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No more extension: Franchise of old jeepneys ends June 30 VOL. XXXVII • NO. 11 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
THE franchise of most traditional jeepneys will expire on June 30, the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board said. After extending four times the deadline for operators to form cooperatives for the purchase of modern jeepneys, the
LTFRB said there will be no more extension this time. “The CPC [Certificate of Public Conveyance] will be reverted to the state... It will be awarded [to those who have consolidated],” LTFRB Technical Division head Joel Bolano said. Next page
Senate ratifies trade deal
Palace says RCEP ‘so crucial’ to attract investors, create more jobs By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vito Barcelo, Vince Lopez, and Othel Campos
Y A 20-1-1 vote, the Senate on Tuesday ratified the country’s membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), which Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri said would help create 1.4 million jobs, address longstanding issues in the agricultural sector, and encourage investments.
B
Most senators voted “yes” to the free trade agreement, but opposition Sen. Risa Hontiveros voted “no” and Sen. Imee Marcos – sister of President Ferdinand Next page
DOJ reduces bail amount for indigents By Rey E. Requejo DEPARTMENT of Justice prosecutors will now recommend reduced bail at a maximum of P10,000 for indigent persons accused in bailable criminal cases filed before the courts as one of the measures to ease congestion in prison facilities nationwide. Under Department Circular No. 011 issued on February 20, 2023, and signed by Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, prosecutors may recommend 50 percent of the recommended bail or just P10,000, whichever is lower, under the DOJ 2018 Bail Bond Guide. Next page
RISKY JOB. Workers are oblivious to the risks that come with their job of cleaning glass windows outside this building in Pasay City on Tuesday, Feb. 21, 2023. The use of safety harnesses as a form of protective equipment is mandated under Republic Act 11058, which strengthens compliance with occupational health and safety standards. Yancy Lim
#SanaAll? NEDA junks P50k inflation aid for all workers By Vince Lopez THE National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) ruled out giving a onetime inflation aid of P50,000 to all workers, saying the country was already providing assistance to the poorest of the poor.
Socioeconomic Secretary Arsenio Balisacan made the statement after a think tank on Tuesday blasted as patronage politics Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri’s move to provide a P50,000 inflation assistanxe to each of the Senate’s 3,000 employees, adding that such help should
be given to everyone. Balisacan said giving everyone the same inflationary assistance treatment would be "not feasible," citing the country’s “limited fiscal space.” He also said the government was also addressing inflation.
"It's not feasible for everyone to be given the same treatment, because as you know, our fiscal space is very, very limited. And so, we are taking a two-pronged approach. Make sure that we are able to address where the inflation is coming Next page
2nd Senate reso Police eye drug ring as behind filed against ICC ambush on Adiong’s convoy drug war probe By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo
DIPLOMATIC TALK. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (right) and the Secretary of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines Enrique A. Manalo address a press conference on February 20, 2023 at the Foreign Office in Berlin. Manalo says the Philippines remains committed to diplomacy in resolving territorial disputes over the West Philippine Sea. AFP
SENATOR Jinggoy Estrada on Tuesday filed a resolution opposing the International Criminal Court (ICC) decision to resume its investigation of the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs. It was the second Senate resolution after Senator Robin Padilla’s seeking to defend former President Rodrigo Duterte from the ICC investigation. In his resolution, Estrada said the country’s Department of Justice and the Philippine National Police-Internal Affairs Service have in fact investigated the alleged crimes committed during the drug war, which claimed thousands of lives. These efforts, Estrada added, resulted in the filing of four criminal cases before the courts. Next page
INVESTIGATORS said Tuesday a drug syndicate could have been behind the February 17 ambush on Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal “Bombit” Alonto Adiong Jr. and his security convoy, as the Philippine National Police announced they are focusing on seven suspects in the
attack that left four men dead. Meanwhile, police have identified the registered owner of the getaway vehicle used in the ambush of Aparri, Cagayan Vice Mayor Rommel Alameda and five others in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, the Next page PNP said.
CAAP: Wreckage near Mayon is missing Cessna
FOR THE FAITHFUL. File photo shows a Catholic nun applying ash to a woman’s forehead on the observance of Ash Wednesday at a church ground in Manila in 2022. AFP
a reconnaissance flight identified the wreckage using a high-resolution camera, said spokesperson Eric Apolonio. The condition of the pilot, crew and passengers—including two Australians-is still unknown because the search and rescue team, hampered by bad weather, has yet to reach the crash site. On Tuesday, a Philippine Air Force
Church resumes Ash Wednesday rites
By Joel E. Zurbano THE Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) confirmed on Tuesday that the wreckage found near Mayon Volcano is the RP-C2080 plane that has been reported missing in Albay province since Feb. 18. Civil aviation investigators onboard
(PAF) helicopter tried twice to reach the site but was unable to find a safe landing spot due to strong winds. A Philippine Navy aircraft equipped with an infrared camera for heat detection was also used for another attempt. Apolonio said the search team will allterrain vehicles to reach the crash site by land once the weather permits. Next page
CHURCHES under the Archdiocese In separate circulars on Tuesday, of Manila and the Diocese of Kalibo the Manila archdiocese and Kalibo would again allow the putting of ashes diocese have reminded priests, the on the foreheads of Catholics on Ash clergy, and the religious that the Wednesday on February 22, 2023. Next page