Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, January 28, 2023.
READ: ICC okays new drug war probe
THE International Criminal Court (ICC) said Thursday it had authorized the reopening of an inquiry into the brutal anti-drugs campaign by former Philippines president Rodrigo Duterte which left thousands dead. Duterte pulled the Philippines out of The Hague-based tribunal in 2019 after it began a preliminary probe into the crackdown, followed by the launch of a formal inquiry later that year. But the investigation was suspended in November 2019 after the Duterte administration said it was reexamining several hundred cases of drug operations that led to deaths at the hands of police, hitmen and vigilantes. Officially, 6,181 people were killed in the "war on drugs" but the rights group says that up to 30,000 may have been killed, some innocent victims, and that corruption was rife among security forces that acted with impunity. ICC prosecutor Karim Khan asked to restart the inquiry last year, saying the Philippine government under Duterte's successor, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., had not provided evidence it was carrying out thorough inquiries. In a statement Thursday, the ICC said its pre-trial chamber "is not satisfied that the Philippines is undertaking relevant investigations that would warrant a deferral of the court's investigations."
READ: Roque: Only Filipinos can judge Duterte
Meanwhile, Duterte has shrugged off the decision of the International Criminal Court (ICC) to proceed with the investigation of his bloody campaign against drugs, his former spokesman said Friday. In a press statement on his Facebook page, Harry Roque said the former president "reiterates his position that he would never allow foreigners to sit in judgment of him as long as Philippine courts are willing and able to do so." Duterte maintains that submitting himself to the legal jurisdiction of any foreign body "is an insult to the competence and impartiality of our functioning criminal justice system," Roque said. A former human rights lawyer, Roque twice served as presidential spokesman, from 2017 to 2018, and again from 2020 to 2021, before running for the Senate in last year's elections. International criminal law experts advised the government to cooperate with the ICC investigation in order to pursue technical cooperation with the United Nations.
READ: Only 1,900 MT of imported onions arrive
ONLY 1,900 metric tons (MT) of the authorized 5,000 MT of imported onions have arrived as the Department of Agriculture's (DA) deadline for the importations passed on Friday. The Bureau of Plant Industry expects to release the 900 MT of onions under inspection on Friday or next week.
READ: Marcos happy with 7.6% GDP, but inflation still a problem
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. is happy the country's economy grew by 7.6 percent last year, but is still wary about the impact of rising inflation. But while he welcomes the positive news, Marcos said inflation still affects "certain sectors of society and of the economy who have yet to enjoy the benefits of that growth." He said he and his economic team will work harder to cushion the public from the impact of high inflation. The President said inflation, which is expected to particularly affect agricultural products, is expected to ease "by the second quarter." It could even go down to 4 percent by the third or fourth quarter of this year, as forecast by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP), he said.
READ: Govt, private sector seek innovative energy plan
THE government and the private sector continue to move forward in seeking solutions to head off a full-blown energy crisis in the country, Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) Chairman and CEO Monalisa Dimalanta said Friday. Dimalanta issued a statement to clarify her remarks on whether the government and the private sector are doing enough to thwart such a crisis. The ERC chief guested at a forum on the country's energy outlook on Thursday organized by The Manila Times.
READ: DoTr: Other programs for commuters mulled
THERE may no longer be free rides on the Edsa Bus Carousel system this year as the Department of Transportation (DoTr) is looking to adopt instead a fare discount scheme. This decision considers the fact that the budget for the government's service contracting program (SCP) was greatly reduced compared to the budget last year. Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) chairman Teofilo Guadiz 3rd disclosed that the DoTr is eyeing the possibility of implementing a discount system that would expand to other public utility vehicles (PUV).
READ: 'Vaccines, measures enough to lift Covid emergency'
AHIGH number of vaccinations and countries that have prepared their system for the possible surge in Covid-19 cases should be enough reasons for the World Health Organization (WHO) to lift the state of public health emergency of international concern (Pheic), according to an infectious disease expert. The WHO's emergency committee for Covid-19 is set to meet on Friday (Saturday in Manila) to discuss whether to lift the Pheic declaration nearly three years after they made the call for the emerging disease. In an interview over cable news outlet ABS-CBN Teleradyo, Dr. Rontgene Solante of the San Lazaro Hospital said that the state of public health emergency was declared as the health care system has yet to learn how to deal with the virus. He also added that there was no known cure or vaccine yet developed against Covid-19, which could lead to increased deaths among the vulnerable population.
READ: Marcos seeks 'drastic' reforms vs smuggling
PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. wants "drastic" reforms in the bureaucracy to curb rampant smuggling, which he claimed "threatens local industries and affects government tax collection," the Palace said on Friday. Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the President issued the statement as he pushed for the digitalization of the Bureau of Customs (BoC) as a means to fight smuggling. Garafil said Marcos emphasized the need for "more modernized" data and transaction handling to aid the nation's economic development.
BUSINESS: PH growth still expected to slow
Topping business, Fitch Solutions is keeping its 2023 growth slowdown forecast for the Philippines despite last year's better-than-expected results. A commentary on Friday said they forecast the economy to slow to 5.9 percent in 2023. Economic managers also expect growth to slow this year, but only to a range of 6.0 TO 7.0 percent. Last year's 7.6-percent expansion exceeded market expectations and the government's 7.5- to 6.5-percent target. Fueled by strong consumer spending despite rising prices, the result built on 2021's rebound to 5.7 percent after a record 9.5-percent plunge in 2020. Still-high inflation and more policy rate hikes, however, are expected to continue weighing on economic activity, Fitch Solutions said, adding that the exports outlook and business confidence aren't also promising.
SPORTS: Meralco tries to keep hot start going
Over to sports, Meralco tries to keep its hot start going when it tangles with Terrafirma in the opening game of the 2022-23 PBA Governors' Cup today, January 28, at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. The Bolts, who will be playing their third game in six days, collide with the Dyip at 4:30 p.m. The wards of Meralco coach Norman Black overcame a tough NorthPort stand on Thursday to escape with a 107-102 victory and improve to 2-0 in the week-old conference. Black is pleased with the way returning import KJ McDaniels has performed during the team's back-to-back wins to open the conference.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses the issue involving celebrity Alex Gonzaga, Makabenta gives his commentary on the West sending tanks to Ukraine, and Remoto discusses a Filipino center in the Thai capital of Bangkok.
Today's editorial believes that Filipino farmers are facing a fertilizer crisis. 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 Luden Salinas reporting.