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VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 121 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, JUNE 17, 2024
House, Senate okay of RTL bill seen
Speaker sets eyes on 2025 budget approval
By Rio Araja
T
HE House of Representatives and the Senate are close to an agreement on the amendments to the Rice Tariffication Law, following Speaker Martin Romualdez’s first official meeting with Senate President Francis Escudero.
"It looks like the House and the Senate are coming to an agreement and it looks like it's close. We will have a good resolution," Romualdez said at the sidelines of the Agriculture Convergence Event in Tiaong town, Quezon. He also said the House of Representatives will prioritize the approval of the P6.2 trillion national budget after the 19th Congress opens its third and last regular session, “After the SONA (State of the Nation Address)
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SC affirms COA ruling vs. PhilHealth By Rey E. Requejo
THE Supreme Court (SC) has unanimously affirmed the notices of disallowance (NDs) issued by the Commission on Audit (COA) on Philhealth’s grant of new allowances for its employees amounting to P43.8 million without the approval of the President in 2010. In a 15-page en banc decision released on June 11, 2024, the SC denied the petition filed by Philhealth seeking to set aside the said COA’s decision issued on December 28, 2016, and resolution issued on January 31, 2020, denying Philhealth’s petition for review with respect to the NDs for lack of merit.
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Muslims mark Eid al-Adha as Hajj pilgrimage begins CELEBRATION AND SACRIFICE. Filipino Muslim women gather
yesterday at the grounds fronting the Quirino grandstand in celebration of Eid Al-Adha ('Festival of Sacrifice'), one of the most important festivals in the Muslim calendar. Inset photo shows Muslim pilgrims arriving at dawn to perform the symbolic 'stoning of the devil' ritual as part of the Hajj pilgrimage in Mina, near Saudi Arabia's holy city of Mecca, on June 16, 2024. Norman Cruz, Fadel Senna and AFP
Meralco lowers rates but higher bills set for coming months By Alena Mae S. Flores POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) said consumers can expect a significant reduction in rates amounting to 1.9623 per kilowatt hour in June despite announcing a supposed increase in rates last week. Meralco recomputed its rates after the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) ordered all distribution utilities and electric cooperatives in the country to stagger the collection of charges covering spot market purchases in the May supply month in Next page
NEW BLOOD.
The new officers of the Philippine Army give a snappy salute during their graduation rites on Saturday at Camp O'Donnell, Tarlac City. PFC Carmelotes/ PAOAFP
FILIPINO Muslims gathered to celebrate the feast of Eid al-Adha on Sunday. In Manila, prayers were held at the Quirino grandstand and the Blue Mosque in Barangay Maharlika Village, Taguig City. Meals were then shared among families, friends, and the needy. President Marcos Jr. had declared today a regular holiday for the observance of Eid'l Adha. Jalal Jamil, grand imam of the Golden Mosque, offered a prayer for the Filipino people. "We should respect each other regardless of whatever Next page
No issues with Senate builder, says DPWH official AN OFFICIAL of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said her team has not seen any problems with the performance of Hilmarc’s Construction Corp. (HCC), the contractor working on the new Senate building in Taguig. DPWH Project Director Soledad Florencio, in an ABS-CBN News report, said there was nothing “irregular” in the project. Florencio’s statement came after Senate Committee on Accounts chairman Alan Peter Cayetano flagged the constructor for supposedly not following technical specifications which has led to costly delays. Next page
Rescued seafarers, Kuwait fire victims return home By Vince Lopez The 21 Filipino seafarers rescued from the MV Tutor which was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea are set to arrive Monday afternoon in Manila. The seafarers were rescued Friday evening upon the order of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. In a statement, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the 21 Filipino seafarers were warmly received by Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Anne Jalando-on Louis on Next page