Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, September 14, 2024.
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READ: Quiboloy pleads not guilty
APOLLO Quiboloy, the televangelist who calls himself the "anointed son of God," pleaded not guilty to charges filed against him and four co-accused in separate court arraignments on Friday. The leaders of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) religious group, Jackielyn Roy, Cresente Canada, Paulene Canada, Ingrid Canada and Sylvia Cemane, were first brought to a regional trial court in Pasig City to be arraigned in a human trafficking case. Later in the day, they also pleaded not guilty via videoconference before a Quezon City court in a non-bailable case of child sexual abuse. Lawyer Israelito Torreon told reporters his client Quiboloy entered a not guilty plea because he's innocent of the charges. Quiboloy surrendered in his vast religious compound in Davao City on Sunday in an operation involving more than 2,000 police officers.
READ: PH, China advised: Be open to dialogue
MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim advised Manila and Beijing to be "very delicate" in handling their dispute in the South China Sea and be "more open to dialogue." Ibrahim made the statement during the plenary session of the just concluded Eastern Economic Forum (EEF) in the Russian city of Vladivostok, according to the lone representative of the Philippines to the international forum, Hugo Santos of the Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute (ACPSSI). Santos said on Friday Ibrahim stressed that Malaysia, which also claims part of the South China Sea, does not want the Southeast Asian region to become a "battleground" for superpowers. The Malaysian leader pointed out that Kuala Lumpur positions itself as a mediator. Ibrahim said that when it comes to addressing its own dispute with rival claimants, national economic interest is a key priority for Malaysia. He said the country recognizes that while it has an edge over other claimants because of oil exploration in its exclusive economic zone (EEZ), it is also pursuing an "open dialogue" with its rivals, particularly China. Santos said Ibrahim emphasized Kuala Lumpur's non-aligned foreign policy, which he said literally means "a friend to all and an enemy to none."
READ: Marcos' birthday treat: Govt to foot patients' hospital bill
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government will pay the bills of patients in all tertiary public hospitals as a present to them on his birthday on Friday. Marcos, who turned 67, made the announcement during the launch of AgriPuhunan at Pantawid Program (APP) in Guimba, Nueva Ecija.
READ: Guo's 2 cases transferred to Valenzuela court
THE Valenzuela City Regional Trial Court received on Friday the case files of two corruption charges against dismissed Bamban mayor Alice Guo from a court in Tarlac. A warrant of arrest was issued against Guo by the Capas, Tarlac Regional Trial Court Branch 109 for violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act. It was the Department of the Interior and Local Government that filed the cases, alleging that the dismissed mayor used her power to issue a permit to an illegal Philippine offshore gaming operator in Bamban, Tarlac.
READ: 13 PH firms in World's Best Companies list
THREE corporations belonging to the Sy family conglomerate lead the 13 Philippine firms that made Time Magazine and Statista's list of World's Best Companies for 2024. SM Investments Corp. (SMIC) ranked 502nd in the list, SM Prime Holdings Inc. (SMPH) 577th, and China Banking Corp. (CBC) 849th. Also on the list are Ayala Corp. (274), Security Bank Corp. (451), San Miguel Corp. (463), Jollibee Foods Corp. (649), Aboitiz Group (727), Robinsons Retail Holdings (775), Alliance Global (863), PLDT (897), Metrobank (935), and Puregold Price Club (997). The six siblings of Henry Sy Sr. inherited and now run a vast retail, banking and property empire with a total net income of 77 billion pesos in 2023.
BUSINESS: Inflation seen slowing to 2.5% in September
RICE supply gains due to lower tariffs could help bring this month's inflation to an over four-year low, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) said. The Ayala-led bank expects consumer price growth to hit 2.5 percent in September, down from 3.3 percent a month earlier. If realized, it would be the slowest since October 2020's 2.3 percent.
SPORTS: Injured athlete sues contractor of CCSC
Over to sports, a karate athlete in Cebu has taken legal action against the contractor responsible for the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) track oval after sustaining an injury due to the track's defective surface. During a Cebu City Council session on Wednesday, Councilor Rey Gealon highlighted the issue in a privilege speech. The karateka, Karla Katrina Kim Arriba, was training at the CCSC track on August 29, 2024 for upcoming karate tournaments in Dumaguete City, Danao City, and Indonesia. While running sprints, she tripped over a lump in the track, causing her to fall and break her left finger. The injury requires immediate medical treatment and surgery was performed the following day.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras noticed a trend at the latest congressional hearings, Makabenta urged Filipino Americans to vote for Kamala Harris in the upcoming US elections, while Remoto looks into an upcoming Nordic noir novel coming to the country.
Today's editorial calls on the Office of the Ombudsman to rescind an Energy Regulatory Commission that caused its chief's suspension. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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