Manila Standard - 2021 March 8 - Monday

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Cases seen surging 6k/day OCTA Research urges need to contain quick-spreading variants

By Willie Casas

T

HE surge in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila this past week is worse than the one that prompted a strict lockdown in August last year, said researchers from the University of the Philippines who have been tracking the pandemic.

The OCTA Research Team forecasts the country would tally 5,000 to 6,000 new cases per day by the end of March,

The PGH appealed for some of its COVID-19 patients to be moved to other medical facilities as the hospital confirmed a positive case of the South Africa variant.

WOMEN'S WORLD. Fire Volunteers teach housewives of Bgy. 737 Paco Manila how to use a fire extinguisher during a seminar in observance of the Fire Prevention Month and the International Women's Month. Women take center stage in this issue with several stories and commentaries paying homage to their kind.

Norman Cruz

with Metro Manila reaching 2,000 daily new cases per day by March 21, and 3,000 new cases per day by March 31, if the current reproduction rate continues.

OCTA said the National Capital Region, home to about a tenth of the country's population, has recorded an average of 1,025 new daily cases over the past seven days, an increase of 42 percent from the previous week and 130 percent compared to two weeks ago.

"The last time the region had seen this rate of increase was in July 2021.

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VOL. XXXV • NO. 26 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Nine killed, six Moderna of US agrees to kick in 13m doses nabbed as cops By Willie Casas raid Calabarzon

COVID-19 PH

NINE activists were killed and six others were arrested in simultaneous raids in Calabarzon, police said Sunday.

A spokesman for the Police Regional Office 4A said armed with search warrants, they conducted the raids along with members of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG).

Of the nine who were killed, six were in Rizal, two were in Batangas, and one was in Cavite.

Initial reports were sketchy.

A spokesperson for the PRO4A, Police Lt. Col. Chitadel Gaoiran, told GMA News Online that they didn't know as yet the background of the suspects but said some explosives and firearms were found during the raids.

Leftist groups said at least six activists were killed and that nine others were arrested in raids on their homes and offices.

Bayan Secretary General Renato Reyes said that among the fatalities were Bayan Cavite coordinator Manny Asuncion, who was shot dead in a raid at the Workers Assistance Center in Dasmariñas City.

"The Bagong Alyansang Makabayan condemns in the strongest possible terms the brutal and deadly crackdown on activists in Cavite, Laguna, Batangas and Rizal early morning today, March 7," Reyes said in a statement.

Reyes said that among those arrested was Bayan Laguna spokesperson Mags

3,276 36,043

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Farrales passes, 88 FASHION pillar Ben Farrales, known as the Dean of Philippine Fashion, passed away Saturday evening. He was 88.

Farrales, fondly called “Mang Ben” in the local fashion scene, put the Philippines in the international fashion map with his stunning collections which featured Islamic-inspired terno designs.

“Mang Ben to his proteges and associates, designers and models as well as fellow devotees of the Sto. Niño Next page

US BETTER BET THAN CHINA WORLD / B2

MODERNA Inc. has agreed to supply the government 13 million doses of its COVID-19 vaccine, with deliveries set to begin in mid-2021.

The company will work with regulators to obtain the necessary approvals before distribution, it said in a press release.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. said the country can also expect another 1.4 million doses of the CoronaVac vaccine this month.

“We have procured 1 million doses of vaccine which will arrive on March 21) and then with the generosity of the Chinese government, another 400,000 will be given to us," Galvez said during

the COVID-19 vaccination rollout at Qualimed Hospital in Santa Rosa City, Laguna.

An additional 38,400 doses of AstraZeneca vaccines arrived in Manila Sunday night, the second batch from the COVAX Facility, a global initiative led by the World Health Organization (WHO).

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AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MARCH 7)

594,412 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

NEW

ACTIVE

12,516

51

DEATHS

NEW

545,853 10,516 RECOVERIES

NEW

Oral treatment promising, says German Merck

'BLOODY SUNDAY'. Militant groups join forces in condemning what they call 'Bloody Sunday' raids in an alleged campaign that left nine dead and zeroing in on several activists and left-leaning organizations in Southern Tagalog region.

Romualdez: Amnesty for rebels

By Rio N. Araja HOUSE Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Sunday assured the swift adoption of four concurrent resolutions granting amnesty to members of four rebel groups in support of President

Rodrigo Duterte and the country’s peace and stability.

Romualdez, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and House Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano, filed the resolutions to Next page

Time to get serious about gender equality

By Chihoko AsadaMiyakawa (Assistant Director-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific International Labor Organization) It’s now more than 100 years since the International Labor Organization first established standards on women Next page

House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez has assured the swift adoption of four concurrent resolutions granting amnesty to members of four rebel groups in support of President Rodrigo Duterte and the country's peace and stability. Ver Noveno

GERMAN pharmaceutical giant Merck and a US partner reported promising results in trials of a drug administered orally to fight COVID-19, saying it helps reduce patients' viral load.

"At a time where there is an unmet need for antiviral treatments against SARS-CoV-2, we are encouraged by these preliminary data," said Wendy Painter, chief medical officer of the US firm, Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

In January, Merck halted work on two Covid vaccine candidates but has pressed Next page

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News

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

27 UK lawmakers fret over De Lima In a letter dated March 1, the UK their calls for the release of De Lima, who Parliamentarians added their voices to marked her fifth year in detention on Feb. the growing list of international groups, 24 last year. leaders and personalities who reiterated “As Senator De Lima enters the fifth

year of her incarceration, we add to the calls made by many others for her immediate release and an end to the continuing erosion of democratic freedoms in the Philippines,” the parliamentarians wrote.

The signatories in the letter include Rt Hon. Dame Diana Johnson, MP (Chair, All Party Parliamentary Human Rights Group), Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Harriett Baldwin MP, Paul Blomfield MP, Tracy Brabin MP, Lyn Brown MP, and Dawn Butler MP, to name a few.

They said De Lima’s incarceration was a way for the Duterte regime to show the extent of action they were willing to do to

anyone who dared oppose their policies.

“On February 24, 2017, shortly after initiating a Senate investigation into the extrajudicial killings in the Philippines, Senator Leila de Lima was suddenly arrested and jailed on non bailable charges for supposed links to drugs gangs. Four years later she is still being held in the Camp Crame detention center,” the officials said.

“Senator De Lima’s prosecution appears to have set the pattern for the silencing of President Duterte’s opponents, in which either trumped up criminal charges or false accusations of involvement in terrorism are brought against them.”

COVID-19 transmissions from the NCR and between provinces and prevent the spread of the virus," it said.

The group also urged health workers to vaccinate themselves against COVID-19.

The country last week began its immunization campaign against the coronavirus.

"We subscribe to the belief that the best vaccine is the vaccine that is available at this time. For now, these are the vaccines developed by Oxford/AstraZeneca and Sinovac," it said.

The group reiterated its call for the government to re-evaluate protocols for international travelers entering the country.

"The fact that SARS-Cov2 variants of foreign origin have entered our country supports this call for stricter guidelines andr stricter implementation of the existing guidelines. In many countries, [a] 14day quarantine is mandatory, even after the traveler has tested negative for SARSCov2," it said.

The government on Friday reported that the number of South African or B.1.351 variant cases in the country has climbed to 58, while that of the UK variant already reached 118.

First detected in Nelson Mandela Bay, South Africa in October, the South African variant has been found in more than 30 countries and accounts for more than 90 percent of SARS-CoV-2 samples in South Africa that undergo genetic sequencing.

The Health Department said that of the 52 new cases of the South African variant, one patient from Metro Manila already recovered, while the remaining 51 cases are active infections and are being managed.

There are also 42 mutations of "potential clinical significance."

The Philippines logged 3,276 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 594,412, as seven laboratories were not able to submit

their data on time, the DOH said.

This was the third straight day that the country recorded over 3,000 new cases.

The DOH reported 51 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 12,516, which is 2.11 percent of the total.

The DOH also reported 10,516 new recoveries, in the mass recovery adjustment, bringing the total recoveries to 545,853, which is 91.8 percent of the total.

Treatment czar Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said the surge was “alarming.”

“We're taking necessary precautionary measures, especially in hospitals,” he said.

Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles, who was among those pushing to ease quarantine restrictions, said the current surge would be monitored and would be taken into account in determining Metro Manila's status in April.

The DOH met with representatives of different Metro Manila hospitals to address the spike in hospital admissions over the last few days.

Some of the country's top hospitals in the National Capital Region have started to feel the effects of a steep increase in the number of COVID-19 cases, with the spike at the Philippine General Hospital in Manila being likened to a "mini outbreak."

"It's a red flag (because) within a short period of time, the figures are high," said PGH spokesperson Jonas del Rosario.

Clinical rotation of medicine interns and face-to-face consultations at PGH clinics have already been temporarily suspended. The PGH spokesman suspects that the new variants of coronavirus have something to do with the spike in admissions.

Makati City, Lapu-Lapu City, and the Ifugao Province are at a high-risk classification in hospitalization rates.

Despite these developments, the DOH

said there are enough hospital beds and medical staff for the expected increase in hospital admissions.

PGH has seen a steady increase in its COVID-19 cases in the last week, Del Rosario said.

PGH was also informed by the Philippine Genome Center that "one of 30 anonymized samples" from the facility was found to have the South African variant of the disease.

The largest COVID-19 referral hospital in the country had 105 virus patients as of Saturday, the largest in four months, said Del Rosario.

Fifteen health care workers were also found infected with the coronavirus in the first four days of March, he added.

"This high number in a short period of time prompted the PGH administration to take proactive measures such as extensive contact tracing, testing and quarantining those who were exposed and isolating those who are sick to curb further spread of the disease," he said in a statement.

The hospital has temporarily suspended elective surgical procedures, and outpatient consultation must be done via telemedicine, Del Rosario said.

The outpatient department will not receive walk-ins in the meantime, he added.

The Philippine Red Cross (PRC), meanwhile, said it has recorded a higher COVID-19 positivity rate in its confirmatory tests since February.

The PRC conducts RT-PCR tests on returning overseas Filipinos and saliva tests.

Dr. Paulyn Ubial, head of PRC's molecular laboratories, said the positivity rate has risen from only 2 to 4 percent in December and January to 7 to 11 percent today.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends a positivity rate of 5.0 percent or lower for at least 14 days before governments consider easing quarantine restrictions.

their homes and offices.”

“These incidents are clearly part of the government’s increasingly brutal counter-insurgency campaign aimed at eliminating the 52-year-old Communist insurgency,” he continued. “The fundamental problem is this campaign no longer makes any distinction between armed rebels and noncombatant activists, labor leaders, and rights defenders. It is not a coincidence that these deadly raids happened two days after President Rodrigo Duterte ordered police and military to 'kill all' communists and 'don’t mind human rights.'”

“It is also not a coincidence that these incidents occurred in provinces overseen by the Southern Luzon Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines, led by Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr., who has led a vicious 'redtagging' campaign against activists by accusing them of rebel links without providing any evidence that can stand up in a court of law,” he said.

Robertson urged the government to investigate the use of lethal force in the raids and to stop the killings and respect the rights of Filipinos to exercise their civil and political rights to express their dissent.

Oral...

to taking this drug, Ridgeback said.

Antiviral oral drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza) are sometimes prescribed for seasonal flu but researchers have yet to come up with something similar to fight the coronavirus.

The findings of this study – a quicker decrease in viral load among individuals with early-stage COVID-19 who are treated with molnupiravir – are promising, said William Fischer, lead investigator of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina.

"If supported by additional studies, (they) could have important public health implications, particularly as the SARSCoV-2 virus continues to spread and evolve globally," Fischer added.

Merck is also working on another oral COVID treatment called MK-711. AFP

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

WENTY-SEVEN members of the UK Parliament have written Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom Antonio Lagdameo expressing concern over the plight of opposition Senator Leila de Lima, who recently entered her fifth year of detention.

Cases...

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However, this surge is spreading more quickly than the July-August surge, and this suggests the possibility that the surge is driven by SARS-Cov2 variants," the research group said.

"The priority now is to contain or mitigate the spread of these more contagious and lethal variants apart from preventing the surge in the region from becoming full-blown," it added.

Metro Manila's surge from July to August last year prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to place the region under a modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

Six months after confirming its first COVID-19 case, the Philippines on Aug. 3, 2020 breached the 100,000-mark in its cumulative total of infections after a record 5,032 new cases were reported that day.

On Friday and Saturday, the country's additional cases each topped the 3,000 mark, pushing the cumulative total to 591,138, of which, 43,323 are active infections.

Metro Manila accounted for nearly 41 percent of the total cases, with 241,915, latest data from the Department of Health showed.

The OCTA Research Team urged highrisk local governments to further intensify their anti-virus efforts by implementing strict localized lockdowns, and expanding testing, contact tracing, and quarantine facilities.

Among these high-risk areas are Pasay, Makati, Malabon and Navotas. The group noted all local governments in the capital region except for Valenzuela City showed an upward trend in infections.

"Effective and more stringent border controls must be observed to mitigate

Nine...

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Camoral during the raid on the Defend Yulo Farmers campaign headquarters in Cabuyao, Laguna.

The house of Bayan Batangas coordinator Lino Baez was also raided, Reyes said.

The party-list Bayan Muna said a human rights group in Laguna said a labor leader and a human rights worker were also arrested and that firearms and explosives were planted as evidence against them.

The houses of two peasant leaders, Moises Braganza and a certain Dodong "Bagsik" were also raided, Bayan Muna added.

Human Rights Watch raised the alarm over the police raids.

“Human Rights Watch is seriously concerned about reports of raids conducted by law enforcement authorities that resulted in activists’ deaths in the provinces of Laguna, Cavite, Batangas, and Rizal,” said Phil Robertson, deputy Asia director at HRW. “Based on these reports, these raids appear to be part of a coordinated plan by the authorities to raid, arrest, and even kill activists in

Romualdez:...

From A1

jointly refer them to the House committees on justice and national defense.

House Concurrent Resolutions 12, 13, 14 and 15, respectively, backed the grant of amnesty to the members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front, Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/ Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade and the Communist Terrorist Groups.

“We are one with President Rody Duterte’s efforts to attain peace and reconciliation in the country. We recognize this crucial need to accept the request of former combatants for amnesty so we could further stabilize our country and move towards healing, reconciliation and reintegration,” Romualdez said.

“We commit that the House of Representatives, under the leadership of Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, will work towards the timely adoption of these amnesty resolutions in line with the government’s peace program.”

Romualdez is the chairperson of the House committee on rules.

On Feb. 5, the President issued Proclamations 1090, 1091, 1092 and 1093 granting amnesty to the members of the MILF, MNLF, MILF, RPMP-RPA-ABB and CTG

who have committed crimes under the Revised Penal Code or special penal laws in pursuit of their political beliefs.

“At a difficult time like this, promoting an atmosphere conducive to the attainment of a just, comprehensive and enduring equanimity is a must as the government also works toward improving basic social services and progress,” Romualdez said.

The amnesty granted under the proclamations would not cover kidnap for ransom, massacre, rape, terrorism and other crimes committed against chastity as defined in the RPC as amended; crimes committed for personal ends; violation of RA 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Act of 2002; grave violations of the Geneva Convention of 1949; and those identified by the United Nations as crimes that can never be amnestied such as genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, torture, enforced disappearances and other gross violations of human rights.

Under the proclamations, the clause “crimes committed in pursuit of a political belief” shall include, but shall not be limited to, “acts and omissions performed or undertaken as part of a plan, program of action or strategy decided by the rebel leadership to overthrow and replace the National Government, any of its political subdivisions, or duly constituted authority, with or without the use of arms,” Romualdez said.

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on with research into two products to treat the disease, including a pill-based one called molnupiravir, which it has developed with Ridgeback Biotherapeutics.

This drug caused a significant drop in patients' viral load after five days of treatment with it, Merck said at a meeting with infectious disease experts.

This Phase 2a test – drug trials have three stages before a product can be approved – was carried out among 202 nonhospitalized people with symptoms of COVID-19.

There was no alert in terms of safety, and of four serious adverse events that were reported, none were considered to be related

Time...

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in the workplace, focusing on maternity protection.

A century on, much has changed, and we can all point to women who are successfully making a living, carving out careers, doing well in business and taking up leadership positions.

International Women’s Day should be the perfect occasion to celebrate this success and to look forward to a bright and prosperous future for all women who wish to work.

Unfortunately, the reality for so many women is different.

