Manila Standard - 2020 November 2 - Monday

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Killer howler exits, Siony enters ‘Rolly’ batters Bicol, Quezon, Batangas; leaves 10 dead

By Willie Casas, Jess Malabanan, Alena Mae S. Flores and Jimbo Gulle

T

YPHOON “Rolly” began its trek toward the West Philippine Sea Sunday night, but not before making four landfalls and leaving ten people dead and much of Luzon submerged in floods, with damaged houses, crops, and infrastructure.

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 241 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Rolly made its fourth landfall in Lobo, Batangas after stops in Bato, Catanduanes; Tiwi, Albay; and San Narciso, Quezon as it continued to weaken considerably— from its 315 km/h super typhoon-level sustained winds before landfall to “just” 125 km/h—as it remained moving westward at 25 km/h.

Deadly landslides in Albay The strongest typhoon of the year also triggered deadly landslides that buried a number of houses in Albay.

At least seven people were killed in Albay province, Civil Defense said in a statement.

Several of the victims died in raininduced landslides of volcanic ash that police said engulfed numerous houses in two adjacent villages near the active Mayon volcano in the province.

"We have recovered three bodies and are looking for three more," said Major Domingo Tapel, chief of police in Guinobatan town.

Nearly 400,000 people have fled their homes, most of them to evacuation centers, the Civil Defense said.

"The winds are fierce. We can hear the trees being pummeled. It's very strong," Francia Mae Borras, 21, said from her home in the coastal city of Legazpi in Albay.

The roofs of two evacuation centers were torn off by the force of the wind and the occupants moved to the ground floors, the provincial public safety chief Cedric Daep told radio dzBB. Next page

Rody to address nation in wake of a series of calamities

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is expected to address the nation regarding developments on Typhoon “Rolly” Monday night, Malacañang said on Sunday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said that even if the Chief Executive did not preside over the recent National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) briefing, he continues to monitor the government's preparations for the super typhoon.

“The President is monitoring developments and we actually expect him Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM NOV. 1) Artwork shows areas hard-hit by super typhoon 'Goni" (Rolly) such as Batangas which has to evacuate thousands of residents, the devastated Naga Airport in Camarines Sur, laharflooded Daraga in Albay before sparing Metro Manila which has braced itself for the killer howler that barrels its way to the West Philippine Sea.

Farmers beat storm, save P17.5b DOH evacuates virus patients,

By Othel V. Campos frontliners to hotels, safe havens

Goni), the 18th weather disturbance to hit the country this year.

EARLY harvest by farmers saved as That latest report released by the Demuch as P17.53 billion of rice and corn partment of Agriculture suggested a total crops planted to areas along the path 242,638 hectares of rice had been saved of Typhoon Rolly (international name Next page

TRUMP, BIDEN HIT SWING STATES

NEWS / A2

By Willie Casas

ties, as Typhoon “Rolly” batters the country, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III PATIENTS afflicted with COVID-19 and said on Sunday. the health care workers attending to them In a briefing at the headquarters of the in quarantine facilities have been trans- National Disaster Risk Reduction and ferred to hotels and other isolation faciliNext page

383,113 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,396 27,115 NEW

ACTIVE

7,238

17

DEATHS

NEW

348,760 17,727 RECOVERIES

NEW

COVID-19 cases Unioil sets off price cut by P0.80/liter spike anew as 15 labs fail to report

By Alena Mae S. Flores PUMP prices will likely go down by as much as P0.80 per liter effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world market.

Unioil Philippines said during the weekend consumers could expect diesel

and gasoline prices to go down by P0.80 per liter.

“Expect fuel prices to go down next week (November 3 to 9),” it said.

Diesel should go down by P0.80 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.80 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its weekly advisory.

Next page

By Willie Casas

THE Philippines logged on Sunday 2,396 new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) infections bringing the total to 383,113 in the country, the Department of Health reported.

Next page

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News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Trump, Biden hit swing states D

ONALD Trump visits five swing states Sunday in a punishing finale to a frantic weekend sprint against challenger Joe Biden just days ahead of the US presidential election.

The candidates and their top surrogates barreled through crucial states in the industrial Midwest and coastal southeast on Saturday, pressing closing arguments.

Trump will rally voters Sunday with an exhausting schedule in toss-up states Michigan, Iowa, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida while Biden focuses on Pennsylvania, a key battleground likely to play a crucial role in Tuesday's election.

Underscoring the high stakes—and the disruptive impact of the coronavirus pandemic—a record 92 million early votes have already been cast, as the bruising contest heads toward the biggest turnout in at least a century.

Using some of his most urgent language yet, Trump warned Saturday of "bedlam in our country" if no clear winner emerges quickly in the election, saying, without evidence, that it could take weeks to sort out a result and that "very bad things" could happen in the interim.

Biden meanwhile told backers it was "time for Donald Trump to pack his bags and go home."

The virus has killed more than 230,000 Americans, ravaged the world's largest economy and is infecting record numbers

of people across the US. The election takes place in a deeply divided country, with feelings so raw that gun sales have surged in some areas.

Businesses in some cities, including Washington, are protectively boarding windows, and police are preparing for the possibility of violence.

Trump focused Saturday on Pennsylvania—"the state where the story of American independence began," he said in the small city of Newtown, the first of four stops in that state amid a frenetic final sprint.

Biden made his first joint appearance of the campaign with his former boss Barack Obama—probably the most popular Democrat in the country—in Flint, Michigan as they scrambled to boost turnout in a state Trump carried by a razor-thin margin in 2016.

Pennsylvania has emerged as one of the top prizes this year.

In his motorcade en route to rural Bucks County, the president passed hundreds of supporters holding up a forest of pro-Trump signs. The crowd then booed trailing vehicles that were carrying reporters, a regular target of

Trump's attacks.

Trump lashed out at Biden, saying he would shut down the state's fossil-fuel industry.

The president claimed credit for creating the "greatest economy in the history of this country—the history of the world"—while "foreign nations are in freefall."

Despite recent signs of recovery from the virus-induced economic pain, however, millions remain jobless.

The campaign has been overshadowed by the surging pandemic, which even sickened Trump and members of his staff.

Stanford University economists estimated in a study out Thursday that 18 of Trump's campaign rallies had resulted in more than 30,000 coronavirus cases and more than 700 deaths -- although not necessarily among attendees -- based on statistical modeling.

In stark contrast to Trump, who has belittled mask-wearing by Biden and others, the Democrat has scrupulously followed the guidance of public health experts.

After Biden and Obama appeared Saturday before a socially distanced drive-in rally in Flint, they made an unannounced stop in suburban Bloomfield Hills before heading to Detroit, where they were joined by superstar singer Stevie Wonder.

Biden leads in the state by nearly seven points, according to a RealClearPolitics

average of polls. Michigan's 16 electoral votes could provide a sizable leap towards the 270 needed to win the White House.

Trump, in eking out his 2016 victory, took advantage of low turnout rates among Black Michigan voters. As Biden campaigns with the nation's first Black president, he clearly hopes to change that.

Obama pulled few punches in Flint and Detroit, saying 140,000 American lives would have been saved if the president had taken an approach to the pandemic similar to Canada's.

"This is not a contest of just calling each other names," Obama said.

"This isn't a sporting event. This is life or death."

Biden said "we're done with the chaos, the tweets, the anger, the failure, the refusal to take any responsibility."

Biden's campaign announced he will address the nation on election night from his home base of Wilmington, after a vote that will undoubtedly leave millions bitterly disappointed, no matter who wins.

After a campaign largely muted by the pandemic, Biden has taken the offensive, pushing Trump onto the back foot in unexpected battlegrounds like Georgia and Texas, a large, traditionally conservative bastion now seen as a toss-up.

On Friday, Texas reported a staggering nine million residents had already voted, surpassing its 2016 total. AFP

Killer...

From A1

Metro Manila spared, Batangas hit In its 8 p.m. update, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said Rolly (international name Goni) was already about 120 kilometers west of Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro.

The storm did spare Metro Manila from a direct hit, but left Catanduanes, Albay, Camarines Norte and Sur, Quezon province, and areas in the Calabarzon region in shambles on All Saints’ Day. Many areas, especially in Batangas City around nightfall, were inundated by the intense to torrential rainfall from the year’s strongest storm, as thousands of villagers needed immediate rescue from waist-deep flooding.

The entire province of Cavite was placed under a state of calamity on Sunday as a result of the typhoon, Gov. Jonvic Remulla said.

Provincial disaster management office chief Eloisa Rozul told radio dzBB almost 2,000 people from 12 towns or cities have been evacuated as of Sunday noon.

Signal No. 3 remained hoisted over the southwestern portion of Batangas and the northwestern portion of Occidental Mindoro.

Cavite, the rest of Batangas, the northern portion of Oriental Mindoro and the central portion of Occidental Mindoro were under Signal No. 2.

Signal No. 1 was in effect over the southern portion of Zambales.

No storm signals were up in the National Capital Region by 8 p.m.

Sunday, but PAGASA warned of flash floods and storm surges that could

Farmers...

From A1

from Regions I, II, III, IV-A, and V with an equivalent production of 1,071,344 metric tons amounting to P16.96 billion.

Malacañang, meanwhile, has given assurances that prices of basic goods and commodities remained stable and within prevailing prices amid Rolly's onslaught.

In a press conference, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the Department of Trade and Industry would conduct regular monitoring to apprehend unscrupulous retailers.

"According to the DTI, generally price and supply of basic necessities and price

Unioil...

From A1

World oil prices decline amid continuing increase in coronavirus infections especially in the US and renewed lockdowns from various countries which could dampen demand.

Meanwhile, the oil firms raised the price of cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) by as much as P3.20 per kilo effective 12:01 am November 1.

Petron Corp. and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines implemented a P3.20 per kilo increase (VAT-inclusive) while rival Isla LPG which markets the Solane brand raised its LPG product prices by P2.84

Rody...

From A1

to address the nation. I just don't know when," he said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Roque said it was Duterte who called for a press conference with NDRRMC and other concerned agencies.

Roque could not say if the President would visit typhoon-affected areas when the situation improves.

“Even though it is difficult to travel because of COVID, the President is monitoring and he'll make the decision about whether he can make rounds," he said.

He said all agencies are on standby to respond to eventualities that might occur due to the typhoon.

Duterte is in his hometown of Davao City and is expected to fly back to Manila on Nov. 3, Roque said.

Senator Christopher Go, a former aide to the President, said Duterte has already issued orders to the concerned government agencies to respond to the effects of the typhoon.

Aside from mitigating the typhoon’s effects, the government is focused on immediately restoring normalcy once Typhoon Rolly has left the country, Go added.

This includes the repair of infrastructure and the restoration of power, he said.

He added that the police force and the military are on high alert and ready to respond to the crisis.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development has already prepared and prepositioned relief and financial assistance to those who will be hit by the typhoon, he added.

Go urged local governments to ensure that they have evacuation centers that are ready to accommodate evacuees while strictly implementing health and safety protocols necessary to avoid the spread of COVID-19 and other diseases.

DOH...

From A1

Residents wade through knee-high flash floods in Mogpog, Marinduque. Jay Morales

reach three meters (nine feet) high.

Code Red Health Secretary Francisco Duque III on Sunday reported that the Department of Health (DOH) has prepositioned about P26.5 million worth of drugs, medicines, medical supplies, health kits, including personal protective equipment and other COVID-19 supplies in preparation for Typhoon Rolly.

He added that a total of P21.7 million worth of commodities are also available and can be immediately mobilized at the DOH Central Office warehouse.

Duque added that the DOH has raised the code red alert in all affected regions and has alerted hospitals to

ensure standby generator sets and adequate critical life-saving equipment for use in emergencies.

At the regional Centers for Health Development (CHDs), Duque ordered the activation of emergency operation centers in Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Cordillera Administrative Region, Calabarzon, Mimaropa and the Bicol Region.

In Calabarzon, all DOH hospitals were put on Code Blue alert as part of disaster preparedness measures to deal with the impact of Typhoon Rolly.

“The regional office is ready and prepared to provide assistance to local government units that will be needing essential health care services,” said regional director Eduardo Janairo.

“Our provincial health teams, especially in the province of Quezon, are already in coordination with local government units and prepared to provide assistance for the management of the most common health-related problems that may result from this typhoon,” he said.

'Siony' already inside PAR Even with Rolly exiting the Philippine area of responsibility on Tuesday, PAGASA warned that Tropical Storm “Siony” was already inside the country and could graze the northern end of Luzon by Friday, November 6.

At 11 a.m. Sunday, Siony was at 1,365 km east of Central Luzon, with maximum sustained winds of 75 km/h and moving west northwest at 30 km/h. With AFP

commodities remain stable," Roque said.

He said the DTI was also monitoring to ensure that suggested retail price would be followed particularly in areas to be heavily affected by the typhoon.

Saved corn, meanwhile, amounted to P579 million from a total of 11,132 hectares in Regions I, II, V, and VIII. Total volume of corn saved amounted to 45,703 MT. The DA closely coordinates with concerned non-government organizations, local government units and other Disaster Risk Reduction-related offices on the impact of Rolly and for the provision of available resources for interventions and assistance.

It has also syncrhonized movements with water management-related agencies

for flood risk monitoring and dam water release as well as it also closely monitored possible damage and losses that may be incurred in the agri-fisheries sector.

The DA has readied the following provisions for affected farmers : 133,326 bags of rice seeds; 17,545 bags of corn seeds; 1,980 kgs of assorted vegetables; and drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry; It has also prepared as much as P400 million for Quick Response Fund the help farmers rehabilitate damaged areas affected by the typhoon and financial assiatance through the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Loan Program of Agricultural Credit Policy Council.

The DA also assured farmers of indemnification fund from the Philippine

Crop Insurance Corporation to pay for crops losses.

Roque warned retailers against taking advantage of the typhoon to jack up the prices of basic goods and commodities.

He urged retailers to practice the spirit of "bayanihan" by keeping prices stable.

"The request of the President at this time of calamity, I hope we practice bayanihan. Don't take advantage of the needs of our countrymen," he said.

Section 6 of Republic Act 7581 or the Price Act of 1992 states that prices of basic necessities in an area shall automatically be frozen at their prevailing prices or placed under automatic price control whenever the area is proclaimed or declared a disaster area or under a state of calamity.

per kilo.

This equivalent to an increase of P31.24 to P35.20 per 11-kilo tank, which currently sells from P560 to P798 per tank depending on the supplier, market conditions, and location, among others.

“AutoLPG prices will likewise increase by P1.79/li at the same time. These reflect the international contract price of LPG for the month of November,” Petron said.

On October 27, the oil companies rolled back the price of diesel by P0.25 per liter and kerosene by P0.15 per liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market but did not move gasoline prices.

COVID-19...

From A1

The DOH also reported 17,727 recoveries, bringing the total to 348,760.

The DOH also reported 17 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 7,238.

There are also 27,115 active cases.

The DOH also said 12 duplicates were removed from the total case count. Of these, 8 were recovered cases.

Some 15 labs were not able to submit their data to the COVID-19 Data Repository System (CDRS) on October 31, 2020.

Meanwhile, the DOH said it did not endorse the use of necklace air purifiers,

adding that while wearing such didi not pose any harm, there was still no evidence that would suggest they were effective against COVID-19.

“While these devices do not pose any harm, the DOH currently does not recommend using these devices due to lack of evidence of efficacy,” the DOH said in a statement.

