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3 Bontoc brgys. under ECQ

• DOH deploys contact tracers for UK strain cases • High risk Cordillera region may revert to GCQ

VOL. XXXIV • NO. 321 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

By Willie Casas and Rio N. Araja

HREE barangays in Bontoc, Mountain Province were placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine level lockdown following the confirmation of the UK strain of COVID-19 in 12 positive cases in the municipality. The lockdown, which takes effect today (Monday) until Jan. 31, covers Brgys. Bontoc Ili, Caluttit, and Poblacion. Mountain Province Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan Jr. also suspended work in majority of the offices of the provincial government. "The extended suspension of work and other suitable work arrangements will help ensure that lesser number of personnel will be exposed to the contagion. It is hoped that with the strict observance of physical distancing among workers, the chain of infection will be broken," Lacwasan said. Department of Health - Cordillera Administrative Region director Ruby Constantino said the DOH is lookinh at placing the entire region under a stricter quarantine level amid rising cases of COVID-19, one of which was the mayor of Bontoc. Constantino said the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) wanted to raise the region's quarantine classification to a general community quarantine, which is stricter than the current modified GCQ. During the national IATF meeting on Jan. 20, the DOHCAR reported the region was at a "high risk" epidemic level as it recorded a two-week growth rate of 199 percent, and an average daily attack rate per 100,000 population of 8.32.

CONTACT TRACERS. The first batch of contact tracers from the Department of Health arrived Sunday in Bontoc, Mountain Province to augment the local teams searching for carriers of the United Kingdom (UK) coronavirus (B117) variant. Fifteen contact tracers from DOH Cordillera regional office and 10 from Ilocos Region comprise the first batch while 20 others from DOH Regions 2 and 3 will also be deployed, Dr. Amelita Pangilinan, DOH assistant regional director said. Screen grab from GMA-7 and Bombo Radyo.

Tighter controls on pork price eyed; wage hike ruled out By Rio N. Araja THE government is considering a price cap on pork amid rising food prices, Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said Sunday. In an interview over radio dzBB, Nograles, chairman of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Zero Hunger, said the Department of Agriculture (DA) is currently studying the possibility of imposing stricter price measures in public markets since the country is still under a state of public health emergency. The last time a price freeze was imposed was in November last year, following the declaration of a state of calamity in Luzon in the wake of Typhoon Ulysses. Nograles admitted that the government is also grappling with African swine fever (ASF), which continues to pull down pork supply while jacking up its prices. Next page

Health OKs saliva use for COVID-19 test By Willie Casas

In a letter addressed to PRC Chairman and CEO Senator Richard Gordon, Secretary of Health Francisco Duque III commended the humanitarian organization “for finishing the pilot implementation in a short period of time and complying with the initial recommendations provided by the department.” PRC has been in talks with DOH and the Food and Drugs Administration for the approval of the saliva tests for public use. The tests are less invasive

LOCAL ROUNDUP

THE Philippine Red Cross (PRC) is now ready to roll out the saliva RT-PCR testing after it completed and passed all the requirements on Jan. 21. The Department of Health (DOH) COVID-19 Laboratory Expert Panel earlier gave a positive recommendation leading to the approval of the use of saliva as an alternative specimen for RT-PCR testing among PRC laboratories.

DND to dialog with restive UP

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JAN. 24)

513,619 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,949 27,765 NEW

ACTIVE

10,242

DEATHS

NEW

475,612 7,729 RECOVERIES

NEW

SALIVA TEST. Philippine Red Cross chairman and Senator Richard Gordon holds a saliva specimen during the saliva pilot testing in Mandaluyong on Tuesday, January 12, 2021. Saliva testing against COVID-19 has obtained the approval of the Department of Health for a public roll-out. Arman Clemente

BARIKADA. National Artist Abdul Mari (Toym Imao), also a TOYM awardee, finds it 'fulfilling' to have set up his installation work entitled “Barikada” at the UP Diliman in time for the commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the 1971 Diliman Commune on Feb 1 to 9, 2021. He says, “Now, more than ever, we need to remember our history in light of the current attacks on our institution, organizations, faculty, and studentry”Abdulmari (Toym) Imao

DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Sunday he will meet with University of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion "sometime next week" over the abrogation of a law enforcement accord between the state university and the Defense department. Lorenzana said he was convinced to have a dialogue with the UP president by "a lot of people whom I respect." "I have asked a friend to facilitate my meeting with Attorney Concepcion sometime next week," he told reporters. Meanwhile, the Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, Far Eastern University, and the University of Santo Tomas objected to an anti-insurgency official’s claims that the universities were recruiting grounds for commu-

Health workers priority for vax jab; clerks, last Willie Casas and Macon Ramos-Araneta

ers to receive a vaccine against COVID-19, Health Undersecretary Myrna Cabotaje said Sunday. In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, WORKERS from the Department of Cabotaje said the government will give Health will be the last of the health work- priority to health workers in the health fa-

Tennis phenom Eala wins 1st pro title FILIPINO tennis phenom Alex Eala recovered from an opening-set loss before stunning world no. 132 Yvonne Cavalle-Reimers of Spain, 5-7, 6-1, 6-2 in the finals of the Rafael Nadal Academy World Tennis Tour in Manacor, Spain to win her first-ever International Tennis Federation’s singles' Next page professional title.

Sniffers trained to detect COVID IN A dog training center built inside a shipping container located in a Czech mountain village, Renda, Cap and Laky are being put to the test. They sniff at six vessels, each containing a piece of cloth with scent from patients with COVID-19, negative donors, or fake samples. Next page

cilities and those involved in contact tracing, testing and taking care of COVID-19 patients. Also to be given priority in the vaccination program are the workers in the Next page

nist rebels. In a joint statement on Sunday, the schools said the accusations made by National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesman Lieutenant General Antonio Parlade Jr. was not supported by proof. Lorenzana on Sunday said that the Armed Forces of the Philippines will apologize to a lawyer whom they included in a list of supposed members of an armed rebel group from the University of the Philippines. In an interview, Lorenzana was asked if the AFP would apologize to lawyer Rafael Aquino. “Yes, the AFP will apologize. What reason will they give? I do not know. It’s an unpardonable gaffe,” Lorenzana said. Next page

WORLD ROUNDUP

NZ posts local transmission after 2 months NEW Zealand health officials on Sunday confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the community for more than two months, sparking urgent contracttracing efforts north of Auckland. A 56-year-old woman who recently returned from Europe tested positive 10 days after completing a compulsory two weeks in managed isolation, although she had noticed symptoms several days before getting tested. Contact tracing was underway after it was revealed the woman and her Next page

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Cha-cha long overdue—lawmaker She said the House of Representatives tal legislation, such as the annual General only needed to show the same enthusiasm Appropriations Act. and willingness whenever it approved vi“You know us well in Congress if

there is a need to pass something, we really pass it. You’ve seen us work till the wee hours of the morning on a number of occasions to ensure that we pass the national budget,” she said. “We have passed the laws that needed to be passed, and that it is not impossible to do so when it comes to the economic provision of the Constitution.” Meanwhile, Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Alfredo Garbin Jr. on Sunday said “people, not Congress, had the final say on Charter change.” Garbin, head of the House committee on constitutional amendments currently holding hearings on the proposals

to amend the restrictive economic provisions of the Constitution, said the ultimate decision to change the 1987 Constitution rested in the hands of the people, and not Congress. Herrera said it is already understood among them that they would be focusing on Resolution of Both Houses No. 2 filed by Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. The measure would amend some economic provisions in the Constitution through the insertion of the phrase “unless otherwise provided by law” to several sections, which restrict foreign ownership of land, natural resources, public utilities, educational institutions, media and advertising.

Also over the weekend, the DOH said the so-called UK variant of the coronavirus had been detected as early as December 2020, at a time when it was not even considered a new variant. At a virtual briefing on Saturday, DOH Epidemiology Bureau director Alethea de Guzman said that of the 16 new cases detected with the B.1.1.7 variant of the SARS-COV-2, the virus which causes COVID-19, one sample was collected on Dec. 10, 2020. This was days before British scientists first reported the mutation to the World Health Organization. The Health official said the sample was collected from a 23-year-old male patient from Laguna. Despite this, the DOH only announced that the UK variant has been detected in the Philippines on Jan. 13, 2021 from a male resident of Quezon City who left for Dubai on Dec. 27 for business and returned to the country on Jan. 7 aboard an Emirates flight. Dr. Edsel Salvana, director of the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of the UP National Institutes of Health, said that the Dec. 10 sample was part of those which were archived for backtracking for the then unknown variant. Salvana, a member of the DOH’s technical advisory group on COVID-19 variants, said at the time when the sample was collected it was still not yet considered as the “UK variant.”

The DOH, late Friday, disclosed that there are now 17 cases of COVID-19 who have the UK variant in the Philippines. Of the additional 16 cases, three have recovered while 13 are still active. Of the 13 active cases, three are asymptomatic while the remaining 10 have mild symptoms. The B.1.1.7 variant of the novel coronavirus, first detected in the United Kingdom, has been found to be more infectious but does not make the disease more severe. Twelve of the 16 additional cases are from Bontoc in the Mountain Province, two are Filipino workers returning from Lebanon, two are from La Trinidad in Benguet and Calamba in Laguna. The DOH said that out of the 12 cases in Bontoc, seven are male and five are female. Three are aged below 18 and another three are above 60. Despite these cases, the director of the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM), Dr. Celia Carlos, said it was premature to conclue there was local transmission of the new variant. Carlos said there are standards laid down by experts to determine if there has been local transmission, but added they have to wait for the results of the investigation. "Considering that investigation is ongoing it may be premature to say whether there’s an ongoing community transmission," Carlos said. Among the standards, Carlos said, is

the detection of a large number of cases not linkable through transmission chains, a large number of cases from several sides "if there is an existing surveillance," and multiple unrelated clusters in several areas of the country. Salvana, a member of the Department of Health's Technical Advisory Group, agreed. "Right now there is no evidence of that (community transmission),” he said. On Sunday, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte ordered stricter security measures in hotels serving as quarantine facilities for returning Filipino workers who have arrived from countries with known cases of B117 variant or high levels of COVID-19 community transmission. She called on the Quezon City Police District to study the possibility of assigning police officers outside those hotels to ensure that everyone complies with the 14-day quarantine period. "Now that the Department of Health confirmed the presence of the new strain in several places of the country, the more we need to double our efforts in preventing the spread of the virus. If need be, we can tap our police officers to man these hotels so we can prevent returning Filipinos from leaving without finishing the government-mandated quarantine period," she said. She vowed to intensify its inspection of hotels and other establishments to monitor their adherence to health and safety protocols.

“We continue to call on recovered COVID-19 patients to give blood plasma as many still reach out to us for convalescent treatment,” she said in Filipino in an interview on ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo. Each bag of blood plasma from a COVID-19 survivor, "contains neutralizing antibodies which will help recipients fight off the infection," the PRC earlier said. The Philippine General Hospital and St. Luke's Medical Center used convalescent plasma therapy on COVID-19 patients. 1,949 new cases on Sunday The Philippines logged on Sunday 1,949 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 513,619, the Department of Health (DOH) reported. The DOH reported 53 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 10,242, which is 1.99 percent of the total cases. It also reported 7,729 recoveries, bringing the number of patients who re-

covered from the disease to 475,612, which is 92.6 percent of total cases. This left 27,765 active cases, which is 5.4 percent of the total cases. Of the active cases, 83.3 percent are mild; 9.1 percent are asymptomatic; 4.4 percent are critical; 2.7 percent are severe; and 0.53 percent are moderate. The DOH also reported that of the 2,100 total ICU bed capacity, 60 percent are available; of the 17,100 total isolation bed capacity, 64 percent are available; of the 8,100 total ward bed capacity, 74 percent are available; and of the 2,100 total units of ventilators, 78 percent are available. Delay seen in easing age limits The Department of Health (DOH) is planning to recommend the postponement of a relaxation of age restrictions in areas under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ). In a public briefing on Saturday, DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire

made the statement in light of reports that minors were among the COVID-19 cases with the UK variant of the coronavirus detected in the country. On Saturday, DOH said that seven out of the 12 cases that were found positive for the UK variant of the coronavirus in Bontoc, Mountain Province were minors as young as 5 and 10. On the other hand, Health Undersecretary Dr. Myrna Cabotaje on Sunday defended the relaxation of age restrictions, saying it is good for the children's mental health to go out of their houses. On Friday, Malacañang announced that the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) decided to ease the age-based restrictions for MGCQ areas starting February 1. From the age range of 15 to 65 years old previously, the government will now allow people ages 10 to 65 years old to go out of their residences.

cy will help ensure food security by supporting farmers and fishermen by increasing their productivity and income. He also noted that it was just as important to lower the country’s current unemployment rate. On the other hand, the Employers Confederation of the Philippines (ECOP) said now was not the time to increase wages, given the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses. In a Dobol B sa News TV interview, ECOP president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. said businesses were facing losses and possible closure due to the pandemic's fallout. “Ninety percent of these are microenterprises. Half of them have closed and the others are thinking of closing or having a difficult time,” Ortiz-Luis said in Filipino. Also on Sunday, Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, urged the Department of Agriculture to strengthen the “Plant, Plant, Plant” program and to ensure that the production and transport of food remains unhampered. Salceda, also the co-chairman of the House economic recovery cluster, warned that while December prices met the government’s 2 percent-4 percent inflation target, the impact of higher prices of food on the poorest segments of the population may not be appearing in statistics.

Health...

be used against COVID-19 in the country as the COVAX Facility would have an early rollout of the brand. Cabotaje said that next week and in the first week of February, the Health department would start going around communities to finalize the master list of individuals eligible for COVID-19 vaccination. In the National Capital Region, the department had already identified the number of hospital staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Cabotaje said. After healthcare workers, employees of select government offices will be vaccinated, to be followed by indigent senior citizens and other seniors and indigents, according to the government's vaccination roadmap. The government has set aside P82.5 billion for its COVID-19 vaccination program, of which P2.5 billion will come from the Department of Health's budget allocation for 2021, while the P10 billion will be sourced from the COVID-19 vaccination program of the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act.

By Rio N. Araja

AGONG Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera, a deputy speaker, on Sunday said she is confident the long-overdue constitutional reform is “not impossible” under the present Congress given the assurance that amendments would only be limited to certain economic provisions of the 1987 Constitution.

Cordillera... From A1

The DOH report also showed there were 16 local government units in the region classified as critical epidemic areas due to the high number of cases. These are the towns of Besao, Bontoc, Sabangan, and Sadanga in the Mountain Province; Balbalan, Lubuagan, Pasil, Rizal, Tanudan, and Tabuk City in Kalinga; Atok, Itogon, Kapangan, Mankayan in Benguet; and Hungduan and Kiangan in Ifugao province. The DOH-CAR reported that Mountain Province is the only province nationwide categorized under the critical category. The mayor of Bontoc town in Mountain Province said Saturday he has contracted the illness. Mayor Franklin Odsey said he was asymptomatic and in isolation after he was informed last Jan. 15 that he tested positive for COVID-19. Twelve people in Bontoc have been infected by the UK variant, prompting the local government to impose a lockdown until Jan. 31 in Barangay Samoki. A one-week lockdown was enforced on Barangays Bontoc Ili, Caluttit and Poblacion until Jan. 24t Odsey said in his statement. The stricter quarantine measures may be extended in the affected areas, he added.

Local... From A1

than the RT-PCR swab test and are cheaper. The sample processing time is shorter compared to other tests as it runs only for three to four hours. Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH will wait for the validation test results from the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) before allowing saliva test in other laboratories in the country. Appeals up for blood plasma The Philippine Red Cross appealed on Sunday for more blood plasma donations from people who have recovered from COVID-19. PRC has given convalescent plasma to 614 virus patients so far, said Dr. Monina Nalupta, head of the PRC national blood services.

Tighter... From A1

So far, Nograles said, the DA has encouraged shipping pork from ASF-free areas in Visayas and Mindanao to areas experiencing high inflation. “They’re finding ways to get supply from areas with no ASF and bringing them to the market, especially in urban areas like Metro Manila, to stabilize the prices of pork,” he said in Filipino. To address soaring prices of vegetables, Nograles said that there is also a need to increase accessibility and supply by boosting the campaign to promote community gardening and urban gardening. Meanwhile, Nograles emphasized the need to prioritize programs to reduce the incidence of hunger by half this year. A recent Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey showed that families who experienced involuntary hunger eased to 16 percent in November 2020 from the recordhigh of 30.7 reported in September 2020. “Our target is to bring the hunger incidence rate back to 8 percent or 8.7, 8.8 percent because we were able to do this in the last quarter of 2019 before COVID,” he said. Nograles said the National Food Poli-

DND.. From A1

Labelling prominent personalities as the communists that the University of the Philippines produced undermines the military’s professionalism and gives the Armed Forces of the Philippines a bad name, Senator Francis Pangilinan said Sunday. “It is sad that some in the AFP are giving the institution a bad name and tainting its professionalism,” he said. Manila Rep. Joselito Atienza, a deputy

speaker, on Sunday backed the proposal for the House of Representatives to investigate the unilateral abrogation of the 1989 pact. Interviewed over Dobol B sa News TV, he said the UP-DND agreement "has done good" in the past 30 years as observed in the behavior of the university students. Concepcion earlier urged the Department of National Defense to "reconsider and revoke" its unilateral abrogation of the 1989 accord that prohibits the entry of state forces into campus grounds unless with prior coordination.

