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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 78 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, MAY 3, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
TRICOLORS AT ROOFTOP. In 2011, Philippine Embassy staff in Damascus painted a large Philippine flag on the roof of the Embassy to ensure the building would not be targeted by mistake. These days, with more airstrikes carried out in Tripoli, Embassy staff decided to do what colleagues did in Damascus: This time they had a big Philippine flag printed on tarpaulin and placed on the rooftop to make sure the Philippine Embassy can easily be identified as a diplomatic mission from the air. Contributed Photo
ADB bullish on PH potential for fast growth NADI, Fiji―The Philippines has the “potential” to become the fastest-growing economy in Asia, propelled by an unprecedented infrastructure overhaul, tax reform and a young workforce, the Asian Development Bank said Thursday. A recent credit rating upgrade from S&P Global is also an indication of the “fundamental strength” of the Philippine economy, which has maintained growth above 6 percent, said ADB Chief Economist Yasuyuki Sawada. He made his statement even as Malacañang said the Duterte administration’s economic managers had done a “splendid job” in maintaining the country’s strong economic growth and sustaining public finances. Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace was pleased with the report of Standard & Poor’s saying Manila had received a credit rating upgrade of “BBB+”. “BBB” means the Philippines has “adequate capacity to meet its financial commitments.” However, adverse economic conditions or changing circumstances could weaken the country’s capacity to meet its financial commitments. The Philippines’ GDP growth has been among Asia’s fastest, ahead of China and Vietnam. Official first quarter Next page
Bikoy uploader rapped for ‘inciting to sedition’ By Rey E. Requejo
T ARRESTED, CHARGED. A man identified by the National Bureau of Investigation as the administrator and registrant of a website that published a link to the controversial videos linking President Rodrigo Duterte’s family to illegal drugs is escorted (left) by a government agent, has been nabbed and charged Thursday (right) with inciting to sedition, a bailable offense under the Revised Penal Code. Bobby Cabrera
160k cops fan out for election duty
Drake, Cardi B top Billboard awards
By Francisco Tuyay, Vito Barcelo and Alena Mae S. Flores SOME 160,000 police will be deployed for election duty in the mid-term elections on May 13 to ensure a peaceful and orderly electoral exercise, officials said Thursday. At a press conference, Police Col. Bernard Banac said the increased deployment took effect Thursday, and would represent 85 percent of the total strength of the Philippine National Police. “We want to prevent violence by any group. We want to have a maximum presence of our security forces,” Banac said in a mix of Filipino and English. He said the fielding of additional policemen is not a response to a specific threat, but meant to “ensure that noun toward incident or violence will take place” on election day. Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said that both the PNP and the Armed Forces of the Philippines are
By Nickie Wang
MUSIC AWARDS. Brandon Urie (left) of Panic! At the Disco and Taylor Swift perform onstage during the 2019 Billboard Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena on May 1 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP
HIP-HOP, R&B, and K-Pop music ruled the 2019 edition of Billboard Music Awards with rappers Drake and Cardi B and South Korean sensation BTS walking home with the night’s biggest honors. Canadian rapper and record producer Drake was the most decorated artist of the awards night held at MGM Garden Arena in Las Vegas on May 1 (May 2 in Manila). He won a dozen trophies, including the most coveted Artist Award, Billboard Top 100 and 200 Artist, and Top Male Artist, bringing his career total at the event to 27. The superstar also broke Taylor Swift’s record of 24 victories for most wins in the annual ceremony that honors music artists based on album and digital songs sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring, and social engagement. “I just want to thank my mom for her relentless effort in my life. I want to thank my mom for all the times you drove me to piano. All the times you drove me to basketball and Next page
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Ornate rites for Thai king
BANGKOK—Thailand’s King Maha Vajiralongkorn will be crowned this weekend in a pageantry-laden ceremony flecked by Hindu and Buddhist ritual, as Rama X furthers his primacy over one of the world’s richest monarchies and a kingdom beset by ulcerous political diNext page vides.
Pinoy accent among sexiest THE Filipino accent gets a bad rep, especially among Filipinos, but if travel website Big 7 were to be believed many actually find it sexy—the sexiest one in Asia, it adds. This is according to the ranking released by Big 7 on Monday, which ranks Filipino Next page
HE National Bureau of Investigation on Thursday filed an inciting to sedition complaint before the Department of Justice against the man whom it identified as the administrator and registrant of a website that published the link to the controversial “Bikoy” videos linking members of the family of President Rodrigo Duterte to the illegal drugs trade. The DOJ immediately conducted inquest proceedings after the NBI filed the complaint against Robert “Rodel” Jayme, whom Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra identified as the “registrant and administrator” of the website metrobalita.net that constantly shared the link to the video. Jayme was charged with inciting to sedition under Article 142 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. The NBI said the law did not require a person to be involved in seditious acts as long as the elements are met. “Jayme and his cohorts did not just ‘share’ and ‘like’ the videos. Instead, the posting is a concerted effort, not merely a Next page
Palace flip-flops on ouster matrix By Nat Mariano THE Palace reversed itself on Thursday, admitting that a diagram that purportedly linked journalists to a plot to oust President Rodrigo Duterte came from an anonymous source and not the President himself, as originally claimed. In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo contradicted his previous statement that the so-called matrix, first published by the Manila Times, came from Office of the President. “The source of that is from the Office of the President. It’s from the President himself,” Panelo told Palace reporters in a press briefing on April 22. He also said the President had mentioned that the source of the information was a foreign ally. At the time, Panelo said only the President knew the origin of the diagram and said the public should believe it as it came from Duterte himself. Next page