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‘Prepare for economic contagion’ FIVE LOCAL HOLIDAYS IN OCT. NEWS / A3
CONTINUES BizISRAEL leaders sound alarm as Trump tariffs prompt global markets bloodbath TO POUND HEZBOLLAH WORLD / A6
VOL. XXXVIII • NO. 227• 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •MONDAY, 30, 2024 • By SEPTEMBER Othel V. Campos
HE Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) called for the creation of anPAGASA economic security council as the business sector continues to grapple over the global trade implications of the 17 percent tariff imposed by the United States on Philippine exports.
PNP resurrecting probe into PCSO official's slay T
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 53 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 •SATURDAY, APRIL 5, 2025 •
Tariff war pushes March inflation falls to 5-year low; gov’t interventions extolled gas, diesel prices
Wall Street led a global markets bloodbath yesterday as countries around the world reeled from President Donald Trump's trade war, including the local benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange index (PSEi) which lost 61.54 points or 1 percent to close at 6,084.19. China on Friday also immediately retaliated, saying it would slap 34 percent tariffs on all imports of US goods from April 10 after Washington
higher—DOE Speaker grateful for PMA Class '83 vote of confidence in Quad Comm
By Darwin G. Amojelar, Othel V. Campos and Maricel V. Cruz By Riocountry's N. Araja THE inflation rate eased
further to a five-year low in March, with price pressures tempered by lower food HE Philippine and transport costs, which the Philippine National Police government said was in no small part due to its (PNP) various interventions. is reopening In a report released yesterday, the its investigation into Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) the of dropped to said 2020 headlinemurder inflation rate 1.8 percent in March, from Philippine Charity 2.1 percent
T
in February. This marks the lowest headline inflation rate since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in May 2020, when inflation was recorded at 1.6 percent. Specifically, last month’s decline was driven by slower inflation in both food (2.3 percent from 2.6 percent) and non-food (1.4 percent from 1.6 percent) items. The easing of food inflation was primarily due to the faster year-on-year Next page
Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) board secretary Wesley Barayuga.
On Sunday, PNP Chief Police General Rommel Francisco Marbil said he ordered the reopening of the cold case after whistleblower Police Lt. Col. Santie Mendoza told the House Quad Committee that he helped carry out the killing at the behest of ex-PCSO general manager Royina Garma. Mendoza narrated before congressmen how Garma allegedly facilitated the PCSO official’s roadside assassination on July 30, 2020 by providing the necessary information about his schedule, details about his vehicle and the funding necessary to carry it out. The whistleblower also implicated incumbent National Police Commissioner Edilberto Leonardo in the planning of the murder. Barayuga was a retired police general and lawyer who supposedly threatened to expose corruption within the PCSO shortly before he was shot dead in Mandaluyong City. Garma, herself an ex-police Lt. Colonel, allegedly gained the top spot at the PCSO because of her inNext page
BAUTISTA
By Darwin Amojelar
CONSUMERS can expect a mixed oil price movement next week with gasoline and diesel going up while kerosene will have no adjustment or may increase or decrease of P0.20 per liter. Department of Energy Oil Industry Management Bureau (OIMB) director Next page
FOOD MONTH KICK-OFF. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. checks out food on display in a stall at the National Kick-Off Celebration of Filipino Food Month yesterday in Lucena, Quezon Province.
imposed steep new levies on Chinese products. China will also file a lawsuit with the World Trade Organization (WTO) THEtariffs, government has readied P1.48 over Beijing's Commerce Minbillion worth of aid for communiistry said. tiesMAP that may be hit Alfredo hard by typhoon president Panlilio ‘Julian’ PAGASA at says said whilewhich the Philippines thiscould time into a supertyphoon. isturn seen as not as negatively affected as As of PM discount on Sunday, PAothers, “we5:00 cannot the posGASA that raised Tropical Cyclone sibility as other countries are page Wind Signal No. 3 over Next Batanes and the northeastern portion of Babuyan Islands. “’Julian’ is forecast to continue intensifying over the next 24-36 hours as it moves towards Batanes and/or Babuyan Islands. With the current trend in its intensification, the possibility of reaching super typhoon category is not ruled out,” PAGASA said in its advisory. Meanwhile, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) said that a total of 1.9 million family food packs worth P1.48 billion, other food items worth P276 million, and non-food items (NFIs) worth P919 million were already prepared by the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). Some P171 million in standby fund is also available for utilization by the DSWD, including P123 million which can be allotted as Quick Response Fund (QRF) in the central office of the DSWD. In Batanes, the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) advised residents to secure their roofs and install window shutters as Typhoon Julian is expected to make landfall
Survey shows Pinoys most concerned about corruption, drugs, inflation By Rachelle Tonelada
A WEB OF CRIME? House leaders Aurelio Gonzales and David Suarez presented this matrix during the last QUAD CORRUPTION andeconomic illegal drugs are Comm hearing which shows the operations of a criminal syndicate allegedly led by fugitive Michael Yang, then among the top issues in Filipinos adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte, that controlled the illegal activities of the POGOs and was involved the drugwant President Ferdinand “Bongbong” trade and extrajudicial killings.
