Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, January 18, 2024.
Today's episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
Marcos' Taiwan act riles China
CHINA has filed a diplomatic protest before the Philippine Embassy in Beijing over President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s congratulatory message to Taiwan's new leader Dr. Lai Ching-te. China Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Mao Ning said that Assistant Foreign Minister Nong Rong on Tuesday summoned the Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz "to lodge serious démarche and urge the Philippines to present a responsible response to China."
PH, UK sign deal on defense cooperation
THE Philippines and the United Kingdom have signed a memorandum of understanding on defense cooperation, including training and possible military equipment acquisition. In an announcement posted on X (formerly Twitter), the Philippine Embassy in London said Philippine Ambassador to the U.K. Teodoro Locsin Jr. signed for the Philippines, while British Minister of State for Defense Timothy Minto signed for the U.K. on January 11. In a Facebook post, it said the agreement between the Department of National Defense and the U.K. Ministry of Defense will provide a framework for enhancing cooperation between the two countries. This includes defense and military education, training and capacity building, peacekeeping operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, armaments and military equipment, and research and technology. Locsin and Minto hailed the M.o.U. as an opportunity to further develop ties between the two countries, the embassy said on Tuesday.
Pag-IBIG to implement higher rates starting February
THE Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund on Wednesday said that its members would enjoy better benefits as the agency implements higher rates starting in February. Starting next month, the monthly savings of Pag-IBIG Fund members for both the employee's share and the employer's counterpart shall increase to 200 pesos each from the current 100 pesos.
Govt ready to defend unprogrammed funds
THE government is prepared to defend the constitutionality of the unprogrammed funds in the 5.768-trillion peso budget for 2024, Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil said. Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and other lawmakers from the House of Representatives filed a petition on Monday asking the Supreme Court to nullify and prevent the government from utilizing the 449.5 billion pesos unprogrammed. Garafil said the executive branch would submit its comment on the petition if the high court asks for it.
Full jeepney modernization will take years – OTC
THE Office of Transport Cooperatives said Wednesday that complete implementation of the government's public utility vehicle modernization program would likely take years. O.T.C. Chairman Andy Ortega said that the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, together with local government units, have yet to finalize a Local Public Transport Route Plan that will facilitate adjustments in the number of consolidated units per route. This process alone could take "one to two years" to complete, he said. Only after finalizing the route plan would the 27-month countdown before people start seeing all P.U.V's be completely modernized.
Local vehicle sales surpass 2023 target
Over to business, domestic vehicle car sales breached industry forecasts last year, also surpassing a pre-pandemic peak with Filipino consumers apparently unfazed by high inflation. The Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. and the Truck Manufacturers Association on Wednesday reported selling 429,807 units in 2023, 21.9 percent more than the previous year's 352,596. The result also topped the 425,673 recorded in 2017 when consumers rushed to purchase cars ahead of the imposition of higher excise taxes. Sales were lower in succeeding years and plummeted to 223,793 in 2020 as the Covid-19 pandemic hit.
Dwight Howard, Strong Group fly to Dubai
In sports, Strong Group Athletics routed PBA squad Converge, 97- 64, in the club team's lone tune-up match before leaving for the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday night (January 17) as the Dwight Howard-led squad competes in the 33rd Dubai International Basketball Championships. Filipino coach Charles Tiu said the match gave them an opportunity to see how the "super team" due to its star-studded imports could work together with some of the top collegiate stars for the weeklong tournament in the U.A.E.
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras hits out at the latest charter change moves, while Makabenta believes that the cost of the climate "coterie" is now at $150 trillion.
Today's editorial asks if the environmental case against China over its actions in the West Philippine Sea is practical. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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