Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times on Monday, Jan. 20, 2025.
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READ: 'New TROs to delay printing of ballots'
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is concerned that the Supreme Court would hand down new temporary restraining orders (TROs) after it has resumed printing the ballots for the May elections. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said over the weekend the poll body is working double time to make up for lost time. About 6 million ballots had been printed before the Supreme Court ordered that the names of several candidates that had been removed from the ballot be restored. The printing is scheduled to resume on Wednesday, Jan. 22, and Garcia said any TRO issued after that date would set back election preparations.
READ: Survey shows drop in Marcos, Sara ratings
THE latest survey of Tangere, a public opinion polling company, showed notable shifts in the satisfaction and trust ratings of key government officials. The survey noted a significant decrease in Vice President Sara Duterte's satisfaction and trust ratings. Duterte's satisfaction figure dropped from 45.5 percent to 40.6 percent, and her trust figure is down to 47.0 percent from 53.4 percent. The vice president continues to enjoy robust support from Mindanao, her political stronghold. Duterte's dissatisfaction rating rose from 36.8 percent to 39.0 percent, and distrust climbed from 27.0 percent to 29.0 percent. Respondents from lower-middle-income and low-income classes were key contributors to these increases, reflecting potential discontent among economically vulnerable sectors. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s satisfaction and trust ratings also trended down, albeit less pronounced than Duterte's. Satisfaction decreased from 47.9 percent to 46.2 percent, and trust fell from 60.1 percent to 58.5 percent. Support for the President remained strong among respondents from Northern and Central Luzon, as well as respondents ages 18 to 35 years. Marcos' dissatisfaction and distrust ratings rose, with significant contributions from respondents in the Davao and Northern Mindanao regions, as well as older Filipinos aged over 51.
READ: Kalayaan airport, shelter ports get P3B upgrade
THE government has allocated P3.03 billion this year to upgrade the airport and two shelter ports in the Kalayaan Island Group. Surigao del Sur 2nd District Rep. Johnny Pimentel said the three projects were included in the General Appropriations Act for 2025. The P3.03 billion is in addition to the combined P2.3 billion allocated by Congress for the Pag-asa airport and the Lawak shelter port in 2024, Pimentel said. The Kalayaan group has a total land area of 83.89 hectares. It includes the Ayungin Shoal, Balagtas Reef or Irving Reef, and Rizal Shoal or Commodore Reef, as well as the islets Likas, Parola, Kota, Patag and Panata. Pag-asa, which is 508 kilometers northwest of Puerto Princesa City, has a 37.2-hectare land area and is the group's biggest island. Lawak is 169 kilometers east of Pag-asa and, with a 7.93-hectare land area, is the fourth-biggest island in the group. The town of Kalayaan became part of the province of Palawan through a presidential decree issued in 1978 by then-president Ferdinand Marcos Sr. Ayungin Shoal and Pag-asa have become hot spots in the maritime row between the Philippines and China.
READ: $905M to fund Laguna lakeshore road project
THE government has secured a $905.26 million, or about P54 billion, from South Korea to finance the initial implementation of the Laguna Lakeshore Road Network (LLRN) project. The LLRN, one of the government's flagship infrastructure projects, is designed to help decongest traffic in Metro Manila and the Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) area. The official development assistance loan was granted by the Seoul government through the Export-Import Bank of Korea (Kexim). Public Works and Highways Secretary Manuel Bonoan said over the weekend the ceremonial exchange of loan agreement took place Friday at the Department of Finance office in Manila. It was attended by Kexim Executive Director Um Sung-Yong, South Korea's Ministry of Economy and Finance First Vice Minister Kim Beom-Seok, and Finance Undersecretary Joven Balbosa, and other key Philippine government officials. The daily traffic gridlocks in Metro Manila, particularly on EDSA, are estimated to cost the government at least P3.5 billion in lost opportunities. Similar traffic-easing projects in the pipeline include the 18-kilometer Metro Manila Skyway Stage 3, the 7.7-kilometer elevated NLEx-SLEx connector road, the 32-kilometer Southeast Metro Manila Expressway and the C5 South Link Expressway. Bonoan also mentioned the 44-kilometer Cavite-Laguna Expressway and the construction of new bridges crossing Pasig River and the Manggahan Floodway.
