Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, January 5, 2024.
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READ: China, US hold rival sea drills
China showcased on Thursday fighter jets firing missiles in the South China Sea, as it held rival military exercises with the United States in the hotly contested waters. The drills follow tense standoffs between Beijing and Manila in disputed reefs that saw vessels from the two countries collide and Chinese ships blast water cannons at Philippine boats. China last month voiced growing frustration and anger at the Philippines' unexpectedly bold tactics, warning its neighbor to exercise "caution."
READ: Hope fades for survivors of Japan quake
Thousands of Japanese rescuers on Thursday battled rubble and blocked roads as hopes faded for dozens listed as missing three days after a devastating earthquake that killed at least 81. Hundreds of people in more than a dozen communities remained cut off in Ishikawa prefecture in central Japan, devastated by the 7.5-magnitude quake on New Year's Day.
READ: Probe of Panay blackout sought
Back in the Philippines, calls are mounting for an investigation of the massive power outage that hit the provinces in Panay island on Tuesday. The Regional Development Council in Western Visayas wants the Energy Regulatory Commission to launch an inquiry, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo "Albee" Benitez said Thursday. The National Grid Corp. of the Philippines reported that all the power plants in Panay shut down at 2:27 p.m. soon after the Negros-Panay grid had gone out. Benitez, who is chairman of the R.D.C., said he found it "hard to believe that all of the six power plants of Panay island tripped at the same time on Tuesday." He said representatives from the N.G.C.P., Department of Energy and the power generators held a virtual meeting Wednesday to find out what happened.
READ: Agri chief reshuffles undersecretaries
AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel has reassigned key officials of the agency in a major reshuffle. Laurel said the reassignments were "meant to more efficiently carry out President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s marching orders." Director U-Nichols Manalo was named director of the national rice program, replacing Senior Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, who was appointed as member of the Secretary's Technical Advisory Group. In February last year, Sebastian was appointed undersecretary for the Rice Industry Development Program. He also headed the steering committee of the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund Program, was on the board of the Philippine Rice Research Institute, participated in the National Food Authority Council; and was trustee in the boards of the National Irrigation Administration and the International Rice Research Institute.
READ: PH, Indonesia to convene JCBC
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo and Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi will convene next week the 7th Philippines-Indonesia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation. Manalo and Retno will meet in Manila on January 9 for the convening of the Ministerial Meeting of the 7th Philippines-Indonesia Joint Commission for Bilateral Cooperation, the Department of Foreign Affairs said. The J.C.B.C. is the primary dialogue mechanism between the Philippines and Indonesia to review accomplishments on mutual collaboration initiatives, exchange views on issues of mutual interest, and consider plans for enhancing cooperation.
BUSINESS: Charter change urged to encourage investors
Headlining business, amid renewed talk of amendments to the 1987 Constitution, a public advocacy group on Thursday reiterated a call to scrap economic provisions in the Charter that are said to be holding back economic growth and development. Despite recent liberalization reforms, the Philippines continues to lag its Asean neighbors in terms of foreign direct investments, the Foundation for Economic Freedom claimed in a statement.
SPORTS: Lin says RHJ is like a little brother to him
In sports, Jeremy Lin had been a journeyman in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He wore eight different jerseys from 2010 to 2019 in the N.B.A., including the Brooklyn Nets where he played from 2016 to 2018. In that stretch, Lin teamed up with T.N.T. Tropang Giga import Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, who was then starting to build a career in the NBA. The two players built a strong bond before Lin got traded to Toronto in 2018 and won a championship with the Raptors the following year. Lin, who is best known for his "Linsanity" days with the New York Knicks in 2012, became a free agent in 2019 and Toronto did not sign him to a new contract. The Raptors, however, inked a deal with Hollis-Jefferson.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao looks into a survey that Filipinos are worried over United States-China tensions, while Tatad asks if the country is no better than a "banana republic".
Today's editorial thinks the Russia-Ukraine war is not winding down anytime soon. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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