Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, April 18, 2024.
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Court overturns ban on Smartmatic
The Supreme Court has reversed the Commission on Elections (Comelec) decision to disqualify Smartmatic from participating in any public bidding for elections, saying the poll body was guilty of grave abuse of discretion. In a decision issued here on Tuesday, the Supreme Court en banc unanimously granted the petition for certiorari filed by Smartmatic TIM Corp. and Smartmatic Philippines Inc. and reversed the Nov. 29, 2023 resolution of the Comelec en banc, which disqualified Smartmatic from participating in any public bidding for elections. However, the Court recognized that requiring the Comelec to conduct another round of public bidding would seriously disrupt its preparations for the 2025 national and local elections and potentially jeopardize the very conduct of the polls.
Survey: Support for Duterte in senatorial race dips
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte slipped into second place among contenders for the 2025 Senate race in the latest Publicus Asia survey results released on Wednesday. In its Pahayag 2024 First Quarter Survey, conducted from March 14 to 18 among 1,500 respondents, Publicus Asia noted "intriguing shifts in voter predispositions" amid the anticipation and speculation surrounding the 2025 senatorial elections.
Scholars file complaint against CHEd chief before Ombudsman
TEN indigenous student scholars from South Cotabato filed a complaint against Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) Chairman Prospero de Vera III before the Office of the Ombudsman for failing to release their living allowances for three school years starting in 2021. De Vera has already been under fire for failing to make use of a P10.3 billion fund meant for free tuition and living allowances of government scholars under Republic Act 10931 or the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act. The 10 Menitobong students accused de Vera of negligence of duties and responsibilities as a public official, violation of the Ease of Doing Business Act, grave abuse of power and authority and moral injury to students and educational institutions.
DFA to Filipinos in Middle East: Be alert
THE Department of Foreign Affairs advised Filipinos in the Middle East to be "alert and updated" amid the volatile security situation in the region. It said that Alert Level 2, which restricts the deployment of Filipino workers in Israel, remains in place. Iran launched an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel Saturday in apparent retaliation for a deadly April 1 air strike on its embassy in Damascus, which killed seven of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals. There are more than 30,000 Filipinos in Israel, mostly caregivers, while there are over 2,000 in Iran. The Philippine Embassy in Tel Aviv recommended that non-essential travel from the Philippines to Israel "be postponed indefinitely, or until such time that the situation has stabilized."
FORMER Senate president Franklin Drilon on Wednesday called on Apollo Quiboloy, the head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, to obey the law and present himself to a Senate inquiry. The Senate issued an arrest order after the embattled pastor was held in contempt for ignoring the summons of the Senate committee on women, children, family relations and gender equality, headed by Sen. Risa Hontiveros. On March 22, Quiboloy's camp filed a petition for certiorari, with the issuance of a temporary restraining order and/or preliminary injunction before the Supreme Court to contest the Senate's arrest order against him. The high court denied the petition.
Peso drop not enough to affect policy direction
Over to business, the peso's plunge versus the dollar is not yet significant enough to significantly affect the direction of monetary policy, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Eli Remolona Jr. said. The currency weakened further on Wednesday, closing at 57.184 pesos against the greenback, after hitting a near 17-month low a day earlier. It has now fallen for five straight days and is currently over the government's 55-57 pesos to $1 exchange rate assumption for 2024.
Catantan, Jose are fencing's top bets
In sports, Filipino fencers Samantha Catantan and Noelito Jose present the best opportunities for the Philippines to send athletes in the sport of fencing at the 2024 Paris Olympics in July. The two, together with fellow fencers Nathaniel Perez and Hanniel Abella, will see action in the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament on April 27-28 in Fujairah, United Arab Emirates.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contereras discusses the way to move forward in Bohol, Makabenta is thankful that former president Rodrigo Duterte and former House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez are out of office, while Remoto talks about being a novelist.
Today's editorial calls for a stronger response against the pertussis outbreak. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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