Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, June 14, 2023.
READ: 2 generals, 48 PNP personnel charged
THE Philippine National Police and the National Police Commission filed criminal charges against 50 police officers, including two former generals, for their alleged involvement in the cover-up of the 990 kilos of shabu worth an estimated 6.7 billion pesos seized from a now-dismissed policeman in October 2022. In a press briefing held at the Department of the Interior and Local Government Napolcom Center in Quezon City on Tuesday, Interior Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr. said the cases were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Friday, June 9, 2023. Abalos, concurrently Napolcom chairman, said the charges include violation of Republic Act 3019 or the "Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act"; R.A. 9165 or the "Dangerous Drugs Act as amended"; Revised Penal Code, in particular, Article 171 on falsification, Article 183 on perjury, Article 184 on false testimony and Article 217 on malversation of public property; and Presidential Decree 1829 on obstruction of justice.
READ: Marcos OKs wider food stamp program
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved the pilot implementation of the food stamp program that will also include single parents, and pregnant and lactating women, the Department of Social Welfare and Development said on Tuesday. The President gave the approval during a sectoral meeting with Social Welfare Secretary Rexlon Gatchalian and other members of the Cabinet in Malacañang.
READ: Defective goods top gripe vs e-platforms
DEFECTIVE products are the top complaint among customers of two big e-commerce platforms, the Department of Trade and Industry reported on Tuesday. Despite calling the attention of the two e-commerce platforms to resolve the complaint, Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said the issue has remained unresolved.
READ: Denver Nuggets win NBA Finals for first title
The Denver Nuggets sealed their first title in franchise history on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), defeating the Miami Heat 94-89 to end a 47-season wait for a maiden NBA championship. Nikola Jokić scored 28 points with 16 rebounds as the Nuggets won the best-of-seven NBA Finals 4-1 to bring the Mile High City an NBA crown as a sellout crowd roared in delight and pondered what more the young squad could achieve.
READ: Most Pinoys feel safe inside, outside homes
MOST Filipinos feel safe in their neighborhoods and homes and are comfortable walking alone at night, a survey conducted by OCTA Research showed. Moreover, nearly half said they live in neighborhoods that are free from illegal drugs. In the first quarter Tugon ng Masa survey conducted on March 24-28, 2023, 91 percent of residents from the National Capital Region and Balanced Luzon felt that they were safe in their neighborhoods. Among socioeconomic classes, Class A.B.C. and Class D said they believe that they are safe in their communities — respectively, 92 percent and 90 percent, the highest. Class E recorded the highest percentage of adult Filipinos who are not sure about their safety within their neighborhoods. Regions with the highest percentages of respondents saying they feel safe in their own neighborhoods were the Cordillera Administrative Region and the Mimaropa with 100 percent, while Bicol Region had the lowest with 51 percent. Respondents 45-54 years old, and 75 and above accounted for the highest percentage of those who believe that they feel their neighborhoods are safe.
BUSINESS: Investor worries tagged as net FDI drops 30.7%
Over to business, foreign direct investments plunged in March, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas reported on Tuesday, dropping by 30.7 percent to $548 million from $792 million a year earlier. The central bank attributed the decline to "lower net inflows across all major F.D.I. components amid investor concerns over subdued global growth prospects." Net investments in debt instruments, which accounted for the bulk of F.D.I., plunged by 37.2 percent to $389 million from March 2022's $620 million.
SPORTS: Alex Eala climbs 38 spots in world tennis rankings
In other sports news, Filipino tennis sensation Alex Eala climbed 38 spots in the Women's Tennis Association rankings. From 266th in May, Eala rose to 228th in the latest rankings released by the W.T.A. on Tuesday, June 13. Her rise was expected following a string of strong performances in her last three tournaments. The 18-year-old reached the W-25 Monastir quarterfinals in Tunisia on May 26, her first quarterfinals appearance of the year. Eala then followed that up by seizing her third professional championship in the W-25 Yecla in Spain on June 4.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao looks into the country's over-dependence on foreign powers for help, while Tatad analyzes if the world's population of 10 billion by 2050 is too many.
Today's editorial believes climate investment must be good business. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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