Manila Standard - 2019 March 14 - Thursday

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VOL. XXXIII • NO. 32 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, MARCH 14, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

TO THE RESCUE. While Manila Water consumers in the country’s metropolis are experiencing hours interruption in their water service, with thousands of households experiencing little or no water, Air Force authorities have said they are ready to assist Agriculture officials in the latter’s cloud seeding efforts at mitigating effects of water shortage in many areas while the Philippine Red Cross has fielded six water tankers to attend to hospital needs.

Water supply woes worsen

Solons told to end budget impasse for PH sake Manila Water sets service cuts; PRC deploys tankers to hospitals

By Nat Mariano, Julito G. Rada, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

A MEETING Tuesday night at the Palace failed to break a budget impasse between the Senate and the House of Representatives, sparking an appeal from the executive department for Congress to settle their differences and pass an appropriations law that would better the lives of

Filipinos. Senate President Vicente Sotto III said that on Tuesday night, President Rodrigo Duterte had told him he would not sign a bill that the senator did not. Sotto said it seemed that the House “appeared to have acquiesced” to Senator Panfilo Lacson’s proposal to revert to the ratified version of the budget bill, but said there was no confirmation of this. Next page

House to Senate: Why scrap scholars’ funding? MILLIONS of scholars are in danger of losing their scholarships if the Senate would insist on keeping the lump sum appropriations it wants to keep in the 2019 budget. This was revealed today by House Deputy Speaker Dante Marcoleta who said that while the Senate is accusing

them of making realignments in the budget after ratification, it is the Senate that should be asked where it put multi-billon projects of President Rodrigo Duterte. In a press conference, Marcoleta said the Senate had realigned P74 billion in the budget by removing key government programs of the Duterte adminis-

tration including removing the funding allocation for the National Greening Program, TESDA scholarships, right of way projects of the DPWH and other foreign assisted projects. “Actually, you should ask the Senate. For example, out of the P74 billion that Next page

By Nat Mariano and Macon Ramos-Araneta

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ANILA Water said Wednesday its customers will continue to experience six- to 20-hour service interruptions as the water level in La Mesa Dam continues to drop. “Some areas will experience up to 20 hours a day without water,” Dittie Galang, a spokesperson for Manila Water, said in Filipino on radio dzMM. “They will have water for only four hours, but we can guarantee that within those four hours, they will have water coming through their faucets.” “Most of our barangays will experience 10 to 11 hours of water service in-

terruption, but some will have no water for only six hours.” Galang said the water concessionaire is working on a scheme that would have scheduled service interruptions spread out over the entire east zone of Metro Manila. Some 52,000 households in Manila Water’s east zone have had little or no water for the last week, with interruptions occurring unannounced. Next page

Bangsamoro TC chief passes away

Rebellion raps vs. Marawi dad

By Nash B. Maulana

MARAWI City Vice Mayor Arafat Salic was arrested yesterday on rebellion charges in connection with the 2017 siege. “Salic is included in the Office of the Martial Law Administrator Arrest Order dated Sept. 4, 2017 for rebellion case,” said Col. Romeo Brawner, commander of the 103rd Infantry Brigade. His brother, former Marawi Mayor Fajad Salic, was also nabbed in 2017 for rebellion in line with the arrest order issued by Defense Secretary and martial law administrator Delfin Lorenzana. The vice mayor was arrested at the Marawi City Hall. He underwent custodial debriefing and medical check-up before he was turned over to the Philippine National Police.

COTABATO CITY—He was preparing to lead the newly minted Bangsamoro government, but Ghazali Jaafar spent most of his life as a revolutionary. That life came to an end early Wednesday at a hospital in Davao City, weeks after he underwent a heart bypass operation. His body was buried after the noon Muslim prayer at his farm in Pigcalagan, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao. fro Observers had noticed that Jaafar, vice chairman of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, seemed pale and weak during the recent plebiscites to ratify the Bangsamoro Organic Law on Jan. 22 and Feb. 6, which paved the way for the creation of a Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao. Veteran broadcast journalist Melo Acuna and wife Jonah Acuna fondly remember Jaafar as being thoughtful to friends, occasionally sending them the spicy palapa, pulverized chilly fried in grated coconut meat. Next page

SUSPECTS’ SHADOWS. Law enforcement authorities are closing in on three suspects tagged in the monstrous murder Monday of 16-year-old church collector Christine Lee Silawan of Lapu Lapu City, while local government officials and police have offered P1.6 million in exchange for information on the identity and whereabouts of the teener’s killers.

P1.6-m bounty up on arrest of Cebu girl’s killer CEBU CITY―A P1.6-million cash reward awaits anyone who can give information that will lead to the arrest of the killers of 16-year-old church collector Christine Lee Silawan. President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday evening expressed outrage over the gruesome murder. “These sons of whores killed someone

and skinned her face,” the President said, stressing his “revulsion” over the murder, which has triggered calls for the restoration of the death penalty. Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Paz Radaza on Wednesday offered P1 million in exchange for information on the identity and whereabouts of Silawan’s killers. • Silawan died of multiple stab wounds,

and experts later found that several of her internal organs were missing. • The Justice department on Wednesday ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to help solve Silawan’s murder. “We’ll let the local police take the lead. If they have difficulties, I’ll ask the NBI to come in,” Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told reporters. Next page

Vice Mayor Arafat Salic

Vienna best city in quality survey

Lechon among 100 best dishes

PARIS—Vienna has been named the city with the best quality of life for a 10th consecutive year in a survey published Wednesday. The Austrian capital was one of

ROASTED suckling pig or lechon, deep-fried pork trotters or knuckles and kare kare, with a thick savory peanut sauce, have been identified in Taste Atlas’ 2019 list of 100 best Next page dishes worldwide.

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Cardinal gets six-year jail sentence for sexual abuse NEWS A2


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