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Bird flu vaccine approved for commercial use

PHILSTAR FILE PHOTO

THE Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the commercial use of a vaccine against avian influenza, according to the Department of Agriculture (DA).

“With the FDA’s approval of Volvac B.E.S.T. AI plus ND, the poultry sector now has a strong line of defense against a virus that threatens both food security and human health,” Agriculture Secretary Francisco P. Tiu Laurel, Jr. said.

The vaccine protects against highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1 and stimulates the bird’s immune system to defend against velogenic Newcastle disease, the DA said.

H5N1 is the most aggressive subtype of the bird flu virus, causing high mortality rates in chickens. It is also zoonotic, meaning it can be transmitted to humans and other animals.

Velogenic Newcastle disease is the most severe form of Newcastle disease. Highly contagious and often fatal, it affects a wide range of bird species, especially domestic poultry.

Volvac B.E.S.T. is administered by injection, either into the bird’s chest muscle or into subcutaneous fat.

It is given when the bird is at least 10 days old. As with most first-time vaccinations, it takes 10 to 14 days for full immunity to develop.

The value of production of the poultry sector in 2024, including eggs, stood at P362 billion, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza

Pangilinan, Secretary Go explore more severe measures vs hoarders

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

SENATOR Francis Pancratius N. Pangilinan and Secretary Frederick D. Go, the special assistant to the President for investment and economic affairs met on Tuesday to discuss how to strengthen measures against agricultural smuggling, the Senator’s office said in a statement.

Mr. Pangilinan, who chairs the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform, and Mr. Go, in his capacity as the President’s permanent representative to the Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Council, discussed how to “make accountable the organizations and individuals behind the hoarding of agricultural products, such as rice, vegetables, and others.”

Mr. Pangilinan said efforts against economic sabotage have thus far focused on low-level personnel, and pushed for the apprehension of key business figures involved in smuggling.

The Anti-Agricultural Economic Sabotage Act in 2024 (Republic Act 12022) sets monetary thresholds for classifying food smuggling, hoarding, profiteering or cartel behavior under the separate crime of “economic sabotage.”

An economic sabotage prosecution is triggered when the value of the goods involved tops P10 million. Violators charged with the offense are not eligible for bail.

The law also created the Anti-Agricultural Economic Council, which is chaired by the President.

Mr. Pangilinan said only a few cases have been filed since the law came into force and no major violators have been jailed.

The Senate committee recently investigated cases of alleged smuggling involving companies and customs brokers and goods such as frozen mackerel, red and white onions. These shipments crossed the P10 million threshold.

Mr. Pangilinan’s committee is due to conduct another hearing focused on rice imports and possible smuggling of the staple grain on Sept. 11. — Andre Christopher H. Alampay

Cybersecurity threats leading to ‘burnout’ among PHL staff, degrading productivity

STOCK PHOTO | Image from Freepik

MANY Philippine organizations are experiencing staff burnout from dealing with cybersecurity threats, British cybersecurity firm Sophos said.

It added that a shortage of chief information security officers (CISOs) is causing “chaos,” leading to incoherent responses to cybersecurity incidents.

“When you don’t have leaders understanding the risk and the steps towards improved cybersecurity maturity, it’s chaos… So, there’s a lack of cohesion without a CISO to translate risk to the business,” according to Gavin Struthers, senior vice-president at Sophos, said at a briefing on Wednesday.

“Because of the high stakes and the rapidly changing environments around cybersecurity, it’s a very acute problem in technology, and organizations are struggling to keep up,” he said.

Sophos estimates that cybersecurity workers in the Philippines lose an average of 4.2 hours weekly to dealing with threats, against 4.6 a year earlier.

About 88% of Philippine businesses experience staff burnout due to lack of resources, work overload in response to cyber alerts, and unclear cyber strategies, according to Sophos’ “The Future of Cybersecurity Report in Asia Pacific and Japan.”

According to Mr. Struthers, cybersecurity-related stress and burnout often leads to a weaker cybersecurity stance, slow incident response, and underperforming IT (information technology) and cybersecurity teams.

“One of the greatest causes of (cybersecurity-related) burnout is one or two or a few individuals in an organization scrambling every day to deal with these issues.”

Less than 1% of organizations globally have a CISO, he added.

“There needs to be stronger leadership in organizations to not only provide lip service in dealing with the issues of cybersecurity, but actually taking responsibility and being more involved in how to put together the right strategy for an organization,” Mr. Struthers said.

