Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, August 24, 2024.

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READ: Guo sister 'Chinese posing as Filipino'

SHIELA Guo, the sister of dismissed mayor Alice Guo, is a Chinese national posing as a Filipino citizen, immigration and law enforcement authorities said Friday. In a joint media briefing, Immigration Commissioner Norman Tansingco said charges have been filed against Shiela Guo for misrepresenting herself as a Filipino. Tansingco said Shiela fraudulently acquired a Philippine passport because she already has a Chinese passport. He said the passports were discovered when Shiela and her com - panion, Cassandra Ong, were arrested in Indonesia. The two were flown back to the Philippines by Indonesian authorities. Tansingco said the complaint against Shiela was filed Thursday night before she and Ong were turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI). Ong, however, was not charged because she was using an authentic Philippine passport. Ong is the authorized representative of the Philippine offshore gaming operator (POGO) site in Porac, Pampanga, that was raided by authorities. A subsequent search of the sprawling site yielded evidence of criminal activity such as human trafficking, online scams and even torture. During the same briefing, NBI Director Jaime Santiago said a comparative fingerprint analysis showed that "Shiela L. Guo and the Chinese national Zhang Mier" are one and the same person." Zhang Mier is the name on the Chinese passport Shiela was carrying when she and Ong were apprehended in Indonesia.

READ: Roque: House detention 'unwarranted'

FORMER presidential spokesman Harry Roque said his 24-hour detention at the House of Representatives was an "abuse of power" on the chamber's part. Roque was cited in contempt for lying about his failure to attend the House hearing in Bacolor, Pampanga, on August 16. In two separate statements on his Facebook page, Roque also described his detention as "political harassment."

READ: China 'intensifying' provocations in SCS

A WASHINGTON-BASED think tank has warned that China will likely resort to less lethal but extremely dangerous tactics as it steps up its confrontations with the Philippines in the South China Sea. The Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) made the warning after it noted that incidents involving the use of force by Chinese ships at the Ayungin Shoal have increased in frequency and intensity in 2024, resulting in more serious damage to Philippine vessels and injuries to personnel. The AMTI said it has reviewed studies of Philippine resupply missions to Ayungin since 2021 "to examine the use of force by Chinese vessels" in thwarting such missions. It said that China has refrained from using "firearms, ship-mounted armaments, or other clearly lethal weapons" during the confrontations. The AMTI also noted that since 2021, there have been 10 widely reported incidents in which China has used force in blocking resupply missions.

READ: Filipino seamen safe after new Red Sea attack

FILIPINO seafarers onboard MT Sounion, a Greek-flagged oil tanker carrying 150,000 tons of crude, were safe after the vessel was targeted in the Red Sea by Houthi missiles, said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Thursday. The Houthi rebels launched the attack off the port of Hodeidah on Wednesday. The attack on the Sounion caused a fire and cut engine power. It was claimed by Yemen's Iranbacked Houthi rebels, who have waged a campaign against international shipping that they say is in support of Gaza during the Israel-Hamas war. Twenty-three Filipinos and two Russian crew members were rescued by the French Navy the following day. Reports said the vessel was now anchored between Yemen and Eritrea. The DMW, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration were facilitating the seafarers' repatriation. The government would provide reintegration support to the families of the seamen upon their return to the country. The government on Friday urged Filipino mariners to "avoid" the Red Sea as Yemen-based Houthi rebels kept up their deadly missile and drone attacks on merchant shipping in the vital waterway. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has released an advisory on Red Sea hazards.

READ: Harris accepts Democratic presidential nomination

US Vice President Kamala Harris accepted the Democratic presidential nomination in Chicago on Thursday before a rapturous crowd, pledging a "new way forward" and warning that Donald Trump will take America backward if he wins November's blockbuster election. The 59-year-old sought to strike a presidential tone as she delivered a message of unity and patriotism for Americans after one of the most extraordinary turnarounds in US political history.

BUSINESS: Moody's keeps PH credit rating

Over to business, debt watcher Moody's Ratings on Friday affirmed the Philippines' Baa2 rating with a stable outlook, citing the country's high medium-term growth potential due to various reforms. A "stable" outlook means the rating will likely remain unchanged within the next 12 to 18 months. An investment-grade rating indicates low sovereign risk, allowing the country to secure cheaper funding and shift resources from interest payments to social programs and projects.

SPORTS: Despite setbacks, Eala remains undeterred

In sports, Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala remains undeterred after failing to make the main draw of a Grand Slam event for the third straight time. Eala fell to Elena-Gabriela Ruse of Romania, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, in the third and final round of the US Open qualifying tournament early Friday, August 23 (Manila time). A similar fate happened to Eala at the French Open and Wimbledon where she also went as far as the final round before losing.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras looks into the holiday confusions, Makabenta calls Vice President Sara Duterte as the "lady in the political vortex", while Remoto celebrates gay icons.

Today's editorial reminds Filipinos that emergency preparedness begins at home. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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