Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, February 29, 2024.

Today's episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines' leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.

BANNER: Chinese warships worrisome – Marcos

PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the reported presence of Chinese warships and a helicopter near Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) was "worrisome," but the Philippines would continue to defend its maritime territory. In a chance interview before departing for Australia, Marcos said the situation in the disputed waters had changed because of the presence of China's navy. The Philippines has fishing rights in the Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal, an international court in The Hague ruled in 2016, but China continues to ignore that decision.

Cha-cha must be pursued - Robin

SEN. Robinhood Padilla on Thursday said he was frustrated and disappointed over the lack of support from his colleagues for a resolution he introduced in 2023 to amend economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution. In an interview with The Manila Times, Padilla, who chairs the Senate constitutional amendments committee, said that in the beginning, he was hopeful that amendments to the "restrictive" economic provisions in the 1987 Constitution would win the approval of the 24-member Senate. He said many of the senators, including Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri, favored the resolution and had filed similar measures in the past. But Zubiri at the time said that it was not timely to amend the Constitution since Congress had vowed to focus on 10 urgent bills identified by the Legislative Executive Development Advisory Council (Ledac). Still, Padilla said he released a draft report in March 2023 but failed to get the support of his colleagues.

Concepcion: Govt should focus on job creation

GO Negosyo founder Jose Maria "Joey" Concepcion 3rd on Wednesday said the government should focus on creating more sustainable jobs rather than pushing for a wage hike. Concepcion, Private Sector Advisory Council head for jobs, issued the statement following proposals by members of the House of Representatives to raise the minimum wage by 350 pesos, higher than the 100 peso wage hike approved by the Senate.

'Congress allowed to vote separately on Cha-cha'

FORMER Supreme Court associate justice Antonio Carpio said Wednesday that the 1987 Constitution allows the House of Representatives and the Senate to meet separately and vote separately on proposed amendments to it. Carpio was among the resource persons of the House Committee of the Whole in the deliberations on Resolution of Both Houses 7. Addressing the committee in his personal capacity, Carpio said that "under the first mode of changing the Constitution as stated in Section 1, paragraph 1, Article 17 of the 1987 Constitution, the House and the Senate can meet separately and vote separately by three-fourths votes of all" their respective members "to propose amendments or revisions to the Constitution."

E-vehicles banned on major roads in Metro Manila

METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority (MMDA) chief Romando Artes said on Wednesday that the Metro Manila Council has approved the resolution banning e-vehicles from major thoroughfares of the National Capital Region (NCR). The ban covers the following roads: Recto Avenue, President Quirino Avenue, Araneta Avenue, Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA), Katipunan Avenue/C.P. Garcia Avenue, Southeast Metro Manila Expressway, Roxas Boulevard, Taft Avenue, South Luzon Expressway (SLEx), Shaw Boulevard, Ortigas Avenue, Magsaysay Boulevard/Aurora Boulevard, Quezon Avenue/Commonwealth Avenue, A. Bonifacio Avenue, Rizal Avenue, Del Pan/Marcos Highway/McArthur Highway, Elliptical Road, and Mindanao Avenue.

BUSINESS: PH ratifies WTO pact on fisheries subsidies

Topping business, the Philippines has ratified a World Trade Organization agreement on fishing subsidies, joining 69 other countries that have signed up for a global deal aimed at curbing overfishing and promoting ocean sustainability. The country's "instruments of acceptance" were presented by Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual and Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel to W.T.O. Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala during the trade body's ongoing ministerial conference in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

SPORTS: Cool Smashers eye lead share vs Chargers

Over to sports, Creamline looks to make it a crowded leaderboard two weeks into the Premier Volleyball League prelims, but the Cool Smashers are cautiously optimistic about their chances against an unpredictable Akari side at resumption of the All-Filipino Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig on Thursday. n Creamline team captain Alyssa Valdez attacks against Farm Fresh opposite spiker Trisha Tubu during the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference on Feb. 24, 2024, at the Araneta Coliseum.

Opinion and editorial

Antonio Contreras and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras discusses the developments of the research culture in Philippine universities, while Remoto looks into the return to cursive writing.

Today's editorial says Sen. Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr.'s proposal on lowering the age of senior citizenship is patronizing populism. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

For more news and information, read The Manila Times on print, subscribe to its digital edition or log on to www.manilatimes.net. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn; and be part of our communities on Viber, Telegram, and Mastodon.