The report also found that 89% of organizations in the Philippines use artificial intelligence (AI) solutions in their operations.

However, some employees use “shadow AI” tools, or AI solutions unauthorized by their organization, which could lead to data exposure and cybersecurity risks.

“It means you could be sharing your quarterly financial results with a LLM (large language model) or a GenAI platform… And suddenly, you’ve shared private information, or maybe, intellectual property to an LLM that other people have access to,” Mr. Struthers said.

According to the report, 30% of Philippine organizations expect an increase in their cybersecurity budgets of 10% or more next year, while 33% see a funding increase of at least 5%.

“We’re witnessing a new era where security awareness must extend beyond phishing e-mails to include how people use and share sensitive data through AI tools. Governance and clear boundaries around AI usage is essential,” Mr. Struthers added.

Sophos commissioned research and advisory firm Tech Research Asia to compile the report, which surveyed 926 cybersecurity and IT professionals in the Philippines, Malaysia, India, Japan, and Australia this year. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz

PEZA welcomes 27-member delegation from South China

THE Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) said it recently welcomed a 27-member delegation from the southern Chinese cities of Dongguan and Guangzhou, which visited its economic zones (ecozones).

In a statement on Wednesday, PEZA said the delegation comprises Dongguan government officials and executives from the manufacturing, real estate, electronics, and logistics sectors in the region. Dongguan and Guangzhou are neighboring cities in the Pearl River Delta.

“During the meeting, PEZA Deputy Director General for Operations Vivian S. Santos presented the broad range of investment opportunities available in PEZA ecozones,” PEZA said.

“She highlighted the advantages of investing in PEZA, including its emerging priority industries that aim to accelerate ecozone development across the Philippines,” it added.

PEZA has an active memorandum of understanding with the China Chamber of International Commerce.

The visit also builds on PEZA’s investment mission to China in March, where it engaged in talks with biotechnology company Aoxing Group.

According to PEZA, many of the group’s member companies are now exploring manufacturing opportunities in Southeast Asia. — Justine Irish D. Tabile

Form and manner of protesting matters

With the government’s proposed national budget for 2026 pegged at P6.793 trillion — a 7.4% increase from the previous year’s budget — it is clear that the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) will be intensifying its tax collection efforts to raise the much-needed funds.

Collections will largely come from income tax, withholding tax, value-added tax and other taxes; and from the BIR’s assessments for deficiency taxes as a result of examinations of taxpayers’ books of account and other accounting records.

Depending on the stage of the tax audit process, assessments for deficiency taxes may be contained in a Preliminary Assessment Notice (PAN) and/or Formal Letter of Demand and Final Assessment Notice (FLD/FAN).

A PAN is issued if the BIR finds sufficient basis to assess the taxpayer for deficiency taxes after a review and evaluation of the taxpayers’ explanation and supporting documents to the Notice of Discrepancy issued by the BIR. If the taxpayer does not agree with the findings in the PAN, it has 15 days from the date of receipt to respond. Otherwise, if no response is submitted, the taxpayer is considered in default, in which case, a FLD/FAN is issued by the BIR.

The FLD/FAN may be protested administratively by filing a request for reconsideration or reinvestigation within 30 days from receipt. A request for reconsideration is a plea for re-evaluation of an assessment on the basis of existing records without need of additional evidence. On the other hand, a request for reinvestigation refers to a plea of re-evaluation of an assessment on the basis of newly discovered or additional evidence that a taxpayer intends to present.

It is worth mentioning that for the protest to be considered valid, it must comply with the form and manner of filing as provided under existing regulations.

First, the taxpayer should state the nature of the protest, whether it is for reconsideration or reinvestigation. A protest shall be considered a request for reconsideration unless it is clearly indicated as a request for reinvestigation. In case of the latter, the taxpayer should specify the newly discovered or additional evidence he intends to present to support his protest, and all relevant supporting documents should be submitted within 60 days from filing of the protest; otherwise, the assessment becomes final and executory.

Further, the protest letter should state the applicable law, rules and regulations, or jurisprudence on which his protest is based, otherwise, the protest will be considered void and without force and effect. If there are several assessment items in the FLD/FAN, the taxpayer must dispute or protest all the issues by stating the facts, the applicable law, rules and regulations, or jurisprudence in support of his protest. Undisputed assessment items become final, executory and demandable and the taxpayer is required to pay the deficiency tax or taxes attributable thereto.

