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CANADA EXTENDS VISA-FREE PERKS TO PH TRAVELERS
DOJ TO START PROBE ON TEVES MURDER CHARGE
NEWS / A3
NEWS / A4 VOL. XXXVII • NO. 113 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, JUNE 8, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
‘Don’t tamper with Maharlika’ Senators warn economic team vs. changing provisions in IRR By Macon Ramos-Araneta
LGUs near Mayon brace for sudden evacuation By Charles Dantes and Rio N. Araja LOCAL government units near Mayon Volcano are prepared in case of a sudden evacuation, and the Office of Civil Defense said it is ready in case the situation worsens, a spokesman said Wednesday. This developed as the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology observed active degassing at the main crater of the Taal Volcano in Batangas over the past 24 hours. Classes in all levels in Laurel, Batangas were suspended on Next page
S
ENATORS vowed to keep a keen eye on economic managers crafting the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of the Maharlika Investment Fund (MIF) bill once it is enacted into law and warned of “criminal consequences” if the Congressapproved measure is tampered with in any way. Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva warned economic managers not to attempt to invest pension funds into the MIF whether directly or indirectly. “No matter what they do, they can’t deviate from the spirit of the law,” said Villanueva. The economic managers, he said, “were not elected to debate, to amend, or to remove (provisions) in this law,” as he underscored the need to closely watch the IRR crafting. If the government’s economic team -- Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman, Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Romeo Lumagui Jr. and other officials -- will “tinker” with the MIF law, the Senate leader Next page
RESTIVE BEAUTY. Residents exercise as Mayon volcano spews white smoke in Legaspi City, Albay province on June 7, 2023. AFP
Defense chief: Lawmakers hail Speaker for ‘taking moral high road’ amid attacks PH not a pawn in SCS conflict By Maricel V. Cruz
LEADERS of the House of Representatives have lauded Speaker Martin Romualdez for remaining focused on his countless responsibilities while he
has been on the receiving end of Vice President Sara Duterte’s apparent attacks, saying he has taken the “moral high road.” Reps. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. and Luis Raymund Villafuerte of Camarines Sur
defended the Speaker, saying Romualdez never said a bad thing about the Vice President despite being “the obvious subject” of her “vicious insinuations” following the alleged attempt to oust him.
On Monday, the Vice President refused to mention President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s middle name, Romualdez, in her speech for the Office of the Vice President (OVP)’s thanksgiving event Next page
Gov’t to reverse medical ‘brain drain’—Herbosa By Macon Ramos-Araneta NEWLY appointed Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa said he would make it his priority to address the brain drain in the medical profession by making sure health care workers get the benefits due them. “It’s time to honor them because they are leaving,” Herbosa said in a mix of English and Filipino. “They’re getting jobs in oter countries that [are] paying them higher. We need to solve this; this is my priority.” He committed to making sure that the Department of Budget and Management and DOH will be able to issue the benefits due to health workers. “I’ll look into that, make sure that all those who worked and gave their services will be given their benefits,” he said. He said President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. was “very clear” about the need to address the increasing cases of TB (tuberculosis), teenage pregnancy, and HIV among the youth. He also said the President wanted to push specialty hospitals. Before the Congress adjourned sine Next page
COURTESY CALL. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. urges newly-appointed Philippine ambassadors to seek ‘non-traditional’ trade and security partners. (From left) Paul Cortez (Portugal), Raul Hernandez (Oman), Henry Bensurto Jr. (Turkiye), Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, President Marcos, Carlos Sorreta (Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva), Joel Ignacio (India), Maria Angela Ponce (Malaysia) and Renato Villa (Saudi Arabia).
By Charles Dantes and Macon Ramos-Araneta NEWLY appointed Defense chief Gilbert Teodoro said the Philippines is not a pawn in the geopolitical maneuvering in the South China Sea. Reacting to Chinese criticism of recent moves by the administration, Teodoro said the Philippines should not be questioned in its initiatives to bolster its defensive capabilities. “Just like we do not question the build-up of defensive and offensive capabilities of other countries, they should not question ours, and they should not tie up our build-up of our capabilities to any question of whether it is Taiwan or what not,” Teodoro said in an interview with ANC. Returning to lead the Department of National Defense after more than a decade, Teodoro insisted that the Philippines’ partnerships with other nations should not be linked to the territorial
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Find non-traditional trade, defense partners, Marcos orders PH envoys By Vince Lopez FILIPINO ambassadors should look continuously for so-called “non-traditional” partners in terms of trade, security, and defense requirements of the country, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. said Wednesday. Meeting with the recently appointed chiefs of mission and ambassadors in
Malacañang, the President urged them that with the current global situation amid the “pandemic economy” that altered the dynamics of world dealings, the Philippines must cope with the changing times and not be left behind. “We are constantly now -- after all the changes that have been imposed upon us, like the pandemic economy Next page
DoTr wants NAIA privatized by first quarter of 2024 By Darwin G. Amojelar, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo
and operation of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by the first quarter of 2024. “That is a very tough and tight THE government on Wednesday said schedule. We can say that is doable it aims to privatize the management in the first quarter of next year,” said
Transportation Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Roberto Lim. “That takes time. If there is more than one participant, we will have to talk to all of them. It will take time,” Next page
ROAD TO FREEDOM. Philippine flags are up along Aguinaldo Highway in Dasmarinas, Cavite as the country prepares to celebrate 125 years of independence on June 12. Avito Dalan