Manila Standard - 2021 March 5 - Friday

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net

Stick to priority list—WHO PH warned of supply cutoff over reports some VIPs jumped the line

By Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Philippines must stick to the agreed priority to vaccinate medical front-liners, seniors and those with co-morbidities first to ensure the unhampered supply of COVID-19 vaccines from the COVAX Facility, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned Thursday.

Crates containing 487,200 life-saving doses of AstraZeneca vaccine under the WHO-led Covax Facility arrive in the Philippines on board a KLM flight from Belgium to the Villamor Air Base. The initial batch will later be transported to the Metropac cold storage depot in Marikina City.

The warning came as the Department of Health said it would investigate instances where people not on the priority list have already received their shots— such as Interior Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya and Quezon Rep. Helen Tan, Pasay City Vice Mayor Noel Del Next page

Rep. Angelina Tan

VOL. XXXV • NO. 23 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Covax delivers, Rody vouches for AstraZeneca vaccines Duterte ready

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas and Rey E. Requejo

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte vouched for the efficacy of the available COVID-19 vaccines as he personally received the first batch of AstraZeneca doses through the

Usec. Jonathan Malaya

COVAX Facility, a global vaccinesharing initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The 487,200 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine arrived at 7:19 p.m. at the Villamor Air Base in Pasay on board a KLM flight from Belgium.

“I appeal to our kababayan: Please

get vaccinated and be a partner of the government in preventing the further spread of the disease. These vaccines are safe and are key to reopening our society,” the President said late Thursday evening.

He also thanked the donor countries who made the COVAX allocation possible.

“I express my deep gratitude to the Next page

LOCAL ROUNDUP

• Cases surging • ECQ for Pasay • MGCQ in April?

By Willie Casas, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Vito Barcelo THE Department of Health on Thursday reported 2,452 additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the country’s total to 584,667.

This was the highest tally of new cases since Feb. 27. New reported infections counted at least 2,000 each for seven out of the last eight days.

Thursday’s tally did not include data from four laboratories that failed to submit results on time.

There were 15 new fatalities Thursday, bringing the death toll to 12,404.

The DOH also said 266 more patients have recovered from the illness, bringing the number of patients who have recovered from the disease to 535,037.

Of the remaining 37,226 active cases undergoing treatment or quarantine, 90.1 percent are mild, 4.9 percent are asymptomatic, 2.1 percent are severe, and 2.1 percent are in critical condition.

ECQ for Pasay City pushed Pasay City should be on total Enhanced Community Quarantine at Next page

to set foot on Red-free areas

By Maricel V. Cruz

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will personally visit barangays that have been freed from the threat and influence of the New People’s Army (NPA) to make sure that the programs and projects promised to those villages are being properly implemented.

In a statement made available to Congress reporters, the National Security Council said President Duterte, in his capacity as chairman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC), would visit starting Friday Northern Mindanao, followed by Eastern Visayas and Southern Tagalog in the following weeks.

“President Duterte intends to visit each region in the country on a weekly basis for consultations and dialogues, as well as to grace the regional implementation of the Barangay Development Program,” National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr. said.

Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MARCH 4) Philvolcs raised alert level 1 on Mt. Pinatubo on Thursday, March 4, 2021 owing to low-level unrest. Volcanologists recorded 1, 722 ‘imperceptible earthquakes’ since Jan. 20, 2021. File photo shows Mt. Pinatubo’s volcanic mushroom cloud exploding high. AFP

Mt. Pinatubo alert raised amid low-level unrest

By Rio N. Araja

THE Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology on Thursday raised the status of Mt. Pinatubo in Zambales from alert level 0 – its highest level since January 1996 – to alert level 1.

“This means that there is low level

Palace ‘perpetuating falsehoods’

unrest that may be related to tectonic processes beneath the volcano and that no imminent eruption is foreseen,” its volcano bulletin read.

Phivolcs, however, said entry into the Pinatubo crater area must be conducted with extreme caution and should be avoided if possible.

“Communities and local government units surrounding Pinatubo are reminded to be always prepared for both earthquake and volcanic hazards and to review, prepare and strengthen their contingency, emergency and other disaster preparedness plans,” it cautioned.

Next page

Google honors Filipino suffragette

MEGHAN MARKLE says Buckingham Palace is “perpetuating falsehoods” about her and her husband Prince Harry, according to part of an interview she has done with Oprah Winfrey.

AGE, in a different context, does not matter.

Thursday, March 4, Rosa Sevilla de Alvero, a Filipino journalist, activist and educator, who advocated women’s suffrage in the Philippines in her time,

Next page

Next page

584,667 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

2,452 37,226 NEW

ACTIVE

12,404

15

535,037

266

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

Biden: Drop-mask ruling in 2 states is ‘Neanderthal’ PRESIDENT Joe Biden has slammed “Neanderthal” decisions by Texas and Mississippi to drop mask-wearing mandates, underscoring that the COVID-19 pandemic across the United States remains far from beaten.

“I think it’s a big mistake. I hope everybody’s realized by now, these masks make a difference. We’re on the cusp of being able fundamentally change the nature of Next page

A2

News

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Recto frets over schooling woes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

S

ENATE President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto has warned that school children may end up as the “lost generation” if the return to normalcy would be “slowed down by vaccine shortage, and if we fail to adjust to and invest in new learning modes.”

out addressing the basic problems of the Duterte administration’s distance learning program would only extend the suffering and hardships of teachers, learners and their parents,” Castro said.

Recto said the results can be used “in designing how safely these can be done.”

The larger picture is that the pandemic has hit hard a school system with “severe pre-existing conditions,” he said.

“Even before the first coronaviruscarrying bat flew out of a Wuhan tree, our country had already been lagging behind in many international tests that measure learning,” he said “And there are fears that this pandemic will allow us to bag the last spot uncontested,” Recto added.

If the pandemic would set us back two years in human resource development, he said the delay would have an

impact on the future of this country.

While the vaccine remains the “greatest school pass,” he said even giving it to many would not lead to an exodus back to classes.

According to Recto, the virus was such a constantly mutating genius that even if Filipino children and teachers had been vaccinated, the return to standing-room-only schools would not be immediate “Launching the trial classes under strict health measures is the way to mark on March 16 the anniversary of what is virtually the longest school vacation in history,” he said.

“They cannot be forever marooned in congested houses crammed with three generations of families, of which many double as a home for the sick, in communities which are bandwidth deprived.”

“COVID’s greatest damage may have been in incarcerating millions of children and sending the educational system to the ICU,” said Recto.

Recto aired these concerns as he called on the Department of Education to test limited in-person classes in about 1,000 schools.

Meanwhile, a minority leader in the House of Representatives on Thursday frowned on the Department of Education’s decision to extend the school year for another month.

Assistant Minority Leader and ACT

Teachers Rep. France Castro said an extension of the school year would be an extension of suffering for learners, teachers and parents.

The DepEd released Department Order 12 s.2021, moving the last class day of the school year from June 11 to July 10, 2021, while rescheduling the start of the 3rd grading period to March 22 to purportedly make way for a two-week remedial period to ‘bridge learning gaps, and one week for teachers’ trainings while students go on a break.

“Extending the school year with-

Covax...

From A1

Rappler boss denies tax evasion raps, blames Rody

donor countries. That you remember the poor nations is already a plus for humanity,” he said.

“No one is safe globally until everyone is safe,” Duterte added.

On Sunday, the country received its first delivery of COVID-19 vaccines, 600,000 doses of the vaccine made by China’s Sinovac.

The country expects to get 5.6 million COVID-19 doses from COVAX. The government will pay for onefourth of these doses, while the rest will be given for free, officials said.

Earlier Thursday, the WHO said over 4.5 million AstraZeneca doses would be delivered to the Philippines from March to May through COVAX. In an interview on radio dzBB, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the WHO has assured President Duterte that vaccines from Pfizer would be provided to the Philippines and may arrive in April.

He said 1 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac that the Philippine purchased will arrive in the third week of March.

The AstraZeneca vaccines were brought to a cold storage facility in Marikina City.

“AstraZeneca is proud to be the first vaccine from COVAX to arrive in the Philippines,” said the company’s country president Lotis Ramin.

“We have been working closely with all key stakeholders to fulfill our commitment to provide broad and equitable access to an effective, well-tolerated, and simple-to-administer vaccine at no profit during the pandemic,” said Ramin.

“We will continue to work with the Philippine national and local governments, private donors, and COVAX to pave the way for return to normalcy and economic recovery for all Filipinos,” he added.

AstraZeneca was the first global pharmaceutical company to join COVAX in June 2020 in line with the company’s shared commitment to global, equitable access to vaccines.

Together with its license partner the Serum Institute of India, hundreds of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine will be made available to 142 countries through COVAX, pending any supply and operational challenges.

Duterte...

From A1 “We are now pushing forward with our barangay-level initiatives, with the President meeting barangay officials and chairmen of the 822 barangays that will be receiving the BDP. As chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, the President shall meet with local chief

Mt. Pinatubo...

From A1 Since Jan. 20, the Pinatubo Volcano Network has detected 1,722 imperceptible earthquakes beneath the Pinatubo edifice.

Phivolcs said the 1,722 imperceptible earthquakes ranged from magnitudes 0.5 to 2.8, beneath the Pinatubo edifice. The daily volcanic quake average in alert level 0 is below five.

Imperceptible earthquakes are volcanic seismic activities that are not felt, according to Solidum.

Phivolcs’ Pinatubo volcano bulletin issued on Thursday said all earthquakes recorded are associated with rock-fracturing processes.

“Measurements at Pinatubo Crater

Bishops launch Laudato program of action, justice THE Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, through the InterCommission Working Group with the Global Catholic Climate Movement – Pilipinas, launched Thursday the National Laudato Si Program aimed at strengthening the collective advocacies and actions to “care for our common home.”

Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle, Caritas Internationalis president, said in a statement “The Laudato Si encyclical is not just a ‘green rhetoric.’ It is a document that requires us to do ecological conversion, conversion to ecological justice, and action.”

Thus when the CBCP decided to push for a national Laudato Si program, “we are bringing faith to the transformation of society and the care for creation,” Tagle said.

In 2019 during the CBCP Plenary Assembly, the bishops issued a statement pushing for 10 concrete action points, including the implementation of a National Laudato Si Program, to significantly contribute to the Philippine environment protection efforts, especially in the light of devastating and more frequent natural disasters.

In his message, the president of the CBCP, Archbishop Romulo Valles said “as a Bishop, I have experienced the local scenarios of the global environmental problems that Laudato Si has pointed out to us.

Davao City has been experiencing terrible flooding displacing thousands of families, even at one time, with scores of lives lost. Thus during the CBCP Plenary in January, we unanimously decided to act on the urgency of climate emergency.”

The 2021 Global Climate Risk Index showed that the Philippines ranked 4th in the list of countries most affected by climate risks. Just last year, at least five strong typhoons hit the country causing tremendous devastation amounting to “90 billion pesos output loses, or an equivalent to a reduction to the full-year GDP by 0.15 percent, according to NEDA.”

MARIA RESSA, chief executive of news website Rappler, was in court on Thursday to deny dodging taxes as authorities continue a crackdown against the country’s independent media.

Ressa has said the cases are payback for her criticism of the president’s policies including his war on drugs that has killed thousands of people.

“It hurts to tell the truth nowadays.

There are costs to telling the truth,” she told reporters after spending over two

hours on the witness stand.

Her site was three years ago branded a “fake news outlet” by President Rodrigo Duterte and she has since been the subject of at least 11 investigations into her business.

Last year top broadcast network ABSCBN was forced off the air when Congress refused to renew its license after Duterte vowed to personally shut it down for allegedly failing to air his 2016 presidential election campaign ads.

Ressa’s testimony on Thursday was off limits to the press due to coronavirus protocols.

She and her firm Rappler Holdings are accused of tax evasion and filing inaccurate tax returns on the sale of securities to US-based funds in 2015.

The 57-year-old, a former CNN correspondent and 2018 Time magazine Person of the Year, said she and Rappler paid the appropriate taxes for the deals. AFP

Stick...

From A1

This is followed by the most vulnerable population -- the elderly and those suffering from co-morbidities, where high case fatality rates were previously recorded.

“If we cannot demonstrate that we are following this prioritization, unfortunately, the COVAX may have to consider other options where the impact of the vaccine rollout will be more useful and practical and will contribute to saving more lives,” Abeyasinghe said.

“So we urge everybody concerned to kindly respect the prioritization that has been defined by the DOH (Department of Health) and the NITAG (National Immunization Technical Advisory Group) in consultation with the WHO,” he added.

The WHO will not police the list, leaving the role of ensuring adherence to the DOH, he said.

In the same briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire acknowledged the conditions set by the COVAX Facility to align with WHO’s objective to give the shots “to those who needed the most -- the health care workers”.

She urged the public and all stakeholders to stay within the inoculation framework.

“If we violate these objectives and do not give the vaccines to the right people or health workers, this could jeopardize

the succeeding supplies coming from the COVAX Facility,” she said in a mix of Filipino and English.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. on Thursday said they will investigate the case of Quezon Rep. Helen Tan, who jumped the line when she got herself vaccinated with Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Tans said she was part of her son’s allocation for his family at the Veterans Memorial Medical Center, where he is a surgeon, but Galvez told radio dzBB there is no such directive for now.

“That’s wrong,” he said in Filipino.

“Our priority is all the medical frontliners. The 1.7 million front-liners must be vaccinated first.”

“There are no provisions for dependents,” he added. “There aren’t enough vaccines, so that’s wrong. We will investigate that case.”

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said they need 3.4 million doses for the 1.7 million health care workers but so far, only 600,000 doses have arrived. “So that’s only 17 percent, so we are lacking,” he told radio dzBB. “We really need to follow the prioritization formula.”

Reports on Wednesday said Interior and Local Government spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya received the vaccine at Pasay City General Hospital.

this disease,” Biden told reporters in the White House Wednesday, pointing out that the death toll continues to rise past the half-million mark.

“The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime, everything’s fine – take off your mask, forget it. It still matters.”

Rochelle Walensky, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), echoed the warning, saying the Texas and Mississippi decisions to defy federal guidelines and drop mask requirements were premature.

The United States has recorded more than 500,000 deaths from the coronavirus, but has recently made progress in the mass vaccination plan, leading some states to ease unpopular controls.

Walensky said, “Now is not the time to release all restrictions.”

“The next month or two is really pivotal in terms of how this pandemic goes,” she said. “I would still encourage individuals to wear a mask, to socially distance.”

Biden’s White House coronavirus advisor Andy Slavitt also said that the president was “100 percent” behind CDC recommendations for continued mask wearing. AFP

executives including the barangaybeneficiaries of the BDP to present to the people of the region the package of projects they are to receive,” Esperon added.

At least 822 barangays that have been cleared of NPA influence, are included in the BDP. Each of the villages will receive P20 million this year to be used on specific projects intended for development.

The release of funds for the BDP is covered by Local Budget Circular 135 and 135-A from the Department of Budget and Management. This circular details the guidelines on the release and utilization of the Local Government Support Fund-Support to the BDP of the NTF-ELCAC this 2021.

Projects earmarked for each barangay include P12 million farm to market roads; P3 million school buildings; P2

million water supply facilities; P1.5 million skills and livelihood training; and P1.5 million sanitation projects.

“These programs are aimed at addressing issues that the CPP-NPA utilize in their propaganda and recruitment, such as poverty, isolation , diseases, hunger and lack of educational and livelihood opportunities,” Esperon, the vice chairman of the NTF-ELCAC, pointed out.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles on Thursday raised the possibility that the entire Philippines might be placed under the least restrictive modified general community quarantine by the second quarter of 2021.

Nograles said President Rodrigo Duterte might be convinced to impose the most relaxed quarantine status nationwide by April, considering that the country should already have over 2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by that month.

Duterte earlier rejected the proposal of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Metro Manila mayors to institute a nationwide MGCQ in March.

was investigating claims Markle had bullied household staff in the months after her fairytale wedding to the prince.

“I don’t know how they could expect that after all of this time we would still just be silent if there’s an active role that The Firm is playing in perpetuating falsehoods about us,” Markle told Winfrey.

“The Firm” is a sometimes-derisive

name for the British royal family.

Harry and Meghan announced last year they were stepping back from royal duties, in what became an increasingly acrimonious split from the family.

Their permanent removal from duties was confirmed earlier this year, with the royal household and the couple jockeying to control the narrative of the separation – and public sympathies. AFP

the Liga Nacional de Damas Filipinas or National League of Filipino Women.

The doodle of her casting a ballot, with the hands of other women from succeeding generations doing the same thing, is shown on the Google homepage.

Sevilla was born on March 4, 1879 in the crowded bayside district of Tondo, Manila to Ambrosio Sevilla,

a sergeant of the Spanish Army and Silvina Tolentino y Rafael, a relative of revolutionary and playwright Aurelio Tolentino.

