Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, October 26, 2023.
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BANNER: Comelec will not proclaim 241 bets
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has issued an order suspending the proclamation of at least 241 candidates if they win in the Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections on Monday, October 30. Chairman George Erwin Garcia said on Wednesday that the decision was arrived at during the regular Comelec en banc session because of pending disqualification cases against the said candidates. The list includes candidates for barangay and S.K. chairman, and barangay and S.K. councils. Garcia said that the cases against the 241 candidates range from premature campaigning, vote buying, illegal campaigning, and violations of the anti-political dynasty prohibition. Some filed their certificates of candidacy despite the perpetual disqualification from holding public office orders issued by the Office of the Ombudsman.
Garin, 4 others charged over Dengvaxia
CRIMINAL complaints were filed by the Office of the Ombudsman against former Health secretary and now Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin and three others for alleged illegal use of public funds. Garin, former Health undersecretary Kenneth Hartigan-Go, former Department of Health director Maria Joyce Ducusin and former Philippine Children's Medical Center executive director Julius Lecciones were charged before the Sandiganbayan for the purchase of the Dengvaxia vaccine using the budget of the Health Department's Expanded Program on Immunization.
US lawmakers hit CCG 'unlawful actions'
AMERICAN lawmakers have crossed party lines to condemn the China Coast Guard's unlawful actions in the South China Sea and violation of international law. The latest aggression occurred on October 22 when a C.C.G. vessel bumped into a boat contracted by the Philippine Coast Guard to bring supplies to Filipino troops in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal.
Asian Games medalists recognized
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday led the grand welcome and awarding ceremony for Filipino medalists in the recent 2023 Asian Games held in Hangzhou, China. Dubbed "Gabi ng Parangal at Pasasalamat Para sa Bayaning Atletang Pilipino," the event is a project of the Office of the President, in collaboration with the Presidential Communications Office, and held at the historic Rizal Memorial Coliseum. President Marcos lauded the national athletes for showing the excellence of the Filipino on the world stage.
SPORTS: Obiena camp demands public apology from Anais
Meanwhile, Asian Games champion and world number 2 pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena has called on the wife of former Olympic champion Renaud Lavillenie to apologize for her comments that she made online. On Tuesday, James Lafferty, Obiena's mentor and sponsor, said should she do so, they will not pursue any legal charges against Anais Lavillenie, who made the claim last week on Facebook that Obiena was doping. Reiterating his comments made during a press conference with Obiena from Dubai last week, Lafferty said they will not stay silent on the matter.
BUSINESS: Budget gap widens as govt spends
Over to business, the national government's budget deficit rose in September from a year earlier as spending increased and revenues fell, the Bureau of the Treasury reported on Wednesday. The shortfall grew by 39.60 percent to 250.9 billion pesos, 71.2 billion pesos higher than the year-earlier 179.8 billion pesos. Year to date, the overall budget deficit narrowed to 983.5 billion pesos, down by 2.89 percent from a year earlier and 11.11 percent lower than the 1.1-trillion-peso target.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras hits at the "gaslighting and evasion" of the supporters of Vice President Sara Duterte, Makabenta shares a letter from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to the young women of Zamboanga City, while Remoto talks about public writing for social change.
Today's editorial calls for more action against deforestation. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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