Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, March 28, 2025.
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READ: Imee hammers govt over Duterte arrest
A DAY after breaking away from her brother President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s senatorial slate, Sen. Imee Marcos hammered away at his administration, saying that given the many pressing problems facing the nation, it should not have given priority to the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte. In an exclusive interview with TMT Newsroom's Ezrah Raya at The Manila Times, Senator Marcos said this was why she called for a Senate hearing on Duterte's arrest and extradition to The Hague in the Netherlands, saying the move "deeply divided the nation." She stressed the importance of determining whether due process was followed when members of the Philippine National Police detained the former president upon his arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport after a trip to Hong Kong, accompanied by some family members. Instead of focusing on Duterte, the government should help bring commodity prices down, the senator said. She also said the administration should do its best to help farmers and fishers by reining in the soaring prices of goods.
READ: Palace won't budge if ICC grants Duterte bail
MALACAÑANG on Thursday said the Philippine government would not cooperate with the International Criminal Court (ICC) if it would order the interim release of former president Rodrigo Duterte. In a press briefing, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro noted that the family of the former president has gone to the Supreme Court to stop the government from cooperating with the ICC. Noncooperation, she said, would extend to any decision by the ICC to grant Duterte interim release from Scheveningen Prison in The Hague, where the former president is facing trial for crimes against humanity in connection with his bloody war on drugs.
READ: Monsod: Remittance boycott won't hurt economy
ECONOMIST and former National Economic and Development Authority chief Solita Monsod dismissed concerns that the planned "Zero Remittance Week" by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) protesting former president Rodrigo Duterte's arrest would cripple the economy. In an interview Thursday, Monsod acknowledged the right of OFW to protest but argued that a one-week halt in remittances would have minimal economic repercussions. Monsod said the economy receives about $97 million in daily remittances, with total OFW contributions reaching $38.3 billion last year. Even if the remittance halt were fully implemented, she estimated the loss to be negligible.
READ: 45-day local campaign period begins today
THE 45-day campaign for local candidates kicks off today (Friday) with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) warning all aspirants to comply with regulations or risk disqualification. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia on Thursday said the Comelec will carry out a nationwide "operation baklas" to tear down illegal posters and campaign materials. Garcia said all illegal posters and election propaganda, regardless of who put them up, should be taken down by the concerned candidate, adding that posters will only be allowed in designated common poster areas.
READ: Teenage Eala takes care of business with little drama
If tennis' broadcasters were hoping for emotional scenes of tears from teenager Alexandra Eala after she secured one of the biggest upsets of the Women's Tennis Association (WTA) season, they were left disappointed. But the final point, as she broke the serve of world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, for the eighth time, revealed much more about the Filipina than any waterworks would have. Eala's face quivered, on the edge of tears, as she began to process the magnitude of her victory, which sent her into the semifinals of the Miami Open, but she kept her emotions in check, composed herself and celebrated in a controlled manner before calmly and diligently undertaking her post-match duties. On Wednesday, Eala defeated world No. 2 Iga Swiatek, 6-2,7-5, to reach the semifinals, where she will face American Jessica Pegula, a 6-4, 6-7 (3), 6-2 winner over Emma Raducanu of Britain. Ranked 140th in the world, Eala, the first woman from the Philippines to reach the last eight of a WTA 1000 tournament, took advantage of an unusually poor display from Swiatek, keeping her focus as she fought back from 4-2 down in the second set. Eala broke the Pole for the eighth and final time when Swiatek was serving to stay in the match at 6-5 down in the second set and looked stunned as she struggled to contain her emotions.
SPORTS: Ginebra, TNT clash for all the marbles
TNT and Barangay Ginebra collide for one final time in a no-tomorrow Game 7 tussle for the PBA Season 49 Commissioner's Cup crown on Friday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City. The Tropang Giga and the Gin Kings face off at 7:30 p.m. where a mammoth crowd is expected to pack the Big Dome. TNT forced the winner-take-all match after scoring a narrow 87-83 win in Game 6 on Wednesday played before 17,654 fans. TNT's win denied Ginebra the championship celebration that night, with Rondae Hollis-Jefferson delivering 29 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and three steals in a no-relief job. Internal issues have been hounding TNT in the finals with the epicenter rooted on 6-foot-8 Poy Erram, who engaged Tropang Giga head coach Chot Reyes in a verbal altercation in Game 5. Reyes said prior to playing Game 6, they went through their usual team meeting, while maintaining that any concerns similar to verbal altercation is something that normally happens in games at times.
BUSINESS: Risks to PH financial system need watching
Over to business, the Philippine financial system remains stable and resilient amid moderate risks that nonetheless need to be closely watched, the Financial Stability Coordination Council (FSCC) said in a just-released report for 2024. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr., the FSCC chairman, said "there is the prospect of trade wars — they may have already begun — and the wide-ranging effects they would have across the global economy." The FSCC, which is composed of the BSP, Department of Finance, Insurance Commission, Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp., and the Securities and Exchange Commission, is tasked with assessing possible systemic risks and deciding on appropriate policy interventions.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks US president Donald Trump will undo his predecessor's "war-mongering" with Beijing, while Tatad talks about the International Criminal Court on trial itself.
Today's editorial concerns the funding cuts threatening the global fight against tuberculosis. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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