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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, December 1, 2021.

READ: Bong Go backs out

Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go announced on Tuesday his withdrawal from the presidential race, saying his family was against it.

READ: Leni: We need true, radical solidarity

The Covid-19 pandemic has taught the world to "build a future of true and radical solidarity," Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo said in her keynote address at the 63rd Ramon Maysaysay Awards on Tuesday.

READ: Pandemic could start fading next year

The world could see the Covid pandemic begin fading next year into an endemic disease like those with which humanity lives unless glaring inequality in vaccine access drags it out and worse variants emerge.

READ: Concepcion: Omicron makes mandatory jabs crucial

The emergence of the Omicron variant has highlighted the need to speed up and scale up the country's vaccination program, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, in other news...

READ: Talking ducks: Weird news in 2021

Yes, the year was plagued by Covid, fires and flood, but it did throw up some weird and wonderful news to lift the spirits.

READ: 2.55M Pinoys vaccinated on Day 1 of 'Bakunahan'

Around 2.55 million Filipinos were vaccinated against Covid-19 on the first day of the government's national vaccination program, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said on Tuesday.

READ: Duterte to Filipinos: Be heroes

President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday urged Filipinos to emulate Andres Bonifacio's "strong sense of civic duty, courage and love of country" as he joined the nation in commemorating the 158th birth anniversary of the revolutionary hero.

READ: SKorea to donate more Astra doses

South Korea will donate an additional 539,430 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the Philippines and 34 refrigerated trucks for transporting Covid-19 vaccines nationwide.

In regional news,

READ: 5 Abu Sayyaf men yield in Sulu, Basilan

Five Abu Sayyaf terrorists surrendered in Sulu and Basilan, two of five provinces under the restive Muslim autonomous region in sourthern Philippines, the military announced on Tuesday.

In world news,

READ: 'US-led summit illogical, rekindles Cold War'

The United States' hosting of the "Summit for Democracy" is a dangerous and illogical move to rekindle the Cold-War mentality — to which the international community should be on high alert — a Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said.

READ: Russia to invade Ukraine 'anytime'

The Ukraine called for swift action on Monday (Tuesday in Manila) to "deter" its Soviet-era master, Moscow, from invasion, saying that a Russian military operation could be launched "in the blink of an eye" anytime.

In business,

READ: S&P raises 2021 PH growth outlook

Following a better-than-expected third-quarter result, debt watchdog S&P Global Ratings now forecasts Philippine economic growth to reach the high end of the government's 2021 market.

And in sports,

READ: New IATF ruling won't affect arriving imports

A new ruling on health protocols by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases or IATF-EID will not affect late-coming imports such as Justin Brownlee of Barangay Ginebra and Tony Bishop of Meralco.

Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are the featured columnists on the front page of The Times.

Tiglao rants that

READ: Rappler continues to spit on our Constitution

Fr. Aquino gently gives

READ: A reminder to our legislators

In The Times editorial, it is insisted that

READ: Galvez is wrong on business groups' booster plan

Read all about it.

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With Aric John Sy Cua, Paolo Dimaapi and Christian Maghanoy, this is Dafort Villaseran reporting. Have a great week!