LIKE DUTERTE, MARCOS JR. SAYS TO 'INCREASE SCOPE' OF TIES WITH CHINA BEYOND SEA DISPUTE

MANILA — In an apparent continuation of the Duterte administration's foreign policy, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said he wants to "increase the scope" of the country's relationship with China beyond the issues in the West Philippine Sea.

Marcos Jr. is set to meet with Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi when he visits the Philippines. Wang will be visiting Southeast Asian countries from July 3 to 14.

While the Philippines is on Wang’s itinerary, no date has been announced for his visit.

Marcos Jr. said their meeting will be focused on finding "ways to resolve the conflicts that we have."

"One of the ways I have consistently suggested is that we have our relationship not only on one dimension — the West Philippine Sea. Let’s add to that. Let’s have cultural exchanges, educational exchanges, even military if that will be useful," Marcos Jr. said in a press briefing at Malacañan on Tuesday afternoon.

He also mentioned working with "important actor(s)" of regional geopolitics such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation.

EU INVITES MARCOS TO BRUSSELS

MANILA — The European Union (EU) has invited President Marcos to visit Brussels.

The invitation from European Council president Charles Michel was personally relayed by EU Ambassador Luc Véron to Marcos during the latter’s inauguration on Thursday.

Michel, who was not able to attend the inauguration, said in his letter to Marcos: “I would, however, like to extend an invitation to you to come to Brussels at a mutually convenient time. We have much to discuss, from our bilateral relations, EU-ASEAN ties and wider foreign policy issues, to our support for the rules-based international order.”

Véron represented Michel and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the presidential inauguration.

The EU has also expressed hope that Marcos would participate in the upcoming EU-Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Commemorative Summit in Brussels in December this year.

This year marks 45 years of partnership between the EU and ASEAN. The EU’s relationship with ASEAN was elevated to a Strategic Partnership in December 2020.

“The Philippines and the European Union have common interests and values, which are a strong basis for a partnership, based on respect and mutual benefit and in pursuit of the effective implementation of the EU-Philippine Partnership and Cooperation Agreement,” Véron said.

The EU is stepping up its strategic engagement with the Indo-Pacific region. The region’s growing economic, demographic and political weight makes it a key player in shaping the rules-based international order and in addressing global challenges.

MARCOS 'DISAGREES' WITH 6.1 PERCENT INFLATION, SAYS INFLATION LARGELY 'IMPORTED'

MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said he disagreed with the 6.1 percent inflation rate in June that the state statistics bureau reported on Tuesday, and added that much of the country's inflation was "imported."

During his first press briefing since his inauguration as the Philippines’ 17th president, Marcos was asked what he planned to do to address rising prices.

In response, the president said inflation was “a problem not only in the Philippines but everywhere.”

However, Marcos also said that he “disagreed” with the reported inflation level.

“I think that I will have to… I will have to disagree with that number. We are not that high. We have crossed the .. our targets were less 4 percent or less, unfortunately, it looks like we may cross that… cross that threshold. Tatawid tayo sa 4 percent,” Marcos said.

The Philippine Statistics Authority released its report on Tuesday morning, which showed that headline inflation continued to rise, hitting 6.1 percent in June after hitting 5.4 percent in May and 4.9 percent in April.

During his briefing, Marcos again said that there was little that the country could do about rising commodity prices.

“The increase in commodity prices are... again something that happens, that the forces, the forces that have pushed the commodity prices up, are again beyond our control,” the president said.

The chief executive also said inflation in the country was “imported.”

“Much of our inflation is actually imported inflation. It is imported because it is the inflation on the products that have suffered inflation that we import. So sumama na yung inflation nila dun sa atin.”

National Statistician Dennis Mapa earlier reported that the main contributors to inflation were rising prices of food and non-alcoholic beverages, transport costs and fuel prices.

Undersecretary Mapa said that prices are also likely to keep rising based on the data they have gathered.

