twitter.com/ MlaStandard
facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH
instagram.com/ manilastandard
Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net For advertisement: email: advertise@manilastandard.net • 85646229
manilastandard.net
ECONOMY GROWS 5.9% IN Q3; GOV’T SAYS INFLATION MAJOR CHALLENGE By Julito G. Rada, Othel V. Campos, and Maricel V. Cruz THE economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter, official data showed Thursday, but the government warned inflation remained a “major challenge.” The 5.9 percent on-year expansion was well up from the 4.3 percent in the previous three months and was far better than the 4.7 percent predicted in a
Bloomberg survey. A sharp pick up in government spending was a key driver in the latest bump, the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) data showed. The PSA said growth in the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) was also driven by strong performances of the services, industry, and agriculture sectors. Economic Planning Secretary Arsenio Balisacan said the third quarter GDP made the Philippines the fastest
VOL. XXXVII • NO. 268 • 6 SECTIONS 32 PAGES • P20 • FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 10, 2023 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com
Next page
Sara drops intel funds bid Says issue over P500m for OVP, DepEd ‘divisive’ By Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta
V
ICE President Sara Duterte on Thursday said her office would no longer pursue its request for P500 million in confidential funds in next year’s budget. “We will no longer pursue the confidential funds. Why? Because this issue is divisive, and as the Vice President, I swore an oath to keep the country peaceful and strong,” Duterte said in a statement. A similar statement was read during a Senate hearing on the budget of the Department of Education (DepEd), which Duterte also heads. The House of Representatives last month said it would redistribute confidential and intelligence funds (CIF) originally allotted to civilian agencies Next page
BUDGET HEARING. Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Duterte-Carpio (right)
gestures as she walks with Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri (left) and Senate committee on finance chairman Senator Sonny Angara during the plenary deliberation on the proposed 2024 budgets for her offices on Thursday. Meanwhile, members of the Abolish Confidential Fund Campaign Network picket at the Senate gates to demand the removal of all confidential funds from the proposed national budget next year (inset). Lino Santos
Meralco hiking rates by P12/kWh in Nov. on higher ancillary charges 37 Pinoys from Gaza home today; war moves to city lary charges. Meralco said the overall rate for a typical household went up to P12.0545 CONSUMERS of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) will experience higher per kWh this month from P11.8198 per rates in November at P0.2347 per kil- kWh in October. owatt-hour mainly due to higher ancilNext page
By Alena Mae S. Flores
month-long ordeal of waiting to escape the heavy bombardment of the PalestinTHIRTY-SEVEN Filipinos who fled ian enclave. Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) war-torn Gaza are arriving in the Philippines today (Friday), ending their Undersecretary Eduardo Jose de Vega
By Rey E. Requejo
’Don’t waste rice, offer 1/2 cup servings’
Next page
Next page
NGCP says ERC rule on expenses ‘unfair’ to firm By Alena Mae S. Flores
By Charles Dantes THE Philippine Rice Research Institute (PhilRice) pushed for a mandated serving of only half a cup of rice in food establishments nationwide to address the wastage of the staple food, which the government estimates to reach P7 million annually. PhilRice development communication division head Hazel Antonio said the rice wastage is equivalent to 10 grams per person or around 384,000 metric tons per year. Deputy executive director Karen Barroga said the aggregate amount of rice wasted in a year could feed around 2.5 million Filipinos. “The campaign is for you to get only what you need and what we have done in the past was to encourage a half-cup
said 37 of the 40 Filipinos who were able to cross to Egypt from Gaza on Tuesday will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport this afternoon
DUCK, COVER, HOLD. Students at Rafael Palma Elementary School in Manila do the ‘duck, cover, and hold’ as they obey their teachers during the 4th National Simultaneous Earthquake Drill on Thursday. (see related story on A3). Norman Cruz
‘Kamandag’ vital training for PH Marines, says Navy THE Philippine Navy (PN) needs to participate in exercises such as the “Kaagapay ng mga Mandirigma ng Dagat” or “Kamandag” to fully develop its capabilities to defend the nation against all forms of threats, its chief said on Thursday. This was as the 7th iteration of the Kamandag bilateral exercise between the Philippine Marine Corps (PMC) and
United States Marine Corps (USMC) officially commenced yesterday. “For the PN, it is imperative that our forces actively participate in such training endeavors to upgrade and develop our capabilities toward fully realizing our vision to become a modern and multi-capable naval force,” Navy Vice Admiral Toribio Next page
MILITARY HARDWARE.
A light armored vehicle with the US Marine Corps’ 11th Mechanized Unit fires its main gun during the Kamandag military exercises at Colonel Ernesto Ravina Air Base in Tarlac on Thursday. USMC Photo
TRANSMISSION operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) said Thursday the Energy Regulatory Commission’s (ERC) decision to disallow some of its expenses, despite being legitimate business costs, is “unfair” to the company. “I do not think it’s fair. It’s not fair on us, it’s not fair on our people because we have so many audits...and the regulatory reset process was admittedly rushed,” NCGP assistant vice president and spokesperson Cynthia Alabanza said in a briefing. ERC announced Wednesday a lower allowable revenue for NGCP at P36.7 billion annually or a total of P183.491 billion for 2016 to 2020. It disallowed certain expenses such Next page