Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, November 1, 2023.
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READ: PH, China wrangle over shoal 'incursion'
CHINA has accused the Philippines of trespassing in Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea on Monday "without the approval of the Chinese government." People's Liberation Army Air Force Senior Col. Tian Junli, the Chinese P.L.A. Southern Theater Command spokesman, said China's naval and air forces "tracked, monitored, warned and restricted" the Philippine Navy's B.R.P. Conrado Yap (PS-39) "according to law." He said the Philippines "seriously violated China's sovereignty and international law and basic norms governing international relations, and is highly likely to cause misunderstanding and miscalculation." Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Col. Medel Aguilar confirmed contact between the Philippine Navy's B.R.P. Conrado Yap and a Chinese warship near Bajo de Masinloc but denied that the Philippine vessel was restricted by the Chinese military. He said B.R.P. Conrado Yap was conducting a sovereignty patrol when it sighted a P.L.A. vessel some 2.7 nautical miles away.
READ: Comelec eyes voting in malls
FOLLOWING the successful pilot testing of mall voting, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) is seriously considering holding elections in malls. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that he wanted the 2025 and succeeding electoral exercises done in shopping malls.
READ: Be honest at all times, new local execs told
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday congratulated the newly elected barangay and youth council officials and reminded them to be honest at all times in serving their constituents. In a video message, Marcos recognized the important role barangay officials play in the community and urged them to prioritize the welfare of their constituents.
BUSINESS: Analysts: Inflation likely down in Oct
Topping business, inflation is expected to show a decline in October, analysts said, but the country's economic growth will remain weak due to a continued slowdown in the overall economy. Inflation had fallen for the six months prior after hitting a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January. However, it accelerated for a second straight month to 6.1 percent in September, up from 5.3 percent in August.
SPORTS: Venerable bags PH 3rd gold at World Combat Games
Over to sports, taekwondo jin Darius Venerable had clinched the country's final gold of the World Combat Games on Monday, through his victory at the men's individual poomsae. Venerable won with the score of 9.280, beating South Korea's Lee Namhun and Singapore's Darren Yap. Overall, the Philippines has ended its campaign with 13 medals — three golds, five silvers and five bronzes.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao looks into the cemetery traditions of All Saints Day, while Tatad thinks that neither Israel nor the Palestinian Territories should be destroyed.
Today's editorial calls on the Water Resources Management Office to consult their stakeholders on planning. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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