COVID-19 is partly to blame, amplifying pre-existing inequalities and often having a disproportionate impact on women’s employment. Women are also more at risk of being pushed out of jobs into the more precarious informal sector or work that matches neither their skills nor aspirations.

However if we are to be honest, even before the pandemic hit, the situation was less than rosy.

Just over a year ago, before most of us had even heard of COVID-19, ILO’s flagship report “A Quantum Leap for gender equality for the future of work” highlighted how progress in closing gender gaps

Farrales...

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and co-stalwarts in the world of arts and culture, our Tio Ben was a compassionate and generous man,” his grandniece, Leana Carmona, said in a Facebook post

Oil players shift gear, cut prices

by P0.50/liter

By Alena Mae S. Flores PUMP prices will likely go down this week, and by as much as P0.50 per liter, ending several weeks of consecutive weekly oil price increases.

World oil prices came down after the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies agreed on Thursday to maintain production cuts for April, even though traders were expecting an increase in production outputs that would boost prices amid the anticipation of a global economic recovery.

“Expect fuel prices to go down next week (March 9 to 15). Diesel should go down by P0.40 to P0.50 per liter. Gasoline should go down by P0.10 per liter,” Unioil Philippines said in its weekly oil price forecast.

On March 2, the oil companies raised the price of gasoline by P1 per liter, diesel

by P0.85 per liter and kerosene by P0.70 per liter.

That resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to stand at a net increase of P6.20 per liter of gasoline, P5.70 per liter of diesel and P5.05 per liter of kerosene.

According to a report by S&P Global Platts on Friday, the decision of OPEC and its allies “delivered a blow to many market participants who hoped for an overall increase in output, and pushed crude prices higher.”

S&P Global Platts said OPEC and its allies expressed concern over the ongoing economic volatility due to the coronavirus pandemic arising from the uneven vaccine rollout and possible additional strict lockdowns.

Moderna...

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had stalled, and in some cases reversed.

There are numerous factors preventing women from entering, remaining and progressing in the labor force. Top among them is unpaid care work, the burden of which still rests disproportionately on the shoulders of women worldwide. For all the efforts to advance gender equality, between 1997 to 2012 the amount of unpaid care work carried out by women fell by just 15 minutes a day while men did eight minutes a day more. At this rate, it will take over 200 years for the gap to close and certainly far longer when the impact of COVID-19 is taken into account.

Women continue to occupy fewer jobs and sectors than men. Those working in the same occupation as men are still systematically paid less (approximately 20 percent worldwide). Globally, according to ILO data, fewer than one third of managers are women, a situation that has changed very little in the last 30 years, although they are likely to be better educated than their male counterparts. And if this isn’t bad enough, women with children are further penalized with regard to employment, pay and leadership opportunities. These penalties are carried throughout a woman’s life cycle, often contributing to poverty during elder years, due to a lack of pensions and social safety nets.

Moderna said it expected to reach a separate deal with the Philippine government and private sector groups to supply an additional 7 million doses, for a total of 20 million doses.

“We thank the government and the private sector for their collaboration to bring the COVID-19 Vaccine Moderna to the Philippines,” the company's chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel said.

“We appreciate the confidence in Moderna, and our mRNA platform demonstrated by the government of the Philippines.

We remain committed to making our vaccine available on every continent to help end this global pandemic," he added.

Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to have a 94 percent efficacy rate in human trials.

Apart from Moderna, the Philippines has reserved 6 million doses of Janssen COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Johnson and Johnson, but there is no target delivery date yet, Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez said.

Janssen is the lone COVID-19 vaccine which is administered with a single dose.

In January, the Food and Drug Administration approved the COVID-19 vaccine by Pfizer Inc, and BioNTech SE, and that of AstraZeneca for emergency use.

The country started its COVID-19 vaccination program last March 1, with health workers being the first in line to be inoculated.

This came only a day after 600,000 doses of the CoronaVac vaccine from Sinovac donated by the Chinese government arrived on Feb. 28.

This was followed by the 487,200 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine donated by European nations and Australia under the COVAX Facility which arrived on March 4.

The country is slated to receive around 4.5 million doses of AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX Facility, to be delivered until May. Between March to May, the Philippines will receive about 1.5 million doses each month, Galvez said.

Various hospitals nationwide are conducting the vaccination of their health care workers, inoculating an average of 10,000 to 15,000 individuals daily.

“So far we are serving almost 100 hospitals," he said.

"Our priority for the vaccination, so far, are the COVID-19 referral hospitals, public hospitals, and private hospitals," he added.

Qualimed was the first hospital in the country to receive the initial batch of AstraZeneca vaccines. Around 300 health care workers were inoculated.

All Department of Health regional offices across the country have already received their initial supply of COVID-19 vaccines, Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said on Sunday. With Rio N. Araja

announcing his passing.

Carmona said Farrales succumbed to complications of prostate cancer.

“It was an honor, Mang Ben Farrales … rest peacefully in God’s loving arms,” said former beauty queen Marina Benipayo on Facebook.

“It is an honor and a privilege to have

modeled your creations, Mang Ben Farrales. Forever grateful,” wrote former fashion model Patty Betita.

In 2015, Farrales bagged the GAWAD CCP Para sa Sining – the highest award given by the Cultural Center of the Philippines – for the Fashion design category.

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MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

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Lawmakers mark Women’s Month

By Macon Araneta and Rio Araja

Four traders arrested over Bayawak sale in Pampanga GUAGUA, Pampanga—Four alleged traders of monitor lizards, an endangered species, were arrested by local police here following an entrapments operations in separate locations in Porac town.

Police Lt. Colonel. Julius Javier, Guagua police chief identified the suspects as Raymond Sto. Domingo, 27, of Barangay Tokwing, and Marlon Bacani, 37, of Bgy. Babo Sakan, both of Porac, Pampanga.

The two others suspects whose ages ranges from 15 to 17 were turned over to the Social Welfare Development Office for custody.

Laudemir Salac, Pampanga Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer (PENRO) said trade of wildlife is prohibited by law.

“Collecting, hunting, or possessing and trading of wildlife is punishable by a maximum imprisonment of one year and a fine of up to one million pesos, depending on the species, under the law,” said Salac.

He said the bayawak which was sold has already been rescued and will undergo rehabilitation in a wildlife center before being released back into its natural habitat.

Meanwhile, Paquito Moreno, Jr., executive director of the DENR in Central Luzon warned the public against catching and selling wildlife, and even eating its bushmeat to prevent the spread of another disease.

“If COVID-19 pandemic taught us lessons, the same with wildlife, we have to live and let live,” Moreno pointed out adding that consumption of wildlife is not just illegal but also exposes people to the dangers of catching and spreading zoonotic diseases. Jess Malabanan

I

N OBSERVANCE of the International Women’s Month, several leading lawmakers took cognizance of the role women play amid the COVID-19 pandemic while an all-female session would govern the House of Representatives today as part of the annual tradition.

BLUE MASS. National Police chief General Debold Sinas and PNP Deputy Chief for Administration Lieutenant Gen. Guillermo Eleazar attend Blue Mass at the Manila Cathedral on Sunday, March 7, 2021. Catholic sources indicate that a Blue Mass is celebrated annually for those employed in the field of public safety, including police officers, firefighters, corrections officers and paramedics Norman Cruz

200 farmers up in arms against Vizcaya patent BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya—At least 200 farmers have signed a petition asking the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in Region 2 to cancel two original certificates of title acquired by a member of the provincial board and his family through a free patent application.

In a letter addressed to DENR Regional Executive Director Gwendolyn Bambalan, the petitioners referred to OCT No. P-31809 and OCT No. P31810 which were issued through a free patent application

by Nueva Vizcaya South District Board Member Edgardo Balgos Jr. and his family on October 26, 2010.

Both parcels of land are located in Barangay Busilac in this town with a total land area of 20 hectares.

The petitioners have accused the Balgos family of acquiring the land dubious

means, claiming that several signatures in their application were forged including a barangay certification They claim that the application was not valid because the publication was not posted on the bulletin board of the Busilac Barangay Hall when it was released by the community ENR office of Bayombong town.

They also presented a sworn statement showing that Busilac Barangay Councilor Manuel Lopez, then barangay captain from 2007 to 2010, denying a certification he issued on February 21, 2008 pertaining to the free patent application of the Balgoses and claiming the certification with Lopez’s signature was a forged document.

Another affidavit was also presented by the petitioners showing that Bernabe Abad of Purok 6 in Barangay Busilac sup-

ports the claim of Lopez. As farm caretaker of the Balgos farm, Abad claimed that in 2008 he accompanied Magellan Ortiz, brother-in-law of Balgos, to ask Lopez to sign a certification in favor of the Balgoses, but Lopez refused.

The petitioners also presented a barangay certification dated November 13, 2020 signed by a certain barangay chairman Alfredo Liban who also executed an affidavit denying the certification and that he was never appointed nor elected as barangay chairman.

The same petition was sent to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) of Nueva Vizcaya for inquiry.

During the SP inquiry, Balgos has denied having fraudulently acquired through the free patent application the subject land area titled to him and his family. Brenda Jocson

Million-trees foundation boosts watershed rehab A PRIVATE sector group has created the Million Trees Foundation to perpetuate and sustain the annual million trees challenge (AMTC), a five-year project seeking the rehabilitation of seven critical watersheds.

With the MTF formed and incorporated with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the continuity of the project is now assured, according to MWSS Chairman of the Board Reynaldo V. Velasco.

AMTC is an original creation of the Manila Waterworks and Sewerage System—Corporate Office under Velasco, then the MWSS Administrator in February 2017.

The MWSS chairman hailed the formal establishment of the foundation as a noble effort to ensure the continuity and sustainability of the AMTC, The administration’s project will benefit seven critical watersheds namely: Angat, Ipo, Kaliwa, La Mesa, Laguna Lake, Umiray, and Upper Marikina including Manila Bay through the planting of one million trees yearly. The AMTC was in response to President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s socio-economic development agenda, the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2022. The AMTC program corresponds with the PDP focus areas on

biodiversity conservation and ecosystem system resilience through partnerships in rehabilitating critical watersheds and convergence/complementation of resources.

Since its launch in 2017 until end of December 2020, a total of 4,021,626 seedlings were planted in the watersheds through the AMTC. Through the AMTC a total of 9,509.375 hectares from 2017 to 2020 were reforested. At the Ipo-Angat watershed, reforested area was 5,035.19 hectares; La Mesa, 1,723.39; Laguna de Bay, 347.83; Kaliwa–Umiray, 150.84; Upper Marikina, 1,928.99; and Manila Bay, 323.135.

Serving as Million Trees Foundation, Inc. President and Executive Director is veteran author and publisher Melandrew T. Velasco, an advocate for tree-planting who conceptualized the noble AMTC project for MWSS and was subsequently duly carried out by the MWSS. He served as publisher and editor of the Water & Environment Journal with the Philippine Water Works Association (PWWA), the umbrella organization of the country’s water supply industry, for over two decades. He is also an active member of JCI Senate Philippines and the Rotary International District 3780, two partner organizations of the AMTC project.

Murder charges filed vs. 8 blast suspects MURDER charges have been filed against eight members of the Al Khobar group allegedly behind the North Cotabato explosion last month, the Philippine National Police said on Sunday.

PNP chief Gen. Debold Sinas said the results of the probe conducted by the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group led to the filing of murder and frustrated murder complaints against Salahudin Hassa, Lutre Aman, Tasly Saligan, Norodrin Haman, Datu Ali Camsa, Sandali Sindatok, Jordan Kamad, and Tahir Abubakar, all residents of Datu Paglas, Maguindanao and members of Dawlah Islamiya-Hassan Group, before the North Cotabato provincial prosecutor on March 5.

“We have ongoing police operations to scour the areas in Mindanao in pursuit of this terrorist group,” Sinas said in a statement.

Al Khobar is an organized crime group formed out of a dismantled group operating under the Special Operations Group of Moro Islamic Liberation Front in the early 2000.

It was responsible for extortion and bombing activities in Central Mindanao.

Sinas said the blast, which happened on Jan. 27, 2021, involved a bus of the Yellow Bus Lines that was about to drop a passenger along the national highway near an abandoned ticket booth in Barangay Sibsib, North Cotabato.

Gina Paunon, a 53-year fruit vendor of Purok 1, F. Cajelo, Tulunan, Cotabato succumbed to blast injuries.

The explosion also injured Ryan Panibayo and Lorester Hilberto, both also from Tulunan, North Cotabato.

The blast, according to investigators, was caused by a remotely detonated improvised explosive device.

Sinas said many witnesses gathered through the collective efforts of the intelligence and investigating units from the Armed Forces of the Philippines, North Cotabato Police Provincial Office and other national support units identified the perpetrators through the rogues’ gallery of suspected groups responsible for the explosion.

“We look forward to gain the support of DepEd, DENR, San Miguel Corporation, MVP group of companies, Wawa JV and other corporations to grow more narra trees,” Foundation Executive Director Melandrew Velasco said.

The Million Trees Foundation aims to preserve and restore the ecosystem functions of watersheds nationwide aside from the watershed beneficiaries of AMTC. The River Basin Control Office of DENR has identified 142 critical watersheds in the Philippines. The rehabilitation of the watersheds will be patterned after the La Mesa dam rehabilitation project. Its objectives also include the conduct of tree-planting activities; awareness campaign in support of the government’s reforestation program and

MTFI logo conjures a refreshing image of greenery.

CSR environment projects of private corporations; establishment of a data bank on statistics relevant to the foundation’s activities; and introduction of automation and modern-technology in tree-planting.

Senator Imee Marcos said she would push for a special resolution to help women by establishing programs that would tide them and their family over the worst health crisis.

For his part, House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco paid tribute to all women of the Philippines for their pivotal role in nation-building even in the midst of the pandemic.

The senator acknowledged the role of mothers, women health workers and teachers, who have greater responsibilities during this time.

But she also cited the need to focus on women who are victims of domestic violence and online pornography.

“We also need to pay attention to gender specific crimes in times of pandemic.”

Meanwhile, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan celebrated the invaluable contributions in the pandemic response of Vice President Leni Robredo and all Filipino women.

He cited women doctors, nurses, and other personnel who, from Day 1, have been tirelessly serving in the frontlines as our first line of defense against Covid here and abroad.

“I want to celebrate May Parsons, the Filipina nurse in the UK’s National Health Service who administered the first vaccine there in December, he added.

Senator Risa Hontiveros asserted that women and the Filipino spirit of bayanihan are key in the COVID-19 recovery efforts.

The senator, who chairs the Senate Committee on Women, Children, Family Relations and Gender Equality, has consistently put the spotlight on gender inequality, especially during the COVID-19 crisis.

At the House, Velasco praised the women leaders and employees of the lower chamber who helped keep the legislative mill running so Congress could continue to pass pieces of legislation that respond to the needs of the people amid the pandemic.

To date, women make up 48 percent of Congress’ workforce.

Records from the chamber’s Human Resource Management Service show that out of the 4,037 members and employees of the House, 1,941 are women.

The women representation in the House is broken down as follows: 8 legislators, 649 Secretariat employees, 940 congressional staff members, and 267 coterminus and contractual workers.

Today, female lawmakers will take full control of the plenary session as part of the annual tradition in the legislative chamber to mark the National Women’s Month and the International Women’s Day.

REYNALDO ’EY’ ACASIO (Nov. 21, 1971-March 6, 2021) Let us remember and celebrate the life, love and laughter of our brother Reynaldo “EY” Acasio who joined our Creator.

His wake will be held at Funeraria Samson, General Tirona Highway, Brgy Mabolo, Bacoor, Cavite (alongside Crisostomo Hospital and One Serenata Hotel).

Those who wish to view his remains and extend their final respect are most welcome.

Visiting hours: 8am-7pm Please bring face mask and face shield.

Thank you for all the prayers, love and support you have given to us in this difficult time.

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News

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

IN BRIEF Oreta leads Malabon vaccination kickstart

HISTORIC FIRST.

Officers of the Negros Occidental Medical Society and the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases-Negros Occidental Chapter flash their arms as they were the first in Bacolod City to be vaccinated with CoronaVac at the Bacolod City Government Center Friday.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia said it was an historic moment for the city and Western Visayas.

Bacolod PIO

Bacolod serves first COVID jab in West Visayas BACOLOD—The president of the Negros Occidental Medical Society and the president of the Philippine Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases- Negros Occidental Chapter and four other medical practitioners were the first in Bacolod to be vaccinated with CoronaVac- the vaccine of Chinese company Sinovac - at the Bacolod City Government Center on Friday.