Marcos Jr. to deal with, according to the PAHAYAG 2025 First Quarter Survey (PQ1-2025). The survey, conducted from March 15 to 20 with 1,500 registered voters, revealed that corruption tops the list of national issues Filipinos of and about, illegal with activities areillegal most drugs concerned 20% associated with POGOs,” said of respondents identifyingSuarez it as their in a mixture of Filipino and English. primary concern. The Illegalsolons drugsexplained followed how the matrix details Yang’s connections to other individuals involved in illicit activities, including the operations of illegal POGOs. Among the companies implicated are Brickhartz Technology Inc. and Xionwei Technology Co. Ltd., which are being linked to alleged kidnapping. The two firms supposedly have connections with the Baofu Compound in Bamban, Tarlac, which, in turn, can be directly traced to disgraced ex-mayor Alice Guo. During Friday’s Quad Comm hearing, lawmakers cited Tony Yang in contempt for “lying” to about his businesses and business partners.
Yang's lawyer mocks probers amid heated inquiry THE legal counsel of Chinese businessman Tony Yang sought to disparage lawmakers’ conclusions about his client’s supposedly sketchy past and his alleged ties with Philippine Overseas Gaming Operators (POGOs) and even organized crime. Lawyer Raymond Fortun questioned the House Quad Committee’s impartiality and "This celebration is an invitationits to ability to our pinkitchens, Chinesewhere national Yang return to meals for down for ones ay wrongdoing in a real our loved are lovingly prepared," criminal he added.court. “IPresident am veryMarcos interested in how they emphasized that [Quad members] prove FilipinoComm kitchens serve as can sanctuaries this criminal network in court. In of history, culture, and identity. Congress, lawmakersfood act as He described as both the prosecutor and judge,” he said. "language of the Filipino heart," Yang,howwho admitted noting mealsalready are often shared having fake friends Philippine birth not just aamong and family, certificate, is the brother symbolizing of Michael but even with strangers, Yang, economic warmth aand presidential unity. Next page
DOTr’ s Bautista Marcos launches Pinoy food month says online news By Charles Dantes report‘unfounded' PRESIDENT Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. yesterday led the kick-off celebration of Filipino Food Month, underscoring the cultural importance of Filipino cuisine and its role in uniting the nation and boosting tourism. "This month, we are reminded of the importance of patronizing Filipino cuisine," President Marcos said in his address at the Quezon Provincial Capitol Grounds in Lucena City.
By Alena Mae S. Flores
Gov’t readies P1.48b aid as 'Julian' strengthens
adviser of former President Rodrigo Duterte. Fortun, a lawyer who often finds himself at the center high-profile cases, apparently sought to mock congressmen, calling their probe “unacceptable.” However, House members argued they did not come by their suspicions ONLINE about Yang recklessly. HARASSMENT On Friday, Senior Deputy Speaker Aurelio Gonzales Jr. of Pampanga COMPLAINT. and Deputyand Speaker Supporters family David Suarez of Quezon memberspresented of drug a matrix showing war victims raiseappearance and his Yang’s first placards after activities filing subsequent at the Quad complaints yesterday Comm hearing. at the Philippine “We saw a pattern, and we tracked National it to theBureau top ofofthese corporations... Investigation (NBI) in we stripped it of its layers , to get to Pasay, Metro Manila. the top and through The complaint alleges it all, we have discovered and identified at least two online harassment main actorspresident or players in the issue since former Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest and detention at the Hague, Netherlands on charges of crimes against humanity. Norman Cruz
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closely at 13%, reflecting a growing anxiety, especially in Mindanao, where concern spiked to 26%. Economic woes also loom large in the minds of the public, with 11% citing the general state of the economy and another 11% pointing to inflation as key issues that need immediate attention. Many respondents expressed anxietyPhilippine over daily survival. THE government on Fourteen percent arefor worried about Sunday publicly called the Unitaffording ed Nationsbasic (UN)necessities, to give it a10% seatraised on concerns about healthcare access, and the UN Security Council, highlight9%the arecountry’s troubled by the lack of stable ing strong record and livelihoods. Next dedication to upholding the rule page of law. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Enrique Manalo in a speech delivered at the UN General Assembly in New York said the Philippines continues to emphasize the “importance of upholding the rule of law and the integrity of the multilateral system in the face of today’s global challenges.” Quoted by reports, Manalo also said: “The Philippines has consistently pursued peace, the sovereign equality of states, the rights and dignity of all persons.” He added that the country is also recognized as the “first Asian Re-
