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Last of a six-part supplement to mark Women’s Month SEE PAGE A3
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 47 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, MARCH 29, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PBBM cuts PH line with ICC The last straw: Rejection of gov’t bid to suspend drug war probe
By Vince Lopez, Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the Philippines will no longer get involved with the International Criminal Court after it rejected the government’s request to suspend its investigation into the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs that took the lives of thousands of suspects.
“We don’t have a next move. That’s the extent of our involvement with the ICC. That ends our involvement with the ICC,” Mr. Marcos said. “The appeal has failed. In our view, there’s nothing more that we can do... At this point we are essentially disengaging from any contact.. (or) communication with the ICC.”
In its decision, the ICC Appeals Chamber said it saw no “persuasive reasons” to support a suspension. The ICC said this means the prosecutor may proceed with the investigation while the Appeals Chamber considers Manila’s main appeal against the probe. Next page
FALLING WATER LEVEL, RISING HEAT INDEX.
A worker updates the data of the water elevation of the La Mesa Dam, which dropped to 76.49 meters Tuesday morning, March 28, 2023. Normal water level at La Mesa is usually between 78 and 80 meters. Water concessionaires have advised the public to conserve water during the dry season and brace for possible water interruptions due to the threat of El Niño, a weather phenomenon that could lead to a dry spell. State weather bureau PAGASA warned heat indexes between 41°C and 51°C carry impending danger, with the probability of a heat stroke with continued activity and the likelihood of heat cramps and heat exhaustion. Tacloban City logged the highest heat index on Tuesday at 42 degrees Celsius, followed by Dipolog City, Zamboanga del Norte (40℃); NAIA, Pasay City (40℃); Virac, Catanduanes (40℃); and Zamboanga City, Zamboanga del Sur (40℃). The highest heat index recorded this month was 47℃ in San Jose, Occidental Mindoro on March 25. Manny Palmero
Marcos greets Digong, vows to continue ‘good work’ By Vince Lopez and Maricel V. Cruz happy birthday sa ating predecessor, his predecessor. PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. greeted former President Rodrigo Duterte on his 78th birthday on Tuesday and vowed to continue the projects of the previous administration. “What a pleasure for me to wish a
PRRD. Happy birthday to you, Mr. President. Ngayon naiintindihan ko na kung bakit kung minsan ay noong president ka napapamura ka (Now I know why you cursed when you were still president). Now I know why,” Marcos said in the video greeting to
“Don’t worry about the projects you started, as we will continue to work on it. We will continue to make sure that those projects that you started will be successful and I am glad that I am able to continue the good work that you Next page
DOJ chief tags Teves as fugitive, Gov’t eyes new solon’s camp calls it ‘demonizing’ pension rules of By Rey E. Requejo and Charles Dantes JUSTICE Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Tuesday declared that Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. is already considered a fugitive, after the lawmaker refused to return to the country to face murder charges filed against him. Remulla made the statement after Teves’ lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, said
the lawmaker is not a fugitive since the government has yet to issue a warrant of arrest against him. “When one is suspected of having committed a crime, he is already considered a fugitive; he just did not show up,” Remulla said in an interview with ABS-CBN’s Headstart. “The actions would speak louder than words. It’s that he is not showing up, Next page
uniformed staff
THE Marcos Jr. administration is planning to implement reforms in the military and uniformed personnel (MUP) retirement and pension system to avoid a “fiscal collapse” caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, the reforms would end automatic pensions for servicemen after 20 years in the service, and instead start their pension at 57 years old (a year after their mandatory retirement age), and pensioners would no longer receive payouts indexed to the salary of active personnel of single ranks. The pension fund covers personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Fire Protection, Philippine National Police, Philippine Public Safety College, Philippine Coast Guard, and the Bureau of Corrections. In a Palace press briefing, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. also exNext page
RECOVERED. The Philippine National Police on Tuesday said a map of the house and family photos of slain Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo were recovered from a suspect arrested during a raid in a compound owned by former Gov. Henry Pryde Teves. PNP handout photo
BACK IN VERDE ISLAND. Satellite image obtained by the Philippine Space Agency on Tuesday shows new traces of oil slick in Verde Island. PhilSA’s Roel dela Cruz said the oil slick, spotted morning of March 27, 2023, ‘is a bit long.’ PhilSA photo
Satellite captures traces of long oil slick in Verde Island Passage By Rio N. Araja and Othel V. Campos
Island Passage, an area rich in marine biodiversity.. Roel dela Cruz of PhilSA, said the oil THE Philippine Space Agency (Phil- slick was sighted in Verde Island beSA) on Tuesday said satellite images tween Mindoro and Batangas on March showed new traces of oil slick in Verde Next page