At age 21, she was the founder of the Instituto de Mujeres in Manila, one of the first women’s schools in the Philippines. She was married to Emilio Alvero, an artist.

Rosario and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chief of Staff Michael Salalima.

About 4.58 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses are expected to arrive in the Philippines within the year under COVAX Facility, making the country one of the largest recipients of jabs through the global vaccine-sharing platform.

The country is also set to receive some 117,000 Pfizer-BioNTech jabs and an additional batch, the figures of which would be announced by end of March 2021.

“To access these vaccines, WHO and the COVAX Facility, and that includes its donor partners and members, have emphasized that COVAX vaccines should be used according to the prioritizations,” WHO Representative to the Philippines Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe said in an online press briefing.

He added that Manila must also demonstrate that it can roll out the vaccines in an efficient manner while minimizing wastage.

The prioritized groups he mentioned include some 1.8 million Filipino health care workers who are among the most at risk in the still-raging pandemic.

Biden:...

From A1

lake in February 2021 yielded a total CO2 flux of 378 tonnes/day which is still within the background range of 1,000 tonnes/day recorded in the past decade,” it added.

Slight increases in the temperatures of monitored fumaroles or gas vents were recorded but other characteristics such as acidity (pH) remain unchanged, Phivolcs also mentioned in the bulletin.

Solidum said that while Mt. Pinatubo would not erupt soon, residents must take precautions as this data only shows there is volcanic activity.

“Take extra caution when entering the Pinatubo crater, and one should only go there when necessary,” he said.

He also pointed out that while it may take many years before Mt. Pinatubo could erupt again, the public must not be complacent.

Palace...

From A1 The explosive claim is the latest salvo in an increasingly heated public relations battle between the British royal family and the US-based couple.

The clip, released Wednesday, came hours after Buckingham Palace said it

Google...

From A1 would have been 142.

The social networking platform Google, in a post in the Google blog, marked the birth anniversary of the 20th century suffragette who also founded

Local...

From A1 the moment pending the resolution of surges and control of South African variants, a former government advisor on the pandemic, Dr. Anthony Leachon, said Thursday.

Leachon, the government’s former special adviser to the National Task Force against COVID-19, said this is urgent due to the spike in cases and the detection of the South African variant among its residents.

He said granular lockdown should be implemented in Pasay City hotspots with testings and contact tracings. The affected areas in Pasay, Leachon said should be contained with rigor.

He also said healthcare workers should be vaccinated with Sinovac vaccine reported to be effective against the South African variant.

Nograles eyes MGCQ by April

News

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

A3

Investigate slay try on lawyer, DOJ orders

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Justice is ready to investigate the attack against lawyer Angelo Karlo Guillen in Iloilo City last March 3, 2021, if the incident had something to do with his legal advocacies, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said on Thursday.

Guevarra said he will endorse the investigation of the incident by the DOJ’s task force under the 2012 Administrative Order 35, which created the Inter-Agency Committee on Extra-Legal Killings, Enforced Disappearances, Torture and Other Grave Violations to the Rights to Life, Liberty and Security of Persons. The DOJ is part of the inter-agency committee.

“If he has good reason to believe that it’s related to his advocacies, I will refer the matter to the AO 35 task force for appropriate action,” Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

“We’ll wait for Attorney Guillen to make a statement about the incident.”

Guillen, an assistant vice president of the National Union of People’s Lawyers, was reportedly attacked by two masked men on the night of March 3 in Iloilo City.

Guillen is the lawyer in one of the 37 petitions filed with the Supreme Court challenging the constitutionality of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020. He is a known legal defender of activists and human rights advocates.

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines rallied all lawyers to continue performing courageously their sworn duty amid what it calls “the pandemic of criminality.”

“The danger and terror are real but we enjoin Filipino lawyers to courageously do their sworn duty. Inflicting violence on those who seek justice is criminality in the highest degree,” IBP President Domingo Egon Cayosa said in a statement.

Cayosa said the IBP condemns the attempt against the life of Guillen who handles “pro bono cases for the poor and the marginalized and is vocal against abuse and oppression.”

TRIBUTE. Honor guards escort the remains of former Senator John Henry Osmeña to the Senate plenary hall in Pasay City on March 4, where his former colleagues paid him a tribute.

Dubbed the “Lone Ranger” for his “independent mindedness and fearless stance despite overwhelming odds,” Osmeña died last month at the age of 86. Also in photo are Senate President Vicente Sotto III (right) and Osmeña’s son John Henry Gregory.

Panels urged: Probe gun battle

By Maricel V. Cruz

A

LEGISLATOR from Mindanao on Thursday urged the peace panels of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and the government to investigate the reported gun battle between MILF gunmen and government forces in Sumisip, Basilan, on February 28.

Deputy Speaker Mujiv Hataman raised the call as he expressed disappointment over the clash that reportedly involved some 50 members of the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces and government troops in a remote barangay.

At the same time, Hataman, who represents Basilan in the House of Representatives and the last governor of the now-

defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, called on the MILF and government peace panels to immediately investigate the reports and,” if found to be true, quickly resolve the situation that has caused fear and panic among the local residents where the clash happened.

“I want to know why did the clash happen? Is this not a violation of the peace

IN BRIEF

Nationwide internet cited as critical Though the Philippines jumped from number 111 to the 86th spot in Ookla’s Speedtest Global Index, Senator Win Gatchalian emphasized the need for sustained efforts to bridge the nationwide digital divide to cover all barangays and reach every learner.

Since most barangays have a public school, Gatchalian has been proposing the construction of cell sites in these schools to ensure nationwide internet coverage.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture reiterated that the country has an opportunity to bridge the digital divide, citing the Bayanihan to Recover As One Act (Republic Act 11494) or Bayanihan 2’s three-year suspension of certain requirements for cell tower construction, except for the building permit.

Earlier, the Department of Education told Gatchalian’s Senate hearing that out of the 22 million public school learners, only 3.6 million learners have access to the internet and only 1.9 million have their own laptops.

Project BASS-Bandwidth and Signal Statistics co-founder Wilson Chua, on the other hand, shared in the Medium Post that there are 36,607 out of 42,055 barangays or 87 percent that don’t have cell sites. Macon Ramos-Araneta

communities—Campo Tres, Punoh Kilale and Kahawaan—were also caught in the crossfire. Local executives of Basilan have reportedly asked the MILF fighters to withdraw from the Basilan towns, where they allegedly set up checkpoints.

“I think it is about time for us to be updated on the status of normalization in connection with the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro, particularly the decommissioning of the BIAF fighters. How many have been decommissioned? How many firearms have been surrendered?

“The 50 that engaged government forces in a gun battle, are they among the more than 12,000 who have been decommissioned? Is the decommissioning schedule followed? These are important questions that need to be answered.”

Fraternity holds 18th Congress

Group joins fight for environment CAMP PEPITO, Angeles City—PATROL Partylist Rep. Jorge Bustos said his group has embarked on environmental projects apparently to save the ecology and eventually weather climate change.

Bustos, a former member of the Philippine National Police, distributed cleaning materials to different communities, from broomsticks to shovels and garbage bins, as initial steps to address the sanitation and garbage problem in the countryside.

Thousands of fruit-bearing trees, courtesy of businessman Jose Ma. Hizon, were also distributed to the public.

Bustos said the PATROL Partylist coordinated with religious organizations in Pampanga in making the project a success as he reminded the public to be conscious of the proper waste disposal to prevent the mounting garbage problem.

Part of the project, Bustos said, is to give rice subsidies in exchange for garbage collected in the community and household.

“We have prepared an initial of 50 sacks of rice for the program that is being implemented in Masantol, Pampanga, by the parish church there,” said Bustos on the sidelines of the launching of “SingKwento”, a project of the PATROL partylist focus on environment and peace and order. Jess Malabanan

agreement? While no one has confirmed that these gunmen are members of the BIAF, no one has denied it either. What is the motive? Has the MILF leadership been informed? Is this a sanctioned operation or an act of a rogue group of MILFBIAF members? These questions should be answered satisfactorily.”

The clash has reportedly prompted noncombatants to evacuate to safer areas.

News reports indicate that the clash left two soldiers and one BIAF gunman wounded and had forced 1,000 residents of barangay Sukaten to flee from their homes at night, seeking refuge in the nearby village of Tumahubong, and then returning to Sukaten only during the daytime to tend to their farms and work animals.

The same reports said that three smaller

NEW OFFICERS. House Majority Floor Leader Martin Romualdez (left) and Unilever

Executive Ed Sunico are the new chairman and president, respectively, of the Upsilon Sigma

Developer donates boat to MMDA

By Joel E. Zurbano A REAL estate developer donated a 50-seater boat, bringing to 12 the total number of boats used by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority in its Pasig River Ferry Service program.

MMDA chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. accepted the new boat, named MB Vicente, donated by New San Jose Builders Inc. in a simple turnover ceremony held Thursday at the Guadalupe Ferry Station in Makati City.

The MMDA is hoping that the new boat will further increase ridership amid the limited public transportation as the implementation of general community quarantine in Metro Manila continues.

Abalos thanked NSJBI, headed by its Chairman Jose Acuzar, for the donation that he said was “expected to augment the shortage of ferry boats for our day-today operations.”

In a statement, Acuzar said the NJSBI is honored to be a part of the solution to alleviate heavy traffic.

“The Pasig River Ferry Service is an effective alternative transportation that doesn’t just lessen the land vehicle volume but also promotes the beauty of the

historic river,” he said.

The PRFS accommodated a total of 436,931 passengers from April 2014 to October 2019.

Abalos said the number of passengers could have been higher if not for the recurrent problem on water hyacinths that oftentimes resulted in cancelled or limited trips.

“We assure the public that we will continue to improve the ferry service for a comfortable and safe riding experience of the public,” he said.

Abalos said he plans to double the ferry boats, shorten the waiting time of one hour to 30 minutes to encourage more passengers, and open the Napindan dockyard in Taguig City. He is also eyeing to add more routes to the ferry service that will interconnect Manila Bay, Pasig River and Laguna Lake.

For his part, MMDA Deputy Chairman and concurrent PRFS head Undersecretary Frisco San Juan Jr. said ferry service is set to reopen three existing ferry stations in Maybunga in Pasig City and Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Lambingan in Manila. Construction is also ongoing for three new stations in Quinta Market in Manila, Circuit Makati and Kalawaan in Pasig.

UPSILON Sigma Phi, the oldest Greek letter fraternity in Asia, recently held its Congress dubbed Upsilon 101 in February 2021.

The gathering, which happens every two years since its inception in 1985, saw the attendance of almost a thousand Upsilonians from all over the world.

And in keeping with the times, the event was held on a digital platform for the first time.

Incoming Upsilon Sigma Phi Alumni Association Chairman Martin Romualdez ‘85 congratulated the speakers who included Senator Richard Gordon ‘68, Pasig Representative Roman Romulo ‘86, Anthony Pangilinan ‘83, General (Ret.) Peter Suchianco ‘83, Undersecretary Kris Ablan 2000, Life Coach Bobby Quitain ‘91 and Dr. Raph Rodolfo 2014, Physician Licensure Examination topnotcher.

“The mix of senior and junior members speaking and sharing their experiences shows the resiliency of the organization and inspires all the other members to excel in their industries in the service of the nation,” said Romualdez.

During each Congress, the Upsilon Sigma Phi also holds the UNO (Upsilonian, Noble & Outstanding) Awards, where select Upsilonians are recognized for their excellence in their respective fields according to UNO Selection Committee Awards Chair Danilo Gozo ’67.

To underscore the diversity of the oldest fraternity in the University of the Philippines, eleven alumni of the Upsilon Sigma Phi were recognized for their outstanding achievements.

Among this year’s UNO Awardees are Community Development Guru Nestor M. Pestelos, an ex-detainee during the Martial Law period; and retired Four Star General Gregorio Pio Catapang, former AFP Chief of Staff. Other 2021 UNO Awardees were: Col. Nereo C. Andolong, past Philippine Olympic Committee Chairman and PCSO General Manager; Two US based physicians, Dr. Emmanuel A. Lat and Dr. William E. Romero, both past Presidents of the

Stronger laws urged to protect Philippine wildlife

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SINCE wildlife crimes have also evolved and violators have become more equipped, organized and syndicated or have international connections, Senator Cynthia Villar vouched to give more teeth to existing laws and policies on wildlife protection.

Villar, chairperson of the Senate committee on environment and natural resources, said this would also help enforcement authorities as the trade and transport of wildlife species had become wide-scale and transnational in nature.

To address this concern, Villar filed Senate Bill 2078, or “An Act Strength-

ening The Wildlife Conservation And Protection Mechanism In The Philippines.” It will amend Republic Act 9147, otherwise known as the “Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act Of 2001”.

RA 9147 is a measure that provided the necessary environmental policy enabling Philippine government to manage and conserve the wildlife resources of the country comprehensively.

However, Villar said the 20-year old law needs to be amended because violations, which have remained rampant and many are even undetected, have been evolving.

She also pointed out the ongoing Cov-

id-19 pandemic intensifies the need to protect wildlife resources to prevent the risks of zoonotic diseases or the transmission of disease from animal to human.

The Wildlife Conservation Society said habitat loss forces animals to move to areas populated by people, who become exposed to the pathogens of animals that in turn spread viruses.

“Destruction of natural habitats has been linked to the spread of infectious diseases such as Ebola, HIV, swine fever and avian flu. More than two thirds of these diseases originate in animals, and about 70 percent come from wild animals, or what is referred to as zoonotic diseases,” said Villar.

UP Medical Alumni Society of America; Business Executive and past DBP Chairman Ramoncito Z. Abad; Broadcast Journalist Angelo Y. Castro Jr.; and Congressman Gerardo A. Roxas Jr. Rounding up the eleven UNO awardees for 2021 are Business Entrepreneur Ray A. Orozco, former Unilever executive Jose “Pong” Ejercito and More Power President Roel Castro.

Gozo added that this year’s awards were unique.

“This is also the first time in the 36 years (since 1985) of UNO awards that a father and son tandem of the 103-year-old fraternity had received the UNO, Senator Gerry Roxas, a previous awardee, and now his son Dinggoy. Only 75 of 3,000 Upsilonians have ever received the coveted UNO Award.”

For his part, Romualdez expressed hope that the standards set by UNO will inspire younger Upsilonians to excel in their chosen fields.

The honor is bestowed on Upsilonians who exemplify the qualities expressed in the Fraternity’s Credo and adhere to its five imperatives: Brotherhood, Integrity, Excellence, Leadership and Service.

Incoming USPAA President Ed Sunico ‘86 for his part congratulated the outgoing board for their sound leadership and astute planning despite the challenges of the pandemic.

The Upsilon Congress ushered in the new leadership tandem of Romualdez as Chairman and Sunico as President of the prominent fraternity.

They are joined by Myki Cantero ’88 as Vice President, Bong Uichangco ’81 as Treasurer and Atty. Eric Casal Pilapil ‘86 as Corporate Secretary. Other members of the new Board of Directors and Trustees include Dr. Bill Romero ‘76, Ricky Marcelo ‘78, Roel Castro ‘84, Bong Manlulu ‘85, Lewis Yu ‘86, Dr. Alan Austriaco ‘86, Gari Tiongco ‘91, Dennis Gelacio ‘92, Atty. Jorenz Tañada ‘92, Jon Javier ‘96, Atty. Poli Policarpio 2000, Atty. Jeff Coronel 2001 and Alaine Gonzales 2015.

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 of the following senior officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), namely: 1. DORVIN JOSE L. LEGASPI

to the rank of Rear Admiral, PN

2. NESTOR C. HERICO

to the rank of Major General, PN (M)

The public may submit any information, written report, or sworn/notarized complaints or oppositions in thirty - two (32) copies of the above nominations 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.

4 March 2021.

(MS-MAR. 5, 2021)

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary

A4

News

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

Avoid Myanmar protest areas, DFA warns IN BRIEF T

By Rey E. Requejo

DAR to organize more ARBOs nationwide

TO ENABLE more farmers to gain from its support services, the Department of Agrarian Reform will organize more agrarian reform beneficiaries’ organizations (ARBOs) nationwide.

DAR Secretary John Castriciones said most of the support given to farmers are passed on through the ARBOs, since they are usually united in their goals to improve their agriculture and economic lives, thus they know what to prioritize in terms of identifying the concerns and requirements of the organization.

“Provisions of infrastructures, farm machineries and equipment, farm inputs, credit assistance, and livelihood training, among other support services of the DAR are given to ensure our ARBs’ success,” Castriciones said.

“Thus, we will see to it that farmerbeneficiaries who will receive their land titles join ARBOs, we will help them to organize through orientations and training prior to the awarding of their certificates of land ownership award,” he said.

