Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, May 6, 2022.

READ: 500 bets face disqualification

MORE than 500 candidates who are running for various posts face perpetual disqualification from seeking elective office following their failure to file their statement of contributions and expenditures or SOCE for two consecutive elections. In a briefing on Thursday, Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioner George Garcia said that a Supreme Court jurisprudence gives the commission the right to perpetually disqualify candidates who disregard the mandatory filing of their SOCE. He also pointed out that "good faith" is not a reason for not filing a SOCE, which, Garcia said, is a special law. The Comelec earlier said that 12 candidates have been barred from seeking public office because they did not file their SOCE. Garcia warned candidates that the commission is serious in running after erring candidates and determined to disqualify them forever.

READ: Comelec names PDP-Laban dominant party

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has named the Partido Demokratikong Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) as the dominant majority party for the May 2022 elections. However, Comelec Resolution 10787, which was promulgated by the Commission en banc on May 4 but was only released on Thursday, did not distinguish which of the two factions of the PDP-Laban — the Cusi wing or the Pacquiao wing — is the dominant majority party. The Cusi wing is identified with President Rodrigo Duterte, while the Pacquiao wing is allied with Sen. Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd, whose father, the late Senate president Aquilino Pimentel Jr., founded the original PDP-Laban party. The Commission on Elections also declared the Nacionalista Party (NP) as the dominant minority party.

READ: MILF, military agree to peaceful polls

THE Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) signed a pledge of commitment to ensure clean, orderly and peaceful elections. Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said the agreement is "another major milestone in the Bangsamoro peace process." The signing was held last Tuesday at the MILF's Camp Bilal in Munai, Lanao del Norte, once considered a major stronghold of the revolutionary group.

READ: Leni vows to be 'working president'

VICE President Maria Leonor "Leni" Robredo promised to be a "working president" who will visit even the remotest places that need the national government's help if she wins the presidential race. Speaking at a rally on Thursday in Ozamiz City, Misamis Occidental, Robredo promised to be a public servant who will not be content with reading reports. In a media interview in Romblon last March, Robredo said she will continue making visits on the ground if elected president. She stressed the importance of visiting the people in the remotest and poorest places.

BUSINESS: Govt debt rises to new high

Over to business, the government's outstanding debt grew by nearly P600 billion at the end of March, hitting a new high of P12.68 trillion. The P586.3-billion rise from February's P12.9 trillion was "due to the net issuance of government securities to both local and external lenders," the Treasury bureau said on Thursday. The bulk of the borrowings (69.9 percent) was domestic in nature, with the rest sourced from abroad. Domestic debt subsequently increased by 5.4 percent to P8.87 trillion, up from P8.41 trillion as of end-February, while external debt grew by 3.56 percent to P3.81 trillion from P3.68 trillion.

SPORTS: PBA 3x3 tourney to go regional

In sports, the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) plans to expand its 3x3 tournament in Visayas and Mindanao. League Vice Chairman Bobby Rosales, Terrafirma's representative to the PBA board, bared their plans for a wider reach in the 3x3 tournament as there are growing demands from teams in the regions for a national tournament.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Rigoberto Tiglao and Ruben Torres are today's front page columnists. Tiglao tells voters not to vote for a US puppet for a president, while Torres believes Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. needs "confirmation" to become president.

Today's editorial discusses avoiding the trap of a so-called "Holy Vote". Read a full version on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

READ: TMT business forum focuses on OFWs

The pandemic problem and impending economic recovery are among the topics to be discussed by labor stakeholders in today's online business forum of The Manila Times entitled "OFWs: The country's economic heroes." In the same forum, Secretary Abdullah Mamao of the newly formed Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) will lay down the direction for the transition period leading to the turnover to the DMW of all agencies and bureaus catering to overseas workers. Also invited as resource persons are private employer representatives Joel Ong, president, Southeast Asian Placement Center, Inc. (SEAPCI) for the health care workers sector and Antonio Galvez Jr., chief executive officer, Marlow Navigation Philippines, Inc., for the seafarers' sector. The forum will be simultaneously live-streamed on The Times Facebook page, YouTube channel and Dailymotion account from 10 a.m. to noon. Times editors Dafort Villaseran and Conrad Cariño will serve as the forum moderators. See you there.

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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Friday ahead.