“This is historic! This is the first vaccine to arrive in Bacolod. Let it be part of history that the first vaccination in Western Visayas happened in Bacolod City, as the first COVID-19 case in Western Visayas was also recorded in Bacolod City. This makes today’s event more significant and meaningful,” Mayor Evelio Leonardia said.

The mayor added: “Let it be put on record that like the others who were also clobbered by COVID-19, during those rough times, Bacolod was also one of the first to recover.”

The next vaccination rollout is on Monday, where among the recipients are medical and health workers of the Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital and Dr. Pablo O. Torre Memorial Hospital (Riverside Medical Center).

Leonardia, during an interview Friday, said he will surely get vaccinated but will consider the vaccine age restrictions.

OIC-City Health Officer Dr. Edwin Miraflor said, “CoronaVac can only be used for individuals 18 to 59 years old, without comorbidities.” Leonardia stressed that the five medical doctors who received the Sinovac vaccines today are prominent doctors in the city.

“Our leading and prominent doctors have now been vaccinated. These are the people who understand what this is all about. These are the people who can comprehend the consequences of a vaccine and yet, they are here as guiding examples for us to follow,” the mayor added.

SC sustains ruling on zonal land value

By Rey E. Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court has ruled that zonal valuation of land set by the Bureau of Internal Revenue should not be the only basis for determining the just compensation in the government’s expropriation of privately-owned landholdings.

In a decision released on March 2, the SC stressed that it is only one of the indices of the fair market value of a real estate, citing existing rulings of the high court.

With this ruling, the SC upheld the Court of Appeals ruling that sustained the trial court’s decision that spouses Roger and Angelita Mirandilla should be paid P3.75 million instead of only P575,000 for their 250 square-meter land in Valenzuela City.

The Valenzuela City regional trial court handed down its decision on June 26, 2014 in favor of the Mirandilla cou-

ple.

“The determination of just compensation is a judicial function because what is sought to be determined is a full, just, and fair value due to the owner…, with an equally important consideration that the payment of the same entails the expenditure of public funds, and this can only be attained by reception of evidence consisting of reliable and actual data, and the circumspect evaluation thereof,” the SC ruled.

The SC denied the petition filed by the government through the Department of Public Works and Highways,

which was represented by the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG), seeking to overturn the RTC ruling.

The DPWH sought the expropriation of the Mirandilla property for the construction of the C-5 Northern Link Road Project from Mindanao Avenue in Quezon City to Luzon Expressway in Valenzuela City.

The agency offered the Mirandilla couple P2,300 per square-meter for their property or a total of P575,000 for the 250 square-meter lot based on BIR’s zonal valuation. When the couple rejected the offer, the DPWH filed an expropriation case on December 7, 2007.

The RTC took cognizance of the case and ordered DPWH to deposit to the court the P575,000 offer. It issued a writ of possession in favor of DPWH and created a board of commissioners to determine just compensation.

CHURCH CLEANSING.

Manila Cathedral personnel disinfect the pews and rows to be used in the second Mass on Sunday for the safety of churchgoers during the coronavirus pandemic.

Norman Cruz

MALABON Mayor Lenlen Oreta has led the vaccination rollout to the city’s health workers and frontliners to prepare them to be inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccine.

Oreta was joined by Dr. Corazon Flores, MPH, CESO IV of DOH -NCR in a ceremonial vaccination at the Ospital ng Malabon.

“We know that there are still a lot of people who fear and who are worried but right now, we hope that more individuals will be encouraged to get vaccinated not just for themselves but for their loved ones also,” the mayor emphasized.

Dr. Mitzi Tanchoco of Ospital ng Malabon was the first to receive the vaccine in the symbolic kick start of the vaccination program.

Oreta hopes to cover at least 70% of the population to be vaccinated.

He was also joined by Malabon Rep. Jaye Lacson-Noel and Councilor Enzo Oreta who also encouraged the public to register for the city’s vaccination program.

“We encourage everyone to have themselves registered so that we can start the process immediately. Our frontliners have also been practicing for quite some time. They are ready to fulfill their roles.

Oreta said they are just waiting for the vaccines to arrive. “Here in Malabon, we are more than ready. “ Macon Ramos-Araneta

Joy revises guidelines, pushes KyusiPass use QUEZON City Mayor Joy Belmonte has issued revised guidelines on general community quarantine while ordering cinemas and arcades to remain closed.

She said business establishments are now required to use the KyusiPass digital contact tracing app for their employees and consumers to further strengthen the city’s contacttracing capability amid the rise in the number of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases.

She issued the directive, among others, in the revised guidelines released on March 5 in relation to the latest issuances by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases and Department of Trade and Industry.

KyusiPass, a contact tracing app powered by SafePass, can help the city keep track of the visitors of every establishment within its jurisdiction.

“As far as practicable, all business establishments in Quezon City must use our KyusiPass app to make contact tracing easier and faster for early detection of the virus,” Belmonte said.

She ordered business owners and operators to secure a dedicated QR Code per establishment from the Business Permits and Licensing Department to tag its location. Rio N. Araja

Caloocan cinemas, arcades stay closed TRADITIONAL cinemas and arcades in Caloocan will remain closed for now, according to City Mayor Oscar “Oca” Malapitan, Malapitan said that it is part of the local government’s precaution amid the new COVID-19 South African variant recorded in nearby cities.

“Although we want our economy to continue to open, we still cannot risk the safety of the people, health is still our priority during this pandemic period,” Mayor Oca said.

The local government is also asking for understanding from the people of the city and insisted that all decisions are made for the welfare and safety of the majority. Jun David

House OKs hike in maximum deposit insurance

By Rio N. Araja

THE House of Representatives’ committee on banks and financial intermediaries has approved a bill that shall empower the Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. to increase the maximum deposit insurance coverage (MDIC).

The MDIC has stood at only up to P500,000 per depositor per bank for the last 12 years without any adjustment for inflation.

Makati City Rep. Luis Jose Angel Campos originally sought to double to P1 million the MDIC of the country’s 73.7 million bank depositors through House Bill 5812, which he filed in 2019.

Acting on the Campos bill, the House panel chaired by Quirino Rep. Junie Cua opted to authorize the PDIC’s governing board to increase the MDIC “to an amount indexed to inflation and other economic indicators, subject to review and/or adjust-

ment every three years.”

“The committee’s proposal, as contained in substitute HB 8818, is even better because the PDIC will now be allowed not just to initially raise the MDIC, but also periodically thereafter,” Campos said.

“This relieves Congress of having to worry about adjusting upward the MDIC every now and then to account for the general increase in prices,” he added.

DENR orders Pangasinan landfill shut down FOLLOWING the directive of Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to strictly enforce Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000, a sanitary landfill facility (SLF) in Urdaneta City, Pangasinan has been closed for failure to address violations within the set deadline.

Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-Environmental Management Bureau-Region 1 Director

Maria Dorica Naz-Hipe, together with DENR local officials, served the cease and desist order (CDO) to stop the operation of the Urdaneta City Engineered Sanitary Landfill (SLF) in Barangay Catablan, Urdaneta City on Friday (March 5).

Last January, the 18,000-square meter SLF was issued two CDOs for violations of environmental laws, which include RA 9003 and RA 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

DENR Undersecretary for Solid Waste Management and Local Government Units Concerns Benny D. Antiporda, who made a surprised inspection of the site on January 27, gave the management of the Urdaneta SLF until February 2021 “to implement the improvements, such as constructing a water treatment facility, siphoning the garbage seepage, and identifying an ideal new cell, among others.” Rio N. Araja

VAX FOR THE NORTH. This graphic shows how the Department of Health-Cordillera will distribute the first batch of CoronaVac (Sinovac) vaccines in the different provinces and city of the region. The vaccines were delivered to Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Baguio-Benguet on March 5, while Apayao, Abra, and Ifugao will receive the vaccines on March 7. Dave Leprozo

Opinion Who gets shot?

THIS is not about the shoot-out in front of a fast-food outlet on Commonwealth Avenue between the QC police and PDEA agents, which the President has directed the NBI to investigate.

Neither is it about Ronald McDonald being the real culprit, as internet memes hilariously suggest, to sarcastically comment on the inexplicable shooting incident which only exposes the soft underbelly of the instruments of the law assigned to handle the President’s signature program against illegal drugs.

This is about who gets the first shots of the vaccines that have mercifully arrived, and since the first of March, have been distributed to various cities in the capital region and elsewhere.

One thing is certain—we cannot wait for the “best vaccine,” and we just have to take whatever government and the private sector is making available to us.

Just as February ended, 600,000 doses of Coronavac by Sinovac arrived, with the President mismo welcoming the planeload along with the Chinese ambassador. Then on Thursday night, a KLM plane delivered close to 500,000 doses from the Covax facility of the WHO. These were flown in from Belgium, with the President again receiving these at Villamor.

As March started, the Sinovac vaccines were brought, first to our national hospital, the PGH, where Dr. Gap and medical frontliners volunteered to get the first shots. But days before Sinovac arrived, our very own Food and Drug Administration issued an EUA which specified that the Chinese vaccine was not advisable to be administered upon senior citizens AND medical front liners due to its lower efficacy (50.4%).

The day after, the DOH, under whose huge umbrella FDA as an agency is sheltered, caused a “clarification” by the FDA, which dutifully “corrected” its earlier caveat, insofar as medical workers were concerned. This was followed by a palace announcement that only medical front liners were to be “shot” first, aside from the vaccine czar, Sec. Carlito Galvez, and his co-czar, Sec. Vince Dizon.

Which did happen, except somehow, MMDA chairman Ben-hur Abalos, whose mother died of COVID-19 just several weeks before, also got the initial shots. No problem with that.

Examples had to be given, to demonstrate to the public and even medical workers hesitant to accept Sinovac, especially after the FDA said that it was not efficacious enough for high-risk front liners, not to worry and get shot.

Mayor Marcy Teodoro of Marikina wondered why LGU heads like himself were not allowed, considering that first, they

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

B1

EDITORIAL

were exposed to the public as often if not more; and second, that a skeptical public would rightly be assured if their elected officials led the vaccination. Bakit nga ba?

Manila Mayor Isko Moreno dutifully followed the DOH fiat and contented himself with witnessing the roll-out at PGH which is located in his city. But in Sta. Ana District Hospital the following day, which was built and is run by the local government, he had his vice-mayor, Dr. Honey Lacuna, get the shot in her arm. She was certifiably a front liner, by DOH definition.

And at the Veteran’s Memorial Medical Hospital, Rep. Helen Tan of Quezon’s fourth district, also a physician who chairs the health committee in the HoR, got a shot which was intended for her son, another medical practitioner in the same hospital. People wondered why her, but then, hey, she is a doctor. Whether or not she practices her profession actively or not is immaterial, because the DOH guidelines were quite hazy as they were, even contradictory to its own FDA’s earlier EUA pronouncement.

But then again, in Pasay City, a DILG Undersecretary, Jonathan Malaya, got his shot, well-publicized at that. His reason —we are also front liners. Otro razon—we should inspire the public to have confidence in vaccines. Especially Sinovac?

In the midst of the initial confusion and the conflicting statements, with someone in Octa Research now saying that Astra-Zeneca cannot deal with mutations of the coronavirus, from the original Wuhan to the UK variant, and then South Africa, and then Brazil, and also Hong Kong (is there no one else?), one thing is certain—we cannot wait for the “best vaccine,” and we just have to take whatever government and the private sector is making available to us.

Kung 50-percent protection, better than nothing. “Huwag nang choosy,” as our officials say.

No use crying about the what ifs. Long ago and several times have we and practically every other writer complained about the incompetence of DOH ranking officials which may have infected the lower rungs of its bureaucracy, and now with COVID-19 cases spiking up once more (3,439 last Saturday, and a little less on Friday!), we just need to protect our puny little bodies as quickly as possible.

After all, the PSG and other entitled mortals got another Chinese vaccine, Sinopharm as early as October of the previous year, and mukhang okay naman silang lahat, except one friend I mentioned in this space last week.

In wealthy Singapore however, they seem to be quite “choosy”.

Last December, Pfizer vaccines arrived, their transport minister receiving the shipment with much fanfare. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong called the arrival a “welcome present we have been looking forward to.” In February, Moderna delivered the first batch of its mRNA vaccines, and Lee was mighty pleased as well.

But when Coronavac by Sinovac arrived March 2, only the Chinese Embassy in Singapore played up the event. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health said that the vaccine had not yet been authorized by its regulators and cannot be immediately used. An infectious disease expert even said that it was “unusual that the vaccines arrived before authorization.”

Choosy sila. Tayo, no choice.

That’s life, I guess. Just heed Yorme Isko, whose T-shirt is emblazoned with the words: “Vaccine Nation is the Solution.”

The future is now IT IS often said the young are the generation of the future. But we are not. Rather, what is true is that we are this world’s present.

More than a third of our global population is below the age of 40. By our numbers alone, there is so much that we can do together to make change work for our world.

One constant lesson from the history of humanity is that change is inevitable. In fact, change will come, whether we like it or not.

How our tomorrow will be is up to us—decisions, choices and actions that our generation will make today.

Our future will be defined not by the magnitude of our dreams or depth of our aspirations—although these too are important – but by our courage to face the odds, and the determination to make them happen.

Twelve months after the coronavirus pandemic has changed our world as we know it, so much has changed in our homes, schools and workplaces.

The inconvenient truth is that we will never be back to the way we were. There is no way for us to come back; we can only move forward.

We have yet to know whether or not this crisis will bring humanity backward or make us move forward stronger.

Whether this crisis will take or make the better of us is up to us.

This is not the first time that humanity has come face to face with a seemingly insurmountable crisis.

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

One thing is sure: Even the darkest clouds can have a silver lining. Even the worst of plagues has led to the most defining innovations in history.

The twelfth century Black Plague decimated the world’s population at that time by as many as 200 million deaths. This reduced the population of monks who could transcribe manuscripts by hand. These factors fueled the development of the printing press, a century later.

The 17th century pestilence wiped out a quarter of London’s population, confining its residents to their homes. It was during this time of self-isolation that the physicist Isaac Newton, while sitting idly in his country estate, saw an apple fall from the tree. He discovered the theory of gravity.

We are each other’s keepers.

Many other innovations result from the difficult times of history: The canning of food products during the Napoleonic wars, the invention of the light bulb by Thomas Edison as well as the steam turbine and refrigeration after the Long Depression; the blood bank, synthetic rubber and aviation after the First World War; the computer, antibiotics and the jet engine after the Second World War. With every crisis comes an opportunity.

What opportunity do you think will come out of this coronavirus pandemic?

Just as the many times of crisis in the past, the opportunity will come as soon as we roll our sleeves to lead in the present and drive change to our advantage.

It is interesting to note, for example, that

Resurgence

F

OR several days in a row, the number of those testing positive for COVID-19 has breached 3,000 per day. As of press time Sunday, there have been more than 594,000 cases across the country, with more than 12,000 deaths.

Once again, we are brought back to earlier days of the pandemic when hospital units are overwhelmed, and when doctors, nurses and other frontliners feel helpless against the virus. We are told that newer, more transmissible variants of the virus are responsible for the spike in new cases.

That the number of mild and asymptomatic cases comprises nearly 95 percent of the total, as the Department of Health tells us, is hardly a source of comfort.

This resurgence coincides with the start of the vaccine rollout for medical frontliners. The first shipment of the vaccines arrived a week ago; it was promptly distributed to those among the priority list of recipients across the country.

This should be a time to start feeling hopeful—did we not wait for the development of a vaccine as a signal that we could at least imagine a life akin to what we had before the virus came to our shores? Initial and persistent glitches in the arrival of the doses notwithstanding, we are at least moving forward in ensuring that fewer among our people would contract the virus or

The past few days’ spike should make us examine our habits so we can temper our fears. display severe symptoms.

Hearing about the past few days’ surge, however, curbs our optimism.

But more than prompting us to get scared again and driving us back into confi nement—despite its damaging effects on the economy—this resurgence should make us examine our habits so we can temper our fears.

Establishments have gradually reopened and some economic activity has been restored. Some travel has been allowed and even encouraged. All these, just so businesses would not close and employees would not lose their jobs. We do not need to revert to last year’s closures, but we need to look at how we and the people around us practice the still-crucial health protocols even as we participate in bringing the economy back to life.