From A1

rural health units and in the barangay to whom patients first go when they experience symptoms of COVID-19. Meanwhile, Senator Pia Cayetano has urged the National Task Force Against COVID-19 to include informal sector workers in the priority list of vaccine recipients under the government's vaccination program. "I just wanted to be sure because I didn’t see them in the priority list. Even the informal sectors in the tourism [industry]—those selling souvenirs and even the masseurs. I think they are very vital to the stability and improvement of our economy," she said. The Philippines targets to inoculate 50 million to 70 million individuals within the year, and an estimated 50,000 individuals are expected to be vaccinated in February. Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the vaccine manufactured by American corporation Pfizer could be the first to

Tennis... From A1

Ranked 1,180th in the world, the 15-year-old Fillipina became the firstever tennis player from the Philippines to win an ITF professional singles' title in the history of the sport. The win, however, didn’t come easy as Eala had to overcome a more experienced player and a 13-year age difference against the Spanish bet. Cavalle-Reimers is currently ranked 132nd in the ITF and 490th in the Women’s Tennis Association’s (WTA) world rankings. Eala, a scholar at the Rafa Nadal Academy, is the number 3 junior player in the ITF. Eala broke Cavalle-Reimers' service

right in the first frame of the opening set to go one up but her Spanish rival returned the favor to tie the game at 1-all. Neither player had the opportunity to hold her serve in the next eight frames. Eala was up 5-4 and only needed to hold her serve to win the opening set but Cavalle-Reimers rallied to win the next three games to take the first set, 7-5. In the second set, Eala, a Globe Ambassador since 2016, jumped to an early 3-0 lead after holding her serve for the first time in the match and by breaking Cavalle-Reimers’ serve twice. Cavalle-Reimers, who reached a career best 334th in the world rankings took the 4th frame by breaking Eala again to cut her lead to 3-1 but the Pinoy pride came back in the next three frames to take the set, 6-1 and extend the match to a decider.

Oil price slash likely; buyers may get relief By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS can expect a reprieve from the successive oil price hikes this month with the expected oil price rollback of about P0.20 per liter this week. “Expect fuel prices to go down next week [January 26 to February 1]. Diesel should go down by P0.10 to P0.15 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.15 to P0.20 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its weekly price forecast. The country’s oil firms adjust pump prices weekly and consumers experienced three consecutive weekly oil price increases for the month of January. On January 19, the oil firms raised the price of diesel by P1.05 per liter, gasoline by P1 per liter and kerosene by P0.95 per liter. The oil companies also raised the price of gasoline by P0.85 per liter, diesel by P0.30 per liter and kerosene by P0.25 per liter on January 12. On January 5, the oil firms also raised the price of gasoline by P0.45 per liter, diesel by P0.30 per liter and kerosene by P0.40 per liter. Oil prices declined last week as the market reacted to a possible slowdown in the world economic recovery due to fresh lockdowns in Europe. The US Energy Information Administration reported on Friday that oil consumption will grow in 2021 because of both economic growth and a return to more normal travel patterns by the middle of the year.

World.. From A1

husband spent several days travelling around the Northland region while she was potentially infectious, visiting about 30 different locations. Health Minister Chris Hipkins said it was too soon to decide whether a full or partial lockdown would be reintroduced. India vaccine drive faces delay India's huge coronavirus vaccination drive is behind schedule, with a third of recipients not showing up for appointments because of safety fears, technical glitches and a belief that the pandemic is ending. After one week, India has vaccinated 1.4 million people, or 200,000 people per day. It had initially hoped to process 300,000 per day before ramping up the rollout and inoculating 300 million by July. At the Sharda Hospital in Greater Noida near New Delhi, pharma student Khushi Dhingra, 17, hugged a friend and wept as she waited to get her shot. "I am very afraid. I hate needles and I am worried about side effects," she told AFP. "There are about 80 students in my batch but only two have opted to get the shot," said nursing student Sakshi Sharma, 21, in Greater Noida. "My friends are saying there will be side effects, that you can even get paralysis." Brazil faces COVID second wave Brazil's newly launched vaccination campaign against COVID-19 has gotten off to a late and rocky start – as the country is hammered by a second wave of the disease, it is already close to running out of vaccine, syringes and other vital equipment, according to scientists who blame the government of Jair Bolsonaro. AFP

Sniffers... From A1

"Good boy!" exclaims Lenka Vlachova, a trainer working at Prague's fire brigade, as jagdterrier Renda sits down by one sample, wagging his tail. The team of dog trainers are working in their own time and report a 95-percent success rate in COVID-19 detection in samples of human scent. "The study is designed to verify dogs' ability to detect COVID-19 and generate a method enabling the use of trained dogs in combatting the pandemic," project head Gustav Hotovy told AFP. "The method should also work with other diseases, even more lethal than COVID-19," Hotovy said. "In the end, we should be able to detect a huge number of people in a very short time with a trained dog," he said, speaking in the snowy village of Kliny near the German border. Vlachova told AFP the first study confirming dogs are able to detect tissue attacked by a virus was conducted in the United States about a decade ago. "The virus changes the human tissue, affecting the scent signature of the person," she said. Hotovy, a retired cynologist whose team started training the dogs last August, said that the signature changes "so much that it is immediately discernible for the dogs." The samples used are obtained merely by rubbing a piece of cotton against the patient's skin. AFP

News SC acquits 2 women due to technicality

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Phase 2 of polio, measles vaccination set

By Rey E. Requejo

By Willie Casas

THE Supreme Court has exonerated and ordered the immediate release from jail of two women who was convicted in 2013 by the regional trial court after finding them guilty of peddling illegal drugs. In a decision dated December 2, 2020 and made public last January 21, 2021, the SC acquitted Rosalina Manzanilla and Arlene Anonuevo, both residents of Binagonan, Rizal of the alleged crimes after the prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt when the policemen violated the procedure in the handling of the seized illegal drugs, and the prosecution failed to justify the noncompliance with the rules under Republic Act No. 9165, the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. “Thus, the failure of the prosecution to justify or explain the police officers’ noncompliance in this case further underscores the doubt and suspicion about the truthfulness or legitimacy of the buy-bust operation supposedly conducted against the petitioners and the integrity of the evidence of the corpus delicti (the body of the crime) allegedly confiscated from them,” it added. “All told, the blatant and unjustified breaches of procedure committed by the police officers in the seizure, custody, and handling of the seized drug create more than reasonable doubt on the guilt of the petitioners,” it ruled.

HE Department of Health said on Sunday it will conduct the second phase of its vaccination drive against other infectious diseases, even as the agency prepares for the rollout of the COVID-19 inoculation program.

Kim named as Asst. Secretary of State By Rey E. Requejo UNITED States President Joe Biden has appointed former Ambassador to the Philippines Sung Kim as acting Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, a senior position in the US State Department. This was confirmed on Sunday after Kim met with Philippine Ambassador to the Washington Jose Manuel Romualdez on January 23, three days after his appointment by the US President last January 20. “The two officials had developed a good working relationship and had become close friends when Acting A/S Kim was US Ambassador to the Philippines,” the Philippine Embassy said in a statement. Kim took over the position vacated by Assistant Secretary of State David Stilwell, who was appointed by former President Donald Trump. It was not reported if Kim will be formally nominated by the Biden administration for confirmation.

MISTING. In preparation for the reopening of the government business tomorrow, the staff of the Manila Disaster Risk

Reduction and Management Office conducted a misting operations this Sunday. Some of the offices where the misting and fogging operation was conducted are in the MPD-Special Mayor’s Reaction Team, Administrative Division Office, Accountable Forms Section, Office of the City Treasurer, and even in the Manila Trial Court.

DOH Undersecretary Dr. Myrna Cabotaje, in a Dobol B sa News TV interview, said the department will implement the second phase of their measles and polio vaccination program next month in areas in Region III, Calabarzon, the National Capital Region, Regions VI, VII, and VIII. Cabotaje also stressed the importance of vaccination against other infectious diseases such as polio and measles that are usually contracted by young children. DOH eyes vaccinating 4.7 million children against polio, and 5.1 million children against measles, for this round, she said. Cabotaje is aware that a vaccine against COVID-19 is what the public seeks the most at this time, but this should not make vaccines against other infectious diseases less important. Like the spread of COVID-19, Cabotaje said an outbreak of measles and polio can be prevented through herd immunity, which can be achieved if a significant number in a population is vaccinated. Considering that children below 10 years are still not allowed to leave their homes, Cabotaje said the DOH would bring the vaccines to the children, either through barangay health stations or a vaccination site near their homes. In February 2019, the Department of Health declared a measles outbreak in Metro Manila with a notable 550 percent increase in patients contracting the virus from January 1 to February 6 that year. Later that year, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III acknowledged the reemergence of polio in the Philippines nearly 20 years after the country was declared free from the disease. Immunization efforts have since been launched to prevent the further spread of measles and polio in the country.

Refrain from joining anti-government protests, Pinoys in Russia urged By Rey E. Requejo THE Philippine Embassy in Russia urged Filipinos to stay away from crowded places amid brewing anti-government protests in Moscow to demand the release of opposition leader Alexei Navalny, a strong critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “We urge our compatriots in Moscow to be careful, avoid crowded places, and follow the rules of the authorities. There is news that a big movement will take place

in the center, on the Pushkinskaya metro, today,” the embassy said, in a statement issued on Sunday (Philippine time). “Let us remember our personal security especially when we leave the house. When we come out, be observant of the environment. Do not join the protests even if the employer pressures you,” the embassy warned. It also warned against reposting or sharing the invitation to join the protest action.

“Let us not repost or share the invitations to participate in the protest action because it is banned by the Russian Government. Take extra precautions,” the statement warned. Reports showed that protest rallies were held across Russia on Saturday to demand the release of Navalny. More than 3,000 people were detained by police for joining the rallies. Navalny flew home to Russia from Berlin last week and was promptly de-

tained by Russian authorities. The opposition leader was flown to Berlin in August last year for emergency medical treatment after being poisoned with what German tests showed was a Novichok nerve agent. Russian authorities earlier said that Navalny would be arrested once he returned, accusing him of flouting the terms of a suspended prison sentence for embezzlement. Navalny denied it, saying it was a trumped up charges.

Solon warns of more loss of jobs in PH By Rio N. Araja

THIRD ALARM. A third alarm fire hit a residential area along M.F Jhocson St. Brgy. 408 in Sampaloc, Manila on Sunday morning. Norman Cruz

SURIGAO del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Sunday cautioned the loss of more jobs as he called for one-stop shops for laid-off workers He urged for the creation of one-stop shops where laid off Filipinos could easily claim separation insurance, apply for skills retooling and seek reemployment facilitation, citing the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)-stricken economy is bound to shed more jobs in the months ahead. “Government must provide physical locations plus a customized website where displaced workers can get all the help that they need from multiple agencies under one roof in just one stop,” he said. “It pains us to see dismissed workers transacting tediously with multiple agencies to avail of assistance,” he added.

Registered SIM cards vs. child porn By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATOR Win Gatchalian said the mandatory registration of prepaid SIM cards is a potential mechanism that will help the government crackdown on the online sexual exploitation of children “In preventing child pornography, we need to push all ways to expedite tracking criminals behind this violence,” said Garchalian. If the registriation of SIM card sill become a law, he said it would be more difficult for traffickers abusing our children to hide. Gatchalian said that the absence of a SIM card registration law is one of the barriers that law enforcers face when running after child cybersex offenders who use technology to shield themselves with anonymity. As early as 2014, a study by the United Nations Office on Drug and Crime flagged that in carrying out any form of child abuse and exploitation, potential offenders utilize disposable or prepaid SIM cards, which do not require any form of registration in some countries.

Senate Bill No. 176 or the Subscriber Identity Module Card Registration Act, which Gatchalian filed as early as June 2016 and then refiled in July 2019, will require end users of prepaid SIM cards to present a valid ID and photo and to sign a control-numbered registration form issued by the service provider of the purchased SIM card. Copies of the accomplished forms shall be furnished to the same service provider and the National Telecommunications Commission. Earlier this month, Gatchalian sounded the alarm on reports of students selling lewd photos and videos to raise funds for distance learning. According to The Philippine Online Student Tambayan, a news portal on the student sector, online payment platforms were used for these transactions. The non-government organization International Justice Mission (IJM) has identified the Philippines as the largest known source country of OSEC cases receiving more than eight times as many referrals as any other country identified.

He urged the Social Security System, Public Employment Service Office, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and local government units to work together in putting up the one-stop shops. The Surigao del Sur lawmaker said he sees more jobs losses in the months ahead, particularly in the banking and tourism industries. “The bigger banks in particular might start reducing their headcount this year, once they get a better estimation of their bad loans,” he said. The suspension of loan repayments mandated by Congress last year made it difficult for banks to fully ascertain their non-performing loans, he noted. “There’s no question the post-pandemic banking landscape will involve fewer brick-and-mortar branches, with more Filipinos performing transactions online,” he said.

PNP CHECK.

The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) paid P343 million to the Philippine National Police (PNP) for the insurance claim of a PNP chopper that met an accident in Laguna in 2020.

Angara wants PH to adapt to digital age By Macon Ramos-Araneta RECOGNIZING that a shift to digital processes will not only mean faster and more efficient work in government offices, but more importantly, will result in better services for the people, Senator Sonny Angara said that local government units should take the lead in digital transformation for the public sector. Angara said the move will bolster the country’s efforts in developing and imple-

menting e-government services. He noted how the shift to digital or online services has accelerated as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and “government cannot afford to be left behind.” “One need only to look into how more Filipinos now regularly use their mobile phones and computers to shop, do their groceries, and even transact with their banks. Our government processes and services should follow suit,” Angara said.

According to the Department of Interior and Local Government, only 30 percent of LGUs have taken steps to digitize their processes. In a September 2020 study by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies, researchers pointed out that limited access to computers, lack of standardization, poor infrastructure, and other related issues are hindering the development and implementation of e-government services throughout the country.

LGUs

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

LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

VIRTUAL DINAGYANG.

Sto. Niño images were paraded around Iloilo City for the Dinagyang Señor Santo Niño Religious Motorcade, an innovative way to share the blessings of the patron saint to all the residents of the city as the festival was held online amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Inset) In this throwback photo, performers showcased colorful costumes and masterful dance routines last year, more than a month before lockdowns were imposed.

Binay offers vendor legal help F

ORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay has urged authorities to exercise “leniency and compassion” in their sidewalk clearing operations after a video showing local enforcers mauling a sidewalk vendor went viral.

Binay, who is also a founding member and adviser of Artikulo Tres, a human rights lawyers’ group, offered legal help to the vendor. “Should the vendor in the video decide to take legal action, we would be ready to help him,” Binay said in a

statement Sunday. The viral video showed local enforcers tackling a sidewalk vendor to the ground and putting handcuffs on him during a sidewalk clearing operation. One enforcer was shown kicking the vendor on the face.

The Parañaque city government had announced it had suspended the erring personnel. Binay welcomed the local government’s action, saying it should also serve as a reminder that the duty of government is to help the poor survive the pandemic. “I am glad that the local authorities have taken immediate action against their personnel. We should do everything to restore the dignity of the poor,” he said. “Yung vendor, nagtatrabaho ng ma-

rangal kahit may pandemya at malaki ang posibilidad na sya ay magka-COVID. The least government enforcers can do is ask him to move and not confiscate his wares. The times call for leniency and compassion,” he added. The former vice president said incidents like this “only reinforce the notion of a double standard in enforcing the law.” “The poor are dealt with an iron fist while a privileged few violate the law and get away with it,” he said.

