Manila Standard - 2020 November 24 - Tuesday

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US missiles to boost PH terror fight

By Rey E. Requejo THE United States government on Monday formally turned over a package of precision-guided missiles valued at $18 million to the Philippine government aimed at helping the Armed Forces of the Philippines strengthen its anti-terrorism capabilities, particularly in combatting ISIS-inspired extremism in Mindanao.

In a turnover ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs, visiting US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien announced the transfer of defense articles, which consisted of a package of precision-guided antitank missiles, including 100 TOW-2A missiles, 12 ITAS, and 24 MK-82s to the AFP. “This transfer underscores our strong and enduring commitment to our critical alliance. We hope these precision-guided missiles and munitions will help the AFP protect Next page

US National Security Advisor Robert O'Brien (second from right) and Foreign Minister Teodoro Locsin (fourth from left) listen to a US military official explain the capability of the precisionguided munitions among other defense articles during a turnover ceremony at the Department of Foreign Affairs office in Manila on November 23, 2020. AFP

House eyes 3rd stimulus bill Romualdez, Salceda set P247b to fund new Bayanihan recovery efforts

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE House of Representatives is expected to pass a third Bayanihan bill that will provide P247 billion in emergency response and economic recovery programs.

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 262 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, one of the authors of House Bill 8059, or the Bayanihan to Rebuild as One Act, said the bill hopes to ensure that national and local government units can mobilize “robust response and recovery programs” in the face of recent typhoons and slower than expected recovery in the third quarter of the year.

“We are confident that this will breeze

through the House, as the Majority Leader (Ferdinand Martin Romualdez), who also chairs the House Defeat COVID-19 Committee, is our lead sponsor,” Salceda said.

“I made it clear to the economic managers that if we recover more quickly than expected in the 3rd quarter, a third Bayanihan [law] may no longer be Next page

Double whammy: Oil, pork price hikes hit consumers

By Alena Mae S. Flores and Othel V. Camps OIL companies raised the price of diesel and kerosene by P0.50 per liter and P0.30 per liter, respectively effective 6 a.m. Tuesday to reflect the movement of oil prices in the international market.

Gasoline prices, however, did not go up.

Oil prices have been going up in the past weeks amid optimism of the rollout of the coronavirus vaccine that could put

Consumers are faced with rising prices pork as well as diesel and kerosene amid a scarce supply due to the African swine fever that devastated the hog industry in Luzon and rising prices of oil in the international market.

COVID cases show ’plateau’ trend—DOH

SPECIAL REPORT

By Joyce Pangco Pañares, Maricel Cruz and Rio Araja

By Willie Casas, Macon Ramos-Araneta, and Vito Barcelo

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COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM NOV. 23)

420,614 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,799 25,837 NEW

ACTIVE

8,173

50

386,604

135

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

This handout aerial photo taken from the Philippine Coast Guard shows residents sheltering on the roof of their flooded house in Cagayan province on Nov. 14, 2020, days after Typhoon Ulysses hit parts of the country, bringing heavy rain and flooding. AFP

DOJ checks transport execs' SALNs

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice-led Task Force Against Corruption will evaluate the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth that the Department of Transportation will submit to determine if there are indications its officials might be involved in irregularities.This emerged after Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade conveyed to Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra his intention to submit copies of the SALN of their

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Solons start massive flooding probe

LOCAL ROUNDUP

THE trend of new COVID-19 cases recorded nationwide has plateaued but some areas need to be closely monitored

an end to the pandemic and fuel a global economic recovery.

Petron Corp., Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., PTT Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, PetroGazz and Cleanfuel also issued advisories about the price increases.

On Nov. 17, the oil firms raised the price of gasoline by P1.05 to P1.10 per liter, diesel by P1.50 to P1.55 per liter and P1.30 per liter for kerosene.

These resulted in year-to-date adjustments to a net decrease of P4.62 per liter for gasoline, P9.36 per liter for diesel and

officials to the DOJ-led task force.

According to Guevarra, they would use this information to assess if the SALN could be used to conduct further investigation to check if there were officials of DOTr who committed graft and corruption.

“Secretary Tugade mentioned this matter of submitting SALNs of DOTr officials to the DOJ Task Force during one of our meetings with the President.

The Task Force will use SALNs show Next page

“IT WAS the worst flooding since 1975. Even the highways… were all underwater. You could not even discern where Cagayan is. You have the Sierra Madre mountains on one side, the Cordillera Mountains on the other, and there were floodwaters everywhere. You could only see rooftops here and there.”

This was how Gov. Manuel Mamba described the catastrophic deluge in Cagayan this month, the worst in almost half a century, triggered by the deadliest typhoon to hit the country this year that left in its wake 73 dead, about 19 others missing, and some 3.8 million people

displaced across Luzon.

Of the province's 28 towns, 24 were inundated when Typhoon Ulysses barreled across Luzon in the second week of November. Some 216 barangays along the Cagayan River, Mamba said, were devastated by heavy floods.

In neighboring Isabela, massive floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the province that is the top producer of corn and monggo and has the second highest volume of rice production nationwide.

Ulysses also displaced more than 140,000 residents from 322 barangays.

Mamba said no one except the successive typhoons that caused the Cagayan River to swell and overflow was to blame for the massive flooding.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

8 massacre suspects indicted T

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Victims’ lawyer Nena Santos on Monday revealed that two Ampatuans and six others were charged before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 221, the same court that convicted last year some members of the influential Ampatuan clan and many

police officers after finding them guilty of multiple murder for the massacre.

However, Santos expressed dismay over the DOJ’s dismissal of charges against the 40 others, saying only three paragraphs in the prosecutors' resolu-

tion explained the legal basis for the dismissal.

"The fight is not yet over," Santos said, adding she felt the DOJ was no longer on their side.

Insisting the witnesses’ testimonies were enough to prove the guilt of the respondents, Santos said the resolution dismissing charges against most of them was another manifestation of impunity.

Indicted for the murder charges include Datu Moning Ampatuan Asim, Datu Harris Ampatuan Macapendeng, Dali Kamendan a.k.a. Kumander Boy, Mautin Upam, Rene Upam, Datu Diego 'Digo' Mamalapat, Daud Kamendan a.k.a. Kumander Kuatro, and a certain

House...

loan structures,” Salceda said.

The measure also includes a P40 billion local government support fund for calamity response, P100 billion in health and resiliency-related infrastructure programs, P10 billion in assistance programs for agriculture and fisheries, P7 billion for rent refinancing, P10 billion for companies to borrow for paying 13th month benefits, P10 billion for Tulong Para sa Displaced workers (TUPAD), P10 billion for the Covid Assistance Measures Program (CAMP), P 10 billion for Assistance to Individuals in Crisis Situation (AICS), P10 billion for the Medical Assistance for Indigents Program (MAIP), P5 billion each for the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED, ) and another P10 billion for Department of Education programs.

Salceda said that while he understands the reservations of the executive branch to spend more money for the COVID-19 response effort, he believes that a third stimulus program is necessary to ensure that the crisis does not “eat up too much of our economic structure.”

“It is very hard to recover when so many businesses have already closed for good,” Salceda said.

Salceda added that while the first two Bayanihan measures were able to keep the economy afloat, he believes that the third stimulus measure is “the necessary booster shot so we can truly begin recuperating in 2021.”

“The executive can make their concerns known, and we will take them into consideration. They can even give us a fiscal limit to work on. But what we cannot accept is the idea that we have spent enough in 2020. That may have been barely true if the recent calamities did not strike. But the sheer fact is that more people have gone into poverty this year than we expected,” Salceda said.

Meanwhile, House Deputy Majority Leader Bernadette Herrera called for the immediate release of funds aimed at helping micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

Herrera made the call with only one month left before the expiration of the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act or Bayanihan 2.

Herrera said the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) must ensure struggling MSMEs would benefit from the P10 billion allocated for the COVID-19 Assistance to Restart Enterprises (CARES) under the Bayanihan 2.

“Congress allocated that amount precisely to help these struggling MSMEs so that they could continue operating and paying their employees,” Herrera, representing the Bagong Henerasyon Party-list in Congress, pointed out.

“Our economy is slowly opening up again and our MSMEs will play a big role in its revival, so we should provide them with the necessary assistance right away,” she added.

According to the DTI, P8 billion out

of the P10 billion allotted for CARES has already been released to the Small Business Corp.

The P10 billion was intended as capital infusion to the SBCorp to assist MSMEs and the tourism industry through the provision of low-interest loans.

The CARES fund was expected to benefit about 100,000 enterprises and 200,000 workers.

However, the DTI itself revealed that only a total of 6,600 loans have been approved so far, equivalent to P1.2 billion; while 26,000 CARES loan applications are still pending with the SBCorp.

“The DTI should push SBCorp to fasttrack the processing of loans and release the money to qualified MSMEs ASAP,” Herrera said.

The party-list lawmaker said MSMEs are among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic due to the community quarantine restrictions. “The pandemic pushed many MSMEs into financial hardship, prompting them to either shut down permanently or lay off some workers just to stay afloat,” she said.

Bayanihan 2 succeeded the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which also gave President Duterte special powers to effectively respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The law is set to expire on Dec. 19, but many lawmakers are keen on extending the validity if some of its provisions to make sure all of the benefits would be distributed to their intended beneficiaries.

P12.59 per liter for kerosene, according to the Department of Energy.

Meanwhile, the price of pork continues to rise, driven by scarcity brought on by the persistent spread of African swine fever (ASF) that has devastated the hog industry in Luzon.

Halfway through November, the price of pork pigue and kasim went as high as P380 per kilogram (kg), P40 more than a kilo of beef which costs P340/kg.

Propork, a group of hog farmers and wholesalers, said Luzon is close to losing 50 percent of its hogs to ASF. Luzon accounts for 55 percent of the total annual demand for pork at any given time. Farmers culled 12.7 million head due to the disease in 2019 and expect to lose 12.4 million head in 2020.

Propork’s Eduardo So said the transportation cost of live hogs from Mindanao contributed to the rise in pork prices.

“We bring our hogs from Mindanao to Luzon at a cost. If we pay for the vessel bringing hogs to Luzon, we also pay for the return trip since they will have to go back without any cargo,” he said Monday.

He added that retailers are just abiding by the law of supply and demand.

He also called on the Department of Transportation to give the necessary assistance to hog farmers to speedily transport live hogs from Mindanao to Luzon.

The Department of Agriculture (DA) included pork in the list of basic commodities with suggested retail price (SRP). Under the SRO for agricultural products, pork pigue and kasim were priced at P260/kg and pork liempo at P280/kg.

The consumer advocacy group Laban Konsyumer, Inc. (LKI) has raised price concerns to the Philippine Competition Commission (PCC) to investigate possible collusion between hog farmers and traders.

The group maintained that fresh pork is included in the basic necessities list in section 3 (1) of the Price Act, or RA 7581, as amended.

He urged the DA and the PCC to expedite the investigation to “ease the burden of consumers.”

Vergeire said the critical care utilization rate, which looks into hospital bed utilization and other factors, remained at moderate risk levels of around 50 percent to 53 percent.

“In general, this is a good indication because it means we are not overwhelmed,” Vergeire said.

“But there are areas that we are monitoring. Like for instance Davao City, we saw their critical care utilization is increasing, that is why we

are monitoring the area,” she said.

The DOH spokesperson said effective measures implemented in Metro Manila had also been started in Davao City, which was placed under general community quarantine.

“We are also monitoring other areas like Cebu City because there is an increase in cases although their critical care utilization is not high,” she said.

The DOH official also said they wanted to know why the number of

cases in the city had gone up again.

COVID cases The Philippines logged on Monday 1,799 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 420,614, after seven laboratories failed to submit their data.

With 50 new fatalities, the death toll climbed to 8,173, which is 1.94 percent of the total cases, the DOH reported.

Top cities and provinces with new

cases are Cavite, 154; Rizal, 114; Quezon City, 99; Bulacan, 76; and Laguna, 67.

The DOH also reported 25,837 active cases, which is 6.1 percent of the total cases.

PITC involvement Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Monday said it was just prudent the government at least take a long hard look at the involvement of the Philippine International Trading Corp. (PITC) in the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

to prevent a repeat of the disaster that has affected millions of our [countrymen],” Vargas said.

In filing House Resolution No. 1361, Vargas said the government's National Greening Program (NGP) that started in 2011 set a target of planting 1.5 billion trees by 2016. The lawmaker said while the Department of Environment and Natural Resources claimed to have planted 1.7 billion trees during the five-year span of the program, data show the country's total forest cover remains the lowest in Asia at only 23 percent.

Vargas said the DENR should disclose during the congressional hearings details about other components of the NGP, including the moratorium on the cutting and harvesting of timber in natural and residual forests to be implemented by an anti-illegal logging task force and the rehabilitation of denuded and degraded forest lands estimated at 7.1 million hectares from 2016 to 2028.

'Our forests have been abused' Mamba said the volume of floodwaters was deadlier than what the local government had prepared for, made worse by illegal logging in the area.

“The biggest problem, really, is the degradation of our forests,” the governor said. “Our forests have been abused, both in the Cordillera and Sierra Madre sides.”

Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones confirmed that illegal loggers continue to operate in Sierra Madre, the country's longest mountain range, but 70 percent of the area remains vegetated.

“We plant continuously and we enforce anti-illegal logging measures continuously.

What we have observed, though, is that aside from commercial logging, communities also convert our forest land into agricultural land by planting cashcrops in the sloping areas,” Leones said.

“So what we do in the DENR is to implement a massive informationdissemination campaign against converting forest lands. We give them seedlings – not for fast crops but for perennial crops, for agroforestry crops that will give them food while protecting our forests,” he added.

The Department of Interior and Local Government will roll out next year a project for local government units to encourage tree planting among their constituents, targeting the planting of 200 million trees across the country.

“Memorandum circulars will be released to encourage widespread tree planting campaigns in support of the NGP from the barangays to the highest government level,” Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said.

The department has also directed the Philippine National Police to go after illegal loggers, particularly those operating in Cagayan and Isabela where residents and local officials have blamed environmental abuse as a major factor in the catastrophic inundation of the two provinces at the height of Typhoon Ulysses.

A 'convergence' of past problems Isabela Rep. Antonio Albano said the disaster brought about by Typhoon Ulysses was a “convergence” of all the problems that were left to fester since Day 1.

He said water gauge systems must be put in place in the tributaries of the Magat Dam reservoir to ensure that the release of water from the multi-purpose dam – which is used primarily for irrigating about 85,000 hectares of agricultural lands, flood control, and power generation – is done in a timely manner.

The National Irrigation AdministrationMagat River Integrated Irrigation System said residents were warned of a pre-release of water on Nov. 9, or two days before Ulysses made landfall.

“The volume of water from succeeding typhoons already brought up the water level of Magat Dam and Typhoon Ulysses was the knockout punch. But you have to take into consideration as well timely information from the tributaries.

Unfortunately, we do not have that technology yet. We need to invest in water gauge systems,” he added.

Mamba, for his part, said the watershed area has to be improved as well to be able to keep the dam's spilling level under control.

“If they don't improve the watershed, whether they like it or not, they will not be able to control the influx of water into the town and (they will have to) release [water] because they have to do something for the dam not to burst,” he said.

NIA dam and reservoir division manager Eduardo Ramos agreed. “The water-holding capacity in our mountains is weak because there are no more trees, no more roots. We really need to do massive reforestation,” he said.

Dredge the rivers, tributaries Albano said he will file a bill creating

a Cagayan River Rehabilitation Agency to desilt and dredge its swollen waterways.

