Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, October 1, 2023.
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READ: Obiena snares PH's first gold, sets Asiad record
AS widely expected, pole vaulter Ernest John "E.J." Obiena delivered the first gold medal of the Philippines in the 19th Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Saturday. Obiena, the world No. 2 pole vaulter, clinched his first Asiad championship by posting the new meet's record as he surpassed 5.90 meters to also end the Philippines' 29-year medal and 37-year gold drought in athletics. The last Filipino athlete to win a medal in any Asiad athletics event before Obiena was Elma Muros, who snared a bronze in the women's long jump in the 1994 Asiad. Lydia de Vega, on the other hand, was the last to seize a gold medal as she ruled the women's 100 meters event in the 1986 Asian Games. Obiena started with a 5.55 meter clearance and proceeded to surpass 5.75 for the new Asian Games record. He reset the meet record right away with a 5.90 m clearance in just one attempt. The 27-year-old even tried to eclipse his personal best and Asian record of 6 meters but could not ace 6.02 meters in three attempts. Huang Bokai of China finished a distant second to Obiena, clearing 5.65 meters only as he defeated Hussain Al Hizam of Saudi Arabia via countback. Al Hizam also cleared 5.65 meters but needed more attempts at the previous heights.
SPORTS: Ubas enters Asiad long jump final
Sticking with the Asian Games and in athletics, Janry Ubas progressed to the final of the 19th Asian Games men's long jump at the Hanzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, China, on Saturday, September 30. Ubas placed third in the qualification phase with a jump of 7.79 meters in the 19-athlete field, where the top 12 advanced to the final. Ubas competes in the final on Sunday, October 1, at 7:10 p.m.
READ: Comelec to lease poll machines
In other news, Commission on Elections Chairman Erwin Garcia said the Comelec is keen on leasing election machines instead of buying new ones. Garcia told The Manila Times on Friday that the Comelec has already started looking for suppliers even if the budget for the project has not yet been approved. He said the Comelec requires specific innovations to solve problems experienced in past elections, including a 13- inch screen that will allow the voter to see the ballot's image front and back.
READ: US to 'invoke' defense pact in attack on PH
The United States will "surely invoke" its Mutual Defense Treaty with the Philippines if an armed attack against the country's "assets, including those of the Philippine Coast Guard, is committed in the South China Sea," a U.S. official told a congressional hearing in Washington early Friday. Lindsey Ford, deputy assistant secretary of the U.S. Defense Department, gave this assurance before the U.S. House of Representatives, which tackled China's continued aggression in the waters, including laser pointing and water cannon attacks against Philippine personnel.
READ: Hunt for Teves ongoing – DoJ
The Department of Justice (DoJ) said on Saturday that the hunt for former Negros Oriental 3rd district representative Arnolfo Teves Jr., the prime suspect in the murder of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, is ongoing. It confirmed that Teves was still in East Timor. Degamo's widow, Pamplona Mayor Janice Degamo, posted a video on social media on Friday, showing Teves embracing former senator Manny Pacquiao upon the latter's arrival in East Timor earlier this week.
READ: Marcos OKs P12.7-B aid to rice farmers
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved and ordered the release of 12.7 billion pesos for the Rice Farmers Financial Assistance to help about 2.3 million small rice farmers amid some agricultural challenges in the country, Malacañang announced Saturday. Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said that Marcos made the order on Thursday in a bid to help farmers "cope with the increasing production cost and sustain their productivity."
BUSINESS: PH household assets up 12.9%
Over to business, gross financial assets of Philippine households increased by a whopping 12.9 percent in 2022, markedly above the increase of 7.0 percent in the previous year. According to the Allianz Global Wealth Report of 2023, the Philippines is one of the very few countries in the world where growth in financial assets accelerated in 2022. This was a time when Philippine household assets rose by 12.9 percent in 2022. The main cause was the asset class securities, which gained 26.3 percent in value; insurance/pensions, on the other hand, even lost in value (-4.1 percent). However, this asset class is still underdeveloped in the Philippines. More importantly, bank deposits held steady, increasing by 6.5 percent. North America and Europe saw a significant decline while it is the opposite in Asia, which recorded relatively high growth rates.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he laments the current state of the country's education system.
Today's editorial believes a stronger book publishing sector is good for the Philippine economy. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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