Ex-vice mayor, business partner found dead By Jess Malabanan ANGELES CITY—A former vice mayor of Masantol, Pampanga and his business partner were found dead inside the office of Blue Gems Security Agency situated at Dona Isabel Street, Barangay Pulung Maragul late afternoon Saturday. Col. Rommel Batangan, acting director of the Angeles City Police Office, identified the victims as former vice mayor Eric Cariaga and Jorge Perez Bustos III, manager of Blue Gems Security Agency. Bustos is a brother of Patrol Partylist Rep. Jorge Bustos. The victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds, Batangan said in a text message to reporters. “Investigators are still blank as to the motive. A witness submitted his statement to the police for validation,” said Batangan. Investigators said only three persons were present inside the Blue Gems office when the incident happened. Maverick Bustos Cunanan, 29, office caretaker, told investigators that no visitors came into the office from 9 a.m to 4 p.m. “At around 4:30 p.m., while Cunanan was taking a bath, gunshots rang from the manager’s office. He rushed and checked the office and found two lifeless bodies,” the police said in its report.

AHEAD OF THE LOVE MONTH. The Angeles city government has put up heart-shaped lights along Abacan Bridge and Friendship Highway ahead of Valentine’s Day next month. Butch Gunio

Caloocan LGU, diocese team up for vaccine plan By Jun David

THE Diocese of Caloocan and the Caloocan city government will work together in the implementation of a comprehensive COVID-19 vaccination plan led by Mayor Oscar Malapitan. During a Zoom meeting with the captains of each barangay, Diocese of Caloocan Bishop Pablo Virgilio David expressed support for the vac-

cination program. The diocese will assist by tapping additional volunteers for the vaccination teams, particularly those with medical skills and background. It will also assist in conducting preonline registration and surveys to find out the stand of the people regarding the vaccine, as well as in mounting an information dissemination drive to inform the people about the vaccina-

tion process. Malapitan is scheduled to meet next week with Diocese of Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa to provide information and also ask for his support regarding the COVID-19 vaccination program. “We truly thank you for all the help and support. Everything we do is for the safety of the people of Caloocan. We will make sure that everyone is ready for the vaccine,” the mayor said.

Angeles City eyes P600-m loan to finance inoculation By Jess Malabanan

OCULAR. Environment Usec. Jonas Leones (2nd from left) and Manila Bay Coordinating Office Deputy Executive Director Jacob Meimban Jr. (right) discuss with Commission on Audit Supervising Auditor for DENR Marites Odtojan (2nd from right) the progress of the ongoing rehabilitation of Manila Bay.

ANGELES CITY—The local government unit here is seeking a P600 million loan to cover the required vaccines for its 411,634 residents. This after the Department of Health, in a letter dated January 18, replied to Mayor Carmelo Lazatin’s query that the “transfer of fund to local government units is not applicable under this circumstances.” Lazatin earlier allocated P25 million for the purchase of COVID-19 vaccines. Lazatin tapped his Chief Adviser and Tactician IC Calaguas to represent him in initial talks with leading financial institutions so that the city government will be able to acquire the required doses of vaccines for residents.

He will also ask the city council, led by Vice Mayor Vicky Vega-Cabigting, to authorize him to enter into a loan agreement to provide free vaccines to all Angeles City residents. “The city government has more than enough borrowing capacity. I am just putting it to good use,” Lazatin said. Over the weekend, the mayor instructed medical doctors led by Dr. Froilan Canlas of the Rafael Lazatin Memorial Medical Center and Dr. Verona Guevera of the City Health Office to come out with initial guidelines for the inoculation. “While waiting for the guidelines of the national government, we are drafting our own as well then we will adjust according to the guidelines of the national government,” Lazatin said.

Sulu rejects plan to defer Bangsamoro poll By Rio N. Araja THE people of Sulu are objecting to the postponement of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region election and the extension of the term of the current Bangsamoro Transition Authority officials, according to Sulu Governor Abdusakur Tan in his Dec. 6, 2020 letter to President Rodrigo Duterte. He also relayed the same sentiment to the committee on suffrage of the House of Representatives last Jan. 20. The first regular election for the officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region was set by the Bangsamoro Organic to be synchronized with the May 2022 national elections. The region is presently governed by the Bangsamoro Transitional Authority whose officials were appointed by the President. Five bills have been filed at the House of Representatives calling for the postponement of the BAR elections to 2025 and allowing the term extension of the BTA officials. Citing the BOL, Tan said any postponement of the BAR election and the subsequent extension of the BTA officials’ term will delay the free exercise toward self-governance of the Bangsamoro people, thus depriving them of the “opportunity to prove, once and for all, that they can sufficiently and responsibly govern themselves.” This negates the very principles on which the BOL rests, Tan said. Cutting down the arguments put forth by proponents of the election postponement, the Sulu Governor declared that the BTA is using the proposal as an excuse for its failure to set up the political and legislative infrastructure to effect a smooth transition.

Mayon records 7 earthquakes in 24 hours SEVEN volcanic earthquakes were recorded in Mayon Volcano for the past 24 hours, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said Sunday. Volcanic earthquakes are caused by movements or eruptions of magma from the volcano. Phivolcs also observed moderate emission of white steam-laden plumes. Volcanic plume or eruption plume is a column of hot volcanic ash and gas emitted into the atmosphere during an explosive volcanic eruption. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) emission was last measured at an average of 676 tonnes per day last Dec. 29, according to Phivolcs. Meanwhile, Phivolcs maintains that Alert Level 1 (abnormal) is still hoisted over the Mayon Volcano. “Although this means that presently, no magmatic eruption is imminent, it is strongly advised that the public refrain from the 6-kilometer radius permanent danger zone due to life-threatening dangers of rockfalls, landslides at middle to upper slope, sudden ash puffs and steam-driven phreatic eruptions from the summit,” Phivolcs said.

Opinion The widow SHE had modest ambitions before fate brought her to the political limelight. She was a housewife, and although she was a lawyer and former public attorney helping litigants with little or no wherewithal, she dutifully took care of her daughters, seeing them grow into adulthood with proud academic credentials. Her husband was a highly acclaimed mayor of their capital city in Camarines Sur, recognized for excellence in good governance. In 2010 he was appointed by then President Benigno S. Aquino III first as acting secretary, later full-fledged Secretary of Interior and Local Governments. The pinnacle of her future plans as a lawyer was a desire to be appointed some day as Regional Trial Court judge in their native province, perhaps after her daughters had all finished their college education and her husband, Jesse Robredo, would return to their native province.

She is a fine and respectable lady despite the vitriol coming from her detractors and trolls. But fate has a strange way of pushing a person toward destiny’s path. In August of 2012, Sec. Jesse Robredo’s light plane crashed into the deep waters off Masbate, there to perish along with the pilot. Bicolandia grieved for a distinguished native son, and no less than the president and his Liberal Party elevated the deceased mayor into the pantheon of heroism. The nation grieved with the widow and her family, and admired Ma. Leonor Gerona Robredo for the dignified manner in which she accepted the sad news and the composure with which she and her daughters grieved and later buried her husband. Party leaders prevailed upon her to run for Congress, and she readily won in the midterm elections of 2013. Since then, she had become a cynosure of congressional media, aided in part by her party’s build-up. Thus it came to pass that when the LP’s first choice as running-mate for her husband’s successor to the DILG portfolio, Manuel Araneta Roxas III, the senatorial topnotcher of 2013, Grace Poe, refused their entreaties, the party turned upon the widow Leni to be Mar’s vice-presidential team-mate. She ran against well-known names in national politics: her fellow Bicolano, Sen. Chiz Escudero; another Bicolano senator, Gregorio Honasan; Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, whose wife was Bicolana herself; and a former president’s son, Bongbong Marcos. She won by a scant 263,473 votes over Sen. Bongbong Marcos, both of them garnering some 14 million votes while their opponents trailed far behind. Congress forthwith proclaimed her the vice-president elect on the basis of Comelec-certified results. Marcos contested the results, and filed a formal protest which till now hibernates in the Supreme Court sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal. Meanwhile, in a gesture of reaching out to the opposition, the newly-elected President Rodrigo Duterte appointed her to chair the

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

EDITORIAL

Housing and Urban Development Council, a position with Cabinet rank. But months later, she received a curt message from then Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco that she was no longer welcome to attend cabinet meetings. End of the “honeymoon.” Both the 1935 and 1987 Constitutions allowed citizens to vote mixed tickets, which is a bit ironic, considering that both were largely patterned after the US Constitution. In America, with its two-party system adopted by our 1935 fundamental law, presidents and vice-presidents are elected as a team, with no cross-party voting allowed. The reverse is true in our country, where the Liberal Party’s Diosdado Macapagal became vice-president to Nacionalista Carlos P. Garcia back in 1961. In the post-Marcos era, we had Fidel V. Ramos as president and Erap Estrada of another party as his veep. Thence, despite immense popularity, Erap was unable to carry his team-mate Ed Angara, and instead, people elected GMA as vice-president. Thereafter, PNoy and Jojo Binay, also from differing tandems. And now, Duterte with Leni Robredo of the “yellow” tandem. It is simply designed to engender failed relationships. This fascination with checks and balances has gone to the extreme. When we do get to revising the Constitution, we must prescribe bloc voting for presidents, governors and mayors, along with their team-mates. Teamwork makes for better governance in a developing country, rather than checks and balances in the executive, which are supposed to be provided by an independent legislature and judiciary. Because the country has become so polarized by the social media-fueled enmity between the DDS and the dilawans, Leni Robredo has become a victim in the crossfire. And the surveys show it. In a field that includes Sara Duterte, Bongbong Marcos, Isko Moreno, Grace Poe and the Pacman, the vice-president is either tied or lower than either of the last two. Single digit, or even barely double-digit numbers, in the surveys nine months before the filing of COCs is hardly inspiring, both to the candidate and her followers, and even would-be financial donors. Which brings me to another anomaly I keep denouncing in this space—the absence of genuine political parties, the proliferation of flags of convenience, and candidate funding from vested interests because parties have none. All because of the confused and confusing Constitution. But back to our vice-president, a fine and respectable lady to this writer despite the vitriol coming from her detractors and trolls. “Sayang” that she has been caught in the crossfire, and a target of historical revisionists who now want to portray the Marcos years as “glory years” and the “son” as a victim of cheating. So we come to the question—is she a winnable presidential candidate? With a moribund political party behind her, she is not likely to attract the massive funding required of a presidential run. The wipe-out of her Ocho-Derecho in 2019 is indicative of such. Bereft of a Cabinet position, she has been left to criticizing a popular president, while retaining visibility through charity work, genuinely compassionate, yet still derided by the political enemies as pretense. Word is out that the vice-president is planning to seek instead the governorship of her late husband’s province, with all the nemeses of the incumbent’s family supporting her. That might be her one step backward, two steps forward option, and a better one for the moment. The widow is relatively young, and if she governs well her province, a comeback to the national arena is possible, with grace from the Lady of Peñafrancia of which she is an ardent devotee.

Academic freedom and responsibility nication of ideas and facts including even on matters beyond their professional expertise, without fear of repression, termination of employment or criminal prosecution.

IN 1231, Pope Gregory IX issued the papal bill “Parens Scientiarum” which granted the University of Paris autonomy to run its own affairs, guaranteed its freedom to debate on any subject without the interference of the local bishops and the secular authorities and assured them the particular protection of the Pope. In the centuries that followed, this relationship between Church and the medieval universities continued to thrive, resulting in the historical development of the concept of academic freedom. Despite academic freedom becoming a rallying point for many universities in recent years, the fact is that there remains no clear understanding of its legal metes and bounds. Generally speaking, academic freedom is understood as the freedom to pursue learning and research without undue institutional or political intervention. For teachers, it means the freedom to create courses of learning and to accordingly teach them as they see ﬁt. For students, it is their right to choose what to study and the direction of their learning. Our modern-day understanding of academic freedom has been later on expanded to also include safeguards on the right of teachers and students to free speech, including the commu-

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

One cannot exist without the other. The unilateral abrogation of the accord between the University of the Philippines and the Department of National Defense has caused academic freedom to be once more under close scrutiny. Signed in 1989 by then UP President Jose Abueva and then Defense Secretary Fidel Ramos, the said accord, as its core element, laid down guidelines on military and police operations inside the university, effectively prohibiting any member of the military or the police from entering any UP campus except in case of hot pursuit, similar emergency situation and ordinary transit through the campus. Should the military or law enforcement officers intend “to conduct any military or police operations in any of the UP Campuses,” they must transmit prior notification to the UP President, or the chancellor of the constituent university, or the dean of the regional unit concerned. On January 18, current Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana in a letter addressed to incumbent UP President Danilo Concepcion officially notified the university, unilaterally abrogating the 1989 UP-DND accords,

Havens

OUR universities deplored the statement of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) Southern Luzon Command chief and National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conﬂict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesman Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., who claimed in a radio interview Saturday that 18 universities were serving as recruitment havens for members of the New People’s Army.

Among the 18 are Far Eastern University, De La Salle University, University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University, FEU president Dr. Michael Alba, DLSU president Br. Raymundo Suplido, FSC UST vice rector Fr. Isaias Tiongco, O.P.,and ADMU president Fr. Roberto Yap, SJ., in a joint statement, said their respective universities “neither promote nor condone recruitment activities of the NPA and, indeed, of any movement that aims to violently overthrow the government.” The university heads said Parlade’s accusations are old—he ﬁrst made this claim in 2018—but remain irresponsible, because they were made without proof. Parlade said then that the recruitment aimed to overthrow the Duterte administration. “We value Filipinos’ basic Constitutional rights of speech, thought, assembly and organizations. As universities with high aspirations for our country, we seek to direct our students to engage in acts that contribute to the strengthening of social cohesion, defend the country’s democratic institutions and promote nation building,” they said.

Only those with evil designs would consign the people to thinking and behaving a certain way, so they could keep them quiet, docile— and dumb. “As institutions of higher learning that are stewards of the youth, repositories and producers of knowledge, and builders of communities, we must retain independence and autonomy from the State and other social institutions.” Parlade’s rehashed accusations come on the heels of a letter from Department of National Defense Chief Delﬁn Lorenzana informing University of the Philippines President Danilo Concepcion that the agency had unilaterally terminated a 1989 accord that prevents the military and the police from entering the premises

of any UP campus without ﬁrst notifying the UP administration. Lorenzana made the same charge – that UP students were being targeted for recruitment by the NPA. The backlash to this decision was great, widespread and immediate, not only from members of the UP community but from anyone who sees through the ploy to retaliate at an institution that encourages social consciousness, critical thinking and free expression. Now it’s the turn of the other schools, perhaps in an attempt to show the government is not only zeroing in on UP. But if UP, the four universities and all other institutions of higher learning did not encourage their students to expand their learning from their books to actual events happening in the country, they would be reneging on their mandate. Schools, after all, should not merely tell their students what to think or say. They should instead teach them how to form their own opinions and why they should care about society and their fellowmen. We share the indignation at the government’s gall to accuse these schools without so much as an incident of proof. There is a pandemic raging. People are losing their livelihoods. Corruption is as rampant as ever. It is when young people stop thinking for themselves, merely parrot government-friendly lines, and become apathetic to the plight of others that we should all be concerned. Only those with evil designs would consign the people to thinking and behaving a certain way, so they could keep them quiet, docile—and dumb.

Three technology picks for survival and revival AS A consumer advocate monitoring the developing interplay of government and private efforts for our survival and revival, the undeniable lifesaver that has become essential for our economic continuity is our systemic shift to digital technologies. Observing the daily challenges that have befallen Filipino consumers since the lockdowns started nearly a year ago, I came up with this short list of three must have technologies we need to live through and rebound from this deep economic depression. The most ubiquitous of all is cellphones. Data from the Digital 2020 report by Hootsuite pegs the number of mobile connections in the Philippines at 173.2 million, equivalent to 159 percent of the population. Mobile phones have evolved from a device purely for analog voice calls to a multi-tasking wonder functioning like a desktop computer and a digital photo/video camera. It is our default device for making calls, sending messages, making online purchases, doing bank transactions, paying bills, making telemedicine consultations, holding online meetings, attending webinars, and of course, getting our entertainment fix. These functionalities connect to my second pick, which is actually the most critical. This is the development of a national digital infrastructure capable of delivering worldclass broadband speeds so that every user can harness the full productivity of cloud-based technologies. It is encouraging to hear that ongoing investments of the dominant telco companies Globe Telecom and Smart Communications have been named by the World Bank as among the top ten. To cope with the surging demand for fast and uninterrupted connecciting reports that the Community Party of the Philippines and the New People’s Army (CPP-NPA) is actively recruiting members among students. Secretary Lorenzana insisted the agreement was a “hindrance in providing effective security, safety, and welfare of the students, faculty, and employees of UP.” He explained that the accord is being used to shield communist insurgents and to prevent the military from conducting operations against them. CHED Chairperson Prospero “Popoy” de Vera, who chairs UP’s Board of Regents, is right in saying that the controversy surrounding the UP-DND agreement signals the need to finally define what academic freedom really means. The unilateral act by Secretary Lorenzana of terminating the UP-DND agreement clearly imperils the liberties presently enjoyed by UP, especially existing guarantees of academic freedom. In fact, by ending the agreement, the military and police are now absolved from the obligation to “not interfere with peaceful protest actions by UP constituents within UP premises.” There is no question, therefore, that UP must defend its liberties and challenge the abrogation before the courts. Bringing the issue before the courts would allow them to remove any remaining contentious ambi-

tivity, between them, 2021 spending will be about P162 billion. According to Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu, a record amount of investments on capex will upgrade their network with more cell sites, accelerate ﬁber rollouts to homes, and expand high speed 5G areas. Since mobility restrictions were imposed last year, telcos observed a 500-percent spike in data-usage. Demand will steadily grow as more economic activities are allowed, thus the huge investments primarily driven by the private telcos will not be enough.

