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PH won’t see solar eclipse on April 8 THE total solar eclipse expected on April 8 (Monday) will not be visible in the Philippines, the state weather bureau said. This year's path of totality is about 115 miles wide. It begins in western Mexico, arches up through the US cities of Dallas, Indianapolis, and Buffalo, before ending in eastern Canada.
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 52• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • SATURDAY, APRIL 6, 2024 •
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PBBM: PH will respond to actual sea situation ‘They can’t cover our eyes, pretend nothing happened’ By Charles Dantes and Rey Requejo
P
RESIDENT Marcos said the Philippines needs to "respond to the actual situation on the ground" in the West Philippine Sea even as it does not seek conflict with any other country. "They cannot cover our eyes and pretend that nothing happened,” Mr. Marcos told newly appointed Japanese Ambassador to the PhilippinesEndo Kazuya during the latter's presentation of credentials in Malacañang. He said as a matter of foreign policy and geopolitics, the most important thing is to find a way to keep the West Philippine Sea at peace. "That is what the Philippines will always work for,” the President said. Mr. Marcos is set to participate in a historic trilateral cooperation meeting with US President Joe Biden and Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida next week in Washington. Next page
VETERANS WEEK. The Department of National Defense and the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office lead the traditional sunrise ceremony and wreath-laying to kick
off the 82nd Araw ng Kagitingan (Day of Valor) and Philippine Veterans Week on Friday. They include 105-year-old veteran Private First-Class Emilia P. Guerrero (left, inset), who receives the World War II Victory Medal and Philippine Liberation Medal during the awarding and recognition at the Philippine Army Headquarters in Taguig City. Yancy Lim and Danny Pata
Panelo twits Roque, says no Rody-Xi pact on SCS By Macon RamosAraneta
HEAT-BEATER. A large electric fan helps cool passersby and policemen guarding
the World Health Organization offices on UN Avenue in Manila on Friday. The police also set up water dispensers to aid the thirsty amid the peaking heat wave across the country. Norman Cruz
20 LGUs in El Niño calamity state; 5.3k schools stall class amid heat By Joel Zurbano and Rio Araja ABOUT 20 local government units in six provinces and Zamboanga City have declared a state of calamity due to El Niño, the government task force for the weather phenomenon said Friday, with more expected to follow suit. The Department of Agriculture
has reported damages due to El Nino reaching at least P2.63 billion this year, drying up over 14,000 hectares of rice fields. This developed as thousands of schools suspended in-person classes on Friday, the education department said, as parts of the country endured dangerously high temperatures. Next page
#ANONGBALITA?
THE former chief legal counsel of ex-President Rodrigo Duterte denied the existence of any "gentleman's agreement" with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the West Philippine Sea. Salvador Panelo squarely contradicted the statement of Duterte's former spokesperson, Harry Roque, that a verbal deal was reached between the two leaders to maintain the status quo in Ayungin Shoal. “There’s no such animal,”
Panelo said. "This is what President Duterte said: 'I did not enter into any gentleman’s agreement whatsoever,'" he added. However, in a Facebook post yesterday afternoon, Roque shot back at those who seemed to have forgotten the "gentleman’s agreement to maintain the status quo sa West Philippine Sea." "For those who have forgotten, now you know," Roque wrote in his caption to a link to a Reuters story, "Philippines says China agrees on no new expansion in South China Sea." Next page
HEAT INDEX FOR APRIL 5 + FORECAST FOR APRIL 6-7 (Source: PAGASA)
LOCATION
HEAT INDEX
Dagupan City
Catarman, N. Samar Laoag City
(*C) 45 43 42
FORECAST HEAT INDEX
Aborlan, Palawan San Jose, Occ.
Mindoro Puerto Princesa City Sangley Point, Cavite Dumangas, Iloilo
43 42
42 42 42
Inflation up 3.7% in March, food to blame P1.40/l price hike By Darwin G. Amojelar and Maricel V. Cruz THE country’s inflation rate rose to 3.7 percent in March 2024, driven by higher food prices, according to the
Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on Friday. The March 2024 inflation of 3.7% is within the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) forecast range of 3.4% to 4.2%. Next page
DENR chief chided for conflict over ranch SENATOR Raffy Tulfo on Thursday called for a legislative inquiry on the implementation of the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS)
Act over an alleged conflict of interest of the chief of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). Next page
Chiz not 'dead', has haircut on Heart's IG live
Muhammad Ali's 'Thrilla’ shorts up for auction
DOT exec bashed for helping friend over nat'l concern
NEWS / A2
NEWS / A2
NEWS / A2
for fuel next week
By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS can expect a big-time oil price hike of as much as P1.40 per liter next week to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market. The price increase based on the fourday trading week is estimated at P0.90 to P1.20 per liter for gasoline, P1.20 to P1.40 for diesel, and P1.10 to P1.30 per liter for kerosene. Next page