People have to be made to understand that following basic protocol— wearing masks and shields, keeping physical distance, avoiding shouting or talking loudly in public, and frequently washing or sanitizing one’s hands—is not a matter of complying with regulation.

They do not have to fear being called out or caught. Instead, they should religiously observe these as a way of protecting themselves and their families, and of being considerate to other people. They do not have to be watched by cops or beaten—figuratively, of course—into submission. If they want to protect themselves and others, then bearing these inconveniences would be a small sacrifice. It’s less enforcement and more common courtesy.

We have been living like this for close to a year already, and it is understandable that Filipinos might feel impatient about going back to our pre-pandemic ways. But having the right mindset about the virus could spell the difference between contracting it and steering clear of it.

This is a task that falls on the heads of communities, organizations, and families. The fight against COVID-19 should be over soon, but we need to be mindful of our actions for just a little longer.

When we finally realize that making small sacrifices makes a big difference— that is when we will have truly beaten this deadly virus.

Philippine digital irony MY LAPTOP and my smartphone have virtually become indispensable extensions of my being. Though raised and educated in a very paper-based, analogue age, when there weren’t any personal computers yet, my life has become so technology dependent that I am never more than an arm’s length away from my electronic devices. I must stay connected to the internet 24/7.

This is the digital milieu that we must all live and work in. The pandemic actually hastened this development—it is the safest and most efficient mode of interacting with each other. Digital technologies provided the ideal interactive medium and at the same time an anti-COVID-19 infection buffer.

When it comes to new technologies, we Filipinos have been leading adaptors, first earning the tag as the “texting capital of the world” in the late 90s. And then when smartphones with cameras came into vogue, became the “selfie capital of the world” in 2014. The recent Digital 2021 study by We are Social and Hootsuite again reported that Filipinos are still number one when it comes to hours spent daily on social media, averaging 4 hours and 15 minutes, practically double the global average of only 2 hours and 25 minutes. The same report also ranked the Philippines first in time logged on to the internet at an average of 10 hours and 56 minutes, an increase by more than an hour from last year and beating the global average by almost four hours.

Data from telecommunications companies actually confirm these findings reflecting the surging demand for mobile data services being with the shift to online platforms for work and learning, young people, even children, are able to adapt better than the adults.

What does this crisis prove to us? That our generation are more than just an unaware and naïve audience to the change happening around us—we are stakeholders not only of the future, but also of our world’s present.

This crisis proves to us that our choices matter and that our decisions have impact— a choice between self-interest and altruism and decision to be compromising or be single-minded. In the face of such a towering challenge, it is up to us whether to retreat from the opportunity of changing things for the better, or to embrace this chance to demonstrate that the new normal of doing things may be different, in some ways it might be better.

This is a question worth asking: Will we open up to a better, more resilient and responsible world, or will we bring with us the inefficient, wasteful and careless ways of the past?

What has this pandemic taught us? The truth is that whatever affects me affects others.

But rather be plunged into inaction, this realization must propel us to take steps to improve ourselves, to be more, and do more for others.

The innovation that this crisis has brought is already self-evident: The promising strides

driven by the massive shift to remote working (work-from-home), online education, video conferencing, e-commerce, e-banking, e-health, social media, and gaming.

Globe Telecom has reported that mobile data traffic has spiked to 2,517 petabytes in 2020 from 1,699 petabytes the previous year. Smart Communications Inc. for its part also recorded doubled data traffic, reaching a record high of 1,612 petabytes in 2019 from only 824 petabytes in 2018 and quadrupling the 2017 volume.

The government must put its money where its mouth is.

To cope with this sudden rise of internet users, aggressive investments to expand coverage and improve broadband speeds are being implemented by the big telco players in their wireless and fiber-optic networks.

According to the Ookla Speedtest Global Index, the country’s average mobile Internet speed in January 2021 is now at 25.77 megabits per second (Mbps) showing substantial improvement from 18.49 Mbps in November 2020. Another study by Open Signal, a global analytics company, even commented that “the Philippines has seen impressive improvements in download speeds and 4G availability over the past two years.”

The government on the other hand is also aligning with this global trend of digitization calling for the digital transformation of the bureaucracy, which will then further increase broadband demand. The streamlining of permits for telecommunications towers is a good policy move that will hopefully speed up the construction of cell site towers, but much more has to be done.

Let’s look again at some numbers. As of digital technology, online learning and the virtual workplace.

Think for a moment—what if the same amount of innovation, willpower or determination is channeled to the way we deal with the social challenges that beset our communities—in working to save our planet, in breaking down the walls of discrimination, in putting an end to poverty, in widening access to education and in fostering lasting peace?

What is the best way to shape a brighter future? Build a better today.

The future is now. We are far from being just the future. Our generation, too, is the present of this time. What we hope our future will be, we must shape today. In the same way, we must always be aware that the decisions we make today, the beliefs we espouse and the lifestyles that we follow will all affect the kind of world that we will live in tomorrow.

This pandemic leaves us with one sure lesson: stewardship. We are each other’s keepers.

We are this planet’s keeper. In doing so, we intend to be leaders through our everyday acts of goodness. Knowing that our actions have an impact on others, we must tirelessly seek to improve ourselves in order to inspire others to be better. Let us always choose to be good and allow this same goodness to multiply.

of January 2021, Internet penetration in the Philippines is at 67.0% (Digital 2021, Hootsuite). E-commerce users has grown to 80.2 percent from 76 percent in 2020.

The report also cited an increase in Philippine population by 1.5 million (January 2020-January 2021) that in no time will add to the demand for internet connectivity.

Furthermore, the Department of Information and Communications technology estimates a 50,000 cell site tower backlog in contrast to the existing infrastructure of Vietnam which has 70,000 and Indonesia’s 90,000 towers. In terms of user density, this equates to about 5,400 people per tower in the Philippines, compared to 3,000 in Indonesia and 1,364 in Vietnam.

It is quite ironic that as Filipinos are ranked the top internet users of the world, the broadband penetration level of the Philippines is “below the expected level of countries with comparable per capita income” (World Bank, 2019) while the media often echo the clamor to improve internet connectivity.

This really boils down to the need for the government to make the development of our digital infrastructure a priority. Governments of ASEAN countries like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand have been investing seriously in their strategic telecommunications infrastructure. The Philippines has yet to start.

Though we are hearing all these exciting pronouncements of going digital and our potential as a digital economy, it is time for the government to put its money where its mouth is. Top priority should be the immediate implementation of the National Broadband Plan wherein a national fiber-optic backbone will be operationalized using the existing transmission assets of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. It’s a great plan that, if adequately funded and properly harmonized with the telecommunication assets of the private telcos, will spur countrywide economic growth that we badly need to get out of this deep recession.

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(www.manilastandard.net)

Vaccines as a booster

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It’s time to get serious about gender equality in the workplace

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MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

For the Philippines, sticking with America is a better, safe play

By Dennis Blair and Elbridge Colby IT IS now clear to all that the major factor in international politics will be the US-China competition, in Asia more than anywhere else. The new Biden administration has signaled that it will pick up where the Trump administration left off and undertake an “extreme competition” with China. Beijing, meanwhile, has made increasingly clear its aspirations to hegemony over Asia and its consequent opposition to US influence – the primary roadblock to that goal – in the region.

The question for countries in Asia is how to navigate this divide. This dilemma confronts not only non-allied states like Vietnam and Indonesia but also US allies like Japan, Australia, South Korea and the Philippines. Most Asian states, especially in Southeast Asia, would prefer to steer clear of any choice. But given China’s increasingly coercive and domineering behavior in recent years, against both American allies and other nations in

the region, cooperation with the distant United States with its support for a free and open Indo-Pacific seems clearly preferable to a domineering China. Witness how Beijing has wielded its newfound power against states in the region, most recently Australia but also the Philippines itself, and its basic message that weaker states must kowtow to Beijing.

The more pointed question, though, is whether it is safe to challenge Beijing.

This is a question that President Duterte has candidly raised. And it is a fair one. It is one thing to want a free and open IndoPacific, a region in which states can chart their own futures. But if trying to preserve one will be futile and, even worse, will lead to countries suffering Beijing’s ire without hope of relief, then prudence may well dictate accommodating China.

The truth is that America is strong and resolute enough to lead such a coalition. Already, American diplomacy has worked to build up the Quad as a cornerstone to an effort to balance China. At the same time, Washington has signaled

its commitment to Japan and the Philippines’ security treaties, including in the disputed East and South China Seas.

Washington has also supported Vietnam in its confrontation with China over disputed claims in the South China Sea and backed India in its standoffs with Beijing.

These kinds of efforts will be enduring.

Americans across the political spectrum recognize China as the nation’s primary threat. They also recognize the importance of working with other countries to oppose it. Indeed, agreement on the China challenge and the importance of working with allies and like-minded countries are among the few points of genuine bipartisan agreement in the American political debate. While the Biden administration may take a different tack than the Trump team, the new administration has clearly signaled its intent to confront Beijing. And America’s economy, while battered by COVID, has better long-term bases for growth than any other major state – including China.

More to the point, America’s military

is increasingly dead set on addressing the grave challenge posed by the People’s Liberation Army. With its 2018 National Defense Strategy, the Pentagon decisively shifted its focus to China. And the Defense Department has only become more fixed on the threat posed by the Chinese military since then.

Nor is the American military only preparing to fight some long-range war, leaving US allies and partners in Asia to their fates. Rather, Washington has made clear it is concerned about America’s most exposed allies – including even Taiwan, only 100 miles off the Chinese coast. The Pentagon is now focused on blunting a fait accompli attempt even against such exposed US confederates. And if Taiwan is within the Pentagon’s planning framework, so too is the Philippines – located well to Taiwan’s rear and even more defensible given America’s great advantages in aerospace and maritime power.

For these reasons, sticking with the United States as well as Japan, the Republic of Korea, India, Australia, and oth-

ers in seeking to protect a free and open Indo-Pacific from Chinese domineering is not only attractive for the Philippines – it is a safe and prudent bet. Manila should therefore work even more closely with the United States and these other Quad members to stand up to China’s aggressiveness, whether in the South China Sea, in terms of military collaboration to ensure an effective defense of the Philippines, or in the economic domain to build up the Philippine economy. Capitulating to a domineering China, on the other hand, would not only be a bitter blow to the Philippines’ autonomy and freedom to chart its own future, but it would be unnecessary and unsuccessful.

Dennis Blair is a retired Navy admiral who served as director of national intelligence from 2009 to 2010 and as head of the U.S. Pacific Command from 1999 to 2002.

Elbridge Colby, a principal at The Marathon Initiative, served as deputy assistant secretary of defense from 2017 to 2018, during which he led the development of the 2018 National Defense Strategy.

Trial to begin for policeman charged with George Floyd death N

INE months after George Floyd’s death laid bare the racial wounds in the United States, the white policeman charged with murdering the 46-yearManila old Black man is going on trial today.

Standard TODAY

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given to the public that an Extrajudicial Settlement has been executed by the heirs of Teresita R. Bejarin namely: Josefino D. Bejarin, Jemy R. Bejarin, Jennifer R. Bejarin, Joewell R. Bejarin, John R. Bejarin, Samuel R. Bejarin, Josephine Bejarin-Diaz, all of legal age, per deed on Feb 16, 2021 before Notary Public Rafael B. Madrid, Per Doc. No. 25, Page No. 6, Book No. CCVI, Series of 2021.

(FEB. 23/MAR. 1 & 8, 2021) Manila

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Jury selection begins in Minneapolis on Monday in the case against Derek Chauvin, who was filmed with his knee on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes as the handcuffed man struggled to breathe.

The shocking footage of Floyd’s May 25 death sparked a wave of “Black Lives Matter” protests against police brutality and racial injustice across the United States and in capitals around the world.

Chauvin’s case promises to be extraordinary in many respects: it will feature star attorneys, be held under tight security and broadcast live.

The Minnesota Attorney General’s Office brought in Neal Katyal, a former acting solicitor general who has argued cases

before the Supreme Court, to help with the prosecution.

Katyal described Chauvin’s trial as a “landmark criminal case, one of the most important in our nation’s history.”

Ashley Heiberger, a former police officer who now works as an advisor on police practices, said “the fact that a police officer has been charged criminally for an abusive use of force, that in and of itself is an outlier.”

“It’s even rarer for them to be convicted,” Heiberger said. “There is a tendency for jurors to want to give the police officer the benefit of every doubt.”

The circumstances surrounding 44-year-old Chauvin’s case, however, are so troubling that “to the best of my knowledge, no police officers or police organizations came out and defended his action,” he said.

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Historic Iraq encounter: Pope, top Shiite cleric plead for peace

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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.

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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION REGIONAL TRIAL COURT BRANCH 115, PASAY CITY MARLYN M. SAPLAN-TANAKA, Petitioner, - versus -

CIVIL CASE NO. R-PSY-19-05129-CV FOR: Judicial Recognition of a Foreign Divorce

MITSUYOSHI TANAKA, THE CIVIL REGISTRAR OF PASAY CITY, and PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY, Respondents. x----------------------------------------------------x

AMENDED ORDER

A verified petition for “Judicial Recognition of a Foreign Divorce” filed by petitioner through counsel praying that an Order be issued granting the petition and recognize the Foreign Divorce between Marlyn M. Saplan-Tanaka and Japanese National Mitsuyoshi Tanaka and directing the Office of the Civil Registrar of Pasay City and the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) to annotate the Recognition of Divorce on the National Indices of Marriages or in the Certificate of Marriage between the parties if the same was registered in the PSA .

In her petition, petitioner alleges that she is a Filipina, with residence address at 103 Nagsaing, Calasiao, Pangasinan and Mitsuyoshi Tanaka, a Japanese National whose last known address is at 2-101, Iwakuni, Iwakuni City, Yamaguchi Pref., Japan; that they were married on December 17,2003 in Pasay City and this marriage was registered with the Local Civil Registrar, Pasay City; that on June 22, 2018, the marriage between petitioner and Mitsuyoshi Tanaka was dissolved by virtue of a mutual divorce thereby terminating their matrimonial relationship and capacitating Mitsuyoshi Tanaka to remarry under the Japanese Laws; thus, petitioner prays to declare her as validly divorced by her Japanese Spouse so she can remarry under Article 26, paragraph 2 of the Family Code.

Finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, notice is hereby given that the hearing of the petition is on March 23, 2021 at 8:30 a.m. All parties interested may appear and show cause why the said petition should not be granted. Let the copy of this Order be published in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines once a week for three consecutive weeks at the expense of the petitioner.

Likewise, let copy of this Order be furnished the Office of the Solicitor General, the City Prosecution Office, Pasay City, the Office of the Civil Registrar Office, Pasay City and the Philippine Statistics Authority.

SO ORDERED. Pasay City, Metro Manila, 02 February, 2021.

(Sgd.) EDILWASIF T. BADDIRI Presiding Judge

ETB/shiela COPY FURNISHED: OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL 134 AMORSOLO ST..

LEGAZPI VILLAGE. MAKATI CITY RTC-OCC, PASAY ClTY ROOM 301. 3RD FLOOR, HALL OF JUSTICE BUILDING, F.B. HARRISON ST.. PASAYCITY ATTY. HENRY B. SALAZAR JIMENEZ BAROQUE & SALAZAR LAW OFFICES UNIT 250, VALERO PLAZA, NO. 124 VALERO STREET, SALCEDO VILLAGE, MAKATI CITY OFFICE OF THE CITY PROSECUTOR

G/F HALL OF JUSTICE BUILDING, F.B. HARRISON ST., PASAYCITY OFFICE OF THE LOCAL CIVIL REGISTRAR G/F PASAY CITY HALL BUILDING, F.B. HARRISON ST.. PASAYCITY PHILIPPINE STATISTICS AUTHORITY 17TH FLOOR, CYBERPOD CENTRIS ETON THREE, EDSA, QUEZON CITY MARLYN M. SAPLAN-TANAKA 103 NAGSAING, CALASIAO, PANGASINAN MITSUYOSHl TANAKA 2-101, IWAKUNI, IWAKUNI CITY. YAMAGUCHI PREF., JAPAN

(MStandard - Feb. 22, Mar. 1 & 8, 2021)

Three other police officers involved in Floyd’s arrest – Alexander Kueng, Thomas Lane and Tou Thao – face lesser charges and will be tried separately. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK All four officers were fired by the Minneapolis Police Department.

