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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, March 30, 2022.

READ: Marcos keeps big survey lead

Former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. continued to dominate presidential surveys, posting a double-digit lead in the latest Laylo Research poll.

READ: Nacionalista party backs BBM, Sara

The Nacionalista Party, led by former Senate president Manuel "Manny" Villar endorsed on Tuesday the tandem of former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio.

READ: Comelec warns vs vote buying

The Commission on Elections or Comelec has warned candidates in the May 9, 2022 polls from engaging in vote-buying activities, saying that it would be a different ball game this time.

READ: Digital shift pushed vs Covid-19 impact

Lofreda "Dada" del Carmen, president and chief executive officer of Forecasting and Planning Technologies Inc. said every organization had to move its business processes toward digital transformation even as the world had adjusted to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.

READ: Times' online forum tackles empowered working women

The country celebrates Women's Month this March and the National Women's Role in History with the theme of making change work for women in the workforce.

READ: More vaccination needed ‒ Concepcion

The percentage of Filipinos already given additional doses of the anti-coronavirus vaccine must first be significantly increased before the government reviews parameters that will pave the way for the scrapping of the Alert Level system, Presidential Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said.

READ: SC rejects mining firm's tax refund claim

The Supreme Court or SC has rejected Taganito Mining Corp.'s claim for refund of excess input value added tax, paid on domestic purchases of taxable goods and services in importation of goods worth more than P42 million in 2008.

READ: Zamboanga supports BBM, Sara

Thousands of residents attended the camaign rally of presidential candidate Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., who arrived in Zamboanga City on Tuesday with some of his senatorial slate, but his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, was notably absent.

READ: Manila files protest over Scarborough incident

Manila has filed a diplomatic protest over incidents of "close distance maneuvering" by Chinese coast guard ships in waters off Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea said on Tuesday.

In regional news,

READ: 28 mayors in Negros vow to deliver for BBM

The 28 mayors of Negros Occidental, who expressed support for the presidential bid of Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., pledged their support for the former senator anew in a meeting held over the weekend, UniTeam provincial spokesman Esteban Coscolluela said.

In world news,

READ: Covid cases in Shanghai surge despite lockdown

Shanghai recorded a steep climb in Covid-19 cases on Tuesday as growing anxiety in the Chinese city of about 25 million prompted panic buying at supermarkets.

READ: Ukraine retakes city ahead of new talks

Another round of talks aimed at stopping the war in Ukraine was scheduled for Tuesday as the fighting appeared stalemated on the ground with the two sides trading control of a town in the east and a suburb of the capital, Kyiv.

In business,

READ: PH seen to profit once commodity prices fall

The Philippines is among the commodity-dependent group of emerging markets with generally good fundamentals that will profit once commodity prices fall, following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to analysts at Nomura Securities Ltd.

And in sports,

READ: Meralco seeks return trip to Finals

Meralco aims for its third straight win against Magnolia and tries to end their best-of-five semifinals series in Game 4 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum today, March 30.

Rigoberto Tiglao and Marlen Ronquillo are the featured columnists on the front page of The Times.

Tiglao insists that

READ: Marcos 'unpaid estate taxes:' The biggest lie this election season

Ronquillo discusses

READ: The great disconnect

In The Times editorial, it is lamented that

READ: Campaign vs TB another victim of Covid-19 pandemic

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!