Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, March 31, 2023.
READ: Groups push full maritime digitization
GOVERNMENT maritime agencies as well as private maritime stakeholders pressed for the full digitalization of the country's maritime industry. The group, gathered during the maritime forum organized by The Manila Times on Thursday, said digitalization is a global demand and the country cannot afford not to embrace it. They said digitalization will have a big impact on service efficiency, cutting bureaucratic red tape, and reducing the cost of doing business in the ports, logistics, and shipping industries.
READ: 31 dead in ferry fire
AT least 31 people were killed when an interisland ferry with about 250 passengers and crew caught fire off Basilan Wednesday, officials said. The Lady Mary Joy 3 was traveling from Zamboanga City to Jolo Island when the fire broke out late Wednesday, prompting passengers to jump overboard, disaster officer Nixon Alonzo said. Rescuers, including the Philippine Coast Guard and fishermen, saved 195 passengers and 35 crew as the blaze ripped through the ferry off Baluk-Baluk Island in Basilan province. Basilan Gov. Jim Salliman said 31 bodies had been retrieved, including 18 found inside an air-conditioned cabin. Firefighter Jayson Ahijon, who was among the passengers, said people panicked as fire and thick smoke overwhelmed the vessel. Some jumped overboard before putting on life jackets. Ahijon said he and several coast guard officers helped other passengers to safety, including a baby they put in a bucket and lowered over the side of the boat.
READ: Covid vaccine-related deaths climb to 2,801
A TOTAL of 2,801 Filipinos, 70 of them children, have died after they were inoculated with a Covid-19 vaccine, according to a report by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA). A copy of FDA's "Reports of Suspected Adverse Reaction to Covid-19 Vaccines (01 March 2021 to 28 February 2023)," was obtained by The Manila Times. According to the document, the mean or the average age of the fatal cases was 59.14, with 56.52 percent or 1, 583 of cases more than 60 years old. It said 765 (27.31 percent) of the cases were 40 to 59 years old, and 359 (12.82 percent) were 18 to 39 years old. The report said 53 cases (1.89 percent) were 12 to 17 years old, and 17 (0.61 percent) were 5 to 11 years old.
READ: Driving schools urge LTO to defer new licensing policy
A GROUP of private driving schools called on the Land Transportation Office (LTO) to discuss with them details of its new policy on the processing of driver's licenses to come up with a "harmonious balance" that would benefit all stakeholders. In a press conference on Thursday, the Association of Accredited Driving Schools of the Philippines Inc. (AADSPI) appealed to the LTO to defer the implementation of Memorandum Circular JMT-2023-2390, or the Omnibus Guidelines on the Accreditation, Supervision, and Control of Driving Institutions, and the Standardization of Driver and Conductor's Education that will be implemented beginning April 15.
BUSINESS: BSP poll: Businesses now more optimistic
BUSINESSES have become more upbeat about the economy and their prospects, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Thursday, with measures for the first and second quarter of 2023, and the next 12 months all improving from three months earlier. The overall confidence indices (CIs) for the current quarter, next quarter, and the next 12 months rose to 34 percent, 49 percent and 61.9 percent, respectively, from 23.9 percent, 31.3 percent and 46.2 percent as of December last year.
SPORTS: TNT goes for jugular versus Meralco
Over to sports, top seed TNT looks to put an emphatic end to its series and advance to the Finals when it clashes with Meralco in Game Four of their 2022-23 PBA Governors' Cup best-of-five semifinals today, March 31, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The lone game is scheduled at 5:45 p.m. Barangay Ginebra already secured the first Finals seat after sweeping San Miguel Beer in three games on Wednesday. TNT coach Jojo Lastimosa's charges got back on its winning ways after hammering Meralco 99-80 in a defense-oriented game on Wednesday. The win allowed the Tropang Giga to bounce back after dropping a 124-117 overtime decision to the Bolts in Game Two. TNT took the series opener by a mile, 110-80.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Francisco Tatad and Carl Balita are today's front page columnists. Tatad ends his column series on recent moves on amending the 1987 Constitution, while Balita talks about Islam and science.
Today's editorial says the recent moves by the United Nations General Assembly on climate change is a big step in the quest for climate justice. 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.