Manila Standard - 2021 February 19 - Friday

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on A4) HERE COMES THE SON: MARCOS (Story JR. WILL 'SURELY' RUN FOR PRESIDENT—LAWYER

By Rey E. Requejo

Lawyer and spokesperson Vic Rodriguez revealed Thursday that Marcos, who ran as FORMER Senator Ferdinand “Bong- running mate of President Rodrigo Duterte bong” Marcos Jr. will “surely” join the in 2016 polls, had started “preparing” for the presidential race in 2022 elections. presidential election last January.

Rodriguez said the Marcos camp’s mindset was that they were geared towards 2022 elections since January 1, even before Associate Justice Marvic Leonen decided to finally release his po-

nente on Marcos electoral protest against Vice President Maria Leonor Robredo and urged his fellow magistrates to concur on his arguments.

According to him, the main fight for

the national and local polls in 2022 was the presidential post.

In his previous interviews, Rodriguez did not admit that Marcos was gunning for the highest post of the land. Next page

DOH detects Cebu variant

’Two mutations of concern’ found in 37 of 50 samples; no cause for panic

By Joyce Pangco Pañares

T

HE Department of Health on Thursday said “two mutations of concern” were detected in patients who tested positive for COVID-19 in Cebu.

Dr. Juanito Zuasola Jr., an epidemiologist from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, called the mutations – E484K and N501Y – “homegrown.”

“Whether this variation is virulent, we still need to study some more. But one thing is for sure, this could probably be one of the major reasons why there was a second spike,” he said.

DOH Central Visayas spokesperson and chief pathologist Dr. Mary Jean Loreche said the mutations were found in 37 of the 50 samples from patients in Cebu City, Mandaue City, Lapu-Lapu City and Cebu province that underwent genome sequencing.

Majority of the samples – 29 out of 50 – had “co-occurence” of the two mutations, she said.

“There is no name yet. They have not identified the entire sequence... These two mutations of concern are actually of Next page

VOL. XXXV • NO. 09 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

INTRAMUROS REOPENS. Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat (3rd from left) and officials of the Tourism's Office of Public Affairs and Advocacy gear up for a pictorial at Plaza Moriones, Fort Santiago, Intramuros in Manila during the reopening of Intramuros on Wednesday, Feb.17, 2021. Intramuros will now welcome guests and tourists on a limited capacity. Jess M. Escaros Jr.

Palace allows local gov’ts Most MM mayors support shift to MGCQ pay for vaccines in advance

By Joel Zurbano

By Vito Barcelo, Maricel Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rey E. Requejo LOCAL government units (LGUs) are now

allowed to make advance payments to pharmaceutical companies to buy COVID-19 vaccines, Malacañang said Thursday.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said President Duterte signed Next page

NINE Metro Manila mayors voted Wednesday night in favor of putting the National Capital Region (NCR) under a modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) in March, one more than the eight who wanted to retain the stricter GCQ.The World Health Organization, however, cautioned the country against an overall easing of quarantine restrictions, saying this might result in an upsurge in

cases given the delay in the vaccination rollout and the presence of new COVID variants.

“If we now go for large-scale relaxation of measures, given the current existing situation and the circulation of variants and the fact it will still be many months before a large proportion of Filipinos are vaccinated, we may witness a situation where there’ll be an upsurge of cases and the overwhelming of the health (system). A careful balancing of the situa-

US told: Time to pay over VFA

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

READY FOR THE JAB. Senior citizens take part in a simulated exercise in preparation for mass vaccination against COVID-19 in the city of Manila. City officials led by Vice Mayor Maria Sheilah 'Honey' Lacuna-Pangan and Manila City Health Officer Dr. Arnold Pangan with the help of the Office of the Senior Citizens' Affairs Director Marjun Isidro intend to gather at least 100 senior citizens to participate in the simulation activity at Legarda Elementary School.

THE Palace on Thursday said the time was right for the United States to accept President Duterte’s demand that the Philippines be paid for continuing their Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA).

In a statement, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said the President had already made up his mind to abrogate the treaty so the United States should take the opportunity to convince him otherwise.

“If they want VFA to continue, now is the chance because another signing of the deal is needed,” Roque said in Filipino. “Perhaps, they can say how much they can give. If they have nothing to pay, that’s fine.”

Voter list-up ‘til September eyed, Comelec says

The Palace had earlier said the United States should pay the Philippines some $16 billion, the same amount in assistance it gave to Pakistan.

Duterte said the US should give the country something in return, especially since the Philippines is the “nearest, possible, and convenient outpost” should a war break out.

Duterte abrogated the VFA on Feb. 11, 2020. However, he put a hold on the termination on June 1 last year “in light of political and other developments in the region.”

On Feb. 8, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Philippine and US officials will meet this month to iron out differences over the VFA. Next page

tion is necessary,” WHO Country Representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe said.

“It has not flattened yet and so we still need to be conscious of the fact that there is relatively high level of transmission now there in the community and that the situation is also complicated by the presence of new variants so I believe firmly we still need to maintain these restrictions. That does not mean we cannot loosen up key areas so the economy will Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM FEB. 18)

555,163 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

1,744 31,115 NEW

ACTIVE

11,673

96

512,375

412

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

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NEW

Perseverance’s ’7 minutes of terror’ SEVEN months after blast-off, NASA's Mars 2020 mission will have to negotiate its shortest and most intense phase on Thursday: the "seven minutes of terror" it takes to slam the brakes and land the Perseverance rover on a narrow target on the planet's surface.

Entry, Descent, and Landing

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE Commission on Elections (Comelec) will look into the possibility of extending the period of voter registration set for September 30 this year to accommodate more electors for the 2022 national elections.

This, after Senator Francis Pangilinan asked the commission to do so considering that there were still about 15 million expected eligible voters for the 2022 polls who have not yet registered, according to a combined data from the Comelec and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms, Pangilinan urged the Comelec to extend the voter registration period to 30 days up to 45 days so that more eligible voters would be able to register.

NEW

Next page

NO MAN'S LAND? A Coast Guard officer scours several houses in Taal

FACEBOOK ‘UNFRIENDS’ AUSSIE GOV’T

Volcano Island looking for residents who might have defied the order for them to evacuate and get out of harm's way.

Taal still acting up: 100 tremors

By Maricel V. Cruz

PHIVOLCS bulletin on Thursday.

PHIVOLCS said the Taal Volcano NEARLY 100 tremor activities were re- Network recorded 91 tremor episodes corded by authorities at Taal Volcano in with individual durations of one to five Next page the past 24 hours, according to the latest

WORLD / B2

A2

News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Palace to De Lima: You’re still in jail Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said De Lima had two more drug cases to hurdle, adding “why should she celebrate when she’s still in her jail cell?”

A total three drug cases were filed against the lawmaker.

A critic of President Duterte, the former Justice secretary under the Aquino adminis-

tration is currently detained at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center in Camp Crame.

De Lima said that to be "acquitted even in just one case under the Duterte administration, is a moral victory."

The senator, detained since February 2017, said she was happy about being ab-

solved and the court’s dropping of her case, Criminal Case 17-166.

In a 41-page omnibus order, Judge Liezel Aquiatan of Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 205 granted de Lima’s demurrer to evidence in Criminal case 17-166.

The Muntinlupa court said the prosecution failed to establish evidence that De Lima conspired with Dera in the alleged illegal drug trade inside the New Bilibid Prison during her stint as Justice Secretary, with Jad Dera supposedly collecting drug money from inmate Peter Co. "While there exists a factual link that Peter Co delivered money through his bank transactions, this Court is convinced that the prosecution did not present sufficient

DOH...

us guidance on this. It should help us prepare and also do the necessary mitigating factors to control our cases,” she said.

The country earlier recorded 44 cases of COVID-19 with the more transmissible UK variant.

Earlier this month, a British minister in charge of vaccine deployment said there are now around 4,000 variants of the novel coronavirus around the world and vaccine makers must improve their shots to combat the new strains.

"All manufacturers, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and others, are looking at how they can improve their

vaccine to make sure that we are ready for any variant – there are about 4,000 variants around the world of COVID now,” British Minister Nadhim Zahawi said.

"It's very unlikely that the current vaccine won't be effective on the variants especially when it comes to severe illness and hospitalization," he added.

According to the British Medical Journal, only a very small minority of the mutated strains are likely to be important even as thousands of variants have been detected.

Meanwhile, a returning overseas Filipino worker from the United Arab Emirates has contracted COVID-19 despite re-

ceiving two vaccine doses, Loreche said.

She said the OFW, who arrived in the country on January 5, received the jabs on December 12, 2020 and January 2.

Five family members of the OFW likewise tested positive and are now under isolation.

“We know that even if a person is given the vaccine, this does not guarantee that you will have immunity. A vaccine prevents a severe disease. So if you were vaccinated and you contracted COVID, your will not suffer severe symptoms or be confined at the intensive care unit,” she said.

have to dismiss the counter protest”.

“We have two pending causes of action before the tribunal. One is the manual recount and judicial revision which is strictly election protest and the other one, the annulment, our third cause of action.

The annulment of election results in the three provinces of Mindanao,” Rodriguez explained.

He pointed out that Marcos was not putting an end on the third cause of his protest saying “it has been established during the numerous hearings and decisions and deliberations of the court that the third cause of action was separate, distinct and could proceed independently from the manual recount and judicial revision”.

Marcos’ electoral protest was filed in June 2016.

Robredo won by a very small margin against Marcos, which strongly suggests that the veteran politician from the northern part of the country had a large following.

This was affirmed by the first survey on presidential candidates done by Pulse Asia last November which showed that Marcos was second to Davao City Mayor

Sara Duterte – Carpio.

Another survey done by another firm revealed that Marcos also got the second highest votes.

The only difference with the second survey was that Marcos was “very close” to Carpio – Duterte.

This means that Marcos’s approval rating as a presidential candidate gained additional percentage points compared to Carpio – Duterte.

After this, Carpio, President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter, issued a statement stating she was not interested to run for president.

She even urged Pulse Asia and other survey firms, for that matter, to exclude her in the presidential survey.

Tied with Marcos was Senator Mary Grace Poe in the two surveys.

Poe’s camp previously claimed that the lawmaker would not run for president in 2022 polls.

Other politicians who followed Marcos and Poe, but significantly far from them, in the same survey were all allies and supporters of President Duterte.

The only one who belongs to the opposition is Robredo who was ranked sixth in the survey.

Robredo is the chair of the Liberal Party (LP).

LP lost all of its nine senatorial candidates in 2019 polls.

Rodriguez made it clear that “regardless of the ultimate outcome of the decision [of the Supreme Court], regardless of the ultimate verdict of the tribunal, we will carry on...”

He said: “The dismissal of the election protest, meaning the manual recount and judicial revision per se, are no longer as impactful compared to the years after Senator Marcos filed his electoral protest in 2016. Maybe if they released it two years into the life of the case.

“But five years have passed, we are only in three pilot provinces . . . Even if they say let’s give due course to the election protest—meaning the manual recount and judicial revision, do they honestly believe that we can still both end the manual recount in the remaining almost 20 provinces with only one year and four months left?

Force (NTF) against COVID-19 and the Department of Health to make advance payments exceeding 15 percent of the total contract amount for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said the grant of authority to LGUs will be effective until the state of calamity due to COVID-19 is lifted.

The memorandum sets limits to LGU purchases, however. LGUs may make advance payments as long as they are authorized by the NTF chief implementor, subject to criteria and limits that may be established.

“In the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, government agencies and LGUs concerned shall ensure that any arrangements to be entered into shall be in the best interests of the government and the public,” the MO read.

“All advance payments to be made pursuant to this order shall be subject to procurement law, auditing rules and regulations, and other pertinent issuances,” it added.

Meanwhile, Malacanang said the delivery of 600,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Chinese firm Sinovac may be delayed due to the absence of an emergency use authorization (EUA).

Roque said if the EUA is not issued soon, the delivery of 600,000 may not arrive on Feb. 23 as expected.

An EUA, issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is needed to legally administer a vaccine in the Philippines.

“We need to get the EUA for the vaccines to be delivered,” Roque said.

US...

Citing a study published by the international journal Ecosystem Services last year, she said China did about P231.7 billion worth of damage to Philippine reefs over seven years.

The value per coral reef was pegged at P18 million, and this amount was multiplied by 1,850 hectares of reef ecosystems in Panatag and Spratlys that have been damaged by China.

Hontiveros also said the looted fish catch could come to a total of P644 billion, by one estimate.

Last year, Hontiveros filed Senate Resolution 369 to have China foot the bill of the country’s COVID-19 response by paying the over P200 billion worth of reparations owed to the Philippines due to its activities in the WPS. She said this amount should now be updated to include the recent computations.

"We cannot take back the marine resources that China has destroyed in the WPS. Let us go after China,” she said.

Former Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario had said that livelihoods of 350,000 fishermen have been harmed by China’s presence in the WPS. The senator emphasized that Filipinos have the legitimate right to demand reparations.

In fact, Japan already paid the Philippines reparations for, among others, the destruction of Manila during World War II. The United States also paid the Philippines after the USS Guardian gashed corals around the Sulu Sea in 2015.

By Vito Barcelo and Macon Ramos-Araneta

M

ALACAÑANG told Senator Leila de Lima Thursday not to celebrate yet despite the junking of her drug-related case by the Muntinlupa Regional Court, saying she’s still in jail.

From A1

global concern (because) they are related to increased transmissibility,” she said.

“Whether these are going to be more virulent, would cause a more severe disease or be more pathogenic, it is hard to say. We have to wait first... We need to be more cautious, but not too cautious that we have to lock down,” Loreche added.

She said 91 more samples have been sent to the Philippine Genome Center.

“We are thankful to the PGC for giving

Here...

From A1

“What is clear is that Marcos would definitely join the national elections despite the Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET), dismissed two of the three causes of Marcos protest,” he stressed.

