BusinessMirror March 22, 2023

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE settlement of the country’s foreign currency debt obligations caused the Philippines’s balance of payments (BOP) to post a deficit in February, according to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

The BSP said the country’s overall BOP position widened to $895 million in February 2023, the widest in five months.

This was a reversal from the BOP surplus of $3.08 billion in January 2023 and was wider than the $157 million deficit posted in February 2022.

“The BOP deficit in February 2023 reflected outflows arising mainly from the National Government’s [NG] net foreign currency withdrawals from its deposits with the BSP to settle its foreign currency debt obligations and pay for its various expenditures,” BSP said in a statement.

However, BSP said, the country’s cumulative BOP position remained at a surplus of $2.2 billion in the first two months of the year. This was a reversal from the $259 million cumulative deficit

See “BOP,” A2

LOW GDP per capita and lack of social support have made the Philippines one of the least happy countries in Asean, according to the results of the latest World Happiness Report (WHR).

The report, produced by the Sustainable Development Solutions Network, Center for Sustainable Development at the Columbia University’s Earth Institute, among others, ranked the Philippines 76th out of 137 countries in 2020 and 2021. No survey was conducted in the Philippines in 2022.

In the region, Singapore was the topnotcher and ranked 25th overall followed by Malaysia at 55th; Thailand, 60th;

By Raadee S. Sausa

THE Philippines, a net food importer, widened its agricultural trade deficit by 36.3 percent year-on-year to $3.22 billion in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to the latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

PSA data showed that the country incurred the deficit as its food imports outpaced its exports in

the October to December period. Figures indicated that agricultural export earnings fell by 15 percent to $1.55 billion, from last year’s $1.82 billion. Its imports, however, grew by nearly 14 percent to $4.76 billion, from the previous year’s $4.184 billion.

“The country’s total agricultural trade in the fourth quarter of 2022, which amounted to $6.32 billion, grew at an annual rate of 5.1 percent. This was lower than the an-

nual rates of 17.6 percent and 25.5 percent recorded in the third quarter of 2022 and fourth quarter of 2021, respectively,” the PSA said.

The agency said the top 10 commodity groups in terms of value of agricultural exports contributed $1.50 billion or 96.8 percent of the total agricultural exports’ revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“The combined export value of these top 10 commodity groups posted an annual decrease of -14.9

percent during the quarter. Among the commodity groups, edible fruit and nuts; peel of citrus fruit melons, which was valued at $720.94 million, comprised the largest share of 28.1 percent to the total agricultural exports,” the PSA said. The agency also noted that cereals, including rice, accounted for the largest share at $924.56 million, or nearly 20 percent of the See “Agri trade,”

LACK OF SOCIAL SUPPORT SADDEN FILIPINOS’

and Vietnam, 65th. Indonesia ranked below the Philippines at 84th overall.

“People are judging the state of affairs by the level and distribution of well-being, both within and across generations. People have many values [like health, wealth, freedom and so on] as well as well-being. But increasingly, they think of well-being as the ultimate good, the summum bonum,” the report stated.

“We suggest that the Sustainable Development Goals for 2030 and beyond should put much greater operational and ethical emphasis on well-being. The role of well-being in sustainable development is already present, but

well-being should play a much more central role in global diplomacy and in international and national policies in the years to come,” it added.

Based on the report, the Philippines garnered an overall score of 5.52. The country that topped the index, Finland, had an overall score of 7.8 while the country at the bottom of the index, Afghanistan, had an overall score of 1.859.

The Philippines’s score can be explained by factors such as GDP per capita which accounted for 1.238 of this score followed by social support at 1.108 and the freedom to make life choices, 0.714.

Other factors were health and life expectancy which accounted for 0.286 of the Philippines’s overall score; corruption perceptions, 0.141; and generosity, 0.104.

There is also a factor termed “dystopia” which accounted for 1.931 of the country’s overall score. Dystopia is an imaginary country that has the world’s least-happy people.

“The purpose of establishing Dystopia is to have a benchmark against which all countries can be favorably compared [no country performs more poorly than Dystopia] in terms of each of See “WHR,” A2

Firms, govt to address job-skills mismatch

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie & Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco Correspondent

VOTING 277 against three and zero abstention, the House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a bill that aims to reduce the number of jobless Filipinos by matching their education and skills to available job opportunities.

The approved measure, House Bill (HB) 7370, or “An Act creating a tripartite council to address unemployment, underemployment and the job-skills mismatch problem in the country, and appropriating funds therefor.”

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the six key variables. The lowest scores observed for the six key variables, therefore, characterize Dystopia,” the report read.

“Since life would be very unpleasant in a country with the world’s lowest incomes, lowest life expectancy, lowest generosity, most corruption, least freedom, and least social support, it is referred to as ‘Dystopia,’ in contrast to Utopia,” it added.

Denmark, Iceland, Israel, Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, Luxembourg, and New Zealand joined Finland in the list of the 10 happiest countries.

Austria and Australia follow in 11th and 12th positions, as last year, both within the likely range of 8th to 16th. They are followed by Canada, up two places from last year’s lowest-ever ranking. The next four positions are filled by Ireland, the United States, Germany, and Belgium, all with ranks securely in the top 20, as shown by the rank ranges.

The world’s 10 least happy countries include Lebanon, Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Malawi, Comoros, Tanzania, and Zambia.

“There remains a large gap between the top and bottom countries, with the top countries being more tightly grouped than the bottom ones,” the report read.

It has been over 10 years since the first World Happiness Report was published. And it is exactly 10 years since the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/281, proclaiming March 20 to be observed annually as International Day of Happiness.

“Since then, more and more people have come to believe that our success as countries should be judged by the happiness of our people. There is also a growing consensus about how happiness should be measured. This consensus means that national happiness can now become an operational objective for governments,” the report read. Cai U. Ordinario

Bill expanding agricultural insurance hurdles House

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE House of Representatives on Tuesday approved on third and final reading a measure that seeks to expand the services of the Philippine Crop Insurance Corp. (PCIC) to all agricultural commodities while encouraging private sector participation in agricultural insurance.

With 268 affirmative votes without a negative vote, lawmakers approved House Bill (HB) 7387, which seeks to further revise Presidential Decree (PD) No.1467, creating the PCIC, as amended. The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations and approval. The measure seeks to ensure that more Filipino farmers are protected from financial losses arising from natural calamities, plant diseases, and pest infestations, through the PCIC.

It also seeks to direct resources of private sector entities, including cooperatives and farmer’s organizations, to invest in agricultural insurance.

The bill mandates the expansion of the insurance services of the PCIC to all agricultural commodities from the traditional palay crops to now include livestock, fisheries and aquaculture, agroforestry projects and forest plantations and non-crop agricultural assets such as machinery, equipment, transport facilities and other related infrastructures.

It also authorizes the PCIC to offer reinsurance services to private entities, including agricultural cooperatives and farmers’ associations that will engage in agricultural insurance.

However, such insurance protection excludes losses arising from avoidable risks emanating from or due to the negligence, malfeasance, or fraud committed by the insured or any member of his immediate farm household or employee.

BOP. . .

In addition, PCIC will also offer reinsurance services for entities willing to offer agricultural insurance. Under the bill, the powers of the PCIC will be vested in and exercised by its board of directors, composed of eight members with the Secretary of Finance as ex-officio chairperson and the President of the PCIC as ex-officio vice chairperson.

Other members of the Board include the following: the President of the Landbank; Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA); a representative from the private insurance industry to be nominated by the Secretary of Finance; and three representatives from the subsistence farmers’ sector, preferably representing agrarian reform beneficiaries, cooperatives, or associations coming from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, who will be selected and nominated by the different farmers’ organizations or cooperatives.

The bill provides that any insured farmer who has not filed any claim during the immediately preceding three crop seasons, or any insured fishpond or fish cage operator who has not filed any claim during the immediately preceding three harvest seasons, will be entitled to a no-claim benefit of at least 10 percent of his premium share paid for said crop seasons to be deposited in a trust fund and to be managed by the corporation.

Such a trust fund may be used to finance premium rebate or premium credit applicable to the immediately following crop seasons as determined by the board of directors.

To support and promote its operations, PCIC may call upon government and private entities engaged in the supervised credit program to farmers and fisherfolks to act as cooperating agencies. As such, these entities would be required to design their policies and rules to attune and synchronize them with the objectives of the corporation.

Job-skills. . .

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recorded in the January to February period in 2022.

“Based on preliminary data, the cumulative BOP surplus reflected inflows that stemmed mainly from the Global Bond issuance of the NG in January 2023, personal remittances, and foreign portfolio investments,” the BSP said.

BSP also said the country’s gross international reserves (GIR) level fell to $98.2 billion as of end-February from $100.7 billion as of end-January 2023.

Nonetheless, the latest GIR level represents a more than adequate external liquidity buffer equivalent to 7.4 months’ worth of imports of goods and payments of services and primary income.

BSP said this means there is available foreign exchange to meet the country’s balance of payments financing needs.

These needs include payment of imports and debt service, in extreme conditions when there are no export earnings or foreign loans.

“For the coming months, BOP data could still be supported by the continued growth in the country’s structural US dollar inflows such as OFW remittances, BPO revenues, exports, foreign investments/FDIs, foreign tourism receipts, among others,” Rizal Commercial Banking Corp. Chief Economist Michael Ricafort said.

“The proposed $3 billion US dollar or euro-denominated retail bonds to be offered by the national government in the second quarter of 2023, with a tenor of at least 5 years, would also be added to the country’s BOP and gross international reserves by then,” he added.

The data also showed that about 5.9 times the country’s short-term external debt based on original maturity and 3.9 times based on residual maturity.

BSP said short-term debt based on residual maturity refers to outstanding external debt with original maturity of one year or less, plus principal payments on medium- and long-term loans of the public and private sectors falling due within the next 12 months.

Agri trade. . .

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total agricultural imports in the fourth quarter of 2022.

“The top 10 commodity groups in terms of value of agricultural imports were valued at $4.06 billion or 85.1 percent of the total agricultural imports’ revenue in the fourth quarter of 2022. Moreover, the combined agricultural import value of these top 10 commodity groups posted an annual increment of 13.7 percent during the year relative to its same quarter value in 2021,” it added.

The country’s agricultural imports from Asean membercountries in the fourth quarter of 2022 amounted to $1.57 billion or 17 percent of the country’s total imports.

“In terms of value, Indonesia was the major supplier of agricultural products to the Philippines among Asean membercountries, contributing $481.52 million or 30.7 percent to the country’s total value of agricultural imports from ASEAN member countries in the fourth quarter of 2022,” the PSA said.

Data from the agency indicated that Southeast Asian countries, the United States, Australia, and European nations recorded a trade surplus with the Philippines.

The Philippines recorded a trade surplus with Japan in the fourth quarter, but revenues from its shipments to the East Asian nation fell by 11 percent year-on-year to $204.84 million.

DBM: Marcos wants further study of full devolution

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Implementation matrix

SHE said the implementation of EO 138 will likely make use of a matrix instead of a “standard formula.”

Based on its initial assessment, DBM said around 450 LGUs, which belong to fourth and fifth class municipalities nationwide with low income, will unlikely be capable of implementing national projects.

Meanwhile, higher income LGU are expected to have minimal or no issues in implementing the functions previously handled by NGs since they have more funding and manpower.

To help the disadvantaged LGUs implement EO 138, the government has allocated a growth equity fund (GEF), which will be used for their capacity building exercises, which are provided by the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

Pangandaman said the government allocated P1.2 billion for the GEF last year, while P1 billion was allocated for the said purpose.

Upon the implementation of EO 138, DBM said an initial P185 billion will be transferred from the control of the NG to the LGUs through their internal revenue allotment (IRA).

Despite the said change, Pangandaman is confident it will have no impact on the fiscal situation of the NG.

“The DOF [Department of Finance] has been incurring a lot of revenues right now, so yeah we will not be affected by it,” the DBM chief said.

Samuel P. Medenilla

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The bill will be transmitted to the Senate for its own deliberations.

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said the proposed law would benefit a lot of unemployed workers, college graduates, and students as the proposed council is tasked to help them match their skills and education with jobs currently available as well as future employment opportunities.

“Part of our unemployment problem is due to the fact that many of the new members of our labor force do not possess the competency employers are looking for. Their education and job requirements do not match. This is one of the problems we would like to address in approving the bill,” he said.

The envisioned tripartite council “shall be a coordinating body among the government, academe, and industry sectors to primarily monitor economic trends in the global and domestic markets, including those pertaining to business and commerce and the local market, and to generate information relative to employment, unemployment, underemployment, and job-skills mismatch.”

The government will be represented in the council by a commissioner of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), a deputy director general of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), an education undersecretary, a labor and employment undersecretary and an undersecretary of the Department of Trade and Industry.

The academe will be represented by presidents of the federations of public and private colleges and universities, public and private technical-vocational schools, and accreditation bodies of higher and technical-vocational educational institutions, including the Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges, Association of Local Colleges and Universities, Coordinating Council of Private Educational Institutions, Technical-Vocational Schools and Associations of the Philippines, National Network of Quality Assurance Agencies, and Federation of Accrediting Agencies of the Philippines.

The presidents of Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP), Makati Business Club, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc., Information Technology and Business Process Association of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Education, Management Association of the Philippines, Philippine Business for Social Progress, and People Management Association of the Philippines will represent the industry-business sector in the council.

The CHED commissioner sitting in the council will serve as its chairperson, with the TESDA deputy director general as vice chairperson. The council will be attached to the CHED for administrative and budgetary purposes.

Among the tri-sector body’s powers are to monitor trends in the domestic and international labor market, and the incidence of unemployment, underemployment, and job-skills mismatch in the country; and formulate policies, plans, and programs to address these problems.

Manpower

TO produce a steady supply of qualified, well-trained, and better equipped middlelevel manpower who meet the skill requirements and demands of industries and employers, the House of Representatives also approved on third and final reading the bill institutionalizing an enterprise-based education and training program.

Voting 277 affirmative and 3 negative, lawmakers approved HB 7400 to rationalize the middle-level manpower training system and strengthen technical-vocational education and training (TVET) by consolidating apprenticeship, dual training, on-thejob training programs and all other forms of industry-based training arrangement and engaging the private sector.

The bill seeks to set enterprise-based training standards to ensure that the student trainees shall acquire the right competencies and their safety assured.

TESDA-ECOP

pact

TESDA and ECOP recently forged an agreement that will address skills-job mismatch and unemployment in the country.

TESDA Director General Danilo P. Cruz said there is a need to intensify the push for greater industry involvement—from the prioritization of skills to competency standards development and curriculum development to implementation of training interventions, as well as job facilitation.

“We can advance Philippine TVET as we create a future-ready and globally competitive Filipino workforce together, let us actualize our goal of providing relevant, accessible, high quality, efficient technical education and skills development to the Filipinos and contribute to the country’s economic growth and prosperity,” Cruz said during the signing of a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ECOP President Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr.

The MOA, which was signed last March 14, aims to provide for more strategic policy reforms in TVET that are aligned with industry requirements to address issues in the labor force.

The partnership will also intensify regular consultations and dialogues with employer and business membership organizations in the design, development, implementation, assessment, and evaluation of area-based and demand-driven technical education and skills development.

“I am confident that this partnership will be instrumental in contributing to employment and national development toward inclusive economic growth for the Filipino people,” Ortiz-Luis said.

Group to ERC: Suspend rules on plant outages

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“The prescribed unplanned outage allowance must be amended to reflect accurate data and likewise be renamed to forced outage,” PIPPA said. To reflect accurate data, PIPPA proposed that the allowable forced outage should be based on “the calculated mean and standard deviation from the forced outage data” of its member generators from 2014 to 2022.

PIPPA also said the scope of interim outage rules should be amended “to clearly exclude variable renewable energy, such as run-of-river.”

For non-compliant gencos, PIPPA suggested that they be provided a reasonable time to comply with the joint requirement of compliance and explanation.

PIPPA’s petition is for the ERC “to suspend the implementation of the Interim Reliability Performance Indices and Equivalent Outage Days Per Year of Generating Units until the resolution of this petition for rules change or at the very least, until end of 2023.”

It also asked the ERC “to adopt a revised interim reliability performance index with a clearer and more defined mandate.”

For gencos that allegedly violated the said rules, PIPPA wants the ERC “to rescind any previously issued show cause orders,” and “rescind any penalty imposed for violation of the interim rules until the ERC decides on this petition to initiate rule-making.”

The group proposed the following allowable forced outage days: 95.9 for pulverized coal, 61.5 for CFB, 47.93 for gas, 72.6 for diesel, 138.8 for geothermal, 29.3 for hydro, and 33.1 for pump-hydro storage.

‘US to assist govt in cleaning up oil spill in Oriental Mindoro’

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“After the Covid-19 pandemic, which closed our hotels, resorts and tourist destinations, resulting in the loss of thousands of jobs and livelihood, now comes the oil spill,” she said.

“We can tap the resources of the Department of Labor and Employment-Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers [DOLE-TUPAD], Department of Social Work and Development Assistance for Individuals in Crisis Situations [DSWD-AICS], among other government funds for this purpose,” said Luistro, who authored House Bill 6089, which sought to declare the Verde Island Passage as an ecotourism zone.

The Nation

Customs seizes P400 million worth of shabu in Pasay City

By Raadee S. Sausa

BUREAU of Customs (BOC)

operatives seized on Monday some P400 million worth of methamphetamine hydrochloride or shabu at a warehouse in Pasay City.

BOC reported that the said contraband was brought to Pair Cargo Warehouse on Sunday and was initially declared to contain spare parts.

Customs operatives at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (Naia) inspected the shipment on Monday, after finding it “suspicious.”

The shipment from Guinea, Africa was declared to contain spare parts, [but] upon seeing [a] suspicious image, Naia Customs X-ray operatives conducted a physical examination and found illegal drugs,” the BOC said in a statement.

T he shipment was found to contain 58.93 kilograms of shabu with an estimated street value of P400.7 million as confirmed by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency.

C ustoms Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) Director Verne Enciso relayed the information to Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Group Juvymax Uy, together with Customs Commissioner Bienvenido Rubio, who personally inspected the illegal shipment.

The declared items in these shipments, totaling to about five boxes, were spare parts, such as pulley or pulley engines. But upon further inspection by our Customs personnel, they found reason to believe that these packages contain illegal drugs. That’s when they called it in to receive proper assistance from the CIIS and other BOC officers,” Uy said.

“ What these organizations and individuals fail to understand is that we work day and night in any part of the country to identify, confirm, and inspect any shipment we suspect to have illegal goods. Our mandate is border protection, whether that meant policing sea ports or airport terminals,” he added.

F or his part, Customs chief Rubio said, “We are steadfast in our commitment to protect the country against any and all forms of smuggling. This goal is in line with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., so the public can be rest assured that we are heightening our vigilance against smuggling operations in a concerted effort to meet our revenue targets and ensure fair and secure trade,” he stressed.

4 more ex-soldiers allegedly linked to Degamo murder surrender to AFP

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla, at a press briefing, said the suspects, who were former soldiers, surrendered through the assistance of enlisted military personnel.

With the surrender of the four suspects, Remulla said almost all of the armed men who barged into the house of Degamo have been accounted for.

However, Remulla said authorities are still looking for not more than three persons who were involved in the plan to assassinate Degamo.

“We almost have all the people there, who were part of the team that attacked Governor Degamo and almost all of them in custody except for one, two or three  who were really involved in the plan,” Remulla said.

T he four former soldiers are currently undergoing debriefing and were expected to be turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) last Tuesday.

Remulla said he has no information if the four surrenderers have provided the military vital information that would corroborate the statements previously given by the other suspects pointing to Negros Oriental Rep.  Arnolfo Teves Jr. as the alleged mastermind in the murder plot.

E arlier, Remulla said circumstantial evidence so far gathered by investigators have pointed to Teves’ possible role in the Degamo slay case.

Likewise, Remulla revealed that he received a text  message from Teves asking if they could talk over the phone. The DOJ chief, however, said he did not accede to the request.

Remulla explained that he prefers to talk to Teves in the presence of

other people to prevent any possible “misinterpretation.”

I don’t want words twisted, so if I talked to him it would be in front of other people,” Remulla stressed.

He wants to talk to me but I have not given an answer because we’re still busy doing what we’re doing.

I don’t want it to distract me from what I have to do first,” he added.

Remulla said he still has no information if Teves has returned to the country.

Earlier, a discharged soldier also surrendered to the AFP and admitted being one of those who participated in the killing of Degamo.

Remulla said the soldier provided “very critical” information that corroborates the statements previously provided by four suspects  who are now under the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI).

T he DOJ chief said investi -

gators are currently doing case build-up to ensure that they could build an airtight case against the suspects and the masterminds.

T he government has formed Task Force Degamo composed of the DOJ, NBI, AFP, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), Philippine National Police (PNP) and the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency (NICA) for the immediate resolution of the case and to maintain peace and order in Negros Oriental.

DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos has been designated to lead the task force.

Teves has denied any involvement in the killing of Degamo but said he  would not be surprised  if he and his brother Pryde Henry Teves would be implicated in the crime. T he Teveses are known political rivals of Degamo.

By Jonathan L. Mayuga @jonlmayuga & Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

USING Hakuyo, a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), Japanese experts have finally spotted the sunken MT Princess Empress that sank off the coast of Naujan, Oriental Mindoro on February 28.

T he team that searched the vessel said it was around 9:42 a.m. when they finally got a glimpse of MT Princess Empress—at the exact spot just as where the BRP Hydrographer Ventura, the search vessel of the National Mapping and Resource Authority (NAMRIA), earlier said it would be.

According to a Facebook post in the Karagatan Patrol by Jessie Floren, the ill-fated vessel was located somewhere in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

Pola was one of the hardest hit by the oil spill. Around 10 hectares of mangrove forests have reportedly been coated with oil as of March 17, the latest update from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources stated.

“ The coordinates suggest that this is inside the municipal waters of Pola, Oriental Mindoro,” Floren said.

At a hastily called news conference on Tuesday, Governor Humerlito Dolor said Customs, Immigration, Quarantine, Security (CIQS) was conducted early morning on Tuesday prior to the discovery of the ill-fated vessel.

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

THE House Committee on Population and Family Relations on Tuesday provided spouses, especially wives, the option of getting out of an irremediably broken marriage by approving the proposed Divorce Act.

T his, after the committee chaired by Rep. Ian Paul Dy of Isabela approved an unnumbered substitute bill on absolute divorce in the Philippines.

A lbay Rep. Edcel Lagman, principal author of the proposal, said the approval of the substitute bill on absolute divorce for eventual plenary debates assures that the country is now at the threshold of joining the universality of absolute divorce in the community of nations.

The template of the substitute bill is my House Bill 78, which is almost a replica of the bill approved on third and final reading by the House of Representatives during the 17th Congress. The approval of

Japanese ROV gets ‘first glimpse’ of sunken MT Princess Empress PRC holds activities on World Water Day today

Incident Management Team in Oriental Mindoro commander, Coast Guard Commodore Geronimo Tuvilla joined the authorities in conducting the CIQS procedure on board the Japanese Dynamic Positioning Vessel (DPV) Shin Nichi Maru, which is equipped with the ROV Hakuyo on, Monday, March 20.

The PCG said RDC Reield Marine Services hired the Japanese DPV equipped with an ROV to locate and assess the condition of the sunken vessel.

At the news conference, Dolor showed photographs and videos of the sunken vessel, which appeared to be intact.

The two British nationals who were among the team that searched for the sunken vessel will be the ones tasked to analyze the data, Dolor said.

He said that in five days, they expect the owner of MT Princess Empress to come up with a report, which will be distributed to the media.

He said the report would determine whether the vessel sustained any further damage and how it can be recovered.

A ccording to Tuvilla, the PCG will come up with a daily update of the situation. He added that the Japanese experts would draw up the plans, together with the shipowner’s other consultants.

Tuvilla also reported that a team from the United States Coast Guard arrived.  An incident management meeting, he said, will be held for the benefit of the US Coast Guard.

