twitter.com/ MlaStandard
facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
instagram.com/ manilastandard
manilastandard.net
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 85646229
NEW MURDER RAPS VS. TEVES OVER DEATHS IN 2019
P49B FOR INDIGENT SENIORS’ PENSION IN 2024 BUDGET
NEWS / A2
NEWS / A2 VOL. XXXVII • NO. 178• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 12, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
AFP: China training ‘might end’ Amid WPS woes, Brawner says review of officers’ exchange program ongoing By Joyce Pangco Pañares
T
HE Armed Forces of the Philippines “might terminate” its military exchange program that sends Filipino military officers to China amid Beijing's continued incursions in the West Philippine Sea. “The review is ongoing. We are not yet terminating it,” AFP chief of staff Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. told Manila Standard in an interview. “We might terminate it depending on the results of the review,” Brawner added. Senator Jinggoy Estrada, chairman of the Senate Defense Committee, earlier asked the AFP to submit a report on the military exchange program that is paid for in full by the Chinese government. Senator Francis Tolentino described the military exchange program as “very alarming” while Senator Raffy Tulfo said it was a “slap in the face of Filipinos” amid China's aggressive acts, adding that it gave Beijing an opportunity to “infiltrate” the AFP hierarchy. A well-placed source in the Defense Department said there is a high chance the program will no longer continue. “The AFP will likely start responding to China that we will no longer be sending our officers the next time there is an opening for training,” the source said. Next page
‘ALALAYAN’ EXERCISES. The National Coast Watch Center (NCWC) stages a
mock takeover of M/V 'Scalawag' -- a Philippine Coast Guard ship playing the role of a pirate vessel -- as it held its first inter-agency 'Alalayan Exercises' in Manila Bay. The agency said it was not a direct response to the recent territorial tensions in the West Philippine Sea, as the exercises aim to enhance the capabilities of the PCG and other government agencies in dealing with maritime incidents, including fire at sea, blocking ships carrying illegal drugs, and intercepting smuggled goods. Norman Cruz and PCG Photos
Pag-asa fishermen nix plan to recruit them into militia By Vince Lopez FISHERMEN on Pag-asa Island on Friday said they opposed a military plan to train them to become part of a reserve force in the face of Chinese aggression in the West Philippine Sea (WPS). In an interview over radio dzBB, Larry Hugo, the president of the Pagasa Island Fisherfolk Association which operates about 36 fishing boats, said they would prefer to simply report any
untoward incident in the area. “That would be difficult for us fishermen,” he said of the military plan in Filipino, adding that their group of 36 boats would not agree to carry firearms. On Thursday, Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr. said they are considering putting up a maritime militia in the West Philippine Sea to strengthen their presence in the area.
DA: Deals with Vietnam, India for cheap rice start By Charles Dantes, Maricel V. Cruz and Othel V. Campos
administration opened talks with Vietnam and India, both major exporters of the grain. "We are pleased to inform the public that upon the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to open talks THE Department of Agriculture (DA) on Friday said with Vietnam, some Vietnamese exporters are quoting more affordable rice could be sold in the country after the Next page
Next page
Onion hoarders inflating prices anew, Speaker vows to end tack By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said hoarders have started to manipulate the supply and prices of onion again, citing reports that the retail price of onion has recently doubled to P180 per kilo from P90. He said this was based on the
monitoring of the House Committee on Agriculture and Food. “We will nip this problem in the bud. We will not allow the price to become too expensive for ordinary Filipinos," Romualdez said. He said onion farmers had already sold their harvest to wholesalers, yet Next page
PRICES RISING. Dealers display rice and their prices at Trabajo Market in Sampaloc, Manila on Friday. The retail price of the country's staple will increase by P4 per kilo until the mid-September harvest as the price of unhusked rice continues to rise, according to the Philippine Chamber of Agriculture and Food Inc. Norman Cruz
Pump prices to rise for 6th week in row By Alena Mae Flores
GRIEVING MOTHER. Officials of the Department of Migrant Workers meet overseas Filipino worker Rodaliza Baltazar (seated left) -- the mother of teenager Jemboy Baltazar, who was shot dead by policemen in Navotas in a case of mistaken identity—at the airport lounge on Friday to offer more assistance to her family (see related story on A4). NAIA Photo
THE country's oil firms are expected to implement another round of oil price hikes of as much as P2.40 per liter for kerosene next week, industry sources said. This will be the sixth consecutive week of upward price adjustment for diesel and kerosene and the fifth in a row for gasoline. The oil firms estimated the adjustment at P2.05 to P2.40 per liter for kerosene, P1.35 to P1.65 per liter Next page
PUV groups plead for P2 fare hike over rising costs By Darwin G. Amojelar and Maricel V. Cruz FOUR public transport groups are seeking a P2 fare hike for all public utility vehicles (PUVs) nationwide amid rising pump prices. In a letter to Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board chairperson Teofilo Guadiz III, the Next page