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PBBM LISTS 74 PPP PROJECTS OPEN TO PRIVATE SECTOR TO INVEST IN By Othel V. Campos, Darwin Amojelar, and Vince Lopez PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday invited the private sector to invest in 74 public-private partnership (PPP) projects worth a combined P2.25 trillion that are in the government’s pipeline, as he
called for more collaboration to spur his administration’s efforts for a quicker and more sustainable growth. “The challenge over the last few years was striking a delicate balance between the economy and public health, but always putting an important premium on keeping our communities safe from another outbreak,” he addressed the delegates of the
48th Philippine Business Conference & Expo (PBC&E), organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI). Mr. Marcos highlighted the need for the government and the private sector to work together on more projects for infrastructure, energy, and agriculture, and Next page
THRIVING BUSINESS CLIMATE. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. commits to ensure a sound environment where businesses can flourish during the 48th Philippine Business Conference and Exposition (PBC&E) of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) at the Manila Hotel Thursday evening. Office of the Press Secretary
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 247• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 FRIDAY, FRIDAY OCTOBER 21, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘Middleman’ in Lapid slay dead Cause of death unknown, police reveal another 'middleman' in custody By Joel Zurbano, Rey Requejo, Francisco Tuyay and Maricel Cruz
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HE alleged "middleman" who supposedly facilitated the murder of broadcaster Percival Mabasa, known as "Percy Lapid," has died at the national penitentiary. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla made the announcement Thursday, hours after Lt. Gen. Rhodel Sermonia, officer in charge of the Philippine National Police Office of the Deputy Chief for Administration, said the PNP is working to ensure the safety of the "middleman." The PNP would later explain there were two "middlemen"—Crisanto Villamor who died inside the New Bilibid Prison at around 3 p.m. Tuesday, and another one who is detained inside the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology. The BJMP is under the Department of Interior and Local Government, while the NBP is supervised by the Bureau of Next page
Senate sees ‘conspiracy’ in P2.4b laptop purchase 'MIDDLEMAN' DOWN. Self-confessed hitman Joel Escorial (left) positively identifies the photo of deceased inmate Crisanto 'Jun' Villamor, the alleged 'middleman' who hired the team to kill broadcast journalist Percival Mabasa, also known as Percy Lapid. Inset photo (top) shows Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos in a press briefing at Camp Crame Thursday evening. CIDG-NCR
PH gets US choppers, Russia insists on deal THE Philippines will no longer buy military helicopters from Russia despite a call by its ambassador to honor the P12.7 billion contract signed by the Duterte administration, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday. Mr. Marcos said Thursday the country
has found an alternative source of military helicopters in the United States, and was negotiating with Russia to get back a portion of the P1.9 billion down payment the Philippines has already made on the deal. “I think it has already been determined.
It was already determined by the previous administration that the deal will not carry through,” Mr. Marcos said. In July 2022, then Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said President Rodrigo Duterte had decided to terminate the Next page
WHO: Too early to lift global Speaker cites emergency status of COVID America’s aid in COVID fight By Joel E. Zurbano, Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta
THE World Health Organization said it is too early to lift the highest-level alert for the COVID-19 crisis, with the pandemic remaining a global health emergency despite recent progress. The WHO's emergency
committee on COVID-19 met last week and concluded that the pandemic still constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), a status it declared back in January 2020. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters Wednesday that he agreed with the committee's advice. "The committee emphasized the need to strengthen surveillance and expand Next page
By Macon Ramos-Araneta A "CONSPIRACY among conspirators" was established in the procurement of overpriced yet outdated laptops worth a total of P2.4 billion by the Department of Education intended for teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic, Sen. Francis Tolentino said Thursday. On the fifth and last day of the Senate Blue Ribbon committee hearing into the matter, Tolentino stressed the case went deeper a n d got more com-
plicated as the hearing went on. "It was definitely planned, the conspiracy angle is still there, but we cannot say yet the role of conspirators" in the controversial purchase made by the DepEd through the Procurement Service of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the senator said. The Blue Ribbon committee will come out with its report on the probe about a month later or by Nov. 20,
By Maricel V. Cruz
HOUSE Speaker Martin G. Romualdez has expressed the Philippine government’s deep gratitude to the United States for helping the country fight the coronavirus disease. Romualdez conveyed the country’s sincere appreciation and thanks during Next page
President won't give up DA post just yet PM TRUSS QUITS AS UK'S TORIES NOW IN CHAOS NEWS / A2
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday he would only appoint a Health Secretary if the country's situation had already returned to normal in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis. He also said he will only leave his concurrent post as Agriculture Secretary when structural changes to the department have been made. The Chief Executive also made his first appointments to the judiciary, naming
two trial court judges as associate justices of the Court of Appeals, and the head of the Supreme Court’s Fiscal Management and Budget Office as an associate justice of the Court of Tax Appeals. On the sidelines of the Philippine Business Conference at the Manila Hotel, Marcos was asked when he planned to appoint a Department of Health (DOH) secretary amid the continuing threat of the Next page pandemic.
FOUR-EYE MEETING. Speaker Martin Romualdez (left) and Assistant Secretary of State Department for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Kritenbrink hold talks in Washington D.C. Wednesday (Manila time). Ryan Ponce Pacpaco