Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, July 8, 2023.
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READ: New law writes off P57-B farmers' debt
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday signed a new law that condones over 57 billion pesos worth of loans of more than 600,000 farmers who are agrarian reform beneficiaries. Republic Act 11953, which writes off "all principal loans, unpaid amortization and interests, and exempting payment of estate tax on agricultural lands awarded under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program," was signed in a ceremony in Malacañang.
READ: Batangas farmer freed from 50-year-old burden
During the signing, Loreto Bautista, a 76-year-old farmer from Calacan town in Batangas, waited for half a century for this moment. For the first time in his life, Bautista can keep the income from the rice he harvests, finally freed from the debt that has burdened him and his family for as long as he can remember.
READ: Chinese ships swarming at WPS reef
FORTY-EIGHT Chinese fishing vessels have been swarming off Iroquois Reef in the West Philippine Sea, which is well within the Philippines' Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) reported on Friday. AFP Western Command (Wescom) spokesman Commander Ariel Coloma said the presence of the Chinese boats was confirmed by a Philippine Navy patrol plane on June 30. Coloma said during multiple flights over Iroquois Reef in the past week, pilots on the patrol plane observed an alarming presence of Chinese fishing boats. Iroquois Reef is located south of Recto Bank, believed to hold immense oil reserves. Recto has also been a focal point in the growing concern over China's aggressive behavior in the West Philippine Sea, Coloma noted.
READ: Unplenished with rain, Magat Dam drying up
THE water at the Magat Dam reservoir is approaching the level where it will be too shallow to generate power, the National Irrigation Administration-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System (NIA-Mariis) reported. Because little or no rain has fallen for days in the provinces of Nueva Vizcaya and Ifugao, the level has dropped by 7.5 meters since June 1, the NIA-Mariis said.
READ: Budget, 20 priority bills up at House, says Romualdez
THE House of Representatives plans to thoroughly discuss and adopt the 2024 national budget while also expediting the passage of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s priority measures by the end of the year. Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez stated on Friday that the House will have two major priorities for the rest of 2023: passing the proposed 5.768 trillion peso National Expenditure Program for 2024 on time and approving the remaining bills designated as priority measures during the 2nd Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council.
BUSINESS: Unemployment dips to 4.3% in May
Topping business, unemployment narrowed for a third month in a row in May, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Friday. The country's jobless rate decreased to 4.3 percent from 4.5 percent in May, the P.S.A. said, the second lowest since April 2005. Underemployment, counts those seeking additional work or a second job, also declined to 11.7 percent after it picked up to 12.9 percent in May. A year earlier, unemployment was significantly higher at 6.0 percent and underemployment was at 14.5 percent. A total of 2.17 million were without jobs in May, down from 2.26 million and 2.93 million a month and a year earlier, respectively. The underemployed, meanwhile, totaled 5.56 million, also lower than the prior month's 6.20 million and the 6.67 million a year ago. Employment, at 95.7 percent, rose from 94.0 percent in May last year and 95.5 percent in April 2023. The number of employed individuals in May 2023 reached 48.26 million, improving from last year's 46.08 million.
SPORTS: Kai Sotto set for NBA Summer League debut
Over to sports, Kai Sotto of the Philippines is all set for his NBA Summer League debut at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada on Sunday, July 9 (Manila time). Sotto and the Orlando Magic take on the Detroit Pistons at 5:30 a.m. Being one of only two legitimate centers in Orlando's Summer League roster, the 7-foot-3 Sotto is primed to get significant playing time for the Magic, that is, if they won't go for a small ball lineup. Sotto is set to share the center duties with the 6-foot-11 Robert Baker 2nd. The 24-year-old Baker played for the Magic's G-League affiliate Osceola Magic last season, averaging 10.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists per game.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, Danton Remoto and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras and Makabenta give their thoughts on the controversies at the Department of Tourism amid the fallout on the controversial travel slogan for the country, Remoto discusses tourism in Vietnam, while Briones talks about a recent youth summit in Indonesia.
Today's editorial believes action is urgently needed to forestall heat disasters. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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