MARCOS SAYS TO IMPORT RICE, CORN 'AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE,' VOWS TO BOOST FOOD PRODUCTION

MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Tuesday vowed to import rice, corn, pork, and chicken "as little as possible" even as his administration eyes to boost local production of food.

Marcos, who currently heads the agriculture department, said the measure is meant mainly to increase supply instead of lowering prices.

"I don’t think that is the primary reason for the importation that we will do now... We are going to try… I think we will do it, in the Department of Agriculture, to boost production of rice and corn in the coming two quarters, hanggang Pasko, until after Christmas," he told reporters during his first press conference in Malacañang.

"We prefer not to import. We would prefer to import as little as possible. So we should increase our own production of rice and corn. Corn, especially, became very important because the feed wheat that we were importing, na-cut off ang supply natin. So we have to substitute it with corn," he said.

The agriculture sector has earlier warned of rising food prices amid a tight supply of basic ingredients due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine is among the world's largest supplier of wheat.

Marcos also said that the country would continue importing pork, citing the "uncontrolled" outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in several areas in the country.

He said they would also push through with chicken imports amid the sector's problem with feedstock.

Once the country has increased its food production, importations would be lowered, he said.

MARCOS SAYS STUDENTS TO GET FREE LRT 2 RIDES UNDER LIBRENG SAKAY PROGRAM

MANILA - President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday said students will be entitled to ride the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line 2 for free.

"Libreng Sakay (Free Fare) continues as is. But (what) we are going to do is we are going to do a program for the students," he said in his first press conference as Philippine President.

"We will fully subsidize their pamasahes (fares). Students will ride for free on LRT2 which is going to university belt," he said.

Marcos made the announcement a day after the Department of Transportation said students can avail of free rides on LRT-2, MRT-3 and PNR from Aug. 22 until Nov. 4.

This, after Marcos approved last Friday a memorandum submitted by the DOTr for the said program, as well as for the extension of the free EDSA Carousel bus rides until December of this year.

PHILIPPINES TO EASE INTO RETURN TO CLASSROOMS STARTING SEPTEMBER

MANILA — Vice President Sara Duterte — concurrently education secretary — has proposed the conduct of full in-person classes by November, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Tuesday, even as the Philippines continues to record an uptick in the number of COVID-19 infections.

Speaking to reporters after the first Cabinet meeting of his administration, Marcos said phased face-to-face classes would be implemented in September before the conduct of full in-person learning.

"There are some things that are immediately accessible in the sense that we can start doing something about it already. The first thing that is an example of that was Inday Sara's announcement that we have a plan for full face-to-face by November of this year," Marcos said.

"(In) September, we will start a phased face-to-face schooling. And that face-to-face will end up in early November," he added.

Marcos said implementing full face-to-face classes would require discussions on COVID-19 vaccination "because there are going to be some issues that will be raised."

The Philippines currently allows COVID-19 vaccination for ages 5 and up. It recently released guidelines for additional doses for 12 to 17-year-olds.

"Children aged 12 to 17 can now get their booster dose against COVID-19!" DOH said in an announcement shared on its official Twitter account on Tuesday.

SENATORS RENEW CALL FOR DEPARTMENT FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

MANILA — Senators are pushing for the immediate enactment of bills to strengthen the country’s response to calamities, including the creation of a department for disaster resilience.

Sen. Bong Go has reintroduced in the 19th Congress his bill that aims to establish a Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR). The measure seeks to create a highly specialized agency that will be tasked with ensuring adaptive, disaster-resilient and safe communities.

Go appealed to his fellow lawmakers to give their support for the said measure as it aims to unify and streamline all responsibilities related to disaster preparedness and response.

“Before the storm comes, there is already one who will coordinate with local government units (LGUs), preposition goods and evacuate our countrymen to safer places. And when the storm passes, the immediate restoration of normalcy, that’s the aim of the Department of Disaster Resilience,” Go said in Filipino.

The proposed DDR will bring together all essential functions and mandates currently scattered among various disaster-related agencies.

