Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, October 2, 2022.
Vegetables overpriced in 13 Metro markets – DA
THIRTEEN public markets in Metro Manila being monitored daily by the Department of Agriculture (DA) have been overpricing their vegetables by at least P20 per kilo, an official said on Saturday. These 13 markets are the New Las Piñas City Public Market in Las Piñas City; Guadalupe Public Market in Makati City; San Andres Market, Quinta Market and Pritil Market in Manila City; Marikina Public Market in Marikina City; Pamilihang Lungsod ng Muntinlupa City; Pasig City Market and Pasig City Mega Market in Pasig City; Commonwealth Market, Muñoz Market and Mega Q Mart in Quezon City; and Malabon Central Market in Malabon City. Based on the daily market monitoring of the DA, retail prices of red onions range from P190 to P240 per kilo; amargoso, P90 to P120 per kilo; tomatoes, P120 to P160 per kilo; pechay, P70 to P100 per kilo; string beans, P80 to P100 per kilo; eggplant, P80 to P100 per kilo; calamansi, P80 to P100 per kilo; carrots, P140 to P160 per kilo; Baguio beans, P100 to P120; potatoes, P60 to P100 per kilo; sayote, P30 to P50 per kilo; cabbage, P80 to P100 per kilo.
BBM to LGUs: Partner with private sector
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. has urged local government units (LGUs) to be open to innovations and work with the private sector to employ "the best solutions for our people." During the mass oath-taking of newly elected officers and directorate members of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) in Malacañang, Marcos told the mayors to welcome partnerships with the private sector to attain the government's bid for infrastructure development and digital transformation.
'Conned' homeowners demand remuneration
VISTA Real Classica homeowners said they want legal remedy to protect their properties located on a piece of land disputed by Sta. Lucia Realty and 8990 Holdings. Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Corp. was the developer of Vista Real. The homeowners said that on Aug. 17, 2022, 8990 Holdings stationed 30 non-uniformed personnel in their neighborhood.
Defending champ UP escapes La Salle, 72-69
CARL Tamayo led defending champion University of the Philippines (UP) to a 72-69 win over De La Salle University on Saturday in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 85 men's basketball tournament at the Mall of Asia Arena. Tamayo, last season's Finals MVP and Mythical Team member, came up big with a double-double of 18 points and 19 rebounds on top of two assists and two steals to secure the victory and a good start for the Fighting Maroons' title defense.
Gin Kings eye bounce back win vs Bolts
Meanwhile, in the Philippine Basketball Association, Barangay Ginebra looks to redeem itself from an embarrassing conference debut when it goes up against the Meralco Bolts in the 2022 PBA Commissioner's Cup's main Sunday offering at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. Game time is at 6:45 p.m. The Kings started the midseason conference on the wrong foot after getting a 22-point drubbing from the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters last Wednesday. Tim Cone's charges shot just 33 percent from the floor overall while their porous defense enabled the Elasto Painters to make 17 three-pointers that all but contributed to the Kings' losing start in the conference. Still, being just the first game of the tournament, Ginebra fans can expect a strong bounce back game from the league's most popular team. And an extra motivation is facing Meralco, the same squad that showed Ginebra the exit door following the Bolts' 2-1 quarterfinal series win in the 2022 Philippine Cup.
Marcos eyes stronger ties with Saudi Arabia
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is looking forward to stronger cooperation between the Philippines and Saudi Arabia as he pushed for a possible expansion of partnership in the fields of renewable energy, digital infrastructure and agriculture between the two countries. Marcos reaffirmed the Philippines' commitment to boost ties with Saudi Arabia following his meeting with Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, minister of Foreign Affairs, in Malacañang.
Israel eyes agri cooperation with PH
On the other hand, Israel Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said Israeli companies are eyeing more opportunities to engage with Filipino counterparts in the field of agriculture and food security. Fluss, during his visit here for the 24th Davao Agri Trade Expo (DATE) at the SMX Convention Center in Lanang on September 29 to 30, said that Israel seeks to collaborate with both the Filipino private sector and the Philippine government in looking for opportunities, particularly in the agriculture sector. Fluss said in an interview with the local media in Davao that he and President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. discussed about agriculture.
PH posts P28.5-B loss in intl investments
In business, the country's net international investment position registered a net liability of $28.50 billion as of the second quarter of 2022, lower by 9.9 percent than the $31.60 billion recorded in the first quarter of this year. According to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) "Second Quarter 2022 Developments" statement, it said that this was mainly driven by the contraction in external financial liabilities (5.2 percent), which outpaced that of external financial assets (4.6 percent). As of the end of June 2022, total outstanding external financial assets stood at $229 billion, while total outstanding external financial liabilities amounted to $257.50 billion. On a year-on-year basis, the country's net liability position grew by 19.1 percent from $23.90 billion as of end-June 2021. This developed as total external financial assets decreased by 2.3 percent (from $234.4 billion), which more than offset the decline in total external financial liabilities of 0.3 percent (from $258.3 billion). For external financial assets, almost half (45.9 percent) of residents' total external financial claims were held by the BSP totaling $105.10 billion. However, this level was 6.1 percent lower than the $111.90 billion in asset holdings as of the first three months of 2022.
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he tackles on a proposed new department of disaster resilience.
Today's editorial believes complementarity may be key to classroom backlog. Read the full version in 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.