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
LFTRB okays fare hikes for LRT-1, LRT-2, but still needs DOTr nod THE Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board has approved proposed fare hikes for both the LRT-1 and the LRT-2. In a report on GMA News, the LTFRB okayed an additional boarding
fare of P2.29 and distance fare of 21 centavos for every kilometer on both LRT lines. Once approved, the boarding fare will go up to P13.29 while the distance Next page
VOL. XXXVI • NO. 332 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 12, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Galvez to DND execs: Stay put Defense officials to heed call for unity, no loyalty check among ranks
N
EWLY appointed Defense Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. ordered ranking officials who offered to resign following the abrupt departure of his predecessor to stay put as he called on officials of his department to remain united.
Galvez issued the directive as at least DND Undersecretary for Capability nine top DND officials submitted their Assessment and Development Angelito courtesy resignations after former De- de Leon said all senior officials have defense acting chief Jose Faustino Jr. quit cided to stay on. his post. “We all agreed that we stay, the sen-
ior leaders and assistant secretaries,” De Leon said in a press briefing shortly after the traditional New Year’s Call held at the AFP headquarters in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “In the case of Secretary Galvez, while we are ready with our courtesy resignation in accordance with customs, there is nothing extraordinary about it. He immediately gave the order, everybody stays put and hence no-
PBBM visits flood-hit area, vows aid, housing to victims
body would resign or get out of DND, as manifested, we are intact,” he added. De Leon also said that there is no need for a loyalty check in the DND or the AFP, where AFP chief of staff Gen. Andres Centino replaced Lt. Gen. Bartolome Vicente Bacarro on Jan. 6. “Tthere is no need for a loyalty check. The AFP remains steadfast and loyal to the Constitution, the flag and the duly Next page
By Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez and Ronald O. Reyes PRESIDENT Ferdinand. Marcos Jr. has directed the National Housing Authority (NHA) to find a resettlement area for Misamis Occidental residents whose houses were destroyed by the recent flooding. “We are coordinating with the National Housing Authority. The houses that were totally destroyed, Next page
Senate to limit fixed terms to 4 military officers By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Senate aims to pass a bill limiting the coverage of the three-year fixed terms in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) to only four key officials within the first quarter of this year, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Wednesday. Under the proposed measure, only the AFP chief of staff, the commanding generals of the Philippine Army and Philippine Air Force, and the Flag-officer-in-command of the Philippine Navy will be given fixed terms, unless sooner terminated by the President. The bill would exclude from the coverage of the three-year tenure the vice chief of staff, deputy chief of staff, unified command commanders,
Next page
US halts local flights due to system outage
HEAVY FLOODING. This handout photo taken on January 11, 2023 and received from Jipapad Mayor Benjamin Ver shows residents crossing through a flooded road in Jipapad town, Eastern Samar province. (Inset, lower right) In Zamboanga City, members of the Philippine Coast Guard use a plastic basin to rescue children. (Inset, lower left) President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the distribution of financial help to fishermen affected by heavy rains in Misamis Occidental. AFP / Mayor Benjamin Ver, Philippine Coast Guard
THE US Federal Aviation Authority ordered a temporary halt to all domestic flight departures Wednesday, after a major system outage that disrupted air traffic across the country. Airlines and airports were left scrambling with news of the nationwide pause, as the White House said there was no immediate evidence of a cyberattack. The FAA, which paused flights until 9:00 am (1400 GMT), said a key process had been “impaired” after a problem with its Notice to Air Missions system (NOTAM), which provides information to flight crews Next page
COVID global Zubiri demands heads roll over airport fiasco as Senate probe starts crisis may end in 2023—WHO By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
SENATE President Juan Miguel Zubiri on Wednesday said officials responsible for the New Year’s Day air traffic fiasco that caused more than 360 flights in and
By Willie Casas THE World Health Organization (WHO) sees the declaration of the COVID-19 disease as a public health emergency being lifted this year, the body’s technical lead for the coronavirus illness said Wednesday in a live question-andanswer session on social media. “I do think this is the year, the fourth year of this pandemic, where we can really end this as an emergency everywhere. We’re on track for that,” Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove said. Even then, countries should consider recommending that passengers wear masks on long-haul flights, given the rapid spread of the latest Omicron subvariant of COVID-19 in the United Next page
JAPAN PROTESTS CHINA VISA HALT WORLD / B2
out of Manila to be canceled, diverted or delayed, should be fired for embarrassing the entire country. “It is unforgivable, what happened to us. Why? First it was embarrassing. The whole world got the news that no planes could enter Philippine airspace… If it
Minimal import of onions until after harvest pushed A GROUP of farmers in Nueva Ecija joined Senator Risa Hontiveros in opposing and expressing concern over the government’s move to import 21,060 metric tons of onions as the price of the commodity continues to soar in the Philippines. But Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said Wednesday that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has no choice but to allow the importation of agricultural products amid the high prices of local produce to control inflation in the country. Eric Alvarez, who sits on the board of directors of a producers’ cooperative in Vega Village, Nueva Ecija, told ANC’s Rundown the importation might hurt local farmers. “I think our timing is late. The DA (Department of Agriculture) said they will import until January 27. So, there Next page
MORE EXPENSIVE THAN MEAT. A woman buys onions at a market in Manila on January 11, 2023. AFP
was incompetence, then people should be fired,” Zubiri said at a media forum. Zubiri said he was vacationing in Japan when he heard the news of the incident, which affected about 65,000 passengers. The Senate committee on public ser-
vices is set to investigate the incident today, Thursday. Zubiri said he wants to find out if the fiasco was caused by mere incompetence or sabotage, given that similar incidents “only happened three times in Next page