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ENSURE ‘SAFE, TIMELY, AND ORDERLY’ RETURN OF OFWS—PBBM By Charles Dantes and Ram Superable PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Monday ordered the “safe, timely, and orderly return” of Filipinos from conflict-affected areas in Israel and Iran under the government’s volun voluntary repatriation program. “We have raised Alert Level 3 in Iran and Israel,” Mr. Marcos said in a video statement. “We are processing over 200
VOL. XXXIX • NO. 129 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • TUESDAY, JUNE 24, 2025
Iran may close Strait of Hormuz
requests for repatriation, and we are moving quickly to bring them home.” He acknowledged that some overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have opted to remain at their jobs despite the escalating crisis. The first batch of 26 Filipino repatriates from Israel has already crossed into Jordan and will be received by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac at the King Hussein Next page
EASING CONCERNS.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. addresses concerns of the nation about the escalating crisis in the Middle East during an online broadcast Monday night. PCO
20% of global oil supply under threat • US seeks China help to stop closure • EU warns move ‘extremely dangerous’
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RAN’S Supreme National Security Council will make a final decision on the plan to close the Strait of Hormuz, a vital maritime gateway which carries one-fifth of global oil output, after its parliament approved the motion in response to US strikes over the weekend.
“One of Iran’s clear options in response to foreign aggression is closing the Strait of Hormuz. We will act when the time is right,” said Mohammad Hassan Asfari, a member of the parliament’s national security committee. Global markets reacted nervously, with oil prices jumping more than four percent early Monday before falling briefly into the red. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged China to help deter Iran from Next page
Oil firms to implement big-time price hike in two tranches—DOE • Supermarket group: Prices to go up • Ex-BSP exec: Peso to weaken further By Alena Mae Flores OIL firms have agreed to a staggered twotranche implementation of this week’s big-time oil price hike of as much as P5.20 per liter, the Department of Energy on Monday said. The first round of increase – P2.60 per liter for diesel, P2.40 per liter for kerosene and P1.75 per liter for gasoline – will take effect today (Tuesday) at 6 a.m. The same level of price increases will take effect on Friday, June 26. “Our dialogue with industry players today reflects our shared commitment to balance economic realities with the need to shield our people from sudden price shocks, and we are pleased to report that they have responded positively to our request” said DOE officerin-charge Sharon Garin.
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WORLD ON EDGE. Map of the Gulf showing maritime tanker traffic in September 2024 through the Strait of Hormuz. Inset shows general view of the United Nations Security Council emergency meeting in New York, one day after US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. AFP
VP Sara’s lawyers submit answer to impeachment court summons VICE President Sara Duterte responded yesterday to her Senate impeachment trial summons hours before the deadline, demanding the case against her be dropped. The House of Representatives impeached Duterte in early February on charges of graft, corruption and an alleged assassination plot against onetime ally and former running mate President Ferdinand Marcos. A guilty verdict in the Senate would result in her removal from office and permanent disqualification from politics. A copy of Duterte’s reply to the
summons delivered by messenger to House prosecutors on Monday afternoon called the complaint against her an abuse of the impeachment process. “There are no statements of ultimate facts in the (impeachment complaint). Stripped of its ‘factual’ and legal conclusions, it is nothing more than a scrap of paper,” the response read. It goes on to deny the allegations made against her as “false” and state that the Senate’s decision to remand the case to the House earlier this month removed her responsibility to answer them. Next page
DA puts off plan to lower imported rice prices By Othel V. Campos and Maricel V. Cruz AGRICULTURE Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel Jr. said yesterday that the Department of Agriculture (DA) is withholding its plan to
RUSSIA LAUNCHES MASSIVE DRONE ATTACK ON KYIV WORLD / A6
lower the maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) of imported rice. This as Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez expressed full support for the Department of Agriculture’s (DA) proposal to overhaul the National Food Authority (NFA) to bring down rice
prices, help farmers, and stabilize the country’s food supply system. “We’ll likely delay the rollout by a month or two to gain a clearer picture of where global prices are heading,” Laurel said. Next page
10 more meds exempt from VAT mental illness have been added to the value-added tax (VAT)-exempt list. “The implementation of these THE Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) on Monday announced that ten changes is a testament to our dedicaadditional medicines for cancer, diabe- tion to providing excellent taxpayer tes, high cholesterol, hypertension, and Next page
By Ram Superable