Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Sunday, January 26, 2025.
Today’s episode is brought to you by Wilcon Depot, The Philippines’ leading home improvement and construction supplies retailer—your Trusted Building Partner.
READ: US freezes almost all aid
THE United States, the world’s biggest donor, froze virtually all foreign aid on Friday, making exceptions only for emergency food and military funding for Israel and Egypt. The order threatened a quick halt to many of the billions of dollars in US-funded projects globally to support health, education, development, job training, anti-corruption, security assistance and other efforts. The US provides more foreign aid globally than any other country, budgeting about $60 billion in 2023, or about 1 percent of the US budget. In Manila, the Palace said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) would work with the US government to see how its freeze order would affect the Philippines. The Philippines has been the largest recipient of US military assistance in the Indo-Pacific region, receiving over $1.14 billion in military equipment and training from 2015 to 2022. During a Saturday news forum in Quezon City, Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said the freeze order would not severely affect the Philippines as the US involvement in the country’s economy as a trade partner was “still very high.”
READ: NPO deputized to print ballots
THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has deputized the National Printing Office (NPO) for the printing of official ballots for the May 12 national and local elections as well as the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) parliamentary elections. This is the first time that the Comelec has deputized the NPO. This decision follows multiple delays in the ballot printing process, triggered by the Supreme Court’s recent issuance of temporary restraining orders (TROs) that prevented the poll body from disqualifying certain candidates. Under Comelec Resolution 11096 promulgated on Jan. 20, the NPO is tasked with “ensuring the efficient, secure, and timely production” of the official ballots. The resolution specifies that the NPO will provide printing services, technical support, security systems, and other necessary resources. Additionally, the NPO is authorized to procure consumables with the approval of the commission and in compliance with procurement laws.
READ: Chinese harassment scuttles PH scientific survey
THE Philippines said Saturday it had suspended a scientific survey in the contested South China Sea (SCS) due to “dangerous” harassment by Chinese navy and coast guard vessels and aircraft. Commo. Jay Tarriela, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesman for the West Philippine Sea, said that while en route to Sandy Cays, the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) patrol vessels BRP Datu Pagbuaya and BRP Datu Bankaw encountered dangerous maneuvers by three China Coast Guard vessels, identified as CCG 4106, 5103, and 4202. Tarriela said these vessels displayed a blatant disregard for the Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea. However, he said the skilled navigation of the BFAR crew averted any accidents during these confrontations. In addition to the aggressive actions of the CCG ships, four small boats were deployed to harass the two BFAR rigidhull inflatable boats (RHIBs) transporting personnel to Sandy Cays. Tarriela said the situation escalated further when a People’s Liberation ArmyNavy (PLAN) helicopter, identified by tail number 24, hovered dangerously low over the BFAR RHIBs.
READ: Solution found to restore P10B DepEd cut – Angara
EDUCATION Secretary Sonny Angara said over the weekend that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. had found a way to restore the 10 billion peso fund that was removed from the 2025 budget for the Department of Education’s (DepEd’s) computerization program. In an interview over state-run PTV-4 on Friday, Angara said that when the president heard about the P10 billion cut in the DepEd’s computerization program, he texted him at 3 a.m. because he felt “sleepless” when he heard about the cut.
READ: Feng Shui tips for fortune, harmony in the new year
AHEAD of the Lunar New Year, Feng Shui Master Patrick Fernandez of the Yin & Yang Shop of Harmony at New World Hotel Makati shared practical tips and traditions to help welcome prosperity and good fortune in the Year of the Wood Snake. Speaking at a media luncheon at the hotel’s Jasmine restaurant, Fernandez said it is essential to prepare oneself for the new year beyond the festive celebrations. In Feng Shui, this involves “physical, financial and emotional cleansing.” On the eve of Chinese New Year this year, which falls on Jan. 28, Fernandez recommends bringing fresh flowers into the home to symbolize the arrival of spring.
READ: Imee denies spending P1B for poll campaign
Sen. Imee Marcos belied the allegation of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) that she has spent 1 billion pesos on her reelection campaign for the 2025 midterm elections. At an event in Barangay Labangon, Cebu City, on Friday, the sister of the president dismissed the report as baseless. She said she would rather spend the money on distributing food to help Filipinos than on political advertisements. However, Marcos did not reveal how much she had spent since she began her campaign for reelection. Marcos questioned the feasibility of the reported campaign spending, pointing out that it would have been a waste of resources compared to addressing community needs.
BUSINESS: NEDA upgrade to align natl, local economic plans
In business, Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said the transformation of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) into a Cabinet-level department will align local socioeconomic plans and programs with national development goals and thrusts. Villafuerte is the lead author of the bill converting NEDA into the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DepDev), which has already been approved at the Bicameral Conference Committee and is now set to be ratified by both House of Representatives and Senate before it is sent to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature. The consolidated version abolishes the NEDA and creates the DepDev, whose head, the secretary of development, will serve as the chief adviser of the president on socioeconomic planning and development, Villafuerte said. The House unanimously approved House Bill 11199 on third and final reading by a 178-0 vote during the first session week of Congress about a month after the Senate passed its version — Senate Bill 2848 — by an 18-0 vote last December 2024. The bicameral panel approved the bill last Jan. 22.
SPORTS: McCullough, Cousins deliver as SGA downs UAE
Over to sports, Strong Group Athletics (SGA) went on a strong fourth-quarter run to seize control before holding off a late United Arab Emirates (UAE) national side rally to prevail, 99-91, kicking off its 34th Dubai International Basketball Championship title bid in high gear on early Saturday (Manila time) at the Al Nasr Club. NBA veteran Chris McCullough, a last-minute addition to the team, provided the spark that saw Strong Group turn a one-point deficit into a 93-78 lead, heading into the midway point of the last period. But the UAE mounted a last-ditch stand, narrowing the gap at 89-95, before high-flying wingman Rhenz Abando scored on a floater, while McCullough came off with a steal en route to a rim-rattling two-handed slam dunk to seal the win.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Marlen Ronquillo is today’s front page columnist, saying the ghost of former US president William McKinley must “inspire” Donald Trump.
Today’s editorial calls on facts to be used regarding issues of teenage pregnancy. Read the full version in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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