We can’t afford the handicap of a lagging telecommunications infrastructure. Just harping for faster broadband will not speed-up the building of the 50,000 telecommunications towers needed to meet current demand. We need the national government to seriously invest, and I mean seriously—not the sorely inadequate P1.5 billion for the all-critical National Broadband Plan (NBP) that the Department of Information and Communications Technology was planning to implement at a P15-billion budget. Even more frustrating is the fouryear-old agreement with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) to use the existing ﬁber optic capacity installed within the country’s power transmission backbone for the NBP. Well, this isn’t happening in this administration. No wonder we are lagging behind our ASEAN neighbors in terms of government investments for telco infrastructure. Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam are aggressively spending US$233 million, US$162 billion, US$343, US$820 million, respectively to rush their strategic telecommunications projguities on the concept of academic freedom and to rule once and for all, on its extent and limitations. Guaranteeing academic freedom is important to UP’s culture of critical thinking and intellectual dissent. Since its establishment, UP has long served as a bastion for activism among its faculty and students. By removing such protection previously assured to the members of the UP community, questions arise on the exercise of the right to petition the authorities for redress of grievances, and even the right to dissent and criticize their actions and decisions without fear of prosecution or reprisal from the government. In fact, the recent move by Congress to legislate guarantees on academic freedom not only for UP but for all colleges and universities is a welcome development. The matter of academic freedom, however, is but half the issue. This is also an opportunity for UP and other colleges and universities to have the courage to confront itself on the question of academic responsibility. Academic responsibility is no less important than the freedom guaranteed to institutes of higher learning. Responsibility and freedom are like two sides of the same coin; one cannot exist without the other. Our constitutionally guaranteed liberties are not a free pass for us to say and do whatever, whenever, wherever and

ects. The big economies like China, Japan, and South Korea, countries that are already enjoying high broadband speeds, are spending at the hundreds of billions level. Yes, we need enough resources to deal with COVID-19 to test, trace, treat, and to achieve herd immunity through vaccination. Leveraging on the country’s credit rating for long-term loans to finance these interventions is indeed necessary. The latest reports say that COVID-19 loans have reached P641 Billion that taxpayers will be paying until 2049. It’s hard to understand why the P15 billion proposed by the DICT to light up the NGCP’s fiber backbone could not be rationalized as a strategic infrastructure asset that will boost economic recovery and reap longterm returns on investments because of the productivity boost to all industries. Third, but just as significant, is the national ID or PhilSys. I want to emphasize that this is not just another ID for valid proof of identity. It is a digital platform to streamline services for all citizens and resident aliens. PhilSys is a game-changing digital platform that will benefit all sectors and integral to an emerging digital economy. A well implemented PhilSys that deploys biometrics won’t even need an ID card. Just scan away and your identity is confirmed to fulfill all kinds of transactions. This technology will also make online voting viable and secure. Law enforcement will also be strengthened, and delivery of public services will be fast and painless. But then the pandemic is causing further delays. We must have the digital infrastructure to deliver the broadband speeds to run all the cloud-based services we need. Just as we can’t afford delaying deployment of safe and effective vaccines, we can’t afford the handicap of a lagging telecommunications infrastructure. If this administration would just rely on private enterprise to build the digital network we need, then at least it must give the telco industry the regulatory space it needs to unleash its natural drive for fast development. to whomever we want. It is important to remind ourselves that every freedom we enjoy is coupled with a correlating responsibility. Exercising our rights must never be isolated from fulfilling our duties, otherwise, there will be the tendency to misuse our freedom as a misguided excuse for despicable behavior in speech or action. Full version at www.manilastandard.net

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‘Asia’s El Chapo’ arrested in the Netherlands T HE alleged ringleader of Asia’s biggest crime syndicate and one of the world’s most wanted men has been arrested in the Netherlands, with Australian authorities pushing for his extradition to face trial.

CATASTROPHIC FOOD SECURITY CRISIS. Yemeni 10-year-old girl Ahmadia Abdo, who weighs ten kilograms due to acute malnutrition, sits on her bed at a camp for the internally displaced in the northern Hajjah Governorate, on January 23, 2021. Acute malnutrition rates among children under the age of five are the highest ever recorded in parts of Yemen. AFP

Russia police violence under review after 3,300 protesters held: monitor MORE than 3,300 protesters were arrested at demonstrations in support of jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, a monitor reported Sunday, as prosecutors probed possible violence “on the part of law enforcement.” Police clashed with demonstrators in Moscow as tens of thousands took to the streets across the country on Saturday following Navalny’s call to protest against President Vladimir Putin’s rule. Putin’s most charismatic critic was detained at a Moscow airport on arrival a

week ago from Germany, where he had been recovering from a near-fatal poisoning with a nerve agent. OVD Info, which monitors opposition rallies, said on Sunday that police seized at least 3,324 demonstrators across dozens of cities, with 1,320 people detained in Moscow and 490 in the second city Saint Petersburg. It was the largest number of detentions at opposition rallies in the history of modern Russia. A number of protesters were injured at

the rallies in the capital and Saint Petersburg. Prosecutors in St Petersburg said in a statement late Saturday that they were probing violations including “on the part of law enforcement” and the use of force against an unidentified woman. The statement was released after local media published a video showing a middle-aged woman falling to the ground after being kicked by riot police. In the video, a woman—identified as Margarita Yudina—is seen asking three po-

licemen in full riot gear why they were detaining a young unarmed protester. One of the policemen then kicks her in the stomach. A representative of Saint Petersburg’s Dzhanelidze hospital said that Yudina was hospitalized Saturday night with a head injury. “She is in a serious condition,” the hospital representative told AFP on Sunday. “She’s in intensive care.” Saturday’s protests took on an unprecedented geographic scale, spanning more than 100 cities across the country. AFP

11 of 22 Chinese miners rescued

US: ‘Rock-solid’ support to Taipei amid China threat THE United States’ commitment to Taiwan is “rock-solid,” the State Department said late Saturday, as it warned that China’s “attempts to intimidate” the island are a threat to regional peace. The comments are the first from Washington on relations with Taiwan since President Joe Biden’s inauguration last week, and came on the same day Taipei reported multiple Chinese jets and bombers had flown into its air defense zone. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said it “notes with concern the pattern of ongoing PRC attempts to intimidate its neighbours, including Taiwan” and “urges Beijing to cease its military, diplomatic, and economic pressure against Taiwan.” The statement added Washington would continue to work on “deepening” ties with democratic Taiwan. Taiwan split from China at the end of a civil war in 1949. Its 23 million people live under the constant threat of invasion by the mainland, whose leaders view the island as their territory and have vowed to one day take it. Washington diplomatically recognizes Beijing over Taipei, but remains the latter’s most important unofficial ally and military backer. Beijing baulks at any official contacts with Taiwan and tries to keep the island diplomatically isolated. President Donald Trump embraced warmer ties with the island as he feuded with China on issues like trade and national security. Beijing has called for a reset in USChina ties under Biden and on Thursday warned the US to “cautiously and appropriately handle Taiwan issues to prevent harm to US-China relations.” But the new US president is expected to remain tough on the superpower rival despite a softening of diplomatic tone. AFP

Police had been chasing alleged drug kingpin Tse Chi Lop, 57, for years until his arrest by Dutch police on Friday acting on a request from Australia’s federal police. In a statement Sunday, Australian authorities said a man “of significant interest” to law enforcement agencies had been detained. A police spokeswoman confirmed his name as Tse Chi Lop. The Chinese-born Canadian citizen has been compared to Mexican drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. He has been named by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) as the suspected leader of the Asian mega-cartel known as “Sam Gor,” a major producer and supplier of methamphetamines globally. Sam Gor is believed to launder its billions in drug money through businesses springing up in Southeast Asia’s Mekong region – including casinos, hotels and real estate. Australia’s federal police said Friday’s arrest followed an operation that in 2012-2013 nabbed 27 people linked to a crime syndicate spanning five countries. The group were accused of importing “substantial quantities of heroin and methamphetamine” into Australia, long a lucrative market for drug traffickers. “The syndicate targeted Australia over a number of years, importing and distributing large amounts of illicit narcotics, laundering the profits overseas and living off the wealth obtained from crime,” the Australian police said. As part of the 2012-2013 raids across Melbourne, police seized $7 million worth of assets, including cash, designer handbags, casino chips and jewelry. AFP

LIKE DIAMONDS IN THE SKY. The International Space Station was orbiting 263 miles above Romania when this photograph was taken of the city lights of Sweden and Finland with an aurora above the Earth’s horizon. The dark area in between the two Scandinavian nations is the Baltic Sea. ISS/Roscosmos

Myanmar’s displaced Christians rebuild lives in Yangon HAMMERING at bamboo poles to erect a stilt house, minority Christians who have fled conflict in northern Myanmar are building a sanctuary on the outskirts of Yangon. The small Christian community in the Buddhist-majority nation is part of 200,000 people displaced since 2018 by fierce fighting in northern Rakhine state. The conflict between the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army, a militant group agitating for more autonomy for ethnic Rakhine people, has left hundreds dead or injured.

It has spilled over into neighboring Chin state, forcing ethnic Chin, who are predominantly Christian, out of their villages and into temporary camps. “We were the hosts of this war from two sides and we saw a lot of trouble,” says Kan Lwat, who remembers artillery shelling on his town in Chin state. The 36-year-old is the leader of about 80 Chin people who travelled more than 600 kilometers from the remote town of Paletwa to Myanmar’s sprawling commercial capital, where they spent brief stints in temporary camps.

They settled last month on a small plot of land in Yangon’s Hmawbi Township and decided to christen their village Baythala – or “Bethel” – the biblical town that served as a refuge for those in need, says Kan Lwat. “It means Jesus was blessing and helping people in trouble with this place, which will be peaceful.” At Baythala, the villagers bathe outdoors, splashing themselves with water stored in large urns, while children play nearby and women prepare dinner as the sun sets. AFP

RESCUERS in east China on Sunday pulled 11 miners from hundreds of meters underground where they had been trapped for two weeks, state media reported, as the race to locate the remaining 10 intensified. The miners were brought to the surface starting from around 11 a.m. Sunday, state broadcaster CCTV reported—a major breakthrough for a rescue operation that has captivated the nation. One miner was in “extremely weak physical condition” and rushed to hospital, CCTV said. The 11 miners were rescued after the air ventilator shaft was cleared, the official state news agency Xinhua reported, citing the operation’s command center. A further ten remain unaccounted for. Specialist teams have been battling difficult conditions since an explosion at the Hushan mine in Shandong province trapped the miners underground amid rising waters on January 10. The explosion occurred in a ventilator shaft, causing a blockage that damaged the cable car. On Sunday morning the huge obstacles suddenly fell to the bottom of the shaft, allowing the operation to take a big step forward, rescue expert Du Bingjian said. “After the obstacles fell to the bottom of the shaft, the rescue team started to bring up the miners and suspended the drilling work,” Du told the Global Times. “It is currently unclear when the rescuers will reach the Sixth Central Section where the missing miners are believed to be.” AFP

Missing man found in bush after 18 days

A MAN who went missing more than two weeks ago in Australian bushland has been found alive, apparently Manila surviving his ordeal by “drinking Standard EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT dam water and eating mushrooms,” TODAY with WAIVER and SALE of RIGHTS authorities said Sunday. Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late JUAN Robert Weber, 58, was discovLLORCA ALIGADA, JR. has been extrajudicially ered near a dam by a local property settled among his heirs WITH WAIVER AND SALE OF RIGHTS consisting of: owner on Sunday morning after  One-half (1/2) Share of the following Real last being seen on January 6 leavProperties: • TCT No. 140081 - City of Manila (Metro ing a hotel in Kilkivan, about 200 Manila District No. I); kilometres north of Brisbane. • House situated thereon – Tax Declaration No. AD-14806-00228 (Property Identification No. Queensland police said early in117-14-806-001-039-B0001). dications suggested Weber had run As per Doc. No. 68; Page No. 15; Book No. I; Series of 2017 before Notary Public ATTY. LINA G. into trouble after his car became FERNANDEZ. bogged on an unfamiliar road. (MS-JAN. 11/18/25, 2021)

“He remained in his car with his dog for three days before running out of water,” a police statement said. “He left on foot and became lost and remained at a dam where he survived by sleeping on the ground, drinking dam water and eating mushrooms.” Rescuers earlier suspended an airand-ground search after failing to find a trace of him despite a week of combing “dense bushland, rivers, dams and steep terrain during wet conditions.” Weber was taken to hospital “suffering exposure to the elements but was otherwise safe and well,” police said, adding that his dog has not been found. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

TWO-DAY LOCKDOWN. A health worker looks at his phone as authorities continue testing for the second day in the Jordan area of Hong Kong on January 24, 2021, after thousands were ordered to stay in their homes on for the city’s first COVID-19 lockdown as authorities battle an outbreak in one of its poorest and most densely packed districts. AFP

Business US housing boomed in ‘20 even as virus hit economy WASHINGTON―The US housing market boomed in 2020 even as the coronavirus pandemic caused one of the worst economic contractions of modern times, as Americans took advantage of low borrowing rates to buy homes. The surge in new and existing home sales, and home construction, underscores the unequal experience of the pandemic across the United States. Even as tens of millions of people lost their jobs due to the pandemic disruptions, others were able to afford major property purchases. And it serves as a stark contrast to the 2008 global financial crisis, when mortgages were at the center of the downturn and the American housing market collapsed. Existing home sales last year hit the highest level since 2006, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported Friday, with sales rising to 5.64 million. That was 5.6 percent higher than in 2019, before the virus harrowed the world’s largest economy. And while the Commerce Department will not release its year-end data for new home sales until next week, through November the 841,000 seasonally adjusted annual rate was 20.8 percent above the same month in 2019. “What’s even better is that this momentum is likely to carry into the new year, with more buyers expected to enter the market,” NAR Chief Economist Lawrence Yun said. Low rates, cheap loans The housing market was fairly solid before the pandemic hit, but the Federal Reserve’s decision to slash its benchmark lending rate to zero as the coronavirus crisis began fueled the surge in purchases that began after a short pause. The drastic Fed move was a sign of the severity of the damage and intended to keep the economy afloat. The last time the central bank cut rates to zero was during the global financial crisis, when the housing market was in the eye of the storm and a wave of subprime mortgage defaults caused millions of foreclosures. With mortgage rates hitting historically low levels last year, according to government-sponsored lender Freddie Mac, buyers seized the opportunity. The Pew Research Center in July reported that about one in five Americans moved due to the pandemic or know someone who had, and 18 percent of those who moved said the reason was financial.AFP

Dutch seeking to replace UK as US passage THE HAGUE, Netherlands―The Netherlands wants to be US President Joe Biden’s “gateway” to Europe following Britain’s departure from the EU, Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Friday. Rutte said the Dutch were the “most transatlantic” European country and wanted to take over Britain’s role following Brexit and the departure of Donald Trump. The Dutch and the British were longtime free-market allies in the EU where they often positioned themselves against the French and the Germans on trade issues. “The Netherlands would of course, following the UK’s departure from the EU, like to play a special role in that relationship with America, not only as a physical but also a political gateway to Europe,” Rutte told a press conference when asked what he would say to the newly-inaugurated Biden when they speak. “We are of course much smaller than England, but we are mentally― and the Americans see it too―the most transatlantic country in Europe,” he added. “So I would also like to use those old ties... and also try to play a role in the America-Europe relationship.” Rutte said he had not yet spoken to Biden by telephone and did not have a call scheduled, adding however that he had previously met him a few times. The Dutch prime minister and his cabinet resigned a week ago over a child benefits scandal, but are staying on in a caretaker role until elections in March. AFP

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

PSEi January 22, 2021

BREXIT FALLOUT.

An aerial picture shows the DFDS ferry ‘Seven Sisters’ entering the Port of Newhaven on the south coast of England on January 22, 2021. Britain’s private sector activity shrank in January due to another coronavirus lockdown and the Brexit fallout, survey data showed Friday, placing the economy on course for a double-dip recession. AFP

Sideways trading seen; eyes on release of GDP S By Jenniffer B. Austria

HARE prices will likely trade sideways ahead of the release of the gross domestic product figures for 2020 by the end of the week.