Floyd’s arrest was prompted by accusations that he had tried to pass off a $20 bill in a nearby store.

Chauvin, a 19-year veteran of the force, was released from prison on bail in the fall and is expected to plead not guilty to murThis still image taken from a May 25, der and manslaughter charges.

“Mr. Chauvin acted according to MPD 2020, video courtesy of Darnella Frazier policy, his training and within his duties via Facebook, shows Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin restraining George as a licensed peace officer of the State of Floyd. The trial of Chauvin, charged with Minnesota,” according to his lawyer, Eric murdering the African American Floyd, Nelson. “He did exactly as he was trained will begin on March 8, 2021. Chauvin, 44, to do.” knelt on Floyd’s neck for eight minutes MAGENTA YELLOW According to Nelson, Floyd died ofCYAN an while Floyd protested thatBLACK he couldn’t breathe. AFP overdose of fentanyl. AFP

INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY. The most powerful women in the world, based on Forbes rankings in December 2020. AFP

Boyfriend of protest ‘martyr’ vows resistance in Myanmar HEIN Yar Zar grimaced as a tattoo artist etched onto his chest the features of his first love, a young protester whose death has become a symbol of resistance against Myanmar’s junta.

Mya Thwate Thwate Khaing was shot in the head during a demonstration in the capital Naypyidaw, becoming one of the coup’s first fatalities on Feb. 19 after 10 days in hospital.

Her image has since become synonymous with the bloody fight to wrest power from the military, which toppled Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and knocked the country off the path for democracy last month.

For 21-year-old Hein Yar Zar, the abrupt end to his girlfriend’s young life has filled him with resolve to keep protesting, even as he grieves.

“We had so many plans for this year.

She died when her birthday was so near,” he told AFP. “I got a tattoo of her portrait as I’m missing her – it’s a memory for us.”

Two days after she was shot, Mya

Thwate Thwate Khaing turned 20 while unconscious in a hospital bed – an image shared by anti-coup demonstrators as they rallied on the streets.

Days later, a 15-meter-long banner illustrating the moment she was hit was hung off a bridge in commercial hub Yangon, with some protesters describing her as a “martyr.”

Her death brought scathing global condemnation of the junta, with multiple countries imposing targeted sanctions on the generals.

Today, more than 50 people have died during protests as the security forces enforce an increasingly brutal crackdown on demonstrators.

“There was nobody like her,” said Hein Yar Zar. He showed off an inking he had done years ago on his arm – “Together forever” – a poignant reminder of their youthful optimism.

On February 9, the couple were both on the front lines of a massive Naypyidaw demonstration, although separated by the crowd of protesters.AFP

GRAND Ayatollah Ali Sistani, one of Shiite Islam’s top clerics, told Pope Francis in a historic meeting in Iraq on Saturday that the country’s Christians should live in “peace.”

The meeting, on the second day of the first-ever papal visit to Iraq, marked a landmark moment in modern religious history and in terms of Francis’s efforts to deepen interfaith dialogue.

Pope Francis later addressed the rich spectrum of Iraq’s religious communities at Ur, traditional birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, a central figure in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths, where he made an impassioned plea for “unity” after conflict.

The 84-year-old pontiff’s trip to Iraq is an effort to both reassure the country’s ancient but dwindling Christian community and expand his dialogue with other faiths.

His meeting with the grand ayatollah in Najaf lasted 50 minutes, and Sistani’s office put out a statement shortly afterwards thanking Francis for visiting the holy city.

Sistani, 90, “affirmed his concern that Christian citizens should live like all Iraqis in peace and security, and with

their full constitutional rights,” it said.

His office published an image of the two, neither wearing masks: Sistani in a black turban with his wispy grey beard reaching down to his black robe and Francis all in white, looking directly at the grand ayatollah.

Sistani is extremely reclusive and rarely grants meetings but made an exception to host Francis.

The pontiff had landed earlier at Najaf airport, where posters featured a famous saying by Ali, the fourth caliph and the Prophet Mohammed’s relative, who is buried in the holy city.

“People are of two kinds, either your brothers in faith or your equals in humanity,” read the banners.

Francis then headed straight to the desert site of the ancient city of Ur, where Abraham is believed to have been born in the second millenium BC. “It all started from here,” Francis said, after hearing from representatives of Iraq’s diverse religious communities.

There were Yazidis, whose ancestral heartland of Sinjar was ravaged by the Islamic State (IS) group in 2014, as well as Mandeans, Kakais, Bahais and Zoroastrians. AFP

Pope Francis speaks at a square near the ruins of the Syriac Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception (al-Tahira-l-Kubra), in the old city of Iraq’s northern Mosul on March 7, 2021. Pope Francis, on his historic Iraq tour, visits today Christian communities that endured the brutality of the Islamic State group until the jihadists’ “caliphate” was defeated three years ago. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

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Business

TODAY

China exports spike to highest in two decades BEIJING, China—China’s export growth jumped to the highest in over two decades, official data showed Sunday, with imports also surging in a sharp bounce-back from the coronavirus outbreak that had brought activity to a near halt.

Electronics and textile exports such as masks contributed to the spike in outbound shipments, as demand for workfrom-home supplies and protective gear against the virus outbreak soared during the pandemic.

Exports spiked 60.6 percent on-year in the January-February period, well above analysts’ expectations, while imports rose 22.2 percent, official data showed Sunday.

The latest figures stand in stark contrast to last year’s fall of around 17 percent in exports and 4 percent drop in imports.

The country struggled to contain the spread of COVID-19 early on, with consumers staying home and businesses seeing a slow return to operations.

The customs administration said comparison to last year is also likely to have bolstered the latest figures, saying in a statement that the “low base is one of the reasons for the larger increase this year.”

On Sunday, official data showed that electronics exports rose 54.1 percent, while textiles including masks rose 50.2 percent.

China’s overall trade surplus came in at $103.3 billion, its customs administration said.

Meanwhile, the country’s trade surplus with the US—a key point of contention during the trade war pursued by former president Donald Trump—doubled from the same period last year to $51.3 billion.

Chinese authorities started combining January and February trade data last year, while it battled the coronavirus outbreak.

This is in line with how some other indicators are released, to smooth over distortions from the Lunar New Year holiday, which can fall in either month.

China’s foreign trade data remained strong despite the “off-season,” the customs authority said Sunday.

Trade was also high due to a recovery in production and consumption in major economies such as Europe and the United States amid the coronavirus pandemic, as well as improvements in domestic consumption.

Although business activity usually falls during the Lunar New Year period when workers return to their hometowns, official appeals to avoid traveling this year to keep the COVID-19 outbreak in check supported production, the customs administration added. AFP

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MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market wary of rising inflation rate S

By Jenniffer B. Austria

HARE prices are expected to trade sideways this week amid concerns over a possible interest rate squeeze due to rising inflation rate.

Analysts said the market was preparing for the possibility of a rate increase in the upcoming Monetary Board meeting later this month after inflation gathered pace on rising pork and fuel prices.

“Ultimately, the market will have to deal with the possible rate squeeze that this may entail. With the BSP’s monetary policy meeting just around the corner, expect funds to run more prudent trading strategies,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said.

“After all even if dovish rates are maintained, transitory inflation will impact margins negatively, on top of already frail consumer confidence,” it added.

The government last week reported

that February inflation rate quickened to 4.7 percent, the highest in over two years Bank of the Philippine Islands expects inflation to accelerate to 4.3 percent this year from 2.6 percent last year as price pressures may persist until the third quarter.

Meanwhile, investors are monitoring the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, which could be due to new virus variants and relaxed restrictions.

The government is expected to accelerate its vaccination program, using vaccines from Chinese drugmaker Sinovac Biotech and AstraZeneca, as more doses arrive.

The government last week reported that 20 million doses of Moderna COVID-19 vaccines could arrive in the

Philippines as early as the end of May or early June this year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange last week rose 1.3 percent to 6,881.37. Most of sectoral indices ended in the green led by holding firms, which climbed 2 percent; industrial which advanced 1.5 percent and services which added 0.8 percent.

The mining and oil indices declined 5.1 percent week-on-week.

The average value turnover improved to P13.3 billion while the average net foreign selling improved to P550 million.

US stocks, meanwhile, ended sharply higher on Friday after a whipsaw session in which the belief the US economy was recovering overcame inflation worries, while OPEC’s production restraint pushed crude to levels not seen in nearly two years.

Wall Street share prices struggled this week and bond yields rose while traders debated whether the US recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, fueled by a White House-backed stimulus

bill costing nearly $1.9 trillion that is making its way through Congress, would push prices up. With AFP

PSEi March 5, 2021

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

BHI PRIM FAF TFC TCB2A ACEX OM NRCP ICT EAGLE

LAST PRICE 0.093 3.45 0.69 45 0.77 26.8 0.48 0.8 124.9 12.38

CHANGE 0.031 0.6 0.09 4.75 0.07 2.35 0.03 0.05 6.1 0.58

% CHANGE 50.00% 21.05% 15.00% 11.80% 10.00% 9.61% 6.67% 6.67% 5.13% 4.92%

TOP LOSERS

ROADBLOCK-PROTEST. In this aerial picture protesters block the KMP Expressway during a roadblock-protest called by farmers, as a part of their continuing demonstration against the central government's recent agricultural reforms, at Kundli in Haryana state on March 6, 2021. AFP

Restaurants in tough spot as Texas ends mask rule HOUSTON, Texas—Sipping coffee at a sidewalk cafe in upscale Houston Heights, Evelyne Marcks shakes her head at the Texas governor’s decision to scrap a mask-wearing mandate before the COVID-19 pandemic is under control.

“I don’t know who he is trying to please,” she said, sitting at a table at the Central City Co-Op, “but it’s certainly not people like us from the big cities.”

“He probably wants to please the rightwing people who live in places where, to be honest, there’s no need for a mask,” she added, referring to the roughly four million Texans who live in rural areas.

But some restaurant owners and clients in the state’s largest city, Houston, were perplexed by or even against Governor

Greg Abbott’s recent decision to drop the mask mandate “and open Texas 100%” beginning Wednesday.

“We will continue to ask our customers to mask up,” said Jessica Navas, an owner of the Central City Co-Op, which also sells fresh vegetables from area farms.

A fervent defender of eating locally and responsibly, Navas added that the CoOp’s mask requirement “will continue so long as CDC guidelines recommend it.”

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website currently recommends that “people wear masks in public settings, at events and gatherings, and anywhere they will be around other people.”

Not far from the Co-Op, at the Taco Stand and Burger Joint on Shepherd Drive, Hous-

ton Heights’ central avenue, owner Matthew Pak has taken a similar stance.

“We are not going to change anything that we are doing,” he said.

“We are going to require all our staff and customers to wear masks, continue sanitizing, keeping everything extra, extra clean, social distancing as much as we can enforce.”

Those precautions will probably not end soon, he said.

“There’s only a low percentage that have the vaccine” so far, Pak noted. “I mean, none of my staff has vaccine.”

So far, some 4.1 million Texans—14.2 percent of the population—have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. AFP

The growing need for digitalization amid the pandemic IAN BENEDICT MIA

GREEN LIGHT EVIDENCE around the world reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic has forced many micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to innovate and adopt digital solutions. In response to travel bans, school closures and work from home arrangements, many have turned to digital technologies to maintain a semblance of normalcy.

In the Philippines, an October 2020 report by the World Bank and National Economic and Development Authority stated that the rapid adoption of digital technologies can help the country overcome the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, recover from the crisis and achieve its vision of becoming a middle-class society free of poverty.

While the push towards digitalization in the country has begun even before the pandemic, it is now becoming a necessity for organizations to survive and, in the long-term, thrive.

In a global research team that I am currently part of, we are studying how MSMEs in China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand are adjusting amid the COVID-19 pandemic. As we go through the initial stages of the interviews in the Philippine team, one of the emerging themes we observed is on how the pandemic has sped up the digitalization of MSMEs. Esme Palaganas, founder of fashion business Basic Movement, began focusing on her company’s e-commerce platform since the Philippine government imposed a lockdown in March 2020.

Previously, fashion businesses like hers relied on social media platforms such as Instagram to sell their clothing lines.

From there, the owner or her employees

usually perform the manual legwork, including the consolidation of orders and processing of payments and deliveries, to name a few. However, many businesses like Esme’s had to streamline all these processes through an e-commerce platform when the pandemic struck.

Prior forms of digitalization have also helped certain MSMEs become more resilient amid the pandemic. Reden Rojas of The Murang Gulay Shop, for example, had already been active on Facebook even before the pandemic, having over 20,000 followers. When the crisis struck, the business experienced a surge in online orders and inquiries. The same case can be said for Pacita “Chit” Juan, founder of ECHOstore, a retail store carrying green fair trade products created by marginalized communities. Prior to the pandemic, the company had already established its footing in the digital space through its online store and distribution across several e-commerce platforms. These prior initiatives to digitize proved to be a strategic advantage for these businesses when the pandemic struck.

While there is no doubt that the adoption of digital technologies is amplified during the pandemic, the challenge is that digitalization has been difficult to introduce to MSMEs ever since. MSMEs, for instance, are used to selling anywhere and anytime. Before the pandemic, there was no immediate need to establish a digital presence because ‘physical selling’ was the norm.

However, with the physical distancing and safety protocols imposed during the pandemic, MSMEs were forced to adopt digital solutions quickly to survive.

Clearly, the rapid digitalization of MSMEs during the pandemic is but one of the ‘lowest hanging fruits’ to cushion the pandemic’s continuing impacts. Other immediate benefits of digitalization include (1) managing transactions from a distance, thereby taking part in proper social distancing (2) delivering goods efficiently,

thereby ensuring an orderly transport of goods (3) facilitating the use of financial technologies, to enable cashless and convenient transactions and (4) engaging new and existing customers through social media, thereby increasing the potential market of MSMEs. Despite the potential benefits, however, digitalization has given rise to several challenges, including: (1) cybersecurity and data privacy concerns (2) exposure to digital fraud (3) online misinformation (4) lack of capacity to develop market power and platform dominance and (5) digital divide and infrastructure-related issues.

Supporting the digitalization of MSMEs during the pandemic is, therefore, a big challenge that requires proper intervention from policymakers and other stakeholders.

Back then, digitalization was just an option for Philippine MSMEs. Today, it has become part of the ‘new normal.’ As the pandemic continues, government and other concerned stakeholders might want to expand and intensify their interventions to digitalize MSMEs not just during the pandemic but even beyond.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

DAVIN MAH MA IS BCB LAND LRW APVI OV VUL

LAST PRICE 4.91 2.94 0.0099 0.174 2.72 0.83 1.92 22.7 0.013 2.74

CHANGE -1.59 -0.4 -0.0011 -0.017 -0.26 -0.07 -0.16 -1.8 -0.001 -0.21

% CHANGE -24.46% -11.98% -10.00% -8.90% -8.72% -7.78% -7.69% -7.35% -7.14% -7.12%

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

DAVIN BDO SM ICT ALI SMPH MBT DITO BPI AC

VOLUME 127843300 4692500 307150 2513470 7584700 7635500 5748500 17256800 2620170 280030

VALUE (PHP) 751195166 516756548 319056675 312278966 291569655 280513620 278836265 264681988 227278594 215141355

Five-minute battery charge aims to fire up electric cars HERZLIYA, Israel—From flat battery to full charge in just five minutes—an Israeli start-up has developed technology it says could eliminate the “range anxiety” associated with electric cars.

Ultra-fast recharge specialists StoreDot have developed a firstgeneration lithium-ion battery that can rival the filling time of a standard car at the pump.

“We are changing the entire experience of the driver, the problem of ‘range anxiety’ ...that you might get stuck on the highway without energy,” StoreDot founder Doron Myersdorf said.

The innovation could eliminate the hours required to recharge an electric car, he said.

Hundreds of prototypes are being tested by manufacturers.

His company, based in Herzliya, near Tel Aviv, is backed by four key investors: German automobile manufacturer Daimler, the UK’s British Petroleum and the electronic giants Samsung and TDK. Myersdorf, who set up the company in 2012, has tested the battery on phones, drones and scooters, before tackling the big prize of electric vehicles.

But Eric Esperance, an analyst at Roland Berger consulting firm, cautioned that while ultra-fast charging would be a “revolution,” many stages remain.

“We are still far off from the industrial automotive market,” he told AFP. In 2019, the Nobel Chemistry Prize was awarded to John Goodenough of the US, Britain’s Stanley Whittingham and Japan’s Akira Yoshino for the invention of lithium-ion batteries.

