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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, March 9, 2022.
READ: Transport, agri get P6B subsidy
The transportation and agriculture sectors will get the bulk of subsidies approved on Tuesday by the government, pegged at P6.1 billion, to help them cope with the continuing increases in oil prices, according to the Department of Energy.
READ: Comelec scraps deal with Rappler
The Commission on Elections or Comelec has held in abeyance an agreement it inked with online organization Rappler as partner in voter engagement and fighting disinformation in relation to the May 2022 elections.
READ: Pangarungan named Comelec chairman
Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday the appointment by President Rodrigo Duterte of three new Comelec officials.
READ: Go eyes super health centers in provinces
Sen. Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go pressed for the establishment of super health centers across the country to improve access to health services.
READ: Alert Level 1 can wait ‒ Duque
Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd is opposed to moving the entire country to Alert Level 1 until it is sufficiently vaccinated to prevent a resurgence of Covid-19 cases.
READ: Duterte to successor: Honor exploration deal with China
President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated that the country must honor its commitment to conduct a joint exploration with China at the disputed Recto Bank to prevent a heated conflict between the two countries.
READ: Marcos hopes to get Duterte's endorsement
Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. still hopes to get the "very valuable" endorsement of President Rodrigo Duterte for his presidential bid.
In regional news,
READ: 9 Abra towns under close Comelec watch
The provincial election office in Abra is validating the status of nine municipalities in the province that were earlier placed under the yellow category by Comelec in connection with the May 9, 2022 synchronized national and local elections.
In world news,
READ: Australia flood toll up as thousands leave Sydney
The death toll from week-long floods battering Australia's east coast rose to at least 20 on Tuesday after the bodies of a man and a woman were discovered in floodwaters in Sydney.
READ: Civilians flee as safe corridor opens
Buses packed with people fleeing the Russian invasion in the Ukraine began a procession along a snowy road out of one city on Tuesday as a new effort to evacuate civilians along safe corridors finally got underway.
In business,
READ: GIR rises to 2-month high
The country's gross international reserves or GIR reached a two-month high of $107.98 billion at the end of February this year, owing to increased gold prices and the net income of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from its overseas investments.
And in sports,
READ: PBA elims down to 2 crucial playing days
The PBA Governors' Cup is down to its last two playdates in the elimination round, but the situation for teams looking to secure an outright quarterfinals berth as well as to the last two squads seeking a top four berth had become more complicated.
Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are the featured columnists on the front page of The Times.
Tiglao insists on
READ: How Amnesty International was used for Yellows' propaganda
Fr. Aquino advises on
READ: The elections and empowering the laity
In The Times editorial, it is strongly advised that
READ: Russian sanctions demand increase in oil production
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!