Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, April 18, 2023.
READ: DoJ mulls declaring Teves a terrorist
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin "Boying" Remulla on Monday said the department is studying the possibility of classifying Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. as a "terrorist" to force him to surrender. Teves, who is believed to be hiding abroad, has been implicated in the killing of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo. The Senate Committee on Public Order started an inquiry Monday on the series of political killings nationwide, based on the resolution of Sen. Ana Theresia "Risa" Hontiveros. Among those who attended the hearing were Pamplona town Mayor Janice Degamo, governor Degamo's widow; former Negros Oriental governor Henry Teves, the brother of Representative Teves; Remulla; Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. and Commission on Elections (Comelec) Chairman George Erwin Garcia.
READ: Cagayanos hold rally vs 2 EDCA sites
About 7,000 people gathered at the Rizal Park in this city to convince President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to change his mind on designating two military camps in Cagayan province as Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA) sites. Clarita Lunas, retired regional supervisor from the Department of Education and a provincial consultant on education, said the concept of the prayer rally started after The Naval Base Camilo Osias in Santa Ana and the Lal-lo Airport have been selected as locations where the US military can stock weapons and equipment under the EDCA.
READ: Marcos, Czech PM discuss defense, trade cooperation
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. met Monday with Czech Republic Prime Minister Petr Fiala in Malacañang and discussed possible collaboration in various fields of interests. The two leaders first met in December 2022 in Brussels, Belgium, at the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the European Union Commemorative Summit. The President said the meeting is a milestone in the 50 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Issues concerning the West Philippine Sea and the Russia-Ukraine conflict were also taken up, Marcos said.
READ: 3 provinces register high Covid positivity rates
THREE provinces recorded Covid-19 positivity rates in the past week, independent research group OCTA Research said on Monday. According to OCTA fellow Dr. Guido David, the increased positivity rate, or the number of individuals who yielded positive results from among those who were tested for Covid-19, were seen in Camarines Sur (21.1 percent), Misamis Oriental (22.7 percent), and Rizal (20.2 percent). The seven-day positivity rate in the National Capital Region also slightly went up from 6.5 percent last April 8 to 7.2 percent as of April 15, 2023.
BUSINESS: Key PLDT officials quit
Over to business, 5 senior executives of PLDT Inc. have quit in the wake of a P48-billion budget overrun that tarnished the telco's reputation, weighed on its share price, and also led to a class action lawsuit and a credit ratings downgrade. In a disclosure to the stock exchange on Monday, PLDT announced that Chief Financial Officer Annabelle Chua and Network Head Mario Tamayo, both senior vice presidents, had opted for early retirement effective April 16 and April 14, 2023, respectively. Senior Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer Mary Rose de la Paz, meanwhile, was said to have voluntarily resigned effective April 14 while Vice President Alexander Kibanoff availed of a "manpower reduction program" effective April 16. In a separate disclosure, PLDT announced that Vice President Wilson Bobier also voluntarily resigned effective April 16. Chua — also the telco's chief risk management officer and who was awarded CFO of the year in 2021 by the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines — went on leave with pay last December to facilitate an independent investigation into budget overrun.
SPORTS: Holy Week break helps NU regain form
In sports, after losing back-to-back games to La Salle, defending champ National University (NU) has now won three matches in a row to rise to 8-3, tied with Adamson and UST at No. 2 in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball standings. The last two of the Lady Bulldogs' triumph came after the Holy Week break as they defeated fellow Final Four contenders Lady Falcons on April 12 and the tough-fighting FEU Lady Tamaraws on April 16.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras tackles forestry laws, Makabenta weighs in on the country's EDCA sites, and Mercado discusses the need for strong alliances.
Today's editorial talks on issues surrounding malnutrition. 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.