Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, January 31, 2025.
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READ: Marcos to China: 'Let's make a deal'
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday told China that he would return the Typhon missile system to the United States only if it stopped harassing Filipino vessels and claiming territory in the West Philippine Sea. Marcos issued the statement after China urged the Philippine government to pull out the missile launchers after they were reportedly moved to another area in Luzon. In a media interview in Lapu-Lapu City, Marcos said he did not understand why China opposed the Philippines' use of the Typhon missile system when it has even more powerful weapons.
READ: Health advocate hits gap between promises, delivery
HEALTH reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon voiced strong criticism of the current state of health care reform in the Philippines during The Manila Times' Innovative Keys to Universal Health forum on Thursday. Addressing the gathering, Leachon emphasized the gap between
READ: Fil-Ams worry as Guantanamo plan pushed
THE National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NaFFAA) on Thursday said US President Donald Trump's immigration policy changes have raised significant concerns within Filipino American and Asian American communities. The statement came as Trump unveiled a surprise plan Wednesday to detain thousands of undocumented migrants in Guantanamo Bay — distracting from spiraling confusion after the White House withdrew a shock order to freeze federal funds. Trump said he had ordered construction of a detention camp to hold up to 30,000 of what he called "criminal illegal aliens" at the notorious military facility on the eastern tip of Cuba, used for holding terrorism suspects since the 9/11 attacks. The plan intensifies the crackdown on illegal immigration that Trump has pledged in his second term, along with a parallel push to transform the US government itself in his right-wing image.
READ: Comelec needs P3B for BARMM polls
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) needs an additional budget of 3 billion pesos if the Bangasamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary polls are reset. Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Thursday said they can lower this to 2.5 billion pesos due to budgetary constraints on the part of the national government, but said a sizable amount of the budget would go to the honoraria of teachers who will serve during the parliamentary elections. Garcia also noted that based on the draft bill that he saw, no specific amount was mentioned though it stated that the funding for the regional parliamentary polls would be sourced from the current budget appropriation or the budget department could take it from other existing budgets. He said if the president signs the bill postponing the BARMM elections into law, the Comelec could start preparations all over again for the region, and print new ballots by July or August. But Garcia also pointed out that it is possible also that the parliamentary polls, depending on the final version of the proposed law, could be considered as a continuation of the national and local elections to be held in May.
READ: US watchdog tracking priests accused of sex abuse in PH
A UNITED STATES-BASED watchdog on Wednesday launched an online database on more than 80 Roman Catholic priests who have been accused of sexually abusing minors in the Philippines and said the silence of Filipino bishops on the crimes amounted to a cover-up. The Philippines is the third-largest Roman Catholic nation in the world, and public discussions of sexual assaults by members of the clergy, who are revered especially in rural regions, has long been generally muted. None of the 82 members of the clergy, including seven bishops, who have been included in the new online database on clergy sexual abuses by the group BishopAccountability.org had been convicted in any Philippine court.
READ: Marcos defends constitutionality of 2025 budget
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday defended the constitutionality of the 2025 national budget amid what he said was a "destabilization" move to "shut down everything." Marcos issued the statement following the filing of a petition challenging the constitutionality of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) before the Supreme Court. Speaking to reporters in Lapu-Lapu City, Marcos said Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra would answer the petition.
READ: Economy falls way below its 2024 growth target
THE economy fell well short of its 2024 growth target, officials said Thursday, as deadly typhoons and drought dampened economic activity. Analysts, however, said they see an economic rebound this year. Gross domestic product (GDP) for the year ticked up slightly to 5.6 percent compared with 5.5 percent in 2023, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said. But that failed to approach the government's target of 6 to 6.5 percent, Economic Planning Undersecretary Rosemarie Edillon told a news conference, blaming a dry spell in the early part of the year and six consecutive typhoons that pummeled the country in October and November.
BUSINESS: Stronger growth seen after below-target 2024
In a related development, Philippine economic growth should accelerate this year with monetary authorities expected to keep lowering interest rates despite trade and geopolitical uncertainties, analysts said. Initial responses to 2024's lower-than-expected 5.6-percent expansion — below the 6.0- to 6.5-percent target and just slightly higher than the prior year's 5.5 percent — were optimistic with regard to prospects moving forward.
SPORTS: Obiena wins silver medal in Germany
Over to sports, Filipino pole vaulter Ernest John "EJ" Obiena started his 2025 campaign on a strong note, nabbing the silver medal at the 2025 International Jump Meeting Cottbus in Germany. Obiena was able to clear the heights of 5.40 meters, 5.55 meters and 5.65 meters in one attempt, before struggling to clear the 5.75-meter bar. Sam Kendricks of the United States, however, cleared the 5.75-meter bar and won the gold medal.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao prefers the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines be under the ownership of the Maharlika Investment Fund, while Tatad asks who will win the debate on sex education.
Today's editorial thinks China is combining diplomacy and duplicity to dominate the debate on the South China Sea. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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