Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Thursday, May 16, 2024.
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China Coast Guard shadows PH convoy
CHINA Coast Guard vessels on Wednesday began shadowing a convoy of Philippine civilian boats on their way to a disputed South China Sea shoal, a convoy spokesman said. Three clearly marked coast guard vessels sailed within sight of the convoy at dusk and broadcast radio warnings heard aboard one of the Philippine boats as the convoy moved closer to Scarborough Shoal, convoy spokesman Emman Hizon said. Civilians on board fishing boats sailed May 15 toward the Chinese-controlled Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to distribute provisions to Filipino fishermen and assert their rights to the disputed waterway. The trip to the waters around Scarborough Shoal comes two weeks after China Coast Guard vessels fired water cannons at two Philippine government boats in the same area, in the latest maritime incident between the countries. Waving tiny Philippine flags and chanting "the Philippines is ours, China out!" about 200 people boarded five commercial fishing vessels that sailed out of a northern port in the morning, escorted by 100 small wooden fishing boats with bamboo outriggers. A few hours later, a lone Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) boat met the convoy in open seas and stood guard as it handed out food and fuel to Filipino fishermen and dropped a dozen orange buoys marked "WPS is Ours" about 20 nautical miles off the Zambales coast. WPS is the acronym for the West Philippine Sea, Manila's name for the South China Sea waters immediately west of the Philippines. Later, the group issued a statement saying it would "proceed to the second phase of its voyage, aiming to reach the vicinity of Panatag Shoal for another round of supply distribution to Filipino fisherfolk in the area." The PCG in Manila said it was deploying more vessels to escort the convoy.
Senate to probe 'wiretapping' by Chinese Embassy
Expulsion of the erring diplomat or the downsizing of the embassy are the possible consequences of the wiretapping by the Chinese Embassy in Manila of the Philippine military, Sen. Francis Tolentino said Wednesday. Tolentino made this observation after the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security, led by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, agreed to investigate the incident in which the Chinese Embassy released an audio recording and transcript of a conversation, purportedly between a Chinese diplomat and Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos. In the tapped telephone conversation, Carlos allegedly agreed to a "new model" for handling Philippine resupply missions to the beached BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal to peacefully manage the territorial dispute there. Estrada and Tolentino have agreed to invite officials from the Department of National Defense, the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), and the Chinese Embassy. Republic Act 4200 makes wiretapping illegal and punishable under Philippine law, Tolentino said. The senator said Chinese Embassy officials can attend "voluntarily" the Senate inquiry on May 21 on the reported wiretapping. Tolentino clarified that the probe is not an acknowledgment of an agreement on Ayungin Shoal.
Digitalization could curb corruption – DICT chief
INTEGRATING technology into government transactions would not only streamline processes but also reduce bureaucratic corruption, a Cabinet official said. Secretary Ivan John Uy of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT) made this point during an interview on "PrimeTimes with Atty. Lia," a program of The Manila Times hosted by lawyer Lia Badillo-Crisostomo. The mobile application eGov PH, also known as e-Government Philippines, was recently launched to simplify transactions between the government and citizens in a bid to build a connected nation. The platform provides a one-stop online system that aims to minimize economic costs for the public. Uy said the DICT is helping other government agencies develop more functionalities and integrate their services into the app, which will soon have an electronic payment feature. Having been in office for almost two years, the Cabinet official said that much work needs to be done, particularly in the area of connectivity. Uy said that while urban areas have adequate connectivity, several remote areas remain isolated and disconnected. Apart from improving transparency and reducing corruption in bureaucracy, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also directed the agency to expand connectivity to a large segment of the population.
NU claims double crown in UAAP volleyball
FOR the first time, the National University (NU) ruled the UAAP women's and men's volleyball tournaments. The Lady Bulldogs and the Bulldogs pulled off the historic feat after sweeping the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Tigresses and Golden Spikers in their respective Season 86 best-of-three Finals series at the Mall of Asia Arena on May 15. On the women's side, NU showed immense resiliency as it subdued a tough-fighting UST side in Game 2, 25-23, 23-25, 27-25, 25-16, before 22,515 fans at the venue. While the Lady Bulldogs had to earn every set against the Tigresses, their men's counterpart had smoother sailing against the Golden Spikers, especially in the third set also in Game Two earlier, 25-21, 22-25, 25-17, 25-15, to complete their four-peat.NU thus became the first school to pull off a double crown in UAAP indoor volleyball tournaments since Ateneo de Manila in Season 77 in 2015.
