Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, September 20, 2024.
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READ: Data from 28M passports at risk
THE personal data of some 28 million passport holders may have been compromised after the national printing office failed to install a cybersecurity system that would protect that information, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Adelio Cruz of the Office of Consular Affairs made this revelation on Thursday at a Senate hearing on the department's proposed 2025 budget.
READ: Frasco: Days as mayor helped in new role
TOURISM Secretary Christina Frasco on Thursday said her days as a local chief executive gave her a sense of urgency and pragmatism she now employs in her work at the national level. During The Manila Times' Model Cities and Municipalities Forum, Frasco recalled how "it came as a surprise" when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. chose her to be his administration's tourism chief back in 2022. She noted that under her watch, the DoT crafted the National Tourism Development Plan, which is geared toward steering the Philippines to becoming a tourism powerhouse.
READ: Bacnotan, Baguio judged top LGUs
EXEMPLARY cities and municipalities were recognized in The Manila Times Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities 2024 Awards on Thursday. After a screening and judging process applied to 26 cities and 12 municipalities, the municipality of Bacnotan in La Union and Baguio City emerged as the top local government units (LGUs) for their steadfast commitment to providing sustainable development and economic growth for their residents through various initiatives. Bacnotan was hailed as the best in Technology Territory, Safe Haven, and Food Security Enabler as well as Sustainability Champion. On the other hand, Baguio City took home the Top Model City prize for taking first place in the Education Hub, Family First, Livelihood and Employment Centered, Retirement Haven, Safe Haven, Social Service Oriented and Food Security Enabler categories and first runner-up in the Sustainability Champion category. With the theme "Reinventing, reinvigorating urban living," the Philippine Model Cities and Municipalities 2024 celebrated the progress and development in urban areas across the country.
READ: Angkas boss running for Congress
GEORGE Royeca, the chief executive officer of ride hailing app Angkas, has thrown his hat into the political ring as he called for congressional representation of the informal sector, which he described as the "backbone of the local economy." Known as "Mr. Angkas," Royeca helped revolutionize ride-hailing in the Philippines. With over 8 million downloads and 50,000 biker-partners, Angkas is considered the foremost app-based service provider in the country.
READ: Ex-mayor bares 2017 plot to smear opposition
In other news, former Iloilo City mayor Jed Patrick Mabilog told a congressional panel Thursday he was not the drug protector that former president Rodrigo Duterte made him out to be in 2017. He also told the quad committee of a plot to have him implicate opposition leaders led by former Senate president Franklin Drilon and former Interior secretary and presidential candidate Mar Roxas in the drug trade, in exchange for taking him off Duterte's so-called narco-list. In an emotional appearance at the panel, Mabilog said he was forced to abandon his sworn duty as Iloilo City mayor because of fears for his safety. He said that in the six years that he served as mayor of Iloilo, he received multiple commendations from both the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency and the Philippine National Police for the anti-drug programs in his city. But these efforts were ignored by the former president, who put him instead in his "narcolist" of people accused without proof or basis of being linked to illegal drugs.
BUSINESS: PH talent ranking slumps
Headlining business, the Philippines has fallen to near bottom in a global ranking of how countries are nurturing and attracting skilled workers, placing 63rd out of 67 economies in the International Institute for Management Development's (IMD) 2024 list. The result — down three places from last year and also significantly lower than the 48th recorded just four years earlier — came as the country's scores slipped in the three areas measured by the Swiss-based business school's study: investment and development, appeal and readiness. The Philippines ranked 64th in investment and development (62nd last year), 54th in appeal (55th previously) and 52nd in readiness (from 51st). In 2020, it was 61st, 31st and 33rd, respectively. It was 13th out of 14 Asia Pacific countries, only ahead of Mongolia. Singapore (2nd globally), Hong Kong (9th) and Australia (14th) were the top three countries in the region. Switzerland again topped the global list, followed by Singapore that climbed six spots from last year to displace Luxembourg, which fell to third. Rounding out the top five were Sweden and Denmark, up six and two places, respectively. Switzerland dominated both the investment and development, and appeal factors, while Singapore was first in terms of readiness, or the degree of existing skills and competencies in the talent pool. The only countries that ranked lower than the Philippines were Ghana, Venezuela, Brazil and Mongolia. Ghana, along with Nigeria (60th) and Puerto Rico (45th), were new entrants to the global rankings.
SPORTS: Carzano rules Iligan rapid chess tournament
Over to sports, Johnny Wellem Carzano dominated the annual Diyandi Festival Rapid Chess Tournament held last weekend at the Robinsons Mall, Level 3 in Iligan City. And how amazing his performance was over a strong field that drew the who's who in Northern Mindanao chess community that he finished the tournament undefeated in eight rounds, winning seven against a lone draw to bag the championship and the 15,000-peso prize plus trophy.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks taking the country's disputes with China to the United Nations is a "harebrained" idea, while Tatad analyzes Pope Francis' recent visit to Singapore.
Today's editorial says the United Nations Security Council needs a reconfiguration. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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