Aside from encouraging new farmerbeneficiaries to organize ARBOs, they would also resolve low ARB membership among existing groups, the agrarian reform chief added. Rio N. Araja

he Department of Foreign Affairs on Thursday urged Filipinos in Myanmar to avoid places of protest as it is “deeply concerned” with the surge of violence that reportedly led to the killing of 38 people after the military quelled protests in several towns and cities.

“Filipinos in Myanmar are once more advised to avoid places of protest, monitor developments through reputable sources, and check with the Philippine Embassy in Yangon for further advisories,” the DFA said in a statement.

The DFA appealed to the Myanmar se-

curity forces “to exercise restraint and refrain from using excessive force against unarmed demonstrators.”

The department also reiterated its call for a complete restoration of status quo ante and “allow State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to play her unifying role.”

It was reported that 38 people, including four children, were killed in Myanmar on Wednesday, as the military quelled antimilitary protests. Reports also said that hundreds of protesters were arrested.

Earlier, the Philippines through Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. called for the immediate release of Myanmar leader Suu Kyi, who was ousted and detained following a military coup d’état last February 1.

Locsin also urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations during its Informal Ministers Meeting on regional and international issues on Tuesday to support the restoration of status quo in Myanmar or a situation prior to the military takeover of the government.

“Our call is for the complete return to the previously existing state of affairs: with respect to the preeminent role of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; alongside the Army her father created for the protection of the people he led to freedom and the country he gave them at the cost of his life. This is what is needed,” Locsin said.

“And the first step should be for the immediate release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and subsequent dialogue among the parties involved in their country’s destiny,” he added.

Myanmar has plunged into political chaos after the military seized power and detained government leaders, including Aung San Suu Kyi last month, on allegation of fraud in a November election her party won in a landslide.

Enhanced biosecurity for livestock diseases EMERGING livestock diseases will entail enhanced biosecurity measures, animal disease experts from the Philippines, Australia and the United Kingdom said in a recent online forum.

According to the Philippine-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture based in Los Baños, Laguna this was discussed in “Livestock Diseases and Zoonoses: How Secure are Biosecurity Measures?”

Searca Director Glenn Gregorio said the forum through the Searca Online Learning and Virtual Engagements highlighted specific concrete and practical actions on the ground to disseminate and promote these to stakeholders in the agriculture sector and the public.

University of London Professor Richard Kock noted that when there are zoonoses (naturally transmissible infection from animals to humans) there is usually an animal reservoir that leads to infection.

He noted that emerging zoonoses are mostly associated with tropical and subtropical climates, which could also mean that the main burden of zoonoses is in developing countries adding that human pathogens that evolved from wildlife source organisms are influenza A, HIV, SARS CoV, rabies, and dengue. Brenda Jocson

Release seniors’ pension every 3 months—House A HOUSE of Representatives’ panel on Thursday adopted a resolution urging the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to release the monthly social pension of senior citizens every three months instead of the current schedule of every six months.

The Special Committee on Senior Citizens, chaired by Senior Citizens Party-list Rep. Rodolfo Ordanes, adopted House Resolution 1047, which states that indigent senior citizens need financial assistance at the soonest time amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

Deputy Speaker Rufus Rodriguez, the author of the resolution, said the pandemic caused the displacement of many Filipino workers, including senior citizens who are still productive members of society.

“The COVID-19 pandemic affected and disrupted the lives of all Filipinos during the first half of 2020 with the end to this pandemic still nowhere in sight as the number of cases still continue to increase,” Rodriguez said.

He said waiting every six months to receive assistance is too long for the indigent senior citizens. Maricel V. Cruz

BANNER MESSAGE. Members of Akbayan Party-list hold a banner with the message ‘More Vaccines, Zero Tarpaulins’ coinciding with the celebration of this year’s International Women’s Month. Akbayan will call for more vaccine options for women against COVID-19 and an end to early election campaigning. Manny Palmero

PH-China relations SBMA to fine shipping agency for disruptive off-signer a priority—GMA

By Maricel V. Cruz FORMER President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has highlighted the need to boost the country’s relations with China, saying it is a priority considering the geographic proximity of the two countries.

In her opening message to the First Manila Forum of the Association for Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) co-sponsored with the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Manila, Mrs. Arroyo, APCU Chairperson Emeritus, said that as the Philippines and China are next-door neighbors, keeping good relations is “always a priority.”

“The relationship between the Philippines and China is priority for our country. One major reason is geography – the Philippines and China are located within each other’s backyard, so to speak, so good relations between neighbors is always a priority,” she said.

APCU, a pioneer NGO in the country in promoting people-to-people diplomacy between the Philippines and China, held the first Manila Forum Wednesday via Zoom with Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun, who talked about China’s commitment to help countries recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Manila Forum was held to broaden and deepen practical cooperation between the Philippines and China to jointly achieve an early revival of the economy from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The former president said the good relations between the Philippines and China is manifested by the recent donation of COVID-19 vaccines by China to the Philippines.

CAR INSPECTION. A worker at a Triple A Private Motor Vehicle Inspection Center showcases its operational abilities on Thursday at ARCA Plaza along Maysan Road in Valenzuela City. Andrew Rabulan

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will fine a shipping agency in Olongapo City after a disembarked foreign seaman sponsored by the firm repeatedly violated safety protocols at a quarantine hotel here.

SBMA Chairman and Administrator Wilma T. Eisma said the SBMA will impose the highest penalty under the law to Thyverse Marine and Shipping Agency, which is an accredited operator in the Freeport, for being negligent in controlling its off-signer.

“We cannot tolerate any violation of health and safety protocols because our mandate is to ensure that all stakeholders

in the Subic Bay Freeport adhere to the rules laid down by the IATF,” Eisma said.

“There are rules, which are for everyone’s safety, and we will see to it that they are obeyed,” she added.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Crew Change, which manages the government’s crew-change hub in the Subic Freeport, identified the violator as Zaw Oo, a crewman who disembarked in Subic from the cargo ship M/V Voyager Elite.

Zaw Oo was quarantined at Horizon Hotel on Feb. 25, but while the crewman did not leave the hotel premises, he reportedly went out of his room several times in violation of quarantine rules.

Hotel staff also told the Bureau of

Quarantine (BOQ) that the foreign offsigner has argued with hotel housekeepers and sometimes appeared intoxicated.

Off-signers are required to take an RTPCR test upon arrival in Subic, then go to a quarantine hotel where they are supposed to stay inside their rooms all the time and take another confirmatory RT-PCR test five days later before they can be cleared

by BOQ for release to their destination.

In a letter dated Feb. 28, Lt. Napoleon Veneracion II, commander of the IATF Crew Change One-Stop-Shop in Subic, told Thyverse president Jason Lacbain that a review of CCTV footage in the hotel indicated “that the said off-signer went out of his room several times.”

Immigration: Report foreigner deaths

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) urged foreign nationals residing in the country whose relatives and acquaintances have died to report their deaths to the bureau so it can update its records and cancel these late aliens’ registration.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente explained that under the 1950 Alien Registration Act, the parents or relatives or persons in charge of the burial of a deceased alien are required to surrender the latter’s alien certificate of registration identity card (ACR I-Card) to the bureau.

The Immigration chief said it is the obligation of these relatives or friends of deceased aliens to report their deaths to the BI. Morente added that the deceased aliens’ ACR I-Cards should be surrendered to the BI’s registration officers at the bureau’s alien registration division (ARD) for cancellation and deactivation.

The BI chief stressed that reporting of deceased aliens to the bureau is vital in properly monitoring the presence of aliens in the country, and help the government formulate policies and actions in determining potential threats to public safety and public health amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to lawyer Jose Carlitos Licas, BI alien registration chief, the term “person in charge” refers also to owners and/or operators of funeral parlors, cryo-regeneration facilities, cemeteries, crypts, and crematoria.

“Our bureau is mandated by law to monitor the arrival, presence, activities, departure, re-entry and even death of aliens, whether they are staying in the country legally or illegally,” Licas stressed.

The Standard learned that since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic last year, the BI has not received any report of deaths of foreigners.

FERRY RIDE. MMDA officials led by Chairman Benhur Abalos test a new ferry boat—a 50-seater donated by the New San Jose Builders Inc.—from the Pasig River Ferry Service at the Guadalupe Ferry Station in Makati City on Thursday. Abalos plans to double the number of boats plying the river to increase their capacity and shorten the waiting time of passengers. Three new ferry stations in Quinta Market in Manila, Circuit Makati, and Kalawaan in Pasig City are currently under construction. Norman Cruz

Makati inks OsMak 2 pact for district 1

By Joel E. Zurbano RESIDENTS of Makati’s first district will no longer need to go to the Ospital ng Makati (OsMak) for their medical needs soon.

Members of the City Council have authorized Mayor Abigail Binay to sign a Private-Public Partnership agreement with LifeNurture Inc. for the construction, operation, and management of OsMak 2 in the area.

The main OsMak building is in Barangay Pembo in the second district.

Barangays in the first district include Bangkal, Bel-Air, Carmona, Dasmariñas Village, Forbes Park, Kasilawan, La Paz, Magallanes, Olympia, Palanan, Pio del Pilar, Poblacion, San Antonio, San Isidro, San Lorenzo, Santa Cruz, Singkamas, Tejeros, Urdaneta, and Valenzuela.

Mayor Binay expressed her gratitude to the 13 majority members of the council for supporting the joint venture, saying the project was a fulfillment of her campaign promise to expand health and medical services for her constituents.

“I thank the 13 councilors who voted yes to the ordinance and made way for a more modern OsMak to serve our residents,” she said.

The city chief executive said once fully operational, the new hospital will improve access of residents, particularly in the first district, to modern healthcare services and facilities.

“Our Makatizens from the first district will no longer need to travel to the second district to avail themselves of medical and diagnostic services being subsidized by the city government,” she said.

Opinion Pre-trial simplified

‘Kasambahay’ is no slave a series of security video footages showing her maltreating her 51-year old housemaid, hitting, pinching, throwing a broom and a towel at her.

When questioned, Mauro said she had suffered stress due to the pandemic.

Well, aren’t we all under extreme pressure to survive the pandemic crisis? She could not have come up with a more frivolous excuse.

She publicly apologized to the househelp who was immediately repatriated by the DFA when the Brazilian TV report went viral on social media.

And yet, Mauro has the temerity to call the President’s approval of her dismissal as “too harsh.”

Apparently, she feels entitled and deserving only a slap on the wrist for committing a pattern of abusive behavior.

She said the DFA panel has “mishandled and railroaded” the case, ignoring her accomplishments over 26 years of foreign service, including assistance to overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

She cited the fact that she had asked for the househelp’s “forgiveness” for her excesses which the kasambahay granted her.

The envoy said the kasambahay had

MORE OPINION ONLINE (www.manilastandard.net)

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

B1

EDITORIAL

sixty (60) calendar days from the filing of the Answer or Reply (Section 1, Rule 18, 2019 ARCP).

The notice of pre-trial shall be served on the counsel, or on the party if he or she has no counsel. The counsel served with the notice is charged with the duty PRE-TRIAL is the stage of a court pro- of notifying the party he or she repceeding before the trial. The importance resents (Section 3, Rule 18, 2019 ARCP). of pre-trial is that it allows the parties to Non-appearance at any of the settings explore the possibility of an amicable shall be deemed as non-appearance at the settlement or a submission to alternative pre-trial.

The parties shall file the pre-trial brief modes of dispute resolution. It is at this stage that even judges may prompt and with the court and serve the adverse party initiate compromise discussions between a copy at least three (3) calendar days before the date of the pre-trial. The pre-trial the parties.

The pre-trial stage is also when the is- brief shall contain, among others: (a) a sues are simplified by the parties with the summary of admitted facts and proposed guidance of the court before the trial. This stipulation of facts; (b) the main factual will allow the parties to limit the issues and legal issues; (c) the documents or to be heard and tried during the trial. It is other object evidence to be marked; and also at this point when the parties can enter (d) the names of the witnesses, and the into stipulations or admissions of facts and summary of their testimonies. The failure to file the pre-trial documents to avoid brief shall have the unnecessary proof same effect as failduring the trial. ure to appear at the The admissions At this stage, pre-trial (Section and stipulations of parties explore the 6, Rule 18, 2019 the parties are exARCP). pected to shorten the possibility of an The non-appeartrial since those facts amicable settlement ance of a party and need not be proven. counsel during or a submission to It is also during the pre-trial may pre-trial when the alternative modes of be excused only number of witnessdispute resolution. for acts of God, es are identified by force majeure, or the parties and they duly substantiated agree to fixed triphysical inability. al dates. The court may at this stage determine the propriety of A representative may appear on behalf rendering judgment on the pleadings, or a of a party, but must be fully authorized summary judgment with the effect of dis- in writing to enter into an amicable settlement, to submit to alternative modes of pensing with the trial.

With the benefits of pre-trial, the Rules dispute resolution, and to enter into stipof Court requires it to be mandatory but ulations or admissions of facts and documust be terminated promptly (Section 2, ments (Section 4, Rule 18, 2019 ARCP).

The failure of the plaintiff and counsel Rule 18, 2019 Amendments to the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure [ARCP]). In the to appear without valid reason shall cause early 1990s, although pre-trial was man- the dismissal of the action. The dismissal datory, some judges would inquire if the shall be with prejudice, which means the parties were willing to compromise, and dismissed case cannot be refiled. A simiif they are not, then the judge will termi- lar failure on the part of the defendant and counsel shall allow the plaintiff to present nate the pre-trial.

This prevalent judicial attitude, at that his or her evidence ex parte within ten time prompted the Supreme Court to in- (10) calendar days from the termination troduce the detailed process of pre-trial in of the pre-trial, and thereafter the court the 1997 Rules of Civil Procedure which may render judgment (Section 5, Rule was later enhanced by the 2004 Guide- 18, 2019 ARCP).

Additionally, the party or counsel who lines on Pre-Trial and Modes of Discovery. The 2019 Amendments to the 1997 fails to appear for pre-trial despite notice Rules of Civil Procedure in turn captured shall waive any objections to the faiththe process and the practical applications fulness of the reproductions marked, as well as to their genuineness and due exof pre-trial in the courtrooms.

The pre-trial is scheduled by the ecution. If the party and/or counsel fails branch clerk of court within five (5) cal- to bring the evidence required for the endar days from the filing of an Answer pre-trial though he is present, he shall be by the defendant or the filing of a Reply deemed to have waived the presentation by the plaintiff if the latter is allowed in of such evidence (Section 2 (h), Rule 18, accordance with the Rules. The branch 2019 ARCP). clerk of court will then issue a notice of Full version on www.manilastandard.net pre-trial which shall be set not later than

IMMEDIATELY following President Duterte’s announcement of former ambassador Marichu Mauro’s dismissal from service, she decried the decision as unjust and illegal penalty for her maltreatment of her Filipina housemaid in Brazil.

The President approved the recommendation of Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Teodoro Locsin for Mauro’s revocation of her appointment as Philippine ambassador to Brazil, dismissal and perpetual disbarment from holding public office.

Further, she loses her benefits from 26 years of public service and the privilege to take the civil service eligibility examination.

This should send a strong message not only to Philippine diplomats now assigned to foreign posts but to all public officials in the bureaucracy.

Mauro was recalled last October after a local television news program showed

Adelle Chua, Editor

The race to herd immunity

T

HE Philippines finally joined this week the list of nations that have started inoculating their population against COVID-19.

It is a long way to go before the Philippines reaches herd immunity, but the initial jabs received by the first few thousands of health workers should boost the confidence of Filipinos in receiving the vaccine from Beijing-based Sinovac Biotech.

numerous clinical trials and endorsement from the World Health Organization. President Rodrigo Duterte did the right thing in assuaging the fears of some Filipinos. The Chinese vaccine is backed by science, with Filipino medical experts endorsing it.

The Philippines should do its best in procuring different vaccines that are available in the market.

The government is distributing all the 600,000 Sinovac vaccine doses it received from China to several hospitals across the country within the first week of March.

There should be no argument about the safety of the Chinese vaccine. Millions of Chinese, Asians and Africans have already received vaccine shots after

A vaccine is a vaccine that aims to shield people from the pandemic.

High-profile people and celebrities should take the initial doses available in the Philippines to dispel doubts about them. Vaccine czar Carlito Gal-

vez Jr. took that lead, along with a few of the country’s medical front-liners.

Former US President Barack Obama in December had no qualms about taking a shot on any available vaccine. Mr. Obama went on record to say that he had full faith in Anthony Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the US, if he backed the vaccines as safe and effective. What he does not trust, he says, is getting COVID-19.

The Philippines, meanwhile, should do its best in procuring different vaccines that are available in the market.

COVID-19 cases in the country are again acting up after plateauing for several weeks. The cities of Pasay and Manila have noted an alarming rate of increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, a clear evidence that some are lowering their guard against the virus.

