PH remains top investments hub

by JeniCA FAye gArCiA ManilaTimes.net

the Philippines remains the top investment hub in the region in spite of tough competition from neighboring countries and the growing tension with China, tereso Panga, the director general of the Philippine economic Zone Authority (PeZA), said. he said the country remained competitive through the regional Comprehensive economic Partnership (rCeP).

Filipinos in Russia unfazed by mutiny, opted to stay – DFA

by beatrice Pinlac Inquirer.net

mANILA — No filipino in russia has asked to be repatriated after the recent power struggle between the military and a mutinous paramilitary group, the Department of foreign Affairs (DfA) reported on monday, June 26.

DfA Undersecretary eduardo de Vega said there are 10,000 filipinos in russia.

At least 8,000 of them are in the capital moscow, he added.

“In rostov-on-Don, taken over by the Wagner group momentarily, there are 10 filipinos. All indicated they were safe,” de Vega reported through a message to INQUIrer.net. filipinos are advised not to undertake unnecessary travels outside their region,” he said.

“the crisis has been resolved due to Belarus’ intervention. But even during the crisis, no filipino asked for repatriation,” he said.

De Vega added that should anyone seek repatriation, assistance funds would be available.

In the meantime, he is urging filipinos in russia to stay indoors.

Last saturday, June 24, the

New research reveals...

meaningful relationships.

Look for support

During times of self-isolation and loneliness, seeking support is vital. It is important to confide in trusted family members, friends, or health professionals who can offer empathy, guidance, and companionship.

Limit too much use of social media

While this digital age can provide digital connections and communication, excessive use of social media can result in feelings of comparison and disconnection. opt for a healthy balance by setting limits and allocating quality time for faceto-face connections.

Prioritize self-care healthy self-care practices like regular exercise, healthy eating, and enough sleep can positively affect overall physical and mental well-being. A healthy individual is more likely to build significant connections with others.

Participate and volunteer in acts of kindness helping improve the wellbeing of others through acts of kindness and volunteer work not only helps fight loneliness. But it also forms a sense of fulfillment and purpose. overall, as loneliness is prevalent in our modern age, understanding its effects and enforcing effective methods to fight social isolation is crucial. By building social connections, seeking help when needed, and engaging in community activities, individuals can be free from the adverse effects of loneliness. n

California’s homelessness...

and build housing.

that’s on top of billions the state is pouring into improving its mental health system and a $12 billion social servicesbased initiative called CalAIm which offers housing security deposits and sobering centers to help vulnerable populations, including homeless people.

But the study found that expanding health coverage and adding social services isn’t serving all those in need. specifically, 83% of homeless people surveyed said they had health insurance mostly through medi-Cal, California’s medicaid program for low-income people.

Yet more than half relied on the emergency room for care and nearly a quarter said they couldn’t access the care they needed. A majority who said they were experiencing mental health problems either weren’t being treated or got care through emergency rooms.

In some ways, the policies Newsom is steering may make the problem worse. for example, his administration has backed removing homeless encampments in exchange for shelter and services. But homeless people say those promises are often unmet. forced displacement, the report found, and confiscation of belongings when clearing encampments can hurt the state’s ability to find housing for people, Kushel said.

“It sometimes feels like one part of government is working against the other part,” she said.

“We’re frantically trying to get people their documents so they can move into housing, and then somebody else throws it all away. that’s not helpful.”

This article was produced by KFF Health News, which publishes california Healthline, an editorially independent service of the california Health care Foundation. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces indepth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF—an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism.

Mayon continues ‘quiet’...

Bonga gully in Legazpi City, respectively.

the mVN also recorded 263 rock fall events, 102 volcanic earthquakes and eight pyroclastic density currents, which are avalanches of volcanic ash, rock and gases.

embassy urged filipinos to adhere to russia’s rules.

It had also asked them to refrain from posting “political comments on social media.” the advisory came after Wagner, a para-military group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, took control of two cities south of moscow and began an advance toward the capital. the situation was defused by evening after Belarus brokered a truce between russia and Prigozhin. this included his safe exile. Prigozhin has a long-standing rivalry with two top officials in the russian military. n

"Currently, we have companies in the economic zones that are already coming from the rCeP member countries, but we [also] have non-traditional sources of investments that are part of the rCeP, the likes of Australia, New Zealand," he said. these are the exciting economies that we'd like to tap for investments as well as exports. so, right now, we are doing well with our investment promotions," he said. Panga said the country has been luring more investments because of its high labor productivity and the incentives it offers, such as value-added tax (VAt) exemption on importation and VAt-zero rating on local purchases of goods and services.

"I can say that there is a very stiff competition when it comes to [attracting] foreign direct investment because we are up against other Asean economies. they try to give all concessions, from incentives [to] infrastructure development, just so they are able to bring in more investments into their economy," he said. the setting up of green lanes for strategic investments will also fasttrack the processing of documents for investors, he said. this has been the selling point of PeZA whenever we invite investors to locate in the economic zones," he said. he said he believes the dispute in the West Philippine sea between China and the Philippines will not affect investment growth, since China is among the Philippines' top investors.