Rodriguez said the dismissal of Marcos electoral protest was “not relevant anymore” to presidential elections.

However, he did not categorically mention that Marcos was finally giving up the fight for his electoral protest.

Rodriguez asserted the PET’s decision clearly showed that it had only thrown out two of the three causes of Marcos protests.

Rodriguez explained that “when we speak of election protest ... in its strictest legal meaning it has .. d a legal meaning.

Election protest pertains solely to manual recount and judicial revision… Surely, when you dismissed the entire election protest meaning the manual recount and judicial revision. [I]t follows that you

Palace...

From A1

the memorandum order allowing LGUs to make advance payments of up to 50 percent of the value for the purchase of the vaccines.

Duterte has also certified as urgent the proposed law mandating an indemnification fund for people who might experience the possible adverse effects of the COVID vaccines.

Such a fund is a requirement of the COVAX Facility and the lack of an indemnification law has already delayed one shipment of vaccines from Pfizer.

On Thursday, World Health Organization representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said the delivery of the 117,000 vaccine doses under the COVAX Facility will happen “in two weeks” or in the first week of March.

The WHO official said while the Philippines has submitted its proposed indemnification agreement, Pfizer-BioNTech has yet to submit its counter-proposal.

“Once they both sign, it is only upon the completion of that process that the delivery of the shipment will be scheduled,” he added.

The government aimed to start its mass vaccination drive this month.

Front-line health workers will be the first in line to receive the COVID-19 vaccine shots, based on the government’s immunization plan.

Duterte's memorandum released yesterday also authorizes the National Task

Taal...

From A1

minutes. The number has increased compared to the 69 tremors recorded on Wednesday.

Weak emission of white steam-laden plumes that rose five meters high from fumaroles was observed in the main crater. PHIVOLCS said this is lower compared to the 20-meter high white steamladen plumes on Wednesday.

On February 12, the temperature of the main crater lake was measured at 77.1°C with a pH of 1.59, according to PHIVOLCS. Meanwhile, more than a year after Taal Volcano’s eruption, a leader of the House of Representatives called on concerned government agencies to expedite the release of financial aid and housing provisions for affected evacuees.

“We appeal to the National Housing Authority, sa DSWD and other agencies of government to expedite the release of financial aid to our people affected by the Taal Volcano eruption. Up to now, they still live in fear due to the lack of security about their situation," Vargas, chair of the House Social Services Committee, said.

Vargas said renewed volcanic activities in Taal, which has prompted authorities to evacuate residents from Volcano Island, only underscores the urgency of government action.

“The volcano is again acting up but the promises of assistance that government agencies made last year have not been fulfilled. They have been waiting for a year. This should not happen,” Vargas said.

Vargas earlier filed House Resolution 1591, urging concerned national government agencies to fast-track the aid disbursement.

From A1

Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) chief Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana said the military should be able to stand on its own if the VFA with the United States comes to an end.

Senator Panfilo Lacson, meanwhile, continued his word war with chief presidential legal counsel Salvador Panelo, saying he would defend the President, right or wrong.

After Panelo mocked Lacson for “misunderstanding” the Constitution, the senator blasted administration officials for saying senators had “nothing to do” with the VFA. “Whether or not an international agreement or a treaty has already been made valid and effective, it is still wrong to assert that a sitting senator and even an ordinary citizen of this country has no more freedom to express his opinion with something that concerns our national interest,” Lacson said.

Taking a page from the President, Senator Risa Hontiveros renewed her call for the Chinese government to pay up for the wealth and marine life stolen from the West Philippine Sea due to Beijing’s adventurism in Philippine waters.

“Time to pay up. The Chinese Embassy had earlier refused to pay when we exacted payment in the amount of more than P200 billion due to the destruction in WPS since 2013,” Hontiveros said.

Perseverance’s...

From A1

(EDL) begins when the spacecraft carrying Perseverance strikes the Martian atmosphere at nearly 12,500 miles per hour (20,000 kilometers per hour).

It ends around seven minutes later with the rover at rest on the surface.

Touchdown on the Jezero Crater is scheduled for 3:55 pm US eastern time (2055 GMT). Weather conditions so far appear favorable in the Martian northern hemisphere spring, but nothing is taken for granted.

"This is one of the most difficult maneuvers that we do in this business, and almost 50 percent of the spacecraft that had been sent to the surface of Mars have failed," Matt Wallace, the mission's deputy project manager said.

Ten minutes before entering the Martian atmosphere, the spacecraft

evidence to establish Dera’s relationship or connection with De Lima," the court said in its ruling.

Meanwhile, in separate rulings, granted De Lima's Demurrer to Evidence in Case Number 17-166, but denied the same in Case Number 17-165.

Aquiatan denied the demurrer filed by De Lima’s co-accused, Jad Dera, in Case Number 17-166 but allowed the latter to post bail worth P500,000.

De Lima said aside from claiming they were not drug lords, the government’s witnesses against her testified under oath that they did not have illegal transactions with her or personal knowledge about her supposed involvement in drug trading in the NBP.

sheds its cruise stage that supplied the fuel tanks, radios and solar panels on the voyage.

It's left with just a protective aeroshell, carrying the rover and descent stage, and it fires thrusters to make sure its heat shield is forward facing.

At about 80 miles (130 kilometers) altitude, it careens into the atmosphere and things start to get hot: peak heating occurs about 80 seconds in when the heat shield surface reaches 2,370 degrees Fahrenheit (about 1,300 degrees Celsius).

Perseverance is tucked away safely in the aeroshell, only experiencing room temperature.

The craft might need to fire thrusters to stay on course as it hits air pockets.

Once the spacecraft has slowed down to less than 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) an hour, it's time to deploy the 70.5 feet (21.5 meters) wide supersonic parachute at an altitude of seven miles (11 kilometers). AFP

Most...

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benefit but that has to be done in a very targeted manner,” he added.

Meanwhile, in an interview with radio dzBB, Navotas Mayor Toby Tiangco said the vote on the shift to MGCQ will be the official position of the Metro Manila Council that will be submitted to the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF).

The mayors took a vote after officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) discussed the importance of loosening quarantine restrictions as a way to revive the economy, which has been devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. said the NCR mayors are ready to implement any community quarantine status, whether it is general community quarantine or MGCQ. "But for me, if you ask me, I want it slowly, open up slowly. Let's see if it's okay. What is three weeks, what is one month, and then you open it up again,” Abalos said.

“If you open the economy, we also need to factor in safeguards. It is a big challenge for the government to help the economy going while keeping the people safe and healthy. The Metro Manila mayors play a big role in this issue. We cannot allow the government’s gains in controlling the spread of the virus be put to waste.

We must balance the economy and health for everyone’s safety,” he added.

The MMDA chief said the mayors are also willing to allow persons aged 15 to 65 to go out of their homes in Metro Manila.

On Monday, NEDA chief Karl Kendrick Chua proposed placing the entire country under MGCQ starting March 1 to enable Filipinos to start earning and spending.

NEDA also suggested that public transport capacity be raised from 50 percent to 75 percent and allowing more provincial buses to operate.

It also suggested expanding the age groups allowed to leave their homes, from the current 15 to 65 to 5 to 70, and resuming pilot testing of face-to-face classes.

Calls to ease quarantine restrictions came as the Department of Health reported 1,744 new infections, bringing total COVID-19 cases to 555,163.

The DOH reported 96 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 11,673 since the pandemic started. It said 412 more patients recovered, bringing to 512,375 the number of patients who recovered from the disease.

Voter...

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"It's just a matter of a 30 days extension or 45 days extension, I think the Comelec should consider this. Because precisely you have 15 million estimated who are not registered," he said.

Comelec commissioner Marlon Casquejo said they would look into Pangilinan's proposal, although he expressed concern this would affect the timeline they had set for the 2022 elections.

The period for the filing of candidacy, in fact, would start on October 15.

Pangilinan said there might be a need to review the Comelec’s rules on deactivation of voter registration records after a poll official revealed 7 million of them were deactivated due to failure to participate in the last two elections.

During the hearing of the Senate Committee on Electoral Reforms chaired

by Sen. Imee Marcos, Pangilinan also raised the possibility of raising the limit to three consecutive elections before records would have to be deactivated.

According to the Pangilinan, the seven million whose records were removed by the Comelec could have augmented the poll body’s target of voters for 2022.

Comelec Deputy Executive Director for Operations Teopisto Elnas said the current number of registered voters stood at 54 million.

He also told senators they were expecting only three million of the seven million former voters would reactivate their Comelec records.

So far, he related that only 200,000 of them have applied to reactivate their data.

Elnas also said the Comelec targets a total of 4 million new voter registrations by the end of September. He said that of this number, 1.3 million have already registered while the records of 1.6 million voters from the Sangguniang Kabataan elections would be extracted and added to the Comelec database, subject to approval of the city and municipal Election Registration Boards.

Pangilinan also quizzed Comelec officials about their plans and interventions to ensure that those who are willing and able to register to vote will be able to do so until the September 30, 2021 deadline.

Marcos said aside from Congress’ mandate to provide for a system for securing the secrecy and sanctity of the ballot, it is also bound to ensure wide participation during electoral exercises, plebiscite or referendum by senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disabilities and indigenous

News

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

A3

Increased indemnity over ASF backed

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

CONGRESSIONAL leader on Thursday backed the appeal of various hog producers for the government to increase the indemnification cost for every pig that contracted the African swine fever.

Rep. Mark Enverga of Quezon, chairman of the House of Representatives’ committee on agriculture and food, said the local swine industry was in dire need of help after the deadly disease entered the country in 2019. The ASF resulted in the shutting down of

many hog farms, as well as those socalled backyard raisers who decided to temporarily stop their business.

Enverga also asked the Department of Agriculture to come out with a ‘winwin solution’ that would first address the problem that harmed swine raisers

and assure the steady supply of pork in the market by assisting local producers in reviving their operation.

He lauded President Rodrigo Duterte’s decision, through the DA, to compensate the hog farmers for every pig that they had lost due to ASF. The DA is paying P5,000 per head of swine that died and those needed to be culled to stop the spread of the virus.

But he was quick to say that the amount was not enough even to recover the losses incurred by the hog producers, saying the government should also put into consideration the challenges brought about by

the COVID-19 pandemic.

Enverga lamented that after experiencing a great loss to ASF, many hog producers were adamant to reinvest for fear of failing to recover not only their new capital but also their previous losses as well.

It was for these reasons that Enverga echoed the earlier statement made by Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines President Edwin Chen calling for the DA that from P5,000 per head, the agency should pay pork farmers P10,000 for each pig infected by ASF. “Yes, we support the call for an in-

Debt-for-equity deal application upheld by Court

3-time flunkers should hurdle refresher Bar courses—SC

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has approved an online refresher course for the law graduates who failed thrice in the previous bar examinations, but they must show satisfactory results if they want to qualify for this year’s Bar tests.

In a resolution, the high court said that for online classes to be valid as a refresher course, they “shall be conducted synchronously through video conferencing.”

The high court said only law schools authorized to offer refresher courses under valid special government permits issued by the Legal Education Board were qualified to offer online fourth year and pre-bar review courses.

Nonetheless, the traditional on-site classes are still allowed “subject to hygiene requirements.”

Section 16 of the Rules of Court disqualifies those who have failed the Bar examinations thrice from taking it again unless they undergo refresher courses.

Under the rules, three-time bar flunkers also have to show to the satisfaction of the Court they have enrolled in and passed regular fourth year review classes as well as attended pre-bar review courses in a recognized law school.

The subjects covered in the refresher courses are reviews on political/constitutional law, labor law, civil law, taxation, commercial law, criminal law and remedial law.

“The objective of requiring these refresher courses is to make sure those who previously failed the Bar examinations undertake the necessary steps to prepare before taking it again,” the high court said.

crease from P5,000 to P10,000 indemnification pay out,” he said.

Last Tuesday, Enverga’s committee conducted a joint hearing with the House Committee on Trade and Industry in response to several house resolutions asking for an inquiry regarding the unexpected increase in the retail price of pork, particularly in Metro Manila, and the status of the hog sector.

Stall owners and other retailers were one in saying the shortage in the supply of fresh pork was the primary reason for the sudden spike of the market price of the highly demanded product.

DISTRIBUTION. Lawmakers Alan Peter Cayetano, Dan Fernandez, Mike Defensor and Jonathan Sy Alvarado distribute sacks of cement, sets of appliances and immunity packs to around 25 families whose houses were destroyed in a fire in November in Bukangliwayway Street in Barangay Tumana, Marikina City. Norman Cruz

Step up water resources management, agencies told A COMMITTEE in the House of Representatives has asked the Department of Public Works and Highways and the National Water Resources Board to step up their efforts in addressing the flooding and water resources problem in the National Capital Region.

The panel’s head, Rep. Manuel Luis of Manila, made the statement during a congressional hearing on the flood control projects being undertaken by the department in coordination with several agencies of the government.

“I think you are required to step up because as head of the flood control situation in Metro Manila, it is unacceptable that we would not have dras-

tic [measures to be implemented] So, [to be fair] to the 15 million residents of the National Capital Region, we ask you to step up [your efforts]. You [should] think out of the box,” Lopez told DPWH during the hearing on Wednesday.

The lawmaker from Tondo lamented their situation last year when Tondo was flooded due to Typhoon Ulysses and experienced water service interruption at the same time. Lopez also cited Marikina Rep. Stella Quimbo’s complaint about the unsolved flooding in Marikina and nearby cities.

In response, Lydia Aguilar, DPWH flood control engineer, said the agency

had been working on 11 large-scale priority projects under the 2012 flood management master plan to address the frequent flooding in parts of Metro Manila and nearby provinces.

