Manila Standard - 2021 March 22 - Monday

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(Story on A4) DFA FIRES OFF PROTEST VS. 220 CHINESE VESSELS’ PRESENCE OFF PALAWAN

By Rey E. Requejo

VOL. XXXV • NO. 40 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MORE than 200 Chinese fishing vessels believed to be crewed by militia have been spotted “in line formation” near a disputed reef west of Palawan Island, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea (NTF-WPS) said, prompting the Department of Foreign Affairs to file a diplomatic protest over the “incursion” Sunday night.

"We call on the Chinese to stop this

incursion and immediately recall these boats violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory. We are committed to uphold our sovereign rights over the WPS,” Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

Hours before Lorenzana made the statement, the Armed Forces of the Philippines said it has dispatched air and naval assets to confirm the Philippine Coast Guard report that some Next page

BACOLOD CITY SET FOR STRONG REBOUND NEWS / A4

CHINESE ARMADA? At least 220 Chinese fishing vessels believed crewed by militia have been spotted near Julian Felipe Reef, a disputed isle in the West Philippine Sea, prompting Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to ask China to remove the boats while Foreign Affairs chief Teddy Locsin fires off another diplomatic protest. NTF-WPS photo

Rody tightens GCQ curbs Rules out hard lockdown even as cases multiplying exponentially

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM MARCH 21)

663,794 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

7,757 73,072 NEW

ACTIVE

12,968

39

DEATHS

NEW

577,754 15,288 RECOVERIES

By Joyce Pangco Pañares and Willie Casas

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has placed Metro Manila and nearby provinces Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal under a general community quarantine with tighter lockdown restrictions for the next 14 days beginning today (Monday).

“This is not a hard lockdown because the economy remains open,” presidential spokesman Harry Roque said in a press briefing Sunday.

“This is GCQ with additional restrictions, targeting activities that

we know would further the spread of the virus. This is not an eco-

nomic lockdown even as we encourage work from home arrangements and as we enforce strictly the minimum health standards for those who cannot work from home,” the Palace official added.

Cavite, Bulacan, Laguna and Rizal were previously under the more relaxed Modified GCQ but the four provinces also recorded a spike in COVID-19 cases in the past few days.

Under Resolution No. 104 of the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases, the following restrictions will be enforced within the so-called GCQ bubble until April 4: • Only essential travel into and out of the GCQ bubble will be allowed. Public transportation will remain operational;

• All mass gatherings, including religious gatherings, will be prohibited. Weddings, baptisms and funeral services will be limited to 10 persons; • Restaurants, cafes and establishments limited to delivery. Take-out and al fresco dining will be allowed subject to guidelines; • Common curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.. Workers, cargo vehicles and public transportation are exempted; • Essential and non-essential services and industries are limited to 30 to 50 percent operational capacity; and • Only individuals aged 18 to 65 will be allowed outside. Visits to other households are strongly discouraged.

Next page

NEW

Gov't shirks duty, responsibility to its citizens—business groups

By Othel V. Campos and Julito G. Rada

as COVID-19 infections surged to a new record-high.

“The government has abdicated its reBUSINESS groups said the government sponsibility to protect the people and to has relinquished its moral responsibility provide for their needs, notwithstanding to its citizens in the face of more strin- how the poor can fend for their own given gent community quarantine restrictions Next page

DOH proposal comes under fire

By Rio N. Araja, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Willie Casas

CAM-NOR CLASH. Policemen carry their dead colleagues in five body bags after a three-hour gunfight with the communist New People's Army in Labo, Camarines Norte Friday night. Two other cops are wounded in the clash. The rebels also blew up a portion of an Army camp nearby.

• • • •

to be inoculated against COVID-19 under a leaked draft proposal from the Department of Health (DOH) that would bar tobacco, infant milk formula, soda and alcoholic beverage companies from participating in THOUSANDS of employees and their de- the government’s vaccine procurement propendents would be denied the opportunity gram, lawmakers said Sunday. Next page

Baguio's ube jam creator dies at 102

Banks shorten work hours Military camp locked down Comelec cuts list-up time Churches temporarily close

By Julito Rada BANKS have decided to shorten their banking hours beginning today, Monday, following the risks posed to its employees and clients by the increasing number of new COVID-19 infections.

