Good day. Here are the Top Stories of The Manila Times for Oct. 28, 2021:
READ: Chua sees strong growth in 2022
SOCIOECONOMIC Planning Secretary Karl Chua on Wednesday said managing risks will allow the Philippine economy to go back to growth trajectory this year and return to pre-pandemic growth level by the latter part of 2022 or early 2023. He added that ramping up the vaccination campaign will help the country achieve a stronger growth next year. Chua said the government started to better manage the risks by implementing the alert level system. Chua, who is also director-general of the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA), admitted that the long-run total cost of Covid-19 and the forced quarantine to present and future society is estimated at P41.4 trillion.
READ: ‘WE HAVE TO VACCINATE EVERYONE’
PRESIDENTIAL Adviser for Entrepreneurship Jose Maria “Joey” Concepcion 3rd on Wednesday said that the successful reopening of the economy hinges on the vaccination campaign against Covid-19. In the virtual forum organized by The Manila Times, Concepcion said the country has to vaccinate to “the max” and focus on addressing the vaccine hesitancy particularly in the provinces. The official said it is not enough that only the capital region reaches a high vaccination rate, but the entire country should be able to do so. Concepcion also emphasized the need to strengthen the bakuna bubble, which he said has two components — the family bubble and the negosyo or business bubble.
READ: Sara backers choose BBM – expert
FORMER senator and presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.s’ topping the PUBLiCUS Asia Inc. surve could be attributed to the people’s desire for continuity or departure from the current form of governance, a data scientist said. PUBLiCUS data scientist Dr. David Yap explained that this became more apparent after Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio decided not to run for president. Yap said he is not at liberty to disclose the number of respondents who wants Duterte-Caprio to run for president.
READ: Pinoys’ quality of life worsened – survey
MAJORITY of Filipinos admitted that their quality of life worsened in the past 12 months, Social Weather Stations (SWS) said in its September 2021 survey results. It said that 57 percent of those surveyed said that their life got worse (losers), while 13 percent said that it got better (gainers), resulting in a Net Gainer score of -44 percent. However, 29 percent of the respondents said that their life was the same.
In World News
READ: Finnish scientists create lab-grown coffee
HELSINKI: Latte drinkers may in the future be sipping on java sourced from a petri dish rather than a plantation, say scientists behind a new technique to grow what they hope to be sustainable coffee in a lab. Heiko Rischer said his team of researchers at the Finnish technical research institute VTT believe their coffee would avoid many of the environmental pitfalls associated with the mass production of one of the world’s favorite drinks. The coffee is not ground from beans, but instead grown from a cluster of coffee plant cells under closely controlled temperature, light and oxygen conditions in a bioreactor. Once roasted, the powder can be brewed in exactly the same way as conventional coffee.
Topping Business
READ: WB urges reforms to aid micro, small firms
THE government should put in place several reforms that will help micro and small firms grow amid the pandemic, World Bank Country Director for Brunei, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand Ndiame Diop during The Manila Times’ “Let the Future Begin: Moving Forward Despite Covid-19” forum on Wednesday. Diop said the Philippines currently has large sophisticated and resilient firms and thousands of micro and small non-resilient firms. To support firms’ growth, Diop said the government should improve access to finance by improving the credit reporting system, collateral registry, and credit guarantees.
In Sports
READ: Braves rout Astros in Game 1 of World Series
LOS ANGELES: Jorge Soler smashed a home run on the first swing of the game and Adam Duvall blasted a two-run homer as the Atlanta Braves rolled over the Houston Astros 6-2 in the opening contest of the World Series on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). The Braves, who are in their first World Series since 1999 and haven’t won the Fall Classic since 1995, used a blistering start to post five runs in the first three innings and never looked back. Game two is Wednesday night in Houston.
READ: Knicks beat 76ers for 1st time since 2017
THE New York Knicks snapped a 15-game losing streak against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 112-99 victory on Tuesday (Wednesday in Manila). Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier scored 19 and 18 points respectively to give the Knicks their first win over Philadelphia since April 12, 2017. Tobias Harris scored 23 points for the 76ers. Joel Embiid finished with 14 points and six rebounds, shooting just 2 for 7. He had been 12-0 in games he played against New York. In other games, the Los Angeles Lakers beat the San Antonio Spurs in overtime, 125-120; The Golden State Warriors defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder, 106-98; and the Dallas Mavericks downed the Houstom Rockets, 116-106.
READ: Opinion and Editorial
In today’s Editorial, The Times says the demand for open spaces cannot be ignored following the thousands of people who flocked to the “dolomite beach” in Manila last weekend amid a pandemic. Read the full version on the Opinion Section of the paper or listen to the Voice of The Times.
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta and Edcel Lagman are the columnists on the front page. Contreras writes about the “pink debacle” and how it benefits Bongbong Marcos; Makabenta talks about the energy crunch facingn the world and the COP26 in Glasgow; and Lagman writes about the obliteration of despots and tyrants.
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This is Christian Maghanoy reporting.