Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, August 20, 2024.
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READ: PH ships damaged in Escoda collision
TWO Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ships sustained serious damage Monday in pre-dawn collisions with Chinese vessels near Escoda (Sabina) Shoal, the PCG said, as Beijing stepped up efforts to push its claims in the South China Sea. China and the Philippines have had repeated confrontations in the waters in recent months, including around a warship grounded years ago by Manila on the contested Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal that hosts a garrison. Beijing has continued to press its claims to almost the entire South China Sea despite an international tribunal ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. On Monday both countries said their coast guard ships had collided near the disputed Escoda Shoal, located 140 kilometers west of the Palawan and about 1,200 kilometers from Hainan island, the closest Chinese landmass.
READ: Sandro Muhlach files raps vs 'abusers'
A SENATE panel on Monday cited TV director Jojo Nones for contempt for lying as he denied that he drugged and sexually assaulted young actor Sandro Muhlach, who filed a complaint against his alleged abusers on Monday before the Department of Justice. The Senate Committee on Public Order and Mass Media, led by Sen. Robinhood Padilla, resumed the inquiry on the alleged sexual harassment of Muhlach by Nones and Richard Cruz, a writer. Muhlach attended the Senate inquiry virtually but sought an executive session when Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada pressed him to narrate the incident.
READ: Former singer said he was also raped by GMA musical director
Meanwhile, another former of GMA 7, Gerard Santos, on Monday told a Senate public hearing that when he was 15 years old, he was raped by a former musical director of the television network. Santos was invited as a resource person at the resumption of the Senate Committee on Public Information and Mass Media inquiry on the policies of TV networks and artist management agencies with regard to complaints of abuse and harassment. The probe was conducted amid the alleged sexual harassment of Sandro Muhlach, son of former "child wonder" Niño Muhlach, by director Jojo Nones and writer Richard Cruz, both independent talents of GMA 7.
READ: New case of mpox detected - DoH
THE Department of Health (DoH) said on Monday that it had detected one new case of mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in the Philippines. The 10th laboratory-confirmed mpox case was reported on August 18, the department said. The patient's symptoms started more than a week ago with fever, which was followed four days later by findings of a distinct rash on the face, back, nape, trunk, groin, as well as palms and soles. He was seen in a government hospital, where specimens were collected from the skin lesions and run through a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, the results of which were positive for mpox viral DNA. The patient is in isolation. The last case of mpox in the Philippines was recorded in December 2023, and all previous cases were isolated, cared for, and have since recovered. Mpox was recently declared by the World Health Organization as a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC). The DoH reminded the public to watch out for common symptoms of the disease — skin rash or mucosal lesions, which can last two to four weeks, and fever, headache, muscle aches, back pain, low energy and swollen lymph nodes.
READ: Palawan, Boracay in top islands list
PALAWAN and Boracay have made it to Times Travel's "8 Most Visited Island Destinations in Asia," the Department of Tourism (DoT) said Monday. In the August 9 issue of the Indian publication, Bali, Indonesia, was ranked first, and Phuket, Thailand, was second. Palawan, known as the "last frontier" of the Philippines because of its beautiful natural surroundings, took third place. The article highlighted Palawan's beautiful limestone cliffs and blue waters, specifically in El Nido and Coron, as well as the Puerto Princesa Subterranean River, a Unesco World Heritage Site. Boracay, noted for its pristine white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters, ranked fourth on the list.
READ: Guo left the country using PH passport – Hontiveros
SUSPENDED Bamban, Tarlac Mayor Alice Guo has left the country, Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Monday. Using her Philippine passport, Guo, also known as Guo Hua Ping, arrived in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, past midnight on July 18, based on the travel records obtained by the senator. Hontiveros said Guo flew to Singapore, where she reunited with her parents Lin Wen Yi and Guo Jianzhong. The couple flew in from China on July 28.
READ: Classes suspended by 41 LGUs over haze
VOG or volcanic smog from Taal Volcano on Monday forced the suspension of classes in 41 local government units (LGUs) in three provinces and the National Capital Region (NCR). The Department of Education (DepEd) said 25 LGUs were in Batangas, 11 in Cavite, three in Laguna, and the cities of Muntinlupa and Las Piñas in Metro Manila. The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the vog formed because there were no strong winds to dissipate the sulfur dioxide (SO2) emitted by the volcano. Phivolcs issued no imminent threat of eruption from Taal, which is on Alert Level 1, but advised the wearing of face masks among students and elders.
BUSINESS: BoP reverses to surplus; GIR up in July
Over to business, the country's balance of payments (BoP) swung to a surplus in July, a reversal from the deficit recorded a month and a year earlier, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Monday. Meanwhile, the country's gross international reserves (GIR) increased to $106.7 billion as of end-July from $105.2 billion a month earlier. Last month's $62-million BoP surplus is a reversal from June's $155-million shortfall and last year's deficit of $53 million. The surplus, the central bank said, was driven mainly by net income from its investments abroad and the national government's (NG) net foreign currency deposits with the BSP. Year to date, the BoP position remained at a surplus of $1.5 billion but was lower than the $2.2 billion recorded in January–July 2023. This was mainly due to the "narrowing trade in goods deficit alongside the continued net inflows from personal remittances, net foreign direct investment, trade in services, net foreign borrowings by the NG, and net foreign portfolio investments," the BSP said. The BSP also reported that the country's GIR went up to $106.7 billion as of end-July from $105.2 billion a month earlier.
SPORTS: JMF on 'GOAT' talks: 'I'm still far from it'
AFTER June Mar Fajardo officially captured his precedent-smashing eighth PBA Most Valuable Player award for Season 48 on Sunday, the question of whether the San Miguel Beer star is now considered the "greatest of all time" in Asia's first play-for-pay pro league resurfaced once again. Fajardo's latest MVP award already doubled the achievements registered by PBA legends Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio, who for years, set the "gold standard" during their respective professional careers. Fernandez and Patrimonio each won four MVP awards during their illustrious PBA careers. But for the 34-year-old Fajardo, just being part of the "GOAT" conversation is already an honor in itself. Yet, he holds Fernandez in high regard, given the legendary big man's 19 PBA championships in a 20-year PBA career.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Orlando Mercado are today's front page columnists. Contreras looks into "imagined non-poverty", Makabenta looks into a blind spot of the Marcos administration, and Mercado discusses hazing.
Today's editorial discusses the plans to stop the exodus of Filipino teachers to other countries. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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