“You really have to start dredging the Cagayan River. Since Day 1, that river has not been dredged,” the lawmaker said.

His brother, Isabela Gov. Rodolfo Albano III, said studies to dredge and desilt Cagayan River have been conducted but nothing has been implemented yet.

“NEDA (National Economic Development Authority) did a study way back 1992. But it was not implemented because no one wanted to borrow money to finance the project,” he said as he called for the creation of a Department of Water.

“I urge the national government to create a Department of Water. When you need water, it doesn't come; when you don't need it, that's when it arrives,” the governor added.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said he has already approved the request of Mamba for the dredging of the Cagayan River covering some 30 kilometers to widen a constricted section that snakes through the towns of Alcala, Lal-lo and Gattaran.

Cimatu said 18 major rivers in Quirino, Nueva Vizcaya, Isabela and the Cordillera Administrative Region drain into the Cagayan River, making the province prone to flooding.

Cimatu said even the Marikina River has to be widened to increase its floodcarrying capacity after nearby areas were submerged in deep floodwaters from the heavy rainfall caused by Ulysses.

“We will look into the old river and how the river became narrower through the years. We will restore the original width of the Marikina River,” he said.

Under Presidential Decree No. 1067 or the Philippine Water Code, riverbank easement of three meters is required in urban areas. Marikina City also has an existing ordinance increasing the easement to 40 meters on both sides of the river.

A taste of things to come The Center for Energy, Ecology and Development says the devastation brought about by Typhoon Ulysses was “yet another taste of what climate emergency brings.”

Even President Rodrigo Duterte acknowledged that climate change was behind the severe storms that caused massive flooding throughout Luzon.

“The problem really is climate change, whether we accept it or not,” the President

said.

In Manila, Mayor Francisco Domagoso has ordered the continuous declogging operations in the city to minimize, if not prevent, flooding during the rainy season.

“The entire force of the Department of Engineering and Public Works works nonstop to make sure our canals in the city are clean and to further strengthen our defense against floods,” Domagoso said in a text message to the Manila Standard.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III said the series of calamities that battered the country has made it imperative to do an inventory of existing environmental laws and an accounting of their implementation.

"Our existing environmental laws have laid down a long list of guidelines and protocols that LGUs and government offices need to do before, during and after extreme weather disturbances affect our country,” he said.

“These laws were passed by Congress to make sure that the country, especially LGUs, are one step ahead when super typhoons like Rolly and Ulysses cross our area of responsibility. One important question here is: Did government agencies implement the laws on environment and natural disasters which were passed by Congress?” Sotto said.

Velasco, for his part, said the congressional hearings will focus on how to better address proper protocols and preparedness even before a natural disaster strikes.

“There will be more typhoons that will come our way, and we have to become better at preparations and in handling situations that call for sound judgement to prevent deaths and loss of properties from happening,” Velasco said.

Greenpeace country director Lea Guerrero said there has to be a comprehensive approach to address the climate crisis, given that the Philippines is one of the most susceptible countries to hazards brought about by climate change.

"The climate crisis is here to stay. It will be part of the future of the country.

This is the new normal,” Guerrero said in a television interview. “Unless we have plans that are comprehensive and that are forward-looking like planning for the long term, we'll be stuck in a cycle of just responding to every disaster that comes in and it’s not sustainable.” With Macon Ramos-Araneta, Joel Zurbano and Willie Casas

By Rey E. Requejo

HE Department of Justice has indicted only eight of 48 more suspects included in the second wave of complaints against those involved in the massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao in 2009.

From A1

necessary. Seeing as it is that the economy did not recover as quickly as expected in the past quarter, and given the recent spate of typhoons, we need to provide emergency aid,” said Salceda, chairman of the House committee on ways and means.

He said the House is likely to pass the measure – which is also co-authored by party-list Rep. Sharon Garin, chairman of the House economic affairs committee – within the next two weeks.

The measure is divided mainly into health, regulatory, and economic interventions.

HB 8059 includes P20 billion for the procurement of vaccines, the creation of a vaccine committee, and measures to ensure the sufficiency of health supplies.

The proposal also contains rental housing relief, an eviction moratorium, condonation of agrarian reform loans, small business regulatory relief, and credit mediation and refinancing assistance.

“You will see that my contribution here is primarily the structural credit interventions. We have already introduced around P1.9 trillion in new liquidity due to monetary policies. But credit uptake is still low Part of it is due to demand. But part of it is due to the structural defects of usual loan products. That’s why the state has to come in and create more favorable

Local...

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because of the continuing spread of the virus, the Department of Health said Monday.

“In the general or the whole country, the trend is plateauing less than 2000, and critical care is at moderate risk,” Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said during a virtual briefing.

Solons...

From A1

“We shouldn't blame anyone because everyone was overwhelmed, local and national government alike, because we did not expect this,” the governor said.

No blame game, but House probe begins But at the House of Representatives, lawmakers led by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and Majority Leader Martin Romualdez are set to begin today (Tuesday) an investigation into the disaster that struck Region 2.

House Resolution No. 1348 directed the chamber to determine, in aid of legislation, the circumstances that led to the rapid inflow of water into the Magat Dam, as well as the possible non-compliance with laws or regulations by certain agencies that may have contributed to the swelling of Cagayan River.

“We hope to hear everyone’s side and get a clearer picture of the events that transpired when Typhoon Ulysses struck and caused widespread flooding in Luzon.

The aim here is to come up with solutions and legislation, if needed, to prevent the unnecessary loss of lives and properties during typhoons,” Velasco said.

"To attribute the flooding during the last typhoon in some areas in the North including Cagayan and Isabela, as well as in some parts of Metro Manila such as Marikina to one or several causes would be too simplistic... The purpose of these inquiries is not to ascribe blame to persons or agencies, but to ensure that steps will be taken to mitigate or prevent such occurrences in the future,” said Dasmariñas City Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr., chairman of the House committee on environment.

A separate congressional probe is being sought by Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas on the government's reforestation programs and efforts to protect watersheds amid reports that unabated illegal logging in Sierra Madre led to the inundation during the typhoon's onslaught.

“The local officials in the affected provinces have blamed the widespread flooding on the supposed illegal logging at the Sierra Madre and the prevalence of quarrying in areas of the Marikina Watershed. These are serious concerns that need to be addressed decisively if we are

"Biton" from the Philippine National Police.

Citing a 33-page resolution, Santos said the DOJ prosecutors found evidence indicating that seven of the eight, except "Biton," attended meetings where the Ampatuans planned the massacres and "participated in the shooting of the victims" themselves.

"Biton," on the other hand, was not in the meetings but led his officers to block the victims' convoy on November 23, 2009, prosecutors said.

The rest of the respondents "may have attended some of the supposed meetings, but did not take part in the actual killings," the resolution said.

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Work on Skyway ordered stopped for govt probe

By Vito Barcelo THE Labor department has ordered work stopped on the Skyway extension project to give way for an investigation after a person was killed and four others were injured when a steel girder fell into a street in Muntinlupa on Saturday morning.

Department spokesman Rolly Francia says the order covers the entire stretch of the project, or from Susana Heights in Muntinlupa City to Sucat in Paranaque.

“I believe they were not able to assess the situation on the ground. That’s why they were not able to anticipate the hazards that are potentially harmful to our workers,” Francia told reporters.

The department’s occupational safety and health center Executive Director Noel Binag said the project proponents “failed” to identify the hazards in case of a collapse of a steel girder from the portion of the Skyway project.

“They failed to identify the hazards. Obviously, it was not properly controlled. It is always the assumption that every time they start a construction activity, they should have meetings. Every day, they need to identify potential hazards in the workplace to make the necessary assessment and necessary control,” Binag said.

He says the project owner, main contractor and subcontractor are all liable under the occupational safety and health act.

No complaints against UST coach received

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Justice department has not received any complaints against former University of Santo Tomas men’s basketball coach Aldin Ayo in connection with the controversial Sorsogon bubble training camp in June.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra made the clarification after University Athletic Association of the Philippines Executive Director Rebo Saguisag claimed that the pending separate probes by the department, Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Interior and Local Government had prevented it from acting on the plea of Ayo to immediately lift his indefinite suspension from the UAAP. “As far as I know, no sworn complaint in a proper form as required for a preliminary investigation has been received by the DOJ,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

He even admitted that the deparatmeant decided to return the report submitted by the CHED on the incident for being insufficient to warrant the conduct of a preliminary investigation.

The DOJ earlier expressed doubts over its jurisdiction to act on the CHED report, which is more an administrative matter than criminal one.

“We return the report on the incident to the CHED so that the people interested in pressing charges may bring it to the DOJ in the form of a sworn complaint sufficient to trigger a preliminary investigation,” Guevarra said.

INDEX MONITORING. Philippine National Police Chief Debold Sinas will return the body-mass index monitoring to the police to ensure their health. According to the World Health Organization, obese people are considered high-risk for the novel coronavirus disease.

Govt asked not to withhold funds for UP

By Joel Zurbano

F

ORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Monday asked the government not to push through with its threat to hold funding for the University of the Philippines.

“I hope the threat to withhold funding for UP will not materialize. If this happens, the Philippine General Hospital will be affected because it is part of the UP System,” Binay said.

He says the PGH provides medical services to poor Filipinos not only from Metro Manila but from the nearby provinces.

“PGH serves the poor. Where will they turn to if PGH is forced to close its doors?” Binay said.

He says withholding or even reduc-

ing the UP’s funds would also affect the scientific studies and researches being conducted by the university together with government agencies.

“Contrary to the claims of UP’s detractors, the university produces scholars in various disciplines. And they are able to contribute to nation-building and the improvement of the lives of our people because of the academic freedom being offered by UP,” Binay said.

He says even the current Cabinet in-

cludes UP alumni.

“When a UP student leaves the confines of the campus, he or she contributes to his or her chosen calling—be it politics, government, the sciences, arts, development work or social struggle— with honor and excellence,” Binay said.

He says withholding funds from the state University would also contradict the state policy of strengthening UP as the country’s national university. This is specified in Republic Act 9500, or the University of the Philippines Charter of 2008.

“The law extends to UP the right and responsibility to exercise academic freedom, but is precisely this right and responsibility accorded by law that is presently under siege from those who appear to be intolerant of free thought and scholarly debate,” Binay said.

ANTICIPATION.

A man installs a lantern in a light post in Barangay Poblacion 1B in Imus, Cavite, on Nov. 23,2020. He said the village would still feel the spirit of the coming Christmas despite the pandemic. JR Josue

841 tons of trash collected in flooded areas

By Joel E. Zurbano

THE Metropolitan Manila Development Authority has collected 841 tons of trash in Marikina City and San Mateo in Rizal as the agency continued its clearing operation in the communities devastated by Typhoon “Ulysses.”

MMDA Chairman Danilo Lim says the

clearing operation will continue until the areas affected by the typhoon are clean and safe.

At least 150 personnel are assigned to assist the local governments of Marikina and San Mateo in their clearing operations. The MMDA also dispatched heavy equipment to those areas, Lim said.

“Our personnel will continue rendering assistance to affected residents until

the local government units’ rehabilitation works are completed. We are always ready to help in restoring normalcy in the affected communities,” Lim said.

The areas being cleared in Marikina City are Barangays Malanday, Sto. Niño and Tañong, particularly Provident Village, while those in San Mateo are in Barangays Guitnang Bayan, Banaba and Sta. Ana.

House leader Nograles denounces killing of lawyer and judge

By Maricel V. Cruz A LEADER of the House of Representatives on Monday denounced the recent killing of a lawyer and judge in separate incidents, which he said added to the growing number of lawyers, judges and

prosecutors killed since 2016 and that now totaled 52.

Lawyer Eric Jay Magcamit was gunned down on Tuesday while on his way to a hearing in Quezon, Palawan.

Meanwhile, Judge Maria Theresa Abadilla was shot by her clerk of court

inside her own chamber in Manila on Nov. 11.

Deputy Majority Leader and Rizal Rep. Fidel Nograles had filed House Resolution 185 in 2019 calling for an inquiry into the deaths of law practitioners.

“I denounce these latest acts of vio-

DOJ checks ...

US missiles...

“We shouldn’t blame anyone because everyone wing assets which are grossly disproportionate to salaries as possible indicators of graft and corruption in the course of investigating officials or employees of the DOTr alleged to be involved in certain corrupt practices,” Guevarra said, in a text message.

The DOTr initiated the move even if it was not included in TFAC’s five corrupt agencies.

Guevarra clarified that the submission by the DOTr of the SALNs of its officials and employees was the initiative by the DOTr. The five government agencies earlier identified in the TFAC’s priority list were the Bureau of Customs, Bureau of Internal Revenue, Department of Public Works and Highways, Bureau of Immigration, and the Land Registration Authority.

However, while the DOTr would be providing the Task Force of their SALNs, they would not be requiring the other agencies to do the same.

Philippine lives in Mindanao and end the needless suffering imposed by ISIS East Asia,” O’Brien told Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. and other defense officials who witnessed the formal transfer of the US anti-tank missiles and munitions.

AFP spokesperson Major General Edgard Arevalo said in a statement: “We may have been successful in counter-terrorism operations— most notably in Marawi —with ordinary munitions fitted in our legacy aircraft.

But with the advent of these missiles and munitions, we are certain that they will greatly boost our campaigns and contribute to the global drive to fight and defeat terrorists.”

O’Brien said the US, which has been at the

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lence against workers of the justice sector. I urge our authorities to investigate these killings and resolve all pending investigations so that the victims and their families can have justice,” Nograles, vice chairman of the House committee on justice, said.

forefront in the fight against ISIS, had been providing technical assistance and enemy surveillance to the Philippine military in battling terrorists.

“Now, President Trump is standing with President Duterte as we combat ISIS here in Southeast Asia,” said O’Brien, who handed to Locsin a letter from President Trump “making the transfer of these systems available.”

For his part, Locsin said the new weapons were a fulfillment of a promise made by President Donald Trump to President Rodrigo Duterte during their phone call in April.

“This gesture reflects our strategic alignment of interests and our shared aspirations for enduring peace and stability for both our countries and the greater region. It is demonstrative of President Trump’s staunch support for the Philippines to counter both internal and external security threats and emblematic of our two leaders’ trust in each other,” he said.

3 Chinese held for kidnapping Vietnam tourist

By Jess Malabanan ANGELES CITY—Police arrested three Chinese nationals tagged as suspects in the abduction of a Vietnamese tourist during a raid at a posh subdivision in Barangay Pampanga here Monday.

The suspects were identified as Rouhan Li, Qiang Zhang and Jing Li, all transients and temporarily staying in Hanin Town Subdivision in this city.

Police said the suspects took the Vietnamese identified as Vong Cam Lan, at gunpoint Lan while he was waiting for a ride home at the Jazz Mall Residences near the Tower A entrance sometime on Nov. 18.

The victim, police said, was dragged into a car by the suspects who sped off heading north.

They said the victim’s live-in partner, Law Wan Yuan, a Chinese received a phone call from the suspects demanding ransom money in exchange for Vong Cam Lan’s release. They said the suspects demanded P161,800.

Yuan sought the help of the AntiKidnapping Group to rescue his partner safely.

On Monday, the AKG operatives launched an assault at a residential unit within the Hanin Town Subdivision that led to the victim’s rescue.

Tourists’ mass departure seen until end-2020

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration said the mass departure of foreigners in the country will continue until the end of 2020 amid the threat of coronavirus 2019.