The Philippines is not out of the woods yet. But it will help if the population trusts the science behind the vaccines and remains vigilant.

My public interest advocacy nand Marcos.

A divided SC eventually allowed the special election to push through and this led to the February 1986 EDSA Revolt.

By 1986, I knew that I wanted to, and perhaps needed to be a public interest advocate. That way, I can defend the public interest and, I get to somehow “pay back” the Filipino taxpayers who financed my education at UP. Thus, upon leaving UP and after establishing for myself a sustainable business enterprise, I decided to use my free time and spend some of my earnings for my

CITIZEN BAROK LOUIS

BIRAOGO

AS A new columnist, it is my honor to share this newspaper’s dream of a country run by people of integrity, nationalism, competence and industry. Through the printed page and its online counterpart, I will endeavor to make that dream a reality.

Constitutionalism, or the supremacy of the Constitution, and the rule of law, or equal justice under the existing legal system, have been the focus of my attention and concern since I was a law student in the University of the Philippines (UP) in the late 1980s.

Back in 1984, I sued the administration of then UP President Edgardo Angara for arbitrarily increasing tuition and other school fees by some 350 percent, to make them at par with the leading private universities.

The court case involved principle.

I felt that being a public university, the fees in UP should be affordable, and that hikes in school fees should be gradual in order to be affordable.

Anyway, the Regional Trial Court of Quezon City stopped the fee hikes for one semester but eventually ruled in favor of UP. We brought the case to the Supreme Court (SC) but politics got in the way and the case became moot and academic.

The case did not turn out in my favor as I had hoped, but victory came in the knowledge that I was able to utilize the law in the pursuit of the public interest.

In December 1985, I went to the SC to question the constitutionality of the special presidential and vice presidential election called by then President Ferdibeen under her family’s employ for years in Manila.

The housemaid, who could have pressed criminal charges against the official, simply wished to move on.

Mauro said news reports have been biased, showing only portions of video clips intended to misrepresent her.

One can only imagine the ordeal her housemaid could still be suffering now if the abuses were not exposed.

When interviewed by reporters in Manila, the kasambahay said Mauro had a bad temper.

There is clearly no excuse or justification for such behavior, as she herself must admit.

Summer break essential for teachers, students

I want to pay back the Filipino taxpayers for financing my education. public interest advocacy work.

That, of course, meant dedicating myself to questioning in court serious anomalies in both government and private enterprise, with a view toward upholding the public interest at all times, regardless of who is involved, and even if hell itself should bar the way.

In the years that followed, I pursued public interest cases either in court, in the Office of the Ombudsman, or in the many quasi-judicial agencies. Allow me to discuss briefly three of those cases.

Right after President Benigno Aquino III assumed office in 2010, he issued Executive Order No. 1 (drafted by his loyal follower ex-Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr.) creating a truth commission to investigate anomalies allegedly committed during the tenure of his predecessor, President Gloria Arroyo.

I questioned the constitutionality of EO No. 1 in the SC on the ground that,

The former ambassador feels she deserves only a slap on the wrist for committing a pattern of abusive behavior.

“It is unbecoming of a public official, especially for a diplomat who represents our country in a foreign land. This incident has caused us sheer embarrassment,” said ACT-

Possible tandems in 2022

among others, it duplicated the functions of the Ombudsman and the Department of Justice. After due proceedings, the SC declared EO No. 1 unconstitutional.

When I discovered that the Anti-Cyber Crime Act of 2012 enacted by Congress contained provisions which violated privacy rights and the right against unreasonable searches and seizures, I challenged the validity of those provisions in the SC. After due proceedings anew, the SC declared those objectionable provisions of the law unconstitutional.

In September 2020, Ombudsman Samuel Martires issued Memorandum Circular (MC) No. 1 which provides that anybody who wishes to secure a copy of any SALN on file in his office must get the prior permission of the public officer whose SALN is sought. That permission must be embodied in a notarized document.

MC No. 1 amended the provisions governing public access to SALNs recited in the Constitution and in Republic Act No. 6713, or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees. As an ex-Justice of the SC, Martires ought to know that MC No. 1 is unconstitutional because the Ombudsman obviously has no power to amend both the Constitution and any law enacted by Congress.

In December 2020, I filed a petition in the SC and asked the tribunal to declare MC No. 1 unconstitutional. As of this time, I have not yet received any reply from either the SC or Martires.

Meanwhile, I am inviting my readers to report to me any anomaly in government or in private business which may need to be brought to court for appropriate action. That way, my advocacy can benefit as many people as possible. I may be reached at louiebiraogo@gmail.com Remember, when you need my help, and as a line of an old song goes, just call my name and I’ll be there.

CIS Partylist Rep. Eric Yap. As an offshoot of Mauro’s case, Locsin said the DFA will no longer allow DFA officials assigned to foreign posts to bring along their own kasambahays.

DFA officials will now have to recruit their houshelp through the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

Small wonder that militant labor groups had demanded Mauro’s firing for treating her kasambahay as a “slave,” having treated her inhumanely.

She may deserve a day in court to appeal her case.

Unfortunately for her, the raw security videos will not lie.

Divided against itself

The game changer

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager Head—Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

B2

World

TODAY FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Japan’s tsunami children shaped by 2011 tragedy YUTO Naganuma looks silently as the cold sea breeze sweeps over the crumbling walls of the school where his little brother was lost in Japan’s devastating 2011 tsunami.

Ten years on, Naganuma and others like him form a generation whose young lives were shaped by what is known in Japan as the triple disaster: a powerful earthquake that sparked a terrifying tsunami and the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl.

The children of the tsunami lost family, homes, schools and entire communities, and for some the experience sparked a drive to work in disaster awareness, or help children like them who have lived with tragedy.

Even a decade on, the devastation Naganuma suffered is raw.

“I lost my family, my community.

Things that built who I am. I felt the tsunami carved away half of my body,” he said outside the Okawa Elementary School in northeast Japan, where his eight-year-old brother was killed.

He was among 74 children and 10 school staff killed in one of the worst tragedies of the disaster that left around 18,500 people dead or missing, swept away after staff failed to evacuate to

higher ground.

Naganuma was just 16 at the time, but blamed himself for the loss.

Two days before the 9.0 magnitude quake struck, he felt a major 7.3 tremor on a local beach, which he saw later as a missed warning.

“I feel maybe my brother did not have to die. Had I warned people in the community, maybe they didn’t have to die,” he told AFP as he gazed at gutted classrooms.

His grandmother and great-grandmother were also killed in the tsunami, as they waited for his brother’s school bus.

“I am filled with regret,” he said. “I let the day come without taking any action.”

In the years after, Naganuma focused on leading a normal life, but he struggled with survivor’s guilt, wondering why he had been spared.

He enrolled in a teaching course at a university in another region but eventually moved to a school closer to his home to study disaster management.

He now gives tours at the school and lectures on disaster preparedness.

In Japan and elsewhere, “all of us are living in the time between disasters,” he said. AFP

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 97, QUEZON CITY IN RE: PETITION FOR CHANGE OF NAME FROM MA. PHILLINA SANTOS TO MA. PHILLINA SANTOS SEÑORON MA. PHILLINA SANTOS, Petitioner, -versus-

SP Case No. R-QZN-21-01086-SP

THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF THE CITY OF MANILA, Respondent, x----------------------------------------------------x

ORDER In her verified Petition, Petitioner Ma. Phillina Santos prays, among others, that, after due notice, publication and presentation of evidence, an Order be issued directing the respondent Local Civil Registrar of the City of Manila to change the name of Petitioner from Ma. Phillina Santos to Ma. Phillina Santos Señoron in her record of birth, the same to be regarded as her true and correct name, for all legal intents and purposes.

The Petition being sufficient in form and substance, is hereby given due course and set for initial hearing on March 24, 2021 at 9:00 o’clock in the morning before this Court sitting at Room 409, 4th Floor, Hall of Justice Annex Building, City Hall Compound, Quezon City, at which date, time and place, all interested persons are required to appear and show cause why the Petition should not be granted.

WHEREFORE, let copies of this Order be published at the expense of the petitioner for at least once a week for three consecutive weeks prior to initial hearing in a newspaper of general circulation. Accordingly, let a copy of this Order be forwarded to the Office for raffle to pick from among the newspapers or periodicals which will publish the judicial notices as prescribed under P.D. 1079.

Furthermore, let copies of this Order together with the Petition and its annexes, be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General; Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City; the Local Civil Registrar of Manila City; and the Philippine Statistics Authority for their comment and information.

SO ORDERED. Quezon City, Metro Manila, February 4, 2021.

(Sgd.) RICHELLE S. MANUEL Presiding Judge Copy furnished: OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL OFFICE OF THE CITY PROSECUTOR OF QUEZON CITY LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR OF MANILA CITY PHILIPPINE STATISCTICS AUTHORITY ATTY. ROBERTO F. DIVINAGRACIA DIVINAGRACIA, SOLIS AND ASSOCIATES LAW OFFICES Counsel for the Petitioner Suite 1108 Ermita Center Building 1350 Roxas Boulevard, Ermita, Manila (MStandard - Feb. 26, Mar. 5 & 12, 2021)

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 81, QUEZON CITY

Rallyists back after deadliest day

D

EFIANT anti-coup protesters returned to cities and towns across Myanmar on Thursday after dozens of people were killed in the deadliest day of the junta’s crackdown, with global powers condemning the “brutal violence.”

At least 38 people died on Wednesday, according to the United Nations, when online images streamed out of Myanmar showing security forces firing into crowds and blood-covered Manila bodies of protesters with bullet wounds

Standard

TODAY

THE GROWING CONSTRUCTION FIRM OWNED BY ENGR. FERNANDINO D. LAXINA, LOCATED AT BRGY. CUTCUT, ANGELES CITY, RECENTLY CHANGED THEIR COMPANY NAME INTO F.D.LAXINA CONSTRUCTION SERVICES & TRADING CORPORATION FROM F.D LAXINA ENGINEERING SERVICES & TRADING LAST JUNE 8, 2018.

SERVICES OFFERED: GENERAL ENGINEERING SERVICES, ROADS & HIGHWAYS PAVEMENTS, HORIZONTAL STRUCTURES, RAILWAYS & BRIDGES, BUILDING AND INDUSTRIAL PLANTS, ELECTRICAL WORKS, MECHANICAL WORKS, BUILDING PLANS (AUTOCAD) AND DOCUMENTS. FOR INQUIRIES; CALL OR TEXT: 0968-536-5468/0915246-5188, you may also email us at fdlaxina_engineering. services@yahoo.com.

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 225-QUEZON CITY

NIMFA PORNELA y Sotomayor, Petitioner.

SP. PROC. CASE NO. R-QZN-20-05176-SP

SHOICHI NIWA. THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF QUEZON CITY, THE CIVIL REGISTRAR GENERAL and OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL, Respondents. x----------------------------------------------x

ORDER AND NOTICE OF HEARING A verified petition had been filed by the petitioner praying that considering that respondent SHOICHI NIWA, a Japanese National, is residing outside of the Philippines, an Order be issued allowing the publication of the petition in a newspaper of general circulation to serve as notice to respondent SHOICHI NIWA to acquire jurisdiction over his person; and that after due notice and hearing, the petition be granted, and the Office of the Local Civil Registrar of Quezon City, as well as the Civil Registrar General, National Statistics Office (now Philippine Statistics Authority or PSA), Manila, be directed to remove the name of the petitioner as “wife” in the Marriage Certificate (registry number 2005-3168) subject of this case.

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the petition will be heard by this Court on 12 APRIL 2021 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning, in the Hall of Justice Building, Regional Trial Court, Branch 81, Quezon City, on which date, time and place, all persons concerned may appear and show cause, if any, why the aforesaid petition should not be granted.

Let this Order and Notice of Hearing be published at the expense of the petitioner in a newspaper of general circulation once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks and the same be posted at the bulletin boards of the Hall of Justice Building, Quezon City, at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 81, Quezon City, at the Office of the Local Civil Registry of Quezon City and at the Office of the Civil Registrar General, Philippine Statistics Authority, Quezon City· Likewise, let copies of this Order and Notice of Hearing together with the petition and its annexes be served upon the Solicitor General, the Quezon City Prosecutor, the Local Civil Registry of Quezon City, the Civil Registrar General, Philippine Statistics Authority, the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines thru the Department of Foreign Affairs and to SHOICHI NIWA at his last known address, all at the expense of the petitioner.

SO ORDERED. Given in Chambers this 5th day of February 2021 in Quezon City.

(Sgd.) MADONNA C. ECHIVERRI Presiding Judge

Nimfa Pornela y Sotomayor Petitioner Shoichi Niwa Respondent

IN THE MATTER OF THE PETITION FOR ADOPTION OF IVEE LAINE SOFISTA DURAN

SPOUSES LIONEL CHRISTOPHER RAMESH DE CABRAAL WIJETUNGE AND MELANIE MABANES SOFISTA, Petitioners. x--------------------------------------------------------------x

The QC Prosecutor The Solicitor General The QC Civil Registrar The Civil Registrar General P.S.A. The Embassy of Japan thru D.F.A.

(MStandard - Mar. 5, 12 & 19, 2021)

INVITATION TO BID - COMPETITIVE SELECTION PROCESS 15MW Interim Power Supply 1.

In compliance with the jurisdictional requirements of the Department of Energy (DOE) as per Circular No. DC-2018-02-0003 and upon receipt of the issued Notice to Proceed (NTP) dated 24 February 2021, the Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative, Inc. (ORMECO, Inc.) Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TPBAC) hereby publish this Invitation to Bid, to conduct a Competitive Selection Process (CSP) for the construction, installation, operation, and maintenance of a 15MW Interim Power Supply;

2.

ORMECO, Inc. TPBAC now calls for the submission of Letter of Intent (LOI) by any and all interested bidders through email address ormeco.inc.tpbac@gmail.com. The list of ORMECO, Inc. Eligibility Requirements may be viewed and downloaded at https://www. facebook.com/Oriental Mindoro Electric Cooperative Inc, www.ormeco-inc.com, and may be requested also through email ormeco_coop@yahoo.com, including the numbers listed above;

3.

ORMECO, Inc. TPBAC now invites suppliers for the following:

Procurement of a Power Supply Agreement (PSA) for the mid-merit load requirement of the Province of Oriental Mindoro Commercial Operations Date May 5, 2021 to August 28, 2022 Contract Duration The PSA shall take effect for a period of sixteen (16) months commencing on its Commercial Operations on May 5, 2021 to August 28,2022 subject for extension, if needed, or unless earlier terminated in accordance with the provisions of the PSA. Guaranteed Dependable Capacity (GDC) 15 Mega Watts Plant Type / source of power Gen Sets (Diesel, high speed) Brief description

4.

Due to COVID-19 and in compliance with the Community Quarantine (CQ), Online/Virtual Bidding Conferences will be conducted. Stable internet connection is required to all prospective bidders during the conferences. TPBAC shall not be liable in any unexpected disruption due to poor/unstable signal which may cause loss of connection and inability of Bidders to engross with the conference;

5.

For additional information, please be guided of the following “Online Bidding Procedures”: A. B.

ORDER

C.

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:

D.

Payment of bidding documents, in the amount of Twenty Five Thousand Pesos Only (Php 25,000.00), shall be deposited to TPBAC Bank Account (to be emailed by the TPBAC Secretariat); Prospective bidders must submit to the TPBAC via email the scanned copy of validated bank deposit slip/screenshot of successful electronic fund transfer as proof of payment; Scanned copy of Bidding Documents will be sent by the TPBAC Secretariat upon validation that the payments are credited to the coop’s bank account; ID number or link of the Online/Virtual Conference will be provided by TPBAC Secretariat;

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;

6.

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.

Publication of Invitation

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.

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

Burgener told reporters.

On Thursday, protesters hit the streets again in Yangon and Mandalay, the nation’s two biggest cities, as well as other towns that have been hotspots for unrest.

“It’s dangerous to be here after about 9:30 a.m. They are shooting in the streets,” one food vendor in Yangon told AFP on Thursday morning.

In a district where protests have occurred almost daily in Yangon, the protesters had built barriers with old tires, bricks, sandbags, bamboo and barbed wire.

The junta has sought to hide its crackdown from the rest of the world, choking the internet and banning Facebook – the most popular social media platform.

Six journalists were also arrested on the weekend and charged under a law prohibiting “causing fear, spreading

ORIENTAL MINDORO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (O R M E C O, Inc.) ✉Brgy. Sta. Isabel, Calapan City, Oriental Mindoro ☎043.288.7801 / 288.7802 / 288.7803 Fax No. 043.288.7804 E-mail: ormeco_coop@yahoo.com Website: www.ormeco-inc.com

Case No. R-QZN-20-08920- SP

*/w CC:

copy furnished: Atty. Leonel P. Cadiz Counsel for petitioner

in their heads.

