PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill creating a trust fund for the country’s coconut farmers. Duterte signed on February 26 Republic Act (RA) 11524 or the Coconut Farmer and Industry Act, which mandates the maintenance of the Trust Fund for 50 years under the Coconut Farmers in Industry Development Plan that will […]

The country’s headline inflation could have picked up to 4.7 percent this month on higher global oil and fish prices, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) projected on Friday. In a statement, BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said February’s point inflation estimate was within the central bank’s 4.3- to 5.1-percent forecast range. The outlook was faster […]

Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez 3rd emphasized on Friday the importance of fiscal sustainability and a solid financial system to the Philippines’ economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. During The Manila Times Economic Forum 2021: Rising from the ashes: From pan-Asian to pan-Global, Dominguez said that while the government expected the economy to rebound strongly and […]

THE Philippines’ basketball dream of playing in the Tokyo Olympics is still alive. On Friday, FIBA awarded Gilas Pilipinas an Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) slot following the withdrawal of New Zealand in the competition. Basketball New Zealand announced also on Friday that it made the difficult decision to withdraw the Tall Blacks from the OQT […]

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a bill seeking to speed up the procurement and administration of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) vaccines in the country and establish an indemnity fund, Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go confirmed on Friday. Go said Duterte signed the Covid-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 or an “Act Establishing the […]

— Over the past eight years, the final 98.99 million impoverished rural residents living under the current poverty line have all been lifted out of poverty. — Combined with poverty-reduction results since the late 1970s, China is responsible for over 70 percent of the global reduction in poverty over the period. — Xi said the […]

The ambassador of China to the Philippines said the donation of vaccines is another testament to the solidarity and friendship between the two countries. MANILA, Feb. 25: The 600,000 doses of Sinovac-made vaccine CoronaVac donated by China will arrive in the Philippines on Sunday, the Chinese embassy said on Thursday. “A friend in need is […]

Review: Billie Eilish, unfiltered, in new documentary The documentary “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry,” is not biography or reportage, it’s a plunge into her life. Eilish is funny, sullen, charismatic and moody. She gets dreamy and protective of her followers, and complains that writing songs is “torture.” It is interesting to see her […]

Good day. Here are the stories for The Manila Times for Friday, February 26, 2021. READ: Covid vaccination starts on Monday Barring last-minute hitches, the government’s mass inoculation for the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) gets going on Monday. The rollout hinges on the arrival of vaccine doses from Sinovac Biotech on Sunday. In a press […]

Washington, D.C.: The crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic is leaving many economies lagging behind, increasing the plight of the poor, which was made worse by “uneven” access to vaccines, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila). In a message to the Group of 20 meeting on Friday, IMF Managing Director […]

Australia-based ANZ Research offered on Thursday a negative view of bank lending in the country, even after Republic Act 11523, or the “Financial Institutions Strategic Transfer Act” (FIST), was signed. Sanjay Mathur, ANZ Research chief economist for Southeast Asia and India, said in a report that his organization does “not see a quick turnaround in […]

The country’s balance of payments (BoP) position reverted to a deficit at the start of the year after the government shelled out money to pay its debts, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). Central bank data released on Wednesday showed the gap at $752 million in January, a turnaround from December’s $4.23-billion surplus […]

The Philippine National Police (PNP) and the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) will jointly investigate the shootout on Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City Wednesday night between police and anti-narcotics agents that killed four people. The Quezon City Police District (QCPD) said on Thursday “a joint PNP-PDEA board of inquiry will be formed to determine what […]

A short and simple ceremony marked the 35th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution on Thursday. Quezon City Mayor Ma. Josefina Belmonte led the flag raising and wreath laying at the People Power Monument on EDSA. The rites had the theme, “EDSA 2021: Kapayapaan, Paghilom, Pagbangon.” A Mass followed at the Shrine of Mary, […]

Philippine technology firms are urged to take advantage of the expected growth of health technology after the coronavirus pandemic, according to an official from the Global Entrepreneurship Network Indonesia. “Because of the pandemic, what are the top sectors that will grow rapidly after this? I personally think about health technology, because more and more people […]



PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte urged the public to “pray more” amid the present challenges being faced by the country. “So many things are really coming our way, problems. But if you want to have advice, if you are ready to get one, there is only one thing really that can save this planet, it’s God.” “Maybe […]

EDAS the Philippines commemorates the 35th year anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution, Vice President Maria Leonor “Leni” Robredo urged Filipinos to unite against the challenges of the times: The pandemic and the “constant threat” on the country’s democracy. Robredo said that until today, the “promise” of EDSA has yet to be completely fulfilled […]

WASHINGTON, D.C.: Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose vaccine offers strong protection against severe Covid-19, according to an analysis released Wednesday by US regulators that sets the stage for a final decision on a new and easier-to-use shot to help tame the pandemic. The long-anticipated shot could offer the nation a third vaccine option and help speed […]

A real-world test of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine in more than half a million people confirms that it’s very effective at preventing serious illness or death, even after one dose. Wednesday’s published results, from a mass vaccination campaign in Israel, give strong reassurance that the benefits seen in smaller, limited testing persisted when the vaccine was […]

ZAMBOANGA CITY: Police arrested one of two suspects in the murder of a newspaper publisher in Davao del Norte’s Panabo City, the Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) said. It said Richard Posas Bolastig was being linked to the ambush of Dennis Denora, the publisher of the weekly Trends and Times, on June 7, […]

THE government has raised alert level 2 in Myanmar as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of the 1,273 Filipinos there. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday said the alert was “in view of the developing critical situation in Myanmar.” Protests continue against the military after it seized power on February 1 […]

THE Liveable Cities Labs, presented by the Liveable Cities Philippines and the League of Cities of the Philippines, in partnership with Globe Telecom, will kickstart its 2021 series with a timely discussion on how local government units can prepare their own vaccination program once the anti-Covid-19 vaccines become accessible and available in the country. Due […]

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida: The huge parachute used by NASA’s Perseverance rover to land on Mars contained a secret message, thanks to a puzzle lover on the spacecraft team. Systems engineer Ian Clark used a binary code to spell out “Dare Mighty Things” in the orange and white strips of the 70-foot (21-meter) parachute. He also […]

FORMER senator Antonio Trillanes 4th on Wednesday warned that he will send President Rodrigo Duterte “to jail” in 2022. He made the threat in response to Duterte’s tirade against him, describing him as a “devil”. The President also warned Filipinos not to vote for Trillanes in the 2022 national elections. Trillanes has “advised” Duterte to […]

FIFTY-FIVE villages in Pasay City were placed under “localized community quarantine” as the city was flagged for increased number of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) cases. Based on a document sent to The Manila Times, the Pasay government, indicated that the lockdown in most areas will last until either March 4 or 5. The affected villages […]

LOS ANGELES: Tiger Woods was in the driver’s seat of a mangled SUV that rolled and ended up on its side down a steep roadway in the Los Angeles suburbs on Tuesday morning, seatbelt still fastened, both legs seriously injured. He was lucid enough to give his name —“Tiger” — to the sheriff’s deputy who […]

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte goes all-out in another tirade against communist rebels, accusing its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA), of kidnapping children in Mindanao. In his remarks during his visit to Tandag, Surigao del Sur on Tuesday, Duterte said the rebels took away the children from their parents which aggravated the insurgency problem in […]