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P20 rice for low-wage earners
DA, DOLE expand cheap rice program thru participating private firms By Othel Campos
T
HE Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor and Employment have agreed in principle to include minimum wage earners starting next month in the ongoing pilot run of the P20/kilo rice program. DOLE Secretary Bienvenido Lagues- limited to low-income employees of ma said the rice program, dubbed “Ben- companies interested in the pilot rollout. teng Bigas Meron (BBM) Na,” will be Next page
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 102 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 2025
Doctors, media not exempt from odd-even EDSA plan—MMDA By Joel E. Zurbano, Maricel Cruz and Ram Superable DOCTORS on emergency call and marked media vehicles will not be exempt from the odd-even traffic plan that will be implemented on June 16 as the EDSA rebuilding project begins. MMDA chairman Don Artes said only the following categories of vehicles are exempt from the odd-even scheme which is expected to result in a 40 percent vehicle reduction in EDSA: - Electric Vehicles (EVs), Plug-in Hybrids, and Hybrids recognized by the Department of Energy under the Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act (EVIDA); - Non-motorized vehicles; Next page
MARCOS DISMISSES RESIGNATION CALLS NEWS / A2
FLAG DAY. A seamstress checks out a newly-finished flag at the Atlas Super Flags shop along Rizal Avenue in Sta. Cruz, Manila. Its current owners Gregory Tan Gatue and his wife, Carmelita Tan, continued the business started in 1910 by Gregory’s grandfather , Alejandro, who supplied linen to US troops and was later on commissioned to produce US and Philippine flags. The country celebrates Flag Day today in commemoration of the victory of Filipino revolutionaries led by Emilio Aguinaldo against Spanish forces in the Battle of Alapan. Norman Cruz
PBBM lauds calibrated ASEAN response to US tariffs Sara, Imee spend day with OFWs in Doha; VP bound for The Hague By Charles Dantes
PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. welcomed the Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) non-retaliatory response to the recent increase in tariffs
imposed by the United States. “We commend Malaysia’s leadership in convening the Special ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting and welcome the consensus to avoid retaliatory measures,” the Philippine leader said in
his intervention. Mr. Marcos, who has prioritized stability and constructive engagement in foreign economic policy, underscored the importance of not escalating tensions Next page
VICE President Sara Duterte yesterday met with overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Qatar, even as she prepared for another trip to the Netherlands to celebrate her 47thbirthday with her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte. “On Tuesday, 27 May 2025, the Vice President will engage with members of the Filipino community in Doha through a series of scheduled activities,” the Office of the Vice President (OVP) said in a statement.
“While in the Netherlands, VP Duterte is set to meet with her father, former President Rodrigo Roa Duterte in The Hague on 30 May, and again from 02 to 03 June 2025,” it added. The younger Duterte is joined in her travels to Qatar and the Netherlands by her mother, Elizabeth Zimmerman. She was joined by Senator Imee Marcos in meeting with Filipinos employed in the oil-rich state. In a Facebook post, Marcos said she was Next page
GCC LEADERS. President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. addresses the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) where more than 2M Filipinos live and work. The President stressed the importance providing upskilling opportunities and ensuring the protection and promotion of the rights and welfare of migrant workers. PCO
Folk rock legend Freddie Aguilar passes away at 72 By Angelica Villanueva and Orlan Mauricio FREDDIE Aguilar, the Filipino folk singer behind the global hit “Anak” and the protest anthem “Bayan Ko,” died early Tuesday. He was 72. His death was confirmed by George Briones, lawyer of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), in a statement shared with the Manila Standard. It was later confirmed by Aguilar’s former partner, Josephine Quiepo. The two had children together, including Maegan Aguilar, who for a time pursued a music career. Aguilar died at around 1:30 a.m. at the Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City. He had been admitted for an angioplasty but suffered multiple organ failure, which led to his death. Born Ferdinand Pascual Aguilar, he began performing in the early 1970s and became a central figure in Filipino folk Next page
Freddie Aguilar
SWAY SAFELY. Window cleaners hold on tight as they sway outside a building in
Manila during a magnitude 5.1 quake that shook Metro Manila at 12:17 p.m. yesterday. The epicenter was located near General Nakar, Quezon, according to Phivolcs. Norman Cruz
House appoints 1st spokesperson to counter disinformation, trolls By Maricel V. Cruz THE House of Representatives has appointed lawyer Priscilla Marie Abante as its official spokesperson for the remainder of the 19th Congress, in a strategic move to counter disinformation and enhance public engagement.
The designation, issued by House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, supports Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez’s campaign for transparency and effective communication of legislative priorities and national policies. Abante, daughter of Manila Rep. BiNext page