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President: SONA to report admin’s performance, significant progress By Vince Lopez and Macon Ramos-Araneta
Nation Address (SONA) next week. “It’s really very simple. It’s just a performance report for Filipinos to see if the PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on many pronouncements and words said Monday said he would report on the pro- were relevant or were just mere words,” gress the country has made under his the President said during an interview. leadership during his second State of the Next page
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 153 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JULY 18, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
P20/k rice still a goal
Marcos: Gov’t committed to fulfill campaign promise By Vince Lopez
P
RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is doing everything it can to make good his campaign promise to cut the price of rice to P20 a kilo.
At the nationwide launch of his ad ad- gram in San Fernando, Pampanga, Mr. ministration’s Kadiwa ng Pangula pro pro- Marcos acknowledged they have yet to
COMING SOON. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. assures Filipinos his administration
is doing all it can to fulfill his campaign promise of bringing down rice prices to P20 per kilogram. NFA rice (shown in photo) is sold at P25 per kilo, for a maximum purchase of four kilos, at the Diskwento Caravan Kadiwa ng Pangulo in front of the Pasay City Hall on Monday, July 17, 2023. Danny Pata
achieve his dream of P20-a-kilo rice. “As to our dream of achieving rice prices of P20 per kilo, we’re not there yet, but we are doing everything we can,” the President said. The Palace said all 81 provinces in the Philippines joined the simultaneous launch as they opened their own Kadiwa centers—government stores where people can buy agricultural produce at a lower cost by providing a venue for farmers to sell their produce directly to consumers. “Kadiwa is good because we have a system where consumers can purchase
cheaper products,” the President said. The President signed a memorandum of agreement that formalizes the partnership of several executive agencies— led by the Department of Agriculture (DA) which he heads—to collaborate and support the local government units in establishing Kadiwa stalls in their respective localities. Other agencies that are part of the agreement are the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment Next page
‘PH won’t enforce arrest warrant if ICC issues one’ By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippines will not comply if the International Criminal Court (ICC) issues a warrant of arrest against anyone for deaths arising from former President Rodrigo Duterte’s bloody war on drugs, Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said Monday. Instead, Remulla said the ICC should allow the Philippines to run after the persons against whom the tribunal has evidence of having committed crimes during the anti-drug operations. “As long as they have evidence against these persons that they want to run after, then they should give them to us so that we will be the ones to prosecute those who committed crimes in our country,” Remulla said in a media briefing. Next page
DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the launch of the electronic Local Government Unit (eLGU) System and the People’s Feedback Mechanism (eReport) in Malacañan Palace on Monday (July 17, 2023). He is joined by Department of Information and Communications Technology Secretary Ivan Uy and Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Benhur Abalos. Rey Baniquet
3 in 4 Pinoys want US help in resolving WPS row By Macon Ramos Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz SEVENTY-five percent of Filipinos want the Philippines to partner with the United States to resolve territorial disputes with China over the West Philippine Sea (WPS), Senate President Juan
Miguel Zubiri said Monday. He said this was based on the latest Pulse Asia survey in response to Zubiri’s rider question: “Are you in favor or not in favor of strengthening the military ties between the United States and the Philippines amid security tensions in the West Philippine Sea?”
Zubiri noted that only 14 percent were not in favor, as the rest of the respondents marked themselves as not having enough knowledge to form an opinion (2 percent) or “can’t say” (8 percent). Amid criticisms of the US military’s participation in drills in the WPS, which Next page
Binay vows to help residents affected by SC ruling By Joel E. Zurbano
COMELEC BUCKS SC ORDER FOR 2025 BRGY POLLS NEWS / A4
‘MAYON UNREST MAY END IN A FEW WEEKS’ NEWS / A3
MAKATI City Mayor Abigail Binay on Monday expressed concern over the fate of more than 300,000 residents affected by a Supreme Court decision affirming Taguig City;s jurisdiction over
Bonifacio Global City. “In the coming days, the city government and I will coordinate and work with the concerned national government departments and agencies. We will find a way for Makati to continue to be of assistance and service to you,” Binay said
in a video message posted on her Facebook page. The city chief executive noted that the dispute with Taguig is not about the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) or politics but the welfare Next page
‘Ibong Adarna’ spotted in Mindanao By Gabriellea Pariño
here by the DENR Protected Area Management and Biodiversity Conservation A RARE bird compared to the mythi- Section (PAMBCS) Region XI, displays cal “Ibong Adarna”—a female Philippine shades of mustard-yellow underparts and Trogon—was recently spotted by the De- an olive-brown head. On the other hand, partment of Environment and Natural ReNext page sources Davao Region in the tropical forests surrounding Mount Apo. REAL-LIFE ‘IBONG ADARNA.’ A female Philippine Trogon The department shared photos of the (Harpactes ardens), with subdued shades of mustard yellow underparts colorful, long-tailed avian, scientific name and an olive-brown head, is spotted in the tropical forests surrounding Mt. Apo Harpactes ardens, perched on a tree branch. in Davao. The bird, which has been associated with the fictional Ibong Adarna, is “The female Philippine Trogon, captured endemic to the Philippines. Facebook page of DENR Davao
Lea Salonga
Salonga asks fans to respect ‘boundaries’ By Angelica Villanueva MULTI-AWARDED singer Lea Salonga became the center of discussion on Sunday night when a video posted on Twitter showed her declining her fans’ request to have selfies inside her dressing room after a per performance of “Here Lies Love” on Broadway. Next page