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Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, August 1, 2025.
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READ: Barangay, SK polls moved to November
THE next Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) will be moved from Dec. 1, 2025, to November 2026, once President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs the bill postponing the polls, Local Government Secretary Jonvic Remulla announced on Thursday. The bill will also standardize term limits, allowing barangay (village) chairmen and councilors (kagawad) to serve two consecutive four-year terms, while SK officials would be limited to a single four-year term. Speaking to reporters in Legazpi City, Remulla said the President is expected to sign the measure soon. The adjustment aims to align term lengths, particularly since current officials have only served two years due to previous election delays. The last BSKE were held in October 2023 after multiple postponements. Remulla said pushing through the BSKE in December would shorten the current officials’ term to just two years instead of the mandated three years. He also dismissed concerns that the term adjustments violate a 2023 Supreme Court ruling, which struck down a law shortening elected officials’ terms, saying they were just “equalizing the term lengths.” Despite the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) announcement, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) emphasized that, as of now, there is no official postponement. Comelec Chairman George Erwin Garcia said preparations for the Dec. 1, 2025 polls continue under Comelec Resolution 11132.
READ: Japan aid sought on ‘sabungeros’ DNA tests
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THE Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said it has sought assistance from the Japanese government to conduct further DNA testing on the alleged human remains recovered from Taal Lake, believed to be linked to the case of the missing cockfighting enthusiasts, or sabungeros. The move comes after local forensic experts failed to extract a viable DNA profile from the specimens retrieved from the lake. The DOJ emphasized that the Marcos administration remains committed to pursuing justice in the high-profile disappearances, which have remained unresolved for over two years.
READ: Lawyers for Duterte trade barbs
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FORMER presidential spokesman Harry Roque on Wednesday denied accusations that he was interfering in the legal case against ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, whose lead counsel, Nicholas Kaufman, said could hurt the former leader’s prospects with his “crazy scheme.” In a statement, Roque rejected claims made by Kaufman that he had been meddling in the legal defense strategy and potentially jeopardizing the case. Roque emphasized that his proposed legal remedy, filed outside of the International Criminal Court (ICC) proceedings, was only an additional option and would be subject to the approval of Duterte and his family.
READ: Lacson scores ‘shameless’ lawmakers as hypocrites
SEN. Panfilo Lacson scored the “shameless hypocrites” who were among the lawmakers who applauded President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s tirade against public officials involved in anomalous flood control projects. The senator on Thursday called for an independent auditing and investigation of the flood control projects, believing that the public would be eager to help provide information on the ground.
READ: PH functional literacy low at 70.8 percent
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The functional literacy rate of the Philippines remained low at 70.8 percent, however it is already the highest since the new definition of functional literacy was introduced in 2019, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority’s Functional Literacy, Education and Mass Media Survey (FLEMMS) for 2024. In a presentation at the Innotech Center in Quezon City, National Statistician Claire Dennis Mapa said that they revised the definition of basic and functional literacy in accordance with the recommendations set forth by the Department of Educaition,, the Second Congressional Commission on Education and other partners. Prior to the 2024 FLEMMS, Basic literacy was defined as those who can read and write only, while those who can read, write, compute, and comprehend, or even those who graduated in high school, are considered to be functionally literate. But under the current definition implemented in the 2024 FLEMMS, those who can read and write only are considered as low-literate, while those who can read, write, and compute are basic literates, and those who can do all three and comprehend sentences are considered as functionally literate. Based on the survey, which sampled around 177,656 eligible sample households and 572,910 individuals ages five years old and over, the Philippines has a basic literacy rate of 95.1 percent among ages five years old and over if using the old definition. But using the new definition implemented in 2024, the basic literacy rate is at 90 percent among five years old and over, while among 10-64 year olds, the basic literacy rate is at 93.1 percent. The basic literacy rate in the Philippines is at par among Southeast Asian nations, who use different metrics such as the ability to read and write and can understand a short statement about their everyday life.
BUSINESS: July inflation seen dropping to 0.5-1.3%
Headlining business, a decline in rice prices could have pulled inflation to as low as 0.5 percent in July, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said on Thursday. Consumer price growth was forecast to hit 0.5 to 1.3 percent, below the 1.4 percent recorded in June. The Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) is scheduled to release July inflation data on Aug. 5.
SPORTS: Canino, Belen, Solomon banner Alas Pilipinas lineup
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THE star trio of Angel Canino, Bella Belen and Alyssa Solomon will suit up for Alas Pilipinas once again when the Philippine women’s volleyball team competes in the 5th Southeast Asian Volleyball League (SEA V.League) in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. The Philippines, which made a historic bronze medal finish here in 2024, will open its campaign against host Thailand at 6 p.m. on Friday. Before Alas Pilipinas barged into the podium last year with Jorge Souza de Brito calling the shots, the Philippines had not won a game in the tournament since 2022. Now ranked at No. 47 in the world, the Philippines guns for more ranking points in the SEA V.League. Canino, Belen and Solomon, who all played a pivotal role in the team’s silver medal finish in the AVC Nations Cup last June, were not part of the bronze medal team. Their addition boosts the team’s chances of another podium finish. Also included in the Alas Pilipinas lineup are Eya Laure, Vanie Gandler, Cla Loresco and UAAP Season 87 Rookie of the Year Shaina Nitura.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Rigoberto Tiglao and Francisco Tatad are today’s front page columnists. Tiglao talks about the supposed hijacking of the national budget, while Tatad asks how long will it take for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to stand the fallout from the Duterte crisis.
Today’s editorial laments the preying of Filipino girls to online sexual predators. Read more in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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