Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, June 27, 2023.
READ: Tesda most trusted govt agency – survey
THE Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda) gained the highest approval and trust ratings among all government agencies based on a recent survey of registered voters. In the Pahayag 2023 Second Quarter Survey conducted June 7 to 12 by the Manila-based firm PUBLiCUS Asia, Tesda had an approval rating of 72 percent and trust rating of 58 percent. The previously top-ranked Armed Forces of the Philippines shared second to third places with the Department of Science and Technology with 66 percent for approval and 56 percent for trust.
READ: BIR chief recognized for good governance
Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. has been recognized for good governance through efficient revenue and tax collection by Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership. The nonprofit organization honored Lumagui during its 15th anniversary rites last Saturday.
READ: Remulla takes 10-day leave
JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla is on a 10-day wellness leave, a statement released Monday by the Department of Justice said. In a Viber message, Remulla named Justice Undersecretary Raul Valdez as officer in charge while he is on leave. The Justice department did not give any explanation for Remulla's leave, even as it assured everyone that the D.o.J. would continue to perform its vital functions and responsibilities without any interruption.
READ: Galvez back as OPAPRU head
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. reappointed Carlito Galvez Jr. as head of the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (Opapru). The former officer in charge of the Department of National Defense was on the list of new appointees released by Malacañang on Monday. Isidro Purisima reverted to his role as Opapru senior undersecretary.
READ: DoH to create nursing advisory council
THE Department of Health will create a new council that will focus on the problems of the country's nurses. The National Nursing Advisory Council will be headed by a chief nursing officer, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said on Monday. The council will address the problems the nursing industry faces, like the "brain drain" and the low salary of nurses in private hospitals, Herbosa said. It will also help identify and resolve the needs of the country's nurses to discourage them from seeking jobs abroad.
READ: 2 PH kickboxers bag gold in World Championships
TWO Filipino kickboxers won gold medals in the World Kickboxing Association World Championships held at the Mira Boxing Stadium in Bali, Indonesia, on June 23. Jethro Saba, fighting in the 61 to 63 kilogram class, bagged two golds after beating Indonesian Joydi Sigarlaki and American Dean Rosenwald, both by unanimous decision. Saba used a vicious combination of straight punches and back kicks to dominate his opponents. Andrei Amerkhan, competing in the 63.5 kg class, defeated Australian Rahullah Sarwari via unanimous decision. Amerkhan thrilled the crowd by unleashing two flying knee strikes and a straight punch to his opponent's jaw en route to his win.
SPORTS: Obiena, Yulo poised to qualify for Paris
POLE vaulter Ernest John Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo are poised to become the first Filipino athletes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics. Thanks to specified tournaments that could key their outright Olympic qualification, Obiena and Yulo, who both competed in the 2020 Tokyo Games in 2021, don't have to accumulate points through a series of qualifiers. As long as they ace the necessary finish, the two athletes who hail from Manila can seal their Olympic spots and just opt to use the months leading up to the Paris Games to solely improve, unbothered as to whether or not they can make the Olympics. Of the two athletes, Obiena has the earliest chance of making it to Paris with the Olympic qualification for men's pole vault set to start on July 1.
BUSINESS: Tightening cycle over; cuts to start next year
PHILIPPINE monetary authorities are done with hiking interest rates but will only begin cutting in 2024, Fitch Group unit B.M.I. Country Risk & Industry Research said. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' policymaking Monetary Board last week decided to keep key interest rates steady for a second straight meeting after hiking by a total of 425 basis points beginning May of last year. The central bank's overnight reverse repurchase rate currently stands at a 16-year high of 6.25 percent. B.M.I. expects rate cuts totaling 100 bps next year to bring the policy rate down to 5.25 percent. Inflation, which hit a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January, dropped to 6.1 percent in May but remains well over the central bank's 2.0- to 4.0-percent target.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses nepotism and political dynasties, Makabenta continues insisting using "Filipinas" as the country's official name, while Mercado talks about quorum and decorum.
Today's editorial tackles issues surrounding students dropping out of school. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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