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Volume XI, No. 88
AS OF 6:00 PM DEC. 22, 2020 (TUESDAY)
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Briefly Rice importation THE ADDED time given to rice importers to bring in their shipments is “ill-advised” and could disrupt the market for domestically-grown rice if shipments coincide with the harvest, a farmer’s organization said. In a statement Tuesday, Federation of Free Farmers (FFF) National Manager Raul Q. Montemayor said the additional time given to rice importers could depress prices of palay, or unmilled rice, hindering the recovery efforts of farmers harvesting their dry-season crop in March after the late-year typhoons in 2020. In a Dec. 16 memorandum circular, the Department of Agriculture (DA) allowed an additional 25 days for importers to bring in their rice, after the industry raised concerns about possible delivery delays.
BARMM budget COTABATO City – The PHP75.6billion proposed 2021 budget for the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) was approved by the region’s lawmakers on Wednesday night. With 55 voting “yes", zero “no" votes and no abstentions, the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) parliament approved BTA Bill No. 73 entitled “An Act Appropriating Funds for the Operation of the Bangsamoro Government from January 1 to December 31, 2021, and for Other Purposes.” Following its approval in the plenary, BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim signed the bill into law as the Bangsamoro Appropriations Act (BAA) 2021.
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Stricter border controls expected in Mindanao D Thank you for trusting us!
By CAROLYN O. ARGUIILLAS, MindaNews
AVAO City – Stricter border controls are to be expected in the5 island provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-tawi following the discovery of a new strain of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Sabah, East Malaysia.
Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Director-General of Malaysia’s Ministry of He a lt h , an n ou n c e d on December 23 that a new strain of COVID-19, dubbed A701B mutation was found from samples taken in Sabah. The Straits Times of Malaysia quoted him as saying A701B is “similar to a strain found in South Africa, Australian and the Netherlands” but they have yet to ascertain “whether this strain has a high infectivity level and whether it is more aggressive than usual.” The Health Ministry, he said, detected the mutation
in 60 samples taken from COVID-19 patients under the Benteng Lahad Datu cluster in Sabah. Noor Saada, a former Education Assistant Secretary in the defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao said there is a need to be “pro ac t ive in t he Su lu Archipelago and Zamboanga Peninsula” given the new strain found in Sabah. Naguib Sinarimbo, Local G ove r n m e nt s M i n i s t e r and spokesperson of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) told MindaNews EXPECTED/PAGE 10
GLOWING LIGHTS.The facade of San Isidro Cathedral,in the background, glows with the Christmas lights at Plaza Rizal in Malaybalay City. photo by h. marcos c. mordeno/mindanews
MisOcc solon welcomes probe to clear name in DPWH mess MISAMIS Occidental 2nd District Rep. Henry S. Oaminal welcomed on Tuesday any investigation on his alleged involvement in corruption within the Department of Public Works
and Highways (DPWH). In a statement posted on his Facebook account, Oaminal said he was saddened that his name was included in the list prepared by the Presidential Anti-Corruption
Commission (PACC) and made public by President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday. Despite this, he said he continues to support the President's anti-graft WELCOMES/PAGE 10
Air travelers warned vs fake COVID test labs in Manila By ANTONIO L. COLINA IV, MindaNews
FISH TRAP. A fisherman checks his fish trap in Barangay Caub in Del Carmen town, Siargao Island. mindanews photo by roel n . catoto
DAVAO City– The local government has warned against fake laboratories in Manila offering cheap COVID-19 tests after finding
out that most passengers who arrived at the Davao International Airport since August with invalid test results were scammed, City
Tourism and Operations Office head Generose Tecson said. In a text message Tuesday, Tecson said that of the 21 passengers who were WARNED/PAGE 10
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