“The DOH emphasizes that it is not endorsing the use of necklace air purifiers that claim to kill bacteria or viruses, or protect from COVID-19,” it added.

The DOH pointed out wearing such air purifiers should not replace the minimum health standards in place against COVID-19.

Management Council (NDRRMC) Sunday, Duque said patients and staff in Albay province, Metro Manila and Bulacan have all been moved to hotels, motels and other isolation facilities to keep them safe from the storm.

Some P26.5 million worth of medicine, medical supplies, health kits, personal protective equipmentand other supplies related to COVID-19 are already position in different centers for health development, he said.

At the same time, the DOH also has prepared P21.7 million worth of additional supplies and commodities, Duque said, which are currently at the department's central office warehouse.

Duque said the DOH central office was under a Code Blue Alert, which meant that half of its employees should report to the central office or other health facilities.

The DOH has also alerted hospitals to ensure that they have functional generator sets and their critical life-saving equipment are also prepared in case of power interruptions, Duque said.

Duque said DOH Region V was on Code Red Alert, which means that all its employees will be required to report to work.

Considering that the COVID-19 pandemic is still ongoing, Duque urged those in evacuation centers to keep observing minimum health standards as much as possible.

He reminded local chief executives to deploy safety officers to evacuation centers to ensure that these health standards against COVID-19 are being practiced.

Duque reminded evacuees to practice physical distancing, wash their hands, avoid touching their face, and use cloth masks.

The Health secretary advised evacuees to consult a doctor in case they experience severe symptoms of the respiratory illness, such as difficulty in breathing.

Duque also warned the public against wading in floodwaters that may put them at risk of contracting leptospirosis.

NDRRMC Executive Director Ricardo Jalad said about 1,000 COVID-19 patients are from mega-treatment facilities located at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Manila, Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City, and Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan have been moved to hotels or other isolation facilities because the tents they are staying in are not designed to resist strong winds.

"Mask wearing, hand washing and physical distancing remain to be our best protection," it added.

The Food and Drug Administration in May said Filipinos should be wary of products claiming to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The FDA gave the warning after the United States’ crackdown on the said brand and other bogus products being marketed to people who sought protection against the virus.

Sales of air purifiers using a unique technology, meanwhile, have grown about fivefold in some countries, such as Indonesia, as many people continue to fear being infected with COVID-19.

News

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A3

Trial of QC prosecutor ordered

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court has ordered the Sandiganbayan to proceed with the trial of an assistant city prosecutor in Quezon City for graft and direct bribery for allegedly extorting P80,000 from a doctor who had been tagged as part of the communist movement.

SET FOR ‘ROLLY.’ Armed Forces Chief Gen. Gilbert Gapay leads the rallying of troops of the Joint Task Force-National Capital Region as the military firms up its responses to Super Typhoon ‘Rolly.’ He told them to expect the worst as ‘Rolly’ threatens Metro Manila, Bicol and Central and South Luzon.

On-site resettlement approved by House panel

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Rep. Alfred Vargas on Sunday welcomed the approval of a substitute bill allowing onsite relocation.

“The passage of a bill providing for onsite resettlement is long overdue. The

need for its approval becomes even more urgent now that we’re facing a pandemic,” Vargas said.

“Poor families need easy access to social services and their workplaces. Having a home shouldn’t always mean a resettlement in far-flung areas where life may be harder for them.”

The substitute bill was expected to be introduced to the plenary soon for further deliberation, Vargas said.

House Bill 236, filed by Vargas, was among similar bills consolidated by the House committee on housing and urban development led by Bacoor Rep. Strike Revilla.

“Poor families shouldn’t be made to choose between having their own homes in far-flung areas or staying in informal settler communities, where they will be closer to jobs and schools. They should be resettled in cities where they live or, at most, in a place closer to where they currently reside,” Vargas said.

Ban on single-use plastic seen BAGONG Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera said Sunday she is optimistic the proposed law banning the use of single-use plastic will finally be approved under the leadership of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.

“I’m glad Speaker Velasco and I are on the same page on the issue of plastic pollution,” Herrera said.

“Having the support of no less than the Speaker, I don’t see any reason why the House should not pass the bill.”

Herrera filed House Bill 3338 prohibiting the use of single-use plastic products to help stop plastic pollution.

The bill and other similar measures have been pending with the House committee on ecology since August 2019.

“By implementing a national policy against the use of singleuse plastics, the State shall ensure the protection of the environment, prioritize the safety of its citizens and prove sustainable development across all sectors,” Herrera said.

Rio N. Araja

HANGING ON. The P28 million 500-meter dolomite ‘beach’ along Manila Bay was spared from being washed out further as Typhoon Rolly changed course and headed to the southeast coast of Batangas instead.

Bill seeks cheaper caskets for poor Filipinos

By Rio N. Araja CEBU Rep. Vincent Franco Frasco is batting for the passage of House Bill 7846 setting a price ceiling of P12,000 for a casket for indigents.

“HB 7846 compassionately eases the financial burdens of grieving indigent Filipinos,” Frasco said.

“When this bill becomes law, funeral parlors are required to make available for poverty-stricken families caskets

worth P12,000.00 or less.”

Frasco, committee on Visayas development chairman, served as Cebu Port Authority commissioner and mayor of Liloan town for nine years.

He is a recipient of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Philippines award for public administration.

HB 7846 seeks to “regulate the funeral industry to widen their product range and rationalize their price range for caskets.”

Need to protect household staff cited

Appeal for the missing Rosxanne THE relatives of missing Gay Rosxanne R. Acasio, who is in her 30’s and a resident of 46 Chevelle Street, Fairview Park, Quezon City, are appealing for any information that can help them find her.

Gay Rosxanne, who has mental-health problems, has been missing since Oct. 26, 2020, and was last seen wearing a pair of beige pajamas at the Casa Milan Subdivision on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, heading for SM Fairview.

If you have seen Gay Rosxanne and know her whereabouts, please call her sister Rachelle Acasio (09633011073) or neighbor Menchie Dulay (09175699845).

The proposed law could benefit millions of low-income Filipino households burdened by exorbitant casket prices.

The bill “indirectly creates the product-price category of caskets for indigents.”

“As long as the caskets offered are still of good quality while also being affordable, then the casket makers and funeral parlors will still be able to make reasonable profit while serving their indigent clientele,” Frasco said.

The high court’s First Division, through Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, reversed the resolutions issued by the anti-graft court on April 12, 2017, and May 22, 2017, which allowed the dismissal of the complaint against Assistant City Prosecutor Raul Desembrana of the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office by the Ombudsman’s Office of the Special Prosecutor due to unreasonable delay in the conduct of the preliminary investigation.

The high court ruled that the Sandiganbayan committed grave abuse of discretion in dismissing the complaints due to a supposed violation of Desembrana’s right to a speedy trial by the Office of the Special Prosecutor.

“Indubitably, neither the OSP nor the Office of the Ombudsman is guilty of inordinate delay in the disposition of the cases against private respondent. The ball was already in the Sandiganbayan’s court, so to speak,” the tribunal said.

“Instead of proceeding with the arraignment of private respondent and the rest of the rigmarole, the Sandiganbayan procrastinated, and worse, on the basis of a law that has been overtaken by time and legal developments.”

Court records showed that Desembrana was criminally charged before the Office of the Ombudsman in November 2014 after he was caught during an entrapment operation accepting an P80,000 bribe from a litigant.

The operation against Desembrana was laid down by the National Bureau of Investigation after receiving a complaint from the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers that the official had demanded the money as “SOP” [standard operating procedure] in exchange for dismissing the unjust vexation, coercion and threat filed against Montes and his son, Dr. Connor Montes, by retired military chaplain Reuben Espartinez.

After posting bail on Nov. 21, 2014, Desembrana filed a motion with the Sandibaganbayan to suspend his arraignment pending his motion to conduct a preliminary investigation with the OSP. This was granted by the Sandiganbayan and gave the OSP 60 days to conduct a full preliminary investigation.

“While the OSP exceeded the time limit of 60 days, the OSP on two occasions sought additional time to complete the preliminary investigation. These were neither opposed by private respondent nor rebuffed by the Sandiganbayan. They were therefore deemed granted,” the high court said.

The high court said Desembrana could also be faulted for the delay since up until Sept. 3, 2015, he was still filing a rejoined-affidavit with the OSP.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

BRIDGE DAMAGED. Binitayan bridge connecting Daraga-Alcala and Barangay Kilicao in Daraga, Albay, was one of the infrastructures damaged by Typhoon ‘Rolly.’ Norman Cruz

SENATOR Cynthia villar Villar has cited the need for the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment to ensure that the household staff of Filipino diplomats pass through the POEA and OWWA for increased protection and access to welfare benefits.

She called on the DFA to register all the household staff members of Filipino diplomats with the POEA and guarantee their membership with the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration to ensure better protection for them.

Villar issued the call over the alleged maltreatment of a domestic worker by Philippine Ambassador to Brazil Marichu Mauro.

The senator’s office checked with the POEA and OWWA and found that neither of the two agencies had any record of the employment of Mauro’s domestic worker.

“Since our laws have clearly given the

task of regulating overseas employment to the POEA and the care for the welfare of OFWs to OWWA, then this should also fairly apply to workers brought by ambassadors and other foreign service personnel to work in their residences abroad,” said Villar, a known advocate of migrant Filipino workers.

However, Villar says she doesn’t see any need to pass a law to institutionalize the new system because there are no private recruitment agencies involved, and the employers and workers are both Filipinos.

“Under POEA rules, diplomats are allowed to directly hire domestic workers, but their contracts still need to be registered with the POEA. Why was this not followed in the case of Ambassador Mauro? Or is this being followed at all?

“I hope that the DFA and the DOLE can just meet and discuss how to use existing laws and mechanisms to ensure the protection of domestic workers brought by our ambassadors to work overseas.”

LGUs

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor lgu@manilastandard.net editor.lgustandard@gmail.com

A4

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

QUARANTINE CENTER. Public Works Secretary Mark Villar,

COVID-19 National Action Plan Chief Implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., Paranaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, and Rep. Eric Olivarez chat after the inauguration and turn-over of the completed COVID-19 quarantine facility at the Airforce One parking area in Barangay San Dionisio, Paranaque on Friday. Norman Cruz

BARMM approves admin code

By Nash B. Maulana

C

Smuggled cigs, veggies from China disposed

OTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) has approved Cabinet Bill No. 60, an act providing for the Bangsamoro Administrative Code and for other related purposes.

By Jess Malabanan PORAC, Pampanga—Nine 40-footer container trucks carrying more than 6,000 master cases of smuggled cigarettes and assorted imported vegetables found their way to Green Leaf 88 Non-Hazardous Waste Disposal Facility for destruction under the supervision of the Bureau of Customs Port of Subic on Friday.

Each container van was loaded with 1,050 master cases of different brands of cigarettes, believed to be counterfeit, while the other container trucks carried several tons of vegetables shipped to Subic Bay Freeport from China.

The contraband was hauled from the Port of Subic warehouse for condemnation following its seizure early this year by BoC personnel.

Green Leaf 88 has three giant electric shredding machines that simultaneously operate to accommodate the huge volume of materials being brought there for destruction, mostly forfeited smuggled perishable and non-perishable goods.

Deputy Commissioner Maita Acevedo, Chief of Cargo Disposal and Auction Division of the BoC Port of Subic, said the contraband are up for disposal on the strength of a court order following forfeiture proceedings against the misdeclared cargo.

CONDEMNED ITEMS.

Bureau of Custom Port of Subic Deputy Collector Maita Acevedo feeds a ream of smuggled cigarettes into the shredding machine during the condemnation of seized contrabands at Green Leaf 88 waste disposal facility in Porac, Pampanga, where a container truck carrying tons of smuggled vegetables and onions was also parked for destruction on Friday. Jess Malabanan

Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim said for the passage of the BARMM Administrative Code, he and the Moro people were grateful to his BTA colleagues “under the guidance of our Speaker, (lawyer) Pangalian Balindong.”

The Bill, passed Wednesday evening into regional law, defines the structural, functional, and procedural principles and rules of governance of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), a statement from the Regional Bureau of Information said.

“Today, we are writing history by providing the form of structure of the Bangsamoro Government and fulfilling one of our mandates during the transition period. It was not an easy task from the early days of the transition to the unforeseen coming of the Corona Virus Disease Pandemic, we were surely placed under unprecedented circumstances and condition that made this important task even more challenging,” Ebrahim said.

The law, authored by Member of Parliament Raissa Jajurie, a lawyer, contains provisions giving much credence and emphasis to roles of women in affairs of governance, including establishing the Bangsamoro bureaucracy.

More amendments were introduced by women Members of the Bangsamoro Parliament—among them Baintan Adil Ampatuan, former chief planner of the autonomous region, Susan Anayatin, representative of the Christian community, Jam Disimban Ramos, peace and women’s entrepreneurship advocate.

Before the sunset prayers, Jajurie accommodated amendments introduced by MP Zia Alonto Adiong of Lanao Sur before the Bill was finally voted into law.

By nominal voting, 26 BTA members voted physically while 32 voted via zoom. None of the members voted against nor abstained on the approval of CA 60.

The Bangsamoro Administrative Code is one of the priority legislations of the BTA, as provided under Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL).

Laguna highway patrol cops arrest Bohol’s top carnapper CAMP VICENTE LIM, Laguna— Members of Laguna Highway Patrol Team (PHPT) under Capt. Charlie Reyes reported the arrest of Bohol’s most wanted carnapper to Regional Highway Patrol Unit 4A Chief Lt. Col. Sam Belmonte.

Reyes identified the suspect as Carlo Calexes Requeron, who is wanted for stealing several vehicles.

Reyes said personnel from Laguna PHPT in close coordination with PHPT Bohol conducted the operation against Requeron in Barangay Pasong Tirad,

Makati City, leading to the arrest of the suspect.

The arrest was made by virtue of a warrant of arrest for carnapping issued by Judge Suceso Arcamo, Presiding Judge of Regional Trial Court Branch 47 in Tagbilaran City issued on July 30, 2019.

The judge recommended bail of P180,000 for the suspect. Requeron was informed of the nature of his arrest and was appraised of his constitutional rights and anti-torture laws, and was brought to PHPT Laguna for proper disposition. Roy Tomandao

Caloocan lauds INC for donating 5k food packs

By Jun David CALOOCAN Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan expressed his gratitude to the entire Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) for donating its 5,000 food packs through the Lingap sa Mamamayan program on Saturday.

The turn-over ceremony held at Barangay 171 covered court is also a celebration of the birthday of the beloved General Manager of Iglesia ni Cristo, Ka Eduardo V. Manalo.

“We in the city of Caloocan extend our eternal gratitude for your continued support and love for the people of the city. Thank you for your meaningful program Lingap sa Mamamayan,” said Malapitan.

According to the Mayor, the food packs will be distributed to single parents and persons with disabilities (PWD). After the turn-over ceremony, 500 food packs were immediately given out.

Meanwhile, the City Government is expected to distribute the remaining food packs to other solo parents and PWDs on Tuesday, November 3.

Mayor Oca’s program includes O1 Caloocan North District Supervising Minister Ka Wilson Cayago, other Church officials of Cristo-Caloocan North District, Congressman Along Malapitan, and City Administrator Engr. Oliver Hernandez.

Meanwhile, the Caloocan City Government, in collaboration with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), launched the Free Bicycle or FreeBis program.

Through the program, 44 citizens of the city were given a free bicycle, water bottle holder, carrier, insulated leather bag, helmet with reflectorized vest, adult PVC raincoat, and cellphone with P5,000 load.

