Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, November 14, 2024.
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HEAD: 'I'm ready to rot in jail'
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday egged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to speed its investigation of his bloody war on drugs and said he was ready to "rot in jail" if he were found guilty. In Wednesday's hearing by the House of Representatives' quad committee, Gabriela Women's Party Rep. Arlene Brosas asked Duterte whether he was willing to cooperate with the ICC probe, which he had previously rejected.
HEAD: Overlapping typhoons take their toll on PH
WITH Typhoon Ofel already whipping parts of Northern Luzon, another tropical cyclone named Man-yi (which will be called Pepito) was forecast to enter the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) as a typhoon on Thursday evening, the state-run weather agency said Wednesday. The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) said Man-yi, estimated at 1,965 kilometers east of Eastern Visayas, outside the PAR, could become a super typhoon before making landfall over the eastern coast of Luzon Saturday or Sunday.
HEAD: 35 school days lost due to calamities – DepEd
A MAXIMUM of 35 school days in the current school year have been lost due to class suspensions enforced during typhoons and other natural disasters, the Department of Education (DepEd) said. The statistic was revealed during a management committee meeting held in Leyte that was convened by Education Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara in response to the number of class suspensions due to the severity of weather disturbances. The Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) led the regions with the most number of class disruptions at 35, while Cagayan Valley, Ilocos Region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon), and Central Luzon had 29 class disruptions each, with a few attributed to human-induced hazards like fire incidences. Some 239 schools across the country were also considered as "very high risk" to further learning losses due to the frequency of natural hazards the area experienced and severe damage that affected 377,729 learners. Also, 4,771 schools with 3,865,903 learners are also considered as high risk, the DepEd said. The department said make-up classes and catchup sessions through the Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) would be required to ensure learning continuity.
HEAD: 78% of ACMs now with Comelec
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) said it now has 85,944 automated counting machines — or 78.13 percent of the total 110,000 that it expects to receive from its supplier, Miru Systems, for use in the 2025 midterm elections. Comelec Chairman George Garcia gave this update during a media briefing Wednesday at the Comelec warehouse in Biñan, Laguna. The remaining ACMs are being held by the Bureau of Customs pending clearance and will be delivered soon. Meanwhile, 43,136 of the 85,944 ACMs have already undergone the hardware acceptance tests (HAT), a crucial step in ensuring that the machines meet the technical specifications required for election day. Garcia emphasized the importance of the HATs, as they validate the functionality of each machine, confirming that the devices are working properly before they are deployed for field use. Garcia also said the Comelec was moving ahead with preparations by conducting field testing of the ACMs and associated systems in select areas across the country. The field testing, scheduled for Saturday, is a key part of the electoral process to ensure the smooth functioning of the entire voting and canvassing process on election day.
BUSINESS: PH to miss income status goal — PIDS
Topping business, economic growth will likely fall short of official targets for this year and the next, a government-owned think tank said, delaying the Philippines' bid to hit upper middle-income status by 2025. Lower-than-expected third quarter GDP growth of 5.2 percent has put this year's 6.0- to 7.0-percent goal at risk. As of end-September, growth was below target at 5.8 percent — a 6.6-percent fourth-quarter expansion will be needed to hit the lower end of 6.0 percent. The Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) said that October to December growth could pick up to 6.0 percent, driven by "continued government spending on infrastructure development but hampered by the damages of recent natural calamities." While higher than the previous quarter, full-year growth will fall between 5.8 percent and 6.0 percent, it added. Moreover, 2025 growth is expected to also fall below the 6.5- to 7.5-percent target at 6.1 percent. Easing inflation and policy rates that will reinforce both consumption and investment activities of the private and public sectors were seen as driving the expansion.
SPORTS: Chiefs end Knights' Final Four hopes
Over to sports, Arellano University dealt a crushing blow to Colegio de San Juan de Letran's NCAA Season 100 playoff aspirations, securing a thrilling 67-65 victory at the FilOil EcoOil Center in San Juan City on Wednesday. Arellano improved to 7-10 while dropped to 8-10. The Chiefs overcame a 14-point halftime deficit (42-28) with a dominant third-quarter performance (23-14), setting the stage for a nail-biting finish. JL Capulong led the scoring for the Chiefs with 13 points, while Maverick Vinoya added nine. Kobe Monje's 24-point outing was not enough for Letran to overcome the gutsy Chiefs.
HEAD: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists. Contreras analyzes how the Philippines and the world can survive another Donald Trump term, while Makabenta talks about the public and private spheres and the wages of curiosity.
Today's editorial weighs in on Australia's social media regulation law. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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