PH deports 165 suspected Chinese scammers
THE Philippines said Wednesday it had deported 165 Chinese it accused of working in an online scam center based in the north of the country. The group was flown to Shanghai on Tuesday and forever barred from returning to the Philippines, the Immigration Bureau said in a statement. The deportees were among hundreds of employees, Filipino and foreign, rounded up by an anti-crime government task force in a raid of an office compound in the northern municipality of Bamban on March 14. The 165 were involved in "scamming activities" and did not have proper travel documents, making them "undesirable aliens," the immigration statement said. After the raid, the authorities said some of the workers were forced into it and "were controlled by having their passports confiscated so they were unable to leave." The raid occurred following a tip-off from one of the Vietnamese workers who sought police help after he escaped from the compound.
Topping Business
OFW remittances hit $3.05B in March
OVERSEAS Filipino worker (OFW) remittances rebounded to $3.05 trillion in March from nine-month low, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) data showed on Wednesday. Overall, or personal, remittances were 2.6 percent higher than the $2.97 billion posted a year earlier and also improved from February's $2.95 trillion, which was the lowest level recorded since May 2023's $2.78 trillion. Money sent home via banks alone totaled $2.74 billion, 2.5 percent up from the $2.67 billion recorded in March last year and February's $2.65 trillion. Growth for both personal and cash remittances, however, were also the slowest so far for the year and since last July's 2.5 percent and June 2023's 2.1 percent, respectively. Year to date, meanwhile, personal remittances were up 2.8 percent to $9.15 billion, from $8.90 billion a year earlier, while cash remittances rose 2.7 percent to $8.22 billion from $8.0 billion. The first quarter's cash remittance growth was mainly due to flows from the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore, the BSP said. By country source, the US accounted for the biggest share (41.2 percent), followed by Singapore (7.2 percent), Saudi Arabia (5.9 percent) and Japan (5.0 percent). Other countries that contributed to total remittances were the United Kingdom (4.4 percent), the UAE (4.3 percent), Canada (3.2 percent), Taiwan (2.8 percent), Qatar (2.8 percent) and Hong Kong (2.5 percent).
In Sports
Belen, Ybañez snare UAAP MVP awards
NATIONAL University's (NU) Bella Belen and University of Santo Tomas' (UST) Josh Ybañez bagged the UAAP Season 86 women's and men's volleyball MVP awards, respectively. Belen and Ybañez led the individual awardees recognized during the awarding ceremony before their respective teams played in both Game 2 of the finals at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday, May 15. In the women's division, Belen, the Season 84 Rookie of the Year (ROTY) and Most Valuable Player (MVP), also notched her second First Best Outside Spiker award with UST's Angge Poyos following her with the Second Best Outside and Rookie of the Year hardwares. UST's Cassie Carballo took home the Best Setter award; NU's Alyssa Solomon the Best Opposite; UST's Detdet Pepito her second straight Best Libero; La Salle's Thea Gagate her second First Best Middle Blocker; and UP's Niña Ytang her second Second Best Middle Blocker. The sophomore Ybañez, who bagged the men's MVP award for the second straight season, likewise snared the First Best Outside Spiker plum with NU's Nico Almendras taking home the Second. NU's Owa Retamar clinched his second straight Best Setter award as La Salle's Best Libero Mendard Guerrero grabbed the Best Libero plum. FEU's Dryx Saadvedra copped the Best Opposite Spiker award as his teammate Martin Bugaoan claimed the First Best Middle Blocker award followed by La Salle's Nathaniel del Pilar, who seized the Second Best. NU's Jade Disquitado won the ROTY plum.
Knicks bounce back to crush Pacers
NEW YORK – Jalen Brunson was back to his best on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila) as the New York Knicks dominated the Indiana Pacers, 121-91, to take a 3-2 lead in their Eastern Conference semifinal Game 5. A win on Friday night in Indianapolis will see the Knicks advance to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 24 years. After losing Game 4 by 32 points, it was an emphatic response from the Knicks, with Brunson piling up 44 points with seven assists and four rebounds. The Knicks destroyed Indiana on the boards, with Isaiah Hartenstein leading the way with 17 rebounds (12 offensive) while Josh Hart had 11 rebounds (nine defensive). Pascal Siakam led Indiana with 22 points. In the West, the Denver Nuggets made it three straight wins in their semifinal with the Minnesota Timberwolves, with Nikola Jokic leading the defending champions with 40 points.Having trailed 2-0 in the series, Denver is now just one win away from a return to the Western Conference finals. Jokic was presented with his Most Valuable Player of the year award — the third of his career — before the game.
The Philippines should not expel Chinese diplomats, according to the Times in today's editorial. Read the full version in print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras and Danton Remoto. Contreras writes about China's melodrama in WPS: Conduct unbecoming of a superpower while Remoto forwards questions for straight boys and girls.
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