BIDEN TO HOST MARCOS IN WASHINGTON FOR BILATERAL MEETING: WHITE HOUSE

MANILA - US President Joe Biden will host President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in Washington for a bilateral meeting next month, the White House has said.

In a statement on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the purpose of the Philippine leader's visit on May 1 includes Biden reaffirming the United States’ "ironclad commitment to the defense" of the country.

It can be remembered that recently, Marcos, Jr. allowed the United States to access 4 more sites under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA), drawing the ire of China.

"The leaders will discuss efforts to strengthen the longstanding U.S.-Philippines alliance," Jean-Pierre said.

"The two leaders will review opportunities to deepen economic cooperation and promote inclusive prosperity, expand our nations’ special people-to-people ties, invest in the clean energy transition and the fight against climate change, and ensure respect for human rights," she added.

Marcos and Biden will also tackle "regional matters" as well as arrange efforts that will uphold international law.

The bilateral meeting between Biden and Marcos will also come before the latter's expected attendance at the coronation of UK's King Charles on May 6.

ROMUALDEZ MEETS MCCARTHY, EYES RAMPED-UP PH-US MULTILATERAL TIES

House Speaker Martin G. Romualdez on Thursday reported on the historic and fruitful meeting he had with his United States counterpart, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (Republican, California).

“Our meeting proved fruitful as the Philippine delegation managed to impress on Speaker McCarthy the need for the legislative representatives of the two countries to ramp up discussions on how to further boost US-Philippine relations,” Romualdez said.

Romualdez also vowed that Congress, particularly the House of Representatives, will continue helping the Marcos administration build a stronger partnership between the Philippines and the United States.

He made the commitment in a wide-ranging speech at the Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government before university officials, faculty members and students in Boston, Massachusetts about the future of the Philippines and United States alliance.

The event was moderated by Eric Rosenbach, Co-Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.

“Philippine-US relations remain strong. Our security alliance underthe 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty is ironclad. Our economic partnership is robust. And the friendship between our two peoples is solid,” he stressed after meeting McCarthy.

COAST GUARD RESCUES 85 IN LANAO DEL ORO BOAT MISHAP

MANILA -- The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) on Thursday rescued 85 persons from a boat that ran aground in Maigo Point, Lanao del Norte at around 6 p.m.

Five of the 85 passengers of the MV Filipinas Cebu were babies, the PCG said.

The passengers were immediately transferred to tugboat Foscon Diamond for their safety.

The PCG also sent out their Marine Environmental Protection Unit to conduct an oil spill assessment of the surrounding waters.

PBBM APPROVES ‘SPF’ FOR POOR

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has approved a Social Protection Floor (SPF) that institutionalizes existing programs that help the most vulnerable Filipinos, Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said Thursday.

“The Social Protection Floor refers to a nationally defined set of basic social security guarantees that aim to prevent or alleviate poverty vulnerability and social exclusion. These guarantees provide protection to individuals and families in times of need,” said

Balisacan, who is also director-general of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

“The guarantees should ensure that, at a minimum, everyone in need has access to essential health care and basic social services. These guarantees work together to provide effective access to goods and services that are defined as necessary at the national level,” he said.

The SPF health guarantees cover the entire life cycle: maternity care, children, active age and older persons, Balisacan said.

The NEDA chief said the approval of the government Social Protection Floor represented “significant progress” in the country’s development history.

“This is a manifestation of the government’s commitment tosignificantly reduce poverty incidence and promote inclusive growth,” he said.

“The intention is to institutionalize the existing programs especially those that have been proven to work so that we don’t have to restart all over again when there are needs to provide support to vulnerable groups,” he said.

“That’s the basic concept there that we reduce the risk faced by vulnerable groups so that they don’t fall into poverty, so that children don’t become victims of lack of learning that can be exacerbated by exposures to shocks like climate change, supply disruptions particularly those affecting food, inflation, [and] loss of jobs by their parents,” Balisacan said.

“So, we want to ensure that… these children are protected from those shocks so that the society as a whole can progress,” he added.

