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8 ALYANSA CANDIDATES DOMINATE SENATE RACE—SWS
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Senate bill delaying BARMM polls to Oct. certified urgent By Charles Dantes, Joyce Pañares, Vito Barcelo and Maricel Cruz
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 349 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • THURSDAY, JANUARY 30, 2025
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. certified as urgent the Senate version of a bill seeking to postpone the first general elections in the Bangsamoro
Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao for five months to October 2025. “This is confirmed,” Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cesar Chavez said in a message to Palace reporters. Asked which version of the
Gov’t committed to NFA rice to flood Marcos: creating quality employment markets for 6 mos. By Charles Dantes
Part of food security emergency—DA
PRESIDENT Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Wednesday assured both the employer and labor sectors that his administration is committed to helping Filipinos secure quality jobs through reskilling, upskilling, and stronger
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public-private partnerships. Speaking at a job fair co-organized by the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and private stakeholders, the chief executive noted that unemployment in the country is decreasing but stressed Next page
By Othel Campos
T
HE Department of Agriculture will release 150,000 metric tons of National Food Authority rice stocks as part of the food security emergency declaration and bring down high prices of the staple grain. The NFA said it will distribute around three million 50-kilogram bags over six months in a bid to stabilize rice prices in areas most affected by cost surges. The NFA is also set to procure palay at P23 per kilo in the coming months, with the rice harvest season starting mid-February. “This monthly release of approximately 30,000 metric tons will allevi-
ate high rice prices and prepare NFA warehouses for the upcoming palay procurement season,” NFA administrator Larry Lacson said. The emergency declaration includes the sale of NFA rice to LGUs, government agencies and government-ownedand-controlled corporations at P36/kg. The rice can then be sold to consumers at P38/kg. Next page
House keen on passing P200 per day wage hike—Speaker By Maricel V. Cruz SPEAKER Martin Romualdez said the House of Representatives is expediting deliberations on a proposal to increase the minimum wage to P200 in order to provide immediate economic relief while considering the sustainability of micro, small, and medium
enterprises (MSMEs). On Wednesday, he said lawmakers are keen on a legislated wage hike that surpasses the P150 increase demanded by the labor sector. “The emerging consensus in the House of Representatives, pending ongoing public consultation, might be to increase
JOB FAIR. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. emphasized the government’s continued partnership with the private sector to create more job opportunities for Filipinos in his speech at JobStreet Career Con 2025 at the SMX Convention Center.
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SWS:8 Alyansa ng Bayan bets among top 12 in Senate race THE administration’s Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas continues to dominate the Senate race, with eight among the top 12 bets, according to the latest Social Weather Stations survey. ACT-CIS partylist Rep. Erwin Tulfo held on the top spot with 45% of the votes of those polled. He is followed by former Senate President Tito Sotto with 38%, rising from 31% in the December SWS survey.
CORDIAL EXCHANGE. Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez engages in a cordial exchange with leaders of the country’s major labor groups regarding their plea for a legislated wage hike during their meeting Tuesday night at the Social Hall of the Speaker’s Office in the House of Representatives. Accompanying the labor leaders are Deputy Speaker and TUCP Partylist Rep. Raymond Democrito Mendoza (2nd from left) and Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre. Ver Noveno
More arrests of suspected Chinese spies soon—NSC THERE will be more arrests of suspected spies in the following days, the National Security Council (NSC) said on Wednesday. “There will be an announcement in the next few days. What I can say right now is that there will be more arrests
and this includes what happened there in Palawan,” NSC Assistant Director General Jonathan Malaya said during the "Utak Forum" held at the New Dapo Restaurant and hosted by columnist Richard Heydarian in Quezon City.
“We have ramped up our counterintelligence efforts. And because of that, we are slowly unraveling the conspiracy, this operation that being done by foreign actors to conduct espionage in the Philippines,” he added. Next page
PCG deploys Magbanua; tracks socmed trolls THE Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said it has replaced the BRP Cabra with its largest vessel—the BRP Teresa Magbanua--to monitor Chinese vessels including the so-called "monster ship”in the West
Philippine Sea (WPS). In a statement, PCG spokesperson for the WPS, Commodore Jay Tarriela, explained that the BRP Cabra had to transport the body of a fisherman who passed away
off the coast of Silanguin Island, Zambales, on Monday. Due to the vessel’s departure from an area where Chinese Coast Guard vessels have been illegally operating, Next page
The biggest gainer, the SWS said, is actor-politician Lito Lapid, who jumped from 11th place (23%) to 3rd and 4th place at 37%. He is tied with reelectionist Sen. Bong Go, whose rating also increased by 5% from last month. Former Sen. Ping Lacson also went up two spots from 7th in December (27%), to 5th (35%), while broadcaster Ben Tulfo retained his position in 6th place. Next page