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HANDS HAVE IT. President Rodrigo Duterte shakes the hand of newly appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno while in a huddle with other members of the Cabinet on the sidelines of the 35th Cabinet Meeting at Malacañang on Monday. Presidential Photo
VOL. XXXIII • NO. 24 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 6, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘Pros outweigh cons on narcos’
DFA, Defense chiefs at odds over US treaty
Palace says DILG to make public list soon
By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta
T
HE Palace on Monday defended the move to release a list of politicians allegedly involved in the illegal drug trade, saying that making it public had more pros than cons.
LOCSIN
LORENZANA
By Francisco Tuyay
“It is not the lack of reassurance that worries me. It is being involved in a war that we do not seek and do not want,” Lorenzana said in a statement. His remarks contradict Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr.’s statement that there is no need to review the treaty, and that the ambiguity or vagueness in the treaty would serve as a deterrent to attacks against the Philippines. “In fact, it [ambiguity] will cause confusion and chaos during a crisis,”
THE decades-old defense treaty between the United States and the Philippines needs to be revamped, or risks dragging Manila into a war with China, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Tuesday. Lorenzana offered this assessment four days after US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited Manila, said Washington would intervene in case of an armed attack on Philippine forces or vessels in the disputed South China Sea.
While acknowledging concerns expressed by lawmakers that releasing the list violates the presumption of innocence of candidates seeking public office, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said part of the risk of running for public office is being exposed to public scrutiny. Panelo said the Department of the Interior and Local Government would release the list by next week and file charges against those on the list. In defending the move, Panelo said the Constitution recognizes the right of the
people to information on matters of public concern, especially when this affects their lives and welfare. “The evil sought to be avoided by its release is much much greater than the perceived violation of an individual’s right, which the law allows a vindication and compensation,” he said in a statement. “In balancing the interests between those of the individual candidates, who took the risk of being exposed by running for a public office, and that of the nation, Next page
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Rody’s policy tamed inflation, PSA says By Nat Mariano PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte’s macroeconomic policies have been “effective” in taming inflation, Malacañang said Tuesday. Inflation further slowed to 3.8 percent in February 2019 from the 4.4 percent in January, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. As a result, inflation returned to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ target range in February, lessening the pressure on the monetary authorities to tighten policy. The consumer price index rose 3.8 percent in February from 4.4 percent in
Ash Wednesday ushers in Lent MILLIONS of Filipino Catholics will troop to churches today to observe Ash Wednesday, the start of the 40day Lenten period. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines says this is the start of the day
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January, slower than the expectation of economists in a Reuters poll. Slower inflation in rice, corn, milk, cheese, eggs, vegetables, alcoholic beverages and transportation contributed to the further cooling of the headline rate, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. “This is good news, back within target,” said HSBC economist Noelan Arbis. “We do expect inflation to be firmly within target for the remainder of the year.” The PSA attributed the drop in inflation to the slower annual increase in the Next page
With Diokno at BSP, bankers expect reforms By Julito G. Rada, Othel V. Campos, Nat Mariano, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta BANKERS are expecting more reforms under the leadership of newly appointed Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno that will further strengthen the industry. In a statement Tuesday following the appointment of Diokno by President Rodrigo Duterte Monday evening, the Bankers Association of the Philippines welcomed the appointment of the former Budget chief as the successor to the late Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. who died of tongue cancer last month. “A respected economist, academic, and civil servant, Diokno spearheaded various budget and governance reforms which improved the efficiency of the delivery of government services in the Next page country,” BAP said.
28 big-ticket infra projects done in Gloria to present ‘best bets’ in sorties 2022, NEDA vows
LOWERING COSTS. House Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (center) with Leyte (1st District) Rep. and Tingog Party-List 1st nominee Yedda Marie Romualdez discuss with government agency heads how to lower the cost of shipping and trucking of agricultural products and other goods during an oversight meeting at the Cika-an Restaurant in Hilongos, Leyte. Ver Noveno
By Maricel V. Cruz
HOUSE Speaker Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on Tuesday said she will present “the best candidates” so they can expound on their advocacies during the
Mona Lisa disrobed? Louvre probes A NUDE drawing that bears a striking resemblance to the “Mona Lisa” was done in Leonardo da Vinci’s studio and may be the work of the master himself, a French museum said Monday. Experts at the Louvre in Paris, where the world’s biggest collection of Leonardo’s work is held, have been examining a charcoal drawing known as the “Monna Vanna,” which has long been attributed to the Renaissance painter’s studio. But the charcoal preparatory work for a painting of a semi-nude woman, held at the
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campaign for the May 13 elections. “I am here to give the most competent and most qualified candidates exposure to present their plans and platform of governance to enable Kapampangans to vote wisely,” Arroyo said. Next page
FB: Political ads no-no in Jakarta JAKARTA—Facebook has banned political advertisements from outside Indonesia ahead of the country’s presidential poll, just weeks after being heavily criticized by the European Union for not doing enough to
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By Macon Ramos-Araneta TWENTY-EIGHT projects worth P319 billion out of the 75 big-ticket projects worth P2.17 trillion under the government’s massive Build, Build, Build program are scheduled to be completed by 2022, a government official told the Senate Tuesday. The remaining projects would be finished after the term of President Rodrigo Duterte, said National Economic and Development Authority Assistant Secretary Jonathan Uy. Uy said originally, 31 projects were supposed to be completed by 2022, but three—including the Mindanao Rail project—were subject to further review. He also told the Senate committee chaired by Senator Sherwin Gatchalian that 47 out of the 75 flagship projects are now under various stages of implementation; 16 are in Next page