Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, April 3, 2022.
'27M Covid vaccines to expire by July'
PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Saturday said that some 27 million doses of Covid-19 vaccines are set to expire in July this year, emphasizing the urgency for Filipinos to go and get jabbed and, if eligible, get their booster shots. Concepcion has been pushing for mandatory booster cards by June to encourage Filipinos to get their third shots. The Philippines has borrowed P2 trillion, much of it going to vaccines. So far, the country has received more than 237 million vaccine doses, with some 140.7 million having been administered. As of March 22, there are 65,343,446 Filipinos who have been fully vaccinated, but only 11,629,565 additional or booster shots have been given. This means only some 13 percent of the eligible population have received their booster shots.
Duterte endorses hard-working Sara for VP
PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has endorsed the vice presidential bid of his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, telling Filipino voters that his daughter is "very good" and "very hardworking." Speaking in Visayan during the campaign sortie of his ruling political party Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) in vote-rich Cebu on Thursday night, Duterte is confident that his daughter would continue his legacy if she gets elected. The President said his daughter, given her qualities and leadership style, would be a great fit for the vice presidency. Still speaking in Visayan, the President described Duterte-Carpio as "very strict." While he expressed support for Duterte-Carpio's vice presidential bid, Duterte maintained that he would not endorse any presidential candidate as he opted to stay "neutral."
Fil-Am in Quiboloy fraud scheme pleads guilty
ONE of nine people who was indicted for her involvement in fraud, along with a Mindanao-based church leader and supporter of President Rodrigo Duterte, has pleaded guilty, according to a statement from the US Attorney's Office in the Central District of California that was posted on the US Department of Justice website on Friday. Maria de Leon, 73, a Filipino American, has admitted to her role in "preparing and filing fraudulent documents" that would grant US residency and citizenship to members of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC), which is headed by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy.
Comelec holds 2nd presidential debate
PRESIDENTIAL frontrunner Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will not be attending the Commission on Elections (Comelec)-sponsored second round of presidential debate for Halalan 2022 which will be held tonight at the Sofitel Hotel. Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said on Saturday that there is no word yet from the Marcos camp but said that the former senator is welcome to join if he changes his mind. Jimenez added that all other nine presidential aspirants would be attending the PiliPinas Debates 2022, which again will be livestreamed starting at 7 p.m on the Comelec Facebook account and other social media platforms. They are former presidential spokesman Ernie Abella (independent), labor leader Leody de Guzman (Partido Lakas ng Masa), Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (Aksyon Demokratiko), former defense and national security adviser Norberto Gonzales (Partido Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas), Sen. Panfilo Lacson (Independent), Faisal Mangondato (Katipunan ng Kamalayang Kayumanggi), Jose Montemayor Jr. (Democratic Party of the Philippines), Sen. Emmanuel "Manny" Pacquiao (Abag Promdi) and Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo (Independent). Jimenez reiterated that the second round of debate would be far different from the first following a change in format to make the discussion more interesting. Unlike in the first round where the candidates answered a single question per segment, Jimenez said that this time, the nine participants would be divided into groups of three, which will change with each segment. Each group will be randomly pre-determined via drawing of lots two hours before the debate or at 5:00 p.m. Under the new format, there will be one general question for all candidates to answer at the start of the debate. But in each succeeding segment, the candidates will be divided into groups of three where each group will be given one question to debate on.
Tarlac City mayor endorses BBM-Sara
MAYOR Cristy Angeles of Tarlac City, a renowned bailiwick of the Aquino clan, on Saturday declared her support for the presidential candidate and former senator Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his running mate Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. Ninoy's daughter, actress Kris Aquino, previously appeared in a rally in the city to endorse Marcos' closest rival in the May 9 polls Vice President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo. Marcos said the true choice of Tarlac was now revealed. Meanwhile, Davao del Norte 1st District Representative Pantaleon Alvarez said that 370 candidates from Partido Reporma, including local candidates in 28 provinces have now pledged their to Robredo. Independent presidential candidate Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson on Friday expressed gratitude for the manifesto of support signed by more than 100 allies' mostly retired generals and graduates of the Philippine Military Academy, Lacson's alma mater. Partido Lakas ng Masa presidential candidate Leodegario "Ka Leody" de Guzman said he would push for a demilitarized and nuclear-free Southeast Asia if elected. And former Foreign Affairs undersecretary and Palace spokesman Ernesto Abella, another independent presidential candidate, in the same forum said the Philippines must be economically stable for it to contribute to the maintenance of peace and stability in Southeast Asia.
Covid still worries PH workers – study
FILIPINO workers remain worried about getting infected by Covid-19, according to a study commissioned by health maintenance organization Philcare. According to the study conducted in September 2021, worry about getting infected with Covid-19 remained high, with a mean score of 1.59, indicating "strong agreement" among 1,500 respondents. But according to Philcare, the result has tilted toward the weaker end of the "strong agreement" interval (or scores with a mean of 1.00 to 1.80) as compared to 2020's result, which was at 1.31. Majority of the respondents also became more neutral about being comfortable in going to the hospital, as compared to 2020, where people tend to disagree more, and from being neutral to now being comfortable in going to the supermarket According to Joseph Agustin "Jaeger" Tanco, president and chief executive officer of PhilCare, business owners and corporate leaders should note the findings of the study as an indicator in gauging their employees' sentiments when it comes to drawing or implementing company policies in the new normal. He added that while companies cannot maintain the same level of restrictions during the early part of the pandemic, it does not mean that companies should drop their vigilance regarding keeping their employees safe from Covid-19.
PH posts $27-B net external liability
In business, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported that the country's international investment position (IIP) was $27.6 billion in net external liabilities at the end of last year. According to a central bank report released on Friday, the current amount has increased by 5 percent from the $22.6 billion posted at the end of September 2021.
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he tackles the effects of the real estate investment trust on sugar workers.
Today's editorial discusses the importance of micro, small, and medium enterprises. Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.