Immigration Jaime Morente said that from January to September 2020, only 1.5 million foreigners arrived in the Philippines, and of whom the majority arrived before the full implementation of the travel restrictions. In contrast, almost two million foreigners departed the country during the same period.

The exodus, according to Morente, is the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has triggered travel restrictions worldwide.

“Similar to our overseas Filipino workers who wished to come home to their families during the pandemic, a lot of foreign nationals left as well,” Morente said.

“A lot of businesses closed, which also affected the foreign community in the Philippines.”

Topping the list of departures were the Koreans with more than 400,000 exits, Americans and Chinese with around 300,000, and the Japanese with more than 166,000.

Morente said a significant number of Chinese nationals had left the country due to the pandemic.

According to Immigration data, as of mid-September less than 500,000 Chinese nationals were in the Philippines.

LGUs

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

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LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

BADGE OF HONOR.

Cagayan Gov. Manuel Mamba pins the Disaster Response and Rehabilitation Operation Ribbon on Cpt. Mel Hallar, an Army reservist who is among the 127 first responders to the province during the onslaught of Typhoon ‘Ulysses’, in a ceremony on Sunday in Tuguegarao City. Mamba was assisted by Lt. Gen. Arnulfo Marcelo Burgos Jr., commander of the Armed Forces of the Philippines Northern Luzon Command.

Encounter with ‘Rolly’: Saved by a signal ANGEL TORNO is no stranger to typhoons. After all, the 37-year-old single mother of two grew up in San Miguel town in Catanduanes, an island province in Bicol that often finds itself in the path of severe weather.

She makes a living by retailing Smart load, aside from managing their family’s grocery and hardware store that have survived extreme conditions of the region.

Above these establishments is the family home that she shares with her parents. But nothing could have prepared her for the onslaught of Typhoon Rolly (international name Goni) on November 1, 2020.

The state weather bureau raised Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal Number 4 over Catanduanes and parts of Camarines Sur on the eve of October 31. Her family did the usual preparations – secured food and water, sealed important documents, packed clothes in case we had to evacuate and tied everything down.

But Rolly was like no other typhoon.

The wind was howling, torrential rain battered their house. Angel said she could feel the walls vibrate like an earthquake. Windows shattered. Part of their roof was blown away.

“All of us huddled in the living room – my two children and my parents. We were scared. All we could do was pray,” recalled Angel. It felt like ages before the storm passed.

And when it finally did on the morning of November 1, Angel could not believe what she saw around her. The sun rose to a scene of devastation. “There was only debris where houses once stood. Structures made of light materials were either flattened or blown away. Even concrete buildings were damaged,” she narrated.

The whole family sprang into action - cleaning and repairing what they could on their own home and shops. A day later, they reopened the grocery and hardware store as the community started rebuilding.

Rolly did not only wreak havoc on the province, but it also cut off Catanduanes from the rest of the country after mobile service installations were damaged causing signal loss.

“We couldn’t reach our relatives here and abroad. We had no idea what was happening around us. We couldn’t call for help,” Angel recalls.

For two days, the whole island went without any mobile service as telcos scrambled to send personnel and equipment to the province to repair downed sites. With a raging pandemic posing additional challenges to logistics, Smart Communications had to dig deep into its own resources and worked with the Philippine Air Force to fly additional workforce and equipment, as well as satellite phones, into the province immediately after the typhoon. And on November 4, 2020, Smart was able to reconnect Catanduanes to the rest of the country, making it the first telco to restore mobile services in the province after Rolly.

Immediately customers lined up to top up their Smart/TNT prepaid SIMs, elated and relieved that they could finally call their relatives. Angel herself called her younger sister in Manila to tell her that they were okay. Their mother undergoes regular dialysis.

“Hearing our voice was perhaps the best thing that happened to her that day,” Angel says.

Rolly will not be the last typhoon to cross paths with Catanduanes. But for residents like Angel who call the province home, they are forging ahead, picking up the pieces and rebuilding their lives. The most important thing is that they are safe.

IN BRIEF Payumo touts 14k jobs in Hermosa ecozone ORANI, Bataan—Former Bataan first district congressman Tong Payumo, who authored the creation of the Hermosa Economic Zone, lauded the area for currently providing jobs to about 14,000 workers from the province and nearby areas.

“Ang daming nabigyan ng trabaho sa mga taga-Bataan, hindi lang sa first district, mayroon ding mga taga Pilar, Orion dyan at iba pang bayan sa second district,” he narrated to newsmen who visited him in Sinagtala Resort, Brgy. Tala, this town.

“Pati nga mga taga karatig-probinsya natin nakakapagtrabaho dyan,” he shared.

Also a former chairman of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, Payumo said the employment inside the ecozone also triggered economic activities in the area.

“Nagsulputan kung ano-anong negosyo dyan sa Barangay Palihan malapit sa ecozone, nandyan na nga palengke, may mga paupahan na dyan, may Jollibee na, 7 Eleven, at marami pa. Parang ang Palihan na nga ang sentro ng Hermosa,” he said. Butch Gunio

Pampanga real estate scion fears for life

8 bus routes open in QC by December

By Rio N. Araja

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HE Quezon City government will roll out a bus augmentation program on the first week of December to provide additional means of transportation to commuters and help ease traffic congestion.

Mayor Joy Belmonte signed a memorandum of agreement with the Land Transportation and Franchising Regulatory Board to pave the way for the bus augmentation program.

“Since public transport is still limited, we have decided to take a step to ease the city’s transportation problem,” she said.

“Through this, we can be able to provide the public with a fast and safe mode of transportation in going to work

and other places of destination,” Belmonte added.

The bus program is open to the public during its initial run but would eventually become exclusive for city residents only with a QCitizen identification card.

Under the bus program, the LTFRB would issue a certificate to the city permitting it to operate the eight routes covered by the city bus augmentation program.

The routes are from the Quezon City Hall to Cubao P. Tuazon Street corner

Gen. P. Romulo Avenue (and vice versa), City Hall to Litex (and vice versa), Welcome Rotonda to Aurora Boulevard corner Katipunan Avenue (and vice versa), City Hall to General Luis via SB Road (and vice versa), City Hall to Mindanao Avenue corner Quirino Highway (and vice versa), City Hall to LRT 2 Gilmore (and vice versa), City Hall to E. Rodriguez Jr. Avenue corner Ortigas Avenue (and vice versa), and City Hall to LRT 1 Roosevelt and back to City Hall.

Alberto Kimpo, assistant city administrator for operations, said the program would also help ease traffic congestion in Quezon City as it adopts a more efficient mode of transportation that enables the limited road space to be used more productively.

Mariwasa donation helps GMA Kapuso build schools REAFFIRMING its advocacy to uplift the learning conditions of students, Mariwasa Siam Ceramics, Inc. donated tiles and sanitary wares to the 2020 Kapuso School Development Program of the GMA Kapuso Foundation for the building and rebuilding of selected public schools all over the country.

The sanitary wares for public school toilets and tiles were for the construction of 30 rooms from six public schools, the latest beneficiary of which was Pansur Elementary School in Lanao del Norte, which received tiles and toilet fixtures for two rooms last October 9.

The constructed rooms were recently inaugurated, with project partners from the AFP Western Mindanao Command, Philippine Army 1st Infantry Division, 54th Engineering Brigade, 547th Engineering Battalion, 2nd Mechanized Brigade, and 5th Mechanized Brigade, together with Mayor Farhanie Tawantawan, Schools Division Superintendent for Lanao Del Norte, Edilberto Oplenaria, and Pansur Elementary School Principal Hanifah Radiab in attendance.

In June, the Patani Elementary School in Lanao del Sur also received tiles for the construction of two rooms. Four more schools are set to receive the tiles and sanitary wares donation in the coming weeks, with the Sto. Domingo Elementary School in Bicol getting the lion’s share of 20 rooms.

Bariw Elementary School and San Rafael Elementary School, also both in Bicol, are set to receive donations for the construction of six and five rooms, respectively, while BUILDING SCHOOLS. Mariwasa tiles were donated to the Patani Cabatagan Elementary School in Zamboanga has been Elementary school through the 2020 Kapuso School Development Program of GMA Kapuso Foundation. allotted a donation for the building of two rooms.

ANGELES CITY—A scion of a prominent family in Pampanga fears for his life and has filed a report with the police after noticing he was being stalked by unidentified persons on separate occasions, most recently early this month.

Jeffrey Dizon, the oldest son of the late real estate developer Tomas Dizon, has offered a P3 million reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of a suspected assassin believed to be responsible for trying to kill him last March 3.

A shareholder and director of the family-owned real estate business, Dizon said he was with his daughter and a staffer while when he noticed unidentified persons taking pictures and filming them while inside a restaurant at Clark Freeport last Nov. 7.

Jess Malabanan

‘No permits issued to Bataan park farmers’

By Jess Malabanan MORONG, Bataan—Inventory receipts issued to occupants within the Bataan National Park are not a permit to occupy the lands but one of the measures to identify them by the Protected Areas Management Office, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources clarified over the weekend.

“The inventory receipts issued to farmers during the past and present occupants are not permits to occupy or cultivate the land but a procedure to identify them,” said an employee of DENR-PAMO who declined to be named.

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Bataan also issued a statement denying its involvement on alleged issuance of permits to farmers occupying BNP. “PENRO is just a mere facilitator and it has no voting power during a meeting with the Protected Areas Management Board,” it said.

Last week, the DENR-Biodiversity Management Bureau and agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested five farmer occupants at the BNP for illegally occupying and cultivating lots within the protected area.

BMB and NBI operatives raided several residential areas after they received reports that concrete residential structures were being built within the protected area situated at Barangay Mabayo in this town.

Steel bars, galvanized iron sheets, cement and other construction materials, and a cement mixer were found and confiscated by the raiding team.

Runruno settlers need evacuation

By Ben Moses Ebreo

SMUGGLING VIA CUSTOMS. Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission chairman Dante Jimenez and commissioner Danilo Yang discuss what they reported were ongoing smuggling operations within the Bureau of Customs in a press conference on Saturday.

They revealed they will instruct the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service to intensify their surveillance of the Manila International Container Port (MICP) after the BOC seized 11 containers filled with smuggled cigarettes and will file procedural misdeclaration and under-declaration on shipments cases against Ocean World Enterprises. Norman Cruz

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya -Evacuation of illegal dwellers within the hazard-prone areas in barangay Runruno in Quezon town needs to be done to prevent another landslide tragedy in the community, officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) here said.

Edgar Martin, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) said they have intensified their composite checkpoint in the area to prevent dwellers from entering the communities that have long been considered as hazard prone.

He said they were able to confiscate chainsaws and recovered cut lumbers

in the area used by illegal dwellers in putting-up their houses or shanties.

“The landslide that happened recently in barangay Runruno is solely a result of natural phenomenon where loosened, silky and sandy soil in an elevated position tends to erode and collapse. The continuous rains aggravated the hazard condition of the area,” he said.

Martin, in a post-incident visit and meeting with municipal and barangay officials including executives of FCF Minerals Corporation, which operates the gold-molybdenum project in Runruno, said the site of the recent landslide that buried and killed 10 people and injured two others was not yet under the operation and excavation by the mining firm.

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World

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

New British vaccine ‘70% effective’ B RITISH drugs group AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford on Monday said their jointly-developed vaccine against COVID-19 has shown “an average efficacy of 70 percent” in trials.

“This vaccine’s efficacy and safety confirm that it will be highly effective against Covid-19 and will have an immediate impact on this public health emergency,” AstraZeneca chief executive Pascal Soriot said in a statement.

The results ranged between 62 and 90 percent efficacy depending on the vaccine dosage.

The 70-percent average is lower compared with the efficacy of coronavirus vaccines trialed by rivals Pfizer/ BioNTech and Moderna which have come in above 90 percent.

Monday’s statement said “positive high-level results from an interim analysis of clinical trials of AZD1222 in the UK and Brazil showed the vaccine was highly effective in preventing Covid-19... and no hospitalizations or severe cases of the disease were reported in participants.”

It added: “One dosing regimen (n=2,741) showed vaccine efficacy of 90 percent when AZD1222 was given as a half dose, followed by a full dose at

least one month apart.”

The pair said that regimen n=8,895 showed 62 percent efficacy when given as two full doses at least one month apart.

“The combined analysis from both dosing regimens (n=11,636) resulted in an average efficacy of 70 percent.”

AstraZeneca said it would “immediately prepare regulatory submission of the data to authorities around the world that have a framework in place for conditional or early approval”.

It added that it would seek emergency-use listing from the World Health Organization to accelerate vaccine availability in low-income countries.

AstraZeneca said it is looking at a capacity of up to three billion doses of the vaccine in 2021 pending regulatory approval.

It said the vaccine can be stored, transported and handled “at normal refrigerated conditions” of between two and eight degrees Celsius (3646 degrees Fahrenheit) for at least six months. AFP

- ‘Save many lives’ More than 23,000 adults are currently being assessed in the trials, with the number expected to rise to up to 60,000, the statement said.

“Clinical trials are also being conducted in the US, Japan, Russia, South Africa, Kenya and Latin America with planned trials in other European and Asian countries,” it added.

Oxford professor Andrew Pollard said the latest findings show “an effective vaccine that will save many lives”.

“Excitingly, we’ve found that one of our dosing regimens may be around 90 percent effective and if this dosing regime is used, more people could be vaccinated with planned vaccine supply.

“Today’s announcement is only possible thanks to the many volunteers in our trial, and the hard working and talented team of researchers based around the world,” added Pollard, who is chief investigator of the Oxford Vaccine Trial.

AFP

FINDING A CURE. A member of the French Red Cross presents an antigen test at a mobile Covid-19 (novel coronavirus) screening, site on November 19, 2020, in Saint-Gilles, southeastern France. AFP

UN: Pandemic US President-elect Biden to name first cabinet picks triggers violence against women NO COUNTRY has been spared the coronavirus epidemic, nor the scourge of domestic violence, which has surged during lockdowns as the day marking such violence approaches on Wednesday.

From a spike in rapes in Nigeria and South Africa, increased numbers of women missing in Peru, higher rates of women being killed in Brazil and Mexico and overwhelmed associations in Europe: the pandemic has aggravated the plague of sexual violence.

According to UN data released in late September, lockdowns have led to increases in complaints or calls to report domestic abuse of 25 percent in Argentina, 30 percent in Cyprus and France and 33 percent in Singapore.

In essentially all countries, measures to limit the spread of the coronavirus have resulted in woman and children being confined at home.

“The house is the most dangerous place for women,” Moroccan associations noted in April as they pressed authorities for “an emergency response”.

In India, Heena—not her real name —a 33-year-old cook who lives in Mumbai, said she felt “trapped in my house” with a husband who did not work, consumed drugs and was violent.

As she described what she had endured, she frequently broke down in tears.

After buying drugs, “he would spend the rest of his day either hooked to his phone playing PubG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) or beating me up and abusing me,” she told AFP by telephone.

Insufficient measures On August 15, her husband beat Heena worse than before, in front of their seven-year-old son, and threw her out of the house at 3:00 am.

“I had nowhere to go,” she said. “I could barely move my body—he beat me to pulp, my body was swollen.”

Instead of going to the police, she made it to a friend’s home and then to her parents.

She is now fighting for custody of her Manila son, “but courts are not working Standard in full capacity TODAY due to Covid”.

NOTICE OF EXTRAJUDICIAL She has not SETTLEMENT seen her son in Notice is hereby given that the intestate of the late Romulo B. four months, Mangahas, who died intestate though he and without any will or testament and without any outstanding manages to debts in favor of any person or entity has been settled by way call her in seof self-adjudication by heirs Bienvenida V. Mangahas, Editha cret from time Amista Mangahas, Reji Benedict Amista Mangahas and Hannah to time.