Myanmar’s military staged its coup on February 1, ending a decade-long experiment with democracy and triggering a mass uprising that the junta has increasingly sought to quash with lethal force.

Wednesday’s violence left the United States “appalled and revulsed,” State Department spokesman Ned Price said.

“We call on all countries to speak with one voice to condemn the brutal violence by the Burmese military against its own people,” he said, referring to the country by its former name.

French President Emmanuel Macron called for an “immediate end of the repression in Myanmar.”

More than 50 people have been killed since the military takeover, UN envoy to Myanmar Christine Schraner

(MS-MAR. 5,6 & 8, 2021)

IN THE MATTER OF THE CANCELLATION/CORRECTION OF ENTRY IN THE MARRIAGE CERTIFICATE OF

- versus -

This picture taken on February 7, 2021 shows the courtyard of the Okawa elementary school, where 74 schoolchildren and 10 staff were killed in Japan’s devastating March 11, 2011 tsunami, in Ishinomaki, Miyagi prefecture. The children of the tsunami lost family, homes, schools and entire communities, and for some the experience sparked a drive to work in disaster awareness, or help children like them who have lived with tragedy. (Inset) This picture shows a stopped clock displaying the time of the tsunami at the Disaster Recovery Memorial Museum in Higashimatsushima. AFP

The schedule of activities are as follows: ACTIVITIES

Submission of Letter of Intent (LOI) and Eligibility Documents Online / Virtual Pre-Bidding Conference Issuance of Bid Bulletin and Final Instruction to Bidders

DATE & TIME

March 05, 2021: Friday March 12, 2021: Friday

March 05, 2021: Friday, 0800H to 1700H to March 26, 2021: Friday, 0800H to 1700H March 27, 2021: Saturday, 0900H March 28, 2021: Sunday

March 29, 2021 to April 04, 2021: Monday to Sunday, Deadline of Submission and April 05, 2021: Monday, Start of Opening of Bids 1000H Bid Evaluation April 06, 2021: Tuesday, Post-Qualification and April 07-09, 2021: Wednesday Detailed Evaluation of Bids to Friday, Confirmation of Board of April 10, 2021: Saturday, Directors Issuance of Notice of Award April 10, 2021: Saturday, to Winning Bidder Due Diligence

VENUE Local TV Networks and Local Radio Stations Website: www.ormeco-inc.com https://www.facebook.com/ OrientalMindoroElectricCooperativeInc, NEA Website: https://www.nea.gov.ph DOE Website: https://www.doe.gov.ph LGU Bulletin Boards, & ORMECO, Inc. Offices ORMECO, INC. Office of the General Manager ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room ORMECO, INC. Board Room

7.

Only those who have bought the Bidding Documents shall be allowed to attend or participate during the Online/Virtual Pre-Bidding Conference, where their presence is MANDATORY;

8.

The Bidders are expected to know the changes and/or amendments on the Bidding Documents as recorded in the minutes of the pre-bid conference and the Supplemental/Bid Bulletin. Sending of Bid Offers shall be discussed during the pre-bid conference;

9.

The ORMECO, INC. TPBAC reserves the right to accept or reject any or all bids, waive defect(s) or informality(ies) therein, or accept any bid or offer which it may consider most advantageous and beneficial to ORMECO, Inc. without any liabilities. It also reserves the right to declare failure of CSP, or not award the PSA at any time prior to PSA award in accordance with the DOE Circular No. DC2018-02-003, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidders. declare failure of bidding and not to award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. ORMECO, INC. also has no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

Approved for release:

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)

SGD. ENGR. MICHAEL O. GUICO TPBAC Chairman Noted by: SGD. ATTY. NORBERTO M. MENDOZA Project Supervisor / Acting General Manager (MS-MAR. 5, 2021)

false news, or agitating directly or indirectly a government employee,” according to their lawyer Tin Zar Oo. Among them was Associated Press photographer Thein Zaw, who was arrested Saturday as he covered an anticoup demonstration in Yangon. Video emerged on Wednesday of him being held in a chokehold by police as he was handcuffed.

However, protesters, citizen journalists and some media groups have continued to send images out of Myanmar, and on Thursday the funeral of a 19-year-old woman killed in Mandalay was streamed live on Facebook.

The victim, Ma Kyay Sin, had been wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with CYAN ‘Everything will be OK’ in big letters on the front when she was shot in the head. AFP

IN BRIEF Sokor transgender soldier found dead A TRANSGENDER South Korean soldier who was forcibly discharged from the army after gender-reassignment surgery has been found dead, police said, prompting anger Thursday and calls for legal reforms.

Firefighters found Byun Hee-soo in her home in Cheongju after a mental health counselor called emergency services to report that she had not been heard from for several days, Yonhap news agency reported.

South Korea remains deeply conservative about matters of sexual identity and is less tolerant of LGBT rights than some other parts of Asia, with many gay and transgender Koreans living largely under the radar.

Byun, formerly a staff sergeant and in her 20s, enlisted voluntarily in 2017. She went on to have gender-reassignment surgery in 2019 in Thailand.

The defense ministry classified the removal of her male genitals as a mental or physical handicap, and a military panel ruled last year that she would be compulsorily discharged.

At the time she waived her anonymity to appear at a press conference to plead to be allowed to serve, wearing her fatigues and saluting the gathered journalists and cameras.

“I’m a soldier of the Republic of Korea,” she said, her voice breaking. AFP

SpaceX rocket explodes on ground THIRD time’s a charm? Not so for SpaceX, whose unmanned rocket exploded on the ground Wednesday after carrying out what had seemed to be a successful flight and landing – fresh on the heels of two fiery crashes.

It was yet another flub involving a prototype of the Starship rocket, which SpaceX hopes one day to send to Mars.

“A beautiful soft landing,” a SpaceX commentator said on a live broadcast of the test flight, although flames were coming out at the bottom and crews were trying to put them out.

The rocket exploded a few minutes later, lurching into the air and crashing back to the ground.

No explanation was immediately provided.

“Starship SN10 landed in one piece!”

SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted jokingly about an hour after the explosion.

“SpaceX team is doing great work! One day, the true measure of success will be that Starship flights are commonplace,” he said in a second tweet.

The latest prototype, named SN10, for serial number 10, took off a little before 2320 GMT from Boca Chica, Texas. AFP CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business

B3

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Manila

Standard

TODAY

Department Administrative Order No. 21-02 Series of 2021

Profit taking pulls down market; NOW advances

S

TOCKS retreated Thursday along with the rest of Asia on profit taking, snapping a four-day rally where investors cheered the arrival of the vaccine in the Philippines.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 60.27 points, or 0.9 percent, to 6,882.49 on a value turnover of P7.1 billion. Losers edged gainers, 119 to 110, with 40 issues unchanged.

Major property developer Ayala Land Inc. declined 3.3 percent to P38.50, while parent Ayala Corp. dropped 2.2 percent to P764.50.

Nickel Asia Corp., the biggest nickel producer, shed 6.1 percent to P5.35, but Now Corp., owned by the Velarde family, jumped 20.1 per-

cent to P3.40. The Anti-Red Tape Authority on Wednesday ordered the National Telecommunications Commission to assign mobile frequencies, including 5G, to NOW for its cellular mobile telephone service operation.

The rest of Asian investors fell as the rollercoaster ride on global markets continued, with fears over inflation winning the tug of war with vaccine optimism on Thursday.

After a year-long rally across the planet and with light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, focus is now on the expected surge in activity as lockdowns are eased and life returns to some semblance of normal.

And the growing belief is that a gargantuan spending splurge from pent-up consumers—and an imminent stimulus package—will light a rocket under prices, forcing central banks to wind back ultra-easy monetary policies—including record-low

interest rates—that have been a key driver of the stocks surge.

After a strong performance Wednesday, Asia was back in the red. Tokyo, Hong Kong and Shanghai all fell more than two percent, while Seoul, Wellington, Taipei and Jakarta were more than one percent lower.

Sydney, Bangkok and Mumbai were also in the red. Singapore bucked the trend and edged up.

A rise in US Treasury bond yields, a crucial guide of future rate expectations, to one-year highs in recent weeks has rattled equities, and a pick-up Wednesday sparked another Wall Street plunge.

The panic has come despite repeated Federal Reserve assurances that it will not tighten policy until inflation is consistently high and employment has recovered, both of which it insists are a long way off. With AFP

IN THE MATTER OF THE DEFINITIVE GENERAL SAFEGUARD MEASURES ON THE IMPORTATION OF CEMENT FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES (AHTN Codes 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00) x------------------------------------------------------------x

ORDER On October 22, 2019, the Bureau of Customs issued Customs Memorandum Circular (CMC) No. 239-2019, implementing DTI AO No. 19-13, imposing a definitive safeguard duty on imported cement classified under ASEAN Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN) 2523.29.90 and 2523.90.00 from various countries, dated 27 August 2019.

As provided under Section 13 paragraph 4 of RA 8800 and Rule 13.1 .d of its IRR, “a general safeguard measure shall not be applied to a product originating from a developing country if its share to total Philippine imports of the said product is less than three percent (3%): Provided, however, that developing countries with less than three percent (3%) share collectively account for not more than nine percent (9%) of the total Philippine imports of the product concerned”. Accordingly, a list of developing countries excluded from the imposition of the definitive safeguard duty on cement was attached as Annex “A” to DAO No. 19-13.

The Department conducted a review of the volume of imports of cement from various countries, particularly those originating from developing countries that were previously exempted from the safeguard measure under the aforementioned provisions on developing countries. The review covered importations from January to December 2020.

Pursuant to the review, subject imported cement products originating from developing countries that have breached the volume share to total import threshold of less than 3% shall now be covered by the definitive safeguard duty.

Further, the Department notes that developing countries fall under low to lower middle income and low, medium, and high human development. Furthermore, membership in relevant international organizations comprised mainly of high-income economies/countries such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), is an important criterion in establishing if a country/economy is already developed.

There is therefore a need to amend Annex “A” (List of Countries Excluded from the Imposition of the Definitive Safeguard Duty on Cement) of DAO No. 19-13, to reflect the aforementioned considerations.

WHEREFORE, AND IN VIEW THEREOF, the Department hereby amends Annex “A”, of DAO No. 19-13, the list of countries excluded from the imposition of the definitive safeguard duty on cement, as follows: East & Southern Africa Angola Botswana Burundi Comoros Congo. Dem. Rep. Djibouti Eritrea Ethiopioa Kenya Lesotho Madagascar Malawi Mauritius Mozambique Namibia Reunion Rwanda Seychelles Somalia South Africa Sudan Swaziland Tanzania Uganda Zambia Zimbabwe

PROTEST. Activists from the animal rights group PETA wearing bikinis and crocodile masks stand outside a store of the French fashion label Hermes in Sydney on March 4, 2021, to protest against their use of crocodile skins and the recent purchases by Hermes and LVMH of crocodile farms in Australia’s Northern Territory. AFP

OPEC+ set to boost oil output as demand and prices balloon LONDON—Members of the OPEC group of oil producers and allies are expected to raise output in a meeting Thursday, in response to a rebound in demand and prices.

While the so-called OPEC+ group is often at loggerheads over how much oil to pump to the market, a sudden plunge in prices triggered by the coronavirus pandemic led members to agree on a dramatic cut in output to underpin prices.

Now that vaccination campaigns are underway and demand from China, the world’s largest oil importer, has bounced back to pre-pandemic levels, the success of the meeting on Thursday will hinge on whether heavyweights Russia and Saudi Arabia can agree on a way forward.

“There is within the alliance a major difference of opinion on the capacity of the oil market to absorb new volumes” of crude, said Bjarne Schieldrop, chief

commodities analyst at SEB research group.

The world’s second-largest crude producer after the United States, Russia “leans for caution,” Schieldrop explained, while number three, Saudi Arabia, “defends the increase in supply.”

On the sidelines of a technical meeting Tuesday, the head of OPEC, Mohammed Barkindo, pushed for middle ground when he said the cartel must emphasize “cautious optimism” given persistent risks from the pandemic.

During a meeting in January, the alliance of 23 oil exporters needed two tough days of talks to agree to gradually increase supply to the oil market.

While 7.125 million barrels per day (bpd) were withheld from the market in February, the cartel lowered that figure to 7.05 million bpd for March, effectively supplying the market with an additional 75,000 bpd. AFP

POLLUTED DAY. People commute during the morning rush

hour in the financial district on a polluted day in Beijing on March 4, 2021. AFP

HK removed from economic freedom ranking HONG KONG—Hong Kong has been removed from an annual index of the world’s freest economies because the think-tank that compiles the league table said the city was now directly controlled by Beijing.

The announcement is a reputational blow for Hong Kong and comes as Beijing ramps up its bid to quash dissent after huge and sometimes violent pro-democracy demonstrations in 2019.

The Heritage Foundation, a conservative US think-tank, publishes an annual Index of Economic Freedom ranking countries and territories for how business-friendly their regulations and laws are.

Over the last 26 years Hong Kong topped the table for all but one year—a source of pride to the city’s government which often used the accolade in its official press releases and investment brochures.

But when the 2021 ranking is released later on Thursday, Hong Kong will not appear because the report’s authors believe the city is no longer independent enough of Beijing to justify separate inclusion.

“The loss of political freedom and autonomy suffered by Hong Kong over the past two years has made that city almost indistinguishable in many respects from other major Chinese commercial centers like Shanghai and Beijing,” Edwin J. Feulner, the founder of the Heritage Foundation, wrote in the Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. “[Hong Kong’s] ties to Beijing are increasingly forged in steel,” Feulner added, while its pre-handover “traditions of English common law, freedom of speech, and democracy have weakened significantly.”

The Heritage Foundation is one of the major policy think-tanks that influences fiscal conservatives in the United States.

Feulner is also a vocal critic of Beijing and chairman of the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation.

Hong Kong’s pro-Beijing government embraced the think-tank’s league table each year it came out.

In 2019—when Hong Kong topped the table for the 25th consecutive year—the government said it showed the city’s “economic resilience, high-quality legal framework, low tolerance for corruption, high degree of government transparency, efficient regulatory framework and openness to global commerce.” AFP

West Africa Benin Burkina Faso Cameroon Cape Verde Central African Rep. Chad Congo, Rep. Cote d’ Ivoire Equatorial Guinea Gabon Gambia, The Ghana Guinea Guinea, Bissau Liberia Mali Mauritania Niger Nigeria Sao Tome & Principe Senegal Sierra Leone Togo

North Africa Algeria Egypt, Arab Rep. Libya Morocco Tunisia

South Asia Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan British Indian Ocean Territory East Timor India Maldives Nepal Pakistan Sri Lanka

Europe & Central Asia

Middle East

Americas

East Asia & Pacific

Albania Armenia Azerbaijan Belarus Bosnia & Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Georgia Greenland Kazakhstan Kyrgyz Republic Macedonia, FYR Malta Moldova Romania Russian Federation Tajikistan Turkey Turkmenistan Ukraine Uzbekistan Yugoslavia, Fed. Rep.

Bahrain Iran, Islamic Rep. Iraq Jordan Kuwait Lebanon Oman Qatar Saudi Arabia Syrian Arab Rep. United Arab Emirates Wast Bank & Gaza Yemen, Rep.

Anguilla Antigua & Barbuda Argentina Aruba Bahamas Barbados Belize Bermuda Bolivia Brazil British Virgin Is. Cayman Is. Colombia Costa Rica Cuba Dominica Dominican Rep. Ecuador El Salvador Falkland Is. (Malvinas) French Guiana Grenada Guadeloupe Guatemala Guyana Haiti Honduras Jamaica Martinique Mexico Montserrat Netherland Antilles Nicaragua Norfolk Is. Panama Paraguay Peru Puerto Rico St. Helena St. Kitts & Navis St. Lucia St. Pierre & Miquelon St. Vincent & the Granadines Suriname Trinidad & Tobago Turks & Caicos Is. Uruguay US Virgin Is. Venezuela

American Samoa Brunei Darussalam Cambodia Christmas Is. Cocos (Keeling) Is. Cook Is. Fiji French Polynesia Guam Hong Kong, China Johnston Is. Kiribati Korea, Dem. Rep. Lao PDR Macau, China Malaysia Marshall Islands Micronesia, Fed. Sts. Midway Is. Mongolia Myanmar Nauru New Caledonia Niue Northern Marianas Is. Palau Papua New Guinea Pitcaim Is. Samoa Singapore Solomon Islands Tokelau Tonga Tuvalu Vanuatu Wake Is. Wallis & Futuna Is.

Importers of cement originating from the above listed countries shall submit a Certificate of Country of Origin (CO) issued by the authorized agency/office in the country of manufacture subject to affixation of “Apostille” to the document or authenticated by the Philippine Embassy/ Consulate General, as applicable.

All other provisions of DAO No. 19-13 except as herein expressly modified and under DAO No. 20-08, shall remain in force and effect.