In addition, four lucky people were also given free smart tablets from Senator Bong Go. The 44 selected beneficiaries have online businesses in North and South Caloocan. They went through a thorough process and contacted the Caloocan City Public Employment Service Office (PESO).

Quezon City’s COVID-19 cases dip below 1,000

By Rio N. Araja FOR the first time in months, active cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Quezon City are now below 1,000, according to Mayor Joy Belmonte.

Based on the Oct. 31 report of the City Epidemiology and Disease Surveillance Unit, active cases are now at 996, while recoveries are at 21,032, or 93 percent of the total validated cases.

The lower active case count is credited to the guidelines set by the Department of Health in identifying and tagging patients with mild or no symptoms as recovered, 14 days from the onset of symptoms.

“After months of having thousands of active cases on our watch, we are now experiencing a decline in active cases. As our partner OCTA Research group has been noting for the past month, the trend in our city is going down,” Belmonte said.

Joseph Juico, QC Task Force on COVID-19 head, lauded the contribution of the city’s 142 barangays in controlling the spread of the virus.

Belmonte vowed not to lower their guard against COVID-19, especially during the upcoming Christmas holidays.

“While the economy is slowly going back to normal and the holidays around the corner, we will continue to do our part in mitigating the spread of the virus. But I also urge our residents to be vigilant and protective not just for themselves but for other people as well, especially their loved ones,” she noted.

Siargao town tops Caraga coastal awards THE Municipality of Del Carmen in Siargao Island was recently named Caraga Region’s grand winner in the Malinis and Masaganang Karagatan (MMK) program of the Department of Agriculture -Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources which recognizes the most outstanding coastal communities across the archipelago.

Situated off the mainland of Surigao Del Norte province, the town was awarded for its exemplary efforts in protecting and conserving their marine environment set by the BFAR. The MMK program has five general criteria, which include absence of illegal fishing, observance of closed fishing season, establishment of marine protected areas, clean coastal waters without domestic and industrial wastes, and effective mangrove protection and rehabilitation program.

A perennial recipient of local government

awards, which include the 2018 Galing Pook Public Service Innovation, the municipality will qualify for the national selection of the top winners of the MMK this November.

According to Del Carmen Vice Mayor Alfredo Coro II, the town’s healthy environment was key in their economic sustainability during the imposition of the lockdown in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“The investments in the protection of the marine protected areas and mangrove forest gave us enough fish to feed the many despite a sudden increase in fisherfolks and resulting in lowering of the cost of fisheries for the consuming public,” he said.

Coro noted that due to the displacement of workers from other sectors, its marginal fishermen increased by 1,500, which its ecosystem was able to absorb.

CLEAN TOWN. A fisherman rows at Del Carmen’s 4,000-hectare mangrove forest. Bernard L. Supetran

Opinion ‘Huwag naman sana’ I AM writing this article from my hotel quarantine room in Taipei on a Saturday afternoon. I thought of writing earlier than the usual Sunday morning, worried as almost everyone back home is about the oncoming typhoon named Goni here, and Rolly (as in GSIS President Macasaet) by our PAGASA. Right now, it’s all sunny in the capital region, eerily similar to the day before and even the morning before Ondoy poured torrents of rain within a few hours that cost so many lives and stranded hundreds of thousands on impassably flooded streets.

Having nothing much to do while on the mandatory 14-day quarantine for all returning residents and visitors to this island, I have been monitoring all kinds of weather forecasts from international to local. And all I can hope for is “huwag naman sana,” if we go by the worst predictions, which is rain as heavy as Ondoy and winds similar in strength to Yolanda.

Responsible citizenship, effective governance *** Meanwhile, Taiwan last Thursday marked the 200th day of no community transmission of the COVID-19. This the entire community achieved without any lockdowns, no wholesale testing, just efficient contact tracing and people following rules and advisories from government. Indeed, it is something to emulate.

Each morning, I get a text message from the Central Epidemic Command Center asking about my health condition, to which I reply through a simple numerical code whether I feel normal, developed any of the usual COVID-19 symptoms, or have other symptoms of illness. Every now and then, a reassuring voice calls to ask if everything is all right.

And each time the hotel sends breakfast and dinner to my doorstep, I get a message asking me to please check my body temperature through a provided oral thermometer and report the same. As I peer through my room’s balcony to the street below, there is a ubiquitous police patrol car, probably to ensure that none of the quarantined hotel residents can venture out of their rooms, as had happened in the early days of the coronavirus restrictions.

Donald Trump with his Boogaloo and Proud Boys should take a leaf from what Taiwan has achieved, even as the system is as free and democratic compared to regimented systems where rules are easier

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

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EDITORIAL

followed, or else.

It is really all about responsible citizenship and effective governance. *** I read about the House Appropriations chair threatening some notoriously “corrupt-ridden” agencies a budget cut, if they do not reform.

“Why should we give them a budget?” asks Rep. Eric Yap. Some Bureau of Customs personnel would just snicker, and retort: Who cares about our budget, or our salaries? Nasa Customs na, kailangan pa ang sweldo? *** An article in the New York Times (not Trump’s favorite New York Post which hardly anyone in Manhattan reads) last October 27 is worrisome.

It reports an awesome increase in gun sales from March till September of this year —15.1 million guns were purchased, representing a 91-percent increase compared to the same period in 2019.

Many gun buyers are saying that they are motivated by a new destabilizing sense, pushing them to buy guns for self-defense, and for those who already possess guns to want to buy more. For the latter, the prospects of a Democratic Party win could mean stricter gun controls, while for the former, it is the anxiety of what could happen after the November 3 elections.

Will the far-right extremists that Donald Trump coddles do mayhem on E-Day, or during the canvassing, which may take longer due to voting by mail, heavier in this election on account of fears of COVID contagion? Will the Donald concede if he loses, or will he irresponsibly hold on and incite America, so deeply divided as it already is, to a discombobulating regime of street protests and racial violence?

If something like those worst-case scenarios should happen, the repercussions will affect not only our Fil-Am kababayans and relatives, but will have dire international repercussions, including security threats in our part of the world.

Again, huwag naman sana.

Come November 3 (Nov. 4 here), millions across the globe will watch what happens in the “land of the free and home of the brave.”

Eyes are on the battleground states where the contest is still quite close— Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Florida, that tropical southern state of the US of A where George W. Bush finally won over Al Gore in 2000 by a scant margin of 537 votes after a long and litigated process of canvass, giving him all of the state’s 29 electoral votes.

Recall likewise that Hillary Clinton, like Al Gore, won the popular vote, but lost in the electoral college just four years ago.

If Biden wins over Trump, it should be by a decisive margin in both the popular vote and the College of Electors, for otherwise, who knows what cataclysmic insanity could possibly grip the presently most powerful nation on earth?

The Senate and the DDR bill

NATURAL disasters are very much a fact of life in the Philippines, a country that is located at the axis of the world’s typhoon belt and the Pacific Ring of Fire.

Every year, around 20 typhoons unleash their wrath, causing death and destruction along their path. In addition, an average of 20 earthquakes a day—most of them unnoticed but there are a few that are felt— caused much damage to property.

But the frequent occurrence of natural disasters of increasing magnitude in recent years has become a source of concern.

In fact, the Philippines is now considered the second most vulnerable country in the world to disasters and climate change.

Nearly 74 percent of the population and 80 percent of the land area are identified as vulnerable to disasters, with the capital of Manila considered at “extreme risk.”

It was super typhoon Yolanda that led the government to review and improve the country’s disaster management strategy. The devastation that resulted from the strongest typhoon in recorded human history ever to make landfall exposed the weaknesses of the existing institutional set-up under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. The existing ad hoc coordinating body was proven to lack the authority, capacity, and resources needed in coordinating and implementing large scale disaster-risk reduction and management efforts.

The proposal that ensued was to establish a responsive, efficient and equipped stand-alone agency to lead and coordinate the rescue and response efforts of local

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

government units and the different stakeholders, to prepare for natural disasters and ensure disaster risk reduction and to oversee the implementation of streamlined disaster-risk reduction and management policies nationwide.

It came as no surprise then, that President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, who as mayor of Davao City was the first local government official to visit Tacloban City, just three days after super typhoon Yolanda, included in his first State of the Nation Address in 2016, a call to establish a “Department of Disaster Resilience.”

President Duterte would again repeat his plea to Congress in the three SONAs that followed—2018, 2019 and 2020, highlighting the need for Congress to pass the bill creating the DDR. Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez of Tingog Party-List, a regional party-list group based in Eastern Visayas, is one of the strongest advocates for the creation of the DDR. She once mentioned that even prior to President Duterte’s first SONA, she personally wrote to the President, asking him to include the creation of the disaster agency in his legislative agenda. Romualdez would later on file a bill that was the first to propose a “department-level” disaster management agency. She would eventually chair the technical working group that would prepare the consolidated substitute DDR bill.

The House of Representatives was quick to respond to the President’s call. In 2018, the lower house passed its version of the DDR bill. The Senate counterpart bill, however, never passed committee deliberations. As a result, the Seventeenth Congress failed to approve the proposed legislative measure on time.

Disaster resilience advocates are worried the same dismal turn of events might happen again. Thankfully, the DDR bill was refiled in the Eighteen Congress and last September 21, the House of Representatives was able to

Resilience

S

UPER Typhoon “Rolly” made landfall on the Bicol Region early Sunday morning. Its wind and rain are pummeling parts of Luzon island, including Metro Manila, as of this writing. We have yet to see the extent of damage it is bringing. It is a near-certainty that the final toll will be heartbreaking. government every time there is a disaster—come up with strategies and action points even before the disasters come.

The onslaught of the typhoon also occurs at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic is still very much a threat to our country. This makes us fear for the conditions of those who are temporarily or permanently displaced, waiting for the storm to pass in evacuation centers, on higher ground. During times like this, practicing social distancing could be the last thing on people’s minds. Exposure to the elements will also certainly breed illnesses and weaken people’s immune systems against COVID and other diseases.

Given all these, talk of the establishment of the Department of Disaster Resilience has once again surfaced. The aim is to create a body dedicated to the management and mitigation of disaster risk.

With the number of disasters, natural and man-made, that challenge Filipinos every year, it is only right that a dedicated institution – instead of the ad hoc gathering of representatives from each department of

We need a Department of Disaster Resilience more than ever.

President Rodrigo Duterte has already certified this bill as urgent, and both Houses of Congress have filed bills to this end. In September, the House of Representatives passed its version of the Disaster Resilience Act; the Senate, not quite. What was the real reason for the failure? Were the provisions in the law that were not acceptable to our senators?

Were there enough consultations with

stakeholders? How can these concerns be addressed to achieve consensus so that we can pass the bill this time around?

In the face of devastating storms and other disasters, we need a Department of Disaster Resilience more than ever to put together comprehensive plans for local officials to implement in an organized and efficient manner based on realities on the ground.

As always, immediate prevention, relief and rehabilitation are the arena of local government executives. It is the local officials who are aware of the specific risks and conditions faced by their constituents. It is they who are in the thick of the action in helping their people cope with the devastating effects of disaster.

Resilience can either be a virtue or a vice. It can be seen as a virtue when used in the context of refusing to be brought down by challenges. It can be a vice, however, when mistaken for mere tolerance or fatalism, accepting what is there and being content with incompetence and apathy.

Like many times in the past, Filipinos will get through this test. Let us just make sure we gain something from what we see at the height of the storm, before sunny days make us forget how much harder we have to work on being resilient.

Our democratic duty on the automated election system. The COMELEC has been mandated by law to have this. Based on hard data from the last four elections, is one of the best things that happened for our country’s democracy and political stability.

In the same forum, Director of De La Salle Institute of Governance Dr. Ador Torneo presented the findings of his study co-authored with Topin Sto. Domingo Ruiz of the Department of Political Science, De La Salle University, on the credibility of the 2019 midterm elections.

FILIPINOS take elections passionately especially when it is the Presidency and a change in administration is at stake. Though it is still a year before the filing for candidacy, expect politicians vying to win or retain elective posts to start engaging their target constituents in creative campaigns.

Already we are seeing what communication practitioners call “test balloons” to assay public perceptions. One which reveals a disturbing agenda is the call to postpone the 2022 elections using the uncertainties consequent to the ongoing health and economic crisis of the pandemic. This is a shamelessly convenient excuse. To see through the fog of communication spins, we should remember that the best insights are always from the experts who have the data and analytical competence to filter out the political noise and dynamics.

In a virtual town hall discussion held last week by Stratbase ADR Institute and Democracy Watch Philippines on “Democracy Goes On: Elections & Electoral Continuity Post-COVID-19,” Comelec Director James Jimenez rightly said, “In a time of pandemic it’s even more crucial that you the elections precisely because there is some fear that the incumbents have taken advantage of the pandemic to consolidate their hold on power and perhaps the most natural progression of that is to hold on to power by discouraging the holding of elections.”

“Obviously, the elections will push through so the battleground will move towards either voter suppression or disinformation. Information may be used for voter suppression and for undermining the credibility of elections,” Jimenez said.

Another nagging issue that will surely compete for our attention will be attacks approve its version of the Disaster Resilience Act on third and final reading.

Sadly, the Senate version still appears to be languishing at the committee level.

Disaster resilience advocates are worried the same dismal turn of events might happen again.

Hopefully, the Senate will no longer disappoint the Filipino people, especially regions and provinces that are most vulnerable large-scale natural disasters.

Once signed into law, the bill would create the Depar tment of Disaster Resilience, wh ich would be the primary government agency responsible for “leading, organizing, and managing national effort to reduce disaster risk, prepare for and respond to disasters, recover and rehabilitate, and build forward better after the occurrence of disasters.” The proposed DDR will focus on natural hazards and disasters, taking

Elections are our opportunity to correct mistakes and vote for leaders who have the integrity, qualifications and competence to run our country.

The study says, “Contrary to media hype, the data and reports from PPCRV (Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting) and the post-election evaluation of Comelec show that the election results were accurate. This was verified through random manual audit, independent parallel count and result transmission rate.”

Highlighted was the accuracy of the last automated elections rated at 99.9% by the official Random Manual Audit, and Pulse Asia national survey fi ndings on the low occurrence of cheating (7%), high voter turn-out (approximately 75%), high voter confidence (85%), and high compliance of poll watchers and other election officials to standards and procedures, all leading to the conclusion that the conduct of AES has incrementally improved over time and that voters have a high degree charge of the three key areas: disaster risk reduction, disaster preparedness and response, and recovery, rehabilitation and building forward better.

Agencies that are now tasked to respond to natural disasters will be integrated into the new department. The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) will serve as the core organization of the DDR and the NDRRMC will be abolished.

Despite earlier assurances that the Senate will prioritize the DDR measure, its action on the bill remains much wanting. Senate President Vicente Sotto III once raised the possibility of approving the Senate version before the Senate takes its Christmas break last year, but that did not push through.

Since then, natural disasters have continued to plague our country. These include the eruption of Taal Volcano in January and the super typhoon Rolly just this week, displacing and putting at risk entire communities.

While it seems that the entire country agrees that strengthening our disaster management capability must be of utmost priority, the Senate appears to be out of touch, and even the President’s pleas to the upper house have fallen on deaf ears.

Until the Senate fi nds it in its heart to

of trust and confidence on the AES. Also notable was the fast, secure transmission, and release of data which was at 92% and at record-breaking 10 hours.