Among these projects, Aguilar said, were the construction of a dam upstream, river channel and drainage improvements, construction of pumping stations and rehabilitation of existing ones, and dredging and other river improvement projects. Also in the pipeline was the Parañaque Spillway project, the feasibility project of which was now ongoing with the technical assistance of the Japan International Cooperation Agency. Maricel V. Cruz

Red Cross supports BJMP’s visiting program

dalaw program] provided tablets. The number of tablets and load to be donated depend on the size THE International Committee of the Red Cross of the jail,” said Victa Garde-Lipio, ICRC detenhas donated communication gadgets in support tion field officer.

Family visits in detention facilities have been of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology’s “e-dalaw program” for inmates to see and suspended since the pandemic hit the country.

The visits were halted by detention authorities talk to their families via video conferences amid in March last year as a precaution for the often the COVID-19 pandemic. congested jails and prisons, alongside The ICRC supported the program by donating extremely Manila stricter infection prevention measures.

89 tablet devices and internet and call load forStandard TODAY 31 jails and COVID-19 facilities for detainees. The donation was also made to ensure REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES that health and safety protocols are observed COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS in the jails when using the tablets.

“The BJMP’s e-dalaw program has been ANNOUNCEMENT there for a while now but because of the pandemic, the need for it intensified. They had set President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA) for the confirmation of the ad interim appointments of the following senior officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), namely: up a system for it but many of the jails lacked the devices. The ICRC as a support [to the e1. REX D. TEMPLONUEVO, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 41. MARLON ROY B. ROA, to the rank of Captain, PN (Res.)

By Joel E. Zurbano

VACCINATION. Health workers from Barangay Salitran 3 and the City Health Office of Dasmarinas City, Cavite, administer mass oral polio vaccines to children 5 years old and below at the Molino Homes II Subdivision covered court on Feb. 18. Children 9-59 months old will be given the measles-rubella vaccine while those 0-59 months old will be provided with an oral polio vaccine.

Mangatarem forest declared protected area in DENR order

By Rio N. Araja THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has declared a 4,422.8-hectare forest in Mangatarem, Pangasinan, as part of its national efforts to conserve threatened and endemic wild animals and plants in the country.

Secretary Roy Cimatu issued a DENR administrative order citing the forest area will be called as the Mangatarem Critical Habitat in barangays Cacaoiten, Cabaluyan II, Calomboyan Sur, Lawak Langka, Catarataraan, Pacalat and Malabobo.

“In doing this, we at the DENR can save habitats which are critical for the survival of threatened species or species at risk of extinction, including other associated wildlife, and at the same time provide this land area a legal framework to protect it from destructive uses,” he said.

The habitat is a 4,422.80-hectare forest that serves as home to several threatened and endemic fauna species, including the Philippine deer, Philippine warty pig, Philippine duck, flame-breasted fruit dove, Philippine eagle owl, Luzon scops owl and Rufous hornbill.

Some of the flora species included the threatened oi-ói, kalíngag and malabayábas.

THE Supreme Court has turned down the bid of the Pangilinan-led Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company to stop Globe and Bayan Telecommunications Inc.’s joint application filed with the National Telecommunications Commission for the regulatory approval of the debt-to-equity transaction between the two firms.

In a six-page resolution, the SC’s First Division held that the petition for review filed by PLDT seeking the reversal of the Court of Appeals’ decision issued in 2015 that sustained the validity of the orders issued on November 27, 2013, December 13, 2013 and July 3, 2014 by the respondent NTC was moot and academic.

The assailed NTC orders allowed the continuation of the proceedings before the agency, in connection with Globe and Bayantel’s joint application for regulatory approval and denied the PLDT’s motion to dismiss or suspend the same.

The high court said the petition for review had become moot and academic with the approval of Globe and Bayantel’s Joint Application by the NTC last July 2, 2015.

“In this case, while the certiorari petition filed by PLDT questioning the interlocutory orders issued by the NTC was pending, the NTC rendered a decision on the Joint Application…

Given this development, any action on the certiorari petition on mere incidental matters of the Joint Application would not accord any practical relief to PLDT,” the resolution said.

Globe and Bayantel had sought the denial of PLDT’s petition for review on the ground that it had become moot and academic because of the issuance of the NTC decision on July 2, 2015, approving the joint application.

They noted that PLDT had already resorted to the filing of a motion for reconsideration before the NTC seeking to set aside its July 2, 2015 resolution.

But PLDT insisted that the petition had not been mooted by the approval of the Joint Application considering that such decision was not yet final and executory. Rey E. Requejo

Manila

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Standard

TODAY COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS ANNOUNCEMENT

President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA) for its consent on the nominations and for the confirmation of the ad interim appointments of the following officials in the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), namely: Nominations: 1. Mr. GENEROSO DE GUZMAN CALONGE

Chief of Mission, Class I as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Iraq.

2. Ms. MARIA THERESA B. DIZON-DE VEGA Chief of Mission, Class I as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Korea.

Ad Interim Appointments: 3.

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Ms. IMELDA MACAPUNDAG PANOLONG Mr. RALY LOFAMIA TEJADA Ms. JESUSA SUSANA VILLAR PAEZ Mr. ERIC GERARDO ESCARRILLA TAMAYO Mr. ARMAN RACHO TALBO Mr. ROBERT ERIC ALABADO BORJE Ms. RAPUNZEL AGLIPAY ACOP

10. Mr. ROMMEL ARIMAN ROMATO Nomination: 11. Mr. LEO MARLON BISMONTE REALO

Chief of Mission, Class I Chief of Mission, Class I Chief of Mission, Class II Chief of Mission, Class II Career Minister Career Minister Foreign Service Officer, Class I Foreign Service Officer, Class I Foreign Service Officer, Class IV

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/ notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) copies of the above nominations and ad interim appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 88310527, 8832-9830, 8834-2706 and 8551-1989.

2. JUSTINO T. RAMOLETE, to the rank of Colonel. PAF 3. JOSEPH B. MADARANG JR., to the rank of Colonel, PAF 4. CHRISTIAN P. MANGLICMOT, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 5. BENEDICT A. BODEGON, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 6. CHRISTOPHER L. FREDELUCES, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 7. NOLAN ANACLETO G. TUMESA, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 8. JONATHAN B. GASTARDO, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 9. JOSHUA R. LEONES, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 10. ANN MARIE T. GERODIAZ, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 11. ROLANDO CONRAD B. PEÑA III, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 12. ROZELLE B. SALVOSA, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 13. JOYCELYN P. ANTIG, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 14. ALAN DOLORITO MACATINGRAO, to the rank of Colonel, PAF 15. NORME V. OMABTANG, to the rank of Colonel, PAF (Res.) 16. LINO D. INAHID, to the rank of Colonel, PAF (Res.) 17. RIC MICHAEL G BARING, to the rank of Colonel, PAF (Res.) 18. JOSEPH C REVILLA, to the rank of Colonel, PAF (Res.) 19. BONIFACIO I. MANZANO, to the rank of Captain, PN 20. ELMER G. TORIADO, to the rank of Captain, PN 21. REMUEL C. JARDINERO, to the rank of Captain, PN 22. JUNMAR A. SALES, to the rank of Captain, PN 23. NERELITO P. MARTINEZ, to the rank of Captain, PN 24. SANTIAGO P. PACIS JR., to the rank of Captain, PN 25. ARIEL C. HALASAN, to the rank of Captain, PN 26. DANILO T. FACUNDO, to the rank of Colonel, PN(M) 27. LEO C. DIMOC, to the rank of Captain, PN 28. JONATHAN A. SALVILLA, to the rank of Captain, PN 29. PERCEEVAL O. BUTED, to the rank of Captain, PN 30. EDILBERTO O. BALDUMAN, to the rank of Captain, PN 31. LEMAR R. DELA CALZADA, to the rank of Captain, PN 32. REYNALDO P. LOPEZ, to the rank of Captain, PN 33. JUDE JOSEPH A. SUMPAY, to the rank of Captain, PN 34. RONALD M. VIRTUDAZO, to the rank of Colonel, PN(M) 35. JOSE MARIE T. SANTOS, to the rank of Colonel, PN(M) 36. JIM P. RAZO, to the rank of Captain, PN 37. DANTE ROBERT B. GRASPARIL, to the rank of Colonel, PN(M) 38. OLIVER P. FERNANDEZ, to the rank of Captain, PN (Res.) 39. VENUS G. GUALDAQUEVER, to the rank of Captain, PN (Res.) 40. TIRSO L. CHAVEZ, to the rank of Captain, PN (Res.)

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ESPERANZA R. CASIAO, to the rank of Colonel, PN(M) (Res.) NEALON EUGENE P. BATALLA, to the rank of Colonel, (MC) PAUL VINCENT D. FAJARDO, to the rank of Colonel, (VC) MARVIN A. DE JESUS, to the rank of Colonel, (MAC) DARLENE D. FLORES, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) ALLAN L. TIU, to the rank of Colonel, (JAGS) ROLANDO C. ESCALONA JR., to the rank of Colonel, (JAGS) ROSEL L. TAN, to the rank of Colonel, (JAGS) JESUS FRANCISCO M. TORBELA, to the rank of Colonel, (PROF) ARISTOTLE D. MAGLASANG, to the rank of Colonel, (PROF) JONNA D. DALAGUIT, to the rank of Colonel, (MC) (Res.) WILLIAM P. UY, to the rank of Colonel, (MC) (Res).

SANTIAGO O. RODRIGUEZ JR., to the rank of Colonel,(MC) (Res.) ALAN E. ROMERO, to the rank of Colonel, (MC) (Res.) WILLIAM A. AVERION, to the rank of Colonel, (VC) (Res.) PETER TOM T. ALANGUI, to the rank of Colonel, (VC) (Res.) NELSON S. SIMPLICIANO, to the rank of Colonel, (VC) Res. PERPETUO P. TAN JR., to the rank of Colonel, (VC) (Res.) JOSEPH ALAIN U. IBUNA, to the rank of Colonel, (MAC) (Res.) JAYSON A. AGUILA, to the rank of Colonel, (MAC) (Res.) LOURDES P. DACOSCOS, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) BARBARA LOLLINI C. CONTE, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) ERLYN N. ESPERA, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) ANNALIZA U. YANTO, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) MARIA TERESA B. RUDIO, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) ARLENE M. MANDAL, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) JEANETTE S. RIVAREZ, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) ASSUMPTION R. DY, to the rank of Colonel, (NC) (Res.) RUEL P. BALDEO, to the rank of Colonel, (DS) (Res.) ABNER E. VIRAY, to the rank of Colonel, (DS) (Res.) ROGELIO T. MONTERO JR., to the rank of Colonel, (DS) (Res.) JOEL A. ARCILLA, to the rank of Colonel, (DS) (Res.) PRIMITIVO M. CORPUZ JR., to the rank of Colonel, (JAGS) (Res.) MA VICTORIA R. ODULIO, to the rank of Colonel, (JAGS) (Res.) CARLITO T. BUSLON, to the rank of Colonel, (CHS) (Res.) DANECK E. DANG-AWAN, to the rank of Colonel, (CHS) (Res.) RENE E. TAMBAGO, to the rank of Colonel, (CHS) (Res.) PABLITO F. MELCHOR, to the rank of Colonel, (CHS) (Res.)

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) copies on the above ad interim appointments to the CA Secretariat, 6th Floor, PNB Financial Center, D. Macapagal Blvd., Pasay City, Metro Manila.

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 8834-2706 and 8551-1989.

17 February 2021.

18 February 2021.

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-FEB. 19, 2021)

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-FEB. 19, 2021)

A4

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

NEWS

P77m in cigarettes, P45m in counterfeit toys seized

By Joel E. Zurbano and Vito Barcelo

T

HE Bureau of Customs (BOC) on Thursday filed criminal cases against two importers for the alleged misdeclaration and illegal importation of counterfeit and prohibited goods worth almost P77 million.

This developed as government agents raided a storage facility in Bulacan and seized P45 million worth of counterfeit toys and other smuggled items from China.

In a statement, the Bureau’s Action Team Against Smugglers (BATAS) filed the cases against private companies YJC International Corporation and MBS Cargo Movers Co. before the Department of Justice (DOJ).

The case against YJC International Corporation was for the illegal importation and misdeclaration of 1,599 cartons (79,950 reams) of counterfeit cigarettes with a total value of P76.8 million.

The shipment, which was busted on January 3 at the Manila International Container Port (MICP), was declared as plastic frames and sheets.

MBS Cargo Movers was also charged for alleged illegal importation and misdeclaration of 344 boxes of “ukay-ukay” (used clothes) that were intercepted on August 10, 2020 at the MICP. The consignee declared its shipment as used personal effects.

Meanwhile, the raid, conducted by the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, came after the Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines (IPOPHL) sought the help of the bureau in stopping the proliferation of counterfeit and pirated goods.

Armed with the Letter of Authority signed

by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, the CIIS team assigned at the Manila International Container Port executed the operation with the help of the National

Bureau of Investigation.

Also seized during the raid at the warehouse in Guiguinto town were helmets, steel, resins, and machinery, among others.

“Further investigation is underway for the possible filing of cases for violation of Section 1400 of Republic Act 10863 (Customs Modernization and Tariff Act) as well as pertinent Intellectual Property Laws,” said Guerrero.

IPOPHL representatives led by Director General Rowel Barba and makers of signature products earlier met Customs officials and discussed possible measures to intensify border protection against rampant intellectual property rights violations.

The agency revealed that complaints on counterfeiting and piracy filed with the agency in 2020 surged to 121 cases as the coronavirus pandemic presented lucrative opportunities for unscrupulous traders.

Records also showed that most of the complaints concerned counterfeiting, while the remaining 54 were on the illegal sharing and selling of copyrighted works.

700 kilos of veggies from Harvest Festival

By Rio N. Araja QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Thursday spearheaded a harvest festival in Barangay Bagong Silangan with a yield of 700 kilos of vegetables.

