twitter.com/ MlaStandard
facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
instagram.com/ manilastandard
S
manilastandard.net
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 85646229
MARCOS TO PUSH FOOD, ENERGY ISSUES IN ASEAN
AZCONA TAKES SRA HELM, DEFENDS BIG SUGAR SHIPMENT
NEWS / A2
NEWS / A2 VOL. XXXVII • NO. 72 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, APRIL 29, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PH not backing down in WPS DFA, PCG rip 'illegal actions' but China blames 'provocative' local ships By Rey E. Requejo, Vince Lopez, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz
HE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday declared that the Philippine government will not back down from what it described as "intrusions" and "illegal actions" in the West Philippine Sea after a Chinese coast guard ship caused a near-collision with a Philippine Coast Guard vessel on Sunday.
T
But China said Friday that the near-collision was The near-miss off the Spratly Islands on Sunday caused by the Philippine ship’s "premeditated and was the latest in a steady string of incidents between Next page provocative action.”
NAVAL MIGHT. USS Makin Island (LHD-8), a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, is docked at Pier 15 in the port of Manila on Friday. The Makin Island was part of the contingent of US ships in the recent Balikatan exercises in northern Luzon. Days earlier, the inset photo shows a member of the Philippine coast guard vessel BRP Malabrigo manning his post while being shadowed by a Chinese coast guard ship at Second Thomas Shoal in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea. Norman Cruz and AFP
More soldiers eyed in next drill; ‘Cope Thunder’ revived Half of Pinoys By Charles Dantes THE Armed Forces of the Philippines is eyeing more soldiers to participate in next year’s military drills with the United States and their allies as they officially
closed the largest Balikatan joint military exercises on Friday at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. AFP chief of staff, Gen. Andres Centino said the Balikatan 2023 exercises were “very successful” with several firsts
on various training fronts as he led the closing rites together with Department of National Defense chief Carlito Galvez and US Ambassador to the Philippines MaryKay Carlson. As the Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder
in Filipino) drills drew to an end, the two countries’ air forces revived their joint exercises called “Cope Thunder,” 23 years after they were stopped in 1991. The US Pacific Air Forces Public Next page
PBBM to stress ‘peaceful, secure, stable, prosperous’ seas in US visit Sea when he begins his official visit to the United States next week, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Friday. Amid reports that a Chinese coast guard ship caused a near collision with a PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will Philippine Coast Guard vessel over the underscore the country’s desire to have a weekend, DFA spokesperson Ma. Teresita Next page peaceful, secure, and stable South China
By Vince Lopez, Rey E. Requejo, Charles Dantes, and Macon Ramos-Araneta
in Sudan evac'd via bus to Egypt
THE Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday more than half of the 700 registered Filipinos in war-torn Sudan have been evacuated by the Philippine government during the 72-hour ceasefire there and are now in Egypt. In a statement, the DFA said as of Friday noon (Manila time), 496Filipinos were able to get out of the capital city, Khartoum, where the heavy fighting between the Sudanese military and paramilitary forces took place. A total 414 Filipino evacuees traveled the Sudanese border to Egypt through the evacuation buses rented by the Philippine Next page embassy.
Solon: Cops covered up actions in big shabu haul By Maricel V. Cruz
LOCKED IN. Department of National Defense Office-In-Charge Carlito Galvez and US Ambassador MaryKay Carlson (second and third from left) lock arms with Philippine and American generals as they witness the Balikatan 38-2023 closing ceremony at Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City on Friday. Danny Pata
SURIGAO del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers on Friday accused several policemen of "covering up" what really transpired during the Oct. 8, 2022 drug bust in Tondo,
Manila that yielded nearly a ton of shabu worth P6.7 billion. Interior Secretary Benhur Abalos had said the drugs seized in the October 2022 operation were "probably the biggest drug haul in the history of
the Philippines." Barbers, chairperson of the House panel on dangerous drugs, cited the supposed "inconsistencies" and conflicting statements of police officers present in the operation. Next page
Speaker: Help Fuel rollbacks of up to P1.50/l next week OFW families By Alena Mae S. Flores register SIMs
LOCAL oil companies will likely implement another round of pump price rollbacks on Tuesday of as much as P1.50 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market. Next week's rollback would be the third consecutive week of price cuts for diesel and the second consecutive week for gasoline and kerosene. Industry sources told Manila Standard that based on the first four days of weekly trading in the world oil market and the foreign
exchange average, oil prices softened leading to a potential rollback across all products. The source said gasoline may go down by P1.40 to P1.50 per liter, diesel by P1.10 to P1.20 per liter, and kerosene by P1 to P1.10 per liter. DOE director for Oil Industry Management Bureau Rodela Romero said world oil prices dropped amid deepening concerns of an economic slowdown while a stronger dollar outweighed hopes of higher Chinese demand. Next page
SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez on Friday called for a simpler, more convenient, and faster process of registering subscriber identity modules (SIMs) by millions of still unregistered legitimate mobile phone users. “In particular, let us assist overseas Filipino workers and their families to register. Their mobile phones are their principal means of communicating and Next page
TOWERING GUESTS. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., all of 5-foot-5, is dwarfed by 7-foot-6 Yao Ming (left) and seven-footer Dirk Nowitzki as the US National Basketball Association legends paid a courtesy call on the Chief Executive on Friday in Malacanang. China’s Yao and Germany’s Nowitzki are ambassadors for the FIBA Basketball World Cup, which the Philippines is hosting from August 25 to Sept. 10. PCO Photo