Prof. Robert Krimmer of Taltech Tallinn University of Technology based in Estonia, a global model in e-governance and online voting provided a very interesting view on how a well-executed digital transformation of a whole country is like in a country where 100% of schools and government organizations are fully equipped and connected at high broadband speeds. About half of their voting population are already voting online; they continuously work on innovations to expand and be more efficient.

A memorable example is how they were able to address even a situation where a voter is being coerced to vote for a candidate at gunpoint by allowing multiple instances in case this situation happens, or just to vote for another with only the last vote being counted. An Estonian also has the option to vote in the polling station. In their experience, voting in polling stations costs twice as much compared to internet-based voting.

In a statement, Democracy Watch Philippines Lead Convenor, Paco Pangalangan, said: “If we are to build future-proof governance systems that are resilient and proactive against corruption and outside interference, we must start now, and the first step is to ensure that public investment in an extensive and reliable digital infrastructure works alongside private efforts to make the rapidly digitizing Philippines accessible to all Filipinos.”

Our electoral process has evolved with automation and its credibility and transparency has been undeniably accepted by the people as manifested by the high legitimacy and stability of two successive and yet opposing administrations. Democratic elections are our opportunity to correct mistakes and vote for leaders who have the integrity, qualifications and competence to run our country.

This is a democratic duty that every citizen must take seriously. act with dispatch, our resilience to the impact of natural disasters will have to wait, our need for a better equipped and stronger disaster management agency will stay unresolved and the lives, safety and well-being of a great number of our people will remain at risk.

MORE OPINION ONLINE NAKED THOUGHT

CHARLIE V. MANALO

(www.manilastandard.net) TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

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IN BRIEF China holds national census via mobile app MILLIONS of census-takers began knocking on doors across China on Sunday for a once-adecade head count of the world’s largest population that for the first time will use mobile apps to help crunch the massive numbers.

Around seven million community workers and volunteers will drive the two-month datacollection effort, visiting homes ranging from residential skyscrapers in downtown Shanghai to remote Tibetan mountain villages.

China conducts the census every ten years to determine population growth, movement patterns and other trends, using the findings to apportion resources for education, health, transportation, labor, elderly care and other services.

The previous tally in 2010 counted 1,339,724,852 persons, an increase of 5.83 percent, or 73,899,804 people -- equal to adding more than the population of France over 10 years. AFP

British PM announces new lockdown for England BRITISH Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces a new coronavirus lockdown for England from Thursday to December 2. However, schools will remain open this time around.

The ramped-up response comes as Britain surpasses one million cases, with nearly 22,000 new infections on Saturday alone. Devolved governments in Scot-

land, Wales and Northern Ireland have already reimposed partial lockdowns.

Austria, Greece, Portugal Austria also announces a lockdown, running from Tuesday to the end of November, with a curfew being imposed.

Greece says it will have a partial lockdown from Tuesday, with a curfew and closed restaurants and bars in Athens and

other major cities.

Portugal joins too, announcing a partial lockdown that will cover 70 percent of the population.

“The moment has arrived when it is necessary to take more restrictive measures... in order to take control of this pandemic,” Prime Minister Antonio Costa says.

HK pro-democracy pols arrested S

EVEN pro-democracy Hong Kong politicians were arrested Sunday over protests and scuffles that broke out in the legislature earlier this year, the latest prosecutions targeting Beijing’s opponents in the deeply divided city.

Amid pandemic, Mexico marks ‘Day of the Dead’ IN Mexico death is usually a cause for celebration during the Day of the Dead festival, but this year parades are canceled and cemeteries closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

From November 1-2, people across the country normally deck their homes, streets and relatives’ graves with flowers, candles and colorful skulls.

The traditional festival, which in 2003 was added to the UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage list, centers around the belief that the living and the dead can commune during the brief period.

With its bright colors and cartoonish skeleton costumes, the Day of the Dead has become an internationally recognized symbol of Mexican culture.

But this year the authorities have urged people to stay at home to avoid spreading the coronavirus, which has killed more than 90,000 people in Mexico -- one of the world’s highest tolls. AFP

Indian doctor duped into buying ‘Aladdin’s Lamp’ TWO men who allegedly duped a doctor into buying an “Aladdin’s lamp” for $93,000 -- and even conjured up a fake genie -- have been arrested in India, an official said Sunday.

Laeek Khan approached police in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh after he realised the lamp did not have any magical powers, as described in the popular folk tale about Aladdin and his wish-granting genie that appears when it is rubbed.

“The cheats had struck a deal for much more but the doctor had paid about seven million rupees ($93,000),” Amit Rai, a senior officer told AFP. He said the men were arrested on Thursday and were remanded in custody ahead of charges being filed.

“The wife of one of these men was also involved in the fraud. She is on the run,” Rai added.

In his complaint filed last Sunday, Khan said one of the men pretended to be an occultist and made a “jinn” -- a supernatural figure -- appear from the lamp, local media reported. AFP

Republic of the Philippines REGIONAL TRIAL COURT National Capital Judicial Region Branch 216, Quezon City IN RE: PETITION TO CORRECT CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE BETWEEN CHRISTIAN VIC M. BARASI AND MYLENE ABALOS ASUNCION WITH REGISTRY NO. 2020-00432 REGISTERED IN QUEZON CITY CHRISTIAN VIC M. BARASI, Petitioner, versus

R-QZN-20-05175-SP

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF CITY OF QUEZON CITY and ALL PERSONS WHO HAVE ANY CLAIM OR INTEREST. Respondents. x------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER The petitioner filed a verified petition for correction of (a) Entry No. 3, Place of Birth, from “Dupay Del Sur” to “Dupax Del Norte”, (b) Entry No. 4b, Citizenship, from “Filipino” to “American”, (c) Entry No. 8, Name of Father, from “Ritchie Nicanor G. Barasi” to “Ritche Nicanor G. Barasi”, and (d) Entry No. 15, Place of Marriage, from “Quwzon City” to “Quezon City”, in his Certificate of Marriage with Registry No. 2000-0043 of Local Civil Registry of Quezon City.

The Court hereby sets the Petition for hearing on December 9, 2020, at 8:30 in the morning before this Court sitting at the Sixth Floor, Rm. 603, Hall of Justice Bldg., Annex, Quezon City at which date, time and place, all interested persons are hereby cited to appear and show cause, if any, why said petition should not be granted.

Let this Order be published at the expense of the petition in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks, to be selected by raffle pursuant to PD 1079. The Office of the Clerk of Court is directed to report to the Court the result of the raffle, with notice to petitioner, within ten (10) days from receipt hereof.

The Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, the Philippine Statistics Administration, the Office of the Solicitor General, and any persons who has any opposition hereto may file the same, within fifteen (15) days from notice of the petition, or from the last date of publication of such notice.

Furnish a copy of this Order and petition to the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, the Philippine Statistics Administration and the Office of the Solicitor General.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, October 5, 2020.

(Sgd.) ALFONSO C. RUIZ II Presiding Judge Copy furnished: Office of the Solicitor General 134 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village Makati City Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City Quezon City Hall, Diliman, Quezon City Atty. Harry Truman B. Temperante Counsel for Petitioner Unit R PSCOR Bldg., T.M. Kalaw St., BF Homes Subdivision, Parañaque City Philippine Statistics Administration – East Avenue, Quezon City Christian Vic M. Barasi Petitioner Purok 4, Barangay Ineangan, Dupax Del Norte Nueva Vizcaya Office of the Clerk of Court, RTC, Quezon City (MStandard - Oct. 26, Nov. 2 & 9, 2020)

Belgium will also tighten lockdown rules from Monday, closing non-essential businesses and restricting household visits.

45 million infections Covid-19 has killed at least 1,191,743 and infected 45,760,644 worldwide since emerging in China late last year, according to an AFP tally based on official sources. AFP

SEARCH AND RESCUE. Rescuers search for survivors at a collapsed building after a powerful earthquake struck Turkey’s western coast and parts of Greece, in Izmir, on October 30, 2020. A powerful earthquake hit Turkey and Greece on October 30, killing at least six people, levelling buildings and creating a sea surge that flooded streets near the Turkish resort city of Izmir. AFP

Merkel’s party elects new leader in mid-January GERMAN Chancellor Angela Merkel’s CDU party will elect its new leader in mid-January after a planned vote in early December was pushed back because of a surge in coronavirus infections.

The three hopefuls for the top job in the Christian Democratic Union had put forward the date, party general secretary Paul Ziemiak said in a tweet late Saturday.

“This agreement is a strong signal for cohesion in our party,” he wrote after talks with outgoing party chief An-

negret Kramp-Karrenbauer.

North Rhine-Westphalia state premier Armin Laschet, corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz and foreign affairs expert Norbert Rottgen are vying for the post.

The candidates have proposed an online congress if meeting in person were to be impossible because of restrictions to curb coronavirus transmission.

The chief of the CDU traditionally leads it and its smaller Bavarian sister party the Christian Social Union to the polls.

The chosen candidate would have

a strong claim on the post of chancellor and be in pole position to replace Merkel should the conservative bloc win next year’s election.

Merkel protege Kramp-Karrenbauer took over as leader of the party in 2018, after the veteran chancellor said she would not seek a new mandate at next year’s polls.

But the race for the party’s top job was thrown wide open when KrampKarrenbauer resigned just a few months into the post over her handling of a regional election scandal. AFP

The seven politicians -- four of them sitting lawmakers -- were arrested on charges of “contempt” and “interfering” with members of the city’s Legislative Council in early May, police said.

The chamber passes semi-autonomous Hong Kong’s laws, but only half of its seats are directly elected and a complex appointment system ensures the city’s pro-Beijing establishment is all but guaranteed a handsome majority.

Scuffles and protests routinely break out, with the pro-democracy minority often resorting to filibustering, chanting and obstruction to try and halt bills they oppose.

On May 8, confrontations broke out in a committee that decides which bills come up for debate.

The opposition had used months of filibustering to stop the appointment of the committee’s leader. The pro-Beijing camp responded by forcibly installing one of their politicians to the committee chair.

That prompted angry scenes and protests in the chamber with lawmakers from both sides displaying placards amid boisterous heckling and physical obstruction.

Security guards and pro-Beijing lawmakers eventually dragged most of the pro-democracy politicians from the chamber and the installation of the committee chair went ahead.

One pro-Beijing politician was seen on a live broadcast dragging an opponent out by his shirt collar -- an incident which has sparked an ongoing private prosecution. AFP

Turkey’s envoy seeks truce talks in Karabakh TURKEY’S foreign minister arrived in Azerbaijan on Sunday for talks over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh after Baku’s arch-enemy Armenia requested security assistance from Russia.

“We are once again in Baku with our brothers to renew our strong support for dear Azerbaijan and exchange on the latest developments in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Twitter.

On Saturday, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan formally asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to begin consultations on security assistance, invoking the two countries’ defence pact.

Pashinyan said hostilities were approaching Armenia’s borders and reiterated that Turkey was backing Baku.

Moscow’s defence pact with Armenia does not extend to NagornoKarabakh and Russia said Saturday that “necessary” help would be provided if the fighting reaches Armenian territory.

At the same time, Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said “concrete formats” of assistance to Armenia would be discussed.

Armenia’s request for assistance from Moscow further raised fears of Russia and Turkey getting sucked into the decades-old conflict over Karabakh.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have been engaged in fierce fighting for more than a month over Karabakh, a region of Azerbaijan controlled by Armenian separatists in the wake of the break-up of the Soviet Union.

Fighting continued overnight and Sunday morning, the warring sides said. AFP

VOTER’S ROLL. Electoral commission officials check the voter’s roll as they count votes at a polling station in Abidjan on October 31, 2020, after Ivory Coast’s presidential election. AFP

49 dead as 7.0-magnitude quake slams Turkey RESCUE workers were searching eight buildings in Izmir Sunday, despite dwindling hope for survivors, as the death toll of a powerful magnitude earthquake which hit western Turkey rose to 49.

The 7.0-magnitude quake has also injured 896 in Turkey, the Turkish emergency authority AFAD said, after striking on Friday afternoon near the west coast town of Seferihisar in Izmir province.

More than 200 people were in hospital, AFAD said, and rescuers were still searching eight buildings in Izmir.

Overnight, 33 hours after the quake, a 55-year-old man named by state news agency Anadolu as Ahmet was pulled out from underneath the rubble to applause of onlookers and taken to hospital.

The worst affected Turkish town was Bayrakli, where anxious families in thick blankets spent a second night in tents.

Others watched nervously as rescue workers sorted through the debris for a second day.

Some privately expressed concern that their hope was slowly diminishing as the hours pass by.

But a worker at the site of one collapsed building, who did not wish to be named, told AFP they believed at least 10 people could still be under the rubble.

Nearly 6,000 rescuers have been working all day and all night since Friday, mechanical diggers helping them remove blocks of concrete.

Periodically, the rescue work has been halted and everyone kept silent to listen for any indication of someone trapped in the rubble.

Thousands of tents have been set in the areas around the collapsed buildings since officials warn residents to avoid re-

turning to their homes.

Turkey has reported more than 800 aftershocks following the quake, including 40 that were above four in magnitude.

Turkey has suffered the deadliest quakes of 2020, Turkish website HaberTurk noted. As well as this latest disaster, an earlier quake in January killed more than 40 people in the eastern provinces of Elazig and Malatya.

Two teenagers on their way home from school were also killed in Greece, as the quake caused a mini-tsunami on the Greek island of Samos and a rush of water from the sea that turned streets into rivers in one Turkish town.

Friday’s earthquake was so powerful it was felt as far away as Istanbul and Athens.

The disaster has prompted Greece and Turkey to put aside their differences and work together to help those affected. AFP

Business

B3

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market likely to trade sideways TOP GAINERS S PSEi October 30, 2020

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

SFIP WPI ACE AR SPM TBGI WIN FDC DFNN PXP

LAST PRICE 1.8 0.495 1.39 0.0011 2 0.27 0.218 9.7 3.28 12.1

CHANGE 0.6 0.07 0.17 0.0001 0.18 0.023 0.018 0.8 0.26 0.94

% CHANGE 50.00% 16.47% 13.93% 10.00% 9.89% 9.31% 9.00% 8.99% 8.61% 8.42%

TOP LOSERS 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

TECB2 CNPF IMI HVN MB LTG I ATN MARC ION

LAST PRICE 0.87 15.52 6.44 354 0.4 11.54 1.17 0.89 0.92 1.02

CHANGE -0.08 -0.98 -0.34 -16 -0.015 -0.42 -0.04 -0.03 -0.03 -0.03

% CHANGE -8.42% -5.94% -5.01% -4.32% -3.61% -3.51% -3.31% -3.26% -3.16% -2.86%

By Jenniffer B. Austria

TOCKS are expected to trade sideways this week as investors brace for the release of inflation data, more corporates earnings and the results of the US presidential election.

Analysts said investor sentiment might be negatively affected by impact of the series of typhoons on the already fragile domestic economy.

Online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia. com said these factors could cause the market to pull back from its recent ascent to 6,400 level.

“Pullbacks after breakouts are common, often even designed, as these signal more sustainable ascents,” the online brokerage firm said.

Analysts said the third-quarter earnings results were decent so far, which confirmed expectations that the decline in earnings might have bottomed in the second quarter and were on the way to recovery in the third and fourth quarters.

The Philippine Stock Exchange in-

dex, the 30-company benchmark, fell by 2.47 percent week-on-week to settled at 6,324.00 on Oct. 30 on profit-taking after the government extended until the end of November the general community quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila.