“Of course, we will give them a

briefing first, then ask them how they can help,” he added.

T he underwater search for the vessel, Tuvilla said, is very important because it will help them determine what appropriate hardware will be needed. “We have already seen it. We now have an eye underneath. That’s very important,” he explained.

Case build up

THE inter-agency task force headed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) has issued subpoenas to various government agencies for the submission of important documents that would help in the ongoing case build up  in connection with the sinking of MT Princess Empress, which caused a catastrophic oil spill in Pola, Oriental Mindoro.

A mong those subpoenaed were the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) in Limay, Bataan, where the loading of the cargo was done.    We are in the process of, actually the subpoenas have already been delivered for all the documents we need from the different agencies, especially Marina, the Coast Guard and some other agencies that may be involved here,” Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla told reporters.      R emulla noted that the task force has sought documents from PPA to determine the specific cargoes that were loaded to the vessel before it sank off the coast of Oriental Mindoro.

On the other hand, the documents being sought from the PCG and Marina would determine whether there was negligence on the part of the two agencies that resulted in the latest environmental tragedy.

Remulla earlier disclosed initial findings that  the vessel was not new but was merely rebuilt from scrap twice and was eventually converted into an oil tanker.

Price freeze

THE Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has enforced a price freeze on basic necessities in areas affected by the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

DTI-Mimaropa said it released the price freeze bulletin after tanker MT Princess Empress caused an oil spill in areas of Oriental Mindoro.

According to DTI, Sangguniang Panlalawigan Resolution No. 62902023, which placed the municipalities of Pola, Naujan, Pinamalayan, Gloria, Bansud, Bongabong, Roxas, Mansalay, and Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro under a state of calamity prompted the agency to order the price freeze of basic necessities.

Further, under Republic Act (RA) No. 7581 or the Price Act as amended, the prices of basic necessities under DTI’s jurisdiction are automatically frozen at their prevailing prices, DTI Mimaropa noted.

T he trade department said the price freeze took effect on March 6,2023, but this shall not last more than 60 days from the said date.

With Joel R. San Juan

By Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco @claudethmc3

IN support of this year’s observance of World Water Day today, March 22, the Philippine Red Cross (PRC) will conduct advocacy campaigns in schools and communities across its 102 chapters.

T he PRC noted that access to clean and safe water is necessary to nourish life and that human body cannot be sustained without water.

L ikewise, the PRC stressed every person needs water on a daily basis for drinking, hygiene, and sanitation purposes.

T he campaign will revolve around “Accelerating Change,” the theme of this year’s celebration.

“ Water is essential to maintain human life and dignity. Part of the immediate humanitarian aid we deploy whenever there is a disaster is our water tankers. Right now we have 28 water tankers strategically located across Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao and ready to be deployed when needed,” PRC Chairman and CEO Richard J. Gordon said.

T he Accelerating Change advocacy encourages people to save water. It breaks the taboo around toilets, water, and menstruation.

House panel approves unnumbered substitute bill on absolute divorce for doomed marriages

the same bill during the 18th Congress was stalled by the pandemic,” said Lagman.

“

While it is said that marriages are solemnized in heaven, the fact is some marriages plummet into hell because of human frailty and imperfections,” he pointed out.

According to Lagman, the proposed Divorce Act seeks to redeem couples, particularly abused or abandoned wives, from infernal agony.

“ But it must be underscored that a law on absolute divorce is not for everybody. This Act is for the exceptional circumstances of married couples who are marooned in toxic, dysfunctional, and even abusive marriages, particularly for wives who suffer the torment of irreversibly dead marriages,” the lawmaker added.

“Divorce is not the worst thing that can happen to a family. Enduring years of physical violence, suffering emotional abuse, tolerating infidelity, allowing children to live in a hostile home and witness daily discord and constant conflict— these are far

worse than divorce,” he said.

A llowing for the dissolution of marriage, through divorce, and including grounds that do not require the husband and the wife to further squabble and wash their dirty laundry in public, so to speak, is the best way forward, said Davao del Norte Rep. Pantaleon D. Alvarez, another principal author of the bill.  “

To be with someone whom we will love and care for, in sickness and in health, till death do us part, is wonderful. Marriage is beautiful. But only for those who get it right.  And for those who do get it right, congratulations!” he added.

A lvarez, however, said reality shows a different picture for most people and many get marriage wrong.

And, as a mistake, and with the ‘options’ to sever marriage as timeconsuming, adversarial, and very expensive, the effect is to forcibly chain together those who should be allowed to distance and part ways in peace,” he said.

For this situation, a toxic marriage, like an exploding star pulled

back and collapsing unto itself, becomes a blackhole where nothing, not even the light of hope and love, can survive or escape,” added Alvarez.

T he salient features of the proposed Absolute Divorce Act are:

a

) Since absolute divorce is not a foreign or new concept to Filipinos, the title is reinstituting absolute divorce.

b) The State has the responsibility of rescuing couples and their children from a home plagued by discord or a house on fire even as it continues to recognize marriage as a social institution and the foundation of the family.

c) A divorce petition will undergo a judicial process where proof of the cause for the divorce is established and that the marriage has completely collapsed without any possibility of reconciliation.

d) Quickie, notarial, email and other speedy drive-thru divorces are prohibited.

e) There is a cooling-off period of sixty (60) days after the filing of the divorce petition wherein the judge

shall exert earnest efforts to reconcile the parties;

f ) The public prosecutor is mandated to conduct an investigation to assure that there is no collusion between the parties or whether one party coerced the other to file the divorce petition;

g ) At any time during the proceedings, if the parties agree to reconcile, the petition is dismissed;

h) Even after the issuance of an absolute divorce decree, when the parties decide to reconcile, the divorce decree shall be nullified;

i) There are harsh penalties for those who collude to secure a divorce decree or of one spouse coercing the other to file for divorce. The penalties consist of an indivisible punishment of five years imprisonment and a sizeable fine; and

j) No decree of absolute divorce shall be based upon a stipulation of facts or a confession of judgment.

k) In a divorce proceeding, no marriage is destroyed because the union in fact has long perished. According to the Supreme Court in Te vs. Te, the

dissolution of a marriage is a decent interment of a long-dead marriage.

l) An absolute divorce law is constitutional. There was unanimity in the Constitutional Commission of 1987 where the Commissioners led by Fr. Joaquin Bernas, said that the Congress has the power to enact a divorce law.

m) Divorce is not against the Catholic faith. Even the bible cites instances when Jesus Christ allowed divorces. All Catholic countries, except the Philippines, have legalized divorce that the Papacy has not condemned. Even the Catholic hierarchy has its own matrimonial tribunal, which dissolves marriages similar to a divorce.

n) Divorce is an option. An aggrieved party can seek in the proper cases annulment of marriage, legal separation or dissolution of marriage based on psychological incapacity under the Family Code, all of which are expensive and involve a lengthy process, unlike divorce, which is mandated to be expeditious, reasonable, and inexpensive.

FOUR more suspects who may have directly participated in the murder of Negros Oriental Governor Roel Degamo and eight others on March 4 surrendered to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP).

German firms seek partners in energy efficiency ventures

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

GERMAN firms with technical know-how in energy efficiency are seeking business partners in the Philippines, according to the German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI).

T he German business group said it recently held a business mission that gathered 100 participants, including German and Philippine industry experts to share knowledge in the area of energy efficiency.

“ These visiting German companies have the advanced technical

know-how in the field of energy efficiency, and we are happy to provide the stage for them to connect with both key public and private stakeholders in the Philippines,” GPCCI Executive Director Christopher Zimmer said in a news statement issued on Tuesday.  According to GPCCI, five German companies, specifically SolarNextAG, MIG mbH, Hörmann KG, eeaser GmbH, and Ecoligo GmbH, attended the business mission.

T he companies, GPCCI noted, discussed these topics respectively: Systems Solutions in Regenerative Heat and Cooling Supply; Thin Insulations

and Smart Coatings; Fire-rated and Multi-purpose Door Solutions; Energy Efficiency in Consultancy; and Clean Energy Transition Solutions.

For his part, GPCCI President Stefan Schmitz noted that several German companies are already involved in the industry of energy efficiency in the Philippines. In line with this, he said “this delegation signals an increased potential and investor interest.”

Meanwhile, the business group noted the conference was also participated by Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance (PE2) President Alexander Ablaza and Patrick Aquino of the Department of En -

ergy’s (DOE) Energy Utilization Management Bureau.

A blaza noted that while energy efficiency has cost-saving benefits, it is “one of the most labor-intensive” activities in the energy sector. With this, he said “there is a huge potential for investment opportunities in the Philippines and can generate more green jobs.”

R epresenting DOE, Aquino said energy department’s vision is to have renewable energy (RE) plus energy efficiency to attain energy sustainability targets. In fact, the DOE official added, “We are currently developing policies that will

effectively implement the intended objectives of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act.”

G PCCI said the German delegation would explore partnership potentials with Philippine counterparts through business-to-business meetings, project site visits and other business networking activities in the coming days.

T he conference runs from March

20 to 24,  according to the German business group.

In November 2022, the GPCCI commended the DOE’s decision to relax foreign equity restrictions in the renewable energy sector. DOE

Secretary Raphael Lotilla said that following the loosening of restrictions, “we expect an increase in investments in the sector which would certainly contribute to our economy, provide jobs to our people and help meet the goal of increasing the RE in the power generation mix of 35 percent by 2030 and 50 percent by 2040.”

In response to the relaxation of foreign equity restrictions in the RE sector, GPCCI Executive Director Christopher Zimmer said in November 2022 that the RE sector has always been an interest for many German investors when they consider doing business in the Philippines.

MGB decision on Mabilo mining project in Camarines Norte hailed

CAMARINES Norte provincial officials hailed on Tuesday the decision of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Mines and Geosciences

Bureau-Region 5 (MGB-5) granting co-permittee status to the Mabilo Project joint venture (JV) partners. T he Provincial Board of Camarines Norte recently passed a reso -

lution “expressing thanks and appreciation” to the DENR, particularly the MGB Panel of Arbitrators (POA), after resolving to declare Galeo Equipment Corporation as co-

permittee and co-contractor to the Mt. Labo Exploration and Development Corporation under MPSA No. MLC-MRD-459.

T he decision recognized and

gave importance to Provincial Ordinance No. 52-2017 enacted by the Provincial Board which states that in case there are JV partners in the mining projects within the province of Camarines Norte, the said JV partners should be deemed as co-permittees to ensure accountability in the implementation of mining laws and ensure responsible mining within the province.

T he POA decision recognized the duties and responsibilities of local governments in the management and regulation of Minahang Bayan, small-scale and large-scale mining, and all other forms of mining and related activities within the various local government units (LGUs) in Camarines Norte, known for its mineral deposits of gold, silver, iron, zinc and bull quartz and its non-metallic minerals include sand, limestone, clay, and kaolin.

“ This has energized the Province

to craft more legislation and institute measures that will encourage the growth of responsible mining activities in Camarines Norte.  Just as we currently have a Tourism Code, I would like to champion the creation of a Mining Code to serve as a framework for all mining-related activities,” Gerardo G. Quiñones, 2nd District Board Member and chairman of the Committee on Environment, said in a statement. “

We are delighted with the decision as Galeo has a good track record in partnership with the LGUs and other stakeholders in partnership with the LGUs and other stakeholders in Camarines Norte. The company even volunteered to rehabilitate the Venida Pit, in Barangay Napaod, Municipality of Labo, averting a destructive environmental incident,” Rey Kenneth N. Oning, ex-officio Board Member, Municipality of Labo Council Member and PCL President added.  Jonathan L. Mayuga

Legarda hails Senate passage of One Town, One Product Act

SENATE President Pro Tempore Loren Legarda said on Tuesday the One Town, One Product (OTOP) Philippines Act, which secured 22 votes from the Senate on Monday, will “address gaps” in entrepreneurial skills and “enhance” product promotion across different platforms, among others.

“ It remains a strategic tool for inclusive local economic growth, with assistance coming from local government units, national government agencies, and the private sector,” Legarda said in a statement.

Senate Bill No. 1594 or the OTOP Philippines Act of 2023 was approved by the Senate on third and final reading on Monday with 22 votes, zero negative votes and no abstention.

A s the principal author and cosponsor of the bill, Legarda said the OTOP program shall include product development as the primary instrument of assistance for beneficiaries.

T he senator said the bill also proposes that OTOP products must meet a set of criteria to be established by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), which shall serve as the lead agency for the said measure.

“ The products should be consistent with the cultural values rooted in a locality, derive its sources from the community, evoke a sense of connection among locals, exemplify the Filipino people’s creativity and innovation, and draw from the locality’s innate and endemic strengths,” Legarda explained.

A ccording to SB 1594, the OTOP Philippines Program shall be “one of the government’s stimulus programs that will encourage the growth of micro, small, and medium enterprises [MSME] in the countryside through the development of indigenous raw materials utilizing local skills and talents and featuring local traditions and cultures across the country.”

F or the trade department’s part, it said the country currently has a total of 111 OTOP hubs, 22 of which were launched from January 2022 to February 2023.

I n a Viber message sent to reporters, DTI said the hubs established from January 2022 to February 2023, were created “in partnership with external partners such as Alagang Ayala and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines [CAAP], who provided rent-free spaces for some OTOP Hubs.”  S ection 12 of the SB 1594 mandates the CAAP, along with the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, and other similar agencies to support the construction and allocation of spaces for the establishment of OTOP Philippines hubs.

I n line with this, the bill stated, “To promote access to the market, the DTI shall ensure that the OTOP Philippines hubs are established in strategic ports of entry, such as but not limited to airports, seaports, bus terminals, high-traffic retail outlets like malls, tourist destinations, and other consumer-frequented locations.”

A s to the budget allocated, the DTI said the “standard budget” allotted for each of the 22 OTOP hubs is P500,000, drawn from the General Appropriations Act.

PHL and US defense chiefs hit China’s maritime ‘incursion’ in Pagasa Island

By Rene Acosta @reneacostaBM

T he censure of China’s “gray zone” operations was made by Department of National Defense Officer-in-Charge Carlito Galvez Jr. and US Department of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin III during a phone conversation on Monday night, Manila time.

T he call, initiated by Austin, hap -

House OKs bill on sustainable, collateral-free loans to MSEs

By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz  @joveemarie

AMEASURE seeking to establish a sustainable and collateral-free financing program for the country’s micro and small enterprises (MSEs) was endorsed for Senate approval on Tuesday.

With 278 affirmative votes and without a negative vote, lawmakers from the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading House Bill 7363, or the “Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pag-Asenso Act,” or simply the “P3 Act,” which aims to provide an affordable, accessible, and simple financing program for MSEs, especially those in the poorest populations and underserved areas.

“We believe this measure will greatly help our struggling MSEs still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, which often turn to unscrupulous ‘loan sharks’ who charge excessive interests for loans,” House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said.

“As MSEs employ millions of Filipinos, they need to grow in numbers to employ more workers. This measure seeks to enhance the entrepreneurial spirit of the Filipinos by taking out two of their worries, which are high-interest rates on MSE loans and putting up collateral for financing,” he added.

HB 7363 mandates the creation of the Pondo sa Pagbabago at Pagasenso (P3) Fund, “which shall be lent out to qualified MSEs under such terms and conditions that will meet the purposes of this Act.”

The P3 Fund shall be accessible through the Small Business Corporation (SB Corp.) and accredited partner financial institutions (PFIs) such as rural banks, thrift banks, development banks, cooperative banks, cooperatives, non-stock savings and loan associations, microfinance non-government organizations, or lending companies.

T he bill said the SB Corp., the financing arm of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), shall be the lead implementing agency for the P3 Fund.

According to HB 7363, SB Corp. shall handle the fund delivery to MSEs through direct lending for 40 percent of the P3 Fund; and lending through accredited PFIs for 60 percent of the P3 Fund.

“ The SB Corp. shall prioritize lending to underserved and unserved areas and MSE segments of the country, subject to the review and approval of the Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprise Development [MSMED] Council,” it added.

cal Philippine communities and the rights of other claimant states that seek to operate lawfully in the South China Sea consistent with the 2016 Arbitral Tribunal ruling,” a readout of the phone conversation provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said.

pines and reiterated that the Mutual Defense Treaty extends to Philippine Armed Forces, aircraft, and public vessels, including those of its Coast Guard, anywhere in the South China Sea,” Ryder said.

maritime cooperation during the upcoming 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue,” Ryder said.

pened hours after Manila and Washington jumpstarted the rehabilitation of Basa Air Base’s runway, one of the military projects identified under the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement (EDCA).

The two leaders condemned the PRC’s gray-zone activities, which interfere with the livelihoods of lo -

Early this month, China massed 42 maritime militia vessels that were accompanied by a warship and a coast guard vessel within the waters of Pagasa Island. While most of the vessels disappeared after their presence was reported by the Philippine Coast Guard, the Chinese warship and the China Coast Guard vessel loitered around the maritime waters.

T he call between Austin and Galvez was made to discuss ongoing efforts that strengthen the two countries’ alliance.

Secretary Austin underscored the United States’ unwavering alliance commitment with the Philip -

T he Pentagon official noted that the swarming of vessels “falls on the heels of a dangerous incident last month, in which the China Coast Guard directed a military-grade laser beam against a Philippine vessel operating lawfully around Second Thomas Shoal, temporarily blinding some of the crew.”

During the discussions, the two defense leaders also looked forward to the holding of the biggest Balikatan military exercise that will be joined by 17,000 Filipino and American troops.

“ They also discussed plans to conduct combined maritime activities in the South China Sea and agreed to review the full range of US-Philippine

Meanwhile, United Kingdom Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils visited Camp Aguinaldo on Tuesday and conferred with the Vice Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Arthur Cordura on various issues.

A mong the matters discussed by Beaufils and Cordura were regional stability and international maritime law, according to military public affairs office chief Col. Jorry Baclor. “ They also stressed the importance of continued security and defense cooperation and welcomed possible future security engagements between the Philippines and the UK. They also discussed and supported each other’s initiatives to maintain stability and security in the IndoPacific region against the backdrop of rules-based order and international law,” Baclor said.

CA voids bail grant to suspect in Batocabe’s ’18 murder case

THE Court of Appeals (CA) has declared as “null and void” the two orders of a lower court in Legazpi City allowing the prime suspect in the killing of Ako Bicol Partylist Rep. Rodel Batocabe to post bail after finding that the judge may have committed grave abuse of discretion.

In a 10-page decision dated March 1, 2023, the CA 12th Division said that there was a grave abuse of discretion on the part of Legazpi City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Maria Theresa San Juan-Loquillano when she allowed Carlwyn Baldo to be released on bail despite the evidence and witnesses that the prosecution presented against him.

T he Appellate Court also instructed the lower court to resolve

the petition for bail and consider all the evidence presented in the said bail hearing.

In the CA ruling, it said that the lower court erred when it ordered to hear only the testimony of two of the five witnesses without valid reason or explanation.

The three witnesses and their testimonies should have been considered and should not have been left out. The trial court overstepped its discretion when it intentionally excluded the three witnesses without offering any valid reason or explanation other than citing its very authority to exercise discretion. This line of reasoning is absurd, if not shallow,” part of the CA ruling read.

“Based on the foregoing discus-

sion, we find that the trial court committed grave abuse of discretion by granting Baldo’s Petition for Bail without fully considering all of the prosecution’s evidence in the assailed Orders. Therefore, the assailed Orders are deemed null and void,” it added.

“ Wherefore, premises considered, the Petition is Granted. The Orders dated August 29, 2019 and September 9, 2019 of the Regional Trial Court of Legazpi City, Branch 10, are hereby declared NULL and VOID. The Regional Trial Court is hereby ORDERED to RESOLVE the Petition for Bail taking into consideration all the evidence presented during the bail hearing,” the Appellate Court ruled.

Meanwhile, the Batocabe family

expressed contentment on the said CA decision and said that this is a big step for their search for justice for the murdered lawmaker.

“A significant step in the quest for justice for Dad. Sana tuloy tuloy na,” Justin Batocabe, son of the slain lawmaker, said in a Facebook post.

It can be recalled that Batocabe and his security aide SPO2 Orlando Diaz were killed in an ambush while leaving Burgos Elementary School in Daraga, Albay after giving gifts to the residents of the town in December 2018.

B aldo was charged with double murder and six counts of frustrated murder but was allowed to post bail in the amount of P8.72 million.

DA-BFAR finds low-level contaminants in fish samples from oil-spill hit areas

THE Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) found low-level contaminants or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in fish samples collected from oil spill affected areas, and recommended the extension of the fishing ban pending further investigation.

PAH is harmful to humans and other living organisms. It may accumulate in the flesh of fish over time.

However, the DA-BFAR said the results of the analyses are not yet conclusive as far as food safety is concerned.

Further sampling and analyses are being conducted to establish time-series results on the effect of the oil spill on fish concerning food safety, taking into account the magnitude of the oil spill, which has reached neighboring areas like Caluya, Antique and some municipalities of Palawan.

Meanwhile, preliminary findings showed that traces of petroleum products, particularly oil and grease, were detected in water samples—equivalent to <5 mg/L.

T he figure is within the standard range of 3 mg/L to 5 mg/L set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Administrative Order 2016-08.

To recall, the DA-BFAR collected water samples from different sampling sites from March 3 to 14, 2023. During the same period, the bureau collected fish samples from the municipalities of Naujan, Pola, Pinamalayan, Bansud, Gloria, Roxas, Mansalay, Bongabong, and Bulalacao in Oriental Mindoro.

T hese two types of samples were both analyzed within 10 days from the sample collection, based on the standard turnaround period for fish sample analysis.

In the meantime, the DA-BFAR recommended the continuous suspension of fishing activities in selected areas in Oriental Mindoro for public safety.

T he bureau also advised local government units (LGU) concerned to heed this science-based recommendation.

T he DA-BFAR said it will continuously analyze water and fish samples in affected areas to monitor the possible spread of contamination and determine the extent of damage caused by the oil spill in the fishery sector.

T he results will be shared with the public as soon as data becomes available, the bureau said.

According to the DA-BFAR, separate tests on water and fish samples are being conducted in Caluya, Antique, which has also declared a fishing ban.

T he DA-BFAR will present its recommendation to the Caluya LGU upon the release of test results.

T he DA-BFAR has already allocated an initial budget of P6.4 million for livelihood and relief assistance to aid affected fisherfolk and their families cope with the loss of income due to fishing bans. Jonathan L. Mayuga and Raadee S. Sausa

THE Philippines and the United States have jointly condemned China’s incursion into the waters of Pagasa Island in Palawan early this month, which intimidated Filipino fishermen and disrupted their activities in the area.

NOTICE OF FILING OF APPLICATION/S FOR ALIEN EMPLOYMENT PERMIT/S (AEP/S)

Notice is hereby given that the following companies/employers have filed with this Regional Office application/s for

14

26 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

27 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

28 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

DING, MENG

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

HE, YANGSHENG

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

HONG, DONGQING

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

29 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

30 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

31 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

32 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

33 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

34 BRICKHARTZ TECHNOLOGY INC.

Lot 4044, Molino Boulevard, Niog III, City of Bacoor, Cavite

35 CITIZEN FINEDEVICE PHILIPPINES CORP.

JU, HAINING

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

LIANG, SHIZHU

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

WU, XUDONG

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

YANG, FENG

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

ZHANG, RONGKUAN

Mandarin Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

CHANG SOI DIN

Vietnamese Customer Relations Officer

Brief Job Description:

Has excellent problem-solving and communication skills in Mandarin, with related BPO experience

WATABE (KAGOHARA), KEIKO

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Ensure outstanding customer satisfaction by maintaining strong working relationships

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Lot 9A, First Philippine Industrial Park II, Santa Anastacia, City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas

36 EWIC PHILIPPINES INC.

Building 7 & 8, Lot 2, Block 2, Laguna Technopark Annex, Poblacion, City of Biñan, Laguna

37 GA&P TEC INC.

Lots 4 and 5, B10, Main Avenue, Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

Senior Supervisor

Brief Job Description:

Coordinate with customers and suppliers for production material needed

Basic Qualification: Bachelor’s degree in any field, can speak read and write Japanese and English language. Preferably, with 5 years production control/ sales experience in manufacturing field

Salary Range:

Php90,000Php149,999

Basic Qualification:

REN, CHENGSHUAI

Engineering Supervisor

Brief Job Description:

Responsible for the production line body erection, automatic equipment and electric equipment debugging

LEE, KEUN SEOK

Sales And Marketing Manager

Brief Job Description:

Supervise the personnel under sales department and assist management in operating more efficiently and effectively

With at least minimum of 4 years work experience in manufacturing operations and must be fluent in Chinese language

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

College graduate with formal training and work experience

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Economic Zone, Tejeros Convention, Rosario, Cavite

45 SHIMANO (PHILIPPINES) INC.

Lot 21A, Phase 1B, First Philippine Industrial Park, Ulango, City of Tanauan, Batangas

KIM, JIHWAN General Manager

Brief Job Description: In charge of overseeing the company’s day-to- day operations. Create operational plans and strategic goals as well as operational policies and budgets.