“This lightweight, rechargeable and powerful battery is now used in everything from mobile phones to laptops and electric vehicles,” the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said on awarding the prize. AFP

*** Ian Benedict Mia is a research and technical assistant in the Center for Business Research and Development (CBRD) of De La Salle University. He is currently a member of a DLSU team taking part on a global research project titled “Entrepreneurial Resilience and Recovery During and After COVID-19 Crisis: Firmand Community-Level Responses in China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Thailand”, which is supported by the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). You may contact him at ianbrmia@gmail.com.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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

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MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

Business

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, March 5, 2021

1.12 PTS. 6,881.37

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

3,998,824,668 142,951 7,732,132,176.53 87 135 45

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, MARCH 5, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.5730

Japan

Yen

0.009262

0.4499

UK

Pound

1.389900

67.5116

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128884

6.2603

Switzerland

Franc

1.077006

52.3134

Canada

Dollar

0.789578

38.3522

Singapore

Dollar

0.747831

36.3244

Australia

Dollar

0.772500

37.5226

Bahrain

Dinar

2.651816

128.8067

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266588

12.9490

Brunei

Dollar

0.745045

36.1891

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.032949

1.6004

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2251

Euro

Euro

1.197000

58.1419

Korea

Won

0.000884

0.0429

China

Yuan

0.154540

7.5065

India

Rupee

0.013749

0.6678

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.246609

11.9785

New Zealand

Dollar

0.718900

34.9191

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035871

1.7424 Source: BSP

SM Prime allots P80b, to launch three new malls PROPERTY developer SM Prime Holdings Inc. said over the weekend it earmarked P80 billion in capital expenditures as it plans to open three new shopping malls and expand four this year.

SM Prime said in an investor presentation it would open SM City Grand Central in Caloocan City, SM City Daet in Camarines Norte and SM City Roxas in Capiz.

SM City Grand Central located along Rizal Ave. near the Light Rail Transit Line 1 Station in Monumento will replace the former Ever Gotesco Grand Central which was destroyed by fire in March 2012.

SM Prime also plans to complete the expansion of SM Urdaneta Central, SM City Sta. Rosa, SM City Cauayan and SM Mall of Asia Ikea.

The planned mall launches and expansion projects will add around 367,000 square meters of gross floor area to the group’s portfolio.

SM Prime had 76 malls with total GFA of 8.7 million sq.m. as of end-2020, after opening two malls ate last year― SM City Butuan and SM City Mindpro.

It also owns seven malls in China with total GFA of 1.3 million sq.m.

SM Prime’s malls cover almost all major cities in Metro Manila and adjoining towns and municipalities, accounting for 41 percent of the company’s total GFA in the Philippines.

It said future malls expansion was geared towards the provinces with focus on Northern Luzon, Visayas and the progressive cities in Mindanao.

It is scheduled to open the SM Mall of Asia Ikea Store by the second half of the year. It will become the world’s largest Ikea outlet with more than 109,000 sq.m. of GFA. SM Prime reported consolidated income of P18 billion in 2020, down 52.7 percent from P38.1 billion in 2019 on lower mall revenues.

Consolidated revenues also went down by 30.7 percent to P81.9 billion from P118.3 billion in 2019.

Mall revenues went down by 59 percent to P23.6 billion in 2020 from P57.8 billion in 2019 as the quarantine restrictions affected mall operations.

Sales from residential business led

by SM Development Corp. climbed 6 percent to P46.5 billion from P43.7 billion in 2019.

Residential reservation sales registered a 10 percent growth, bringing the sales take-up to P99 billion in 2020 from P90 billion in the previous year. Jenniffer B. Austria

FIVE companies expressed interest to participate in the third-round of negotiated sale for the 650-megawatt Malaya Thermal Power Plant and its underlying land in Pililla, Rizal after the government reduced the minimum bid price again.

State-owned Power Sector Assets and Liabilities Management Corp. said Friday that China Gezhouba Group Co., Ltd, Sta. Clara International Corp., VBB

PSBank’s income drops 63% to P1.1b PHILIPPINE Savings Bank, the thrift bank arm of the Metrobank Group, said over the weekend net income fell 63 percent in 2020 to P1.108 billion from P3.03 billion in 2019 because of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

PSBank said in a statement operating income surged 31 percent before provisions to P7.45 billion last year. This enabled the bank to set aside additional loan loss provisions of more than three times to P6.40 billion in view of the pandemic conditions.

“On the back of a strong balance sheet and capitalization, the bank stayed resilient amidst the challenges of 2020. As a matter of strategy, we took a conservative stance on credit provisioning in anticipation of risks associated with the pandemic,” PSBank president Jose Vicente Alde said.

“The bank prioritized the safety of its employees and customers by quickly instituting COVID-19 safety protocols. We strengthened our digital platforms and made them reliable as the demand for digital banking services exponentially rose,” Alde said. Julito G. Rada

BanKo to lend P7b to ‘micropreneurs’ HEALTH PARTNERSHIP. Sanofi Philippines teams up with Ayala Healthcare Holdings Inc. bring treatment solutions—from disease education, treatment options and holistic approach—to more people using the vast network of AC Health. The collaboration seeks to improve the management of lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension. Attending the signing of the partnership agreement are (from left) Sanofi Philippines country lead Dr. Amal Makhloufi, Ambassador of France to the Philippines Michèle Boccoz, Ayala Corp. president and chief operating officer Fernando Zobel de Ayala and AC Health president and chief executive Paolo Maximo Borromeo.

SEC, PSE probe Abra Mining for trading of ‘unlisted’ shares

By Jenniffer B. Austria

R

EGULATORS launched an investigation on Abra Mining and Industrial Corp. for alleged trading of unissued and unlisted shares.

Abra Mining, led by the Beloy family, has four approved mining claims, including Bucay Baticang Limestone and Alluvial Gold Magnetite Project, Capcapo Gold Copper Project, Patok Gold Silver Copper Project and The Sanvig Alluvial Gold and Magnetite Iron Sand Deposits. The company has yet to start mining operations.

The PSE said it suspended the trading of Abra Mining shares on Thursday after determining that

the number of fully paid issued and outstanding Abra Mining shares exceeded the number of its listed shares. The PSE said this was in violation of the rule that all fully paid issued and outstanding shares should be applied for listing.

Data showed the number of Abra Mining shares lodged with PDTC also exceeded the number of the company’s listed shares. The PSE said it was also in violation of its rule that only secu-

It said records showed that each and every Abra Mining share that had entered the system was confirmed and cleared by the company’s transfer agent for lodgment.

“The SEC, in coordination with the PSE and PDTC, will continue investigating the issue not only to resolve the current incident but also to find systemwide measures to prevent its recurrence.

In the meantime, Abra Miming was ordered to submit its proposed actions to address the discrepancies in its issued, outstanding, listed and lodged shares,” the SEC said.

The share price of Abra Mining hit a 52-week high of P0.013 per share in January from only P0.0035 as of endDecember 2020.

New BSP book.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas publishes 'No One Left Behind,' a book chronicling the beginnings and evolution of its financial inclusion journey. It is the fourth in a book series celebrating 70 years of central banking in the Philippines. With stories and testimonies told firsthand by advocates, champions and partners, No One Left Behind offers a glimpse of the BSP as a responsive, reformoriented, people-centric institution through its financial inclusion work.

TV5 airing more ABS-CBN shows, eyes breakeven in three years

By Darwin G. Amojelar TV5 Network Inc. said over the weekend it expects to break even in three years, after missing its target in 2019.

“We’ve been wrong before many times with TV5. My degree of certainty is quite high,” TV5 chairman Manuel Pangilinan said.

“I think [we] may be four or five years away. We are looking at profit situation, and maybe [it would take] three years for our breakeven. That’s our best forecast,” he said.

Pangilinan earlier projected that TV5 would break even after a series of manpower reduction in 2015 and abolishing its entertainment shows

in 2016.

He said that despite missing its breakeven target in 2019, it was still hopeful about the prospects of TV5.

“We see some traction in respect to their [TV5] own entertainment content.

It still low in terms of ratings, probably one tenth or one eight of the size of GMA7, but moving upward gradually,” he said.

“The content of ABS-CBN that’s so far been shown in TV5 has helped a bit and [we are] talking to them about further showing their content on TV5,” Pangilinan said.

ABS-CBN Corp. announced that TV5 would carry primetime programs “FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano,” “Ang Sa Iyo ay Akin,” “Walang Hanggang

Paalam,” and “Pinoy Big Brother (PBB) Connect” starting March 8.

Under the arrangement with Cignal and TV5, ABS-CBN Entertainment would bring its programs through TV5’s nationwide reach. Cignal and TV5 are under MediaQuest Holdings Inc. of the Metro Pacific Group.

“We welcome the inclusion of ABSCBN entertainment shows in our roster of programs. We believe that this content deal will benefit Filipino viewers across the country because of TV5’s extensive coverage,” Cignal and TV5 president and chief executive Robert Galang said.

Other ABS-CBN Entertainment shows airing on TV5 are “ASAP Natin ‘To” and “FPJ: Da King”.

Five groups interested to join third round of negotiated sale for Malaya thermal plant assets

By Alena Mae S. Flores

IN BRIEF

Trucking Trading and Consultancy Services, Inc., Fort Pilar Energy Inc. and AC Energy Philippines Inc. submitted letters of interest to participate in the negotiated sale process.

“PSALM looks forward to a successful privatization process for the Malaya Power Plant. We are excited that five firms expressed interest to join the process. We have lowered the minimum offer price already. Hopefully, this round will allow us to finally sell the Malaya

Power Plant,” said PSALM president and chief executive Irene Besido-Garcia.

A pre-negotiation conference will be held by PSALM for the interested buyers on March 9 at 2 p.m. to discuss the issues and concerns on the terms of the sale.

PSALM set the offer submission deadline on April 23 at 12 noon. The agency said only interested parties that submitted an LOI would be allowed to participate in the negotiated sale process for the MTPP. PSALM substantially reduced the

minimum offer price for the package to P1,845,222,000 from P2,007,780,000 in the second negotiated sale.

The negotiated sale process for the privatization of MTPP in October last year failed to receive formal bids during the pre-negotiation process as investor interest was affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

The government is losing around P1.2 billion annually from maintaining the Malaya power plant, according to the Department of Energy.

BPI Direct BanKo, the micro-financing conduit of Bank of Philippine Islands, is allocating another P7 billion in financing for small entrepreneurs affected by the pandemic.

BanKo senior vice-president Rod Mabiasen said during the “Lending Solutions for MSMEs Webinar Series” that the bank decided to optimize lending to “micropreneurs.”.The webinar was organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“This means small entrepreneurs were given more push with about P7 billion of financial support available this year to help them recover from the impact of the pandemic,” he said.

BanKo provides financing from P25,000 to P150,000, all collateral-free, to micro and small enterprises. With the pandemic, it scaled-down expansion, but increased its loan portfolio to P7 billion to accommodate more entrepreneurs.

The bank is weighing plans to add five branches this year. Othel V. Campos

Lawyer hits new DTI steel roofing regulation LAWYER and radio broadcaster Trixie Cruz-Angeles described a new department administrative order issued by the Bureau of Philippine Standards and the Department of Trade and Industry mandating the product certification of raw materials used for roofing and general applications as “antipoor and anti-development.”

Angeles said DTI DAO 10-20 Series of 2020 was crippling and disadvantageous to general public and non-roofing sheet users and importers.

“It seems BPS/DTI did not carefully study the impact the DAO 10-20 would bring to certain segments of the steel industry, and just issued it blindly without holding a public consultation to know the sentiment of these segments,” Angeles said.

DAO 10-20, a new technical regulation concerning the mandatory certification of hot-dipped metallic-coated and prepainted galvanized steel coils and sheets for roofing and general applications, took effect on Jan. 13, 2021.

BPI says inflation may exceed BSP’s 2021 target range

By Julito G. Rada BANK of the Philippine Islands, the third-largest lender in terms of assets, said over the weekend it is keeping its 2021 inflation forecast of 4.3 percent, as the higher global oil prices may fuel inflationary pressures in the coming months.

BPI lead economist Jun Neri said in a report inflation might exceed the upper bound of the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent for the year, as actual inflation hit 4.7 percent in February, the fastest in more than two years.

“Given the latest print, inflation will likely exceed the BSP’s 4-percent target.

We are maintaining our full-year inflation forecast at 4.3 percent, taking into account the inflationary pressures that could persist until the third quarter,” Neri said.

“Inflation may exceed 5 percent in April and remain at that level for several months before going down in the fourth quarter. Oil prices will likely remain elevated given the expected increase in demand amid the distribution of vaccines,” he said.

Neri said the benchmark price of oil in the global market rose to $63 per barrel in February, its highest since December 2019. He said oil supply had become tighter following the production cut done by Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries and the snowstorm in the United States.

Traders were also pricing in the possibility of higher demand in the coming months given the distribution of vaccines in major economies, he said.

Neri said it might take the swine industry some time to address the African swine fever problem as supply problems usually last for months.

He said inflationary pressures would likely prevent the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas from cutting its policy rate further.

The BSP maintained the record-low policy interest rates of 2 percent in its first policy meeting for the year in February.

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By Peter Paul Duran

M

ORE than a decade since starting her company from scratch, Rhea Anicoche-Tan looks back at how people doubted her simply because she was a woman.

“A lot of people have underestimated me when I was starting Beautéderm 11 years ago,” said Tan in a special interview with Manila Standard in celebration of International Women’s Month.

“Some people considered me as weak as I was starting to build my company from scratch; and that I do not have what it takes to run a business that is as big as what I envisioned it to be simply because I am a woman,” she added.

Tan, who built her beauty empire from the ground up in Angeles City, Pampanga back in 2009, was armed with only her passion and the support of other “extraordinary women.”

Now, her company caters to people of all walks of life with over a hundred branches nationwide and a pioneering store in Singapore.

Meanwhile, scores of the country’s top celebrities have endorsed the multi-awarded brand such as Darren Espanto, Bea Alonzo and Piolo Pascual as well as showbiz power couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera-Dantes who is the official ambassador of Beautéderm Home, to mention a few.

But besides the famous individuals supporting the growing Beautéderm family, in essence, the face of Beautederm is that of a selfmade, empowered woman.

Read our full interview with Ms. Rhea below: MS: In your opinion, do you think that equality between men and women is present in our country?

Tan: My answer to this is both yes and no. Yes, because women are given the same opportunities as our male counterparts especially in the workplace. We women are accorded with the same civil rights and freedoms as men, and this is something to celebrate as the current landscape for men and women has greatly evolved from thirty years ago.

No because there are still isolated instances that women are abused and overlooked and underestimated. There is still much room for growth and development in terms of gender equality here in the Philippines and I choose to

Proving doubters wrong with beauty inside and out I encourage every modern Filipino woman to never give up on her dreams.

consider and view this as something that is worth looking forward to in the future.

MS: How will you help forge a gender equal world?

Tan: Forging a gender equal world is a Herculean task and I am quite aware that I cannot accomplish this single-handedly. What I have control over however, is how I run things within the purview of my responsibilities as President and CEO of Beautéderm Corporation.

As head of the company, I am very conscious that I should hire,

nurture, compensate, and reward my employees in accordance to the quality of work that they deliver.

Also, I make it a point to give each employee equal opportunity to grow on the sole basis of their individual capabilities and skill sets.

MS: How do you celebrate women’s achievement, raise awareness against bias and take action for equality?

Tan: I always believe that women are queens and metaphorically, as “queens” we should fix each other’s crowns and not tear each other apart.

We as women should celebrate each other’s accomplishments and lift each other to maximize our potentials in order for us to achieve greatness.

I raise awareness against bias in women by promoting beauty, strength, and resilience in the nationwide promotional campaigns of Beautéderm that showcases

different women whose values inspire other women to work harder and be the best versions of themselves – the humility of Bea Alonzo, the fortitude of Sylvia Sanchez, the longevity of Lorna Tolentino, the strength of character of Korina Sanchez-Roxas, and the loving heart of Beautéderm Home’s Marian Rivera-Dantes.

As I previously mentioned, I take action for equality by giving every person in my company a chance to shine and grow regardless of gender and sexual orientation.

MS: Have you experienced discrimination as a woman? Tell us what you experienced and how you overcame this.