Andrea Amista Mangahas of It is not legal age as per Doc. No. 369 page No. 75, Book No. X. Series the just the of 2020, before Notary Public at Malolos, Bulacan. courts that (Sgd) Atty. Raymond C. Reyes are hobbled by the virus.

LEGAL NOTICE The closure Notice is hereby given to the of businesses public that an Extra-Judicial Settlement has been executed by and schools, as the heirs of the late MARCELINO G. CADA, namely: CRISTINA B. well as cultural CADA, MARCELINO S. CADA, and athletic acJR., ESTRELLA CADA LARUAN, ALFREDO S. CADA, PERLA tivities, have CADA JUBELAG, DARIO S. CADA, ALDRIN B. MEDINA, deprived vicCATHALINA ELAINE CADA MEDINA, MARICRIS B. CADA, tims already MARIS B. CADA, MA IRIS B. CADA, EDITA S. CADA, all of weakened by legal age, over personal and real properties, per deed executed economic inon 4 November 2020 before security of Notary Public, ATTY. ANTHEA A. MAGPANTAY, per Doc. No. 114; ways to escape Page No. 24; Book No. II; Series of 2020. violence. AFP (MS-NOV. 24, DEC 1 & 8, 2020)

(MS-NOV. 10/17/24, 2020)

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden will name his first cabinet picks on Tuesday, his chief of staff said, even as Donald Trump clung to unsubstantiated claims of fraud despite growing dissent from within his own party.

Biden has pushed ahead with preparations to assume the presidency on January 20, regardless of Trump’s bid to undo the results of the November vote.

“You are going to see the first of the president-elect’s cabinet picks on Tuesday,” Biden’s chief of staff, Ron Klain, told ABC’s “This Week” on Sunday.

Several US news organizations, including Bloomberg and The New York Times, reported that the president-elect will nominate seasoned diplomat and long-time aide Antony Blinken as secretary of state.

Biden also said last week he had already decided his pick for the key position of Treasury Secretary.

US media also widely reported he will

name Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who served as assistant secretary of state for Africa under President Barack Obama, as his UN ambassador.

A growing number of Republicans have either recognized Biden’s victory or at least urged the General Services Administration—the usually low-profile agency that manages the federal bureaucracy—to release federal funds for the Biden transition.

With Trump refusing to acknowledge the election outcome, Biden and his top aides have been denied briefings on sensitive domestic and foreign policy issues—most urgently the coronavirus pandemic battering the country.

Former New Jersey governor Chris Christie, who in 2016 advised the Trump transition, said on ABC that the president’s legal team was a “national embarrassment.”

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, another prominent Republican, told CNN

that Trump was making the country look like a “banana republic,” later tweeting the president should “stop golfing and concede.”

Trump has golfed on every weekend day since the election, though he took part virtually in the conference of the G20 leading economies this weekend —skipping a Saturday session on the pandemic.

And even Representative Devin Nunes, an ardent Trump loyalist, conceded backhandedly on Fox News that Biden had “run a successful campaign from a basement.”

Trump again tweeted on Sunday about “massive numbers of fraudulent ballots,” a claim dismissed by a long list of judges in several states.

Appearances by Trump’s personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani have drawn mockery, as have claims by another former member of his legal team, Sidney Powell. AFP

Members of the media surround a correctional services bus purportedly carrying pro-democracy activists Agnes Chow, Ivan Lam and Joshua Wong as it leaves the court in Hong Kong on November 23, 2020, after the three pleaded guilty to inciting a rally during pro-democracy protests in 2019, deepening the crackdown against Beijing’s critics.

AFP

IN BRIEF World must not forget to help Afghanistan – UN THE international community must continue aiding Afghanistan or face the risk of “disastrous consequences,” UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi urged ahead of a donors conference starting Monday.

Grandi’s appeal also comes after his visit to the Asian nation that is struggling with growing violence, a US pullout and flagging peace talks.

Grandi said the future of millions of Afghans depends on the outcome of peace negotiations and on the international community’s commitment to develop the country, including at the two-day donors conference in Geneva.

“Failure on either account would see Afghanistan slide backwards with disastrous consequences, including further displacement possibly on a large scale,” Grandi warned in a statement.

He said the nearly 300,000 Afghans who have been displaced inside the country because of conflict this year remain in “acute need” of humanitarian support.

The same goes for the nearly three million previously displaced and the nine million people who have lost their livelihoods due to the Covid-19 crisis.AFP

Singaporean charged with ‘illegal’ one-man protest

A SINGAPOREAn activist was charged Monday with staging an illegal one-man protest after he stood outside a police station holding a sign bearing a smiley face.

The tightly controlled city-state has tough laws against dissent that make it illegal for even one person to hold a demonstration without a police permit.

Jolovan Wham, who has studious frown, he has been hailed as had numerous run-ins with the one of the world’s most influential figauthorities, posted a photo of himself ures by Time, Fortune and Foreign Polon social media in March holding icy magazines, and was the subject of the cardboard sign with the roughly the Netflix documentary “Teenager vs drawn face.

Superpower”.

He said he took the photo to support During last year’s protests, Wong CYAN met MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK a climate activist who was questioned politicians in Europe and the United by police for taking a picture in the States and called for sanctions against same spot holding a sign that read: China.

“SG is better than oil”.

That infuriated China and a new naWham, 40, was charged in court tional security law imposed by Beijing with taking part in a public assembly outlaws pushing for greater autonomy without a permit. for Hong Kong or sanctions.

The activist posted a photo on Shortly before the law passed, Wong social media of himself on his way disbanded his political party Demosisto. to court wearing a t-shirt and a face Monday’s trial is just one of many mask with a smiley face printed on cases prosecutors have brought against them. AFP him in the last year.AFP

3 prominent HK activists arrested on illegal assembly charges THREE prominent Hong Kong activists are facing jail after pleading guilty on Monday to inciting an “illegal assembly” outside the city’s main police station during last year’s huge pro-democracy protests.

Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam have spent years campaigning for democracy, becoming activists when they were just teens.

So who are these three young Hong Kongers?

Joshua Wong Arguably the most recognizable of Hong Kong’s new generation of dissidents, 24-year-old Wong has been a constant thorn in Beijing’s side over the last decade.

He became an activist in his early

teens, successfully campaigning for Hong Kong to drop a pro-China “National Education” program by rallying a crowd of 120,000 to blockade the city’s parliament.

In 2014, he helped spearhead the “Umbrella Movement” protests alongside fellow student leaders, electrifying crowds with calls for civil disobedience but failing to win any concessions.

When last year’s huge protests broke out, Wong was still serving a jail sentence for his involvement in that earlier round.

He rejoined the fray after his release, capturing the attention of the world in his casting as David against the Goliath of the Chinese Communist Party.

Scrawny, with gaunt features and a

Israel’s Netanyahu holds secret talks with Pompeo, Saudi crown prince Salman ISRAEL’S Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held secret talks in Saudi Arabia Sunday with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, media said, in the first reported trip by an Israeli premier to the kingdom.

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who was in Israel last week, was also at the reported talks, a diplomatic correspondent at Israeli public broad-

caster Kan said on Monday.

The broadcaster cited unnamed Israeli officials as saying that Netanyahu and the head of the Mossad spy agency Yossi Cohen “flew yesterday to Saudi Arabia, and met Pompeo and MBS in the city of Neom”, referring to Prince Mohammed’s initials.

Multiple other Israeli media outlets reported similar information on Mon-

day morning.

Netanyahu’s office was not immediately available to comment on the reports.

The meeting comes after Israel agreed historic deals to normalise ties with two Saudi allies in the Gulf, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.

Those accords were brokered by outgoing US President Donald

Trump’s administration.

US and Israeli officials have repeatedly indicated that more Arab states were set to forge ties with Israel.

Publicly, Saudi Arabia has said it would stick to the decades-old Arab League position of not having ties with Israel until the Jewish state’s conflict with the Palestinians is resolved. AFP

Business

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TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

WTO tackles ban on fishing subsidies as cut-off nears

PSEi November 23, 2020

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

EURO LRW FERRO MAHB PTC PHR ARA BSC OPM OPMB

LAST PRICE 2.89 1.08 4.16 2.24 106.6 3.3 1.24 0.238 0.011 0.011

CHANGE 0.6 0.22 0.58 0.24 10.6 0.32 0.12 0.022 0.001 0.001

% CHANGE 26.20% 25.58% 16.20% 12.00% 11.04% 10.74% 10.71% 10.19% 10.00% 10.00%

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

DAVIN LFM ALCPC FAF SGI MHC CAT MG VUL BKR

LAST PRICE 5.36 52 101.5 0.68 1.21 0.53 16.46 0.162 1.1 0.91

CHANGE -0.37 -3.45 -6.4 -0.04 -0.07 -0.03 -0.82 -0.008 -0.05 -0.04

% CHANGE -6.46% -6.22% -5.93% -5.56% -5.47% -5.36% -4.75% -4.71% -4.35% -4.21%

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

BDO MEG MBT ACEN BPI ALI SECB SMPH RLC PHR

VOLUME 12,666,740 213,185,000 8,802,200 67,348,800 4,643,930 8,036,800 2,483,750 6,449,400 12,839,100 65,251,000

VALUE (PHP) 1,376,122,636.00 852,514,500.00 430,989,275.00 413,998,156.00 409,195,105.50 320,652,005.00 297,143,240.00 255,576,790.00 224,657,592.00 208,717,320.00

LOCKDOWN BLUES. Pedestrians wearing a protective face covering to combat the spread of the coronavirus, walk past a Christmas tree in Covent Garden in central London, on November 22, 2020, as the four-week national shutdown imposed in England continues, forcing people to stay home and businesses to close owing to a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will confirm that coronavirus lockdown restrictions across England are to end on December 2, his office said Saturday. AFP

Market rises slightly; RLC, Metro Pacific lead gainers

T

HE stock market rose slightly Monday on last-minute buying from investors on growing optimism over vaccine developments.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index added 8.83 points, or 0.1 percent, to 7,178.62 on a value turnover of P9.6 billion. Gainers beat losers, 147 to 77, with 45 issues unchanged.

Robinsons Land Corp., the property unit of the Gokongwei Group, climbed 6.6 percent to P17.84, while Metro Pacific Investments Corp., which is into toll roads, water and electricity distribution, hospitals and infrastructure, advanced 5.6 percent to P4.37.

AC Energy Philippines Inc., the energy unit of conglomerate Ayala Corp., rose 9 percent to P6.32, while Security Bank Corp., the seventh biggest lender in terms of assets, climbed 8 percent to

P120.40.

The rest of Asian equity markets rose again Monday but concern about surging virus cases around the world tempered sentiment once again.

Seoul and Bangkok led gains, each rallying nearly two percent, while Shanghai, Singapore, Taipei and Jakarta all rose more than one percent.

Sydney, Wellington and Mumbai also posted healthy gains. Tokyo was closed for a holiday.

Hong Kong gains were capped as investors fret over a resurgence in the virus in the city that many fear could see economically painful containment measures reintroduced.

A lack of movement in stimulus talks on Capitol Hill and a spat between the White House and Federal Reserve over cash for emergency lending facilities were also keeping gains in check.

Hopes that the world can begin to return to some form of normal in the new year have been rising this month after top pharma giants announced

better-than-expected results from trials of their vaccines.

Oxford University and AstraZeneca announced Monday that their joint vaccine project had shown 70 percent efficacy.

That came after Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech said Friday they had applied for emergency use authorization for their drug, which could be rolled out next month. Moderna is expected to make its own application soon.

And on Sunday, a top government health official said he was hopeful jabs could be given within weeks.

“Our plan is to be able to ship vaccines to the immunization sites within 24 hours of approval” by the US Food and Drug Administration, Moncef Slaoui, head of the US government virus vaccine effort, told CNN. Slaoui estimated 20 million people across the US could be vaccinated in December, with 30 million per month after that. Britain and Germany are also hoping to begin offering jabs next month. With AFP

GENEVA, Switzerland—Negotiations on banning billions of dollars in fisheries subsidies are coming to the crunch at the beleaguered World Trade Organization, with the deadline to net a deal fast approaching.

Disagreements persist, especially over what the outcome might mean for developing countries, while overfishing continues to strip the seas of a hugely important resource on which millions of people depend for their livelihoods.

Negotiations began at the WTO in Doha in 2001 and got a much-needed boost with the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in 2015.

That set the end of 2020 as the non-binding deadline for eliminating subsidies that contribute to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

It also bans certain types of subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing, while providing special treatment for the world’s developing and least developed countries.

Member states have so far failed to reach an agreement but pressed into action by the approaching deadline, negotiators have been beavering away since September on the basis of a confidential working document.

Their work has been slowed by the coronavirus pandemic and several countries, including India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Namibia, doubt the deadline can be met, according to a source close to the discussions in Geneva, where the WTO is based.

Global fisheries subsidies stood at $35.4 billion in 2018, with $22 billion of that going towards building up fishing fleets, according to Ussif Rashid Sumaila of the University of British Columbia in a study which is regularly cited by diplomats.

Meanwhile the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has an increasingly alarming outlook on over-fishing.

The FAO said a third of commercial fish stocks were fished at biologically unsustainable levels in 2017. AFP

G20 undecided on poor countries’ debt time bomb

Virus spike pops HK and Singapore travel bubble plan

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia—The G20 promised Sunday to tackle the explosive issue of developing-nation debt, but failed to stake out any clear action, infuriating campaigners warning of a looming crisis.

The leaders of the world’s 20 richest nations reiterated their commitment to a moratorium agreed in April and extended in October allowing poorer countries to temporarily stop servicing eligible debt to focus their resources on combatting the coronavirus crisis.

The so-called Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) will be extended through to June 30, 2021, the final statement confirmed.

Currently 46 out of 73 eligible nations have benefited from a suspension of interest payments to the tune of $5.7 billion.

Though Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed al-Jadaan called it “a major breakthrough,” it is a drop in the ocean compared to the $11-trillion the G20 nations have spent to combat the economic effects of the pandemic.

“While the G20’s reaction in April was rapid, it’s currently lacking urgency,” said Oxfam France spokesman Louis-Nicolas Jandeaux.

The UN had hoped that the extension would run to the end of 2021, but instead the G20 said its foreign ministers would review the situation in the spring.

Painfully aware that the DSSI alone will not be enough for some countries, the G20 has agreed a common framework to restructure the debt of certain nations.

That framework has been called “historic” because for the first time it includes private creditors and China, the world’s leading creditor to poorer countries, accounting for 63 percent of all such loans extended by G20 nations at the end of 2019. “(But) it only considers debt forgiveness as a final option—and it isn’t binding,” warned Jandeaux.

“There is a lack of participation from private creditors, and we strongly encourage them to participate on comparable terms when requested by eligible countries,” the final statement said. AFP

HONG KONG—A planned travel bubble between Hong Kong and Singapore was scrapped a day before its launch on Saturday after the southern Chinese city announced a sudden spike in coronavirus cases.

The decision is both a blow to the two cities’ battered tourist industries but also for other countries who had been hoping the scheme might be a model to replicate during the pandemic.

The two financial hubs have both suffered comparatively mild outbreaks with strict social distancing and border measures imposed soon after the pandemic first emerged.

But with small populations and a heavy dependence on links to the outside world they have been hard hit as the global economy collapsed.

