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P59.89 b for COVID-19 relief released to health workers By Charles Dantes and Darwin Amojelar
healthcare and non-healthcare workers, President Marcos said. “In line with our promise, our adminTHE administration has released istration has already distributed P59.8 P59.8 billion worth of allowance and billion or 78.92 percent of the COVID Next page compensation for eligible COVID-19
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 83 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, MAY 9, 2024
DOJ preps ICC options for PBBM Brief includes steps in case arrest order issued vs. Rody By Rey E. Requejo
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HE Department of Justice said it is preparing a legal briefer to give President Marcos options in connection with the International Criminal Court, including the possibility of allowing ICC prosecutors into the country as well as the steps to take should arrest warrants be issued against Filipinos, including on former President Rodrigo Duterte. “The department is now preparing a legal briefer for the President which will describe to him the options available in relation to any arrest warrants by the ICC,” Justice Assistant Secretary Mico Clavano said in an interview. “The briefer will be an objective statement or analysis of the pros and cons of each option because we are aware that the policy of the government
ALLIANCE FOR PROGRESS. President Marcos, Jr. witnesses the signing of the alliance between Lakas-CMD and Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP) represented by Speaker
Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez (Lakas-CMD President) and Cotabato Governor Reynaldo Tamayo, Jr. (PFP President) Wednesday at the Manila Polo Club in Makati City. Other signatories to the pact are Majority Leader Manuel Jose Mannix Dalipe (Lakas-CMD executive vice president), Senator Ramon “Bong” Revilla Jr. (Lakas-CMD Chairman), Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio “Anton” Lagdameo (PFP executive vice president), and Senior Deputy Majority Leader Alexander Ferdinand Marcos (PFP vice chairman).
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• More Pinoys favor military action in WPS • Balikatan ends with strike on ‘enemy’ ship
Expel snoops, says DND chief DEFENSE Secretary Gilbert Teodoro sought the expulsion from the Philippines of all those who recorded the supposed “new model” deal surrounding the Ayungin Shoal. In an ambush interview at a Philippine Navy’s Maritime Security Symposium held in Quezon City, he also said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will soon be conducting an investigation on what can be considered a violation of the wiretapping law. “We will leave it to the DFA to find out the truth of what really happened. And if it really happened because allegedly the Chinese embassy violated the law of the Republic of the Philippines,” he said. Teodoro’s statement came in the wake of reports alleging a leak of a recording on the “new model” between Armed Forces of the Philippines’s Western Command (AFP WESCOM) commander Vice Admiral Alberto Carlos and a Chinese embassy diplomat. However, Teodoro doubts the authenticity of the said reports, even the “propensity of the Chinese government to engage in malign information activiNext page
Lakas-PFP alliance to field full slate in 2025 By Charles Dantes PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos’ Partido Federal ng Pilipinas and House Speaker Martin Romualdez’s LakasCMD forged a political alliance for the upcoming midterm election in 2025. During the signing ceremony held in Makati City, President Marcos hailed
the PFP-Lakas-CMD alliance as a pivotal moment for Philippine politics and public service, envisioning it as a catalyst for the country’s transformation. “We mark today a significant moment not just for Philippine politics, but also for the field of public service, as members of both parties formalize and build an alliance that will propel our country
towards the Bagong Pilipinas that we envision,” President Marcos said. Called, ‘Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas’, the alliance aims to elevate the lives of the Filipino people under a unified vision of “Bagong Pilipinas.”, according to the President. President Marcos, serving as the Next page
DepEd to end school year in March 2025 By Ratziel San Juan THE Department of Education (DepEd) on Wednesday said they plan to end the coming school year (2024-2025) by March 31, 2025 and resume the following school year (2025-2026) by June the same year to return to the old academic calendar. Education Assistant Secretary Francis Cesar Bringas in a televised briefing said next school year (2024-2025) will begin by July 29 and will likely conclude by the end of March 2025. This will still allot students two months of vacation time before the start of the following school year in June 2025. However, next school year (20242025) would only be 165 days instead of the 180 to 220 school days under the law. “So if we assess, because of the shortening of the school year, our contact days with students will be shortened. Then we will have to cope Next page
URBAN RENEWAL. First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos joins the inspection of the ongoing Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM) urban renewal and development project in the Intramuros area. She was accompanied by Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and Intramuros Administration head Atty.Joan Padilla. Inset photo shows the planned development behind the Manila Central Post Office. (PCO)
Quiboloy’s camp gives up token guns THE camp of fugitive preacher Apollo Quiboloy surrendered at least five firearms after their licenses were revoked, the Philippine National Police (PNP) confirmed Wednesday morning. PNP Chief Rommel Marbil told reporters the weapons were submitted to the civil Next page
Rains douse Metro Manila’s heat R A I NSHOW ERS poured on parts of Metro Manila, much to the delight of some Filipinos, who were reeling from extreme heat over the past few weeks. The weather was consistent with the forecast of the Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), which said the hottest temperatures are about to end. PAGASA released a thunderstorm advisory on Wednesday noon, saying that “moderate to
heavy rain showers with lightning and strong winds are expected over Metro Manila, Rizal, Quezon, Laguna and Bulacan within the next two hours.” “All are advised to take precautionary measures against the impacts associated with these hazards which include flash floods and landslides,” the state weather bureau added. PAGASA had earlier forecast that one or two cyclones may enter or form within the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR) in May.
RED-TAGGING THREAT TO FREEDOM—SC NEWS / A3
GLOBAL INVESTORS FLOCK TO $2-B BOND SALE—RECTO BUSINESS / B1