In some decisions of the Court of Tax Appeals (CTA) I have encountered, the CTA held that the protest filed by the taxpayer is void and without force and effect for failure of the latter to comply with the form and manner of filing protests as prescribed under the BIR regulations, which rendered the assessment final and executory.

In CTA Case No. 10039 decided on Jan. 29, 2024, the CTA considered the protest letter filed by the taxpayer requesting for reinvestigation as void for failure to specify the applicable laws, rules, regulations and jurisprudence on which the protest was based as well as the newly discovered or additional evidence which the taxpayer intends to submit during the reinvestigation.

Similarly, in CTA Case No. 10821 decided on Sept. 27, 2024, while the protest filed by the taxpayer sought a request for reinvestigation, cited the date of the assessment notice and the Tax Code provision and a revenue regulation, the protest letter did not explain the applicability of such provisions nor raise any defense which the Commissioner of Internal Revenue (CIR) may consider.

In CTA Case No. 10425 decided earlier this year, while the taxpayer filed its protest letter/request for reinvestigation within the prescribed 30-day period from receipt of the FAN/FLD and indicated in the protest the documents it intends to submit (vouchers, contracts, invoices and official receipts, GL entries and accounts, reconciliation schedules, etc.), the protest letter submitted was still considered void as the taxpayer eventually failed to submit the documents it committed to present.

The recent decisions of the CTA highlight a crucial lesson for taxpayers: careful attention to procedural requirements and deadlines is indispensable to safeguarding against costly consequences. Forgetting these details can lead to the unfortunate consequence of paying deficiency taxes, potentially amounting to millions, just because of mere technicalities in the protest submitted. Such oversights can render a protest void, making the assessment final and executory, even before the merits of the case can be considered. Understanding not only the available remedies and their due dates, but also the prescribed form and manner to properly contest assessment notices received from the BIR, is essential.

The views or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Isla Lipana & Co. The content is for general information purposes only, and should not be used as a substitute for specific advice.

 

Rachel Sison is a senior manager at the Tax Services department of Isla Lipana & Co., the Philippine member firm of the PwC network.

+63 (2) 8845-2728

rachel.d.sison@pwc.com

Philippine lawmaker urges return to ICC to pursue lawsuit against China

PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD PHOTO

By Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio, Reporter

A PHILIPPINE congressman on Wednesday urged the government to rejoin the International Criminal Court (ICC), saying it would strengthen Manila’s legal options in pushing back against China’s growing assertiveness in the South China Sea.

House Deputy Minority Leader and Party-list Rep. Jose Manuel Tadeo “Chel” I. Diokno said returning to the ICC’s fold could open the door to filing “crimes of aggression” charges against Beijing for actions within Philippine waters.

“We have to show the world that we will take advantage of every legal opportunity,” he told reporters in Filipino. “It is also a good reason to return to the ICC… [so] we can file crimes of aggression against other countries, as long as we are members of the court and the incidents happen in our territory.”

The Chinese Embassy in Manila did not immediately reply to a Viber message seeking comment.

The Philippines withdrew from the ICC in 2018 under then-President Rodrigo R. Duterte after the tribunal launched a preliminary investigation into his bloody war on drugs. The withdrawal took effect the following year.

In March, the Marcos administration surrendered Mr. Duterte to The Hague-based tribunal, where he faces trial in September for alleged crimes against humanity linked to the drug war.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said in June that President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. was open to studying proposals for the Philippines to rejoin the international tribunal.

Diplomacy instructor Josue Raphael J. Cortez of the De La Salle — College of St. Benilde said Mr. Diokno’s proposal could become a turning point.

“It might be a catalyst for the government to make a decision on the Philippines taking part once again in the Rome Statute,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat.

Mr. Marcos has taken a tougher approach toward Beijing compared with Mr. Duterte, who had pursued closer ties with China. Beijing claims nearly the entire South China Sea based on a 1940s map, overlapping with the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

In 2016, a United Nations-backed arbitral tribunal based in The Hague voided China’s sweeping claims. Beijing has refused to recognize the ruling and continues to maintain a strong presence in contested areas, including parts of the West Philippine Sea.

UN ASSEMBLY
At the House of Representatives, more than 15 lawmakers filed a resolution urging the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to bring the matter before the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, pressing China to respect the arbitral ruling and cease what they described as “hostile and aggressive” actions.

