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Speaker says House, DSWD set to give out cash aid to 3m poor By Rio N. Araja
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 230• 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Sunday said the House of Representatives and Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will provide cash assistance
in the coming days to promptly address the issue of poverty across the nation due to the high prices of rice and other commodities. The Malaya Rice Project is set to begin in Metro Manila next week to Next page
Rice price cap seen lifted soon Diokno: Data on harvest, supply to guide PBBM decision in meet By Julito G. Rada
A
SUFFICIENT supply of rice and a good harvest may lead the President to lift the price ceiling on regular and well-milled rice soon, Finance Secretary Benjamin Diokno said over the weekend.
“We will meet next week to assess when to lift the price cap,” said Diokno, who earlier admitted he was “shocked” when the price ceilings were announced Aug. 31 without consultations with the economic team. National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) Secretary Arsenio Balisacan earlier said the price ceiling helped lower the prices of rice, but added that it would not be
good to keep them for a long time. Diokno said the lifting of the cap would be triggered by data that shows a good rice harvest and the coming of rice imports. The Finance secretary emphasized that the President is the decision maker and the role of Cabinet secretaries is to give the best advice based on the most recent information. Next page
Importation hurting local poultry industry, says DA By Othel V. Campos IMPORTATION in recent years has led to huge opportunity losses for the local poultry industry, as the Department of Agriculture (DA) aims to reverse these losses and give the country better food security, an official said over the weekend.
At the recent Poultry Forum 2023, Agriculture Undersecretary Deogracias Victor B. Savellano echoed President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s call to raise local livestock and poultry production by five times within the next five years. He noted that chicken meat importation has been rising consistently over the Next page
DRYING PALAY. Farmers take advantage of a break in recent rains to spread unhusked rice or palay on an unused portion of a road in Arayat town in Pampanga on Sunday. Robert Gines
Protect us from Chinese ships, fishers ask Navy, PCG Over 1k nabbed for election gun ban; Cops monitor 38 private armed groups By Vince Lopez OVER a thousand people have been arrested for violating the gun ban imposed for the 2023 Barangay and Sangguniang Kabataan Elections (BSKE) on October 30, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday. PNP spokesperson Police Colonel
FISHERMEN appealed to the government on Sunday to increase coast guard and naval patrols to protect them from the Chinese Coast Guard, which has stepped up their efforts in recent months to keep them from entering the Scarborough
(Bajo de Masinloc or Panatag) Shoal lagoon, where fishes are abundant. In an interview on radio dzBB, the spokesman of the Bigkis ng Mangingisda Federation in Masinloc, Zambales said Chinese vessels and rubber boats con-
tinue to block Filipino fishermen from entering the lagoon. “Chinese fishing vessels are also outside, but they can fish more freely in our reef. When Filipino fishermen insist Next page
Jean Fajardo said 1,063 gun ban violators were arrested as of Thursday, September 28. Of those arrested, 1,017 were civilians, while others were members of law enforcement, security guards, and elected government officials. Authorities so far confiscated 650 Next page firearms.
SHINING BRIGHT AT 65. SM Supermalls launches its 65th Anniversary by lighting up its iconic landmarks in blue, including SM Megamall (pictured), MOA Globe, Mega Tower, Seaside Cube, Skyranch Tagaytay, Baguio Eye, and Pampanga Eye. The mesmerizing lights are also present at SM Mall of Asia, SM City North EDSA, SM Aura, SM Makati, and SM Lanang in Davao.
‘Jenny’ becomes typhoon, Signal No. 1 over Batanes JENNY’S PATH. This chart from state weather bureau PAGASA shows the track of tropical storm ‘Jenny’ as it is expected to turn west northwest by Tuesday afternoon towards the Luzon Strait, and generally westward on Thursday.
TROPICAL Cyclone “Jenny” (international name: Koinu) has intensified and was expected to reach typhoon strength last night as Signal No. 1 was hoisted over Batanes on Sunday afternoon, the state weather bureau said.
In its 5 p.m. weather bulletin, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Jenny was last located 760 kilometers east of Aparri, Cagayan. The storm was packing maximum sus-
tained winds of 100 kilometers per hour near the center, with gusts of up to 125 kph, was moving northwestward at 15 kilometers per hour, and is expected to move in the same direction until Tuesday morning. Next page