CIVIL PARTNERSHIPS FOR STRAIGHT, SAME-SEX COUPLES PUSHED ANEW IN HOUSE

MANILA — A bill that seeks to recognize civil partnerships of couples of any sex has been refiled in the House of Representatives, in a move that seeks to grant same-sex couples the same benefits enjoyed by straight married couples.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera filed anew the proposed Civil Partnership Act as part of her priority measures in the upcoming 19th Congress, hoping that the measure which did not hurdle the past two Congresses would finally get enacted into law this time.

“It is about time that the Philippine government grant couples — whether they are of the opposite or of the same sex — adequate legal instruments to recognize their partnerships, respecting their dignity and recognizing equality before the law,” Herrera said in the explanatory note of House Bill No. 1015.

The bill, she said, will be a “landmark effort to provide civil rights, benefits and responsibilities to couples previously unable to marry, giving them due recognition and protection from the State.”

The measure provides that no civil partnership is valid unless those involved are at least 18 years old, not prohibited to enter into a civil partnership by reason of public policy such as blood relations, and are free from any existing bond of marriage or civil partnership.

Those who enter into civil partnerships will be granted all benefits and protections granted to spouses in a marriage under existing laws, administrative orders, court rulings or those derived as a matter of public policy or any other source of civil law.

“Ultimately, at the core of a civil partnership are fully consenting adults who, like many Filipinos, merely wish to love, care and support each other as they build a life together during their fleeting time here on Earth,” Herrera said.

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DOH LOGS OVER 10,000 ACTIVE COVID-19 CASES

MANILA — The Department of Health (DOH) logged more than 10,000 active COVID-19 cases on Monday.

Latest data from the DOH showed an additional 1,188 new COVID-19 infections were recorded, bringing total active cases to 10,094.

Meanwhile, the nationwide COVID-19 tally reached 3,709,386 cases.

Recoveries rose to 3,638,690, up from Sunday’s 3,637,976. There were 60,602 deaths recorded.

In the past two weeks, the top regions with new COVID infections were the National Capital Region with 5,783, followed by Calabarzon with 2,263 and Western Visayas with 1,014. Central Luzon posted 813 cases, and Central Visayas with 575.

As to cities and provinces, in the last 14 days, Quezon City recorded 1,249 cases, followed by Cavite with 810 and Manila with 774.

Available data from the DOH tracker also showed that a total of 13,323 individuals underwent COVID-19 tests on July 3.

PHILIPPINES DETECTS MORE CASES OF OMICRON SUBVARIANTS

MANILA — The Philippines has detected 70 additional cases of fast-spreading Omicron BA.5, BA.2.12.1, and BA.4 subvariants, the Department of Health said.

Of the total, 43 were BA.5 cases, 20 were BA.2.12.1 cases, and four were BA.4 cases.

Sixty-five of those Omicron subvariant cases are local, the health department said.

In total, there were 190 cases testing positive for the Omicron variant of concern and all of its sublineages out of the 211 samples sequenced by Philippine Genome Center from June 29 to July 4.

Despite the renewed spike in infections, the total hospital bed utilization nationwide remained at low risk, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

“There were no deaths among the cases testing positive for the Omicron subvariants. Nevertheless, maintaining minimum public health standards and being up-to-date on vaccination should still be practiced,” she added.

COMELEC EXPECTS 23-M VOTER TURNOUT FOR LONG-DELAYED SK ELECTIONS

MANILA — The Commission on Elections said it is expecting a voter turnout of 23 million in this year’s Sangguniang Kabataan (SK) or youth council elections, which will be held in December.

“‘Yung 23 million na ‘yan, malinaw ko lang hindi lahat bago kasi sa ating batas, ang makakaboto sa SK elections ay mula 15 years old hanggang 30 years old,” Comelec acting spokesman John Rex Laudiangco told state television on Tuesday.

Based on a report from the poll body, in 2018, the SK elections saw a 13.2 million turnout out of the 20 million youth voters. Meanwhile, 39.977 million out of the 57 million registered regular voters participated in the barangay elections.

Registration for the December 5 barangay and SK polls kicked off on Monday and will be open to applicants until July 23. The SK and local village or barangay elections were postponed after being originally slated for May 2020.

