Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times today, August 18, 2021.

READ: Gibo open for 'adoption'

FORMER Defense secretary Gilbert "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. is not closing his door on possible adoption by political groups to help boost his chances in the 2022 elections. In a virtual roundtable interview with The Manila Times on Tuesday, Teodoro admitted that "there are some who are reaching out" to him for next year's polls, but would like to remain independent for now. The former Defense chief, who recently met with Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, sparking talks of a possible team-up in next year's elections, said he was no longer affiliated with Lakas–Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), which earlier renewed its alliance with the mayor's Hugpong ng Pagbabago party. Teodoro had offered himself as a potential running mate of the Davao City mayor - the daughter of President Rodrigo Duterte - should she decide to seek the presidency in next year's polls. But he reiterated his team-up with the President's daughter in 2022 was not a done deal as she has yet to decide.

READ: 'Pacquiao negotiating with other parties'

THE Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) led by Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi on Tuesday claimed Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao has engaged in talks with other national parties to secure his win in the 2022 presidential elections.Melvin Matibag, secretary-general of the PDP-Laban faction led by Cusi, made the statement after it was reported Pacquaio's son, Jimuel, was elected as the chairman for youth affairs of the Labor Party of the Philippines (LPP). Matibag said Pacquiao was building multiple parties as backup vehicles for his presidential bid. The LPP, formerly known as Lapiang Manggagawa and later as the Workers and Peasants Party, was founded and headed by lawyer Jose Malvar Villegas Jr. The LPP had said it will field Pacquiao and Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto 3rd for President and Vice President, respectively, in 2022.

READ: Restrict unvaccinated people - Concepcion

PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Tuesday urged the government anew to impose restrictions on the unvaccinated population to prevent the further spread of the Covid-19 Delta variant. Concepcion, who is also the founder of Go Negosyo, made the pitch following the recent surge in cases in the National Capital Region (NCR), where the transmission rate has exceeded the average countrywide rate of infections. He said it is time for the government and the private sector to consider implementing stronger measures in Metro Manila to effectively mitigate the spread of infection. Metro Manila shifted to the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from August 6 to 20 to prevent the spread of the highly transmissible Delta variant.

READ: Duterte govt 'exceeds expectations'

THE Times runs the third of its four-part special report on poverty, the pandemic and the government's efforts to bring the economy back on track.

READ: Times forum tackles sustainable gardening

HERE'S one for plantitas and plantitos. The Manila Times gathers agronomists, horticulturists, hydroponic farmers and influencers to share what works to maintain backyard gardens and what must be done to scale it up to be an earning enterprise in a Lifestyle forum titled "Plantastique: Sustainable Gardening for Home and Business." Hosted by The Manila Times Lifestyle and Entertainment editor Tessa Mauricio-Arriola, along with another editor, Dafort Villaseran, the first-of-its-kind online forum will be livestreamed from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. today on The Manila Times Facebook Page, YouTube channel and Dailymotion. The speakers include Nicolo Aberasturi, owner of Down to Earth Farms PH; Alberto Lopez, systems engineer of Agritecture; Graham Coates, first vice president and head of Megaworld Lifestyle Malls; Angie Mead King, owner of King Tower Farms; and Dr. Fernando Sanchez Jr., Prof. Bryan Apacionado and Prof. Ryan Rodrigo Tayobong of the University of the Philippines Los Baños College of Agriculture and Food Sciences.

In Business:

READ: DBCC to revisit growth targets

THE government's economic managers will meet today to review their macroeconomic targets in light of recent events, according to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd. The Development Budget Coordination Committee is an inter-agency organization made up of the Department of Budget and Management, the Department of Finance, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, and the Office of the President. The DBCC maintained its gross domestic product (GDP) expansion targets of 6 to 7 percent in 2021 and 7 to 9 percent in 2022 last month. The 6 to 7 percent growth forecast for 2023 and 2024 was also reaffirmed. The DBCC targets, Dominguez reiterated, will take into account the country's emerging GDP data as well as the current Covid-19-related lockdowns in various places.

Topping Sports

READ: PH para athletes aim to surpass 2016 output

THE six Filipinos who will compete in the Tokyo Paralympics aim to match or even surpass the country's performance during the 2016 Games. Francis "Kiko" Diaz, the Philippine delegation's chef de mission, said this at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) online forum on Tuesday. The Tokyo Paralympics is slated from August 24 to September 5. Overall, the Philippines has won a total of two medals at the Paralympic Games.

READ: Murray returns with win over Gasquet

ANDY Murray returned to the ATP Tour on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) after last competing at Wimbledon, reaching the second round of the Cincinnati Masters with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Frenchman Richard Gasquet. The three-time Grand Slam champion who owns two titles here and played the 2016 final has been struggling over the summer with a groin strain. Wild card Murray and Gasquet, a longtime rival whose 53rd ranking meant he had to qualify, first played 15 years ago. The Scot, who reached the Wimbledon third round, leads their series 9-4. They last met in 2019 here.

READ: Opinion and Editorial

THE Times Editorial calls on the government to issue a uniform, credible vaccination record for free to all Filipinos who have received their required doses against Covid-19. Read the paper's Opinion Section for the full version or listen to The Voice of The Times.

Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are the columnists featured on the front page. Both write about the current situation in Afghanistan after the US troop pullout.

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