READ: TikTok shuts down US access as Trump seeks app's reinstatement
WASHINGTON, D.C. — TikTok disconnected access to its users in the United States late Saturday shortly before a national ban on the app was to take effect, with President-elect Donald Trump unable to intervene until he takes office. After months of legal tussles, the US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that would ban the popular video-sharing platform in the name of national security, unless its Chinese owners reach a deal to sell it to non-Chinese buyers by Sunday. From teenage dancers to grandmothers sharing cooking tips, TikTok has been embraced for its ability to transform ordinary users into global celebrities when a video goes viral. It also has a fan in Trump, who has credited the app with connecting him to younger voters, contributing to his election victory in November. After discussing TikTok with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he could activate a 90-day reprieve after he reclaims the Oval Office.
In Business
READ: Growth 'probably' below target – Recto
THE Philippines likely missed its 2024 growth target, a Cabinet official said, with a series of severe storms having limited an October-December rebound following a disappointing third quarter. Finance Secretary Ralph Recto said that while fourth quarter growth was expected to be better than the lower-than-expected 5.2 percent seen in July-September, it would not be enough to raise the full-year average to within the 6.0- to 6.5-percent goal. Bad weather, including the lingering impact of an El Niño earlier in the year and the onset of the monsoon season, was also blamed for the third quarter result and the country did not see a reprieve as six storms — three of which were supertyphoons — battered Luzon in late October to mid-November. Gross domestic product (GDP) growth stood at 5.8 percent as of end-September and the fourth quarter expansion should have been at least 6.6 percent for a 6.0-percent full-year result. The Philippine Statistics Authority is scheduled to release preliminary fourth quarter and full-year GDP data on Jan. 30.
Topping Sports
READ: Curry scores 26 as Warriors top Wizards
SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry scored 26 points before leaving the game with an ankle injury in the final minute as the Golden State Warriors beat the Washington Wizards, 122-114, Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Curry got tangled with Washington's Jordan Poole under the basket and was down on the court for a few seconds before heading to the Warriors' bench. There was no immediate word on the extent of his injury. Andrew Wiggins had 31 points and 11 rebounds to lead Golden State. Poole, playing in his second game at Chase Center since the Warriors traded him to the Wizards, had 38 points for Washington. The Wizards have lost nine straight, wasting a strong revenge game by Poole, who left the Warriors on unceremonious terms. He outscored Curry for the first time in four matchups and was animated, talking to his former teammates on the Warriors bench after hitting a 3-pointer in the third quarter. Golden State is back over .500, but needed a strong fourth quarter to beat the NBA-worst Wizards. The Wizards play at Sacramento on Sunday. The Warriors host Boston on Monday.
READ: Gauff turns up heat on Bencic to reach AO quarters
MELBOURNE — Coco Gauff stayed on course Sunday for a heavyweight Australian Open semifinal clash against Aryna Sabalenka, despite dropping a set for the first time this season. The world number three was not at her best but outlasted Switzerland's Belinda Bencic 5-7, 6-2, 6-1 on the hottest day in Melbourne so far as temperatures hit 34 degrees Celsius (93 Fahrenheit). It set up a quarterfinal against Spain's Paula Badosa, who a few minutes earlier swept past Serbia's Olga Danilovic 6-1, 7-6 (7/2).
READ: Opinion
In today's editorial, The Manila Times calls on Kuwait to ensure the protection for Filipino migrant workers. Read the full version on print or digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tiglao claims that pollsters are fooling us that most Filipinos back belligerent stand vs China; Aquino talks about the ceasefire agreement in Gaza; while Tatad writes about the recent INC rally, the impeachment complaints against Sara Duterte and the dissatisfaction over Speaker Martin Romualdez.
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