The city government and Department of Agrarian Reform held the first “Buhay sa Gulay” harvest festival at the barangay’s Luntiang Paraiso urban vegetable farm at New Greenland farm.

“After 41 days, we are very grateful that the New Greenland farm is finally having its first harvest. It is worth celebrating because it was made possible through the collective effort of the government and the farmers of Bagong Silangan,” the city mayor said.

Belmonte is the chairperson of the QC Food Security Task Force.

The project aims to promote the importance of urban farming and empower urban dwellers to have an alternative source of income by producing and selling fresh and nutritious vegetables.

Barangay Bagong Silangan is the city’s first urban vegetable farm under the Buhay sa Gulay initiative of DAR and the Department of Agriculture.

The project is also in partnership with the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Bread Society International, and the local barangay.

A one-hectare pilot site within the 11-hectare New Greenland farm was planted with green leafy vegetables, such as pechay, mustasa, kangkong, and spinach.

Starting with 70 farmers, the farm has now over 100 farmers jointly growing crops in the area.

Belmonte said through the harvest festival, “we can introduce the farmers to possible markets for their succeeding harvests.”

“The city will be their first market as their produce will be used in our mobile and community kitchen that will feed the most food vulnerable sectors in our city. The QC Female Dormitory, through Warden JSupt Maria Lourdes Pacion, has expressed support to buy veggies from them,” she added.

Apart from the pick and pay harvest itself, the celebration had a booth competition, cooking festival and farmers’ products tiangge.

RICE BAYANIHAN. Personnel of the Ifugao Provincial Police Headquarters join their fellow cops from the Hungduan Municipal Police Station in planting rice “boge” at Ba-ang, Hungduan, Ifugao on Thursday. The police team offered assistance to the family of Mrs. Magdalena Pa-it, whose livelihood was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic due to lockdowns in their area. Dave Leprozo

Oca: Caloocan to regularize, promote outstanding workers

By Jun David MAYOR Oscar “Oca” Malapitan will grant regularization and promotions to the Ten Outstanding City Government Employees for this year for their service.

The awardees are Lourdes Canales, Caloocan City Social Welfare Department; Benito Galvez Jr., Public Safety and Traffic Management Department; Crisostomo Kong, Caloocan City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office; Joseph Celino, City Health Department; Mia Shiela Enriquez, Caloocan City Medical Center; Jerry Melanio, CEMD; Anabel Pronto, General Services Department; Corazon Cruz, City Assessment Department; Eddieheimer Edra, Caloocan City North Medical Center; at Maria Victoria Gonzales, Sanggunian Panlungsod Secretariat.

The selected employees play important roles and continue to do their roles for the city’s fight

against COVID-19, Malapitan said. Some of them are medical workers, members of the rescue team, and those who lead the distribution of the city government aid.

Special employees were awarded during the celebration of the 59th Anniversary of Caloocan City. Three of them are job order workers, and seven are permanent employees.

“One of our criteria for selecting the outstanding employee for this year is that the employee plays a major role and contributes to our COVID-19 response,” said Malapitan.

In return for their outstanding service for the people of Caloocan, Mayor Oca ordered the search for a permanent item for the three job order workers and give priority to the promotion of the seven regular employees.

“We will continue to do good for our fellow citizens, for this will be rewarded by the City Government and from God,” said Mayor Oca.

Porac mayor faces plunder charge A RESIDENT of Porac has filed a plunder charge and other administrative cases against Porac Mayor Jaime “Jing” Capil over the town’s alleged unexplained supplemental budget expenditures of P138.5 million from 2019 to 2020 and his unexplained wealth.

The case was filed at the Office of the Ombudsman on February 11. Also charged were the mayor’s Executive Assistant Bienvenido Guiao, Municipal Planning Coordinator Jaypee Martinez, and Engr.

Arlon Canlas of the Municipal Engineer’s Office.

Capil could not be reached for comment at presstime.

In the case filed, the complainant requested the Ombudsman to suspend the mayor to allow local authorities to release, without fear of retribution, documents that will support the charges.

The complaint also asked the Ombudsman to conduct a lifestyle check on the mayor and freeze his personal assets.

Other allegations in the case included: 1) the unexplained number of Job Order workers of the town; 2) excessive representation allowances of the mayor amounting to P6 million for 2020; 3) unexplained expenses on burial assistance, grants and donations; 4) overpriced equipment purchased by the municipality; and 5) a public park funded by the municipality situated at a private property. Macon Ramos-Araneta

B2

World

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Facebook blackout in Australia raises fears of misinformation

‘SAVE MYANMAR’ Police block a road as workers remove protesters’ graffiti with a message “save Myanmar” during a demonstration against the military coup in Naypyidaw on February 18, 2021. AFP

Anti-coup hackers target Myanmar gov’t websites HACKERS targeted Myanmar government websites Thursday to protest against the military coup, as the junta pressed on with its attempts to stymie nationwide opposition with internet blockades and troop deployments.

The cyberattacks came a day after tens of thousands of people rallied across the country to protest against the generals toppling Aung San Suu Kyi’s civilian government earlier this month.

A group called Myanmar Hackers disrupted websites including the Central Bank, the Myanmar military’s propaganda page, state-run broadcaster MRTV, the Port Authority, and the Food and Drug Administration.

“We are fighting for justice in Myanmar,” the group said on its Facebook page.

“It is like mass protesting of people in front of government websites.”

Cybersecurity expert Matt Warren from Australia’s RMIT University said it was likely the aim was to generate publicity.

“The sorts of attacks they would be undertaking are denial of service attacks or defacing websites which is called hacktivism,” he told AFP. “The impact will be potentially limited but what they are doing is raising awareness.”

Internet access was severely curtailed for the fourth night running at about 1:00 am on Thursday (1830 GMT Wednesday), according to NetBlocks, a Britainbased group that monitors internet outages around the world. AFP

FACEBOOK’S news blackout in Australia has raised fears misinformation could come to dominate the platform in the country, with fake news and conspiracy theories left untouched while credible sources have been cut off.

From Thursday Australians were unable to post links to news articles or view the Facebook pages of local and international news outlets, while Aussie news sources disappeared from the site worldwide.

The social media giant was acting in response to tough new regulations that will force it and Google to pay for the news stories shown on their platforms.

The shock move sparked an angry backlash.

Several critical government agencies—tasked with issuing emergency Covid-19, bushfire, flood and cyclone advice—were initially caught up in the news ban before Facebook began restoring them.

An assortment of other Australian pages were also rendered blank, including cancer and homelessness charities, major businesses and even popular sat-

COVID plunges Vatican City deeper into the red—source W ITH donations down 25 percent, revenues from the Vatican Museums slashed 85 percent and millions of euros spent to support struggling tenants, the coronavirus pandemic has left a big hole in Pope Francis’ finances.

“It’s a difficult period for the Vatican, as elsewhere in the world,” a senior official with knowledge of the Vatican’s 2020 accounts told AFP, while adding that “the financial situation is not alarming”.

Just one branch of the Vatican’s organisation, the Roman Curia, had a financial shortfall “of the order of 90 million euros” ($108 million) in 2020, com-

pared with a deficit of 11 million in 2019, he said.

Factoring separately into the calculations are the governorate of the Vatican City State (which manages the museums), the Vatican Bank, Peter’s Pence (direct donations from the faithful to the pope), a pension fund and foundations.

Taken altogether, the Vatican employs nearly 5,000 people.

The 2021 budget was discussed Tuesday at a virtual meeting of the Vatican’s council for the economy, which includes members from around the world.

Pain of empty museums The Roman Curia has taken a financial hit from the coronavirus pandemic both at home—Italy has been one of the worst-affected countries—and in terms of contributions from the worldwide Catholic church.

But last year it saw revenues decline by “20 to 25

percent”—and expects a similar blow in 2021.

Peter’s Pence, donations from the global faithful for the pope, is expected to fall by around 25 percent on the 53 million euros collected in 2019.

Other major donations from dioceses or institutions are estimated to have fallen by a similar degree.

Meanwhile the long-awaited February 1 reopening of the Vatican Museums, which drew seven million tourists in 2019 to jewels such as the Sistine Chapel, was some much-needed good news.

Museum revenues were down 85 percent in 2020, a loss of income “of the order of 100 million euros”, the source said.

The Governorate of the Vatican City State, which manages the museums, has as a result halved the 30 million euros it normally gives the Roman Curia for its operations. AFP

LOVE IN PRISON.

A woman wearing face mask with the inscription ‘Unbearable’ takes part in a human chain using Valentine’s Day to express support for the wife of jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny and other political prisoners in Saint Petersburg on February 14, 2021.

AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 225-QUEZON CITY IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF IVEE LAINE SOFISTA DURAN Case No. R-QZN-20-08920- SP SPOUSES LIONEL CHRISTOPHER RAMESH DE CABRAAL WIJETUNGE AND MELANIE MABANES SOFISTA, Petitioners. x--------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER A verified petition was filed by petitioners through counsel on November 20, 2020 praying that after publication, notice and hearing, a Judgment be rendered as follows: 1. Granting this petition for adoption and declaring Ivee Laine Sofista Duran the legitimate child of herein petitioners, with all the rights and privileges of an adopted child under the law and shall henceforth carry petitioner Ramesh’s surname de Cabraal Wijetunge; 2. Directing the Local Civil Registry of Quezon City and the Philippine Statistics Authority to record the decree of adoption and to issue a new Birth Certificate of the adoptee who should be known and registered as Ivee Laine Sofista de Cabraal Wijetunge.

Finding the verified petition to be sufficient in form and substance, the Court gives due course thereto.

WHEREFORE, let copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks at petitioner’s expense, upon coordination with the Office of the Clerk of Court, Regional Trial Court, Quezon City. Hearing on the verified petition is hereby set on March 25, 2021 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning at 7th ‘Floor, Hall of Justice Annex Building, Quezon City, at which time and place, any person having interest in the petition may appear.

Let copies of this Order be posted by the Branch Sheriff, thirty (30) days before the hearing date at the following places at the expense of petitioner: 1.

2.

3.

at the main entrance of the City Hall Building of Quezon City; on the Bulletin Board of the Court, Hall of Justice Annex Building, Quezon City, and at the Barangay Hall of the barangay where the petitioner resided.

Let copy of this Order together with the copy of the petition and its annexes be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General and the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City.

SO ORDERED. December 7, 2020, Quezon City, Metro Manila.

*/w CC:

(Sgd.) MARIA LUISA LESLE G. GONZALES-BETIC Presiding Judge

Atty. Narcisa H. Guevarra - 95 Desiderio St., Don Jose Hgts. Subd., Quezon City Sps. Lionel Christopher Ramesh De Cabraal Wijetunge and Melanie Mabanes Sofista - Both at B1 29 L50 Palma Nova St., Neopolitan 5 Casa Milan Subd., Greater Lagro, Quezon City Office of the Solicitor General-Makati City Office of the City Prosecut0r, Quezon City Embassy of the Republic of Singapore - 505 Rizal Drive, BGC, Taguig City

(MStandard - Feb. 19, 26 & Mar,5, 2021)

ire accounts.

But unaffected by the blackout were a series of pages owned by purveyors of fake news and conspiracy theories —despite their frequently posting about current events.

Among them were several pages identified by AFP’s fact-checking team as sharing false claims that circulate to tens of thousands of users.

The Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance said the professional journalists it represents acted as a check on the spread of misinformation before their work was barred from Facebook feeds.

“By restricting independent, professionally produced news in Australia, Facebook is allowing the promotion of conspiracy theories, misinformation, fake news and QAnon crackpots on its platform,” representative Marcus Strom said.

“This irresponsible move by Facebook will encourage the dissemination of fake news, which is particularly dangerous during the COVID pandemic and is a betrayal of its Australian audiences.” AFP

Earthquake injures more than 32 people in Iraq A 5.4 MAGNITUDE earthquake rocked southwestern Iran late Wednesday, injuring more than 30 people and causing widespread damage in mountain villages, Iranian media reported.

The quake struck at 10:05 pm (1835 GMT) near the town of Sisakht, in a mountainous district of Kohgilouyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province, the US Geological Survey said.

It left 32 people injured, two of them seriously, and caused “extensive damage to buildings, infrastructure

and homes”, Iran’s state news agency IRNA reported.

According to a preliminary survey, “78 villages suffered serious damage with some houses completely destroyed”, it said.

The magnitude of the quake was sufficiently large that most villagers spent the night out in the open for fear of aftershocks, it added.

Iran sits astride the boundaries of several major tectonic plates and experiences frequent seismic activity.

In June, a quake near Mount

Damavand, Iran’s highest peak, killed one person and injured more than 20 just east of the capital Tehran.

Last February, a 5.7 magnitude earthquake that rattled the western village of Habash-e Olya killed at least nine people over the border in neighbouring Turkey.

Iran’s deadliest quake was a 7.4-magnitude tremor in 1990 that killed 40,000 people in the north of the country, injured 300,000 and left half a million homeless. AFP

HK gov’t hastens Sinovac approval HONGKONG’S government on Thursday approved the Chinese-made Sinovac coronavirus vaccine after a panel of experts fast-tracked its recommendation despite comparatively low efficacy and limited published data.

Officials said the first shipment of one million Sinovac jabs was set to arrive from the mainland on Friday.

The financial hub’s delayed inoculation drive will then kick off a week later on February 26 with the elderly, frontline workers and medical staff to be prioritised.

But officials may face an uphill task persuading residents to take Sinovac’s shots in a city where public distrust of Chinese authorities runs deep.

On Tuesday, a government advisory panel unanimously supported Sinovac, saying the benefits of authorizng its emergency use outweighed the risks.

Unlike rival vaccines such as those from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca, Sinovac has yet to submit its third-phase clinical trial data to medical journals for peer review.

