Relief sought. Jeepney drivers and their families hold a rally in Cubao, Quezon City, to press their demand for relief from rising oil prices.
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Gov’t still needs
500,000 tons of rice
NFA says buffer needed for rains,typhoons
BY REGINA BENGCO
THE National Food Authority yesterday said
government needs to buy 500,000 to 700,000 metric tons of rice
to augment the country’s buffer stocks for the typhoon season.
Government has already bought 1.7 million
metric tons.
"The last quarter is our rainy season or our
typhoon season so we have to be ready. But for the lean months,
we already comfortably have our buffer," said NFA administrator
Jessup Navarro.
THE Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is
predicting an 8 to 10 percent increase in tuition this school
year even as it lifted the cap on matriculation fees.
Julito Vitriolo, CHED deputy executive
director, said they do not expect tuition to skyrocket this
year, even if they suspended the implementation of CHED
Memorandum 14, 42 and 7, which prohibits private schools from
increasing tuition above the inflation rate, which has been
pegged at 6.2 percent.
"Perhaps schools that would ask for an
increase would only be around 20 percent because of the economic
impact," he added.
THE alleged P400 million bribe-extortion case
involving Hanjin Heavy Industries of South Korea is closed as
far as Malacañang is concerned.
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said
Tagaloan Mayor Paulino Emano has signed an affidavit that Hanjin
did not offer him P400 million in exchange for the construction
of its $2 billion shipyard project in Misamis Oriental despite
the lack of environmental clearance certificate.
Ermita said Emano and Villanueva Mayor
Juliette Uy are going to issue the permit that would pave the
way for the construction of the training center and eventually
the shipbuilding facility itself.