SAEKI, ATSUSHI Department Head for Production Engineering

Brief Job Description: Prepare machine flow chart and pneumatic and electrical system diagram for the projects

46 SHIMANO (PHILIPPINES) INC.

Lot 21A, Phase 1B, First Philippine Industrial Park, Ulango, City of Tanauan, Batangas

CHOO JIA YI

Department Head for Stamping

Brief Job Description:

Analyze, troubleshoot and resolve stamping related problems systematically to achieve productivity, quality and cost targets

Basic Qualification: Must have a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, preferably in manufacturing industry for at least 5 years and above

Salary Range:

Php60,000Php89,999

Basic Qualification:

47 SHING HUNG PLASTICS COMPANY INC.

Lot 8, Phase 1, First Philippine Industrial Park, Santa Anastacia, City of Sto. Tomas, Batangas

48 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

CHIU, CHING-YUAN

Production Manager

Brief Job Description:

Lead the purchasing team and responsible for the full spectrum of import & export purchasing process

Can speak Mandarin; can read & write Chinese character; with work experience in purchasing in the field of electronics manufacturing

Salary Range:

Php60,000Php89,999

49 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

CHEN, LIQUN

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

CONG, PENGFEI

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

LI, YUANBIN

50 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

Chinese Customer Service

Representative

Brief Job Description:

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification: Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range:

Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Basic Qualification:

51 SMART WIN TECHNOLOGY, INC.

Southwoods Office Tower 2, San Francisco, Biñan, City of Biñan, Laguna

RAN, PING

Chinese Customer Service Representative

Brief Job Description:

Basic Qualification: Proven experience as a General Manager or similar executive role

Salary Range: Php60,000Php89,999

Basic Qualification: Must have a bachelor’s degree in Engineering preferably in manufacturing industry for at least 5 years and above

Salary Range: Php60,000Php89,999

Field incoming help requests from end users from the People’s Republic of China via both telephone and work orders in a courteous manner

Must be able to fluently speak, write and read Mandarin and other local dialects spoken in other parts of China like Cantonese and Fukien

Salary Range: Php30,000Php59,999

Any person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing to perform the services for which the foreign national is desired may file an objection at DOLE Regional Office IV-A located at 3rd and 4th Floors, Andenson Building II, Parian, Calamba City, Laguna, within 30 days after this publication.

Please inform DOLE Regional Office IV-A if you have any information on criminal offense committed by the foreign nationals.

To avail of free job referral, placement, and employment guidance services, visit the nearest Public Employment Service Offices (PESO) or log on at http://www.philjobnet.gov.ph

Putin welcomes China’s Xi Jinping to Kremlin amid Ukraine fighting

By Vladimir Isachenkov The Associated Press

Japan and China leaders visit rival capitals in Ukraine war

By Karl Ritter The Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine—Japanese Prime Minister

Fumio Kishida began a surprise visit to Ukraine early Tuesday, hours after Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in neighboring Russia for a three-day visit. The dueling summits come as the longtime rivals are on diplomatic offensives.

Kishida will meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Ukrainian capital.

He will “show respect to the courage and patience of the Ukrainian people who are standing up to defend their homeland under President Zelenskyy’s leadership, and show solidarity and unwavering support for Ukraine as head of Japan and chairman of G-7,” during his visit to Ukraine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in announcing his trip to Kyiv.

and Global South countries to raise their voices to defend the rules-based international order and help stop Russia’s war.

Japan, which has territorial disputes over islands with both China and Russia, is particularly concerned about the close relationship between Beijing and Moscow, which have conducted joint military exercises near Japan’s coasts.

Kishida, who is to chair the Group of Seven summit in May, is the only G-7 leader who hasn’t visited Ukraine and was under pressure to do so at home. US President Joe Biden took a similar route to visit Kyiv last month, just before the first anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Xi’s trip—his first abroad since his re-election earlier this month—showed off Beijing’s new diplomatic swagger and gave a political lift to Putin just days after an international arrest warrant was issued for the Kremlin leader on war crimes charges related to Ukraine.

The two major powers have described Xi’s three-day trip as an opportunity to deepen their “nolimits friendship.” China looks to Russia as a source of oil and gas for its energy-hungry economy, and as a partner in standing up to what both see as US aggression, domination of global affairs and unfair punishment for their human rights records.

The two countries, among the five UN Security Council’s permanent members, also have held joint military drills. US officials have picked up indications China is considering supplying Russia with weapons for its fight in Ukraine but have seen no evidence they’ve actually done so.

The leaders smiled and shook hands before sitting down at the start of their meeting, calling each other “dear friend” and exchanging compliments. Putin congratulated Xi on his re-election and voiced hope for building even stronger ties.

“China has made a colossal leap ahead in its development in recent years,” Putin said, adding that “it’s causing genuine interest all around the world, and we even feel a bit envious,” as Xi smiled.

The Kremlin leader welcomed China’s proposals for a political settlement in Ukraine and noted Russia is open for talks.

“We will discuss all those issues, including your initiative that we highly respect,” Putin said. “Our cooperation in the international arena undoubtedly helps strengthen the basic principles of the global order and multipolarity.”

Both Moscow and Beijing have accused Washington of trying to isolate them and hold back their development as they challenge it for regional and global leadership.

In an increasingly multipolar world, the US and its allies have been unable to build a broad front against Putin. While 141 countries condemned Moscow in a United Nations vote marking the first anniversary of Russian troops rolling into Ukraine, several members of the G-20—including India, China and South Africa—abstained. Many African nations also have refrained from openly criticizing Russia.

“We hope that the strategic partnership between China and Russia will on the one hand uphold international fairness and justice, and on the other hand promote the common prosperity and development of our countries,” Xi said.

In their 4 1/2 hours of talks, along with a dinner that included a Pacific seafood platter and

roast venison in cherry sauce, Putin would offer Xi a “detailed explanation” of Moscow’s actions in Ukraine, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Broader talks on a range of subjects are scheduled Tuesday.

For Putin, Xi’s presence is a prestigious, diplomatic boost to show partnership in the face of Western efforts to isolate Russia over Ukraine.

In an article published in the Chinese People’s Daily newspaper, Putin described Xi’s visit as a “landmark event” that “reaffirms the special nature of the RussiaChina partnership” and said the meeting signaled that the two countries aren’t prepared to accept attempts to weaken them.

“The US policy of simultaneously deterring Russia and China, as well as all those who do not bend to the American diktat, is getting ever fiercer and more aggressive,” he wrote.

China portrays Xi’s visit as part of normal diplomatic exchanges and has offered little detail about its purpose, though Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin told reporters Monday that China “will uphold its objective and fair position on the Ukrainian crisis and play a constructive role in promoting peace talks.” Xi didn’t directly mention the Ukraine fighting or his peace plan when he sat down for the talks with Putin.

Beijing’s leap into Ukraine issues follows its recent success in brokering talks between Iran and its chief Middle Eastern rival, Saudi Arabia, which agreed to restore their diplomatic ties after years of tensions.

Following that success, Xi called for China to play a bigger role in managing global affairs.

Although they boast of a “nolimits” partnership, Beijing has conducted a China First policy. It has refrained from supplying Russia’s military—a move that could worsen relations with Washington and turn important European trade partners against China. On the other hand, it has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and criticized Western sanctions against Moscow, while accusing Nato and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action.

Western pressure has made Russia increasingly reliant on Beijing, observers said.

Alexander Gabuev, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment, noted that Beijing is aiming at “getting Russia as a junior partner deeper into China’s pocket.”

Dmitry Oreshkin, professor at Free University in Riga, Latvia, observed that Beijing benefits from tensions between Moscow and the West, by gaining access to cheap Russian energy resources.

“It’s very convenient for China, which couldn’t get such a discount before,” he said.

cease-fire and peace talks. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy cautiously welcomed Beijing’s involvement, but the overture fizzled.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby urged Xi “to press President Putin directly on the need to respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” He also said the US administration believes Xi could play “a constructive role” by speaking directly with Zelenskyy.

The Kremlin has welcomed China’s peace plan, while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday any proposal that left Russian forces in place in Ukraine would merely let Moscow reequip and otherwise regain strength to resume its offensive.

“Calling for a cease-fire that does not include the removal of Russian forces from Ukrainian territory would effectively be supporting the ratification of Russian conquest,” he told reporters in Washington. “The world should not be fooled by any tactical move by Russia, supported by China or any other country, to freeze the war on its own terms.”

Kyiv officials say they won’t bend in their terms for a peace accord.

Ukraine’s allies, meanwhile, are stepping up their support. The State Department announced Monday that the US will send Ukraine $350 million in weapons and equipment. The latest aid package includes ammunition, such as rockets for the High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems, fuel tanker trucks and riverine boats.

In Brussels, European Union countries endorsed a fast-track procedure to provide Ukraine with artillery shells, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. He hailed “a historic decision” for the 27-nation bloc and Norway to send Ukraine 1 million 155 mm artillery shells within 12 months.

Xi’s trip came after the International Criminal Court in The Hague announced Friday it wants to put Putin on trial for the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine.

The Kremlin doesn’t recognize the court’s authority and has rejected its move against Putin as “legally null and void.” China, the US and Ukraine also don’t recognize the ICC, but the decision tarnished Putin’s international standing.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged the ICC to “respect the jurisdictional immunity” of a head of state and “avoid politicization and double standards.”

Russia’s Investigative Committee retaliated Monday by opening a criminal case against a prosecutor and three judges of the ICC over the arrest warrants issued

for Putin and his commissioner for children’s rights, Maria LvovaBelova. The committee called the ICC’s prosecution “unlawful” because it was, among other things, a “criminal prosecution of a knowingly innocent person.”

The Associated Press writer Ellen Knickmeyer in Washington contributed

At the talks, Kishida will show his “absolute rejection of Russia’s one-sided change to the status quo by invasion and force, and to affirm his commitment to defend the rulesbased international order,” the ministry’s statement said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Xi to the Kremlin on a visit both nations describe as an opportunity to deepen their “no-limits friendship.”

Japanese public television channel NTV showed Kishida riding a train from Poland heading to Kyiv. His surprise trip to Ukraine comes just hours after he met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi, and the week after a breakthrough summit with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yoel.

In New Delhi, Kishida called for developing

Due to limitations of Japan’s pacifist constitution, his trip was arranged secretly. Kishida is Japan’s first postwar leader to enter a war zone. Kishida, invited by Zelenskyy in January to visit Kyiv, was also asked before his trip to India about a rumor of his possible trip at the end of March, denied it and said nothing concrete has been decided.

Japan has joined the United States and European nations in sanctioning Russia over its invasion and providing humanitarian and economic support for Ukraine.

Japan was quick to react because it fears the possible impact of a war in East Asia, where China’s military has grown increasingly assertive and has escalated tensions around self-ruled Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its territory.

Kishida is expected to offer continuing support for Ukraine when he meets with Zelenskyy.

AP reporter Mari Yamaguchi in Tokyo contributedtothisreport

MOSCOW—Russian President Vladimir Putin warmly welcomed Chinese leader Xi Jinping to the Kremlin on Monday, sending a powerful message to Western leaders that their efforts to isolate Moscow over the fighting in Ukraine have fallen short.

CHINESE President Xi Jinping gestures while speaking to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their meeting at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on Monday, March 20, 2023. SERGEI KARPUKHIN, SPUTNIK, KREMLIN POOL PHOTO VIA AP

Paris: Heaps of garbage become protest symbol

By Elaine Ganley The Associated

organizing protests nor some citizens are prepared to back down.

Posters showing a digitally altered image of Macron atop a garbage heap—or collecting garbage himself—have made the rounds on social networks.

The Socialist mayor of Paris, who supports the strikers, has found herself in a bind. City Hall refused orders to get the trucks out, saying it’s not their job. The police prefecture then ordered garages unblocked. Using private companies, garbage has been collected in “highly impacted” districts, City Hall said. There are problems dumping the garbage in blocked incinerator plants. Still, City Hall said that as of Monday, 9,300 tons of rubbish remained on the streets, down from 10,000 days ago.

Workers in numerous sectors, from transportation to energy, have been holding intermittent strikes since January. But it is the garbage in the French capital that has made garbage collectors, long taken for granted, visible—and their anger obvious.

would identify himself only by his first name.

“It doesn’t bother me because it’s for a good cause,” said Franck Jacquot, 51, standing outside a small bar he runs. Nearby, heaps of garbage loomed. “If we’re obliged to go this route—well, we’re here,” he said.

Two spontaneous protests last week at the huge Place de la Concorde, facing the National Assembly, degenerated when police started evacuating thousands with tear gas and water cannon. Some of those forced out began setting fires to garbage piles along their path through high-end Paris.

On Monday, hundreds of young people demonstrated near the gold-domed Invalides monument, site of Napoleon’s tomb, as security forces watched. A union van had blasted proceedings at the National Assembly on a loudspeaker. More is ahead: Unions are planning nationwide marches and strikes for Thursday to pressure the government to withdraw the retirement measure.

Review says London police racist, misogynistic and homophobic

By Danica Kirka The Associated Press

LONDON—London police have lost the confidence of the public because of deepseated racism, misogyny and homophobia, according to an independent review commissioned after a young woman was raped and killed by a serving officer.

The Metropolitan Police Service, which has more than 34,000 officers and is Britain’s biggest police force, must “change itself” or risk being broken up, the report published Tuesday said.

women after they were dispatched to guard the scene where the women had been slain. Another officer was later sentenced to life in prison after pleading guilty to 48 rapes and a series of other serious crimes committed over a 17-year period.

The Met was also accused of homophobia over its failure to stop serial killer Stephen Port, who murdered four young men over a 15-month period in 2014 and 2015.

A strike by Paris garbage collectors, which begins its 16th day on Tuesday, is taking a toll on the renowned aesthetics of the French capital, a veritable blight on the City of Light.

“I prefer Chanel to the stink,” joked Vincent Salazar, a 62-yearold artistic consultant who lives in a tony Left Bank neighborhood. A pile of garbage sits at the corner of his building overlooking the Luxembourg Gardens.

“I’ve seen rats,” he said. But like many nonchalant and strike-hardened Parisians, Salazar doesn’t mind.

“I’m fortunate to live here, but I’m 200 percent behind these guys,” Salazar said. “They’re smelling it all day long,” he said, though

“it” wasn’t precisely the word he used. “They should get early retirement.”

He is among the majority of French who, polls show, oppose President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to raise the retirement age by two years, from 62 to 64 for most and from 57 to 59 for garbage collectors.

Macron rammed the showcase legislation of his second term through Parliament last week— without a vote, thanks to a special constitutional article. On Monday, the government won two noconfidence motions put forth by angry lawmakers. The bill is now considered adopted.

But garbage got wrapped up in the politics. And neither unions

The city’s vibrant outdoor culture is feeling the effects. Some of Paris’ fabled narrow streets— challenging to negotiate on regular days—are even more choked than usual, forcing people on foot to pass through garbage heaps single file. The scent of rancid, rotting garbage increasingly wafts through the air as spring arrives and the weather grows milder. Seats at some sidewalk cafes located near heaps of rubbish are empty.

A server for the past 26 years at Le Bistro du Dome, adjacent to the famed restaurant Le Dome, said some 50 percent of diners had disappeared in the past 10 days. Other restaurants are suffering the same fate, said Guillaume, who

Garbage bags and bins have served as fuel for troublemakers, who combed Paris Monday night setting fires, as they’ve done after recent protests. At least 100 people were detained.

“Garbage is a good way to protest. It has a big impact,” said Tony Gibierge, 36, who is opening a restaurant in several months on a street in southern Paris—a street currently heaped with garbage.

He was among those who have peacefully demonstrated through Paris, and other cities, with song and dance in recent weeks. “Now we have to send out the fire, stop dancing,” he said. The message: Nothing is over, and much of the garbage isn’t going anywhere quite yet.

US tells China not to overread likely Taiwan president visit

By Aamer Madhani

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is putting out the word in advance that an expected unofficial stopover in the United States by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen would fall in line with recent precedent and should not be used as a pretext by Beijing to step up aggressive activity in the Taiwan Strait.

In recent weeks, senior US officials in Washington and Beijing have underscored to their Chinese counterparts that transit visits through the United States during broader international travel by the Taiwanese president have been routine in recent years, according to a senior administration official. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.

In such visits in recent years, Tsai has met with members of Congress and the Taiwanese diaspora and has been welcomed by the chairperson of the American Institute in Taiwan, the US governmentrun nonprofit that carries out unofficial relations with Taiwan.

Tsai transited through the United States

six times between 2016 and 2019 before slowing international travel with the coronavirus pandemic. In reaction to those visits, China rhetorically lashed out against US and Taiwan.

The Biden administration is trying to avoid a replay of the heavy-handed response by China that came after thenHouse Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-California, visited Taiwan last year.

Following Pelosi’s August visit, Beijing launched missiles over Taiwan, deployed warships across the median line of the Taiwan Strait and carried out military exercises near the island. Beijing also suspended climate talks with the US and restricted militaryto-military communication with the Pentagon.

Beijing sees official American contact with Taiwan as encouragement to make the island’s decades-old de facto independence permanent, a step US leaders say they don’t support. Pelosi was the highest-ranking elected American official to visit the island since Speaker Newt Gingrich in 1997. Under the “one China” policy, the US recognizes Beijing as the government of China and doesn’t have diplomatic relations with Taiwan but has maintained that Taipei is

an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.

US officials are increasingly worried about China’s longstated goals of unifying Taiwan with the mainland and the possibility of war over Taiwan. The self-ruled island democracy is claimed by Beijing as part of its territory.

The 1979 Taiwan Relations Act, which has governed US relations with the island, does not require the US to step in militarily if China invades, but makes it American policy to ensure Taiwan has the resources to defend itself and to prevent any unilateral change of status by Beijing.

The difficult US-China relationship has only become more complicated since Pelosi’s visit.

Last month, President Joe Biden ordered a Chinese spy balloon shot out of the sky after it traversed the continental United States.

And the Biden administration in recent weeks has said that US intelligence findings show that China is weighing sending arms to Russia for its ongoing war in Ukraine, but it does not have evidence that suggests Beijing has decided to follow through on supplying Moscow.

The Biden administration postponed a planned visit to Beijing by Secretary of State

Antony Blinken following the balloon controversy, but has signaled it would like to get such a visit back on track.

The White House on Monday also said officials are in talks with China about possible visits by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo focused on economic matters. Biden has also said he expects to soon hold a call with China’s Xi Jinping.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said “keeping those lines of communication open” is still valuable.

Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi met in Moscow on Monday, the first face-toface meeting between the allies since before Russia launched its invasion more than a year ago.

The Taiwanese government earlier this month said that Tsai planned stops in New York and Southern California during an upcoming broader international trip but has yet to announce details about when she’ll travel.

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a California Republican, has said he would meet with Tsai when she is in the US and has not ruled out the possibility of traveling to Taiwan in a show of support.

“It is not our job as the public to keep ourselves safe from the police. It is the police’s job to keep us safe as the public,’’ said Louise Casey, an expert on victims’ rights and social welfare who led the review. “Far too many Londoners have now lost faith in policing to do that.”

The findings ratchet up the pressure for a major overhaul of the Metropolitan Police after a series of scandals involving its treatment of women and minorities. In a preliminary report released in October, Casey found that the department had failed to properly vet and train officers, and had allowed officers to remain on the job even after they were accused of domestic abuse or racial harassment.

Part of the problem is that there is a culture of denial in the department, with leaders adopting a “we know best” attitude that leads them to dismiss outside critics, the review found. Funding cuts, along with the decision to close local police stations and effectively end community policing, also contribute to the situation.

Underlying all of this is the way the force is managed, not its size, the inquiry found.

“The Met is run as a set of disconnected and competing moving parts, lacking clear systems, goals or strategies,” the report said. “It runs on a series of uncoordinated and short-lived initiatives, long on activity but short on action.”

The Casey review was commissioned after a serving officer raped and killed Sarah Everard, a young marketing executive as she walked home from a friend’s house in March 2021, prompting a national outcry as women shared their experiences of being threatened or attacked when walking alone.

When hundreds gathered at Clapham Common in south London to draw attention to the violence women face every day, police broke up the rally, saying it was a violation of Covid-19 lockdown rules. Video posted on social media showed male officers grabbing hold of several women and pulling them away in handcuffs to screams and shouts from onlookers.

But the Everard case was only one in a series of recent scandals at the Metropolitan Police, known as the Met.

In December 2021, two officers were jailed for taking and sharing photos of the bodies of two Black

Detectives didn’t initially link the victims, all gay men in their 20s whose bodies were found near Port’s home in east London. They only began investigating the deaths as potential homicides after the family of the final victim pressed for action.

Casey’s review found that the department hasn’t treated violence against women and girls as seriously as other forms of violence.

The 363-page report also painted an alarming picture of how crimes against women and children are investigated due to a shortage of funding and a lack of specialized officers trained to handle these cases.

Officers investigating these crimes are forced to store rape samples in “over-stuffed, dilapidated or broken fridges and freezers,” because they don’t have access to fast-track forensic services, investigators found.

A lunchbox in one of these refrigerators contaminated the evidence. Another appliance broke down last summer, meaning the evidence was damaged and couldn’t be used in court.

“The de-prioritization and despecialization of public protection has put women and children at greater risk than necessary,” the report said. “Despite some outstanding experienced senior officers, an overworked inexperienced workforce polices child protection, rape and serious sexual offences.”

But the problems extend beyond the treatment of women and girls.

Twenty-four years after another inquiry found that institutional racism was a key factor in why the Met failed to investigate the killing of Black teenager Stephen Lawrence, Casey highlighted the fact that the department is still disproportionately white and male.

About 17 percent of London police officers are Black, Asian or mixed race, compared with about 10 percent a decade ago, according to the latest department statistics. Women account for almost 31 percent of police officers, up from almost 25 percent in 2013.

Some 40 percent of London’s population is Black, Asian or mixed race, according to the 2021 census.

The report found widespread bullying in the department, with one in five staff members that have protected characteristics—such as race, sexuality or disability—being victims.

“Female officers and staff routinely face sexism and misogyny,” the report said.

Press

PARIS—Garbage. Heaps, mounds and piles of it are growing daily— and in some places standing higher than a human being.

UNCOLLECTED garbage is piled up on a street in Paris on March 15, 2023, during an ongoing strike by sanitation workers. AP/THOMAS PADILLA

FLORAL tributes and messages surround the bandstand on Clapham Common in London on March 20, 2021, after the nearby disappearance of Sarah Everard. An independent review says London police have lost the confidence of the public because of deep-seated racism, misogyny and homophobia. The review released Tuesday, March 21, 2023, was commissioned after Sarah Everard was raped and killed by a serving officer. AP/ALBERTO PEZZALI

The World

Los Angeles schools to close as district workers plan strike

By Christopher Weber The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES—Tens of thousands of workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District planned to walk off the job Tuesday over stalled contract talks, and they will be joined in solidarity by teachers in a three-day strike that will shut down the nation’s second-largest school system.

