Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, Oct. 24, 2023.
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READ: PH, China spar over sea collision
THE Philippines and China traded diplomatic barbs on Monday following the collision between their vessels off Ayungin Shoal Sunday. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) filed a diplomatic protest against China for what it said was "dangerous maneuvers" of its coast guard ships as they tried to block a resupply boat bound for Ayungin and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship that was escorting it. DFA spokesman Ma. Teresita Daza said the department summoned Chinese Ambassador to Manila Huang Xilian to receive the Philippine government's protest over the incident. Daza said that because Xilian was "out of town," it was the embassy's Deputy Chief of Mission Zhou Zhiyong who met with DFA Assistant Secretary Aileen Mendiola-Rau. Video clips showed a China Coast Guard ship coming in contact with the PCG escort vessel, and another Chinese ship nudging the resupply boat. Sunday's incident was the most serious so far in the series of provocative actions by China in the West Philippine Sea.
READ: Bet for village chief gunned down
A CANDIDATE for barangay captain was shot and killed shortly after he spoke during a campaign sortie in Pangasinan Sunday night. Maj. Mark Ryan Taminaya, Aguilar town police chief, identified the candidate as Arnel Adolfo Flormata, 41, an administrative supervisor at the Aboitiz Solar Services. Taminaya said Flormata was shot by a lone gunman as he walked to his vehicle to change his shirt after making a campaign speech in Sitio Casagatan, Barangay Bayaoas, at 11:05 p.m. The gunman fled on a tricycle driven by an accomplice. Flormata had a gunshot wound in the head. He was taken to a private hospital in Barangay Umangan in Mangatarem, where he was pronounced dead. He said police investigators are looking at all angles to establish the motive for the shooting. Taminaya said Flormata's village was not among the hot spots in Pangasinan in this year's Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE).
READ: More OFWs from Israel return home
THE third batch of 25 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and a 4-month-old infant returned home from war-torn Israel Monday. The 16 caregivers, nine hotel workers and the baby arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 3:55 p.m. So far, the government has repatriated 60 Filipinos — 46 caregivers,12 hotel workers and two infants since October 18. Eleven of the 25 OFWs have finished their contract, while the 14 voluntarily terminated it, DMW Undersecretary Maria Anthonette Allones said. Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Officer in Charge Hans Cacdac said the Migrant Workers Office in Tel Aviv has received about 120 more requests for repatriation. Just like the first two batches of repatriates, the latest group also received P50,000 each from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW); P50,000 from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration; P10,000 cash; P10,000 worth of food subsidy; and P15,000 in livelihood assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development. They also received immediate medical assistance from the Department of Health, including psychosocial first aid and medical checkup, with vitamins and maintenance medicines.
READ: Centeno defeats Chinese, wins World 10-Ball championship
FILIPINO billiards sensation Chezka Centeno defeated China's Han Yu in the final, 9-5, to win the WPA Women's World 10-Ball Championship at the Sportpark Klagenfurt in Klagenfurt, Austria, last Sunday. The 24-year-old Centeno got off to a 4-1 start and preserved that advantage heading into the 14th rack, where Han, a three-time 9-ball world champion, committed a foul as she could not hit the two ball, or any ball for that matter, coming from a tough angle. Centeno easily pocketed the two-ball and did the same for the three and the four-ball before hitting the five-ball for a safe place. Han could not get to the five ball, and Centeno drilled it and the remaining balls to their respective pockets to claim the title and the $50,000 (more than P2.8 million) prize that went with it. The four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist thanked everyone who made her new achievement possible.
BUSINESS: Stock market falls as concerns mount
RISING concerns about the Israel-Hamas war and interest rates weighed on stock markets on Monday, with the Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) closing near a year low. The yield on 10-year US government bonds rose above 5.0 percent for the first time since 2007, during the height of the subprime mortgage crisis, as investors worried that the US Federal Reserve would need to keep interest rates higher for longer in the face of stubborn inflation and a resilient American economy. The PSEi shed 54.46 points, or 0.89 percent, to close at 6,088.44, while the broader All Shares slipped by 0.79 percent, or 26.36 points, for a 3,303.06 finish. The PSEi's close was the lowest since September 20's 6,041.40.
SPORTS: Crossovers seek solo lead in PVL
CHERY Tiggo shoots for the solo lead in the team standings as it faces Akari in the 2023 Premier Volleyball League (PVL) 2nd All-Filipino Conference at the Ynares Center in Antipolo today. The Crossovers face the Chargers at 6 p.m., with their match serving as the main event of a triple-header gameday. The F2 Logistics Cargo Movers and the Nxled Chameleons collide to open the curtains at 2 p.m., while the Farm Fresh Foxies and the PLDT High Speed Hitters clash at 4 p.m. At 2-0 with six points, Chery Tiggo shares the top spot with Petro Gazz and defending champion Creamline but a win at Akari's expense would make the Aaron Velez-coached team the solo leader early in the tournament.
SPORTS: Garcia sets up Texas-Houston showdown
Adolis Garcia smashed a grand slam home run and the Texas Rangers beat defending champion Houston 9-2 on Sunday (Monday in Manila) to force a winner-take-all showdown in the Major League Baseball playoffs. The Rangers pulled level at 3-3 in the best-of-seven American League Championship Series and will try to reach their first World Series since 2011 by winning on the road again on Monday. The AL champion will open the World Series on Friday against the winner of the National League Championship Series, which Philadelphia leads 3-2 over Arizona with Game 6 on Monday in Philadelphia. The Astros will seek their third consecutive World Series and fifth in seven seasons, having taken the title in 2017 and last year in the dynasty run.
READ: Opinion/Editorial
Today's editorial is on arresting PH decline in English proficiency. Read the full version on print and digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado. Contreras writes about the biased spinning of a war; Makabenta on the feat of women athletes in Zamboanga City and Orlando Mercado on a justified war.
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