
OPAPRU to give financial aid to ex-communist rebels
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) will give financial support to former members of rebel groups following talks led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr.
In a statement Sunday, OPAPRU said Galvez led a dialogue with 44 former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) from Regions 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Under the Sustainable Livelihood Program, eight people's organizations (POs) will receive P500,000 each to fund various livelihood projects in their communities.
Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Ernesto Floirendo Lagdameo, Jr. also pledged to distribute P2 million worth of financial assistance to four other POs.
'We know the challenges all of you had to face as a result of your decision to turn away from armed struggle and return to the folds of the law. Rest assured that we will help to rebuild your lives and create a better future for yourselves and your families,' Galvez said.
Galvez also led the turnover of safe conduct passes to four former rebel group members.
The safe conduct passes will ensure their safety and security, as they can attend to their amnesty applications without fear of being arrested.
'With these safe conduct passes, you no longer have to look over your shoulder whenever you leave your homes. You can now focus on your most important task, which is processing your amnesty applications,' Galvez said.
'As we have emphasized, amnesty is the best policy. With the granting of amnesty, you will be able to rebuild your lives, complete your transformation, and create a better future for yourselves and your families,' he added. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News
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GMA Network
11 hours ago
- GMA Network
OPAPRU to give financial aid to ex-communist rebels
The Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation and Unity (OPAPRU) will give financial support to former members of rebel groups following talks led by Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. In a statement Sunday, OPAPRU said Galvez led a dialogue with 44 former members of the Communist Party of the Philippines-New People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDF) from Regions 10, 11, 12, and 13. Under the Sustainable Livelihood Program, eight people's organizations (POs) will receive P500,000 each to fund various livelihood projects in their communities. Special Assistant to the President Secretary Antonio Ernesto Floirendo Lagdameo, Jr. also pledged to distribute P2 million worth of financial assistance to four other POs. 'We know the challenges all of you had to face as a result of your decision to turn away from armed struggle and return to the folds of the law. Rest assured that we will help to rebuild your lives and create a better future for yourselves and your families,' Galvez said. Galvez also led the turnover of safe conduct passes to four former rebel group members. The safe conduct passes will ensure their safety and security, as they can attend to their amnesty applications without fear of being arrested. 'With these safe conduct passes, you no longer have to look over your shoulder whenever you leave your homes. You can now focus on your most important task, which is processing your amnesty applications,' Galvez said. 'As we have emphasized, amnesty is the best policy. With the granting of amnesty, you will be able to rebuild your lives, complete your transformation, and create a better future for yourselves and your families,' he added. —Mariel Celine Serquiña/RF, GMA Integrated News


GMA Network
15 hours ago
- GMA Network
Middle East tensions put investors on alert, weighing worst-case scenarios
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"Although the price shock inevitably dampens consumer spending because of the hit to real incomes, the scale of the rise in inflation and concerns about the potential for second-round inflation effects likely ruin any chance of rate cuts in the US this year," Oxford said in the note. Oil impact The biggest market impact from the escalating conflict has been restricted to oil, with oil prices soaring on worries that the Iran-Israel conflict could disrupt supplies. Global benchmark Brent crude futures LCOc1 have risen as much as 18% since June 10, hitting a near five-month high of $79.04 on Thursday. The accompanying rise in investors' expectations for further near-term volatility in oil prices has outpaced the rise in volatility expectations for other major asset classes, including stocks and bonds. But other asset classes, including stocks, could still feel the knock-on effects of higher oil prices, especially if there is a larger surge in oil prices if the worst market fears of supply disruptions come true, analysts said. "Geopolitical tensions have been mostly ignored by equities, but they are being factored into oil," Citigroup analysts wrote in a note. "To us, the key for equities from here will come from energy commodity pricing," they said. Stocks unperturbed US stocks have so far weathered rising Middle East conflict with little sign of panic. A more direct US involvement in the conflict could, however, spook markets, investors said. As the days pass, Potomac River Capital's Spindel said, markets have become increasingly focused on the Middle East. "The stock market can only digest one thing at a time, and right now we're all focused on if, whether and when the US enters this conflict." Economists warn that a dramatic rise in oil prices could damage a global economy already strained by Trump's tariffs. Still, any pullback in equities might be fleeting, history suggests. During past prominent instances of Middle East tensions coming to a boil, including the 2003 Iraq invasion and the 2019 attacks on Saudi oil facilities, stocks initially languished but soon recovered to trade higher in the months ahead. On average, the S&P 500 slipped 0.3% in the three weeks following the start of conflict, but was 2.3% higher on average two months following the conflict, according to data from Wedbush Securities and CapIQ Pro. Dollar woes An escalation in the conflict could have mixed implications for the US dollar, which has tumbled this year amid worries over diminished US exceptionalism. In the event of US direct engagement in the Iran-Israel war, the dollar could initially benefit from a safety bid, analysts said. "Traders are likely to worry more about the implicit erosion of the terms of trade for Europe, the UK, and Japan, rather than the economic shock to the U.S., a major oil producer," Thierry Wizman, Global FX & Rates Strategist at Macquarie Group, said in a note. But longer-term, the prospect of US-directed "nation-building" would probably weaken the dollar, he said. "We recall that after the attacks of 9/11, and running through the decade-long US presence in Afghanistan and Iraq, the USD weakened," Wizman said. —Reuters


GMA Network
2 days ago
- GMA Network
Sara Duterte's office receives Ombudsman order on confi funds raps
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