Desperate to help their key tourism and aviation sectors, they came up with the plan allowing limited, quarantinefree travel between the cities as long as visitors test negative for Covid-19.

The travel corridor was set to kick off on Sunday morning.

But on Saturday, Hong Kong announced the scheme would have to be delayed for two weeks following a sudden rise in coronavirus infections.

“In the light of recent surge of local cases we have decided, together with the Singapore government, to defer the air travel bubble’s launch by two weeks,” commerce secretary Edward Yau told reporters.

After weeks of single-digit infections, Hong Kong health authorities have begun reporting a sudden uptick in cases in recent days.

On Saturday they recorded 36 local coronavirus cases. Crucially, 13 were from unknown transmission sources, prompting fears the city has a new wave of out-of-control infections.

Both Hong Kong and Singapore agreed that seven straight days of five or more unknown transmission cases would be enough to halt the travel bubble.

But Saturday’s double-digit spike was enough for authorities in both cities to postpone the travel bubble.AFP

Workers unload fish at the outcry of the port of Roscoff, western France, on November 12, 2020. AFP

French, British fishermen on frontline in post-Brexit endgame

By Sandra Ferrer ROSCOFF, France—French fishermen who depend on bountiful UK waters fear for their livelihoods in the postBrexit endgame, but so might their British counterparts who land their catch at the Brittany port of Roscoff for the European market.

Lobster, turbot, and monkfish are stacked up on the quayside in northwestern France, a good part of it from British territorial waters.

“We are really in a period of certainty, we don’t know what will become of us,” said Erwan Dussaud from Beganton fisheries that operates five trawlers catching crab and lobster in English waters.

The UK officially quit the EU last January 31, but an 11-month transition period to allow for agreement on a new relationship ends on December 31.

Both sides are still at loggerheads and need a trade deal to govern ties, or risk economic chaos. Fishing has been one of the most politically explosive issues blocking agreement.

“It’s very difficult to look forward,” Dussaud said.

While Europe is eager to keep UK territorial waters open, London wants

that access rethought to satisfy Britain’s coastal communities, which voted strongly for Brexit If access is restricted for French vessels, “it will be over for us in two or three years,” said Jean-Philippe Guillerm, skipper of a 15-meter trawler that makes 40 percent of his turnover in British seas.

It’s the same for Franck Brossier and his three bigger boats among the 40-odd that work from Roscoff.

“We are going to lose a historic fishing zone,” he said, predicting major problems to find another elsewhere.

“We will find ourselves with more boats in a restricted area which in the very short term will lead to over-fishing.

He said in such a situation “problems” could be expected from Spanish, Dutch or Irish vessels scouring the same seas.

“It’s going to get very complicated,” said Brossier, a serious fan of Liverpool FC who has named his boats “Liverpool,” “Anfield Road” and “Ian Rush” after the club, ground and legendary goalscorer.

Consequences for British fishermen But Brossier insisted that if negotiations fail and the French are locked out of British waters, there will be consequences for UK fishermen too.

“It’s definite, we will not let the

English land their catch in France,” he warned.

“The (French) fishermen will come together very quickly.”

Just across the port, Briton Ben Laity, skipper of Ocean Pride, was also landing his catch on another quay.

“We do very well over here so it’s a bit of worry,” he admitted, adding: “I’d rather land my fish over here as we always have done.”

Laity said he had landed part of his catch at Newlyn in Cornwall, southwest England, earlier in the week.

But the price was not what he wanted and so he went over to France where he felt assured of a “very good” price.

Dussaud explained that French trawlers do not catch enough fish for the domestic market.

“So we will have to buy English fish,” he said, predicting a last-minute deal between London and Brussels.

Laity agreed, but wanted a better deal for his compatriots.

“I do think that the English should get a lot more than what they are given at the minute, which is not a lot to be fair,” he said.

With neither London nor Brussels yet ready to compromise, EU diplomats say they see no swift end in sight in the post-Brexit negotiations. AFP

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

B4

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

IN BRIEF More studies needed for West PH Sea basin OIL and gas exploration companies on Monday called for more thorough studies on the country’s sedimentary basin including the West Philippine Sea, which is rich in petroleum resources.

“We have to ensure that our sedimentary basins are well studied because it’s really the foundation of future explorations we have,” PNOC Exploration Corp. president Rozzano Briguez said during the Philippine Energy Transition webinar organized by the Philippine Energy Independence Council and the European Chamber of Commerce.

Briguez said state-run PNOC EC, the Department of Energy and the University of the Philippines started a study two years ago.

“In other countries, our neighbors are really having studies of their entire geological basin. In the Philippines, unfortunately, we don’t,” Briguez said.

“Right now it is in full swing with the DOE and again UP so that we can study 16 sedimentary basin that we have, so that, as we move forward, we can really be proud of trying to invite investors first to our country so that we can entice them,” Briguez said.

Alena Mae S. Flores

Meralco unit bags solar distribution deal

Business

Former NEDA chief urges gov’t to step up spending F

By Julito G. Rada

ormer Economic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia on Monday asked the government to ramp up health-related spending to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and help the economy recover faster from the recession.

Pernia said in the virtual Stratbase ADR Institute Pilipinas Conference 2020 titled “Rebooting the Economy Post-Pandemic: Cushioning the Long Emergency” that it might take another year and a half years or until the second half of 2022 before the economy could

return to the pre-pandemic growth level of an average of 6 percent.

“We have severe underspending in our health system, considering that we have a large population next to Indonesia. We have not done a good thing about COVID response spending,” said Pernia, who served as the directorgeneral of the National Economic and Development Authority from 2016 until he resigned in April 2020. He was succeeded by Karl Kendrick Chua.

“We have badly taken for granted our health workers,” Pernia said. He said with the “pathethic” underspending on health, the government might be trying to preserve its investment-grade credit rating.

Citing data from the Asian Development Bank as of November 2020 comparing the COVID-19 response spending by ASEAN countries, Pernia said the Philippines spent only $21.65 billion, or equivalent to around 5.88 percent of the

MSPECTRUM, Inc., the solar unit of Manila Electric Co., signed an agreement with Enphase Energy Inc., the world’s leading supplier of micro-inverterbased solar-plus-storage systems, on the distribution of Enphase products to residential and commercial installers across the Philippines.

The Enphase IQ 7 family of products is expected to be available via MSpectrum starting the first quarter of 2021.

“We are proud to provide Enphase Energy seventh-generation micro-inverters in the Philippines,” said Robert Pereja, chief operating officer of MSpectrum, in a statement.

“This next-generation technology will benefit solar customers through its high performance, flexibility, reliability, and most importantly, safety, due to the rapid shutdown device built into Enphase microinverters. We aim to work with Enphase to revolutionize the solar industry in the Philippines and motivate more Filipinos to shift from traditional to renewable sources of energy,” Pereja said. Alena Mae S. Flores

BIGGEST IKEA STORE.

Officials of Swedish furniture manufacturer and distributor IKEA announce the hiring of close to 500 Filipino workers in preparation for next year’s opening of its first Philippine store at SM Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, which will be the largest in the world. The facility will also house a call center and a warehouse to support e-commerce functions.

Globe backs digital projects of UnionBank GLOBE Business said it supports Union Bank of the Philippines in the digitalization of its work from home setup through Globe Pocket WiFis, video conferencing tools and postpaid lines. The company also expanded its data center to accommodate both its digital initiatives and their bigger customer base.

“To gain a competitive advantage, companies need to meet the demand from customers to be digital,” said Peter Maquera, senior vice president of Globe Business.

“UnionBank understands that when it comes to digitalization, it’s either now or never. That’s why their win from IDC is a well-deserved one. We’re glad to have the opportunity to work with a likeminded and future-focused enterprise. We value the success of our clients, as their achievements also mean that we’re on the right track as a digital transformation enabler,” he said.

UnionBank was awarded the overall distinction, Asia Pacific Digital Trailblazer, at the IDC 2020 Asia/Pacific Digital Transformation (DX) Awards.

DoubleDragon’s REIT unit to hold P14.7-b IPO in February

By Jenniffer B. Austria DDMP REIT Inc., the real estate trust company of DoubleDragon Properties Corp., said Monday it plans to hold its P14.7-billion initial public offering in February next year.

The company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission it would offer up to 5.9 billion common shares with an over-allotment option for another 594.2 million common shares at a maximum price of P2.25 apiece.

It said at least 70 percent of the shares would be sold to foreign investors while the remaining 30 percent would go to domestic investors.

The offering period was is from Feb. 10 to 17, while listing date is tentatively

Megawide-GMR submits financial documents on NAIA rehabilitation

By Darwin G. Amojelar MEGAWIDE Construction Corp. and foreign partner GMR Infrastructure Limited said Monday they submitted financial documents to the government as additional requirements set by the National Economic and Development Authority on its proposal to rehabilitate the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complex.

The two partners said the submission of additional documents to the Manila International Airport Authority, which include the statement of joint solidary liability as required by NEDA, met a key milestone towards its goal of starting the long-hoped-for rehabilitation and transformation of the NAIA complex.

“The financial documents we submitted are sufficient to exclusively support the requirements of the NAIA project. With this, we are hopeful our proposal to rehabilitate and transform NAIA into a first-world airport complex can now be elevated to the Cabinet committee for approval and proceed to Swiss challenge,” Megawide managing director for transport Louie Ferrer said.

“Infrastructure investment is criti-

gross domestic product, lower than what its peers in the region spent.

He said in the same period, Indonesia spent $115.78 billion or 10.94 percent of GDP; Singapore, $89.14 billion or 25.35 percent of GDP; Thailand, $84.09 billion or 15.96 percent of GDP; Malaysia, $80.78 billion or 22.73 percent of GDP; and Vietnam, $26.50 billion or 10.12 percent of GDP. Pernia said there was nothing to worry about being downgraded by credit rating agencies if the government spent more.

“There is nothing to crow about our credit rating. The other five ASEAN countries had spent more on COVID response and still maintained their credit ratings,” Pernia said.

The Philippines has investment-grade ratings of BBB+ from S&P Global Ratings, Baa2 from Moody’s Investors Service, and BBB from Fitch Ratings.

cal for our country to build back from the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. We at Megawide are ready to do our part by providing employment and enhancing the Philippines’ competitiveness in infrastructure, especially airports,” he said.

Megawide concluded a successful agreement with GMR last week, with both companies agreeing to undertake the rehabilitation and transformation of NAIA as a partnership.

Under the partnership, Megawide will hold a controlling 60-percent interest while GMR will retain 40 percent, ensuring solid financial capability and delivering unparalleled global experience in airport design, construction and operations.

“Our partnership with GMR is strong. Together, we delivered the transformation of Mactan Cebu International Airport and the construction of Clark International Airport.

Now, we are hugely excited to deliver a first-world NAIA that uplifts the travel experience for all Filipinos and provides a critical assist to the national government’s efforts to rebuild after the pandemic,” said Megawide chairman and chief executive Edgar Saavedra.

scheduled on Feb. 26. After the listing, DDMP REIT is expected to have a public ownership of 36.67 percent.

The company tapped Credit Suisse Ltd., DBS Bank Ltd., Nomura Singapore Ltd., PNB Capital and Investment Corp., RBCC Capital Corp., Investment Capital Corporation of the Philippines and Macquire and Maybank ATK KimEng as joint book runners for the offering.

The company’s portfolio consists of three commercial properties with six office towers and retail components located within DD Meridian Park in Bay Area, Pasay City. They have gross leasable area of 172,252 square meters.

The total occupancy rate of these properties was 99.5 percent as of endJune. Majority of its tenants, which are

online gaming operators and business process outsourcing companies, have lease commitments for a term of five years or more with options for the tenant to renew.

The company also owns the land where DoubleDragon Tower and AscottMeridian Park are being constructed.

It said the two buildings are potential expansion projects that could be added to the group’s portfolio once cash flows from operations of these properties stabilize.

DDMP REIT is the second company to file for REIT offering with the SEC after AREIT Inc. of Ayala Land Inc. Other groups that expressed plans to conduct REIT offering are Robinsons Land Corp., Megaworld Corp. and Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc.

PSE INDEX

Monday, November 23, 2020

8.83 PTS.

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE

9,351,427,791 188,794 9,555,055,832.55

ADVANCES

7,178.62

147

DECLINES UNCHANGED

77 45

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, NOVEMBER 23, 2020

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.2500

Japan

Yen

0.009638

0.4650

UK

Pound

1.329700

64.1580

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129001

6.2243

Switzerland

Franc

1.097936

52.9754

Canada

Dollar

0.764234

36.8743

Singapore

Dollar

0.744380

35.9163

Australia

Dollar

0.730100

35.2273

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655337

128.1200

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

12.8667

Brunei

Dollar

0.741620

35.7832

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.032992

1.5919

UAE

Dirham

0.272264

13.1367

Euro

Euro

1.185700

57.2100

Korea

Won

0.000897

0.0433

China

Yuan

0.152388

7.3527

India

Rupee

0.013492

0.6510

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.244499

11.7971

New Zealand

Dollar

0.692700

33.4228

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035062

1.6917 Source: BSP

Israeli group of companies relocating from China to PH

By Othel V. Campos AN ISRAELI technology conglomerate with subsidiaries in China is transferring all its operations from the north Asian country to the Philippines by 2021, the Philippine Economic Zone Authority said Monday.

PEZA Director-General Charito Plaza said the Israeli conglomerate was set to sign a memorandum of understanding with the agency in December to formalize their intention to invest in the Philippines.

“This firm will be bringing here all 16 companies it has in China. I sat and spoke with this company last Friday and we are now processing their request,” Plaza said in a virtual investors meeting.

PEZA is looking at an appropriate economic zone that can house all the 16 companies of the Israeli conglomerate, she said.

Plaza said the conglomerate was registering its businesses with PEZA and was looking forward to working with the Philippine business community.

She said the Israeli investments would likely enable PEZA to meet its P100-billion investment target this year, after several prospective projects did not materialize.

“So, it is highly likely for PEZA to register at least P100-billion investments this year, with all the positive responses of present and incoming investors,” she said.

PEZA approved P72.6 billion worth of investments from January to October this year.

Plaza said many existing investors were open to resuming their expansion programs which were temporarily shelved at the start of the pandemic.

“This means they will bring in new products, expand their facilities and of course increase their workers.

COVID seems to be a best friend of PEZA because COVID has provided us with all these opportunities. That’s why we will do our best and attract investors to invest with us,” she said.

WATER TALKS. With the

proposal of transferring the authority of dam water release to the National Disaster Risk and Reduction Management Council, the National Irrigation Administration holds discussion with NDRRMC; Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration; Department of Local Government; Office of Civil Defense and National Water Resources Board to review the protocol on water discharges from dams. Leading the initial talk are NIA-Magat River Integrated Irrigation System officials led by manager Wilfredo Gloria.

Golden Bria okays change in corporate name to Golden MV Holdings GOLDEN Bria Holdings Inc. said Monday it will change its corporate name to Golden MV Holdings Inc., fueling speculations it could be transformed into the listed holding company of real estate tycoon Manuel Villar.

Golden Bria said in a disclosure to the stock exchange its board of directors approved in a special board meeting the change in the company’s corporate name. It did not provide a reason for the change, which is subject to shareholders’ approval.

This is not the first time that the Villar Group changed the name of Golden Bria. The company was previously

called Golden Haven Inc. when it listed with the Philippine Stock Exchange in 2016. At that time, the company was engaged in death-care business, including development and sale of memorial lots and columbarium facilities.

