Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, July 2, 2024.
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READ: NCR workers get P35 wage bump
SOME 1.1 million minimum wage earners in Metro Manila will get a P35 wage bump, bringing their daily take-home pay from P610 to P645. The P35 hike was granted by the National Capital Region-Tripartite Wages and Productivity Board, which issued Wage Order NCR-25, which also brought wages for agriculture sector workers and those in retail establishments employing 15 or fewer, and manufacturing establishments regularly employing fewer than 10 workers from P573 to P608. The wage order takes effect July 17, which is exactly a day after the anniversary of the preceding wage order. The wage board, composed of representatives from the government, management and labor sectors, conducted two consultations for workers and employers on May 23 and June 4, a public hearing on June 20 in Quezon City and a wage deliberation on June 27 in Manila. The new rates, which translate to a 5.7-percent increase from the prevailing daily minimum wage rates in the region, remain above the latest regional poverty threshold for a family of five. These will also result in a comparable 5-percent increase in wage-related benefits covering 13th month pay, service incentive leave and social security benefits such as SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG. The wage order is expected to directly benefit around 988,243 minimum wage earners in the NCR. About 1.7 million full-time wage and salary workers earning above the minimum wage may also indirectly benefit as a result of upward adjustments at the enterprise level arising from corrections for wage distortion. Labor groups, however, criticized the P35 wage hike, saying that it was inadequate and vowed to pursue a legislated across-the-board increase of P150 a day.
READ: Angara, Benitez endorsed for education secretary
TWO leading candidates for education secretary — Sen. Juan Edgardo Angara and Negros Occidental Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez — gained the endorsement of the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations of the Philippines (Cocopea) on Monday. The group confirmed during its 9th National Congress that it submitted a short list of candidates to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and said that whoever will be named to head the Department of Education (DepEd) should possess expertise in education. Also included on the list are Joyce Andaya, former DepEd director for curriculum and development; Gina Gonong, undersecretary for curriculum and teaching; and Wilmer Joseph Tria, president of the Catholic Education Association of Caceres. Albert Delvo, Cocopea president; Bernard Villamor, president of the Philippine Association of Colleges; Onofre Inocencio, president of UniVET; John Jacome, Cocopea executive director; Kristine Manaog, Cocopea legal counselor; and Antonio del Carmen, president of Philippine Association of Private Schools, Colleges and Universities led the Congress. Last week, Vice President Sara Duterte announced her resignation as DepEd secretary but Marcos has yet to appoint a new chief. The group urged Marcos to screen the next secretary carefully and cautiously.
READ: 2 more track athletes likely to make it to Paris
FILIPINO hurdlers John Cabang and Lauren Hoffman await their official entries to the Paris Olympics which comes off the wraps on July 26. Cabang and Hoffman finished within the quota rankings of the men's 110-meter (m) and women's 400-m events, respectively, as the Olympic qualification period ended on June 30. Cabang placed 29th in his event while Hoffman finished 38th in hers, with both of their disciplines set to have athletes who finished in the top 40 advancing to the Paris Games. The final rankings and qualified athletes for the Games may only be formalized later this week, but Cabang and Hoffman should make it. At 29th in the men's 110-m hurdles, Cabang, 22, is highly unlikely to be bumped out of top 40 while Hoffman, 25, will still qualify even if she gets tossed out of the best 40 in the women's 400 m. In that event, the Filipino-American hurdler will advance to the Olympics through a Universality place given to the country's top-ranked athlete in a particular event. Cabang and Hoffman will most likely be the final two athletes of the Philippine contingent for the Paris Olympics, which has 20 members already. Tokyo Olympian Kristina Knott is also inside of the women's 200-m rankings quota, though she's in danger of bombing out since she's the last athlete in the top 48.
READ: China, Asean strengthen partnership
ASEAN member countries and China are taking their partnership to the next level by jointly promoting people-to-people cultural exchanges, enhancing mutual understanding and enriching regional sustainable development. At the Asean-China Media Cooperation Forum at Dezhou City in northwestern Shandong Province on June 21, the Asean-China Centre (ACC) and China International Communications Group (CICG) hosted diplomats, public officials and media representatives from 10 Asean countries and China. Shi Zhongjun, secretary general of ACC, said the ACC will work with the Asean and Chinese media to enhance the status of the region in the arena of global public opinion. The forum was also attended by Du Zhanyuan, president of China International Communications Group; Wang Yihua, vice chairman of the Standing Committee of the Shandong Provincial People's Congress; and Tian Weidong, secretary of CPC Dezhou Municipal Committee and chairman of the People's Congress of Dezhou City Standing Committee. Representing the Asean nations were Phosy Keomanivong, vice minister of the LapsMinistry of Information, Culture and Tourism of Laos; Has Sam Ath, undersecretary of State of the Ministry of Information of Cambodia; and Jaime FlorCruz, ambassador of the Philippines to China. Ekkaphab Phanthavong, deputy secretary general of Asean, delivered his message through a video recording. The forum's keynote speakers were Wei Jianhua, deputy director general of global services of Xinhua News Agency and Taufiq Rahman, editor-in-chief of Jakarta Post. This year has been designated as the Asean-China Year of People-to-People Exchanges. The ACC plans to organize more forums and events to further promote and strengthen the partnership.
