Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, November 16, 2022.
READ: Subpoena served at Bantag's empty house
WHERE is Gerald Bantag, the former director general of the Bureau of Customs (BuCor) and the alleged mastermind in the murders of veteran radio broadcaster Percival Mabasa, popularly known as Percy Lapid, and a "middleman" who negotiated payment for the gunman? Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Charlie Guhit said the subpoena was served at Bantag's last known residence in Caloocan City on Tuesday but was not received by anyone. Instead authorities placed the document inside a plastic bag, pinned it on the gate of Bantag's house and declared that it had been served. The subpoena states that Bantag is required to appear at the Department of Justice (DoJ) building in Manila on November 23 and December 5 in connection with the preliminary investigation on Lapid's murder and is ordered to submit counter-affidavits and statements from witnesses to be sworn before the panel of prosecutors handling the case. It also warns that failure to comply "shall be considered as waiver to present [his] defense in the preliminary investigation and the case shall be considered submitted for resolution." The writ was signed on November 14 by the three-member panel of prosecutors, which includes Guhit, Deputy State Prosecutor Olivia Laroza-Torrevillas and Senior Assistant Prosecutor Josie Christina Dugay.
READ: Marcos flies to Thailand for APEC meet
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. will lead the Philippine delegation to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Thailand, where he will push for measures on food and energy security as well as climate change adaptation. Marcos, who will leave for Bangkok on Wednesday, November 16, will join his fellow heads of state for the annual APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting from November 16 to 19. He will also attend other related summits where he is expected to discuss plans and priorities of the Philippines in terms of trade, investment and post-pandemic economic recovery. The President will also have at least six bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the APEC Summit. It will be the first in-person APEC Economic Leaders' Meeting since 2018 and the first for the Marcos administration.
READ: PH cited 'world's leading best dive, beach destination' in '22
THE Philippines is the "world's leading beach and dive destination for 2022," according to an award-giving body in the travel and tourism industry. The country was honored at the 29th World Travel Awards (WTA) Grand Final Gala Ceremony in Muscat, Oman last November 11. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, the Cayman Islands, the Maldives, Fiji, Mexico, the Azores Islands, French Polynesia, the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador, St. Kitts and Belize were among the best diving locations that the Philippines had competed against in the last four years. The Philippines also bested the Maldives, the Algarve in Portugal, Jamaica, the Galapagos Islands, and the Turks and Caicos Islands as the top beach destination across the globe.
READ: Concepcion: Promising opportunities in Cambodia for MSMEs, big business
CAMBODIA presents promising opportunities for small and big businesses in the Philippines, Go Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd said following the recently concluded Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Summit. Concepcion, chairman of the Asean Business Advisory Council (ABAC), said that several expansion and export opportunities in Cambodia for Philippine companies were explored during the CEO Roundtable meeting held on the sidelines of the Asean Summit in Phnom Penh on November 10, which President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. attended. He said that areas of cooperation in agriculture, housing, digitalization, food security, hospitality, garments manufacturing, business process outsourcing, and micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) development were among the priority areas discussed during the meeting. Agriculture, in particular, is seen as a promising area of cooperation between the two countries, Concepcion said.
READ: 'PH one of weakest military capability in region'
THE military capability of the Philippines can be considered as one of the weakest in the region, Department of National Defense (DND) Officer in Charge Senior Undersecretary Jose Faustino Jr. admitted on Monday evening. lawmakers before the House Committee on National Defense and Security as to why the Philippines, in particular the Armed Forces, failed to prevent China from erecting structures in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Faustino said it is one of the main reasons why there is an urgent need to fund the AFP's modernization program. The DND official likewise said that they are open to a possible joint venture when it comes to using idle military lands. However, he said that the properties will not be sold. Surigao del Norte Second District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers asked why despite the intelligence funds of the military, the AFP has not prevented China from building a military facility in the WPS. Faustino said they are aware but are cautious of their actions.
READ: 16 'rightsizing' House bills for consolidation
HOUSE bills rightsizing the national government will be consolidated into a substitute bill for consideration by the House Committee on Government Reorganization. A bill for the rightsizing of the national government is among the measures that are a priority of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. On Tuesday, the House committee met for deliberation of the House bills and approved a motion to consolidate them. Most of the bills authorize the President to, among others, consolidate agencies; split agencies that most of the bills describe as having "multifarious functions which are deemed distinct and equally serve important aspects of governance;" or abolish agencies.
READ: Free EDSA bus rides for Christmas
THE Department of Transportation (DoTr) will implement round-the-clock "libreng sakay" or free rides on the EDSA Bus Carousel for the whole month of December. The free EDSA bus ride operation will be implemented beginning December 1, instead of December 15 as previously announced. The move, as directed by Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB), was made in response to the expected influx of passengers this Christmas season, especially with the extension of mall hours from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. in Metro Manila.
BUSINESS: Approved foreign investments down in Q3
Topping business, foreign investments approvals fell steeply in the third quarter but the overall tally still saw a surge due to local pledges, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Tuesday. At P13.05 billion, foreign investment commitments cleared by the Board of Investments (BoI), Clark Development Corp., Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) were 22.4 percent lower compared to the P16.82 billion a year earlier. No foreign investment approvals were reported by the Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan, BoI-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, Cagayan Economic Zone Authority, Poro Point Management Corp and the Tourism Infrastructure Economic Zone Authority for the same period this year and in 2021, the PSA noted. The bulk of approved foreign investment commitments came from Japan (34.5 percent), South Korea (15.5 percent) and Singapore (12.6 percent).
SPORTS: Standhardinger cleared to play on Friday
Over to sports, Filipino German Christian Standhardinger is expected to be back in action on Friday, November 18, when Barangay Ginebra resumes its playoffs bid against Blackwater following a 12-day respite. The 6-foot-9 Standhardinger missed Ginebra's narrow 97-96 win over sister team San Miguel Beer on November 6 after complaining of pain in his knee. He watched the game in street clothes as the Gin Kings overcame a 19-point digit and leaned on Scottie Thompson's gamewinning triple in the dying seconds to steal the game from the Beermen. Ginebra's veteran physiotherapist Aspi Calagopi said Standhardinger visited a renowned Filipino orthopedic surgeon a week ago to have his knee checked.
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao believes the age of "shallow" social media is ending, Fr. Aquino asks why is the Commission on Education transgressing the law on tertiary education subsidy, and Tatad discusses the press the country needs and deserves.
Today's editorial believes the Philippines should have stronger sustainability reporting. 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 Kim Isabelle Dignadice.