Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, Nov. 28, 2023.
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READ: 'PH must build defense capability'
DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro Jr. said on Monday the Philippines must build up its defense capability to counter China's expansionist claims in the West Philippine Sea, which threaten the survival of future generations of Filipinos. Speaking at a symposium in Camp Aguinaldo, Teodoro said China defends its incursions in Philippine waters with arguments that contradict international law. He said the Philippines is one of the five countries whose sovereignty is protected by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos). Experts on maritime law also shared their insights on territorial and sovereign rights during the symposium. China continues to assert its claims on the West Philippine Sea using harassment and intimidation. It has prevented Filipino fishers from entering the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, which is well within the Philippines's exclusive economic zone (EEZ), and Chinese ships have been harassing boats delivering supplies to Filipino soldiers stationed at the Ayungin Shoal. To respond to challenges to its sovereignty in the disputed areas, the Philippines must have "robust armed forces and defense mechanisms," Teodoro said.
READ: BI warns vs jobs in Myanmar
THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) reiterated its warning to Filipino workers against accepting high-paying job offers in Myanmar and other neighboring Asian countries. Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco issued the warning on Monday after four more Filipinos returned from Myanmar where they fell victim to illegal recruitment. The victims, whose names were withheld for their protection, arrived in Manila from Yangon via a Thai Airways flight on November 21. He said the experience of the repatriates should serve as a warning to other Filipinos that they should not be lured by promises of high-paying jobs from strangers and foreigners who will abandon them the moment they encounter problems while working abroad. The four victims said they were unable to obtain proper working visas and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) registration while they were in Laukkai, Myanmar. They left the country posing as tourists but were later on recruited by their foreigner acquaintances to work in Myanmar.
READ: Tanker seized off Yemen, crew 'safe'
A tanker linked to an Israel-affiliated company was seized off Yemen Sunday by armed individuals, US defense officials said, but the crew members were later brought to safety.The maritime security firm Ambrey said that "US naval forces are engaged in the situation" after the incident involving the Central Park, which is owned and managed by a UK-based, Israel-linked company. Hours later, another US defense official told AFP that US and coalition forces responded to the emergency aboard the tanker and "the crew of the MV Central Park is currently safe." It was not immediately clear if the crew remained aboard the vessel or the ship's location. Owner Zodiac Maritime said that among the 22 crew were Russian, Vietnamese, Bulgarian, Indian, Georgian and Filipino nationals, as well as a Turkish captain, according to Ambrey. Yemen's Iran-backed Huthi rebels had previously threatened to attack the tanker if it did not divert to the port of Hodeida, it said. Communications from a US coalition warship had been intercepted warning the Central Park to disregard the messages, Ambrey added. The boarding took place offshore from the Yemeni port city of Aden, with another vessel in the area reporting "an approach by eight persons on two skiffs wearing military uniforms," Ambrey said. The latest incident comes after a US defense official said an Israeli-owned cargo ship was damaged in a suspected Iranian drone attack in the Indian Ocean on Friday, and a week after Huthis seized an Israel-linked cargo vessel in the southern Red Sea.
READ: Pope's moral force aims to 'tip' UN climate talks
HE has used science to underpin his moral missives on climate change. Now Pope Francis hopes his historic presence at UN talks will help tip the balance in critical negotiations. The 86-year-old pontiff, a defender of the poor who has made environmental activism a cornerstone of his 10-year papacy, will address the COP28 meeting in Dubai on December 2. It will be the first time a pope has attended a COP since the process began in 1995, and Francis is expected to use the platform to castigate countries for a lack of action and seek to persuade them to dramatically cut their greenhouse gas emissions. He may also be able to play a role in rebuilding trust between climate-vulnerable nations and rich, consumerism-driven polluters. The leader of 1.3 billion Catholics, more than half of whom live in the developing world, Francis has long insisted on the link between climate change and poverty, with the world's most marginalized paying the highest price for global warming.
READ: Court battle continues for Megaworld and Datem
The Manila Times runs the second and last part of columnist Mauro Guia Samonte's article on the ongoing conflict between business conglomerate Megworld Corp.' and construction firm Datem Inc.
