Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, July 2, 2021.
READ: Consider me a VP bet – Duterte
President Rodrigo Duterte on Thursday said the public can consider him as a candidate for vice president in the 2022 elections. However, in the same breath, the President said he will run only if there is space for him. He will beg off if House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez decides to run for the vice presidency, he said. Duterte recounted that he promised to back Romualdez if he runs for vice president in 2022.
READ: Duterte to Pacquiao: Where's corrupt agencies list?
President Rodrigo Duterte is still waiting for Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao to submit his list of corrupt government agencies. Duterte had challenged the senator to name the graft-tainted state agencies after Pacquiao accused the Duterte administration of being more corrupt than its predecessor. The President's spokesman, Harry Roque Jr., said on Thursday he hopes the senator could provide the list before he leaves the country to train for his coming boxing match with Errol Spence.
READ: Let Filipinos judge Duterte – Go
Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go on Wednesday said it should be the Filipino people who should judge the legacy of President Rodrigo Duterte after he delivers his final State of the Nation Address or SONA on July 26. Go, a long-time aide of the President, shared some of the policies and accomplishments of the Duterte administration that improved the country's efforts toward providing a more comfortable life for all Filipinos.
READ: Metro Manila ready for MGCQ – Abalos
Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. on Thursday said Metro Manila is prepared to transition to modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). He said Metro Manila mayors will have to thresh out measures or steps to be taken to protect residents from the more dangerous Delta variant of Covid-19.
READ: DoH warns of spikes despite drop in Covid cases
Cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) may be dropping, but the Department of Health (DoH)'s resident epidemiologist warned that a superspreader event could trigger new spikes. Epidemiology Bureau Director Dr. Alethea de Guzman told a media briefing on Thursday the Covid growth rate dropped to -9 percent during the past two weeks. De Guzman described the decline as "slim" and could swing up again. Metro Manila has an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 5.01 cases per 100,000 population, putting it in the "low-risk" category. De Guzman said in the National Capital Region (NCR), the number of new cases had flattened, with an average of 694 cases a day from June 24 to 30. The figure is slightly higher than the 686 cases reported on June 17 to 23.
READ: Number of jobless 'Pinoys' declines
THE easing of quarantine restrictions in May gave many Filipinos an opportunity to return to the work force. Figures released on Thursday by the Philippine Statistics Authority show that the number of unemployed Filipinos reached 3.73 million in May, an improvement from 4.14 million in April. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said that based on the latest Labor Force Survey, the number of out-of-work individuals translates to an unemployment rate of 7.7 percent, down from the 8.7 percent recorded a month earlier.
READ: LTFRB suspends 'Libreng Sakay'
The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) announced on Thursday it will temporarily suspend its "Libreng Sakay" (free ride) program starting July 1, 2021. Libreng Sakay, a program of the LTFRB and Department of Transportation was among the Covid-19 pandemic assistance schemes affected by the expiration of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act on Wednesday. The LTFRB explained in a statement the funds to pay the drivers and operators of the free ride program could only be disbursed by virtue of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act.
BUSINESS: PH manufacturing rebounds in June
Over to business, Filipino manufacturers reported a rebound in operating conditions in June, led by softer declines in output, new orders, employment, as well as a renewed expansion in pre-production inventories, results of the latest IHS Markit survey revealed. In a report on Thursday, IHS Markit said that after two consecutive months of decline, the purchasing managers index (PMI) went up to 50.8 in June, from 49.9 in May.
SPORTS: A gallant stand by a young team
Topping sports, the Gilas Pilipinas basketball team fell to an 83-76 score against Serbia in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in their rival's home capital of Belgrade. The Filipinos, who missed an important piece in Dwight Ramos because of a groin injury, gamely battled the home team and even led for the first and only time at 74-73 on a layup by Rhon Jay Abarrientos with 3:50 to go. However, they were held to just a lone field goal since then as the more experienced Serbs relied on NBA veteran Boban Marjanović of the Dallas Mavericks to do the damage under the basket down the stretch. The Serbs missed the services of Bogdan Bogdanović of the Atlanta Hawks and NBA MVP Nikola Jokić of the Denver Nuggets.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao concludes his reasoning on why a yellow should never win an election, while Torres discusses new rebel groups in Mindanao.
Today's editorial discusses a possible new Cold War with China and Russia facing off against the United States and its allies. 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 Friday.