Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, March 5, 2024.
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READ: Marcos: We must defend PH territory
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Monday that he had no choice but to defend his country's territory in the South China Sea against what he called Chinese aggression, and he might even "push back ties" if Beijing continues to trample upon Philippine interests. China claims sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea, one of the world's most crucial waterways for shipping. That has put it at odds with the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei, which all maintain claims to islands, reefs and undersea resources in the region. Marcos, who is attending a summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in Melbourne, said standing up to China in the South China Sea was not a policy choice. After his speech at the Lowy Institute, the President said he would be compelled to "push back ties" with China if the Philippines' sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea were questioned or ignored. Marcos emphasized that his administration is taking a very strong position on the issue because it cannot allow a unilateral decision made by a foreign entity to amend or change the definition of the country's territory.
READ: Macalintal questions Cha-cha plebiscite
ELECTION lawyer Romulo Macalintal questioned the proposal of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to hold the 2025 midterm polls and the Charter change (Cha-cha) plebiscite simultaneously for being constitutionally infirm. Macalintal said President Marcos' position to hold a plebiscite to amend the Constitution alongside the 2025 national and local elections (NLE) is not tenable or of doubtful constitutionality. Macalintal cited Section 4, Article XVII of the 1987 Constitution, which said that the ratification of any amendment to or revision shall be done 'in a plebiscite' not in 'in an election' or in an 'election and plebiscite.'" Involved in these cases was the constitutionality of Republic Act (RA) 4913 insofar as it provided that proposed amendments to the 1935 Constitution could be submitted to the people together with the regular election then scheduled in November 1967. Macalintal said a majority of the justices said the law was unconstitutional "because in deciding amendatory proposals, the people must be free from consideration of extraneous matters, such as the choice of [elective] national and local officials."
READ: PAO provides free legal service to accountants
THE Public Attorney's Office (PAO) has signed a memorandum of agreement (MoA) with the Philippine Association of Local Government Accountants (Phalga) to extend free legal service to the group's members. PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta revealed the agreement as she addressed Phalga members during its 16th Geographical Conference for Mindanao in Cagayan de Oro City late last week. She welcomed accountants belonging to local government units as PAO's clients who could take advantage of the free legal service and seek representation from the agency during court hearings. Rueda-Acosta stressed that discipline must prevail in order for the nation to completely recover from poverty and further improve the people's living standards. Rueda-Acosta assured Phalga members of PAO's full support. During the same event, Phalga conferred Rueda-Acosta with a plaque of recognition for her contribution in nation-building and continued support to millions of indigent Filipinos with no legal access.
READ: Jaclyn Jose died of a heart attack
VETERAN actress Jaclyn Jose died of a heart attack on Saturday, March 2, her daughter Andi Eigenmann confirmed Monday. Eigenmann said that Jose, Mary Jane Guck in real life, died on March 2, 2024 due to myocardial infarction or heart attack. She was accompanied by her brother Gabby. Both of them were children of the late actor Mark Gil. It was early Monday when Jose's talent management, PPL Entertainment Inc., first announced her passing without reporting the cause of death. Jose was the first Southeast Asian to win the highly coveted Best Actress Award at the 69th Cannes Film Festival for her dramatic portrayal of a drug-dealing matriarch in the Brillante Mendoza film Ma' Rosa in 2016. Jose's sterling career spanned four decades and earned recognition from award-giving bodies such as Gawad Urian Awards, Famas Awards and Luna Awards, as well as a nomination at the Asian Film Awards.
Topping Business
READ: Australian firms urged to invest in PH
CABINET officials on Monday asked Australian businesses to consider the Philippines as an investment destination, citing recent reforms and expanded opportunities in key sectors such as infrastructure and renewable energy. Energy Secretary Raphael Lotilla particularly highlighted incentives for energy investments, including relaxed foreign ownership restrictions for renewable energy projects. The Cabinet officials were in Australia as part of a delegation accompanying President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who is currently in the country to attend an Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean)-Australia summit. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto noted that Australia's engagement with the Philippines was improving, having become the country's 13th biggest trading partner last year with total trade at some $4.1 billion, up 20.6 percent from 2023. Australia is also the 16th largest contributor of net foreign direct investments, he added, accounting for $5.7 million as of end-November last year, and was the fourth-largest source of tourist arrivals in 2023. The Philippines, meanwhile, was said to be hosting over 250 Australian companies that employ over 44,000 Filipinos.
In Sports
READ: Obiena misses podium in World Indoor
FILIPINO pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena missed the podium at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Glasgow, Scotland on Monday morning, March 4 (Manila time). Obiena placed ninth in the competition where his best clearance was just 5.65 meters (m), failing to become the first Filipino to medal in the tourney. It was an off night for Obiena who needed two attempts to clear 5.65 m, a height he usually surpasses with ease. The world no. 2 pole vaulter skipped 5.75 m to clear 5.85 m in which he could not clear in two attempts. Obiena decided to use his final attempt at 5.90 m but to no avail as he posted one of his worst finishes in his professional career. Swede Armand "Mondo" Duplantis ruled the tournament as the world no. 1 pole vaulter surpassed 6.05 m in his third attempt for the gold medal.
READ: Opinion
The Times, in today's editorial, says DepEd needs more funds for physical and intellectual infrastructure. 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 Makabenta and Orlando Mercado. Contreras advises the political opposition to focus on winnable seats at the House; Makabenta asks whether CO2 does not cause global warming; and Mercado on the real danger of plastics.
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