Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023.
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DepEd gets high marks in survey
THE Department of Education (DepEd) is the most trusted and top-performing government agency, based on the survey conducted by independent pollster OCTA Research. In OCTA's third-quarter survey conducted from September 30 to October 4, DepEd got a 79 percent trust rating. The Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) each got 75 percent; the Department of Health (DoH), 74 percent; and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), 73 percent. The DepEd's trust rating was highest in the Visayas and Mindanao, (88 percent), and lowest in Balanced Luzon (70 percent). The trust ratings of CHEd, DPWH, DoH and DSWD were also high in Visayas and Mindanao and low in Balanced Luzon. DepEd had the highest trust rating among socio-economic Class D and E (80 percent and 78 percent, respectively), and the lowest in Class ABC at 69 percent.
Drought to hit 3 provinces by month's end
THE Luzon provinces of Batangas, Cavite and Oriental Mindoro will likely experience an El Niño-induced drought by the end of December, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Friday. Pagasa Officer in Charge Nathaniel Servando said severe dry conditions will also affect Abra, Ilocos Norte, Bataan, Zambales, Occidental Mindoro and Metro Manila. Drought refers to five consecutive months of below-normal rainfall conditions or three consecutive months of way below-normal rainfall conditions (more than 60 percent reduction from average). In the Visayas, the province of Antique could also experience drought conditions. Servando also said the following Luzon provinces will experience a dry spell, which is three consecutive months of below-normal rainfall, or a 21 to 60 percent drop in average rainfall: Kalinga, Apayao, Ifugao, Nueva Ecija, Benguet, Mountain Province, Ilocos Sur, La Union, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Bulacan, Pampanga, Tarlac, Aurora and Palawan. A dry spell was also forecast for Misamis Oriental and Tawi-Tawi in Mindanao. A dry condition has two consecutive months of below-normal rainfall or a 21 to 60 percent reduction in average rainfall. Most of Luzon will have generally below-normal rainfall in December. Visayas and Mindanao will likely have near-normal rainfall.
Michelle Dee takes on new role as tourism ambassador
MISS Universe Philippines 2023 Michelle Daniela Marquez Dee will be the country's tourism ambassador. Dee accepted the invitation to promote the Philippines during her courtesy call to Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco at the Department of Tourism (DoT) Central Office in Makati City on Friday. She also invited Dee "to continue to be an ambassador of tourism for our country." Frasco asked the beauty queen to participate in the DoT's latest promotional initiative, the Philippine Experience Program (PEP), which celebrates the country's rich heritage, arts and culture through a series of regional caravans. Dee was crowned Miss World Philippines in 2019. She competed in the Miss World 2019 pageant in London, England, finishing in the top 12. She represented the Philippines in the Miss Universe 2023 pageant in El Salvador, and was among the top 10 semifinalists.
Nearly 200 nations OK global warming fund
Nearly 200 nations agreed on Thursday (Friday in Manila) to launch a fund to support countries hit by global warming, in a "historic" moment at the start of UN climate talks in the oil-rich UAE. The landmark announcement came as the Emirati host of the COP28 talks declared that fossil fuels must be part of any final climate deal negotiated over the next two weeks. The talks in Dubai come at a pivotal moment for the planet, with emissions still rising and the UN on Thursday declaring 2023 on track to become the hottest year in human history. The formal establishment of the "loss and damage" fund long sought by climate-vulnerable nations provided an early win at COP28, where sharp divisions over the phasing out of fossil fuels were immediately apparent.
Inflation may have hit target – BSP
INFLATION likely slowed further in November and could have even returned to target, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said late on Thursday. It forecast a result in the 4.0- to 4.8-percent range ahead of this coming Tuesday's release of official data for the month. A 4.8-percent outturn would be an easing from the 4.9 percent recorded in October. Four percent, meanwhile, would mean that interest rate hikes had finally dampened inflation back to the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target. The BSP said it would "continue to monitor developments affecting the outlook for inflation and growth in line with its data-dependent approach to monetary policy formulation." A continued inflation slowdown would give monetary authorities additional room to keep policy settings unchanged. A second straight monthly increase in September, to 6.1 percent, had prompted an off-cycle 25-basis-point (bps) rate hike in late October. That was followed by a pause in November after data showed that inflation had sharply decelerated to 4.9 percent a month earlier. Officials, however, warned that further tightening could not be ruled out with risks to the inflation outlook still tilted
toward the upside.
Ronaldo faces $1-B class-action lawsuit
Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has been hit with a class-action lawsuit seeking at least $1 billion in damages for his role in promoting cryptocurrency-related "non-fungible tokens," or NFTs, issued by the beleaguered cryptocurrency exchange Binance. The lawsuit filed in federal court in the Southern District of Florida Monday alleges that Ronaldo's promotion of Binance was "deceptive and unlawful." Binance's partnership with high-profile figures like Ronaldo, the plaintiffs claim, led them into costly and unsafe investments. Representatives for Ronaldo declined to comment Thursday. Binance, the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange, did not immediately return requests for statement from The Associated Press. Ronaldo launched his inaugural NFT "CR7" collection with Binance in November of last year, ahead of the 2022 World Cup. The NFTs — which had starting prices ranging from the equivalent of about $77 to $10,000 — featured seven animated statues depicting Ronaldo from iconic moments in his life, from bicycle-kick goals to his childhood in Portugal.
Jalen Brunson scored 42 points, Julius Randle had 29 points and 10 rebounds, and the New York Knicks sent the Detroit Pistons to their franchise-record 16th consecutive loss with a 118-112 victory Thursday (Friday in Manila). The Pistons (2-17) completed a winless November, having not won a game since a victory over Chicago on October 28. RJ Barrett had 15 points and Donte DiVincenzo added 12, including two crucial 3-pointers down the stretch for the Knicks, who have won their last two games. Cade Cunningham scored 31 points and Killian Hayes chipped 23 in for the Pistons. They have also lost 13 in a row against the Knicks.
Today's editorial is on the late US Secretary of State and former national security adviser Henry Kissinger. 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 Makbenta and Danton Remoto. Contreras writes about the surprising Marcos presidency; Makabenta on the shoe is on the other foot in the South China Sea dispute and Remoto on America is not the heart.
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