Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, August 12, 2023.

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READ: Marcos seeks sea treaty with Vietnam

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants to forge agreements with Vietnam and other countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) to boost maritime cooperation in the South China Sea. In a meeting with outgoing Vietnam Ambassador to the Philippines Hoang Huy Chung in Malacañang on Thursday, the President said such an agreement between Manila and Hanoi will be "a very big step" for the two countries amid the problems they face in the South China Sea. Tension between the Philippines and China has escalated in recent days following the water cannon attack by the China Coast Guard on Filipino vessels in the West Philippine Sea, which is the part of the South China Sea that belongs to the country's exclusive economic zone. Vietnam has also had numerous run-ins with Chinese vessels. Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei have also been locked in rows with China in the South China Sea.

READ: Tragic homecoming for slain teen's mother

FOR almost two years, Roda Liza Baltazar had been hiding from the authorities in Doha, Qatar, after she ran away from her employers. The 40-year-old Baltazar said she was overworked by the family, who hired her as a domestic helper. Because leaving an employer without completing a contract is a serious offense in Qatar, she was unable to find legitimate work and had been doing odd jobs. Baltazar was subsequently arrested and spent almost a year in jail. Released with the help of the Department for Migrant Workers and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, she arrived home in Manila on Friday to face a family tragedy. Her 17-year-old son, Jerhode, was killed on August 2 in Navotas City by police officers who mistook him for a murder suspect. Baltazar refused to face the media and requested privacy as she proceeded to her son's wake.

READ: House panel head backs revised K-10 curriculum

THE chairman of the House Committee on Basic Education and Culture welcomed the phased implementation of the revised Kinder to Grade 10 curriculum. Speaking during a briefing on Friday, Pasig Rep. Roman Romulo said the new curriculum will address the flaws that are causing Filipino children to struggle with both reading and math, as well as not being future-ready for a career or employment. The Department of Education (DepEd) said the "decongested" curriculum will focus on key competencies and foundational skills for learners from Kinder to Grade 10. Called the Matatag K-10 (Kinder to Grade 10), the curriculum will focus on literacy and numeracy skills, reducing the number of learning competencies, balancing cognitive demands, which will focus on higher-level thinking skills and clearer articulation of 21st century skills, intensifying values education and strengthening peace education, and making it at par with international standards.

READ: 'BBM foreign trips, economy's reopening major job creators'

PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s foreign trips and the reopening of the economy are the main drivers of the increasing employment rate in the country, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines said on Friday. ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. made the statement after the Philippine Statistics Authority reported the country's employment rate increased by 95.5 percent in June this year. During the Laging Handa public briefing, Ortiz-Luis cited a marked increase in Board of Investments and Philippine Economic Zone Authority registrations. Also the president of the Philippine Exporters Confederation Inc., he said the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been entertaining delegations that are looking for potential business partners in the country.

BUSINESS: PH growth forecasts lowered

Over to business, Philippine growth forecasts are being revised downwards following the second quarter's worse-than-expected slowdown of 4.3 percent. The April-June result was well below the consensus forecast of 6.0 percent, moderately lower than the first quarter's 6.4 percent. Year-to-date growth subsequently slowed to 5.3 percent, much lower than the government's 6.0- to 7.0-percent target for 2023.

SPORTS: Adamson goes for the kill vs La Salle

In sports, the Adamson Lady Falcons look for a repeat win against the La Salle Lady Spikers in Game 2 of their best-of-three finals series and clinch the Shakey's Super League National Invitational championship trophy at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan today, August 12. Game time is 4 p.m. with Adamson gunning for a 2-0 sweep over La Salle following a comefrom-behind triumph in game one last Wednesday.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras explains on sovereignty and sovereign rights, Makabenta believes that statecraft is the missing part of Philippine foreign policy on the South China Sea dispute, while Briones believes a "perfect storm" is coming soon.

Today's editorial thinks the public should not panic over the country's 4.3-percent second-quarter gross domestic product growth rate. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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