Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, October 15, 2023.
Today's episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: Exodus from Gaza
Palestinians fled in a mass exodus Friday from northern Gaza after Israel's military told some 1 million people to evacuate to the southern part of the besieged territory ahead of an expected ground invasion in retaliation for the surprise attack by the ruling Hamas militant group. The United Nations-led growing voices of concern against the Israeli ultimatum as it warned that evacuating almost half of Gaza's crowded population would be "calamitous" and urged Israel to reverse the unprecedented directive. As airstrikes hammered the territory throughout the day, families in cars, trucks and donkey carts packed with possessions streamed down a main road out of Gaza City. The World Health Organization (WHO), in a separate statement, called on Israel to rescind its order, saying that a mass evacuation would be "disastrous for patients, health workers and other civilians left behind or caught in the mass movement."
READ: First batch of OFWs to leave Israel Monday – DFA
THE first batch of overseas Filipino workers is leaving Israel on Monday, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Foreign Affairs undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said at least eight O.F.W's are set to leave Israel on October 16.
READ: China backs PH action vs citizens in online gambling
THE Chinese Embassy in Manila reaffirmed its support for China-Philippine law enforcement cooperation, a day after 36 of its citizens were deported for their involvement in illegal Philippine offshore gaming operations (POGOs). Prior to being deported on Friday, the 36 Chinese were arrested in Pasay City in August. The Chinese Embassy said that on August 1, a raid led by the Philippine Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (Paocc) was conducted on Rivendell Global Gaming Corp. Upon request from the Paocc, the Chinese Embassy in Manila verified the identity of the Chinese as among the employees and issued travel documents. Beijing helped Manila shut down three illegal gambling hubs and deported nearly 400 Chinese citizens, the embassy said, as it urged the Philippine government to take strong measures to crack down on such activities.
READ: Stable PH rice supply seen in Q1 of 2024
THE Department of Agriculture on Saturday said that the supply of rice in the country will be stable in the first quarter of 2024, with abundant palay harvest this wet season coupled with rice imports arranged for the third quarter of this year. In a news forum in Quezon City, Agriculture Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa said the government's current rice inventory, including the additional imports, will be enough to cover the national stock until the first quarter of next year. Explaining the palay production this October, which is the peak of the harvest this wet season, de Mesa said they are expecting 77 days of national rice stock inventory this month. He said that once the wet season harvest ends this November, they expect about 94 days of national stock inventory. The figure still excludes the additional imports last September, de Mesa said, as the D.A. expects rice imports in the third quarter to reach 271,000 metric tons.
BUSINESS: Pag-IBIG Q3 home loan releases hit P88.30B
Over to business, the Pag-IBIG Fund announced on October 11 that home loan releases in the last three quarters of 2023 have grown to 88.30 billion pesos. In a statement, Pag-IBIG officials said the amount of home loans released grew by almost 5 billion pesos, or 6 percent, compared to 83.31 billion pesos in home loans released in the same period in 2022 due to the demand remaining strong overall. Pag-IBIG added that this amount financed 68,211 housing units for the given period and now stands as the highest released by the agency for any January to September period.
SPORTS: Creamline begins title defense vs Choco
In sports, Creamline begins its title defense bid against sister team Choco Mucho in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League 2nd All-Filipino Conference at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on Sunday, October 15. The Cool Smashers battle the Flying Titans at 7 p.m., with their match serving as the main event of the tournament's opening day triple-header.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he recalls the Hukbalahap movement during World War 2 and what had followed after.
Today's editorial believes the country's traffic congestion needs more solutions. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.