“The week’s close at 6,324.00 appears to show some fatigue after touching the 6,500 levels. Expect the market to range within the 6,000/6,500 levels, respectively,” BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said.

All sectoral indices fell, pulled down by financials (-3.96 percent), property (-2.67 percent), and mining (2.29 percent).

Average daily turnover improved to P11.9 billion last week, mostly driven by the listing of Converge ICT Solutions Inc. Foreign investors were net buyers last week by P390 million. Top gainers last week were IMI which advanced by 8.05 percent to P6.44, Filinvest Development Corp. which climbed 2.1 percent to P9.70 and PXP Energy Corp. which went up by 8.4 percent to P12.10.

Heavy losers included Century Pacific Food Inc. which declined by 13.3 percent to P15.52, LT Group Inc. which dropped 11.6 percent to P11.54 and Puregold Price Club Inc. which retreat-

ed 2.9 percent to P41.25.

Meanwhile, Wall Street suffered its worst week and month since March on Oct. 31, with another losing session as markets gird for the US elections amid worries over rising coronavirus cases.

Major US equities indices were in the red the entire session as both Europe and the United States passed grim new milestones on Covid-19 and Belgium became the latest European country to tighten restrictions following announcements earlier in the week by France and Germany.

Although some US economic data has been stronger of late, including a record jump in third-quarter growth released Thursday, investors are concerned about new spikes in daily coronavirus cases that have begun to strain hospitals in some parts of the country.

The United States has seen a resurgence of its COVID-19 outbreak since mid-October, and has now charted more than nine million cases, according to a tally from Johns Hopkins University.

The jump in cases has clouded the growth outlook amid fears of more US restrictions, said Briefing.com analyst Patrick O’Hare, who noted that many companies did not offer profit forecasts in earnings releases the last couple of weeks. With AFP

MOST ACTIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CNVRG BDO DITO ICT SM ALI MBT PGOLD MPI SMPH

VOLUME 47,400,700 6,572,650 80,912,000 3,708,140 361,180 10,161,800 6,291,100 5,827,800 50,634,000 6,005,600

VALUE (PHP) 707,341,938.00 584,322,109.00 559,869,812.00 422,470,502.00 342,410,815.00 330,554,980.00 256,344,025.00 241,358,835.00 202,396,090.00 200,388,645.00

Fire engines spray water to greet planes of airlines Lufthansa and Easyjet, the first ones to arrive at Berlin’s airport “Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt” during the opening ceremony in Schoenefeld, southeast of Berlin on Oct. 31, 2020. AFP

China taps mobile apps to hold world’s largest population census

By Dan Martin

SHANGHAI, China—Millions of census-takers began knocking on doors across China on Sunday for a once-a-decade head count of the world’s largest population that for the first time will use mobile apps to help crunch the massive numbers.

Around seven million community workers and volunteers will drive the twomonth data-collection effort, visiting homes ranging from residential skyscrapers in downtown Shanghai to remote Tibetan mountain villages.

China conducts the census every ten years to determine population growth, movement patterns and other trends, using the findings to apportion resources for education, health, transportation, labor, elderly care and other services.

The previous tally in 2010 counted 1,339,724,852 persons, an increase of 5.83 percent, or 73,899,804 people—equal to adding more than the population of France over 10 years.

Much of the attention on this year’s census -- expected to take two years to fully compile -- will focus on whether it indicates any population bump from China’s relaxation of its former “one-child policy”.

The policy was introduced in the late 1970s to slow rapid population growth amid concerns over too many mouths to feed, but was relaxed four years ago to allow two children due to fears over China’s fast-ageing society and shrinking workforce.

But the change has not yet resulted in a baby boom.

The national birth rate last year was the slowest since the founding of Communistruled China in 1949, with many Chinese today choosing smaller families amid rising living costs.

The government estimates the 2020 census could update the population to 1.42 billion, a 5.99 percent increase.

A research institute affiliated with real estate giant Evergrande Group last week issued a study saying the government figure was an overestimate, and recommended that three children be allowed. AFP

Census workers collect information from residents in Lianyungang, in China’s eastern Jiangsu province. AFP

Berlin’s new airport welcomes flights after nine years of delay BERLIN, Germany—Berlin’s new international airport officially opened on Saturday nine years late, massively over-budget and in the middle of a virus-induced air transport crisis.

Two special flights operated by lowcost pioneer EasyJet and German national carrier Lufthansa touched down at Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt around 2 p.m. (1300 GMT) after flying in from nearby Tegel Airport and Munich respectively.

“It’s a historic day,” Lufthansa chief executive Carsten Spohr told reporters. “I still can’t believe it,” he had joked before leaving Munich.

Many Germans had almost given up on the airport after years of embarrassing delays, scandals and spiralling costs which saw the project meant to celebrate German reunification turned into a national laughing stock.

Transport Minister Andreas Scheuer said he hoped the opening would mark “the end of jokes on BER.” There was little fanfare given the deep crisis the aviation industry is going through amid the global coronavirus pandemic which has decimated travel demand.

Adding to the muted celebrations, climate demonstrators marched on the building to show their opposition to the new facility.

Some brandished a banner reading “BER?: Take off! A crash flight into the climate crisis.”

“Flying represents a huge burden on the climate. We don’t need a new big airport,” said Ludwig Brautigam of the Extinction Rebellion collective.

The opening is nonetheless a watershed moment for the project, intended as a symbol of German unity and engineering prowess as the country came together after being divided for nearly half a century.

Wood paneling and chrome gave the interior of Terminal 1 a 1990s feel, with the “Magic Carpet”, a huge, bright red artwork by American artist Pae White suspended from the ceiling, adding a touch of color.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier spoke Friday of his “joy and happiness” at the airport finally being able to open.

“It weighed on all of us that there were no prospects of (the airport) getting up and running for many years,” he said. “We are obviously glad that it is now possible.” AFP

Learning and Development in the New Normal LAST month, I was invited by friends from Toyota Kirloskar Motors (TKM) India to be the keynote speaker for their Teacher’s Day celebration. Teacher’s Day in India is celebrated to commemorate the birthday of India’s former President and academic scholar Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishan on September 5.

TKM has sizable learning and development department composed of over 40 trainers responsible for all learning and development activities of Toyota in India. They handle technical-vocational trainees’ classes, training for regular team members, and advanced programs for managers and executives across corporate, manufacturing, and marketing and sales functions.

This responsibility is made more complex, given the effects and limitations imposed by the COVID-19 virus.

Under these circumstances, they asked me to share my thoughts about learning and development in the new normal.

My reflections focused on four items purpose, customer, content and process.

In terms of purpose, trainers may be deployed to help communicate management direction and crisis management measures of the company in times of crisis. They can also teach employees and share information on how to cope with the new normal. I suggest that organizations provide trainers with a document containing frequently asked questions and their corresponding answers to respond accurately to trainees and participants’ questions.

I believe that we should approach trainees and participants as if they were our customers in terms of customers. By approaching trainees and participants as customers, we become more sensitive to their needs. I identified several factors that may make online learning challenging for trainees and participants. These are the physical environment, connectivity, familiarity with equipment and software, digital skills, learning style, interest and motivation.

A training organization catering to a diverse group of trainees and participants needs to be aware of these factors. The physical environment, equipment and quality of a trainee’s internet

connection, a newly hired employee, a seasoned manager, and a top executive may differ from each other.

Being aware that trainees and participants may have different circumstances make it easier to be sensitive to their limitations and needs.

This awareness will allow trainers to adjust their teaching methods and style to better support trainees and participants with special circumstances.

I suggest that training organizations do the 4S of Learning and Development in the new normal in terms of content.

This involves shortening, simplifying, sharpening and summarizing content. At the start of the pandemic, there seemed to be a heavy discussion on the choice of software or application that would be used. I believe that content should also be discussed and revisited. Bad content will always be bad content.

It does not automatically become good content when it is made digital or delivered online. Trainers should go over their content and identify activities that can be done outside online classes (e.g., reading an article or watching a video). This is to allocate screen time with the trainees and participants to value-added activities such as plenary discussions, clarificatory questions and supplementary explanations.

By shortening online synchronous activities, it makes the session friendlier to trainees and participants. They can now study content and perform learning activities convenient to them or offpeak hours when the internet connection is stronger. Also, trainers need to simplify their explanations and sharpen their content by ensuring that the sequence of points discussed follows strong conceptual logic and structure.

Taking time to find the best and most obvious examples also help illustrate the concept effectively and make the points easier to understand. Lastly, a carefully worded summary will help trainees and participants remember the important points of the training.

In terms of process, I encourage everyone to think of ways to make the learning process light and less cumbersome. I shared a list of various learn-

PATRICK DAVID CENON

Green LiGht ht traing activities that may substitute a tra ditional lecture and make the learning process more engaging (e.g., pre-work, consultation, report-out). There are many ways to incorporate technology and make the learning process easier (e.g., use of learning management systems, gamification, short videos, various applications, or printed modules).

Trainers can use this time to maximize their existing learning management systems and digital tools (e.g., email, messaging apps, social media, meeting applications) and explore new applications (e.g., Kahoot, Padlet, Jamboard). The United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) maintains a list of various distance learning solutions on their website: https://en.unesco.org/covid19/educationresponse/solutions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced upon us the need to switch from face-toface to online delivery of learning and development programs. It is difficult to imagine a learning and development organization that is not affected by the pandemic. At this time of great change, I encourage everyone to “Try new things.

Plan, Do, Check, and Act rapidly. Everyone is learning at this time.”

The author is an Assistant Professorial Lecturer at De La Salle University.

He teaches undergraduate and graduate subjects in the Behavioral Sciences Department, College of Liberal Arts and the Marketing and Advertising Department of the Ramon V. Del Rosario College of Business. Before joining DLSU, he worked for Toyota for over 13 years supporting various projects in the Philippines, Asia-Pacific and Europe regions. He can be contacted at patrick.cenon@dlsu.edu.ph The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

B4

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Business

PSE INDEX

Friday, October 30, 2020

74.61 PTS. 6,324.00

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

2,375,804,523 110,185 7,289,807,456.55 135 81 37

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.4010

Japan

Yen

0.009561

0.4628

UK

Pound

1.293000

62.5825

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129002

6.2438

Switzerland

Franc

1.092299

52.8684

Canada

Dollar

0.750807

36.3398

Singapore

Dollar

0.731636

35.4119

Australia

Dollar

0.703000

34.0259

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652450

128.3812

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

12.9066

Brunei

Dollar

0.728969

35.2828

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032010

1.5493

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.1782

Euro

Euro

1.167500

56.5082

Korea

Won

0.000885

0.0428

China

Yuan

0.148896

7.2067

India

Rupee

0.013446

0.6508

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240732

11.6517

New Zealand

Dollar

0.662900

32.0850

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035156

1.7016 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Petron sees better sales in third quarter PETRON Corp. posted higher sales in the third quarter, but this would not be enough to cover the substantial losses in the first two quarters, its top executive said over the weekend.

“The fuel consumption has gone down by 30 to 40 percent compared to normal times.

If volume is down, it will be hard to recover it. Much less the losses, but we cannot recover what we lost in the first half,” Petron president Ramon Ang said in a briefing.

Petron suffered a consolidated net loss of P14.2 billion in the first six months, a reversal of the P2.6-billion net income in the same period last year as the company reeled from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Petron’s inventory losses reached nearly P15 billion in the six-month period from the combined slump in demand, poor refining margins and collapse in prices.

Meanwhile, Ang questioned the government’s move to put up a national strategic petroleum reserve. “The [government] has no facilities and money. That will require $10 billion,” Ang said. Alena Mae S. Flores

PLDT to accelerate fiber installations PLDT Inc. will accelerate the rollout of fiber-to-the-home infrastructure to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to more Filipinos, a top executive said over the weekend.

“We believe that in about a year or two, the ability of delivering fixed wireless services to the homes will increase significantly,” said PLDT president and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan.

“PLDT is focusing on fiber-to-the-home which is considered future-proof. We think FTTH will still remain the best platform to deliver services like entertainment, video, sports, and the like,” he said.

The FTTH roll-out serves the data connectivity needs of Filipinos in the country, especially during the pandemic when more people are working and studying from home.

PLDT plans to raise the number of fiber ports by 336,000 such that its fiber and copper ports will reach 4.15 million by end2020. Darwin G. Amojelar

GET BETTER CAMPAIGN. Philippine Red Cross and Security Bank clients and partners take part in the #GetBetter campaign in response to COVID-19 pandemic. Security Bank launches the #GetBetter Corporate Social Responsibility campaign to support medical institutions, local businesses, students and families. For this year’s mid-autumn festival, the Bank chose to set aside its annual celebration to focus on giving back and helping the community. Clients and business partners are invited to take part in a more meaningful project—a donation drive where they are able to choose the organization that they want to help.

Businesses under MGCQ sites allowed to open at full capacity

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Department of Trade and Industry issued a memorandum circular allowing several business establishments in areas under modified general community quarantine status to operate at 100-percent capacity this month.

Memorandum Circular No. 20-57 also increased the allowable operational capacity of several business establishments in areas under GCQ, including Metro Manila, to 75 percent effective Nov. 1.

Among these establishments are testing, tutorial and review centers; gyms,

fitness centers and sports facilities (limited to individual and non-contact sports/ activities); Internet cafes (subject further to the applicable local government rules and regulations); dermatological clinics offering aesthetic procedures; other personal care services including full body massage; pet grooming services; drive-in cinemas; and travel agencies, tour operators, reservation service and related activities.

The DTI said the increase in the allowable operational capacity of these business establishments or activities will be decided upon their compliance with the minimum public health and safety standards and protocols and their strict implementation of the so-called “7 Commandments”.

These seven protocols include wearing proper face masks and shields; no talking and no eating especially while in transit via public transportation and similar setting like confined areas and crowded places; adequate ventilation

FREE JOB ADS.

Kalibrr, Southeast Asia’s fastest growing online recruitment solutions provider, offers companies the opportunity to post job vacancies for free, in an effort to help address joblessness in the Philippines. Kalibrr chief executive Paul Rivera says it is the social responsibility of Kalibrr as a company engaged in providing recruitment solutions to help address joblessness.

He says this is why the company sought to open up its portal for free to companies who need to find the right talent.

PH asked to ensure incentives’ certainty EUROPEAN investors asked the Philippine government to provide certainty and security, in terms of competitive tax rates and fiscal incentives, to investors including foreign companies.

European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Francis Nabil said a competitive investment environment would encourage more European companies to build their businesses in the Philippines and contribute to Philippines economic recovery.

“We wish for the Philippines to get more European investors to enter the Philippine market to create more quality jobs and to contribute to the country’s economic growth. This is especially true now as the country is working to revive the economy and provide more quality jobs to Filipinos in particular for those overseas Filipino workers who were repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” he said during the virtual EU- Philippine Business Summit 2020.

The EU is working closely with the Philippine government to support the recovery efforts in the areas of renewable energy, agriculture and development in Mindanao.

Othel V. Campos

that include use of exhaust systems, air purifiers or keeping windows partially open; frequent and proper disinfection; isolation of symptomatic or COVID-19 positives ; and appropriate physical distancing.

It said that to prevent further transmission of COVID-19, business owners of these establishments should implement additional control measures.

The DTI said the Fair Trade Enforcement Bureau and Regional or Provincial Offices would continue strict compliance monitoring through post-audit mechanism.

The Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health and local government units’ health offices may also conduct unannounced inspection, anytime.

Meanwhile, Management Association of the Philippines president Francis Lim lauded the DTI for the strict enforcement of the so-called “7 Commandments”.

Internet speed in PH improved 80% in past two and a half years

By Darwin G. Amojelar INTERNET speed in the Philippines accelerated by more than 80 percent in the past two and a half years while the cost of prepaid mobile Internet in the country is now one of the most affordable in Southeast Asia, according to a telecom executive.

Globe Telecom Inc. presented the data to refute a World Bank report claiming that 2G remains the dominant technology in the country and that the Philippines is on the wrong side of the regional “digital divide.”

As a panelist in the joint public launch of the Philippines Digital Economy Report 2020 entitled “Better Normal under COVID-19: Digitalizing the Philippine

Economy Now ”, Globe president and chief executive Ernest Cu echoed the reactions of the representatives from the Department of Information Communication and Technology, Department of Trade and Industry, the Anti-Red Tape Authority, and the Union Bank of the Philippines.

“We agree with the recommended key reforms and policy measures that will help the Philippines leverage digitalization for economic and social resilience, especially in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Cu said.

Cu said latest data in the August 2020 OpenSignal report showed “a substantial 80.9-percent increase in download speeds and 4G availability, rising 19.5 percentage points from 63.75 percent to 83 percent over a period of 2.5 years.”

The Open Signal report noted that mo-

bile 4G availability in the Philippines has been increasing for at least 10 consecutive quarters, inching closer to the global average of 86.8 percent. Another global internet analytics firm Ookla estimated the average download speed for fixed broadband in the Philippines at 26.08 Mbps as of September 2020.

Meanwhile, Globe said it tapped Apper Digital Inc., a multicloud and digital innovations company to accelerate the adoption of 5G, including cloud gaming.

Through its partnership with Apper, Globe was able to test the possibility of enabling gamers to play graphics-heavy games without needing a console or a high powered computing gadget by marrying cloud technology and 5G low latency and ultrafast speed.

DOE invites local, foreign companies to join bidding for geothermal projects ENERGY Secretary Alfonso Cusi said Friday foreign and local companies will be allowed to participate in open and competitive selection process for the development of geothermal resources in the Philippines.

Cusi made the statement following his pronouncement last week that foreign companies would now be allowed to participate in large-scale geothermal exploration, development and utilization activities under OCSP3.

“The exclusive right to develop a geo-

thermal resource will be granted through an open and competitive selection process. In this process, all proponents, whether foreign or Filipino corporations, will have to compete,” he said.

Cusi said there were conditions that foreign investors should meet if they wish to participate in the OCSP such as the project should be large-scale, with a minimum investment of $50 million and it should be under financial and technical assistance agreement as provided under the Constitution.

“The one with the best offer will get the RE Contract or in the nature of an FTAA should the foreign proponent win,” Cusi said.

Cusi said FTAAs may be entered into between foreign contractors and the Philippine government for the large-scale exploration, development and utilization of natural resources and are signed by the president.

He said geothermal resources are defined as mineral resources by Republic Act 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act

of 2008.

Cusi signed on Oct. 20 the circular providing the guidelines for the OCSP3 in the awarding of renewable energy service contracts.

“From an investment perspective, OCSP3 allows for 100-percent foreign ownership in large-scale geothermal exploration, development, and utilization projects,” he said earlier.

Cusi expressed hope that RE would figure prominently in the country’s energy future. Alena Mae S. Flores

Japan’s new gov’t reaffirms support to PH infra projects

By Julito G. Rada THE Philippines and Japan reaffirmed their joint commitment to steadily implement the Duterte administration’s flagship infrastructure projects and other initiatives to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries amid and beyond the prolonged coronavirusinduced global crisis.

Japan, during the virtual meeting of the Philippines-Japan Joint Committee on Infrastructure Development and Economic Cooperation last week, said it remained committed to enhancing bilateral ties with the Philippines under the leadership of new Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga.

The Philippines welcomed the appointment of Prime Minister Suga and expressed appreciation of the significant strides made toward the continued economic cooperation and friendship between the two countries under former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. The 10th meeting of the high-level committee was held on Oct. 28 via videoconferencing for the first time because of the travel restrictions resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Our commitment to this longstanding partnership has proved beneficial amidst these trying times.

Our cooperation in accelerating infrastructure development will be most critical in the country’s recovery from the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said.

Dominguez, who led the Philippine panel in the meeting, said the two sides also discussed programs on accelerating Mindanao’s economic development and peace-building initiatives with a new Bangsamoro autonomous government in place and amid the ongoing rehabilitation and reconstruction efforts in Marawi City.

Acting Secretary Karl Kendrick Chua of the National Economic and Development Authority co-chaired the Philippine panel, while Dr. Hiroto Izumi, the Special Advisor to the Japan Prime Minister, led the Japanese side.

Izumi assured Filipino officials that under the administration of Prime Minister Suga, Japan’s commitment under former Prime Minister Abe to continue extending assistance to President Duterte’s “Build, Build, Build” program and the Mindanao peace process “remain unchanged.”

Wilcon posted 8% increase in third-quarter sales

By Jenniffer B. Austria WILCON Depot Inc., the country’s leading home improvement and finishing construction supplies retailer said over the weekend third-quarter sales jumped 8 percent to P6.75 billion from a year ago.

“We are very encouraged by the ramp up of our sales in the third quarter, and we are hopeful that the growth trajectory will continue in the fourth,” Wilcon chief executive Lorraine BeloCincochan said.

Third-quarter net income slightly fell 3 percent to P533 million from P549 million in the same period last year.

Wilcon said that after the government eased quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila in May, there was an immediate uptick in foot traffic and sales that persisted until July.

Sales, however, were disrupted again in August when Metro Manila and nearby provinces were placed again under stricter quarantine measures for two weeks. After transitioning back to looser quarantine measures, sales gradually picked up in September, resulting in a 2.9-percent growth in comparable sales.

The company said the SSSG for depot format, which accounted for 97.3 percent of total sales, grew by 1.5 percent in the third quarter.

It said that net income in the first three quarters declined by 42.6 percent to P886 million as net sales decreased by 12.5 percent to P18.03 billion.

Wilcon opened a new store in September to boost its store network to 61. The company is slated to open three more stores before the end of the year and nine branches next year.

“The management believes that the market will continue to improve and the expansion plan which is focused on expanding Wilcon’s reach outside of its base, Metro Manila, is still going in the right direction and still on track,” Belo-Cincochan said.

Retired Tyson, Jones says they’re ready for ‘real fight’ LOS ANGELES, United States—Mike Tyson and Roy Jones Jr. insisted they are preparing for a bruising battle when the two fifty-something fighters face each other in an eight-round exhibition bout in Los Angeles.

Former world heavyweight champion Tyson, 54, will be fighting for the first time in 15 years when he meets four-division world champion Jones, 51, at the Staples Center on November 28.

While the California State Athletic Commission-sanctioned event has been dismissed as a “circus act” in some quarters, Tyson and Jones bristled at criticism the pay-per-view fight would not be a legitimate contest.

“Not a real fight? It’s Mike Tyson versus Roy Jones. I’m coming to fight and I hope he’s coming to fight and that’s all you need to know,” Tyson told a virtual press conference.

Jones, whose last fight came in 2018 with a unanimous decision over cruiserweight Scott Sigmon, also rejected the fight’s exhibition tag, while describing himself and Tyson as “freaks”.

“The last guy that tried an exhibition with Mike Tyson got dropped in the first round,” Jones said.

“If you don’t know that then there’s something wrong with you. Who goes in the ring with the great, legendary Mike Tyson and thinks ‘This is an exhibition’? Twelve-ounce gloves? No headgear? Really? This is an exhibition?

Come on, be real.”

‘We’re freaks’ “When I came along, at 32 years old you were considered an old guy... but we’re freaks—that’s why this is such a big thing.”

Both fighters were also unhappy with the decision to use two-minute rounds, saying they would have preferred to fight with the longer threeminute rounds.

“I’m sure they have their reasons for doing it,” Tyson said.

“But you know, women fight for two minutes. But I guess the commission has a bigger influence than I do. I’m just happy that we’re doing it.”

Jones was more critical. “I’m not happy at all,” Jones said.

“That’s for women. Why we doing two-minute rounds? We’re two of the best to ever do it. Two minutes doesn’t do anything for me or him.”

Momentum for a Tyson comeback gathered pace earlier this year after video footage showed the man who terrorized the heavyweight scene from 1986 to 1990 looking lean and sharp during a workout.

“Last time I was 215 pounds I was like 17 or 18 years old,” Tyson said.

“I’m really happy with everything I’ve been doing. It’s just total confidence and self-affirmation. It’s amazing. I’m just ready to do this stuff.” AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Alaska Aces big man Vic Manuel (24) drives past Terrafirma Dyip defender Eric Camson. (13). The PBA resumes its games Tuesday, November 3. PBA

PBA resumes competition with quadruple header

By Arman Carandang

I

N JUST nine straight days starting tomorrow, the PBA Philippine Cup elimination round will be over.

It’s because the league has opted to do away with the usual double-header in its effort to hasten the kickoff conference being held in bubble in Angeles City, Pampanga.

Under the revised schedule released to the media yesterday, there will be four games each in at least five of the nine playing days in the elimination. There are at least two days devoted for three-game bill, with the usual double-header to happen only twice inside the last nine days of eliminations.

It will mark the first time that games will be held in the morning in the long, storied league that is forced by circumstances.

The first game during four-game day is 10 a.m. and playing in such an early hour of the day is very unusual for most of the teams.

“It’s very unusual for last Friday, but the game Games Tuesday us,” uttered San Miguel as well as the NorthPort(AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center) Beer coach Leo Austria Magnolia tussle set for 10 a.m. -- Blackwater vs. San Miguel 1 p.m. -- Phoenix vs. Terrafirma when asked by People’s that day didn’t push 4 p.m. -- NorthPort vs. TNT T Giga Journal yesterday what through as the PBA an6:45 p.m. -- Ginebra vs. Alaska his reaction to playing in nounced it was suspendthe morning. ing the games on an or“We don’t know what its effect and der by the Inter-Agency Task Force for impact on us dahil never pang nangyari the Management of Emerging Infectious ‘yon sa amin sa PBA na maglalaro kami Diseases (IATF-EID). ng maaga,” added the multi-titled bench The Elite on the other hand are hoping to tactician. “Kahit sa mga out-of-town di pa rebound from back-to-back setbacks to rev nangyari, pero dapat gawin to dahil sa pa- up their standing now that they are dannahon na delikado.” gerously occupying number 8 spot with Incidentally, the Beermen plunge right only two wins to show in six outings. way in the first game at 10 a.m. when the Phoenix plays winless Terrafirma in the league resumes the elimination round to- second game at 1 p.m., and Talk N Text morrow with a heavy four-game bill at the takes on NorthPort in the third game at AUF Sports Arena & Cultural Center.

4 p.m., before Barangay Ginebra and AlasThe Beermen go up against Blackwater, ka meet in the nightcap at 6:45 p.m. looking to ride on whatever momentum is left The Tropang Giga remain at the top with in its three-game winning run capped by an their 5-1 slate, half a game ahead of second89-82 win over Meralco last October 28. running Rain or Shine which sports a 4-1 The six-time defending champions record boosted by an 85-82 overtime win were supposed to play Barangay Ginebra over the Gin Kings last Oct 27.

Japan’s unbeaten Inoue KOs Moloney in Las Vegas debut LOS ANGELES, United States—Naoya ‘Monster’ Inoue defended his unified WBA and IBF bantamweight world titles in his Las Vegas debut on Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) with a seventh-round knockout of Australia’s Jason Moloney.

The undefeated Japanese superstar floored Moloney with a shuddering punch near the end of the round to retain both belts in spectacular fashion at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino.

The 27-year-old Inoue landed a vicious straight right that buckled Moloney’s knees in the 118-pound fight and the Australian was unable to beat the count with just one second left in the round.

“The final punch, I’m very happy and satisfied with that punch,” said Inoue.

“Moloney has great defence it was difficult to get through.”

Meanwhile, undefeated Gervonta Davis knocked out Leo Santa Cruz with a vicious uppercut in the sixth round to seize the World Boxing Association belt in a junior

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lightweight world title clash.

The 25-year-old Davis surprised Santa Cruz with a left uppercut that snapped the champ’s head back and sent him crumbling to the canvas late in the sixth round at the Alamodome Arena.

Inoue scored two knockdowns and improved to a perfect 20-0 with 17 knockouts while Moloney dropped to 21-2 with 18 KOs. Inoue dominated throughout the fight which was held inside the quarantine bubble at the luxury casino on the Las Vegas strip.

Inoue’s devastating punching power was on full display as he showed why he is nicknamed ‘Monster’.

Inoue first knocked down Moloney in the sixth round with a left hook on the counter. He ended it one round later with a short right hand.

Moloney tried to get back to his feet but was unable and referee Kenny Bayless counted him out at 2:59 of the round.

Inoue unified

Japanese boxer Naoya Inoue (right) punches Australian boxer Jason Moloney during their bantamweight title bout at MGM Grand Conference Center on October 31, 2020 in Las Vegas, Nevada. AFP

the IBF and WBA crowns last November by winning the World Boxing Super Series final over Filipino star Nonito Donaire by unanimous decision in a pulsating “fight of the year” contender.

The Japanese knockout specialist had dispatching his four prior foes in less than three rounds.

Inoue was to have faced another Filipino, John Riel Casimero, in April but the bout was wiped out by the coronavirus pandemic.

The 29-year-old Moloney stopped Mexico’s Leonardo Baez after seven rounds in June but he was overmatched against the speed and power of Inoue. AFP

Folayang not retiring despite loss EDUARD Folayang tur ns 36 next month, but he is not about to retire yet after Australian f ighter Antonio Car uso beat him last Friday.

“I need to assess myself and be back in the circle again,” said Folayang on Zoom after recovering from a head injury.

Caruso took control of the first two rounds, and kept Folayang off until round 3 to win their lightweight encounter in the One: Inside the Matrix at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

The fight was stopped briefly near the end of the round as the two fighters accidentally hit their heads, and this sent Folayang to the ground.

Folayang said he needs to review his techniques and see what went wrong.

“I really going to check some small details on my fight,” said Folayang.

So, Folayang lost four of his last five fights, to drop to 22-10 overall.

Caruso took the lead on points after he tried to stop Folayang with a choke, which the Filipino quickly escaped from.

Folayang endured a right hook early into the second round, but this Caruso control after the second round.

The Australian improved his fight record to 8-1.

Peter Atencio

De los Santos wins 18th karate gold medal

By Peter Atencio

World No. 1 James de los Santos celebrates after completing another session in an online karate competition.

PRESSED for time, James de los Santos quickly wrapped up his video presentation, and still won his 18th gold medal Saturday in the Pune Open India Karate eTournament.

T he 30 -year- old de los Santos added this to his collection of titles this year after he blanked Murillo Alves of Brazil, 3-0.

His students Fatima A-Isha Hamsain and Christine Colonia of the Maharlika Karatedo Kai of the Philippines Inter national.earlier settled for the bronze medal after bowing to

their respective rivals in the 15-under categor y.

“My student from the MKKPI club, Fatima, and I were really pressed for time. When we arrived at MKKPI dojo, our e-tournament venue, at 11:20 a.m., the mall announced that they will be closing at 12 noon for everyone’s safety from the typhoon,” said de los Santos.

