Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, May 23, 2023.
READ: Natl IDs damaged in post office fire
NATIONAL I.D's due for delivery in Manila may have been damaged or destroyed by the fire that gutted the iconic Manila Central Post Office building on Sunday, the Philippine Statistics Authority said. In a statement Monday, the PSA said it is coordinating with the Philippine Postal Corp. on the I.D's that may have been lost in the fire. It said the destroyed I.D's will be replaced free of charge.
READ: Post office building will rise again – mayor
MANILA Mayor Maria Sheila Honey Lacuna-Pangan gave assurances on Monday the historic Manila Central Post Office building which was gutted by fire will be rebuilt. She said the building had been declared as an "institutional zone" by the city government, and by the National Museum as an important cultural property in 2018. "This means that the National Heritage Institute has declared the whole place as national heritage zone," Lacuna-Pangan said. The city's zoning code guarantees the restoration of the building and that no other establishment or infrastructure will be built in the area, the mayor said.
READ: Tugade resigns as LTO chief
LAND Transportation Office chief Jose Arturo Tugade resigned on Monday, citing "differing methods" with the Department of Transportation. The LTO is an agency of the Transportation department. His resignation will take effect on June 1.Prior to his appointment to the L.T.O., Tugade was the general manager of the Manila International Airport Authority. During his more than sixmonth stint as head of the L.T.O., Tugade was able to implement various policies. He oversaw the transition from a manual Temporary Operator's Permit (TOP) to an electronic system utilizing handheld devices for increased efficiency and convenience. Tugade also introduced online renewal options for private motor vehicle registration and extended the initial registration period for brand-new motorcycles from one to three years, effective May 15. He set a cap on driving school rates, ensuring pricing stability and fairness for driver education. Tugade pushed for the full implementation of the Land Transportation Management System for Driving Institution Portal to enhance the management of driving institutions.
READ: We adapt or we suffer – Marcos
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said the government will have to implement programs addressing climate change or the country will suffer from its whiplash. Marcos said the government will ramp up cooperation with the Asian Development Bank to effectively implement the Philippine Development Plan 2023-2028, with emphasis "on climate and its intimate relation to the people" and the country's future. Citing data from the 2022 World Bank report, he said that "climate change will continue to pose a threat to the Philippines."
BUSINESS: BMI: Bangko Sentral not done hiking rates
Topping business, key interest rates will likely be raised one more time next month, a Fitch Group unit said, with last week's Monetary Board decision to hold fire seen as merely a pause in the current tightening cycle. Inflation slowed for a third straight month to 6.6 percent in April but remained above the central bank's 2.0- to 4.0-percent target. With the B.S.P. noting that the balance of risks was largely tilted toward the upside, B.M.I. said that another rate hike could be ordered to anchor expectations.
SPORTS: PH snares 7 golds in modern pentathlon tilt
In sports, the national team of modern pentathlon had an impressive campaign as it pocketed seven gold medals in the U.I.P.M. 2023 Southeast Asia (SEA) Championships held last May 19-21 in Pattaya, Thailand. Samuel German, Juliana Shane Sevilla and Joseph Godbout each won two gold medals in their respective categories for the Philippine Team, which went against athletes from other nations. German and Sevilla teamed up on the final day as the two won the seventh gold by ruling the Laser Run Mixed Relay.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras believes the latest issues at the House of Representatives will turn into a brawl of political families, while Mercado calls for a Philippine Center for Disease Control.
Today's editorial rings the alarm over HIV-AIDS cases on Filipino teenagers. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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