Manila Standard - 2019 April 17 - Wednesday

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PARIS LIFE STOPS AS NOTRE-DAME BURNS

KE A T L M WE’L AK FRO , 1 E A BR RIL18-2 UME AP S RES 2019 E ISSUPRIL 22, ON A

PARIS―Paris was struck in its very heart on Monday as flames devoured the roof of Notre-Dame, the medieval cathedral made famous by Victor Hugo, its two massive towers flanked with gargoyles instantly recognizable even by people who have never visited the city. Thousands of Parisians poured into the streets to watch as the fire spread, overwhelmed by the catastrophic damage to a global heritage site visited by nearly 14 million tourists and Catholic faithful each year. The sense of loss was etched on onlookers’ faces, many wiping away tears as they contemplated the prospect that the Notre-Dame they knew might now only been seen in history books. “It’s our history, our literature, our imagination, the place where we experienced all our greatest moments,” an emotional French President Emmanuel Macron said after a visit to the scene, vowing: “We will rebuild Notre-Dame together.” (Also see story on Page B3) In Manila, Malacañang extended the Philippines’ message of solidarity to the French community after flames devastated the historic cathedral. In a statement, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Palace is “deeply saddened and bothered” that the blaze destroyed the spire and roof of the 850-year-old cathedral. Next page

VOL. XXXIII • NO. 66 • 3 SECTIONS 16 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2019 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FIVE DAYS TO EASTER.

The steeple of the landmark Notre Dame Cathedral (right) collapses as the structure is engulfed in flames, which danced in the Paris sky Tuesday for eight hours, likely the result of an accident, according to prosecutors. As investigators look into what started the fire, a drive to rebuild the Cathedral has gotten more than $300 million in donations—with a person walking in the rain (above) in front of the Cathedral in this file photo snapped on March 29, 2018. AFP

PH slams China ‘intrusion’ As groups ask for SC writ to protect WPS

US trust rating very good, China neutral—SWS

By Nat Mariano and Rey E. Requejo

HE reported mass extraction of giant clams by Chinese fishermen in the Scarborough Shoal is an affront to Philippine territory and sovereignty, Malacañang said Tuesday.

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By Nat Mariano OF THE four countries tested for public trust, the United States maintained its “very good” net trust rating among Filipinos while China’s remained “neutral,” the latest Social Weather Stations’ survey revealed on Tuesday. SWS said the net trust rating stayed “very good” for the US at +60 in March 2019, which was similar to the previous +60 in December 2018. “The net trust in the US has been positive since SWS first surveyed it in December 1994, ranging from a moderate +18 in May 2005 to as high as an excellent +82 in December 2013. It has been at +60 and above in six out of seven surveys since June 2017,” the pollster said

In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the Philippines views China’s recent harvesting of giant clams in the Philippineclaimed waters as a violation of the country’s sovereignty. “Of course, [it’s a violation] because if it’s our territory, therefore, it is an affront to our territory and sovereignty,” Panelo told Palace reporters. “As far as it is concerned,

Vetoed budget items illegal, Palace clarifies

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Road crashes: 73/day in Metro

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

By Joel E. Zurbano THE average number of road accidents in Metro Manila is 73 a day, and most of the time they happen between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and are caused mainly by human error. Based on the 2018 Metro Manila Accident Recording and Analysis System or MMRAS report, there were 116,906 vehicular accidents in the area last year and most of them happened in Quezon City, where 38,967 road crashes were recorded. The MMRAS is a program created by the Metro Manila Development Authority and is aimed at improving road manNext page agement in the metropolis.

it [China] owns the vast SCS. Hence, logically, it will be performing acts of ownership or sovereignty over those areas. In other words, they are just being consistent with themselves,” Panelo said. “We also have to be consistent with ours. As far as we’re concerned, that is ours; we will be objecting to any intrusion to our own territory,” he added. In an exclusive report, ABS-

FIFTH JOYFUL MYSTERY. This is all about the fire of love which Our Lord seeks to perfect in the human heart. Like many other things in Holy Scripture, the depths of the meaning of this incident in the lives of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph is not immediately obvious. The Finding of Jesus in the Temple stained glass window, manufactured in Germany by the Heinrich Oidtmann Company, is found inside the Minor Basilica of San Sebastian in Manila. Lino Santos

‘53 drivers, aides shabu users’ THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency said 53 public transport workers tested positive for illegal drug use based on the results of the “Oplan: Huli Week,” which was aimed at making travel to the provinces during Holy Week safe for passengers. PDEA Director General Aaron Aquino said the results came from the drug test conducted on 7,729 transport workers, including bus drivers and conductors, in 89 major public transportation terminals nationwide. Next page

THE provisions in the 2019 national budget that were subject to a line veto by President Rodrigo Duterte were unconstitutional, the Palace said Tuesday. In a Palace press briefing, Presidential Spokesman Salvador Panelo said the P95.3 billion worth of public works items were “against certain statures.” “Those are the so-called insertions, riders, they are not part of the program by the DPWH [Department of Public Works and Highways] hence [they violate] the Constitution,” Panelo told Palace reporters. “They’re in violation of the Constitution. Whether you call it pork, beef, meat, or fish, those provisions are violative of the basic charter,” he said. The Palace announced late Monday night that Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11260 or the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2019, but vetoed some P95 billion worth of public works projects. Next page

CHR weighs in on ‘whitening’ ads By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Human Rights on Tuesday told advertising agencies of whitening products that those with darker skin must not be treated with low regard. Next page

Plastics blanket mountains

PARIS—A secluded mountain region thought to be free of plastic pollution is in fact blanketed by airborne microplastics on a scale comparable to a major city such as Paris, alarmed researchers reported Monday. Next page

Locsin

CBN News said Chinese nationals were mass harvesting giant clams in Scarborough Shoal. The report also mentioned the presence of 14 Chinese vessels in the area, freely accessing the Philippine-claimed territory and its resources. Next page

House solon pushes inquiry into blackouts By Maricel V. Cruz, Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta A LEFTIST lawmaker on Tuesday appealed to the House leadership to give priority to a measure he filed in 2017 to investigate the questionable simultaneous shutdowns of numerous power plants—a phenomenon that occurred again this month. HR 928, filed by Rep. Carlos Zarate in 2017, urged the House committee on energy to conduct an inquiry into the overall situation of power plants in the Luzon grid, considering the spate and overlapping power Next page


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