Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, February 9, 2025.
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READ: No special session for trial – Escudero
SENATE President Francis Escudero on Saturday said there would be no special session while Congress is in recess to try the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, saying such a session would be unconstitutional. Escudero issued the statement a day after President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he was open to calling a special session if the senators requested one. The Senate president said the law specifies the circumstances under which a special session can be called. These are if the president declares martial law, appoints a new vice president, or Congress must act on a pending bill. Convening the Senate for impeachment does not fall under any of these categories, he said. Under the law, the president, Senate president, and speaker of the House are the persons who can call Congress into special session. Escudero said he would not be compelled to call a special session, emphasizing that it is inappropriate to rush the impeachment trial. He said Duterte's trial can only occur on June 2, 2025, or after the May 12 elections. He argued that the impeachment trial should not be hurried during the 19th Congress, suggesting instead that it should occur in the 20th Congress when the Senate has elected its new members. Additionally, he pointed out that some current members of the House will no longer be in office by then.
READ: 525K liters of smuggled diesel seized
LAW enforcement personnel seized a tanker smuggling 525,000 liters of diesel off the coast of San Juan, Batangas, marking one of the largest fuel smuggling busts in recent months, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said Saturday. The operation unfolded at Subukin Port, Barangay Subukin, on Feb. 4, where authorities intercepted the motorized tanker MT Felisa and 11 fuel trucks stationed nearby, allegedly awaiting distribution of the illicit cargo. The PCG said the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) and Philippine National Police (PNP) took the vessel's crew members and truck drivers into custody and escorted them to the Batangas Provincial Police Office for further investigation. The PCG Task Force Aduana K9 unit found no illegal drugs or explosives on the tanker but made a startline find — the ship's captain hiding in a secret compartment onboard. The seizure was the result of a joint effort of the Bureau of Customs (BOC), Customs Intelligence and Investigation Services-Manila International Container Port (CIIS-MICP), PCG, CIDG and PNP.
READ: Superpower contest spills over to EDSA busway
THE superpower contest between the United States and China spilled over to the EDSA busway over the weekend when a traffic altercation triggered accusations of espionage. The Chinese Embassy in Manila had asked the authorities for the "final results" of their investigation into an incident Friday morning when an SUV with US Embassy diplomatic plates was stopped on Ortigas Avenue for illegally using the busway. The Department of Transportation's enforcement team attempted to issue a ticket to the driver, who could only provide his passport instead of a valid driver's license. Tension rose when another American in the vehicle protested against taking a photo of the passport, claiming it was illegal. He demanded the photo be deleted for fear that it could be sold to Chinese spies operating in the Philippines. He asked to speak with a senior police officer to sort things out, warning that it might escalate to the embassy level. Despite the heated moment, enforcers remained calm and said they needed information on the passport to issue the ticket. Ultimately, the driver received a temporary operator's permit, and the situation was resolved without further conflict.
READ: DSWD offers counseling as teen pregnancies rise
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is enhancing its psychosocial interventions for teenage mothers and their families as part of "ProtecTEEN," the agency's effort to address the country's increasing cases of adolescent pregnancies. According to a report presented by the Commission on Population and Development (CPD), 142,276 adolescent mothers gave birth in the Philippines in 2023. While the 2023 data on teenage pregnancy is lower than the 150,148 cases recorded in 2022, the CPD reported an alarming increase in the number of very young adolescent mothers under the age of 15. From a total of 2,411 under-15-year-olds who gave birth in 2019, the number has climbed to 3,343 pregnancies in 2023. Faced with the growing incidence of adolescent pregnancies, the DSWD took immediate action by pilot testing the ProtecTEEN in Malaybalay, Bukidnon, and Antipolo City from 2022 to 2023.
BUSINESS: PH-UAE ties to bring more opportunities
In business, more opportunities in infrastructure, renewable energy, artificial intelligence, health care and education are expected as the Philippines and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) agreed to expand trade cooperation and strengthen economic engagements, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said. This, after Marcos met with UAE Minister of Investment Mohamed Hassan Al-Suwaidi in Malacañang on Friday to discuss the enhancement of the trade and investment opportunities between the Philippines and the UAE. In a Facebook post, the president said this cooperation was the result of the UAE's recognition of the Philippines' potential as the "center of business and trade" in the region.During the meeting, Marcos also said that Al-Suwaidi's visit to the Philippines demonstrated both countries' commitment "to work together more closely than we have had in the past."
SPORTS: Obiena out to defend Istaf crown in Germany
Over to sports, Filipino bet Ernest John "EJ" Obiena seeks to defend his Istaf Indoor men's pole vault title at the PSD Bank Dome in Dusseldorf, Germany, on Sunday evening (Manila time). Ranked fourth in the world of his sport, Obiena competes in the eight-man field at 7 p.m. Obiena, who started his 2025 season with a silver medal finish at the International Springer-Meeting Cottbus on Jan. 30, claimed the gold medal last year by setting an Asian indoor record of 5.93-meter clearance. The 29-year-old, who also won the event's 2021 edition, looks to repeat in a field that also includes Paris Games silver medalist Sam Kendricks of the United States. Reigning Olympic and World champion Armand "Mondo" Duplantis of Sweden is not around but a familiar cast is out to compete for glory. Home bets Oleg Zernikel, Bo Kanda Lita Baehre and Torben Blech, as well as Huang Bokai of China, Ersu Susma of Turkey and American Austin Miller, look to dethrone Obiena.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today's front page columnist, as he believes moral turpitude could tank the bid to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte.
Today's editorial wants the truth on disinformation and fake news coming from social media personalities. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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