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CHINA DOWNPLAYS ‘WORRISOME’ ACTS, VOWS ‘NO LETUP’ IN SEA ROW By Rey Requejo

LTO WANTS E-BIKES REGISTERED TOO

CHINA vowed there will be no let-up in its efforts to protect what it insisted was its “territorial sovereignty and maritime rights" in the West Philippine Sea after President Marcos told members of the Australian parliament that Beijing's recent actions in the area were "worrisome." “China’s position on the South China Sea is consistent and clear," Chinese foreign affairs ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said. Next page

NEWS / A3

BUGATTIS PRICED AT ‘JUST’ P1M EACH NEWS / A3

VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 19• 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P20 • FRIDAY, MARCH 1, 2024 •

‘PH on the frontline of battle for peace’ ∙Marcos signs 3 agreements ∙Asks Aussies ‘to join forces’ ∙Notes climate change issues By Charles Dantes

ANBERRA—President Marcos told Australia's parliament the Philippines was on the "frontline" of a battle for regional peace Thursday as he urged Canberra to join forces in facing the threats that disrupt peace, stability, and the rule of law.

With Beijing's warships loitering in waters off the Philippines' coast, Mr. Marcos told Australian lawmakers he will remain firm in defending the country's sovereignty, despite "formidable" challenges. "I shall never tire of repeating the declaration that I made from thefirst day that I took office: I will not allow any attempt by anyforeign power to take even one square inch of our sovereign territory," Mr. Marcos said. "The challenges that we face may be formidable, but equally formidable is our resolve. We will not yield," he added. The President was expected to return to Manila late Thursday. He will return to Australia on March 4 to attend an Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Melbourne. Philippines authorities this week reported detecting Chinese navyvessels around Bajo de Masinloc or Scarborough Shoal -- an area seized by Beijing in 2012. China has claimed the shoal and large swathes of the South China Sea as its own, ignoring regional objections and an international tribunal ruling that the claims have no legal basis.

AUSSIE ADDRESS. President Marcos addresses the Australian House of Representatives at the Parliament House in Canberra on

Thursday. Later, Mr. Marcos signs the official guest book before the state luncheon hosted by Governor-General David Hurley and Mrs. Linda Hurley with First Lady Lisa Araneta-Marcos witnessing (inset). AFP with PPO Pool

PH tops 36 countries with $12b in climate damages ZURICH—The Philippines is the country suffering the highest annual economic losses from the impact of four major weather perils studied—floods, tropical cyclones, winter storms and severe thunderstorms—at three percent of its gross domestic product (GDP) or about US$12 billion (P673 billion). The country is also “exposed to hazard intensification in the future,”

according to reinsurance giant Swiss Re, a Zurich-based group, which acts as an insurer for insurers. According to its study of 36 countries published Wednesday, climate perils are already causing the United States annual economic losses of $97 billion, or 0.4 percent of its annual economic output. Swiss Re reaffirmed that climate

change could reduce global economic output by seven to 10 percent by 2050. "Climate change is leading to more severe weather events, resulting in increasing impact on economies," said the group's chief economist Jerome Jean Haegeli. "Therefore, it becomes even more crucial to take adaptation measures." Next page

Chiz wants Senate to align Cha-cha rules with House By Macon Ramos-Araneta

NGCP-DICT PACT. The Department of Information and

Communications Technology (DICT) has tapped the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to help accelerate its National Fiber Backbone Project. Signing the agreement are (from left) DICT Undersecretary Jeffrey Ian Dy, NGCP Vice Chairman Henry Sy Jr., DICT Secretary Ivan John Uy, NGCP President and CEO Anthony Almeda, and NGCP Information Technology Head Gerald Gili. NGCP Photo

#ANONGBALITA?

SENATOR Francis Escudero on Thursday warned his colleagues to not proceed with hearings on Resolution of Both Houses (RBH) No. 6, which aims to amend the economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution,without a clear set of guidelines that are contained in the Rules of the Senate. RBH-6 seeks to amend the three “restrictive” provisions of the country’s Charter on public utilities, advertising, and education. Escudero noted that the Rules of the Senate do not have a specific section on procedures on constitutional Next page

DSWD eyes more 4Ps cash grants; Supermarkets balk at more rebates THE Department of Social Welfare and Development is studying the possibility of increasing the cash grant for beneficiaries of thePantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) to help them cope with higher prices of basic goods. The Department of Trade and Industry likewise assured senior citizensthat the higher discount on basic and prime commodities will be approved within March—a move bucked by supermarket owners who said it will be passed on to them as an additional cost. DSWD spokesperson Assistant Secretary Romel Lopez said increasing the 4Ps cash grant would help beneficiaries

cope with inflation. He said the cash grant has remained fixed since 4Ps was signed into law in 2019. However, the process of increasing the cash grant may not be easy, Lopez said, since it will require an amendment of the 4Ps Law. "One thing is for sure, the President gave the order to study this because the conditional cash transfer might no longer be sufficient," he said. The budget for the 4Ps increased by 3.57 percent to P106.3 billion this year from P102.6 billion last year. Next page

4 in 10 Pinoys see economy getting better in next 12 months, per SWS By Vito Barcelo AT LEAST four in 10 adult Filipinos expect the economy to improve in the next 12 months, the latest Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed, lower than those who believe it would stay the same (44 percent) while 10 percent said it would worsen. SWS used the term “optimists” for those who believe the Philippine economy will improve, “pessimists” for

those who think it will worsen, and “no change” for those who said it will stay the same. The percentage of economic optimists minus the percentage of economic pessimists yielded a net economic optimism score of +30, which SWS classifies as “very high” (+30 to +39). However, the score rose to "very high" +36 from "fair" +16 in Metro Manila and to "high" +25 from "fair" +15 in Visayas.

Catching the bug: ‘Surot’ found on NAIA metal seats

Sara: I had EDSA post deleted to stay consistent

Quiboloy: P1,000 prize to guess my current location

NEWS / A2