Sinovac has been exempted from that hurdle by Hong Kong officials and told they could instead give the information directly to the experts.

The advisory panel said it had received adequate data from the company.

That data, the panel said, showed an efficacy rate of 62.3 percent when two doses are administered 28 days apart.

AFP

Half of S. Africa infected with virus AROUND half of South Africa’s population is thought to have contracted Covid-19, studies and statisticians say, suggesting the virus has claimed tens of thousands more lives than officially recorded.

The country worst hit by coronavirus in Africa has registered more than 140,000 excess natural deaths since May 2020, according to the South African Medical Research Council.

Leading private medical insurance Discovery estimates that around 90 percent of those fatalities are attributable to Covid-19, pushing the real death toll past 120,000.

Officially, South Africa has re-

corded close to 1.5 million coronavirus cases, of which just under 48,500 have been fatal.

But statisticians believe those figures are under-estimated.

Their findings are broadly consistent with coronavirus antibody surveys, which can detect whether a person has been infected with Covid-19 even after recovery.

A study released last week of almost 5,000 blood donors across four provinces found that between 32 and 63 percent of sampled individuals had contracted coronavirus since the pandemic started -- compared with clinically confirmed case rates of two to three percent. AFP

GOES WITH THE JOB. Belsat TV journalists Katerina Bakhvalova (R) (reporting for the TV channel under the name of Andreeva) and Daria Chultsova, who were detained in November while reporting on anti-government protests, flash the V-sign from a defendant’s cage during their trial in Minsk on February 18, 2021. The journalists were sentenced to two years in prison on charges of organising illegal demonstrations. AFP

Business France is still building movie theaters amid the pandemic R O M O R A N T I N - L A N T H E N AY, France—The coronavirus pandemic might not seem like the obvious time to build new movie theaters but in cine-mad France, it will take more than a virus to dampen passions for the big screen.

The town of Romorantin, deep in the Loire Valley south of Paris, has a population of 17,000—which by French standards, makes it ripe for a new multiplex cinema.

On a recent morning, forklifts were whirling as workers rushed to complete the five-screen theater by the end of March.

It is not the only one. France saw 22 new cinemas open their doors in 2020, despite theaters being unable to operate for much of the year.

Several more are under construction or being renovated.

France, the birthplace of moving pictures, has almost always had the highest cinema attendance in Europe.

Even though attendance was down two-thirds last year thanks to 23 weeks of closures and the cancellation of many Hollywood blockbusters, the country weathered the disruption better than most—in part because it could still rely on its prolific, homegrown movie industry.

France is also known for its network of tiny independent cinemas dotted across its villages and small towns.

Some are beautifully quaint—but struggling to attract the next popcornguzzling generation.

The new multi-million-euro Cine Sologne complex in Romorantin is being built in an out-of-town car park, and replaces the old Palais in its medieval center, which attracted some 70,000 spectators a year but lacked the technology and comfort needed to rival home cinema offerings.

“We have to attract people who want to go to the cinema, but look at these small, local theaters and think, ‘No thanks’,” said Cedric Aubry, head of the construction firm.

He specializes in bringing shiny new complexes to remote locations not considered worthwhile by the major chains.

This is his fourth cinema construction since the pandemic began, and he says the model is working, with similar remote projects in places like Meuse and Yonne as much as tripling local attendance. AFP

Stock market falls; URC, SM Prime lead decliners T HE stock market sank Thursday along with the rest of Asia on further profit taking, with blue chips leading decliners.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slumped 116.79 points, or 1.7 percent, to 6,849.64 on a value turnover of P8.9 billion. Losers edged gainers, 113 to 109, with 39 issues unchanged.

SM Prime Holdings Inc. of the Sy Group fell 3.9 percent to P35.80, while Universal Robina Corp., the biggest snack food maker, dropped 3.3 percent to P135.40.

International Container Terminal Services Inc. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. declined 2.4 percent to P119.10, but Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co., the second-largest lender in terms of assets, climbed 5.8 percent to P51after it declared a special cash dividend of P3 per share, in addition to the regular dividend of P1 apiece.

Asian markets, meanwhile, mostly fell Thursday on profit-taking and grow-

ing worries about inflation, which offset long-running optimism about the global recovery as vaccines are rolled out, infection rates slow and Joe Biden’s stimulus winds through Congress.

Oil prices pushed further up to 13-month highs as the severe cold snap in the United States hammers production, even trumping news that Saudi Arabia is planning to up output in light of the commodity’s strong performance in recent months.

While the Dow edged to another record high, the S&P 500 and Nasdaq both dipped.

Asian markets struggled. Tokyo, Singapore, Seoul, Wellington, Mumbai and Bangkok all fell, with Hong Kong more than one percent off after a seven-day run-up.

Shanghai rose as it reopened after a week-long holiday, while Taipei and Jakarta also rose and Sydney was barely moved.

Confidence that the world economy will enjoy a scorching rebound from last year’s collapse has fired global equities and other risk assets for months as im-

TOKYO, Japan—David Abel and his wife Sally might have had the cruise from hell last year on the coronavirushit Diamond Princess, but they can’t wait to get back to sea.

A year after the ill-fated ship went into quarantine off Japan, the cruise industry is hoping passengers like the Abels will help steer them to calmer waters.

Analysts say smooth sailing isn’t likely before the second half of 2021 at the earliest, but bookings are already picking up.

The Abels both caught coronavirus on the Diamond Princess, but they’ve booked five cruises for late 2021 and early 2022, and are eyeing a sixth.

“We can’t wait to get back to sea,” David Abel told subscribers to his YouTube page in an early February video.

“There’s nothing better than waking up in the morning in the world’s most exciting and interesting cities. We love the sound of the ocean.”

He acknowledged some people “have

munization programs allow people to slowly get back to a semblance of normality and lockdowns are eased.

Underpinning that has been vast amounts of government spending as well as ultra-loose central bank monetary policies and pledges of continued support until the recovery is well underway.

But that has led to expectations of a surge in inflation and a spike in US Treasury yields to around one-year highs, sparking worries of higher borrowing costs down the line.

And it is these fears, along with warnings equities may have run ahead of themselves, that are playing on investors’ minds.

Those concerns were allayed by a forecast-beating jump in US retail sales last month, and wholesale inflation climbed at its fastest pace since the index was revamped in December 2009.

“Strong US economic data dampened the argument that the economy still needs massive stimulus and as rising inflation expectations start to weigh on valuations,” said OANDA strategist Edward Moya. With AFP

PSEi February 18, 2021

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

TFC GEO GREEN IMI PRIM SSP VUL FNI APL LFM

LAST PRICE 52.6 0.6 4.38 14.5 1.75 1.69 3.52 2.98 0.285 38.4

CHANGE 11.7 0.08 0.48 1.46 0.17 0.14 0.29 0.22 0.02 2.65

% CHANGE 28.61% 15.38% 12.31% 11.20% 10.76% 9.03% 8.98% 7.97% 7.55% 7.41%

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

MJC ABSP BKR CHI SUN MG HI JGS PAX AEV

LAST PRICE 2.3 11.26 1.15 5.52 1.92 0.395 3.82 63.8 2.2 42

CHANGE -0.61 -1.04 -0.09 -0.37 -0.12 -0.02 -0.18 -2.9 -0.1 -1.85

% CHANGE -20.96% -8.46% -7.26% -6.28% -5.88% -4.82% -4.50% -4.35% -4.35% -4.22%

MOST ACTIVE

CLOSED. A pedestrian passes a boarded up pub in the Mayfair area of central London on February 17, 2021 as life continues under Britain’s third coronavirus lockdown which has closed all non-essential shops. Britain is aiming for a “cautious but irreversible” plan to exit coronavirus lockdown Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on February 15. AFP

Diamond Princess, cruise industry eye return

By Sara Hussein

B3

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

concerns” but insisted he believes “cruises will be one of the safest types of vacations human beings could ever take.”

When the Diamond Princess arrived off the Japanese city of Yokohama on February 3, 2020, the global death toll from the mysterious “new coronavirus” was around 400 and Japan had registered a handful of infections.

Carrying 2,666 passengers and 1,045 crew, the Diamond Princess was supposed to be meandering around Asia, but things quickly changed when a passenger tested positive after leaving the boat.

By February 4, Japanese authorities quarantined the ship and all on board.

Testing showed the virus had spread widely.

Over 700 people on board would eventually test positive for the virus and 13 people died.

Sarah Arana, an American social worker, looks back on the experience as “incredibly surreal.”

“I don’t have any regrets about it,” the 54-year-old told AFP, saying she

felt she had a front-row seat to the pandemic’s start and the science around handling the virus.

‘Not brilliant’ A year on, the lessons learned from the pandemic mean tough restrictions for the cruise industry.

Canada has barred cruise vessels from its waters until February 2022.

And the US Centers for Disease Control advises against cruises, though authorities released rules last year for a phased resumption.

Operators will be required to have a lab on board for virus testing, and trips must last no more than seven days, with masks mandatory on board.

No surprise then that most cruises in the area have not resumed. Carnival Cruises now hopes to restart US operations in late April, as does Royal Caribbean. Norwegian Cruise Line is targeting early May. But there is cause for hope said Patrick Pourbaix, director general for France, Belgium and Luxembourg at MSC Cruises, which restarted Mediterranean cruises last August. AFP

In this file photo taken on February 14, 2020, a bus with a driver (left) wearing protective gear departs from the dockside next to the Diamond Princess cruise ship, which has around 3,600 people quarantined onboard due to fears of the new COVID-19 coronavirus, at the Daikoku Pier Cruise Terminal in Yokohama port. A year after the ill-fated ship went into quarantine off Japan, the cruise industry is hoping passengers will help steer them to calmer waters. AFP

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

MBT APL DITO SMPH ALI PHA SM ACEN TEL BDO

VOLUME 18254600 2928970000 24116800 11064300 10125000 103626000 242500 31872900 174630 1950240

VALUE (PHP) 937923850 816709450 430021894 401102775 396103250 276513600 252066330 249665748 236261390 208968149

Return of United Kingdom’s fallen star fund manager sparks concern LONDON—The return of Britain’s former star investor Neil Woodford has caused concern in London’s City finance district, where his spectacular fall from grace is still fresh in the memory.

Woodford Investment Management, which once boasted billions of pounds in assets under management, collapsed in 2019 having taken on too much risk, handing vast losses to pension funds, wealthy individuals and other fund managers.

Last weekend however, Woodford, 60, shocked commentators and investors alike with news that he would establish a new finance firm.

“I’m sorry for what I did,” he told the Sunday Telegraph in an interview and revealed that his new investment venture that will be called Woodford Capital Management Partners (WCM).

“What I was responsible for was two years of underperformance. I was the fund manager, the investment strategy

was mine, I owned it and it delivered a period of underperformance.”

In response, activist investment group the True and Fair Campaign— which promotes greater transparency in the finance sector—urged an independent probe.

The campaign, founded by activist Gina Miller and her husband Alan, voiced concern Woodford would return to the financial world just 20 months after notorious failure.

“It is high time there was an independent investigation into the Woodford scandal,” the campaign wrote in a letter to parliament’s Treasury Select Committee.

“We believe it ought to be a very serious source of public policy concern that high profile individuals such as Mr Woodford can be allowed to re-commence trading when over 300,000 people... are scrabbling to make ends meet after seeing their life savings decimated.” AFP

Virus upends hopes for aviation careers PARIS—One year ago 26-year-old Perrine was on the cusp of realizing her childhood dream of becoming a flight attendant.

Then the COVID-19 pandemic arrived and Perrine is now on track for a job in insurance instead.

At the CFA center near Paris’s Bourget airport where Perrine has been training in mock aircraft cabins, the seats for passengers are now empty and there are no attendants.

Most of the 8,000-square-meter (86,000-square-foot) facility is silent.

In a vast hanger that holds a Falcon business jet and a Super Puma helicopter for technical training, just a couple of dozen students are busy at work benches.

Making the traditional welcome speech at the start of the academic year in this very unusual year “was a bit touch and go,” said instructor PierreHenri Greze.

“Most of the students are con-

cerned, anxious about the future,” he added.

The number of apprentices at the start of the 2020 academic year was down by half to 300, with the courses for flight attendants at a complete halt as airlines shed cabin crew jobs to match the vastly reduced number of flights they are operating.

The mechanic and technician students are down by a third.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw airlines ground most of their planes as travel came to a near standstill, graduates of the CFA school had no problem finding jobs.

Rather, it “had trouble finding candidates” for all the jobs that the aviation industry was looking to fill, said CFA director Veronique Flavigny.

In France, the aerospace and aviation industries recruited 8,000 apprentices in 2019, double the number a decade ago as air traffic expanded between 3.0 and 4.0 percent per year. AFP

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

B4 FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

Alcantara steps down as president of Alsons

By Alena Mae S. Flores ALSONS Consolidated Resources Inc., the publicly-listed company of the Alcantara Group, announced Thursday the retirement of Tomas Alcantara as chairman and president for health reasons effective March 1 after nearly two decades of leading the company.

Older brother Nicasio Alcantara will assume the position of Alsons chairman and president, while Tomas Alcantara will remain as director of the company.

Nicasio Alcantara previously led Alsons as chairman and president from 1995 to 2001.

He was chairman and chief executive of Petron Corp. from 2001 to 2009, and currently holds leadership positions and board directorships in several companies including ACR Mining Corp., where he serves as chairman and Phoenix Petroleum Philippines where he sits as an independent director.

Alsons’ board of directors also confirmed the appointment of Alexander Benhur Simon as vice president and group chief finance officer and the assumption of Antonio Miguel Alcantara to the new position of chief investment and strategy officer.

