Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, July 5, 2023.
READ: Lawmakers, mayors support DoT chief
THE United One Cebu Island has expressed its support for Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco over a controversy involving the government's latest international blitz. On Monday night, 11 members of the House of Representatives, 5 component city mayors, 44 municipal mayors and the mayors of the cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, and the president of the Philippine Councilors League Federation signed a manifesto of support for Frasco.
READ: DBM orders release of teachers' 2021 bonus
BUDGET Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has ordered the release of the delayed performance-based bonus of teachers for 2021. In a statement, the Department of Budget and Management chief gave assurances that they are finding ways to resolve the issue and would immediately release the payment of benefits as soon as needed requirements are met. The D.B.M-National Capital Region on June 27, 2023 released a special allotment release order and a notice of cash allocation to the Department of Education amounting to 950,942,317 pesos for the payment of the P.B.B. of eligible school-based personnel of DepEd-N.C.R. for fiscal year 2021.
READ: Pagasa declares onset of El Niño
THE Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) has officially declared the onset of El Niño. Pagasa issued El Niño Advisory 1 for concerned government agencies to take action as effects of the phenomenon will start to be felt in some areas in the country.
READ: Pork supply up but demand low – farmers' group
THE Philippine pork industry experienced low demand and oversupply in recent months, a leader for hog farmers said. Speaking at a recorded video interview with The Manila Times, National Federation of Hog Farmers Inc. president Chester Warren Tan said the effects of African swine fever for the past three years gave the pork industry a deficit.
READ: Public health emergency 'de facto' lifted – Herbosa
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. believes that the state of public health emergency in the country brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic has been "de facto" lifted because of the easing of restrictions, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said Tuesday. Speaking to reporters in Malacañang, Herbosa said the President will soon issue an order for the formal lifting of the Covid-19 health emergency declaration. Herbosa said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases recommended the emergency's lifting, but the Office of the President has to review the proposal further. When asked when the formal order of the President will be announced, the Health chief simply said, "Soon."
BUSINESS: Shareholders offered 'best and final' price
Over to business, a consortium looking to take Metro Pacific Investments Corp. private has raised its tender offer price for shares held by minority stockholders. The updated offer was submitted on Monday by M.P.I.C. parent firm First Pacific Co. Ltd. and majority shareholder G.T. Capital Holdings Inc. along with Japan's Mit-Pacific Infrastructure Holdings Inc. and M.I.G. Holdings Inc., the company said in a disclosure. The revised price of 5.20 pesos per common share, up from the 4.63 pesos announced in April, was described as a 37-percent premium over the one-year volume weighted average and also 10 centavos higher than the range determined by an independent financial advisor.
SPORTS: Work continues for Olympics-bound Obiena
Headlining sports, the Philippines' and Asia's best pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena secured his 2024 Paris Olympics berth after clearing the Olympic entry standard height of 5.82 meters during the Bauhaus-Galan at the Stockholm Olympic Stadium in Sweden early Monday, July 3 (Manila time). Obiena, however, is by no means going to rest on his laurels as he looks to keep on working, especially after committing what he said as "rookie mistakes" in the said competition that saw him claim a silver medal.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, Francisco Tatad and Jeffrey Sachs are today's front page columnists. Fr. Aquino talks about when not to disallow, Tatad cites a "useful" move from Japan, while Sachs talks about the upcoming Paris summit involving world leaders.
Today's editorial believes the real problem is not with the minimum wage. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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