Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, October 8, 2022.
READ: Marcos must face key issues 'head-on'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos, Jr. must "battle head-on" urgent national concerns, as he marks his first 100 days in office, a political analyst said Friday. Dr. Froilan Calilung, who teaches political science at the University of Santo Tomas, made the observation after the Marcos administration earned favorable ratings on 11 of the 13 key issues facing the country in the latest Pulse Asia survey. Speaking during a public briefing, Calilung said that overall, the President "did well" in his first three months, getting low marks only in tackling inflation, unemployment and low wages.
READ: PH fiscal rebound gradual but 'on track'
THE Philippines remained on track for a gradual fiscal consolidation over the coming years on strong revenue growth despite increased fiscal spending, Fitch Solutions said on Friday. In an emailed report to The Manila Times, the credit intelligence provider said it expects the country's budget deficit to come in at 7.6 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2022 and 6.0 percent in 2023 from 8.6 percent in 2021. Fitch Solutions made the forecast after the Senate Economic Planning Office released its macroeconomic and fiscal assumptions in the proposed 2023 national budget on September 12.
READ: Image shows possible suspect in radioman's slay
A SLIGHTLY blurry image from a CCTV clip of the "person of interest" in the ambush of a veteran radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa was released Friday by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the National Capital Region Police (NCRPO). In a press briefing at Camp Bagong Diwa in Taguig City, Interior Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. presented the image which was extracted from the CCTV footage acquired by the Las Piñas City Police. It shows a masked man wearing a red polo shirt over a white T-shirt, blue pants and a waist pouch. Abalos urged the man in the image to surrender, warning that hiding only puts him at risk, because those who masterminded the killing might be planning to get rid of him as well.
READ: Ex-LTFRB chief heads Palace press office
MALACAÑANG on Friday confirmed the appointment of Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil as undersecretary and officer in charge of the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS). Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin confirmed Velicaria-Garafil's appointment following news of her resignation as chairman of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB). Earlier this week, Rose Beatrix "Trixie" Cruz-Angeles announced her resignation as press secretary, citing health issues. Velicaria-Garafil will temporarily oversee the operations of the OPS until a new press chief is named. President Marcos told Malacañang reporters last Thursday he will appoint a new press secretary "early next week."
READ: SSS bares new loan penalty plan
THE Social Security System (SSS) announced a new loan penalty condonation program for qualified members, citing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement to The Manila Times on Friday, the state-run social insurance program said the program shall combine the principal and interest of a member's past-due short-term member loans into one consolidated loan. At the same time, all unpaid penalties shall be consolidated and condoned upon full payment of the loan. According to the SSS, members may settle their consolidated loan via one-time payment within 30 calendar days after receiving the approval notice or may opt to pay through installment.
BUSINESS: DTI still optimistic on PH exports
Over to business, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is still optimistic on Philippine exports even if the World Trade Organization (WTO) projected that the global trade of goods will grow by just 1 percent in 2023. For 2022, the WTO has pegged global trade of goods growing by 3.5 percent. Trade Undersecretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Group Cerefino Rodolfo said he is still optimistic for the country's export industry despite the latest WTO projection for global trade of goods.
SPORTS: Eala stays alive in W80 tilt
In sports, Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala advanced to the quarterfinal round at the W80 Rancho Santa Fe after her 7-6 (6), 6-2 victory over Canadian Katherine Sebov at the Rancho Santa Fe Tennis Club in California, USA on Friday (Philippine time). Eala had to buck a shaky first set where she committed six double faults and trailed Sebov in the tiebreak, 3-5.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras tackles the effects of super typhoon Karding, Makabenta hits out at Ombudsman Samuel Martires' double standards, while Remoto tackles a pandemic winding down.
Today's editorial believes the Energy Regulatory Commission's work with rate hikes is not yet done. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe weekend ahead.