10/03/2026

TUESDAY | MAR 10, 2026

7

Filipinos race to fill tanks

MANILA: at Philippine petrol stations and officials warned against hoarding yesterday as residents raced to fill their tanks ahead of an expected surge in prices. Fuel costs will tick up between 17 and 24 pesos (RM1.15 to RM1.60) per litre this week, Energy Secretary Sharon Garin told a congressional committee yesterday, as oil prices soared on fears about supplies from the Middle East. The expected increase, which was not broken down by specific product, will be spread out over several days, she said. “Some firms have volunteered not to impose the increase in one day. They’re staggered over three days or five days, depending on the company,” Garin said. Queues formed

said its prices would go up 10-20% from March 23. President Ferdinand Marcos last week cited the rocketing price of fuel in announcing a shift to a four-day work week for non-essential government employees while ordering agencies to cut their fuel and power consumption by 10-20%. He also called on Congress to authorise him to reduce excise taxes on petroleum products if the price of crude oil breached US$80 (RM317) per barrel, a request an administration spokeswoman said Marcos would formalise. – AFP

localities ... and gather evidence of profiteering or hoarding”, Philippine National Police spokesman Brigadier General Randulf Tuano told a news briefing yesterday. The ferries that tens of thousands rely on each day to traverse the archipelago nation of 116 million were also hiking fares. Starlite Ferries, a relatively small operator in the central Philippines, announced that a 25% increase would take effect today for both passengers and cargo. Montenegro Shipping Lines, which operates a fleet of 48 vessels,

had doubled to about 1,000 as customers sought to fuel up before prices jumped. “The line started 24 hours ago. Morning, afternoon, even at dawn,” Guda said. Francis Aranda, a 25-year-old university student, said the spike “hurts”. “I’m planning to use half my (weekly) fuel allowance so I won’t have to worry in the coming days in case the war in Iran continues,” Aranda said. Police have been instructed “to inspect petrol stations in their

Bantargebang, one of the world’s largest open landfills, sprawls over more than 110ha and holds about 55 million tonnes of trash, according to an environment agency official. Environment Minister Hanif Faisol Nurofiq pointed the finger at local authorities for allowing the accumulation of garbage despite a 2008 ban on open landfills. “Bantargebang belongs to the Jakarta administration, so they have to take responsibility,” Hanif told broadcaster Kompas TV late on Sunday while visiting the disaster site. “This incident must truly serve as a bitter lesson for us so that Jakarta can promptly make improvements.” The Jakarta environmental agency did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comments. o Agencies check for profiteering, hoarding “We have to remember these are not regulated prices. They just have to inform us what the increases are and justify it.” At a petrol station in Metro Manila, journalists saw motorcycles, taxis and private cars queuing. Petrol station attendant Enrico Guda, 31, said the normal number of vehicles the station handled in a day

Java landfill collapse kills four JAKARTA: A landslide on Indonesia’s biggest landfill buried trucks and food stalls, killing four people, rescuers said yesterday as they searched for at least five more reported missing.

The landslide struck on Sunday afternoon at Bantargebang, a landfill just 25km outside the capital, according to the national search and rescue agency. “The rescuers are opening access using heavy equipment like backhoes and deploying tracking dogs to search for victims,” the agency said. The collapse took place after hours of heavy rain in the area. Jakarta and its satellite cities, collectively known as Jabodetabek, are home to about 42 million people and generate an estimated 14,000 tonnes of waste daily.

China aims deeper fight against graft BEIJING: China will enact a law on combating cross-border corruption to advance the national legal framework overseeing anti-corruption, its top legislature’s work report released yesterday showed. President Xi Jinping ordered when he came into power in 2012. Last week, Xi demanded the military be loyal to the Communist Party and root out corruption. WOMEN POWER ... Filipinos take part in a protest to commemorate International Women’s Day near the US Embassy in Manila on Sunday. – REUTERSPIC

leading to the recovery of 18.14 billion yuan (RM10.3 billion) in illicit gains. The courts also targeted new forms of corruption, such as arrangements for expected returns, agreed shareholdings and “revolving door” corruption between officials and businesses, the report said. China’s top legislature will also enact a law protecting the rights and interests of Chinese citizens overseas, revise laws for the central bank and banking regulation and strengthen research on artificial intelligence legislation. Both reports were presented at the second plenary session of parliament for deliberation. – Reuters additional financial burden,” he said. Marcos earlier advised Filipinos in the Middle East to take shelter and remain vigilant while authorities assess conditions and coordinate with host governments. The Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Migrant Workers have been assisting overseas Filipinos in affected countries and preparing contingency measures, including possible repatriation, as tensions persist. – Bernama

In another work report, the Supreme People’s Court said China’s courts concluded 22.4% more corruption cases last year, involving 40,000 individuals. Among those punished were 57 former central management officials, including former agriculture minister Tang Renjian and former party secretary for Hainan province Luo Baoming, according to the report. Courts also repatriated corrupt officials who had fled overseas,

The National People’s Congress Standing Committee, the government body within the parliament that holds lawmaking power in China, did not detail what the law will target specifically but the legislation would be an expansionary move to beef up China’s campaign against corruption. China’s leadership has waged an anti-corruption crackdown across departments, especially targeting military top brass, in a campaign

Kim lauds strong-willed women SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un praised the “physically weak: but “strong-willed” women of his country, calling them a “solid buttress of the revolution”. In a speech in Pyongyang commemorating International Kim and his daughter Ju Ae at the International Women’s Day event in Pyongyang. – AFPPIC/KCNA VIA KNS

Ju Ae attended the weekend event. Photos released by KCNA showed Ju Ae, long viewed by analysts as a possible successor in the secretive, nuclear-armed state, sitting next to her father and holding his hand. Party officials and foreign diplomatic dignitaries also attended the event, which included performances following Kim’s speech. Kim’s speech was received with “fervent cheers” from an audience “overwhelmed with great excitement”, the news agency said. KCNA did not name Ju Ae in its report, referring to her instead as Kim’s “beloved daughter”. South Korea’s spy agency has said Pyongyang appears to have begun the process of designating Ju Ae as Kim’s successor. – AFP

Free calls for Filipinos in the Middle East MANILA: Telecommunications companies here have been ordered to provide free communication services to overseas Filipino workers and their families as tensions continue to escalate in the Middle East. Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia, where thousands are based. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr said the government would set up free call stations in business centres so families in the Philippines can contact relatives.

Women’s Day, Kim highlighted the hard work carried out by North Korean women. “Our contemporary women ... have become a solid buttress of the revolution,” Kim said, according to an English dispatch from the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). “Though physically weak, they are obviously strong-willed, their plain faces assuming courage and the wrinkles on them denoting their strenuous exertion.” Kim’s wife Ri Sol Ju and daughter

Philippine News Agency reported telcos responded by activating a “libreng tawag” (free call) programme to help Filipinos stay connected with their loved ones amid the crisis. The programme will cover Filipinos in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman,

“We want to ensure that our kababayans (fellow Filipino) will remain connected with their families, offer comfort to one another and confirm their safety without