Good day. Here are the stories of The Manila Times for Friday, February 21, 2025.

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READ: Senators’ caucus on VP trial pushed

SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III said he would request all senators to attend a caucus to explain their positions on the impeachment complaint against Vice President Sara Duterte. Pimentel had earlier written to Senate President Francis Escudero to remind him that the Constitution mandates the Senate to act “forthwith” on the Duterte impeachment case. But Escudero is firm that there would be no impeachment trial while Congress takes a break for the campaign season for the May elections. The Senate and the House of Representatives will resume session on June 2.

READ: Comelec tightens rules on election surveys

THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) has tweaked its rules governing surveys conducted during the campaign period for the May 12 elections. The commission en banc on Thursday came out with supplemental Resolution 11117, providing additional guidelines provided under Republic Act 9006, or the Fair Elections Act, as implemented by Comelec Resolution 11086. Under Resolution 11117, the commission en banc requires any person, whether natural or juridical, candidate or organization that conducts and publicly disseminates an election to register with the Political and Affairs Department (PFAD) of the commission.

READ: Search on for survivors of boat ramming

THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) is searching for three Filipino fishermen whose boat was rammed by an unidentified vessel near the Spratly Islands in the West Philippine Sea. The PCG reported that at about 8 p.m. on Jan. 30, the fishing boat Prince Elmo 2, with a crew of eight, was struck near Corregidor Island. The fishermen were stranded at sea for more than two weeks. On Feb. 16, the Vietnamese cargo vessel MV Dong An rescued five of the fishermen who were clinging to the bow of their damaged boat. Their three other companions are still missing.

READ: Former TV reporter is new PCO chief

FORMER broadcast journalist Jay Ruiz has been named the new head of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), following the resignation of the agency’s acting chief, Cesar Chavez. Chavez resigned on Feb. 5 after admitting that he had “fallen short of what was expected of him.” He said he would introduce Ruiz to the agency on Monday to start the transition.

BUSINESS: January car sales up 10.4%

Headlining business, motor vehicle sales rose in January from a year earlier, automakers reported on Thursday, raising industry confidence that a new record would be hit in 2025. A total of 37,604 units left showrooms last month, 10.4 percent higher than the 34,060 sold in January last year, figures from the Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers of the Philippines Inc. (Campi) and the Truck Manufacturers Association showed. While the count was 10.6 percent down from December when sales normally spike ahead of the Christmas holidays, Campi President Rommel Gutierrez said automakers were confident of hitting this year’s sales goal of 500,000 units.

SPORTS: 600 runners take part in Sand Dunes Challenge

In sports, a bigger Sand Dunes Challenge awaits running enthusiasts and adventure seekers in Laoag City on Saturday, Feb. 22. From 500 slots last year, Laoag City Mayor Michael Marcos Keon has raised the number of participants for the 3rd Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge to 600 this year. A brainchild of Keon, the foot race features 5-kilometer and 10-kilometer distances with a separate 5K event for kids. Unlike traditional running events, the Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge takes place in a captivating but difficult landscape where runners not only negotiate the hilly terrain but also the slippery and volatile surface of the sand dunes. Keon, the man behind the Gintong Alay project of former president Ferdinand E. Marcos, said the Laoag City Sand Dunes Challenge is one of the highlights of the city’s Pamulinawen Festival. It was first held in 2023 with only 300 slots on a first-come-first-serve basis.

READ: Opinion and editorial

Francisco Tatad and Van Ybiernas are today’s front page columnists. Tatad asks if the Supreme Court provide the cure for Vice President Sara Duterte’s impeachment trial, while Ybiernas analyzes recent electoral surveys.

Today’s editorial says maritime disputes are threatening the biodiversity of the South China Sea. Read more on the paper’s opinion section or listen to the Voice of the Times.

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