Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, September 7, 2024.
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READ: Senate, PNP vie for Guo custody
THE Senate and the Philippine National Police (PNP) both want to take custody of Alice Guo after the dismissed mayor returned Friday from Indonesia, where she had been hiding for weeks. Hours after arriving at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA), Guo was driven under heavy police escort from the PNP custodial facility in Camp Crame, Quezon City, to Capas, Tarlac, and brought before the Regional Trial Court, where she had been charged with graft. Because Guo did not post bail, Judge Sarah Bacolod Vedaña-de los Santos ordered that she be detained in the custodial facility. On Friday, Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, requested the judge to allow Guo to attend the committee's hearing on Monday. Hontiveros' panel is investigating criminal activities carried out by Philippine online gaming operators (POGOs). Guo testified before the committee last month several times and had repeatedly denied allegations that she was involved in the establishment of the POGO site in Bamban, Tarlac, her hometown. When she stopped attending the hearings, the committee directed the Office of the Senate Sergeant-atArms to arrest and detain her. In her request to Judge de los Santos, Hontiveros said she respects the court's right to issue a warrant against Guo, "but the Senate has the very first arrest warrant against her."
READ: Marcos: Alice's selfie 'part of new culture'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the "selfie" photo of Alice Guo with government officials that has sparked outrage was part of the country's "new culture." The photo of a smiling Guo making a peace sign as she sat next to Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Rommel Marbil and Interior and Local Government Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. has triggered a torrent of criticism. But President Marcos sees nothing wrong with the photo.
READ: Times chairman lauded by OFW advocates
THE OFW Party-list and the Buhay OFW Foundation Inc. lauded Dante Francis Ang II, The Manila Times Chairman and CEO, for upholding ethical standards in journalism to the benefit of the overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sector. Ang was one of the recipients of the Impact Awards. The Impact Awards, the third this year, are given to individuals, civic groups, government institutions, private organizations, and OFWs who continue to uplift the lives of the Filipino people through their advocacies and service. The award was initiated in 2009 by OFW Party-list Rep. Marissa "Del Mar" Magsino through the Buhay OFW Foundation. There were 48 awardees this year in various categories. They included public servants, community leaders and officials of government-owned and -controlled corporations (GOCCs) as selected by the Governance Commission for GOCCs led by Chairman Marius Corpus.
READ: Ballot printing to begin in December
THE printing of 73 million ballots for next year's midterm polls would begin in the second week of December with 1.6-billion pesos allotted for the initiative. The National Printing Office (NPO) and the Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Thursday signed a memorandum of agreement with official service provider Miru Systems concerning the job order. Miru Vice President for Overseas Sales Ken Cho said his company would be lending to NPO brand new machines, which use the latest technology for the project. Printed ballots would be subjected to various testing and verification procedures using machines Miru will provide.
READ: UAAP, NCAA kick off seasons on same day
FOR the first time, the University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) and the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) will open their sports calendar simultaneously today, September 7. The UAAP kicks off its 87th season with men's basketball games at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The NCAA begins its centennial season also with men's basketball at the SM Mall of Asia Arena. For years, the NCAA usually started the college sports season a week ahead of the UAAP. The University of the Philippines (UP), this year's hosts, has tapped the legendary rock band Eraserheads to headline its opening ceremony at 11 a.m. The main feature of the day will be the "Battle of Katipunan" between last year's runner-up UP Fighting Maroons and the Ateneo de Manila University (ADMU) Blue Eagles at 6:30 p.m.
SPORTS: Cebu to fix track discrepancy at CCSC
The Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) will start repairing its rubberized track oval this month after it hosted the 2024 Palarong Pambansa in July and the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo festival of Cebu province in August. However, the facility will remain partially open throughout the renovation process as workers will repair the oval track lane by lane, allowing the public to continue using the other lanes for running, jogging or walking. CCSC manager Jovito Taborada confirmed that the maintenance work will address both the damage incurred after the events and the discrepancies in the track's measurements which did not meet the standard 400 meters distance. During the national sporting event, 11 out of 13 Palarong Pambansa record-breaking feats by student athletes were nullified due to the CCSC track oval being shorter by about 88 centimeters. The repairs will correct the measurement issues and ensure compliance with standard regulations. Acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia, in his weekly press conference on Monday, also announced that the multipurpose area, badminton court and the smaller swimming pool inside the sports complex will also be upgraded.
BUSINESS: Jobless rate spikes to 4.7%
UNEMPLOYMENT worsened in July with new graduates having failed to find jobs, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported on Friday. The country's jobless rate spiked to 4.7 percent, the highest since the year-earlier 4.9 percent, from 3.1 percent in June. This was equivalent to 2.38 million unemployed Filipinos, 760,000 more than June's 1.62 million and July 2023's 2.29 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 90,000 unemployed individuals. National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said the rise came as those who graduated from college or senior high school sought work.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, Danton Remoto, and Leonor Briones are today's front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on the decision of a double Duterte tandem in 2028, Makabenta asks if President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will forge a peace deal with communist rebels before his term expires, Remoto looks in being a digital nomad, and Briones searches for the perfect response to the perfect storm.
Today's editorial says a commuter rights bill is a key part of the transport framework. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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