Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Tuesday, June 29, 2021.
READ: Romualdez defers to Duterte in VP race
LEYTE Rep. Ferdinand Martin Romualdez will give way to President Rodrigo Duterte if the latter decides to run for vice president next year. Romualdez had nursed hopes of being named the vice-presidential candidate of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDP-Laban) after Duterte had assured him the vice-presidential slot was his if he decides to run. Duterte gave the assurance after Romualdez agreed to keep out of the acrimonious fight between Representatives Alan Peter Cayetano and Lord Allan Velasco for the House speakership last year. Velasco wrested the position from Cayetano and Romualdez settled for the post of majority leader.
READ: GCQ extension in Metro Manila pushed
THE government was asked to keep the National Capital Region (NCR or Metro Manila) under the general community quarantine (GCQ) but to allow businesses to let in more customers and more establishments to reopen. The NCR, including Bulacan, is under GCQ with some restrictions until June 30 while the provinces of Laguna, Rizal and Cavite remain under GCQ with heightened restrictions. In a television interview on Monday, Dr. Guido David, a fellow at OCTA Research, said that while Metro Manila is nearing the pre-surge figure of 667 new cases per day, the presence of the more contagious Alpha and Beta variants of Covid-19 in the country should not be underestimated.
READ: Fight with Spence is on – Pacquiao
INTERNATIONAL boxing icon Sen. Emmanuel “Manny” Pacquiao on Monday gave assurances that his fight with WBC/IBF Welterweight Champion Errol Spence is on.
The fight will be held on August 21 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Pacquiao said nothing can stop the mega fight. He dismissed the lawsuit filed by Paradigm Sports Management against him, saying it has no legal basis.
READ: Vaccine deliveries hit 17 million doses
The Philippines received 249,600 doses of Covid-19 vaccine from American pharmaceutical firm Moderna on Sunday. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. welcomed the arrival of the Moderna vaccine at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). The 150,000 doses of the shipment were procured by the government while 99,600 doses were purchased by the private sector. Galvez said a total of 20 million Moderna doses are expected to arrive this year. On Monday, the Philippines also received 1 million more doses from China’s Sinovac. The doses were received at the NAIA by Galvez and Health Secretary Francisco Duque 3rd. The latest shipments from Moderna and Sinovac bring to 17,455,470 the vaccine doses delivered to the country since February. Moderna is the fifth vaccine brand approved for use in the Philippines. The others are Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Gamaleya and Pfizer.
READ: ‘PNP will not issue guns to anti-crime volunteers’
The Philippine National Police (PNP) clarified on Monday it “will not issue firearms” to civilian anti-crime volunteers. PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said anti-crime volunteers can serve as police force multipliers without necessarily getting armed.
BUSINESS: Govt to offer first dollar bonds for 2021
Over to business, the government returned to the international bond market this year with its first offering of global bonds. Based on the government’s initial guidance, the benchmark-sized ($500 million) dollar bonds are dual-tranche with 10.5-year and 25-year tenors. The 10.5-year bonds will mature on June 6, 2032 and the 25-year, on July 6, 2046. The bond is expected to secure investment-grade ratings from S&P Global Ratings, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings.
SPORTS: Obiena continues to peak, snares another gold in Germany
Topping sports, pole vaulter EJ Obiena of the Philippines continues to peak ahead of the Tokyo Olympics slated from July 23 to August 8. Obiena seized another gold medal as he shared the top spot with 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Thiago Braz of Brazil in the True Athletes Classics in Leverkusen, Germany on Sunday night (Philippine time). Both Obiena and Braz cleared 5.80 meters in two attempts, as the former clinched his fourth medal in June.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras and Yen Makabenta are today’s front page columnists. Contreras talks about honoring the dead, while Makabenta discusses the 33rd anniversary of the climate change phenomenon.
Today’s editorial believes President Rodrigo Duterte’s order of arming anti-crime volunteers is a dangerous proposition. Read the full version on the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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On behalf of The Manila Times, this is Aric John Sy Cua reporting. Have a safe Tuesday ahead.
