Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, August 15, 2023.
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READ: Marcos pushes pay hike for teachers
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday directed the Department of Education (DepEd) to find ways to increase the salaries of teachers. The presidential directive is on top of the pay hike already mandated by the Salary Standardization Law. Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte confirmed the directive in an interview following the "Brigada Eskwela" activities of the DepEd at the Victorino Mapa High School in Barangay San Miguel, Manila, where Marcos was also present.
READ: Estrada's sons refute Times columnist's claims
IT is "impossible" for former president Joseph Estrada to commit to China the removal of the BRP Sierra Madre from the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea, as alleged by The Manila Times columnist Rigoberto Tiglao, Senators Jose "Jinggoy" Estrada and Joseph Victor Ejercito said. The Chinese Embassy in Manila last week insisted that the Philippines had repeatedly "promised" to tow away the grounded ship. But Manila has reneged on its supposed "commitment." In separate statements, Estrada and Ejercito defended their father from Tiglao's accusation.
READ: AFP to beef up presence in West Philippine Sea
A TOP military official underscored the need to upgrade the four areas in the West Philippine Sea where Philippine troops are stationed, a move that would further reinforce the country's response against the increasingly aggressive posturing by China in the disputed waters. Following a visit to the headquarters of the Western Command, which has jurisdiction over the West Philippine Sea, Armed Forces of the Philippines Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. vowed to improve the facilities in all military posts in the area. Brawner's visit comes days after a Chinese coast guard ship fired a water cannon at a Philippine boat bringing supplies to Marines stationed at Ayungin Shoal last August 5. He said aside from Ayungin Shoal where the derelict Navy ship B.R.P. Sierra Madre has been converted into a station for a small complement of Philippine Marines, other reefs, shoals and cays are being guarded by Philippine troops and these must be fortified.
READ: China blames PH for water cannon incident
CHINA on Monday blamed the water cannon incident on the Philippine government's continued defiance of an earlier understanding to ban the delivery of construction materials to the derelict Navy ship in the Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Speaking at a forum in Quezon City, Zhou Zhiyong, deputy chief of mission of the Chinese Embassy in Manila, said the agreement on the nature of the resupply missions to Ayungin, which China calls Ren'ai Reef, was reached at the end of 2021 following "several rounds of discussions in order to manage the disputes." The B.R.P. Sierra Madre serves as a station for a small detachment of Philippine troops. On August 5, a boat chartered by the Philippine Coast Guard to deliver food and other provisions to the Philippine soldiers at Ayungin was blocked by a China Coast Guard ship.
BUSINESS: Reserves to cushion impact from spillovers
Topping business, ample gross international reserves are needed to cushion the impact of an expected global slowdown, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona said on Monday. The country's gross international reserves stood at $99.7 billion in July, based on the latest BSP data, slightly higher than the $99.4 billion a month earlier. These consist of foreign investments, gold, foreign exchange, a reserve position in the International Monetary Fund and special drawing rights. G.I.R.'s hit a high of $110.12 billion in 2020 but fell to as low as $95.1 billion in late 2022 as the central bank moved to defend the peso, which had fallen to a record low of P59 against the dollar amid aggressive monetary tightening by the U.S. Federal Reserve (Fed). Remolona underscored the importance of reserves, noting that continued interest rate hikes by the U.S. central bank would have a global impact.
SPORTS: Eala captures 4th pro title in UK
In sports, Alex Eala just bagged her fourth professional championship in her young career. The Filipino tennis ace dispatched Russian-Australian Arina Rodionava, 6-2, 6-3 in the W25 Roehampton singles tournament final in London on Sunday evening, August 13 (Manila time). Despite being 15 years junior to 33-year-old Rodionava, Eala proved to be the better netter in the match that lasted for one hour and 57 minutes. World No. 248 Eala jumped on the 13-time I.T.F. champ and world No. 166 Rodionava who is representing Australia, racing to 3-0 in both frames to key her win. Tournament sixth seed Eala got four break points and held service in eight games compared to second seed Rodionova who had one and four, respectively.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses the malpractice of science bureaucrats, while Mercado gives his view on the recent incident at the Ayungin Shoal.
Today's editorial tackles the K to 10 educational curriculum. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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