Good day. Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, May 15, 2024.

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READ: PH ships to prevent Escoda 'reclamation'

THE Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) will deploy ships around Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) to deter Chinese reclamation activities that have left several tons of damaged corals, officials said Tuesday. Commo. Roy Vincent Trinidad, Navy spokesman for the WPS, said the government would not allow China to reclaim it as the shoal is well within the country's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Toward this end, the Navy would maintain a persistent presence in the area, bolstered by patrols by other Navy and PCG vessels, he said. An official of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS), meanwhile, said the PCG found concrete evidence of China's land reclamation in Escoda Shoal. NTF-WPS spokesman Commo. Jay Tarriela said the findings of the PCG vessel BRP Teresa Magbanua in Escoda Shoal confirm China's construction of artificial islands and extensive damage to the coral system in the area. He said BRP Teresa Magbanua was the only Philippine vessel sent to investigate the shoal but provoked a response from over 30 Chinese maritime militia vessels, three China Coast Guard vessels, three People's Liberation Army Navy warships and three research vessels.

READ: 'China, keep hands off our vessels, people'

SEN. Risa Hontiveros slammed China on Tuesday for propagating "lies" that the Atin Ito civilian humanitarian mission to the West Philippine Sea (WPS) was organized by the Philippine and United States governments. The China Coast Guard (CCG) played down reports that it dispatched a huge blockading force to Bajo de Masinloc, however. In a statement, the CCG said they are conducting regular lifesaving training to cement its presence in the contested area. Both the Philippines and China claim Bajo de Masinloc, which the Chinese call Huangyan Island, as their own. According to the CCG, it has "normalized" the exercises to ensure the safety of Chinese fishing boats in the area. The announcement of the routine training comes as a civilian-led mission from the Philippines was scheduled to arrive in the area on May 14 to assert Philippine rights in the waters. It is the first time the CCG has declared it has normalized a drill near the shoal. On May 13, retired US Air Force Col. Ray Powell, director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project that monitors and reports activities in the South China Sea, said they have monitored that China was sending the biggest blockading force ever to Bajo in anticipation of the arrival of the Atin Ito civilian convoy.

READ: PH taps US space programs to monitor territorial waters

THE United States is helping the Philippines tap its space programs to monitor and document vessels in the country's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone, agencies from both governments announced on Tuesday. In a joint statement, the US Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, the US National Space Council, and the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA) said Earth observation is a priority area for bilateral cooperation. They agreed to consider the possible hosting in the Philippines of a US Geological Survey Landsat ground station. The Philippines is also considering signing on to the Artemis Accords, which establish guidelines to ensure safety and responsible behavior in outer space as countries explore the Moon and beyond. The joint statement was issued after the agencies conducted their first bilateral Space Dialogue in Washington on May 2. The US-Philippines Space Dialogue is a platform designed to strengthen cooperation and advance bilateral exchanges in civil space matters, including the use of space for maritime domain awareness and space situational awareness. The space dialogue represents an expansion of US-Philippines cooperation into outer space, including the use of space-based Earth observation satellite data for a wide variety of socioeconomic applications.

READ: Bam Aquino new KANP chairman

FORMER senator Bam Aquino has taken over as chairman of the Katipunan ng Nagkakaisang Pilipino (KANP), a political party founded in 2020 as a platform for youth empowerment in the national government.

•Human rights lawyer Chel Diokno, a member of the party, announced Aquino's new role in a statement. KANP said Aquino's legislative experience and achievements would help enhance the party's capacity to realize its vision of uplifting the lives of Filipinos through effective governance, education, justice, technology, and digital media. Aquino, 47, expressed his readiness to lead a young party composed of local officials from various regions of the country. KANP was founded by Kerby Salazar, a provincial board member in Cavite. In October 2021, the party welcomed Diokno as a party member and senatorial candidate for the 2022 general elections. The party also adopted presidential aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo, vice presidential aspirant Senator Francis Pangilinan, and senatorial aspirant Teddy Baguilat as their national candidates. Aquino's former Liberal Party (LP) party mates, ex-senators Pangilinan and Leila de Lima, and Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman, all expressed confidence that he would bring the same fervor and dedication to KANP as he did during his tenure with LP.

