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Nat’l debt hits record P14.1 trillion By Julito G. Rada THE country’s outstanding debt hit a record P14.10 trillion as of end-May 2023 from P13.91 trillion as of endApril mainly due to the weaker peso against the greenback and the borrowings incurred by the government to fund its budget deficit, the Bureau of the Treasury said Tuesday.
“The level of debt grew by P185.40 billion or 1.3 percent from the previous month due to the net issuance of domestic and external debt and the depreciation of the local currency against the US dollar,” the Treasury said in a statement. Earlier, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said the government would not borrow as much as it did Next page
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 140 • 4 SECTIONS 38 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, JULY 5 , 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
PBBM: Probe onion smuggling DOJ, NBI told to curb hoarding, price fixing, economic sabotage By Charles Dantes and Rey Requejo
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday ordered an investigation into the smuggling of onion and other agricultural products, saying such acts were tantamount to economic sabotage.
SONA PREPARATIONS. The Batasang Pambansa complex in Quezon City gets a fresh coat of paint as the Manila Police District Civil Disturbance Management unit practices its formations at the Quirino Grandstand on Tuesday, both in preparation for President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s State of the Nation Address on July 24. Joan Bondoc and Norman Cruz
“I have just given instructions to the DOJ and the NBI to initiate an investigation into the hoarding, smuggling (and) price fixing of agricultural commodities. And this is stemming from the hearing that we’ve conducted in the House, specifically by Congresswoman Stella Quimbo and the findings that they came up with,” Mr. Marcos said. Upon the directive of the President, the Department of Justice will form a task force to investigate and prosecute onion smuggling in the country. “The DOJ is one with the President in its commitment to eradicate onion smuggling in the Philippines,” the DOJ said in a statement. “The Department is not only focused on investigation and prosecution but also on enhancing the regulatory framework and strengthening border controls to prevent future incidents,” the department added. President Marcos emphasized the significance of these findings as sufNext page
Don’t pay DDB High Court reverses decision in big shabu case, rebukes cops, judges for DOT work, says Pimentel By Rey E. Requejo
of shabu in 2003 and rebuked the police, prosecutors, and lower court judges for THE Supreme Court has overturned the bungling a multi-billion-peso drug case. In an en banc decision rendered on conviction of two men who were convicted in 2014 for possession of over 119 kilos Feb. 21 but uploaded on the Court’s
website on June 30, the justices reversed the decision of the Court of Appeals and acquitted Robert Uy, and James Go Ong alias Willie Gan. The decision and the Court’s scath-
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El Nino arrives, PH ‘must brace for dry spells’
By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz SENATE Minority Leader Aquilino Pimentel III on Tuesday said the Department of Tourism (DOT) should not pay the ad agency DDB Philippines after they circulated a promotional video about the country online that included stock footage from other countries. “We should refuse to pay professional fees for such unprofessional work,” Pimentel said, adding that the DOT should ensure that the Philippine government suffered no financial damage as a result of the fiasco. Furthermore, he said the DOT should also demand the return of whatever payment has already been made to the ad agency. He also told the DOT to implement better screening of contractors or service providers.
ing assessment of the officials involved triggered a Department of Justice (DOJ) investigation into the possible culpabilities of prosecutors in the case.
By Rio N. Araja and Gabriellea B. Pariño
HEALTH TALK. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (right) examines a document as Health Secretary Ted Herbosa looks on Tuesday in a
sectoral meeting at Malacanang. The group discussed the planned Clark Multi-Specialty Center for heart, kidney, and cancer treatments for patients in Central and Northern Luzon. PCO Photos
THE El Niño phenomenon is now present in the Tropical Pacific, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) on Tuesday said, adding that the people must prepare for the expected dry spell “as early as we can.” Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System (MWSS) said an estimated 632,000 Next page
On 4th of July, Marcos hails ‘deep’ PH-US ties ON PHILIPPINE-American FriendIn a tweet on Tuesday, the President ship Day, President Ferdinand Mar- said that the deep connection between cos Jr. asserted the Philippines’ com- the Philippines and the United States mitment to its ties with the country’s was built on “trust and collaboration”. staunch ally, the United States. “On this joyous occasion of Phil-
Speaker, House transmit Maharlika bill to Senate for President to sign By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta SPEAKER Martin Romualdez and House Secretary General Reginald Velasco have signed the Maharlika Investment Fund bill and transmitted the signed copy to the Senate on Monday. The latest version of the bill that was approved by Congress was ear-
lier signed by Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri while he was in the United States on June 21. Romualdez, the principal author of the bill, earlier said the amendments introduced to the measure, specifically the inclusion of more safeguards against possible abuse and fraud, were “our way of addressing the concerns of our people.” Next page
ippine-American Friendship Day, we commemorate the deep connection between our nations, built on the foundation of trust and collaboration,” the Next page
PRE-LEDAC GAB.
House Speaker Martin Romualdez (left) and Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri listen to other lawmakers as they lead the preLEDAC meting in Makati City late Monday to discuss priority measures for the Second Regular Session of the 19th Congress. Ver Noveno
‘Barbie’ movie underscores WPS, 9-dash line issues By Macon Ramos-Araneta
China’s massive nine-dash line claim the same as it denigrates Philippine sovover the South China Sea. ereignty,” Senator Francis Tolentino said. “If the invalidated 9-dash line was inSen. Risa Hontiveros said China’s TROUBLES in Barbie Land continue as a senator on Tuesday called on the deed depicted in the movie Barbie, then nine-dash line was as fictional as the Next page MTRCB to ban the film for showing it is incumbent upon the MTRCB to ban