Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.
READ: Hospital group wants mask mandate back
THE head of the country's group of private hospitals urged the Department of Health (DoH) to bring back the masking mandate in outdoor spaces, as he believes that the optional wearing of face masks is contributing to the increasing cases of Covid-19 in the country. The government earlier lifted the mandatory masking mandate in open spaces and in low-risk settings as the country slowly moves away and heads toward Covid-19 possibly becoming endemic. In a televised briefing on Tuesday, Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines President Dr. Jose Rene de Grano urged the government to bring back the mask mandate in outdoor spaces after the country reported a 22 percent increase in Covid-19 cases over the past week. Health Officer in Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire said there is no need for groups to request the government to reimplement the mask mandate once cases increased as the DoH will be the one to reintroduce it if it sees fit.
READ: Peso dives to P58.999 vs US dollar
THE Philippine peso on Tuesday fell to a new record low against the US dollar after closing at P58.999. It opened the day at P58.8 after trading was suspended on Monday because of Typhoon "Karding." The peso also traded between P58.7 and P58.999, resulting in an average of P58.904. Tuesday's volume reached $1.0622 billion, up from $985 million the previous session. The local currency remained weak against the US dollar for the fifth trading day by 49 centavos amid the continued increase in the US dollar versus major global currencies.
READ: Bersamin takes post as executive secretary
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has appointed retired Supreme Court chief justice Lucas Bersamin as his new executive secretary, Malacañang confirmed on Tuesday. Bersamin, 72, a native of Bangued, Abra, took his oath before Marcos in Malacañang on Tuesday and joined the Cabinet meeting on the same day. Bersamin's appointment came days after former executive secretary Victor Rodriguez announced his resignation from his post. As an executive secretary, Bersamin will be referred to as the "Little President" who is mandated to "directly assist the President in the management of affairs of the government as well as to direct the operations of the Executive Office," according to the Official Gazette.
READ: Lea Salonga among 'TIME100 Impact' awardees
THE Philippines' very own Broadway superstar Lea Salonga was one of Time magazine's TIME100 Impact Awardees for 2022. The award recognizes "global leaders who have gone above and beyond to move their industries — and the world —forward." In a feature written by Sanya Mansoor, Salonga was described as the "Voice of Disney Princesses" and "A life-long role model for kids of color." Time also recognized some of her notable roles on stage and on screen such as Tuptim in "The King and I," Kim in "Miss Saigon," Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd," Elodie in the HBO MAX series "Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin," Gail in "Yellow Rose," and as the voice of Disney princesses Jasmine and Mulan.
READ: NASA strikes asteroid in key test of planetary defense
A NASA spaceship on Monday struck an asteroid 7 million miles away in order to deflect its orbit, succeeding in a historic test of humanity's ability to prevent a celestial object from devastating life on Earth. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) impactor hit its target, the space rock Dimorphos, at 7:14 p.m. Eastern Time (2314 GMT), 10 months after blasting off from California on its pioneering mission. AFP
Topping Business
READ: WB ups PH 2022 growth estimate
THE Philippine economy is seen to grow at 6.3 percent this year despite the expected slowdown in East Asia and the Pacific, the World Bank said on Tuesday.
In a press briefing, Aaditya Mattoo, chief economist at World Bank East Asia and the Pacific, said the latest gross domestic product growth estimate for the Philippines is higher than the 5.7 percent announced in April. Mattoo attributed the higher estimates to a "combination" of higher domestic demand, better export figures and return of tourism. He also cited the "revival of public and private investment." Mattoo also highlighted the "strong bounce back" in the Philippines' private consumption, which was also observed in most countries of the region.
READ: NEDA: 'Karding' won't affect GDP target
DESPITE Super Typhoon "Karding's" destruction to parts of Luzon, National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Tuesday that the country's annual economic growth target is still reachable. Balisacan, in a post on Twitter, was referring to the 6.5- to 7.5-percent target gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the country. The NEDA official issued the tweet on his account after the Department of Agriculture said Tuesday that heavy rains and flooding had caused at least P160.1 million worth of damage to agriculture.
In Sports
READ: Abueva a doubtful starter for Magnolia
MAGNOLIA Chicken Timplados and Barangay Ginebra make their debut today, September 28, in the PBA Commissioner's Cup. The Hotshots take on Terrafirma Dyip in the 3 p.m. opener while the Gin Kings battle Rain or Shine in the 5:45 p.m. main event. The Dyip and the Elasto Painters are coming from opening game losses and are looking to enter the win column today. Terrafirma can take advantage of the possible absence of Calvin Abueva who is nursing an injury and is a game-time decision for the Hotshots.
READ: PH boxers gear up for Asian Games
THE Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) welcome the challenge of doing good in the Asian Games and qualify as many boxers in the 2024 Paris Olympics at the same time. ABAP Executive Director Marcus Jarwin Manalo believes Filipino boxers will have added motivation competing in next year's Asian Games in Hangzhou, China following the decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to make the quadrennial showcase as one of the qualifying events for the next Olympics. Head coach Don Abnett said he was planning to have the national boxing team exposed in various overseas competitions, and possibly spend training camp in China.
The Times, in its Editorial, suggests that the ADB annual meeting scheduled for this week should be the government's policy guide. Read the full version on print or digital edition or listen to The Voice of the Times. Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are the featured columnists on the front page. Tiglao talks aout the secrets of the Plaza Miranda bombing; Aquino, on a toughtful design of higher eduat
A dramatic roster overhaul has left the Utah Jazz with a load of new faces entering this season. Utah traded Royce O'Neale, Rudy Gobert, Donovan Mitchell, and Bojan Bogdanovic in separate deals over the summer, effectively tearing down a team that endured a series of disappointing early playoff exits. Following that flurry of offseason moves, Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, and Rudy Gay are the only returning players who played significant minutes last season. Eighteen Jazz players have guaranteed contracts entering training camp, and the team must trim that number to 15 before the start of the season. Utah general manager Justin Zanik said the Jazz are focused on building around young players in the early stages of their NBA careers who can grow into larger roles.
READ: Westbrook back with LA Lakers
Several months after the basketball world collectively assumed Russell Westbrook and the Los Angeles Lakers were definitely headed for a breakup, the guard reported to training camp Monday (Tuesday in Manila) wearing the same gold jersey. Westbrook's return to the Lakers is among the biggest surprises to come out of an eventful NBA summer — and nobody knows for certain how long it will last given the trade rumors still swirling around the 2017 MVP. But Westbrook and his fellow Lakers — even Patrick Beverley, his former nemesis — are determined to make it work after it decidedly did not during his first season back home in LA.
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This is Kim Dignadice reporting.