Demonstrations are expected at schools across the city by members of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 teachers’ aides, special education assistants, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff.

The workers were expected to join picket lines before dawn, demanding better wages and increased staffing. The district has more than 500,000 students from Los Angeles and all or part of 25 other cities and unincorporated county areas.

Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho accused the union of refusing to negotiate and said that he was prepared to meet at any time day or night. He said Monday a “golden opportunity” to make progress was lost.

“I believe this strike could have been avoided. But it cannot be avoided without individuals actually speaking to one another,” he said.

Local 99 said Monday evening that it was in discussions with state labor regulators over allegations that the district engaged in misconduct that has impeded the rights of workers to engage in legally protected union-related activities.

“We want to be clear that we are not in negotiations with LAUSD,” the union said in a statement. “We continue to be engaged in the impasse process with the state.”

Those talks would not avoid a walkout, the statement said.

“We are ready to strike,” the union said.

During the strike, about 150 of the district’s more than 1,000 schools are expected to remain open with adult supervision but no instruction, to give students somewhere to go. Dozens of libraries and parks, plus some “grab and go”

spots for students to get lunches also planned to be open to kids to lessen the strain on parents now scrambling to find care.

“Schools are so much more than centers of education—they are a safety net for hundreds of thousands of Los Angeles families,”

Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass said in a statement Monday. “We will make sure to do all we can to provide resources needed by the families of our city.”

Workers, meanwhile, said striking was the only option they had left.

Instructional aide Marlee Ostrow, who supports the strike, said she’s long overdue for a raise. The 67-year-old was hired nearly two decades ago at $11.75 an hour, and today she makes about $16. That isn’t enough to keep pace with inflation and rising housing prices, she said, and meanwhile her duties have expanded from two classrooms to five.

Ostrow blames the district’s low wages for job vacancies that have piled up in recent years.

“There’s not even anybody applying because you can make more money starting at Burger King,” she said. “A lot of people really want to help kids, and they shouldn’t be penalized for wanting that to be their life’s work.”

The union says district support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 per year and many live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inflation and the high cost of housing in LA County. The union is asking for a 30 percent raise. Teachers want a 20 percent pay hike over two years.

Carvalho said the district has offered a wage increase totaling more than 20 percent over a multiyear period, along with a 3 percent bonus. In addition, the deal would include a “massive expansion of healthcare benefits,” the superintendent told Fox 11 on Monday.

The strike has wide support among union members. Thousands of people, many dressed in red, rallied last Wednesday outside City Hall in the hours before the strike date was announced.

The Associated Press reporter Collin Binkley contributed from Washington D.C.

At Ukraine’s front, police try to evacuate holdout families

By Elena Becatoros The Associated Press

Russian forces were not far from their battered front-line town of Avdiivka in eastern Ukraine, where shells fall daily, ripping through buildings, smashing cars and leaving craters.

Dark, curly hair peeping out from beneath his hoodie, 15-yearold Oleksii Mazurin was one of the last youths still living there. After his evacuation Friday, another 13 remained, said police chief Roman Protsyk.

Before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, about 25,000 people lived in Avdiivka. Despite the shelling, about 2,000 civilians remain, Protsyk said.

For months, authorities have been urging civilians in areas near the fighting to evacuate to safer parts of the country. But while many have heeded the call, others—including families with children—have steadfastly refused.

So it has fallen to police to try to persuade people to leave. Members of a special unit known as the White Angels risk their lives to head into front-line villages and towns, knocking on doors and pleading with the few remaining residents to evacuate.

In early March, the government issued an order for the compulsory evacuation of families with children from combat areas. Under the order, children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian. But it currently

applies only to Bakhmut, the hardhit eastern city where fighting has raged for months.

“The compulsory evacuation order is unfortunately only in force in Bakhmut. In Avdiivka, this law is not adopted,” said White Angels policeman Gennadiy Yudin. “We’re driving around to all the families. We are warning them, we are informing them about the evacuation.”

In Bakhmut itself, the situation is so dangerous that civilian evacuations are exceptionally risky.

“I already think that for Bakhmut, it’s too late,” Protsyk said. “Here in our region,...if such a decision would be made now, it would be safe.”

But without a compulsory evacuation order, the hands of the police are tied. All they can do is use their powers of persuasion.

For Oleksii’s mother, 37-yearold, Svitlana Mazurina, the decision to finally leave was tough.

“It’s hard when you’ve lived in this town from birth,” she said. “Now I’m leaving I don’t know to where, where no one needs me. I don’t know where or what to start with.”

Mazurina had been living in the building’s basement with her partner and Oleksii for nearly a year, fearing the bombs less than leaving for an unknown destination and an uncertain future. Her partner still won’t leave, saying

he fears being drafted into the army.

“I agreed only because I feel sorry for the child,” Mazurina said.

“I want him to live well.”

And living well is no longer possible in Avdiivka. Living at all is a game of chance.

Moments before the evacuation of the mother and son and just a few streets away, another apartment building was hit by an airstrike. The entire corner of the apartment block was gone, reduced to smoldering rubble as flames and black smoke billowed from the gaping hole the bomb left in the 15-story structure.

As Yudin and a fellow White Angels policeman surveilled the damage, the wail of incoming artillery pierced the air. They dived to the ground as the detonation reverberated through the shattered landscape of bombed-out buildings and splintered trees. As the sound died down, they picked themselves up and headed to Mazurina’s apartment building.

But not all attempts to evacuate civilians are successful. Protsyk, the police chief, described families hiding their children from authorities, or accusing police of trying to kidnap them.

In the nearby village of Netai -

love, so close to the front line that the sound of shooting sounded across the fields on the village outskirts, the police tried—and failed—to persuade a teenager’s family that it was time to go.

“Drop everything, I cannot imagine it,” said Natalya, wiping tears from her eyes. “I just want to die. I can’t live without a home.”

Her son, 14-year-old Maksim, said he wanted to stay, as did his father, Andreii. Natalya was in favor of evacuation but wouldn’t leave them. The family did not give their surname.

Again and again, the police tried to convince them: “What if a shell destroys your house? What if you are injured?”

Natalya replied: “It is better to die fast.”

A policeman countered, “But the child will live and live. A child’s life is important.”

The argument was to no avail. Maksim stood outside his home, his hoodie pulled over his head to ward off the morning cold. He didn’t flinch at the sound of exploding artillery. No one did— the shelling has become the regular backdrop of their lives.

Vasilisa Stepanenko in Avdiivka contributed

Venezuela’s oil czar resigns amid ongoing corruption investigations

By Regina Garcia Cano

The Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela—

Venezuela’s oil czar announced his resignation Monday as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials in the state oil industry and other parts of the government.

Tareck El Aissami announced his resignation on Twitter and pledged to help the investigation into any allegations involving Petroleos de Venezuela SA, commonly known as PDVSA, while also offering support to President Nicolás Maduro’s anti-corruption campaign.

“...I place myself at the disposal of the leadership of the (ruling party) to support this crusade that the President @ NicolasMaduro has undertaken against the anti-values that we are obliged to fight, even with our lives,” El Aissami wrote.

Venezuela’s National AntiCorruption Police last week announced an investigation into unidentified public officials in the oil industry, the justice system and some municipalities, though they did not cite

PDVSA.

Corruption has long been rampant in Venezuela, which sits atop the world’s largest petroleum reserves. But officials are rarely held accountable—a major irritant to citizens, the majority of whom live on $1.90 a day, the international benchmark of extreme poverty.

Maduro acknowledged El Aissami’s decision in televised remarks during a gathering of governing party leaders. He said he accepted the resignation “to facilitate all the investigations that should result in the establishment of the truth, the punishment of the culprits, and justice in all these cases.”

The US government designated El Aissami, a powerful Maduro ally, a narcotics kingpin in 2017 in connection with activities in his previous positions as interior minister and governor. The Treasury Department alleged “he oversaw or partially owned narcotics shipments of over 1,000 kilograms from Venezuela on multiple occasions, including those with the final destinations of Mexico and the United States.”

Under the government of the late President Hugo Chávez, El Aissami headed the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was appointed minister of oil on April 2020.

Attorney General Tarek William Saab in a radio interview Monday said that at least a half dozen officials, including peo -

ple affiliated with PDVSA, had been arrested, and he expected more to be detained.

“I assure you, even more so at this moment, when the country calls not only for justice but also for the strengthening of the institutions, we will apply the full weight of the law against these individuals,” Saab said.

Oil is Venezuela’s most important industry. A windfall of hundreds of billions in oil dollars thanks to record-high global prices allowed Chávez to launch numerous initiatives, including state-run food markets, new public housing, free health clinics and education programs.

But a subsequent drop in prices and government mismanagement, first under Chávez’s government and then Maduro’s, ended the lavish spending. And so began a complex crisis that has pushed millions into poverty and driven more than 7 million Venezuelans to migrate.

PDVSA’s mismanagement, and more recently economic sanctions imposed by the US, caused a steady production decline, going from the 3.5 million barrels per day when Chávez took power in 1999 to roughly 700,000 barrels per day last year.

The US government recently loosened some sanctions, even allowing oil giant Chevron for the first time in more than three years to resume production. Maduro’s government

has been negotiating with its US-backed political opponents primarily to get the sanctions lifted.

US congressional researchers saw El Aissami as an impediment to Maduro’s goals.

“Should Al Aissami remain in that position, it could complicate efforts to lift oil sanctions,” a November report from the Congressional Research Center said.

In September, Maduro’s government renewed wrongdoing accusations against former oil minister, Rafael Ramírez, alleging he was involved in a multibillion- dollar embezzlement operation during the early 2010s that took advantage of a dual currency exchange system. Ramírez, who oversaw the Opec nation’s oil industry for a decade, denied the accusations.

In 2016, Venezuela’s then opposition-led National Assembly said $11 billion went missing at PDVSA in the 20042014 period when Ramirez was in charge of the company. In 2015, the US Treasury Department accused a bank in Andorra of laundering some $2 billion stolen from PDVSA.

AVDIIVKA, Ukraine—Pale and grimy from living in a dank, dark basement for nearly a year, the teenager and his weeping mother emerged to the sound of pounding artillery and headed to a waiting armored police van that would whisk them to safety.

A GIRL rides with her mother in a van during evacuation by Ukrainian police, in Avdiivka, Ukraine on March 7, 2023. For months, authorities have been urging civilians in areas near the fighting in eastern Ukraine to evacuate to safer parts of the country. But while many have heeded the call, others—including families with children—have steadfastly refused.

MALOLETKA

VENEZUELAN Petroleum Minister Tareck El Aissami arrives at the 4F military museum where late President Hugo Chavez is buried, during the activities marking the 10th anniversary of Chavez's death, in Caracas, Venezuela, Wednesday, March 15, 2023. El Aissami announced Monday, March 20, 2023, his resignation as officials investigate alleged corruption among public officials. AP/MATIAS DELACROIX

Genomics can bolster PHL’s food security

SinGrow, an agri-genomics firm based in Singapore, announced last month that it was able to develop the world’s first climate-resilient strawberry

(See, “ISAAA: Singaporean agri firm develops climate-resilient strawberry variety,” in the BusinessMirror, March 16, 2023). The novel strawberry variety can be grown in tropical climate, according to the company. Singrow said its goal in developing the variety is to make strawberries more affordable while reducing the environmental impact of its production.

The company noted that seasonal strawberries traditionally grown in temperate climate are exported across the world to Southeast Asia, leading to the fruit being expensive in the region. More importantly, the exports leave a huge carbon footprint. With its climate-resilient and high-yield producing qualities, the new strawberry variety can be grown at scale in tropical countries, breaking seasonal and temperature barriers and unlocking huge potential for growers while also reducing costs for consumers.

Apart from strawberries, the company is also developing other crops that could help nations address food security challenges. Planters must now rethink traditional food production methods given the impact of climate change, which has altered weather patterns. The Philippines is one of the countries that has seen first-hand the impact of changing climate, particularly on sugar production, which was recently affected by La Niña.

Policymakers, particularly those in charge of ensuring adequate food supply, should closely monitor the developments related to Singrow and genomics. The technology tapped by the Singaporebased company presents opportunities for the Philippines to develop climate-resilient crops that would help beef up the country’s food supply. It also has the potential to cut the country’s imports of pesticides, which has become expensive in recent years, as the company is currently developing disease-resistant varieties.

Genomics technology has allowed the Philippines to develop nutrient-enriched “Golden Rice,” which has already been approved for commercial planting in 2021 (See, “Filipinos may soon plant, eat Golden Rice; Bt talong good for food, feed but still needs regulatory steps,” BusinessMirror, July 24, 2021). This demonstrates the ability of local experts to come up with products that would enable the country to improve the access of Filipinos to nutritious food and defeat malnutrition. Given the necessary support, experts can come up with other products that could increase export earnings and the income of farmers who are the poorest among all basic sectors in the country, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority.

There’s no need for policymakers to think outside the box to ensure the country’s food security because technologies like genomics already exist, and the Philippines has enough scientists and other experts that can make use of these technologies to improve the lives of both consumers and producers. Government assistance, however, is crucial to ensure the success of these ventures.

It would do well for policymakers to remember that the Philippines is one of the countries that are vulnerable to climate change, and we are racing against time to develop strategies that would enable our agricultural sector to adapt to changing weather patterns.

Since

Just transition principles ignored by LTFRB, DOTr

PBBM managed to persuade the striking jeepney drivers and operators to lift their strike by promising a review of the public utility vehicle modernization program and the creation of jobs for those to be displaced by the PUVMP.

What PBBM failed to tackle in his mediation effort is the failure of past and present officials of the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board (LTFRB) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) to design and implement a PUVMP that is aligned or in conformity with the principles of “Just Transition.” The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and other UN agencies such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) have long been advising the UN Member States to adopt the Just Transition framework in the “greening” of an economy as part of their GHG-reduction commitments under the Paris Agreement of 2015,

a historic global compact to combat climate change (CC). In the 26th Conference of Parties on climate change held at Glasgow, Scotland in 2021, a side Declaration on Just Transition was issued to remind countries on the importance of Just Transition. In the 27th COP held in Egypt late last year, a pavilion to showcase models or examples of Just Transition was even set up.

What then is Just Transition?

Just Transition means doing no or minimum harm to society’s stakeholders—farmers, workers, communities and concerned industry players—as a country tries to push its major economic sectors (energy,

manufacturing, agriculture and so on) to make the necessary adaptation (adjustment to possible risks) and mitigation (GHG-reducing) measures to meet the “green transformation” requirements needed to cool Mother Earth. Green transformation requires a “green transition” program that is fair and just to all. Managing the transition to a CCready arrangement clearly requires a social contract or consensus on an integrated program of environmental, economic, social and labor policies to minimize the social cost of transition and maximize the opportunities in going green for all.

To help UN member countries craft a Just Transition program, the ILO, acting on the demand of the International Trade Union Confederation, came up in 2015 with Guidelines for a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. The Guidelines call for alignment of major climate adaptation-mitigation programs with the following:

n Adherence to overall concept of “sustainable development”, which means the present generation should be able to meet its survival and growth-development goals without

compromising the needs of future generations.

n Social Inclusion, meaning no one is excluded or left behind.

n Poverty-reducing or elimination of poverty and inequality.

n Coherence in addressing economic, social and environmental issues, and

n Observance of ILO “Decent Work” principles, meaning the program is job-creating, respects the rights of workers, provides social protection for all concerned, and is developed through social dialogue or consultation-interaction with all stakeholders.

Now back to the PUVMP. Is the program aligned with the above Just Transition framework?

In a workshop on climate change and jeepney modernization, the Philippine Movement for Climate Justice and the Freedom from Debt Coalition gave the LTFRB and DOTr a failing grade. They decried the apparent ignorance of the two agencies on the importance of linking green transformation with Just Transition. Some participants even opined that some transport officials chose to ignore the Just Transition framework

See “Ofreneo,” A13

Trump indictment would be unprecedented in US history

By Alanna Durkin Richer & Meg Kinnard | The Associated Press

THe decision whether to indict former President Donald Trump over hush-money payments made on his behalf during his 2016 presidential campaign lies with a Manhattan grand jury that has been hearing evidence in secret for weeks.

An indictment of Trump, who is seeking the White House again in 2024, would be an unprecedented moment in American history, the first criminal case against a former US president.

Law enforcement officials are bracing for protests and the possibility of violence after Trump called on his supporters to protest ahead of a possible indictment.

An indictment could also test a Republican Party already divided over whether to support Trump next year, in part due to his efforts to undermine his 2020 election loss.

Trump denies any wrongdoing and has slammed the Manhattan district attorney’s office probe as politically motivated.

Here’s a look at the hush-money probe, grand jury process and possible ramifications for his presidential campaign:

What’s the probe about?

THE grand jury has been probing Trump’s involvement in a $130,000 payment made in 2016 to the porn actor Stormy Daniels to keep her from going public about a sexual encounter she said she had with him

years earlier. Trump lawyer Michael Cohen paid Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, through a shell company before being reimbursed by Trump, whose company, the Trump Organization, logged the reimbursements as legal expenses.

Earlier in 2016, Cohen also arranged for former Playboy model Karen McDougal to be paid $150,000 by the publisher of the supermarket tabloid The National Enquirer, which then squelched her story in a journalistically dubious practice known as “catch-and-kill.”

Trump denies having sex with either woman.

Trump’s company “grossed up” Cohen’s reimbursement for the Daniels payment to defray tax payments, according to federal prosecutors who filed criminal charges against the lawyer in connection with the payments in 2018. In all, Cohen got $360,000 plus a $60,000 bonus, for a total of $420,000. Cohen pleaded guilty to violating federal campaign finance law in connection with the payments. Federal prosecutors say the payments amounted to illegal, unreported assistance to Trump’s campaign. But

they declined to file charges against Trump himself.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s team appears to be looking at whether Trump or anyone committed crimes in New York State in arranging the payments, or in the way they accounted for them internally at the Trump Organization. But can a former president be indicted?

IN a word, yes. Longstanding Justice Department policy prohibits the federal indictment of a sitting president, but Trump, two years out of office, no longer enjoys that legal shield. And the New York case is not a federal probe anyway.

What is this grand jury?

A GRAND jury is made up of people drawn from the community, similar to a trial jury. But unlike juries that hear trials, grand juries don’t decide whether someone is guilty or innocent. They only decide whether there is sufficient evidence for someone to be charged. Grand juries exist in the federal court system and in many states.

Proceedings are closed to the public, including the media. There is no judge present nor anyone representing the accused.

Prosecutors call and question witnesses, and grand jurors can also ask questions. In New York, the person who could be indicted may ask for a certain witness, though it’s up to

grand jurors.

New York grand juries have 23 people. At least 16 must be present to hear evidence or deliberate. Twelve have to agree there is enough evidence in order to issue an indictment. The grand jury may also find there is not enough evidence of a crime or direct the prosecutor to file lesser charges.

Centuries-old rules have kept grand juries under wraps to protect the reputations of people who end up not being charged, to encourage reluctant witnesses to testify, to prevent those about to be indicted from fleeing and to guard against outside pressure.

Grand juries have long been criticized as little more than rubber stamps for prosecutors. Former New York Judge Sol Wachtler famously said that prosecutors could convince a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.” Defenders of the process say it is a crucial safeguard against politically motivated prosecutions.

Who has testified in this case?

ONE of the final witnesses being called was Robert Costello, who was once a legal adviser to Cohen, the government’s key witness in the investigation.

The men have since had a falling out, and Costello has indicated that he has information he believes would undercut the credibility of Cohen and contradict his current incriminating See “Trump,” A13

LABOREM EXERCENS

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo

World on ‘thin ice’ as UN climate report gives stark warning

By Seth Borenstein & Frank Jordans

The Associated Press

BERLIN—Humanity still has a chance, close to the last, to prevent the worst of climate change’s future harms, a top United Nations panel of scientists said Monday.

But doing so requires quickly slashing nearly two-thirds of carbon pollution by 2035, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said. The United Nations chief said it more bluntly, calling for an end to new fossil fuel exploration and for rich countries to quit coal, oil and gas by 2040.

“Humanity is on thin ice — and that ice is melting fast,” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said. “Our world needs climate action on all fronts — everything, everywhere, all at once.”

Stepping up his pleas for action on fossil fuels, Guterres called for rich countries to accelerate their target for achieving net zero emissions to as early as 2040, and developing nations to aim for 2050—about a decade earlier than most current targets. He also called for them to stop using coal by 2030 and 2040, respectively, and ensure carbon-free electricity generation in the developed world by 2035, meaning no gas-fired power plants either.

That date is key because nations soon have to come up with goals for pollution reduction by 2035, according to the Paris climate agreement. After contentious debate, the U.N. science report approved Sunday concluded that to stay under the warming limit set in Paris the world needs to cut 60 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions by 2035, compared with 2019, adding a new target not previously mentioned in six previous reports issued since 2018.

“The choices and actions implemented in this decade will have impacts for thousands of years,” the report said, calling climate change “a threat to human well-being and planetary health.”

“We are not on the right track but it’s not too late,’’ said report co-author and water scientist Aditi Mukherji. “Our intention is really a message of hope, and not that of doomsday.’’

With the world only a few tenths of a degree away from the globally accepted goal of limiting warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) since pre-industrial times, scientists stressed a sense of urgency. The goal was adopted as part of the 2015 Paris climate agreement and the world has already warmed 1.1 degrees Celsius (2 degrees Fahrenheit).

This is likely the last warning the Nobel Peace Prize-winning collection of scientists will be able to make about the 1.5 mark because their next set of reports may well come after Earth has either passed the mark or is locked into exceeding it soon, several scientists, including report authors, told The Associated Press.

After 1.5 degrees “the risks are starting to pile on,” said report coauthor Francis X. Johnson, a climate, land and policy scientist at the Stockholm Environment Institute. The report mentions “tipping points” around that temperature of species

Trump

continued from A12

statements about Trump.

Costello contacted a lawyer for Trump saying he had information that could be exculpatory for Trump, according to a person familiar with the matter who insisted on anonymity to discuss secret legal proceedings. The lawyer brought it to the attention of the district attorney’s office, which last week subpoenaed Costello’s law firm for records and invited him to testify. He was at the building where the

extinction, including coral reefs, irreversible melting of ice sheets and sea level rise of several meters (several yards).

“1.5 is a critical critical limit, particularly for small islands and mountain (communities) which depend on glaciers,” said Mukherji.

“The window is closing if emissions are not reduced as quickly as possible,” Johnson said in an interview. “Scientists are rather alarmed.”

Many scientists, including at least three co-authors, said hitting 1.5 degrees is inevitable.

“We are pretty much locked into 1.5,” said report co-author Malte Meinshausen, a climate scientist at the University of Melbourne in Australia. “There’s very little way we will be able to avoid crossing 1.5 C sometime in the 2030s “ but the big issue is whether the temperature keeps rising from there or stabilizes.

Guterres insisted “the 1.5-degree limit is achievable.” Science panel chief Hoesung Lee said so far the world is far off course.

If current consumption and production patterns continue, Lee said, “the global average 1.5 degrees temperature increase will be seen sometime in this decade.”

Scientists emphasize that the world or humanity won’t end suddenly if Earth passes the 1.5-degree mark. Mukherji said “it’s not as if it’s a cliff that we all fall off.” But an earlier IPCC report detailed how the harms—including even nastier extreme weather—are much worse beyond 1.5 degrees of warming.

“It is certainly prudent to be planning for a future that’s warmer than 1.5 degrees,” said IPCC report review editor Steven Rose, an economist at the Electric Power Research Institute in the United States.

If the world continues to use all the fossil fuel-powered infrastructure either existing now or proposed, Earth will warm at least 2 degrees Celsius since pre-industrial times, the report said.

