START Thursday: Why US polls matter, Storm Siony's path

It's not Donald Trump yet.

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PHILSTAR.COM’S MORNING NEWSLETTER Your daily brief on issues, engaging stories, smart perspectives and forecasts on the Philippines and beyond. By Camille Diola November 5, 2020

1 The sure could be sore The new U.S. president is definitely not Donald Trump just yet. Although the votes have not been completed, he fancied himself already a winner, threatened to challenge the count and called it a "fraud on the American public." The situation can still get messy if Trump's victory proves to be an alternative fact. 2 Mail-biting If you follow the U.S. elections, brace for a longer, nail-biting wait. The mail voting method makes the results trickle in slower. Declaring a winner would be immediate for some states like Florida—which chose Trump—but may stretch past November 9 for the full results of swing states. Does it matter to us who makes it? Yes. For one, a Biden win may spell out a rockier U.S. relationship with the Philippines, one analyst suggests. A Democrat leader may reassert human rights the way Barack Obama did, which earned him a "go to hell" wish and an unspeakable barb from President Duterte in 2016. It is likely though that whoever is the next U.S. president, he will adapt to the Philippines' assertions in the South China Sea. But it depends more on what Manila will do about it, says another analyst. 3 Siony's path The storm, which is almost immediately following the destructive cyclone Rolly this week, is likely to become a severe storm by today. As it gathers more force while it's over the water, state meteorologists are foreseeing another typhoon. It can either graze the nortern tip of Luzon or step into land. We have the live coverage with a real-time tracker here.

BUILD, BUILD, BUILD LATER? Infra-stricture There is not much development on this front as government spending on infrastructure fell even below lowered expectations despite eased quarantine restrictions. It will bear on the recovery we're hoping. "Compared to August, when a brief lockdown in Metro Manila and nearby areas crippled construction activities anew, capital outlays plummeted 28.6%," Ian Cigaral reports.

MOVING ON Venturing out It's been quite sometime since we last met friends over coffee or dinner in that new concept restaurant. Many of us are willing to do so again in the next six months, findings of a study show. The prospects are looking up for malls, restaurants and local holiday destinations, but not yet quite so for airlines. No, really? Not many would forget the social media back-and-forth of Julia Barretto and Bea Alonzo, who once upon a time was Gerald Anderson's girlfriend. Now Julia, who herself had a very public breakup with Joshua Garcia, admits she has someone new and swears to keep things hushed this time around.

ELSEWHERE ON PHILSTAR.COM Some are chin-stroking over the Philippines' recent ranking among the top 50 countries on a law and order index. What about police violence, social media threats and red-tagging, they ask. The Department of Education came up with measures to supposedly facilitate the conduct of online learning. These were slammed as mere suggestions, rather than real solutions. Proposed pondo ng anti-communist campaign ng Duterte admin? P19.1 billion. Para sa bagong ospital at health centers? P2.3 billion. This young Filipina is advancing at a tennis tournament in Spain after killing it at the French Open.

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