The company was renamed Golden Bria in 2017 after the company acquired a controlling stake in Bria Homes Inc., another residential company owned by the Villar Group which offers affordable house-and-lot projects.

The share price of Golden Bria closed unchanged at P399 on Monday.

Villar is primarily engaged in property and development through Vista

Land & Lifescapes Inc. and Vistamalls Inc. and retail business under All Value Holdings Inc. All Value owns listed AllHome Corp. and other retail establishments, including AllDay Supermarket, Coffee Project, AllDay Convenience Store, Bake My Day, AllToys and AllStores.

Golden Bria reported a 40-percent decline in net profit to P1 billion in the first nine months from P1.67 billion booked in the same period last year as nine-month revenues declined by 32 percent to P4 billion, following the 32-percent drop in real estate sales to P3.9 billion.

Sports PLDT, Smart suppport Gilas in FIBA Asia ‘21 Qualifiers THE country’s largest integrated telco PLDT and its wireless arm Smart Communications, Inc. are supporting the young and talented Gilas Pilipinas Men’s team with connectivity as it represents the Philippines in the FIBA Asia Cup 2021 Qualifiers in Manama, Bahrain.

GIGAROAM will power the Gilas Pilipinas team’s data roaming connectivity in Bahrain. With Smart’s global coverage and flexible data roaming plans, the team will be able to stay online, accessing their favorite apps, sites, and connect with their fans on social media during their stay abroad.

Available all over the world, GIGAROAM gives roaming access to travelers with data plans in 1GB, 3GB, 8GB & up to 100GB (in some countries) valid from 5-30 days. Visit www. smart.com.ph/roam for more info.

Aside from that, the members will also be able to enjoy 100 minutes of on-net calls to their relatives back home via Free Bee, powered by PLDT Global.

Available in over 180 countries, the internationally recognized adsponsored VoIP solution bridges the distance between Filipinos overseas and their families through highquality IDD calls to the Philippines for free.

“We just want to wish the whole Gilas Basketball Team good luck. You make our country proud and Smart is behind you, keeping you connected throughout your travels,” said Alice Ramos, Vice President for International Roaming and Consumer Business at Smart.

Full force for Gilas The pandemic has truly delayed a lot of sporting events this year, and the resumption of the FIBA 2021 Asian Cup Qualifiers tournament could bring a welcome break from all the isolation and social distancing that has become the new normal.

For PLDT Chief Revenue Officer and Smart President & CEO, as well as Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chief Alfredo S. Panlilio, this whole effort was also made possible with the assistance of the Inter-Agency Task Force and the Philippine Sports Commission.

“It’s been a long time since basketball has been played in an international level because of the pandemic.

There were travel restrictions and issues that we had to resolve because of COVID-19, but we would like to thank Turn to C2

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

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

C1

Members of the Gilas Pilipinas team with the team’s coaching staff

Baldwin: Gilas PH focus is to develop chemistry

By Peter Atencio

A

N EXPERIENCED Thailand squad will confront a young Gilas Pilipinas national men’s basketball team attempting to develop chemistry in a hurry when the November window of the FIBA Asia Cup Qualifiers begins this Friday in Manama.

The Thais, led by former ThaiAmerican standout Tyler Lamb, will be looking for a win after bowing to Korea, 83-96, last February.

Thailang will also have 35-year-old veteran Watana Suttisin and Chanatip Jakrawan backing Lamb, who norms 28 points and 12 rebounds per game.

Despite having seasoned players in their midst, the Thais won’t be taking the Filipinos lightly since they will be meeting each other twice in a row.

“We have to respect that they are at a world-class level. Personally, being able to play against players better than us

is a good experience,” said team skipper and starting point guard Nattakarn Muangboon in an online statement on FIBA’s official website.

The Filipino squad is made up of young collegiate players and their encounter with the Thais this Friday will be at the Khalifa Sports City in Manama, Bahrain. Their next meeting set on Nov. 30.

National team program head Tab Baldwin said the members of Gilas have little time to prepare for new strategies against the Thais, who will also have players who saw action in the last

Southeast Asian Games.

“Most of our attention has been focused on developing chemistry, and elemental concepts of international basketball, and what we expect to see from Thailand,” said Baldwin.

The competitions were supposed to be a home-and-away format, but this was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Kobe Paras, Justine Baltazar, and Juan Gomez de Liano lead the national pool.

Isaac Go, Rey Suerte, Allyn Bulanadi, and twins Matt and Mike Nieto, Ateneo’s Dwight Ramos, Will Navarro and Dave Ildefonso, San Beda’s Calvin Oftana and Kemark Carino and University of the Philippines’ Javi Gomez de Liano have also made the cut.

Also listed are Jaydee Tungcab, Dwight Ramos and naturalization prospect Angelo Kouame.

The coaching staff is also made up of Boyet Fernandez, Alton Lister, Sandro Soriano and Andrei Tolentino.

Devance, Pringle take care of business for Kings IN CRUCIAL games, the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel Gin Kings don’t just let take Stanley Pringle take care of everything on the floor.

This time, Joe Devance took care of business as the Gin Kings got off to a dominant start.

“In a big moment like this, we went to Joe. We trust him to make those good decisions,” said coach Tim Cone on Sunday evening.

The great showing of the 6’7” Devance complemented the big game of Pringle towards the end of the contest, allowing the Gin Kings to post a 2-1 lead in their best-of-five semifinals series with the Meralco Bolts.

The 38-year-old small forward from Hawaii made his presence felt in the middle of the second period, efforts that led to the Gin Kings’ 91-84 triumph in Game 3 of the 2020 Philippine Basketball Association Philippine Cup semis at the Angeles University Foundation Sports Arena and Cultural Center in Pampanga.

A layup and a charity from Devance in the last 5:34 of the second period propelled to a 42-26 cushion.

It was an advantage which the Gin Kings worked hard to protect for the rest of the game.

“We trust him to make those good decisions. He did these things tonight

Ginebra’s Joe Devance and Aljon Mariano double-team Meralco’s Reynel Hugnatan.

and he was spectacular,” added Cone of Devance.

Ginebra is now close to the finals, needing just one more win in the best-of-five series to make the All-Filipino Finals.

The Gin Kings are looking forward to a seat in the Philippine Cup for the first

time since 2017.

As Ginebra took charge of the shaded lanes, they went on to outscore Meralco, 46-28.

The Gin Kings will try to wrap it up in Game 4 on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m.

Peter Atencio

ONE Championship announces 2 December events SINGAPORE—The largest global sports media property in Asian history, ONE Championship™ on Monday announced ONE: BIG BANG on December 4 and ONE: COLLISION COURSE on December 18—two events that will be broadcast live from the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

Both events continue ONE Championship’s partnership with the Singapore government to pilot the return of live international sports productions, and will continue to offer 250 special in-person “Superfan” ticket packages priced at $188 SGD each, which come with premium socially distanced seating and exclusive ONE merchandise worth over $80 SGD (total value at more than $268 SGD).

Patrons are required to undergo the Antigen Rapid Test (ART) on event day and produce a valid negative ART certificate to qualify for admission. This exclusive limited

offering can be purchased now until tickets sell out at Ticketmaster.sg.

Full cards for the two live events feature the following bouts: Reigning ONE Light Heavyweight Kickboxing World Champion Roman Kryklia of the Ukraine defends his World Title against Murat “The Butcher” Aygun of Turkey and the Netherlands.

The no. 3-ranked featherweight contender Koyomi Matsushima of Japan takes on undefeated no. 5-ranked featherweight contender Garry “The Lion Killer” Tonon of the United States.

Armenian-Belgian kickboxer Marat Grigorian and Russia’s Ivan Kondratev make their ONE Super Series debuts in a featherweight kickboxing bout.

No. 3-ranked flyweight contender and former ONE World Champion Kairat “The Ka-

zakh” Akhmetov of Kazakhstan locks horns with no. 2-ranked flyweight contender Danny “The King” Kingad of the Philippines.

Iranian heavyweight Amir Aliakbari makes his highly-anticipated ONE debut against undefeated Russian Islam Abasov.

Rising star Ritu “The Indian Tigress” Phogat returns to action against the Philippines’ Jomary “The Zamboanginian Fighter” Torres.

Meanwhile, in the ONE: COLLISION COURSE, reigning ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai World Champion and a legend of Thailand, Nong-O Gaiyanghadao, takes on no. 2-ranked contender and ONE Bantamweight Muay Thai Tournament winner Rodlek PK.Saenchai Muaythaigym, also of Thailand.

Former ONE Featherweight World Champion Marat “Cobra” Gafurov of Russia welcomes undefeated lightweight Lowen Tynanes of the United States back to the ONE Circle.

Kim follows up major win with LPGA crown at Belleair MIAMI—South Korean Kim Seiyoung followed up her first major title at the Women’s PGA Championship with her 12th LPGA crown Sunday, firing an even-par 70 to win the Pelican Women’s Championship by three strokes.

“A win is always great,” said world number two Kim, who became the first woman since Ariya Jutanugarn in 2016 to follow a maiden major title with a tour triumph in her next start.

“I’m very happy to win the 12th tournament, and after winning the major tournament, it means a lot to me.”

Kim’s even-par effort gave her a 14-under total of 266 and a three-shot win over American Ally McDonald, who carded a two-under 68.

The American had trailed Kim by five coming into the final round, and admitted that while she started the day aiming to close the gap, “Once we got to a point I just tried to take Sei-young out of it and play like a little tournament within the rest of the field.”

McDonald, who claimed her first LPGA title at the Drive On Championship in Georgia last month, finished two strokes in front of Northern Ireland’s Stephanie Meadow, who fired a 69 for 271.

But Kim said she was feeling some pressure as her lead dwindled to three strokes mid-round.

“I was, like, ‘OK, Sei-young, focus.

Keep going,’” she said, adding that the lack of wind after three gusty days made for a tough adjustment.

“Very challenging golf today,” she said.

Kim, who opened her round with a birdie but gave the shot back at the next hole, said her assurance deserted her after a bogey at the ninth, where her second shot flew the green and she chipped on and two-putted.

That erased the gain she’d made with a birdie at the sixth.

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Sports

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

Tennis’ Big-3 era coming to an end?

L ONDON—Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have been absent from the title match at the ATP Finals for the past two years, replaced by younger rivals seeking to smash their monopoly.

Instead of the “Big Three” it was Dominic Thiem and Daniil Medvedev who took centre stage at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday, with Russia’s Medvedev coming out on top.

But do the results at the season-ending tournament signal the end of an era for men’s tennis or another false dawn for the chasing pack?

Poor predictor The demise of Djokovic and Nadal at the hands of younger rivals on a dramatic Saturday in London felt significant, and not just for the results themselves.

Austria’s Thiem, 27, produced an astonishing comeback from 4-0 down in the deciding tie-break to beat world number one Djokovic—after squandering four match points in the second-set tie-break.

Fourth-seed Medvedev did not let the loss of the first set to Nadal faze him,

roaring back to end the Spaniard’s record of 71 consecutive wins after winning the opening set.

But recent history shows the seasonending ATP Finals do not provide a reliable indicator of what is to come the following season.

Medvedev, 24, is the sixth different winner of the event in six years.

Since Andy Murray lifted the trophy in 2016, the champions have been Grigor Dimitrov, Alexander Zverev and Stefanos Tsitsipas, who can boast just one Grand Slam final appearance between them.

Indoor hard courts are Nadal’s weakest surface while Djokovic has not played his best in London since a run of four titles in a row from 2012 to 2015.

Federer, absent this year with an injury, lifted the last of his six titles at the event in 2011.

Grand Slam dominance The Grand Slams remain the ultimate prizes in tennis and the period of unprecedented dominance for the Big Three is far from over.

They have won an astonishing 56 of the past 67 majors between them, including 14 of the last 15.

Thiem finally broke the stranglehold by winning this year’s US Open but Nadal and Federer did not take part and Djokovic was the clear favourite until his disqualification.

Nadal has just won a 13th French Open title without dropping a set and he and Djokovic especially will still be the strong favourites going into 2021.

The Spanish veteran issued a chilling warning to the young pretenders after his defeat to Medvedev in London.

“My motivation has been always the same,” he said. “Next year is going be an important year. I hope to be ready to fight for the things that I want to fight (for).”

Changing of the guard?

Pundits have predicted a changing of the guard many times over the past few

years but such predictions have always proved premature.

It is impossible to delay the inevitable of course—Federer will be 40 next year and has missed almost the whole 2020 season following two knee operations.

Nadal is 34 and Djokovic 33 and both can be shakier in the big moments than they once were.

Thiem, Medvedev, Zverev and Tsitsipas have had more success against the Big Three than the generations before them, and an even younger generation is making waves.

But, with Federer and Nadal tied on 20 Slams and Djokovic three behind, the three dominant players of the past 15 years are playing for history and hugely motivated to achieve more.

Medvedev, who reached the 2019 US Open final, where he lost to Nadal, welcomed the rise of the young guns.

“I think it’s super for tennis,” he said. “We are starting to get to take our marks. Dominic won his first Slam, playing unbelievable tennis right now.” AFP

Tennis could be seeing the last of Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer and Novak Djokovic, or is it another false dawn for the chasing pack?

PSC to send aid to athletes badly-hit by Typhoon Ulysses THE Philippine Sports Commission is preparing the release of financial assistance to members of the national team badly-hit by succeeding typhoons.

The PSC coordinated with national sports associations to get to know who has been adversely affected. The sports agency received reports of athletes and coaches, now at 57 from 9 sports, evacuating or losing their homes due to torrential rains and flash floods in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

PSC chairman William Ramirez assured that they are monitoring typhoon-ravaged members of the Philippine national team and are expediting the process of releasing the financial assistance.

“It might not be substantial but we will do our best we can to help them,” said the sports chief.

“We will have this rolled out the soonest. We are just waiting for the final report from the NSA affairs so we can finalize everything,” added PSC Executive Director Atty. Guillermo Iroy Jr. Most of the affected national athletes and coaches are from the Philippine Canoe-Kayak Dragonboat Federation residing near floodways in Rizal.

Tolentino graces PSA Forum today

Celtics’ Tatum, Jazz’ Mitchell land rich deals LOS ANGELES—Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Utah’s Donovan Mitchell landed lucrative extensions to their NBA rookie deals, US media reported Sunday on the second day of the league’s free agency negotiating period.

The Salt Lake City-based Deseret News was among the outlets reporting that all-star guard Mitchell had agreed a five-year contract extension worth a guaranteed $163 million with the Jazz.

The deal has escalators that could bring Mitchell’s five-year total to $195.6 million. The extra money would come if Mitchell earns all-NBA honors in the 2020-21 season, the last year of his rookie-scale contract in which he is due to be paid $5.2 million.

It’s an investment in the future for the Jazz.

Mitchell, the 13th overall selection in the 2017 draft was runner-up for Rookie of the Year honors in his first season and has been Utah’s leading scorer since he entered the league.

FREE THROW SHOOTER NATHANIEL DELA CRUZ BUILDING a super team is a shameful enterprise. But where did we get that notion and when did it start? Here’s my theory: Barcelona, Spain. 1992.

Amidst the celebration, fanfare, and athletic exhibition taking place in the Olympic Games, the focus was on that one team that we expected the Americans to love, but for some reason was still detested by many, nonetheless: the Dream Team.

The first time I read about NBA superstars joining forces and playing together in the biggest sporting spectacle in human history, I was amazed and excited. This is not the NBA All-Star Games which is a glorified pick-up game. This is a real basketball competition (even if the rest of the field is far from being competitive, to say the least). So I cheered and clapped and savored every fast break dunk, every crafty assist, and every ego-deflating shot block, watching the local television broadcast of the games of the US men’s basketball team.

