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China won’t stop local fishermen to fish in WPS, Mr. Marcos says VOL. XXXVI • NO. 337 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
CHINA has committed not to stop Filipino fishermen from fishing in the West Philippine Sea, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Sunday, as he belied reports of a proposed “partnership” between Manila and Beijing’s fishing villages. “I don’t know how the word ‘partnership’
started to be used. It’s really an agreement that China will not stop our fishermen from fishing,” Mr. Marcos said in an interview on a plane en route to Switzerland. “That’s it, very simple. They will allow our fishermen to fish, in the fishing
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PBBM defends onion import As USDA warns it may backfire, senators chide DA for supply shortfall
By Othel V. Campos, Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday said the government had no choice but to import thousands of tons of onions to bring down local prices, given the gap between local production and demand. But for the long term, the President said his administration is looking for ways to increase the production of onions and other agricultural products to avoid having to import them, as he discussed his plans to combat the smuggling of farm products with reporters on his flight to Switzerland for the World Economic Forum. “Given the production and demand we have in the Philippines, it’s impossible to avoid imports. We’ve tried to get [seized] products from smuggling, but the need was still not met. We had no choice but to import, so that’s what we’re doing,” said Mr. Marcos. Next page
Groups: Rice prices rising by P2/kilo too RICE prices are joining the inflation trend this month amid the country’s low rice output and the growing global demand for imported rice, farmers’ group Samahan ng Industriya ng Agrikultura (SINAG) said. In a GMA News report, SINAG President Rosendo So said prices would rise by a total of P2 per kilo -one peso this week, another peso the
IN-FLIGHT INTERVIEW. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. answers questions from members of the Philippine media Sunday afternoon on board Philippine Airlines flight PR 001 bound for Davos, Switzerland, where the Chief Executive will attend the World Economic Forum. But in Manila, Senator Imee Marcos (inset) believes the soaring retail price of onions in the country is a result of poor planning on the part of the Department of Agriculture, which her brother heads concurrently. Ver Noveno
Wealth fund set for agriculture, energy, digitalization, climate change By Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vince Lopez
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President: AFP shuffle to keep stability in ranks
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday said he would tell government and business leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) that the sovereign wealth fund he seeks to create will make investments in the key areas of agriculture, energy, digitalization and climate change. “Now we have something to talk about—the sovereign wealth fund,” Marcos, speaking in Filipino, told reporters on board a plane to Switzerland. “I will tell them that we are forming a sovereign wealth fund for investments—for big in-
By Vince Lopez, Vito Barcelo and Joel Zurbano PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. defended his decision to reappoint Gen. Andres Centino as Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief of staff, saying he had to “rationalize” the senior military leadership to prevent “chaos” in the lower ranks. In a briefing en route to Switzerland, Mr. Marcos said he had to address the unusual situation where Centino still had the military’s four stars even as Lt. Gen. Bartolome Bacarro, with only three stars, was AFP chief. Next page
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LABOR PROTEST. Members of labor groups Migrante and Kilusang Mayo Uno hold up placards during a demonstration in front of
the Department of Justice (DOJ) in Manila on Monday. KMU asked to raise local workers’ salaries, while Migrante demanded state forces to produce their missing members as pictured in their banner. Norman Cruz
Oxfam notes stark inequality in PH as solon pushes more tax on luxury By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta INEQUALITY has grown starker in the Philippines, with nine of the richest Filipinos having more wealth than 55 million others—or half the entire Philippine population, OxFam International reported recently.
The “Survival of the Richest” report also said that in the Philippines, the poor are unable to recover from the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high prices of commodities such as red onions. This developed as the House of Representatives committee on ways and
British Chamber head backs MIF for PH growth By Othel V. Campos A SOVEREIGN wealth fund will help attract more investors and support economic growth in the Philippines, according to British Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines Next page
Chris Nelson
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Gov’t stops fuel subsidy as new oil price hikes hit By Alena Mae Flores
ROUND FOR LUCK. Citrus or kiat-kiat trees line Ongpin Street in Binondo, Manila as
the stores across them display their red lanterns and good luck charms for sale ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year on Jan. 22. Revoli Cortez
shifts its focus toward food security, Fi- lion affected most vulnerable households. nance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said. “The TCT program intended to alleviDiokno said the government has released ate the initial shocks caused by high fuel THE government will no longer continue its subsidy for households hit by high a total of P18.3 billion in targeted cash trans- prices on the most vulnerable households. fuel prices during the pandemic as it fers (TCT) that benefitted at least 9.2 milNext page