“Almost a decade after the Philippines’ victory, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has failed to respect and comply with the ruling,” according to House Resolution No. 192. “Worse, in direct defiance of the 2016 ruling, the PRC has consistently conducted hostile and dangerous naval, coast guard and aerial operations throughout the West Philippine Sea.”

The resolution was backed by Mr. Diokno, Party-list Reps. Leila M. de Lima, Percival V. Cendana, Dadah Kiram Ismula, Nathaniel M. Oducado and several district representatives including Loreto S. Amante of Laguna, Adrian Michael A. Amatong of Zamboanga del Norte and Arlene J. Bag-ao of Dinagat Islands.

Ms. De Lima said the Philippine delegation to the UN General Assembly should bring the issue to the floor despite China’s permanent seat on the Security Council.

“What’s important is that the world knows that we won the arbitral ruling,” she told reporters. “Even if there are such challenges… it should not stop us.”

The UN General Assembly can deliberate on political, economic, humanitarian, social and legal issues, according to the UN website, though it does not have the binding powers of the Security Council.

Meanwhile, Senator Panfilo M. Lacson warned of what he described as a “widespread” espionage network involving operatives from China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA). At a Senate defense hearing, he said sleeper agents and PLA members were active in the Philippines.

Authorities earlier this year arrested several Chinese nationals suspected of spying on military bases and government facilities.

Senate Minority Leader Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, at the same hearing, cautioned against accepting donated equipment from other countries, citing risks of hidden spyware. “All they need is access to your computer, [then] they can open the cameras on your phone and laptops and tap into our closed-circuit television equipment,” he said in Filipino.

The Senate is reviewing proposals to update the country’s 83-year-old anti-espionage law. Defense Secretary Gilberto C. Teodoro, Jr. had urged Congress to pass amendments to punish espionage even during peacetime, noting that existing laws only apply during wartime.

DTI pushes bigger budget to boost investment marketing

PHILIPPINE STAR/MIGUEL DE GUZMAN

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) on Wednesday asked congressmen for a bigger budget for its investment promotion programs, saying additional funds would help attract more foreign capital amid growing competition in Southeast Asia.

Trade Secretary Ma. Cristina A. Roque told the House of Representatives increasing the budget for investment promotion to P1.5 billion from P1 billion could boost state marketing efforts to draw foreign investors.

“We aim foreign investments to be in the P1-trillion mark, but the budget for that is only P1 billion,” she told a House committee on appropriations hearing. “We were really hoping to increase it further so that we can use it for marketing, to market the Philippines globally, especially that we have competitors in Southeast Asia.”

The Board of Investments (BoI) approved P382.24 billion in investments in the first half, roughly 22% of the full-year target of P1.75 trillion, according to government data.

“We want a trillion in sales, so we must also do a lot of marketing,” Ms. Roque told BusinessWorld on the sidelines of the hearing.

About P1 billion is allocated for investment attraction programs. The DTI is requesting an additional P500 million to support marketing activities across agencies, including the BoI and the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA).

“It’s really to fund marketing gimmicks or to do marketing to be able to attract foreign investors to our country,” Ms. Roque said in an interview. “Advertising is expensive, especially abroad. But we need to advertise ourselves as a destination for foreign investments.”

The proposed increase would also help fund foreign trade attaché missions and overseas business trips aimed at courting investors and promoting the Philippines as an investment destination.

The DTI is also seeking a budget boost for its export and investment promotion program, designed to help Filipino businesses expand overseas amid trade disruptions.

About P931.9 million is being requested for next year, a 3.3% increase from this year’s P902.3-million budget.

“We’re really expecting more, especially for exports,” Ms. Roque said. “As I always say, the US is not the only market. We should broaden our horizons to really explore other countries.”

She noted that the trade landscape is “still changing,” and that “nothing is final yet” regarding the US market.

The request comes after US President Donald J. Trump threatened to impose “substantial additional tariffs” on exports from countries that impose digital taxes on the US. The US started applying a 19% tariff on Philippine goods starting Aug. 7. — Kenneth Christiane L. Basilio

Philippine EV adoption may accelerate this year amid rising fuel prices

REUTERS

By Erika Mae P. Sinaking

THE Electric Vehicle Association of the Philippines (EVAP) on Wednesday said it expects electric vehicle (EV) adoption in the country to accelerate this year, supported by government policies, volatile fuel prices and an expanding lineup of models.

