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Speaker hails drop in inflation, vows House will help stabilize food prices By Rio N. Araja
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 328 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, JANUARY 8, 2024 •
SPEAKER Ferdinand Martin Romualdez on Sunday vowed that the House of Representatives, in partnership with President Marcos, will continue to pursue programs to further bring down inflation by reduc-
ing or at least stabilizing food prices. Romualdez made the commitment in reaction to the report of thePhilippine Statistics Authority that inflation eased for the third straight month last December to 3.9 percent, from 4.1 percent in November and 4.9 percent in October. Next page
DTI to ‘temper’ price hikes Petitions to raise SRP for 63 basic necessities to be reviewed By Othel V. Campos HE government will resume reviewing petitions to raise the suggested retail prices (SRP) on basic necessities and prime commodities, but said any hikes would be “tempered”—and that prices for 44 of the 63 items monitored by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) would not move at all.
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Changes in the SRP on some products, such as canned sardines, bread, and instant noodles, are expected this month, said Consumer Protection Group Assistant Secretary Amanda Nograles. “What is good to highlight here is that increases will be tempered and 71 percent of the products in the SRP Bulletin will not move. Many of the items that are being assessed for adjustment have been pending since 2022,” she said. The DTI will give priority to petitions for items dating back to 2022, she added. Among the items that are expected to get an increase in SRP are canned sardines, processed milk, coffee, bread, instant noodles, bottled water, processed canned meat, condiments, and non-food items like toilet soap, candles, and batteries. Two petitions sought to reduce the weight of their products while raising the SRP. For food, the highest possible increase could be P7.25, while the lowest is P0.25. Comparatively, the adjustments in the 2023 SRP and the proposed 2024 SRP will be within the vicinity of 6 percent -- less than the 10 percent cap specified in the Price Act. It is mandatory for manufacturers to substantiate their notice of
ALL FOR A TOUCH. Thousands of Black Nazarene devotees line up at the Quirino Grandstand in Manila for the traditional “Pahalik” as many stay in line – even outside the Catholic image’s home, at the Quiapo Church (inset) -- to pray for good health and healing from the supposedly miraculous icon. Lino Santos with Manila PIO
Traslacion procession returns; 2m Nazarene devotees to march
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Duterte clears Marcos of ICC probe; Dela Rosa: Gov’t should halt probers FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday night said President Marcos had nothing to do with the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigation into the Duterte administration’s bloody war on drugs. "It is the f****** ICC interfering in our private affairs, in the sense that it intrudes into the sovereignty of the other nations," Duterte said in a mix of Fili-
pino and English at a press conference in Davao City. “Marcos, I am not in any way dragging him into the picture. That ICC has been at it for a long time.” "If there is anything that I did, it was because I did it for my country," he said, referring to the thousands of people killed in his anti-drug campaign. “Let the ICC do what they want. I Next page
TRASLACION PROCESSION ROUTE START at the Quirino Grandstand, turn right to Katigbak Drive (left side), right to Padre Burgos St. through Finance Road, go straight to Ayala Bridge, left to Palanca St., right to Quezon Boulevard, right to Arlegui Street, right to Fraternal Street, right to Vergara Street, left to Duque de Alba Street, left to Castillejos Street, left to Farnecio Street, right to Arlegui Street, left to Nepomuceno Street, left to Concepcion Aguila Street, right to Carcer Street, right to Hidalgo through Plaza del Carmen, left to Bilibid Viejo through Gonzalo Puyat, left to J.P. de Guzman Street, right to Hidalgo Street, left to Quezon Boulevard, right to Palanca St. through under Quezon Bridge, right to Villalobos through Plaza Miranda going to Quiapo Church.
By Vito Barcelo AFTER a three-year break, millions of devotees of the Black Nazarene are expected to walk through the streets of Manila for the ritual transfer of the image from its original location in Luneta Park to Quiapo Church. At least 2 million devotees are expected to join the 20-hourlong procession of the Black Nazarene statue with other rituals, known as Traslacion, from the various Mass celebrations to the displays of devotion to the Nazareno. The most determined devotees walk the 6.5 km route from Rizal Park to the small basilica of Quiapo barefoot as a penance and to emulate Jesus on the way to Golgotha. According to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), the act of walking barefoot is a vow of sacrifice and thanksgiving to Christ who carried the cross to barefoot Calvary. Next page
Rody wants to talk ‘Barbenheimer’, Jo Koy in Globe spotlight to PBBM ‘indirectly’ over SMNI issues JOINT SAIL. The Philippine Navy’s Jose Rizal-class frigate, BRP Antonio Luna, sends off the Republic of Korea Navy ships ROKS Hansando and ROKS Hwacheon after they carried out Replenishment-At-Sea Approaches (RASAP) in the West Philippine Sea over the weekend. PN Photo
President signs Ease of Paying Taxes Act PRESIDENT Marcos has signed into law Republic Act (RA) 11976 or the Ease of Paying Taxes Act, which aims to modernize and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of tax administration and strengthen taxpayer rights.
In a statement on Sunday, the Presidential Communications Office (PCO) said the Ease of Paying Taxes Act was one of the priority laws mentioned during the State of the Nation Address in 2022 and 2023. Next page
FORMER President Rodrigo Duterte would like to talk indirectly to President Marcos on investigations into Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), which broadcasts a program that he hosts, after two government agencies handed suspensions to the network and its programs last month over alleged false and defamatory content. In a press conference Saturday night with media in Davao City, Duterte said that televangelist Apollo Quiboloy, who is considered the “ultimate beneficial owner” of SMNI, did not ask him to intervene on the issue. The ex-President said his program on SMNI, "Gikan sa Masa, Para sa Masa" (From the Masses, For the Masses), has been affected. "Ang ako lang concern karon is to help my friend, si Pastor, kay sa tinuod lang, kining Next page
LOS ANGELES—"Barbie" and "Oppenheimer"—the unlikely pair of films that dominated the box office and spawned countless internet memes this summer —topped the newly revamped Golden Globes nominations Monday. Meanwhile, Filipino-American comedian Jo Koy will make history as the first Fil-Am to host the Golden Globes in its 81-year history on Sunday (Monday Manila time) at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. "Barbie"—a vivid feminist
FIL-AM HOST. Golden
Globes host, actor and comedian Jo Koy, attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards press preview and red-carpet rollout event at The Beverly Hilton on Jan. 4. AFP
satire about the all-conquering line of