Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, June 22, 2021.
READ: 'Lacson can be NPC bet'
SEN. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson could be the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC) standard-bearer in 2022 if he decides to run, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd, NPC acting chairman, said on Monday. However, Sotto said he cannot speak for his party when it came to a presidential candidate. Lacson earlier indicated he was unsure whether to run for president or retire from politics. Sotto had hinted about running for vice president and that he would like Lacson to be his running mate.
READ: JV, Bam, Gringo, Loren, Chiz eye Senate comeback
AT least five former senators want to return as members of the Senate in 2022, Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd revealed on Monday. Those who are eyeing another Senate term are House Deputy Speaker Rep. Lorna Regina "Loren" Legarda and Sorsogon Gov. Francis Joseph "Chiz" Escudero who are both Sotto's party-mates in the Nationalist People's Coalition (NPC). The three others are Information and Communications Technology Secretary Gregorio "Gringo" Honasan 2nd (independent) and fellow former senators Jose Victor "JV" Ejercito (NPC) and Paolo Benigno "Bam" Aquino 4th (Liberal Party). Sotto, the acting chairman of the NPC, said the party might adopt reelectionist Senators Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri (independent) and Emmanuel Joel Jose Villanueva (Citizens' Battle Against Corruption party-list) as the filing of candidacies for the 2022 national elections draws near.
READ: 300 schools picked for limited face-to-face classes
THE Department of Education (DepEd) has identified 300 schools for pilot-testing limited face-to-face classes. Education Secretary Leonor Briones said 1,900 schools were recommended for pilot testing by DepEd's regional directors but the list was pruned down to 600 and then to 300.
READ: Rule requiring wearing of face shields stays
President Rodrigo Duterte has recalled his earlier order to stop requiring the use of face shields except in hospitals. In a Twitter post on Monday, Presidential spokesman Harry Roque Jr. said Duterte, taking into consideration the presence of the more infectious Delta variant of the coronavirus in the country, declared the wearing of face shields mandatory both indoors and outdoors. At least 17 cases of the Delta variant has been detected in the Philippines.
READ: PH detects 4 more Delta variant cases
THE Department of Health has detected four new cases of the highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19, all of them Filipinos working abroad. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Monday three of the cases are crewmen of the cargo ship MV Eastern Hope, which is docked in South Korea, and the fourth is a worker from Saudi Arabia. The new cases put the number of Delta variant cases in the country to 17 with one fatality. Two of the three seafarers have completed the mandatory 10-day isolation and have been discharged. The third is being treated at a hospital in Metro Manila. Vergeire said the three seafarers did not travel recently to India where the Delta variant was first discovered. The workers from Saudi Arabia arrived on May 24, completed their isolation on June 10 and are now in strict home quarantine. Vergeire said all local government officials have been briefed about the Delta variant and advised to strengthen their border control measures. She said President Rodrigo Duterte has expressed concern about the Delta variant.
READ: DFA warns vs passport appointment scams
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has warned the public against passport appointment scams online as it announced more temporary satellite offices will be opened to process applications. The DFA on Monday cautioned the public against advertisements on social media that offer passport appointment slots and fake or tampered appointment documents in exchange for payment.
READ: Manila allows walk-ins
THE city government of Manila will revert to its old policy of allowing qualified residents to "walk-in" and get themselves inoculated following a disastrous vaccination turnout last Sunday. Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso disclosed on Monday that of the 28,000 individuals who were informed via text messaging of their scheduled vaccination, only a few turned up to get vaccinated. According to Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna, less than a thousand of the 28,000 who were called up appeared on their vaccination schedule.
BUSINESS: PSEi slips to below 6,900
Topping business, the local bourse further extended its stay in the negative territory as selling pressure picked up on Monday. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) lost 0.35 percent or 24.21 points to 6,827.17, while the broader All Shares slipped 0.29 percent or 12.16 points to finish at 4,154.74.
SPORTS: No more additions for Gilas lineup in OQT
In sports, no one will be added in the Gilas Pilipinas pool for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) slated from June 29 to July 4 in Belgrade, Serbia. Gilas head coach and program director Tab Baldwin said the national team's 12-man lineup for the OQT will be selected from the 15-man pool that competed in the final window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers (ACQ).
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about a "wrongful death" while Makabenta discusses about a US Senate hearing on climate change.
Today's editorial discusses the Delta variant of Covid-19. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Tuesday ahead.