Because the report is based on data from a few years ago, the calculations about fossil fuel projects already in the pipeline do not include the increase in coal and natural gas use after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It comes a week after the Biden Administration in the United States approved the huge Willow oil-drilling project in Alaska, which could produce up to 180,000 barrels of oil a day.

The report highlights the disparity between rich nations, which caused much of the problem because carbon dioxide emissions from industrialization stay in the air for more than a century, and poorer countries that get hit harder by extreme weather. Residents of poorer climate-vulnerable nations are “up to 15 times more likely to die in floods, droughts and storms,” Lee said.

If the world is to achieve its climate goals, poorer countries need a three-to-six times increase in financial help to adapt to a warmer world and switch to non-polluting energy, Lee said. Countries have made financial pledges and promises of a damage compensation fund. Fabiano Maisonnave in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, contributed to this report. Borenstein reported from Kensington, Maryland.

jurors were meeting on Monday, invited by prosecutors, ensuring the grand jury had an opportunity to consider testimony or evidence that could weaken the case for indicting.

Trump was also been invited to testify, but his lawyer has said the former president has no plans to participate.

What about the political ramifications?

TRUMP says charges would actually help him in the 2024 presidential contest. Longtime ally Lindsey Graham, senator from South Carolina, said Saturday that District Attorney

Army of lobbyists helped water down banking regulations

By Brian Slodysko & Ken Sweet | The Associated Press

That unlikely coalition voted in 2018 to roll back portions of a farreaching 2010 law intended to prevent a future financial crisis. But those changes are now being blamed for contributing to the recent collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank that prompted a federal rescue and stoked anxiety about a broader banking contagion.

The rollback was leveraged with a lobbying campaign that cost tens of millions of dollars and drew an army of hundreds of lobbyists into the effort. It also was seeded with ample campaign contributions.

The episode offers a fresh reminder of the power that bankers wield in Washington, where the industry spends prodigiously to fight regulation and often hires former members of Congress and their staff to make the case that they are not a source of risk to the economy.

“The bottom line is that these banks would have faced a tougher supervisory framework under the original ... law, but Congress and the Trump regulators took an ax to it,” said Carter Dougherty, a spokesman for Americans for Financial Reform, a left-leaning financial sector watchdog group. “We can draw a direct line between the deregulation of the Trump period, driven by the bank lobby, and the chaos of the last few weeks.”

President Joe Biden has asked Congress for the authority to impose tougher penalties on failed banks. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have started investigations. And congressional Democrats are calling for new restrictions on financial institutions.

But so far there is no indication that another bipartisan coalition will form in Congress to put tougher regulations back in place, underscoring the banking industry’s continued clout.

That influence was on full display when the banking lobby worked for two years to water down aspects of the 2010 Dodd-Frank law that had placed weighty regulations on banks designed to reduce consumer risk

Ofreneo . . .

continued from A12

for selfish reasons such as giving crony business friends the potentially lucrative business of importing and distributing the expensive “jeepneys” from China and Japan.

Below is the PMCJ-FDC itemization of the two agencies’ failure in observing the Just Transition framework:

Having informed, frank and sustained social dialogue with the stakeholders? Answer: None.

Participation of the jeepney drivers and operators in designing and implementing the PUVMP? Answer: Hardly any.

Respect for the rights of drivers and small operators? Answer: Unfair PUVMP to create jobs? Answer: No; in fact, PUVMP can lead to massive displacements. PUVMP beneficial to the rid-

Bragg “has done more to help Donald Trump get elected.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, considering joining the Republican field, criticizes the Trump investigation as politically motivated, “fundamentally wrong.” But he also threw one of his first jabs at the former president in a quip likely to intensify their rivalry. DeSantis said he personally doesn’t “know what goes into paying hush money to a porn star to secure silence over some kind of alleged affair.”

Comments by other potential rivals, eager to convince voters it is time to move on from the former

and force the institutions to adopt safer lending and investing practices.

Republicans had long looked to blunt the impact of Dodd-Frank.

But rather than push for sweeping deregulation, Sen. Mike Crapo, an Idaho Republican who led the Senate banking committee, hoped a narrowed focus could draw enough support from moderate Democrats to clear the Senate’s 60-vote filibuster threshold.

Crapo broached the idea with Democratic Sens. Jon Tester of Montana, Joe Donnelly of Indiana and Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota— all on the ballot in 2018—as well as Mark Warner of Virginia. By the fall of that year, the bipartisan group met regularly, according to a copy of Tester’s office schedule posted to his Senate website.

A lobbying strategy also emerged, with companies and trade groups that specifically mention Crapo’s legislation spending more than $400 million in 2017 and 2018, according to an Associated Press analysis of the public lobbying disclosures.

The bill was sold to the public as a form of regulatory relief for overburdened community banks, which serviced farmers and smaller businesses. Community bankers from across the US flew in to Washington to meet repeatedly with lawmakers, including Tester, who had 32 meetings with Montana bank officials. Local bank leaders pushed members of their congressional delegation when they returned home.

But the measure also included provisions sought by midsize banks that drastically curtailed oversight once the Trump Fed finished writing new regulations necessitated by the bill’s passage.

Specifically, the legislation lifted the threshold for banks to be considered “too big to fail” — a designation that carries a strict regimen of oversight, including mandatory financial stress testing.

That component, which effectively carved large midsize banks out of more stringent regulation, has come under new scrutiny in light of the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signa-

ing public? Answer: Many who use jeepneys support the strike because they see that the PUVMP, as designed, will lead to higher jeepney fares.

PUVMP to serve as engine of economic growth? Answer: Growth will happen in China and Japan, where most of the “modern” jeepneys shall be built and exported to the Philippines.

Vehicle modernization to apply equally to other segments of the transport sector such as buses, trucks and private vehicles? Answer: No program being developed or shared by the government with the public.

PUVMP to lead to social cohesion and social harmony? Answer: The strike of angry drivers/operators and the support to the strike extended by the riding jeepney public speak for themselves.

An academic-scientist, Dr. Ted

president but also contending with the fact that he remains the most popular figure in the party:

n During a Saturday visit to Iowa, former Vice President Mike Pence called the idea of indicting a former president “deeply troubling.”

n Asa Hutchinson, the former Arkansas governor mulling his own 2024 bid, said he didn’t expect Trump to withdraw from the race after an indictment, though that would be the “right” thing to do.

n Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a declared candidate who also served as Trump’s U.N. ambassador, said Monday on Fox

President Joe Biden has asked Congress for the authority to impose tougher penalties on failed banks. The Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission have started investigations. And congressional Democrats are calling for new restrictions on financial institutions.

ture Bank, whose executives lobbied on behalf of the 2018 rollback.

“The lobbyists were everywhere. You couldn’t throw an elbow without running into one,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat who vehemently opposed the bill, told reporters last week.

Campaign checks were written. Ads were cut. Mailers went out.

As a reward for their work, Heitkamp ($357,953), Tester ($302,770) and Donnelly ($265,349) became the top Senate recipients of money from the banking industry during the 2018 campaign season, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group tracking money in politics.

Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer freed members to vote for the bill, a move intended to bolster the standing of vulnerable moderate incumbents. But the move also bitterly divided the Democratic caucus, with Warren singling out the moderates as doing Wall Street’s bidding.

In the hours before the bill passed the Senate with 17 Democratic votes, Heitkamp took to the chamber floor to inveigh against the “diatribe,” “hyperbole” and “overstatement” from opponents of the bill.

Tester, meanwhile, huddled with executives from Bank of America, Citigroup, Discover and Wells Fargo, who were there on behalf of the American Bankers Association.

The American Bankers Association, which helped lead the push, later paid $125,000 for an ad campaign thanking Tester for his role in the bill’s passage, records show.

Less than a month after the bill was passed out of the Senate, Tester met Greg Becker, the CEO for the now-collapsed Silicon Valley Bank, according to his schedule. Becker specifically lobbied Congress and the Federal Reserve to take a light regulatory approach with banks of his size. Lobbyists with the firm the Franklin Square Group, which had been retained by Silicon Valley Bank, donated $10,800 to Tester’s

Mendoza from UP Los Baños, joined the PMCJ-FDC workshop by sharing his study on the “blind sides” of the PUVMP. These include the following: unclear fleet management and rerouting plans under the PUVMP, lack of skills development for the drivers in relation to the formation of the so-called cooperatives, and lack of “lay-over” garage and facilities for the new but bigger vehicles.

To Dr. Mendoza, the worst aspects of the PUVMP are the requirement for drivers/operators to surrender their franchises or “lifelines”; the “financial blind side” as the cost of the new jeepneys, estimated to be between P2.5 million to P2.8 million each, is beyond the financial capacity of the drivers/operators, and the failure of the government to use the challenge of PUV modernization and greening to promote Philippine industrial development.

On the last item, industrializa-

News that Bragg’s case was an attempt at scoring “political points,” adding, “You never want to condone any sort of prosecution that’s being politicized.”

“At the end of the day, not one single person’s opinion of him will be any different after indictment than it was before,” veteran GOP operative Terry Sullivan said in an interview. “All of his perceived negatives are already baked into his name ID with voters.”

What about other Trump investigations?

THE New York probe is among many

campaign, record show.

Heitkamp was the only member of the group invited to the bill signing ceremony, beaming alongside Trump. Later, Americans for Prosperity, the grassroots conservative group funded by the billionaire industrialist Koch brothers, ran an online ad commending Heitkamp for taking a stand against her party.

In an interview, Heitkamp pushed back against suggestions that the legislation was directly responsible for the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank. She acknowledged, however, that there was an open question about whether new rules put in place by the Fed after the measure was signed into law could have played a role.

“I’m willing to look at the argument that this had something to do with it,” Heitkamp said, adding:

“I think you will find that (the Fed) was engaged in some level of some supervision. Why that didn’t work?

That’s the question that needs to be resolved.”

In a statement issued last week, Tester did not directly address his role in the legislation, but he pledged to “take on anyone in Washington to ensure that the executives at these banks and regulators are held accountable.”

Cam Fine, who led the Independent Community Bankers of America trade group during the legislative push, said the overall the bill was a good piece of legislation that offered much needed relief to struggling community banks.

But like any major piece of legislation that moves through Congress, final passage hinged on support from a broad coalition of interests—including those of Wall Street and midsize banks.

“Was it a perfect piece of legislation? No. But there’s an old saying in Washington: You can’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good,” said Fine.

Many of the moderate Democrats who supported the measure did not fare as well.

Of the core group who wrote the bill, only Tester won reelection. Others from red states who supported it, including Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Bill Nelson of Florida, lost. Tester will be on the ballot again in 2024. Last week he was in Silicon Valley for a fundraiser.

One of the event’s sponsors was a partner at a law firm for Silicon Valley Bank. Sweet reported from New York. Associated Press writer Kevin Freking contributed to this report.

tion, members of Juan Industriya, an organization of Filipino engineers and professionals, assert that Filipinos have the talents and capacity to modernize the jeepneys at affordable prices. Yes, why not? As the UNEP, ILO and the UN Conference on Trade and Development are all saying: Greening can and should be a vehicle for the promotion of green industrialization and the generation of green jobs. Paging then the Department of Trade and Industry. And paging too the Climate Change Commission and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, both of which are strangely silent on Just Transition, an issue that should be on top of their work agenda.

Dr. Rene E. Ofreneo is a Professor Emeritus of the University of the Philippines.

For comments, please write to reneofreneo@ gmail.com.

legal woes Trump is facing. The Justice Department is investigating his retention of top secret government documents at his Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, after leaving the White House, as well as possible efforts to obstruct that probe.

Federal investigators are also still probing the January 6, 2021, insurrection and efforts to overturn the election Trump falsely claimed was stolen. Associated Press writers Eric Tucker in Washington, Anthony Izaguirre from Tallahassee, Florida, and Bernard Condon and Michael R. Sisak in New York contributed to this report.

WASHINGTON—It seemed like a good idea at the time: Red-state Democrats facing grim reelection prospects would join forces with Republicans to slash bank regulations—demonstrating a willingness to work with President Donald Trump while bucking many in their party.

Exporters await resolution of VAT zero-rating issue

By Joel R. San Juan @jrsanjuan1573

GROUP TO ERC: SUSPEND RULES ON PLANT OUTAGES

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

T he IT and Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) and Confederation Wearables Exporters of the Philippines (CONWEP) said the failure to address this issue may have “detrimental effects” to export sectors.

I BPAP, SEIPI, and CONWEP said in a joint statement that they have been awaiting the resolution on the VAT issue which is currently being finalized by the government

through the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB).

“A solution has been promised by the end of the month which also coincides with the end of the first taxable quarter,” the export industry groups said on Tuesday.

T he three export industries said they have claimed VAT zero-rating on their purchases consistent with existing “local regulations and globally accepted principles allowing for the sectors to remain competitive.”

A ccording to these sectors, they

understand that most of the government agencies involved in resolving the issue believe that there is “clear basis” for all purchases of exporters to be exempted from the 12-percent VAT.

T he export industry groups added that the non-imposition of tax on the purchases of exporters is not only allowed by the rules but “is more importantly critical in ensuring that the prices at which the services and goods are able to remain competitive in the international market.”

I BPAP, SEIPI and CONWEP said the same issue has also given rise to “confusion” on the part of the various industries engaged as suppliers of goods and services to the export sectors, such as the providers of healthcare, power, raw materials and other integral services.

Failure to address the VAT issue, they said, may have a “crippling consequence” on the parts localization initiatives of exporters and particularly affect their local suppliers who they said will be more at risk should they lose their market.

F urther, in several meetings among representatives of the three export industry groups with government officials, IBPAP,

CONWEP and SEIPI said there is a “strong agreement” that this is the biggest issue they are all currently facing.

The inability to address this serious and pressing matter by the end of March will have detrimental effects to these three sectors particularly in sustaining their growth potential,” the joint statement read.

T he groups noted that investment promotion agencies, such as the Philippine Economic Zone Authority, Board of Investments, Clark Development Corp., Authority of the Freeport Area of Bataan (AFAB), among others, are “deemed to be in the best position to determine and endorse list of goods and services eligible for VAT zero-rating purchased by exporters from local suppliers.”

T he contribution of the three groups to the country’s goods and services export earnings reached $83 billion, or 69 percent of the total last year.

I n terms of employment, they said there are currently about 2.5 million direct and 6.75 million indirect employees who depend on the capacity of their industries to “survive and compete.”

THE Philippine Independent Power Producers Association (PIPPA) is asking the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) to suspend the implementation of plant outage rules and repeal the sanctions imposed on alleged violators.

PIPPA President Anne Montelibano said the group’s petition is pending with the commission, which promulgated the “Rules for the Interim Reliability Performance Indices and Equivalent Outage Days Per Year of Generating Units” in 2020.

T hese rules specify the planned and unplanned outage allowances in days per year. For instance, pulverized coal plants are allowed to have 27.9 days of planned outages and 16.8 days of unplanned outages while circulating fluidized bed (CFB) coal plants have 15.4 days of planned and 16.9 days of unplanned outages.

C ombined cycle plants, as per ERC, are allowed to go on scheduled maintenance for 12.5 days and 7.7 days of unplanned shutdown while gas turbine plants are allowed 6.5 days of planned maintenance and 22.7 days of unscheduled outage.

For diesel plants, the ERC allowed five days of planned outage and 22 days for unplanned outage. Oil fired thermal plants have 30.8 days of planned and 27.8 days of unplanned.

For renewables, geothermal plants have six days of planned and 13.7 days of unplanned; hydroelectric with 23.1 days scheduled and 6.8 days of unscheduled; and biomass plants with 32.7 days planned and seven days unplanned.

Since the rules were issued, the ERC has found many power generators liable for having incurred unplanned outages more than the days allowed by the commission.

I n 2021, the ERC probed 17 generation companies (gencos) that breached the maximum allowable unplanned outage. Of the 17 gencos, six were penalized. The ERC has also imposed a total of P15.5 million in penalty on erring gencos that were found to have breached the maximum allowable unplanned outage days for the year.

P IPPA argued the interim outage rules should only be recommendatory and that outages due to major maintenance and overhauls should not be counted against prescribed outage allowance.

Continued on A2

‘US to assist govt in cleaning up oil spill in Oriental Mindoro’

By Samuel P. Medenilla @sam_medenilla & Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

DEPARTMENT of National Defense (DND) Secretary

Carlito Galvez Jr. said he informed President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday that Washington will help in cleaning up the oil spill in Oriental Mindoro.

I had a phone call last night (March 20) with (United States Secretary of Defense) Lloyd Austin at 7:45 p.m. They are committed to help in coordination with Japan and other countries,” Galvez told the President.

He noted that the US will deploy a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Response (HADR) team to aid in removing the oil spill, which resulted from the sinking of MT Princess Empress last February 28.

T he DND chief said he had also recommended the inclusion of the clean-up activity in the forthcoming Balikatan drills next month.

T he Balikatan is the annual Philippine-led bilateral exercise of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the US Armed Forces.

M T Princess Empress carried 800,000 liters of industrial fuel when it sank off the Naujan town.

T he resulting oil spill from the

incident already affected 32,661 families in Mimaropa and Western Visayas.

Galvez said Manila is now seeking technical support from other countries like France and the United Kingdom to contain the oil spill in Mindoro.

CCC warning

THE Climate Change Commission (CCC) opposed the use of chemical-based dispersants in Oriental Mindoro due to its potential harm to marine ecosystems.

CCC Commissioner Albert Dela Cruz gave the warning during his meeting with the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) last Monday to discuss ongoing efforts to contain the oil spill.

“ The Commissioner explained that the said droplets do not actually reduce the amount of oil entering the environment but push the effects of the spill underwater and this could have harmful effects on the marine environment and ecosystem,” CCC said in a statement issued last Tuesday.

T he University of the Philippines-Marine Science Institute (UP-MSI) issued an advisory that the oil spill could reach the shores of Calapan City within the week.

C ruz noted the oil spill and the chemical dispersants can be more

devastating if it reaches the Verde Island Passage area located northwest of Calapan and Naujan, which is a breeding ground of a number of marine species.

Authorities are now rushing to clean up the oil spill, which is expected to spread further with the end of the northeast monsoon or “amihan.”

C ruz urged the use of a “wholeof-nation and -society approach” instead of using chemical-based dispersants to address the oil spill.

C alapan City mayor Malou Morillo said residents and the local government are using improvised spill booms made from rice straws, ropes, empty plastic bottles and sacks to protect the city’s waters from the oil spill.

T he Japanese salvage vessel Shin Nichi Maru, a remotely-operated vehicle (ROV), also arrived at the port of Calapan in Oriental Mindoro on Monday to help in the cleanup efforts.

‘Threat to tourist spots’

BATANGAS Rep. Gerville Luistro on Tuesday called for an “aggressive cleanup drive” as the Mindoro oil spill is now affecting his province’s tourist destinations in Mabini, Bauan, Lobo, San Luis, San Pascual and Tingloy as well as the Verde Island Passage (VIP).

Continued on A2

DBM: Marcos wants further study of full devolution

CONCERNS raised by local government units (LGU) to implement the soon-to-be devolved functions of the national government (NG) prompted President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to order the conduct of a new study to determine possible amendments to Executive Order (EO) 138.

T he Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said the outcome of the review can lead to the implementation of the issuance next year or the further deferment of its execution.

I n a press briefing in Malacañang last Tuesday, Budget Secretary

Amenah F. Pangandaman said the study aims to determine the readiness of the LGUs in enforcing the provisions of EO 138.

EO 138 was issued by President Duterte in 2021 to implement the Mandanas Ruling of the Supreme Court, which states that LGUs should get 40 percent of all government tax collections, and not just internal revenue, three years prior.

The President gave us the instruction to further study the responsibilities, projects and programs that can be done by LGUs and those will be left to the national government,” Pangandaman said in Filipino.

T he National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) was tasked to head the group, which will conduct the study. There are a lot of studies already done by different academic institutions like PIDS [Philippine Institute for Development Studies] and even our development partners. Maybe we can just look at them again and then quickly, probably after just two months we can come out with study and show it to the President already and determine if there is a need to amend EO 138,” Pangandaman said.

INDUSTRY groups are urging the government to immediately resolve the issue related to the imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on local purchases made by exporters.

142.

the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

LIU, PEIXIN Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

143.

NHIN THE THANG Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

144.

SHI, MILUO Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Basic Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn.

Salary Range: Php 30,000 - Php 59,999

145.

YIN, XIYOU Gaming Support Specialist

Brief Job Description: Being the voice of our players within our fastgrowing online/offshore gaming platform, stay on track with the game updates, implementing procedures to support players, work creatively across multiple projects and platforms at the same time.

Qualification: A passion for delivering excellent customer service, Excellent communication skills in Chinese, both spoken and written, Previous experience in a similar role in the offshore/ online gaming industry or less experience but a good attitude and motivation to learn.

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng

Companies

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

First Gen Hydro to use part of Pantabangan watershed

By Lenie Lectura @llectura

The subsidiary of Lopez-led First Gen Corp. said last Tuesday it signed an agreement with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that allows FGHPC to pursue the development of the hydroelectric facility in Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, while preserving the status of the project site as part of a protected area.

The agreement is valid for 25 years subject to renewal for another 25 years.

The firm said its “Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas,” or “Sapa,” agreement with the DENR

“reaffirms [its] commitment” to pursue the Aya project in accordance with Republic Act (RA) 11038 (Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System, or e-Nipas, law). As part of the agreement, FGHPC officially remitted to the DENR a P69.1million check as Sapa fee.

RA 11038 covers the country’s ecologically rich and unique areas and biologically important public lands in the country, which are under DENR’s management.

Optimize development

THE DENR issues a Sapa to enable

productive use of the country’s protected areas by providing access to economic opportunities to indigenous people, tenured migrant communities, protected migrant communities and other protected area stakeholders. The agreement also aims to optimize the development of special-use projects, which are consistent with the principles of sustainable development and biodiversity conservation and in cooperation with stakeholders.

The FGHPC said it is pursuing the Aya project “in support of government’s program” to meet the country’s growing demand for electricity, while keeping carbon emissions low. The company already holds a hydropower service contract for the pumped storage project that the Department of Energy awarded in 2019.

A pumped-storage facility stores and generates electricity by moving a volume of water between two reservoirs situated at different elevations (upper and lower reservoirs).

First Sapa

ACCORDING to DENR Assistant Regional Technical Director Forester Joselito M. Blanco, the watershed

SMC offers aid to fishermen

SAN Miguel Corp. (SMC) announced last Tuesday it has set P500 million as financial assistance to fishers’ families in Cavite that will be affected by the construction of its New Manila International Airport (NMIA) project.

A statement issued by SMC last Tuesday quoted President and CEO Ramon S. Ang as saying the amount is part of the conglomerate’s commitment to “managing its social and environmental impacts following strict performance standards” set by the International Finance Corp. (IFC) for the airport deal.

The company said about 5,000 fisher’s families will each receive a monthly financial assistance of P5,000 until the company’s operation in the area is completed by 2024.

The company said it identified those eligible for the cash through third-party surveys and the selection and validation process by local officials and leaders of local fishermen’s groups.

The company said it earlier provided food assistance packages and livelihood programs.

SMC said San Miguel Aerocity Inc. (SMAI) together with its partner global marine engineering firm Royal Boskalis Westminster N.V. has also provided fishermen with safety equipment, including radar reflectors, life vests, life buoy rings, foam buoys, led lights and rechargeable batteries. They are also regularly updated as to where dredging activities are being undertaken, to further ensure their safety, the company said.

Aware of effects

ACCORDING to Ang, they “are well aware of the effects of the ongoing operations of our contractor, Boskalis, in the San Nicolas Shoal.

“That’s why we are taking all necessary measures to mitigate these,” he added. “We’re committed to helping fisherfolk families in the area and we’re very transparent about the project with them.”

He expressed gratitude “for their valuable contribution in helping get this priority national project done.”

Ang added that the company is also tapping a third-party organiza-

tion that will partner with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) to study how to improve fishing yields from the shoal.

