Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, March 25, 2023.

READ: Business groups say no to con-con

SIX business organizations said amending the Constitution is a "potentially disruptive proposal at a time when the country may be poised to regain its economic momentum." In a joint statement released on Friday, the Filipina CEO Circle, Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines, Justice Reform Initiative, Makati Business Club, Philippine Women's Economic Network Inc., and Women Business Council Philippines said enacted laws such as the Public Service Act, Retail Trade Liberalization Act, the Foreign Investment Act, the passage of the Rice Trade Liberalization Act, and regulations like the Department of Energy (DoE) circular allowing 100 percent foreign ownership in the renewable energy sector "can accelerate recovery and job growth at a time when the Philippines and the world face serious economic headwinds." The groups said the government's efforts to amend the Charter's economic provisions could be derailed by "political debate."

Get the latest news
delivered to your inbox
Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters
By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

READ: Panelo raps House for suspending Teves

FORMER chief presidential legal adviser Salvador Panelo believes the House of Representatives may have committed a "transgression of due process of law" when it suspended Negros Oriental Third District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. By a vote of 293-0, the House suspended Teves for 60 days for staying abroad with an expired travel clearance. The House is compelling the congressman to come home and answer allegations that he was involved in the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo earlier this month. Panelo said in a statement Friday the suspension made a "mockery of the Constitution."

READ: Metro Manila heat index hits 'danger' level of 39 C

METRO Manila residents sweltered Friday as the heat index climbed to 39 degrees Celsius just days after summer officially began. Weather forecaster Benison Estareja of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said two weather systems — the high-pressure area (HPA) and easterlies — were responsible for turning up the heat index, which measures the degree of discomfort a person experiences as temperature and humidity rise. An index of 39 degrees is considered "dangerous," and could lead to heat cramps and heat exhaustion, according to the US National Weather Service. The opposite of the low-pressure area, an HPA indicates an area where the atmospheric pressure is higher than its surroundings, suppressing the formation of clouds and diminishing the chance of rain.

READ: Japanese carmaker in PH cautiously optimistic

THE head of Isuzu Philippines Corp. said the company is keeping a cautiously optimistic outlook for 2023 despite the local automotive industry enjoying robust sales last year. Speaking during a roundtable interview with The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd, Isuzu Philippines President Tetsuya Fujita said the firm is still recovering from the slump during the coronavirus pandemic. The country's auto manufacturers sold a total of 352,596 units in 2022, up by 31.3 percent from 2021, and slightly surpassing initial forecasts of 336,000 units sold. Fujita said the carmakers are closely tracking the rise in market demand to determine if they could hit the 400,000 units target this year.

BUSINESS: Inflation efforts 'almost enough'

Over to business, monetary authorities have "done almost enough" to tame stubborn inflation, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Felipe Medalla said on Friday. Tweeting about an interview with US business channel CNBC following Thursday's decision to raise the policy rate by 25 basis points (bps) to 6.25 percent, Medalla noted that cumulative rate hikes since May last year had reached 425 bps. Touching on concerns that continued tightening had led to the collapse of two US banks and precipitated a global banking crisis, Medalla said "the situation is quite different in the Philippines."

SPORTS: La Salle eyes repeat win vs NU in UAAP

In sports, De La Salle looks to make it two wins in a row against National University today, March 25, in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. With confidence touching the roof after routing the Lady Bulldogs 25-10, 25-15, 25-21 last Wednesday, the Lady Spikers face their last season's UAAP Finals tormentor anew at 5 p.m. Led by super rookie Angel Canino, La Salle's win over NU last Wednesday snapped its fourgame losing streak against the Lady Bulldogs. The Lady Spikers also ended the first round without a loss in seven games. The league-leading Lady Spikers begin the second round against the Lady Bulldogs, who may be on payback mode on Saturday.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras tackles the "conflicted and consistent" Philippine society, Makabenta talks about what freedom of information is, while Remoto discusses 'Wall Street Binds the Philippines'.

Today's editorial reminds readers that water is not just a seasonal crisis. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.

For The Manila Times, this is Kim Luden Salinas reporting.