Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, October 16, 2022.
READ: No VIP treatment for Remulla's son – PDEA
THERE is no VIP treatment for the son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla who is in jail on drug charges, a spokesman for the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) said on Saturday. Derrick Carreon told The Manila Times in a phone interview that Juanito Jose Remulla 3rd, 38, has gone through the normal procedure that any ordinary inmate at the PDEA's detention facility had gone through. Carreon said this procedure includes putting Remulla in an isolation facility "over a few days as part of the Covid-19 protocols for new detainees." He said, "In fact, he was with over 30 other detainees at the isolation facility. He was not all alone, he was with other inmates." Carreon made the assurance to erase suspicions that Remulla was being given VIP treatment because of his relationship with the Justice secretary. He said that after his isolation, Remulla 3rd will be locked up with over 50 although he did not say when this would be. The eldest son of the Justice secretary has been charged with violating Republic Act 9165, otherwise known as "The Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2022," before the Las Piñas City Prosecutor's Office. He is also facing charges for violation of Section 4 Article 2 of RA 9165 for the importation of dangerous drugs after he was arrested for claiming P1.25 million worth of "kush" in a controlled delivery operation in the city last week. The operation started at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport where police, acting on a tip, seized 893.91 grams of marijuana kush, a parcel with invoice indicating the shipper/consignee, two brown paper pouches, each of which were bubble wrapped and where the plastic pouches of kush were found, one blue clipboard, a parcel receipt, and one driver's license card. Remulla was arrested at Block 6, Lot 7, Primrose St., Ponte Verde BF Resort Village, Talon Doson on October 11 but which was publicized only two days after.
READ: Vietnam: Military might won't solve sea dispute
VIETNAM maintains that the South China Sea (SCS) disputes must be resolved through diplomatic and peaceful means, as a military option will benefit no one. This was stressed Saturday by Tran Dac Loi, the vice chairman of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee's Commission for External Relations, at the Pandesal Forum, the 83-year-old Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Kamuning, Quezon City, where he was a special foreign guest. Vietnam and the Philippines have territorial disputes over the Spratly Islands, along with Brunei, China, Malaysia and Taiwan. Loi said that just like the Philippines, Vietnam disapproves of China's nine-dash line map which China uses as justification for its claim in the South China Sea. He said Vietnam is also committed to a multilateral diplomatic approach to the resolution of disputes in the South China Sea with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). In 2016, after a legal battle in The Hague, the International Court of Justice of the United Nations ruled in favor of all arguments of the Philippines against China's claims in the South China Sea, effectively nullifying China's claims in the international legal arena.
READ: Only 2% of PH coral reef remains healthy – watchdog
AN environmental group said that only 2 percent of the country's coral reef remains healthy. In a webinar titled "Today is the seas the moment: A deeper connection with the ocean," Haribon Foundation Chief Operating Officer Anna Varona added that there are 5 trillion plastics in the world's surface water.
READ: 'Public-private partnerships to boost PH internet services'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. hopes to see more public-private partnership (PPP) to help boost interconnectivity in the Philippines. Marcos made the statement following his meeting with executives from telecommunications companies Converge ICT and South Korean telco giant KT Corp. to discuss internet services in the country. In his post, the President shared a photo of him meeting Converge Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Dennis Anthony Uy and Korean executives CEO Ku Hyeon-mo and President Yun Kyoung-lim of KT Corp. in Malacañang on Friday evening. The Office of the Press Secretary (OPS) likewise shared on Facebook several photos of Marcos' meeting with the information and communications technology leaders. The OPS said KT is also holding talks with other governments regarding its investment plans.
READ: Concepcion: Holidays to spur PH economy
THE fourth quarter of 2022 will be crucial for the country's economy, Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said as he expressed hope that mobility will be maintained to boost economic activity and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the country. Concepcion, a member of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr'.s Private Sector Advisory Council, said that mobility should be faster in the last quarter of the year amid the country's inflation woes and depreciating peso.
READ: Negros bans pork from Panay
Amid reports of suspected African swine fever (ASF) cases in the province of Iloilo, the provincial government of Negros Occidental has banned the entry of live pigs and pork products from the neighboring islands of Panay and Guimaras. The ban was ordered by Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson through a memorandum to the Provincial ASF Task Force released on Friday.
READ: BSP okays $178M in foreign loan
Over to business, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced on Friday that for the period July to September 2022, or the third quarter of this year, the Monetary Board (MB) approved only one public sector foreign borrowing of $178.10 million. According to the BSP, this is 96 percent lower than the borrowings approved in the same period in 2021, which amounted to $4.66 billion, and 95 percent lower than the approvals quarter-on-quarter in 2022, which amounted to $3.54 billion. The BSP said this borrowing of the Republic of the Philippines will be used to fund the national government's multi-sector nutrition project. The project seeks to support the delivery of nutrition and health care services at the primary care and community levels to help reduce stunting, which is characterized by prolonged nutritional deficiency among infants and young children in 235 municipalities all over the country that are known to have high incidence of poverty and malnutrition. This nutrition project also has the support of the World Bank, which approved the loan. It intends to deliver a package of nutrition-specific and nutrition-sensitive interventions across the various local government platforms
READ: SMB battles determined Bay Area
Topping sports, newly-crowned Philippine Cup champion San Miguel Beer tries to become the second team to beat guest team Bay Area as both squads square off on Sunday in the 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup at the Araneta Coliseum. The Beermen (1-1) secured their first win this conference after pulling off a 113-105 triumph over the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters in a heated match last week. Import Diamond Stone atoned for his ineffective PBA debut versus Blackwater after exploding for 42 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the win over ROS. The Beermen will be facing the Dragons (4-1) in their 4:30 p.m. encounter with an added inspiration, having seen sister team Barangay Ginebra Kings whip the guest team, 111-93 last Sunday.
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he tackles the economic case for freeing former senator Leila de Lima.
Today's editorial does not favor calls for Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to resign from his post, amid the arrest of his son because of drug offenses. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
For more news and information, get a copy of The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and Keep Up With The Times.
For The Manila Times, this is Paulo Dimaapi.