Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, August 30, 2023.
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READ: Sara salutes soldiers' 'courage, dedication'
VICE President Sara Duterte led government officials and lawmakers in giving a salute to the men and women of the Armed Forces of the Philippines for their "excellence, courage, dedication and love for country," and for serving as an "inspiration" to Filipinos. In her keynote address during the inaugural staging of the "Tribute to Soldiers" awards jointly organized by the A.F.P., The Manila Times and The Manila Times TV at The Manila Hotel on Monday night, Duterte cited the 10 outstanding military personnel as "testaments" to the dedication of the country's armed forces to their "noble duty to protect our people and safeguard the integrity of our nation."
READ: 'Honoring Filipino soldiers matter of conviction, responsibility'
HONORING Filipino servicemen should be a matter of conviction and responsibility. This was articulated by The Manila Times Chairman Emeritus Dr. Dante A. Ang in his opening remarks at the maiden presentation of the "Tribute to Soldiers" awarding ceremony at the Manila Hotel on Monday night as the nation commemorated National Heroes Day. The event was jointly spearheaded by the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), The Manila Times and The Manila Times TV. It sought to honor the men and women in uniform who have served with distinction and yet, despite their achievements, have remained unrecognized.
READ: DepEd says: School opening generally orderly
FOR the most part, the opening of School Year 2023-2024 on Tuesday was "orderly," including in schools in EMBO (Enlisted Men's Barrios) that are still being disputed by the cities of Makati and Taguig, the Department of Education said. DepEd Deputy spokesman Francis Cesar Bringas, however, said that only Typhoon Goring-affected schools in Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, the Cordillera Administrative Region, and the provinces of Batangas and Oriental Mindoro were unable to begin their classes. Bringas added that the problem of lack of classrooms has been addressed by the institutionalization of alternative learning modes.
READ: PH projects multi-maritime drills with allies, partners
THE Philippines on Tuesday expressed the likelihood of conducting multimaritime exercises with allied countries and partners in separate undertakings with Australia, Japan and the United States in the West Philippine Sea. This came after the Australia-Philippine drills dubbed "Alon" culminated on Tuesday in a simple rites in Camp Aguinaldo marking the successful conduct of the weeklong naval and ground interoperability exercises in Palawan and Zambales between the two countries.
READ: Mike Enriquez signs off
HIGHLY respected and trusted television and radio news anchor Miguel "Mike" Enriquez passed away on Tuesday after battling prolonged complications from several medical issues and procedures in late 2021. His longtime home network, G.M.A., confirmed the news at the end of its flagship prime-time broadcast, "24 Oras," which Enriquez anchored since its inception in 2004. He was 71 years old. It was his permanent co-anchor, Mel Tiangco, who emotionally announced her partner's passing at the telecast, immediately followed by a carefully detailed video tribute to recall his stellar career in media.
BUSINESS: Maharlika Fund rules released
Topping business, the implementing rules and regulations of the Maharlika Investment Fund Act of 2023 have been released and will take effect next month, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said on Tuesday. In a statement, the Finance department said that the Bureau of Treasury had released the Maharlika Fund IRR on Monday and that it would take effect following publication in the Official Gazette and a general circulation newspaper. The rules had yet to be posted in the Official Gazette, the government's official journal, as of Tuesday evening. The I.R.R. was said to be the result of consultations with state-owned LandBank of the Philippines and Development Bank of the Philippines, which along with the national government will provide seed money for the fund, as well as a technical working group composed of representatives from the Department of Finance and the Department of Budget and Management. Also consulted were the Securities and Exchange Commission, National Economic and Development Authority, the Office of the Government Corporate Counsel and the Governance Commission for G.O.C.C's.
SPORTS: PH routs Hong Kong in Women's Asia Cup
Over to sports, the Philippines blasted Hong Kong, 7-0, to jumpstart its campaign in the Under-18 Women's Softball Asia Cup on Tuesday, August 29, in Fujian Province, China. The Filipinos opened the game with back-to-back runs in the first inning and peppered their opponent with five more runs in the fourth to book an emphatic win on opening day.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Francisco Tatad, and Jeffrey Sachs are today's front page columnists. Tiglao wants to debunk the disputes with China, Tatad wants President Marcos to shut down common crimes, while Sachs talks about the United States' economic war with China.
Today's editorial calls on the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to address the crisis on human trafficking. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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