Nicanor Faeldon said he isn’t leaving the Bureau of Corrections, and the Palace said, he still enjoys the trust and confidence of the president. Here are the big stories making the headlines on ANC today:

Not going anywhere
Officials of the Bureau of Corrections led by Nicanor Faeldon were grilled at the Senate over the controversial good conduct time allowance for convicts. Faeldon admitted there was no release order for Antonio Sanchez because he recalled it. He also confirmed 3 of the convicts in the case of the Chiong sisters have been released. Faeldon said he is not stepping down. But the Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission is set to conduct a probe into the release of inmates convicted of heinous crimes. The Senate’s Blue Ribbon Committee will continue its hearing on the controversy. The House is also scheduled to conduct its probe on the issue.

Rice is life
The Senate will hold a hearing on the Rice Tariffication Law, which has been blamed for the flooding of rice imports and the current difficulties of farmers. Hopefully lawmakers will see a solution and prevent the extinction of the Filipino rice farmer.

If it smells like pork…
According to House Committee on Appropriations chair Isidro Ungab, some lawmakers want to make “insertions” in the 2020 budget. The budget bill was reportedly withdrawn due to a small technicality. But House Deputy Speaker LRay Villafuerte assured the budget would be pork-free. Let’s not forget the House and the Senate tangled over the 2019 budget due to the issue of insertions. This led the government to operate on a reenacted budget and the quickening of inflation.

Brand conscious
From a “one-way” scheme to banning car brands. The suggestion to ban cars on EDSA according to car brands just about proves we are at the point of desperation. The solution to the problem of traffic on EDSA might require some “out of the box” thinking. But experts said banning a car brand for a particular day is bound to sow confusion and ultimately fail to solve the problem.

Young and the restless
The New Yorker's beloved cultural critic Jia Tolentino recently came out with a book of essays for Random House entitled Trick Mirror. ANCX talks with the young writer who balks at the term "voice of a generation," and looks at the world like no one else can.