Philippine National Bank, the fifth-

largest lender in terms of assets controlled by airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, said Sunday that starting March 22 up to April 16, its nationwide branch banking hours would be from 9am to 2pm only. This, however, excludes the branches in the malls and the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Next page

LOCAL ROUNDUP

By Dave Leprozo MASS SWABBING. Bontoc residents undergo mass swabbing for RT-PCR testing following an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. Cordillera Region, which includes Bontoc province, has registered 2, 981 active cases, with 212 new cases as of yesterday.

Dave Leprozo

THE creator of the famous Baguio City delicacy Good Shepherd ube jam, Sister Fidelis Atienza, died on Next page Saturday. She was 102.

A2

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DFA...

From A1

220 Chinese vessels have massed off Julian Felipe Reef (Whitsun Reef) some 320 kilometers west of Palawan Island on March 7.

"The Western Command ordered the dispatch of Air Force and Navy assets to conduct air and maritime sovereignty patrols to further validate the report," AFP spokesman Marine Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said in a statement.

It was unclear why it took the task force two weeks to report the March 7 incursion by the Chinese vessels into the country's exclusive economic zone.

"Despite clear weather at the time, the Chinese vessels massed at the reef

Rody...

From A1

Driving schools, traditional cinemas, game arcades, libraries, museums and cultural centers will be temporarily suspended. Cockfighting and cockpit operations will also be suspended in both GCQ and modified GCQ areas.

The Philippines logged 7,757 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 663,794, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.

This was the second-highest daily tally since the start of the pandemic and also the third straight day that new COVID-19 cases exceeded 7,000.

Thirty-nine new fatalities brought the COVID-19 death toll to 12,968, which is 1.95 percent of total infections.

The DOH also reported 15,288 recoveries, in the government’s “mass recovery adjustment,” bringing the total recoveries to 577,754, which is 87 percent of the total cases.

That left 73,072 active cases, which is 11 percent of the total number of cases. Of the active cases, 95 percent are mild; 2.3 percent are asymptomatic; 1 percent are critical; 1.1 percent are severe; and 0.58 percent are moderate.

The DOH also reported that, nationwide, 53 percent of the total ICU bed ca-

DOH...

From A1

The lawmakers, from both chambers of Congress, slammed the proposal for being discriminatory, unlawful and an overreach by the DOH as the lead agency in the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) and the National Task Force Against COVID-19 (NTF).

Albay Rep. Joey Salceda, chairman of the House committee on ways and means, said the DOH draft order practically stops the cash-strapped government from receiving any form of assistance from the private sector.

“There seems to be nothing in the law that prevents the kind of interactions required to sign vaccine agreements. The DOH is really stretching its authority here, and every rule they are introducing on top of all the others seems to just complicate our response without getting anything meaningful against COVID-19 done,” he said.

Under the DOH draft, which is being routed for approval by member agencies of the NTF, firms that produce and sell products that pose health risks to the public shall be barred from partnering with the government in procuring or donating vaccines to their employees and families.

Marikina City Rep. Estella Quimbo, a senior member of the House committee on ways and means, urged the DOH not to be too hasty in rejecting private sector participation, which can deliver the much-needed push for a broader vaccination roll-out.

“We are fortunate that we have a proactive private sector that has expressed willingness to co-finance the vaccine program and will, in effect, protect as many Filipinos as possible. The proposed policy of preventing companies that are deemed

Baguio‘s...

From A1

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines said she died at the Religious of the Good Shepherd Community in Quezon City after “66 years of religious life.”

“She never considered herself ill or infirm. Her hands were never weary as

Gov't...

From A1

the very limited job opportunities which will be further limited by the curfew and cutback on working hours,” said Employers Confederation of the Philippines president Sergio Ortiz-Luis.

He said the government should answer to the demands of the working class by allowing more options for public transportation especially of the buses along EDSA. Ortiz-Luis said many business organizations were also calling for the suspension of the Privacy Act “to give face to numbers so that people will un-

News showed no actual fishing activities," the NTF-WPS said.

The task force said this was a concern “due to the possible overfishing and destruction of the marine environment, as well as risks to safety of navigation."

Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Sunday he lodged a diplomatic protest upon the recommendation of National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr., chairman of the NTF-WPS. “Diplomatic protest fired off tonight; can’t wait for first light,” Locsin said in a Twitter post.

“So recommended by General Esperon this noon by WhatsApp. I got the coordinates so to speak. And relayed to my legal artillery, “Fire at will.” Shell should be flying at first light,” Locsin added.

The Chinese embassy in Manila did

not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The United States has previously accused China of using maritime militia to "intimidate, coerce and threaten other nations" over its claims to almost the entire South China Sea. The resource-rich waterway is also contested by several countries, including the Philippines.

China has ignored a 2016 international tribunal decision that ruled in favor of the Philippines and declared its assertion as without basis.

President Rodrigo Duterte, who has cozied up to Beijing since taking power in 2016, set aside the ruling in exchange for Chinese trade and investment.

He has repeatedly said conflict with China would be futile and that the Philip-

pines would lose and suffer heavily in the process.

In 2019, the Philippines also complained after hundreds of Chinese ships were seen near Pag-asa island, also known as Thitu, which the country branded as "illegal" in a rare rebuke of Beijing.

Julian Felipe Reef reef is a large boomerang-shaped shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reefs (Union Reefs), about 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan.

It is within the Philippine exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and continental shelf over which the country enjoys the exclusive right to exploit or conserve any resources that encompass both living resources, such as fish, and non-living resources such as oil and natural gas.

China claims almost the entire South

China Sea. It has reclaimed disputed areas and transformed previously submerged features into artificial islands with multi-level buildings and runways where surface-to-air missiles were installed in these areas, raising alarm from countries, such as the Philippines, US, Japan and Australia.

The Philippines challenged China’s legal basis for its expansive claim before the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands, and won the case in a landmark arbitral award in 2016 after the tribunal invalidated Beijing’s assertions and upheld the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. But China rejected the PCA ruling, insisting that its claims have historical basis and are “indisputable.” With AFP

pacity are utilized; 39 percent of the total isolation bed capacity are utilized; 38 percent of the total ward bed capacity are utilized; and 31 percent of the total number of units of ventilators are utilized.

The OCTA Research Group said Sunday more than 4,000 of the 7,999 new COVID-19 cases in the Philippines on March 20 were from Metro Manila.

The breakdown of the 4,059 new cases in NCR were as follows: Quezon City (870), Manila (689), Pasay (329), Makati (297), Pasig (285), Caloocan (229), Paranaque (222), Marikina (218), Valenzuela (195), Mandaluyong (174), Taguig (141), Las Piñas (117), other Metro Manila cities (293).

OCTA said Bulacan recorded the second highest daily increase on March 20, with 534 new cases. This was followed

by Cavite, 493; Cebu, 388; Rizal, 336; Laguna, 258; Batangas, 218; Isabela, 201; Pampanga, 195; Mountain Province, 123; and Benguet, 109.

Fresh daily cases of coronavirus disease 2019 infections seem to have multiplied exponentially, a medical expert from the University of the Philippines (UP) said on Sunday.

Prof. Jomar Rabajante from the UP Pandemic Response Team said that the high increase rate means transmission could worsen in communities, saying that spikes in the number of infections have

more than doubled or tripled.

“What we see now is, the increase isn't just linear, it’s exponential really,” Rabajante said in an interview on radio dzBB. An exponential increase is possible if government regulators fail to curb the recent transmission rate, said the fellow of the UP pandemic response team, which provides analyses and makes recommendations on how to curb the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rabajante suggested that granular lockdowns could be put in place to stop the sudden surge of COVID-19 infections.

Localized lockdowns may be needed, depending on the risk level, he said, adding that there are places with almost-zero case rate, such as the Bataan province that is near the Metro Manila, but has no surge in number of cases.

Rabajante said the country's current positivity rate, especially in Metro Manila, has gone up to 15 percent. The positivity rate is the percentage of those who test positive from the total number of people tested for the coronavirus.

“The positivity rate before is 10 percent but now it is increasing to 15 percent especially in NCR,” he said.

Based on their monitoring and given the evidence, the positivity rate could increase in April and May, he said.