Let this Order be published in two (2) newspapers of general circulation and let individual notices be sent to all interested parties including the country members concerned. This Order can also be accessed at the DTI website: https://bit.ly/DAOonCement.

This Order shall take effect upon the issuance of the relevant Customs Memorandum Order by the Bureau of Customs or after fifteen (15) days from its publication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation, whichever comes earlier.

SO ORDERED. 03 March 2021

RAMON M. LOPEZ Secretary (MS-MAR. 5, 2021)

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

B4 FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

PLDT’s profit climbs by 8% to P24.3b on record sales

By Darwin G. Amojelar PLDT Inc. said Thursday it expects to sustain growth this year after a “year from hell” brought about by the global pandemic.

PLDT, partly owned by Hong Kong’s First Pacific Co. Ltd. and Japan’s NTT Group, reported a net income of P24.3 billion in 2020, up 8 percent from P22.52 billion in 2019.

Core income, which excludes the impact of asset sales and Voyager Innovations, rose 4 percent to P28.1 billion from the previous year. Consolidated service revenues climbed 9 percent to P171.5 billion, the company’s highest full-year revenue that surpassed 2019’s P157.7 billion.

The company’s earnings last year were led by data/broadband demand which grew 18 percent to P124.5 billion.

“Despite PLDT’s stellar performance, it is with great relief that we put 2020 behind us. It is tempting to say that we have seen the worst, but 2021 comes with its own set of challenges—a worrisome economic outlook, prolonged uncertainty on the pandemic with possible new waves, mutations and a delayed vaccine rollout and of course, the entry of heightened competition from both new and current players,” PLDT chairman, president and chief executive Manuel Pangilinan said.

“But with confidence built on how we not only weathered but thrived despite the ‘year from hell’ that was 2020, we anticipate more growth in 2021,” he said.

Pangilinan said he was expecting a high single-digit increase in consolidated service revenues and core income in the vicinity of P29 billion to 30 billion in 2021, anchored on sustained demand for data and broadband services.

Consumer wireless revenues rose 15 percent to P82.7 billion, while Home broadband revenues went up by 11 percent to P41.4 billion. Enterprise revenues amounted to P41.2 billion up by 5 percent year-on-year.

ICTSI’s income rises to $101.8m despite COVID PORT operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. said Thursday net income rose last year despite the weak international trade amid the global pandemic.

The company said net income reached $101.8 million in 2020, up 1 percent from $100.4 million it earned in 2019.

“ICTSI has delivered a positive performance in very challenging circumstances and it highlights not only the significant dedication and commitment of our colleagues who have performed strongly throughout the pandemic but also the agility and strength of our business,” ICTSI chairman and president Enrique K. Razon Jr. said.

Revenue from port operations increased 2 percent in 2020 to $1.505 billion from $1.481 billion in 2019.

ICTSI attributed the growth in 2020 revenue to the contribution of ICTSI Rio, higher revenues from ancillary services, tariff adjustments and new services at certain terminals and favorable translation impact mainly from Philippine peso -based revenues in local terminals.

The port operator handled consolidated volume of 10,193,384 twenty-foot equivalent units in 2020, higher by 0.2 percent than 10,178,018 TEUs it handled in 2019 ICTSI Group’s capital expenditure budget for 2021 is about $250 million, higher from last year’s $197.8 million.

It said the capex would be utilized mainly for the completion of the expansion project at MICT in Manila, the ongoing yard expansion at IDRC in Matadi, Democratic Republic of Congo, the new expansion project at VICT in Melbourne, Australia, equipment acquisitions and upgrades and various maintenance requirements.

ICTSI is a leading global developer, manager and operator of container terminals in the 50,000 to three million TEU/ year range. It operates in six continents and continues to pursue container terminal opportunities around the world.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Business Monde Nissin seeks SEC approval on P72.45-b IPO F

By Jenniffer B. Austria

OOD manufacturer Monde Nissin Corp. plans to raise up to P72.45 billion in what could be the country’s largest initial public offering yet.

Monde Nissin, the company founded by businesswoman Betty Ang more than three decades ago which produces Lucky Me! Noodles and owns foreign brands such as Quorn, Nudie and Black Swan, plans to offer 3.6 million common shares with an over-allotment option for another 540 million at a price of P17.50 apiece.

The company has annual sales of over P67 billion in the Philippines and foreign markets.

Net proceeds from the offering will be used to finance the company’s capital expenditures program, including capacity expansion and development of new products.

The company also plans to use a portion of the net proceeds to repay loans

and redeem convertible notes issued to Arran Investment Pte. Ltd. Monde Nissin tapped UBS AG, Citi, Credit Suisse and JP Morgan as joint global coordinators and BDO Capital, BPI Capital Corp. and First Metro Investments Corp. as local underwriters for the offering.

After the IPO, Monde Nissin will have a public float of 23 percent.

Monde Nissin manufactures branded food including instant noodles, biscuits, baked foods and beverage. It is also into meat alternatives business. Monde Nissin operates two noodle lines at its manufacturing facility in Thailand.

The group intends to commission a third noodle line in Thailand, using high-speed airflow technology.

Monde Nissin is one of the Philippine companies with global presence. Its foreign-branded products reach more than 30 countries.

The company acquired British meat substitute manufacturer Quorn for 550 million pounds in 2015.

Monde Nissin said it expects growth in demand for both consumer staples and higher-value products. Lucky

Me!, its instant noodle brand, is one of the most iconic food brands in the Philippines.

Monde Nissin said it posted a compounded annual growth of 6.2 percent between 2018 and 2020. Net sales increased from P63,367 billion in 2018 to P65,451 billion in 2019 and P67.946 billion in 2020.

It said the average growth of net sales in the key markets such as the Philippines, the United Kingdom and Thailand reached 12.4 percent in the threeyear period.

Monde Nissin will become the second company to file for an IPO this year, after Central Azucarera de San Antonio Inc. of the Chan family filed for an IPO worth P588.33 million.

Three companies joined the stock market last year, including MerryMart Consumer Corp., Converge Solutions Inc. and Ayala Land REIT. Companies raised around P104 billion form the stock market in 2020, including P44.3 billion from IPOs, P41.2 billion from follow-on offerings, P5.6 billion from private placements and P12.8 billion from stock rights offering.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Thursday, March 4, 2021

-60.27 PTS. 6,882.49

Total Volume Total Trades Total Value

2,696,996,299 147,285 7,105,154,116.13

Advances Declines

110 119

Unchanged

40

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • THURSDAY, MARCH 4, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.5310

Japan

Yen

0.009347

0.4536

UK

Pound

1.395700

67.7347

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128921

6.2567

Switzerland

Franc

1.087311

52.7683

Canada

Dollar

0.790326

38.3553

Singapore

Dollar

0.750582

36.4265

Australia

Dollar

0.777500

37.7329

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652027

128.7055

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266574

12.9371

Brunei

Dollar

0.747775

36.2903

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.033003

1.6017

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2136

Euro

Euro

1.206600

58.5575

Korea

Won

0.000888

0.0431

China

Yuan

0.154603

7.5030

India

Rupee

0.013712

0.6655

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.246975

11.9859

New Zealand

Dollar

0.724600

35.1656

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035995

1.7469 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF PH seeks China loan for Central Luzon road

ASSOCIATION of Philippines-China Understanding (APCU) chairman Raul Lambino sought the assistance of the China-headquartered ASEAN Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to support the planned Pangasinan-Nueva Ecija Expressway.

“I hope (AIIB) President Jin Liqun can help us construct the first Pangainan-Nueva Ecija expressway,” he said during the First Manila Forum organized by APCU. The AIIB is a multilateral development bank that serves and provides credit to members in Asia and Oceania. The bank has has 103 members and 21 prospective ones from around the world.

Lambino said the project is now with the National Economic and Development Authority and the Department of Public Works and Highways for assessment.

The Pangasinan-Nueva Ecija Expressway is a proposed 180-kilometer road stretching from the town of Bolinao, Pangasinan to the city of San Jose in Nueva Ecija.

Lambino noted that the Asian Development Bank had taken in interest on the project based from a recent comment from NEDA acting director-general Karl Kendrick Chua. Othel V. Campos

EDC launches today maiden green bonds

CAVITE CONDOMINIUM. CitiGlobal Realty and Development Inc. starts the construction of Tagaytay Clifton Resort Suites’ Celtis Tower. Celtis Tower is one of the TCRS condominiums and the third tower in development in Alfonso, Cavite. Once completed, the TCRS project will feature a clubhouse, gym, library, swimming pool and other leisure facilities. Attending the groundbreaking ceremony are CitiGlobal’s technical team members and engineers.

Cebu Air plans to raise P16b from syndicated loans in Q1 CEBU Air Inc., the operator of Cebu Pacific and Cebgo, plans to raise P16 billion in additional capital in the first quarter, an executive said Thursday.

Trina Asuncion, Cebu Pacific director for corporate finance and investor relations, said in a virtual briefing the airline company was looking to raise additional capital of P12.5 billion to P16 billion via syndicated loans from commercial banks.

Asuncion said “hopefully,” the fresh fund-raising activity would materialize within the quarter.

“We are quite confident that it will go positive. It’s not final yet, but we are seeing support with various banks on a general sense,” she said.

Cebu Pacific started its P12.5-billion stock rights offering on March 3 which would last until March 9. The airline plans to use the proceeds from the SRO to repay an advance from JG

Summit Philippines Ltd. amounting to P4.805 billion and P3.91 billion for aircraft operating lease payments due 2021.

The company also intends to use the proceeds to repay debts due 2021 amounting to P3.328 billion and P384 million for general corporate purposes, which are for passenger refunds in case cash inflows from operations become insufficient as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact to health and travelrelated concerns.

Cebu Pacific vice president for marketing and customer experience Candice Iyog said the airline was now operating at 23 percent of pre-COVID network, with 32 Philippine destinations.

“So ,there is progress. We are now flying to six destinations for leisure travel and have restored 89 percent of

pre-COVID domestic destinations,” she said.

Iyog, however, said the industry’s recovery would not likely happen this year.

“Definitely, we won’t see the recovery to pre-COVID level in 2021.

That’s given. But, we do want to be agile enough to scale up operations, should the lifting of the restrictions which was announced last Friday happen,” she said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases earlier approved uniform travel protocols across all local government units , easing quarantine and documentary requirements.

“We want to pivot quickly and address the demand. Right now, I think the earliest possible will be 2022, but again we don’t know for sure yet,” Iyog said. Darwin G. Amojelar

RENEWABLE energy leader Energy Development Corp. of the Lopez Group will launch today its maiden Green Bond Framework as the company celebrates its 45th anniversary.

The move is in preparation for the issuance of up to P5 billion in bonds in May, subject to the approval of the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The EDC board earlier approved the undertaking of a bond shelf registration of up to P15 billion and and the issuance of an initial tranche of up to P3 billion with an oversubscription option of P2 billion in fixed rate bonds, subject to the approval of the SEC. The bonds are to to be listed on Philippine Dealing & Exchange Corporation.

EDC also plans to apply for the certification of the bonds under the ASEAN Green Bonds Standards adopted in the Philippines.

EDC will use proceeds from the bond issue to finance or refinance new and current renewable energy projects that are considered Eligible Green Projects under its Green Bond Framework. These projects will provide cleaner, reliable power to businesses, institutions and other electricity consumers.

Alena Mae S. Flores

BSP’s Diokno upbeat on economic recovery

BANGKO Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno remains optimistic the corporate sector will recover this year after posting declines in net profits last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In an online briefing on Thursday, Diokno said the recovery could be hastened by the gradual easing of business restrictions. The Philippine economy is to grow between 6.5 and 7.5 percent in 2021.

“The BSP is closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the corporate sector as its financial conditions have significant implications to the formulation of sound and well-informed monetary, financial and economic policies,” Diokno said.

The pandemic has taken its toll on the corporate sector as firms reported net losses and declines in net income in 2020, reflecting the impact of the crisis on the corporate sector’s financial conditions.

The easing of quarantine restrictions in the second half of 2020 has helped reinvigorate economic activities. Julito G. Rada

JTI calls for collaboration to stem illegal trade JAPAN Tobacco International called for greater international and national collaboration between governments, law enforcement agencies and the industry across Asia to stem the tide of illegal tobacco caused by excessive increases in duty.

Appearing at a major regional trade summit, JTI also called on policy-makers to do more to encourage responsible behavior by adopting long-term and balanced tax policies, including moderate and predictable tax increases, which best meet governments’ objectives to raise stable tax revenues and prevent market disruptions.

“There needs to be greater international and national collaboration.

Countries must see the threats and clamp down on them, even if these illicit products are not destined for their country. Criminals don’t respect borders and that’s why governments, law enforcement, and the industry must

work together to stem the tide of illicit goods.” Mark Hosty, director for anti-illicit trade office for Asia Pacific/Middle East-North East and Turkey at JTI, said during The Economist Asia Trade Week summit.

The counterfeit goods market in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is worth over $35.9 billion, with $3.3 billion in tax revenue lost annually from smuggled cigarettes.

Hosty said most smuggling operations were multi-jurisdictional as he expressed hopes that countries in the ASEAN region could work together in harmonizing respective legislations so that all parties could work together in the same way.

Echoing JTI’s call, Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero who also participated in the virtual conference, highlighted the importance of international cooperation, particularly industry cooperation.

JOLLIBEE TRAINING. To help ‘karinderya’ owners recover from the effects of the pandemic, Jollibee Group Foundation provides them with trainings on food preparation, food safety and customer service. Jollibee Group Foundation teamed up with Kasagana-Ka Development Center and Kabuhayan sa Ganap na Kasarinlan Credit and Savings Cooperative to assist and re-establish the operations of karinderyas from low-income communities in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Cavite and Rizal.

Sports

Inspiration

by Halep helps Eala win match

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

C1

By Peter Atencio TEEN tennis sensation Alex Eala’s first serves found their mark as she hurdled her first round foe Simona Waltert, 6-1, 6-4, Wednesday night in the opener of the International Tennis Federation W25 Manacor netfest inside the Rafa Nadal Academy in Mallorca, Spain.

The 15-year-old Eala connected with 25 of her 38 first serves in earning a slot to the second round.

Eala, who recently started blogging, said she draws inspiration from the games of Simona Halep after watching her play and win the 2018 Roland Garros women’s singles finals.

“I always remember watching the 2018 Roland Garros women’s singles final and when Simona Halep was lifting the trophy, I recall thinking, ‘I can’t imagine how you must be feeling in this moment’. I also remember thinking that I really want to be in that position one day,” said Eala in her blog.

This is Eala’s first win against the 20-year-old Waltert, who is ranked 108th in the ITF singles rankings.

Eala first enjoyed a photo op with tennis star Rafa Nadal before fighting it out with the unseeded Swiss.

Waltert played confidently after she won a $25,000 tournament in Altenkirchen, Germany in the third week of February.

And she lost her momentum the moment Eala broke serve in the ninth game of the final set, 5-4.

Waltert was ahead in the final game, 40-30, when Eala forced a series of long exchanges, and held serve after forcing two deuces.

Eala, who faced off with Waltert in a 105-minute long showdown, is set to tackle third seeded Croatian Jana Fett in the second round.

Fett is meeting Eala after she eased past Diana Marcinkevica of Latvia, 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.

This is her first pro tournament in three weeks.

Back in February, Eala won the crown in the first leg of three-stage event in Manacor.

Then, she reached the quarterfinals of the last two legs of the Manacor series, before losing to Polish bet Maja Chwalinska at the Trophee de la Ville, a $25,000 ITF tournament in Grenoble, France.

Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden (13) tries to dribble past Houston Rockets counterpart Victor Oladipo at the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas. AFP

Harden lifts Nets to win in return to Houston L

OS ANGELES, United States—James Harden returned to Houston for the first time since his tumultuous departure from the Rockets on Wednesday (Thursday Philippine time), posting a triple-double to lead the Brooklyn Nets to a 132-114 victory over his former NBA team.

Harden, greeted by a first-quarter video tribute, cheers and a smattering of boos, delivered 29 points, 10 rebounds and 14 assists to fuel Brooklyn, where he finally landed in January after demanding a trade.

“I’m excited. I mean, we got a win,” Harden said. “We’ve been playing very, very good basketball, and to finish out strong like this going into the All-Star break means a lot to us.”

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid scored 40 points and pulled down 19 rebounds to lead the 76ers to a 131-123 overtime victory over the Utah Jazz in a clash of the top teams in the East and West.

The Cameroonian center drained a three-pointer to knot the score at 118-118 with 6.5 seconds left in regulation and Tobias Harris scored 11 of his 22 points in overtime to lift the Sixers to victory over the league-leading Jazz.

Utah star Donovan Mitchell finished with 33 points, eight rebounds and six assists but was ejected after receiving his second technical in the extra period.