And then I saw the reactions and commentaries on the sports page: overkill! Just like that, the Dream Team was demonized. I was shocked not because I found the commentaries unpleasant, but because despite being a fan, a part of me agreed with what I just read.

Today 28 years later, I found online one of the many reproving commentaries—this one from George Black of the Los Angeles Times. He wrote: “Dream Team is a misnomer. Real dreams involve risk.”

If you read the full article, you will realize that it is more about Black’s perception of the changing American values and his commentary about it—people want to do things the easy way, risk-free, etc. Nonetheless, this and other similar works influenced our

The 24-year-old finished the pandemic-disrupted 2019-20 season averaging 24 points, 4.4 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game.

Tatum, 22, also emerged as a star last season, setting career highs in scoring with 23.4 points per game, rebounding (7.0 per game) and assists (3.0 per game).

ESPN reported Tatum’s extension will be worth $195 million over five years, with a player option in the fifth year.

Another rising star, Sacramento’s De’Aaron Fox, has also been locked up by his club with a maximum five-year extension.

But according to reports the Kings could be bidding farewell to free agent Bogdan Bogdanovic, who has signed a four-year offer sheet worth $72 million with the Atlanta Hawks.

Since Bogdanovic is a restricted free agent, the Kings had 48 hours to match Atlanta’s offer. AFP

Basketball Darwinism outlook regarding sports and the values attached to it. One way to look at it is this: the Dream Team represented the Machiavellian win-at-all-costs model, and because of the criticisms, we tried to tone things down by elevating a healthier, more inclusive, and more acceptable narrative: the result is not the most important part of sports, but rather, it is competing and accepting the challenge; it is about the struggle and learning to lose in a dignified manner; it is about the risks of racing towards the unknown. It is about fighting on fair grounds and equity in fighting chances.

So (consciously or not) we shunned the super team model or anything remotely resembling overkill. This is I think the reason why the natural evolution of the champion DNA was stunted. Going back even before the Dream Team was put together, basketball was destined to evolve to become the true epitome of “team sport”, wherein everyone has equal opportunities to be successful while at the same time each one also has an equal share of responsibilities to shoulder so that the team can win.

The era of the franchise player was not meant to last. It was followed by the one-twopunch model wherein teams relied not just on one but two outstanding players: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen, Kobe and Shaq, and who could forget the immortal “Stockton-toMalone” quip from the commentator covering a Utah Jazz game in the ‘90s?

It was good for a period of time. But eventually, it was not enough. More is better. Natural progression dictates it should be three this time, and thus the Big 3 model became the new path towards winning: Paul PierceKevin Garnett-Ray Allen; Tim Duncan-Tony Parker-Manu Ginobili; LeBron James-Dwyane Wade-Chris Bosh. Soon there was room for one more superstar, and the Big 4 was born: James-Wade-Bosh-Ray Allen (which won the championship) and the LA Lakers’

Big 4 (Kobe Bryant, Dwight Howard, Steve Nash, Pau Gasol) which, despite the star power, never shone the brightest.

But Golden State quickly made this model passé. Their small ball ushered the era of fielding five agile and versatile basketball players effective on both sides of the court and capable of handling cross-matching in defense. It would be known as the Death Lineup: Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala, and Kevin Durant.

All of a sudden, the trend puts us back in the path of super teams. Outside, resistance remains alive. Fans booed superstars who left their team to join other superstars and chase a ring. But it fell on deaf ears. There was no more demurring.

No more Big 3 (or 4 or 5 as too). The new normal is 10-deep: load your team with 10 very good players deserving of playing time and rotation. The defending champion Lakers look poised to spearhead this new era.

Maybe this is about changing the narrative. Maybe this is normalizing an approach to winning that shouldn’t have been vilified in the first place. I remember joining amateur basketball tournaments and how I hated the team with a roster so talented no other team has a real shot at winning the championship.

In retrospect, it was bitterness and envy. The first time I won a championship with my boyhood team Rascals, I, too, picked the best players I can find who are willing to join me.

Since then, I didn’t allow myself to be swayed by ideas other than this: sports is about winning championships, and champions—as well as soon-to-be-champions —evolve, just as the game is changing and evolving, from how you match up, to how you distribute playing time, load management, career longevity—all of these are changing, even the egos of players, from taking on the task of winning single-handedly to demanding the best support cast

and accepting playing in a system for the sake of hoisting a Larry O’Brien trophy.

Many people—scarred by the Dream Team stigma—will not like this, but here is the nature of competitive winners: not that they do not care about the opinion of others, however, they do not let the opinion of others stop them from doing what they think is the right thing to do to achieve their dream.

Sure, if we limit teams to one or two superstars max, the league will be unpredictable and the games will be exciting. But the ultimate goal of winners is not to play exciting basketball. Their goal is to play championship basketball. They are entertaining to watch, but they are not playing basketball to entertain, there is a big difference there. They want to win. And win again. And again if they can.

There was a time not too long ago when being modest was the sign of the gentlemancompetitor; when forcefully overpowering an inferior opponent through an overwhelming effort is denounced (while subliminally fueling the aversion to super teams), and being formidable is accepted, but only to a certain degree.

Today, this outlook is fast becoming outdated.

Look at the line-up of the Lakers and tell me I’m wrong—the only reason there were people who doubted the ability of the LA Lakers to go all the way last season is because the roster was weak, thin, and has too many holes.

Now, there is nothing but the burden of expectation. Back-to-back or bust.

As I read the news about trade movements in the NBA and who LA has been acquiring since free agency began in the effort to bag another championship, I can’t help but think about what my elders used to say, which is very apt for a time like this: Magugutom ang mahiyain.

Or in this case, hindi (ulit) magchachampion.

The super team model has been resurrected.

The old way was buried in its place.

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee President Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino is Tuesday’s lone guest in the webcast edition of the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum.

The congressman from the 8th district of Cavite and head of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (Philcycling) will talk about his bid for a fresh term as head of the country’s Olympic body in the 10 a.m. session.

The POC election is set on Nov. 27.

Clint Aranas, will be opposing Tolentino for the POC presidency.

The president of the World Archery Philippines, appeared in the weekly forum three weeks ago to present his own platforms.

The public sports program is presented by San Miguel Corp., Go For Gold, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR), powered by Smart and Upstream Media as official webcast partner.

The session is livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

PLDT...

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the IATF, Secretary Galvez and Secretary Dizon, PSC Chairman Butch Ramirez for really supporting this trip of the national team to Bahrain,” said Panlilio.

“PLDT and Smart have always believed in the power of sports to make the lives of Filipinos better.

The values that we learn from it— teamwork, mindfulness, patience, grace under pressure, and discipline, among others—are important elements to the formula of success. We are very proud of our Filipino athletes for having displayed these values so well,” he added.

For PLDT Chairman and SBP Chairman Emeritus Manuel V Pangilinan, Gilas Pilipinas will be able to “supply moments of joy to our people.”

“Each game you play, and win, will unite the people in pride, and bring hope that there will be better days ahead,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan also noted that this roster of Gilas players is “probably the youngest we’ve sent to battle” and that these group of young men have been called to service and accepted without reservation.

“For this, you have our deepest thanks. In return, you have our assurances that your sacrifice is not gone unnoticed or will go unrewarded,” he added.

Catch the livestream of the Gilas Pilipinas matches on One Sports Facebook on November 26 to 30, 2020.

For more information, visit www. smart.com.ph.

Entertainment TV5 gets aggressive with fresh lineup of primetime shows Maris Racal (center) with ‘Stay-In Love’ co-stars Marc David (left) and Kokoy de Santos

T

V5, through its partnership with Cignal TV, has unveiled its primetime lineup of fresh television shows that aim to dominate primetime viewing.

Cignal Entertainment, the film and television production arm of Cignal TV, has commissioned Archangel Media to bring Ate ng Ate Ko and Carpool, Cornerstone Entertainment for Stay-in Love, and Viva Entertainment to bring Bella Bandida and Kagat ng Dilim.

Through Cignal Entertainment, TV5 continues to live up to its promise of inspiring and empowering its Filipino viewers with original and remarkable content; offering a wave of new programs ranging from drama, romance, action, and suspense. They are likewise, introducing an alternative way that viewers can enjoy their programs through their 9:30 p.m. primetime block, Primetime Todo.

Now, viewers can enjoy once-a-week series in a variety of genres delivered from Monday to Friday. The Primetime Todo block brings five new shows that will give the viewers a variety of exciting stories to fill their weekday evenings with, namely: Ate Ng Ate Ko (Monday), Stay In Love (Tuesday), Bella Bandida (Wednesday), Carpool (Thursday), and Kagat ng Dilim (Friday).

Kris Bernal and Isabelle de Leon make their return on screen as they star in Ate ng Ate Ko, which premiered last night.

The series also stars Jake Cuenca, Tonton Gutierrez, Joem Bascon, Kim Last, and

The cast of ‘Ate ng Ate Ko’ (from left) Joem Bascon, Kris Bernal, Jake Cuenca, and Isabelle de Leon

Phil Noble.

The show boasts a dramatic yet cryptic narrative of two sisters whose differences get in the way of their loving relationship.

A mysterious incident causes the sisters to switch roles. The story also tackles a psychological condition called ‘dissociative fugue’ which is a rare form of amnesia wherein one loses awareness of their identity or other important personal information.

Next on TV5’s slew of fresh primetime teleserye is the romantic comedy that promises to make viewers swoon with excitement. Stay-in Love follows the journey of a young and charming lady, played by Maris Racal, whose dream is to become a maid. As the story unfolds, the audience will be introduced to more characters; all scrambling to get their lives in order and find answers to their troubles.

Joining Maris Racal and Ruffa Gutierrez in this light-hearted rom-com are Bobby Andrews, Pooh, Marc David, and breakout artist Kokoy de Santos. Stay-in Love premieres tonight.

From the producers of action-packed women starrers Buy Bust and Maria comes Bella Bandida, an action-drama series loosely based on the classic comic book

by National Artist Francisco V. Coching.

The series is headlined by Ryza Cenon as Bella Banida, an idealistic doctor who inherits mystical powers and uses them to fight injustice and avenge a heinous crime inflicted upon her by a gang of ruthless men. This series will showcase a different kind of female power. The series premieres tomorrow, Nov. 25.

Carpool is the newest suspense thriller

series which will tackle the lives of four young individuals portrayed by Sarah Carlos, Alex Diaz, Kate Lapuz, and Kenneth Medrano.

The series starts with the four sharing a carpool ride together, which leads them to a whirlwind of tragedy and horrific hauntings that will continue to follow them. The mysteries of Carpool further unravel as a former classmate, portrayed by Elora Espano, is suspected to be behind the events that haunt the four passengers. What is mind boggling though, is that, the said suspect that continues to torment them is already dead. Viewers can catch Carpool on TV5 starting Nov. 26.

Kagat ng Dilim, is the 2020 evolution of the horror anthology series in the early 2000s. This time, four of the most talented, young and well-known directors of the genre were enlisted to craft 13 episodes of terrifying tales that have haunted the minds of Filipinos. The stories, created by directors Lawrence Fajardo, Richard Somes, Paul Basinillo, and Rae Red, are set to give a new generation of Pinoy horror fans a few more reasons to be afraid of the dark. Headlined by top Viva talents such as Matteo Guidicelli, Cristine Reyes, Maui Taylor, and Ella Cruz, the series airs Nov. 27.

Ate ng Ate Ko, Stay-in Love, and Carpool will have a next day catch-up airing every 5:30 p.m. via One Screen on Cignal TV Channel 09 and SatLite Channel 35. Bella Bandida and Kagat ng Dilim will also have its catch-up airings: Bella Bandida starting Nov. 27 airing Fridays at 7:00 p.m. and Kagat ng Dilim starting Nov. 28, airing Saturdays at 7:00 p.m.; both via the SARI SARI Channel on Cignal TV Channel 03 and SatLite Channel 30.

Janno Gibbs shrugs off competition in noontime block IN A recent interview, Janno Gibbs admitted that he’s happy with the turnout of his new noontime show on Net 25 called Happy Time with Anjo Yllana and Kitkat.

‘We’re glad about the viewers’ reception of the program,” he said. “So far, the feedback is encouraging. Generally, the comments are positive. And the best part is that the management is happy with our performance.”

It’s inevitable that their show will be compared with other noontime offerings from other networks. Does he feel the competition?

“Yes, it will always be there. But personally, I believe that we’re not really part of the main competition because we’re just a small production. We’re new. I guess, the prime competitors are Eat Bulaga and It’s Showtime then comes our show and TV 5’s Lunch Out Loud,” the host comedian said.

“In fact, we mention our competitors in our show. We say hi to Tito, Vic, and Joey.

We believe we’re not a threat to them. First of all, Net 25 isn’t yet available on TV Plus or Affordabox. We’re still waiting for that time. We know our present limitations.”

Despite this scenario, Janno is proud of the strength of Happy Time in other aspects.

“We have a strong following on Facebook and YouTube. We’re also glad about the fact that apart from the solid support we get from the members of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (which owns the network) people from all walks of life get to appreciate our program.”

Net 25 is known for its wholesomeness, does it mean his humor is controlled or limited in the show?

SHTICKS JOSEPH PETER GONZALES “Well, for the record, I never resorted to doing green jokes on-air all these times. It’s not really my style. So, I’m happy that young viewers get to watch and enjoy the program.”

In “Happy Time”, he has his own segment called “Janno Gives” which he truly likes.

“I enjoy doing one-on-one interviews in there then, I’ll engage in a jamming session

with my guest celebrities. So far, I’m proud that we were able to invite the likes of Vina Morales, Tina Paner, and Faith Cuneta to grace the segment.”

He is noted for coming late in his showbiz commitments. It’s good that he makes it on time in their noontime show.

“Actually, I’ve already changed a long time ago. Even in shooting schedules, I arrive on time now,” ended Janno. *** In his recent guest appearance in the morning gabfest Magandang Buhay hosted

by Jolina Magdangal, Karla Estrada, and Melai Cantiveros, Sam Milby expressed his current happiness brought about by his relationship with Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray.

“I’m so blessed. First of all, my heart is in a very happy state. My love life is blessed,” he averred.

The appealing actor revealed that his ladylove has become his “go-to” person in the past months when the country has been under quarantine due to the pandemic.

“Well, of course, she’s on top of my list of people whom I would talk to during those times. Then there’s my sibling Ada.” For Sam, he considers Catriona as “The One” for him. This he admitted during the media con for his presently airing prime time soap Ang Sa Iyo Ay Akin opposite Jodi Sta. Maria and Iza Calzado months ago.

“Although it’s too early to say but I do believe that she’s the one. But I’m not in a hurry since of course we have a ten-year age gap. I’m 36 while she’s just 26. One more thing, her career has just taken off,” he stated.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

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Taylor Swift Swift Taylor wins big big wins AMAs atat AMAs TAYLOR Swift beat out Justin Bieber, Post Malone, and Roddy Ricch to win the artist of the year prize at the American Music Awards. It’s her third consecutive year to win the top award.

The 30-year-old pop superstar also won favorite music video and favorite pop/rock female artist.

Although she missed the show, she delivered her speech in a video explaining, “I’m not there tonight is I’m actually rerecording all of my old music in the studio where we originally recorded it. So it’s been amazing. And I can’t wait for you to hear it."

Taylor Swift takes home her third straight artist of the year award at 2020 AMAs.