MARCOS INKS NEW TARIFFS UNDER RCEP DEAL

Tariffs on many imported goods will go down by June 2 under the terms of the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), Trade Secretary Alfredo Pascual said Thursday.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. will sign an executive order on the new tariff schemes, Pascual added.

The draft EO was among the measures approved by the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) board, which Marcos chairs.

Pascual said the order will be the basis for the Bureau of Customs to issue an administrative order to be distributed to all ports to allow preferential tariffs on imports from RCEP member countries.

Pascual allayed concerns that cheap imports will push out local agricultural products.

He said the draft EO will also maintain current preferential tariffs on about 98.1 percent of the 1,718 agricultural tariff lines and 82.7 percent of the 8,102 tariff lines.

“Out of the 1,685 agricultural tariff lines retained at current rates, 1,426 tariff lines are maintained at 0 while 154 tariff lines will remain in their respective most favored nation rates and excluded from any tariff concessions,” he said.

Agricultural tariffs on 105 lines, he said, which are in the sensitive and highly sensitive list will be “generally lower than MFN (most-favored nation) rates in the 20th year of RCEP.”

Their rates, however, will still be higher or at par with ASEAN plus 1 rates.

“There is really not one going below the ASEAN plus 1 rates to which the Philippines is already committed,” he said.

These tariff lines will include agricultural products “not really being produced very much” in the country, he said.

RCEP is the largest regional free trade agreement in the world, accounting for 30 percent of the world’s population, 29 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), 29 percent of trade and 33 percent of global inward investments in 2020.

It includes the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its five free-trade agreement partners: Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea.

The Senate approved the ratification of the country’s membership in RCEP on Feb. 21.

MILITARY DENIES USE OF TORTURE BEFORE KILLING CPP LEADERS BENITO, WILMA TIAMZON

MANILA — The Armed Forces of the Philippines applauded its troops after the Communist Party of the Philippines confirmed the military's killing of their leaders Benito and Wilma Tiamzon. They, however, maintained that they neither captured nor tortured the leaders of the communist underground.

CPP's chief information officer Marco Valbuena confirmed the AFP's killing of the Tiamzons and other guerillas in Samar in August 2022.

Information gathered by the Central Committee showed that the Tiamzons suffered "severe beating" from soldiers, with their lifeless bodies supposedly dumped on a motorboat before being detonated with explosives.

"Their allegations of capture and torture are part of their propaganda and an attempt to deceive the Filipino people. What happened in the August 2022 operation was a legitimate encounter acting on information that VIPs of CPP-NPA were escaping from ongoing military operations," said AFP spokesperson Col. Medel Aguilar on Friday.

"The AFP maintains that the operation succeeded, with the CPP-NPA-NDF's confirmation of their casualties," he added.

LTO PAPER LICENSES DEPRESS DRIVERS

MANILA – A group of drivers on Friday criticized the Land Transportation Office (LTO)’s new policy of issuing paper driver’s licenses amid a shortage of plastic license cards.

“Medyo nakakalungkot po na magiging papel muna… pero mas maigi sana kung ina-anticipate ng ating mga tauhan sa gobyerno na bakit tayo mawawalan ng kwan,” said Federation of Ayala Center Transport Terminal Inc. President Lino Villaraza.

“Dahil kung papel po is madaling ma-deteriorate. O paano pag mahuli na umuulan, iaabot yung lisensya. O madaling mabasa. O malapit na tayong mag-rainy season,” he explained.

Villaraza noted, however, that if the release of plastic license cards will be delayed, these should be sent instead to the drivers’ homes.

“Dapat i-mail na lang po sa kanyang kinauukulan kasi nandyan naman ang mga address…hindi na dapat babalik-balik sa ahensya ng gobyerno natin para pumila, para hingin ulit yang plastic na yan. Para kumbinyente sa lahat,” he added.

Villaraza also hit the LTO’s decision to scrap periodic medical examinations for driver's license holders.

