Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, March 4, 2024.
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READ: Swift passage of RBH 7 seen
Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments said he was hopeful that Resolution of Both Houses 7 would be approved before Congress goes on its Holy Week break this month. Senior Deputy Speaker and Pampanga 3rd District Rep. Aurelio Gonzales Jr. had said the House would hold three hearings weekly and try to obtain a vote before the Holy Week break. On Thursday, Surigao del Norte 2nd District Rep. Robert Ace Barbers said there would be sufficient time for the public to study the proposed changes to the Constitution if the plebiscite is held simultaneously with the 2025 elections.
READ: DoST gets almost P176M for research
THE Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology has been allocated 175.902 million pesos for its grants-in-aid program, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said over the weekend. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman said the funds will be designated for executing grants-in-aid programs encompassing research and development, capacity enhancement, financial support for researchers, organization of forums and conventions, stipends for scholars, and financial assistance to state universities and colleges.
READ: Curtain falls on 'Tahanang Pinakamasaya!'
WHILE there's no official statement confirming its departure from G.M.A. Network, rumors swirled that TAPE Inc.'s noontime variety show "Tahanang Pinakamasaya!" may have aired its final episode on Saturday. Online observers noted a somber atmosphere among the hosts throughout the entire show. Their closing remarks also hinted at the possibility of a farewell.
READ: Customs seizes P1-B contraband in Malabon
OPERATIVES of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service seized another shipment of smuggled vape pens and other products worth 1.073 billion pesos as they continued their anti-smuggling operations over the weekend. Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio on Sunday said that around 20 warehouses in Potrero, Malabon City, were identified as storage facilities for smuggled vape products.
READ: Marcos back in Australia for special summit
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday again left for Australia, this time for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-Australia special summit in Melbourne. The summit will be held from March 4 to 6. Marcos was invited by Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Asean-Australia relations, which began in 1974.
BUSINESS: Inflation seen picking up to 3.0%
Headlining business, inflation is expected to have risen last month due to higher food prices but likely stayed within target, a Manila Times poll found. The median forecast in the survey was 3.0 percent, higher than 2.8 percent recorded in January but still within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' 2.0- to 4.0-percent goal. The central bank also expects inflation to have risen on Thursday saying that it could have hit 2.8-3.8 percent last month. Official February inflation data will be released on Tuesday, March 5. Not all of those surveyed by the Times expect higher inflation, the exception being Pantheon Macroeconomics chief economist Miguel Chanco who forecast a dip to 2.7 percent, mainly due to a fall in housing and utilities price growth.
SPORTS: Junior Altas rout Stags, secure Final 4 top seed
Over to sports, University of Perpetual Help gave San Sebastian College a shooting clinic in an 111-80 rout on Sunday that sealed the former's top seeding and the twice-to-beat Final Four incentive that went with it in NCAA Season 99 junior basketball at the Filoil EcoOil Arena in San Juan City. The game produced a pair of scoring feats -- the most points scored and the most scored in a quarter — a 45-point barrage in the third period — giving the Junior Altas their eighth win in nine outings, the No. 1 seed and the important semis bonus.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks the President is delusional over the Bajo de Masinloc, Fr. Aquino pays tribute to late Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny, while Tatad looks into the prayer rally against charter change that was led by former president Rodrigo Duterte.
Today's editorial says the crusade for gender equality continues, amid challenges. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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