Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, June 26, 2021.
READ: Kris on Noynoy: 'We made our peace'
Actress and TV host Kris Aquino - the most outspoken and often controversial youngest sister of former president Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd - revealed Thursday night that while she and her family were shocked over his sudden death, she is grateful they were able to reconcile their differences shortly before he died. The "Queen of All Media" said she and her brother reconciled on May 18, albeit privately. Kris said she was grateful that her brother forgave her. The most recent spat between the two siblings - arguably the most famous children of democracy icons the late senator Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr. and late president Corazon Aquino - first became public in 2018. The seasoned host shared in an Instagram post that she and her brother had a "complicated relationship" and admitted they had "not been okay" for months.
READ: Biden hails Aquino as US' valued friend, partner
US President Joseph "Joe" Biden has offered his condolences to the Filipino people on the death of former president Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd. Biden said Aquino "was a valued friend and partner to the United States, and he will long be remembered for serving his country with integrity and selfless dedication." He hailed Aquino's commitments to peace, the rule of law and economic growth during his term.
READ: Noynoy buried today beside his parents
The urn bearing the ashes of former President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd will be interred today, June 26, beside the tombs of his parents at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City. There will be a funeral Mass at 10 in the morning at the Church of the Gesù in the Ateneo de Manila University. Archbishop Socrates Villegas will preside. The urn will then be brought to Manila Memorial Park. Aquino died last Thursday of a kidney disease. He was 61 years old. His remains were cremated, and his family decided to have a one-day public viewing of the urn at Ateneo, his alma mater. A Mass, officiated by Ateneo President Roberto Yap, SJ, was held Friday before the urn was blessed.
READ: Gibo makes pitch for 2022 run
Former Defense secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. has sought support for his possible bid in the 2022 elections. In a video posted on his Facebook page, Teodoro thanked those who supported him when he ran for president in the 2010 elections and asked them to join him again in his journey. Teodoro - a former Tarlac congressman and scion of the influential Cojuangco family - placed a poor fourth in the 2010 presidential derby. He garnered over 4 million votes or 11.33 percent of the total votes cast for president. His cousin, the late Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino 3rd, emerged as the winner with over 15 million votes. Teodoro ran as the candidate of the administration-backed Lakas Kampi CMD, now called Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats. As of press time, Teodoro's one-minute video had over 70,000 views.
READ: PH won't be last in Asia to attain Covid-19 immunity – Galvez
National Task Force Against Covid-19 chief implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. has assured the public that the Philippines will not become one of the last countries in Asia to achieve herd immunity against the coronavirus disease. Galvez made the statement after Pantheon Macroeconomics - a United Kingdom-based think tank - released its findings saying that the Philippines could end up among the last to attain herd immunity as its mass vaccination has lagged behind neighboring countries. The study said 85 percent of the population must be immunized to achieve herd immunity, with the recent emergence of the coronavirus' Delta variant in India.
READ: Gatchalian sounds alarm over new phishing scam
SEN. Sherwin Gatchalian yesterday called on all concerned agencies to be more vigilant on the emergence of new mobile and online shopping scams and intensify the campaign against deceptive and sham transactions. Gatchalian, vice chairman of the Economic Affairs Committee, called on the Department of Trade and Industry, National Bureau of Investigation, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and the National Privacy Commission after reports of a new form of SMSishing or short message service phishing is said to be duping receivers into sending money through the use of credit card.
BUSINESS: $414-million 'hot money' enters PH
Topping business, net foreign portfolio investments worth almost more than $400 million entered the country in May this year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday. Central bank data showed that net inflows of these investments, or "hot money" - so called because of how easily these go in and out of the economy - reached $416.7 million in May, a turnaround of April's $373-million net outflows. The latest amount- a reversal from the $1.0 billion last year- resulted from $1.5 billion in inflows and $1.0 billion in outflows.
SPORTS: PH Malditas grouped with Hong Kong, Nepal in qualifiers
In sports, the Philippine women's national football team has been drawn in Group F for the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup and 2022 AFC Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers. In Thursday's draw, the Malditas got pooled with Hong Kong and Nepal in the 28-nation qualifying event slated from September 13 to 25 in Nepal. The draw is considered favorable for world No. 68 Philippines considering Hong Kong is ranked 76th and Nepal is 101st in the world.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras voices his displeasure at the recent QS World University Rankings, while Makabenta laments the neglect of the media in writing obituaries.
Today's editorial believes the Bureau of Internal Revenue's 'correction' of school tax is not a correction at all. 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 Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting. Have a safe weekend ahead.