“Under Tomas Alcantara’s leadership, ACR helped end the Mindanao Power shortage by bringing online two major power facilities that added 313 megawatts to the island’s power supply. It was because of his vision and guidance that ACR is now a major power generator with four power facilities serving over eight million people in 14 cities and 11 provinces in Mindanao,” Alsons executive vice president Tirso Santillan Jr. said.

He said Alsons would continue to benefit from Tomas Alcantara’s wisdom and experience as he continued to serve in the board.

Tomas Alcantara served as chairman and president of Alsons for nearly 20 years.

Damage on cable sets back NGCP’s cable link project NATIONAL Grid Corp. of the Philippines said Thursday the completion of the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project is facing delays beyond the December target following the damage sustained by portions of the submarine fiber optic cable connection.

“This is an unfortunate circumstance which may delay the MVIP timeline.

NGCP is working on a catch-up plan given the fragility of handling fiber optic submarine cables,” NGCP said in a statement.

It said the submarine cable 1 portion of the MVIP’s Dapitan-Santander 350-kV high voltage direct current line between Dapitan, Zamboanga del Norte and Santander, Cebu, which was completed on Nov. 15 last year, was found to have been damaged in several locations.

It said initial reports showed a vessel navigating the area where the first cable was laid a month after the completion of the cable laying activity.

It was discovered that while the second cable was being laid. An investigation is underway to determine whether the vessel caused the damage and who may be responsible for the vessel.

NGCP said repair of the severed portions would require another round of procurement, awarding, scheduling of cable laying, all of which were also affected by quarantine restrictions in terms of cable shipping and availability of foreign experts.

The actual cable laying is also subject to weather and tide conditions.

The MVIP, certified as an energy project of national significance in 2018, was initially targeted for completion by December 2020, but was extended to December 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent quarantine restrictions across the country.

The project will connect the Visayas and Mindanao grids through a high voltage direct current system with a 450-megawatt initial capacity upon completion. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business Diokno: BSP keeping rate policy to support economy

By Julito G. Rada

B

ANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno said Thursday the manageable inflation environment allows monetary authorities to maintain the current accommodative policy stance.

Diokno said in an online briefing that with demand pressures remaining largely subdued and inflation expectations holding firm within the 2 percent to 4 percent target band, the BSP has scope to maintain monetary policy support to the economy to strengthen overall demand and shore up market confidence.

“The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has carefully striven to preserve a balance between providing non-inflationary monetary policy support to the economy and ensuring the continued soundness of the banking system,” Diokno said.

“At this juncture, the BSP believes that we are not experiencing a tradeoff between accommodative monetary policy and financial stability,” he said.

Diokno said the uptick in inflation in January to 4.2 percent--the fastest in two years since it reached 4.4 percent in January 2019—was attributed to transitory supply-side pressures.

He said the BSP measures were aimed at ensuring economic recovery and limiting the pandemic’s potential scarring effects in the long run. He said there was no evidence of increased risk-taking by financial institutions at this time.

“The manageable inflation outlook continues to allow the BSP to maintain its accommodative monetary policy stance. The recent inflation uptrend is seen to be largely transitionary, reflecting the impact of base effects, weatherrelated disturbances and the African Swine Fever outbreak on a narrow range of food items, as well as higher global oil prices,” he said.

He said with ample liquidity in the financial system, the BSP observed that banks remained prudent, as concerns over asset quality, profitability and the

broader economic outlook resulted in tighter credit standards.

He said given the continuing monetary and fiscal policy interventions, the BSP was expecting credit activity to gradually improve in the coming months, especially as the mass vaccination program in the country gets underway.

Diokno said that in the meantime, regulatory relief measures were in place if financial institutions needed recourse from adverse conditions. He said the BSP continued to be on the lookout for potential threats to the overall health of the financial system.

“The BSP shall remain vigilant to help ensure that its policy responses will neither lead to excessive inflation nor result in threats to financial stability,” he said.

The Monetary Board kept the recordlow benchmark interest rate of 2 percent on Feb. 11, taking into consideration the expected “transitory” impact of the elevated inflation rate in January.

The interest rates on the overnight deposit and lending facilities were also kept at 1.5 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, February 18, 2021 -116.79 PTS. 6,849.64

Total Volume Total Trades Total Value

16,615,949,201 160,912 8,895,083,979.37

Advances Declines

109 113

Unchanged

39

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.3840

Japan

Yen

0.009447

0.4571

UK

Pound

1.385700

67.0457

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128992

6.2411

Switzerland

Franc

1.112842

53.8437

Canada

Dollar

0.787464

38.1007

Singapore

Dollar

0.752785

36.4227

Australia

Dollar

0.774900

37.4928

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655337

128.4758

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266638

12.9010

Brunei

Dollar

0.749963

36.2862

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.033356

1.6139

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.1736

Euro

Euro

1.204000

58.2543

Korea

Won

0.000904

0.0437

China

Yuan

0.154856

7.4926

India

Rupee

0.013733

0.6645

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.247709

11.9852

New Zealand

Dollar

0.718900

34.7833

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035737

1.7291 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF Dividend payouts hit P342b in 2020

DIVIDEND payouts from listed firms remained robust in 2020 despite the impact of pandemic on overall businesses.

Data compiled by the Philippine Stock Exchange showed that 105 of the 271 PSElisted companies managed to pay P342.88 billion in cash dividends to common stockholders in 2020, giving investors in these companies a yield of 2.50 percent.

The dividend payouts in 2020 were based on 2019 earnings of listed firms. About 115 of the 268 PSE-listed companies paid P368.03 billion in cash dividends, also providing a yield of 2.5 percent.

Dash dividends paid to common stockholders by 29 of the 30 PSE index stocks amounted to P157.05 billion last year.

“We are pleased that listed firms continued to pay attractive dividends in 2020 despite the disruptive impact of the pandemic to their operations and cash flow. These dividends provided investors additional income during one of the most financially challenging years in the history of Philippine business,” PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said. Jenniffer B. Austria

SMC expedites works on Skyway Extension

JICA REVIEW. The Department of Public Works and Highways and the Japan International Cooperation Agency-Philippines hold a review meeting to discuss activity progress, implementation challenges and the action plan for projects under the JICA portfolio. DPWH Undersecretary for Unified Project Management Office Operations Emil Sadain (front row, third from left) and JICA Philippines Chief Representative Azukizawa Eigo (fourth from left) lead the two sides in the review and assessment of Japan-assisted infrastructure projects under the Duterte administration in support of the ‘Build, Build, Build’ program.

Manila Water trading still suspended on Razon’s acquisition

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange said businessman Enrique Razon’s acquisition of controlling interest in Manila Water is covered by the local bourse’s backdoor listing rules.

It said trading of Manila Water shares was suspended, pending the submission of a comprehensive disclosure of the transaction.

Manila Water agreed in February 2020 to sell 820 million common shares in the water utility firm to the Razon group at P13 per share.

The 820 million common shares represent 24.96-percent economic rights in Manila Water and 11.91 percent of the total number of outstanding voting shares of stock of Manila Water.

Ayala Corp. through unit PhilLEAVING cigarettes behind can be much faster if everyone plays a role, said a top-ranking Philip Morris International executive.

This was the key message of Tommaso Di Giovanni, PMI’s vice president for global communications, during the 27th National Public Relations Congress held virtually by the Public Relations Society of the Philippines.

He said the ambition of PMI, the parent company of PMFTC Inc., is to replace all cigarettes with better alternatives based on science as soon as possible.

Di Giovanni said it is no secret that smoking causes diseases and is addictive. Yet, the vast majority of smokers don’t quit. It is estimated by the World Health Organization that there will be the same number of smokers around the world by 2025.

Di Giovanni said this prompted PMI to explore “creative solutions to the problem. We decided to think, is there anything that we can do to change our business and give all those

water Holdings Company Inc. said Wednesday it agreed to sell 2.691 billion preferred shares in Manila Water to Razon’s Trident Water Company Holdings Inc. worth P4.84 billion.

The purchase of the preferred shares represents a 39.09-percent voting stake and 8.19-percent economiciinterest in Manila Water.

It said that once the transactions were completed, Trident Water would have 51-percent voting rights and 33.16-percent economic interest in Manila Water.

Ayala Corp. and Philwater will have voting interest of 31.6 percent and economic interest of 30.37 percent.

The PSE said these transactions would result in a substantial change in the voting structure of MWC upon the completion of the transactions.

Manila Water clarified that it had not yet issued the 820 million shares to Trident Water. It said the transaction would be subject to finalization of terms and conditions of the agreement, and compliance with and completion of the mandatory tender offer as may be required by the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Manila Water is the water concession for the east zone of Metro Manila.

The entry of Razon in Manila Water followed President Rodrigo Duterte’s criticisms against water concessionaires in Metro Manila because of alleged “onerous” concession agreement with the state-owned Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System.

The share price of Manila Water closed at P15.98 on Feb.15.

Right information needed to accelerate end to cigarettes

SAN Miguel Corp. said Thursday it is accelerating works on the Skyway Extension project that will make the expressway more accessible to motorists from the south.

The company also announced road closures to usher construction works at the southbound section starting midnight of Feb. 20.

Skyway management said that as works on the southbound section were about to enter the advanced phase, motorists should take alternative routes, with the closure of the Alabang southbound exit toll plaza, beside the Alabang viaduct.

It advised motorists about heavy traffic in the area because of the construction works, which would include the installation of girders, coping beams and pre-cast slabs.

“We’re again appealing for patience and understanding from our motorists in the south and residents in the area, for any delays that they may experience, as we work to complete the Skyway Extension. We’ve put in place measures to help mitigate the impact on you and to ensure safety,” said San Migue president and chief operating officer Ramon Ang. Darwin G. Amojelar

IC ready to roll out catastrophe insurance

THE Insurance Commission said Thursday it aims to roll out the Philippines’ first private sector-led catastrophe insurance facility in the first quarter to heighten the country’s financial resilience against natural disasters.

IC Commissioner Dennis Funa said the agency worked together with the National Reinsurance Corp. of the Philippines and the Philippine Insurers and Reinsurers’ Association to finalize the Philippine Catastrophe Insurance Facility which would allow nonlife insurers to cede their catastrophe risks to this insurance pool or facility.

The PCIF, which will then share the pooled risks back to the non-life insurers, will enable companies to more efficiently manage catastrophe exposures and boost capacity to take in more catastrophe risks.

“We recognize the significant role that the non-life insurance industry should play in ensuring the Philippines’ catastrophe resilience and in bridging the catastrophe insurance gap that we need to urgently address as our country is among the most vulnerable to the onslaught of natural calamities,” Funa said during a presentation of the IC’s 2021 plans and targets to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III. Julito G. Rada

ly lower levels of harmful compounds. We call them heated tobacco. And that has been our focus since then,” he said.

Di Giovanni said more than 350 studies by PMI on these new products have been peer-reviewed, making PMI the fifth largest holder of patents filed with the European Patent office.

“Today, 99 percent of our R& D expenditures and 76 percent of our commercial expenditures are behind this huge effort to transform an industry into something that is much better, and we hope that it would not only be our company but the whole industry and the whole world that are behind it,” he said.

Having the capacity and the technology to do something different, and to do something that will benefit consumers, Philip Morris International vice president Tommaso Di Giovanni (left) speaks during the Di Giovanni said PMI invested over $8 27th National Public Relations Congress held virtually by the Public Relations Society billion in research and development, of the Philippines. In the forum moderated by Mang Inasal public relations manager scientific substantiation and early manEd Timbungco, Giovanni disclosed PMI’s ambition to replace all cigarettes with better ufacturing of alternatives to cigarettes. alternatives based on science as soon as possible.

In 2015, PMI commercialized IQOS, a smokers who would otherwise continue “We started working at products that do product that heats tobacco rather than using cigarette a better alternative?” not burn and therefore generate significant- burning it.

Sports

Obiena misses national mark, grabs bronze in Poland

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

C1

By Peter Atencio TOKYO Olympics-bound Ernest John Obiena almost broke the national record again.

Obiena tried to reach the height of 5.87 meters, which was one millimeter higher than his gold medal-winning effort of 5.86 last Saturday.

Because of this, Obiena settled for the bronze medal in another showdown with world champion Sam Kendricks of the United States and seasoned veteran Piotr Lisek of Poland in the men’s pole vault event of the Copernicus Cup 2021 indoor athletics meet in Torun, Poland.

The 25-year-old Obiena cleared the same height of 5.80 meters with Kendricks and Lisek. Obiena was successful in his third try which put him in third place.

Kendricks, the 2016 Olympic bronze medalist, collected the gold medal with after clearing the height in one try.

Lisek, podium with finishes in the 2015, 2017 and 2019 World Championships, also cleared 5.8 meters, just like Obiena.

But, since Lisek took the 5.72-meter height in just one go, the Pole earned the silver on the countback.

Kendricks, Obiena and Lisek then tried reaching the height of 5.87 meters, but all of them faltered in their efforts.

“Sobrang tagal ng laro. Naparami siya ng talon. Pagdating sa pinakaimportanteng height, medyo paubos na ang lakas niya,” said Emerson Obiena, after talking to his son EJ on the phone.

It was Obiena’s second podium finish in a week, and in his regular encounters with Kendricks, who claimed his second straight gold in a week.

The 6’2” Obiena will now seek to maintain his form, now that the indoor season is over, that outdoor meets in Europe will begin within the next two months.

“He just about had another record.

And frankly his vault at 5.80 was again a 6-meter vault had the bar been set there,” said Obiena’s conditioning coach James Lafferty.

Lafferty added that Obiena is now getting into the groove at the 5.8-meter level.

“He is coming along nicely. 5.80 is becoming regular. With now six months more of training he is in a great position for Tokyo,” said Lafferty.

Last Saturday, Obiena used a new pole when he broke the national record for the second time in a week, clearing a height of 5.86 meters to earn the silver medal during the Orlen Cup 2021 Indoor Athletics meeting.

