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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, June 29, 2022.

READ: Court junks DQ cases vs Marcos

Two days before President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. takes his formal oath of office as the 17th President of the Republic of the Philippines, the Supreme Court removed all legal barriers by junking petitions that sought his disqualification from seeking the country's highest post.

READ: Tony Gonzaga to sing national anthem in BBM's inauguration

Actress-host Toni Gonzaga will sing the Philippine national anthem in the inauguration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. or BBM at the National Museum in Manila on June 30, 2022.

READ: Duterte unlikely to face raps over drug war

President Rodrigo Duterte often incited violence and ordered police to shoot dead suspects in a drug war that has killed thousands. But analysts say he is unlikely to face charges after he steps down on Thursday, June 30.

READ: Economy, jobs top concerns of Filipinos

A majority of Filipinos, at 73 percent, believe that the economy should be the top priority for the incoming administration of President-elect Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., the PUBLiCUS Pahayag Second Quarter showed.

READ: Times Forum tackles progress in Visayas

Major industries in the country have been hit by the pandemic. As the economy starts to bounce back, however, the Visayas, like other regions, is expected to put its business back on track, driving faster economic growth in the Philippines.

READ: Covid-19 cases on steep climb in NCR

The country continued to experience an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases over the past week, but the Department of Health maintained that the number of severe and critical infections remained below 1,000.

READ: Tricycle drivers to get fuel subsidy

A total of 617,806 tricycle drivers will receive cash subsidies to help them cope with skyrocketing fuel prices.

READ: Ex-Comelec exec files complaint vs Cardema

Retired Commission on Elections or Comelec commissioner Rowena Guanzon has filed a complaint against National Youth Commission Chairman Ronald Cardema before the Office of the Ombudsman.

In regional news,

READ: Weapons assembly facility to open in Bataan

The Philippines' Asia Defense and Armament Corp. has partnered with the US-based Daycraft Systems Corp. to establish the first weapons assembly facility in the country.

In world news,

READ: China slashes overseas travelers' quarantine time

China reduced on Tuesday the length of mandatory quarantine for inbound travelers in the biggest relaxation of entry restrictions after sticking to a rigid zero-Covid policy as the coronavirus pandemic persists.

READ: 'Terrorist attack' on Ukraine mall kills 18

Rescuers searched through the charred rubble of a shopping mall in central Ukraine on Tuesday to look for more victims of a Russian missile strike that killed at least 18 people and wounded scores in what the country's leader called "one of the most daring terrorist attacks in European history."

In business,

READ: Exec sees constraints to SME growth

To enable small and medium-sized enterprises in the country to grow rapidly, financial institutions should focus on removing capital constraints and charging zero interest to Filipino entrepreneurs, an official of a financial technology company said.

And in sports,

READ: Elasto Painters seek to end 4-game slump

Having lost its last four games, Rain or Shine needs to play with a sense of urgency today, June 29, but the Elasto Painters will have to do it against powerhouse San Miguel Beermen in the PBA Philippine Cup at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

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

Tiglao gushes over

READ: An amazing presidency

Ronquillo opines that

READ: Progressives will write policy screeds. Jinggoy, Robin, Bong will do the real thing

In The Times editorial, it calls out to

READ: Pass the Land Use Act

Read all about it.

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This is Dafort Villaseran reporting. Have a great day ahead.