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Biz groups push for 21 key bills Urge President to prioritize economic measures during SONA By Othel V. Campos and Maricel Cruz
A
HEAD of the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday, the business groups and Joint Foreign Chambers called on President Marcos to prioritize 21 crucial legislative measures that will stimulate economic growth, enhance global competitiveness, and promote inclusive development. In a letter addressed to the President, the groups expressed appreciation for the progress made on previous legisla-
tive recommendations, but emphasized the urgency of the remaining 21
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 152• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •WEDNESDAY, JULY 17, 2024 •
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5 DepEd officials resign Recto: DOF to stretch revenues for education to give Angara free hand FIVE key officials of the Department of Education have tendered their resignations to allow incoming Secretary Juan Edgardo Angara more leeway in reorganizing the agency. Undersecretary Michael Poa, also
the DepEd’s current spokesperson, said he is among those leaving the department on Friday (July 19), which is also Vice President Sara Duterte’s last day as education secretary. Next page
FINANCE Secretary Ralph Recto said every peso collected by his agency is being stretched to fund education, food security, social protection and infrastructure programs in line with the administration’s goal of producing a generation of globally competitive Filipinos. “Education must be a top priority of the government. And it is the last
expenditure upon which the Philippines should be willing to economize,” he said during the 2024 Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC) Annual Convention and General Assembly at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City on Monday. “Because a country’s progress hinges on the quality of its human
capital, education dictates whether a nation prospers or remains poor,” he added. According to the 2024 General Appropriations Act (GAA), education has the bulk of budget allocation worth P969 billion – 8.2 percent higher compared to the 2023 budget
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DENGUE CASES UP BY 30%, DOH WARNS NEWS / A2
FIRST LADY GETS PCG VICE ADMIRAL RANK NEWS / A2
SC asks Senate panel to respond to Guo petition By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Maricel V. Cruz and Maimona Lao
MEGA DAM PROJECT. President Marcos leads the
inauguration of the Jalaur River Multipurpose Project Stage II (JRMP II) — the largest water reservoir project to be built outside of Luzon in more than 40 years. About 25,000 farmers in Iloilo will benefit from the additional irrigation brought by the project, which is seen to increase rice production in Region 6 by 160,000 metric tons per year and provide 6.6 megawatts of hydroelectric power.
THE Supreme Court directed the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality to comment on a petition filed by suspended Bamban town Mayor Alice Guo’s lawyers seeking to invalidate the subpoena compelling her appearance at the ongoing probe on illegal POGO activities. SC spokesperson Camile Ting on Tuesday said the panel headed by Senator Risa Hontiveros was given 10 days to respond to Guo's petition for certiorari and temporary restraining order. The petition for certiorari also sought to annul the panel’s subpoena and exclude Guo as a resource person in future hearings on POGOs. Next page
‘Jalaur dam to boost W. Visayas rice output’ By Caloy Lozada and Charles Dantes ILOILO—President Marcos led the ceremonial opening of the floodgates for the Jalaur River Multi-purpose
Project Stage II (JRMP II) in Calinog, Iloilo, marking a significant milestone for the region’s agriculture and infrastructure. The P20 billion project is expected to increase Western Visayas' rice production by 160,000 metric tons, or 20
percent of the region’s annual rice requirement. The JRMP II includes three main components: irrigation development, environmental and watershed management, and institutional development. Next page
COMFORTABLE DETENTION ROOM. Roberto Ancan, chief of the Office of the Senate Sergeant at Arms (OSSA), conducts on Tuesday an ocular inspection of the detention room where Bamban Mayor Alice Guo and her co-accused will be detained upon their arrest. The room is equipped with air conditioning, three double-decker beds and a private bathroom. Danny Pata
OLYMPIC EXCITEMENT AT SM. As the opening of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games draws near, the French Embassy in partnership with SM Supermalls and Decathlon Philippines launch an Olympics Sports Hub and French food fair at the SM Mall of Asia to bring the fun and excitement of the Games closer to Filipinos. French Ambassador Marie Fontanel (fourth from left), SM Supermalls Executive Vice President for Marketing Joaquin San Agustin (second from right) and Decathlon Philippines Chief Executive Officer Hathaipat Theintangpiriya (fourth from right) lead the opening together with Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richard Bachmann (third from right), Philippine Paralympic Committee Secretary General Goody Custodio (second from left), French Embassy Cultural Attache Martin Macalintal (right) and Society Lounge Chef Patrice Freulson (left). Also gracing the event were Paris-bound Filipino paralympic athletes (front, from left) Jerrold Mangliwan, Ernie Gawilan, Cendy Asusano, and Angel Otom (back, third from left).
Trump, with bandaged ear, named official Republican bet Former US President Donald Trump
DONALD Trump received a hero's welcome Monday as he entered the Republican National Convention arena with a bandaged right ear appearin his first public appear woundance since being wound assassied in a weekend assassi
nation attempt. Hours after winning the formal nomination to be the Republican presidential candidate and announcing right-wing Senator J.D. Vance as his running mate, Trump marched into Milwaukee's Fiserv Forum flanked by Next page