Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.
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Respect Marcos' position on ICC
VICE President Sara Duterte on Thursday said the House of Representatives must "respect the position" of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the country. Duterte issued the statement after the House Committee on Justice started to take up two resolutions urging the government to cooperate with the ICC in investigating offenses committed during the war on drugs waged by the administration of then-president Rodrigo Duterte, who is the vice president's father. Resolutions 1393 and 1477, filed by the Makabayan bloc, House Committee on Human Rights Chairman and Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante Jr. and 1-Rider Partylist Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez, called on relevant government agencies to "extend their full cooperation" to the ICC prosecutor who will probe the anti-drug campaign. Human rights groups claim that nearly 7,000 people were killed during the police crackdown on drug trafficking. The vice president quoted Marcos' statement, which said that he considers any investigation by the ICC as "an intrusion into our internal matters, and a threat to our sovereignty ... We are done talking with the ICC. Like what we have been saying from the beginning, we will not cooperate with them in any way, shape, or form." Duterte said that allowing ICC prosecutors to investigate alleged crimes that are under the jurisdiction of prosecutors and courts is "not only patently unconstitutional but effectively belittles and degrades our legal institutions."
Internet voting for OFWs to start in 2025
WITH or without an implementing law, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) will use the internet as an alternative mode of voting for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) starting in the 2025 elections. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garciasaid during a forum in Manila on Thursday said the move is meant to increase the voting turnout at less cost to the government. As early as 2012, the Comelec had been asking Congress to pass a law that will allow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to vote via the internet. Under the Overseas Voting Act (Republic Act 9189), the poll body is authorized to explore internet-based technologies for overseas voting. The Comelec spent more than P400 million for overseas voting in the 2022 elections, but voter turnout was a low 39 percent. The 2022 overseas voting turnout was by far the highest since overseas voting was implemented. At present, Filipinos overseas vote either by mail or personally cast ballots at the Philippine embassies or foreign posts where they are registered. Last year, there were about 1.7 million
registered migrant voters spread across 92 Philippine posts.
WHO wants data on outbreak of respiratory disease in China
The World Health Organization has asked China for more data on respiratory illnesses spreading in the north of the country, urging people to take steps to reduce the risk of infection. Northern China has reported an increase in "influenza-like illness" since mid-October when compared to the same period in the previous three years, the WHO said. China's National Health Commission told reporters last week that the respiratory illness spike was due to the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions and the circulation of known pathogens, namely influenza and common bacterial infections that affect children, including mycoplasma pneumonia. The Chinese capital of Beijing, located in the north of the country, is currently experiencing a cold snap, with temperatures expected to plummet to well below zero by Friday, state media said. The city has "entered a high incidence season of respiratory infectious diseases," Wang Quanyi, deputy director and chief epidemiological expert at the Beijing Center for Disease Control and Prevention, told state media. Beijing "is currently showing a trend of multiple pathogens coexisting," he added.
Indonesia urges lawmakers; Uphold UNCLOS
INDONESIA called on the countries belonging to the Asia-Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) to respect the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos) and "double efforts" in maintaining peace and stability in the region. The Indonesian lawmakers made the proposal in a draft resolution they submitted to the 31st APPF meeting which opened Thursday at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC). The resolution urged the APPF's member-states to strengthen the commitment in "promoting and maintaining peace, security, stability, safety, and freedom of navigation across the East and South China Sea." Senate President Juan Miguel "Migz" Zubiri said the Indonesian resolution "has persuasive powers if we adopt it. When they (APPF member lawmakers) go back to their countries they can discuss this particular issue and present the agreements that we made," Zubiri said during a joint press briefing with House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez. Indonesia urged the grouping to pursue peaceful resolutions of the disputes in the South China Sea based on universally recognized principles of international law. It also proposed joint cooperation in combating transnational organized crimes.
Topping Business
Pinoys prioritizing financial resilience
FILIPINOS have become more cautious given challenging economic conditions, TransUnion Philippines, the local unit of an American consumer credit reporting firm, said in a statement announcing the results of a fourth-quarter survey.Fewer Filipinos also see credit as a means of achieving financial goals with the number dropping 6 percentage points to 58 percent. Still, 63 percent of Generation Z consumers — those born from 1995 to 2004 — believe that access to credit is important. The perception of having enough access to financial products also declined with only 40 percent of the respondents saying so, down from 45 percent a year earlier. Confidence was even lower among the Gen Z at 37 percent. More than half — 59 percent — of those looking to secure new credit or refinancing ultimately decided against it, TransUnion said. High borrowing costs was the main reason cited (39 percent), followed by alternative funding sources (32 percent) and income or employment status (29 percent). The poll also found a dip in the importance of credit monitoring, with respondents who deemed the practice to be particularly crucial dropping to 35 percent from 44 percent a year earlier. Daily checks also fell to 35 percent from 44 percent, and 20 percent still do not monitor their credit reports — up from 18 percent in the fourth quarter of last year.
In Sports
Celtics edge bucks in battle of East titans
Jaylen Brown scored 26 points as the Boston Celtics got back to winning ways with a 119-116 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks in their top-of-the-table NBA Eastern Conference clash on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila).The Celtics had kissed goodbye to a six-game winning streak on Monday after crashing to an upset defeat against the lowly ranked Charlotte Hornets.
Australia clinches semis berth in Davis Cup
Australia produced a stunning comeback to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) and set up a Davis Cup semifinal clash with Finland. Last year's runners-up almost crashed out in the last eight but Alex de Minaur pulled Australia back from the brink by beating Jiri Lehecka 4-6, 7-6 (7/2), 7-5 in the second singles rubber. The world number 12 levelled the tie after Tomas Machac defeated Jordan Thompson 6-4, 7-5 in the opening battle and forced a deciding rubber, won by Wimbledon 2022 doubles champions Matthew Ebden and Max Purcell. Despite their rich history Australia have not won the competition since 2003 and looked set for elimination with Lehecka serving for the tie against de Minaur, who dug deep to find a new level to keep his country's dream alive.
The Times, in its editorial, says PH must shield its deterrence in dispute with China. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of Times.
Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco S. Tatad. Tiglao says BBM's stance on our SCS disputes with China was so misinformed while Tatad writes about a dishonored institution. Read the full version on print and digital or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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