“While negative figures may have already been baked-in in share prices, any downside surprise will be detrimental to already directionless sentiments, particularly for cyclicals and recoveryrelated shares,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said. The country’s GDP declined by an average of 10 percent in the first three quarters of 2020, with government’s economic managers expecting the full year GDP to decline 8.5 percent to 9.5 percent. Also negatively affecting investor sentiments is the risk of rising COVID-19 cases in the country that could lead to implementation stricter quarantine measures. Tougher quarantine rules

could defer the government’s move to further re-open the economy and delay the recovery. BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said investors were awaiting further details on vaccine distribution and assessing the effectiveness of the current pandemic containment measures to prevent the transmission of the new COVID-19 variant. Worries over the rise in the inflation rate and moves to amend the constitution are also weighing on the market. Several business groups last week opposed the proposed amendments to the constitution ahead of 2022 presidential elections. The country’s inflation rate quickened in December to 3.5 percent, driven by higher food prices and transport costs. Reports of continued rise in prices of basic commodities, like pork and vegetables, even after the holiday season due to supply issues could push the inflation rate higher in January. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week dropped 2.7 percent to 7,045 on heavy foreign selling.

All sectorial indices posted week-onweek declines, led by mining and oil (-6.3 percent), property (-3.43 percent) and industrial (-3.21 percent) The average value turnover improved to P12.67 billion but the average net foreign selling widened to P960 million. Meanwhile, global stocks mostly fell Friday as investors fretted about the economic impact of fresh virus shocks amid worries that newer COVID-19 strains may be even more deadly than earlier ones. A raft of economic data highlighted the worsening situation for Europe, which is on course for a double-dip recession as new COVID lockdowns hit hard, although US data were relatively strong. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson warned a newer COVID-19 strain may be more deadly, while US President Joe Biden said fatalities in the hard-hit country are expected to exceed 600,000. The tech-rich Nasdaq edged to a fresh record in the United States, but the Dow retreated, along with bourses in Europe. With AFP

TOP GAINERS 1 2 3 4

VUL MA ZHI ORE

LAST PRICE 2.02 0.012 0.25 1.06

CHANGE 0.38 0.002 0.038 0.14

% CHANGE 23.17% 20.00% 17.92% 15.22%

5 6 7 8 9

PHA AR UPM PA BHI

2.64 0.0067 0.0078 6 0.049

0.34 0.0007 0.0008 0.59 0.004

14.78% 11.67% 11.43% 10.91% 8.89%

0.32

0.025

8.47%

TOP LOSERS 1 2 3 4

DWC DFNN BCB APC

LAST PRICE 3.44 4.96 3.03 0.43

CHANGE -0.36 -0.51 -0.26 -0.035

% CHANGE -9.47% -9.32% -7.90% -7.53%

5 6 7 8 9

RLT NI APL IPM MAHB

0.315 2.92 0.32 5.01 2.8

-0.025 -0.23 -0.025 -0.39 -0.21

-7.35% -7.30% -7.25% -7.22% -6.98%

ALCPC

102.3

-7.6

-6.92%

MOST ACTIVE 1

APL

VOLUME VALUE (PHP) 5,168,930,000 1,599,190,420.00

2 3 4

BSC AR BDO

868,925,000 972,005,940.00 118,393,000,000 679,800,800.00 5,073,070 560,611,109.00

5 6

SM DITO

521,960 42,982,700

542,400,730.00 533,907,842.00

7 8 9 10

PHA SMPH TEL ALI

165,958,000 9,068,600 225,200 7,350,700

418,684,100.00 341,718,465.00 314,821,700.00 287,770,335.00

US Federal Reserve holds first policy meeting of Biden administration By Heather Scott WASHINGTON―With a new year and a new administration in the White House, the US central bank nonetheless faces an unprecedented challenge in guiding the post-pandemic economic recovery. One thing Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is unlikely to face from President Joe Biden is the barrage of Twitter attacks he was subject to, sometimes daily, under former president Donald Trump. White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki last week said Biden “clearly has a great deal of respect and value for the Federal Reserve and role they play.” But even absent political pressures, the outlook is daunting. The initial rollout of COVID-19 vaccines has raised hopes companies will be able to open for business and shoppers will open their wallets, improving the economy’s prospects. But the historic nature of the job losses during the pandemic―more than

JAYAR GATUS

Green LiGht ONE of the assignments in my Lasallian Business Leadership class was to watch the documentary Minsan Lang Sila Bata. Seeing the hazardous scenarios the children faced connects me not just being an uncle to my niblings, a brother to my siblings, a son to my parents, but ultimately being a human alone. My heart broke. “Durog na durog ang puso ko.” The reality of child labor in the Philippines proves what a hard life a good portion of our population has in our country. It just saddened me that situations like these still happen in this day and age. The three faces of child labor in the Philippines It was clearly delivered in the documentary that most of the children reside in Visayas and Mindanao. It obviously states that life there is certainly too hard, and there is a need to make ends meet. Their lives are miserable, and even if they did the work of grown-ups, they were not given equal pay because they were just children. They cannot question this reality because they need to work and earn money for their families. Similarities of the children “Mga Batang Matador” are Tikboy, 9 years old, and Dio, 14 years old, who are working from 10 in the evening ‘till 3 in the morning without getting any pay. They are working in a slaughterhouse and clean

The Federal Reserve Board building in this file photo taken on July 01, 2020 is viewed in Washington, DC. AFP

10 million US workers remain unemployed―coupled with the likelihood inflation in some sectors could spike once the recovery takes hold, will test the Federal Reserve’s limited toolkit.

These challenges could be discussed when the Fed’s policy-setting Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) opens its first two-day policy meeting of the year on Tuesday.

After slashing the benchmark lending rate to zero early in the coronavirus crisis, and massively increasing bond purchases to pump cash into the economy, the FOMC has signaled will not change policy in the near future. “I think they’ve set their course pretty clearly,” Stephanie Aaronson, a vice president at the Brookings Institution and former Fed research economist, told AFP. “I would be surprised if that really changed throughout the spring.” Unprecedented scenario Business shutdowns imposed to contain the spread of the virus caused immediate, massive job losses in 2020, and at the end of the year, four million people had been unemployed for six months or more, comprising 37 percent of total unemployment. The expectation for more government aid under the Biden administration― which has proposed a massive $1.9-trillion rescue package―will give the central bankers hope for a more solid rebound and improved hiring, Aaronson said. AFP

The Face of Child Labor in the Philippines the skin of the hog thoroughly by using a small but very sharp knife and getting a portion of it such as fat and selling it to the near market. Delena, 10, Cito, 14 and Riccie, 15, are some of the children called “Mga Batang Hornal,” who work in sugarcane plantations in Ormoc. They are with their families, and all of the members are working as Hornal. And the children working in the pier of Dipolog where they help discharging cement out of the ship. Moklo, 15, Liting, 13, and Bobbi, 13, are some of the children who were forced to do hazardous work to earn for their families. Ultimately, life is tremendously difficult where they live. These children are all part of the poorest of the poor that leads their parents to instruct them not to go to school and instead work for them to eat. Likewise, all of them are working extremely hard, yet not even receiving a decent salary that matched their labor. And lastly, these children have their dreams, simple dreams of providing decent life to their families. How can we alleviate if not eradicate such problem? As per the Philippine Statistics Authority, the number of working children 5 to 17 years old is estimated at 5.5 million (preliminary results of the 2011 survey on children). Since child labor is rooted in poverty,

families were grappling to make ends meet. Thus, what was needed is to give decent and sustainable work for their parents. Generating livelihood for them really makes a big help in alleviating extreme poverty. This is the primary action the government must do, nothing more, nothing less. On the other hand, more than the government’s initiative, is what we can do to help solve this problem ourselves. If we just depend on the government, I believe we will not fully address this problem. Let us start with ourselves, and everything will follow. Personally, I have a soft spot for children, especially children with special needs. I worked in a school for special children in Dubai in 2008 to 2010. Before going to Dubai, I was already supporting an organization called SPEd Betis, where special children in our community attended a parish-based school for free. Upon returning to the Philippines in 2010, I decided to volunteer as full-time teacher for one year, and until now, I make sure to attend their special events such as Christmas parties, summer outing, etc. Also, I have been supporting UNICEF Philippines since 2017. It is easy to do so. I set up my credit card to contribute a monthly donation, and I am billed monthly. It feels great to be part of this worthwhile cause. Lastly, I volunteer to be part of Kiwanis

International in Guagua. I thought it would be a great platform to really help children, especially those who were forced to work at an early age. I am sure that the struggle to alleviate child labor in the Philippines is a long journey. But if the government and we work hand in hand in fighting this problem that has been grabbing so many dreams of Filipino children all over the Philippines, it will lessen the number of Filipino children who are working at an early age. A solid policy of the government should be implemented that targets the root cause, which is poverty. On the other hand, our personal concern towards the problem by simply being aware and having basic knowledge about it will make a big difference. If we are moved to support causes/organizations that help children and their families, I believe that they will be free to play and dream, not risk life and limb in hazardous jobs. The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, De La Salle University. This article is part of his blog for the course on Leadership, Ethics, and CSR. The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the position of De La Salle University, its faculty, and its administrators.

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

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, January 22, 2021

-94.46 PTS. 7,045.83

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

135,081,403,936 202,751 11,387,600,467.67 104 117 39

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.0470

Japan

Yen

0.009664

0.4643

Pound

1.373500

65.9926

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.129007

6.1984

Switzerland

Franc

1.129816

54.2843

Canada

Dollar

0.791578

38.0329

Singapore

Dollar

0.756430

36.3442

Australia

Dollar

0.776300

37.2989

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655478

127.5878

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266596

12.8091

Brunei

Dollar

0.753580

36.2073

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000072

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.033422

1.6058

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.0819

Euro

1.216600

58.4540

Korea

Won

0.000909

0.0437

China

Yuan

0.154811

7.4382

India

Rupee

0.013706

0.6585

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.248262

11.9282

New Zealand

Dollar

0.721200

34.6515

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035779

1.7191 Source: BSP

PNOC-EC still keen on probing Liguasan Marsh oil, gas potential

Business Car parts manufacturers concerned over job losses A By Othel V. Campos

UTOMOTIVE parts manufacturers expressed alarm over the state of local car manufacturing and assembly industry and warned of more job losses following the shutdown of Nissan Philippine Inc.’s local operations.

Philippine Parts Makers Association Inc. president Ferdinand Racquelsantos said members were among the first af affected whenever there was a shakedown in the automotive industry. “This is very alarming because this was aggravated by pandemic. But even before that, the assembly industry is already on a downturn. Car makers were already having difficulties. The decline in CKD [completely knocked-down] assembly has been going down for several years,” he said over the weekend. Honda Cars Philippines Inc. also terminated the assembly of Honda City and Honda BR-V in 2020. Racquelsantos said parts makers shed about 35 percent of their employees during the strict lockdowns. He said the clo-

sure of more assembly facilities would make it even more difficult for parts makers to continue their operations, unless they could easily pivot to making other parts for other types of vehicles manufactured locally that would require more if not new investments. “Like in my company, I have reallocated my workers from my seatbelt manufacturing plant to my solar business,” said Racquelsantos who also owns the seatbelt manufacturing firm AutoFir Enterprises. The lack of opportunities for parts makers, he said, forced majority of members to shut down. He said there were only 49 firms in operation this year, down from 128 in 2015. Sixteen companies closed shop in 2020 at the height of the health crisis, he said. Racquelsantos said the only hope for parts manufacturers was the proposed imposition of safeguard measures on imported vehicles. “Parts makers have reached 60 percent operability in 2020. We all hope that we’ll get to normalize operations this year,” he said. Meanwhile, the Philippine Metalworkers Alliance called for a review of the development plans for the auto industry, after two major car assemblers stopped assembly in the Philippines.

By Alena Mae S. Flores STATE-OWNED PNOC Exploration Corp. revived its interest to explore the oil and gas potential of the Liguasan Marsh in Mindanao, a top executive said last week. “We are very interested upon this. We continue to have studies and dual partnership with the academe and some of our proponents in order to undertake onshore development and using the newer methods and technologies, so we can reduce our negative impact to the environment,” PNOC EC president Rozzano Briguez said during the virtual Philippine Energy Transition Forum on Thursday. The forum was organized by the Philippine Energy Independence Council and the European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines. Liguasan Marsh has about 200,000 hectares of dry and wet basins bounded by the Mindanao River in southcentral Mindanao, North Cotabato and South Cotabato provinces. It is reported to be rich in oil and gas deposits. About 30,000 hectares of the marsh was declared a game refuge and bird sanctuary in 1979. “We will start with Sultan Kudarat’s portion of the Liguasan Marsh first and then let the policies on BARMM and DOE [government] be sorted out before we will eventually explore the area,” Briguez said. PNOC-EC, the upstream oil, gas and coal unit of PNOC, earlier teamed up with Petronas of Malaysia to develop the Liguasan Marsh but the joint venture halted operations because of losses and the peace and order situation in the area. PNOC-EC is mandated by the Department of Energy to take the lead in the exploration, development and production of the country’s oil, gas and coal resources. It drilled two onshore exploratory wells in the area since 1999 with a “mind boggling” oil and gas potential, according to a former official. President Rodrigo Duterte announced in 2019 that the Moro government should take the lead in developing the Liguasan Marsh.

RECERTIFICATION. Light Rail Manila Corp., the operator of Light Rail Transit Line 1, receives ISO 9000:2015 (Quality Management System) and ISO 14001:2015 (Environmental Management System) recertification after a successful audit last year. The lead auditor of TUV Rheinland Philippines with the LRMC ISO team inspect the LRT-1 Quirino Station during the onsite audit in November last year.

ING economist expects peso to sustain rise vs. dollar this year By Julito G. Rada A BANK economist said over the weekend the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas will likely allow the peso to sustain its appreciation against the US dollar to offset the expected uptick in inflation rate this year. ING Bank Manila senior economist Nicholas Mapa said in a report 2021 would see a global weak US dollar scenario. “In 2021, the peso is on an appreciation path, helped by the current Fed stance and also as import demand fades sharply due to the pandemic, in stark contrast to 2018 wherein imports ballooned to historical highs,” Mapa said. Mapa said that as the BSP would likely continue to keep its eye fixed on the growth objective given the dire needs of the economy and ruling out early rate hikes in 2021, the only card it could play to combat inflation in 2021 would be to let the currency appreciate. “With BSP not likely open to hiking rates this time around as it would derail what little growth momentum left in the economy, perhaps if ever BSP would be forced into action, allowing the currency to appreciate would be their only play available,” he said. The peso closed at 48.085 against the greenback on Friday, nearly unchanged from 48.02 at the start of the year. The BSP earlier downplayed the risk of a rate hike in the near term given the precarious growth situation of the country. Monetary authorities also said that keeping a rate cut in November 2020 would have done little to avert inflation caused by African swine fever or higher fruit prices induced by typhoons. Inflation accelerated to 3.5 percent in December from 3.3 percent in November 2020 with both private analysts and monetary authorities predicting a pickup in headline inflation this year.

IN BRIEF

Globe installed 786 towers in six months

LOPEZ DONATION. The Lopez Group of Companies through Energy Development Corp. and the local government of Iloilo City sign an agreement on P5.5-worth of medical equipment donation to the city’s Uswag Molecular Laboratory in Molo District. Attending the virtual signing ceremony are (from top left, clockwise) First Philippine Holdings Corp. chairman and chief executive Federico Lopez, Iloilo Mayor Jerry Trenas, EDC president and chief executive Richard Tantoco and Uswag Molecular Laboratory manager Annabelle Blancaflor.

PhilRatings downgrades credit status of STI Education’s P3-b bond issuance By Jenniffer B. Austria PHILIPPINE Rating Services Corp. said over the weekend it downgraded the credit rating of STI Education Services Group Inc.’s outstanding P3-billion bond issuance because of the company’s declining profitability. PhilRating said in a report it changed the issue credit rating for STI-ESG P3billion bond issuance to PRS A plus with a negative outlook from PRS Aa with a stable outlook. It said while obligations rated PRS A still had favorable investment attributes and were considered upper-medium grade obligations, they were more susceptible to the adverse effects of changes in economic conditions. The negative outlook indicates there is a potential for the credit rating to be downgraded in the next 12 months. PhilRatings said the demand for tertiary education had remained resilient but STI-

ESG’s profitability was declining because of lower enrollees, increasing competition and rising expenses on depreciation and interest charges. STI was significantly influenced by non-core items. It said the increasing economic uncertainty and the adverse impact COVID-19 pandemic on the economy were also weighing on STI-ESG’s business. STI ESG network had 64 active schools across the country including 60 STI Colleges and four STI Education Centers as of September 2020. STI ESG owns 33 schools, while franchisees operate 31 institutions. STI ESG recorded lower number of students at 76,841, 74,798 and 62,470 for school years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and 2020-2021, respectively. STI-ESG said it implemented initiatives to provide a wide range of courses for the tertiary level to compete in the industry and align its offering with the market needs and demands.

