Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, January 11, 2025.
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READ: AFP checking poll bets' background
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) is doing background checks on candidates in the May elections to safeguard the ballot from foreign influence. AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said the military, through its intelligence network, "will check all candidates, including their background." Brawner said the AFP wants to avoid "a repetition of what happened during the previous elections that a certain candidate was able to slip by." The National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) had earlier revealed that dismissed Bamban, Tarlac, Mayor Alice Guo or Guo Hua Ping was an "agent of influence" for China who used her position to influence public opinion or decision-making "to benefit the country that hired her." Guo won in the 2022 elections. Brawner said the military is coordinating with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Commission on Elections to prevent a similar case from happening.
READ: 'Monster ship' leaves, another Chinese vessel takes its place
AFTER nearly a week of lingering in Philippine waters, the China Coast Guard (CCG), dubbed as the Monster, left the area off the coast of Zambales, only to be replaced by another Chinese vessel. The CCG 5901 has been playing a cat-and-mouse game with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) ship, the Teresa Magbanua, as it zigzagged as close as 70 to 80 nautical miles to the coastline.
READ: Govt offices, schools closed for INC rally
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. suspended work in government officesnd classes in all schools in the cities of Manila and Pasay on Monday for the Iglesia ni Cristo's (INC) "National Rally for Peace." Malacañang said the president declared the suspension through Memorandum Circular 76, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on Friday. Not covered by the suspension order are offices involved in delivering basic and health services, response to disasters and calamities, and other vital service.
READ: Japan Foreign Minister Iwaya to visit Manila
JAPANESE Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya will visit the Philippines from Jan. 14 to 15 to strengthen their strategic partnership amid an "increasingly complex security environment," Manila's Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday. The Philippines and Japan are longtime allies of the United States, which has been strengthening its alliances from Canberra to Tokyo to counter China's growing military might and influence in the region.
BUSINESS: Net FDI up 50.2%, hits 8-month high
Over to business, net foreign direct investments (FDIs) hit an eight-month high of $1.0 billion in October last year, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday, the highest since the $1.37 billion posted in February and up 50.2 percent from the year-earlier $681 million. Nonresidents' net investments in equity capital also rose to $100 million, up 34.1 percent from the year-earlier $74 million, but the overall FDI growth was slightly offset by a 0.9-percent dip — to $83 million from $84 million — in reinvestments of earnings.
SPORTS: Rain or Shine, Converge seek to extend win streak
RAIN or Shine and Converge put their respective winning streaks on the line against separate foes as action in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup continues on Saturday at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila. Rain or Shine has won its last five games since opening the conference with a 121-111 loss to Meralco. Coach Yeng Guiao said they intend to sustain their gains against the Fuel Masters.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras calls on the Nationa Security Council to address human and environmental security, Makabenta thinks Donald Trump will reverse some policies, while Remoto talks about the Los Angeles wildfires.
Today's editorial calls on government to address the solid waste crisis. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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