Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, January 28, 2025.

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READ: Coast guards train on vessel boarding

COAST guard and fishery officials from the Philippines, United States, Vietnam and Indonesia practiced vessel boarding and arrest techniques at a joint maritime law enforcement training, the US Embassy in Manila said Monday. The two-week course on the island of Mindanao comes as part of a regional effort to boost law enforcement cooperation as fears of maritime conflict with China grow. There have been frequent clashes or tense standoffs between Philippine and Chinese vessels in the strategic waterway, as well as recent incidents involving Vietnamese and Indonesian vessels.

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READ: Former Iloilo major granted clemency

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has granted executive clemency to former Iloilo City mayor Jed Mabilog, the local chief executive accused of being involved in the illegal drugs trade during the Duterte administration, Malacañang confirmed on Monday. Mabilog left the country in August 2017 in fear for his life after then-President Rodrigo Duterte included him in his list of "narco politicians." He only returned to the Philippines in September 2024. No drug-related cases have been filed against him to date. Mabilog, however, is facing charges of graft before the Sandiganbayan Third Division and violation of the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees at the Lapu-Lapu City Regional Trial Court Branch 73 in Cebu. These cases were for his supposed meddling with the awarding of a government contract to a towing services firm in which he and former Iloilo city councilor Plaridel Nava II allegedly had an interest.

READ: Comelec gives top priority to ballot printing by region

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will prioritize the printing of ballots and distribution of all election paraphernalia by region, starting from the farthest. Chairman George Erwin Garcia made this known Monday as the Comelec resumed the printing of 73 million ballots for the May 12 national and local elections and the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls. Printing was suspended on Jan. 14 after the Supreme Court issued temporary restraining orders to stop the poll body from disqualifying a number of candidates. Garcia on Monday said candidates who are still awaiting a final decision on their disqualification cases or motions for reconsideration from the Comelec en banc are still included in the official ballots. Among the candidates with pending motions and disqualifications is incumbent Marikina City Mayor Marcelino Teodoro, whose certificate of candidacy for congressman was earlier canceled by the Comelec Second Division for material misrepresentation.

READ: Hontiveros: Bill boosts reproductive health law

SEN. Risa Hontiveros on Monday said the Prevention of Adolescent Pregnancy (PAP) Bill (Senate Bill 1979) will complement the Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive Health (RPRH) Law. Hontiveros was reacting to the statement of Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa that the reproductive health law is "enough" to address teen pregnancy.

READ: 3 Chinese arrested over fake documents

THE Bureau of Immigration has arrested three Chinese men on two separate occasions at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) after presenting fake documents. Immigration Commissioner Joel Anthony Viado on Monday identified the Chinese as Wang Changru, 53, and Cui Wen, 33, who were arrested after presenting fake exit clearances, and Li Xuanjun, 23, for using a fraudulently acquired working visa. Records show that Wang and Cui were arrested on Jan. 24 at NAIA 3 and were stopped from boarding a Cathay Pacific Airlines flight to Hong Kong for presenting counterfeit documents. The duo were found to be overstaying, having arrived in 2019. However, they presented emigration clearance certificates (ECC), supposedly issued on Jan. 23, stating they are authorized to stay in the country until February.

BUSINESS: Maharlika inks deal for NGCP 'foothold'

Headlining business, the Maharlika Investment Fund has secured a "foothold" in National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), Malacañang announced on Monday, via a deal that will give it two board seats in the privately-owned firm that runs the country's power network. State-owned Maharlika Investment Corp. (MIC), which manages the sovereign wealth fund, will be buying a 20-percent stake in holding firm Synergy Synergy Grid and Development Philippines Inc. (SGP), which has a 40.2-percent stake in NGCP.

SPORTS: Strong Group guns for win number 3

In sports, coming off a one-day respite, Strong Group Athletics (SGA) shoots for its third straight win when it battles Beirut First early Tuesday morning in the 34th Dubai International Basketball Championships at the Al Nasr Club in Dubai. Game time is at 1 a.m. Manila time with SGA looking to sustain its strong start in the tournament against the Beirut ball club. Beirut First triumphed over Amman Sports Club, 87-80, for its first victory in the tournament behind import Ricky Ledo's near double-double effort of 19 points and nine rebounds. Ledo previously played for the Blackwater Bossing in this season's PBA Commissioner's Cup.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about the controversies surrounding Senate Bill 1979 and the debates on Comprehensive Sexual Education, Makabenta says the Marcos administration is into a reckoning, while Mercado discusses the "value of smell".

Today's editorial tackles the battle between poverty and hunger. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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