BIDA tweaks fight vs. drugs New campaign focuses on rehab, prevention in more holistic approach n By JOEL E. ZURBANO
T
HE Marcos administration on Saturday launched its anti-illegal drugs advocacy program called Buhay Ay Ingatan, Droga’y Ayawan (BIDA), describing it as an intensified and more holistic campaign from the grassroots up. While Interior Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr. vowed to put drug dealers behind bars, BIDA is anchored on physical activities and cooperation from the grassroots level to deter drug use and protect human lives. “We will enforce the law and fill the jails with people like you who destroy the future of the youth and the families,” Abalos warned drug pushers and dealers before thousands of supporters who attended the grand launching at the Quezon Memorial Circle. But for those who want to turn over a new leaf, Abalos assured
Vol. 36
No. 284
November 27, 2022
2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES
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the government is ready to help them through drug rehabilitation and livelihood training programs to help them lead productive and drug-free lives. “Let’s work together, that’s what we ask. Life is truly worth living. Say no to drugs and let’s all be heroes against illegal drugs,” he said. Thousands of attendees from different barangays and churches from Metro Manila flocked to Quezon Memorial Circle to participate in the zumba and walkathon, as early as 5 a.m. CONTINUED ON 3A
DBM to study pay hike for state workers in ‘23 THE Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will review the wages of state workers next year to determine a reasonable adjustment that the Marcos Jr. government can grant, an official said Saturday. “We will conduct another study in 2023. This is important for us to examine and determine the needed salaries in the government, Gerald Janda, Director of the DBM’s Organization, Position, Classification, and Compensation Bureau, said in a Dobol B TV interview. With minimum wage earners in the government reportedly earning just P12,517 per month, several groups have appealed for a base monthly salary of P33,000 for state employees, amid high inflation.
Raising the minimum wage for government employees will necessitate the passage of a new law, the Budget department said earlier. “It’s important to consider not just a raise in salaries but a reasonable level for the budget to be implemented by law. That’s why next year we will study carefully all the suggestions from the different CONTINUED ON 3A
QUEEN IN GREEN.
Maria Angelica Pantaliano is regal in green as she is crowned the Miss Tourism Metropolitan International 2022-2023 during the coronation night Friday at Raia Hotel and Convention Centre in Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (inset).
PBBM sees ‘poorest of poor’ to gain from fishery project MALACAÑANG said on Saturday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. fully backs the P11.2-billion Philippine Fisheries and Coastal Resiliency (FishCoRe) project seen to benefit the country’s “poorest of the poor.” Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil, in a statement, said the President, who is also Secretary of Agriculture, has expressed confidence the FishCoRe project would help the government address the problems confronting the fishery sector. The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) on Thursday approved the FishCoRe project envisioned to provide a sustainable source of income for some 354,90 registered fishermen in 24 provinces with coastal and marine areas of about 32 million hectares. The project was expected to provide 26,877 jobs and help the government realize its goal of ensuring food security through “improved aquaculture production, increased fish stocks, provision of diversified livelihood opportunities and higher incomes for fisherfolk,” Garafil said. “President Marcos fully backs the FishCoRe project and he made this known during his first meeting with NEDA officials in Malacañang last Thursday,” she said. CONTINUED ON 3A
PH bet wins ‘Miss Tourism’ pageant in KL n By ETON CONCEPCION THE Philippines’ Maria Angelica Pantaliano won the Miss Tourism Metropolitan International 2022/2023 title during the coronation night held live Friday at Raia Hotel and Convention Centre, in Sarawak, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. CONTINUED ON 3A
Inmates to be classified per crime to unclog jails PRISONERS would be sorted according to the crimes they committed in a regionalization plan that would decongest the New Bilibid Prison in Metro Manila, which can only accommodate 6,000 inmates but is currently detaining roughly 30,000, an official said. Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) officerin-charge Gregorio Pio Catapang Jr. said
ORANGE FOR WOMEN. The United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) partners with SM to kick off this year’s 18 Days of Activism versus Violence Against Women and girls. In photo (from left) are Perkin So, Senior Assistant VP of SM Mall of Asia; Dr. Leila Joudane, UNFPA Country Representative; and lawyer Kristine E. Yuzon-Chavez, Philippine Commission on Women Executive Director. Orange symbolizes a brighter future free of violence and demonstrates solidarity in eliminating all forms of violence.
FL backs stop violence against women FIRST Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos has thrown her support behind the worldwide movement to eliminate all forms of violence against women, Malacanang said Saturday. The Office of the Press Secretary Gender and Development community likewise joined President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration in commemorating the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women. In a video message to mark the “endVAW” day aired on Friday, Mrs. Marcos
acknowledged women’s crucial roles in society. “Women are the primary caretakers and educators in the family and they are a big contributor to our workforce,” the First Lady said. “As we celebrate the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, I enjoin everyone to be reminded of our roles in this endeavor.” She acknowledged the Philippine Commission on Women (PCW), led by CONTINUED ON 3A
the plan includes the separation of persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) who committed heinous crimes such as murder, rape, and drug-related violations in each region. These are part of reforms in the state penitentiary following a series of controversies, most notably the alleged involvement of erstwhile prisons bureau chief Gerald Bantag in the murder of
Speaker lauds BizNews Asia for excellence n By MARICEL V. CRUZ SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez has lauded the country’s leading business magazine for excellence in journalism as well as its awardees this year for their outstanding achievements in their respective fields. In his closing remarks at the 21st anniversary celebration of BizNews Asia at the New World Hotel in Makati City Friday night, Romualdez said its adherence to the tenets of excellence in providing incisive and in-depth reports on the economy, business, and leading figures in the country was key to its longevity amid difficulties that forced competitors to fold. “These are the sterling qualities that CONTINUED ON 3A
BIZ BIGWIGS. Speaker Martin G. Romualdez is flanked by San Miguel Corp. (SMC) President and CEO Ramon Ang (right), and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson, and later by journalist-publisher Tony Lopez and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (inset), during the 2022 BizNews Asia Management Excellence Awards at the New World Hotel in Makati City Friday night. Ver Noveno
broadcast journalist Percival “Percy Lapid” Mabasa. “In the three regions, we will choose where the drugs, the rape, the murder (convicts) will go. We will not lump them together. We will sort them out,” Catapang said in a media interview late Friday. The BuCor has already identified areas CONTINUED ON 3A