Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, October 21, 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: Napoles sentenced to 60 years in jail
THE Sandiganbayan on Friday sentenced businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles to at least 60 years in prison after convicting her in the case involving the illegal use of priority development assistance funds (PDAF) in 2007. On Friday, the Sandiganbayan's Special Second Division released a 57-page document confirming that Napoles was guilty of four counts of malversation of public funds, with a total prison term of at least 40 years. She was also convicted of four counts of graft, adding 24 more years to her sentence. The court also ordered Napoles to return 20,910,000 pesos to the National Treasury, which represented the amount that was illegally disbursed.
READ: Marcos bags $4.25B deals in Saudi Arabia
The Philippines has secured about $4.26 billion worth of investments during President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s visit to Saudi Arabia. Four agreements between Saudi firms and Filipino companies were
signed during Marcos' roundtable meeting with Saudi business leaders on Thursday in Riyadh. The biggest of the four is the $3.7 billion deal between Al-Jeer Human Resources Co. (ARCO) and Association of Philippine Licensed Agencies for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to provide jobs for Filipinos in the kingdom, according to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI). The agreement is expected to create more than 200,000 jobs to drive Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030.
READ: Asean calls for end to Israel-Hamas war
THE Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) is calling for an immediate
end to the fighting between Israeli forces
and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. In a statement issued on Friday, the Asean ministers expressed grave concern over the escalation of the conflict that has inflicted heavy casualties on both sides.
READ: MMDA bares traffic plans for 'Undas,' holiday season
THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has announced the implementation of traffic management measures to alleviate expected heavier traffic during All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day (collectively "Undas") and the Christmas season. M.M.D.A. acting chairman Romando "Don" Artes, during a press briefing at the M.M.D.A.head office in Pasig City on Friday, said it is necessary to implement effective and sustainable measures to effectively address the expected traffic problems during the Christmas season since the traffic volume in Metro Manila increases during the holidays.
BUSINESS: Govt committed to see Maharlika 'up and running'
Topping business, the government is working to refine the Maharlika Investment Fund and expects it to be operational before the end of this year, a Cabinet official said. Speaking in Saudi Arabia, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the M.I.F. "stands as a cornerstone for financing the infrastructure projects of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s administration, which are crucial to achieving sustained and inclusive economic growth."
SPORTS: PBA return an option for Bolick, says agent
In sports, Robert Bolick quietly arrived in the country Thursday night following the news on the same day that he was released by his Japan B.League Division 2 team Fukushima Firebonds. His handler Marvin Espiritu admitted that Bolick himself requested for his release from the Japanese ballclub which led to the cancellation of his two-year deal with the Firebonds.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about the politicization of land tenure in protected areas and public forest lands, Makabenta looks into why some economists believe that preventing climate change is throwing money away, while Remoto reflects on bestsellers and memories.
Today's editorial thinks entrepreneurship education is a good idea. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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