Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Monday, Oct. 7, 2024.
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READ: Party-list to push educational reforms
EDUAKSYON, a party-list that is pushing for educational reform in the country, filed its certificate of candidacy (CoC) on Sunday. EduAKSyon Secretary General Domingo Brum Jr. was accompanied by the party-list's first nominee Michael Alexander Ang, second nominee Kristjan Vincent Gargantiel and third nominee Dr. Aldrin Darilag to the CoC filing center at the Manila Hotel. The party-list is advocating the reduction of the standard four-year college curriculum to three years in a bid to streamline education and make it more accessible and efficient for Filipino students, according to Gargantiel. He said the three years will be broken down into two years of classroom learning and one year of on-the-job training (OJT). Gargantiel said this was achievable by not covering general education subjects already taken up during secondary education, such as Filipino and Natural Science. Gargantiel said this initiative is part of the party-list's broader push for education reform, which they believe will address challenges within the country's higher education system. He said the country's current four-year system is outdated and no longer reflects the realities of a rapidly changing job market.
READ: Poll hotspots monitored as CoC listup deadline nears
THE Philippine National Police (PNP) has intensified its monitoring of potential election hotspots as the deadline for the filing of certificates of candidacy (CoCs) approached. PNP chief Gen. Rommel Francisco Marbil said on Sunday he had directed all police units to step up vigilance, particularly against armed groups who may be plotting to disrupt the 2025 elections. Aspiring candidates have only until Tuesday to submit their CoCs to the Commission on Elections (Comelec). PNP spokesman Col. Jean Fajardo said under close watch will be "regions that have seen heightened activity from armed groups and criminal elements." Marbil also reminded police personnel to maintain strict neutrality and refrain from engaging in political activities. Close to 18,000 bets for various government positions have filed CoCs since Monday last week.
READ: Ride-hailing boss books a ride into politics
GEORGE Royeca, CEO of the ride-hailing platform Angkas, filed his candidacy on Saturday for a congressional seat under the newly established party-list, "Angkasangga." Royeca said Angkasangga is a bold effort to further the advocacy and reforms pioneered by Angkas, focusing on the empowerment and upliftment of the informal sector. He said his party-list is an extension of the principles that underpin Angkas' success in the transportation sector. Angkas has provided a bridge for many informal workers to transition into the formal economy, offering them not only jobs but also dignity and security. Royeca said drawing inspiration from this success, Angkasangga's legislative agenda will focus on improving the lives of informal workers, a long-overlooked demographic that includes delivery riders, street vendors, and freelance workers. He emphasized the need for laws that address the challenges faced by the sector, which makes up a large portion of the workforce yet often lacks social protection and economic mobility.
Topping Business
READ: Analysts say chances of two rate cuts higher
MONETARY authorities could cut key interest rates twice more before the year ends following lower-than-expected September inflation, analysts said, but significant reductions are unlikely due to continued domestic and global challenges. Inflation markedly slowed 1.9 percent last month from 3.3 percent in August, falling below the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) 2.0- to 4.0-percent goal. It was also lower than the central bank's 2.0- to 2.8-percent estimate for the month and the 2.6-percent median in a Manila Times poll of economists. The September inflation result — the lowest in over four years or since May 2020's 1.6 percent — brought the year-to-date average to 3.4 percent. The BSP's policymaking body kickstarted an easing cycle last August 15, ordering a 25-basis point (bps) cut — the first in nearly four years — that brought the benchmark rate to 6.25 percent. The Monetary Board will meet twice more this year to discuss policy, on October 16 and December 19.
In Sports
READ: Painters brace for semis series vs Giga
YENG Guiao knows the just-concluded quarterfinal series win over Magnolia offers tons of lessons that will only serve his Rain for Shine players in good stead as they advance to the PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup semifinal series against TNT. Ranged against playoff-tested Magnolia veterans Paul Lee, Mark Barroca, Ian Sangalang and Calvin Abueva, all who have won at least one PBA championship in their pro careers, the younger Rain or Shine side gutted it out en route to beating the Hotshots, 113-103, in their winner-take-all match on Saturday to win the series, 3-2. The Elasto Painters' twin losses in the series included a 52-point margin in Game 2, and 29-point beating in Game 4.
READ: Opinion
Averting a regionwide conflagration in the Middle East is today's Times editorial. Read the full version on print and 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 bares a German group fighting the Bases Conversion Development Authority and Clark Development Corp. over a waste collection contract; Aquino on the inquisitorial power of Congress and Tatad on the stampede for the Senate.
Also on the front page is a two-part 18th century crime story on How the friars killed Governor-General Bustamante by Danton Remoto.
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