Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, May 9, 2024.
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BANNER: Gibo hits Chinese for 'wiretapping'
DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. on Wednesday slammed the Chinese Embassy for violating the Anti-Wiretapping Law, a day after it released an audio recording that purportedly showed Western Command chief Vice Adm. Alberto Carlos agreeing to a "new model" for managing the dispute over Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal. While he did not categorically deny the authenticity of the recording, Teodoro again denied the existence of a secret deal on the Ayungin Shoal. Carlos was on leave on the day the audio recording was released, and it could not be determined if it was his voice on the tape.
US, PH troops sink China-made vessel in war games
American and Philippine forces sank a decommissioned China-made Philippine Navy ship Wednesday during South China Sea war games simulating an attack on an enemy vessel, officials said. The exercises are being held near the city of Laoag, around 400 kilometers (250 miles) south of Taiwan, amid a backdrop of increased confrontations between Philippine and Chinese vessels around South China Sea features claimed by Manila and Beijing.
Filipinos want military action to resolve sea row
SEVEN out of 10 Filipinos favor military action and diplomacy in resolving the West Philippine Sea (WPS) issue, an OCTA Research survey said. Results of the first quarter Tugon ng Masa survey conducted from March 11–14, 2024 showed that 73 percent of respondents wanted the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to expand naval patrols and troop presence in the disputed waters. Seventy-two percent said they wanted the dispute settled solely by diplomatic means, while 68 percent said that the military must be modernized to protect Philippine territories. Forty-three percent favored joint military patrols with ally countries, 32 percent preferred expansion of diplomatic efforts from within and outside the region, and 12 percent were agreeable to joint development efforts with China. OCTA said that those who preferred military fortification increased by 2 percentage points, overtaking those who favored diplomatic measures based on the previous survey.
Marcos party, Lakas-CMD to field common Senate slate
DESPITE fraying relations with the patriarch of the Duterte clan, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he would reassemble the UniTeam coalition that swept him and Vice President Sara Duterte to power. The President said this after his Partido Federal ng Pilipinas formalized an alliance with the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), the dominant party in the House of Representatives — to pave the way for a common slate of candidates for senator in the 2025 midterm elections. In his speech at the signing ceremony at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City, Marcos said he was encouraged by the overwhelming support of the Filipino people during the 2022 presidential elections.
BUSINESS: Unemployment worsens but job quality improves
Headlining business, more Filipinos found themselves without work in March even as job quality improved, data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed on Wednesday. Unemployment picked up to 3.9 percent from 3.5 percent in February but was still lower than year-earlier 4.7 percent based on preliminary results of the PSA's latest Labor Force Survey, Some 2 million Filipinos were jobless in March, up from 1.8 million a month earlier. The updated estimate, however, is lower than the 2.42 million recorded 12 months earlier. Underemployment, meanwhile, dropped to 11 percent from 12.4 percent in February and 11.2 percent in March last year. The underemployed — those looking for more work or an extra job — numbered 5.4 million, down from 5.4 million a year earlier and 6.1 million in February. Employment dipped to 96.1 percent from 96.5 percent in February but was higher than March 2023's 95.3. Those with jobs, however, were more at 49.15 million in March compared to February's 48.9 million and the year-earlier 48.58 million.
SPORTS: Choco Mucho, Creamline begin finals showdown
IN a role reversal that perhaps caught many by surprise, Choco Mucho finds itself as the slight favorite against the multi-titled Creamline, a scenario quite unlike last year when the Flying Titans were clear underdogs in their first-ever finals appearance in the Premier Volleyball League. However, the narrative has shifted dramatically with Choco Mucho's remarkable sweep of the semifinal round, proving themselves as top contenders even in the absence of three key players sidelined due to various reasons during the course of their campaign in the All-Filipino Conference.
Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today's front page columnists, as they both discuss their two cents on the latest developments surrounding the West Philippine Sea.
Today's editorial says the truth of China's 'new model' claims must be laid bare. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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