Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, December 15, 2022.
READ: EU to bolster ties with Asean
EUROPEAN Union leaders met their counterparts from Southeast Asia for a summit in Brussels on Wednesday, looking to bolster ties in the face of the war in Ukraine and challenges from China. Europe is keen to boost trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), which counts some of the world's fastest growing economies. The EU has been on a diplomatic push to galvanize a global front against Moscow as its invasion has sent economic and political shock waves around the world. But Asean's 10 nations have been divided in their response to the Kremlin's war on Ukraine. Singapore has gone along with Western sanctions on Russia, while Vietnam and Laos, which have close military ties to Moscow, have remained more neutral. Along with Thailand, they abstained from a United Nations vote in October condemning Russia's attempted annexation of regions of Ukraine seized in February. The diverging views led to intense wrangling over a final declaration from the summit as the EU pushed for stronger language to condemn Moscow. An EU official said Brussels was satisfied in the end that it sent a "crystal clear message" of the need to respect Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., acting as lead coordinator for the Asean, secured the commitment of European Council President Charles Michel in various areas, which include trade and climate mitigation. The two leaders met Wednesday (Manila time) ahead of the formal opening of the Asean-EU Commemorative Summit. Marcos pointed out how the Asean increased its presence in the global stage through regional economic integration and supply chain resilience, giving it a vital role in the world economy, "as shown clearly by their growth with systems already in place."
READ: Soaring prices of vegetables baffle DA
Department of Agriculture deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez said the agency was puzzled by the increase in the retail prices of vegetables particularly those coming from Baguio City despite their low farmgate prices. He said that the DA was expecting prices to go down in Metro Manila and added that traders attributed the higher prices of agricultural products to the high cost of fuel, handling and other expenses. Based on the monitoring of the DA on Wednesday, the retail prices of cabbage ranged from P140 to P150 per kilo; carrots, P100 to P120 per kilo; potatoes, P140 to P150 per kilo; pechay, P100 to P120 per kilo; sayote, P40 to P60 per kilo; and Baguio beans, P80 to P100 per kilo. Estoperez vowed that the DA will go after syndicates behind the hoarding of red onions that triggered the unabated increase in the retail prices of the product that has reached P340 per kilo. He said hoarders keep on transferring their stocks of red onions to avoid detection. Estoperez said the price hike continues despite the DA's appeal to the traders.
READ: Group sees rice shortage in 2023
FORMER Agriculture secretary and Federation of Free Farmers Board Chairman Leonardo Montemayor on Wednesday warned of a looming rice shortage in 2023. Montemayor said based on the projection of the FFF, by the end of the third quarter in 2023, the ending stock will be negative 427,000 metric tons of rice. He added that the country needs to import between 3 million MT and 3.4 million MT of rice next year to ensure a steady supply of the grain. In an interview with The Manila Times, Montemayor said that retail prices of rice could increase by P2 to P4 per kilo amid the depreciation of the peso.
SPORTS: Ateneo forges winner-take-all game three
ATENEO de Manila University lived to fight another day after dominating the University of the Philippines, 65-55, in Game 2 of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 men's basketball finals Wednesday night at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. Kai Balungay bounced back from a scoreless outing in the opening game and finished with 15 points and five rebounds to lead the Blue Eagles in the equalizing win. Ange Kouame also came through with 19 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocks for Ateneo. Balungay's performance enabled Ateneo to take control of the first three quarters as the Blue Eagles entered the fourth frame with a 13-point lead, 57-44. The 6-foot-7 forward drained a jumper to give the Blue Eagles its biggest lead of 15 at 61-46. The Blue Eagles then held their ground on the defensive end of the floor to stave off every attempt of the Fighting Maroons to rally before a boisterous crowd of 20,616 in attendance.
READ: Tulfo, Pascual bypassed by CA
THE Commission on Appointments (CA) on Wednesday bypassed the ad interim appointments of Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo and Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual after lawmakers raised some issues against them that might affect their jobs. It is up to President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. to reappoint them. Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Monday said Tulfo will likely be bypassed by the commission because of several issues raised against him, including his conviction for libel and his US citizenship. Zubiri said the Senate invited legal luminaries to deliberate on Tulfo's "complicated" case. The commission confirmed the ad interim appointments of three Cabinet secretaries and two Commission on Elections (Comelec) commissioners. The CA approved the nomination of two ambassadors, four foreign career service officers, and 54 general and senior officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) led by Lt. Gen. Rowen Tolentino. The bicameral panel approved the designation of Jaime Bautista as Transportation secretary, Jose Acuzar as Human Settlements secretary and Arsenio Balisacan as National Economic Development Authority secretary. It also confirmed the ad interim appointments of Nelson Celis and Ernesto Ferdinand Maceda Jr. as Comelec commissioners, and the nomination of Irene Susan Natividad as ambassador to Germany, and Bernard Dy as ambassador to Switzerland. The CA confirmed their appointments two days before Congress goes on a monthlong Christmas break.
BUSINESS: ADB raises 2022 PH growth forecast
Over to business, the Philippine economy will grow faster than initially forecast this year, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) said on Wednesday, but an expected 2023 slowdown will also be much sharper than previously expected. In a supplement to its Asian Development Outlook, the Manilabased lender said it had raised its 2022 growth estimate to 5.4 percent, up from 6.5 percent in September, following surprisingly strong third-quarter results.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses on turning public forest lands into private property, Makabenta weighs in on the controversial sovereign wealth fund, and Remoto discusses the golden harvest of Palawan's Yamang Bukid.
Today's editorial believes a new European Union carbon tariff is a potential tool for the country. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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This is Peter Stephen Llevares reporting.