PH lobbies UN for Security Council seat
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Navy spokes debunks China claim of military exercises in Scarborough shoal By Rex Espiritu
THE Philippine Navy debunked on Sunday the recent announceTRANSPORTATION Secretary Jaime ment by China that it conducted Bautista denied an online news report military exercises off Bajo de claiming that Malacañang was angry Masinloc, also known as Scarborwith the increase in airport fees without ough Shoal, in the West Philipthe approval of the Cabinet members. pine Sea (WPS). “The Bilyonaryo article is maliChina reportedly made the ancious and unfounded,” Bautista said nouncement coinciding with the in a Viber message, referring to the fourth Multilateral Maritime Cowebsite that published the said story. HAPPY WALK. Children he with Down Syndrome lead theActivity Happy Walkbetween 2025 parade operative the “Bilyonaryo is inconsistent,” added. organized by the Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines, Australia, Inc. (DSAPI) andJapan, SM Philippines, Bilyonaryo reported online that Cares and held simultaneously at SMX Manila – SM MallZealand, of Asia, SM City City andCebu, theSMUnited “Bautista andSM hisCDO long-time protege in themNew Bacolod, and Downtown. Joining are SM Executives Engr. Bien C. Mateo, within Manila’s exclusive Philippine Airlines, Undersecretary forAffairs;States SM Cares Program Director for Disability Mr. Joaquin L. San Agustin, EVP of SM economic zone (EEZ) inSy,the Aviation and Airports Bobby Lim, are Supermalls Marketing; Mr. Hans T. Sy Jr., SM EDD President; Ms. Hanna Carinna AVPrefor waters over the weekend. at the center the storm it wasLapena,gional Special Events;oftogether withafter Mr. Elmer DSAPI Chairman; Ms. Ina Alcuaz-Garcia, Philippine Navy Spokesperson Ms Iyett Mesa, and Ms. Agnes Lapena from DSAPI, and Mr. Peter Eric Pardo, Chief of Staff for WPS Rear Admiral Roy VinNext page of City Mayor of Pasay.
cent Trinidad told reporters that Manila troops did not monitor any such activity, adding that Beijing’s statement was meant only for its internal audience. “Our troops did not observe any exercise, we have to understand that sometimes, China is doing this for their internal audience, right? For them not to look weak and embarrassed,” Trinidad said. By Rachelle Tonelada Two Chinese warships were monitored at a distance THE Department of Foreignranging Affairs from to 14said nautical miles. (DFA)eight yesterday the Philippine One of these went to 1,000is Consulate General in up Guangzhou yards at the MMCA site but evenproviding all necessary assistance, tually went away. legal “It support, was not including appropriate for threatening, just normal,” the three Filipinos arrested foraccordalleged spying in China. Next page page Next
DFA provides legal Kin of EJK victims troop to ICC support for 3 Pinoys in bid to testify against Duterte Rex Espiritu accused of spying By and Joel Zurbano
2017 after being mistaken for drug personalities. “We are here to prove that there were really of victims [ofHoldings, extrajudicial “MIRA,” the alias taken by a AWARD. Hans Sy, Chairman of the Executive Committee SM Prime killings]… many victims. Many of sister of two by alleged victimsRetailers of the Association was honored the Philippine (PRA) with its Outstanding themleadership are afraid [to speak up] even if Filipino Retailers President Award his visionary in retail development. previous administration’s warforon (Fromhas left to right): PRA Director and Director of SM are Retail Jorge T.too. Mendiola, they victims They PRA are really drugs, arrived at The Hague in Vice President and President COO of Golden, ABC, Inc. Penshoppe afraid,” she(The said in an Group) interview hopes of testifying againstandformer Alice T. Liu, SM Prime Holdings Chairman Executivewith Committee T. Sy, GMA Hans News. president Rodrigo Duterte before the of theyesterday PRA President and Chairman of Quorum International, BasedInc. (Toby’s on Sports) ICC Roberto documents, International Criminal Court (ICC). S. Claudio, and PRA Director and President of Sportshouse Int’l. Leisure, Inc. and representatives of the tribunal have She claims that her two siblings proponent of PRA OFR President’s Award Mars C. Chua Next page were executed by lawmen in May