“Para sa akin po, hindi dapat maalis yun. Napaka-important po noon…physically fit po, medically, kailangan po yun, taon-taon. Eh paano po yung driver na nakakuha ng contagious disease? Magda-drive pa po ba siya? Ikaw, kawawa po, lalo po sa public transport,” he said.

MANILA ROLLS OUT SECOND BOOSTERS

MANILA — Amid a surge in COVID cases in the city of Manila, the local government rolled out the second booster shots for its general population on Wednesday.

According to Mayor Honey Lacuna, residents 18 years and above as well as persons with comorbidities can get second boosters at 44 health centers in the city from Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Manila public information officer Princess Abante reported a low turnout of vaccine recipients on April 19.

Abante said non-Manila residents may also visit the city’s health centers to receive second booster jabs.

She reminded the people to bring the QR code from manilacovid19vaccine.ph.

“Please be guided that six adults are needed before opening one vial of vaccine to prevent wastage,” city hall said in a statement.

Residents whose primary boosters were Sinovac would be given the same brand. Those who were administered other brands of COVID vaccines would receive Pfizer booster shots, according to the city health department.

On April 12, the Department of Health (DOH) allowed the general public, excluding 17 years and below, to receive their second booster shots.

In its guidelines, the DOH said all healthy adults, 18 years and above, are eligible to receive their second booster jabs after six months from their first booster.

DOJ OPEN TO DE LIMA BAIL IF…

MANILA — The Department of Justice is open to former senator Leila de Lima applying for bail if based on humanitarian grounds, DOJ Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla said yesterday.

“I am amenable to granting bail to former senator De Lima, but not if her camp will base it on the merits of the drug cases filed against her,” Remulla told reporters.

Hopes for De Lima’s release heightened in February when the Supreme Court granted provisional liberty to Gigi Reyes, former chief of staff of former senator Juan Ponce Enrile and among the respondents in the pork barrel scam.

The DOJ said there is no issue in the move of the prosecution to present a new witness against De Lima, saying they are entitled to rebut the retraction of former Bureau of Corrections officer-in-charge Rafael Ragos.

On Monday, state prosecutors filed an urgent omnibus motion for reconsideration to reopen De Lima’s trial at the Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 204.

The motion was issued a day after the prosecution and the defense supposedly agreed to submit the case for decision.

“While there is no decision on the case yet, the motion is considered a good measure,” Remulla said. “The prosecution should be entitled to rebut the retraction of Ragos.”

De Lima’s camp opposed the DOJ’s move to reopen the trial of her drug case.

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FILIPINO MUSLIMS TO MARK EID'L FITR ON APRIL 22

MANILA — The Office of the Bangsamoro Mufti has declared that Eid'l Fitr or the Feast of Breaking the Fast will be on Saturday, April 22, 2023.

The Bangsamoro Mufti made the announcement on Thursday after conducting moonsighting in various places across the Philippines.

"The Ulama of Bangsamoro Darul-Ifta headed by Bangsamoro Mufti Abuhuraira A. Udasan assigned groups to perform moonsighting this evening… They have performed what they were assigned to do and then finally the result of moonsighting is that the mooncrescent has not been sighted," the announcement said.

Earlier, Malacañang already declared Friday, April 21, 2023 as a holiday for the observance of Eid'l Fitr.

President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. in his Eid'l Fitr message Friday hoped the Muslim community will maintain all the values instilled during Ramadan, and that this and other teachings during the period will be embodied in their daily lives.

"As you culminate the holy month of Ramadhan by celebrating the Festival of the Breaking of the Fast, may you sustain the values, teachings, and practices that you have wholeheartedly discerned and embodied throughout this time," said Marcos in his message.

"Let these form the foundations of your characters as you continue to fulfill righteous deeds and strive to live a virtuous life moving forward," he added.

TEVES: TWO IN GOV’T WANT ME DEAD

Fugitive congressman Arnolfo Teves Jr. on Thursday said two top government officials are plotting to have him killed.

Facing murder charges and tagged as the mastermind behind the assassination of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo, Teves has been abroad and has refused to return to the Philippines, saying he fears for his life.