The 25-year-old Obiena’s performance is regarded as the best by an Asian athlete since 2005 in the trackfest’s 88-year history when action ended at the Atlas Arena in Łódź, Poland.

Golden State Warriors guard Steph Curry (20) drives to the basket against Miami Heat defender Jimmy Butler (22) at Chase Center in San Francisco, California. Looking are Heat players Tyler Herro (left) and Duncan Robinson. AFP

Curry powers Warriors past Heat in overtime S

AN FRANCISCO, United States—Steph Curry sealed a stunning late fightback to help the Golden State Warriors to a 120-112 overtime victory over the Miami Heat on Wednesday (Thursday Philippine time).

Curry scored eight of the final 11 points, including a superb late three-pointer, to finish with a 25-point haul and complete a remarkable comeback at San Francisco’s Chase Center.

The Warriors had looked to be heading for a heavy defeat after Miami surged into a 61-46 half-time lead.

Miami maintained that cushion for much of the second half, and led by a hefty 14-point margin at 99-85 with just over six minutes remaining.

But after struggling to find their range throughout, the Warriors suddenly discovered their shooting touch and blitzed Miami 3513 over the remainder of the game.

Jazz roll on Elsewhere Wednesday, Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert led the way as the Utah Jazz produced a devastating second-half scoring display to rout a depleted Los Angeles Clippers 114-96 at the Staples Center.

Mitchell and French international Gobert combined for 47 points to give Utah a ninth straight victory and extend the team’s lead to 24-5 at the top of the Western Conference.

The Clippers, missing the injured Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, had

scraped their way into a 51-46 lead at halftime, with 14 points from Lou Williams helping set up a five-point cushion.

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid returned from injury as the 76ers ended their threegame losing streak with a 118-113 victory over the Houston Rockets.

Embiid, who had missed Monday’s defeat to Utah with a sore back, delivered 31 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists at the Wells Fargo Center.

The 26-year-old Cameroon international was backed by Seth Curry with 25 points and Tobias Harris, who finished with 24.

Australian star Ben Simmons, who had erupted for 42 points in Monday’s defeat against the Jazz, was sidelined with stomach flu.

The Sixers now lead the Eastern Conference with 19 wins against 10 defeats, ahead of the second-placed Brooklyn Nets (18-12) and Milwaukee Bucks, who are third with a 16-12 record.

Grant haul in vain In other games Wednesday, Jerami Grant posted a career-high 43 points but it wasn’t enough to stop the Detroit Pistons falling to a 105-102 defeat against Chicago in a hastily rearranged fixture added to the schedule after a flurry of Covid-19

postponements.

Grant made 15 of 25 from the field with four three-pointers, as well as perfect ninefrom-fine from the free throw line.

The Bulls chalked up the win though courtesy of 37 points from Zach LaVine, while Wendell Carter Jr. had 18 points and Patrick Williams 15 points.

In Washington, Davis Bertans scored 35 from the bench and Bradley Beal had 25 points as the Wizards upset the Denver Nuggets 130-128.

Russell Westbrook bagged the seventh triple double of his Wizards career with 12 points, 14 rebounds and 12 assists.

Curry, who made only eight of 25 attempts from the field, was backed with 26 points from Kent Bazemore off the bench, while Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre each had 23 points.

“Everyone was missing shots from all over the court, even wide open ones,” Curry said. “That’s just basketball for you. It humbles you. But if you put the work in, eventually they’ll fall. Thankfully they did.”

Bam Adebayo led the Miami scoring with 24 points while Jimmy Butler added a triple double with 13 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

The Clippers’ hopes were snuffed out in a one-sided second half as Utah cut loose, outscoring the home team 68-45 in the third and fourth quarters. AFP

Serena walks out in tears after semifinal defeat MELBOURNE, Australia—Serena Williams broke down in tears and cut short her post-match press conference after another failed bid to equal Margaret Court’s record Grand Slam haul, calling her defeat to Naomi Osaka “a big error day”.

The veteran American’s quest to reach a ninth Australian Open final and match Court’s 24 major singles titles ended in a 6-3, 6-4 semifinal mauling by the Japanese third seed.

Williams, 39, broke early for a 2-0 lead before Osaka reeled off five straight games to leave her shell-shocked.

“The difference today was errors. I made so many errors,” said the 23-time Grand

Slam champion.

“Honestly, it was opportunities where I could have won. I could have been up 5-0. It was a big error day for me.”

Pressed on what caused her to make so many mistakes, tears began to flow as she told reporters: “I don’t know. I’m done,” before walking out.

In a clash of power games clashed, it was Osaka who had the edge, hitting 20 winners to Williams’s 12, while also committing three fewer unforced errors on 21.

Williams said she had been hitting well all tournament and had no explanation for the loss other than “too many mistakes there, easy mistakes”.

Osaka’s victory left Williams still stranded on 23 Grand Slam crowns, one short of Court’s tally, with her last major title coming in Melbourne four years ago when she was pregnant.

Williams has lost four Slam finals since and as she walked off court put her hand over her heart, almost as if saying farewell.

Asked about it afterwards, she suggested the gesture was more about acknowledging the crowd, who were allowed back into Rod Laver Arena after a five-day snap lockdown and gave the American a rousing send-off.

“I don’t know. If I ever say farewell, I wouldn’t tell anyone,” she said. AFP

Team Ignite bows to Erie Bayhawks TEAM Ignite got stunned by a strong start and took their first-ever setback in the National G League tournament on Wednesday, absorbing an 87-127 beating from the Erie Bayhawks.

The Bayhawks, led by Naji Marshall, needed big spurts in the first period to overcome Ignite at the AdventHealth Arena in Orlando, Florida.

With Jalen Green held to just 13 points, the Bayhawks went on to post their fourth win in five games.

Filipino Kai Sotto has flown back to the United States in order to enter the Disney World bubble in Orlando, Florida and rejoin Ignite as soon as possible.

The Delaware Blue Coats are now in the solo lead following their 133-111 stopping of the Iowa Wolves.

Their fifth straight win puts the Blue Coats ahead of Ignite, who hold a 4-1 slate with the Bayhawks, the Austin Spurs and the Oklahoma City Blue.

Jonathan Kuminga shot 21 points and added a career-best 10 boards for Ignite.

The count was tied at 6-all when the Bayhawks broke free behind a driving layup from Jalen Adams.

This touched off a 7-0 run which put the Bayhawks on top, 13-6, with 7:27 remaining.

After Kuminga drove in and stopped the rally, the Bayhawks took off once again.

This time, Justin Wright-Foreman and Marshall towed the Bayhawks to a 9-0 blast to move away, 22-8, in the remaining 5:29. Peter Atencio

Serena Williams of the US hits a return against Japan’s Naomi Osaka during their women’s singles semifinal match on day eleven of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne on February 18, 2021.

Anthony wants to cap career by winning PBA crown

By Rey Joble

NorthPort Batang Pier forward Sean Anthony (10) drives to the hoop against Rain or Shine defenders Jewel Ponferada (right) and Ed Daquioag. PBA

SEAN Anthony had plenty of chances to win a PBA title in more than a decade of playing in the big league.

He was a key member of the Powerade Tigers team that made a Cinderella run in the 2012 Philippine Cup. Then an eighth seeded squad, the Tigers defeated the top seed B-Meg Llamados twice in a row in the quarterfinals, then put away another favored squad, Rain or Shine, in a grueling seven-game series in the semifinal round.

But in the championship round, the Tigers were outplayed by the more seasoned TNT Tropang Texters in five games.

“With Powerade, we got too excited once we got to the finals,” Anthony said. “We had a chance, but when Game 1 slipped out and then we lost in overtime in Game 2, TNT was ready to go.”

Two years later, Anthony, now playing for the

Air21 Express, had a chance to lead his squad to making the championship round, but an unfortunate incident happened in Game 4 of their best-of-five semifinals series against the grand slam-seeking San Mig Coffee Mixers.

“Another one that was hard for me was Air21,” added Anthony. “We just beat San Miguel, which had a twice-to-beat advantage in the quarterfinals and then we went up 2-1 against San Mig Coffee, which was going for a Grand Slam. But that was when I injured my Achilles. I sat out the next two games and we ended up losing to them.”

Now on his 12th season in the PBA, Anthony doesn’t have many more chances left, but he feels he still has some good years left in him and there’s no better way to cap his career than winning a championship.

After a frustrating campaign at the Bubble where they ended up with the second worst record in the tournament, the NorthPort Batang Pier are looking to rebound this season.

The Batang Pier own the second overall pick in the first round and have an extra pick at No. 11, and those assets could turn out to be good investments as they move along.

“I was playing alright in the Bubble, averaging almost triple-double. It’s just unfortunate we couldn’t close out, then I got injured. I was out for two weeks and in a normal season, that’s just two or three games, but because of the super compressed schedule, I missed out most of the games in the elimination,” added Anthony, who averaged 14.50 points, 9.75 rebounds, and 5.75 assists per game.

“Winning a championship is the best way to cap my stellar career. I think I have a few good years with me, that’s for sure. But I don’t think I’ll pull a Tom Brady, who played until 43.”

Still, Anthony believes that with a team built around him, center Christian Standhardinger, Garvo Lanete, Kevin Ferrer and the two first round picks this year, the future looks bright for the Batang Pier.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

(MS-FEB. 19, 2021)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Entertainment C

NICKIE WANG

In GMA News TV’s Farm To Table, Chef JR, who is also a farmer with Bicolano roots and of Igorot descent, takes viewers along the journey of a dish from root to plate. He gives a peek into the fascinating process of food preparation – from growing and harvesting fresh ingredients to cooking and plating mouthwatering meals that aim to encourage viewers to rediscover the joy of eating home-cooked meals and living a healthy lifestyle.

“This is something that I’m really passionate about. The show trains the spotlight on regional delicacies, the integration of other industries related to food and beverages, including organic farming,” Chef RJ told Manila Standard Entertainment in a virtual interview.

“There is a need for us to focus on the entire process, not just the food.

We eat as an end product but we also have to look into the entire process, which involves our stakeholders -like fishermen and farmers --in the food and beverage industry. The show has a holistic approach, showing a 360-degree view of how food ends up on our table. That’s the backbone of the show,” he added.

In Farm To Table, Chef JR offers viewers a chance to vicariously experience food preparation in the rawest form as the hands-on chef visits interesting farms all over the country, sources locally-produced ingredients from rural communities and prepares food according to the ways of the locals – during which he applies his experiences growing up surrounded by nature and his expertise with rustic cooking techniques.

The resident food explorer expresses his belief in the importance of incorporating fresh ingredients into one’s diet.

“We saw the importance of having access to nutritious and fresh

Rockstar in culinary scene

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SINGER Jamie Rivera has recently launched the inspirational “We Give OurYes,” the official mission song of “The 500 Years of Christianity in the Philippines” yearlong celebration that commenced this month.

She shared how she felt honored to sing the song during Star Music’s “We Give Our Yes” virtual media conference. “I think this is really my mission, a mission for me to be able to give people a prayer and, at the same time, they could sing with it as well,” Jamie said.

The Inspirational Diva introduced “We Give Our Yes” in a remarkable performance in ASAP Natin ‘To last Sunday, rendering it beautifully together with The Company and other singers Erik Santos, Jeremy Glinoga, Jed Madela, Jason Dy, and Nyoy Volante.

Jamie first performed the song live at the Manila Cathedral during the Archdiocese of Manila’s launch of the 500 Years of Christianity festivities on Feb. 6.

Meanwhile, Star Music released the “We Give Our Yes” music video, directed

by Frank Mamaril, last week. Together with the lyric video, the song currently has more than 150K combined views on Star Music’s YouTube channel.

The MV, shot in Manila Cathedral, featured important Catholic Church events in the past.

It also showed Jamie wearing an immaculate Mak Tumang creation, which was inspired by the logo of the celebration.

The motivating tune “We Give Our Yes,” originally commissioned by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the arrival of Christianity in the country, conveys the power of faith and hope during difficult times and reminds Filipinos to keep saying yes to the mission of Jesus.

Written by the multi-awarded composer Fr. Carlo Magno Marcelo, Jamie’s version of “We Give Our Yes” was produced by the award-winning hitmaker and ABS-CBN Music creative director Jonathan Manalo.

Inspirational Diva Jamie Rivera sings ‘We Give Our Yes,’ a song that celebrates 500 years of Christianity in the country.

Top-rated performers join world leaders, citizens call for peace and healing Speaking to Manila Standard Entertainment, Chef JR Royol said that he wishes to cook for the Pope. ‘I‘d serve him a fresh salad from my food forest. I’m also thinking of serving him pinikpikan, but I doubt he’d be down for it.’

ingredients. Napaka-importante nito sa kalusugan natin,” he stated.

Chef JR also shares that he is most excited about the knowledge he will acquire from this show as well as the information he can impart to a larger audience, “I’m mostly excited about the information that I will get. For me, more than the exposure, I’m excited with the knowledge na makukuha ko

working with different people. One of my practices is to really teach my staff before. Mas excited ako na mas malawak ‘yung audience na matuturuan ko with this show.”

Farm To Table premieres on Feb. 21 at 6:15 p.m. on GMA News TV. Viewers abroad can also watch Farm To Table via GMA's flagship international channel, GMA Life TV. For the program guide, visit www.gmapinoytv.com.

Rihanna in hot water over topless Hindu god photo

Pop star Rihanna sparks outrage in India after she was pictured topless with a pendant of Ganesha around her neck (inset).

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

A song celebrating 500 years of Christianity in PH

VERY WANG

HEF JR Royol still flirts with music. It’s already part of his DNA since he was a vocalist of a small underground band some years ago. But since winning a cooking reality show, the kitchen has become his stage and knives and pans are his instruments.

