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MUNTI COURT ACQUITS DE LIMA ON 2ND DRUG CHARGE, BAIL EYED ON 3RD CASE
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 86 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, MAY 13, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
TWO CASES DOWN. Detained former Senator Leila De Lima leaves the Regional Trial Court in Muntinlupa City on Friday after attending the hearing on one of the remaining illegal drugs charges against her, in which she was acquitted. Danny Pata
Lima of one of the two remaining drug cases filed against her that alleged she was involved in the illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison when she still headed the Department of Justice. In his decision, Presiding Judge AbraA MUNTINLUPA City court has acquitted detained former senator Leila de ham Alcantara of the Muntinlupa City
By Rey E. Requejo, Vince Lopez, Macon RamosAraneta and Maricel V. Cruz
Regional Trial Court Branch 204 absolved De Lima of drug charges on the grounds of reasonable doubt. "It's a glorious day. This is the beginning of my vindication," said De Lima, 63, as police escorted her to a waiting bus after the verdict. Next page
Kuwait row a big loss for PH $600m OFW remittances at stake over deployment ban counter-move By Julito G. Rada, Rey E. Requejo, and Maricel V. Cruz
T
HE Philippines stands to lose about $600 million (about P33.5 billion) in remittances by its overseas workers in Kuwait annually after the Middle Eastern state imposed an entry ban on all Filipinos, except those with an “iqama” or residence permit.
MOTHER'S DAY BOUQUETS.
Flower sellers in Dangwa, Manila prepare their wares on Friday for the surge of customers seeking gifts for Mother’s Day this Sunday. Norman Cruz
The ban was imposed supposedly because the Philippines failed to comply with a labor agreement between the two countries. Data obtained by Manila Standard from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas on Friday showed that cash remittances from Filipinos working in the Gulf state reached $597.186 million in 2022, 3.7 percent higher than the year before, and accounted for 1.8 percent of total remittances by OFWs last year that reached $32.54 billion. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Paul Cortes told CNN Philippines that the ban took effect May 10 and covers Filipinos, even those issued with visas, who are entering Kuwait. Next page
Admin managing economy well, Speaker tells IMF End human trafficking ‘scourge,’ PBBM orders, as 6 Pinoys saved By Maricel V. Cruz
THE administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. is managing the economy well, as shown by the higherthan-expected growth in the first quarter of 2023, Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said Friday. He made the statement in reaction to the report of the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) that the economy
grew by 6.4 percent in the first three months of this year. The House leader assured the people that the economy remains on the high-growth path. Romualdez pointed out that the high-growth quarters and the first quarter of this year represent the first nine months of the Marcos administration. “The average economic expan-
sion during that period is 7.07 percent, which is a respectable growth rate that is slightly higher than the median of last year’s growth target of 6.5 percent and 7.5 percent. So the economy is in good hands,” he said. The Speaker added that the government is expected to ramp up spending, especially on infrastructure and social services. Next page
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. wants the human trafficking scourge in the country eradicated, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Friday. This developed as at least six Filipinos who fell victim to a human trafficking scheme in Myanmar have returned to the Philippines, after being tortured and forced to pay up to P300,000 each by their employers. Sixty more Filipinos remain captive in Myanmar, authorities added. “The statement of the President is
strong, and his desire is to eradicate trafficking in persons as it is another form of slavery,” Bersamin told reporters on the sidelines of the meeting of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) at the AFP commissioned officers’ clubhouse in Camp Aguinaldo in Quezon City. “So, the PAOCC has been given this task to run after the criminals committing this trafficking in persons, and to rescue the people who were victims of this crime,” he said. Next page
High Court junks Makabayan petition vs. Maharlika bill, says it’s premature By Rey E. Requejo
ECONOMIC BRIEFING. Speaker Martin Romualdez (second from left) briefs Mission Members from the International Monetary Fund on the ecomomic reforms being implemented by the government. Flanking him are Rep. Stella Quimbo and House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, while the IMF was represented by Mission Chief Jay Peiris; Resident Representative Ragnar Gudmundsson; Senior Economist Yinqiu Lu; and Economist Tristan Hennig. Ver Noveno
Bersamin: President has power to shuffle Cabinet PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has the power to appoint to his Cabinet candidates who lost in the national and local elections in May last year, Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said on Friday. The President on Tuesday confirmed he was planning a reorganization of his Cabinet after the constitutional ban on appointing losing candidates to government
posts one year after the general elections lapsed on May 9. Cagayan De Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez had appealed to Mr. Marcos not to "recycle" candidates who lost in last year's polls by giving them Cabinet posts. But Bersamin said: “Appeals like that should not be made. They mean very well, but you know, there are good peo-
ple, and if the President wants to replace some people in the Cabinet right now, he is within his full political power to exercise that choice.” The Executive Secretary added that the President's discretion on filling vacant government positions extends to individuals who are planning to run in the 2025 midterm elections. Next page
THE Supreme Court has junked the petition filed by the Makabayan bloc in the House of Representatives seeking to declare the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill unconstitutional after "failing to establish the existence of an actual case or controversy." “(Petitioner Neri) Colmenares et al.’s mere allegation of unconstitutionality of the President’s certification of HB (House Bill) 6608 and the passage of the bill by the House are not sufficient to warrant re-
view by the Court,” the SC said in a resolution released Friday. The high court stressed that the petitioners did not establish sufficient or concrete facts to enable the Court to adjudicate the issues presented. “In fact, and by their own admission, the Senate has yet to act on the counterpart bill of HB 6608. To date, no law has been passed and HB 6608 remains pending with the House for further revisions, eliminating petitioners and legislators’ concerns regarding the expedited passage of HB 6608 in the House,” the SC said. Next page
Medal standings (as of 10 p.m.) Country G S B
Vietnam Thailand Cambodia Indonesia Singapore Philippines Malaysia Myanmar Laos Brunei Timor Leste
67 58 56 47 38 31 26 15 6 2 0
65 41 45 39 31 59 32 14 14 1 0
76 63 57 60 34 70 58 40 40 5 2