PayMaya hikes network to over 200,000 outlets By Darwin G. Amojelar PAYMAYA Philippines Inc. said over the weekend it expanded its footprint to over 200,000 touch points nationwide, the largest in the country. “As PayMaya continues to lead the push towards cashless for all Filipinos, it is important for us to provide them with the most expansive and reliable on-ground channels that allow them to do safe and convenient financial transactions, no matter where they are in the country,” said PayMaya president Shailesh Baidwan. “We have built this robust ecosystem of touch points to help ensure that there are easily available and trusted avenues for our customers to add, transact, or move money for all their day-to-day needs,” he said. PayMaya’s touchpoints include convenience stores, retail merchants, groceries, department stores, food outlets, pawnshops and Smart Padala centers. PayMaya said account holders need not travel very far to city centers as PayMaya’s unrivaled on-ground network of over 37,000 Smart Padala partner agent touchpoints serves as last-mile financial hubs, enabling lifeline transactions amid COVID-19 quarantine restrictions. PayMaya said its network of onground and digital touch points is six times larger than the combined 12,371 bank branches and 22,162 ATM terminals operating across the country. Smart Padala agents are also present in the farthest reaches of the country, covering over 92 percent of all cities and municipalities nationwide. It said that in a country where banking presence is limited to only 69 percent of all cities and municipalities, Smart Padala agents are connecting unbanked and underserved Filipinos to the digital economy, offering remittance, bills payment, add money, cash out and scan-to-pay transactions.

GLOBE Telecom Inc. said it installed the most number of cell sites in the second half of 2020, based on data from the National Telecommunications Commission. The NTC data showed Globe built 786 new towers from July to December last year despite the challenges posed by the pandemic. Its competitor built 323 towers in the same period. The ramped-up builds were made possible through the enabling laws Bayanihan Act II and the Joint Memorandum CircularNo. 01 s. 2020 signed by ARTA, DICT, DILG and other government agencies that mandated the easing of permitting processes. Globe secured 2,089 permits in the sixmonth period. Globe had 10,395 tower sites as of December 2020. Smart Communications Inc. had 10,079 towers and DITO Telecommunity, 2,360 towers. “There has really been an increase in the tower roll-out and I think this is the positive response to the Joint Memorandum Circular we have done as well to the president’s directive in easing up permits for the towers. We have seen a dramatic increase in the tower roll out,” Department of Information and Communications Technology Undersecretary Emmanuel Rey Caintic said. Darwin G. Amojelar

Customs meets automation goal

THE Bureau of Customs said over the weekend it achieved its 2020 goal of fully automating its frontline transactions amid the ongoing global health crisis. Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III the BOC had 100-percent accomplishment rate on fully automating its frontline services by allowing the online submission of documents through its Customer Care Portal System, upgrading its electronic-to-mobile system to computerize manual processes and accepting online payment options like PayMaya. “The E2M upgrade is continuously being developed, but critical modules are already being deployed in various ports, online payment through PayMaya was established and on-line submission of documents is now integrated via the Customer Care Portal. Likewise, all deliverables for our priority program on improving our risk management system were also achieved on time,” he said. The BOC also achieved 100-percent completion of its target to improve risk management processes in 2020 by utilizing an electronic Cargo Targeting System, enhancing cargo selectivity system and rolling out a new, user-friendly Universal Risk Management System, Guerrero said. Julito G. Rada

Youngest Yanson controls bus firm

LEO Rey Yanson, the youngest son of Yanson matriarch Olivia Yanson, and his sister Ginnette Dumancas are now in full control of the Bacolod City-based Yanson Group of Bus Companies, considered the largest transport fleet in the country. Leo Rey set sights on navigating the bus business amid the challenges of the pandemic after he was re-elected chairman and president of YGBC’s key subsidiaries in a series of stockholders’ meetings from December 5, 2020 to January 18, 2021. “Despite the challenges faced in 2020, the business remains strong and resilient. It continues to be steadfast in its goal to serve the Filipino people,” said Leo Rey Yanson. Olivia was reelected as corporate secretary and treasurer of the same transport companies. The Yanson Group said in a statement they remain committed to providing the riding public with the most reliable means of public transportation for all.

Sports

MPBL will finish Lakan Cup and start fourth season THE MPBL’s commitment goes beyond finishing the 2020 Lakan Cup. It will open its fourth season on June 12. Senator Manny Pacquiao, the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League CEO and founder, gave this assurance Saturday in a zoom meeting with the owners and representatives of the 31 teams which took part in the stalled Chooksto-Go MPBL Lakan Cup. “Tuloy-tuloy ito (MPBL),” said Pacquiao, adding he has more plans for the country’s premier regional league, including building its own coliseum in Metro Manila to serve as a neutral venue. Following Pacquiao’s declaration, representatives of San Juan and Makati, the North division finalists, and Davao Occidental and Basilan, the South finalists, also stressed their readiness to finish the season in a bubble setup to be held in Subic, Zambales. The MPBL is optimistic the health protocols it submitted to the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases) will be approved next month and is aiming to resume the division and national finals in March. “San Juan is all-in,” said former Senator Jinggoy Estrada, the Knights’ co-owner. “Makati will be there fighting,” said Super Crunch co-owner Paolo Orbeta and head coach Beaujing Acot. Basilan Steel’s Jax Chua and Acot suggested at least two weeks of practice before the deciding game 3s of the division finals are held. The division champions will then dispute the national title in a best-of-five affair. According to MPBL Commissioner Kenneth Duremdes, who presided over the two-part meeting, first with the North then the South representatives, a pre-season tournament may also be held in Subic if the team owners agree. Atty. Brando Viernesto, the MPBL’s legal counsel, bared Nueva Ecija team co-owner Bong Cuevas has offered to stage the bubble, with free hotel accommodation and local transportation to the participating teams while assuring television coverage. Pasig-Sta. Lucia’s Buddy Encarnado and Bacolod Master Sardines’ Joe Ramos assured their teams’ participation in the pre-season. Aware of budget constraints being experienced by some MPBL teams because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Deputy Commissioner Zaldy Realubit and Head of Operations Emmer Oreta proposed a shortened fourth season with the teams to be divided into four groups. In such a scenario, a second conference may be held to give the players and the teams more exposure. Pacquiao, however, is inclined to follow the original setup wherein all the teams get to meet at least once in the season.

Team Lakay MMA fighter Lito ‘The Thunder Kid’ Adiwang (right) lands a kick on opponent Namiki Kawahara during their ONE championship fight in Singapore. ONE Championship

Suzara will be PH volleyball head after Palou gives way By Peter Atencio

ENOWNED organizer Ramon “Tats” Suzara is tipped to be declared as the new head of a national federation for volleyball in the Philippines. Suzara is set to lead on an interim basis until new polls are held next year. He will be unopposed in his bid after fellow organizer Ricky Palou decided to give way. Palou believes that with Suzara on board, peace and cooperation among the many stakeholders in volleyball is just around the corner. And that’s because of Suzara’s good relationship with the international federation (FIVB) and the Asian Volleyball Confederation (AVC). “I think he knows volleyball very well. He has good connections with the FIVB and the AVC. And this will

beneﬁt Philippine volleyball,” said Palou, days before the polls that was set at the East Ocean Seafoods Restaurant in Parañaque City. The elections are taking place after the international volleyball federation, FIVB, sought the Philippine Olympic Committee’s assistance. The POC, with president and Tagaytay congressmen Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino himself as observer, will supervise the proceedings, and the creation of a new volleyball body The polls will go some four years after the international body withdrew its recognition of a Philippine federation in 2016.

Since then, the POC had been provisionally recognizing the Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas, Inc. The LVPI, which is headed by Peter Cayco of Arellano University and former Gintong Alay chief Joey Romasanta, will be dissolved as soon as a new federation is formally created and named. LVPI secretary-general Ariel Paredes is seeking the post of chairman while Palou will vie for a place in the board. On the other hand, Don Caringal is said to become the next secretary-general. Suzara, who heads the Alliance of Philippine Volleyball, Inc., met with various stakeholders two weeks ago in a gathering that was called by the POC. Paredes attended with Philippine Volleyball Federation secretary-general Otie Camangian. New elections will be held January next year.

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

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

Adiwang open to Minowa rematch LITO “The Thunder Kid” Adiwang is open to a rematch against Japanese tormentor Hiroshi Minowa. Adiwang said this after he claimed a second-round knockout win of Namiki Kawahara in ONE: UNBREAKABLE last Friday, in Singapore. “Yes. I’m open to a rematch with Minowa. There’s a lot of good talents in my division, said the 27-year-old Adiwang. Adiwang redeemed himself after coming off his first setback in six years. But, if Minowa is not cool about a showdown, Adiwang said he can seek out better fights in the flyweight division. “If Minowa doesn’t want to dance with me anymore, I’m ready for higher caliber fights and better challenges,” added Adiwang. Last November, Adiwang took a split decision loss to Minowa following their encounter also in Singapore. Adiwang was supposed to be going up against Mongolian bet Hexigetu, also known as the “Wolf of the Grasslands.” But, Hexigetu wasn’t available. Adiwang found a chance to win after getting an opening at the 2:02 mark of the second round. That was when Kawahara moved forward with his head exposed. The Filipino fighter made his move by landing a clean left hook on his Japanese foe’s chin for the knockout. Peter Atencio

Nets hold on to beat shorthanded Miami Heat LOS ANGELES, United States—Kevin Durant scored a team-high 31 points as the new-look Brooklyn Nets solved some of their defensive woes on Saturday (Sunday Philippine time) to hold on and beat the shorthanded Miami Heat 128-124. Since putting together the dynamic trio of Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Nets have had no trouble showcasing their offence but have struggled at the other end of the court. Irving finished with 28 points, and Harden was held to just 12 but dished out 11 assists, as Brooklyn halted a modest two-game losing streak. “It’s not every day you see this collection of guys playing together in NBA history, so we want to take full advantage of that,” Irving said. Brooklyn has now allowed 396 points in their last three games including back-toback losses to the Cavaliers, including an 147-135 double overtime defeat on Wednesday. Durant returned to the line-up against

Dustin Poirier (right) connects with a short right hand to the face of Max Holloway in this file photo of their fight won by Poirier at UFC 236 on April 13, 2019. AFP

the Heat after sitting out Friday’s 125-113 loss to Cleveland. Irving scored 18 of his 28 in the fourth quarter on Saturday, including 10 in the final three minutes. “All three of those guys, they’re just so damn skilled. Off the dribble, their shooting ability, their ability to see open players, and that’s why they’re three of the best in this business,” Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. “And those are shots that only great players can manufacture.” Joe Harris added 23 points and tied a career-high with seven three-pointers in the win. Bam Adebayo finished with 41 points and nine assists to lead the Heat, who rallied from a 14-point deficit at the start of the fourth quarter to give the Nets a run for their money down the stretch at Barclays Center arena in New York. The Heat’s performance was impressive considering they were missing key starters, including last season’s playoff hero Jimmy

Butler, who is out because of Covid-19 health protocols. Besides Butler, the Heat were without Avery Bradley (Covid-19 protocols) and Tyler Herro (neck spasms). Herro has missed the last four games and did not make the trip for the two-game series. Curry three-pointer milestone Elsewhere, the Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry surpassed Hall of Famer Reggie Miller for second-most three-pointers in NBA history, reaching the milestone early in the third quarter of Saturday’s 127108 loss to the Utah Jazz. Curry finished with 24 points and five three-pointers, and now has 2,562 threes in his career. He is now 411 three-pointers behind Ray Allen (2,973) for the most in NBA history. Asked what it felt like to pass Miller, Curry said: “It is special. I tried to enjoy it in the middle of the game because I knew it was on the horizon. I looked up to him growing up. I emulated a lot of things he did.”

Kevin Durant (7) of the Brooklyn Nets shoots the ball during the game against the Miami Heat at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. AFP

The record-breaking three came on Draymond Green on the wing, shifted to his first basket of the second half. Curry the corner and nailed the shot off a quick drove into the lane, passed the ball out to feed from Green. AFP

Poirier upsets McGregor at UFC 257 By Reuel Vidal BE careful what you wish for. Conor McGregor handpicked Dustin Poirier to be his next opponent and lived to regret it after being stopped in the second round at UFC 257 held at Etihad Arena, Fight Island Abu Dhabi, yesterday, January 24, 2021. Poirier barely survived the first round but turned the fight around in the second by brutalizing McGregor’s lead right calf with leg kicks which McGregor could not check. McGregor dictated the tempo of the fight as he continued to pressure Poirier with a two-fisted attack until Poirier’s leg

kicks finally took their toll on McGregor’s right leg late in the second. Poirier pummeled a hobbled McGregor with left-right combinations and then sent the Irishman staggering back into the cage with a short right hand to the face. Poirier moved forward to administer ground-and-pound as McGregor fell on his butt but referee Herb Dean mercifully stopped the fight before McGregor could sustain any more damage. “I’m happy but I’m not surprised. I put in the work. I’m just happy in the place I am. I am happy with the face I see in the mirror when I wake up in the morning. I love my team I love my wife and I love my city,” said the 32-year-old Poirier a native of

Lafayette, Louisiana, USA. “The goal was to be technical and pick my shots and not brawl. I can box I can get my shots. I showed a little bit of that (in this fight). Nothing but respect for him but I felt I was boxing pretty well. I’m just here to win.” McGregor was in complete control in the first round. Poirier took down McGregor early in the round but after McGregor broke free he started peppering Poirier with shots to the head and face almost at will. Poirier was lucky to escape a knockout in the first but he came roaring back in the second. He chopped up McGregor’s lead right leg then finished off McGregor with head shots to win the fight by TKO in the second round.

Manila

Standard Republic of the Philippines TODAY

Project;15

ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Pasig City

TERASU ENERGY, INC.,

Applicant. x --------------------------------------------- x

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 02 December 2020, Terasu Energy, Inc. (TERASU) filed an Application with Motion for Provisional Authority dated 21 September 2020 (Application) for authority to develop, own, operate and maintain dedicated point-to-point limited facilities to connect to the transmission system of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), with prayer for provisional authority. The pertinent portions of the said Application are hereunder quoted as follows: TERASU is a power generation company duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with principal office address at 18F Philamlife Tower, 8767 Paseo De Roxas, Bel-Air, Makati City, Philippines. It may be served orders and other legal processes through its undersigned counsel; TERASU’s primary purpose is to invest in or otherwise engage in the exploration, development, construction and other allied activities including the supply, assembly, erection, commissioning, constructing, enlarging, repairing, removing, developing and operating or otherwise engage in any work upon manufacturing plants, solar energy generating plants and to make, execute, bid for and to take or receive contracts or assignment of contracts therefore, or in relation thereto, or connected therewith (the “Projects”), except contracts for the construction and repair of locally funded public works and other defense related structures; and the doing of any and all other activities contracting incidental thereto or therewith, and the doing and performing of any and all acts and things necessary, proper or convenient for and incidental to the furtherance and/or implementation of the purposes therein mentioned. Provided that the corporation shall not solicit, accept or take investments/placements from the public neither shall it issue investment contracts; 1

TERASU is a registered renewable energy (“RE”) developer with the Department of Energy (“DOE”)2 and has a service contract for the exploration, development and utilization of solar energy resource, among others;

In the 2016-2040 Demand-Supply Outlook, the DOE recognized the growing demand for power in the Philippines. For the Luzon Grid, the DOE projected the energy demand to increase from 9,726 MW in 2016 to 29,852 MW by 2040. Based on the foregoing, the Luzon Grid still needs a total of 24,385 MW of additional capacities of 13,635 MW base-load plant, 8,300 mid-merit plants and 2,450 MW peaking plants to meet the electricity demand;3

Recent developments in the power industry, as indicated in the presentation by the DOE Secretary regarding a briefing on the Electric Power Industry4 showed that the required power system capacity addition for the Luzon Grid between the years 2016 to 2040 is 24,385 MW;

To help address the need for additional capacity in the Luzon Grid, TERASU will design, engineer, procure, construct, supply, start-up, test, commission, own, operate and maintain a Solar Power Plant with a capacity of approximately 40 MW located in Brgy. Sta. Rosa, Concepcion, Tarlac (the “Project”). The Project’s target date of completion and energization is in March 31, 2021. Power for export generated from the Solar Power Plant shall be delivered to the Luzon Grid;

In connection thereto, the DOE approved and issued Solar Service Energy Contract No. 2019-07-519;5

On 25 November 2019, the DOE issued a letter addressed to the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (“NGCP”) granting clearance to Terasu to start negotiations with NGCP to undertake the System Impact Study (“SIS”) for the Project;6