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

POP icon Rihanna has been accused of mocking a Hindu god after she was pictured topless with a pendant of Ganesha around her neck, sparking a furor in India.

Images of the lingerie photoshoot come just weeks after she upset the Indian government by commenting on huge farmers' protests that pose a major challenge to New Delhi.

The latest offending tweet to the superstar's more than 100 million Twitter followers is part of promotions for Rihanna's lingerie line Savage X Fenty.

The photo was also shared on her Instagram account, which has 91.4 million followers.

Social media users and politicians in India on Wednesday said her post was "derogatory", accusing her of disrespecting Hindu gods and hurting local sentiment.

"It's appalling to see how @Rihanna

shamefully mocks our beloved Hindu God #Ganesha," tweeted Ram Kadam, a state legislator from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindunationalist party.

"This exposes how #Rihanna has no idea or respect for Indian culture, tradition, and our issues here," he added.

The right-wing World Hindu Council said it had filed police complaints against Facebook and Twitter for hosting the picture and demanded action against Rihanna's social media accounts.

Earlier this month tweets from Rihanna and other celebrities on protests in India by farmers against new agriculture laws sparked anger at India's foreign ministry, which called their comments "sensationalist".

Critics say Hindu nationalism has been on the rise in officially secular India under Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party. AFP

PPO’s virtual pocket concert today

THE Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra stages another online performance through its pocket concert series entitled The PPO Spotlight: Virtual Pocket Performances to be streamed tonight at 8:00 through the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Website.

Repertoire for the virtual concert features the following pieces, among them, “Lately” by Stevie Wonder to be played by Melvin Miranda (Trumpet), “True Colors” by Billy Steinberg to be performed by Jose Carlo Tuazon (Violin), and Toto Sorioso (Guitar), “Part of Your World” by Alan Menken to be rendered by Ayesa Cruz (Violin) and Jane Banta (Harp); “Hahanapin Ko”

by Jose Mari Chan to be interpreted by Christian Tan (Violin), Ma. Angelica Philippine Philharmonic Orchestra Uson (Violin), Ferdinand Dumlao (Viola), and Herrick Ortiz (Cello).

Series is a program of the Philippine viewed from the PPO FB page and the The PPO Online Pocket Concert Philharmonic Orchestra which can be CCP YouTube as platforms.

MILLIONS of people from 63 nations convened online on Feb. 6 to call for the healing of the nation and the world at the Rally of Hope Philippines sponsored by the Universal Peace Federation, (UPF), an NGO holding general consultative status with the United Nations.

Dubbed as One Million People Praying for the Healing of the Nation and the World, the event was telecast on PTV 4 and was simultaneously livestreamed on radio, cable tv stations in different parts of the nation and in countries even as far as Fiji and other social media platforms.

World-class entertainment from Jed Madela, 4th The event brought together Filipinos and other citizens Impact, Gerphil Flores, from different corners of the world in an online interfaith gathering to collectively pray for the healing of the world Reo Brothers, FCPC from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Baliktanaw, and the Philippine Meistersingers was showcased during the event as well even hemispheric boundaries, there is messages of hope and inspiration from a greater need for organizations like celebrities, political and religious leaders, UPF to promote peace, solidarity, and youth leaders frontliners, and other social cooperation.

Keynote speeches from world leaders media personalities and influencers.

Inspired by the great vision of its including that of the Former Prime Minister Founder, Dr. Hak Ja Han Moon, of Fiji, H.E. Sitivenie Ligamamada who spoke during the event through Rabuka, and the Speaker of the House of her representative, Dr. Robert Kittel, the Assembly of the Republic of Kiribati, the event highlighted the joint efforts Tanagariki Reete Tekiaa were featured. of UPF and its partners to support the H.E. Rabuka underscored the power communities who were recently affected of prayer in overcoming our present by the typhoons that struck the Philippines circumstance: “There is power in prayer. last year through theTrue Love in Action: And when many people pray together, TulongTulong Para sa Pagbangon it is a powerful synergy for a purpose, Project. Dr. Moon herself offered her mostly a positive purpose. I promise to personal donation of $40,000 for this pray for the healing of the people of the cause through the Department of Social Philippines, the healing of the nation of the Philippines, and for the healing of the Welfare and Development (DSWD).

In her speech, Dr. Moon commended people of the world.”

Hon. Reete, for her part, boldly declared the resolution of this rally that calls for the necessity of strengthening the foundation that “We are a team: rich, poor, developed, for character education for the youth developing we are diverse but at the root, we and building stable loving families. She are indeed one human family under God.” Leaders of the Philippine government thanked H.E. President Rodrigo Duterte for his written message supporting the including Speaker of the House of Rally of Hope and emphasizing the Representatives, Hon. Lord Allan vital role of leaders and citizens alike to Velasco, Secretary Martin Andanar work together in order to build a strong of the PCOO, and Senator Christopher and empowered global community Lawrence “Bong” Go, gave their that upholds the best interests of future special messages as well. The message for the Rally of Hope Philippines of generations.

Coinciding with the commemoration H.E. Rodrigo Duterte was also read of the World Interfaith Harmony Week, during the program.

The winner of the recent Asia Pacific the program started with an interfaith prayer offered by the leaders of different S!NERGY competition organized by faiths in the country. Rev. Masaichi Hori, the International Association of Youth Co-Chairman of the UPF Asia Pacific, and Students for Peace also delivered an gave the welcome remarks while five- excerpt of her winning speech. In addition time Speaker of the Philippine House of to that, the online event also highlighted Representatives, Hon. Jose De Venecia, the campaign to support the “Billion Tree Jr., gave his congratulatory remarks Planting and Growing Project” to be done mentioning that in the face of these threats in partnership with the national and local which transcend national, regional, and government units.

Life

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

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TRAVEL & LEISURE

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19, 2021

A breathtaking view of the famous Chocolate Hills of Bohol.

UBE, anyone?

P

URPLE yam or ube is that bright purple root vegetable with a mellow, vanilla-like taste, and is high in vitamins, fiber, and healthy carbs. It is often used in desserts—ice cream, cakes, puddings, etc.—and grows abundantly in Bohol, the reason why almost every visitor to the province comes home with a bounty of ube-flavored delights.

However, the three-letter word in title of this column does not really refer to that delicious root crop. It is an acronym coined by my friend and co-Trustee at the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, Atty. Lucas Nunag, owner of the popular Amarela Resort in Bohol.

UBE, the acronym, stands for Ultimate Bohol Experience, the product that tourism stakeholders in the province are now pushing after quarantine restrictions have eased up. Bohol has, once again, unveiled for visitors its breathtaking beaches, scenic hills, picturesque rivers, spectacular dive sites, and delectable culinary offerings.

Margie Munsayac, vice president of sales and marketing of Bluewater Resorts, spearheaded this attractive Balik Sa Bohol Online Sale.

The tarsiers cling to low branches of slim trees. When disturbed by tourists, they commit suicide by banging their heads against tree trunks.

The nocturnal tarsier is a very delicate and emotionally sensitive primate that easily gets stressed.

The two-kilometer stretch of mahogany trees in the man-made forest of Bilar, Bohol never fails to awe even the jaded tourist.

After successfully hosting in September last year, the country’s biggest government-organized travel trade event, and the MICE + E Familiarization Trip three months later, the tourism stakeholders in the province are raring to bring in more domestic tourists.

Led by my good friend Margie Munsayac, vice president of sales and marketing of Bluewater Resorts, the group has put up its first-ever promotional campaign, Balik Sa Bohol Online Sale, which runs from Feb. 21 to March 14. The massive discounts, as much as 70 percent, in room accommodations, food and beverage, tours, and other related services are designed to lure funlovers and holiday-makers from other parts of the country to this Central Visayas destination and ignite the resurgence of their tourism industry.

The online promo’s launch last week was participated in by Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, Panglao Mayor Leonila Montero, Department of Tourism Region 7 director Shalimar Tamano, Tourism Promotions Board chief operating officer Anthonette Allones, and my friend, Atty.

Lucas Nunag, who is also the chairman of the Provincial Tourism Council.

For a hassle-free and enjoyable visit to the province, the following requirements should be adhered to: a negative RT-PCR test result with the swab taken within 72 hours to travel time; proof of confirmed reservations at a DOT-accredited hotel or resort; proof of registration through tourism.bohol.gov.ph; and, if going on a tour, proof of confirmation by a DOT-accredited tour operator.

An interesting attraction to look forward to in April, as announced by Governor Yap, is the tour to all of Bohol’s National Heritage churches, of which the province has 10. This interesting tour will include cultural performances in each stop, adding pomp and pageantry to the activity. This will be in coordination with the National Historical Commission and the National Museum, in celebration of the quincentennial anniversary of Christianity in the country.

The tourism enterprises participating in the Balik Sa Bohol Online Sale are Amarela Resort Bohol, Amorita Resort, BE Grand Hotel, Bohol Bee Farm, The Bellevue Resort, Best Western Plus, Bluewater Panglao Beach Resort, Bohol Beach Club, Chocolate Hills Adventure Park, The Acacia Glamping, Donatela

Resort and Sanctuary, Loboc River Resort, Mithi Resort and Spa, Modala Beach Resort, and South Palms Resort Panglao.

The discounted tours may be purchased from Angels Wings Travel and Tours, Baclayon Travel and Tours, Bohol Holidays Travel and Tours, Coordinates Tours and Travel, Dagohoy Travel and Tours, Travel Village Tours and Travel, Atlantis, and Cebu Pacific.

More information on this very attractive offer is available through margie.munsayac@bluewater.com.ph.

I can hardly wait to revisit Bohol and immerse myself in the destination’s amazing blend of nature, culture, history, and serenity, flavored with mouthwatering culinary offerings. I’m looking forward to another dose of some precious UBE…the root crop and the Ultimate Bohol Experience!

YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE YAWN: The only time married men ever get to open their mouth.

For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@gmail.com.

Bohol celebrates its ‘savior crop’ ubi during the month-long Ubi Festival.

(Photo from the Office of the Provincial Agriculturist - Bohol)

DOT lauds Bohol’s Ubi Festival celebration

THE Department of Tourism (DOT) lauds the Provincial Government of Bohol’s efforts in staging this year’s Ubi Festival amid the “new normal.”

The month-long fest, which kicked off on Jan. 25 and will run until Feb. 24, celebrates the province’s love for ubi (also called ube) or purple yam. Bohol is the largest producer of ubi in the country.

The root crop was revered as a “savior crop” as its discovery led to the alleviation of hunger in the province during pre-Hispanic times. It has become a staple food for Boholanos because of its taste, long shelf-life, and versatility.

This year’s theme, “Pagpananum ug Ubi Napuslan, Kagutom Na Dala Sa Covid-19 Nabatukan,” aims to celebrate the root crop that has become an agrohistorical-geographical-religious symbol for the province, and highlight the impact and contributions of ubi farmers.

As part of the festival, a showcase of ubi products like ube jams and ube-based bibingka, ice cream, and bread are displayed at the Old City Airport in Tagbilaran City. The venue strictly implements health and safety protocols.

Other cultural activities, exhibits, and seminars are also held to honor the root crop this month.

Do-it-yourself travels are currently not allowed in Bohol. Before planning a visit, travelers must have a negative RT-PCR test taken 72 hours before their arrival, pre-booked accommodations at a DOT/LGU-accredited establishment, travel itinerary, and registration in the Province of Bohol website (tourism.bohol. gov.ph) for the issuance of personal QR codes that will serve as electronic IDs. Tourists coming from Metro Manila are encouraged to apply for the subsidized RT-PCR test at the UP-Philippine General or Philippine Children’s Medical Center priced at P900 and P750, respectively. To avail of the 50 percent discount from either of the two medical institutions, go to www.tpb.gov.ph/rtpcrphtravel.

As of Feb 2, Bohol allows the use of saliva RT-PCR tests in place of nasal and throat swabs.

FRONT DESK

Nüwa Manila receives fourth Forbes Travel Guide 5-Star rating NÜWA Manila at City of Dreams Manila received its fourth consecutive Five-Star rating in this year’s Forbes Travel Guide Star Awards The posh hotel in Parañaque is one of the 15 properties recognized by the award-giving body. The hotel’s spa likewise received

Nüwa Manila at City of Dreams Manila receives its fourth Five-Star rating from the Forbes Travel Guide this year.

a Five-Star rating for the second year in a row.

“These 2021 award winners are a testament to the resiliency of the hospitality industry,” said Filip Boyen, chief executive officer of Forbes Travel Guide.

“During an unprecedented time, these top properties adapted to numerous adversities all while maintaining high service levels and ensuring the health security of their guests and staff.”

The properties in the 2021 list were inspected prior to the pandemic and when regional restrictions allowed for the safe return of guests.

The Five-Star rating came on the heels of Nüwa’s recent recognition as one of the first hotels in the world to achieve the Sharecare Health Security VERIFIED with Forbes Travel Guide certification, a comprehensive facility verification for compliance with expert-

validated best practices on health and safety protocols.

The recognition contributed to the collective total of 97 stars achieved by Melco Resorts and Entertainment’s portfolio of integrated resort properties in Macau and Manila, which is considered the integrated resort with the most Five-Star rating in Asia.

Other Philippine properties recognized

by Forbes Travel Guide were Marco Polo Ortigas, Sky Tower at Solaire Resort and Casino, The Peninsula Manila, and Okada Manila, which all received Five-Star rating.

Nobu Hotel, Hyatt Regency Manila, Fairmont Makati, Raffles Makati, The Retreat Spa at Okada Manila, Shangri-La at the Fort, and Sofitel Philippine Plaza were given the Four-Star rating. Conrad Manila and Makati Shangri-La both received a Recommended status.

Two-time Five-Star awardee Nüwa Spa has its own vitality pool.

The expansive 453-square meter Nüwa Crystal Villa boasts a magnificent view of the hotel’s swimming pool and garden promenade.