BUSINESS: S&P raises PH growth forecast
THE Philippines will be one of the strongest-performing Asia-Pacific economies this year with growth likely to be higher than previously forecast, revised projections issued by S&P Global Ratings showed. The debt watcher, in a November 26 report that said growth in the region for this year and the next "should be strongest in emerging market economies with solid domestic demand," raised its 2023 Philippine growth forecast to 5.4 percent from 5.2 percent previously. The outlook for 2024 was trimmed to 5.9 percent from 6.1 percent. That for 2025 was kept at 6.2 percent and S&P forecast a 2026 improvement to 6.4 percent. All projections are lower than last year's 7.6-percent growth result and also fall below the government's 6.0-7.0 percent and 6.5-8.0 percent targets for this year and 2024-2028.
SPORTS: MU, LPU seek to seal NCAA title showdown
MAPUA University (MU) and Lyceum of the Philippines University (LPU) seek to arrange a title duel as they face off with College of St. Benilde and San Beda, respectively, in today's start of the NCAA Season 99 Final Four at the MOA Arena in Pasay City. Thanks to the twice-to-beat incentives they earned for finishing in the top two after the double-round elimination, the No. 1 Cardinals tackle the No. 4 Blazers at 1:30 p.m. while the No. 2 Pirates tangle with the No. 3 Lions at 3:30 p.m. needing just a win to arrange a best-of-three duel unfurling next week. Mapua will set out eyeing nothing less than making the finals for the second time in the last three seasons and ending a 32-year title drought and handing the school its seventh seniors championship overall. The Cardinals' last crown came in 1991, which incidentally has current Mapua coach Randy Alcantara as a vital cog in that glorious feat. For LPU, it is searching for a third finals appearance since making it that far in 2017 and 2018 under then mentor Topex Robinson and another shot at a historic crown.
SPORTS: UP vows to reclaim UAAP cage crown
THE UP Fighting Maroons simply want to cross the finish line with a championship this time in the UAAP Season 86 men's basketball tournament. UP ended its 36-year title drought after defeating the Ateneo Blue Eagles in Season 84 in May 2022. The Maroons' reign, however, was short-lived as the Blue Eagles got back at them in Season 85 in December of the same year. Now, UP put itself in the position to regain that lost glory as it faces De La Salle in the first-ever Finals match up between the two schools this Season 86. Finishing as top seed for the first time in UAAP men's basketball eliminations, the Fighting Maroons marched to their third straight Finals appearance after dethroning the Blue Eagles, 57-46, in the Final Four where they had a win-once advantage last Saturday.
SPORTS: Sinner steers Italy to Davis Cup glory
Italy won the Davis Cup for the first time since 1976 as Jannik Sinner crushed Alex de Minaur 6-3, 6-0 to seal a 2-0 win over Australia on Sunday in Malaga. The world No. 4 clinched victory in the second singles rubber after Matteo Arnaldi dug deep to beat Alexei Popyrin 7-5, 2-6, 6-4 in the opening clash. Sinner, who remarkably beat top-ranked superstar Novak Djokovic twice in one day on Saturday as Italy eliminated Serbia, secured his country's second title against Lleyton Hewitt's 28-time winners in style.
SPORTS: Bucks roar back to beat Blazers
The Milwaukee Bucks erased a 26-point deficit to beat Portland 108-102 on Sunday (Monday in Manila) as Phoenix and Orlando stretched their NBA winning streaks to seven games. Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points and grabbed 16 rebounds for the Bucks. Teammate Damian Lillard added 31 in his first game against his former team and Milwaukee authored the biggest comeback victory of the season so far. Phoenix guard Devin Booker starred in New York, drilling a go-ahead three-pointer with 1.7 seconds remaining as the Suns kept their streak going with a 116-113 victory over the Knicks. Booker scored 28 points and handed out 11 assists for the Suns, who were without superstar Kevin Durant for a second straight game because of a sore right foot. Jalen Brunson scored 35 points with six rebounds and eight assists for the Knicks, but his three-point attempt as time expired rimmed out. In Orlando, Franz Wagner and Cole Anthony scored 30 points apiece to fuel the Magic's 130-117 victory over the Charlotte Hornets.
READ: Opinion
Today's editorial talks about how more OFWs want to return to the country based on a survey by recruiter Robert Walters. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orly Mercado. Contreras writes about the wat within the ruling political class; Makabenta on reality bites the green energy agenda; and Mercado on making space for 'space.'
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