This is to help bring up the volume of catch from the area, even long after Boskalis’ activities are completed.

“As we do in all areas where we have operations, we work to estab-

lish a good working relationship or partnership with our host communities. For this particular project, we have local teams and offices in the area, as well as a well-established grievance mechanism. We assure them they can come straight to us if they have any concerns at all,” Ang said. Lorenz

S. Marasigan

forest reserve that will play a critical role in supplying power to the Luzon grid is the first ever to be awarded a SAPA in Region III or Central Luzon.

“This is one of our most crucial permits. We are grateful for the support of our partners in DENR. We are also thankful to the [LGUs] and our stakeholders for their vote of confidence in us and for choosing us as their newest partner in protecting the watershed forest reserve,” said First Gen Senior Vice President Dennis P. Gonzales.

FGHPC also manages the 132MW Pantabangan-Masiway hydroelectric power plant, which is part of a multipurpose project that provides irrigation to Nueva Ecija’s rice lands. The complex has the country’s largest storage-type hydropower facility.

FGHPC’s hydro facilities form part of First Gen’s portfolio of power plants that run on clean and renewable energy sources. Aside from hydro, the portfolio includes geothermal, solar and wind, which are renewable energy resources; and natural gas, the cleanest form of fossil fuel.

B1

Davao Light lowers rate for 2nd month

By Manuel T. Cayon Mindanao Bureau Chief @awimailbox

DAVAO CITY —The Davao Light and Power Co. (DLPC) scaled down its power rate for the second time after February’s cut to P11.52 per kilowatt-hour (kWh).

The company further slashed the rate by another 38 centavos per kWh to P11.14 per kWh this month. DLPC said the reduction was due to its participation in the commercial operation of the Philippine Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (WESM) in Mindanao, “which the company took advantage of given the low power supply prices.”

The reduction was also due to a subsequent price slash by coal suppliers, DLPC said.

The reduction came nearly nine months after power generation rates soared beginning June last year as the price of imported fuel, particu-

larly coal, increased. With the easing in prices in the world market, power rate reduction was also initiated this year by firms like DLPC.

In January, Davao Light announced a reduction by 93 centavos that customers should have seen in their bill for February.

A monthly bill from the DLPC is divided into four major components: generation and transmission; distribution; subsidies and other charges; and, government charges and taxes. Generation and transmission charges are pass-through charges that the distribution utility collects and pays to power suppliers and the transmission operator, respectively, DLPC said.

The company said it only charges its customers for distribution, which remains at an average of nearly P1.43 per kilowatt-hour as approved by the Energy Regulatory Commission. This charge has not increased since 2013, according to DLPC.

FIRST Gen Hydro Power Corp. (FGHPC) will utilize a 36-hectare portion of the 84,000-hectare Pantabangan-Carranglan Watershed Forest Reserve for its 120-megawatt (MW) Aya pumped-storage hydroelectric power project.

By VG Cabuag @villygc

DoubleDragon starts tap offer on bonds Firms OK’d to bid for power plant

THE Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. (Psalm) has pre-qualified seven firms that are interested to bid for the 165-megawatt (MW) Casecnan Hydroelectric Power Plant (CHEPP).

The company’s wholly-owned offshore unit DDPC Worldwide Pte. Ltd. has mandated UBS as sole global coordinator, lead manager and bookrunner to arrange a series of fixed income investor calls.

A Reg S tap offering on DoubleDragon’s $160 million bond, which carries a yield of 7.25 percent, may follow.

A tap issue is a procedure that allows borrowers to sell bonds or other short-term debt instruments from past issues. The bonds are issued at their original face value, maturity and coupon rate but are sold at the current market price.

According to the company, any bonds issued pursuant to the tap offering will be consolidated with and increase the outstanding principal amount of DDPC

Worldwide’s existing listed maiden US dollar bonds listed on the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading Ltd.

“Use of proceeds (are) intended for the development and construction of Hotel101 overseas projects and for general corporate purposes,” it said.

Value recognized

Do U BLE D R AG o N is increasing diversification of its funding sources as it prepares itself to grow its business operations inside and outside the Philippines over the long-term. Philippine companies have successfully offered and listed fixed term senior bonds and perpetual securities on the Singapore Stock Exchange in recent years.

The firm said it recognizes the

value that diverse funding sources and a broad investor base provide for its growth and expansion, the company said.

The upcoming Hotel 101-Niseko, in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, is expected to be patronized by local domestic travelers in Japan and foreign tourists from other countries as well as Filipino travelers who visit Hokkaido for leisure. The site is accessible via a few hours of flight from Manila to the Sapporo New Chitose Airport.

Niseko is famous worldwide for its powder snow. To note, Kutchan Town, where the property is located, is one of the foremost areas of heavy snowfall reaching 13 meters on average with some of the driest and lightest snow in the world.

Because of its northern location, Niseko is internationallyrenowned for consistently delivering good falls of light powder snow and a long ski season that stretches from late November until early May. Hokkaido is the northmost island of Japan. During summer, Hokkaido stays cool with average temperatures of about 20 degrees Celsius. It is famous for its stunning nature scenes, panoramic flower fields and hot springs.

Psalm President Dennis Edward A. Dela Serna said there were 14 bidders that previously showed interest but only half pursued their bids. The latter are: Fresh Tiver Lakes Corp. of First Gen Corp.; Neptune Hydro Inc. of SN Aboitiz; Global Hydro Power Corp. of Meralco-Global Business Power Corp.; Panasia Energy Inc.; Consortium of EEI Power Corp., Soosan ENS Co. Ltd., Soosan Industries Co. Ltd. and Mapalad Power Corp.; GigaAce 11 Inc. of ACEN Corp.; and, Belgrove Power Corp. Psalm has moved the deadline of the bid submission to May 16 from April 18, said Dela Serna.

“We are still waiting for some documents from [the] NIA [National Irrigation Administration].

We need its approval for certain documents since we co-own this,” said the Psalm chief.

The CHEPP was turned over to the government in 2021 after the 20year build-operate-transfer scheme between the CE Casecnan Water and Energy Co. Inc. and the NIA lapsed on December 11, 2021. It was then placed under the co-ownership of Psalm and NIA, which represents the government’s interest at 60 percent and 40 percent, respectively.

The state firm is confident that the sale of the Casecnan plant will be successful, efficient and judicious for Psalm and the winning bidder who will take over its management. Lenie Lectura

DOUBLEDRAGON Corp., a property developer diversifying into hospitality, has launched a tap offering on its $160-million senior guaranteed notes maturing in 2025.

BSP tests Supervisory College’s functions

By Cai U. Ordinario @caiordinario

THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) announced that the Financial Sector Forum (FSF) performed a holistic risk assessment of a conglomerate and identified supervisory concerns in its second inter-agency cross-sectoral Supervisory College.

The BSP also said that the FSF developed a coordinated supervisory plan to be implemented under respective Charters of the BSP, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Insurance Commission (IC) and the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. (PDIC).

BSP Governor Felipe M. Medalla said the exercise is part of a broader macro surveillance conducted regularly by the financial sector regulators.

“The Supervisory College plays a vital role in conducting a comprehensive analysis of scenarios that may affect the financial conglomerates taking into account their interconnectedness to the Philippine economy,” Medalla was quoted in a statement as saying.

The BSP and SEC are the lead and co-lead supervisors and, through the member agencies, collaborated to further strengthen supervision of financial conglomerates.

Similar to the pilot run, the BSP said the second Supervisory College was conducted in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU ) signed by representatives of FSF-member agencies on January 25, 2022.

The results of the second supervisory college were presented to the FSF Principals during its meeting held on March 9, 2023.

The FSF decided to continue this initiative and a third Supervisory College is scheduled to commence in the second half of 2023.

Two years ago, former BSP Governor and then-FSF Chairman Benjamin E. Diokno said FSF members signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU ) for the establishment of an inter-agency, cross-sectoral Supervisory College that will enable coordination on the supervision of conglomerates.

Diokno earlier said pilot-testing shall begin after the FSF’s release of the MoU ’s implementing rules and regulations within the first quarter of the year. A training program will also be developed.

According to the BSP, financial conglomerates make up more or less 60 percent of the financial system.

Mergers and

BACoLoD CITY—Financial services giant Morgan Stanley predicts that there will be increased mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activity in the next two years globally. In its “2023 M&A outlook” published last month, the Manhattan-based multinational investment management firm attributes the acceleration of deal-making to three factors: the growth in the private equity industry; the sophistication of corporate clients; and, the overall strength of corporate earnings.

This forecast was made before the US banking crisis erupted last March 10 with the sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, which has since been taken over by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC). Two days later, the FDIC shut down Signature Bank and most of its assets have been acquired by New York’s Flagstar Bank. Next to implode was Switzerland’s second biggest bank, Credit Suisse, which was purchased by its bigger rival, UBS, over the weekend.

But here in the heart of Sugarlandia, the talk of the town is another M&A deal: the acquisition of homegrown Don Papa Rum by UK alcoholic beverage behemoth Diageo Plc. Founded in 2012 by Filipino entrepreneur Andrew John Garcia and British liquor executive Stephen Carroll, the company that manufactures Don Papa on the foothills of Mount Kanlaon is called the Bleeding

Data-sharing deal vs laundering inked

By VG Cabuag @villygc

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced last Tuesday representatives of the SEC, the Bureau of Internal Revenue, Philippine National Police and the Philip-

pine Amusement and Gaming Corp. signed the agreement based on the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

The agreement prompts the SEC

to provide timely access to accurate and adequate information on beneficial ownership of entities to the BIR, PNP and the Pagcor. The SEC collects beneficial ownership information from its regulated entities through SEC Memorandum Circular 15 (series of 2019). MC 15 amended the general information sheet to include beneficial ownership information. In 2020, the SEC issued MC 30 (series of 2020) expanding the collection of beneficial ownership data on foreign corporations.

The regulator also issued MC 1 (series of 2021) that provided the “Guidelines in Preventing the

BIR cites BARMM offices for tax payment

By Manuel T. Cayon @awimailbox

Mindanao Bureau Chief

DAVAo CITY—The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR)

cited five ministry offices of the Bangsamoro government “for their exemplary support by paying the highest amount of withholding tax” for Revenue District 107 Cotabato City.

During kick-off ceremonies for the BIR Tax Campaign in Cotabato City, the BIR recognized the high tax payments made by the of fice of the Chief Minister, the Bangsamoro

Transition Authority, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Public Works and the Ministry of Basic, Higher and Technical Education.

Speaking on behalf of BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, Finance Minister Ubaida Pacasem said “the ‘Government of the Day’ is continuously working towards improving the tax collection process through digital transformation.”

“We believe that the cooperation between the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the Bangsamoro government will pave the way for a more

efficient and effective tax system and we are also working towards creating a contextualized Bangsamoro Revenue Code that is reflective of the unique setup of the Bangsamoro,” Pacasem said.

He also vowed that the BARMM government would be creating a tax system “that is more efficient, transparent and equitable for all.”

“We recognize that taxes are a necessary obligation, but we also understand the importance of ensuring that the process is fair and reasonable, especially for the Bangsamoro,” Pacasem said.

Bill on fate of PhilHealth fees OK’d by lawmakers

By Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz @joveemarie

THE House of Representatives passed on third and final reading last Tuesday a bill granting the President the power to suspend and adjust the period of implementation of the scheduled increase of premium rates for direct contributors of the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth).

Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, the principal author of House Bill 6772, said the suspension of the increase would result in some savings for millions of government and private sector workers, professionals, self-employed and other PhilHealth contributors who are still recovering from the economic scarring of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The bill was approved by 276 lawmakers and without opposition.

Romualdez said they believe daily wage earners and many employees, who comprise the majority of Philhealth members, would save at least

P50 (less than a dollar) a month or P600 a year from their health insurance premium payment if the adjustment were suspended.

Those earning more will naturally save more, he added.

Under Republic Act (RA) 11223 (Universal Health Care Law), contributions will increase from 4 percent last year to 4.5 percent this year, or from the minimum monthly premium of P400 to P450. The rate will further go up to 5 percent starting next year.

The bill seeks to amend RA 11223, which was enacted in 2018.

Under the measure, the President of the Philippines may, upon recommendation of the PhilHealth board, suspend and adjust the period of implementation of the scheduled increase of premium rates during national emergencies or calamities, or when public interest so requires.

The amendment would be a new paragraph under Section 10 of the law.

Based on PhilHealth’s computation for this year, those earning

acquisitions on the rise

Heart Rum Co., named after the Negros bleeding heart pigeon—a criticallyendangered avian species endemic to this island at the center of the Philippine archipelago.

Don Papa Rum’s name got its inspiration from Papa Isio, a Negrense sugarcane farmer who played a key role in the Philippine Revolution against Spain in 1896. He was the last Filipino revolutionary leader to surrender to the Americans in 1907, almost nine years after the Philippines became a US colony. His face is prominently displayed on the rum’s label along with exotic and indigenous animals found in the Visayas.

The Fil-Brit M&A transaction involves an upfront payment of 260 million euros with a further potential consideration of 177.5 million euros, equivalent to a combined total of P25.6 billion at the current peso-euro exchange rate. This makes Diageo-Don Papa deal one of the highest in Philippine business history. Diageo itself was the result of a 1997 merger between Ireland’s Guinness Brewery and England’s Grand Metropolitan conglomerate. It is listed in both the London and New York stock exchanges. Major brands that Diageo acquired over the past 25 years include Johnnie Walker whiskey, Smirnoff vodka, Gilbey’s gin and Baileys liqueur.

Passion and integrity

CENTRALE Bacolod is a new masterplanned community in the so-called “City of Smiles.” It is centrally-located near the commercial and shopping districts as well as educational and healthcare institutions. The 50-hectare prime development is a project of the Active Group of Companies, whose founder Tony Turalba recently launched his coffee-table book eponymously titled “Antonio A. Turalba: Passion & Integrity.”

Written and edited by Palanca Hall of Fame awardee Alfred Yuson, this 208page volume is about Turalba’s journey as a self-made man who started out as an architect and turned into a successful property developer. At some point, he even became a banker after acquiring Maunlad Savings & Loans Association and renaming it to Active Bank.

An appropriate venue for the book launch was the Mount Malarayat Golf & Country Club, his majestic masterpiece

Misuse of Corporations for Illicit Activities through Measures Designed to Promote Transparency.”

Last year, the SEC issued MC 10 (series of 2022), which increased penalties and imposes additional non-financial penalties for nondisclosure and false disclosure of beneficial ownership information, among others.

“Information gathered by the Commission through the aforementioned circulars play a vital role in identifying the natural person/s maintaining ultimate effective control of the corporation,” the SEC said.

Beneficial owners of a corporation are distinguished from legal

owners, which are defined as natural or juridical persons who, in accordance with the law, own or has the controlling ownership interest over the corporation, or has the ability of taking relevant decisions within the corporation and imposing those resolutions.

The said agreement also seeks to protect personal and sensitive personal data by incorporating measures provided under Republic Act 10173 (Data Privacy Law of) and its implementing rules and regulations, as well as the pertinent circular issued by the National Privacy Commission Circular on data sharing between government agencies.

Lending firm financed 10.5M

mobile phones

AT o TAL of 10.5 million mobile phones were financed through Home Credit Philippines Inc. (HCPH) in less than a decade of operation and the company said more is in store for their clients as they continue to grow in the Philippines.

This meant that HCPH became the means by which Filipinos purchased over 3,000 mobile devices every day or over 100 phones per hour in the past 9.5 years.

credit cards again as part of its new offerings for their clients.

“We still have some active portfolios for the credit card users and we have other products that customers can use [such as] QR codes [among others],” Jankovsky told reporters last week.

P10,000 and below would pay a premium of P450. Those with an income of more than P10,000 up to P89,999.99 would contribute P450 to P4,050. Meanwhile, those making P90,000 or more would chip in P4,050.

The Speaker and his colleagues said that President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has supported calls to defer this year’s increase in PhilHealth premiums.

RA 11223 defines “direct contributors” as “those who have the capacity to pay premiums, are gainfully employed and are bound by an employer-employee relationship, or are self-earning, professional practitioners, migrant workers, including their qualified dependents and lifetime members.”

The term “indirect contributors” refers to “all others not included as direct contributors, as well as their qualified dependents, whose premium shall be subsidized by the national government including those who are subsidized as a result of special laws.”

in Batangas. According to Yuson, it was Turalba’s greatest challenge: converting 200 hectares of farm land in Lipa into a 27-hole golf course and residential estate despite the economic crisis that he had to weather for five years. And to think that he embarked on this P3-billion venture when he was barely in his 50s.

Among the signature realty projects in the Active Group’s portfolio are: the ACT Tower in Salcedo Village, Makati City; Porto Laiya in San Juan, Batangas: the Town & Country estates in Metro Manila, Calabarzon and here in Talisay City, Negros occidental; and, The Arcadia enclave in Corinthian Gardens, Quezon City.

Last month, Turalba donated a dramatic sculpture of iconic artist Eduardo Castrillo to the University of the Philippines as a gift to his alma mater, the UP College of Architecture. That garden corner of Melchor Hall in Diliman has officially been named the Turalba Plaza, located at one end of the Tau Alpha fraternity’s Legacy Boardwalk that stretches up to Palma Hall. What a fitting tribute to a Tau Alphan turned philanthropist who built his empire from scratch.

Joseph Gamboa is the vice-chairman of the Ethics Committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines and director of Noble Asia Industrial Corp. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinion of these institutions and the BusinessMirror

In 2022, Home Credit ended the year strong with a customer base of 9.3 million. The company is confident that it can reach 10 million customers even before reaching its 10th year.

“ o u r goal of a financially empowered Philippines comes true every year, one customer at a time. In our 10 years of service in the country, we aim to empower 10 million customers by the end of 2023 and continue to serve more Filipinos in the years to come,” Home Credit Philippines CE o David Minol said.

“More than delivering innovative and accessible financial services, we celebrate the relationships we have built with our stakeholders and customers over the past decade, and this we choose to continue above and beyond,” Minol added.

Re-offering credit cards

APART from products, the HCPH also extended P1.8 million cash loans to existing clients who have had a good record of availing their product loans. The cash loans were launched in May 2015.

“We are opening our doors to finance for a lot of new to credit customers. We obviously start with the product loan first and then as people show a great credit history, we are able to offer them the cash loans as well,” Puneet Suneja, Chief Sales o f ficer, told reporters last week.

HCPH Executive Director and Treasurer Zdenek Jankovsky said the recent decision of the Monetary Board to adjust the ceilings on credit card transactions has encouraged HCPH to re-offer its credit cards.

In January, the MB increased the maximum interest rate or finance charge imposed on a cardholder’s unpaid outstanding credit card balance by 100 basis points (bps) to 3 percent per month from 2 percent.

Jankovsky said HCPH is the only known institution that has a credit card license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP). He said that during the pandemic, they slowed down the distribution of new credit cards.

BNPL services

HoW EVER, given recent developments, Jankovsky said HCPH is now looking into providing

As a leading consumer finance provider, pioneering buy now, pay later (BNPL) services in the country, Home Credit has grown its local roots in the past decade and developed a much deeper understanding of the local market.

The company has seen the need to expand its lifestyle offerings and finance solutions to better support the ever-evolving needs and demands of Filipinos in this new generation.

o v er the years, Home Credit has expanded to a robust 15,000 partner stores across 75 provinces in the country and has aggressively grown its online presence through the My Home Credit App.

The company has also forged partnerships with the country’s biggest brands and retailers, building a wide selection of 300+ lifestyle commodities ranging from gadgets and smartphones, appliances and furniture, to bicycles and motorcycle accessories, sports equipment, and many more.

Cash loan

ASIDE from product loans, the company also offers existing customers with good payment histories the opportunity to avail themselves of cash loan.

To date, 90 percent of the cash loan contracts were signed digitally and 20 percent of the applications were processed through the My Home Credit App. Home Credit boasts of having the fastest cash loan approval and disbursement in 1 minute— the best in the market. Customers can enjoy the flexibility of the Cash Loan offers ranging from P3,000 to P150,000 and repayment terms from six to 48 months.

Last year, Home Credit’s flagship financial literacy program Wais sa Home reached more than 20 million Filipinos across the country and has driven onsite financial literacy programs in various provinces, particularly in the communities of Pampanga, Iloilo, Guimaras, Capiz, Antique, and Aklan.

The company also commits to a greener earth with 30 million sheets of paper saved in overall transactions, an equivalent of 2,000 trees conserved due to its digitalization initiative. Aside from that, Home Credit also promotes equity by providing more substantial purchasing power for women who comprise 52 percent of its customer base.

SEVERAL government agencies agreed to share data lodged in their respective database to strengthen efforts against money laundering and terrorist financing.

NO MORE LIKES

IF you’ve been stalking this celebrity’s Instagram, you’d know that her former mother-in-law is one of her frequent likers. That hasn’t been the case for the past couple of months. Now, it seems we know the reason why. The celebrity, who has been separated from her husband for a while, seems to have a new boyfriend. Another thing is that she seems to have kept it a secret from her ex mother-in-law, to whom she was very close. The celebrity’s mother-in-law has met the guy and she was under the impression he and the celebrity are colleagues, not lovers. The former mother-in-law allowed the celebrity to live in her own house and be served by the family’s employee long after she and the husband split. So now, the mother-inlaw is probably wondering if the guy ever spent time in that home, or did he spend some of his nights there.

JUST A NICE GUY

NETIZENS have noticed that a newly single hunk has been consistently liking photos of the sexy star. They say the actor has a type and that’s a girl who always posts pictures of herself in a bikini. The thing is that the hunk is a frequent liker and commenter of other celebrities. It seems that he’s the friendly sort on social media. The sexy star was reportedly overheard saying the actor is not her type at all because he has poor hygiene. The actor has long been talked about for being unclean. In fact, many people were horrified when he and his ex started living together. It’s known that many of the actor’s leading ladies need to be paid extra when there’s a kissing scene because his breath doesn’t smell so fresh.

NO MEDIA VALUE

THERE are talks that an actor, whose former screen partner and still girlfriend is quite controversial, will sign up with another network, and that he will be paid a huge amount of money upon signing. The actor has been irrelevant, except for his lovelife, since the pandemic so people are wondering why the network would sign him or even lure him away from his network. Fans of the network are hoping that the money to be spent on the actor’s acquisition would be spent on good projects for the stars already in their roster of talents. Truthfully, the actor only made it big as part of a loveteam and that onscreen partnership is no more, so he is no longer popular.

QUICKIE DIVORCE

THE reason why the socialite-entrepreneur and her boyfriend, who is known to be married to another woman, are very open about their relationship is that the guy somehow found a way to divorce his ex-wife and marry his new partner. The guy and his ex-wife are embroiled in a messy legal battle that involves millions of pesos. It’s such a mess that the guy’s ex cannot re-enter the country. The guy, with the help of his legal team, found a way to get a quickie divorce from his wife. The divorce is not legal in the Philippines but it afforded the guy’s new relationship some sort of legitimacy. The guy and his new girlfriend then got married abroad. So that’s the reason why they’re quite brazen about their relationship.

Fury of the Gods’ stumbles with $30.5 million debut

We’re hopeful that we can get a big multiple.”

Shazam! Fury of the Gods cost a reported $125 million to produce, not factoring in marketing and promotion costs. Internationally, it grossed $35 million from 77 overseas markets including China, bringing its total earnings to $65.5 million.

The DC shop at Warner Bros. has been going through a major recalibration for the past several months, with new bosses in James Gunn and Peter Safran forging a path ahead for the DC Universe that will officially kick off with a new Superman in 2025. Shazam! 2 was one of several holdovers of the old regime, which includes The Flash coming in June and a new Aquaman in December.

BY LINDSEY BAH�

The Associated Press

SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods felt the fury of the marketplace in its theatrical debut this weekend. The New Line Cinema and Warner Bros. superhero movie opened to a disappointing $30.5 million from 4,071 theaters, according to studio estimates on Sunday.

