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Leocadio Sebastian
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Roland Beltran
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Hermenegildo Serafica
Aurelio Valderrama Jr.
RESIGNED
FATE UP TO BBM
3 SRA execs out, 1 hangs on Administrator Serafica latest to quit, board member Valderrama awaits fate
BBM eyes sugar price cut, direct company import By Vince Lopez, Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he is looking at getting concessions from traders to bring down prices of sugar as well as allowing food
manufacturers to do direct importation with the approval of the Sugar Regulatory Administration. “Hopefully, we can get some concessions with the traders so that at least the pricing will be reasonable. The concern is the supply right now. I’ll make sure
that there is sufficient supply in the country so that you can operate at full capacity,” he said. He had a meeting last Monday evening at the Malacañang Palace with the members of the Philippine Chamber of Next page
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 183 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘MARCOS TO VISIT INDONESIA OR SG FIRST BEFORE US’ NEWS / A2
By Vince Lopez, Vito Barcelo and Othel V. Campos
T
HREE out of the four officials who signed the unauthorized sugar importation order without the approval of President Marcos have resigned.
On Tuesday, Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) administrator Hermenegildo Serafica joined SRA board member Roland Beltran and Agriculture Undersecretary Leocadio Sebastian, who resigned over the order to import 300,000 metric tons (MT) of sugar, which the Palace described as “illegal.” Serafica’s resignation leaves Negrense sugar leader Aurelio Gerardo Valderrama Jr. as the only remaining SRA board member. In a press conference held at the Negros Residences, Valderrama, the acting board member representing the planters, said he has sent a letter to Marcos on Monday explaining what happened regarding the Sugar Order (SO) No.
4 and also for the President to decide whether he should stay in his post. “At the end of the letter, it says ‘If you feel I need to resign and I have lost your trust and confidence,’ you can just tell me anytime. It was the President himself who appointed me here. I leave the decision to him,” he said. Valderrama, who was appointed as SRA board member only on Aug. 6, said he was the last one to sign the resolution. “Ensuring that everything was in order, I signed SO4. After Atty. Beltran and Administrator Serafica signed the order, it was submitted to Usec Sebastian for appropriate action. Usec Sebastian then signed it for and on behalf of the SRA chairman, President Next page
US tags PH as ‘high-risk’ for COVID along with Nepal, Russia In a travel health notice posted Tuesday, the CDC grouped the country with Nepal and Russia in its Level 3 group. “Make sure you are up to date with THE US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has tagged the Philippines as your COVID-19 vaccines before traveling among three countries under the high to the Philippines,” the CDC said. “If you are not up to date with your COVID-19 risk category for COVID-19.
By Willie Casas, Rey E. Requejo, Joel E. Zurbano and Rio N. Araja
vaccines, avoid travel to the Philippines.” Level 3 includes countries with more than 100 COVID-19 new cases over the past 28 days per 100,000 population. The CDC warned travelers that those even “up to date” with coronavirus jabs might still be at risk for getting and
spreading COVID-19. Anyone 2 years or older should properly wear a well-fitting mask in indoor public spaces, it said. “If you have a weakened immune system or are at increased risk for severe Next page
WHAT A HEADACHE! Parents and students wait outside the campus of the Colegio De San
Congress looks into NCAP use to raise revenue
Lorenzo in Quezon City to get their records and credentials after the school made a sudden announcement Monday evening that it will stop operations permanently due to financial issues. Manny Palmero
By Maricel V. Cruz and Rey E. Requejo CONGRESS will investigate the much-criticized No Contact Apprehension Program (NCAP) even if the Supreme Court grants a petition from four transport groups to suspend the program, which uses video surveillance and digital cameras to capture and penalize traffic violations. On Tuesday, Quezon City Rep. Marvin Rillo filed a resolution calling on three House committees to jointly investigate the NCAP implemented by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA). Next page
QC school shuts down, cites financial issue due to pandemic
WHO needs help: New label for monkeypox
STIGMATIZING NAME. A sign announcing monkeypox vaccina-
tion is set up in Tropical Park by Miami-Dade County and Nomi Health in Florida. AFP
THE World Health Organization, which is looking to rename monkeypox, called Tuesday for help from the public in coming up with a less stigmatizing designation for the fastspreading disease. The UN health agency has for weeks voiced concern about the name of the disease that emerged onto the global stage in May. Experts warn the name can be stigmatizing to the primates it was named after, but who play little role in its spread, and to the African continent that the animals are often associated with. Recently in Brazil, for instance, there have been reported cases of people attacking monkeys over disease fears. Next page
gust 15, the school’s Board of Trustees said they were closing the school “due to finanCOLEGIO De San Lorenzo, a private Catholic cial instability and lack of financial viabilschool in Quezon City founded in 1987, an- ity brought about by the ongoing (COVID-19) nounced Monday it will permanently stop its pandemic and exacerbated by consistently low operations after more than 30 years – sparking enrollment turnout over the past years.” The move was voluntary without prior noconfusion and outrage from students, parents, tification, both the Department of Education faculty, and its workers alike. Next page In a letter to students and parents dated Au-
By Rio N. Araja
Speaker resolute on zero bill veto, moves along with Palace, Senate By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez has been forging tighter coordination with Malacañang and the Senate to prevent even a single presidential veto of bills to be approved by the 19th
Congress, leaders of the House of Representatives said Monday. House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo, and House Assistant Majority Leader and Pwersa ng Bayaning Atleta Party-list Rep. Margarita Next page