“We are seeing more Filipinos consider EVs as a practical option, and the ecosystem to support them is growing,” EVAP President Edmund A. Araga told a news briefing in Taguig City, ahead of the 13th Philippine Electric Vehicle Summit (PEVS) in October.

Industry momentum remains strong, he added.

The country’s EV sales are projected to increase by as much as 10% this year from 2024, with units sold in the first seven months already surpassing last year’s total.

“It’s a big difference, and we still have August to December,” Mr. Araga told BusinessWorld. “We’re optimistic that we can somehow increase by 10%.”

From January to July, new EV and hybrid EV registrations reached 28,353, based on data from the Land Transportation Office — more than the 24,00 units that Mr. Araga said were sold last year.

The sales momentum is expected to continue through December, he added.

The expansion of the country’s charging infrastructure is also supporting adoption. Data from the Department of Energy (DoE) showed the number of public charging stations has more than tripled to 992 from just 300 in 2023.

Mr. Araga said the rollout is critical in addressing consumer “range anxiety” and ensuring nationwide accessibility. The Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry (CREVI) targets 7,300 charging stations nationwide by 2028 and 20,400 by 2040.

While most are concentrated in Metro Manila, new facilities have opened in Cebu, Davao and Bicol.

The sector is also benefiting from policy initiatives such as the Department of Trade and Industry’s proposed Electric Vehicle Incentive Strategy. EVAP said the plan could generate as much as P11.4 trillion in economic output and create 680,000 jobs.

Mr. Araga said local manufacturing and battery production are crucial to sustaining adoption. The country’s first lithium battery plant in Tarlac is expected to reach full capacity by 2030, with output enough to power 18,000 EVs annually.

The Electric Vehicle Industry Development Act seeks to promote the development and adoption of EVs in the Philippines by mandating an increase in the share of EVs in corporate and government fleets.

Under the Comprehensive Roadmap for the Electric Vehicle Industry, the business-as usual scenario target is a 10% EV fleet share by 2040, while it sets a clean energy scenario target of at least 50%.

The roadmap also outlines a short-term goal of deploying 7,300 EV charging stations by 2028.

Several electric vehicle companies have established a presence in the Philippines, including BYD Co. Ltd. and China Changan Automobile Group Co. Ltd., Vietnam’s VinFast Auto Ltd. and Tesla, Inc. Local companies like ToJo Motors Corp. make electric public utility vehicles.

Nissan Motor Co. Ltd., Kia Motors and Hyundai Motor Co. are also present in the Philippine EV market with their respective electric models like the LEAF, EV6 and IONIQ 5.

The 13th PEVS will be held from Oct. 23 to 25 at the SMX Convention Center Manila.

PAGASA: LPA could intensify into tropical depression

FACEBOOK.COM/PAGASA.DOST.GOV.PH

THE STATE weather bureau is closely monitoring a low-pressure area (LPA) inside the Philippine area of responsibility (PAR), which could intensify into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours.

As of 2 p.m. on Wednesday, the LPA, monitored inside the Philippine area of responsibility, has a “high” potential of developing into a tropical depression within the next 24 hours, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said in a Facebook post.

The weather disturbance, identified as LPA 08g, was estimated at 305 kilometers west of Dagupan City, Pangasinan as of 3 p.m., it said in a 4 p.m. advisory.

The bureau advised the public to remain alert and to monitor further updates, particularly residents in areas prone to flooding and landslides.

In its 5 p.m. Weather Advisory No. 14, PAGASA warned of heavy rainfall due to the southwest monsoon from Wednesday through Saturday, Aug. 30. Rainfall amounts may reach more than 200 millimeters in some areas, posing risks of widespread flooding and landslides.

Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, and Antique are expected to receive 50–100 mm of rain until Thursday afternoon.

From Thursday to Friday, Occidental Mindoro, Palawan, Antique, and Iloilo are forecast to experience the same rainfall levels.

Localized flooding is possible in urban, low-lying, or river-adjacent areas, while landslides may occur in highly susceptible zones.

PAGASA cautioned that rainfall totals may be higher in mountainous or elevated areas, and flooding impacts could worsen due to prior heavy rains. The agency urged the public, along with disaster risk reduction and management offices, to take precautionary measures to protect life and property.

The next weather advisory is set to be issued at 11:00 p.m. on Wednesday unless significant changes in weather conditions occur.