Topping Business
READ: PH factory growth slows as orders ease
A SLOWDOWN in new orders weighed on domestic manufacturing growth in June, S&P Global said on Monday, but industry conditions remained positive. The country's Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) slipped to a three-month low of 51.3, down from 51.9 in May, but remained above the 50.0 mark that indicates an expansion. While the June result "signaled a softer rate of growth, it nonetheless marked a tenth consecutive monthly improvement in the health of the Filipino manufacturing sector," S&P Global said. Manufacturing output marked its fastest growth in six months, but new orders slowed to the second-weakest in 10 months in an indication of a less robust demand trend. Foreign demand also eased, with new export orders hitting a three-month low. Domestic manufacturers managed to stay ahead of production schedules and backlogs decreased at a faster pace. Spare capacity rose and companies again reduced their workforces, with some also not replacing those who had voluntarily resigned. Purchasing growth in June was said to be the fastest since July of last year. Pre-production inventories also continued growing but at a slower pace as companies built up stocks. The slowdown was attributed to a continued decline in vendor performance issues as well as traffic and customs delays. Post-production stocks, meanwhile, also rose in June and at a faster pace. Cost burdens increased as input price inflation was the strongest since February, albeit at a still below average rate, leading firms to raise prices.
In Sports
READ: Davis wins second PGA Detroit title in 4 years
WASHINGTON — Australia's Cameron Davis hung tough down the stretch as rivals faltered to capture his second US PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage Classic in four years by a stroke on Sunday (Monday in Manila). American Akshay Bhatia missed a par putt from just outside four feet to bogey the 18th hole and hand the Aussie a one-stroke victory at Detroit Golf Club. Davis fired a two-under-par 70 in the final round to finish 72 holes on 18-under 270 with Bhatia settling for a share of second alongside countryman Davis Thompson, England's Aaron Rai and Australian Min Woo Lee. Davis sank a birdie putt from just outside four feet at the par-5 17th to match Bhatia for the lead and at 18 pitched from the rough to within inches of the hole and tapped in for par to set the stage for the tension-packed finish. Davis, whose only other PGA win came in 2021 at Detroit, had not managed a top-10 finish all year and was overcome with emotion after seeing the victory was his.
READ: Biles secures third trip to the Olympics
MINNEAPOLIS — Simone Biles is heading back to the Olympics and the white-hot spotlight that comes with it. The gymnastics superstar earned a third trip to her sport's biggest stage by cruising to victory at the US Olympic trials on Sunday (Monday in Manila), posting a two-day all-around total of 117.225 to clinch the lone automatic spot on the five-woman team. Three years removed from the Tokyo Olympics — where she pulled out of multiple finals to prioritize her safety and mental health — Biles heads back to the games looking perhaps as good as ever. A trip to France has never really been in doubt since she returned from a two-year break last summer. All she's done over the last 12 months is win a sixth world all-around title and her eighth and ninth national championship — both records — while further cementing her status as the best-ever in her sport. She'll head to Paris as a prohibitive favorite to bookend the Olympic gold she won in 2016, but with things to work on, too.
READ: Alcaraz starts Wimbledon title defense
LONDON — Carlos Alcaraz begins the defense of his Wimbledon title at the All England Club on Monday (Tuesday in Manila), opening play on Centre Court against Estonia's Mark Lajal, the world's 262nd best player. Alcaraz, who stunned seven-time champion Novak Djokovic in a five-set final in 2023, is looking to become just the sixth man to complete the French Open-Wimbledon double in the same season. Also in action on the opening day are world number one Jannik Sinner, US Open champion Coco Gauff and Australian Open winner Aryna Sabalenka.
READ: Opinion
Investing in the young is today's editorial. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times.
Featured columnists on the front page are Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado. Contreras says former senator Leila de Lima's acquittal and the county's resistance to China strengthen case against ICC intervention; Makabenta asks why there is no plan to increase the AFP active personnel and Mercado on the US presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and archrival and former president Donald Trump.
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