READ: Govt employees to get midyear bonuses May 15

THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Tuesday announced that qualified government employees will receive their midyear bonus starting May 15. Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman acknowledged that the incentive is "eagerly awaited" by the employees as it would "significantly assist them in meeting their daily needs." The midyear bonus is equal to one month's basic pay. It is given to eligible personnel who have worked at least four months from July 1 of the previous year to May 15 of the current year. The personnel must still be employed in the government as of May 15 of the current year and should have received at least a satisfactory performance rating in the most recent rating period or applicable performance appraisal period. The midyear bonus will be provided to all civilian personnel, including regular, casual and contractual employees. This includes appointive or elective positions, both full-time and part-time, in the executive, legislative and judicial branches, constitutional commissions, other constitutional offices, state universities and colleges, and government-owned and controlled corporations covered by the Compensation and Position Classification System, as well as local government units, the DBM said. Pangandaman said the midyear bonus is not just for civilian employees but extends to military and uniformed personnel.

In Business

READ: Inflation breach could be 'more benign' – economist

INFLATION is still expected to exceed target, an economist said, but will likely not be enough of a surge to significantly delay interest rate cuts. Last month's result of 3.8 percent, still within the 2.0- to 4.0-percent target and below the market consensus of 4.1 percent, has led BPI to revise its full-year forecast to 3.5 percent from 3.7 percent, Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) senior economist Emilio Neri said. While Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Governor Eli Remolona Jr. has warned of a possible delay in interest rate cuts to the first quarter of next year should inflation and growth turn out for the worse, Neri said that an easing in the second semester remained likely. HSBC Global Research economist Aris Dacanay, meanwhile, said the likely breach of the inflation target "would be brief." First quarter economic growth was 5.7 percent, below the government's 6.0- to 7.0-percent target and the market expectation of 5.9 percent.

Topping Sports

READ: NU seeks UAAP volleyball crowns

NATIONAL University (NU) look to rule the UAAP Season 86 men's and women's volleyball tournaments at the expense of the University of Santo Tomas (UST) in their respective Game 2 Finals matches at the Mall of Asia Arena today. The Bulldogs are out for dominance as they seek their fourth straight crown against the Golden Spikers at 2 p.m., with their match succeeding the awarding ceremony for this season's individual awardees at 1 p.m. On the other hand, the Lady Bulldogs seek to complete their redemption tour and regain the crown they lost last year as they take on the Golden Tigresses at 4 p.m. For the NU men's team led by coach Dante Alinsunurin, Owa Retamar, and Michaelo Buddin, they simply wanted to stamp their class in their division and repeat over UST in the Big Dance in the process.

READ: Celtics push Cavs to brink of elimination

LOS ANGELES – The Boston Celtics fought off short-handed Cleveland to take a 3-1 stranglehold in their NBA playoff series Monday (Tuesday in Manila) as Oklahoma City leveled their series with Dallas. Jayson Tatum scored 33 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Jaylen Brown added 27 points for the Celtics, who beat the Cavaliers 109-102 for a 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal. The Celtics will try to finish off the series at home on Wednesday. Western Conference top seeds Oklahoma City head home tied 2-2 with the Mavericks after a furious fourth-quarter rally carried them to a 100-96 victory in Dallas. Oklahoma City trailed most of the night in the face of a stout Dallas defensive effort that included 13 blocked shots.

READ: Opinion

The Times, in its editorial, says now is the time to file an environmental case against China. Read the full version on print, digital or listen to the Voice of the Times. Featured columnists on the front page are Rigoberto Tiglao, Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad. Tiglao claims that Sen. Jose 'Jinggoy' Estrada is all out for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s defense in the drug case; Aquino on arbitral judgment; and Tatad on the thick fog over the West Philippine Sea.

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