DRUG BUY-BUSTS AND OPERATIONS

A police team uprooted 3,000 marijuana shrubs in the upland Tugaya town in Lanao del Sur Tuesday.

Police Col. Jibin Bongcayao, director of the Lanao del Sur provincial police, said Wednesday their operation was premised on tips by villagers in Barangay Bago-a-Ingud in Tugaya about the propagation of marijuana by an armed group in the area.

Bongcayao said combined personnel of the Lanao del Sur Provincial Police Office, the Tugaya municipal police force and units under the Police Regional Office-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region together destroyed the marijuana farm on Tuesday afternoon.

“Our personnel immediately set the plants on fire after collecting samples to be used as evidence in filing cases against its propagators,” Bongcayao said.

Meanwhile, Some P400,000 worth of shabu concealed in a toy package was intercepted Tuesday afternoon at the cargo bay of a commercial airline in Zamboanga International Airport, authorities said.

Jury Rocamoro, Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) Zamboanga office chief, said the illegal drugs were detected by a Philippine Coast Guard sniffer dog, which prompted the PDEA to inspect the package. They found 15 large sachets of shabu hidden in a plastic toy truck.

NEGROS ISLAND REGION BILL FILED ANEW

BACOLOD CITY — A proposal seeking to reunify anew the two provinces of Negros Island into one region has been filed before the House of Representatives.

Rep. Alfredo Marañon III of the second district of Negros Occidental filed House Bill 330 on July 1.

The Negros Island Region (NIR) was first created in 2016 through an executive order issued by then president Benigno Aquino III.

Aquino’s successor former president Rodrigo Duterte abolished the NIR and reverted the provinces to their original regions.

Under the setup, Negros Occidental is part of Western Visayas while its neighbor Negros Oriental belongs to Central Visayas.

Once the provinces are reunified into one region, Marañon’s bill wants the cities of Bacolod and Dumaguete to be the centers of the regional government.

Marañon’s measure is separate from a similar proposal filed by Rep. Jose Francisco Benitez of the third district of Negros Occidental, which seeks to include the island-province of Siquijor.

Although Siquijor was not included in his proposed bill, Marañon said he would welcome the inclusion of the island-province in the NIR.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

ARJO ATAYDE FILES BILL THAT WOULD DECLARE QC AS PH’S ‘FILM AND TELEVISION ARTS CAPITAL’

MANILA — Actor and Quezon City 1st District Rep. Arjo Atayde has filed a bill that would declare Quezon City as the “Film and Television Arts Capital of the Philippines,” making it a Department of Tourism-backed destination, if passed into law.

House Bill No. 457, if passed, will mandate the DOT to “develop, in cooperation with the Quezon City government and the film and television institutions in Quezon City, tourism events and destinations that would highlight the Philippines’ film and television history and heritage.”

Quezon City is home to several TV network headquarters, film companies, and other showbiz institutions.

The offices and studios of ABS-CBN, GMA Network, NET 25, UNTV, and the official state-media, the People’s Television Network are all located in the city, along with film studios such as Star Cinema, GMA Films, OctoArts Films, FPJ Productions, and TBA Studios.

The bill also pointed out that the University of the Philippines Film Institute (UPFI) in Diliman is recognized as a premier film school in the country and internationally. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is likewise based in Quezon City.

“Nagsisilbing creative hub ang QC lalo na sa film at TV, kaya napapanahon na kilalanin at gawing opisyal. Recognizing the city as the country’s Film and Television Arts Capital would help direct efforts to preserve our film and tv heritage and improve the industry,” Atayde said.

The actor-turned-lawmaker said the bill aims “to promote Quezon City not only as a tourist destination for film and television viewers here and from around the world, but as source of inspiration for future filmmakers and television producers who will carry on the proud legacy of our industry for generations to come.”

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THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

A competent and self-confident person is incapable of jealousy in anything. Jealousy is invariably a symptom of neurotic insecurity. - Robert A. Heinlein