Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Saturday, December 14, 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: Govt to pursue defiant POGOs
THE government will be steadfast in going after Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGOs) who defy the order to close down before the year ends. Interior Secretary Jonvic Remulla reaffirmed on Friday that law enforcement agencies would ferret out POGOs who will go underground after all online gaming licenses are voided by Dec. 15. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ordered the crackdown on internet-based gaming operations because of the social and economic harms linked to them, including human trafficking, corruption and online scams. Reports indicate that at least 47 POGOs were still in business. Remulla said the government will adopt a dual strategy of license cancellation and guerrilla operation suppression.
READ: 4,000 pass bar exam
ABOUT 4,000 examinees passed this year’s Bar examinations administered last September. The list of successful examinees was released Friday by the Supreme Court. Justice Mario Lopez, this year’s Bar exam chairman, said 10,490 took the tests, and 3,962, or 37.84 percent, made the passing grade of 74 percent. Four of the top six passers came from the University of the Philippines (UP) College of Law.
READ: New AFP officers urged: Be steadfast in defending country
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday urged the new officers of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to not waver in defending the country in the face of “evolving threats and modern warfare.” In his speech during the AFP Major Services Officer Candidate Course (MS OCC) joint graduation ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City, the president expressed confidence the new officers would stay true to their calling to defend the country and maintain peace.
READ: Angara bewails P12B cut in DepEd budget
EDUCATION Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara has taken to social media to express his misgivings about the 12 billion pesos that was slashed from the 2025 budget of the Department of Education (DepEd). Both the Senate and House of Representatives had approved a 748.65-billion peso allocation for DepEd, but the Bicameral Conference Committee pared it down to 737.08 billion pesos. Despite the cut, DepEd is still the government agency with the biggest budget allocation.
READ: Tulfo brothers, Sotto lead DZRH Senate poll
BROTHERS Erwin and Ben Tulfo are among the top three choices for senator in a commissioned survey by a radio station. In MBC-DZRH’s pre-election survey conducted in 300 barangay (villages) nationwide with 7,510 respondents, ACT-CIS Rep. Erwin Tulfo came out on top with a 64.7 percent preference, and brother Ben was in third place with 50.3 percent. Former senator Vicente Sotto III placed second with 54.9 percent.
BUSINESS: Peso seen hitting new low
A STRONG US economy and potential policy shifts under the Trump administration could drive the peso to a new record low next year, a Bank of America (BofA) official said.Vince Valdepeñas, BofA country executive for the Philippines, said the bank had expected the currency to hit 60 pesos to the dollar this year and fall further to 61 pesos in 2025.
SPORTS: Cebu Olympics track events postponed
The track and field events of the 32nd Cebu City Olympics will be postponed until early next year due to the delay in the rehabilitation of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) rubberized oval. The opening ceremony, however, pushed through on Friday afternoon, Dec. 13, 2024. Francis Ramirez, sports division officer of the Department of Education Cebu City Division, announced during a press conference on Thursday that the athletics events will be held on Jan. 3-5, 2025, pending the completion of the oval’s curing process. He said the delay is necessary to ensure the track’s readiness and the safety of the athletes.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Danton Remoto are today’s front page columnists. Contreras weighs in on the recent cheatimg saga involving Filipino celebrities, Makabenta says the Senate coup involves politicians from dynasties, while Remoto looks into the latest work of author Gina Apostol.
Today’s editorial believes commuters deserve longer train hours. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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