Kings top Lakers Two West Coast games came down to the wire, as the Portland Trail Blazers edged the Golden State Warriors 108-106 and the Sacramento Kings beat the shorthanded Los Angeles Lakers 123-120.

The defending NBA champion Lakers were again without injured forward Anthony Davis and missing LeBron James for the first time this season as he sat out with a sprained left ankle.

In their absence Germany’s Dennis Schroder led the Lakers with 28 points and nine assists.

But Schroder came up empty on a drive to the basket with 5.9 seconds remaining and the Lakers down by one. Montrezl Harrell grabbed the rebound but missed the

putback attempt, Kyle Kuzma extended the Lakers’ possession but also couldn’t score and Harrison Barnes sealed it for the Kings with a pair of free throws.

McConnell steals show Indiana point guard T.J. McConnell was the star in the Pacers’ 114-111 victory over the Cavaliers in Cleveland, putting up an unconventional triple-double comprising 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 steals.

McConnell broke the NBA record for steals in a first half with nine and just one shy of the best mark in a game, which stands at 11.

It was the 11th triple-double including steals since steals were recognized as a statistical category in the 1973-74 season.

“I was just playing with our defensive principles and trying to help run the team, I wasn’t going out of my way to make steals,” McConnell said. “We kind of dug ourselves a hole, so I’m happiest about the win.”

A pair of more familiar triple-doubles, from Mason Plumlee and Dennis Smith Jr, powered the Detroit Pistons past the Toronto Raptors 129-105. AFP

PBAPC names Marcial as Mr. Executive

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial

THE man credited for the successful staging of the PBA Philippine Cup bubble will have his share of the limelight during the PBA Press Corps virtual Awards Night on Sunday at the TV5 Media Center.

The men and women who cover the PBA beat are bestowing the title Mr. Executive to Commissioner Willie Marcial for bravely leading the way for the 500-plus strong league delegation in Clark, Pampanga to successfully stage the restart of the 45th season.

The bubble went without a hitch, but Marcial, strongminded and firm in his decisions, managed to navigate a troubled season into safe waters and put a fitting end to what had been the most challenging period in the history of Asia’s first ever play-for-pay league.

Marcial serves as one of the major awardees in the hour-long event presented by Cignal TV. The program will be aired on March 8 over PBA Rush.

Along with Marcial, the 2019 recipient of the traditional Danny Floro Executive of the Year award, PBA Chairman Ricky Vargas, will also be honored during the presentation to be hosted by Rizza Diaz and Carlo Pamintuan.

One more award in the Outstanding Coach of the

Bubble will be named.

The 12 teams which went out of their way in order not to cancel the PBA season is the recipient of the bubble President’s Award together with 2019 winner Vergel Meneses, the current Bulakan, Bulacan mayor and one of the 25 Greatest Players in league history.

San Miguel mentor Leo Austria also gets a piece of center stage as the awardee for the 2019 Baby Dalupan Coach of the Year as well as NorthPort veteran Sean Anthony who will be honored as the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year.

Other awards to be given include Top Bubble DFender (Justine Chua), All-Bubble D-Fenders (Calvin Abueva, Chris Ross, Mark Barroca, Christian Standhardinger, and Chua), Mr. Quality Minutes (RJ Jazul), Scoring Champ (CJ Perez), Game of the Bubble (Barangay Ginebra-Meralco Game 5 semis) and the All-Rookie Team (Aaron Black, Arvin Tolentino, Roosevelt Adams, Barkley Eboña and Renzo Subido).

A special citation meanwhile, will be handed out to the PBA staff for its non-stop work to ensure the well-being of the Clark bubble.

China’s 1981 women’s volleyballers ‘inspired a billion’ SHANGHAI, China—On November 16, 1981, millions of people across China crowded around radios and televisions with flickering signals for a women’s volleyball match whose significance went far beyond sport.

Firecrackers echoed into the night and many were left teary-eyed with joy as China beat Japan over five thrilling sets in Osaka to become World Cup champions for the first time.

The victory, over their hated wartime rivals and at a time when China rarely enjoyed sporting success outside of table tennis, made the women’s volleyball team the pride of the nation.

It was also painted as symbolic at a time when China was embarking on the ‘opening-up’ reforms of Deng Xiaoping that would ultimately usher in a period of unprecedented economic growth.

Bai Guosheng, who was 19 and had just entered a sports institute in the northeast-

ern city of Tianjin, remembers 60 or 70 others squeezed around a color television, then a rare object in China.

Bai remembers the passion, the exuberant television commentary and how the viewers cheered every point.

The television feed would often cut out, presenting the words, “Faulty signal, back in a moment”.

But the students and budding athletes could see enough to know that China, inspired by players Sun Jinfang and “Iron Hammer” Lang Ping—now coach of China’s team—had made history.

That they beat Japan made it all the sweeter.

“When I think of it now I still feel very emotional,” said Bai, who is now curator of Tianjin Sports Museum.

“At that time we didn’t want to be seen crying but I think I might have wiped away some tears.”

Bai said that most in his college dormi-

tory were so excited they could not sleep.

Air of optimism China in 1981 was still recovering from Mao Zedong’s chaotic Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976.

But after his death in 1976 the ruling Communist Party had launched the economic reforms that would propel China to where it is now—the world’s second-biggest economy and increasingly influential in international affairs.

Volleyball commentator Wang Zhe, who was eight in 1981, recalls a patriotic fervor and an air of optimism.

A front-page editorial in the China Daily urged people to “use the spirit of the women’s volleyball team to carry out modernization”.

“China had emerged from the disaster caused by those catastrophic 10 years and embarked on the road of reform and opening-up for the development of the country and society,” said Wang. AFP

Magno, Gabuco power up PSC’s Women’s Month Celebration THE Philippine Sports Commission’s (PSC) punches a powerful National Women’s Month Celebration featuring winning lady pugs Irish Magno, Aira Villegas, Josie Gabuco and Riza Pasuit with their mothers in the upcoming March 6 episode of Rise Up! Shape Up. The 2021 Tokyo Olympics first Filipina qualifier Irish Magno leads the special episode sharing her journey to success, from winning the gold medal in 2012 at the Taipei Open, the silver medal in the women’s flyweight division in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and targeting a podium finish in the Games with her mother’s support.

Fellow Filipina boxers 2019 Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist Aira Villegas, first-ever Filipina AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championships titleholder Josie Gabuco and 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver medalist Riza Pasuit also share their dynamic duo relationships with their mothers as one of their sources of strength.

“We’ve seen many athletes who dedicate their success to their parents, particularly their mothers.

It is very important to recognize that while an athlete’s achievement is his or her own, a part of it is attributable to the support given to him or her by the family,” said Women in Sports Oversight Commissioner Celia H. Kiram.

Kiram also emphasizes that the episode also seeks to recognize the women’s powerful presence especially in a predominantly masculine field such as sports and athletics to influence and encourage gender equality.

Riza Ng, a licensed psychologist and founding member of the Philippine Association of Child and Play, also joins the episode for a short talk on mindful parenting and shares tips on how to practice mindfulness in the various parenting styles.

This photo taken on November 16, 1981 shows a member of China’s volleyball team (right, behind the net in white) hitting a smash during the final match between China and Japan at the women’s volleyball World Cup in Osaka followed by millions of people across China. AFP

C2

Sports

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

Cocolife Tigers raring to roar in finals THE long lull is over for the Davao Occidental Cocolife Tigers.

Finally, the most awaited go signal from Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases was granted to the Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League to get back into hardcourt action.

The non-professional cage league will resume its Chooks-to-Go Lakan Cup playoffs starting March 10 at the Subic bubble, with the backing of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority.

Four teams, the Davao Occidental Cocolife Tigers and Basilan Steel from the south, and the Makati Super Crunch and San Juan Knights from north, will face off in a do-or-die Game 3 division finals, which were halted a year ago due to the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic.

The Tigers of team owner Rep. Claudine Bautista of Davao Occidental, supported by Cocolife President Atty. Jose Martin Loon, SVP Joseph Ronquillo, VP Rowena Asnan and EVP Franz Joie Araque, are raring to roar at the bubble in pursuit of their mission of finally clinching the national championship in the league organized

by Senator Manny Pacquiao.

But the powerhouse team from Mindanao, led by veteran and tested hardcourt warriors Mark Yee, Bonbon Custodio Emman Calo, Bogs Raymundo, Jerwin Gaco, JosephTerso, Ronald Lamocha and Harry Bonleon, with young bloods Yvan Ludovice, Richard Albo, Chester Saldua, Kenneth Mocon and Marco Balagtas at the helm, must first clear a dangerous obstacle along the way, another Mindanaoan team in Basilan in their ‘win-or-go-home’ rubbermatch.

A victory will advance the Tigers to the national championship, where they will go up in a best-of-five championship series against the winner of the north division (San Juan-Makati), for the Lakan Cup title.

“Our Tigers are 100% fit and prepared for the Subic hardcourt action, armed with a mission of winning no less than a national championship. They’re raring to roar at the bubble,” said team manager Dinko Bautista, who acknowledged the comprehensive efforts of deputy manager Ray Alao, basketball operation head Bong Baribar and the coaching staff in keeping their players in top physical condition via virtual training and through backyard workouts during the community quarantine and lockdowns.

The crowd-drawer Tigers will play in a different atmosphere minus an audience as a strict compliance of the health protocols set by the IATF.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike (left,on screen), Seiko Hashimoto (seated front, left), president of Tokyo 2020, Tamayo Marukawa (seated front, right), Japan’s minister for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach (behind, Center on screen), and Andrew Parsons (back, right on screen), president of the IPC, take part in the opening of a five-party meeting at the Tokyo 2020 headquarters in Tokyo. AFP

PLDT Home Power Hitters join Premier Volley League AFTER six years, PLDT is back home.

The PLDT Home Fibr Power Hitters have officially announced that it is rejoining the Premier Volleyball League, Wednesday afternoon.

“We are very deeply engaged in Philippine sports, supporting various sports— including volleyball—for a long time through the MVP Sports Foundation.

We have always believed in the power of sports to make the lives of Filipinos better.

The values that we learn in volleyball— such as teamwork, mindfulness, patience, grace under pressure, and discipline, among others—are important elements to the formula of success,” said PLDT Chief Revenue Officer Al Panlilio.

“It definitely feels like a revival for our team since it feels good to be back home,” expressed PLDT and SMART Head of Sports Jude Turcuato. “With our campaign in PLDT which is ‘the strongest connections are at home’, it was about time that we go back to our roots which is the PVL. It’s just refreshing to have a new beginning.”

PLDT Home last played in the V-League back in 2015. Historic was that campaign as the Ultra Fast Hitters won both the Season 12 Open and Reinforced Conference championships.

Moreover, head coach Roger Gorayeb also made history of his own that season as he also won the Collegiate Conference crown with National University to become the league’s only grand slam champion.

Yes, it is not just a homecoming for PLDT but also for Gorayeb.

“Labing-apat na taon ako sa VLeague. Umpisa pa lang niyan, kasama ko na sina Sir Ricky [Palou] kaya sobrang nakakatuwa na makakabalik na kami. Sana matuloy namin yung magandang legacy ng PLDT sa PVL,” said Gorayeb, who has won eight championships in the V-League.

“This is special because this is where it all started for the PLDT team. PLDT won multiple championships here and we’re hoping to add more. We’re excited to be part of the growing PVL family,” added PLDT team manager Bajjie Del Rosario.

League president Ricky Palou welcomed PLDT Home back with open arms, saying that having the team again will increase the level of competition in the 17-year-old league.

“We at the PVL are really glad to have PLDT back. This move of PLDT to the PVL will definitely provide more competition to the other teams and make the league more exciting,” said Palou, also a board member of the Philippine National Volleyball Federation.

Overseas fans likely to be barred from Tokyo Games T

OKYO—Overseas spectators are likely to be shut out from the Tokyo Olympics, Japanese media reported Thursday, after organizers said that public safety would be the “top priority” at the coronavirus-delayed Games.

Th e J a p a n e s e g o v e r n m e n t , To k yo metropolitan gover nment and Tokyo 2020 organizing committee are leaning towards holding the massive event in front of a domestic audience only, the Yomiuri Shimbun and other outlets said.

Officials fear that an influx of visitors from abroad will endanger the Japanese public.

“As the spread of coronavirus continues in every country, they have decided that allowing visitors from overseas on a large scale will only make people anxious,” the Yomiuri report said.

The three parties met with International Olympic and Paralympic Committee heads on Wednesday and

agreed to take a decision on spectators by the end of the month, ideally before the nationwide torch relay begins on March 25.

But comments made by organisers before and after the talks hinted that overseas fans will be locked out, with games president Seiko Hashimoto saying public safety is the “top priority”.

IOC chief Thomas Bach said organizers will “focus on the essentials of the Games”, while Japan’s Olympic Minister Tamayo Marukawa said “a cautious decision is necessary”.

Reports said Japanese organisers will soon make their position official and convey it to IOC and IPC chiefs.

Bach said last week that a decision

on overseas fans would be taken in late April or early May, but Hashimoto said Wednesday that fans, hotels and travel operators needed to know sooner.

Around 900,000 tickets have reportedly already been sold outside Japan.

Organizers also said Wednesday that they will take a decision on the number of spectators allowed in venues in April.

Hashimoto said “scientific insight” would be used to determine venue capacities, and that the ruling would be in line with government policies on attendance.

Tokyo is currently under a Covid-19 state of emergency that limits capacity at sporting events to 5,000.

The state of emergency is due to expire on Sunday, but Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has said an extension of around two weeks is necessary amid concern over the slowing decline of infections in the capital. AFP

Asian MTB champ is new GAC Motor ambassador LEGADO Car Sales, the official retailer of GAC Motor in the Philippines, has named elite mountain bike national athlete Ariana Dormitorio as its newest brand ambassador.

Dubbed as the Philippines’ ‘Queen of Trails’, Dormitorio will be representing the GAC Motor PH brand, particularly its GS3 model.

Dormitorio achieved success by being crowned three-time national mountain bike champion, with her Under-23 gold triumph at the Asian championships on home soil her crowning glory.

GAC Motor PH believes that Domitorio and the brand share the same ideals. With its athletic stance and build, the GS3 is an ideal car for individuals, who always want to level up their game, just like Dormitorio.

“We chose Ariana Dormitorio to represent GAC Motor PH, particularly the GS3, because like our subcompact vehicle, Ariana is high-spirited,

and an individual who always ‘gets into her’ game. We are certain that she resembles the characteristics of the GS3 and the younger generation, who are outgoing and adventurous.

We are looking forward to this partnership with her,” said Brennan Lim, branch head of GAC Motor Metrowalk, Pasig City.

“I am really excited about this partnership with GAC Motor because, for 2021, I’ll be getting back to mountain bike racing after almost a year of being laid off in training and sports due to the pandemic. I am glad to share this experience with my fans that this brand supports athletes who are into adventure, those who want to take a step further in reaching their goals in their respective endeavors,” said Dormitorio.

As part of her partnership with GAC Motor PH, Dormitorio will help the automotive brand build its presence in the Philippine market.

Legado Car Sales believes that the

Legado Motors Inc. president and CEO Wilbert Lim and Ariana Dormitorio sign the partnership contract at GAC Motor Metrowalk Showroom.

partnership will be a great opportunity to promote not only the brand, but also Filipino cyclists and athletes as well.

For more information, follow GAC Motor Philippines on Facebook and

Instagram at @gacmotorph, or visit its official website at https://gacmotorph.com. Also check out the GAC Motor Metrowalk Showroom Facebook Page at @GACMotorPasig for latest news and updates.

Ex-national team standout welcomes local women’s league

By Peter Atencio FORMER national team member Allana Lim has played three years in professional women’s leagues outside of the Philippines.

This time, a chance to play locally for a squad in the Women’s National Basketball League is something she welcomes.

“For me, ito iyung araw na hinihintay namin. Sa dami ng taon ng aking paglalaro, deserve naming

mabigyan ng sariling liga,” said the 5’9” Lim, now that she will be playing for the Paranaque Lady Aces in the inaugural season of the Women’s National Basketball League.

Lim, who played for squads in women’s professional leagues in Malaysia, Nepal, Singapore and Thailand, expressed her excite ment du r i ng an online team presentation.

This time, she will not have to go outside the country to just find a

league to play in.

“Isa sa aming mga goal ay madevelop ang mga players at maging stepping stone ito sa next level ng kanilang career,” said team manager Joel Mendoza, who joined the presentation with coach Myk Saguiguit, Parañaque Mayor Edwin Olivarez, Vice Mayor Jose Enrico Golez and councilor Binky Favis.

Li m used to play for the Far Easter n Un iversity Lady Tamaraws in the University Athletic of

the Philippines.

With her around, Lim led the Lady Tams in reaching the finals in Season 73 and clinch the title in Season 74, where she was named Most Valuable Player.

