Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, April 20, 2023.
READ: 'Teves tried to protect e-sabong in Cebu'
SUSPENDED Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. attempted to interfere in a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) operations against e-sabong (online cockfighting) in Cebu, one of the bureau's operatives said on Wednesday. NBI Region 7 Director Rennan Augustus Oliva told senators during the resumption of the hearing on political killings that on Sept. 16, 2022 the NBI, armed with a search warrant, raided a cockpit in Barangay Kalahuan in Mendenilla, Cebu for illegal gambling activities. Arrested during the operation were two cockpit operators and 37 employees using the website Go Perya.net. Oliva said on Sept. 20, 2022 at 3:41 p.m., Teves, accompanied by some people, arrived at the NBI office in Cebu City
READ: Marcos to summon Chinese envoy
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he would talk to Chinese Ambassador Huang Xilian over the latter's comments on the Taiwan issue. The Chinese diplomat said the Philippines should oppose "Taiwan independence" if it genuinely cares about the 150,000 Filipinos working on the island. He added that the Philippines should not give American troops access to the country's military bases. Marcos said Huang's statement could have been misinterpreted.
READ: Marcos, Duterte get high poll ratings
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Vice President Sara Duterte received very high performance and trust ratings in the latest survey conducted by independent pollster OCTA Research. The First Quarter Tugon ng Masa (The Masses' Reply), conducted on March 24-28, 2023, showed that 80 percent of the respondents were satisfied with Marcos' performance while 84 percent approved of Duterte's. Marcos and Duterte registered a 2 percent and 4 percent increase in their performance ratings, respectively, compared to the results of the same survey in October 2022.
READ: WHO warns Covid-19 pandemic still volatile
THE World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) warned the Covid pandemic was still volatile, saying there could be further trouble before the virus settles into a predictable pattern. In the last 28 days, more than 23,000 deaths and 3 million new cases have been reported to the WHO, in the context of much-reduced testing.
READ: DICT not likely to extend SIM registration deadline
THE Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) on Wednesday urged the public to register their subscriber identification module (SIM) card as it is not likely to extend the registration deadline on April 26. In a statement, the DICT said it "received and acknowledged" the request of Public Telecommunication Entities (PTEs) to extend the SIM registration period pursuant to Republic Act 11934 or the "SIM Registration Act." Globe Telecoms, Smart Communications and DITO Telecommunity earlier asked the government to extend the deadline saying the registration campaign has not been successful. They said the number of registrants has not even reached half of the target.
BUSINESS: BoP hits surplus, GIR rises in March
Over to business, the country's balance of payments (BoP) position hit a surplus of $1.3 billion in March, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Wednesday, rebounding from February's $895-million deficit and also higher than the $754-million surplus seen a year earlier. The surplus was said to be mainly due to net foreign currency loans deposited by the national government (NG) with the BSP and income from the central bank's investments abroad. The deposits included $600 million from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development for the Second Financial Sector Reform Development Policy Financing program and $1 billion from the Asian Development Bank for components of the Competitive and Inclusive Agriculture Development ($500 million) and the Post-Covid-19 Business and Employment Recovery ($500 million) programs.
SPORTS: Gilas coaches to work with 'core of players'
In sports, considering that Gilas Pilipinas is racing against time in its preparations for the 2023 Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia next month, national team assistant coach Jong Uichico said working with a "core of players" and filling the remaining spots with "key role players" is best for the team. As it is, the Philippines has been playing catch-up in its bid to reclaim the SEA Games men's basketball gold medal.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are today's front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on the controversy on the choice of chancellor at the University of the Philippines in Diliman, Makabenta discusses the energy transition "delusion", and Fr. Aquino tackles on an international legal order on certain issues on foreign affairs.
Today's editorial discusses the reality of energy transition. 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.