Good day. Here are the stories for Labor Day, Monday, May 1, 2023.
BANNER: US to China: Stop sea provocations
THE United States called on China Saturday (Sunday in Manila to stop "provocative and unsafe conduct" in the disputed South China Sea after a recent near-collision with a Philippine Coast Guard boat there, ramping up rhetoric ahead of a visit by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the White House. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, in a statement two days before President Joe Biden is to host Marcos, said the incident was a reminder of China's "harassment and intimidation" of Philippine vessels in the contested waterway. Biden has been working to bolster relations with Asian allies as the US-Chinese relationship remains in a historically deep chill, and the Philippines' proximity to key sea lanes and Taiwan gives it particular strategic importance. The near-miss Sunday off the Spratly Islands was the latest in a long string of maritime incidents between China and the Philippines. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost the entire South China Sea, ignoring an international ruling that the assertion has no legal basis.
'Revenge travel' helps Clark airport bounce back
"REVENGE travel" has helped Clark International Airport bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic that halted air travel globally for years, Joshua Bingcang president and CEO of Clark International Airport Corp. (CIAC) told The Manila Times chairman and CEO Dante "Klink" Ang 2nd on SMNI program Business and Politics, citing that they are inching back to pre-pandemic levels. CIAC, a government-owned and -controlled corporation (GOCC) was created to develop, operate, manage and maintain the Clark Civil Aviation Complex within the Clark Freeport Zone in the province of Pampanga. It managed and ran the international airport until 2017, when the facility was privatized. Bingcang said that from the last quarter of 2022 to the first quarter of 2023, air passenger traffic at the airport has been "growing significantly by leaps and bounds."
Marcos vows to continue aiding, protecting workers
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday vowed to help Filipino workers achieve their full potential by protecting them and making them more productive. Marcos said he has instructed government agencies to keep improving their programs to sustain the access to employment and improvement of workers' employability and productivity. He said the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), particularly, must remain committed to the delivery of good employment programs and the cultivation of the workers' knowledge and skills.
Arellano wins 4th NCAA cheerleading title
THE Arellano University (AU) Chiefs Pepsquad clinched its fourth straight title in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Season 98 Cheerleading Competition on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum. It is also the Chiefs Pepsquad's fifth cheerleading championship in the country's oldest collegiate sports league. Arellano, which amassed a total of 245.5 points, pocketed P100,000 for ruling the event, which was the last of Season 98 hosted by Emilio Aguinaldo College. The University of Perpetual Help Altas Perpsquad placed second with 383.5 points to bag P75,000. The Colegio de San Juan de Letran Cheering Squad racked up 215.5 points for third place, which came with a P50,000 prize.
SPORTS: Adamson downs FEU, faces NU in semis
In other sports news, Adamson finished third in the elimination round after defeating FEU 25-22, 26-28, 25-15, 25-17 on Sunday, April 30, in the UAAP Season 85 women's volleyball tournament at the FilOil EcoOil Centre. The Lady Falcons finished the eliminations with a 10-4 win-loss card and set up a battle against the twice-to-beat armed and second seed NU Lady Bulldogs (11-3) in the Final Four. Adamson securing the third place meant that UST, carrying a 9-4 slate at press time with an inferior quotient to Adamson, will face the top seed and also twice-to-beat armed La Salle (13- 1) in the semifinals.
BUSINESS: Inflation seen hitting forecast
Over to business, inflation likely fell further last month following price drops for fuel, electricity, and key food items, economists polled by The Manila Times said. The median forecast in a survey of 11 analysts was 7.0 percent, within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 6.3- to 7.1-percent estimate and also a marked drop from March's 7.6-percent result. A decline would mark the third straight month of slower inflation after January's 14-year high of 8.7 percent.
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao calls on the Philippine Coast Guard not to make a media cannon fodder in disputes between the country and China, Fr. Aquino tackles what he thinks should be amended in the Constitution, while Tatad analyzes President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s upcoming visit to the United States.
Today's editorial believes renewable energy possibly ending the power crisis in Occidental Mindoro. 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 Paulo Dimaapi.