Tan: A lot of people have underestimated me when I was starting Beautéderm 11 years ago.

Some people considered me as weak as I was starting to build my company from scratch; and that

I do not have what it takes to run a business that is as big as what I envisioned it to be simply because I am a woman.

I overcame this with the support of a lot of extraordinary women and a handful of equally awesome men who believed in me and my vision to establish a company that would eventually change the lives of countless people, including my own. Above-all, my family continues to empower me to always believe in myself, tap my innerstrength, and to always hold on to my faith when the road becomes rocky.

MS: What do you think are your notable contributions and achievements in our society?

Tan: I’m still a work in progress.

I am not yet 100% sure that I have achieved my purpose but I strive every day to be faithful to my vision to help people better their lives through the honest business model of Beautéderm. I continue to expand my business and develop new and exciting products that will not only physically beautify the many consumers who believe in us but also to improve the lives of our resellers and distributors as well by providing them sustainable, longterm jobs that they could be proud of as well.

MS: What empowers you as a woman?

Tan: What empowers me as a woman is the many beautiful stories of faith, hope, and love of other women. The collective defeats and triumphs; tears and laughter; pains and comforts of other women inspires me, guides me, and teaches me to face life every day. I am empowered by their victories and I learn from their mistakes.

MS: What’s your opinion about women’s status in our society?

Tan: Women in society today are stronger, more driven, more educated, and more attuned to their inner selves. Women are more empowered to live their lives and make major decisions especially here in the Philippines where there are women in almost every industry there is. What’s most fascinating for me is that with all of these, the loving, compassionate, and nurturing nature of women who have successful careers are still very much intact.

MS: Do you have an advocacy/ ies for women, or if you would have the chance to do so, what’s it going to be?

Tan: Beautéderm has a CSR arm called Contribéaut where we provide scholarship funds for deserving students. We currently have over a hundred scholars who are enjoying a full educational ride provided that they maintain a certain average in their grades.

We cover their tuition fees, books and school supplies, and daily allowances. My mother is an educator and she raised me to put a premium value to education as a major key to achieve my dreams.

MS: Who is/are your women role model/s you look up to?

Tan: I am inspired by the grace and elegance of Audrey Hepburn.

I am humbled by the wonderful qualities of my female Beautéderm Brand Ambassadors. I am motivated to work harder everyday by the loyalty of my female staff.

And my mother is my ultimate anchor to be a good person first and foremost, above everything else.

MS: What is your message to the modern Filipina?

Tan: I encourage every modern Filipino woman to never give up on her dreams. Filipino women can achieve virtually anything and everything that they put their heart and soul into with the right blend of dedication, hard-work, humility, and faith in God.

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Modern-day Filipinas: Challenging inequality, becoming trailblazers In the world of sports, women from all across the world have already made a name for themselves in their particular fields. Some of these women would even go on to hold world record titles because N March 8, 2021, women across the of their inspiring performances. globe will celebrate International For instance, the Philippines ended its 20-year Olympic medal drought, thanks to the talent and grit of Hidilyn Diaz, who brought Women’s Day, which highlights home a silver medal when she competed in the women’s 53-kg the social, economic, cultural and political weightlifting category at the 2016 Rio Olympics held in Brazil. achievements of women. It also serves as a call She has been competing in the summer games since 2008 and is determined to achieve her goal of winning a gold medal in the to action to raise awareness of and continue the Olympics. developments in fostering equality for women.

Diaz’s victory was a first for Filipino female athletes as she put the Since its first gathering in 1911, International Women’s Day has spotlight on them and what they’re capable of achieving. been supported by millions across the world. And being celebrated well over a century, this event has put the spotlight on women and their ability to do anything as long as they put their minds to it.

In the Philippines, countless women have already risen to the occasion and achieved great success by following their dreams no matter what gender stereotypes society has put in place. As a result, they’ve created history, as well as put the spotlight on women and what they can achieve.

Here are five modern-day Filipinas, whose achievements are worth celebrating:

By P. Y. Deligero

O

GINI SANTOS supervising animator at Disney-Pixar Disney-Pixar has released various family movies such as Up, Ratatouille, Monster’s Inc., and more. Each movie is carefully planned by various teams assigned to create and secure the story and animation quality that the audience knows and loves.

The animation team has one of the most important jobs in production. They are the ones tasked to make sure that every characteristic, movement, and detail of the characters are properly animated to bring them to life.

One of the many animators working for Disney-Pixar is a Filipina named Gini Santos. But she’s not just an animator; Santos is Pixar’s ELDA ROTOR first female supervising animator. In the 20 years that she’s worked Vice President and publisher at Penguin Classics for Disney-Pixar, Santos has toiled on many projects to animate Based in London, England, Penguin Classics publishes classic characters and bring the magic of Disney to screens across the globe. works of literature in various languages including English, Spanish, Santos pays attention to emotions and physics when creating and Portuguese among others. her characters and even thinks about small nuances to give them Sitting at one of the highest positions in the company and securing personality. the quality of the books the company publishes is Elda Rotor.

Rotor holds the position of vice president and publisher at Penguin Classics, allowing her to commission literary material from renowned and upcoming authors. She started as an editorial director for the company in 2006.

She is also the woman behind the release and promotion of translations of Philippine literary classics such as Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo, and Filipino poet Jose Garcia Villa’s poetry collection titled Doveglion.

HIDILYN DIAZ Olympic weightlifting silver medalist

ANDREIA CARRILLO astrophysicist Many have dreamed of exploring or studying space at a young age.

This is because space has a lot of elements that people are yet to fully understand. And with its massive size, researchers and astronauts still have a lot of areas to cover before they can uncover all the secrets of the universe.

One Filipina who wanted to discover a part of the vast knowledge of space is Andreia Carrillo. Ultimately, Carillo has a lifelong goal of connecting Filipino astronomers to their peers around the world.

Hailing from Baliuag, Bulacan, Carrillo moved to the United States where she earned an undergraduate degree in astronomy, astrophysics, and interdisciplinary physics at the University of Michigan. While there, Andreia researched a dwarf galaxy called dw1335-29.

Carrillo is currently on the way towards earning her Ph.D. from the University of Texas so she can further unlock the secrets of the stars.

AISA MIJENO inventor of SALt Lamps There are remote areas where several resources aren’t readily available for residents in such communities. As a result, they would have to resort to using available commodities that they have access to. But fortunately, there are those who come up with innovative ideas to improve the existing living conditions of residents in such far-flung areas.

One is Aisa Mijeno. After an immersion trip in Kalinga, Mijeno was inspired to create SALt (Sustainable Alternative Lighting) Lamp which can be used to replace kerosene lamps.

Mijeno’s design is more economical and safer compared to the kerosene lamps because it uses salt as a power source.

It wasn’t an easy feat for Mijeno as she faced failure in her initial designs. But through her perseverance and overall desire to help improve the lives of people in remote communities, Mijeno eventually managed to produce this smart innovation.

How you can #ChooseToChallenge These Filipinas aren’t the only women who chose to challenge inequality and break barriers by excelling in their chosen fields.

Many others in our communities are making themselves known for their achievements, no matter how big or small they might be.

For this year’s celebration of International Women’s Day, a movement called #ChooseToChallenge has been started where women raise their hands high to show that they’re part of this movement and commit themselves to the challenge of calling out inequality.

By doing so, women from across the globe can put a stop to gender bias and inequality by holding them, thus creating a more inclusive world.

Although a great number of women have already solidified their position in their chosen fields, whether it’s politics, athletics, literature, or others, there are still those who need to battle inequality from society.

The #ChooseToChallenge movement in celebration of International Women’s Day 2021 is just another step towards creating a society that not only celebrates women’s achievements, but also steers clear of gender bias and inequality to create equal opportunities and promote inclusivity.

Women prepared to work hard, but desire equal access to opportunities LINKEDIN, the world’s largest professional network has launched LinkedIn Opportunity Index 2021. The annual Index is a composite measure that seeks to understand how people perceive opportunities and the gaps that stand in the way of achieving them.

This year’s research looks at the impact of the pandemic on Filipinos’ access to opportunities. More importantly, it spotlights the gender gaps that continue to exist in the workplace, and how these affect women’s opportunities for career development.

Silver linings still exist amid challenging job market with pay cuts and reduced working hours Previous surveys have shown the Philippines as one of the most optimistic markets in the Asia Pacific. This year’s study now finds it one of the countries with below-average confidence as Filipinos see fewer opportunities and more difficult barriers.

Almost 9 in 10 Filipinos feel they have been negatively impacted by COVID-19, citing job insecurity, reduced working hours and reduced pay. This has likely led to a cautious economic outlook amongst Filipinos, with 3 in 4 believing that the economic situation in the country has worsened.

Filipinos still consider job security as their most desired opportunity in 2021 (53 percent). However, they have also started looking for new opportunities to help others within the community.

For example, 51 percent looked to providing safety support items like sanitizer and masks to others within the communityand 32 percent looked to help or mentor others to gain opportunities.

In addition, Filipinos sought out learning opportunities. Learning new soft skills — effective communication, creative thinking, and leadership — were sought after by more millennials, while learning new hard skills — business analytics, sales, and marketing — was sought after by millennials and Gen Zs. “About a year on since COVID-19 hit us, many continue to struggle from job loss and job instability. Yet it is heartening to see that people have also turned their focus towards helping the community,” said Feon Ang, Vice President, Talent and Learning Solutions, APAC, LinkedIn. “This is also a journey that we are working towards at LinkedIn because we believe in the power of community in helping others get back on their feet. We have also stepped up efforts to initiate mentorship opportunities for job seekers facing more barriers with our LinkedIn Coaches and Network Gap Alliance.”

Women still face significant barriers in achieving job-related opportunities As 88 percent of Filipinos have started working from home, many working women now have to face other barriers when it comes to achieving opportunities.

Women, especially working mothers, are facing more significant obstacles under the current set-up compared to men. Close to half of working mothers (47 percent) have said they are struggling to balance their work and household responsibilities, with 42 percent saying their duties at home are getting in the way of their career development.

In spite of these barriers, women are prepared to work hard, but they desire equal access to opportunities as men. In

Close to 5 in 10 working mothers struggle to balance work and household responsibilities, businesses play an important role to ensure equitable recovery for men and women

fact, women see these two as the most important aspects (88 percent and 85 percent respectively) to getting ahead in life.

51 percent of Filipinos say that gender equality has improved compared to their parents’ time, however, many still feel gender bias continues to exist in the workplace According to the study, 22 percent of female professionals agree that they have fewer career advancement opportunities, and 14 percent claim they are paid less than men in their profession. In fact, half of working women in the Philippines have experienced that their gender played a role in missing out on opportunities, promotion, and pay.

Our research suggests that this mindset may stem from broader societal perceptions around gender. While 74 percent think that gender equality is an important value for a fair society, more than half of the respondents believe that it has already come far enough and has been achieved to a satisfactory degree.

Furthermore, 31 percent think that gender equality is impossible to achieve.

This potentially shows that Filipinos feel not much more can or should be done to further gender equality.

Ang said, “The Philippine workforce has taken a hit due to COVID-19 across the board, women included. The lack of time is the top barrier for women today — likely due to having to juggle remote working and family responsibilities. We also know that women are seeking to get ahead in life, and want equal access to opportunity as men. As a society, we need to start changing our societal perceptions on gender. In our organisations, too, we

need to level the playing field for women.

When we succeed, the economy and our organisations succeed as well.

Businesses’ have an important role to play to bridge the gender gap and ensure equitable recovery for all Encourage open conversations on diversity Our data shows that only 26 percent of working professionals in the Philippines strongly agree that gender diversity is a priority in their organisation. In the Philippines, LinkedIn recorded year-onyear growth of senior leaders taking the lead and initiating conversations about diversity on the platform. In addition, content on diversity gets on average 117 percent more engagement than the average company post. This is a positive sign that people are receptive to senior leaders’ call for gender diversity, which could ultimately help address the gender gap and ensure equitable recovery for all.

Initiate group mentoring programmes in the company to help women soar in their roles In the Philippines, 22 percent of female professionals agree that they have fewer career advancement opportunities, and 14 percent claim they are paid less than men in their profession. At LinkedIn, we have programmes that support our community of women in their professional growth.

For example, EmpowerIn is a leadership development programme to help highperforming women realise their full potential at the workplace. After three very successful cycles of the programme, we are committed to running our fourth cycle virtually this year.

Implement policies to help women balance work and personal life

Sports

MONDAY, MARCH 8 2021

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Harmie Constantino

Constantino seeks big LPGT finish Yuka Saso: A bundle of hope and inspiration during pandemic year.

Rule boosts bid of making Tokyo games

By Peter Atencio FORMER collegiate standout Remedy Rule gave herself a chance in two events which could make her eligible for more qualifying slots to the Tokyo Olympics.

The Fil-American standout from the University of Texas came near the Olympic Selection Time in the women’s 200-meter freestyle and in the 100-meter butterfly last Friday.

Rule, who competed in the US NCAA competitions during her time in college, clocked a time of two minutes and 1.49 seconds in the preliminaries and 2:01.98 in the finals during the TYR Pro Swim Series at the North East ISD Blossom Athletic Complex.

In doing so, Rule came to within range of the OST-B time of 2:00.80, allowing her to surpass the meet’s US Olympic Trial Wave 1 time of 2:01.69 when action ended in San Antonio, Texas.

If Rule eclipses the OST-B in future events that she will join, she will end up qualifying in around four events in the Olympiad.

She had already hit the OST-B times in the 200-meter butterfly and in the 100-meter freestyle when Rule saw action for the Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asean Games.

Her performance put her in 14th place overall and sixth in the B-finals.

“She is doing so well,” said Philippine Swimming Inc. president Lailani Velasco, who is closely monitoring Rule’s progress.

Abby Weitzeil claimed the gold medal in the B-finals in 2:00.11, which is inside the OST-B time.

Allison Schmidt also hit the OST-B time in claiming the silver in 2:00.32.

Overall, Katie Ledecky snared the gold in 1:56.02, which went past the Olympic Qualifying Time of 1:57.28.

Meanwhile, Rule also tried to breach the OST-B time of 59.66 seconds in the 100-meter butterfly.

She almost did after Rule submitted a time of 1:00.72 to place 16th overall.

Regan broke the OQT of 57.92 seconds in finishing first for the gold in 57.88 seconds.

THE COACH MIKE OCHOSA

The Pacquiao saga continues THE COACH BY the time this column comes out, Manny Pacquiao’s next opponent should have alMIKEsay it’s ready been announced. (Sources Mikey Garcia - Ed) OCHOSA BOXING KEEPS CALLING OUT TO PACQUIAO After Pacquiao’s win against Keith Thurman in 2019, many were unsure what was next for the Filipino ring icon.

Having just signed with Al Haymon’s Premier Champions suggests that there would be at least 2 more fights for the Filipino.

But the pandemic disrupted all plans and it became a race against time. As the only 8-division champion turned 42 years old in December of 2020, retirement seemed to be a very viable option.

Notably, Pacquiao settled into his senatorial obligations when Covid-19 hit and

Saso named PSA Athlete of the Year

E

VEN during the most challenging period in Philippine sports history, young golfer Yuka Saso still found a way to stand up and deliver.

The 19-year-old Saso was a bundle of hope and inspiration for the more than 100 million Filipinos at a time when local sports took a severe beating as the COVID-19 outbreak cast its huge shadows not only in the country but globally as well.

The Filipina golfer who hails from San Ildefonso, Bulacan hardly missed a beat after turning pro in 2020 following a remarkable amateur career highlighted by a double gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games.

Two straight titles in the rich Japan LPGA and a strong 13th place finish in the US Open in her first crack at a major LPGA championship capped Saso’s

rookie season that gave Philippine sports the kick it needed in this trying times.

As bearer of good tidings and optimism in perhaps the most difficult period for Filipino athletes since World War II, Saso will be recognized with the 2020 Athlete of the Year award by the Philippine Sportswriters Association come its traditional Awards Night on March 27 at the TV5 Media Center.

Saso leads a compact list of awardees to be honored by the country’s oldest media organization led by its President Tito S. Talao of the Manila Bulletin during the virtual event presented by San Miguel Corporation and the Philippine Sports

Commission (PSC).

Long-time partner Cignal TV will again cover the awards presentation also supported by 1-Pacman Partylist and Rain or Shine.

This will be Saso’s second Athlete of the Year honor in the last three years, but first time as an individual awardee as she previously shared the accolade with fellow golfers Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go, along with weightlifer Hidilyn Diaz during the 2018 edition of the annual event following their gold medal romp in the Jakarta Asiad.