Last year music manager Scooter Braun—who manages Justin Bieber and Ariana Grande—announced that his Ithaca Holdings company had acquired Big Machine Label Group, the home to Swift’s first six albums. This month Braun said he has sold the master rights to Swift’s first six albums to an investment company; Swift acknowledged the sale on social media and said she would not work with the new buyers because Braun was still involved.

Sylvia Sanchez starrer drama,

first Filipino series adapted in Turkey ABS-CBN brings honor to the country anew as its teleserye Hanggang Saan becomes the first Filipino series to be adapted in Turkey as A Mother’s Guilt, which premiered on Fox Turkey on Saturday, Nov. 21.

“A Mother’s Guilt is a feat not only for ABS-CBN but for the country as well, as it becomes the first original Philippine series to be greenlit for adaptation on Turkish television. It is a testament to the company’s dedication to creating stories that resonate

Sylvia Sanchez with son Arjo Atayde in ‘Hanggang Saan,’ which becomes the first Filipino series to be adapted in Turkey as 'A Mother’s Guilt.’

universally,” said Macie Imperial, ABSCBN International Distribution head.

The series, which originally starred Sylvia Sanchez and Arjo Atayde, follows the story of a single mother whose guilt haunts her throughout her life after agreeing to a gruesome deal – kill a man in exchange for money to pay hospital bills that would save her son’s life.

Co-produced by ABS-CBN and leading Turkish production company Limon Yapim, the weekly Turkish series star Özge Özberk as Suna (mother) and Mert Yazıcıoğlu as Yusuf (son), both wellknown and successful talents in Turkey.

ABS-CBN continues to bring its hit and acclaimed programs to audiences worldwide. Starting this year, more of the company’s hit titles will be seen in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

ABS-CBN is a trusted content provider in the global market through ABS-CBN International Distribution, with over 50,000 hours of programs present in over 50 territories all over the world.

ABS-CBN shows are currently available in the Philippines on A2Z, the Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live on ABS-CBN Entertainment’s YouTube and Facebook, and iWant TFC streaming platform.

K-pop star Minzy launches career in PH, wants to collab with Sarah G VIVA Artists Agency, Viva Records, Open Door Artists, and South Korea’s MZ Entertainment have joined forces to bring Minzy’s brand of Korean pop to the country.

Minzy’s exciting entry into Philippine entertainment kicks off with the local version of her single “Lovely,” which sees the K-pop star giving her song a distinct local Pinoy flavor.

Talking about her entry to the local scene, the K-pop star said she wanted to create more songs similar to the music of Sarah Geronimo referring to the massive hit “Tala” as the kind of sound that she wanted her Filipino fans to hear from her.

“It’s a big hit and I’d like to make more songs like that for my Filipino fans. And if given a chance, I would want to collaborate with Sarah G and Ella Cruz, who they told me a big fans of 2NE1,” Minzy told Manila Standard Entertainment in a virtual interview held last week.

A multi-platinum South Korean artist and a global K-pop sensation, Minzy’s career started with the popular group 2NE1, a world-renown all-girl group that that also has a strong following here in the Philippines.

Her eventual solo career that started with “Uno” in 2017 netted her a Billboard World Albums chart nod and peaked at the number 2 spot. This is quite the achievement, seeing as it laid further groundwork for K-Pop’s dominance in the world of pop that is still felt today.

An electrifying performer, Minzy is considered as one of the best in K-Pop and rightly deserves the title “Queen Of Dance.” Fans of Minzy have also dubbed her a ‘dancing machine’ for her exceptional dance skills and fiery stage presence. And completing the package, Minzy is a vocal powerhouse as well. Deservedly earning the spotlight in 2NE1 as the main singer and rapper in that group. Something that she’s developed further as a solo performer.

After breaking away from 2NE1 in 2016, Minzy had her single “Ninano” from her debut EP which placed at the US Billboard World Charts and there was no looking back after that.

“Lovely,” the Tagalog version, was released on digital streaming platforms on Nov. 20.

After charting an astounding career as a multi-platinum South Korean artist and a global K-pop sensation, Minzy of 2NE1 fame launches a career in the Philippines.

Keeping ‘bayanihan’ spirit alive amid pandemic, consecutive typhoons GMA Network’s socio-civic arm GMA Kapuso Foundation (GMAKF) fulfills the Kapuso mandate of Serbisyong Totoo via its ‘Operation Bayanihan’ relief operations as thousands of Filipinos across the country are in dire need of help following the onslaught of Super Typhoon Rolly and, most recently, Typhoon Ulysses.

Some of our countrymen were only just beginning to recover from a previous typhoon (Quinta) that hit the country when Rolly’s destructive winds and Ulysses’ heavy floods left more families in Luzon with no homes, no livelihood, and more vulnerable to COVID-19.

Prior to the onslaught of Rolly, said to be the strongest typhoon to enter the country this year, GMAKF swiftly prepared relief goods for immediate distribution to different parts of Central Luzon and Bicol Region. The Foundation, which was first to distribute aid in Camarines Sur, Albay, and Catanduanes, was able to transport the relief packs with the help

of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Operation Bayanihan was so far able to provide critical aid to a total of 43,328 individuals who were affected by Rolly from different areas of Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, and Albay in the Bicol Region as well as in Bataan and Bulacan in Central Luzon.

Just last week, Typhoon Ulysses further caused devastation in more areas including Metro Manila, Southern Luzon, and Cagayan Valley, the latter of which experienced its worst flooding in decades. GMAKF was first to reach Cagayan as it rushed to the communities, as soon as roads were passable, to give much needed urgent assistance.

To date, GMAKF has already reached over 21,000 individuals in various barangays in Quezon City, Rodriguez, and Tanay in Rizal; Infanta, Quezon; Tuguegarao, Enrile, and Solana in Cagayan; and in Ilagan and Tumauini, Isabela.

GMAKF crosses the sea to deliver critical aid in Catanduanes.

Through donations to GMAKF, the Foundation was able to distribute relief packs that include rice, canned goods, safe drinking water, face masks, face shields, blankets, and even diapers (to mothers with toddlers and babies) to a total of 64,403 Filipinos who were affected by typhoons

Rolly and Ulysses.

“Anumang panganib ang ating harapin, mula sa Bicol, NCR, hanggang sa Cagayan, hindi mapipigilan ang paghahatid natin ng tulong sa mga lubos na nangangailangan.

At nagawa natin ‘yan sa tulong ng inyong mga donasyon,” said GMAKF Founder and

Ambassador Mel Tiangco.

Supplementing the continuous Operation Bayanihan drive, GMAKF’s ‘Kapuso Soup Kitchen’ also provided hot meals to 1,000 evacuees from low lying areas around Barangay Tatalon, Quezon City, to 500 individuals in Barangays Buenavista and Sirang in Catanduanes, and to 800 individuals in Barangays Tañong, Barangka, and Malanday in Marikina. GMA Kapuso Foundation’s Soup Kitchen is personally sponsored by GMA Network Chairman and CEO Felipe L. Gozon.

As of this writing, GMAKF is embarking on its second wave of relief distributions in Cagayan and is also heading for San Mateo, Rizal, Polilio Island, Aurora, and General Nakar, Quezon.

GMA Kapuso Foundation continues to accept cash donations to bring aid to more Filipino families in the hope of helping them get back on their feet. To donate, visit www. gmanetwork.com/kapusofoundation/donate.

Life

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

C4

HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2020

D

ESIGNED to strengthen the spine and core, Pilates, experts say, also has long-lasting effects on mood and overall health—provided that it’s done regularly.

Integrating this exercise into daily routine helps improve core stability and strength, posture and alignment, balance and coordination, and blood circulation.

It also helps reduce back pain, strengthen immune system, prevent injuries, improve focus, lower anxiety due to endorphin release, and uplift mood.

Joseph Pilates’ exercise system is often referred to as “intelligent exercise” as it simultaneously works on a person’s physical and mental strength.

Experts say it is ideal for a wide range of individuals, from athletes and sports enthusiasts, to prenatal and postnatal women and those with medical conditions and recovering from injuries.

International Pilates studio chain Options Studio, Inc., for instance, offers Pilates programs customized according to each person’s fitness goals.

Ole Eugenio, a Pilates Master Trainer and former gymnast, brought Options Studio to the Philippines a decade ago.

It opened its first branch in RCBC Plaza in Makati, and then relocated to Nobel Plaza in Valero Street. It has since expanded to other prime locations such as Bonifacio Global City, Alabang, Rockwell, and Timog in Quezon City. It also has a partner facility in Cebu.

The newest Options Studio will soon open in Edsa Shangri-La, owned by Mari-

FIT LIFE

Practicing Pilates

FOR YOUR FORM. Joseph Pilates’ eponymous physical fitness system helps improve core strength and stability, posture and alignment, balance and coordination, and blood circulation. vic del Pilar. On top of regular Pilates programs, it will also specialize in muscle rehab. This branch will be the only Pilates studio with complete Gratz Classical Pilates equipment, the gold standard in Pi-

lates equipment since 1928.

“To ensure we provide loyal patrons and new clients with topnotch service, we made sure our Shang-based studio is the top Pilates venue in the metro with

the full range of Gratz Classical Pilates Equipment,” says Del Pilar.

She adds, “That means that most of the equipment found here are the industry standard for authentic Pilates equipment

The newest Options Studio to open in Edsa Shangri-La is the first in the Philippines to be equipped with complete Gratz Classical Pilates equipment, the gold standard in Pilates equipment since 1928.

and also the first of its kind in the country.”

As the first and only international chain of Pilates and Movement Studios worldwide, it has a lineup of specific programs such as Core Reform, Core Suspend, Core Barre, Rebound, Core Chair, Pre-Natal and Post-Natal, Traditional Mat, and Traditional Reformer.

To give clients peace of mind while at the fitness center, Del Pilar says, “We’ve made sure that all our branches including the newest one at Shang adhere to stringent COVID-19 safety guidelines such as frequent disinfection, wearing of face masks, physical distancing, and health declarations.”

All of the brand’s studio trainers and movement specialists undergo constant training led by Eugenio himself along with other renowned Pilates mentors such as Camille Joson-Ordinario and Neil Alvarez.

Some of Options Studio’s most loyal clients include Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray and TV host Daphne Oseña-Paez.

HEALTH BULLETIN

FDA Philippines approves new diabetes drug

Coca-Cola and Unilever Philippines executives (clockwise from top left) CCBPI president and chief executive Gareth McGeown, Unilever vice president Ed Sunico, Unilever marketing director Ann Esteves, and CCFPI president Cecile Alcantara launch Project Clean Hands.

Coca-Cola, Unilever promote proper handwashing COCA-COLA Beverages Philippines, Inc. (CCBPI), the bottling arm of Coca-Cola in the country, and consumer goods manufacturer Unilever Philippines have teamed up to promote proper handwashing in communities in a bid to curb the spread of COVID-19.

CCBPI and Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines will be installing 37 handwashing stations in high-traffic locations such as public markets and terminals across the country. CCBPI has also pledged to cover maintenance costs of the stations for a year, while the LGUs are tasked to monitor the security, cleanliness, and proper disposal of water outflow through existing drainage systems.

“Supporting local communities has always been an integral part of our operations,” said CCBPI president and chief executive Gareth McGeown. “We are committed to the efforts to protect communities from COVID-19, particularly through creating safer and healthier spaces for Filipinos. We are proud to have found a partner in Unilever who share the same goal.”

For its part, Unilever Philippines will be providing Lifebuoy soap for one

year and will help develop information and education campaigns to promote proper hygiene through handwashing.

The COVID-19 pandemic reinforces the importance of proper handwashing, which greatly contributes to the prevention of health risks via contact transmission of the virus. In the country, about 3.3 million households or 14.7 million Filipinos may not be able to comply with proper hand hygiene guidelines due to the absence of handwashing areas or lack of soap and usable water.

Given this, the two-pronged approach of educating people on the importance of proper handwashing and the installation of necessary facilities is crucial to keeping communities safer, the partners said.

“We remain focused on helping Filipino families rebuild communities and livelihoods across the country,” enthused Unilever Philippines chairman and chief executive Benjie Yap. The first batch of handwashing stations to be completed this year covers 10 public areas in Luzon, six in the Visayas, and four in Mindanao. CocaCola targets to complete all installations by early 2021.

ASTRAZENECA’S Dapagliflozin has been approved by the Philippine Food and Drug Administration for the prevention of new or worsening heart failure or cardiovascular death in adult patients with type 2 diabetes.

“Heart failure is an often forgotten first manifestation of type 2 diabetes-related complications and is more frequent than heart attack or stroke,” said Dr. Erlyn Demerre, cardiologist at St. Luke’s Medical Center.

According to Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus, an endocrinologist at Philippine General Hospital, up to 50 percent of type 2 diabetes patients will develop heart failure and up to 40 percent will develop chronic kidney disease.

Dapagliflozin is a first-in-class, oral medication that belongs to a class of drugs called SGLT2 inhibitors. The FDA approval of the drug is based on the results of DECLARETIMI 58, the largest, broadest, and longest SGLT2 inhibitor cardiovascular outcomes trial to date. The trial involved 17,160 type 2 diabetes patients, 60 percent of whom have cardiovascular risk factors and 40 percent have established cardiovascular disease.

“The newly approved indication is a welcome development for local type 2 diabetes patients with multiple cardiovascular risk factors or established cardiovascular disease,” said AstraZeneca Philippines president Lotis Ramin.

Dr. Cyril Tolosa, medical affairs director of the pharmaceutical company, added, “Dapagliflozin is the only type 2 diabetes treatment shown to reduce the risk of composite of cardiovascular death or hospitalization for heart failure in

Clockwise from top left: Dr. Elizabeth Roasa, Dr. Erlyn Demerre, Dr. Cyril Tolosa, Professor Subodh Verma, Dr. Nemencio Nicodemus, and Dr. Alberto Pamplona make a ‘FIGHT’ sign at the recent ‘Dapagliflozin New Indication Virtual Media Briefing.’

type 2 diabetes patients with multiple cardiovascular risks or established cardiovascular disease. Additionally, it has also been shown to reduce the risk of kidney events in these patient groups.”

Aside from its new indication, the diabetes drug is indicated as both monotherapy and as part of combination therapy to improve blood glucose control, with the additional benefits of weight loss and blood pressure reduction, as an adjunct to diet and exercise.

“Using Dapagliflozin early in type 2 diabetes to assist with HbA1c control may also help to prevent progression of renal disease in patients with and without established cardiovascular disease,” noted Dr. Elizabeth Roasa, a nephrologist at University of Santo Tomas Hospital.

Insurer offers free teleconsultation service

Insurance provider Axa Philippines gives Filipinos, including non-Axa customers, onetime free access to a teleconsultation service until Dec. 31.

BRINGING healthcare services closer to Filipinos, an insurance provider offers free teleconsultation service until the end of the year.

AXA Philippines is giving one-time free access to a teleconsultation service to everyone who will participate in the promotion (including non-AXA customers and AXA customers with no health policy) until Dec. 31.

“We have always been committed to being a reliable health partner for our customers. We are further strengthening this commitment by giving Filipinos convenient access to health protection during this pandemic to help ease

their fear and worry about their own health and that of their loved ones,” said Rahul Hora, AXA Philippines president and chief executive.

To avail of the service, download the MyPocketDoctor app from the Google Play or App Store and register with an e-mail address and mobile number. Once registration is complete, the customer can avail of the virtual medical consultation.

Others may go to https://bit.ly/AXATCPR1 to get their free code.

AXA health policyholders can also request for the teleconsultation via the Emma by AXA app.