De los Santos and his students had been using the Honbu dojo in Taguig City as their virtual tournament venue.

Earlier, this week, de los Santos picked up his 17th straight gold medal in the third leg of the Katana Interconti-

nental League online tournament.

De los Santos said he surprised even himself when he outpointed Juan Achio of Costa Rica, 26.1-25.1 in the finals of the senior male 16-and-above category.

The newly hailed world no. 1 de los Santos gave credit to Japanese coach Masa Saito asked him to do better with the unsu routine he did during the f inals.

In reaching the Pune finals, de los Santos hurdled Alfredo Bustamante, 3-0, in the quarterfinals.

He also had the same score when he won over Matias Domont of Switzerland in the semifinals.

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Sports

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

NY Marathon canceled, but bets continue on their own NEW YORK—In Central Park or along the Hudson River, runners will complete the storied New York City Marathon—just not along the same course.

The annual race, originally set for Sunday, was one of many events canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic, but diehard runners are not missing their shot in what would have been the marathon’s 50th year.

“The day they announced that it wasn’t going to happen, that’s the day I said I’m going to run it anyway,” said Paul Casino, 55, who has competed every year since 2004.

“If I stop, I’m going to regret it.”

Casino, who is originally from the Philippines, even joined hundreds of people who ran the marathon in 2012, despite its cancelation following the direct hit from Superstorm Sandy.

Organizers canceled the marathon on June 24 but, like many other major road races, offered runners the option of completing the 26.2 miles (42.2 kilometers) between October 17 and November 1—anywhere in the world.

A smartphone app measures the distance covered, allowing the competitor to log an official time and—if they finish—obtain the coveted finisher’s medal.

For many runners, months of lockdown and no other races on the horizon cramped their preparations. For some, like Matt Coneybeare, the coronavirus took a direct toll.

After suffering through two days of acute symptoms in early April, the computer engineer needed a month— but only a month—to get back to where he was pre-Covid.

Coneybeare has already completed his marathon, running through four of New York’s five boroughs in a little more than three hours.

He had to skip Staten Island because the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge linking it to Brooklyn—closed for the tens of thousands of runners during a normal marathon—has no pedestrian path.

‘Perfect timing’ Casino is keeping his Manhattan marathon itinerary a carefully guarded secret—but says if seen from the sky, the route design will spell out a clear tribute to the world’s biggest marathon.

The banker said he couldn’t just do “four laps” around Central Park.

“That’s just mentally draining. I don’t want to run it just for the sake of doing 26.2 miles. That’s just not fun,” he told AFP. “And so I thought about it and then I looked at Google Maps...”

Casino admits he stopped running for two months out of fear of being infected at the start of the health crisis, and sank into a depression because of the lack of exercise and the lockdown. AFP

Millions online, 6,000 live see Koreans win eSports title

Mercedes’ Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas competes during the qualifying session at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari race track in Imola, Italy, a day ahead of the Formula One Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. AFP

Bottas snatches F1 pole from Hamilton I

MOLA—Valtteri Bottas said he had “the shakes” after snatching pole position for Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix from his Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton with a dramatic late lap in qualifying at Imola on Saturday.

The Finn, who is 77 points adrift of series leader and six-time champion Hamilton with five races remaining in this year’s title, grabbed the prime grid position by a tenth of a second.

Hamilton, who was fastest in the only practice in the morning, had been on top through most of the qualifying session and took provisional pole on his first run in Q3 before Bottas beat him in the final seconds.

Max Verstappen was third for Red Bull ahead of his former team-mate Pierre Gasly of Alpha Tauri, Daniel Ricciardo of Renault and Alex Albon in the second Red Bull.

Charles Leclerc took seventh for Ferrari with Daniil Kvyat eighth in the second Alpha Tauri ahead of the two McLarens of Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz.

Bottas’s success brought him his fourth pole of the season and his 15th career pole as the Mercedes team claimed another front row lockout ahead of the race in which they can claim an unprecedented seventh consecutive constructors’ championship.

They need only one car to finish in the top four to seal that record success.

“It’s never easy to get pole position,

but I really enjoyed it around this track,” said Bottas.

“I knew I had to improve on my last lap, so I found those little gains—and I had the shakes after the final run, which is always a good sign!”

Hamilton praised his team-mate.

“Valtteri did a great job and it was a pretty poor lap from myself, but you can’t always get it right. This track is unbelievable, but I’m pretty certain it will be a boring race tomorrow—just a train after Turn One.” Luckless Albon Verstappen said: “It was tricky, but P3 is not bad really—though I expected to be a bit closer to the Mercedes.”

Having been limited to only 90 minutes’ practice, several teams struggled to deliver a consistent lap, Ricciardo securing his passage to Q2 with seconds remaining.

Among those out in Q2 was Kimi Raikkonen, 41, the only man in the field to have raced before at the circuit.

He qualified 18th for his record-increasing 325th race just days after agreeing to stay with Alfa Romeo next year.

As he dropped out, George Russell of Williams, who was also confirmed for

2021 ahead of the race, maintained his impressive ‘Mr Saturday’ form by squeezing into Q2 for the eighth time this year.

At the top, Hamilton’s best lap was deleted for overstepping the track at Turn Nine thus giving Bottas top spot in Q1.

The Finn and the defending champion, along with both Ferraris, headed out on medium tyres for Q2 as Red Bull faced trouble—Verstappen’s power unit suffering electrical problems that left his mechanics working against the clock to ensure he could take part.

The Dutchman’s team-mate Alex Albon, under pressure to retain his seat next year, spun at Turn 15, flat-spotting his tyres, and also had to repair to the pits.

He was 11th with less than three minutes to go when Verstappen, armed with new spark plugs, re-joined the fray. With no time to spare, on a single run on mediums, he grabbed his passage to the top-ten shootout in sixth while Albon, on softs, took fourth.

Bottas led Hamilton at the top as Sergio Perez and his Racing Point teammate Lance Stroll were eliminated in 11th and 15th along with Esteban Ocon of Renault, Russell and Vettel.

The ‘black arrows’ stayed on top in the opening Q3 runs, but with Hamilton taking provisional pole in 1:13.781 after dropping a wheel in the gravel, fractionally, at the final corner. Bottas was adrift by 0.031seconds with Verstappen third. AFP

SHANGHAI—More than 6,000 mostly young spectators watched at a Shanghai stadium and millions tuned in online to see Damwon Gaming win the League of Legends world championship on Saturday.

The South Korean team beat Suning, the surprise finalists from China, 3-1 to claim one of the most prestigious titles in eSports.

There were 3.2 million applications for tickets to see the decider of the month-long tournament in a football arena that holds about 35,000 people.

However, spectators were limited to 6,300 because of social distancing and those lucky enough to secure a seat had to wear a face mask to prevent coronavirus infections.

Now in its 10th year as a world championship, League of Legends is a hugely popular team-based strategy game set in a fantasy world of “champions” and jungle monsters.

Chinese teams won the 2018 and 2019 crowns, but Koreans claimed the Summoner’s Cup in the five years before that.

Following a futuristic opening ceremony featuring virtual and reallife performers, five players each from Suning and Damwon took their seats on a brightly lit podium. Cheers went up as they went into battle.

League of Legends’ developer Riot Games had estimated that 100 million would watch across the globe. Inside the stadium, spectators—many favouring China’s Suning—saw the action unfold on two giant screens.

“Hands too sweaty,” Damwon tweeted, but held their nerve to take the title, even as Suning threatened an upset during a pivotal third game.

Damwon’s Kim “Canyon” Geon-bu, who was named finals MVP, said: “There was an interview during Worlds and I said that I wanted to win the title and be MVP. “I can’t believe this actually happened, I’m just super-happy.

“From the coaching staff down to the players, we’ve worked hard, harder than any other team, and because of that we’ve managed to accomplish this.”

‘Crazy journey’ The 2020 “Worlds”, which started in September with 22 teams, had a minimum prize pool of $2.225 million but the final figure will be significantly higher than that.

In 2018, the last time figures were released, it was nearly $7 million. AFP

2 therapists lauded for job well done at 3x3 tilt THERE were only two physical therapists (PTs) for 49 players inside the bubble of the Chooks-to-Go Pilipinas 3x3 President’s Cup powered by TM. And yet, the ‘CalamBubble’ hosted

by INSPIRE Sports Academy in Laguna had been running and humming along just fine.

Credit that to the all day and every day effort put out by PTs Sancho Santiago and Ria Daluz.

The two are on the clock for 12 hours whether it be game days or days off and have their doors open for players as well as coaches, staff, and league personnel.

“It’s a blessing, yet it’s a sacrifice,” said Santiago of the two week-long job.

“It’s really challenging, tough, and tiring physically, but it’s an experience we enjoyed.”

The 25-year-old product of St. Jude College has been a PT for two years and has been working for Jose Rizal University’s varsity program before taking on the job in the Philippines’ pioneering professional 3x3 league.

He’s no stranger to seeing so many athletes during a day, but it’s another challenge altogether to oversee the well-being of 49 players—not including the Nueva Ecija Rice Vanguards and the Palayan City Capitals who brought along their own PT—who have to see action in a minimum of two and a maximum of five games every other day.

“We have so many athletes and we’re gonna divide it to just two PTs so mga tig-20 to 25 kami,” shared Santiago.

“But still, we try to squeeze in the best management para sa mga atleta.”

That means that from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m., the two PTs were in.

Without a doubt, each and every day was tiring - but at the same time, the were fulfilling.

“During the day until the night, hindi mo mafi-feel na pagod ka e. Pag nandun ka na lang sa kama, nakatulog ka na pala,” beamed Daluz, herself a 25-yearold PT. “Pero kahit ganun, to start the day, excited pa rin kami e.”

The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila graduate went on to say that

while they carried the responsibility of treating athletes who had to be in tiptop shape, they did not do it alone.

“Challenging for us, pero dahil sa support and understanding ng lahat ng tao rito, it makes the job lighter,” said Daluz. “Provided lahat dito e. Dahil dun, challenging ang trabaho, pero masaya talaga at the end of the day.”

Even better, the young PTs learned a lot. As the PT who has been employed

by National U and Generika-Ayala prior to the ‘CalamBubble’ put it, “To end the day, we usually talk din how the day went. Pareho kaming masaya kasi andaming learnings, andami naming nase-share sa isa’t-isa.”

When they do their job, they can rest assured that players can go all-out in 3x3 games well-known for their physicality.

And that is exactly why even though they only got around six hours of sleep for the duration of the bubble, they went to bed satisfied and woke up refreshed and recharged to get back to work.

“Actually, you’re really tired physi-

PTs Sancho Santiago and Ria Daluz

cally and ang bumabawi ka na lang is sa mental e,” said Santiago. “Kung makikita mo kasi yung player falling down, grabe yung kaba mo, pero when he stands up again, parang ikaw rin, mararamdaman mong, ‘Yes, I can do it, I can still play.’”

The ‘CalamBubble’ had its fair share of classic contests because most, if not all, of its players were in tip-top shape.

And how were those players in tip-top shape? All because of two PTs who were always available to nurse them back to full strength.

Obama casually sinks 3-pointer on campaign trail Barrack Obama: That’s what I do. AFP

WASHINGTON—He was attempting to land Democrat Joe Biden an electoral slam dunk, but former president Barack Obama nailed a 3-pointer instead. Literally.

On the campaign trail Saturday at a high school gym in Flint, Michigan, Obama, who is known for his skill on the court, was passed a basketball as he left the room.

The ex-president dribbled, then sank the 3-pointer from the corner before casually resuming his exit and telling the campaign entourage confidently that “that’s what I do.”

Video of the shot—posted to Twitter by both Obama and Biden’s traveling digital director Olivia Raisner—quickly went viral, gaining hundreds of thousands of likes and praise from none other than LeBron James, recently named Most Valuable Player of the 2020 NBA Finals.

“Now you just showing out now my friend!!”

James tweeted. “That’s what you do huh?? Ok ok I see. All cash!”

Biden, who was Obama’s vice president, made his first joint appearance of the cam-

paign with his former boss in Flint, scrambling to boost turnout ahead of Tuesday’s election against Republican incumbent President Donald Trump who is trailing in the polls.

Shooting hoops on election day is a tradition for Obama, even when his name is not on the ballot.

The habit is reportedly part superstition for the ex-president who skipped the court during voting in the New Hampshire Democratic primary in 2008 and lost the race to then-senator Hillary Clinton. AFP

Entertainment

Introducing Kanishia

S

TAR POP has introduced its latest artist, multihyphenate Kanishia, who launched her debut single “A Little Taste of Danger” on Oct. 16.

(GMA Davao Station), and South Central Mindanao (GMA General Santos Station).

Amoroso played a vital role in bringing the country’s leading broadcast network closer to the regions – producing groundbreaking and award-winning local news programs and specials attuned to stories, voices, and viewership of Filipinos in the regions. He oversees the local news operations and production of GMA RTV’s news programs, namely Balitang Amianan in North Central

A different shade of pink

Luzon; Balitang Bisdak in Central and Eastern Visayas; One Western Visayas in Western Visayas; One Mindanao in North, Central, and Southern Mindanao; and GMA Regional TV Weekend News.

He also recently led the successful launch of regional morning shows Mornings with GMA Regional TV in North Central Luzon; GMA Regional TV Live! in Central and Eastern Visayas; GMA Regional TV Early Edition in Western Visayas; and At Home with GMA Regional TV in North, Central, and Southern Mindanao.

As GMA Network remains committed to local communities during the COVID-19 pandemic, Amoroso led GMA RTV’s ‘Kapuso Barangayan on Wheels (KBOW),’ which reached out to various barangays across the country.

Now on its second wave, a total of 6,830 family-beneficiaries have been given food packs and other essential items in 58 barangays all over the country. GMA RTV also conducted short lectures on proper hand sanitation, wearing of PPEs, social distancing, and other health protocols during these barangayan activities.

As head of GMA Network’s Synergy, Amoroso leads the group that produces ticketed and non-ticketed events and activities catering to all Filipinos across the globe. The team is behind Alden’s Reality, the country’s first-ever virtual reality concert bannered by Alden Richards, slated on Dec. 8.

The Boarding House

An online interactive play set in Manila 2030 A FULL online production entitled The Boarding House, alongside a specially designed interactive website, premieres on Nov. 5 to provide a quirky and innovative theater experience that pushes the potential of Philippine theater.

A promenade-style play allows the spectators freedom to curate their own viewing experience. They can enter their preferred rooms and select the order of the scenes to immerse themselves into, with varying social commentaries and perspectives presented on the narrative.

They are likewise invited to traverse the fully-interactive online map that provides an in-depth introduction of each character as well as a tour of the surreal setting.

The presentation transports the audience to year 2030 in a futuristic surveillance state called Lunan City, formerly known as Manila. The capital was acquired and transformed by an umbrella corporation coined as O.W.L. Corp. into a speculative universe, wherein a diverse range of mythical creatures, sentient objects and structures, and humans co-exist.

All collectively referred to as Lunanites, they are forced to stay indoors as schools of Flying Fish caused a toxic outbreak throughout the city. Locked down within the four walls of the shared sanctuary, seven artists have to face their real selves confront their inner desires

and struggles as they adapt and survive in the so-called new normal. In this seclusion amid the crisis, the protagonists are left to answer the question: Who are you when you’re alone?

