Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Wednesday, October 2, 2024.
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READ: 10 found guilty in hazing death
Guilty. This was the verdict handed down by a Manila City court on Tuesday against the 10 accused in the death by hazing of University of Santo Tomas (UST) law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III in 2017. After seven years of trial, Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 11 Judge Shirley Magsipoc-Pagalilauan convicted Arvin Balag, Mhin Wei Chan, Axel Munro Hipe, Oliver John Audrey Onofre, Joshua Joriel Macabali, Ralph Trangia, Robin Ramos, Jose Miguel Salamat, Danielle Hans Matthew Rodrigo and Marcelino Bagtang, all members of the Aegis Juris fraternity. They were all found guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violating Republic Act 8049 or Anti-Hazing Law due to the death of 22-year-old Castillo at the “welcome party” held by Aegis Juris on Sept. 17, 2017. The 10 fraternity members were sentenced to reclusion perpetua, which carries a maximum sentence of 40 years. They were also ordered to jointly pay Castillo’s family 625,000 pesos in actual expenses and damages. They have been detained in the Manila City Jail since May 2018.
READ: Wide variety of aspirants file CoCs
THE first day of filing of certificates of candidacy (CoCs) for the 2025 midterm elections saw a sitting senator, several congressmen, a former president and an electrician-carpenter launch their bids for elected office. At the Manila Hotel, Agri-Agra na Reporma para sa Magsasaka ng Pilipinas Movement (Agri) party-list Rep. Wilbert Lee was the first to file his CoC before the Comelec, running for senator. Lee’s party-list at the House of Representatives focuses on the agricultural sector and, according to their website, pushed for the passage of the AntiAgricultural Smuggling Law and, in the Lower House, co-authored around 225 bills, passed 16 laws and principally authored around 210 bills and resolutions.
READ: DBM chief among peace awardees
PEACE advocates and public servants gathered Monday night to recognize the extraordinary efforts made by individuals in advancing peace across the Philippines through this year’s Gawad Kapayapaan Awards. The awards ceremony at the Manila Hotel marked the culmination of National Peace Consciousness Month. This year’s Gawad Kapayapaan Awards include Prof. Miriam Coronel-Ferrer, Budget and Management Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, and the Local Government Unit of Kauswagan, Lanao del Norte. In her opening remarks, Pangandaman reflected on her peacebuilding work, particularly in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM). Fresh from attending the 79th United Nations General Assembly, Pangandaman emphasized the interconnectedness of peace and prosperity.
e-Sea app validates authenticity of seafarer documents digitally
A GROUNDBREAKING mobile app, designed by Filipino innovators, is poised to revolutionize the verification process for seafarer documents, marking a crucial step toward the digitalization of the seafaring industry. The e-Sea App brings a new level of security and convenience to the sector, empowering users to digitally verify the authenticity of certificates and other essential paperwork. This modern solution streamlines the certification renewal process and makes compliance with global industry standards more accessible. By addressing one of the most pressing issues in the seafaring industry — the proliferation of fraudulent certificates of competency (COC) — the app sets a new standard for document validation, its makers said.
READ: Las Piñas councilor challenges Cynthia Villar
A LAS PIÑAS councilor will go up against Sen. Cynthia Villar for the city’s lone congressional seat in next year’s midterm elections. Incumbent Las Piñas District 1 councilor Mark Anthony Santos has announced that he is ready to face Senator Villar, who will end her term on June 30, 2025. Santos, who once served as chief of staff of the late Las Piñas Mayor Vergel Aguilar, brother of Senator Villar, is currently serving his seventh term and was elected minority leader. A known advocate of socialized housing and in-city relocation, he is the main author of a resolution allocating a 85 million pesos budget for land acquisition for informal settlers.
READ: 42 party-list groups delisted by poll officials
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) on Tuesday invalidated 42 party-list groups for the 2025 midterm polls, citing failure to meet legal requirements for accreditation. Resolution 11071, promulgated by the Commission en banc, said 11 of the 42 were removed for their failure to participate in the last two preceding elections, while the remaining 31 failed to obtain a seat in the second round of seat allocation for the party-list system in the last two preceding polls. The resolution was pursuant to Section 2 (i), Rule 2 of Resolution 9366, in relation to Section 6 (8) of Republic Act 7941 or the Party-List System Act.
BUSINESS: Outstanding NG debt slightly lower at P15.55T
Topping business, the national government’s outstanding debt edged down in August as the peso strengthened and following payments for foreign obligations, the Bureau of the Treasury reported on Tuesday. At 15.55 trillion pesos, the amount was 0.9 percent lower compared to 15.69 trillion pesos recorded at the end of July. Domestic debt continued to account for the bulk of the overall debt stock at 69.4 percent. The remaining 30.6 percent consisted of external obligations.
SPORTS: UP, UE out to sustain winning ways
Over to sports, University of the Philippines (UP) and University of the East (UE), the two hottest teams in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 87 men’s basketball tournament, look to sustain their winning ways at the Smart Araneta Coliseum Wednesday. Still undefeated at 5-0, UP seeks another one at UST’s expense to put itself on the cusp of a first round sweep. The league-leading Fighting Maroons face the Growling Tigers at 4:30 p.m. On the other hand, the Red Warriors, the team with the longest winning streak in the league outside UP, aim to continue rolling against the Ateneo Blue Eagles at 6:30 p.m. As for UP led by coach Goldwin Monteverde, it’s always back to square one like the Maroons haven’t won anything.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Fr. Ranhilio Aquino and Francisco Tatad are today’s front page columnists. Fr. Aquino sees the current Israel-Hamas conflict from the Israeli point of view, while Tatad asks if the country is learning from the Cuban missile crisis.
Today’s editorial calls on the United States to halt its nuclear weapons escalation. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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