twitter.com/ MlaStandard
facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
manilastandard.net
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net
More warehouses yield sugar
• 500k sacks found in Cagayan de Oro
• 6 Customs execs in Subic relieved
By Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta
N
EARLY 500,000 sacks of raw sugar were found in surprise visits to several warehouses in Cagayan de Oro City Tuesday as the Palace announced that six Customs officials in the Port of Subic were relieved amid an investigation into sugar smuggling. Acting on orders from the Office of the President (OP), Customs agents examined three warehouses of Crystal Sugar Milling located in North Poblacion in Cagayan de Oro City and found 466,142 sacks of raw sugar. Customs agents found thousands of sacks of sugar worth P285 million inside a warehouse on Araneta Ave., Quezon City. A report on GMA-7’s ‘24 Oras’ said the warehouse was padlocked even as its administrative officer said they have an importation permit and clearances from the BOC and the Sugar Regulatory Administration.
Initial investigation by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) indicated that of the total inventoried sugar, some 264,000 sacks were Next page
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 191 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, AUGUST 25, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘Florita’ exits, leaves swathe of damage in northern Luzon
FLORITA’S WAKE. In Isabela province, a farmer
inspects her damaged corn plantation in Tumauini town after the onslaught of Severe Tropical Storm ‘Florita’ on Wednesday, August 24, 2022. In the National Capital Region, workers from the Manila Department of Public Services and Metro Manila Development Authority remove garbage along the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach while Marikina City, firemen wash off mud at the Marikina River Park. Norman Cruz, Manny Palmero and AFP
In a statement Wednesday, the bureau said the operation was initiated based on intelligence reports that the owners were allegedly hoarding sugar. Next page
Farmers decry undervaluation of rice imports By Othel V. Campos THE Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) asked President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to investigate the worsening undervaluation of rice imports, which is estimated to have shortchanged the government by as much as P3.84 billion during the first seven months of 2022 alone. FFF national manager Raul Montemayor said the group has had numerous meetings with the Bureau of Customs (BOC) and attended several Senate hearings, but “very little has actually been done to curb undervaluation of rice imports.” “There is a lot of attention on smuggling but government losses from undervaluation are probably much larger. And it is easier to plug loopholes Next page
By Rio N. Araja, Vito Barcelo, Alena Mae Flores and Joel E. Zurbano SEVERE tropical storm “Florita” left the Philippine area of responsibility Wednesday, leaving in its wake an estimated P10 million worth of dam-
age and displacing 1,344 families, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) reported Wednesday. In its latest situation report, the agency said the figure is equivalent to 4,646 individuals from 60 barangays in the Ilocos, Cagayan Valley, and
THE Department of Social Welfare and Development will no longer accept walk-ins during the distribution of financial assistance to indigent students to avoid crowding at the payout sites. To conduct a more orderly payout, the DSWD and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) have agreed to release aid only to those who registered online or
MMDA tags socmed post about NCAP ‘fake news’ TRAFFIC enforcers will still flag down violators in Metro Manila because the Non-Contact Apprehension Program is not yet in full force, contrary to a mis-
About P915,176.05 worth of food and non-food assistance has been provided to areas affected by Florita in Ilocos, Bicol, and Cordillera. The NDRRMC has yet to release reports on damage to agriculture, infrastructures, and housing. Next page
No walk-ins now in student’s aid payout, must first register online
IN SOLIDARITY. The University of Santo Tomas main building is illuminated in blue and yellow, the colors of Ukraine’s flag, in solidarity with the war-torn country that is celebrating its 31st Independence Day. The lights will be visible from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm until Aug. 26, 2022. Danny Pata
By Joel E. Zurbano
Cordillera regions. The NDRRMC noted that about 956 families are sheltered in 19 evacuation centers while the rest are staying with relatives and friends. It also reported that 290 families or 1,013 persons from Ilocos and Cordillera were pre-emptively evacuated.
leading post on social media . The Metropolitan Manila Development Authority on Wednesday warned the public against disinformation with a Facebook post saying “The No Contact Policy is now in full force. This
Abalos orders PNP to verify recent spate of crime reports
means that no MMDA traffic enforcer will flag down any driver for any traffic violation on the road but instead, will monitor violations onscreen via the CCTV camera.” Next page
have a QR Code. “That is the difference now, we will only cater to those (who) have already registered online or have acquired the QR code. We will no longer accept walk-ins to avoid what happened on the first day of the roll-out,” Social Welfare Secretary Erwin Tulfo said on Wednesday during the ceremonial signNext page
PH seeks stronger ties among ASEAN navies to curb threats PHILIPPINE Navy flag-officer-incommand Vice Adm. Adeluis Bordado has pushed for strengthened cooperation between the navies of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to be able to curb emerging
maritime challenges in the region. Bordado made this remark during the viewpoint exchange of the 16th ASEAN Navy Chiefs Meeting (ANCM) held in Bali, Indonesia. Next page
EJ Obiena
By Vince Lopez INTERIOR Secretary Benhur Abalos on Wednesday directed the Philippine National Police (PNP) to submit reports regarding the recent abductions, killings, and violence in the country. According to Abalos, he wants to make sure the reports are not “fictitious.” “I had a talk with (PNP) Chief Jun Azurin (Rodolfo Azurin Jr.), I asked him to give a report to me because there are many reports coming out of the media. I just want to make sure the timeline, are these true? Are these fictitious? Give me that report so that we could immediately report this to the public,” he said Next page
Obiena Eric Distor claims gold in Ex-NBI chief Germany on floating status SPORTS / C1
NEWS / A3
caption
ABS-CBN, TV-5 to ‘pause’ deal as NTC starts review BUSINESS / B2