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Second of a six-part supplement to mark Women’s Month VOL. XXXVII • NO. 26 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
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PUV strike over, trips resume Manibela, Piston declare end of protest after Palace meeting
By Joyce Pañares, Rio N. Araja, Othel V. Campos, Vito Barcelo, Joel E. Zurbano and Darwin Amojelar
T
RANSPORT groups Manibela and PISTON have ended what should have been a week-long nationwide transport strike after a meeting at the Palace on Tuesday.
Public utility vehicles will resume plying their routes today (Wednesday) following a two-day strike. Manibela head Mar Valbuena and PISTON president Mody Floranda met yesterday with Palace officials, including Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, a former chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and
Regulatory Board. “There will be no phaseout of jeepneys. The king of the road will remain,” Valbuena told Manila Standard in an interview. He said this was based on the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., as relayed by the Palace officials they met at the Office of the
Executive Secretary. “For traditional jeepneys that are still road-worthy, they will remain on the road,” Valbuena said. He said the Department of Transportation has also assured them that there will be a dialogue on the concerns of UV Express drivers and operators as well. He said they were “satisfied” with the commitments they secured during the meeting. The Department of Transportation through the LTFRB extended the deadline for public utility jeepney franchise consolidation from June 30 to Dec. 31. Next page
DIALOGUE. Photo shows Manibela head Mar Valbuena (2nd from left) and PISTON president Mody Floranda (2nd from right) after their meeting with Palace officials, including Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil (right), a former chairperson of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board. Manibela Facebook page
SOS sent out to curb oil spill, Boracay in peril By Willie Casas, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippine Coast Guard on Tuesday appealed for help to contain a massive oil spill from a sunken tanker in Oriental Mindoro, which continued to threaten the livelihood of thousands of fishermen and the health of residents along the coasts of several provinces. Japan and the United States, along with several private companies, expressing their willingness to extend assistance, PCG Admiral Artemio Manalo Abu said, after it held coordination meetings with various foreign embassies. Next page
CLEANUP. Residents and members of the local oil spill response team collect 15 sacks of oil waste in Brgy. Semirara in Caluya, Antique. The oil spill from the sunken tanker MT Princess
Empress from Naujan, Oriental Mindoro has reachrd Caluyan which is about 70 nautical miles away. Inset are two maps from the UP Marine Science Institute showing the trajectory of the oil spill from the sunken MT Princess Empress in Oriental Mindoro. The map on the upper right shows the oil spill could reach Cuyo Island by March 12. The map on the lower right marks the areas threated by the oil spill, Oriental Mindoro to Caluya Island in Northwestern Antique, and Cuyo Island in Palawan.
Rep. Teves charged with murder raps over 2019 killings of 3 victims By Charles Dantes and Rey E. Requejo
plaints against Negros Oriental 3rd District Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. for the killing of Negros Oriental board member THE Philippine National Police (PNP) Miguel Dungog and two others in 2019. The cases were filed shortly after on Tuesday filed multiple murder com-
Inflation slightly eases to 8.6% in Feb. due to lower oil prices By Julito G. Rada and Vince Lopez Group headed by Finance Secretary INFLATION in February eased to 8.6 percent from a 14-year high of 8.7 percent in January mainly due to a decline in the transport index, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) said Tuesday. News of the slight decline in inflation came as the Palace announced the creation of an Economic Development
Benjamin Diokno, and co-chaired by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan. The February inflation was significantly higher than the 3 percent registered a year ago, and well over the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent. Next page
Pag-IBIG Fund defers contribution hike to help in pandemic recovery THE Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees has officially approved the postponement of the agency’s contribution hike in 2023, citing the continuing recovery of both workers and business owners from the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a statement, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees said they unanimously apNext page
Teves’s name surfaced following the mur- Teves is not a person of interest in the der of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo Degamo case. and eight other people on Saturday. PNP spokesperson Jean Fajardo PNP public information officer said the suspects in the killing of the Col. Redrico Maranan, however, said Next page
Gov’t eyes new work hours from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. GOVERNMENT agencies may soon adjust their office hours to 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Mondays to Thursdays with work-from-home setups on Fridays, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said Tuesday. In a Palace press conference, Diokno revealed that the Department of Energy Next page
PCG: Chinese ships ignore PH warnings in Pag-asa TOP GUN ‘LAWIN.’
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Is seen on board an FA-50PH fighter jet after a familiarization flight during the acceptance, turnover and blessing of the C-295 Medium Lift Aircraft acquired by the Philippine Air Force in a ceremony at the Clark Air Base in Pampanga on Tuesday March 7, 2023. Alfred Frias
By Charles Dantes, Vince Lopez, and Maricel Cruz CHINESE vessels roaming near Pag-asa Island in the West Philippine Sea are not heeding the Philippine Coast Guard’s warnings to respect the country’s maritime borders, the latter’s spokesman said Tuesday. This developed as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. boarded a fighter jet and flew over a portion of the WPS, a Palace source told Next page