Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, October 31, 2021.
Govt warns Pharmally over unpaid taxes
THE government will run after Pharmally Pharmaceutical Corp. if proven that it did not pay the proper taxes after bagging multibillion-peso contracts to supply the government with pandemic equipment, Malacañang assured the public. Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. made the statement after Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon bared that the firm did not pay income taxes and even claimed a tax credit worth over P96 million. Sen. Richard Gordon, chairman of the Senate blue ribbon committee, also told the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) "to stand up, to come out and speak up, and correct the menace of corruption in our country." In his virtual press briefing, Roque said the government would not tolerate firms with tax liabilities.
Lacson: Each Filipino has P120K debt
PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Sen. Panfilo Lacson said that each Filipino, even those born today, is already in debt by at least P120,000. Lacson, who personally addressed attendees at his and Senate President Vicente Sotto 3rd's Online Kumustahan in Mexico, Pampanga, said the national debt is projected to reach a staggering P13.42 trillion by June 2022. This is compounded by the problems brought by the pandemic, which has negatively affected Filipinos' health and the country's economy, he said.
Dilan wins photojournalism award
MANILA Times chief of photographers Renato H. Dilan has won the best photo award in a competition sponsored by the National Press Club in its 69th anniversary. Dilan's photo entry, "Lockdown," won under the Human Interest category and won a cash prize of P7,000.
NCR cases to decline post-plateau – OCTA
OCTA Research group senior fellow Dr. Guido David said on Saturday that the number of Covid-19 cases in the National Capital Region (NCR) would continue to decline after a flat trend or plateau. He reported that the current seven-day average is now at 955 cases per day during the week of October 23 to 29, a decrease of only -4 percent, and the current seven-day average has been flat in the past nine days despite backlogs and technical errors in the reporting system. David explained that some NCR cities like Valenzuela, returning to triple-digit cases, are natural or artificial due to backlogs in data reporting. He said that despite the slight growth in cases, the reproduction number of these cities remain below 1, suggesting that the increase does not translate to possible rebound of cases, with the current reproduction number of NCR at 0.55. David said the expansion of transport capacity from 50 percent to 70 to 100 percent, at least in the NCR, is possible, considering the 85 percent vaccination rate in the region. He does not express alarm over the AY.4.2 sublineage also called the "Delta descendant," saying it is yet to be proven if it is capable of increased transmissibility, nullifying vaccine efficacy.
PH's Cindy Obeñita bags Miss Intercontinental crown
CINDERELLA Faye "Cindy" Obeñita was crowned Miss Intercontinental 2021 in a ceremony held in Egypt on Friday night (Saturday in Manila). Obeñita is the second Filipina to win the crown, after Karen Gallman in 2018. Competing against 70 other participants, the 25-year-old Filipino beauty was asked whether speaking English is an important factor in being Miss Intercontinental.
Hospitals seeing decongestion from Covid cases – adviser
HOSPITALS in the country are now seeing decongestion in terms of Covid-19 cases, but these have been replaced by non-Covid cases, according to a special adviser of the National Task Force Against Covid-19 (NTF). Dr. Teodoro Herbosa said based on their hospital visits during Covid-19 vaccinations, most of them have already felt the decrease in the number of cases and vacancies in the Covid dedicated wards and intensive care units (ICUs).
BUSINESS: BSP: No shortage of bills, coins
In business, in preparation of heightened currency demand during the Christmas season, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) assures the public that there will be an adequate supply of new banknotes and coins. In a statement on Saturday, it said currency demand peaks in October and continues to rise through December of each year. Historically, during the holiday season, demand for 1000-, 100-, and 20-peso banknotes, as well as 20-, 5-, and 1-peso coins, has been higher.
SPORTS: TNT breaks stranglehold of SMC dominance in PBA
In sports, not only did Talk 'N Text end its six-year title drought, but the team also snapped the stranglehold of San Miguel teams' dominance in the Philippine Basketball Association. Prior to winning the Philippine Cup on Friday night by closing out their best-of-seven finals series against the Magnolia Hotshots with a masterful 94- 79 victory in Game 5, the Tropang Giga were staring at the list of champions in the league over the past 11 conferences. No team outside of the SMC squads had won a tournament. In the past five Philippine Cup tournaments, San Miguel Beer dominated by winning four straight seasons before its reign was ended last year by Barangay Ginebra, which defeated TNT, then being handled by active consultant Mark Dickel, in five games. The Gin Kings won in five import-laden conferences while the Hotshots sneaked in and grabbed a title in the 2018 Governors' Cup.
Today's front page columnist is Marlen Ronquillo. He believes the country is settling for foreign direct investment "crumbs".
Our editorial today tackles the impact of the South Korean Netflix series Squid Game. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
For more news and information, get a copy of The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and Keep Up With The Times.
This is Paulo Dimaapi reporting.