Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, May 6, 2023.
READ: Marcos admits 'abuses' during anti-drug drive
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. acknowledged there were "abuses by certain elements in the government" during his predecessor's war on illegal drugs which could have made criminal syndicates "stronger." Speaking at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) here on Thursday, the President said the administration of Rodrigo Duterte "focused very much on enforcement" in its relentless campaign against narcotics. The crackdown resulted in the deaths of at least 6,000 people during police operations, according to official government figures. Human rights groups claim the number could exceed 20,000, mostly victims of extrajudicial killings. The International Criminal Court (I.C.C.) has launched an investigation, but the Duterte administration refused to cooperate and cut off ties with the court. Marcos said his administration is "looking at the problem as a whole," with a special focus on the Filipino youth "so they are not tempted to indulge in these activities."
READ: OCTA sees Covid positivity rate reaching 25 percent
OCTA Research said on Friday the Covid-19 positivity rate in the country could reach 25 percent, a level not seen since the upswing of the Delta variant in 2021. In a televised briefing, OCTA Research senior fellow Dr. Guido David said that despite the surging positivity rate, the number of hospitalized Covid cases remains stable and is not expected to hit critical levels. The current positivity rate in the National Capital Region or Metro Manila is 20.4 percent, the highest since Jan. 29, 2022, when cases of the BA.2 Omicron subvariant spiked.
READ: Coronation of Charles UK's first in 70 years
BRITAIN'S first coronation in 70 years takes place on Saturday, with Charles 3rd crowned king in an elaborate Christian ceremony steeped in solemn ritual and more than a millennium of history. The coronation, the first of a British king since 1937, is the religious confirmation of his accession after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth 2nd, last September.
READ: Marcos bags $1.3B in investment pledges
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is bringing home at least 1.3 billion dollars worth of investment pledges from his five-day official working visit here. In a post-visit briefing, the President said the pledges were the result of his engagements with American businesses, several of which are already operating in the Philippines and are looking to expand operations.
READ: PH 2nd in medal tally as Cambodia Games kick off
Athletes from the 11 nations participating in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Friday paraded into the Morodok Techo Stadium to officially kick off the biennial sports competition. The Philippine team, off to a rousing start in events played ahead of the opening ceremony, is second in the medal standings behind Cambodia. The Philippine contingent of 50 female athletes was led by flag bearer and women's volleyball team captain Alyssa Valdez.
SPORTS: PH men's volleyball, football teams falter
Continuing from Cambodia, the Philippine men's volleyball and football teams bowed out of medal contention in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games on Thursday, May 4. Both national teams saw their hopes for a podium finish vanish even before the Games officially started on Friday, May 5, with the opening ceremony at the Morodok Techo Stadium. The Philippine men's volleyball team got its medal hopes smashed after it dropped to 0-2 in Group A following an 18-25, 18-25, 17- 25 loss to host Cambodia at the Indoor Olympic Stadium.
BUSINESS: Inflation cools further but upside risk remain
Topping business, inflation slowed for a third straight month in April as food and non-alcoholic beverage prices fell, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Friday. The 6.6-percent result, which fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' forecast range of 6.3 to 7.1 percent for the month, was lower than March's 7.6 percent and the 7.0-percent median in a Manila Times poll of economists. Core inflation, which excludes volatile food and energy items, likewise declined to 7.9 percent from 8.0 percent in March. Year to date, headline inflation stood at 7.9 percent while core inflation was at 7.8 percent.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras calls for the legalization of divorce, Makabenta continues his tirade on "climate alarmists", and Remoto looks into Penguin Random House's collection of books by Filipino authors.
Today's editorial talks about the United States' role in the development of the Philippines. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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