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Here are the top stories of The Manila Times for Wednesday, December 23, 2020.
The country is again seeing a surge in coronavirus disease 2019 or Covid-19 cases, particularly in the National Capital Region, according to experts, who are monitoring the spread of the virus.
Read: Experts see new Covid-19 surge
President Duterte directed the Philippine National Police to ensure that the policeman who killed a mother and her son in Paniqui, Tarlac would remain in jail and face punishment.
Read: Duterte TO PNP: keep Nuezca in jail
Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian called anew for the resignation of Abraham Sales as head of the Toll Regulatory Board over issues hounding the implementation of the radio-frequency identification or RFID cashless payment system.
Read: Gatchalian to TRB head: Resign now
Malacanang is considering imposing a temporary ban on travelers from the United Kingdom, following the discovery of a new variant of Covid-19 that is believed to spread faster.
Read: Palace eyes UK travel ban
Three out of five Filipinos believed that their quality of life got worse since the pandemic started, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey.
Read: 3 out of 5 Filipinos say life worsened
Mayor Tobias Tiangco on Tuesday issued an Executive Order prohibiting the use of firecrackers, pyrotechnic devices or materials as well as fireworks displays in public to avoid mass gatherings.
Read: Navotas bans firecrackers
In regional news, Propero Esquiviel, the duly-elected mayor of Jaen, Nueva Ecija, finally attended to his official duties after entering the municipal hall on Tuesday as Sylvia Austria, the sitting mayor, stepped out of her self-imposed lockdown at the Jaen chief executive’s office on Monday evening.
Read: Nueva Ecija mayoralty impasse finally over
In world news, travelers were facing a nightmare holiday season on Monday night (Tuesday in Manila) with governments banning flights from Britain to contain a fast-spreading variant of the coronavirus as the European Union approves its first vaccine and readies a mass rollout.
Read: EU braces for mass vaccination
In business, the government eyes to raise P140 billion from domestic sources next month, according to a program released by the Bureau of the Treasury on Tuesday.
Read: Govt targets to generate P140B in Jan
And in sports, the NBA found its way to get through last season amid a pandemic. Adam Silver sees no reason why the same cannot ring true again this season.
Read: Silver confident of safety as new season unfolds
Rigoberto Tiglao and Fr. Ranhilio Aquino are the featured columnists on the front page of The Times. Tiglao dishes out what that ICC fake news reveals. Fr. Aquino discusses Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ in our times.
Read: What that ICC fake news reveals
Read: Mary’s ‘Magnificat’ in our times
In The Times editorial, it is stressed that the agriculture sector needs more fiscal support, especially for food security. Read up on the hard facts.
Read: Agriculture needs more fiscal support
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With Aric John Sy Cua, this is Dafort Villaseran reporting. Merry Christmas in advance!