The Shazam! sequel fell short of its modest expectations ($35 million) as well as the first film in the series ($53.5 million in April 2019), and earned a place on the very low end of modern DC comics movie launches, between Birds of Prey ($33 million in February 2020) and The Suicide Squad ($26.2 million in August 2021), both of which were R-rated.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, Shazam! Fury of the Gods brought back Zachary Levi, Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Adam Brody and Djimon Hounsou, and added Helen Mirren, Rachel Zegler and Lucy Liu. Critics, many of whom found the first film charming, were largely underwhelmed by this outing. It currently holds a 53 percent Rotten Tomatoes critic score. Audiences were more positive about the sequel, giving it a “B+” CinemaScore overall. Younger crowds were even more favorable.

“This movie clearly was lighter than we thought it would be,” said Jeff Goldstein, the head of domestic distribution for Warner Bros. “We know there’s a rolling spring break over the next few weeks when kids are available, which is who it’s targeted towards.

“Part of our company’s total overhaul of DC with Peter Safran and James Gunn is to reset it for the future,” Goldstein said. “It’s all about the future for us.”

For Paul Dergarabedian, the senior media analyst for comScore, there’s a silver lining in that Warner Bros. and DC have “another No. 1 under their belt.”

“They’re trying to readjust and realign the brand,” Dergarabedian said. “You don’t change the trajectory for a brand as big as DC without it taking some time. This is a work in progress and this is one step in that journey.” Second place went to Scream IV in its second weekend in theaters. The horror pic, distributed by Paramount, fell 61 percent from its debut and added $17.5 million, bringing its domestic total to $76 million.

In its third weekend, Creed III grossed an additional $15.4 million to land in the No. 3 spot. The film, directed by and starring Michael B. Jordan, has now earned $127.7 million in North America. 65 and AntMan and the Wasp: Quantumania rounded out the top five with $5.8 million and $4.1 million, respectively.

Following its Oscar sweep last Sunday, A24 added over 1,000 screens for an encore Everything Everywhere All At Once run, where it earned an additional $1.2 million. The Whale, for which Brendan Fraser won best actor, played on 509 screens and made $145,230.

“What audiences are enjoying right now is a diversity of content,” Dergarabedian said. “Overall, it’s shaping up to be a strong month with Creed III and Scream VI getting franchise best debuts. We may see the same with John Wick 4.” ■

Filipino indie films streaming app to be launched

A SOCIAL enterprise and hybrid streaming platform that features educational and socially relevant independent Filipino films, EdukSine (app.eduksine.com) will be launched on March 24.

Funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DOST), the app aims to bridge the gap between Filipino filmmakers and viewers by delivering contextual and transformative content. The platform likewise provides sustainable support and opportunities to small local film producers, directors, actors and marketers.

offices and schools from the metro to the mountainous and coastal villages across the Philippines.

Among the many issues to be highlighted and explored are peace, environment, education, agriculture health, indigenous culture, women empowerment, violence against women and children, gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights.

The EdukSine app launch will include lectures that walk the participants into the creative journey and technical developments of EdukSine from an advocacy into a social enterprise.

By Eugenia Last

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS

DAY: Constance Wu, 41; Reese Witherspoon, 47; Elvis Stojko, 51; William Shatner, 92.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY: A ruthless approach to getting your house in order will be comforting once you start. Clear a passage that offers greater freedom to come and go as you please. Pay it forward by giving away items that can benefit someone in need. Make it a point to give back to your community. Address issues that make you angry, and strive for financial security. Your numbers are 8, 11, 20, 28, 31, 38, 42.

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your energy where it counts and progress to the next level. Plan your strategy from beginning to end to avoid setbacks or surprises. A financial gain or change in how you handle money matters will open your options.

★★★

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look inward and consider the changes you want and how to achieve your goal. A secretive approach will help ward off any interference and give you time to investigate the possibilities. Stick to the rules and commit to the plan. ★★★

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Connect with people who can offer as much as you can. Don’t disguise your intentions. Be precise regarding your needs and be ready to move on if you can’t agree or get your way. Don’t limit your chance to advance to spare someone’s feelings. ★★★★

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Hide in a secure spot and avoid conflict. Take time to decide what you want before you let others pressure you to fall in line and allocate your time to benefiting them instead of you. Personal growth will lead to financial gain. ★★

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Talks, lectures and new beginnings go together. Refuse to take a back seat to someone trying to dominate your time. Step into the fast lane and travel in a direction that offers hope for what you want to transpire. ★★★★★

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): A change of scenery is encouraged. Personal growth, physical improvements or rethinking the best way forward will bring you one step closer to a place that makes you feel happy and content. A kind word will bring you closer to someone you love. ★★★

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Make your life more meaningful by being precise regarding what you want. Handle a proposal that comes from the heart with sensitivity and goodwill. Articulate what you are willing to do to keep the peace and make things happen. ★★★

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Make security your top priority. Protect against unwanted change or letting others take up too much of your time. Someone looking for an excuse to say no to a request will pretend to misconstrue your gesture or remark. ★★★

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Put upset or anger aside and shoot for the stars. Look at the bright side of your situation, and you’ll discover how to get what you desire. Don’t limit what you can do because someone tries to put demands on you. ★★★★★

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Too much of anything will weigh you down. Discarding what you no longer need will lead to positive lifestyle changes. Put a budget in place that helps you maintain your status quo or save for something unique. ★★

Study Assistance Program (BASAP) scholar unconventional

The app is the brainchild of founder and CEO Karen Jane Salutan, a Blessed Arnould Study Assistance Program (BASAP) scholar and Business Management alumna from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde. Her vision is to provide a new unconventional venue to promote Filipino culture and arts through indie films that create social impact.

Apart from the streaming platform, EdukSine likewise promises to reach farflung areas of the country by conducting pre-arranged in-person and hybrid block screenings in companies, government

The event will be spearheaded by Salutan, together with EdukSine co-founders Romae Marquez and Hector Gloria, plus EdukSine web site and app developers Jacob Catayoc and Raphael Marco.

They will be joined by Leizl Sueno, the senior science research specialist and program manager of Women Helping Women: Innovating Social Enterprise (WHWise), the DOST initiative which assisted EdukSine to elevate its cause.

Organized by Benilde School of Management and Information Technology (SMIT), the event is free and open to the public. It will be conducted on March 24, at the Fifth Floor, Augusto-Rosario Gonzalez Theater of Benilde Taft Campus at 10 am. It will also be livestreamed via Zoom.

Interested participants may register through forms. gle/82b1sYLCfZHMnRnm9

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Keep an open mind, but don’t give in to pressure. Go about your business and offer others the freedom to do as they please. The less friction, the easier it is to get things done your way. Protect your health and financial well-being. ★★★★

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Misinformation will cause a ripple in your personal life. Confirm any information about your residence, living arrangements or relationships with friends, family or your lover. It’s better to get facts before airing your concerns or starting a feud. ★★★

BIRTHDAY BABY:

You are protective, intuitive and enthusiastic. You are outspoken and opportunity driven.

‘there’s an app for that’ BY

‘Shazam!

Handling workplace confrontations

LGBTQIA+ INCLUSION, SAFE SPACES TO BE DISCUSSED IN FREE WEBINAR

FILIPINO researcher Gregorio “Gio” R. Caliguia III, who specializes on the history of gender and sexuality, discussed important points on how to create a safer Philippines for the LGBTQIA+ community in a free and public online lecture last March 21. Titled “Break Down The Walls,” the webinar sought to raise awareness on the different challenges currently faced by the members of the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex and asexual or allied), as well as several tips on how to provide a more affirming environment for them.

He guided participants on how to understand the diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions, aiming to contribute to fostering a society that allows LGBTQIA+ peers to fully express themselves without judgment and discrimination.

Vital tools for better communication were also discussed, as well as significant insights on how be an ally who supports and advocates equal civil rights for all genders.

The event was hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Lasallian Mission and Student Life, Center for Inclusive Education and Best Buddies Benilde of the De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde, in their mutual commitment to generate a culture of inclusion in Benilde and beyond.

Caliguia earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) and his Master of Arts in Philippine Studies at the Asian Center of the University of the Philippines Diliman.

Caliguia teaches History, Spanish Language and Philippine studies at the PUP. He is currently included in the historiography of the Philippine queer archive, with researches that touch on the intersections of historiography, art and sexuality in the Philippine context.

CELEBRATING EMPOWERED WOMEN

NOW on its fifth year, Security Bank (www.securitybank. com) and long-time partner Zonta Club of Makati & Environs have begun accepting nominations for the Bravo Empowered Women Awards 2023.

The awards program recognizes female trailblazers who have achieved success in their careers and personal advocacies. The distinctions are given to Filipinas championing social change and economic progress in the country and work to uplift the lives of Filipinos.

One awardee will be chosen for each of the eight categories: Arts, Culture & Heritage; Business; Education; Media & Public Affairs; Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM); Social Services; Sports, and Tourism & Hospitality.

Nominees must possess the following qualifications: Filipino citizen, of good moral character, with an outstanding track record in her profession and advocacy for at least three years or as of March 2023, and has sustained a project for the improvement of society. The nominee also must not have received recognition from any other award-giving body and must not be a member of Zonta or an employee of the Bank.

Aside from joining the distinguished roster of Bravo women, winners will also receive P50,000 each to use for their chosen causes.

Interested parties may visit www.securitybank.com/ BravoAwards to download the nomination form and review the full guidelines. Deadline of entries is on March 31.

Security Bank’s mission is to enrich lives, empower businesses, and build communities sustainably through financial service excellence. The bank has been a longtime advocate of women empowerment, and was previously cited by Asiamoney as having the highest number of women in senior management positions among Asian and Philippine banks.

The bank has partnered with Zonta since 2015, and has supported many of their projects including the FilipinaZ Fair which showcases products made by women entrepreneurs.

ONE of the things I noticed when I started working was that we generally avoid being confrontational in the workplace. Maybe it is the culture, the way we were raised, or the way everyone is expected to be at work, but I find that we typically avoid confrontations because we want to avoid conflict and we are averse to calling someone out for bad behavior. The issue then escalates into a problem once someone implodes and angrily confronts the aggressor.

One of the reasons people avoid confronting others with their disruptive actions or coarse behavior is because they focus too much on the disruption in the working relationship more than what they can benefit from it. Worse, most people fear that confrontation always leads to the end of the professional relationship. What they do not understand is that it might be the needed push to clear the air between them and become the catalyst for creating an environment where expectations are clear, and people are mindful of their actions and behavior. There are times when you can just brush off other people’s rude behavior, but when it affects your work and productivity, you may need to confront them.

Before confronting anyone at work, you need to understand what it is you want to get out of the confrontation.

This will determine the course of action you will take and guide you on what to say and what you can do to achieve your goal. If you aim to preserve the professional and personal relationship, then prepare to make compromises and adjustments. If you aim to maintain a professional relationship but lessen personal interactions, then you might have a little more room to stress the negative effects of their actions on your workload and productivity. And if you aim to sever the relationship, then you have the freedom to be as candid as you want. Whatever your reason for confronting someone, you need to identify what your end goal is.

It goes without saying that you need to prepare before the confrontation. Make sure you can clearly explain what the issue is, how it has affected you, and what you want to happen after. If possible, list down specific events that will help the person understand where you are coming from and so they can remember what they did. This should help them recall what they did but the confrontation should help them understand how their actions have affected you. In terms of what you want to happen after the confrontation, make sure it is something that is reasonable and within their capacity.

During the confrontation, check that you are in the proper mindset. Ensure that you are mentally prepared to accept what they have to say, and are emotionally stable to accept when they do not understand what you are talking about. You might need to explain more so you might need to patiently

words might also come off as combative rather than appeasing, which might make it more difficult to resolve your issues with the person.

Actively listen by keeping an open mind to their reactions. If needed, paraphrase to let them know you understand where they are coming from, and to show that you understood what they are saying. You must also be prepared to change your mind about some of the things you may have decided beforehand. We have certain assumptions and preconceived notions about people that get in the way of truly understanding where they are coming from. Once you become aware of these in yourself, it becomes easier to see someone from a different perspective. You need to actively listen so you can revise your position as you learn more about the person. If in doubt, ask for more information so that you can have a better understanding of where the other person is coming from and validate your assumptions. Asking the right questions can also help uncover other issues that the person may have with you and help you figure out why they acted or behaved the way they did. You can then recalibrate your decision based on what they have to say. Asking questions also helps the other person realize that you are listening to what they have to say, and you genuinely want to arrive at a mutually beneficial solution.

have experienced when you use “I” statements, but it also makes it easier for them to see the event from your perspective. “You” statements sound like you are blaming them, which invariably will put them on the defensive. You should also avoid words like “never” and “always” because life rarely is black or white. By using these words, you are dismissing all the other good things they have done which will make them feel more belligerent.

If there are multiple issues you need to address in the confrontation, take one issue at a time. Resolve one issue before moving on to another issue so that facts can be sorted out properly. What you want to avoid is for the confrontation to become a bull session where everything is put out and everyone gets angry but nothing is resolved. Also, do not bring up past issues that have been resolved unless the problem has become worse.

Be careful with your choice of words and the way you talk to the person during confrontation. Keep your tone as neutral as possible because together with your choice of words, they reveal what you are really thinking. To have control of your choice of words and tone, you need to be open to what they are saying and be ready to change your mind as needed.

Confrontations need not always result in conflict or ending the work relationship. In fact, it might be a necessary impetus for both of you to move forward in the right direction so you can both work together harmoniously. All you need is for both of you to move forward and consistently find ways to make it work. ■

Traveling this summer? Personal care brand reminds shoppers to take care of their skin

BY PAULINE JOY M. GUTIERREZ

AS summer approaches and travel restrictions ease in the country and around the world, many are eager to hit the road and explore new destinations. The desire to break free from the confines of the past year is fueling a surge in bookings for flights and accommodations, leading to a hoped-for tourism rebound. However, while travelers ferry out to faraway beaches and exotic islands, Watsons, one of the largest health and beauty retailers in the Philippines, reminds vacationers to take care of their skin, which can be easily damaged by the sun and other environmental factors.

During the launch of its latest campaign, “Summer Shopping na sa Watsons”, the Hong Kong-based chain store introduced a range of summer necessities from sun-care goods to waterproof beauty products essential to allow travelers to enjoy the season’s outdoor activities while keeping their skin nourished and their makeup intact.

“We know that everyone is looking forward to the summer season, which is why we at Watsons want to assist our customers to be summer-ready and have

Pond’s Bestie Johnrey Almante from Unilever, Yna Ramos from Trizie, registered nutritionist Bea Recuerdo, and Vanessa Samson and Grace Viredo from Nivea, also shared their tips on how to stay healthy under the sun at the campaign launch.

After its activity leg in MOA, the activation will move to SM Megamall from March 17 to 22, SM City North Edsa from March 24 to 29, and finally to SM City Cebu from April 18 to 24.

“Summer is a time for fun and adventure, and here at Watsons we’re partnering with the best health and beauty brands to bring our customers the best products for the season. We encourage everyone to take advantage of the special promos, exclusive discounts, and amazing prizes,” said Watsons’ customer director Jared de Guzman.

According to De Guzman, an Asian cruise trip for two with a minimum single-receipt purchase of P1,000 will be raffled to Watsons Club members throughout the duration of the campaign. Elite Members get twice the raffle entries. In addition, Watsons is giving away P2 million worth of Watsons vouchers that members can use to shop online, along with 1,000 Health & Beauty Online vouchers.

FROM left: Watsons Philippines’s Aimee Pernia, group category manager for trading beauty; Jared de Guzman, customer director; Prisilla Hentoloro, category manager for trading beauty; and Patrick Yu, marketing manager

Ohmyhome: Look for the right property with the Philippines’ premier property technology platform

‘Iba ang Ngiti Ngayon’ as Ginebra San Miguel unveils new campaign

AFTER three challenging years, life now has a sense of normalcy as business, economic, and social activities return to the pre-pandemic time. In the air, we can all feel optimism as the worldwide pandemic is seemingly winding down. With things looking up, it is time to be more hopeful in the future and unleash once again our better selves. As face masks are beginning to be put aside, especially in outdoor settings, smiles are more confident now than ever.

With the anticipation of better times, Ginebra San Miguel Inc. launched “Iba ang Ngiti sa One Ginebra Nation” last December 31, 2022 on TV, radio, and digital platforms, right before the New Year. The campaign highlights one's trust (“tiwala”) and how it was strengthened during the challenges of the pandemic. This then helped build the trust one had with others and eventually to the nation leading to the hopeful situation we are currently in.

In this newest Ginebra campaign, depicted are the real-life stories of an airplane crew, a jeepney driver, farmers, and more who had faced the challenges of life during the pandemic. Their lives and livelihood may be affected, but with the trust, courage, and motivation to survive, they are now facing 2023 with much more optimism. Yes, difficult times are inevitable, but with “tapang” and “tiwala,” there will always be a better tomorrow –and sweet smiles ahead!

“As a people, Filipinos have always been strong and resilient,” says Ron Molina, Ginebra San Miguel‘s Marketing Manager. This was proven during the pandemic. Many Filipinos managed to survive because they could pivot and adapt to the challenging situation. Now, we can see optimism and renewed hope bringing smiles to many. But it is not just any smile because behind it is the confidence that any challenge can be overcome.

The campaign, Molina added, acts as a reminder that positive things will come our way that will make us smile. “Even when things are not ideal or all hope seems to be gone, you must trust in yourself, in

others – imbibe the Ginebra ‘never-say-die’ spirit because you believe that tomorrow will be better than today.” Our modern-day heroes, the OFWs, can now fly out to pursue their dreams or return to the country once more to reconnect with their loved ones. Jeepney drivers can now ply their regular routes. Office workers can now reach their sales quotas. And everyone can now celebrate life‘s occasions with a bottle of Ginebra San Miguel, without worrying about curfews, lockdowns, or restrictions that we've experienced before. Confident smiles are now on the faces of the ka-barangays. After all, Filipinos worldwide are known for their smiles even amidst the challenges they are facing.

Ginebra San Miguel's award-winning campaigns have consistently drawn inspiration from the Filipinos’ sentiments, the deeply rooted culture of “matapang,” “ganado,” and “never-say-die” attitude, as well as from the communal drinking or tagay” as a symbol of unity, togetherness, and Bayanihan spirit.

Recently, at the 44th Catholic Mass Media Awards, Ginebra San Miguel's campaign “Hanggang sa Huling Patak ng Bagong Tapang” won Best Branded TV Ad for the first time, as well as Best Branded Digital Ad. The advertisement acts as a continual reminder that even in the most challenging and discouraging circumstances, there is still that last ounce of courage.

GSMI is the producer of Ginebra San Miguel, the world's largest-selling gin, according to the leading global drinks journal Drinks International. GSMI's other quality distilled spirits include GSM Blue Light Gin, GSM Blue Mojito, GSM Blue Margarita, GSM Blue Gin Pomelo, GSM Premium Gin, 1834 Premium Distilled Gin, Antonov Vodka, Añejo Gold Rum, G & T Ultralight Spirit Drink (Gin & Tea), Primera Light Brandy, and the Philippines’ no. 1 Chinese wine Vino Kulafu. For more details, log on to www. ginebrasanmiguel.com or visit the official Ginebra San Miguel Facebook page: www. facebook.com/BarangayGinebra.

Gabay Guro, MPIF back 50 high school scholars with DepEd Rizal‘s finance assistance program

GABAY Guro through Metro Pacific Investments Foundation, Inc. (MPIF), the corporate social responsibility arm of leading investments conglomerate Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC), has signed on to support 50 deserving high school students under the Department of Education (DepEd) Rizal’s Direct Financial Assistance Program.

Gabay Guro is a long-running education advocacy for teachers and students, in support of DepEd. Its core pillars such as educational facility donations, scholarships, teachers’ training, livelihood programs, connectivity and computerization, teachers’ tribute, and digital innovations are designed to hone and improve the welfare of Filipino teachers and students nationwide.

The Alay sa Batang Rizal scholarship

program was founded in honor of Benito Pangilinan, former DepEd Director of Public Schools and grandfather of MPIC Chairman, President and CEO Manuel V. Pangilinan. It is funded by the Gabay Guro program and the Pangilinan family, and will focus on mentoring for college-entry level readiness of the students.

“Widening access to quality education is one of the most sustainable and cost-effective ways of ensuring future progress,” says Pangilinan. “The private sector must fulfill its part in honing the talents of our youth.”

The qualified Grade 12 learners, referred to as “grantees”, are students from Laiban Integrated School, Sto. Niño Integrated School, Rizal Sports Academy, Talim Point National High School, Janosa National High School, and Daraetan National High School.

Through DepEd Rizal’s Direct Financial Assistance Program, the partnership will provide a monthly monetary allowance from January to June 2023, aiming to help alleviate the financial burden on their families. The grantees will also undergo pre-college level mentoring.

“We express our deepest thanks to Gabay Guro, MPIF and the Pangilinan family for supporting more scholars by providing the opportunity to pursue their studies with less worries,” says DepEd Rizal Schools Division Superintendent Susan DL. Oribiana. “Their support helps us in our mission towards inclusive education for all.”

Also, during the event, one set each of mWell On-the-Go bags were awarded to the two schools from Rizal, namely Mamuyao Elementary School and Nayon Elementary School.

The Alay sa Batang Rizal Scholarship Program, the support for DepEd Rizal’s Direct Financial Assistance Program and provisioning of mobile clinics to the two Rizal schools under the flagship of Gabay Guro are aligned with Gabay Karunungan and Gabay Kalusugan, two of the MVP Group’s Gabay Advocacies for a Sustainable Philippines. These are also in line with MPIC’s efforts to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), particularly SDG 4: Quality Education and SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being. This partnership bolsters Gabay Guro and MPIF’s role alongside MPIC, as the largest catalyst for a Sustainable Philippines, committed to improve the lives in the country through providing essential services and mobilizing advocacies that uplift the quality of life of all Filipinos.

TRADITIONALLY, looking for the right Philippine real estate property means looking for an agent or visiting the developer website. However, hopping from one developer site to another (or calling different agents) can be complicated and time-consuming. But what if instead of visiting separate property sites, prospective homeowners can go to a one-stop shop which features all available properties?

Enter Ohmyhome, the Philippines’ premier property technology platform. Ohmyhome has partnered with more than 150 of the Philippines’ top real estate developers to provide buyers with a comprehensive list of over 40,000 property units. In addition, Ohmyhome provides free valuable real estate advice and customer service via phone, chat, or email.

Ohmyhome founders Race and Rhonda Wong acted on the need that the real estate industry needed a tech upgrade. By launching Ohmyhome in Singapore, the platform made waves as a highly informative, convenient and quick way to buy, sell, or lease properties online. Since its launch in 2016, the platform has successfully transacted over $2.5 billion in Singapore alone. Riding on the initial success, Ohmyhome soon launched separate platforms for both Malaysia and the Philippines.

Ohmyhome sets out to be the company who puts customers first above all else. Buying a property is a major milestone that should be celebrated instead of a hassle. The website interface, agent services and

customer services are all highly curated to create the best home buying experience. Today, over 8,000 happy Filipino homeowners have successfully bought a property with Ohmyhome, whether as a developer looking to better promote their properties online or homebuyers in search of the perfect home, Ohmyhome provides the online presence that both parties need. And the ultimate winners? The Philippine real estate industry, its member developers, and the hardworking Filipino homeowner. For more information about how Ohmyhome can help you buy, sell, or lease homes, visit us at ohmyhome.com/en-ph for more details.

Nicklaus Machinery Corporation to join Philippine Suppliers and Manufacturers Exhibition 2023

PHILIPPINE Subcon and Manufacturers Exhibition 2023 (PSMEX 2023) themed as “Make it in the Philippines” is a biennial exhibition that will be held from April 26-29, 2023, Hall B & C of World Trade Center Metro Manila. An event that will cater to both local and international audience which covers the whole business platform that will be beneficial to suppliers, distributors and end-users. It is an event that will showcase the capabilities of Philippine products and services to the world. It will be held back-toback with International Machinery Tools & Accessories Philippines (I-MTAP 2023).

