twitter.com/ MlaStandard
facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
instagram.com/ manilastandard
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at
manilastandard.net 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net . For advertisement:
email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 0927-9003074 / 85646229
DND, NSC to China: No more lies DEFENSE Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., in a statement, called the alleged “new model” a “devious machination of China,” telling Beijing, “This charade must stop.” In a statement, the Chinese Embassy in the Philippines said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines Western
Command agreed to a “new model” on the management of disputes over the waters, which was also supposedly approved by key Philippine officials, belonging to the Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Security Council (NSC). Next page
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 80 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, MAY 6, 2024
4 nations to step up sea drills PH, US, Japan, Aussie firm up alliance
By Rey E. Requejo
T
HE Philippines, United States, Japan and Australia have cited the aggressive actions of China in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) as added motivation for them to line up more quadrilateral maritime exercises to assert a rules-based order in the international waters.
This came after Defense Secretaries Gilberto Teodoro (Philippines), Lloyd Austin (US), Ministers Kihara Minoru (Japan) and Richard Marles (Australia) gathered in Hawaii last May 2 for their second ministerial meeting, where they discussed concerns on developments in the Indo-Pacific. In a press conference on Saturday, Marles explained that their move to conduct
Marcos forms council to list all gov’t lands
more maritime exercises “is about the assertion of a global rules-based order,” a way in which their countries can work together. The meeting of the defense chiefs from the four countries followed the recently held Maritime Cooperative Activity among them, where they strengthened the interoperability of their defense and Next page
TOP OF THE LINE.
The new amphibious combat vehicles of the US Marine Corps are deployed by the USS Harpers Ferry during a live-fire exercise at Oyster Bay, Palawan. USMC photo by Lance Cpl. Peyton Kahle.
‘Speed up permits of infra projects’
By Charles Dantes
By Charles Dantes
PRESIDENT Marcos ordered the formation of an inter-agency coordinating council aimed at consolidating a comprehensive master list of state-owned properties to optimize the utilization of governmentowned lands. “To ensure the efficient and effective allocation and utilization of land resources for the country’s national development goals, it is necessary to consolidate a comprehensive list of all government lands,” President Marcos said in Administrative Order No. 21. AO No. 21, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin on April 30, delineates President Marcos’s vision, emphasizing a key strategy within the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 focused on fostering livable communities through the establishment of a centralized database encompassing all idle government lands. The move, hailed by President Marcos as a significant stride towards advancing the objectives outlined in the PDP 2023-2028, underscores the administration’s commitment to strategic land management. Heading the Coordinating Council are the co-chairpersons from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Next page
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos directed the implementation of infrastructure flagship projects (IFPs) through the streamlining of the permit process. Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin issued Executive Order No. 58 on April 30 which underscores President Marcos’s commitment to advance the country’s infrastructure agenda and drive economic transformation. “There is a need to further streamline the process for issuance of required licenses, clearances, permits, certifications or authorizations to expedite the implementation of IFPs, consistent with RA
BUSINESS / B2
Next page
IT’S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR. This lovely, young couple is among 30 participants from different barangays and government offices in this year’s Flores de Mayo in Makati City. Photo by Diana B. Noche
NFA backs House move on rice tarrification law THE proposal to restore the National Food Authority’s (NFA’s) mandate to purchase and sell rice at affordable prices is supported by the Department of Agriculture (DA). House Speaker Martin Romualdez on Tuesday said that the House of Repre-
JOHN GOKONGWEI, JR. LEGENDS DON’T DIE
sentatives will pass a bill amending the Rice Tariffication Law (RTL), which would allow NFA to buy and sell rice at lower prices. Romualdez gave the statement shortly after the first hearing on proposed bills amending the RTL were deliberated before the House agricul-
ture and food panel. The DA Assistant Secretary Arnel de Mesa remarked in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB that their support of the proposal comes in the heels of the government’s lack of response to Next page
BPSF sets sorties in 3 Mindanao provinces By Rio N. Araja THE administration’s Bagong Pilipinas Serbisyo Fair (BPSF) has already poured in billions of pesos in government services, financial aid, and livelihood assistance to 18 areas, and is scheduled to visit three Mindanao provinces in May and early June, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said. Next page
MALDITAS IN MALDIVES TO BE SHOWN IN JAPAN SHOWBIZ / C2