Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Monday, March 31, 2025.
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READ: 4 Filipinos missing in quake-hit Myanmar
FOUR Filipinos in Myanmar were reportedly missing after a powerful earthquake hit the country on Friday, a Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) official said on Sunday. DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo de Vega, in a radio interview, said, according to the latest data, four Filipinos were unaccounted for. Two of the four Filipinos are a husband and his wife residing in a building that collapsed following the tremor. De Vega said there were no Filipino casualties in Thailand, which also felt the magnitude 7.7 earthquake. The Philippine Embassy in Myanmar told the DFA it will send a team to Mandalay, the city nearest to the quake's epicenter, to check the condition of Filipinos there.
READ: Poll bets get final warning on posters
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has reminded local candidates to voluntarily remove the illegal campaign materials they put up or face disqualification. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia issued the reminder over the weekend following the start of the 45-day local campaign period. The commission marked the first day of campaigning by dismantling tons of illegal campaign materials. Garcia said Comelec will start sending out notices to candidates whose campaign materials were still posted outside of the designated campaign poster areas.
READ: 3 Senate bets tackle environment, transport issues
THREE senatorial candidates agreed there is an urgent need for reforms in the country's environment and transportation sectors. Mario Valbuena Jr., David D'Angelo and Modesto Floranda focused on the two issues as they went head-to-head in Episode 6 of Bakit Ikaw: The Town Hall Election Series. Valbuena, president of the transport group Manibela, saw the need for better disaster monitoring and mitigation technology as he called for more funding for Project Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH). He cited the lack of resources in local government units (LGUs) leads to insufficient information and heightens disaster risks. Valbuena pushed for investments in technology that could better predict typhoon strength, water volume, and wind speeds to improve preparedness and minimize casualties. D'Angelo, the national president of the Green Party of the Philippines, pushed for a Climate Emergency Act to institutionalize a proactive approach to climate change. He also advocated for restoring Project NOAH's funding and strengthening disaster response centers across all local levels. D'Angelo stressed the need for sustainable stormwater management, opposing environmentally destructive projects like the Kaliwa Dam while promoting alternative solutions used in Japan. Floranda, representing the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan, took a firm stand against rampant mining and deforestation, blaming them for the worsening floods and landslides. He called for tougher environmental regulations and a halt to large-scale mining that exploits natural resources at the expense of disaster-vulnerable communities. While all three highlighted the struggles of farmers and fisherfolk, they proposed varied solutions.
READ: For Eala, the real work 'starts now'
AFTER her historic run at the Miami Open last week, Filipino tennis ace Alex Eala acknowledges that "the real work starts now." The 19-year-old sensation defeated three Grand Slam winners and became the first player from the Philippines to reach the semifinals of the tournament. Eala knew that her Miami performance gave her new opportunities, like winning approximately $332,160 or around 19 million pesos, in prize money and jumping to a career-best ranking of 75, which comes with an outright slot at Grand Slam events. But the 5-foot-9 Eala is also aware that the road ahead gets tougher as the opposition gets more familiar with her game.
SPORTS: Filipino golfers brace for 2025 Junior World Championships
FOUR rising golf stars, fresh off a grueling qualifier at The Country Club, are brimming with confidence as they gear up for the Junior World Championships in San Diego from July 5-10. Their hard-fought victories reinforced their belief in their abilities to compete against the world's best young golfers. Tristan Padilla, who outlasted Shinichi Suzuki in sudden death to win the boys' 15-18 division, is eager to showcase his growth in San Diego. Padilla's victory was a testament to his resilience, as he battled both a tough course and physical challenges. Reese Ng, who dominated the girls' 15-18 division against Alessandra Luciano, is also making a return trip to San Diego. Lisa Sarines, the girls' 13-14 category winner from Riviera, is equally excited to compete on the global stage.
BUSINESS: Inflation likely to fall in March – economists
Over to business, lower prices of key food items, particularly rice, could lead to March inflation falling to a five-month low, economists said. The median forecast in a Manila Times poll was 2.0 percent, slightly lower than February's 2.1-percent result. If realized, it would be the lowest since September 2024's 1.9 percent. Consumer price growth was surprisingly slower last month and a continued easing could prompt the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas' (BSP) policymaking Monetary Board to resume cutting interest rates next week. The central bank, which had expected inflation to hit 2.2 to 3.0 percent in February, will announce its forecast for March today, ahead of the Philippine Statistics Authority's (PSA) release of official data this Friday. With the lowest projection of 1.8 percent, Union Bank of the Philippines chief economist Ruben Carlo Asuncion said that a decline "supports a BSP rate cut of 25 bps (basis points) — 50 bps sooner than later."
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino, and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is controlling the country's media, while Fr. Aquino and Tatad continue their commentaries on the ICC-Duterte saga.
Today's editorial says deterrence is an inherent right for the Philippines. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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