Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday,Sept. 23, 2024.
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READ: Guo to share cell with 44 detainees
DISMISSED Bamban, Tarlac mayor Alice Guo will share a cramped detention cell with 44 detainees at the Pasig City Jail female dormitory, where she will be transferred Monday, September 23. Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) spokesman Supt. Jayrex Bustinera said in a radio interview Sunday that security has been beefed up as they prepare for the turnover from the Philippine National Police (PNP) Custodial Center in Camp Crame, Quezon City. The BJMP also formed a response team composed of female jail officers, who will accompany Guo when she is transported to her court hearing. On Friday, the Pasig Regional Trial Court ordered the transfer of Guo from Crame custody after finding probable cause to hold her and her co-accused for trial of human trafficking, a non-bailable case. Her counsels said they would file a petition to post bail before the arraignment on September 27. Guo's scheduled transfer on Friday night to the Pasig jail from the PNP Custodial Center in Camp Crame did not push through, PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said.The PNP said it needed more time to complete the documents for a custody transfer, which includes a medical assessment.rings. Bustinera gave assurances Guo would be safe at the BJMP-supervised Pasig City Jail. The BJMP also did a background check on Guo's would-be cellmates.
READ: Palace: Video of Marcos using drugs a fake
MALACAÑANG said digital media experts have found that the viral video showing a man looking like President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. using drugs had been faked. Presidential Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Cesar Chavez said over the weekend that artificial intelligence experts from the Deepfakes Analysis Unit (DAU), which is part of the India-based Misinformation Combat Alliance, found the video to have been extensively manipulated to make it appear that the man in the video was the President. The video was released in July during a gathering of Filipinos in Los Angeles, California, ahead of Marcos' third State of the Nation Address. Several government agencies, such as the Department of National Defense (DND) and the Philippine National Police (PNP), have previously tagged the video as fake. The findings of DAU were corroborated by Vera Files, an independent and award-winning social media unit and one of the country's leading fact-checkers.
READ: House to pass budget bill this week
THE House of Representatives is determined to approve the General Appropriations Bill (GAB) for 2025 on third and final reading on Wednesday before it goes on a break. The proposed national budget for next year is P6.352 trillion. On Sunday, Speaker Martin Romualdez said the House was "treating the national spending program with urgency without sacrificing transparency." Approving the bill before the recess would give the Senate enough time to scrutinize the budget, Romualdez said. The budget, Romualdez said, would also "serve as an instrument for the government to spread the dividends of economic progress through various social protection and financial assistance initiatives, and funding for infrastructures like roads, hospitals, classrooms, seaports and airports, irrigation systems, and transportation networks." The budget bill reached the plenary level after the House Committee on Appropriations finished its meetings with government offices. House Majority Leader and Zamboanga City 2nd District Rep. Manuel Jose "Mannix" Dalipe, chairman of the House Committee on Rules, said the President was expected to certify the budget measure as urgent. Dalipe said such a certification would allow the House to approve the measure on second and third and final readings the same day.
READ: UN holds 'Summit of the Future' to tackle global crises
UNITED NATIONS, United States •— Global leaders are gathering in New York on Sunday (Monday in Manila) for a "Summit of the Future" aimed at addressing 21st-century challenges ranging from conflict to climate, amid skepticism over whether the final pact will meet its lofty goals. United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres first proposed the meeting in 2021, billing it as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" to reshape human history by rekindling international cooperation. As an opening act for the annual high-level week of the UN General Assembly, which begins Tuesday, dozens of heads of state and government are expected to adopt a "Pact for the Future" on Sunday. But after intense last-minute negotiations, Guterres expressed some frustration, urging nations to show "vision" and "courage" and calling for "maximum ambition" to strengthen international institutions that struggle to respond effectively to today's threats.
Topping Business
READ: Bangko Sentral sees higher BoP surpluses
NEW balance of payments (BoP) projections have been approved by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, with higher surpluses expected for this year and the next given positive outlooks for economic growth, inflation, and world trade. The BoP is a summary of a country's transactions with the rest of the world for a specific period. It consists of the current account, which covers trade in goods, services, and primary and secondary income (which includes overseas Filipino worker remittances); the capital account — capital transfers and nonfinancial assets — and the financial account, which consists of investments from abroad.The 2024 BoP surplus projection was raised to $2.3 billion from $1.6 billion, while that for 2025 edged up to $1.7 billion from $1.5 billion. The country recorded a BoP surplus of $3.7 billion last year. As of the second quarter of this year, the BoP was in surplus at $1.4 billion. The central bank said the surplus was likely to be higher than previously estimated given a significant first-half rise in non-resident inflows, which tempered the impact of a wider current account deficit. Net foreign direct investments (FDI) are now expected to hit $10 billion this year from $9.5 billion previously, while net foreign portfolio investments (FPI) are also seen improving to $4.2 billion from $3.1 billion.
In Sports
READ: AU tops SSC-R for breakthrough win in NCAA Season 100
ARELLANO University finally ended its four-game dry spell in the NCAA Season 100 men's basketball tournament after downing San Sebastian College-Recoletos, 87-73, at the FilOil EcoOil Centre in San Juan City on Sunday. T-mc Ongotan made a career-high performance of 21 points, five rebounds, and five assists to help the Chiefs end its winning drought. Big man Lorenz Capulong posted a double-double outing of 12 points and 10 rebounds, while Cyril Hernal and Troy Valencia chimed in 11 and 10 markers each. Ameer Aguilar led the scoring with 14 points for the Golden Stags, while Harold Ricio and Paeng Are both added 11 markers.
READ: FEU sweeps UE to reach V-League finals
AFTER falling short in last year's finals, Far Eastern University (FEU) earned another shot at the V-League Women's Collegiate Challenge crown by sweeping University of the East (UE) in the semifinals, 25-20, 25-19, 25-21, at the PhilSports Arena on Sunday. EU, which lost the crown to St. Benilde last year, had a challenging preliminary round, finishing third with a 3-3 record. However, the Lady Tams hit their stride in the semifinals and now look forward to the finals, where they will face the winner of the UST-CSB semifinal showdown. Game 1 of the best-of-three finals will be played next Sunday at 3 p.m.
READ: Opinion
The Times, in its editorial, says Zelenskyys's 'victory plan' is aimed at forcing Putin to talk peace. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tiglao writes about demystifying Marcos martial law regime; Aquino on witnesses and resource persons while Tatad asks whether global peace is still workable.
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