Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, December 15, 2023.
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READ: Chinese ships enter Ayungin
A SWARM of Chinese ships have ventured inside the Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in what a maritime security expert described as an "unprecedented" event. Chinese ships also lingered in the shoal for 24 hours more after Sunday's confrontation with Philippine supply boats. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight and Project Lead for Project Myoushu at Stanford University's Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, said the Chinese blockading force usually return to their base in Panganiban (Mischief) Reef once the Philippine supply boats and their escorts finish their mission to deliver provisions to the troops stationed in the derelict Navy ship Sierra Madre.
READ: Senate, House OK bicam report on seafarers bill
THE Senate and the House of Representatives ratified on Wednesday the bicameral conference committee report on the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers which reconciled the provisions of Senate Bill 2221 and House Bill 7325. Sen. Rafael "Raffy" Tulfo, principal sponsor and one of the authors of S.B. 2221, said the ratification of the measure is the result of a collaborative process between both chambers in coming up with the best law that will protect and promote the interests of seafarers.
READ: PH secures a seat in UN climate fund board
THE Philippines has secured a seat in the Loss and Damage Fund Board at the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced Thursday. The country will be a member of the board from 2024 to 2026, serving as an alternate for 2025, Marcos said in a video message. With the membership, the Philippines will have a voice in the management of all funding to mitigate and to adapt to the effects of climate change, the President said. He said the government is hoping to host the Loss and Damage Fund in the Philippines "because after all, we are very much in the mix when it comes to climate change effects." The Philippines will represent the Asia Pacific Group on the board along with the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in a term-sharing agreement. The country has been advocating for new and additional resources under the fund, saying it should be accessible, stable, predictable and adequate.
READ: Dialogue fails to end transport strike
THE two-day transport strike will continue today, December 15, after a failed dialogue between transport groups and the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board Thursday. L.T.F.R.B. spokesman Celine Pialago-Vargas said Chairman Teofilo Guadiz 3rd and representatives from different transport groups, led by the Pagkakaisa ng mga Samahan ng Tsuper at Opereytor Nationwide (Piston) failed to reach an agreement on the demands of the strikers, including the extension of the December 31 deadline for franchise consolidation. Pialago said the agency will closely coordinate with the Philippine National Police and the traffic management bureaus of different local government units in Metro Manila to assist motorists and commuters affected by the strike. The talks centered on the implementation of the Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program, which involved jeepney operators and drivers consolidating into cooperatives.
BUSINESS: Key rates unchanged but hikes still possible
Moving to business, monetary authorities kept key interest rates unchanged on Thursday as expected and again warned that further tightening could not be ruled out to keep inflation under control. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' policy rate remains at a 16- year high of 6.50 percent, while its overnight deposit and lending rates stay at 6.0 and 7.0 percent, respectively. Rates have so far been raised by a total of 450 basis points in a bid to temper stubborn inflation, the last adjustment being an off-cycle 25-bps increase in late October as consumer price growth accelerated anew. Inflation has now eased to just above the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target, and the Monetary Board subsequently trimmed its riskadjusted inflation forecast for 2024 to 4.2 percent from 4.4 percent in November. That for 2025 was unchanged to a within-target 3.4 percent. Inflation is still expected to breach the target this year at 6.0 percent — a slight improvement from 6.1 percent previously.
SPORTS: Ginebra takes on struggling San Miguel
Over to sports, defending champion Barangay Ginebra tries to get back on the winning track when it clashes with struggling sister team San Miguel Beer in the main game of the 2023-24 P.B.A. Commissioner's Cup on Friday, December 15, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Gin Kings enter the game at solo fourth spot with a 4-2 record. The charges of multi-titled coach Tim Cone, who just turned 66 on Thursday, are coming off a stunning 83-77 defeat against the upset-conscious Phoenix Super L.P.G. Fuel Masters during their road game in San Jose, Batangas last Saturday. Ginebra will be gunning for a fifth win and a firmer grip for a top 4 spot when it tangles with San Miguel at 8 p.m. The league's most popular squad is favored to book a win considering the excellent plays it has been getting from offseason acquisition Maverick Ahanmisi and the return of Jamie Malonzo and L.A. Tenorio.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao weighs in on the latest squabble in the South China Sea, while Tatad looks into the detention of two hosts of the controversial S.M.N.I. channel.
Today's editorial calls on the fast-tracking of the country's El Niño action plan implementation. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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