Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, December 11, 2024.
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READ: PH won't deploy warships – Marcos
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said the Philippines would not send warships to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) despite the involvement of China's navy in the most recent incident of harassment of Filipino vessels. Speaking to reporters in Bulacan, Marcos said the Philippines would never instigate an "escalation of tensions" in the disputed waterway.
READ: VP welcomes impeachment complaints
VICE President Sara Duterte on Tuesday welcomed the impeachment complaints filed against her at the House of Representatives. Two such complaints were filed against Duterte last week — one was filed by civil society groups on Dec. 2, and the other was filed by members of people's organizations on Dec. 4. The 1987 Constitution gives the House of Representatives exclusive power to initiate impeachment cases and gives the Senate the power to try them. Under the Constitution, a verified impeachment complaint may be filed by a lawmaker of the House. Any citizen may also file a complaint, but it must be endorsed by a lawmaker of the House. The complaint filed on Dec. 2 focused on various issues, including the use of confidential funds by the Office of the Vice President. The complaint alleged a culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and "other high crimes" and was endorsed by Akbayan Rep. Perci Cendaña.
READ: Top leaders' ratings plummet amid turmoil
THE satisfaction and trust ratings of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vice President Sara Duterte and two other top officials of the government dropped to all-time lows during the fourth quarter, a non-commissioned survey by the Issues and Advocacy Center showed. The non-commissioned fourth quarter Pulso ng Pilipino survey, conducted from Nov. 1 to Dec. 5, showed that the satisfaction ratings of Marcos and Duterte dropped to an all-time low of 33 percent and 32 percent, respectively, from 46 percent and 52 percent during the second-quarter survey conducted last June 10 to 17, 2024. The same survey also showed a similar downspin to the satisfaction ratings of Senate President Francis Escudero and Speaker Martin Romualdez, with 37 percent and 20 percent, respectively; in stark contrast to the 53 percent and 42 percent they got, respectively, during the second quarter. The center said the turbulent conditions precipitated by the political bickering involving the country's top two officials, the damage caused by recent typhoons, reports of graft and corruption in high places, the unending impasse at the West Philippine Sea, unchecked inflation, and unfulfilled election promises all combined to trigger a steep drop in both the performance and trust ratings of the top five officials of the country.
BUSINESS: WB trims PH growth forecast
Headlining business, lower-than-expected third quarter growth and a string of severe storms have prompted the World Bank to trim its 2024 Philippine growth forecast. The gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for this year is now 5.9 percent, down from 6.0 percent previously and just below the government's recently-revised target of 6.0-6.5 percent. World Bank senior economist Jaffar Al-Rikabi said that "advancing the digital economy, including by encouraging greater adoption of core digital technologies by businesses, can expand the country's growth potential."
SPORTS: UP guns for UAAP crown
Over to sports, the University of the Philippines (UP) seeks to sweep De La Salle University in their best-of-three finals rematch series to wrest the UAAP Season 87 men's basketball championship at the Mall of Asia Arena on Wednesday. Seeking to avenge their last year's Finals defeat to the Green Archers, the Fighting Maroons aim to go all out in Game 2 set at 5:30 p.m. The individual awarding ceremony for the season is set at 5 p.m. Fueled by Quentin MilloraBrown's career-best 17 points and Jacob Bayla's locked down defense on soon-to-be-crowned back-to-back MVP Kevin Quiambao, UP claimed Game 1, 73-65, last Sunday.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks a new "mosquito press" is emerging, Fr. Aquino looks into the agony in Ukraine, while Tatad says the Iglesia ni Cristo religious movement is taking center stage in politics.
Today's editorial talks about a crisis in the micro, small and medium enterprise industries. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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