The group, comprised of psychic Hala (Phoebe Louise Lina), actress Lucy (Camille Pedersen), director Mimi (Isabel Dimalanta Ravago), collector Blaise (Brio Mikhail Divinagracia), vlogger Kessy (Samantha Louise Campos), professor Atom (Christian Cusi), and news radio broadcaster Berke (Jack Denzel Gaza), are quarantined in the Eñya Boarding House.

The Boarding House was written, directed, and produced by Teatro 77, a team of Theater Arts students from the School of Design and Arts of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

It features music by Sunny Side second engineer and in-house producer David Lina and psychedelic surf rock band La Playa, animation by multimedia artist Tara Isabel Javier, set design by Benilde Production Design student Zach Urbano, lighting design by Theater Arts student Kyla Ravago, who is likewise responsible for the website, together with performer, writer, and multimedia artist Phoebe Lina. The universe was brought to life by the web development of IT specialist Reuben Ravago.

The Boarding House is accessible from a website specially created to be non-linear

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‘Billie and Emma’ is a drama film directed by Samantha Lee. It is an LGBT coming-of-age story set in the mid-1990s.

GMA executive joins AFP Health Service Command’s Multi-Sector

GMA Network Regional TV and Synergy Vice President and Head Oliver Victor Amoroso

MODAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

Up-andcoming music star Kanishia has just released her debut single under Star Pop.

Although new to the recording industry, the 19-yearold promising talent has tons of experience in acting, singing, and dancing. She started performing onstage at a young age and has been involved in school theater productions for five years now.

“I started to like singing when I was seven years old. I enjoy performing onstage and entertaining people, not only showing my talent in singing but also in acting,” she shared.

Coincidentally, Kanishia breaks into the mainstream with her frisky debut single “A Little Taste of Danger,” about wanting to go out of one’s comfort zone and exploring more of what life and the world have to offer.

“I was able to relate to the song. Every time I listen to it, I imagine a butterfly coming from a caterpillar,” Kanishia said. “You can bloom once you have enough experience.”

The spirited song was written and composed by singer-songwriter Marion Aunor, and produced by Jack Rufo and ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo.

Kanishia is a welcome addition to the rich talents under Star POP—an ABSCBN Music label for the younger audience headed by Rox Santos.

The single is now available on numerous digital music streaming services.

OLIVER Victor Amoroso, GMA Network’s Regional TV and Synergy Vice President and Head, has been selected as a distinct member of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command Transformation Roadmap (AFPHSCTR) Multi-Sector Advisory Board (MSAB).

The MSAB was formed in response to AFPHSCTR’s commitment to promoting good governance, transparency, and accountability within the framework of stakeholder consultation and engagement.

As part of the MSAB, Amoroso becomes one of the Transformation Roadmap Champions from the private sector who will help AFPHSC realize its vision of becoming “A World-Class Health Care Services Provider of the AFP by 2028.”

He will also provide expert advice on the implementation of AFPHSCTR and assist in improving transparency and accountability in reporting performance.

As VP and Head of GMA Regional TV (RTV), Amoroso is in charge of the operations, content and production, and business development of the department, including its regional stations and offices located in North Central Luzon (GMA Dagupan and GMA Ilocos Stations), Southern Luzon (GMA Bicol Station), Central and Eastern Visayas (GMA Cebu Station), Western Visayas (GMA Iloilo and GMA Bacolod Stations), Northern Mindanao (GMA Cagayan de Oro Station), Southern Mindanao

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Hala played by Theater Arts student Phoebe Louise Lina. and exploratory, designed for the global audience with subtitles in full English and Filipino.

The website is open to the public.

Viewers, however, are encouraged to donate to pandemic relief operations of Para Sa Sining, a collective of creative individuals and organizations passionate about building a community that is inclusive through collaborative arts.

The Boarding House Acts 1 and 2 premieres on Thursdays, Nov. 5 and 12 at 7:00 p.m., respectively.

It will be available on view until Dec. 5, 2020, through its virtual front of the house at https://explorelunan.web.app/.

For inquiries, email teatro77ph@gmail. com or visit the team’s social media channels on Facebook (@teatro77ph), Twitter (@ teatro77), and Instagram (@teatro77_ph).

PINK, the symbolic color of the LGBT community, has more than 20 shades with more letters of the alphabet being added to represent the many exciting personalities that sashay in the rainbow coterie.

In the fourth installment of Pista Ng Pelikulang Pilipino Film Festival (PPP), a fine example of the L (lesbian) in the community is from T-Rex Entertainment, Samantha Lee’s Billie and Emma.

Lee’s two-year-old motion picture, since it graced the QCinema Film Festival, did a lot of traveling: Official Selection Out Fest 2019 Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival; Official Selection to Rainbow Reel Tokyo LGBT Film Festival; Official Selection to Frameline 43 San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival; Official Selection to Tel Aviv International LGBT Film Festival; and Inside Out Toronto LGBT Film Festival bringing home the Audience Award Winner- Narrative Feature.

It even had a North American, Japanese, and European premieres.

After Patay Na si Hesus, Bakwit Boys, and Open, this is the fourth film from Rex Tiri’s relatively young film production company to participate in the annual festival headed

by Liza Diño, the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) flagship project.

“My motivation in producing this film then was that this particular story must be told to a wider audience. The script was very good and I always wanted to do a movie with Direk Samantha Lee,” says Tiri.

In a nutshell, the film tells the story

of Billie (Zar Donato), a troublemaker from the big city, who finds herself exiled to San Isidro to live with her spinster aunt who is also the town’s religion teacher. Determined to change her ways and get through the last year of high school without incident, Billie hides her real identity until she meets Emma (Gabby Padilla).

The young misses eventually fall and experience their first bite of a different kind of love, move heaven and earth, gamble with the devil and the deep blue sea, to make their complicated relationship survive. Adding another layer of emotional strain to it is Emma’s pregnancy courtesy of the campus’ resident heartthrob.

“It’s a fresh perspective to the many emotions and issues that affect the LGBT community. And the reasons for their happiness and tears, their questions and triumphs, are not the same with other members of society. In this coming-of-age tale, its emotional honesty and depiction of a young love that blossomed and was shared by these courageous ladies, are the main reasons for people to view it,” Tiri said of the film’s main selling point.

PPP4 runs until Nov. 15 on the FDCPchannel.ph platform.

For updates on additional PPP4 titles and other information, visit FDCPchannel.ph or facebook.com/FDCPPPP.

EXTRA INTERNATIONAL

Ariana Grande drops sultry new album, backs Biden POP superstar Ariana Grande had the twitterati abuzz Friday after dropping her third album in three years, a pandemicera meld of juicy pop and soulful R&B that sees the superstar’s soaring vocals turn increasingly carnal.

After releasing the title track “positions” last week along with a presidential cosplay music video—in which Grande and her all-female aides conduct White House business looking very Jackie O—the 27-year-old issued her sixth studio album days before a US election playing out during a still-raging pandemic. “love u so much i am so so grateful and excited,” she wrote on Instagram hours before the album’s release. “can’t stop cryin. hooooooooooo.”

Grande’s album drop comes at a devastating moment for the music industry, with the lucrative tours artists rely on indefinitely stalled. “positions” sees the artist—who spent her early 20s tonally wavering between bubblegum eyelash batting and seductive lip-bites—lean into the raunch, pairing a more mature sound with unabashedly sexual lyrics.

The particularly thirsty “34+35” -- you do the math—had social media flushed.

Tracks including “nasty,” “obvious,” and collaborations with The Weeknd, Doja Cat, and Ty Dolla $ign also jumped out as fan favorites. “baby pardon my french, but can you speak in tongues,” Grande sings in “love language,” swinging between her signature breathy lilt and impressive four-octave range.

The video for “positions” brought Grande glam to the Oval Office—but

Ariana Grande, shown here performing during the 2018 Billboard Music Awards, is back in the limelight after releasing her sixth studio album.

the song itself was more about politics of the heart. “boy, I’m tryna meet your mama on a Sunday / Then make a lotta love on a Monday,” she sings.

But in speaking to her nearly 300 million followers between Instagram and Twitter, Grande has made her electoral views clear and encouraged fans to get out and vote. “me on my way to remind u all to vote early and also on my way to switch them positions for u,” the Italian-American New Yorker posted along with a promo clip of her strutting through an ersatz West Wing, in a clear nod to Democrat Joe Biden.

Grande had backed leftist Senator Bernie Sanders in the primaries, and in recent days formally endorsed Biden over Republican incumbent Donald Trump. AFP

Life

Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com @manilastandardlife @MStandardLIFE

C4

FOOD

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020

There’s always room for dessert

By Monica Sanchez

S

CIENCE has explained why we always have a room for dessert. Blame it on sensory specific satiety or, as experts call it, “dessert stomach.”

Sugar—a new flavor profile different from what you most likely had during lunch or dinner—releases a relaxing effect in the stomach which reduces the sensation of being full.

Aside from the excitement brought by new food, in this case, something sweet, the appealing factor of those almost always good looking desserts increases that anticipation.

“It may look and smell good and (from experience) we know sweet is appealing. No more boredom with the food and the anticipation creates appetite—hence the dessert stomach,” Russell Keast, di-

rector of the Centre for Advanced Sensory Science at Deakin University, told the Huffington Post.

But who can blame these yummy treats?

Ube party cakes, rolls, and macaroons from Tous les Jours; soft and fluffy soufflé pancakes from Puffy; awesome candy donuts and OG Towers from Krispy Kreme; gluten-free donuts and flourless cakes from FRNK; creamy Cheesecake Factory goodness from Tim Hortons; and Halloween treats from Nord’s.

Then there’s Cinnabon’s Biscoff Milky Bon, Mary Grace Café’s lineup of celebration cakes with hand-piped

It’s a sweet life at SM City North Edsa, which houses various pastry shops and bakery cafés that offer delectable treats such as (clockwise) Mary Grace Café’s celebration cake, Puffy’s soufflé pancake, Tous les Jours’ ube rolls, Kumori’s cheese tarts, and Krispy Kreme’s candy donuts.

Resorts World Manila takes pride in (clockwise) Marriot Café’s Berliner, Garden Wing Café’s Black Forest Cake, and Oori’s Songpyeon, among other desserts across its restaurant outlets and hotels.

florals and messages, Breadtalk’s colorful steam cakes, and French Baker’s version of ube pandesal.

The aforementioned pastry shops and bakery cafés bring that sweet goodness to shoppers at SM City North Edsa. As part of the Halloween celebration, cus-

Warm bowls of comfort

SIP

The good soda FIZZ and flavor without the guilt? Possible? This new beverage says yes.

Drinks maker Asia Brewery, Inc. introduces Sunkist Freshie, a caffeinefree carbonated drink sweetened with Stevia and fruit juice and packed with vitamins and minerals.

Stevia is a plant-based sweetener regarded as a safe and healthy sugar substitute and is associated with health benefits such as reduced calorie intake, blood sugar, and risk of cavities as well as regulated blood pressure.

Taking the “good soda” tag seriously, Sunkist Freshie—currently available in Apple and Yoghurt flavors—has vitamin A that helps support immunity, vitamin D and calcium to help build strong bones, iodine and vitamin B12 known to help increase energy levels, and iron which is known to help improve memory.

“Now, more than ever, people are becoming more conscious of their health and

STAY safe, stay dry, stay warm with these monsoon-blues-beating-soups: Sunkist Freshie is a caffeine-free carbonated drink sweetened with Stevia and packed with vitamins and minerals.

Bulalo

Nothing beats sharing a bowl of hot beef or pork shank soup in the middle of a cold, heavy downpour. Bulalo is best enjoyed when its meat has been simmered very well to bring out its flavor, and served with greens such as cabbage and Baguio beans.

Sinigang

wellness. With Sunkist Freshie as a ‘good soda,’ we’d like people to know that they can absolutely still make this carbonated drink very much a part of their healthy lifestyle while contributing something good to society,” said Hubert Tan, senior

SMOOTHIE brand Jamba Juice offers fruit kits that let customers missing their blended beverages make them at home.

The Live Fruitfully Kits contain fresh frozen fruits vacuum-packed into bundles.

The Daily Mix pack, priced at P300, contains five packs of 100g fruit mixes: two packs of strawberry and banana, blueberry and banana, peach and banana, and mango.

Whether it comes with pork, prawns, or fish, this tamarind-based soup rouses the senses and boosts the appetite. A little spice added for that extra kick keeps one warm despite the cold weather.

vice president for Asia Brewery Inc. A bottle of this new beverage is available for P20 (SRP) at leading supermarkets, drugstores, and convenience stores nationwide.

Blend your own smoothie

Jamba Juice’s vacuum-packed Fruitfully Kits contain fresh frozen fruit combinations.

tomers can get these treats and more at the Fang-tastic Hub at the Block Atrium until November 2.

Meanwhile, Resorts World Manila highlights its stress-reducing dessert lineup available across its restaurant outlets and hotels.

Some of the saccharine treats include Marriott Manila’s Marriott Cafe Berliner and Halloween Cake; Sheraton Manila’s Mango Bingsu and Songpyeon (rice cake) from Oori, Ube Macapuno Cake, and Mango Sansrival; Savoy Manila’s Paris-Brest and Baklava Cheesecake; Garden Wing Cafe’s Mango Yogurt Cheesecake, Black Forest Cake, and Macadamia Mousse Cake; and Casa Buenas’s Emperador Strudel and Tablea Fondant Cake.

Drooling already? Just remember to indulge moderately.

Meanwhile, the 500g, one-combination-per-pack Big Pack starts at P299 and comes in four different fruit combinations: blueberry and banana, strawberry and banana, five fruit mix (blueberry, mango, peach, banana, and strawberries), and kale and mango mix.

Ramen

Rainy season is the perfect time to enjoy an oishi bowl of ramen—a global hit due to its flavorful broth. Normally served with tamago, cuts of meat, nori, scallions, and other vegetables, one serving of ramen is a feast for the taste buds.

The fruit kits are now available at all Jamba Juice stores and can be ordered for delivery via https://delivery.jambajuice.ph, GrabFood, and foodpanda.

Mushroom soup

Its creaminess, aroma, and the tender bites of mushrooms make for a delectable mood-booster.

Mrs. Garcia’s meats meet the demands of the ‘new normal’ MEAT retailer Meatworld International, Inc. takes pride in its brand that evolves with the times.

Mrs. Garcia’s meat products now include a variety of fresh but affordable cuts such as ground pork, menudo cut, adobo cut, pork liempo, pork chop sliced, pork ribs, sinigang cut, pork cubes, pork mask, beef brisket, beef shank sliced, beef sirloin, beef caldereta cut, breakfast steak, ground beef, Korean steak bulgogi, and Japanese pork tonkatsu.

These meat products are now available in over 440 leading supermarkets nationwide, as well as for delivery in select areas. Go to https://mrsgarcias.com.ph to order. Online orders are delivered free within Metro Manila.

Enabling others to earn during the pandemic, the brand also encourages interested resellers to contact 0917-837-4898 and find out Mrs. Garcia’s meats are now available in over 440 leading how they can bring good meat closer to their communities. supermarkets nationwide and for delivery in select areas.

Arroz Caldo

A dish as unassuming as this can carry anyone through the monsoon blues. The ginger completes the full-bodied taste and leaves you wanting for more. Filipinos love to eat this comfort food with slices of chicken, pork, and boiled egg, and garnished with a zest of calamansi and fried garlic bits.

Chefs at Century Park Hotel Manila prepare these comforting food items for delivery. Contact 8528-5855 or 0917-633-2497 (SMS or Viber) to order.