Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Monday, June 10, 2024.
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READ: Joint patrols pushed for Spratly Islands
SEN. Imee Marcos has proposed joint patrols among claimants in the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea — which include the Philippines — to ease tensions in the region. The senator was asked in a radio interview over the weekend about the need to elevate the territorial dispute to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean). Some claimants in the Spratlys, believed to be rich in gas and mineral deposits, are Asean members, such as Brunei, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines. The other claimants are China and Taiwan. Beijing claims almost all of the SCS, including the exclusive economic zones of several of the claimants.
READ: Bets must submit photos to be used in campaigns
STARTING with the 2025 midterm polls, the Commission on Elections (Comelc) will require all candidates to submit the photos they will use in the campaign in relation to its move to ban the use of certain forms of artificial intelligence (AI) during the campaign period. Chairman George Erwin Garcia said over the weekend that he submitted his proposal to the Commission en banc and, at the same time, referred the AI and deepfake issue to the Committee on Digital Transformation and Kontra Fake News.
READ: Govt workers told to recite pledge
MALACAÑANG has issued a memorandum directing all government agencies to include the recital of the Bagong Pilipinas Hymn and Pledge during their weekly flag ceremonies. Signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on June 4, 2024, Memorandum Circular (MC) 52 was issued by the Palace "to further instill the principles of the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance and leadership among Filipinos." A copy of the circular was released on Sunday, June 9. The order covers all national government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or -controlled corporations (GOCCs) and educational institutions. MC 52 also tasks the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) "to implement effective measures to communicate and disseminate the Bagong Pilipinas Hymn and Pledge to all government offices and the public."
READ: Career diplomat eyed as ambassador to Saudi
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has nominated career diplomat Raymond Balatbat as the ambassador to Saudi Arabia and Yemen, a statement from the office of Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel. Pimentel, an assistant minority leader of the Commission on Appointments (CA), said on Sunday the President nominated Balatbat on June 3 and that the commission received his papers two days later. Balatbat is the country's ambassador to Lebanon and has served as executive director of the Department of Foreign Affairs' Office of Middle East and African Affairs. He joined the foreign service in 1997 and served in several diplomatic missions.
READ: DoE sets goal for small modular reactors
ENERGY officials hope to generate 2,400 megawatts of power using small modular reactors (SMRs) by 2032. SMRs are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of a conventional nuclear power reactor and physically a fraction of its size. Energy Assistant Secretary Mario Marasigan said SMRs offer several advantages, including enhanced safety features, scalability and efficient waste management. The Department of Energy (DoE), he said, aims to strike a balance between meeting energy demands and minimizing the environmental impact.
BUSINESS: GIR rebounds to $104.48B
Topping business, the country's gross international reserves (GIR) rebounded in May to their highest level so far for the year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported late Friday. At $104.48 billion, GIR has more than recovered from April's $1.42-billion dip to $102.628 billion, which the central bank last month said was due to national government withdrawals that were used to pay for debts and expenditures.
SPORTS: Bantiloc qualifies for Paris Paralympics
In sports, Filipina para archer Agustina Bantiloc on Saturday secured a spot in the Paris 2024 Summer Paralympics. Bantiloc qualified through the Bipartite Commission Invitation and reached the minimum qualification standards. She was also part of a mixed pair that secured the Philippines a bronze medal finish at the Compound Open Mixed Category during the Para Archery Olympic Qualifiers in Thailand.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao says Vietnam is another claimant in the South China Sea dispute, Fr. Aquino discusses what state universities should spend on, while Tatad looks into the Magna Carta for Seafarers.
Today's editorial calls for a strong global response after the alarming spread of the avian influenza virus or bird flu. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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