Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Sunday, September 15, 2024.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: Lawmakers clash on OVP budget
TWO lawmakers over the weekend opposed the decision of the House Committee on Appropriations to slash the budget of the Office of the Vice President by 1.2 billion pesos, saying they should have followed “tradition” by showing the office “courtesy” in the budgeting process. The panel’s senior vice chairman, Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, announced on Thursday that the OVP would receive a budget of 733 million pesos from its original proposal of 2.037 billion pesos for 2025. The 1.2 billion pesos cut from the OVP budget would go instead to social assistance programs of the Department of Health and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. The decision came after Vice President Sara Duterte engaged in a testy exchange with the panel on August 27 over questions on the use of the agency’s confidential and intelligence funds in 2022.
READ: Hospital arrest for Quiboloy ruled out
SEN. Risa Hontiveros, on Saturday, expressed strong opposition to the camp of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KoJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy’s request for hospital arrest in Davao City. Hontiveros said in a statement the fugitive preacher should be receiving any form of special treatment. She said Quiboloy had no right to choose where he wanted to be detained.
READ: ‘Most beautiful ship’ now in Manila
THE visit of the renowned Italian training ship (ITS) Amerigo Vespucci to the Philippines is a significant milestone for Italy’s maritime engagement in Southeast Asia, the vessel’s commander said during the visit of local media on board the “floating embassy” on Saturday. Amerigo Vespucci arrived in the Philippines Thursday night and is currently docked at the Manila harbor. The ship will remain in the country for several days, during which cadets aboard the vessel will continue their training and participate in cultural exchanges. Capt. Giuseppe Lai said this was the first time that Amerigo Vespucci had visited the Philippines as part of a global tour to promote bilateral maritime cooperation and further cement Italy’s naval ties with the region.
READ: Teves’ lawyer says extradition is off
THE lawyer of the fugitive and expelled congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. said on Saturday that a court in Timor Leste had invalidated the Philippine government’s request to extradite him to face murder charges here. In a press conference Saturday, lawyer Ferdinand Topacio presented documents he said were issued by the Timor Leste Court of Appeals ruling as “null and void” its earlier decision to reject Teves’ appeal against his extradition. The Manila Times tried to reach an official from the Department of Justice or the Palace to verify Topacio’s claim but was unable to do so. Citing the documents he presented, Topacio said a new trial would be conducted on the extradition of Teves. They also mean that the first extradition request is null and void and that the extradition will not push through as the government has been claiming, he said. Teves is facing 10 counts of murder, 12 counts of frustrated murder and four counts of attempted murder before the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 51 concerning the March 4, 2023 shootings in the town of Pamplona in Negros Oriental.
READ: Government satisfaction rating up 11 points
THE majority of Filipinos are satisfied with the performance of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., giving it a “good” +40 net satisfaction rating in June, according to the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey. Conducted from June 23 to July 1, the survey showed that 62 percent of Filipinos were satisfied, 15 percent were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied, and 22 percent were dissatisfied with the performance of the national government. This yielded a net satisfaction rating of +40 (percentage of satisfied minus percentage of dissatisfied), which SWS classified as “good.” SWS said this was an 11-point increase from the +29 rating in March 2024 but 12 points lower than the +52 rating in December 2023. It attributed the improvement in the administration’s net satisfaction rating from March to June 2024 to increases across all geographic areas.
BUSINESS: Wander Woman
Sunday’s Keep in View looks into Andrea Trinidad and her Wanderlust Bed and Breakfast in Palawan. Read more on the business page of the Times.
SPORTS: Chua rules 9-ball tournament in Shanghai
Over to sports, cue artist Johann “Bad Koi” Chua dominated the 2024 Zen&Yuan8 Open Nine-Ball tournament in Shanghai, China. The former Southeast Asian Games gold medalist was crowned champion after defeating and dominating Taiwan’s Wu Kun Lin in the finals via an impressive 13-1 outing. As a result of his victory, Chua took home the top prize of $12,000 and a champion’s trophy. In a TikTok video uploaded by the Marboys Billiards Café, where he is a member of their billiards team, Chua said he hopes to keep going after this championship.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today’s front page columnist, asking if there is any piece of humanity left in the world.
Today’s editorial analyzes the smiles of former mayor Alice Guo with government officials. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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