Good day. Here are the Top Stories of The Manila Times on Thursday, Jan. 6, 2022 brought to you by Wilcon Depot, the country's leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer. Shop conveniently 24/7 with Wilcon online store, just go to shop.wilcon.com.ph.

READ: No need to panic– Concepcion

COVID-19 cases are surging but there is no reason for the public to panic, Presidential Adviser Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said, stressing that the country is better prepared to address the new wave because many Filipinos have been vaccinated. Speaking at a town hall meeting organized by Go Negosyo on Wednesday, Concepcion said the hospitalization rate will not be as high as last year and those who will contract the disease will get well even if they will not be treated in a hospital. He stressed that the country

should also change its mindset on how it should react to the pandemic by taking into consideration the health care system and vaccination levels among the population. The Go Negosyo founder said that vaccination remains the key in changing the pandemic into an endemic state, noting that 2022 will be a "turning point" because of the Omicron variant.

READ: Govt cancels Traslacion

THE National Task Force Against Covid-19 on Wednesday canceled this year's Traslacion and banned public Masses to celebrate the Feast of the Black Nazarene. For decades, the highlight of the religious event is the hours-long procession from Rizal Park to Quiapo Church. Before the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of unshod devotees followed the image of the Black Nazarene until it reached its home. Cabinet Secretary and acting Palace spokesman Karlo Alexei Nograles said the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene, or Quiapo Church, will be closed from January 7 to January 9. Public Masses will be streamed online. Nograles urged the public to stay home and not take part in any mass gathering to ensure their safety amid the new wave of Covid-19 infections.

READ: Omicron signals 'end' of pandemic– OCTA

TWO senior fellows of the OCTA Research group believe that while it is too early to say when Covid-19 cases will peak, the Omicron variant could spell the "beginning of the end" of the pandemic. OCTA Fellow Fr. Nicanor Austriaco

said that while it is more transmissible, Omicron is milder than other variants and can also fight other strains such as Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta. OCTA Senior Fellow Dr. Guido David said it is uncertain if the country will see a peak in the middle or end of January as forecast by the

Department of Health because of uncertainties over the Delta variant. On Wednesday, the DoH reported 10,775 new cases.

READ: NTC OPPOSES 'HOLDOVER FRANCHISE' FOR AMCARA

And in a Manila Times exclusive, the National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), through the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), on Wednesday strongly opposed proposed bills seeking to provide a "holdover franchise" to Amcara Broadcasting Corp., a firm owned by ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp. In a 13-page position paper, the NTC argued that Senate Bill 1530, and House Bill 7923 — currently pending in the Congress — violate the Constitution. It said that the two measures aim to amend Section 18, Book 7, Chapter 3 of Executive Order 292, otherwise known as the Administrative Code of 1987. The NTC said both bills suffer from legal infirmities which may render the subsequent law as void and unconstitutional. The NTC said these issues should be raised before Congress lest these bills become laws, which could lead to grave consequences later on.

Topping Business

READ: Inflation slows to 11-month low

PHILIPPINE headline inflation decelerated to an 11-month low of 3.6 percent in December, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Wednesday. National Statistician Dennis Mapa said in a virtual briefing that this is a decline from the 4.2 percent seen in November of this year, but still faster than the 3.5 percent posted in December 2020. The latest inflation figure, which was the lowest since December 2020, raised the full-year 2021 figure to 4.5 percent, which is higher than the government's target of 2 to 4 percent.

In Sports

READ: EJ vows to clear name amid 'estafa' charges

NOW that Filipino Olympian pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena knows what was thrown against him by the Philippine Athletics and Track and Field Association (Patafa), he said he will be ready to face the charges and clear his name. The Patafa made public on Tuesday morning the recommendations of the administrative committee tasked to investigate the alleged nonpayment of Obiena's Ukrainian coach and the alleged falsification of liquidation reports. Among the recommendations were the removal of the Olympian pole vaulter from the national training pool, and the filing of criminal complaint for estafa (swindling) against Obiena insofar as the funds of Patafa in the amount of euro 6,000 (around P360,000) are concerned, representing the coaching fees of Vitaly Petrov for the months of May 2018 to August 2018.

READ: Djokovic gets medical exemption at Australian Open

BRISBANE: Novak Djokovic will get a chance to defend his Australian Open title after receiving a medical exemption to travel to Melbourne, ending months of uncertainty about his participation because of the strict Covid-19 vaccination requirements in place for the tournament. Djokovic, who is seeking a record 21st Grand Slam singles title, has continually refused to reveal if he is vaccinated against the coronavirus. The Victoria state government has mandated that all players, staff and fans attending the Australian Open must befully vaccinated unless there is a genuine reason why an exemption should be granted.

READ: Opinion

In its Editorial, the Times comments on the Magna Carta for MSMEs and how it has yielded minimal results to ease the plight of the small businessmen.

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Edcel Lagman are the featured columnists on Page 1. Contreras calls a petition by PDP-Laban to reset the deadline for the printing of ballots, and to reopen the filing of CoCs for both national and local positions as either "ridiculous or crazy". Makabenta criticizes the Supreme Court for its "indiscriminate and unwise" decision to suspend lawyer Larry Gadon from his practice. Lagman in Part 1 of his 2-part column talks about the feeble defense of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.

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 Christian Crow Maghanoy reporting.