The Manila Times headlines for Wednesday, February 5, 2025, cover a range of topics including the government's plan to lower the maximum retail price of imported rice, a House hearing on fake news and disinformation, the renewal of Meralco's franchise, the postponement of elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, and the appointment of a new PhilHealth chief. The text also highlights the rising national debt.
The Department of Agriculture (DA) will enforce a P55 per kilogram maximum suggested retail price (MSRP) for imported rice starting today, February 5, marking a 3-peso decrease from the price set on January 20. This move follows the declaration of a food security emergency on Monday, enabling the government to release rice buffer stocks held by the National Food Authority (NFA) to alleviate the persistently high rice prices in markets despite a reduction in tariffs on imported rice.
Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. anticipates a further reduction in the MSRP to below 50 pesos per kilogram by early March. In a separate development, a House of Representatives panel issued show cause orders against former press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and several social media supporters of former president Rodrigo Duterte for their absence from a hearing on the proliferation of fake news and disinformation online. Only three out of approximately 40 invited social media figures attended the hearing conducted by the House Committees on Public Order and Safety, Information and Communications Technology, and Public Information, which aimed to explore potential regulatory measures to curb misinformation on social media platforms. Notable absentees included former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict officials Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celis, Cruz-Angeles, actress Vivian Velez, former broadcaster Jay Sonza, and bloggers Sass Sasot, Jun Abines, Mark Anthony Lopez, Lord Byron Cristobal (Banat By), and Krizette Chu. Cruz-Angeles, a lawyer and former head of the Presidential Communications Operations Office, directly rejected the committee's invitation, characterizing the inquiry as unconstitutional. Abang Lingkod Party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano criticized Cruz-Angeles' response, asserting that it disrespects Congress' authority. Paduano proposed a show cause order against Cruz-Angeles and referred her case to the House legal department for a potential disbarment complaint. Meanwhile, the Senate renewed the franchise of the Manila Electric Co. (Meralco) for an additional 25 years with a voting result of 18-1-0. Sen. Risa Hontiveros cast the sole dissenting vote, citing Meralco's history of failing to fulfill its obligations to consumers, as reflected in excessively high electricity bills. Hontiveros emphasized the need to address this overcollection issue before any further actions are taken. The Federation of Philippine Industries (FPI) and four foreign chambers of commerce had previously advocated for the renewal of Meralco's franchise for another 25 years to maintain business confidence in the manufacturing sector. Sen. Joel Villanueva introduced Senate Bill 2824, which sought to grant Meralco a fresh 25-year operating authority, highlighting Meralco's crucial role in ensuring the continued delivery of services to millions of homes and businesses. Additionally, the Senate and House of Representatives have agreed to adopt the Senate version of a bill postponing the first parliamentary elections in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) from May 12 to October 13. The final ratified measure will be submitted to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his signature before Congress adjourns on February 7 for the two-month campaign period preceding the May 12 midterm national and local elections. The president had previously declared the Senate bill as urgent. Finally, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. appointed Dr. Edwin Mercado, a US-trained orthopedic surgeon, as the president and chief executive officer of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth). Mercado, who succeeded Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. as head of the state insurer, took his oath before the president in Malacañang on Tuesday, according to the Presidential Communications Office (PCO). Prior to his appointment, Mercado served as vice chairman of the Mercado General Hospital and QualiMed Health Network since 2021. In closing, the national government ended 2024 with a staggering 16.05-trillion pesos in outstanding debt, as reported by the Bureau of Treasury on Tuesday, marking an increase of 1.44 trillion pesos from the previous year. When measured against the economy, which expanded by 5.6 percent last year, the country's debt-to-gross domestic product (GDP) ratio climbed to 60.7 percent from 60.2 percent in 2023. This figure surpasses the targeted 60.6 percent outlined in the medium-term fiscal framework
Imported Rice Fake News Meralco Franchise BARMM Elections Philhealth Appointment National Debt
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