Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, December 6, 2021.
READ: BBM paid taxes, documents show
PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. settled his tax dues in compliance with a 1995 court ruling, documents issued by the Supreme Court and the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) said. The documents, copies of which were obtained by The Manila Times, bolster the argument that there is no legal impediment to the presidential candidacy of Marcos. The standard bearer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas is facing several petitions before the Commission on Elections seeking to cancel his certificate of candidacy.
READ: Go wants 'super hospital' for each region
SEN. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go is calling for the establishment of a "super hospital" in every region. Go stressed the need for the government to continue investing in the country's healthcare system and learn its lessons from the pandemic. Go also called for the improvement of public hospitals. He intends to establish hospitals in every region patterned after the Southern Philippines Medical Center or the Philippine General Hospital. He raised the importance of providing sufficient funds for the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), given its crucial role in addressing the pandemic.
READ: Villages urged to issue rules on caroling
BARANGAY (village) chiefs must come up with rules on allowing children to do house-to-house caroling this Christmas season. In an interview with The Manila Times, Interior and Local Government Undersecretary for Barangay Affairs Martin Diño said he is urging barangay leaders to meet and reach a consensus to prohibit children aged 5 to 11 from joining carolers since they have yet to be vaccinated against Covid-19. He stressed the urgency of inoculating children as the threat of the Omicron variant looms.
READ: Palace to employers: Be lenient on workers
MALACAÑANG reminded employers to be lenient to workers due for vaccination and not mark them as absent on the day they will get their shot. Acting Palace spokesman and Cabinet Secretary Karlo Alexei Nograles made the appeal ahead of the second round of the nationwide vaccination blitz slated for December 15-17. He urged all local government units (LGUs) to set up separate systems for constituents who have pre-registered and walk-ins to avoid confusion at the vaccination sites during the ramped up vaccination drive.
BUSINESS: Nov inflation likely slowed to 3.8 percent
Topping business, headline inflation likely slowed to 3.8 percent in November due to favorable base effects, better local supply of food, and drop in oil prices, Analysts projected inflation to hit 3.8 to 3.9 percent, down from the 4.6 percent recorded in October this year. If accurate, it will also fall within the government's 2- to 4-percent target range. Inflation in November last year settled at 3.3 percent. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) earlier projected inflation to settle within 3.3 to 4.1 percent. Official November 2021 inflation is scheduled to be released by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on December 7.
SPORTS: Pagdanganan rises to joint 19th in LPGA Q-Series
Over to sports, Filipino golfer Bianca Pagdanganan rose from 64th to joint 19th after the third round of the LPGA Q-Series at the Crossings Course of the RTJ Magnolia Grove in Dothan, Alabama on Sunday (Philippine time). Pagdanganan shot a solid 66 to get an aggregate of 5-under 210, as she shares the 19th spot with five others. The 24-year-old trails French leader Paulin Roussin Bouchard by seven strokes. Bouchard also fired a 66 in the third round for a total of 12-under 202. Pagdanganan was virtually sharp all game long, as she scored seven birdies against just one bogey. The Tokyo Olympian logged birdies on the third, fourth, ninth, 10th, and 13th holes before hitting a snag on the 14th with a bogey. Pagdanganan, though, finished strong with birdies on the 16th and 18th holes.
READ: Opinion and Editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are today's front page columnists. Tiglao continues to talk about the issues on the South China Sea, while Fr. Aquino discusses the president the country must have.
Today's editorial is about keeping the economic outlook bright despite the threat of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. 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 week ahead.