The Philippines has experienced nine tropical cyclones so far in 2025. According to PAGASA, an additional seven to 13 cyclones are expected to develop or enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility before the year ends, close to the annual average of 20. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Marcos to visit NYC, Cambodia

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., accompanied by First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, left from Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on Aug. 4, 2025 for a state visit to India. — PHILIPPINE STAR/ RYAN BALDEMOR

PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr., is set to embark on two different foreign trips next month, Malacañang confirmed on Wednesday.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro told a news briefing that the President will conduct a state visit to Cambodia from Sept. 7 to 9.

He will also fly to New York City (NYC) late in September to attend the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Ms. Castro said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will release further information at a later time.

Josue Raphael J. Cortez, a diplomacy lecturer at De La Salle-College of St. Benilde, said Mr. Marcos’ upcoming state visit to Cambodia is seen as a move to strengthen bilateral cooperation, particularly in agriculture and people-to-people exchanges, while also signaling early lobbying ahead of the Philippines’ Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) chairmanship next year.

With the Philippines aiming to push for a binding Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, the trip reflects efforts to engage Cambodia, a close partner of China, and to position Manila as a stabilizing actor amid regional tensions.

“One may remember that during Cambodia’s Chairship, the dispute over the tensions in the South China Sea was not mentioned in the communique that was released after the Summit, which is reflective of its intention to maintain its position vis-a-vis Beijing,” he said in a Facebook Messenger chat. 

“The visit may also be a way for the Philippines to show that it is willing to broker a more stable ceasefire in light of the tensions that happened recently between Cambodia and Thailand,” he noted.

His last visit to Phnom Penh was in November 2022.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos’ attendance at the UNGA next month is expected to advance the Philippines’ bid for a non-permanent UN Security Council seat in 2026, Mr. Cortez noted.

The President is likely to emphasize the country’s commitment to international agreements and its role as a credible partner in promoting peace and stability despite regional vulnerabilities, he added.

“With the elections happening in the second quarter of 2026, this visit will be strategic, as we can expect the President to highlight how, despite tensions and vulnerabilities, we strive to adhere to the international agreements and covenants we are a state party to — hence, making us a credible actor in promoting global peace and stability,” he noted.

Mr. Marcos delivered a speech before the UNGA last September 2022. His last visit to the US was in July, when we met with US President Donald J. Trump to discuss trade and defense. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Palace appoints acting Ombudsman

OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN PHILIPPINES FACEBOOK PAGE

PRESIDENT Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. named Deputy Ombudsman for Visayas Dante F. Vargas as the acting Ombudsman as the Judicial Bar and Council set interviews for the next appointee from Aug. 28 until Sept. 2.

This was confirmed in a message to reporters from the Office of the Ombudsman.

Mr. Vargas was appointed in 2022 by former President Rodrigo R. Duterte. He has a fixed term of 7 years.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday announced the schedule of public interviews for nominees seeking to replace Ombudsman Samuel R. Martires, who retired last month.

Mr. Martires stepped down on July 27 after completing his seven-year term. Before heading the anti-graft office, he served as a Supreme Court associate justice, Sandiganbayan justice, and regional trial court judge. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

Rice supply enough amid import halt

REUTERS

THE PALACE assured the public that the country will have enough rice despite the 60-day suspension of imports beginning on Sept. 1, pointing to local harvests and tighter government monitoring as support.

Palace Press Officer Clarissa A. Castro said in a press briefing on Wednesday, the Department of Agriculture (DA) does not expect major supply issues, citing the ongoing harvest season and the agency’s weekly monitoring of rice stocks across the country.

“According to the DA, they will conduct price monitoring to enforce the maximum suggested retail price,” she said in Filipino.

Although some stakeholders have raised concerns that the suspension might lead to shortages, Ms. Castro said the DA maintains that there will be no disruption in supply.

The DA also committed to tighter enforcement of suggested retail prices, along with weekly inspections to monitor any potential attempts at price manipulation.

These measures follow President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.’s order to suspend rice imports for 60 days starting Sept. 1 to protect local farmers amid low palay prices.

Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos ordered the auction of 100,000 metric tons of locally produced rice this week as part of efforts to stabilize supply and strengthen food security. This will be implemented by the DA through the release of 1.2 million bags of rice via public auction.

Ms. Castro, said the floor price of rice is expected to range between P25 and P28 per kilo, depending on the age of the grains. — Chloe Mari A. Hufana

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