Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, September 21, 2023.
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BANNER: PH to file suit vs China
THE Philippines will file environmental cases against China for its destructive activities in the West Philippine Sea before the Permanent Court of Arbitration. The announcement came just days after the Philippine Coast Guard reported the severe damage inflicted by Chinese operations on the marine environment of Rozul Reef and Escoda Shoal, both parts of the Philippine exclusive economic zone.
Angkas CEO urges govt to help informal workers
LOCAL government units need to create opportunities for the informal workers sector, said George Royeca, cofounder and chief executive officer of Angkas. Royeca said 99 percent of low-income households in the Philippines belong to the informal workers sector, which is not covered by labor laws and regulations. These professions include jeepney drivers, market stall owners and street hawkers whose contributions have market value but are not registered.
Information, communication key to urban planning - expert
DATA gathering and input from residents are keys to effective urban planning, said Asia Development Bank urban development specialist Dr. Nathaniel von Einsiede during The Manila Times Model Cities and Municipalities 2023 forum on Monday. Von Einsiedel cited the scarcity of sanitary landfills that affect waste disposal in Philippine cities and the possible solution to the problem.
PAO to defend teachers who will serve in BSKE
THE Public Attorney's Office will provide free legal assistance to the nearly 826,000 public school teachers serving as members of the electoral board in the Oct. 30, 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections. PAO affirmed this commitment through a memorandum of agreement it signed with the Commission on Elections and Department of Education on Tuesday, the agency's chief Persida Rueda-Acosta told The Manila Times. With the DepEd responsible for providing supervision and support to all school heads, teachers and facilitators, the PAO, on the one hand, would be called upon by proper government authorities to render legal assistance and service to the teachers, among others. Meanwhile, the Comelec will establish Legal Assistance Desks in all provinces to assist the electoral boards and all other persons rendering election service.
Congress on track to pass 20 priority bills
THE 19th Congress is right on target for the December passage of the 20 priority measures being pushed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., including the General Appropriations Bill, Malacañang said on Wednesday. Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said the leaders of both houses of Congress informed Marcos about the status of the bills during the third Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac) meeting in Malacañang on Wednesday. In an interview after the Ledac meeting, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said the Senate has finished about half of the 20 priority legislations requested by the President for passage before the end of the year.
All ranking DSWD officials asked to resign
ALL undersecretaries and assistant secretaries of the Department of Social Welfare and Development had been asked to submit their courtesy resignation, Secretary Rex Gatchalian disclosed on Wednesday. He said that the officials will undergo evaluation for the agency's streamlining of the operations. The D.S.W.D. chief said that he has yet to act on the resignations because they are busy attending budget hearings in Congress. Gatchalian added that he has started streamlining their operations.
BUSINESS: ADB lowers 2023 PH growth forecast
Over to business, Philippine economic growth will fall short of target this year and the next owing to persistent inflation and global headwinds, the Asian Development Bank said on Wednesday. In a September update to its outlook for the region, the Manila-based lender lowered its 2023 gross domestic product growth forecast for the country to 5.7 percent from 6.0 percent. That for next year was kept at 6.2 percent. Both projections fall below the government's 6.0- to 7.0-percent target for 2023 and 6.5 to 8.0 percent for 2024 to 2028.
SPORTS: LA Tenorio grateful, now cancer-free
In sports, veteran P.B.A. player L.A. Tenorio is cancer-free, according to Gilas Pilipinas head coach Tim Cone announced on Tuesday. Cone, who is also head coach of Barangay Ginebra, said during Tuesday's press briefing on Gilas Pilipinas roster changes that Tenorio, who will serve as his assistant for Gilas in the upcoming Asian Games, had finished his final checkups from Singapore, where doctors said he is free from cancer.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on the recent attack against environmental defenders, Makabenta discusses problems with a commercial bank, while Remoto pays tribute to late Migrant Workers Secretary Susan "Toots" Ople.
Today's editorial weighs in on the petitions against the Maharlika Investment Fund. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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