Panga said the country's biggest selling point "is our labor, the high productivity of our labor."

"our thinking is that if we are able to bridge Chinese investments coming to the Philippines to invest, somehow it [will] mitigate the tension ... going on [at] the geopolitical side," he said.

"With our entry into rCeP, we are anticipating more investments, especially coming from China. some of the big tickets of investments are coming from China," Panga said.

In 2022, China's investment pledges reached approximately $25 million, or P1.43 billion, making it the country's ninthbiggest source of investments.

Panga said he is inviting investors in the energy sector to locate in the country's economic zones and help bring down the cost of electricity, which is among the highest in southeast Asia. the number one concern of our locators is the cost of power. We are trying to address that by subscribing to the principle of a distributed energy system where we are able to invite investors to actually set up facilities in the economic zones," he said.

"If we have embedded power [in the ecozones], it [will] be able to provide energy for our locator companies," Panga said. there are 20 ecozone projects throughout the country waiting for presidential approval. he said he met recently with the Antique provincial officials who want to go into ecozones. they want to replicate the Bali, Indonesia, type of ecotourism," he said. An American taiwanese investor with solar dish technology wants to put up a renewable energy facility in suyu, Ilocos sur. Another investor is interested in building a second barge terminal in tanza, Cavite, to decongest the harbor there, Panga said.

PeZA is an agency attached to the Department of trade and Industry. It is the biggest ecozone authority and one of the top investment promotion agencies in the Philippines. there are 420 ecozones hosting 4,372 locator companies, mostly exportoriented. the ecozones have generated 1,809,217 direct jobs. the National economic and Development Authority said for every direct job created in the ecozones, five more jobs are created outside, resulting in 9,046,085 indirect jobs. n the s02 gas emissions averaged 925 tons per day on June 25, Phivolcs said.

Continuous moderate degassing from the summit crater produced steam-laden plumes that rose 100 meters before drifting to the west, mVN said. n

Gun culture

In Cebu last week, police armed with a court warrant raided the home of the barangay captain of Baclayan in Boljoon town, and arrested Elderson Han Baldezamo Mabalatan on gun charges. The police reported confiscating from the village chief two .45-caliber pistols and a hand grenade.

earlier on march 20, another village chairman who is president of the local association of barangay captains, Angelito de mesa of Barangay masaya in Bay, Laguna, was arrested following a police search of his home. the raiders reported seizing an m16 rifle equipped with a silencer and telescope, a 9mm machine pistol, ammunition and magazines for the guns.

the country has tough laws against illegal gun possession, with stiff penalties as provided under republic Act 10591, the Comprehensive firearms and Ammunition regulation Act passed in 2013. Yet loose firearms continue to proliferate, promoting deadly violence that has marred politics and elections.

In this part of Asia, the Philippines has the second highest intentional homicide rate, ranking only behind myanmar. Apart from thousands of drug suspects killed in the previous administration, the country has a long string of murders targeting activists, journalists and legal professionals. every electoral exercise in this country is marked by lethal violence, with candidates seeing murder

Babe’s Eye View

BaBe roMualDez

“BY preserving the Philippines’ diplomatic relationship with China, while strengthening ties with the United states and regional allies, marcos Jr. is performing a delicate balancing act.” this was how tokyo University of foreign studies lecturer Jenny Balboa described the foreign policy of President ferdinand marcos Jr. in her article titled, marcos Jr.’s delicate balancing act between China and the United states” published last April at the east Asia forum, an Australia-based international policy forum centered on the Asia Pacific region.

Being virtually at the center of the intensive competition between the United states and China, we obviously have to deal with both nations even as we also need to thresh out individual issues with them. however, there have been developments that indicate the willingness of both nations to continue to restart the conversation with each other, as seen in the recent visit of U.s state secretary Antony Blinken to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who described the meeting as “very good,” saying that both sides “made progress and reached agreements on some specific issues.”

As President Xi himself acknowledged, the world needs the relationship between the two as the ultimate tool for eliminating political rivals. the massacre of Negros oriental governor roel Degamo and nine others at his home has been linked to his family’s feud with the rival teves clan. Deadly violence is employed even in races for the smallest unit of government, the barangay.

With the elections for the barangay and sangguniang Kabataan set this october, the Philippine National Police says it is monitoring at least 49 active and potential private armed groups across the country. Whether the PNP can actually crack down on those groups is another story. many private armies are maintained by influential politicians who are themselves keepers of large arsenals.

If a barangay captain can have an unlicensed grenade in his possession, think of what higher ranking officials are keeping. the alleged mastermind in Degamo’s murder, Negros oriental 3rd District rep. Arnolfo teves Jr., his two sons and his brother, Bayawan town mayor Pryde henry teves face charges over a cache of guns and explosives found in his property. Arnolfo teves said the weapons were planted by the raiders. the easy availability of all sorts of guns and even grenades plus the weakness of the criminal justice system have created a culture of violence