To test, commission and dispatch its generating facility, soon after completion, TERASU proposes to transmit its generated power to the NGCP Luzon Grid via direct connection to the 69kV Concepcion Substation, through the construction and installation of a dedicated point-to-point limited interconnection facility (the “Transmission Line”)7 to be constructed by JS Engineering and Marketing Services;

10. TERASU intends to connect the Project to the Luzon Grid via a 0.6km, 69 kV, SP-SC 1-336.4 MCM ASCR direct connection to the existing NGCP Concepcion 69kV Substation.8 The Transmission Line will consist of around 0.6 kilometers; 11. The proposed connection of the Project is the most viable and reasonable option that will enable TERASU to dispatch the Project’s capacity when the need arises, considering its close proximity to the NGCP Concepcion 69kV Substation; 11.1

11.2

A System Impact Study (“SIS”) on the proposed Transmission Line has been conducted and based on the results thereof, the said interconnection is technically feasible.9 NGCP has reviewed the SIS, and in a letter dated 15 July 2019, NGCP approved the integration of the Project to the Luzon Grid via a 69 kV direct connection to the NGCP Concepcion substation;10 A Facilities Study has been undertaken and approved by the NGCP;11

12. The proposed connection configuration for the Transmission Line shall be as follows:

A generation company may develop and own or operate dedicated point-to-point limited transmission facilities that are consistent with the TDP: Provided, that such facilities are required only for the purpose of connecting to the transmission system, and are used solely by the generating facility, subject to prior authorization by the ERC. 18. In accordance with the requirement of Section 9(f) of the EPIRA, TERASU hereby seeks this Honorable Commission’s authorization to develop, own, and operate a dedicated point-topoint limited interconnection facility, to connect the Project to the grid; 19. The proposed Transmission Line meets the requirements provided in Section 9 of the EPIRA and the relevant regulations issued by this Honorable Commission as follows: 19.1

19.2

The Transmission Line is a dedicated point-to-point limited interconnection facility whose sole purpose is to connect the Project to the grid and is considered a “Connection Asset” under ERC Resolution No. 23, Series of 2016 (“ERC Resolution”);

The Project is one of the energy projects under Republic Act No. 9513 or the Renewable Energy Act of 2008, which aims to accelerate the development and utilization of the country’s renewable energy sources. Thus, it is in the interest of the government to help RE developers such as TERASU to achieve commerciality and commence operations at the soonest practicable time;

35.3

The construction of the Transmission Line is a prerequisite for the testing and commissioning, and ultimately, the commercial operations of TERASU. The Project is projected to be completed and energized in 31 March 2021. Consistent with this timeline, TERASU intends to complete the development and construction of the Transmission Line by 31 January 2021;

35.4

Moreover, the use of solar energy reduces the country’s dependence on fossil fuels, which not only minimizes harmful carbon greenhouse emissions in the environment but also reduces the country’s exposure to price fluctuations in the international markets;

35.5

Further, given the immediate need for additional capacity, the completion of the Project within the timeframe is critical to ensure additional capacity will be available to the grid in a timely manner.

36. It is in such context that TERASU respectfully prays that provisional authority be immediately issued for the development and construction of the proposed Transmission Line.

The Transmission Line will be exclusively used by TERASU for the operations of the Project and will not serve any end-user;

19.3

The Transmission Line is technically feasible; and

19.4

TERASU has the technical and financial ability to develop, construct, operate, and maintain the Transmission Line.

PRAYER WHEREFORE, TERASU respectfully prays that this Honorable Commission:

The Transmission Line is a dedicated point-to-point transmission facility and will be used exclusively by TERASU. 20. To reiterate, the Transmission Line is designed for the sole purpose of connecting the Project to the grid. The singleline diagram of the proposed interconnection shows that the Transmission Line will be exclusively used by TERASU and is not designed and configured to serve end-users; 21. The Single Line Diagram of the Transmission Line is illustrated in Figure 2 below:

On 3 May 2019, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources - Environmental Management Bureau (“DENR-EMB”) issued the Amended Environmental Compliance Certificate (“ECC”) for the

Activity

Microsoft Teams Application

Determination of compliance with jurisdictional requirements and Expository Presentation Pre-trial Conference and Presentation of Evidence

Any interested stakeholder may submit its comments and/or clarifications at least one (1) calendar day prior to the scheduled virtual hearing, via electronic mail (e-mail) at docket@erc.ph and records@ erc.gov.ph, copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph. The Commission shall give priority to the stakeholders who have duly submitted their respective comments and/ or clarifications, to discuss the same and propound questions during the course of the expository presentation. Figure 2. Single-line Diagram Transmission Line18 22. The Transmission Line is also classified as a “Connection Asset” under the ERC Resolution since it is primarily designed to connect the Project to the grid and will be used for the conveyance of electricity from the Project to the grid.19 If the Transmission Line is taken out of the transmission system of NGCP, such disconnection will only affect TERASU and will have no effect on the grid, or other connected customers;

Moreover, all persons who have an interest in the subject matter of the instant case may become a party by filing with the Commission via e-mail at docket@erc.ph and records@erc.gov.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, a verified Petition to Intervene at least five (5) calendar days prior to the date of the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure, indicating therein the docket number and title of the case and stating the following:

The Project is included in the DOE List of Private Sector-Initiated Power Projects for Luzon. 23. The Project is one of the indicative projects in the DOE List of Private Sector Initiated Power Projects for Luzon as of September 30, 201820 and is consistent with the Transmission Development Plan of NGCP;21 The Transmission Line is technically feasible. 24. The SIS conducted by NGCP shows that the connection of the Project through the Transmission Line is technically feasible. The connection poses no significant system impact to the stability, reliability and operating characteristics of the Luzon Grid. Further, the SIS review concluded that the proposed project could be safely and reliably integrated thereto; 25. TERASU proposed the Transmission Line connection because of its viability and technical feasibility for the connection of the Project. The Project will connect to the Luzon Grid via a 0.6 km 69 kV direct connection to the existing NGCP Concepcion 69 kV substation;22 26. TERASU has likewise ensured that the design and technical specifications for the Transmission Line are consistent with the standards of the Philippine Grid Code;23 27. The Project is also consistent with Development Plan (“TDP”) of NGCP;24

the Transmission

TERASU has the technical and financial capability to develop, construct, operate and maintain the Transmission Line

The petitioner’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address;

The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and

A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@erc.ph and records@erc.gov.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment thereon at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and 3) The grounds relied upon. All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from Applicant that they be furnished with the same prior to the date of the initial hearing. Applicant is hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, through any of the available modes of service, upon their agreement, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours. In the alternative, those persons who wish to have an electronic copy of the Application may request the Commission for the e-mail addresses of the Applicant by sending an e-mail to docket@erc.ph and records@erc.gov.ph, copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph. Nonetheless, any person may also access the Application as posted by the Commission in its official website at www. erc.gov.ph.

28. TERASU has the technical and financial capability to develop the Transmission Line; 28.1

The Transmission Line will be constructed by JS Engineering and Marketing Services;25

28.2

TERASU likewise has the financial capability to undertake the development and construction of the Transmission Line. The development and construction of the Project and the Transmission Line will be funded by TERASU through project financing; 26

(This space is intentionally left blank.) Finally, all interested persons may be allowed to join the scheduled initial virtual hearing by providing the Commission, thru legal.virtualhearings@erc. ph, with their respective e-mail addresses and indicating therein the case number of the instant Application. The Commission will send the access link/s to the aforementioned hearing platform within five (5) working days prior to the scheduled hearing. WITNESS, the Honorable Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, FLORESINDA G. BALDO-DIGAL, and MARKO ROMEO L. FUENTES, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 5th day of January 2021 in Pasig City

AGNES VST DEV DEVANADERA Chairperson and CEO

5 6 7

15. TERASU has secured the relevant permits for the Project and the Transmission Line;

Platform

16 February 2021 (Tuesday) at nine o’clock in the morning (9:00 A.M.)

32. TERASU also undertakes to file an application for a Certificate of Compliance29 with this Honorable Commission and submit a Compliance Plan30 to the PGC;

14. Consistent with the projected date of energization of the Project, the target completion and commissioning of the Transmission Line is on 31 January 2021;14

After due notice and hearing, GRANT TERASU the authority to develop, own, operate, and maintain a dedicated point-topoint limited transmission facility to connect the Project to the Luzon Grid.

The Commission has set the instant Application for the determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentations, pre-trial conference, and presentation of evidence on the following dates and online platform for the conduct thereof, pursuant to Resolution No. 09, Series of 202031, dated 24 September 2020:

13. The estimated cost for the construction and installation of the Transmission Line is Forty-Three Million Five Hundred SixtyNine Thousand One Hundred Ninety-Eight Pesos and SixtySeven Centavos (Php 43,569,198.67);13

09 February 2021 (Tuesday) at nine o’clock in the morning (9:00 A.M.)

31. JS Engineering and Marketing Services has the technical capability to operate and maintain the transmission line;28

Figure 1. Connection Scheme Single Line Diagram

Immediately ISSUE an order provisionally authorizing TERASU to implement the development, ownership and operation of a dedicated point-to-point limited transmission facility to connect the Project to the Luzon Grid; and

Other reliefs as may be appropriate under the circumstances are likewise prayed for.

30. Once completed, TERASU will undertake the operations and maintenance of the Transmission Line through JS Engineering and Marketing Services, and TERASU will subsequently fund the operations of the Transmission Line from its generation sales;27

Date

29. Since TERASU will solely fund the development and construction of the Transmission Line, and the Transmission Line will be exclusively used by TERASU for the operations of the Project and will not serve any end-user, the Transmission Line will not have an impact on the transmission rates currently being charged to the public;

15.1

35.2

17. Section 9(f) of the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (“EPIRA”) provides:

ERC CASE NO. 2020-015 MC

in order to be able to dispatch electric power supply to the grid;

On 23 July 2019, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples issued a Certificate of Non-Overlap for the Project;16

16. TERASU is in the process of finalizing the Connection Agreement, Transmission Service Agreement and Metering Service Agreement with NGCP;17

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO DEVELOP, OWN, OPERATE AND MAINTAIN DEDICATED POINT-TO-POINT LIMITED FACILITIES TO CONNECT TO THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM OF NATIONAL GRID CORPORATION OF THE PHILIPPINES (NGCP), WITH PRAYER FOR PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

15.2

33. The foregoing clearly shows that the proposed Transmission Line complies with Section 9 of the EPlRA and the relevant regulations of this Honorable Commission; Motion for Provisional Authority and Allegations in Support of Prayer for Provisional Authority

8 9 10 11

13 14 15 16

34. Rule 14 of the Honorable Commission’s Rules of Practice and Procedure authorizes the issuance of a provisional authority or an interim relief prior to a final decision, provided that the facts and circumstances warrant the issuance of the same; 35. TERASU respectfully prays that the Honorable Commission provisionally authorize the development, ownership, and operation of the Transmission Line considering that the facts, circumstances and the magnitude of the opportunity costs entailed by any further delay in the interconnection of the Project warrants the issuance of a Provisional Authority; 35.1

TERASU hopes to be able to complete development and construction of the facilities at the soonest possible time

18 19 20

22 23 24

29 30

Copies of TERASU’s Certificate of Incorporation, Articles of Incorporation and By-Laws are attached hereto as Annexes “B”, “B-1” and “B-2” and made integral parts hereof; A copy of TERASU’s Certificate of Registration as an RE Developer is attached hereto as Annex “C” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the DOE’s Power Development Plan 2016-2040 (Please see Figure 16, Luzon DemandSupply Outlook, 2016-2040, P-45) is attached hereto as Annex “D” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the DOE presentation by Secretary Alfonso G. Cusi (Please see Slide 7, Required Power System Capacity Addition between 2016 to 2040) is attached hereto as Annex “E” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Solar Energy Service Contract is attached hereto as Annex “F” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the DOE letter endorsement dated November 25, 2019 is attached hereto as Annex “G” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the description and scope of the project denominated as Description of the Project is attached as Annex “H” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Conceptual Engineering Designs are attached as Annexes “I” and “I -1” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the System Impact Study is attached as Annex “J” and made integral part hereof; A copy of letter from NGCP dated Jnly 15, 2019 is attached hereto as Annex “J -1” and made an integral part hereof; Copies of the Facilities Study and the NGCP Letter dated July 16, 2019 are attached as Annexes “K” and “K-1” respectively and made integral parts hereof; NGCP, System Impact Study, please see p. 3 thereof. A copy of the NGCP System Impact Study is attached as Annex “J” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Project Cost Estimates are attached hereto as Annexes “L” and “L-l” and made integral parts hereof; A copy of the Project Schedule Gantt Chart is attached as Annex “M” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Amended Environmental Compliance Certificate is attached as Annex “N” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Certificate of Non -Overlap is attached as Annex “0 “ and made an integral part hereof,, A copy of the letter sent by NGCP on the status of the service agreements between NGCP and Terasu is attached as Annex “P” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Line Diagram is attached as Annex “Q” and made an integral part hereof; Resolution Adopting the Amended Rules on the Definition and Boundaries of Connection Assets for Customers of Transmission Provides, ERC Resolution No. 16, Series of 2011, Annex A, § 2, p.l; A copy of the DOE List of Private Sector-Initiated Power Projects (Luzon), as of September 30, 2018 is attached as Annex “R” and made an integral part hereof; please see p. 12 thereof; A copy of the Transmission Development Plan 2016-2040 ((Please see p. 32, Table 5.3(a)) is attached as Annex “S” and made an integral part hereof; Id at 14; A copy of the Statement of Compliance to the Philippine Grid Code is attached as Annex “T” and made an integral part hereof; Transmission Development Plan 2016-2040. A copy of the Transmission Development Plan 2016-2040 ((Please see p. 32, Table 5.3(a)) is attached as Annex “s” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Company Profile of JS Engineering and Marketing Services with a list of the projects it has undertaken is attached as Annex “U” and made an integral palt hereof; A copy ofTERASU’s General Information Sheet and Audited Financial Statements are attached as Annexes “V” and “V-1” are made integral parts hereof; A copy of names and addresses of personnel responsible for the design, installation, maintenance, and repair of equipment for the proposed system are attached as Annex “W” and made integral parts hereof; Copies of proof of the technical capability of JS Engineering and Marketing Services to operate the transmission line are attached as Annexes “X” , “X-I”, “X-2”, “X-3” and “X-4” and made integral parts hereof; A copy of the Affidavit of Compliance is attached as Annex “Y” and made an integral part hereof; A copy of the Compliance Plan is attached as Annex “Z” and made an integral part hereof. (MS-JAN. 25, 2021)

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

‘Hello Stranger’ craze continues this Valentine’s season COMING from its huge success as digital BL (Boys’ Love) series in 2020, Hello Stranger, top-billed by Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara, returns this Feb. 12 as a full-length feature film. Produced by ABS-CBN Films - Black Sheep, Hello Stranger: The Movie is the first-ever BL movie to be offered on a Valentine season by the Philippines’ biggest motion picture company. In the film—this time helmed by Dwein Ruedas Baltazar — Xavier (Tony Labrusca) and Mico (JC Alcantara), otherwise known as “XavMi,” take the virtual kilig into the real world, through a writing camp. While they, along with extra push from their enabling friends, navigate their young and innocent love in a romantic beach resort, new characters will threaten their relationship with crazy shenanigans and quirky stunts. It should be noted that the eight-part digital series, which serves as the start of Xavier and Mico’s love story, ran from

Most watched BL series ‘Hello Stranger’ starring JC Alcantara and Tony Labrusca’ returns as a Valentine movie.

June 24 to Aug. 19 last year, garnering over a million views each episode released on Black Sheep’s official Facebook page and YouTube channel making it the mostwatched Filipino BL series. Hello Stranger: The Movie also marks the reunion project of Baltazar with Black Sheep following the award-winning 2018 film Oda Sa Wala. In the same year, she also wrote the screenplay of the hit movie, Exes Baggage, and in 2019, she co-wrote Open. Still part of Hello Stranger: The Movie are Vivoree, Gillian Vicencio, Patrick Quiroz, and Miguel Almendras. Joining them in the film are Jin Macapagal, Jae Miranda, and Markus Paterson. Hello Stranger: The Movie streams worldwide via the following platforms: KTX.ph, iWant TFC, and TFC IPTV, Sky Cable pay-per-view, and Cignal pay-perview. Distributed by Cinexpress, tickets are available at an early bird price of P150.00 until Feb. 11, and P200.00 on Feb. 12 onwards.

Nora Aunor tackles first ‘kontrabida’ role A

T 67, the country’s lone superstar Nora Aunor shows no signs of slowing down. But with a career that spans 45 years, is there still a character left to portray that wouldn’t look similar to the roles she had previously played?

