Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, April 27, 2024.
Today's episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: Sara leads 2028 presidential poll
VICE PRESIDENT Sara Duterte is the overwhelming choice for president in the 2028 elections, according to a survey by Oculum Research and Analytics. Duterte gained the nod of 42 percent of the 3,000 respondents ages 18 and above randomly selected nationwide by Oculum. Support for her was highest in Mindanao at 62 percent and lowest in Southern Luzon at 23 percent. She also got the highest support from respondents in the Class E socioeconomic bracket, with 44 percent, and the lowest from Classes A and B.
READ: Filipinos favor alliance with US – survey
MORE Filipinos want the Philippines to align with the United States than with the People's Republic of China, a recent survey said. The results of a nationwide poll by Oculum Research and Analytics conducted from February 21 to 20 revealed that 43 percent of the 3,000 respondents favored an alliance with the US, while only 3 percent preferred closer ties with China. Oculum Research Head and Analytics Chief Statistician Joseph Mercado said the survey's results offer a revealing glimpse into public opinion on the South China Sea territorial dispute. China received the lowest trust rating among 16 countries in the same survey, with 17 percent. It garnered the highest level of distrust among respondents, at 38 percent.
READ: PH, China reached 'understanding' in Ayungin row, embassy claims
THE Philippines made two "arrangements" with China last year toward a peaceful resolution to the dispute over the Ayungin Shoal, a ranking Chinese official told The Manila Times. The official, who agreed to an exclusive interview with The Times as long as his identity is not revealed, described the arrangements as a "new internal understanding" and a "new model" that are completely different from the earlier "gentlemen's agreement" between former president Rodrigo Duterte and Chinese authorities. The agreement, reached in November 2021, was meant "to manage the situation" in Ayungin, or what the Chinese refer to as Ren'ai Jiao, and "how to interact and trust each other without prejudice to respective positions on sovereignty and sovereignty rights and jurisdictions of the two countries."
READ: First lady leads launch of 2GO's newest ship
FIRST lady Marie Louise Araneta-Marcos on Friday led the launch of 2GO Travel's newest Roll-On, Roll-Off passenger (ropax) vessel, the MV 2GO Masigla, at Manila's North Harbor. Frederic Dybuncio, 2GO president and chief executive officer, said the vessel represents 2GO's commitment to provide seagoing passengers with cruise-like amenities while remaining affordable for Filipinos. The Maligaya features upgraded facilities and amenities such as spacious cabins, suite rooms, a restaurant, clinic and shopping stores.
READ: Settlement 'reappears' as Pantabangan dam dries up
A centuries-old settlement submerged by the construction of a dam in the 1970s has reappeared as water levels drop due to a drought affecting swathes of the country. The ruins in the middle of Pantabangan Dam in Nueva Ecija are a tourist draw, even as the region swelters in extreme heat. Parts of a church, municipal hall marker and tombstones began to resurface in March after several months of "almost no rain," said Marlon Paladin, a supervising engineer for the National Irrigation Administration.
BUSINESS: Updates to PPP rules OK'd by NEDA Board
Headlining business, three initiatives aimed at speeding up human capital development and facilitating critical projects have been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board chaired by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Greenlit on Thursday were new guidelines to facilitate the approval of public-private partnership projects, changes to the University of the PhilippinesPhilippine General Hospital Cancer Center PPP project, and the Department of Education's Basic Education Development Plan and Matatag agenda.
SPORTS: Ginebra faces Converge in Cagayan de Oro
In sports, a well-rested Barangay Ginebra takes on Converge as the Gin Kings resume their bid for a top 2 finish today, April 27, in the PBA Season 48 Philippine Cup at the Aquilino Pimentel Jr. International Convention Center in Cagayan de Oro City. The Gin Kings and the FiberXers collide at 6:15 p.m. Over at the Caloocan Sports Complex, Blackwater and NorthPort try to salvage their own playoff hopes when they collide at 3 p.m. in a battle between two skidding squads.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, Danton Remoto, and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about making higher education into a race and universities into horses, Makabenta reads into a world without fossil fuels, Remoto discusses the Big One, and Briones discusses part 2 of her Philippine leadership piece.
Today's editorial says a new sustainable taxonomy will present challenges to the country. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.