hearing of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media, Muhlach questioned the policies of TV networks and artist management agencies that allowed such abuses to happen.
READ: Marcos says PUV program to continue
The Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program (PUVMP) will push through as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday rejected calls from senators to suspend its implementation. Speaking to reporters, Marcos said the PUVMP was actually favored by the majority of jeepney drivers and operators, and suspending it would be allowing the minority to dictate the fate of the entire public transport system.
READ: Dengue cases up by 33% – DoH
THE increasing prevalence of waterborne illness, influenza-like illness, leptospirosis and dengue has prompted the Department of Health (DoH) to raise the alarm as rains continue. Earlier this week, the DoH reported a year-on-year increase in dengue fever cases nationwide. Based on the data for the morbidity week ending July 27, 2024, there had been 128,834 dengue cases reported in the country, a 33 percent increase from the 97,211 cases reported in the same period last year. Also, there were 337 deaths reported in the same morbidity week, which is lower than the 378 deaths reported in the same period last year. The DoH said that the lower number of deaths despite the higher number of cases was due to more people seeking early consultation and hospitals doing better dengue case management.
BUSINESS: Jobless rate hits 6-mo low
Topping business, unemployment hit a six-month low in June even as job quality worsened, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday. At 3.1 percent, the country's jobless rate was lower than May's 4.1 percent and matched the result seen in December 2023. It also improved from the 4.5 percent recorded a year earlier. It was equivalent to 1.62 million unemployed Filipinos, 490,000 and 710,000 less, respectively than May's 2.11 million and June 2023's 2.33 million. But underemployment, which counts those looking for more work or an extra job, rose to 12.1 percent from 9.9 percent in May and 12.0 percent in June 2023. The number of the underemployed was said to be equivalent to 6.08 million, up from 4.8 million in May and 5.87 million in June last year.
SPORTS: Villegas captures bronze in Paris
Over to sports, Olympic bronze medalist Aira Villegas hopes to have made Filipinos proud after her Paris Games campaign came to an end in the women's boxing 50-kilogram (kg) class semifinals. Villegas fell to Turkish Buse Naz Cakiroglu via unanimous decision at the Roland-Garros Stadium early Wednesday (Manila time). Despite the exit, Villegas is going home with a bronze medal as a semifinalist in her first Olympic stint. Prior to her loss to Cakiroglu, Villegas racked up three straight wins starting with her unanimous triumph over Moroccan Yasmine Mouttaki in the round of 32. The 5-foot-2 boxer from Tacloban then defeated Algerian Roumaysa Boualam in the round of 16 with another unanimous decision before earning a split decision against home bet Wassila Lkhadiri in the quarterfinals.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras believes fairness should go both ways, Makabenta praises Philippine mental firepower in pushing back against China's bullying, while Remoto reminisces a journey of stars.
Today's editorial looks into the current political unrest in Bangladesh. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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