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This Manila Times file photo shows the Philippine National Police’s Highway Patrol Group conducting one-time, big-time operations against erring motorists along Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City on Jan. 15, 2021. They apprehended drivers of unregistered vehicles and those with unauthorized plates and motorcycle riders without proper safety gears. PHOTO BY JOHN ORVEN VERDOTE THE Philippine National Police-Highway Patrol Group (PNP-HPG) on Wednesday warned the public against new scams perpetrated by car thieves. Apart from “gun- and knife-point intimidations”, car thieves now have “Rent-Tangay, Assume-Balance scam (Pasalo-Benta), Pasalo-Benta-Bawi, Labas Casa through loan accommodation (Labas-Casa-Talon) and Labas-Casa-Talon”. For Rent-Tangay, also known as Rent-Tangay-Sangla, a car thief will pose as a client for a car rental business and once he or she is in possession of the vehicle, will dispose of it by pawning off the vehicle or selling it with fake documents to “unsuspecting...

The Manila Times file photo THE Sandiganbayan’s Fourth Division has convicted former Philippine National Railways (PNR) General Manager Manuel Andal of graft. The court, in a 22-page decision, found Andal guilty beyond reasonable doubt of violation of Section 3(e) of the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act in Criminal Case SB-18-CRM-0511 and in Criminal Case SB-18-CRM-0513. Criminal Case No. SB-18-CRM-0511 involved a contract with Pandrol Korea Limited. In this case, the court sentenced Andal to eight years and a month up to 12 years in prison, with perpetual disqualification from holding public office. Based on the court’s decision, PNR Board Resolution 05-2009, which approved the PNR-Bids and Awards Committee’s (BAC) recommendation to undertake direct contracting with Pandrol Korea, provided that resorting to direct contracting was subject to the issuance of a certification of the Transportation secretary. The court said that “even a cursory reading of Resolution 05-2009 would...

CLOSURE A Manila Times file photo of ABS-CBN after it was ordered closed by the National Telecommunications Commission in early 2020 when its 25-year franchise lapsed. A committee at the House of Representatives rejected the network’s application for renewal later in the year. The House has been called upon to settle its “unfinished business”, including ABS-CBN, when it resumes session next week. THE House of Representatives has been urged to tackle its “unfinished business”, which includes the bill granting a franchise to shuttered media network ABS-CBN, when it resumes session next week. Anakalusugan Rep. Michael Defensor on Wednesday asked the plenary to resolve the committee report on House Bill 6732 on Wednesday, as he raised a point of order explaining that items listed in the unfinished business must be tackled first before proceeding to the business of the day. He said that the committee report had been pending in the plenary for about three months. “I would like to raise...

The country’s trade deficit shrank year-on-year to $2.18 billion last month as both imports and exports fell, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) reported on Wednesday. Data from the statistics agency showed that the amount was a 26.4-percent contraction from $2.9 billion in December 2019, but was 23.3 percent wider than November’s $1.7 billion. Inbound shipments fell by 9.1 percent to $7.9 billion in the 12th month from $8.7 billion a year earlier, while outbound ones slipped by 0.2 percent to $5.7 billion from $5.8 billion. Total external trade hit $13.66 billion, down 5.6 percent from the year-earlier $14.46 billion. The PSA attributed the decline in exports to decreases in commodities, led by cathodes and sections of cathodes and of refined copper (-21.0 percent), machinery and transport equipment (-11.1 percent), and gold (-0.5 percent). It blamed the reduction in imports on the drop in mineral fuels, lubricants and related materials (-50.8 percent), transport equipment...

The country’s agricultural production decreased in the fourth quarter, dragging the full-2020 figure, on the impact of the natural and health calamities that struck last year, the government reported on Wednesday. In its quarterly Performance of Philippine Agriculture report, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said volume-wise, production fell by 3.8 percent in the last three months — deeper than the 0.1 percent in the same period in 2019— but value-wise, rose by 5 percent year-on-year to P503.81 billion from P408.04 billion. For the entire 2020, output dropped by only 1.2 percent, which Agriculture Secretary William Dar said showed the industry’s resilience. “We believe that, despite the Taal Volcano eruption, Covid-19 pandemic, continued incidence of the African swine fever (ASF), and a series of strong typhoons, the country’s agriculture and fishery sector has remained pliant and resilient, facing head on and surmounting the huge challenges last year,” Dar said in a statem...

The Cavite provincial government has ended negotiations on the proposed P208.5-billion redevelopment of the Sangley Airport into an international gateway. In a Facebook post, Cavite Gov. Jonvic Remulla said his office approved on Tuesday the recommendation of his government’s Special Selection Committee to reject the proposal of Lucio Tan-led MacroAsia Corp. and its Chinese partner China Communications Construction Co. Ltd. to redevelop the former American air base. “While it does cancel the [negotiations], the [project] will restart and hopefully have a successful negotiation with any qualified partner by October 2021,” he added. “I still believe that a new international airport is important for the country in the long run and it must be stressed that cancellation is not in prejudice of anyone applying again.” Remulla cited various deficiencies in the submission of requirements in closing the joint venture agreement on the proposed redevelopment as reason for the cancellation. Ma...

The stock market retreated again on Wednesday as a renewed surge in coronavirus infections and discouraging economic figures troubled investors. The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) dropped by 1.63 percent or 113.55 points to close at 6,863.61 while the broader All Shares fell by 0.9 percent or 37.64 points to finish at 4,131.32. AAA Equities Head of Research Christopher Mangun said sentiment continued to weaken as the rising number of Covid-19 cases fueled fears that the government might again tighten the restrictions it relaxed in recent months. More investors are unloading positions in case the worst-case scenario happens, he added. As of Wednesday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases leaped to 2,245 — the highest this month — to 518,407, of which 32,384 are active, according to the newest Department of Health tally. Of the total, 475,542 have recovered and 10.481 did not. Several second-liners and speculative issues recovered after days of losses, Mangun...