Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, October 16, 2024.
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READ: US, PH launch war games
THOUSANDS of US and Filipino marines launched 10 days of joint exercises in the northern and western Philippines on Tuesday, a day after China held huge drills around Taiwan. The annual Kamandag, or Venom, exercises are focused on defending the north coast of the Philippines' main island of Luzon, which lies about 800 kilometers from self-ruled Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has vowed it will never rule out using force to take it, calling Monday's drills a "stern warning" to "separatist" forces on the island. The joint US-Filipino exercises come amid a series of escalating confrontations between China and the Philippines over reefs and waters in the South China Sea, which Beijing claims almost in its entirety. Philippine Marine Corps commandant Maj. Gen. Arturo Rojas stressed at Tuesday's opening ceremony in Manila that Kamandag was long planned and had "nothing to do with whatever is happening in the region." The drills' primary focus will be live-fire exercises along Luzon's north coast, while other activities will be conducted on tiny Philippine islands between Luzon and Taiwan.
READ: De Lima considers case vs. Dela Rosa
FORMER senator Leila de Lima is considering filing a case against Sen. Ronald Dela Rosa for allegedly pressing a drug lord to implicate her in the illegal drug trade, a charge that resulted in her wrongful detention for years. In a television interview on Tuesday, which was also posted on her social media account, de Lima said she was consulting with her lawyers.
READ: Stronger legal frameworks sought on disaster response
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday called on the Asia-Pacific region to advocate for stronger international legal frameworks to guide countries on disaster prevention and response. In his speech during the opening ceremony of the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference in Disaster Risk Reduction (APMCDRR) in Pasay City, Marcos said the Philippines was ready to lead the development of an international legal instrument for the protection of persons in the event of disasters.
READ: UAE pardons 143 Filipino convicts
Marcos on Tuesday said 143 Filipino convicts in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have been pardoned by President Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The President said he thanked the UAE leader for granting the request in a phone call on Monday.
READ: NBI arrests 17 foreigners for major online scams
THE National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said on Tuesday it arrested 17 foreigners — 15 Chinese, one Malaysian and one Taiwanese — involved in large-scale online scams. The 17 foreigners were allegedly caught in the act of implementing illicit online schemes. Among the items seized were desktop computers, laptops and mobile phones that were allegedly used in cybercrimes. The NBI said the seized electronic devices contained tools and applications for social engineering schemes, illegal access, misuse of devices, as well as computer-related forgery and fraud, all in violation of Republic Act 12010, or the AntiFinancial Account Scamming Act, and Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The confiscated items will further undergo forensic examination, the NBI said.
BUSINESS: OFW remittances hit $3.20B
Topping business, money sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) rose to $3.20 billion in August, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Tuesday, 3.3 percent higher compared to the year-earlier $3.10 billion. The amount was, however, lower than the year-to-date high of $3.43 billion posted in July. August's increase, the BSP said in a statement, "was due to higher remittances from land-based workers with work contracts of one year or more and sea- and land-based workers with work contracts of less than one year." Year to date, personal remittances rose by 3.0 percent to $24.74 billion from the $24.01 billion recorded in January-August 2023. Money sent home via banks alone totaled $2.89 billion in August, 3.2 percent up from $2.80 billion a year earlier but lower than the $3.08 billion posted in July.
SPORTS: Ginebra seeks 3-1 series bulge vs SMB
Over to sports, Barangay Ginebra shoots for a commanding 3-1 lead when it battles San Miguel Beer in Game 4 of their PBA Season 49 Governors' Cup semifinal series on Wednesday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum. The Gin Kings regained the series driver's seat following their 99-95 triumph on Sunday. Both squads face off at 7:30 p.m. Rain or Shine, meanwhile, tries to tie their own semifinal series versus TNT in their 5 p.m. match. Justin Brownlee delivered an all-around effort of 30 points, nine rebounds, five assists and five blocks to lift Ginebra to a 99-95 win against San Miguel Beer in Game 3. Cone said the two-day break before heading to the crucial Game 4 is huge for both teams.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao claims the Marcos administration is weaponizing surveys, Fr. Aquino looks into the Palace's statements on the International Criminal Court, while Tatad tackles the Asean summit in Laos.
Today's editorial says the loopholes in the country's renewable energy plans were exposed by a "solar controversy". Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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