Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, October 20, 2022.
READ: Escorial, 2 cohorts charged with murder
JOEL Escorial, who confessed to killing broadcast journalist Percy Lapid, was charged with murder along with two of his cohorts, siblings Israel and Edmon Dimaculangan. The Department of Justice (DoJ) confirmed that a complaint for murder was filed against the three for the shooting on October 3 of Lapid (Percival Mabasa) in Las Piñas City. The complaint was filed with the DoJ late Tuesday night by the Southern Police District Criminal Investigation and Detective Group and the victim's family. A resolution is expected to be issued today. Escorial alleged that the Dimaculangan brothers took an active part in the crime. He surrendered to the police and to Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. on Tuesday. He said the hit order came from someone inside the New Bilibid Prison. Escorial walked the police through the crime scene late Tuesday, giving a detailed description of where they waited up to where they shot the victim.
READ: Village polls a challenge to Comelec
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will find itself in a fix if the Supreme Court will rule against the postponement of the village and Sangguniang Kabataan elections set in December this year. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia admitted that it will be difficult for the poll body to meet certain deadlines and prepare for the elections if the high court will find the postponement unconstitutional. Garcia said the primary concern is whether the Comelec will be able to print the 91 million ballots needed for the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on time.
READ: OCTA proposes antigen tests in transport hubs
THE government should bring back random antigen testing in mass transport hubs to measure how many Filipinos are affected with Covid-19 after the discovery of highly-infectious and immune-evasive variants of Omicron, according to OCTA Research. The country reported its first cases of Omicron XBB subvariant on Tuesday. A total of 81 individuals have been infected with the variant in Western Visayas and in Davao Region. XBB is a recombinant variant that contains the BA.2.75 and the BJ.1 subvariants of Omicron and is reportedly causing case spikes in some countries across the globe, including Singapore, Austria and the United States.
READ: Pangasinan, Ecija most prone to drought, floods
World Food Program Philippines (WFP) has identified Pangasinan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Bulacan, Maguindanao, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat and South Cotabato as the areas that are most exposed to flooding and drought due to climate change. WFP Deputy Country Director Dipayan Bhattacharyya said the agency launched in November 2021 a study analyzing the impact of climate change on food security in the Philippines.
BUSINESS: Balisacan cautions on rate hikes
Topping business, interest rate hikes will have to be carefully considered in the wake of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s directive to defend the peso, Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said on Wednesday. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) has said that it is likely to raise its own policy rates following further Fed hikes but Balisacan said monetary authorities should consider the possible impact on growth.
SPORTS: Magnolia gears up for game vs Ginebra
In sports, the return of big man Ian Sangalang and forward Rome de la Rosa to Magnolia's active roster last weekend can be considered a prelude for the team's highly-anticipated showdown with fierce rival Barangay Ginebra on Sunday. The 6-foot-5 Sangalang celebrated his return from a bout with typhoid fever by scoring 10 points and adding four rebounds as Magnolia clobbered NorthPort, 109-91, last Sunday in their 2022-23 PBA Commissioner's Cup match.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on freeing former senator Leila de Lima, Makabenta discusses on the life of novelist Salman Rushdie and Remoto reads on fictional writer Ninotchka Rosca.
Today's editorial looks into what is missing in the latest innovation push for the Department of Trade and Industry. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
READ: The Manila Times holds 1st hybrid forum
THE Manila Times (TMT) holds its first hybrid forum in over two years today, October 20, to reveal what defines the next stage in Philippine development. Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco and Trade and Industry Secretary Alfredo Pascual will be the keynote speakers in the forum titled "Next era begins: PH poised for growth" at 11 a.m. in New World Hotel, Makati. The forum will be simultaneously livestreamed on The Manila Times Facebook page, YouTube channel and Dailymotion accounts with TMT editor Dafort Villaseran as the host and TMT columnist Ben Kritz as forum moderator. We look forward to seeing you there.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting.