Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, April 25, 2025.
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READ: Town mayor falls in hail of bullets
Mayor Joel Ruma of Rizal, Cagayan, was shot dead and two others were critically wounded when unidentified gunmen fired into the barangay hall where he was campaigning Wednesday night, police said Thursday. Ruma and his aide, Merson Abiguebel, as well as a civilian, Melanie Talay, were taken to the Tuao District Hospital but the mayor was declared dead on arrival. Abiguebel and Talay were in critical condition. It was unclear whether there was more than one attacker, but initial reports from the Police Regional Office 2 said unidentified gunmen fired into the campaign gathering when Ruma and his fellow candidates were having their pictures taken with their supporters. Cagayan provincial police spokesman Capt. Shiela Joy Fronda, however, said the gunfire came from a mountainous area which is "quite far" from the location of the mayor.
READ: Digitalization crucial to MSMEs
EMERGING technologies such as digitalization and artificial intelligence (AI) are pivotal in uplifting micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and bridging the gap between advanced enterprises and small businesses, said Trade and Industry Undersecretary Blesila Lantayona at The Manila Times MSME and Start-ups forum. Lantayona also called on government agencies, industry leaders, technology providers, the academe and the MSME community to come together as enablers of digital transformation.
READ: Palace to VP Sara: Don't be a termite
MALACAÑANG on Thursday hit back at Vice President Sara Duterte after she criticized the government's plan to sell rice for 20 pesos per kilo in the Visayas, telling her and her supporters to "not be termites in society." In a press conference, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro dismissed Duterte's statement that the plan of the Department of Agriculture (DA) to sell rice at 20 pesos per kilo in Visayas was just another attempt to fool Filipinos.
READ: Ateneo, UP tie in 2025 Times Asian University rankings
SIX Philippine universities are among the top universities in the Asian region in the Times Higher Education (THE) Asia University Rankings released on Thursday. Leading the rankings among Filipino universities is Ateneo de Manila University, whose ranking fell to 501-600th place from its 401-500th place last year. The University of the Philippines (UP) tied with Ateneo at 501-600th place in the rankings, while De La Salle University, Mapua University, Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology and University of Santo Tomas (UST) placed in the 601+ place. Ateneo led in the criteria of research quality and teaching, while UP led in industry and research environment, and UST in the international outlook categories. Fifteen Filipino universities were considered as "reporter" universities, or those who reported their results to THE but their criteria were not enough to be included in the rankings.
READ: China paying 'trolls' to influence polls - NSC
The Philippines' National Security Council (NSC) said on Thursday there are indications China is conducting a "state-sponsored" campaign to interfere in next month's mid-term elections. The accusation emerged at a Senate hearing where a senior lawmaker claimed Beijing's embassy in Manila was "paying Filipinos to work in troll farms" to undermine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s government. The May 12 nationwide poll will decide hundreds of seats in the House of Representatives and Senate as well as thousands of hotly contested local positions. Senator Francis Tolentino, who is running for re-election on the Marcos slate, said the government's policy in the disputed South China Sea was among the troll farms' frequent targets. The Philippines has been engaged in months of confrontations with Beijing over the crucial waterway and has steadily deepened defense cooperation with the United States under Marcos.
BUSINESS: P74.6-B food stamp project OK'd by NEDA
Headlining business, an upgraded food stamp project costing 74.6 billion pesos has been approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Board as part of the government's efforts to address hunger and nutritional challenges in the country. The Reducing Food Insecurity and Undernutrition with Electronic Vouchers (Refuel) project, which will be implemented beginning July this year up to July 2028, is an upgrade of the Philippine Food Strategic Transfer and Alternative Measures Program (Stamp). It will be spearheaded by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Stamp was piloted last year and its Refuel iteration will be under the flagship Walang Gutom (No Hunger) 2027 initiative that aims to benefit 750,000 households. Stamp beneficiaries will continue to be covered by the new program, the NEDA said. The NEDA Board approval was the last before a name change to the Economy and Development Council under Republic Act 12145, which renamed the NEDA as the Department of Economy, Planning and Development. The law will take effect on April 27.
SPORTS: Korean cyclist tops Tour of Luzon first stage
The neck-and-neck battle between a Filipino and a South Korean under the scorching heat of the sun turned into a runaway victory for the visiting cyclist who pulled away for good in the latter part of the 195.2-kilometer race. Joo Dae Young of Gapyeong Cycling Team left Filipino ace Jan Paul Morales of the Standard Insurance Team in the dust in the final 40 kilometers of the Tour of Luzon's Paoay-to-Paoay opening stage to capture the early lead of eight-stage race on Thursday. Joo, 28, and Morales, 40, engaged in a neck-to-neck race for more than an hour as they were chased by main peloton not far behind. The Korean, then, shifted to a high gear and made his move near the Baccara-Laoag City border, some 40 kilometers away from the finish line at Paoay. He clocked four hours, 13 minutes and two seconds to win the race held under a 40 degree Celsius heat index.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today's front page columnists. Tiglao thinks the Marcos-led "Alyansa" is merely an illusion, while Tatad prays for what will come in the next Papal Conclave, following the death of Pope Francis.
Today's editorial looks into US President Donald Trump's "take it or leave it" offer to end the Ukraine war. Read more on the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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