House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez turns over the final copy of the approved 2024 General Appropriations Bill to Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri during a ceremony at the House of Representatives on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. Also present are Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. and Senate President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda. Video from Speaker Romualdez Media BureauGet the latest newsdelivered to your inbox Sign up for The Manila Times newsletters By signing up with an email address, I acknowledge that I have read and agree to the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Headless DA no more: Issues in agriculture that Marcos leaves behindMANILA, Philippines — President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday decided to relinquish his 17-month hold on the post of agricultural secretary, handpicking fishing tycoon and top campaign donor Francisco Laurel Jr. to replace him. The president also said that he is managing the DA directly to give "urgent attention" to the sector. A year and a half later, his successor is entering the DA as prices of basic goods and services, including agricultural products, are surging. Inflation rose to 6.1% in September — higher than the 5.3% recorded in August — which the Philippine Statistics Authority said is driven partly by skyrocketing food prices. PSAC was pushing for the “digitalization of agriculture and the development of the supply and value chains,” among other proposals.

New Zealand warship makes 3-day visit to PhilippinesThis photo shows the HMNZS Aotearoa in the port of Manila. MANILA, Philippines — New Zealand navy ship made a "goodwill visit" to the Philippines after visiting Malaysia, Vietnam, and Singapore. HMNZS Aotearoa participated in Operation Crucible, the New Zealand Defence Force's largest naval deployment to the Indo-Pacific region. “The HMNZS Aotearoa's visit to the Philippines underscores New Zealand's dedication to maritime security, regional stability, and fostering diplomatic relations in the Indo-Pacific. Ito ay nagsisilbing patunay sa matibay na samahan ng New Zealand at Pilipinas,” New Zealand Ambassador Peter Kell said.

China's disinfo campaign shows growing unease about Philippines' WPS actionsMANILA, Philippines — An expert observed that China's recent disinformation campaign has raised a growing anxiety about the Philippines' efforts in the West Philippine Sea. In an interview with ANC's "Hot Copy" on Friday, geopolitical expert Don Mclaine Gill said that these narratives persist due to China's "discontent" with the Philippines openly asserting its sovereign rights in the West Philippine Sea. "Based on its disinformation campaigns, it makes it seem like it is in Manila's best interest not to do anything about securing its sovereign rights," Gill said. Despite these indicators, the expert warned that the Philippines should remain vigilant and not become complacent. Philippine Coast Guard spokesperson Commodore Jay Tarriela also warned about its existence citing three prominent narratives in downplaying China's aggression in the West Philippine Sea.

The SAR government agreed on Friday to make changes to a Transport and Logistics Bureau draft amendment bill after Frankie Yick Chi-ming, a lawmaker for the transport functional constituency, proposed raising the penalty for “illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward by motor vehicles”. In Hong Kong, ride-hailing services offered by drivers - including Uber drivers - without hire car permits have been deemed illegal. According to the current Hong Kong law, any person who uses a motor vehicle for illegal carriage of passengers for hire or reward is liable to a maximum fine of HK$5,000 and imprisonment of three months, plus a suspension of vehicle license and an impoundment of the vehicle for three months on the first conviction. For subsequent convictions, a maximum fine of HK$10,000 and imprisonment of six months may be imposed along with the suspension of vehicle license and impoundment of vehicles for six months. Yick proposed that the maximum sentence upon first conviction should be increased to six months, while subsequent convictions should see a prison sentence of up to 12 months.

NEW DELHI, India: Schools were shut across India's capital on Friday as a noxious grey smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants. Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket the capital in a deadly haze. On Friday, levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles — so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir. Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal announced late Thursday that all primary schools would be closed across the capital for at least two days.

The remains of Angelyn Peralta Aguirre, a caregiver who was killed during an attack by Hamas militants in southern Israel near the Gaza border on Oct. 7, 2023, arrive in Manila, Friday, November 3. Aguirre, who had a chance to escape, refused to leave her 70-year old patient. Photos by J. Gerard Seguia

At least 15 people were injured after a route 70 Citybus exiting Aberdeen Tunnel was hit by a green minibus from behind on Thursday night. The incident took place around 10.30 pm as the Wah Kwai-bound bus was pulling over at the bus stop near the Aberdeen Tunnel toll plaza, Citybus said. The minibus suspectedly didn’t apply the brakes in time and crashed into the rear end of the double-decker, preliminary investigation revealed. The bus driver and a passenger onboard were injured, as well as some 13 people on the minibus. Citybus said it will render full assistance to police during the investigation into the case.

