Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023.

READ: House panel okays Con-con resolution

THE House Committee on Constitutional Amendments has approved a Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) calling for a constitutional convention or con-con to amend or revise the Constitution. The committee approved the resolution on Monday with 15 congressmen voting yes and three voting no. There was one abstention. Kabataan Rep. Raoul Manuel, Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas and ACT Teachers Rep. France Castro voted against the resolution. Northern Samar First District Rep. Paul Daza abstained. he committee voted after holding public consultations on Charter change. The resolution calls for the election of the delegates to the convention on Oct. 30, 2023, simultaneous with the barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan polls. The committee, which will next meet on Wednesday, has yet to vote on its report on the bill implementing the RBH and detailing the holding of the convention.

READ: PH an economic 'powerhouse' – Finland envoy

THE ambassador of Finland to Manila considers the Philippines as an economic "powerhouse" in a region where "a lot of things are happening." Ambassador Juha Markus Pyykkö, who guested on Monday at a roundtable interview with The Manila Times led by its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd, also said he intends to further enhance relations between his country and the Philippines. Pyykkö said Finland's foreign policy is geared toward a bigger engagement with Southeast Asia. Finland has been a member of the European Union since Jan. 1, 1995. He also noted that the Philippines' 110 million population, "English speaking [and], young," helps the country to become an attractive trade destination for Finnish businessmen. In a related development, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo met with Finland Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto at the sidelines of the 59th Munich Security Conference.

READ: Officials unsure if plane wreckage on Mayon is missing Cessna

THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) said on Monday it is still uncertain if the plane wreckage sighted near the crater of Mount Mayon in Albay is that of the Cessna 340A that went missing over the weekend with four people on board. CAAP spokesman Eric Apolonio said on Monday that they cannot rely solely on visual sightings, and a ground inspection of the wreckage is needed to make a confirmation. It was first reported that a drone shot showed the wreckage of the missing plane. The crash site is about 350 meters below the volcano's crater. A ground search has been delayed by heavy rains.

READ: Facebook-owner Meta to roll out paid subscription WIRES

Facebook and Instagram owner Meta will launch a paid subscription service starting at $11.99 a month allowing users to verify their accounts, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Sunday (Monday in Manila), following a similar move by Elon Musk at Twitter. Meta Verified, which will roll out first in Australia and New Zealand this week, will let users verify an "account with a government ID, get a blue badge, get extra impersonation protection against accounts claiming to be you, and get direct access to customer support," Zuckerberg said. There would be no changes to accounts on Facebook and Instagram that are already verified, the company said, adding that only users who are over the age of 18 will be allowed to subscribe. The service is not yet available to businesses.

In Business

READ: Fitch: Policy rate to peak at 6.5%

MONETARY authorities could increase key interest rates by another 50 basis points (bps) before calling a halt in the second half of the year, Fitch Solutions said in a February 17 commentary that was released on Monday. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) policymaking Monetary Board ordered a 50-bps increase last week after inflation surged to 8.7 percent in January, bringing total rate hikes to 400 bps since a tightening cycle began in May last year. It noted that January inflation was the highest since November 2008 and that core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy items, had also increased to 7.4 percent. With prices not likely to ease anytime soon, Fitch Solutions said it now expected inflation to average 6.5 percent this year, up from 5.5 percent previously, and stay above the BSP target ceiling of 4.0 percent throughout 2023.

Topping Sports

READ: Tatum sizzles as Team Giannis wins All-Star

Jayson Tatum scored an All-Star record 55 points and Team Giannis Antetokounmpo defeated Team LeBron James 184-175 to win Sunday's (Monday in Manila) 72nd NBA All-Star Game, the first loss for James in six times as captain.Both namesake captains made early exits with injuries, James after bruising his right hand on the rim making a dunk and Greek star Antetokounmpo with a right wrist sprain suffered three nights earlier. That left the starring roles up for grabs and the All-Star Game Most Valuable Player award went to Boston star Tatum, who broke the old NBA All-Star Game record of 52 points scored by Anthony Davis in 2017. Cleveland's Donovan Mitchell added 40 points and 10 assists for Team Giannis while Portland's Lillard had 26 off the bench. eam LeBron reserve Jaylen Brown of Boston had a team-high 35 points plus 14 rebounds. Philadelphia's Joel Embiid and Kyrie Irving of Dallas each added 32 points, with Irving adding a game-high 15 assists.

READ: Rahm wins Genesis Invitational, returns to No. 1

Jon Rahm used two late birdies to power past Max Homa for a victory in the Genesis Invitational on Sunday (Monday in Manila) that moved the Spaniard back to No. 1 in the world. Spain's Rahm grabbed his third US PGA Tour title of 2023 after wins at the Tournament of Champions and the American Express in La Quinta, California. It was his fifth win in his last nine worldwide starts, a run that included his third Spanish Open triumph in October and victory in the DP World Tour Championship in November.

READ: Opinion/Editorial

In its editorial today, the Times writes about hybrid education as having the best of both worlds. Read the full version on print and digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are the featured columnists on the front page. Contreras talks about saving the country's TV local and drama industry; and Makabenta on Juan Ponce Enrile's 99th birthday and the fabulous blessing of living longer than expected.

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This is Kim Salinas reporting.