Headlines: Di Ocampo sees slower Ph

Good day. Here are the top stories from The Manila Times for Monday, January 23, 2023

Read: Di Ocampo sees slower growth in Ph.D

Former finance minister Roberto de Ocampo said he was cautiously optimistic about the country’s economic outlook this year. Currently chairman of the board of directors of the Veterans Affairs Bank of the Philippines, de Ocampo said in an exclusive interview on SMNI’s “Business and Politics” hosted by Manila Times Chairman and CEO Dante “Klink” Ang II on Saturday, January. 21, 2023 that despite the difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the country ended 2022 on a positive note, registering a growth rate of 7 percent. De Ocampo was the Chief Financial Officer of President Fidel F. Ramos. Despite the achievements in 2022, de Ocampo believes that the economic recovery may not be strong this year, as some problems will remain. De Ocampo said that one of the biggest challenges the country will face in 2023 is keeping inflation within limits. While others from abroad continue to exist. He predicted that the coming recession in the US would have global consequences. But de Ocampo is more worried about the recession that has gripped Western Europe, fueled by the war in Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia. He said the Philippine government should resort to political intervention to mitigate the negative effects of the recession in Europe.

To read: PH praised for promoting growth

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. said the international business community has hailed the Philippines for leading the economic recovery not only in the Asia-Pacific region, but globally. After attending the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, the president stressed over the weekend that “many leaders and experts in government, business, civil society and academia” were impressed with how the country was “not just driving”. economic growth’, but also initiating measures to help ‘repair the rifts that have recently divided the world and do everything possible to avert an economic crisis’. He explained this by the fact that Filipinos are “resilient, hardworking people – united in adversity and looking after each other in crisis”. He also gave credit to his economic leadership team, which included Finance Minister Benjamin Diokno, Trade and Industry Minister Alfredo Pascal and Social and Economic Planning Minister Arsenio Balizacán. Marcos also acknowledged the close cooperation of Congress in the direction of his administration’s policies.

To read: Marcus: The military unrest has been averted

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. played down concerns about the widespread unrest among military officials, saying the problem had been resolved. Marcos made the remark after former defense secretary Norberto Gonzalez and former senator Francisco “Kit” Tatad expressed concern that the president’s appointment of a new defense minister and national security adviser may have sparked unrest in the military. Gonzalez, who headed the Department of National Defense (DND) and later the National Security Agency during the Arroyo administration, said the appointment of Carlito Galvez Jr. as defense chief and Eduardo Agno as NSA may have silenced murmurings in the military, but Marcos has to do it. look beyond driving to further stabilize the situation. Gonzales said in a recent interview conducted by The Manila Times.

To read: Comelec to create a special cyber security unit

The Commission on Elections (Comelec) will establish its own cybersecurity division to protect voters and important election-related information from cyber attacks. Comelec spokesman John Rick Laudianco said over the weekend that the cyber security division, which will be under the Survey Corps IT division, is part of the ongoing structural reforms to allow the Comelec to keep pace with fast-changing technology. Comelec and election technology provider Smartmatic Inc. Recently, the National Privacy Commission (NPC) has alleged breaches of their servers affecting sensitive information that could be used for identity fraud. The issue arose from published reports that the Comelec and Smartmatic systems were hacked months before the 2022 elections.

Business replenishment

To read: Achieved growth goal – analysts

The economy is likely to have slowed in the fourth quarter of 2022, but full-year growth will still reach the upper end of the government’s target, analysts polled by the Manila Times said. Growth estimates for the fourth quarter by five economists put the average forecast at 6.9 percent, down significantly from the 8.2 percent, 7.5 percent, and 7.6 percent growth recorded in the first, second, and third quarters. Their average forecast for the entire year was 7.5 percent, which is in line with the government’s 2022 target for gross domestic product growth of 6.5 to 7.5 percent. Economic leaders said growth would exceed the target in 2022, especially after a better-than-expected third quarter. Speaking in Davos, Switzerland last week, Finance Minister Benjamin Diokno said the economy is expected to grow by at least 7.5 percent last year. Growth of 7.5 percent or more would be the highest in more than 45 years, or 8.8 percent since 1976, according to the World Bank.

in sports

To read: Rybakina stuns top seed Swiatek

“Australian Open” between Iga Svyatek and Koko Goff will not meet. Instead, the players they beat on Sunday – reigning Wimbledon champion Jelena Rybakina and 2017 French Open champion Jelena Ostapenko – will compete for a place in the semi-finals. Rybakina knocked out top seed Iga Svatek 6-4 6-4 at Rod Laver Arena, while Ostapenko saw off No. 7 Gough 7-5 6-3 at Margaret Court Arena. Rybakina, the 23-year-old from Kazakhstan, seeded 22nd, and Ostapenko, the 25-year-old Latvian, seeded 17th, secured spots at Melbourne Park for the first time. Sviateks is a three-time major champion, including titles at the French Open and the US Open last season. She beat 18-year-old American Goff in the Roland Garros final last June. Up until Sunday, the two were pretty dominant in the event, winning every set, with Sviatek dropping just 15 games and Goff dropping just 19 games in three matches.

To read: Celtics beat Raptors for ninth straight win

The Boston Celtics shook off the absence of an injured Jayson Tatum and the early departures of Marcus Smart and Robert Williams to extend their NBA winning streak to nine games with a 106-104 win over the Toronto Raptors on Saturday (Sunday in Manila). Jaylen Brown scored 27 points and Grant Williams added a career-high 25 points for the Celtics, who improved to a league-best 35-12 record. In Cleveland, Evan Mobley made sure the Cavaliers didn’t make the same mistake twice, scoring a career-high 38 points in a 114-102 win over the Milwaukee Bucks, missing two games from Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton. Elsewhere, the lowly Charlotte Hornets played back-to-back games for just the second time this season, beating the Hawks 122-118 in Atlanta.

To read: Opinion / Editorial

The Times editorial talked about how Rappler’s court victory reveals the truth. Read the full print or digital version or listen to the audio from the period. Today’s front page commenters are Rigoberto Tiglao, Sr., Ranhelio Aquino and Francisco “Kate” Tatad. Tiglao says Marcos is terribly misinformed about the Philippines’ dispute with China; Aquino asks, “What if?” Referring to the judicial process in the country; So about George Cardinal Pell.

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This is reported by Pete Livaris.

Kong Hee Fat Choy!