La Aunor has explored numerous genres with more than 180 films to her name, essaying unforgettable characters each time. Thus, Godfather Productions head honcho Joed Serrano offered Aunor a character that would possibly make another indelible mark in the superstar’s illustrious career. In a story conference held on Thursday, Serrano said that the upcoming film to be directed by Adolf Alix, Jr. will be the first time that the audience will see Aunor in an antagonist role. “I wouldn’t be in showbiz if not because of Nora Aunor so I am producing this film to honor her. It’s a film that will make history because it’s the first time she’s portraying this kind of character,” Serrano said. He didn’t give a hint at Aunor’s character description but described it as a “movie star” and just continued praising the seasoned actress. He promised that they will endeavor to make the film as memorable as Himala (1982) and The Flor Contemplacion Story. “Showbiz is spelled as Nora Aunor.

We have to admit that. It’s so surprising that even younger people still know her and a lot of young actors want to be part of a project that she’s also part of,” he said. The movie, which is also a tribute to the late screen veteran Anita Linda, will train the spotlight on screen contravidas like Bella Flores, Rosa Rosal, and Zeny Zabala. “Walang bida kung walang kontrabida,” Nora Aunor said when asked why she accepted the antagonist role. “We need film protagonists that will give life and more color to the story. People will get bored if we only have antagonists all the time. Kailangan may kumokontra. Sa lahat ng bagay kailangang may kumokontra,” the superstar related. Needless to say, Aunor enjoys challenging roles but playing a contravida on the big screen will be the first and the last time she is doing it.

“First and last, di na ito mauulit. Pero mayroon ako sa TV, sa Makulay Na Daigdig Ni Nora, nagkontrabida ako. Nakalimutan ko na kung sino ang kaeksena ko, ang tagal na kasi pero minsan lang yun,” she said. Makulay Na Daigdig Ni Nora was a TV series that was on air from 1974 to 1979. Kontrabida also lists Rosanna Roces, Bembol Roco, Nathan Charles, Ricky Gumera, and Jaclyn Jose as part of the cast. A box-office star who will slap Aunor in one of the highlights of the movie is still under wraps. “I don’t mind being slapped kung yun ang nasa storya at gusto ng direktor. Malaki ang respeto at tiwala ko sa aming direktor,” La Aunor ended.

Superstar Nora Aunor with film producer Joed Serrano.

Nora Aunor accepts the title role in Adolf Alix’s film ‘Kontrabida,’ the superstar’s first antagonist role.

Craving for new taste of Pinoy drama: Viewers rave about ‘The Lost Recipe’ LIKE the favorite Pinoy dish adobo, viewers and netizens can’t seem to get enough of The Lost Recipe as the fantasyromance series bannered by Mikee Quintos and Kelvin Miranda officially becomes the highest rating program on GMA News TV (GNTV) this 2021 and a constant top trending topic on Twitter Philippines during its first three days of airing. The Lost Recipe not only contributed to the increased viewership of GNTV’s primetime block but even made it to the Overall Top 20 programs in Urban Phils. for the period Jan. 18 to 20 (based on Nielsen NUTAM overnight data). Even prior to its airing date last Jan. 18, the GMA Public Affairs-produced series has already received praises from netizens for its visually stunning teasers. Its official trailer surpassed the one million view mark just days after it was released. Its pilot airing became the top trending topic on social media last Monday–with the official hashtag

#TheLostRecipe taking the number one spot on Twitter Philippines trends. Its dominance on the social media platform continued the following nights, with the hashtags #TheLostRecipeTimeTravel and #TheLostRecipeAppleVsGinger landing on top of Twitter Philippines’ trending topics last Jan. 19 and 20, respectively. Viewers and netizens are hooked on the story of Harvey and Apple, with some already asking for a marathon recap of the pilot week and for the full episodes to be available online as soon as possible. The Lost Recipe also stars Thea Tolentino, Paul Salas, Lucho Ayala, Maureen Larrazabal, Almira Muhlach, Sue Prado, Topper Fabregas, Ariella Arida, Phytos Ramirez, Prince Clemente, Anton Amoncio, Faye Lorenzo, and Crystal Paras. Taking on special roles in the series are Manilyn Reynes, Gabby Eigenmann, and Kim Rodriguez. Written by Erwin Caezar Bravo,

Top-trending ‘The Lost Recipe’ starring Mikee Quintos and Kelvin Miranda officially becomes the highest rating program on GMA News TV (GNTV) this 2021.

the series airs weeknights at 8:00 p.m. on GMA News TV. Viewers abroad can also catch “The Lost Recipe” via GMA’s

flagship international channel, GMA Pinoy TV. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.

Danilo Barrios pays it forward THERE will always be horror tales of actors or actresses who wasted their influence and gains to vanities and vices. However, glad to report that there are more idols, from the past and present, who managed their personal lives and took good care of their finances. Danilo Barrios, known as one of the more popular members of the immensely popular dance group Street Boys, is a fine example. Presently, this loving husband and doting father is the president of Tatiomax Pharma Corporation, which runs the brands Ysabelle Spa and Skin Clinic, Hugo Clothing, My Precious One, and Tatio Dx Beauty and Wellness Center. Regina, his wife, is the Chief Operating Officer. A few months ago, they launched a four-day donation drive to help typhoon Ulysses victims in Cagayan Valley Region.

Danilo Barrios with sons Alejandro and Hugo, daughter Ysabella and wife Regina.

“It was a platform that we initiated to raise funds to build support for people that suffered unexpected disasters. It was started immediately when the news showed how distressing the aftermath of the typhoon,” Danilo said. “It started with a pledge that part of the total sales from our month-long 12th-anniversary celebration will be donated to the typhoon victims. That commitment to raise more funds gave us the chance to reach out to the affected communities because of Ulysses/ Some 10,000 packs of relief goods were distributed during a fourday visit to the distraught areas of Cagayan and Isabela,” he carried on. Danilo is most grateful to all those who joined them in the fund drive and also to the local officials and marshalls that assisted them to ensure that COVID-19 protocols were observed as they went to certain areas burdened by the disaster. Apart from food, hygiene kits, supplements, important medicines, water, blankets, clothes, and other necessities were distributed. “No one should feel that they were abandoned and nobody cares for them during times like these. To see the smiles and the faces of the people lighting up when we give them our modest gifts, at yung sincerity of their being grateful are priceless,” he averred. When you sow the seeds of love through this act of paying forward, the Universe not only sees it, but shows its appreciation to the givers in a multitude of ways. “Business has become bullish. Sales are up. People do not consider the phrase health is wealth as a cliché anymore. We have more resellers now. Mga work from home sila,” he said. Aside from doing business, Danilo disclosed that he also took a short course in Culinary Arts to make healthier food for his kids and the family. “We need to stay fit and healthy para mas marami tyong magawa and maishare sa iba and sa family. We have a new baby boy, his name is Alejandro. My wife had a safe delivery and both my Regina ang son are healthy and happy.” “We already have three kids, pero we want two more,” Barrios confessed. “My growing family is my source of happiness and inspiration.”

1,000 free concert tickets for Blackpink’s ‘The Show’ ON Friday night, Globe gave away 1000 The Show tickets to Blackpink fans as a gesture of appreciation to those who waited at least two hours during the kickoff event of Korea’s most sought-after girl group concert at the end of this month. The telco aimed to “reinvent the world” of millions of Filipino Blinks fans by staging The Opening Act, an event that featured a series of skylight displays on Jan. 22 using drones at the Bonifacio Global City. The event paid homage to the highly popular K-pop group. Set for live streaming at 7:30 p.m., Globe’s show contractor started its set up as early as 1:00 p.m. and GPS signals were

strong and optimal 30-minutes before the 7:00 p.m. countdown. When the show was about to commence, signals started to suddenly fluctuate. It started with five drones and escalated to 20 drones in just an interval of six minutes. The drones did not normalize and finally lost GPS and satellite signals one by one. The show team was forced to break the program into sequences and attempted to troubleshoot and regain access to the signals. Despite repeated and diligent attempts to reboot the drone systems and stabilize drone signal strength, it did not succeed. The team was forced to end the stream at 8:25 p.m., leading to the show’s

cancellation. The technical report indicated signal jamming as the most likely cause of the drones’ inability to take flight. The jamming targeted the GPS signal of the drones. In a statement, Globe said, “Due to circumstances that are beyond our control, we will need to shift our gears and reschedule The Opening Act to a later date. To express our appreciation for all of you who stayed with us tonight, we will be giving away 1000 The Show tickets so you can catch the girls live on Jan. 31.” Visit Kmmunity PH page on Facebook for more information about the concert and how to get tickets.

After the cancellation of ‘The Opening Act,’ a drone show at BGC in Taguig, Globe is giving away 1000 concert tickets to Blackpink’s ‘The Show.’

Life

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

FOOD

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021

What’s cooking in 2021 and beyond? More plant-based options, exotic flavors, leveled up meal kits to dominate in the coming years

By Bernadette Lunas

NE thing that stood out among the behaviors of Filipinos in lockdown last year was that more time spent at home led to more time spent in the kitchen creating and recreating food—even if it was just mixing till your arms fell off to make Dalgona coffee.

It also opened our eyes to more food options, discovering flavors and types of meal not usually eaten pre-pandemic. “One of the most positive things that happened last year was the widening of the palate for most Filipinos,” said Chef Llena Tan-Arcenas, head of San Miguel Foods Culinary Center (SMFCC). Social media, Tan-Arcenas noted, played a huge role in broadening consumers’ food knowledge as well as cravings, thereby paving the way for more variety on the table. This year’s foodscape is expected to be an expansion and improvement of what started last year. And because, according to Tan-Arcenas, the Philippines, in terms of food trends, is delayed by two years, the following are anticipated to “be more dominant in two to three years’ time.”

Plant-based (almost) everything

Plant-based options saw an increase in popularity last year as consumers looked for healthier options that could give a boost to their health. And in 2021, these options are seen to further grow, “with new and creative ways of using plantbased ingredients,” said Tan-Arcenas. Joining plant-based burger patties are plant-based bacon made from mushroom and plant-based seafood made using legumes. San Miguel Foods’ vegetarian line Veega, for example, offers

Clockwise from top: Minced Meat Empanada, Za’atar Manakish, Sumac Manakish, Sugar Beet Milk Bread, and Dukkah Manakish.

Chef Viboy Miranda’s ready-to-eat Piri Piri Style Chicken with Sautéed Mushroom and Spinach Pasta made in San Miguel Foods Culinary Center’s kitchen.

meat-free giniling, meatballs, sausages, and more. Plant-based eggs, cheese, and milk are likewise gaining popularity, with more options expected to grace grocery shelves (e.g. pistachio milk). More innovative vegetable and fruit snacks are expected to be a hit among dried fruit-loving Filipinos. But these new plant-based snacks will come in different formats—think jerky made from fruits and vegetables but tastes like meat. “Meat alternatives come into play for environmental and health reasons. More and more are looking at plantbased meat to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Chef Ernest Reynoso-Gala. Even food colorants are getting a plant-based update, too, “with the color red dominating across food and drink products.” Much healthier alternatives to artificial food coloring are anthocyanin pigments for red, chlorophyll for green, and turmeric for yellow. Sugar

“As the health and wellness movement expands, consumers are now more open to alternative and flexitarian diets, or diets that support the immune health and cognitive functions, and promote relaxation and relieve stress,” Tan-Arcenas said, adding that such rise in health and wellness awareness “is attributable to the pandemic.”

Blue Pea Brew, tea steeped from dried blue pea flowers with a shot of lemon honey.

beets are added to make a breakfast bread color red, while blue pea and turmeric to make whole wheat breads color blue and yellow, respectively. This is mushrooms, chickpeas, and tofu’s time to shine as well, thanks to their vitamin and mineral properties, flavor, and versatility. Aside from being meat alternatives, the three will each get an update: tofu as chips and nuggets, and chickpeas as “the new cauliflower.” In addition, the water that comes in canned chickpeas, called aquafaba, is gaining popularity as an egg or milk substitute because of its excellent binding properties. For instance, SMFCC chefs created Mocha Oat Clusters using aquafaba as the binder—together with peanut butter—that brings together oats, coffee powder, and dark chocolate. Allulose, a sweetener naturally found in wheat, figs, and raisins, is seen to be the next big thing. “Allulose is just like table sugar but 90 percent less in calories.”

Mocha Oat Clusters made with oats, coffee powder, dark chocolate, peanut butter, and aquafaba (canned chickpea water).

Exploring exotic flavors

“With travel restrictions, more consumers will turn to food this year to explore global and unconventional flavors and ingredients,” said the SMFCC chief. According to her, Filipinos will be more open to exotic flavors such as the Indian spice blend garam masala— added to butter to make garam masala spread—and North African condiments and spices such as dukkah (nuts, sesame seeds, coriander, cumin), za’atar (oregano, thyme, cumin, coriander, and sesame seeds), and sumac. SMFCC showcases these ethnic fla-

Naturally colored Turmeric Bread, Blue Pea Bread, and Sugar Beet Bread with garam masala spread on the side.

FOOD NEWS ROUNDUP Unlimited steak, 50% off buffet at a 5-star hotel MONDAY means half the price on Marriott Café’s lunch and dinner buffet. Manila Marriott’s in-house restaurant is serving a wide array of flavors from East to West for lunch and dinner buffet at a discounted price of P975++ per person during the once-a-week promotion that runs until March 31. The lineup includes savory carvings such as crispy pork belly and ribeye steak, fine seafood selections from mud crab to tiger prawns, cheese and charcuterie, and more. Marriott Café is open daily for lunch at 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and dinner from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Craving quality ribeye? Manila Marriot’s steakhouse Cru, meanwhile, offers an unlimited steak promotion every Thursday. For P1,500 nett, a diner gets to indulge in unlimited serving of 200g Roasted U.S.

Certified Angus Beef Ribeye with a single serving of garlic whipped potato, sautéed carrots, mushroom risotto as sides, black peppercorn sauce, sustainable shrimp cocktail, and mushroom soup. To serve more guests, Cru Steakhouse follows a two-seating schedule, with the first seating starting at 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. and second seating from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Contactless payment via Paymaya or GCash is available. For orders, reservations, and inquiries, call 0917-859-9521 for Marriott Café or 0917-659-5420 for Cru Steakhouse. Cru offers unlimited serving of U.S. Certified Angus Beef Ribeye with a single serving of sides every Thursday. (Inset) Western dishes at Marriot Café whose lunch and dinner buffet is discounted every Monday.

Max’s brings back all-you-can-eat fried chicken every weekend

Banapple opens at Shangri-La Plaza

AFTER a year without its annual All-You-Can Weekends promo, Max’s Restaurant brings back its popular event with more dishes on one plate. Aside from the chain’s bestselling Sarap-ToThe Bones Fried Chicken, each plate comes with Spicy Tofu, Chicken Sisig, and Chicken Lumpiang Shanghai. Each serving also includes steamed rice. Last chance to catch this promo this coming weekend, Jan. 29-31, in all Max’s stores nationwide. Price is P499 per head.

BAKERY and restaurant Banapple, beloved for its Banoffee Pies and Apple Caramel Crumble Pies as well as Hickory Smoked Barbecued Country Ribs, has recently opened at Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City. In addition to dine-in, the newly opened branch on the level 5 of Main Wing also offers the brand’s recently launched express delivery services and food trays. All-you-can fried chicken with sides and rice on weekend at Max’s.

Banapple now serves its bestselling pastries and dishes at Shangri-La Plaza.

vors topped in Manakish bread made from Emperador Hard Wheat Flour and Instant Yeast.

Leveled up ready-to-eat meals

The restriction on dining in restaurants last year had led to the rise of meal kits and improved ready-to-eat meals. “In the past ready-to-eat food was limited to sandwiches or handheld food purchased in convenience stores,” said Tan-Arcenas. Options today now include full meals prepared home cookstyle and dishes served at restaurants. According to Tan-Arcenas and Chef Emelita Galang, more restaurants are expected to offer meal kits with more creative menus and in more innovative packaging with various reheating options.

Upcycled food and functional indulgence

Rounding out the 2021 food trends are upcycled and functional food items. “Upcycling is all about finding a purpose, utilizing neglected and underused parts or recreating byproducts or waste into reusable materials or products of higher value,” explained Tan-Arcenas. SMFCC demonstrates upcycling through its Minced Meat Empanada whose filling is made of saba banana peel and Magnolia Chicken Station Innards. Functional indulgence, on the other hand, covers food and drink that not only look and taste good but also beneficial to the consumer’s health. “Ingredients to look out for include those with fiber, nutrients such as vitamin C and zinc, and antioxidants. Adaptogenic food and drink that can counteract the effects of stress and promote relaxation are also to watch out for.”