PSMEX 2023 is the venue of Philippine

capabilities to support local and international companies who can give assistance to their manufacturing plant, as the word Subcon implies. PSMEX 2023 is a platform to stimulate and invite international companies to locate in the Philippines with existing companies to support their operation and convers four major manufacturing industries such as: Aerospace, Automotive, Electronics and Motorcycle Nicklaus Machinery Corporation has been involved in the distribution, sales and servicing of machine tools, metrology instruments, sheet metal fabricating equipment, industrial machinery, and turn key projects since 1995. Being part of the machine tools business in the Philippines for more than 25 years, the company has become widely accepted by the industry as one of the key supplies of high-end metrology and machine tools.

See them at PSMEX 2023 and “TOGETHER WE BUILD A BETTER FUTURE for the Philippines’ Manufacturing Industry.”

To register online visit https://psmex. weebly.com or email psmex01@gmail.com or mai_mgt@compass.com.ph or call +63-2 8985-3375

Countdown begins for the much-awaited Philippines Finest Business Awards to be held in Quezon City

THEREarejustsixmonthstogo before the much-awaited Philippines Finest Business Awards, organized by La Visual Corporation and Sirbisu Channel in partnership with Hexagon Events Place. This prestigious event will recognize and reward outstanding individuals, companies, products, and services that promote and exemplify best business practices, consumer welfare and protection, product quality, and consumer services.

The event’s media partners include BusinessMirror, Philippines Graphic, Pilipino Mirror. With these media partnerships, businesses will enjoy significant media exposure and reach a wide audience.

Partnering with the organization in this endeavor is the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) Rizal, one of the leading business organizations in the country. This will allow the organizers to reach out to more businesses and further promote the event's goal of recognizing excellence in the business industry.

The confirmed awardees are from different business industries and have been recognized as the best in their respective fields. These include Chef Chateau, Hiroshi Wellness Healthcare Solutions, RIO'S Catering Services, Robin's RTW Boutique, Fotomagika Photography & Photobooth, JP Food Service, Petals of Love MNL, and Lagniappe PrintShop

To participate or learn more about the event, visit the official website at www. philippinefinestbusinessaward.com. For inquiries or partnership opportunities, please contact La Visual Corporation at contact@lavisualcorporation.com or Sirbisu Channel at info@sirbisuchannel.com.

FILIPINO World and Olympic champion weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo shows the triumphant smile that the Iba ang

Ngiti sa One Ginebra Nation campaign exemplifies.

SISTERS Race and Rhonda Wong are the founders of Ohmyhome.

Luxury and uLtra-Luxury markets remain resiLient

By Rizal Raoul S. Reyes

Joey Roi Bondoc, director of research of Colliers Philippines, said in their recent press briefing that the luxury units (P8 million and above or $145,500 and above) grabbed the largest share with 34 percent of total takeup, up from only 5 percent in 2022. Bondoc attributed the take-up in 2022 to the demand in projects located in major central business districts (CBDs) such as Fort Bonifacio, Bay Area and Ortigas CBD. “Colliers believes that the luxury and ultra-luxury segments will likely remain resilient despite rising interest and mortgage rates.”

Colliers Philippines also believes the continued improvement of Metro

Manila’s infrastructure backbone will also play a crucial role in enhancing the prices of condominium projects across the capital region, particularly the luxury and ultra-luxury units.

Bondoc said the increasing land values and prices of construction materials will also likely drive developers to introduce more premium residential units. Meanwhile, Colliers Philippines expects an aggressive launch of luxury units in the CBDs as well as Metro Manila outskirts.

“Major developers’ recent residential launches primarily cater to the affluent market. In 2022, about a third of newly-launched units are classified as upscale to ultra-luxury. In our view, investors prefer these luxury units

due to capital appreciation potential and are a viable hedge against inflation,” Bondoc said.

A constant rise in land values coupled with surging prices of construction materials also compel developers to focus on the more expensive spectrum of Metro Manila’s condominium market.

Bondoc believes the luxury and ultra-luxury segments will likely remain resilient despite ris -

SHDA intensifies programs on giving back to communities

The collaboration, likewise, has extended to both organizations P200,000 financial assistance to the victims of a road accident involving police students of Regional Training Center 10.

Both parties also teamed up with the Philippine National Police Training Institute. They donated school supplies and slippers to indigent students in Calamba, Laguna, last March 15.

“We are aiming to provide skills training, job opportunities, and support for calamity relief and community outreach as part of its initiative,” said SHDA Cares Vice Committee Chairman Joy de Joya.

By Roderick L. Abad

THE Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) announced the formalization and institutionalization of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program.

The group, through SHDA Cares initiative, conducts a series of events to address its thrusts on three main areas: solving homelessness, giving skills training, and doing community outreach and calamity relief efforts.

“We believe that as an organization, we have a responsibility to give back to the community,” said Herbert Tan, committee chairman of SHDA Cares.

“We are committed to our CSR thrusts and will continue to work towards making a positive impact in the lives of the people we serve,” he added.

True to its housing provision mandate, SHDA Cares will tie up with non -

governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country, such as Gawad Kalinga, Habitat for Humanity, and similar movements that have been at the forefront of building homes in the grassroots.

O n March 25, the association will visit the Chosen Children Village in Silang, Cavite. Members are enjoined to spend time with the differently-abled residents of the orphanage. Any support, whether in cash or consumables, is welcome.

Prior to this, SHDA Cares partnered with the Rotary Club of Makati Central (RCMC iCare).

They held two community outreach programs at Camp 7 Elementary School Baguio and UPI Maguindanao last February 22 and 24, respectively.

“Beyond disaster relief efforts, SHDA Cares aims to encourage active involvement among its members in activities with social impact,” she noted.

With the leadership of SHDA Chairman Arlene C. Keh and President Arch. Leonardo B. Dayao Jr., SHDA Cares will also be more proactive in working with different organizations and agencies in the fulfillment of such thrusts.

Established in 1970, SHDA is the biggest and leading industry association for housing and urban development in the country.

It has eight regional chapters and 350 members, including top real-estate developers players and a national network of small and medium developers—all producing over 80 percent of homes built annually in the country, giving the organization an unparalleled reach amongst Filipino homebuyers.

ing interest and mortgage rates.

“In our view, the continued improvement of Metro Manila’s infrastructure backbone will also play a crucial role in lifting the prices of condominium projects across the capital region, particularly the luxury and ultra-luxury units. Increasing land values and prices of construction materials will also likely compel developers to launch more highpriced residential units,” Bondoc explained.

According to Colliers Philippines, investors prefer these luxury units due to capital appreciation potential and are a viable hedge against inflation. A constant rise in land values coupled with surging prices of construction materials also force

developers to focus on the more expensive spectrum of Metro Manila’s condominium market.

Colliers Philippines project a gradual price rebound starting this year would offset corrections in the market caused by a lethargic economic situation in 2020 and 2021.

“Previous crises have affected demand for residential projects in Metro Manila, resulting in a price correction. However, historical data would show that the luxury segment is resilient, exhibiting stability amid an economic crunch and showing signs of immediate recovery after global financial meltdowns.

Luxury and ultra-luxury projects in Metro Manila, in particular, recorded a steady

rise in prices after the Asian and global financial crises. In our view, the demand for luxury residential units is likely to be sustained beyond 2023,”Bondoc explained.

In 2022, Colliers recorded the launch of 6,000 luxury and ultra-luxury units, representing 25 percent of total launches during the period. Among the luxury and ultra-luxury projects launched in Q4 2022 include Rockwell Land’s Edades West and Arthaland’s Eluria. These pre-selling projects’ total contract prices (TCPs) per unit range from P102 million to P149 million ($1.9 million to $2.7 million) with prices on a per sq.m basis ranging from P472,000 to P519,000 ($8,600 to $9,400).

Redefining affordable hospitality: RedDoorz Philippines celebrates momentous milestone, now with over 500 hotel properties nationwide

MANILA, Philippines—

RedDoorz, one of the fastest-growing hotel chains in Southeast Asia, is proud to announce the latest milestone to its accolade of impressive accomplishments. The company has expanded its services and reach in the Philippines, adding a considerable amount of hotel properties and bringing a total of 528 accessible hotels to guests nationwide.

This momentous development marks a vital step for the company as it establishes itself as one of the leaders in the hospitality industry in the Philippines. RedDoorz’s continuous expansion is a testament to the company’s commitment to providing quality and affordable accommodations to travelers across the country. The company’s incorporation of innovative technology, combined with its expertise in the hospitality industry, played a considerable role in establishing strong partnerships with local property owners and operators.

“Our team here at RedDoorz is very thrilled to reach this milestone. Despite the challenges we had to overcome with the pandemic, we’ve been able to produce such aggressive growth by growing our hotels from 200 to 500 plus in the last 2 years,” said Sarah Pante, the Country Manager of RedDoorz Philippines.

“This achievement will only motivate us further to provide affordable and accessible accommodations nationwide to Filipinos, whatever the budget is,” she added.

The challenge Pante referred to

was RedDoorz Philippines’ achievement of breaking even despite the hindrance the pandemic presented to all businesses worldwide. Along with RedDoorz Indonesia, both branches contributed 95 percent of the company’s total revenue.

Following the expansion, RedDoorz is now officially present in 95 cities nationwide, including in major areas such as Metro Manila, Cebu, and Davao. The new hotel properties under the latest development will offer all guests clean, comfortable rooms and enjoyable amenities.

Each hotel comes with the excellent customer service that RedDoorz is known for, and business travelers or families can expect a pleasant experience throughout their stay. With this outstanding achievement, RedDoorz remains motivated to provide every traveler with accessible and excellent accommodations, regardless of budget. Travelers can now experience the future of the hospitality industry with a wide range of quality accommodations accompanied by RedDoorz’s excellent service.

After experiencing a slowdown for the past two and half years caused by the pandemic, Metro Manila’s luxury condominium market started making a comeback in 2022, according to the latest data from Colliers Philippines.

“Luxury must be comfortable, otherwise it is not luxury.” –Coco Chanel

THE Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), through its SHDA Cares program, ties up with the Rotary Club of Makati Central (RCMC iCare). As shown in photo, members of both parties pose for posterity with beneficiaries of the outreach program conducted at UPI Maguindanao.

M C k I n LE y Hill PACI f I C Plaza Condominium-Apartment Ridge

Sports

B8 Wednesday, March 22, 2023

mirror_sports@yahoo.com.ph

Editor: Jun Lomibao

‘IRONMAN’ FIGHTS THE BIG C

By Josef Ramos

ARECORD 744 straight games playing 17 hard-

pounding years in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) first with San Miguel Beer then Alaska and now with the ever-popular Barangay Ginebra San Miguel.

He who’s one of the finest point guards who ever played in the 47-year-old league and before that, a king Blue Eagle with Ateneo and a FIBA World Cup veteran.

A nd now this.

L ewis Alfred Tenorio announced on Tuesday that he’s been diagnosed of Stage 3 colon cancer.

“ I was recently diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer,” Tenorio said in a statement posted in the PBA website. “The initial testing three weeks ago led me to instantly miss practices and games.”

I have completed my surgery last week and will soon undergo treatment for the next few months,” he added.

Tenorio, 38, was always at the forefront for Ginebra but played his last game with the team last March 1 against the Meralco Bolts at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

He was then reportedly diagnosed to have developed sports hernia.

But Tenorio said he’s taking a break from the game and that he hasn’t entertained thoughts of retiring and would fight the disease like true athlete.

“ But with my FAITH, I am lifting everything to God now and I believe there is a higher purpose as I go through this part of my life,” he said. “I am not yet retiring from the game I love, and with the help of the best doctors in the Philippines and Singapore, I BELIEVE I can touch

a basketball once more and return stronger.”

N o active PBA player in recent memory is believed to have been diagnosed with cancer.

Tenorio was the fourth overall pick by San Miguel Beer in the talent rich 2006 Rookie Draft topped by Most Valuable Player Kelly Williams of Sta. Lucia Realty, with Arwind Santos bu Air21 and Joseph Yeo by Coca-Cola, among others.

For playing 744 straight games, Tenorio was called the PBA’s latest “Ironman,” a label that was originally owned by Jimmy Noblezada of the U-tex Wranglers team for his tough and tumble plays.

Tenorio thanked the league, his teammates, San Miguel Corp. and his family for their support, but also sought privacy as he battles the disease.

TNT VS. PHOENIX IN QUARTERFINALS

TNT battles Phoenix Super LPG in Wednesday’s quarterfinals of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup—a game set at 4 p.m. at the Smart Araneta Coliseum which Tropang Giga head coach doesn’t want to take lightly.

By any means, we’re not thinking that this is going to be an easy game because Phoenix can come up with a solid game,” Lastimosa told BusinessMirror on Tuesday. “We just have to cover all bases—we defend and move the ball … the usual things we do.”

T NT topped the eliminations with a 10-1 won-lost card for a twiceto-beat advantage against No. 8 Phoenix.

No. 4 seed Meralco, meanwhile, takes on No. 5 Magnolia at 5:45 p.m. with the Bolts hoping to get the

Quiban joins title chase straight from New Delhi

JUSTIN QUIBAN, toughened up by stints on the Asian Tour, headed straight from New Delhi to Iloilo in pursuit of a third Philippine Golf Tour(PGT) championship as the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Iloilo Golf Challenge presented by MORE Power unwraps Wednesday at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club.

Q uiban tied for 14th in the just-concluded DGC Open won by compatriot Miguel Tabuena in India last Sunday. He and Tabuena crowded the leaders in the first two rounds of the Asian Tour event but while the latter bounced back in the final 18 holes and rallied from six down to win the crown with a solid 65, he wavered with a 73 and settled for a Top 15 finish.

B ut he expects to flash his top form and contend right in the first round of this week’s P2.25 million event put up by ICTSI against a mix of aces coming off a rousing battle in the ICTSI Negros Occidental Golf Challenge topped by Ira Alido. Th at should stir

up the chase for the top P405,000 purse with the 22-year-old Alido, who fought back from six shots down to snare the crown in a thriller of a finish, seeking to sweep the two-leg Visayan swing of the circuit organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

But a host of others are also ready and keen on disputing the championship on a course that offers a different kind of challenge with its hilly and water-laced makeup and its last line defense also tipped to bring out the best and the worst from the men of the tour.

Q uiban scored a career breakthrough with a three-shot win over Joenard Rates in the Central Azucarera de Tarlac Open of the PGT Asia at Luisita in late 2017 then fashioned out a five-stroke romp over Jay Bayron at Bacolod Golf and Country Club in Murcia in 2018.

H e then campaigned abroad and achieved a dream of playing in a Professional Golfers Association Tour event by qualifying in the 3M Open in 2021.

B ut while he exudes confidence this week, he also faces a stiff challenge not

just from Alido, but also from the likes of Tony Lascuna, Zanieboy Gialon, Frankie Miñoza, Guido van der Valk, Rupert Zaragosa, Alvin Engino, Nilo Salahog and Jhonnel Ababa, who all figured in a furious final day skirmish at Marapara.

A lso tipped to shine are former Philippine Open champion Clyde Mondilla, former PGT leg winners Reymon Jaraula, Michael Bibat, Jerson Balasabas and Jobim Carlos while local bet Rene Menor hopes to cash in on his knowledge of the challenging layout.

Others vying in the 72-hole championship are Tour regulars Jun Bernis, Rico Depilo, Orlan Sumcad, Marvin Dumandan, Gerald Rosales, Enrico Gallardo, Richard Sinfuego, Art Arbole, Mars Pucay, Paul Echavez, Dan Cruz and Arnold Villacencio and young guns Sean Ramos, Josh Jorge, Gab Manotoc, Kristoffer Arevalo, Russel Bautista, Jonas Magcalayo, Don Petil, Ivan Monsale and Elee Bisera.

EAGLE-EYED that he has always been, Tim Cone saw something new in San Miguel Beer (SMB). And it’s a positive microscopic find for SMB that bordered on the Beermen being reborn with genes never seen before.

It’s this:  Without June Mar Fajardo, San Miguel Beer has transformed from freeze to fast. Meaning, the Beermen have metamorphosed overnight into a faster force than when Fajardo was around.

A s a result, the team has quickly produced wonders in the form of three murderous wins in a row against NLEX (126-106), Rain or Shine (129-116) and Converge (121-105) for a twice-to-beat bonus in finishing No. 2 in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Governors Cup eliminations.

Th is happened while Fajardo was in sick bay after suffering a knee injury in SMB’s ill-fated foray in the East Asia Super League tournament in Japan only a while back.

A s we all know, Fajardo has been SMB’s perennial pillar, having powered his team to 9-of-10 title runs and, in the

MALIXI CONSTANTINO UY

Rianne, Daniella, Harmie seek major fightback in Iloilo golfest

THREE of the big names on the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour (LPGT) who fell short of expectations last week look to do better this time as the International Container Terminal Services Inc. (ICTSI) Iloilo Golf Challenge presented by MORE Power reels off Wednesday at the Iloilo Golf and Country Club.

For one, the region’s oldest championship course provides bigger landing spots off the mound than Marapara, putting more emphasis on power although multiple hazards come into play in most holes, thus also requiring precision on iron play and wedge shots, including putting.

“I like the course, it’s a little bit more hilly than Marapara. The front nine is more like Valley South and the back like Aguinaldo,” said top amateur Rianne Malixi, whose run of victories in the country’s premier circuit came to an end with a joint third place effort in last week’s ICTSI Negros Occidental Golf Challenge ruled by Chanelle Avaricio in come-from-behind fashion over Sarah Ababa.

M alixi, 16, swept all her three stints in last year’s edition of the Tour put up by ICTSI, upstaging Princess Superal at Luisita then dominating the Valley and Riviera stops.

But she struggled at the tight Marapara layout coming off a stint in the Women’s Amateur Asia Pacific Championship in Singapore, opening with a 78 and hardly recovering with a pair of 73s to finish tied for third with Pamela Mariano.

I’m not familiar with the course but it’s something that interests me. So I’m looking forward to the next three days,” she added. “I really don’t know what to expect but will take it

shot-by-shot and just play my game. But I also have to be patient.”

Daniella Uy, who said Marapara requires a lot of fade shots in contrast her (draw) game, is brimming with confidence, saying: “Iloilo is more open so I can use my driver often.”

I always aim for a win, I always give myself a chance in every tournament. But my performance last week wasn’t really my best, so hopefully, I’ll play better this week,” said Uy.

S he scored an LPGT breakthrough at the tough Riviera-Langer in 2021 then campaigned in a couple of tours in the US. She hardly contended and wound up tied 27th in last month’s Anvaya Cove International but put herself in the early mix at Marapara with a first round 73.

A 7 7 and 75 in the next two rounds, however, dropped her to fifth but the former Junior World champion expects to crowd Avaricio, Ababa, Malixi and the rest for top honors in this second leg of this year’s LPGT organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments Inc.

L ike Malixi and Uy, Harmie Constantino also likes her chances after a seventh-place effort at Marapara but braces for a more challenging week.

I don’t think my performance last week was really good. I think I can play better,” said the inaugural ICTSI Match Play champion. “But for me, the Iloilo layout is harder, so it’s going to be tough but it will be a fun week.”

Beefing up the cast are amateurs Mafy Singson and Laurea Duque along with pros Rev Alcantara, Florence Bisera, Kristine Fleetwood, Apple Fudolin, Lovelynn Guioguio, Lesley Icoy, Majorie Pulumbarit, Eva Miñoza, Gretchen Villacencio, Sheryl Villacencio and former three-time Order of Merit winner Cyna Rodriguez.

World meet berths staked in IM Davao

AONE-OF-A-KIND racing experience awaits the more than a thousand participants in the Alveo Ironman 70.3 Davao with berths to this year’s world championship up for grabs in the premier endurance race firing off Sunday at the Azuela Cove.

O n top of the 30 slots offered in various age-group categories, the blue-ribbon event is also staking 25 extra spots for women to the 2023 VinFast Ironman 70.3 World Championship on August 26 and 27 in Lahti, Finland. That makes this weekend’s 1.9-km swim, 90-km bike and 21-km run event powered by Petron doubly exciting with the qualifiers gaining the rare chance to race under the Nordic midnight sun in Lahti, the gateway to the Finnish Lake District, less than an hour from the capital city of Helsinki.

The event, organized by The Ironman Group/Sunrise Events Inc., has already generated so much interest, this marking the return of the pros in local triathlon in general, and in Davao in particular, after it hosted the Ironman 70.3 in 2018 and 2019 which Mexico’s Mauricio Mendez and Germany’s Markus Rolli, respectively, topped.

A h andful of Filipino triathletes have competed in past world championships but with 55 slots now

process, crowning himself a six-time Most Valuable Player awardee—a record. Only Ramon Fernandez and Alvin Patrimonio are close by with four MVP trophies apiece.

Cone, the winningest PBA coach in the 47-year-old league with 25 crowns across his name, said he noticed that minus Fajardo, the Beermen have unlocked a high level of play anchored on Formula One swiftness.

“ They (Beermen) now play a little quicker, a little bit more up and down,” Ginebra coach Cone told the Inquirer’s Denison Rey A. Dalupang. “They have been able to overcome June Mar’s absence with flying colors.”

A very apt observation, indeed.

For, with the 6-foot-10 June Mar around, San Miguel’s executions had been practically centered on him. And, to be honest, they produced results, mainly, of course, through Fajardo’s sheer height. With his height as might, June Mar’s slow-foot moves in the paint got offset more often than not.

B ut in the transition from Fajardo’s snail-slow pace

being offered, expect a spirited chase for top honors in the event backed by event partners Alveo, Petron, Lungsod ng Dabaw, Azuela Cove, Davao Light, Lightwater, Prudential Guarantee, One Sport and Cignal. Eighteen pros and a slew of age-group aces from 46 countries of varying styles and forms are all geared up for what looms to be a furious battle of speed, power and stamina over a challenging swim, a single loop fast flat bike and a hot, grueling run course.

Portuguese Filipe Azevedo and fellow Ironman 70.3 champion Tuan Chun Chang of Taiwan banner the men’s pro cast, both seeking to bring their winning acts to the king city of the south. Now based in Dubai, Azevedo, 30, dominated the 2019 Ironman 70.3 Shanghai and topped his country’s Middle Distance Triathlon National Championships last year, while Chang ruled the Ironman Taitung in record fashion (3:52.48) and topped the Taipei Triathlon National Championships, both last year.

Aussie Dimity-Lee Duke, a regular local triathlon campaigner who dominated a number of 5150 races before the pandemic, heads the women’s pro cast that also features Sarah Crowley, who topped the ITU Long Distance Triathlon world tilt and finished third in the IM World Championship, both in 2017, and Lottie Lucas of United Arab Emirates.

to CJ Perez’s Ferrari-speed assaults, will that translate into outright advantage for SMB in the much-awaited San Miguel-Ginebra best-of-five semifinal clash that begins either on Friday on Sunday?

CJ is playing MVP basketball,” Cone said. “Nobody’s been able to stop him from getting to the basket. He’s been hitting threes, too.”

K nowing Cone, he is now busy sharpening his blades to cut down Perez to size, especially now that the Pangasinan pride has virtually become SMB’s new go-to-guy.

C an SMB coach Jorge Gallent hold the fort against a coach as formidable as Cone?  Blink not, fellas.

THAT’S IT   Miguel Tabuena deserves praise for winning The DGC Open in New Delhi on Sunday, shooting a spotless sevenunder-par 65 to prevail by one shot after being down six strokes going into the final round. He buried four birdies in his final nine holes in capturing his third Asian Tour crown. Cheers Migs!

Cone right in assessing Beermen’s new genes

USTIN QUIBAN expects to flash his top form and contend right in the first round of this week’s P2.25 million event.

VETERAN playmaker LA Tenorio is diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer.