Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Tuesday, July 15, 2025.
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READ: Teodoro surrendered Malta passport in ‘21
THE Maltese passport of Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. was surrendered and renounced before he filed his certificate of candidacy in 2021, Department of National Defense (DND) spokesman Arsenio Andolong said on Monday. In a statement, he said Teodoro’s Maltese passport was disclosed to relevant government institutions, negating claims that his foreign citizenship might cause a breach to national security. Andolong said Teodoro is well aware of the motive behind the release of news reports about his Maltese passport. The DND statement confirmed The Manila Times story Monday that Teodoro acquired a Maltese passport in 2016, but did not say why or how he did this. Teodoro could have acquired Maltese citizenship through Malta’s controversial “golden passport” program, formally known as the Citizenship by Investment, which allows wealthy individuals to obtain Maltese, and by extension, European Union citizenship, in exchange for substantial financial investments.
READ: ‘Without TRO, impeach trial should proceed’
THE impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte should proceed as the Supreme Court has not issued a temporary restraining order to stop it, Manila 3rd District Rep. Joel Chua said Monday. Earlier, the Supreme Court required the House of Representatives and the Senate to submit information related to Duterte’s impeachment. This was in response to petitions against the impeachment complaint, including one filed by Duterte. Among the information sought was the status of the first three impeachment complaints filed at the House.
READ: PH joins Australian naval drills
The largest-ever warfighting drills in Australia, Exercise Talisman Sabre, are underway and are expected to attract the attention of Chinese spy ships. Talisman Sabre began in 2005 as a biennial joint exercise between the United States and Australia. This year, more than 35,000 military personnel from 19 nations, including Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, and the United Kingdom, will take part over three weeks, Australia’s defense department said on Sunday. Malaysia and Vietnam are also attending as observers.
READ: Taal sacks had human bones, police chief says
PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Nicolas Torre III confirmed Monday that the sacks recovered from Taal Lake contained human bones, which are now in the custody of the forensic group. The police chief, however, also confirmed the presence of animal remains, as the area around Taal Lake is a vast farmland. Processing of the remains, he said, would thus include differentiating between animal and human remains. The bones would be matched against the DNA provided by the relatives of missing cockfighting enthusiasts or sabungeros, who disappeared in 2021.
READ: Sweeping review of PCO programs set
PRESIDENTIAL Communications Office (PCO) Secretary Dave Gomez on Monday said he will launch a thorough performance review of the agency and its officials to improve the present administration’s messaging. Gomez, a seasoned journalist before serving as a corporate communications executive for more than two decades, told reporters he wants a “fair, honest-to-goodness, unbiased” performance audit of the PCO.
BUSINESS: Growth to hit targets despite US tariff hike
Headlining business, easing inflation and supportive monetary policy can cushion the impact of a 20-percent US tariff on Philippine exports, Maybank Research said, allowing the country’s economy to remain on track to meet growth targets. In its latest Asean macroeconomic outlook, Maybank said the Philippine economy would likely grow by 5.8 percent in 2025 and 6.0 percent in 2026, outperforming the regional average and maintaining upward momentum despite external shocks. Both forecasts fall within the recently revised gross domestic product growth targets of 5.5-6.5 percent for this year and the 6.0-7.0 for 2026 to 2028. Maybank cited the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) interest rate cuts and declining consumer price pressures as key tailwinds that would offset the adverse effects of higher tariffs.
SPORTS: Marquez picks Pacquiao over Mario Barrios
FILIPINO boxing legend Manny Pacquiao will be the new World Boxing Council (WBC) welterweight champion. That is how Pacquiao’s former opponent and fellow Boxing Hall of Fame inductee Juan Manuel Marquez sees his fight going against reigning titlist Mario Barrios at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on July 19 (July 20 in Manila). Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39 KOs) is 46 years old and is coming out of a 4-year retirement to fight the Mexican-American Barrios (29-2-1 18 KOs), who is not only 16 years younger but is also six inches taller than the 5-foot-6 Filipino.
READ: Opinion and editorial
Antonio Contreras, Yen Makabenta, and Orlando Mercado are today’s front page columnists. Contreras talks about the reasons why arts, humanities and social sciences still matter amid the rise of artificial intelligence, Makabenta looks as to why the US Congress has not impeached a vice president in its history, while Mercado weighs in on the latest in the missing sabungeros issue.
Today’s editorial calls for the revision of the K-12 program. Read more in the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.
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