Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, June 7, 2023.
READ: Plunder, graft raps filed vs ex-governor
FORMER Surigao del Norte governor Francisco Matugas and several others were charged with plunder, graft and malversation for the alleged misuse of disaster funds. Charged before the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly diverting 90 million pesos were Matugas, Ma. Myrla Padayhag; Nelia Lomocso, former schools division superintendent of Siargao; Ma. Teresa Real, former schools division superintendent of Surigao del Norte; Maricris Sulapas; Juliet Dumaguit-Go; Harem Taruc who served as bids and awards committee chairman of the Department of Education (DepEd)-Siargao Division in 2022; Dominico Larong Jr., B.A.C. chairman of DepEd-Surigao del Norte Division in 2022; Joselito Manongas, Felisa Cordova, Lucila Inot and Azucena Simbol, members of the BAC of DepEd-Surigao del Norte Division in 2022; John Doe/Jane Doe; and Jessie Garcia of Merryland Publishing Corp. and B2G2 Enterprises Inc. Matugas, Lomocso and Real were accused of illegally transferring provincial funds in March 2022 to the DepEd divisions. The complainant, Oscar Pospia Jr., alleged that Matugas "disregarded the law by intentionally diverting" 90 million pesos "away from its rightful purpose."
READ: Post office fire ruled accidental
THE fire that gutted the historic Manila Central Post Office building in Liwasang Bonifacio last month was purely accidental, the Bureau of Fire Protection said. In its Fire Clearance Certificate issued on May 29 and made public Monday night, the B.F.P. declared that, after a thorough examination of the facts and the completed Fire Origin and Cause Determination and Analysis, the case of the fire that struck the building on the night of May 21 was considered "closed and solved." The F.C.C. was issued upon the request of Postmaster General and Philippine Postal Corp. C.E.O. Luis Carlos for insurance claims to the Government Service Insurance System.
READ: NHMFC partners with Baque Corp on housing project in Biñan
THE National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. signed a memorandum of agreement with Baque Corp. in collaboration with the city government of Biñan in Laguna to kickstart the government's Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4 P.H.) Program in the Southern Tagalog region through the construction of the Verida housing project. N.H.M.F.C. President Renato Tobias thanked the city led by Mayor Arman Dimaguila and Baque Corp. President Ofelia Baque and Chief Operating Officer Angelie Tan for the partnership.
READ: Agriculture execs defend Panganiban from graft charges
OFFICIALS from the Department of Agriculture (DA) backed Senior Undersecretary Domingo Panganiban who was charged on Monday with graft before the Office of the Ombudsman for his alleged involvement in a controversial sugar importation. D.A. Assistant Secretary and deputy spokesman Rex Estoperez on Tuesday said they have already answered the matter during a Senate hearing.
READ: Senators, officials, groups welcome Gibo, Herbosa
SENATORS on Tuesday welcomed the move of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to appoint Gilberto "Gibo" Teodoro Jr. as secretary of the Department of National Defense and Teodoro Herbosa as head of the Department of Health. Teodoro and Herbosa will face the Commission on Appointments to deliberate on their ad interim appointments once Congress resumes session in the last week of July. Senate Minority Leader Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel 3rd said both have prior experience in the field already, "hence, they can hit the ground running." Sen. Francis "Chiz" Escudero said Teodoro and Herbosa were "a good addition" to the Marcos administration. Sen. Joseph Victor Ejercito urged Teodoro to ensure the "successful" modernization of the Armed Forces of the Philippines. He also asked Herbosa to prioritize the full implementation of the Universal Health Care Law, as "the Covid-19 pandemic exposed the vulnerabilities of our public health system." Sen. Mary Grace Poe said she trusts that their expertise and experience in their respective fields will "help them carry on the gargantuan tasks that lie ahead."
BUSINESS: Inflation drops to 6.1%
Over to business, inflation slowed for the fourth consecutive month in May as transportation costs fell and food price hikes moderated, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Tuesday. The 6.1-percent result, down from 6.6 percent in April but still higher than the year-earlier 5.4 percent, fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' 5.8- to 6.6-percent forecast for the month. It also matched the 6.1-percent median in a Manila Times poll of economists. Core inflation, which strips out volatile food and energy items, slowed to 7.7 percent from 7.9 percent. Year to date, headline inflation stood at 7.5 percent while core inflation was at 7.8 percent. It remained well over the central bank's 2.0- to 4.0-percent target.
SPORTS: Tracksters add 3 more golds for Team PH
In sports, the Philippines rode on its wonderful track and field team in raking in three more gold medals and staying afloat in the 12th Asean Para Games at the Morodok Techo National Stadium on Tuesday. King James Reyes saved the best for last as he finally struck gold in the men's 800 meters T46 where he timed in two minutes and 13.22 seconds after a pair of silver-medal efforts in 5000 meters Sunday and 1500 meters Monday. Over at the nearby practice field where the other throwing events were staged, Rosalie Torrefiel and Andrei Kuizon likewise snared a gold each with the former reigning supreme in women's javelin F11 and the latter ruling men's shot put F54/34. The feats hiked the Joel Deriada-mentored squad's total to six, which already matched its haul last year in Surakarta, Indonesia with still one day remaining in the four-day centerpiece event. At press time, the Filipinos stayed at fifth in the overall medal race with a 15-18-18 gold-silver-bronze haul.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao said an ambassador to the United States should not be "toady" to the host country, Fr. Aquino talks about directing a church choir, and Tatad asks if maritime resolutions can be done without provoking war.
Today's editorial believes it is now time to cash in on the 'demographic dividend'. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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