VOL. XXXVII • NO. 15 • 2 SECTIONS 8 PAGES FEBRUARY 26, 2023
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IN MET R MANILAO
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IN FULL BLOOM. Students
in colorful flowerinspired costumes perform during the 27th ‘Panagbenga’ Baguio Flower Festival Street Dancing event. Dave Leprozo
Gov’t to roll out P1k ayuda
Diokno says cash aid to mitigate inflation impact on 9.3m poor families
n By JULITO RADA
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HE government will soon roll out a P1,000 cash aid to 9.3 million poorest of the poor under the Targeted Cash Transfer (TCT) program to lessen the impact of the surging inflation. Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the total budget for the cash aid is P9.3 billion plus 5 percent administration cost. The P1,000 ayuda, he said, will be distributed in two tranches for two months. “Right now, we’re considering the two-month subsidy for consumers. We are just waiting for the announcement from the Palace,” Diokno said in an interview during the 2023 Annual
Reception for the Banking Community late Friday. He said the government is currently in the process of looking at possible sources for the cash aid. Diokno said the cash aid would be an extension of the TCT program that was launched during the Duterte administration wherein beneficiaries received P500 a month for six months. CONTINUED ON A3
PCG: 30 China boats still in Ayungin, Sabina shoals CHINESE maritime militia and coast guard vessels that were spotted earlier in Ayungin and Sabina Shoals are still inside the country’s maritime domain, the Philippine Coast Guard said on Saturday. \PCG spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said based on a recent maritime domain awareness flight, at least 30 Chinese. maritime militia vessels and one Chinese Coast Guard vessel
were seen in the two areas in the West Philippine Sea. “I can confirm that there’s still Chinese maritime militia and China Coast Guard vessels in Ayungin and Sabina Shoals,” Tarriela said. He said it is now up to the Department of Foreign Affairs to decide on whether to lodge another diplomatic protest over the presence of Chinese CONTINUED ON A3
17 provinces among most at risk of climate change AT LEASt 17 provinces in the Philippines landed in the top 100 areas worldwide that are most vulnerable to the effects on climate change. Based on the 2023 Gross Domestic Climate Risk ranking of XDI, an independent specialist in physical climate risk and adaptation analytics, Pangasinan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Metro Manila and Bulacan are among
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the top 20 areas in the Philippines at risk of climate damage. XDI said the report was based on its projections of damage to the built environment due to the effects of the climate crisis, including flooding, forest fires, and sea level rise. The study measures damage ratio, which it defines as “an expression of
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Business ................................................................. A4 Sports.......................................................................... B1 Entertainment ......................................... B3 Pets................................................................................... B4
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REMEMBERING EDSA 1. People gather at the People Power Monument to mark the 37th anniversary of the EDSA 1 bloodless revolution on Saturday, Feb. 25, 2023. Manny Palmero
PBBM extends ‘hand of reconciliation’ during 37th People Power anniversary n By VITO BARCELO PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has offered his hand of
reconciliation to those with “different political persuasions” during the 37th anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution as
he appealed for unity in a bid to build a better society for Filipinos. “As we look back to a time in CONTINUED ON A3
‘Bodies of 4 fatalities of ill-fated Cessna recovered’ THE remains of the four fatalities in the Cessna plane that crashed near Mayon Volcano on Feb. 18 have finally been recovered, Camalig Mayor Carlos Baldo said yesterday. “Following reports from the retrieval team, stating the successful
Pinoy in KL makes cocktail inspired by Bicol express LIFE | B2
recovery of the 4 bodies onboard Cessna 340A, the Incident Management Team (IMT) now starts to plan the proper handling of bodies, their drop off point, ground security protocols, and turn over to concerned authorities and eventually to the
HK model dismembered over financial dispute WORLD| A3
bereaved families,” Baldo said in a Facebook post. He said he reminded the teams “to treat the bodies with respect through proper management and utmost privacy.”
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BOC confiscates P104m onions, sugar, cigarettes NEWS | A2