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Diokno: ‘Huge damage’ to PH if fuel excise taxes suspended By Julito G. Rada, Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Alena Mae Flores VOL. XXXVII • NO. 218• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 20, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
on Tuesday said suspending the collection of excise taxes on petroleum products, as House Speaker Martin Romualdez suggested the government could do, would cause "huge damage" to the economy. Romualdez brought up the proposal Next page
FINANCE Secretary Benjamin Diokno
President mulls fishing ban Stresses need to stop overfishing, boost fish supply, ensure food security By Othel Campos and Charles Dantes
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RESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. is considering seasonal fishing bans in breeding areas to address overfishing and boost aquaculture. Mr. Marcos stressed the need to increase fish supply as part of efforts to ensure food security. “Sometimes, it is necessary not to catch all the fish so we would still have stock in the next season. So, that's what we're looking at now,” he said Tuesday in Zamboanga City. “And there are places that should not be used for fishing because it is for breeding [and] to increase the population of fish. So that's what we're planning,” the President added. Mr. Marcos lamented that Filipino fisherfolk face several challenges, including low catch, because of the destruction of breeding areas. He said the government is also implementing programs to put up more cold storage facilities to prevent spoilage, as he noted that up to 30 percent of fish catch is degraded or damaged. “So, we are building cold storage. In the small fish ports, we will provide an ice maker, they will have ice in their boats to preserve their catch,” Mr. Marcos said. “Then what we will do next after that is the processing in just one place. That's what we are planning for fisheries.” Marcos said imposing several restrictions is part of the government’s plan of securing the country’s fish supply, stressing that developing the Next page
RICE GIVEAWAY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. leads the distribution of rice seized by the Bureau of Customs to the beneficiaries of the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) in Brgy. Masao, Tungawan, Zamboanga Sibugay and Brgy. San Roque, Zamboanga City on Tuesday. PCO photo
Marcos not giving up on P20/kilo rice price promise By Charles Dantes and Maricel V. Cruz
Tuesday he remains optimistic about bringing down the price of rice to P20 per kilo, even as the grain has been selling for more than double that amount. In an interview in Zamboanga, the PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said
President said this could be achieved said in Filipino. once the cost of agricultural production Bringing the price of rice down to becomes stable. P20 a kilo was one of the President’s “If we lower the cost of production, campaign promises. Next page the price of rice will also decrease,” he
‘Arbitral ruling also stresses marine protection’ By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Philippines emphasized before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) in Hamburg, Germany that the 2016 ruling of thePermanent Court of Arbitration that denied China’s expansive claims to the South China Sea also cites the “obligation to protect and preserve the
marine environment.” The statement came as reports indicated widespread damage done by Chinese fishing boats in the Rozul (Iroquois) Reef and Escoda (Sabina) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Maria Angela Ponce, who posted about the Philippine statement before the ITLOS on the X social media platform, said the 2016 arbitration ruling “is legally
binding international law.” “It pronounced legal doctrines that could help determine the outcome of these proceedings. It is legally binding international law. Its validity cannot be assailed,” she said. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has called on all concerned to act responsibly and stop all activities that damage the maritime environment. Next page
Shut down cult Activists zap NTF-ELCAC surrender claim By Orlan L. Mauricio exploiting kids in Surigao—Risa and Vince Lopez By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Risa Hontiveros wants the Senate to investigate cases of rape, sexual abuse, forced labor, and child marriage involving an alleged cult in Socorro, Surigao del Norte.
SOUND OF FREEDOM. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez delivers his message during the premier night of the film "Sound of Freedom" at SM Megamall Cinema in Mandaluyong City on Monday night. Romualdez hopes the movie will raise awareness, collective actions to eradicate human trafficking, and ensuring the safety and dignity of the children. The movie is presented by the House Committees on Welfare of Children and on Accounts, and Tingog and BHW Party-list groups. Ver Noveno
‘RESPECT CASES FILED VS. MAHARLIKA’ NEWS / A2
The Department of Justice on Tuesday said members of the supposed cult in Socorro, Surigao Del Norte are already facing multiple complaints of qualified trafficking, kidnapping and serious illegal detention, and child abuse. Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said sexual exploitation cases happening not only in Socorro but in the whole country as well should be stopped. Hontiveros has filed Senate Resolution No. 797, to inquire into the activities of the Socorro Bayanihan Services, Inc. (SBSI), an alleged cult Next page
MALOLOS CITY—Two environmental activists whom authorities claimed surrendered to the military last week told a government-organized press briefing yesterday that they were abducted and coerced into signing
their affidavits. Activisits Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano both claimed they were abducted on Sept. 2 by military men aboard an SUV in Orion, Bataan, to the surprise of the organizers and members of the 70th Infantry Battalion of the Armed Forces of the Philippines who joined them during the press conference. Next page
PHOTO 3
‘WE WERE ABDUCTED.’ Activisits Jonila Castro and Jhed Tamano
(second and third from right) are flanked by government and military officials in a press conference Tuesday in Plaridel, Bulacan. Orlan Mauricio