Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Thursday, April 11, 2024.
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BANNER: PH, US, Japan summit to produce SCS deal
THE three-way summit among leaders of the Philippines, the United States and Japan will include an agreement to maintain security and freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said on Wednesday. Marcos, who left Manila on Wednesday, is scheduled to meet with US President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the summit in Washington, D.C., on April 11 to discuss the three countries' agenda to advance their defense, security and economic interests. Speaking to reporters, the President said details of the agreement among the three countries would be ironed out during his meeting with Biden and Kishida.
'Secret' deal compromised sovereignty – Marcos
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said he was "horrified" by the supposed secret agreement between former president Rodrigo Duterte and China on the West Philippine Sea, saying such a deal compromised the "territory, sovereignty and the sovereign rights of the Philippines." Speaking to reporters in San Juan City, the President denied the existence of a "gentleman's agreement" reportedly struck under Duterte with Beijing to keep the status quo in the West Philippine Sea.
Metro LGUs to begin work at 7 a.m.
WORKING hours for local government units in Metro Manila will be moved up to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting April 15 to ease traffic congestion. The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) issued a resolution to this effect, saying the persistent traffic congestion in Metro Manila "demands innovative solutions" to improve commuting conditions. The MMDA also encouraged national agencies in the National Capital Region (NCR) to adopt the same modified work schedule to ease traffic congestion during peak hours.
Comelec: New voters nearing 2M mark
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) is confident it will surpass its target of 3 million new voters as applicants for registration have already reached nearly 2 million, with six months to go before the end of voter registration. Chairman George Erwin Garcia said that as of Monday, April 8, the Comelec has received more than 1.9 million applications for registration, nearly 69 percent of the 3-million target. Garcia attributed the success of the registration to the Comelec's massive information dissemination campaign and other pro-active measures that made it easier for the public, particularly the youth, who will vote for the first time in the 2025 midterm polls --to register, reactivate registration, or transfer voting places.
BUSINESS: Net FDI balloons to $907M in Jan
Headlining, net foreign direct investments surged in January, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas A Cabinet official said the results reflected confidence in the Philippines' economic potential while an analyst said these could have been realized commitments from the Marcos government's push to lure foreign investors. January's increase, the central bank said in a statement, was primarily due to a 173.2-percent growth in nonresidents' net investments in debt instruments to $820 million from $300 million. Reinvestments of earnings also grew, by a much more modest 16.4 percent, to $99 million from $85 million. However, nonresidents' net investments in equity capital posted net outflows of $11 million, reversing from the $93 million in net inflows in January last year. Japan accounted for the bulk of FDI, which was mostly channeled to manufacturing (33 percent), real estate (24 percent), construction (20 percent), and wholesale and retail trade (16 percent) reported on Wednesday, growing by 89.9 percent to $907 million from $478 million a year earlier.
SPORTS: Semis race heats up as Chery, Cignal collide
Over to sports, Chery Tiggo and Cignal mix it up on Thursday in a match that holds significant implications for their respective semifinal drive in the Premier Volleyball League All-Filipino Conference at the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City. The 6 p.m. encounter is so crucial for both the Crossovers and the HD Spikers, tied at fifth with 5-2 records, with the winner not only securing a tie with the Creamline Cool Smashers and the Petro Gazz Angels for third place but also gaining crucial momentum as the preliminary round heads to its final stretch. But Chery Tiggo enters the fray with a slight advantage in terms of momentum, having won their last three matches following an unexpected loss to the Farm Fresh Foxies. This impressive streak includes notable victories over powerhouse teams such as the Cool Smashers and a thrilling five-set win against the Angels, underscoring the Crossovers' capacity and resolve to overcome adversity.
Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Danton Remoto are today's front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' actions against Masungi Georeserve, while Remoto thinks Senator Raffy Tulfo does not favor presidential preference surveys.
Today's editorial says a lasting solution is needed to solve the power crisis in Oriental Mindoro. Read the full version in the paper's opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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