Happy Valentine's Day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, February 14, 2025.
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READ: VP Duterte skips PDP-Laban kickoff
WITH an impeachment trial looming against her, Vice President Sara Duterte skipped the proclamation rally of the PDP-Laban, whose senatorial candidates could spell the difference between conviction and acquittal. The vice president's camp confirmed Thursday that she is currently out of the country on a family vacation and would not be present at the PDP-Laban proclamation rally. Instead, she endorsed the slate in a message sent to the party's proclamation rally.
READ: 'Domestic reforms to cushion PH from global uncertainties'
FOCUSING on domestic reforms and streamlining regulations may cushion the country from global uncertainties, particularly the protectionist policies of US President Donald Trump. Amid all the uncertainties on the proposed tariffs in the US, World Bank lead economist Gonzalo Varela said that the country needs to focus on domestic reforms. The Philippines is the world's ninth-largest chip exporter according to the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development, with the semiconductor sector the country's largest export industry.
READ: 'Inside jobs behind fake documents'
CORRUPT employees at multiple government agencies could be behind the widespread use of fake birth certificates and illegally obtained passports, Sen. Mark Villar said Thursday. Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Games and Amusement, said this was the likely conclusion that could be drawn after a recent raid on a travel agency that was providing fake documents to foreign nationals who wanted to pass themselves off as Filipinos. Villar said this revelation could be the crucial connection needed in the ongoing investigation into the Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs), which President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. banned last year.
READ: PH vulnerable to 'romance scams'
THE Philippines has been tagged as one of the top 10 countries that saw a rapid surge in romance scams last year, the credit rating company Moody's said Thursday. Moody's identified 1,193 new entities and people globally with potential ties to romance scams in 2024, with the United States accounting for over a third (38 percent) of new romance scam profiles among top 10 countries. This was followed by Nigeria (14 percent), India (12 percent), the UK (11 percent), Malaysia (5.0 percent), China (5.0 percent), the Philippines (4.0 percent), Brazil (4.0 percent), Canada (4.0 percent) and Australia (3.0 percent).
READ: Manila among 5 best Asian Valentines' destinations
DIGITAL travel platform Agoda listed Manila as one of its top five most romantic destinations in Asia for couples celebrating Valentine's Day. The list, published on Thursday, described Manila as having a "warm and welcoming" atmosphere, and pointed to sunsets in Manila Bay.
READ: Bautista out, Dizon in as transport chief
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has appointed former Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) chief Vivencio Dizon as secretary of the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Malacañang said Thursday. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said Dizon would replace Jaime Bautista as DOTr chief effective Feb. 21, 2025. Bersamin said Bautista, a former chief executive officer of flag carrier Philippine Airlines, bowed out due to concerns over his health.
BUSINESS: BSP springs surprise, keeps key rates steady
Headlining business, monetary authorities unexpectedly kept key interest rates unchanged on Thursday, citing heightened risks to inflation and economic growth. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) benchmark rate remains at 5.75 percent and its overnight deposit and lending rates also stay at 5.25 percent and 6.25 percent, respectively. Most analysts expected the central bank's policy-making Monetary Board to again order a 25-basis-point reduction, with just one out of the 11 polled by The Manila Times predicting a pause. BSP Governor Eli Remolona Jr., who had previously signaled a February rate cut, told reporters that "uncertainty about the outlook for inflation and growth warrant keeping monetary policy settings steady."
SPORTS: Gilas Pilipinas leaves for Doha
Over to sports, Gilas Pilipinas departed Manila on Thursday to participate in the four-nation 2nd International Friendly Basketball Championship in Doha, Qatar slated on Feb. 14-16, 2025. The Philippine men's basketball team spent a brief two-day training camp at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba, Laguna that started Tuesday, allowing coach Tim Cone to get the players reacquainted into his system. Gilas Pilipinas, though, entered the training camp with a banged-up roster. Naturalized player Justin Brownlee played through a painful foot due to blisters he got during Barangay Ginebra's sudden death Game 3 win against Meralco last Sunday in the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup quarterfinals. Dwight Ramos reported for duty on Tuesday with an ankle sprain, which he sustained recently in a Japan B.League game.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks there's a conspiracy in the House of Representatives over the impeachment of Vice President Sara Duterte, while Tatad asks if Senate President Francis Escudero "slipped" over how they will handle the proceedings.
Today's editorial discusses the land swap deal which could end the war in Ukraine. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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