Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, December 27, 2024.
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READ: VP taps her dad as impeachment lawyer
VICE President Sara Duterte said she is tapping her father, former president Rodrigo Duterte, as one of her lawyers for all the impeachment cases that were filed against her at the House of Representatives. Three impeachment suits were filed against the vice president, relating to the alleged misuse of confidential funds in the Office of the Vice President and the Department of Education, as well as threats she made against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos and Speaker Martin Romualdez. In an ambush interview in Davao City on Wednesday after the traditional giftgiving of their family to their constituents, Duterte confirmed that the former president is preparing the documents to be submitted to the Integrated Bar of the Philippines to be a "lawyer of good standing."
READ: Villar wants legal trade in uranium probed
SEN. Mark Villar has introduced Senate Resolution (SR) 1265, directing the appropriate Senate committee to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation regarding the illegal trade and smuggling of depleted uranium and other radioactive materials in the Philippines. In filing his resolution, Villar said the Constitution establishes the Philippines' nuclear-free policy and the country has signed and ratified several treaties reflecting its commitment to nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, while advocating for the peaceful use of nuclear technology. The senator also noted that Republic Act (RA) 5207, known as the Atomic Energy Regulatory and Liability Act of 1968, governs the regulation, storage and use of nuclear materials in the Philippines. However, this law may have gaps in addressing recent developments in atomic security threats, such as the uncovered illegal trade and smuggling of depleted uranium (DU), a by-product of the uranium enrichment process. Recent months-long operations initiated by a crucial tip-off from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), involved the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI), National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). These efforts led to the seizure of over 100 kilograms of DU and the arrest of three individuals involved in its illicit trade.
READ: Marcos, Cabinet combing through budget
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his Cabinet are "thoroughly reviewing" the 6.352 trillion pesos national budget for 2025 to ensure its constitutionality, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said. In a text message to reporters, Bersamin said the exhaustive review of next year's spending bill is being done to weed out the last-minute insertions the president said were not part of the original requests of the different departments. Marcos was originally scheduled to sign the spending bill last Dec. 20 but decided to defer its enactment to Dec. 30 to give him more time to look over provisions he said were questionable. He said he wanted to make sure the budget "is directed at the important projects that we have prioritized" and that there are "stronger safeguards on spending for the different projects.
READ: Father of fugitive lawmaker dies
ARNOLFO Teves Sr., patriarch of the Teves political clan in Negros Oriental, and father of fugitive lawmaker Arnolfo "Arnie" Teves Jr., passed away on Dec. 24 at the age of 77. He was also the father of Pryde Henry Teves, who was governor and representative of the province at various points. A renowned businessman with investments in sugar plantations and other businesses, the older Teves had forged strategic political alliances. In his prime, he was known for his ability to connect with both the masses and political elites. Teves Jr. was expelled from the House of Representatives in early 2024 after being linked to the assassination of Negros Oriental governor Roel Degamo in March 2023. The brazen attack, which claimed the lives of nine others and injured several more, has earned the name, "Pamplona Massacre."
BUSINESS: Budget balance swings to deficit in November
Over to business, the government's budget balance reversed to a deficit in November as spending outpaced revenue, the Bureau of the Treasury reported on Thursday. The 213-billion-peso shortfall — from earnings of 338.3 billion pesos and expenditures of 551.3 billion pesos — reversed from October's 6.3-billion-peso surplus and was also wider than last year's 93.3-billion-peso deficit. Year to date (YTD), the budget balance remained in deficit at 1.18 trillion pesos, also higher than the 1.11-trillion-peso shortfall recorded in January-November last year.
SPORTS: RJ Abarrientos gives credit to Uncle Johnny
CHRISTMAS Day this year was extra special for Barangay Ginebra rookie guard RJ Abarrientos. Playing in the first Manila Clasico game the 25-year-old freshman guard churned out 20 points, five assists and three steals, highlighting his Best Player of the Game effort with the pass to Scottie Thompson, who went on to seal the win with a corner three-point shot, allowing Ginebra to escape with a 95-92 win against old rival Magnolia on Dec. 25, 2024. Putting an icing on the cake was winning one over his uncle, Johnny Abarrientos, one of the PBA's 40 greatest players, who served as one of coach Chito Victolero's assistants at Magnolia. The young Ginebra playmaker said before tip off that he spent some time talking and catching up with his uncle Johnny.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Francisco Tatad and Carl Balita are today's front page columnists. Tatad talks about cleaning up the controversial national budget, while Balita discusses the science of Christmas happiness.
Today's editorial says Gaza peace talks were caught in a vicious cycle of stops and starts. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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