PBBM hits rampant smuggling Calls for systems overhaul in bureaucracy, asks private sector for help n By LINE VINCE LOPEZ
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RESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has asked the private sector for help amid his plan to intensify the fight against rampant smuggling in the country, Malacañang said on Saturday.
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Mr. Marcos, in a meeting with the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) at Malacañang in Manila on Thursday, lamented that the present system is “not working,” despite efforts to curb smuggling. “To be brutally frank about it, we have a system, but they are not working. The smuggling here in this country is absolutely rampant. So, it does not matter to me how many systems we have in place, they do not work,” he told PSAC, as quoted by the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). “So, we really have to find something else. We cannot continue to depend on these systems, which have already proven themselves to be quite ineffective.” Mr. Marcos said concerned government agencies must step up and be “more innovative” to address rampant smuggling, PCO Secretary Cheloy Garafil said in a statement. CONTINUED ON 3A
Contraband of onions, shabu, sugar seized in attempts at separate ports n By JOEL ZURBANO, VITO BARCELO AND MARICEL CRUZ EVEN as the government tries to escalate its campaign against smuggling of all forms, authorities on Saturday declared seizing sizable shipments of sugar and shabu worth hundreds of millions of pesos through seaports and postal services. The country’s main airport also proved porous in letting goods in, as authorities intercepted some crew members of Philippine Airlines who arrived in Manila carrying more than 20 kilos of onions – currently
going for as much as P600 a kilo locally -- after their flights from Dubai and Riyadh. The Bureau of Customs said it apprehended in Batangas seaport a vessel carrying 80,000 bags, or 4,000 metric tons (MT), of smuggled refined sugar worth P240 million from Thailand. Authorities assigned at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) also seized another smuggled shipment of shabu or methamphetamine hydrochloride worth more than P1.3 million in a controlled delivery operation in Cavite. This was after government agents on Wednesday CONTINUED ON 3A
Cebu Sinulog goes on amid dispute over venue FOR THE SANTO NINO. Hundreds of sea vessels join the fluvial
procession for the feast of Sto. Niño de Cebu or Sinulog at the Mactan Channel on Saturday. The Santo Niño was placed onboard Coast Guard District Central Visayas BRP CABRA (center). Meanwhile, devotees join the Sto. Niño de Tondo motorcade in Manila as part of the religious activities for the upcoming fiesta honoring the Child Jesus. CCLEX/Island Nomad photo with Norman Cruz
CEBU CITY—Mayor Michael Rama said all is ready for the celebration of Sinulog 2023 today despite the bad weather caused by the low-pressure area and the shear line – and despite a conflict
with Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, who followed through on her word to withdraw 10 contingents of performers from across the province for the event. CONTINUED ON 3A
Gov’t to calibrate onion import to shield farmers President taps Ano as new security THE administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. will implement a calibrated importation of onions in a bid to safeguard farmers during the harvest season, Department of Agriculture Assistant Secretary Kristine Evangelista said in a briefing on Saturday. “When it comes to what you were mentioning about the onion importation, the harvest our farmers are expecting, that
has been taken into consideration by both the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) on the high-value crop... it’s a bureau, and our unit [is] in charge of that certain commodity,” Evangelista told reporters. A calibrated importation “was something they had to look into,” she added, as the DA was waiting for reports on how many importers had applied to bring in onions. This week, the DA approved the
importation of 21,060 metric tons of onions to tame the rising price of the commodity. “At the same time, I don’t know if you noticed, our importation has a cut-off unlike before,” Evangelista said, adding that the BPI put the parameters in place to safeguard the local onion harvest. During the briefing, she noted that the farmgate price of onions has already gone CONTINUED ON 3A
Price hikes on goods loom, fuel cost increases set FILIPINOS must brace for more price increases this month as the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said it has received a notice of price adjustment from manufacturers of canned sardines, meatloaf, and corned beef, coffee, and soap. Bread prices are also seen to rise by about P2 to P4 pesos depending on the size of the bread item owing to higher prices of eggs, which in turn is caused by recent cases of avian influenza or bird flu, a local
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Residents of San Juan City led by Mayor Francis Zamora (left) pick fresh produce and low-price onions for P170 per kilo at the Kadiwa On Wheels at the city’s Barangay St. Joseph. Manny Palmero
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bakers’ association said Saturday. This is as fuel prices are expected to rise again on Tuesday, with diesel and gasoline prices projected to increase by P0.50 to P0.90 per liter and kerosene prices rising by P0.40 per liter, the Department of Energy said, spurred by a hike in demand from China. The DTI said it is studying the price adjustment requests but will strive to make the items still reasonably priced for the benefit of consumers, according to a GMA News report.
adviser, Carlos shifts to House side n By VINCE LOPEZ PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has appointed former general Eduardo Año as the new National Security Adviser (NSA) replacing Clarita Carlos, Malacañang announced on Saturday. Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil confirmed Año’s appointment after the oath-taking at the Palace on Saturday Pictures showed the former Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of
staff and Interior Secretary under the Duterte administration with his family being sworn in by the President. The 61-year-old Año replaces Carlos, who assumed the NSA post in June 2022 and will “continue her pursuit of scholastic endeavors” by joining the Congressional Policy and Budget Research Department (CPBRD) of the House of Representatives, Garafil said. Año, a member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1983, is a veteran CONTINUED ON 3A
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P88m in aid sent to flood-hit areas; Deaths rise to 20
Local fishermen nix China bid on joint fishing
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NEW NSA. Eduardo Año (center) takes his oath before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. as the new National Security Adviser, with his wife Jean Joselyn beside him. PCO Photo