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Drug supply at risk—PHAP Urges 6-month medicine inventory amid Middle East crisis
By Rolando Ng III and Jimbo Gulle
T
HE Pharmaceutical and • Pharma logistics Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) on Sunday under pressure warned that the country’s medicine supply remains vulnerable to global disruptions, recommending that a six-month national inventory buffer be adopted, among possible solutions that could be implemented immediately.
To help cushion potential supply disruptions or price increases of medicines used locally, the industry group offered
10 potential measures, including using joint demand forecasting, building a
VOL. XL • NO. 51 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P20 • MONDAY, APRIL 6, 2026
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DA forms food security group, eyes trucker aid By Othel V. Campos, Ram Superable, and Rio N. Araja THE Department of Agriculture has created a Food Security Task Force to strengthen monitoring and response mechanisms for potential disruptions in agricultural supply, prices and trade, as the country tries to keep the cost of goods down amid an ongoing energy emergency and geopolitical tensions in key export markets. Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said the move formalizes and replaces the agency’s previous ad hoc monitoring system with a more structured and data-driven approach Next page
OPEC+ TO DISCUSS NEXT MONTH’S OIL PRODUCTION RISE
GOING UP. Workers arrange liquefied petroleum gas tanks purchased from a retailer in Quezon City. For the month of April, LPG prices per kilo increased between P17 and P20 per kilogram, bringing to a maximum P220 the hike for a regular 11-kilogram tank. Joan Bondoc
NEWS / A2
More US visa applicants must Palace warns energy fake news peddlers set social media accounts public By Katrina Manubay THE United States Embassy in Manila reminded visa applicants to set their social media accounts to “public” as part of the application process. In an advisory issued last week, the embassy expanded the requirement to include not only students, exchange visitors, and certain workers but also
EASTER BLESSINGS.
Pope Leo XIV blesses the crowd during the Easter Mass as part of the Holy Week celebrations at St Peter’s square in the Vatican on Sunday, April 5, 2026. AFP
additional visa categories. “Effective March 30, in addition to Students and Exchanges (F, M, and J), and Specialty Occupations (H-1B and their H-4 dependents), the following visa applicants, regardless of age, must also now change their privacy settings and profiles to ‘public’ on all social media platforms to complete the visa Next page
By Charles Dantes, Alena Mae S. Flores and Katrina Manubay
MALACAÑANG on Sunday warned individuals against spreading false information related to the country’s energy situation, saying offenders will face legal consequences. In a statement, Presidential Communications Office Acting Secretary Dave Gomez warned those who deliberately fabricate stories and disseminate fake
news online to exploit the current energy landscape that they “will be held to account to the fullest extent of the law.” “Spreading fake news and disinformation undermines public trust, destabilizes our economy, and threatens the welfare of every Filipino during this time of energy emergency,” Gomez said. He added that publishing false news is punishable under the Revised Penal Code, with penalties of up to six months imprisonment, while violations committed online may carry stiffer penalties un-
der the Cybercrime Prevention Act. Authorities are tracing the source of misleading content, including a widely shared graphic claiming an “energy lockdown” on April 20, 2026, and a fake advisory about a supposed “COVID-19 Cicada Variant.” The Department of Health has already debunked the claims, confirming there is no such lockdown. Meanwhile, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin said Iran’s commitment to allow safe passage of Philippine vessels Next page
Pope urges those unleashing wars to ‘choose peace’ POPE Leo XIV on Sunday urged “those who have the power to unleash wars” to “choose peace” and criticized global indifference to conflicts in his first Easter blessing. “We are growing accustomed to violence, resigning ourselves to it, and becoming indifferent. Indifferent to the deaths of thousands of people,” he told a crowd of faithful in St Peter’s Square, also announcing a prayer vigil at the Vatican for April 11. In a break with a tradition observed for years by his predecessors, Leo did not directly refer to any country in his blessing, but this year’s Easter celebrations are taking place in the shadow of war in the Middle East. Speaking during an Easter Vigil on Saturday, the pontiff called for “a new world of peace and unity” and decried the divisions created by “war, injustice and the isolation of peoples and nations.” Leo has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East and this week directly urged US President Donald Trump to find an “off-ramp.” From the deserted Old City of Jerusalem to the Christian villages in Lebanon caught in the crossfire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, the Middle East war has set a dark tone for a normally joyous celebration. In Jerusalem, services in the Holy Sepulchre, Next page
FUN ACTIVITIES. Mall-goers enjoy a ‘Maxed Out Easter’ at SM City Caloocan with thrilling egg hunts, vibrant parades, lively costume contests, and interactive activities, complemented by dining options for a fun-filled family day.
Embrace unity, compassion, hope—PBBM’s Easter message By Charles Dantes and Vince Lopez PRESIDENT Ferdinand Marcos Jr. called on Filipinos to “embrace hope, unity and compassion” as he joined the country in the observance of Easter
Sunday, marking what he described as the “triumph of life over death and renewal over suffering.” Meanwhile, Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Jose Melencio Nartatez Jr. on Sunday ordered all poNext page