The PDIC said the lots are to be sold as one. The complete list and description of the properties, requirements, e-bidding process, and conditions of bid are posted on the PDIC e-bidding portal. The PDIC said that a one-time registration in the PDIC e-bidding portal at http://assetsforsale.pdic.gov.ph/Account/Register is required for interested buyers. For more information on the scheduled e-bidding, interested buyers may call the PDIC Public Assistance Department at (02) 8841-4141 during office hours. As the statutory receiver, the PDIC sells closed bank-owned assets through public bidding and negotiated sales.

"For the first time in 30 years, we are facing a great opportunity to move to a new economic stage," he added. Japan was for decades beset by deflation but like other economies around the world, prices have risen since the Ukraine war began in February 2022. A weaker yen, meanwhile, while welcome news to Japanese exporters, makes imports pricier and stokes inflation for households. But its stance has added to pressure on the yen, one of the world's worst-performing major currencies in 2023. "I don't think [the stimulus] is going to change much...

WASHINGTON, D.C.: US manufacturing activity contracted in October by more than analysts had expected as new orders fell sharply, survey data showed on Wednesday. The Institute for Supply Management's (ISM) manufacturing index came in worse than expected at 46.7 percent last month, down from 49.0 percent in September. "The US manufacturing sector continued to contract and at a faster rate in October," ISM survey chief Timothy Fiore said in a statement. Of the five subindexes that directly factor into the manufacturing index, only the production index was expanding, he said. He added that recent Chinese manufacturing data indicates the US may also benefit from a modest boost from external demand.

Philippines does not need Chinese permission to operate at Bajo de Masinloc — DFAThe Chinese Coast Guard has installed a floating barrier in the southern portion of Bajo de Masinloc, a traditional fishing ground off the coast of Zambales. MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines does not need to seek approval from another country to operate in its territorial sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday. “There is no obligation for the Philippines as the sovereign state to seek the approval of another when navigating its own territorial sea,” the statement added. Citing international law, the DFA has urged Beijing to withdraw its vessels from the West Philippine Sea. Despite the 2016 arbitral ruling favoring the Philippines, China does not acknowledge Philippine sovereignty over the West Philippine Sea and its EEZ.

The leading theory is that the Moon was created 4.5 billion years ago when a would-be planet the size of Mars smashed into the still-forming Earth. A video developed by the team simulating this process illustrates how clumps of Theia's mantle tens of kilometers wide swirled inside Earth. Over the years it accumulated into two separate blobs — officially called large low-velocity provinces (LLVPs) — that are now each larger than the Moon, Yuan said. Earth remains the only planet in the universe known to be capable of supporting life. Theia "left something in the Earth — and that played a role in Earth's subsequent 4.5 billion years of evolution," Yuan said.

Lawmaker questions telco’s P50 late payment penaltyBroken down, the Speed Score takes into account 80% of the download speed while the remaining 20% is based on a telco operator's upload speed, as Ookla clarified surfing the Internet is typically "more affected" by the former. MANILA, Philippines — A lawmaker has urged a telecommunications giant to reconsider its new policy of charging customers P50 for late payments, stressing that internet and mobile communications are now considered essential services for Filipinos. Mobile and internet services are “no longer a luxury but a necessity in this day and age,” the lawmaker stressed. The lawmaker also scored the telecom giant for imposing penalties on late payments even as its services allegedly remain unstable. However, if a subscriber is a bit late with their payment, there's an immediate penalty," Castro said in Filipino.

(Xinhua) Previous NextChina lowered the national flag Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Thursday amid an outpouring of online grief as the country cremated Li Keqiang, known as "the people's premier" for his down-to-earth, hands-on leadership. Messages for the late premier flooded social media platforms as Chinese citizens mourned his death. "It can be said that he has made a great contribution to people's lives, to the improvement of living standards. Some businesses such as international coffee chain Starbucks turned their app interface black and white in mourning for Li. Photographs of Li were shared on Weibo by Xinhua news agency, including those of him with Xi, Hu and former leader Jiang Zemin.