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(Story on A4)
PBBM SAYS SORRY FOR AIRPORT MESS, VOWS STEPS TO AVOID A REPEAT
SORRY FOR GLITCHES. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. speaks to the media after inspecting the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 for domestic and international flights on Friday following the unexpected technical glitch at the Air Traffic Management Center (ATMC) of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) that affected both international and domestic flights on New Year’s day. Rey Baniquet
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday apologized to passengers affected by 282 delayed, cancelled, and diverted flights on New Year’s Day due to a technical glitch in the airport navigation system of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP). “I’m sorry. We, of course, we have to apologize to our kababayans who, especially those who came from abroad because their vacation was limited -they lost two, three days (because of the disruptions),” Mr. Marcos said in a press conference after inspecting the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3. “We know that to Filipinos, the Christmas holiday is very valuable. That's why we are all asking for your
forgiveness. We will do everything so this is not repeated,” added the President, who just came from a three-day state visit to China. He said all forms of assistance have been given to the passengers affected during the ordeal. “We did not just leave them alone or left them to their own devices. But we try to support them in every way,” the President said. Airports have returned to their normal operations after the delays and cancellations of flights, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista said Thursday. "Right now, we already have normal operations in our airports and we have not seen any problems," Bautista told GMA News.
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5,000 COPS SET TO PROTECT NAZARENE FEAST—PNP
DOH: NO NEED FOR MORE BANS ON CHINA FOR COVID CASES NEWS / A2
Bautista, however, said they are not ruling out sabotage as one of the possibilities behind what happened. "We are considering that because all possibilities should be included for consideration," he said. According to Bautista, the Department of Transportation is ready to face the Senate investigation. "We are ready. We are now preparing the report and will submit the documents that they would require from us," he said. Meanwhile, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported an increase in departures following the technical glitch experienced on New Year’s Day. According to BI Port Operations Divisions Chief Lawyer Carlos Capulong,
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 325• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 SATURDAY, SATURDAY JANUARY 7, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
NEWS / A4
Remulla son walks free
Court finds 'reasonable doubt' in drug case, DOJ chief says 'justice is served' By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta
A
LAS Piñas court on Friday found the eldest son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla not guilty of illegal drug possession, three months after antinarcotics agents arrested him for receiving a parcel containing 893.91 grams of high-grade marijuana valued at P1.25 million. Acting Presiding Judge Ricardo Moldez II of the Las Piñas RTC Branch 179 said “an assiduous review of the evidence” showed that there was “reasonable doubt that the accused received and possessed the parcel delivered to him with the knowledge, consciousness, and awareness” that the parcel contained marijuana. Modlez said that for a successful prosecution of an offense of illegal possession of dangerous drugs, the prosecution must establish three elements: 1) that the accused was in possession of an item or object identified as a prohibited drug; 2) that the possession was not authorized by law; and 3) the accused freely and consciously possessed the drug. The RTC ruling came barely three
WALKING FREE. Juanito Remulla III, the son of Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, and his legal counsels walk out of the Las Piñas Regional Trial Court after he was acquitted of an illegal drug possession charge on Friday. Danny Pata
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Marcos vows to build strong Jobless rate drops to 17-year low of 4.2% case vs. police in drug trade low of 4.2 percent from 4.5 percent a month ago and 6.5 percent a year ago, as the labor market sustained its return to the pre-pandemic level, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Friday. THE country’s unemployment rate in National Statistician and Civil November 2022 declined to a 17-year Registrar General Dennis Mapa said in
By Julito G. Rada, Vito Barcelo, Macon RamosAraneta and Maricel V. Cruz
By Vince Lopez and Joel E. Zurbano
with the press Friday, said it was part of his campaign pledge to carry out a different approach to the country’s drug problem, as he emphasized his PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. government’s efforts to cleanse the on Friday vowed to build a strong case ranks of the PNP. against Philippine National Police (PNP) Mr. Marcos said it was he who officials who are found to be in ordered Interior cahoots with drug traffickers. Secretary Benjamin The President, in an interview Next page
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‘Diesel to lead Speaker: 'Mutual respect' seen price rollback in successful PH-China talks by P2.20/liter’ By Alena Mae S. Flores
COURTESY RESIGNATION. Manila Police District director Brig Gen. Andre P. Dizon shows his courtesy resignation in front of police officers at the headquarters of Manila Police District on Friday. This came after Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos called on top police officers to voluntarily step down from office as part of the campaign to cleanse their ranks of the illegal drug trade. Norman Cruz
an online briefing that the November unemployment rate was the lowest rate since April 2005. “In terms of magnitude, about 2.18 million were unemployed in November 2022. This was lower than the 2.24 million
CONSUMERS can expect a rollback in pump prices next week of as much as P2.20 per liter due to global fears of an economic slowdown. Industry sources said oil prices will likely go down by P2.20 per liter for diesel and P0.50 per liter for gasoline due to the pronouncement of the International Monetary Fund of a global recession Department of Energy director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau Rino Abad said diesel and kerosene may go down by P1.50 per liter, while gasoline will go down by P0.50 per liter. The computation is based on four days of trading and may still change based on Next page Friday's trading movement.
By Maricel V. Cruz and Othel V. Campos
SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez described as "highly successful" the recent meeting between President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the former's three-day state
visit, as they discussed an array of topics that included the maritime claims of both countries, among others. Romualdez attributed such success to what he described as the “mutual respect” both leaders have for each other and their sincerity as heads of state in discussing the concerns surrounding the claims. Next page
President taps Centino to lead AFP anew GEN. Andres Centino was appointed Friday by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. as head of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), replacing previous appointee, Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro. Centino, a member of Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Class of 1988, previously served as AFP chief from Nov.
12, 2021 to August 8, 2022. Bacarro is also a member of PMA Class 1988 and a Medal of Valor awardee, the highest decoration in the AFP for combat. "As chief-of-staff, Centino implemented four major thrusts within the AFP Next page