Rabajante said eased restrictions on

mobility could be one of the causes in the surge of COVID-19 infections.

Meanwhile, the Lung Center of the Philippines COVID-19 ward has reached full capacity because of the continuous rise in cases, the hospital’s spokesperson announced Saturday.

Dr. Norberto Francisco said out of the 200 hospital beds in the Lung Center, 101 or 55 percent are allocated and occupied

by COVID-19 patients.

“All the categories — from ICU beds, critical beds, isolation beds, cohorting beds, they’re all full,” Francisco said.

OCTA Research said Saturday hospitals in Metro Manila may reach full capacity by the first week of April as the country’s COVID-19 reproduction number neared 2 amid surging cases.

The OCTA Research group said the reproduction number was currently around 1.95, which indicated that one positive individual can infect nearly two people.

“Our modeling suggests that with the current reproduction number hovering around 1.9, we expect both total bed and ICU capacity to reach full 100 percent occupancy by the first week of April," the research group said.

A reproduction number of one or higher is an indication of the continuous transmission of the virus.

to be engaged in activities that are contrary to public health reflects a misappreciation by its proponents of the public health mandate of the DOH during a pandemic,” she said.

Muntinlupa City Rep. Ruffy Biazon, an anti-smoking advocate, said instead of banning private entities which may be related to the said “barred” industries, DOH “should just make it conditional that the vaccines will not be used in any way to directly or indirectly promote or distribute products of those industries.”

“DOH should be thinking of ways how to go around hurdles to vaccine procurement and distribution, instead of being the one putting up obstacles,” he said.

Bagong Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera slammed the DOH plan to exclude tobacco and milk formula companies.

“It’s clear from that provision that the DOH is discriminating against companies it perceives to be in conflict with interest of public health,” she said.

Manila Rep. Bienvenido Abante said any help from the private sector must be welcomed by government agencies to speed up the attainment of the goals of the vaccination campaign.

“Any policy that runs counter to this objective, such as barring particular companies from securing vaccines, should be seriously reconsidered by the DOH,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon warned the DOH that barring several companies from procuring vaccines for their employees is patently “illegal and unauthorized” and can expose them to legal liabilities.

“I am deeply disturbed by this report.

If indeed such a draft administrative order exists, that is a clear violation of the COVID-19 Vaccination Act of 2021. Such a policy is discriminatory and morally unacceptable. The DOH does not have

the authority to do that,” Drilon said in a statement on Sunday.

In the alleged draft administrative order circulating on the social media, “the NTF, together with the DOH shall review the requests of private entities to procure vaccines to ensure that private entities who will be part of the agreement are not in any way related to the tobacco industry, products covered under EO 51 series of 1986 or the 'National Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes, Breastmilk Supplement and Other Related Products' or other industries in conflict with public health.”

Drilon, a former Justice secretary, said the administrative order would be unlawful.

“The law does not discriminate against or exclude companies based on their products, services or lines of business.

The supposed administrative order, therefore, is discriminatory and it would go beyond the law and would constitute an actionable wrong,” he said.

“Who is playing God here once more?” Drilon asked. “Please stop playing God. This is not the time for politics and selfish agenda. It is our moral responsibility to share the vaccine.”

Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph Recto said the NTF was “legislating by the implementing rules and regulations.”

"This legislation by IRR is a bad habit by bureaucrats who imagine themselves as the third chamber of Congress," he said.

"No such provision exists in the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021 or Republic Act No. 11525," he added.

Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor on Sunday echoed Recto's charge, saying the DOH was usurping the power of Congress.

“Congress never meant to discriminate against any industry when we passed the law establishing the COVID-19 vaccination program, precisely because we rec-

ognize that government needs the help of the entire private corporate sector in quickly immunizing as many Filipinos as possible,” he said.

“We are now dealing with the defining health and socio-economic crisis of our time. We need all hands on deck in suppressing this pandemic,” he added.

Employers Confederation of the Philippines president Sergio Ortiz-Luis Jr. on Sunday said allowing businesses to buy the vaccines for their own employees would help the government, as it would no longer have to shoulder the cost of the vaccines for these workers.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, meanwhile, called on the government to allow the private sector to import and buy COVID-19 vaccines directly from accredited sources without restrictions or conditions.