Stints with the Perlas Pilipinas national team followed, leading to a gold medal in the 2016 Southeast Asia Basketball Association championship.

After graduation, Lim was signed in to play for KL Ruby of the Ma-

laysian Women’s Basketball League.

Lim is part of the protected list of the Lady Aces, including ex-national team member Clare Castro.

The Lady Aces, coached by Jayen Santos, also have team skipper Vanessa Santos, ex-Lady Tamaraw April Siat, homegrown cagers Kris Tolentino, Mardyn Tingcang, Carmina Reyes and Adamson star Jamie Alcoy. They will also have ex-Lady Tamaraws in Precious Arellado and Valerie Mamaril in their roster.

Entertainment J

UST when we thought the country’s leading telco had already dropped its biggest surprise this year, Smart Communications just outdid itself by revealing yet another superstar joining its growing list of global ambassadors.

In a two-minute film commercial unveiled on the telco’s official Facebook page, Hollywood star Chris Evans who is popular for his role as Captain America in The Avenger film series was officially introduced as the face of Smart Communications’ “Live Smarter for a Better World” 2021 campaign.

The TVC is helmed by Pascal Heiduk. The German-born director has worked with the likes of Hugh Jackman and Lewis Hamilton and has done commercial film work for renowned brands such as BMW, Montblanc, and Mercedes Benz AMG. The surprise coup was retweeted by Chairman Manny V. Pangilinan on his own official account, Thursday, March 4.

The commercial film opens with a drone shot showing the vast ocean and a spectacular cliff shot.

“In life, what we believe in propels us to go in different ways,” the Hollywood actor says in the background.

The shots then transition to a breathtaking scene of a lone figure standing by the edge of a cliff.

“But the truth remains...,” the voice over continues then the camera pans to a dramatic shot of the back of the lone figure staring at the sunrise.

The video culminates revealing the face of Chris Evans and ends with the actor saying, “The world is now on reset and is giving us a second chance.

We have it in our hands to do better. How do I know this? Simple, Smart ako.”

Through its “Live Smarter for a Better World” campaign, S m a r t intends to inspire

C3

NICKIE WANG

Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart Communications’ President and CEO.

initiative, it is our aim to create that spark in everyone to help change the world for the better rather than just settling for ‘good’,” said Alfredo S. Panlilio, Smart Communications’ President and CEO. Almost two years since Avengers: Endgame hit theaters, Chris remains as one of the world’s most popular and well-loved among Hollywood actors.

He is the star of the blockbuster Captain America films, which have catapulted to enormous success in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Artists’ take on reimagined Philippines

Artist and Christian missionary Kristine Lim with television host Boy Abunda

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

VERY WANG

people to commit to sustainable actions with lasting, positive impact on society. The brand encourages everyone to ignite their passions to help change the world for the better.

Over the years, Smart has been known to support and promote various causes, including gaining a strong foothold in innovation, sustainability, and nation-building.

Smart has also been empowering the Filipino people with simple and easy access to cutting-edge technology.

“There’s nothing like the c u r r e n t challenges the world is facing to make us all realize that we are all interconnected and that our personal actions have broader i m p a c t .

Through our “Live Smarter for a Better Wo r l d ”

SUSTAINABLE PH invites the public to its exhibit and auction called Edenic Archipelago, on view until March 7 at the Art Lounge Manila at The Podium in Mandaluyong City.

The auction will be handled by Gallery 928 (online) on the last day of the exhibit.

Sustainable PH is a non-governmental organization established by Koleen Davila - Palaganas, sister of seasoned broadcast journalist Karen Davila. The exhibit, on the other hand, is spearheaded by the Director of Arts and Culture of Sustainable PH, also an artist herself and missionary, Kristine Lim. “What we aim for is to bring awareness to Filipinos that sustainability is the key to save the country not just in terms of nature but also our economy including other industries related to it. What makes me proud of Sustainable PH is that everything we do is guided by biblical principles,” Lim told Manila Standard

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

Entertainment in an interview.

Lim added that their exhibit and auction is a platform to set forth awareness and promote a sustainable mindset that will help empower the country to live at the forefront of innovation and ingenuity.

“The exhibit is a concept that we came up with to make sure that artists will create pieces that will show our reimagined Philippines wherein we are in a state that is fully sustainable,” Lim explained.

Christian Collective members together with other artists Jessa Almirol, Alelia Ariola, Rodel Buban, Anna Escalona, Alfred Galvez, Kristine Lim, Pepe Mendoza, Mr. PXL, Rabi Salvacion, Sherwin Tan, Kristina Valencia, and Mimi Viola are exhibiting their interpretation of what a reimagined Philippines would look like in a state that is completely sustainable guided by biblical principles.

“We wanted the public to consider this event as antithetical to the traditional art and auction exhibit and change fads that most people are familiar with. These masterpieces are used as God's instruments to love and nurture our only home; Earth,” the artist and missionary underscored.

“The proceeds will go to Sustainable PH, of course, to help us mobilize all our future mission works. Part of the proceeds will also go to Christian Collective whose members go around the Philippines to teach young artists how to use their talents for God’s purpose. Also part of the proceeds will also go to the artists who have been affected financially because of this pandemic,” Lim shared.

Sustainable PH and Christian Collective are both nongovernment organizations that aim to uplift the mindset of our fellow countrymen in terms of Christianity, Patriotism, and Sustainability.

Lim, who graduated Cum Laude from University of the Philippines Diliman, College of Fine Arts with a major in Visual Communications, was recently commissioned by FAMAS Digital 2020 to paint and immortalize their Special Awardees including Boy Abunda, Liza Soberano, Angel Locsin, Poking, Matteo Guidicelli, and Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte. Nickie Wang

Avengers: End Game remains the highest-grossing film of all time and among the superhero franchises – earning over $ 2.79 billion at the worldwide box office.

Last year, Chris launched A Starting Point, a civic engagement platform where he interviews various US politicians and stakeholders in minute-long videos to discuss American policies and newsworthy topics.

“We’re truly honored to collaborate with Chris on this project. He captivated the world for being a hero not just in film but also in real life by using his influence to help shape a better world for all. By lending his star power and appeal to support our campaign, we hope to inspire more people to bring out the hero within them and unleash their own power to help change the world one positive action at a time,” adds Jane J. Basas, Senior Vice President and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

“Live Smarter for a Better World” featuring Chris Evans can be seen on Smart’s Official Accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Nicole Scherzinger covers Regine Velasquez’s ‘Pangako’ FILIPINO-AMERICAN singer and TV personality Nicole Scherzinger realized her dream of singing in Filipino when she was tapped to record her own rendition of the beloved OPM ballad “Pangako” by Fil-Am musical director Troy Laureta for his KAIBIGAN: A Troy Laureta OPM Collective Vol. 1.

“Singing in Tagalog has always been a dream for me and I think this song is special. I know that I was singing such an iconic song so I'm really grateful to be part of this amazing project,” she said, sharing she was immediately all in when Troy asked if she could be part of the album.

Nicole added she was honored and proud to do the collaboration but also felt quite a responsibility to give justice to the song.

“I think a lot of people know me from Pussycat Dolls but they don't know in my heart how I love to sing big ballads, it's in our blood, right? We love big songs and he chose this special song. It's a classic song, it's got a lot of heart and a lot of passion,” she shared.

Meanwhile, Troy said it was a no brainer that he chose “Pangako”— composed and originally sung by Ogie Alcasid and later recorded by his wife Regine Velasquez—for Nicole as he believed she has the “heart, spirit, and voice” to bring the song to life. “’Pangako’ is so emotional and it needed someone who could emote that and really give it not just the notes, but the little things in the voice, the emotional parts of it. I wanted to give her in the Filipino fashion, that ‘Don't Cry for Me, Argentina’ moment, or

that ‘Memory,’ ‘I Will Always Love You’ moment,” he explained.

Troy also shared what the album truly means to him. “It’s more than just good music and your favorite artists, you know?

It’s about representation and spreading awareness about our culture. I’m so proud to be Filipino.”

Apart from Nicole’s “Pangako,” the album also features “Harana,” AILEE’s “Kahit Isang Saglit,” Matt Bloyd’s “Bakit Pa Ba,” Cheesa’s “Bakit Pa,” Pia Toscano’s “Kailangan Kita,” Jake Zyrus’ “Usahay,” Sheléa’s “Patuloy Ang Pangarap,” and Regine’s “Hanggang Sa Dulo ng Walang Hanggan.”

Life

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

C4

TRAVEL & LEISURE

FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

FAMILY FIRST. A survey on the travel preferences and behaviors of Filipinos in 2021 reveals vacation with family is the first trip they want to take post-pandemic.

FILIPINOS’ 2021 TRAVEL PLANS

The impressive Okada Manila architecture cuts a striking outline on the horizon of Entertainment City. (Photo from Okada Manila/Instagram)

Survey reveals family vacation to secluded nature destinations is top choice

By Bernadette Lunas

O

FF-THE-BEATENPATH destinations that are close to nature and family-friendly are preferred should Filipinos get back on the road again, according to a recent survey.

The 2021 Philippine Travel Trends Survey of Airbnb, conducted on Feb. 4-8, discovered that majority or 60 percent of the 1,067 respondents are planning to take their first post-pandemic trip with immediate and extended family members, followed by “with close friends” at 46 percent.

Family-centric vacations gained traction as the lockdown re-ignited the connection among family members—with 88 percent of Filipinos saying they felt closer to their family during the pandemic.

“It is not difficult to understand the pent-up demand for travel. After months apart, Filipinos are keen to travel to spend meaningful quality time with their loved ones, including their immediate and extended families and close friends,” noted Amanpreet Bajaj, Airbnb general manager for Southeast Asia, India, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

The survey intended to explore the travel preferences and behaviors of Filipinos this year while the pandemic is still ongoing, determining where, with whom, and under what circumstances they will embark on an adventure again.

Being able to physically distance themselves from people outside their households has been seen to have driven 53 percent of the respondents to prefer “less crowded, off-the-beaten-path destinations” over places that require taking a short-haul or long-haul flight (15 percent). Airbnb forecasts a rise in road trips post-pandemic.

Despite the preference for off-the-beatenpath locations, the survey found Boracay remains the top domestic travel destination for Filipinos, followed by Palawan, Baguio, Siargao, and Tagaytay. The top five destinations align with the respondents’ choice (47 percent) for getaways that bring them close to nature.

“Travelers are looking at slower, more mindful travel amidst nature,” reiterated Bajaj. International destinations, however, remain at the lower end of Filipinos’ priorities, at 19 percent.

Nature destinations in secluded locations are preferred over crowded places.

Majority or 88 percent of Filipinos say they feel closer to their families during the pandemic.

Airbnb has a standardized cleaning and sanitation protocol for its hosts.

Airbnb also found safety (64 percent) and affordability (61 percent) are the top considerations when choosing lodging.

The travel platform earlier introduced its global Enhanced Cleaning initiative for Airbnb Host, a standardized protocol for cleaning and sanitation endorsed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a bid to revive local tourism, Airbnb is committed to supporting its local host and guest community and working closely with key policymakers and stakeholders

for the accreditation of Airbnb listings in line with the government’s regulations for leisure travel.

According to the platform, the Philippines has more than 39,000 listings as of 2019, supporting over 160,000 jobs and contributing $1 billion to the local economy.

“We believe that travel is resilient and will bounce back with time, and we anticipate that unique and family-friendly travel will serve as the impetus for domestic tourism recovery,” emphasized Bajaj.

Victoria Court pushes for resumption of drive-in hotels’full operations Motorist hotel operator Victoria Court Group highlights its check-in and housekeeping procedures that protect its guests and employees in a bid to get the green-light from the Department of Tourism to resume its full operations.

“Drive-in motels are safer by design than regular hotels (and even walk-up motels), because the design focuses on privacy— which lends itself well to isolation and safety,” notes Victoria Court chief operating officer Sam Pineda.

Pineda points out the fewer face-to-face interactions in driveins compared with regular lodgings.

A staff in PPE cleans and sanitizes all frequently touched surfaces and items inside the room.

“We have very limited contact with guests. For one, we do not have lobbies or elevators where they can get exposed; guests have their own garages, they simply accomplish the health declaration forms online, their temperatures are taken, with social distancing observed at all times, then are immediately directed to their rooms,” he explains.

Pineda adds that all Victoria Court rooms are sanitized using UV light after each use. Frequently touched surfaces are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized by staff wearing personal protective equipment. Each room has an automatic alcohol dispenser.

Used linens are placed in individual plastic bags, wrapped, and brought to the dirty linen area where they are sprayed with disinfectant and left for 24 hours before they are picked up by the laundry contractor.

Disposable food containers are used for room service.

Guests can check-out and pay online while inside their rooms using the QR code and cashless payment options such as GCash, Paymaya, GrabPay, WeChat, Alipay, debit or credit card, and bank transfer.

“We believe that with all these safety measures and health protocols being strictly observed, perhaps it is time for the DOT to re-evaluate its assessment of drive-in hotels. We are fully committed to cooperate with the government agencies concerned on any additional requirements if given the clearance to resume full operations,” says Pineda. Lito Cinco

The bathtub in the bathroom is right beside the A king-size bed like this always guarantees full-size window. a restful sleep.

Some lovin’ at Okada Manila suite at Okada Manila, and I’m very glad I did.

Entering the hotel through its Coral Wing at the back of this entertainment complex gives guests a sense of privacy because vehicular traffic in that area is not as much as that outside the Pearl Wing.

On the door of the room assigned to me, I immediately noticed the tamper-resistant safety seal, proof that the room has been thoroughly sanitized for my use. As I entered, I was awed by the size of the living area which could easily accommodate 10 persons, if such would be allowed, and the full-size window almost had a panoramic view of the hotel’s gardens, the swimming pool, and Manila Bay. The stunning vista and the luxurious comfort provided by the room’s cozy sofas convinced me right away that I was in for a relaxing “staycation.”

I also noticed that the usual items on the bar were individually wrapped in small paper bags and sealed, probably as part of the hotel’s much heralded “3T Campaign” (True Clean, True Safe, True Heart) which ensures the safety and health of the guests and staff. There was also a pack of health and safety essentials (face mask, hand sanitizer, alcohol wipes, etc.), a clear indication that the hotel is living up to its core principles of magokoro (sincerity) and omotenashi (hospitality) which it proudly banners on its website.

Still, there was more! Aside from what immediately looked like a sleepinducing king-size bed in the separate bedroom, the adjacent bathroom also caught my attention because the bathtub was right beside the full-size window. The inviting layout right away convinced me to fill up the tub, dress down, jump into it and start my own style of emotional detoxification.

With the sudsy warm water covering my whole being, and the sound of my favorite ballads floating in the air, I wanted to spend hours in the tub, but later decided not to, lest I turn into a merman!

Now I know that when Okada Manila claims to be “a one-of-a-kind masterfully created space for five-star pleasure,” they mean every word of it. Take it from somebody who gave himself some lovin’ by relaxing in the hotel’s facilities over the Valentine weekend.

THE many times I have been to Okada Manila, that iconic luxurious integrated resort sitting on 44 hectares of reclaimed land in Entertainment City, I have always been awed by its structural design. Its massive architecture cuts a smooth, soothing, and glowing outline against the calming Manila Bay backdrop.

Ever since the entertainment complex’s opening in late 2016, I’ve had the privilege of enjoying some of its offerings, having dined many times with friends at the Medley Buffet and at Kiapo. I also consider myself lucky to have been one of the selected guests invited to the opening of the grand and expansive The Fountain in March of 2017. Approximating the area covered by 50 Olympic-size swimming pools, this water-lightand-music attraction reminds me of what we see at Bellagio in Las Vegas, but this one is much bigger and more impressive!

I was also lucky to have been invited to the December 2017 opening of The Cove Manila, the complex’s indoor beach—the only one in the country— and nightclub, reputed to be the biggest in Southeast Asia. I remember the inaugural party was headlined by international disc jockey Steve Aoki. The Cove’s main attraction is its humongous 30-meter-high glass dome covering the entire resort area which has several swimming pools scattered around.

On the periphery of this sprawling 9,000-square meter attraction, perched three floors above it, are private cabanas for rent, each with its own Jacuzzi, and overlooking the indoor beach down below. At sundown, the nightclub, which is in the same location, reigns supreme, with its avant-garde light and audio systems continuously pumping energy into this way-beyond-its-time entertainment destination.

YOUR WEEKEND CHUCKLE But, all throughout these years, Etc. – Three letters one uses to I never had the opportunity to make others believe that he knows experience the guest rooms of the more than he actually does. hotel. So, the other day, when I decided to spend time away from the daily depressing news on the effects of the pandemic, I went to treat myself For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ to a Grand De Luxe one-bedroom gmail.com.

The spacious living room has a stunning The hotel’s well-manicured gardens, swimming view of the hotel’s gardens and pool, pool and part of Manila Bay, as seen from my and the Manila Bay. window.