Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, September 22, 2023.
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READ: Marcos ratings show 'significant' decline
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. continues to enjoy the trust and approval of the people, despite having "significant" drops in his ratings, PUBLiCUS Asia Inc.'s third quarter survey released on Thursday showed. The September 7 to 12 survey results showed 55 percent of 1,500 respondents appreciated the President's work performance, a seven-point decline from the 62 percent in the second quarter. The President recorded lower ratings in Metro Manila (61 percent in second quarter to 52 percent in third quarter), North Central Luzon (60 percent to 56 percent), South Luzon (55 percent to 49 percent), and Visayas (71 percent to 52 percent). His approval rating rose slightly from 63 percent to 64 percent in the Visayas.
READ: Look towards Asia, Marcos urges Europe
Meanwhile, the President urged European countries to look towards Asia as it offers "exciting" opportunities in the region. Marcos made the remark after Nicolas Brühl, the new Swiss ambassador to the Philippines, presented his credentials in a ceremony in Malacañang on Wednesday. The President said he, along with his fellow leaders in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean), are working to strengthen the region's economic systems and address its weaknesses during the pandemic.
READ: 'Values formation can ensure city's sustainability'
DEVELOPMENT should be accompanied by values formation that is ingrained in the community and the entire system to ensure the sustainability of a city or municipality, Christopher Ferareza, a partner in the Advisory Services Practice Area of P&A Grant Thornton, said. Speaking during a forum, "Model Cities and Municipalities 2023: Future-proofing the Quality of Township Living," organized by The Manila Times on Monday, he said these values include collaboration, leadership, excellence, agility, responsibility and respect. Ferareza said collaboration is a vital element of a model city or municipality as it brings successful achievement of goals of the local government unit.
READ: House to pass 2024 budget next week
THE House of Representatives will pass the 5.768-trillion-peso 2024 national budget on third and final reading next week before the Congress takes a break. House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez gave the assurance after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. certified the bill as urgent. Romualdez lauded the President for recognizing the urgency of ensuring the continuity of government programs and services.
BUSINESS: BSP keeps rates steady but hints of future hike
Over to business, monetary authorities kept key interest rates steady on Thursday as expected but indicated the possibility of a rate hike in November due to inflationary risks. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' target reverse repurchase and overnight deposit and lending rates were kept at 6.25 percent, 5.75 percent and 6.75 percent, respectively. The B.S.P.'s policy-making Monetary Board has now paused from adjusting key interest rates for a fourth straight meeting. It last ordered a 25-basis-point increase in March, which brought cumulative hikes beginning May of last year to 425 basis points. The tightening spree was in response to surging inflation, which hit a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January this year. The rate fell over the next six months but this was snapped in August when it rose to 5.3 percent, owing mainly to a sharp increase in food and transport costs.
SPORTS: Perpetual Help Altas seek first NCAA title
In sports, the hunt for the elusive men's basketball championship in the National Collegiate Athletic Association continues for the Altas as Season 99 tips off on Sunday, September 24, at Mall of Asia Arena in Pasay City. University of Perpetual Help System Dalta has won many N.C.A.A. titles in other sports but has not yet captured the men's basketball's crown jewel. This year, head coach Michael "Myk" Saguiguit is confident the Altas will have a major breakthrough in the tournament.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao believes Artificial Intelligence is not intelligent as some may think, while Tatad thinks the President had missed calls on diplomacy.
Today's editorial discusses preventing children from online sexual predators. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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