Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, June 17, 2023.
READ: Marcos to hold on to Agriculture post
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will continue to head the Department of Agriculture until "systems are all in place" to ensure the country's food security. Speaking to reporters after the ceremonial turnover of urea fertilizers from China on Friday, the President said he has been waiting for someone to volunteer for the position. Marcos said since he assumed the post in a concurrent capacity, he has put in place substantial changes to address the issues in the agriculture sector. He said the problem was that during the beginning of the year, the prices of food and fertilizer shot up, triggering a crisis.
READ: President: China's urea donation a 'friendly gesture'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said his government will always work to strengthen its relations with China after Beijing displayed what he called a "solid gesture of friendship" by donating over 20,000 metric tons of fertilizer to the Philippines. Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian turned over 20,000 metric tons or 400,000 bags of urea fertilizer during a ceremony at the National Food Authority warehouse in Valenzuela City.
READ: Judge in de Lima case inhibits
A MUNTINLUPA City judge inhibited from hearing the remaining drug-related case against former senator Leila de Lima after his impartiality was questioned. Just last week, Regional Trial Court Branch 256 Judge Romeo Buenaventura denied the bail petition of de Lima and her co-accused Joenel Sanchez, Ronnie Dayan, Jad Dera and Franklin Bucayu. Dayan, Sanchez and former Bureau of Corrections director Bucayu have filed separate motions calling on Buenaventura to step down from the case. They argued that the judge is the brother of Emmanuel Buenaventura, a lawyer for former congressman Reynaldo Umali.
READ: Govt plans to relocate Mayon evacuees
PART of the national government's long-term plan for the evacuees currently affected by the eruption of Mayon Volcano is to permanently relocate those living inside or near the permanent danger zone, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said on Friday.
BUSINESS: PH external position on 'moderating path'
Topping business, monetary authorities on Friday approved new balance of payments projections for this year and next year based on latest data and developments. The expected B.o.P. deficit for this year was trimmed to $1.2 billion from $1.6 billion while that for 2024 was maintained at $500 million. As a percentage of gross domestic product, the 2023 shortfall is narrower at 0.3 percent from the March assumption of 0.4 percent. The ratio for the 2024 deficit was unchanged at 0.1 percent of G.D.P. The country recorded a B.o.P. deficit of $7.3 billion last year, equivalent to 1.8 percent of G.D.P. As of the first quarter of this year, the B.o.P. was in surplus at $3.5 billion.
SPORTS: Yulo earns World Championships berth
In sports, Carlos Yulo seized the individual all-around silver medal in the 2023 Senior Artistic Gymnastics Asian Championships at the O.C.B.C. Competition Hall in Singapore and booked a spot in the World Championships on Thursday, June 15. The Filipino Olympian, who hails from Malate, notched 85.930 points in the individual all-around, where the top eight gymnasts advanced to the finals of the apparatus and clinched berths in the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium slated from September 30 to October 8. The World Championships is the main qualifier for the 2024 Paris Olympics. A two-time world champion, Yulo notched 13.266 points in pommel horse, 14.300 in still rings, 14.866 in vault, 15.066 in parallel bars, 13.466 in horizontal bars and 14.966 in floor exercise.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about anti-gay whataboutism of senators, Makabenta claims climate lockdowns are beginning, and Briones listens to 'the hope of the fatherland'.
Today's editorial believes that the informal sector must be a formal part of the country's climate plans. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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