Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, Jan. 30, 2023.
READ: Obiena strikes gold in France
FILIPINO Ernest John "EJ" Obiena started the 2023 international pole vault season on a high note, winning the gold medal in only his second tournament. Obiena, who ranks third in the world, ruled the Perche En Or in Roubaix, France on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). He cleared 5.82 meters on his first attempt to dominate the 12-player field. The 27-year-old Olympian tried to clear 5.90 meters but failed in three attempts. Obiena, the holder of the Philippine and Asian record of 5.94m, cleared 5.75m only in his third and final attempt. He quickly made up for it by acing 5.82m in just one try. Yao Jie of China had a personal-best 5.75m to take the silver medal. Ethan Cormont settled for the bronze medal via a countback after hurdling 5.65m. Obiena's victory in the Perche En Or came three days after he finished second at the Internationales Springer-Meeting in Cottbus, Germany with a 5.77m jump.
READ: 'Country's leaders must ensure a professional AFP'
THE country's leaders must see to it that the military is committed to professionalism, a former defense secretary and national security adviser Norberto Gonzales said on "Business and Politics," a program hosted by The Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd every Saturday night on SMNI. Gonzales said there was a need to look into the quality of the national leadership because that will impact an institution like the armed forces. Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier confirmed there was some discontent in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), but attributed it to the "anxiety" over the impact of Republic Act 11709 on the officers' careers. Under RA 11709 or the "Act Strengthening Professionalism in the AFP," the chief of staff, vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, heads of the major services, unified command commanders and inspector general will have a fixed three-year term. He said the idea of fixed terms for senior positions in the military have to be re-evaluated and there is no need for amendments since the President can "actually determine how long a particular office will be occupied by certain officers, particularly in the military."
READ: VAT refund for tourists approved
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the Value-Added Tax (VAT) Refund Program for foreign tourists for implementation in 2024 in an effort to boost tourism, Malacañang said Sunday. The refund program was among the "Quick Wins" recommendations of the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) Tourism Sector Group. Palace officials said Marcos will soon issue an executive order for the program, which is already in effect in other countries. Other PSAC Quick Wins recommendations approved by the President include the rollout of the e-visa by 2023, prioritizing China and India. It also recommended the removal of the One Health Pass (OHP), renamed as eARRIVAL Card, an all-in-one form for passengers' health, immigration and customs information which is a requirement for all arriving travelers. The council, composed of business leaders and industry experts providing technical advice to the President, proposed instead a mobile application called e-Travel that will integrate all pertinent data on immigration, customs, health and quarantine status of a passenger. The app, eyed for release later this month or early February, is being modified to allow groups or families for easy data input.
READ: Bill allows President to stop PhilHealth premium hikes
A BILL filed at the House of Representatives seeks to empower the president to suspend the increase in premiums of direct contributors of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). House Bill 6772 was filed by Speaker Martin Romuldez, House Majority Leader Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe, Senior Deputy Majority Leader and Ilocos Norte First District Rep. Ferdinand Alexander Marcos, and Tingog Representatives Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre. The bill seeks to amend Section 10 of Republic Act 11223 (the Universal Health Care Act), which provides the schedule of the premium rate increase. If the bill is passed into law, the president "may, upon the recommendation of the PhilHealth Board, suspend and adjust the period of implementation of the scheduled increase of premium rates during national emergencies or calamities, or when public interest so requires." Under the law, direct contributors are "those who have the capacity to pay premiums, are gainfully employed and are bound by an employer-employee relationship, or are self-earning, professional practitioners, migrant workers, including their qualified dependents, and lifetime members."The law defines indirect contributors as "all others not included as direct contributors, as well as their qualified dependents, whose premium shall be subsidized by the national government including those who are subsidized as a result of special laws." The bill was filed on Jan. 13, 2023.
In Business
READ: Container monitoring 'deferred indefinitely'
THE board of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) has decided to shelve the implementation of a container monitoring system that port users and business groups claim will only jack up costs and add to bureaucratic inefficiencies. Just last Friday, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Philippine Multimodal Transport and Logistics Association, Alliance of Concerned Truck Owners and Organizations, Alliance of International Shipping Lines and 14 other stakeholders issued a joint letter calling for the scrapping of PPA Administrative Order 4-2021, which was scheduled for implementation this year. Among others, they said that the additional fees required by the PPA order's Trusted Operator Program-Container Registry and Monitoring System (TOP-CRMS) and the Empty Container Storage Shared Service Facility would result in a 50-percent increase in the cost of importing goods. These would force importers to jack up prices and jobs could even be lost, they claimed, while investors could be turned off from setting up shop in the country.
Topping Sports
READ: Sabalenka reworked serve, belief
Aryna Sabalenka defeated Elena Rybakina 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the final of the Australian Open on Saturday night for her first Grand Slam. Sabalenka and her team credited her win to persistence, the value of confronting, not ignoring, problems, and of putting in the time and the effort required to get better. With the victory, Sabalenka moves up to no. 2 behind Iga Swiatek. She is 11-0 in 2023.
READ: Jazz hold off late rally, top Mavs
Lauri Markkanen scored 29 points, Malik Beasley added 19 and the Utah Jazz took advantage of Dallas star Luka Doncic's absence to beat the Mavericks 108-100 on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Doncic sat out because of a sprained left ankle. Jordan Clarkson added 14 points for Utah, and Walker Kessler had 14 points, 11 rebounds, and five blocks. Spencer Dinwiddie had 35 points and eight assists for Dallas. Reggie Bullock had 19 points, and Josh Green and Dorian Finney-Smith chipped in 11 apiece. In Boston, Jaylen Brown scored 37 points, making a tying three-point play with 4.1 seconds left in regulation and adding 11 more in overtime as the NBA-leading Boston Celtics snapped a three-game losing streak by beating the archrival Los Angeles Lakers 125-121. In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid won the battle of MVP rivals with 47 points and 18 rebounds and Philadelphia extended its winning streak to seven games, beating Nikola Jokic and Denver, 126-119. In New York, Kyrie Irving scored 21 of his 32 points in the final 9 1/2 minutes, carrying Brooklyn to its ninth straight victory over New York, 122-115. In Atlanta, Kawhi Leonard scored 32 points, including a season-high five 3-pointers, Paul George added 23 points and Los Angeles beat Atlanta 120-113 for its fifth straight victory.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
In today's editorial, The Times says the Philippines should look to strengthen Indian ties. Read the full version on print or on digital or Listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and former senator Francisco Tatad. Tiglao, in his column, claims that the 7.6% GDP growth is a mirage; Aquino on the Beatitudes; and Tatad on Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla's statement that the government's position against the International Criminal Court's investigation of former president Rodrigo Duterte's drug war is an issue of sovereignty.
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This is Pete Llevares reporting.