Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Saturday, March 29, 2025.
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READ: Comelec to poll bets: Follow poster rules
THE 45-day campaign period for local candidates in the May 12 elections started Friday, with the Commission on Elections (Comelec) tearing down unauthorized campaign posters, streamers and materials. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia kicked off the clearing operations in a market in Tondo, Manila, accompanied by Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chairman Romando Artes and members of the environmental advocacy group Ecowaste Coalition. The Supreme Court has ruled that campaign violations could only be enforced once the official campaign period begins. In Manila alone, the clearing operations yielded a truckload of illegally placed campaign posters by Friday morning.
READ: US 'doubling down' on alliance with PH – Hegseth
THE United States is "doubling down" on its alliance with the Philippines, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Friday in Manila, in the face of what he called "Communist China's aggression in the region." Hegseth's trip, aimed at bolstering ties in the Asia-Pacific region as tensions rise with Beijing, comes in the shadow of a mounting scandal at home over leaked plans for a military strike. The defense chief secretary revealed details of strikes on Iranbacked Houthi rebels in Yemen in a group of top administration officials on the Signal messaging platform, according to a journalist added to the chat by accident. But US President Donald Trump has defended Hegseth, and in Manila, the defense chief focused on Washington's plan to "reestablish deterrence in the Indo-Pacific region," he told reporters alongside his Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr.
READ: No family reunion on Duterte birthday
FORMER president Rodrigo Duterte celebrated his 80th birthday in a detention cell in The Hague, with his partner and their daughter not allowed to see him. Honeylet Avanceña and Victoria "Kitty" Duterte were denied entry at the Scheveningen Prison, where Duterte is awaiting trial before the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity. Mother and daughter instead spent time with other Filipinos and supporters outside the prison. Another Duterte daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, said the family had limited time to see the former president due to their commitments.
READ: 'Sentiments on Sara impeachment unchanged'
DESPITE the arrest of former president Rodrigo Duterte, the vast majority of Filipinos remain steadfast in their support for the impeachment of his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, a public opinion poll showed. The survey by Tangere from March 25 to 26 found that 83 percent of respondents have not changed their opinion regarding the impeachment case against the vice president. The poll also revealed that 75 percent of the respondents believe that she should face a Senate impeachment trial over allegations of plotting to assassinate President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., House Speaker Martin Romualdez and first lady Liza Araneta-Marcos. Support for the trial is strongest in Luzon, particularly in Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, Central Luzon and Northern Luzon. In contrast, opposition is most pronounced in the Davao Region and Northern Mindanao, where 17 percent of respondents expressed disagreement. The survey also found that a slim majority — 51 percent — support the impeachment proceedings against Vice President Duterte as filed by Congress.
READ: Eala has 'no regrets' as dream run ends
Filipina sensation Alexandra Eala's remarkable run at the Miami Open came to a brave end with a three-set loss to Jessica Pegula in the semifinals on Thursday. In an enthralling battle over two hours and 24 minutes, the fourth-seeded American Pegula emerged with a 7-6 (7/3), 5-7, 6-3 win to seal a place in Saturday's final against world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka. Sabalenka blasted her way into the final with a 6-2, 6-2 demolition of Italy's Jasmine Paolini. The 19-year-old Eala, ranked 140th in the world, had only two WTA main draw victories to her name before arriving in Miami.
SPORTS: PVL final 4 phase opens today
THE highly anticipated final four phase of the Premier Volleyball League (PVL) All-Filipino Conference begins on Saturday at the Ynares Center in Antipolo City. Clashing in the opening game of single round robin semis are Creamline and Petro Gazz at 6:30 p.m. and Choco Mucho and Akari at 4 p.m. The Creamline Cool Smashers have been dominating the tournament so far and the 10-time champs are favored to win another crown. They also hold the longest streak of 17 straight final four appearances.
BUSINESS: Business sentiment down in Q1
Over to business, more companies turned pessimistic in the first quarter (Q1) with sentiment said to be weighed down by concerns over reduced demand following the holiday season, a slowdown in business activities and potential inflationary pressures. Business sentiment remained positive, but the confidence index (CI) fell to 31.2 percent from 44.5 percent three months earlier and the 33.1 percent recorded a year ago, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) reported on Friday. The central bank said the decline in confidence was not confined to the country, noting that Chinese firms had become pessimistic and sentiment had also soured in Taiwan in the euro area. Optimism for the second quarter, on the other hand, became more upbeat with the CI rising to 45.4 percent from 40.3 percent in the fourth quarter of last year. It was, however, lower than the year-earlier 48.1 percent.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras talks about strategic alliances in the upcoming midterm elections, Makabenta discusses former president Rodrigo Duterte as a prism of Filipino history, while Remoto looks at how enterprise-based education can help the next generation.
Today's editorial says the USAid's freeze could affect over 27,000 Filipinos. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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