The golfer with a Japanese descent was quick to make heads turn when she decided to turn pro last year.

She scored back-to-back triumphs in the Japan LPGA by topping the NEC Karuizawa Championship and the Nitori Ladies Golf Tournament, respectively.

HARMIE Constantino hopes to come up big right in her first crack at a pro championship, joining the title chase in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Challenge, which gets going Tuesday (March 9) at the Aoki course in Gen. Trias, Cavite.

The diminutive former junior and national match play champion had actually nailed a pro crown as an amateur when she dominated an international pro field in the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Classic of the Ladies Philippine Golf Tour in 2016.

She went on to win the RVF Cup and the Philippine Amateur Open Match Play diadems in 2018, among the seven titles she had won in national levels, before signing up with the University of Georgia Athletics in 2018-19.

She made quite an impact as a Bulldog sophomore as she reset the record in the UGA’s Women’s Open with 6665 rounds for 131 at the Achasta Golf Club, erasing the previous mark of 12-under 132 post by Ashlan Ramsey in Brooklyn in 2015.

But she opted to cut short her collegiate stint and move to the next level, enlisting for this week’s P400,000 Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc.-organized championship featuring two of the country’s leading players, Princess Superal and Pauline del Rosario.

Superal and Del Rosario split top honors in LPGT’s return at Riviera last year with the former dominating the Riviera Challenge and the latter foiling the 2014 US Girls’ Junior champion’s sweep bid in the Riviera Championship.

Pacquiao to fight Mikey Garcia?

ALL indications point to Filipino ring icon Manny Pacquiao heading back the ring to face former world champion Mikey Garcia for a non-title welterweight bout tentatively set in May in Dubai.

This will be Senator Pacquiao’s first fight since beating American world champion Keith Thurman via split decision last July 20, 2019 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

After the Thurman fight, the 42-yearold Pacquiao (62-7-2 win-loss-draw record with 39 knockouts) was sidelined for many months without a fight because of the pandemic.

Pacquiao said recently that negotiations with the 33-year-old Garcia (40-1 record with 30 knockouts) are ongoing, although he also mentioned the names of unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. and World Boxing Organization welterweight champion Terence Crawford as potential candidates.

“We are finalizing (who to fight). We are having ongoing negotiations with Mikey Garcia, Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.,” said the eight-division world champion, who is presently in General Santos City.

Eventhough no other details were revealed, a contract prepared by Paradigm Sports Management President Audie Attaro is already in place for the senator to sign anytime.

Garcia, for his part, said in one of his interviews that he will be fighting Pacquiao in the Middle East.

“We are finalizing all of the details.

We hope to get the exact date and location in the next few days,” Garcia told British reporter Jo Ankier in a candid interview four days ago.

“We are trying to get everything done for May. It’s been in the works for a long time. But now in the last few weeks, a month or so, we’ve been getting very close to finalizing this,” he said.

Garcia suffered defeat at the hands of

this fueled speculations that retirement from boxing was imminent. He doubled up his efforts to provide aid and comfort to ailing Filipinos through his foundation. He was very visible, personally distributing relief goods to those who needed help. Pacquiao was also very engaged in any legislation, issue and problem in connection with the pandemic.

Despite all these roles he is now playing outside the ring, the boxing world continues to call out for one of its own.

In late 2020, with a surprise move, Pacquiao signed a promotional contract with Paradigm Promotions, the same group handling the affairs of Universal Fighting Championships superstar Conor McGregor. Naturally, this sparked rumors for a Pacquiao -McGregor match up reported to be held in Dubai.

Soon after, the names of World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Errol Spence Jr. (27-0) and World Boxing Organization (WBO) champion Terence Crawford (37-0) started to float.

Boxing was clamoring for Pacquiao to fight.

If the lure is not enough, the WBA, where Pacquiao was champion, announced that the future hall-of- famer was demoted to a “designated champion in recess” for inactivity.

A subtle message perhaps, that says that he needs to fight soon.

Mikey Garcia (40-1-0) and Danny Garcia (36-3-0), both top welterweight contenders, are falling in line for a chance at the now legendary boxer. Even the 21-year-old Ryan

Garcia (21-0), despite the disparity in weight class, is running after him.

Many say it is the warrior in each fighter or it is just the nature of the sport, which boxers just cannot seem to stop boxing. Because of this, many of Pacquiao’s supporters are concerned for his safety that there is a silent clamor asking him to hang up his gloves.

LEARNINGS FROM ALI The tragic end of Muhammad Ali’s career is still fresh in the memory of boxing fans.

“The Greatest” as he dubbed himself, continued to fight even after doctors have advised him to retire.

Ali was popular in and outside the ring.

He was an activist, entertainer, musician, writer and philanthropist. His persona was larger than life so much so fans oftentimes could not separate the boxer from the man.

Late in his career, Ali was beaten by a much younger and lighter Leon Spinks in what many say should have been his last fight.

But, for reasons only understood by him, Ali prepared for a rematch and wrested the heavyweight crown for the third time.

Ali then announced his retirement in July of 1979 only to comeback just over a year to fight the then champion Larry Holmes, his former sparring partner. It was reported that Ali was fighting because he needed the money and Holmes did not want the fight. Many already knew that Ali was too weak and old to face him.

But everyone wanted to see Ali. Despite all the evidence against fighting again, every-

By Jessica Luna

Manny Pacquiao

unbeaten Spence Jr. via unanimous decision last March 16, 2019 to relinquish his International Boxing Federation welterweight belt and the vacant World Boxing Council diamond welterweight belt at the Arlington Stadium in Texas.

He came back successfully last February 29, 2020, scoring a unanimous de-

one including Ali turned a blind eye and chose to believe that he could still fight.

Ali lost to Larry Holmes in the most terrible way possible. Many say that the battering he received from Holmes that evening further sped up the onset of Parkinson’s disease on Ali. It was the first time the man whose life symbolized so many things and whose beliefs provided inspiration to many, stayed on his stool and gave up.

IT IS LONELY AND DANGEROUS TO BE AT THE TOP It is true that the ones on top are the favorite targets. It was true for Ali and it is true for Pacquiao today.

Pacquiao like Ali, aside from becoming a boxing icon, has influence in various fields.

Anyone who gets into the ring with him is ensured of a huge payday. Any fighter who gets a chance to fight him is guaranteed worldwide recognition. If any boxer beats him, that would be a significant achievement.

PACQUIAO AND ALI ARE ALIKE BUT TOTALLY DIFFERENT Fortunately, Pacquiao is in a much better situation than Ali was in.

Pacquiao unlike Ali does not need the money therefore his decision to fight is borne of choice not circumstance. Unmistakably, at 42 years old, Pacquiao still fights like a 30 year old. Although he has slowed down, if his last fight was any indication, he still has the moves. More vital and noteworthy is that his power remains intact.

Consequently, if any of these rivals who

cision win over Jessie Vargas at the Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, California.

Pacquiao recently started light training at the Forbes Village in Makati City, jogging, hitting the punching bag and doing other roadwork training, before flying to General Santos City last Friday.

are all calling him out expect to be Pacquiao’s Larry Holmes, they better think again.

The truth is, Pacquiao does not need to fight anymore. But who is to tell a warrior like him that he should hang up his gloves?

Fighters fight. Boxing history will tell you that when a challenge is set, the legitimate combatants will never back down.

Whenever Pacquiao’s next fight will be, it will be on his terms. Whoever he will be facing amongst the long list of boxers waiting to be chosen does not really matter much. Pacquiao is the draw and every rival simply wants his name beside Manny’s.

Let boxing keep calling him out. When the time comes, Pacquiao will know when to say no.

—oOo— Mike Ochosa is an avid sportsman. He has written for various broadsheets and on line publication providing his thoughts and insights on various sports. He is a freelance TV boxing analyst having sat ringside in 14 of Pacquiao’s fights and for various international sports networks as well. He was President of Punchout Boxing Club and is currently President and Program Director of Philippine Habagat Baseball.

Follow him on social media: Website: mikeochosa.com FB: https://www.facebook.com/coachmikeochosa/, IG:@coachmike.O Twitter account, https://twitter.com/mikeochosa

Life

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

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SPECIAL FEATURE

MONDAY, MARCH 8, 2021

Nightmares turn into blessings

Maxine Syjuco to represent PH in the 9th International Video Poetry Festival

By Bernadette Lunas

A

FTER waking up from a nightmare, artist and model Maxine Syjuco grabs, not a glass of water, but a pen and paper to bring those visions to life.

“A lot of my art—whether visual art or poetry—is based on the inner workings of the subconscious mind, and I feel almost ‘possessed’ to put pen to paper when I receive unsettling ‘visions’ in my dreams,” she told Manila Standard Life.

As an artist, Syjuco has always been driven by her desire to express her feelings and emotions, to discover “just how deep the human being can go.” She never subscribes to the idea of creating something that pleases anyone, putting premium instead on “deepening my knowledge of beauty and the depth found in the human condition, no matter how dark or ‘ugly’ it may be.”

Her video poetry “Maman,” which has been chosen as one of the finalists in the 9th International Video Poetry Festival to be held this March in Athens, Greece, is one of the examples of

her art that dives deep into her soul.

The festival aims “to create an open public space for the creative expression of all tendencies and streams of contemporary visual poetry.” Submitted entries include poetry films, film-poems, digitalpoetry, poetry video, Cin(E)-Poetry, spoken word films, and all films and videos driven visually by text or voice.

Written and directed by Syjuco, the only Philippine representative, “Maman” features the first single from the latest album of art-rock band Jack of None, which she shares with her brothers A.G. and Julian.

The video is as straightforward as any video poetry comes, featuring the words with one of her artworks as backdrop and an ominous music playing in the background. “I believe it is the sheer simplicity of my video that allows the poetry and

Art-rock band Jack of None is composed of Syjuco siblings, Maxine, A.G. and Julian.

THE WOMAN OF YOUR DREAMS. Visual artist-poet-model Maxine Syjuco dives deep into her soul when creating art that explores the depths of human beings.

‘Maman,’ the band’s entry to the 9th International Video Poetry Festival is part of their latest album, ‘The Purpose of the Moon.’

the Moon,” dedicated to their father, Cesare A.X. Syjuco. In addition, the album was inspired by the seven stages of grief, thereby consisting of seven tracks that explore each stage in an attempt to seek the light in the darkness, “particularly, the hidden light in the inevitability of death, loss, human suffering, and grief.”

Syjuco said the message being conveyed in “Maman” is that there is always light even in the darkness.

Jack of None is looking forward to bringing another recognition for the country, following their 2016 and 2018 wins in the Independent Music Awards in New York City.

“Given that what we create is heavily experimental and not exactly commercial, we feel so humbled to be recognized for our art in countries outside of the Philippines,” enthused Syjuco.

What empowerment means

Filipino Gen Z

FOUR women, each uses their respective platforms to raise other women and showcase what they are capable of, talk about empowerment and its meaning for them.

considers their mother the most influential

woman

Congresswoman Cristal Bagatsing, 38 years old, head of the Kabalikat ng Bayan sa Kaunlaran (KABAKA) foundation that helps alleviate poverty

By Mikaela Acido Muega IN CELEBRATION of International Women’s Day on March 8, we asked young people across the country who was the woman they admire the most. Majority of them agreed, no woman is better than their mothers.

Young people from Northern Luzon, Christian Ganaden and Julius Boadilla of the Laboratory High School - South La Union Campus both consider their mothers as a great woman.

Ganaden admires his mom for being a determined, patient, generous, and loving woman—teaching him to respect and value people without regard to their status. While Boadilla appreciates how his mom expresses her love for him, not through words, but through the simplest of actions.

Assemblyman Segundo Moscoso Memorial School students Pearl Moscoso, Kea Yuro, Reyza Escandem, Kirk Quianico, Neal Sarabia, Krizshara Baldivia, Thea Quianico, Ayacinth Jeme N. Escarlan, and Yesuah Quianico all agreed their mothers are the most inspirational and influential woman in their lives.

Moscoso admires her hardworking, brave, respectful, and independent mom; Yuro takes pride in her mother who supports the family and their community; Escandem learns from her mother to respect everyone; and Kirk Quianico and Sarabia both pick the loving, hardworking, and good management skills of their mothers as reasons for considering them influential in their lives.

Thea Quianico considers her mom as the only person who truly understands her; and Escarlan considers her mother great because she is patient, caring, and loving.

Students from Mindanao, Azraqi Sadegh, Angel Raheema Edding, Alexander Montero, and Ganima Salih likewise consider their mothers a great woman.

Sinunoc Elementary School student Sadegh admires his mother, even if “she is strict,” because she teaches him to be a better person.

In explaining her answer, Edding of Western Mindanao State University (WMSU) Integrated Laboratory School pointed out how her mother took the role of her father when the latter died six years ago.

music to stand out,” the artist posited.

The poem, undoubtedly born from a nightmare, tells the story of a mother and a daughter “struggling to find the truth amidst a myriad of uncertainties.”

“The daughter continuously enquires the whereabouts of a mysterious dead ‘body,’ and the mother repeatedly avoids the questions until the very end when she finally reveals that the daughter, herself, is the dead body,” shared Syjuco.

“Symbolically,” she added, “the poem is a dark narrative about loss, pain, heartache, and the unbearable persistence of grief.” The darkness of the poem is further fueled by the bleak conditions brought about by the pandemic in 2020 when it was written.

It is the first track from the Syjuco siblings’ latest album,“The Purpose of

Young students across the country talk about the woman they admire the most.

The world celebrates International Women’s Day on March 8.

Salih of Manalipa Integrated School, meanwhile, mentioned how her mother teaches her to be brave, resilient, and responsible. WMSU student Montero shared how his mom fuworks hard to provide for his fu ture.

Aside from their moms, other women in their families were the choice of these kids.

Bencel Balahim of WMSU said that his sister, Necel Malitig was a great woman because she gave him a foundation on good values and sent him to a private school. Azlan Sadegh of Sinunoc Elementary School considers his grandmother a great woman because she always believes in him and loves him unconditionally.

Tricia Marie M. Gellido, Senameanwhile, looks up to Sena tor Miriam Defensor Santiago for fighther brilliance and courage in fight ing corruption.

What women empowerment means: Strength and inclusivity.

A woman’s quality she’s proud to have: Being gentle-hearted; others would say women are emotional, but I think that quality is what sets her apart because feelings often help when dealing with decisions, at least in my experience so far. I think that because a woman has more “feels” that’s where we get that “woman’s intuition.”

Advice to fellow women: Never take things for granted because if 2020 has taught us anything, that would be that life is fleeting; take chances while you still can. Savor each moment with your loved ones and in the things you do.

learn to cherish what we truly are passionate about, regardless of anybody’s expectations, including our own. We are often so limited by what we build to be our own standards that we forget what makes us truly ourselves. Wear what you want. Say what you want.

Free yourself from the confines of people-pleasing thoughts!

Shaira Luna, 34 years old, one of the country’s most prolific photographers

What women empowerment means: That you can make your own choices, adjust, tweak, and improve yourself as necessary, and find contentment and joy in the journey!

A woman’s quality she’s proud to have: I’m pretty disciplined when it comes to myself, and I’m quite proud of that!

Advice to fellow women: It pays to always gather and retain tidbits of information or knowledge in your head, because they may come in handy someday.

Alexa Kaufman, 12 years old, soprano and the youngest member of the Philippine Opera Company

Frankie Pangilinan, 20 years What womold, singer-songwriter and en empowerone of today’s influential ment means: voices on social media

What women empowerment means: It means support.

Mutual growth. Lifting one another up when so much of life has been built to tear us down. Embrace the parts of us we’ve been taught to hate.

Learn to love fearlessly.

A woman’s quality she’s proud to have: I think it’s my femininity in itself. So much of culture seems to be built upon equating the lack of femininity with strength, and I don’t believe in that at all. I think strength and femininity can coexist; they often do.

I’m nothing without my femininity.

Advice to fellow women: I hope we

Although my life experiences are very limited, I know from my observations, from people I admire and my readings of biographies of outstanding people, both male and female, that there is no limit to what can be achieved. I do believe this to be true, so it is not a question of female empowerment or girl empowerment, but simply selfempowerment.

Advice to fellow women: I believe that if one is willing to work hard and make sacrifices, with God’s grace, there is nothing to stop you from following your dreams.