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Metro Manila, Philippines – Rice output could decline by up to half over the spike in fertilizer and petroleum costs as a result of the Middle East crisis, the Department of Agriculture (DA) said. “The initial projection — what we say the minimum or the best-case scenario — is 20 percent reduction. That’s the best-case scenario. It can even go up to 50 percent decline in productivity,” Agriculture Undersecretary Asis Perez told a Senate hearing on Wednesday, April 8.  “‘Pag wala hong fertilizer, walang magagawa ‘yung farmer. Kung hindi niya kayang bumili ng gasolina, hindi siya, wala siyang magagawa, walang kalabaw eh,” he explained. [Translation: If there is no fertilizer, farmers cannot do anything. If they cannot afford to buy fuel, they also cannot operate — they have no means to farm.] “And so the initial projection is about 20 percent. That’s the minimum decline if we don’t do anything,”…

Metro Manila, Philippines – Vice President Sara Duterte, who has refused to face the House of Representatives, has turned to the Supreme Court again to stop the ongoing impeachment proceedings against her. She cites constitutional issues and a familiar argument that voided a previous attempt to remove her from office. On Tuesday, April 7, Bicol Saro Rep. Terry Ridon, a member of the House justice committee, shared Duterte’s petition for certiorari and prohibition against the impeachment raps. The petition was filed on April 1.  Duterte’s defense team confirmed on Wednesday, April 8, that their camp filed the petition “to seek clarity on fundamental constitutional questions, which, in our view, warrant the court’s immediate attention.” “To be clear, this is not about avoiding the process. This is about ensuring that the process itself complies with the Constitution. The House has the power to initiate impeachment, but that power is not without…

Washington, United States –  U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that he had agreed to a two-week ceasefire with Iran, less than two hours before his deadline for Tehran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz or face widespread attacks on its civilian infrastructure. Iranian state TV flashed an announcement claiming that Trump had accepted Iran’s terms for ending the war, describing it as a “humiliating retreat” by the U.S. president. Iran said talks between the U.S. and Iran would begin on Friday in Islamabad, Pakistan. Trump’s announcement on social media represented an abrupt turnaround from earlier in the day, when Trump issued an extraordinary warning that “a whole civilization will die tonight” if his demands were not met. Trump said the last-minute deal, negotiated with Pakistan serving as a mediator, was subject to Iran’s agreement to pause its blockade of oil and gas supplies through the strait, which typically handles about one-fifth of global oil shipments. “This will be a double sided…

Metro Manila, Philippines –  President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said the government is studying possible fuel tax adjustments as he led a meeting of key economic officials to address rising oil prices under a state of national energy emergency. “We need to continue to provide relief to our people and keep the economy running,” Marcos said as he presided over the UPLIFT Committee meeting, where officials reviewed recommendations from the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) and discussed measures to ensure oil supply stability and expand assistance to affected sectors. The meeting comes weeks after he signed into law Republic Act 12316, which authorizes the president to suspend or reduce excise taxes on petroleum products upon the recommendation of the DBCC and in coordination with the energy department, if global oil prices hit certain thresholds. Officials said the discussions focused on how to operationalize the law in a regime of runaway oil…

Metro Manila, Philippines – President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered full assistance and the immediate repatriation of the remains of a Filipina killed in a missile attack in Haifa, Israel, as he extended condolences to her family. The Israeli Embassy in Manila identified the victim as 29-year-old Lucille Jane Gershovich, who was among four members of a family killed in the April 5 strike. “Nakikiramay tayo sa pamilya ng ating kababayang nasawi sa naganap na missile attack sa Haifa, Israel. Kasama nating nagluluksa ang kanyang pamilya sa gitna ng isang trahedyang hindi dapat maranasan ninuman,” Marcos said in a social media post.  [Translation: We extend our sympathies to the family of our fellow Filipino who died in the missile attack in Haifa, Israel. We grieve with her family in the midst of a tragedy that no one should have to endure.] The president directed concerned agencies to extend “full assistance”…