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‘Betty’ winds hit N. Luzon, storm to exit PH Friday By Rio N. Araja and Charles Dantes MORE than 4,000 people were moved to safer ground Monday as Typhoon Betty was raised to Tropical Cyclone Warning Signal No. 2, with Cagayan and Batanes provinces just beginning to feel the strong wind and rains that leveled some old structures in northern Luzon. Packing maximum sustained winds of 155 kilometers per hour and 190 kph gusts, Betty was spotted 470 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan while moving west-northwestward at 10 kph, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said. The former super typhoon, with international name Mawar, is expected to leave the Philippine area of responsibility on Friday, the state weather bureau said.
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 104 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, MAY 30, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
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BETTY’S WRATH. In these ABS-CBN TV report screen grabs, an old
warehouse inside Port Irene in Sta. Ana, Cagayan is captured on video moments before it collapsed owing to the strong winds brought by Typhoon Betty on Monday. Tree branches were stiff in the wind, and residents had to lash their houses to tree trucks out of fear they would be blown away by the former super typhoon.
DFA: No apologies to Kuwait PH stands ground on ‘violations,’ will protect troubled Pinoys
By Rey E. Requejo
T
HE Philippines will not apologize for its alleged violations that led to the Kuwaiti government’s order suspending the issuance of new entry visas to Filipinos, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday.
“The Philippine government’s posi position, President [Ferdinand] Marcos’ [Jr.] position is that we cannot apologize for protecting our workers. We cannot hold our own people accountable for doing their job which is to protect our overseas nationals,” DFA Undersecretary
Eduardo de Vega said in an interview with CNN Philippines’ The Source. In a related development, De Vega also clarified that the incident in Kuwait when an SUV driver plowed through a group of 60 Filipino cyclists -- resulting in 15 getting hurt -- was not a hate
crime amid the visa issue between the two nations. “It is not a hate crime against Filipinos. That’s not what it looks like. What happened was that for some time, there have been concerns in Kuwait over the Next page
Lakas reaffirms alliance with six parties to push lawmaking goals By Maricel V. Cruz THE Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) reaffirmed its solid political alliance with six other parties in the House of Representatives by signing agreements with them on Monday.
Renewing pacts with the House’s biggest party were the Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan (PDPLaban), National Unity Party (NUP), Nacionalista Party (NP), Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), Party-list Next page
Senate passes estate tax amnesty, 2 more priority bills before sine die By Macon Ramos-Araneta
‘Bigger role for PSE with Maharlika law in place’ RINGING THE BELL. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez and Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) Chairman and Independent Director Jose Pardo lead the ringing of the bell during the opening of the Philippine Stock Market and the inauguration of the new PSE Events Hall Monday at Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. With them are Banko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Felipe Medalla (left) and PSE President and CEO Ramon Monzon (right). Ver Noveno
Teves: No plan to go home sans bit of ‘fairness’ By Maricel V. Cruz DESPITE facing stiffer sanctions from the House of Representatives, murder suspect and Negros Oriental Rep. Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Monday said he has no plan to return to the country despite the recantations of the suspectwitnesses in the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo. In a virtual press briefing, Teves said the only thing that would convince him to come home is when he sees a “semblance of fairness” from those investigating Degamo’s death. He added that the serious threats to his life were reason enough not to return. “With or without recantations, there is still a threat to my life and there is still no semblance of fairness,” Teves said in Filipino. Next page
By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez on Monday said the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE) will soon play a bigger role in the country’s development through earnings from stocks that would be used for projects to spur business activities, create more jobs, and implement needed social programs. The Speaker issued this prediction in his keynote speech during the inauguration of the PSE Event Hall and Ayala Corporation’s follow-on offering listing ceremony at the PSE Tower in Boni-
facio Global City, Taguig City. Congratulating the people behind the PSE for another milestone in its history, Romualdez expressed the bebe lief of the House in the capital market and the indispensable role it plays in the country’s economic recovery and development. “The corporation that will be created to manage the Ma-harlika Investment Fund will invariinvari ably look to the PSE in its search for blue chip investment opportunities, from which handsome dividends may be generated – dividends which shall Next page
Puerto bet tops Bb. Pilipinas pageant By Eton Concepcion ANGELICA Lopez, a 22-year-old model from Puerto Princesa, was named Bb. Pilipinas International 2023 at the 59th Binibining Pilipinas grand coronation night held at the Smart Araneta Coliseum late Sunday.
Lopez impressed the judges with her grace and advocacy work. She was previously a Top 16 finalist at the Miss Universe Philippines 2022 and first runner-up in Miss Asia Global 2022. Lopez, who is currently pursuing a psychology degree at Palawan State Next page
INTERNATIONAL QUEENS. New Binibining Pilipinas-International Angelica Lopez (center) is flanked by her predecessor Nicole Borromeo (right) and Miss InternaInterna tional 2022 Jasmin Selberg, whom the model from Palawan hopes to succeed on the global stage later this year. Teddy Pelaez
tration days before Congress adjourns sine die on June 2. The priority measures passed are THE Senate on Monday unanimously the Estate Tax Amnesty Act (SB approved on final reading three priority 2219), Trabaho Para sa Bayan Act (Senate Bill 2035), and the Regional bills of the Next page adminis-