Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, July 15, 2023.
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READ: 'Monster' Chinese ship joins swarm
THE world's largest coast guard ship has joined other Chinese vessels that have been swarming near the Ayungin Shoal, which is inside the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. According to United States-based national security expert Ray Powell, the C.C.G. (China Coast Guard) 5901, nicknamed "the monster" because of its size, joined another C.C.G. vessel, 4203, and the "still-growing swarm" of 32 Chinese maritime vessels in Ayungin, identified in international maritime maps as the Second Thomas Shoal. Powell said he used the automatic identification system to pinpoint C.C.G. 5901 as of Friday morning.
READ: 'Dodong' dumps rains in Northern Luzon
AT least 12 Luzon provinces were under Storm Signal No. 1 after Tropical Depression "Dodong" made landfall Friday, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said. In a press briefing Friday led by Officer in Charge Esperanza Cayanan, Pagasa said Signal No. 1 was still up in Isabela, Cagayan, Apayao, Kalinga, Abra, Mountain Province, Ifugao, Benguet, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and the northern portion of Pangasinan.
READ: Govt forms El Niño Team to prepare for dry spell
THE Office of Civil Defense (OCD) is set to convene the National El Niño Team to ensure harmonized implementation of efforts to address the possible impacts of the El Niño phenomenon. The National El Niño Team will be convened on July 19 in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City during a meeting to be presided over by Undersecretary Ariel Nepomuceno, Civil Defense administrator and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council executive director. During the meeting, the ongoing activities of the government agencies for El Niño will be discussed. Among the discussion points are the presentation of the short-, medium- and long-term plans of the various team clusters to address the effects of El Niño on food security, water security, energy security, health, public safety and cross-cutting issues.
READ: DILG chief cites drop in PH terrorism index
THE Department of the Interior and Local Government reported that the Philippines had placed 18th out of 163 countries in the global terrorism index this year, or one rung lower than that in 2022. Secretary Benjamin "Benhur" Abalos Jr., during the recently concluded 23rd Association of Southeast Asian Nations Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, said it is yet the best G.T.I. ranking achieved by the Philippines. He also said this ranking signifies that the country's current trajectory in combating terrorism, including the long-standing local insurgency, is going in the right direction.
READ: Kai makes NBA Summer League debut with Magic
KAI Sotto on Friday finally made his NBA Summer League debut in the Orlando Magic's 71-88 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Benched in the Magic's first three games in the preseason tournament, the 7-foot-3 Filipino made the most of his 13 minutes and 23 seconds court stint, finishing with six points, four rebounds, three blocks, and one assist against two turnovers.
SPORTS: Petro Gazz, Choco Mucho collide
Sticking to sports, Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho look to bolster their semifinals bid at the expense of each other today, July 15, in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League Invitational Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The Angels and the Flying Titans collide at 6:30 p.m. which will serve as the main event of a quadruple-header. Also-ran teams Farm Fresh and Foton open the curtains as they battle at 9:30 a.m. followed by the match between P.L.D.T. and Gerflor at 12 p.m. Akari and Creamline lock horns at 4 p.m. before Petro Gazz and Choco Mucho take on each other in a crucial duel. Occupying third place in pool B with a 3-1 win-loss card and eight points, the Angels look to score a victory that would assure them of finishing top two in the pool that would merit a semifinals ticket. Behind Gretchcel Soltones' explosive 31 points, Petro Gazz notched its third straight win against F2 Logistics on Thursday, 20- 25, 25-22, 25-12, 33-35, 15-9. The Angels aim to make it a four in a row and finish the elimination round with a 4-1 card.
BUSINESS: Maharlika bill to be signed before SONA
Topping business, the Maharlika Investment Fund bill, considered by the Marcos government as crucial for economic development but seen by critics as flawed and unnecessary, will be signed into law next week. According to Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, the July 18 signing of the bill is in President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s schedule, which will come less than a week before he delivers his second State of the Nation Address (SONA). Congress approved the proposed M.I.F. Act of 2023 last May 31 with the House of Representatives, which earlier passed its version of the measure last December, adopting a Senate version said to have closed loopholes and added safeguards. Marcos earlier said he would immediately sign the bill but later declared that he wanted to look into the changes made, particularly with regard to how the sovereign wealth fund would be managed.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, Danton Remoto and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras wants more answers over the recent controversies on the new Philippine tourism slogan, Makabenta wants the "Filipino Republic" for the country's designation, Remoto talks about new Filipino books from Penguin Random House, and Briones discusses the newly-opened White Room Gallery.
Today's editorial tackles Russia's trade pitch to the world. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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