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VOL. XXXVII • NO. 185• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, AUGUST 19, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Chinese ‘swarm’ still in Mischief Analyst: China ships down to 19 from 32 during water-cannon incident at Ayungin By Vince Lopez, Rey E. Requejo and Charles Dantes
A
FORMER US Air Force colonel and a security analyst said he is tracking 19 Chinese militia ships swarming the waters off Mischief Reef and Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea.
ANATOMY OF A SWARM. In these images on his personal X/Twitter account and website, security analyst Ray Powell explains how around 32 Chinese Coast Guard and militia ships were seen at Ayungin Shoal before they swarmed the Philippine resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre last Aug. 5. Powell told Manila Standard only 19 ships remain in this area of the West Philippine Sea, as some have returned to port in Hainan, China.
Raymond Powell, director of SeaLight at the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation, said this number was down from a high of 32 during the Aug. 5 resupply mission
that was thwarted by Chinese ships that fired water cannons at Philippine boats. “Actually there were probably even more than 32, as indicated in this
Report: China building runway on Triton Island NEWS / A2
Illegal fishers in WPS will be arrested—DFA NEWS / A2
Next page
DA approves PBBM: Harvest in 3 provinces to stabilize rice prices import of 35k tons of fish By Charles Dantes
THE Department of Agriculture has approved the importation of 35,000 metric tons of various types of fish, including "galunggong" or round scad. Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources spokesperson Nazer Briguera said the importation will cover the expected shortage due to the annual closed fishing season in Palawan from Nov. 1 to Jan. 31. "We need to fill the gap in supply in our wet markets that is why we approved the importation, Briguera said. Aside from galunggong—which used to be the favored fish of poor Filipino families—other fish to be imported include mackerel, bonito, and bigeye scad, among others. Briguera said imports are set to arrive in October. All imports should also arrive before January 15, 2024. "We want the supply to be just enough. We do not want to flood the markets, we only need what is enough to meet the demand during Next page
HEAD HEAD. The Association of Philippine Journalists-Samahang Plaridel marks the 172nd birthday of Marcelo Del Pilar, recognized as the father of Philippine journalism PLENTY IN STOCK. Workers unload sacks of rice from a truck at a rice dealer along Dagupan St. in Tondo, Manila on Friday.
Norman Cruz
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Friday said that the government is keeping an eye on the country's rice supply to stabilize its price as he looked forward to the start of the harvest in major riceproducing provinces. In a video message, Mr. Marcos, who is also the concurrent chief of the Agriculture Department, said the government is closely watching the production of palay (unhusked rice). “We are closely monitoring the rice supply and its prices after we received news that harvesting has started in Nueva Ecija, Isabela, and North Cotabato,” President Marcos said. He stressed that the government will keep tabs on the rice prices and vowed that it will stabilize once there is enough rice supply and reserve. “We will watch it closely to ensure that it will happen,” he said. In a previous statement, the President reassured the country that despite the threat of El Niño and typhoons, local rice supply is still enough. Next page
DOE: Gas, kerosene prices seen ‘Bamboo Villages’ program to create jobs for poor, IPs rising next week, but not diesel By Othel V. Campos
By Alena Mae S. Flores GASOLINE and kerosene prices will go up again next week by as much as P1.20 per liter, industry sources said. This will be the sixth consecutive weekly price hike for gasoline at P0.90 to P1.20 per liter and the seventh for kerosene at P0.40 to P0.70 per liter. Diesel prices, however, may not move or may even have a possible rollback of P0.20 per liter based on the four-day benchmark Mean of Platts Singapore trading and foreign exchange movement.
The Department of Energy confirmed next week's mixed oil price movement. DOE Director for the Oil Industry Management Bureau Rodela Romero said despite the outlook issued by the S&P Global Platts of a possible increase in the next two months, the day-to-day developments in the international oil market give the actual movements of the price. "For the 4-day MOPS trading, there might be a mixed movement for the prices of petroleum products," Romero said. Next page
First Pinoy death confirmed in Maui fires By Rey E. Requejo A 79-YEAR-OLD Filipino was among the over 100 fatalities in the wildfires that struck Maui in Hawaii, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Friday. Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega said the fatality was identified as Alfredo Galinato, a naturalized US citizen originally from Ilocos. “The DFA confirms the death
of a Filipino national in the Hawaii wildfires,” De Vega said in a message to reporters. “The Philippine Consulate in Honolulu is assisting the family who are all based in Hawaii,” he added. As this developed, three Filipino teachers—Heidee Gudao, Maria Christina Espina, and Angelic Gallario— who have earlier been reported missing not only survived the wildfires but were Next page
THE government is embarking on a flagship multi-billion-peso “Bamboo Villages” program that seeks to uplift the poor and indigenous people (IP) still residing in ancestral lands while generating
foreign exchange from the global bamboo market that could grow to a $90 billion industry by 2030. “The program will use bamboo as a climate change mitigation tool. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. himself cited during the United Nations General Assembly that
the climate challenge is a major policy goal of his administration,” said newly-appointed Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano. Meanwhile, President Marcos and the Private Sector Advisory Next page
Wage distortions must be fixed, DOLE tells firms By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Department of Labor and Employment called on employers to correct wage distortions among their employees following an increase in the minimum wage. DOLE said the National Wages and Productivity Commission (NWPC) issued an advisory to “guide enterprises in correcting wage distortion stemming from the implementation of minimum wage orders.” “Addressing wage distortions Next page
PSAC MEETING. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. meets with the Private Sector Advisory Council, where in this session they discussed the public-private sector collaboration on the potential of electric vehicle (EV) production in the country. PCO Photo