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IN OBSERVANCE OF HOLY WEEK Manila Standard will suspend its print
operations from Holy Thursday (April 2) through Easter Sunday (April 5). Regular publication will resume on Monday, April 6. May we all have a solemn and blessed Holy Week. VOL. XL • NO. 50 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2026
PBBM orders DFA to talk to Iran To seek safe passage for PH-bound oil shipments in Strait of Hormuz By Charles Dantes and Alena Mae S. Flores
P50/kilo price cap on imported rice set
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RESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed the Department of Foreign Affairs to initiate discussions with Iran to help ensure the safe passage of Philippinebound vessels through the Strait of Hormuz.
By Charles Dantes, Othel V. Campos, Maricel V. Cruz, Ram Superable, and Vince Lopez
• Diesel prices up P15/l—sources • P10/kilo staggered price hike for LPG
Foreign Affairs Secretary Tess Lazaro received the order during a meeting of the government’s inter-agency task group UPLIFT, where concerns over maritime security in the Middle East were discussed, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro “She will meet with the ambassador of Iran, most probably (today). If not (today) then by next week,” Castro said. “Our relations with Iran are good,” the Palace official added.
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. • 4 million farmers, on Tuesday announced a P50 per-kifishers get cash aid lo price cap on imported well-milled rice and unveiled a broad package of • DA downplays fears subsidies and interventions aimed at of food price surges shielding Filipinos from rising costs, as the government ramps up its response to the global oil crisis triggered by escalating tensions in the Middle East.
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China ‘not a reliable partner’ for joint oil exploration—AFP
Marcos opens CLLEX portion; Holy Week travel measures set
By Rex Espiritu
By Charles Dantes, Darwin G. Amojelar, Vince Lopez, and Rio N. Araja
THE Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Tuesday cautioned government negotiators against entering potential oil and gas agreements with China, warning that Beijing has not been a “reliable partner” despite ongoing discussions on possible cooperation. “The Chinese Communist Party is not a reliable partner on the negotiating table,” said Rear Adm. Roy Vincent Trinidad, AFP spokesperson for West Philippine Sea matters, during a briefing at Camp Aguinaldo. “Historically, we have observed a difference in the way they speak and their actions on the ground. These are facts which are recorded.” The warning came after Philippine and Chinese officials
PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday led the opening of a four-kilometer segment of the Central Luzon Link Expressway (CLLEX) in Nueva Ecija, highlighting its role in reducing travel time, lowering fuel consumption, and helping stabilize rice prices. The government also rolled out nationwide measures to ensure safe and orderly travel during the Next page
Half-day, work-from-home for state workers today—Palace
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SOLEMN FAITH. Devotees troop to the ‘Kamay Ni Hesus’ shrine in Lucban, Quezon – a popular destination during Holy week. Manny Palmero
DOJ, OMB face heavy workload on flood control cases—Castro By Charles Dantes MALACAÑANG said on Tuesday that the Department of Justice and the Office of the Ombudsman (OMB) would likely face a heavy caseload after the Independent Commission for Infrastructure (ICI) recommended numerous cases tied to
alleged irregularities in flood control projects. At the same time, Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary Claire Castro denied the government has eased up on its investigation into alleged anomalies in flood control projects, stressing that accountability efforts are ongoing. Castro said the volume of cases endorsed by
the fact-finding body could be challenging for the prosecutors. “To be honest, it seems the Ombudsman and the DOJ are overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases being recommended for filing here in relation to the flood control project,” she said.
MALACAÑANG on Tuesday declared that government employees will follow a half-day, workfrom-home arrangement today (Holy Wednesday). Memorandum Circular No. 116 was released Tuesday by the Office of the President and signed by Acting Executive Secretary Ralph Recto by authority of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. It orders government offices to implement a workfrom-home arrangement from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. today, followed by a suspension of work starting noon. The directive aims to give government employees “full opportunity to properly observe Maundy Thursday and Good Friday” on April 2 and 3, Next page
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HOLY WEEK EXODUS. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the opening of the CLLEX Cabanatuan section linking Tarlac to Nueva Ecija and cutting travel time from one hour and 30 minutes to just 20 minutes. The road, opened amid the ongoing Holy Week exodus, will be toll-free until December. Inset photos show passengers queuing at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 and at the NorthPort Passenger Terminal in Manila, heading to their home provinces to spend the religious holiday. Norman Cruz, PCO
Most Pinoys believe life still okay—SWS survey By Katrina Manubay MAJORITY of Filipino adults (73 percent) rated their present life positively, but about 25 percent felt otherwise, thereby effec-
tively pulling down the country’s mean rating in the Anamnestic Comparative Self-Assessment (ACSA) to a record low of +1.72, according to a Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey.
The SWS poll showed that mean ACSA rating was at a record high of +2.82 when SWS first measured it in December 2017, then fell to +1.97 in May 2021, at the Next page