In an interview with ANC’s Headstart, Teves refused to name names for fear of libel. But he said “verified intelligence reports” said these two government officials were out to kill him.

He said the instructions were to raid his house, plant evidence, then have him shot “for fighting back.”

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla dismissed Teves’ claim as “nonsense.”

Teves, who was suspended for 60 days from the House for his refusal to return to the chamber, said he was ready to return to the Philippines until he got hold of the information regarding the threat to his life.

REMULLA SAYS BANTAG WANTS TO SURRENDER

MANILA — Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla on Thursday said embattled former Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) chief Gerald Bantag has expressed intent to surrender, as authorities continued to track him down for his alleged involvement in the murder of broadcaster Percy Lapid.

Remulla told reporters that Bantag had reached out to a Cabinet member, whose name the justice secretary did not disclose, and said he wanted to surrender.

The phone conversation occurred almost a week ago, Remulla said.

"[Bantag] spoke to one of my colleagues in the cabinet to say that he may wish to surrender. That’s why we are not pushing for law enforcement to hurry-up the process. But of course it is the job of law enforcement to enforce the warrant of arrest," he added.

Remulla also noted that they did not set any conditions for Bantag's surrender, saying that constantly evading the law is "very difficult."

"Alam mo mahirap magtago, mahirap magtago sa batas... Hindi madaling ma-wanted," he said.

The justice secretary further said he believes Bantag is still in the Philippines, as a hold departure order has already been issued against the former prisons chief following the release of an arrest warrant from Muntinlupa and Las Piñas courts.

Remulla said he was still trying to find out if Bantag had any subsequent conversations with the yet unnamed Cabinet member.

GCASH'S NEW OFFERING TO ALLOWS USER TO BUY INTERNATIONAL MOBILE CREDITS

MANILA — Mobile wallet app GCash eyes service launch allowing consumers to buy mobile credits from telco providers abroad.

In a statement on Friday, the Globe-led platform indicated that this new offering will be available to GCash users across 21 countries.

The service will be available in the following countries: Egypt, Ghana, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Vietnam, Yemen and Zambia.

This function will be beta-tested for a limited time, with a full launch expected towards the latter part of 2023.

“With this feature, Filipinos can easily access 48 international telecommunications providers and buy prepaid load for their family members to help them stay connected wherever they are in the world,” said GCash president and CEO Martha Sazon.

As it is, this is similar to the “buy load” feature that the mobile wallet is already offering.

The mobile wallet app noted it would tap DT One, a leading global digital transfer solutions provider, for its latest offering. DT One is already servicing financial platforms such as Binance Pay, Grab, and PayPal.

ENTERTAINMENT & LIFESTYLE

BILLY CRAWFORD, COLEEN GARCIA MARK 5TH WEDDING ANNIVERSARY

MANILA -- Celebrity couple Billy Crawford and Coleen Garcia marked their fifth wedding anniversary on Thursday, April 20.

In their respective social media accounts, the couple shared their message for each other accompanied by photos showing how they celebrated their special day.

"Happy 5th wedding anniversary, my everything! Started from a small motorcycle trip to Tagaytay, followed by some spontaneous plans together. Off to relax and enjoy the rest of the day before we go back to being mommy and daddy again. I love you so much," Crawford wrote in his post.

For her part, Garcia shared that she is "blessed to get to do life" with Crawford.

"5 years married to this guy. Today started with a (very hot) breakfast ride, and then a bunch of spontaneous, last-minute plans that we were not prepared for, but thoroughly enjoyed anyway. It ended the same way it always does: chilling and watching our current favorite show, then cuddling up with our little one. So blessed I get to do life with you @billycrawford Love you!" she wrote.

Crawford and Garcia tied the knot in Balesin on April 20, 2018. They welcomed their son Amari in September 2020.

INDICATORS

FOREX $1 = P 56.02

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Peace is the product of Faith, Strength, Energy, Will, Sympathy, Justice, Imagination, and the triumph of principle. It will never be achieved by passivity and quietism - Dorothy Thompson