Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, May 13, 2024.
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READ: House tackles bill to lower rice prices
THE House of Representatives will begin plenary debates this week on a bill that aims to lower the price of rice to below P30 a kilo. Speaker Martin Romualdez said on Sunday that they would expedite debates on amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL) and have it passed on a second reading by May 15.
READ: Grandfather, 70, completes senior high school education
Perseverance and dedication to learning paved the way for a grandfather in this town to graduate from senior high school. The proud grandfather was identified as Hilario Jabines, a 70-year-old senior high school student from Aparri East National High School under the Alternative Learning System or ALS program. Due to economic difficulties, Jabines said he had to stop school, but despite this, he was able to support his family and send all five children to school, all of whom earned their professional degrees. Jabines said he did not mind the teasing he got due to his old age because he wanted to finish his education and fulfill his dream of graduating from college.
READ: BBM creates human rights 'super body'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered the creation of a human rights "super body" composed of key government agencies, Malacañang bared on Sunday. Administrative Order 22, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on the President's behalf on May 8, aims to enhance the mechanisms for the promotion and protection of human rights in the Philippines with the creation of the Presidential Human Rights Committee. Headed by the Office of the Executive Secretary, the special committee will have the justice secretary as co-chairman and the secretaries of the Foreign Affairs and Interior and Local Government departments as members.
READ: Heart Evangelista reveals 4th miscarriage
ACTRESS Heart Evangelista revealed on Sunday, Mother's Day, that she has experienced another miscarriage. The 39-year-old shared on her Instagram post a handwritten letter dedicated to her son with Sen. Francis Escudero, whom they also named Francis.
READ: DoJ rejects dismissal plea in kidnap case
THE Chinese who filed a case for kidnap-for-ransom (KFR) and serious illegal detention against his former business partner lauded the Department of Justice (DoJ) for rejecting the dismissal plea filed by the accused. Lin Xiaoqing, owner of Big Emperor Technology, a Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO), said that while his claim of being kidnapped was not accepted by the DoJ, the rejection of the dismissal plea of the accused, Richard Lim, and its decision to try Lim for the lesser crime of grave coercion also proved he did not fabricate his story. In a resolution dated February 27, but released only recently, Prosecutor General Benedicto Malcontento said Lim should be tried for grave coercion for employing "violence, threats, and intimidation" against Lin. Lim, owner of another POGO, Xionwei Technology, was Lin's business partner in Big Emperor Technology. Acting on the recommendation by Senior State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon and Assistant State Prosecutor Michael John Humarang, who evaluated the complaint, Benedicto also rejected Lim's appeal to reject Lin's complaint, saying there is probable cause to prosecute Lim for another criminal offense.
BUSINESS: Bangko Sentral seen keeping rates steady
Topping business, monetary authorities are expected to keep interest rates steady this Thursday with inflation still within target despite having risen for the last three months. Analysts polled by The Manila Times said there was no rush to revise monetary policy, particularly since April inflation came in lower than expected. The 3.8-percent result — below the consensus estimate of 4.1 percent — also fell within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 3.5- to 4.3-percent forecast. Inflation, which has now stayed within the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target since December, is still expected to keep rising — leading to key interest rates also remaining higher for longer. The central bank's benchmark rate currently stands at 6.5 percent — the highest since 2007 — following 450 basis points (bps) of hikes beginning May 2022 as inflation started surging.
SPORTS: Belen: NU needs to finish off UST in Game 2
FINISH off the UST Golden Tigresses in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 86 women's volleyball finals. Bella Belen said that this is the mentality that the NU Lady Bulldogs should have after taking the series opener, 25-23, 25-20, 25-20, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum on May 11. Belen and the Lady Bulldogs knew firsthand how hard it is to let the opposition force a do-or-die game, having experienced that against the FEU Lady Tamaraws in the Final Four where they held a twice-to-beat advantage. The Lady Tamaraws took Game 1 before the Lady Bulldogs regrouped and claimed Game 2 to march to their third straight Finals appearance. In order to finish off UST, Belen said NU should minimize its errors after committing 19 in Game 1. The Lady Bulldogs were fortunate that the Golden Tigresses practically negated that with 18 errors of their own.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao hits out at a lawyer for "gathering dirt" against former president Rodrigo Duterte, Fr. Aquino discusses the arbitral judgment against China, and Tatad republishes his piece on Singapore becoming an "exceptional state".
Today's editorial believes that artificial intelligence's potential for election fraud is too real to be ignored. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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