The DOH said the draft order was not final and said they were “still in the process of reconciling the proposed provisions with other existing laws and guidelines.”

“The DOH emphasizes that the national government commits to provide all Filipinos equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines following the prioritization criteria and list approved by the Inter-Agency Task on Emerging Infectious Diseases,” the DOH said.

“Any provisions that may be perceived to discriminate against any sector of the population from accessing COVID-19 vaccines [are] not considered in any policy, guideline, protocol that shall be issued by this government,” the DOH added.

The contents of the draft IRR were based on recommendations coming from different stakeholders, the department said, and all comments and recommendations from different stakeholders are still welcome until the finalization and approval of the IRR, the DOH said.

she was still helping turn plastics into eco-bricks until her shoulders ached from too much pushing of plastic into the plastic bottles,” the Religious of the Good Shepherd posted on Facebook on Saturday.

"For the soul, lots of prayers. And for my skin, only Cetaphil," she said once when asked about her beauty secret, referring to a skin care brand.

It was in the 1960s when Batangas City native Atienza established the Mar-

ian Bakery and created crispies, the forerunner of the angel cookies, also a bestseller. In 1976 she introduced the ube jam or purple yam.

“She was the original mastermind behind the ube jam, enabling the congregation to send thousands of youths to school,” according to her congregation.

Atienza entered the Novitiate of the Good Shepherd in Los Angeles, California, in 1951.

Aside from Baguio, her other minis-

tries included dozens of community apostolate in Cebu, Quezon City, Hong Kong, France, Rome and Tagaytay.

In 2020 she was transferred to the Good Shepherd Community in Quezon City.

Her remains are at the chapel of the Good Shepherd Convent on Aurora Boulevard, Quezon City, but the wake and services are private. The interment will be at the Good Shepherd Columbary, which will be announced later.

Philippine Savings Bank, the thrift bank arm of the Metrobank Group, also shortened the banking hours of its branches in Metro Manila and Rizal province from 8:30am to 3pm.

BDO Unibank Inc., the largest lender controlled by the Sy family, said in a statement it will continue to implement its branch banking hours until 4pm.

Likewise, China Banking Corp. said effective March 22, the banking hours of its branches nationwide will be from 9am to 3:30pm only and the clearing cut-off time is 3pm.

Bank of the Philippine Islands said shortened banking hours have been implemented in all BPI, BPI Family Savings Bank and BanKo branches since the start of the pandemic.

Camp Aguinaldo under lockdown The headquarters of the Armed Forces of the Philippines has been placed under lockdown Sunday.

AFP spokesman Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo said the “preemptive measure” aimed to arrest the “alarming and fast-growing number of COVID-19 infections.”

The AFP earlier ordered all soldiers and their dependents to get vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

Comelec also shortens hours The Commission on Elections has shortened the hours of registration and ordered the suspension of satellite registration starting March 22.

Comelec said applications for registration will be accepted from Mondays to Thursdays, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at all Offices of the Elections Officer.

The Comelec, however, said issuance of voter’s certification will be until 5 p.m.

“The designated disinfection day is Friday. However, in case the local government unit concerned prescribes a disinfection day other than Friday, the OEO will be able to close to the public on such day, in addition to the Comelec prescribed disinfection day,” it said.

Churches temporarily closed The Dioceses of Novaliches and Cubao will lock down their churches starting Monday.

Novaliches Bishop Roberto Gaa said the initiative was prompted after his talk with the local government of Quezon City.

Rev. Honesto F. Ongtioco, Bishop of Cubao, imposed the same order although they will reopen on April 5, Easter Monday, a day after Novaliches resumes their services.

Parish priest dies A parish priest of San Agustin Church in Intramuros, Manila, succumbed to COVID-19 on Sunday.

San Agustin Church and Convento de San Agustin Intramuros will be closed starting March 21 “due to the nature of the Catholic priest’s death.”

The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines news website reported that Fr. Arnold Sta. Maria Cañoza died at the age of 45 early Sunday morning.

“Access to the church and convent will be restricted, and operations at the parish office will also be suspended until further notice,” the parish said.

19,000 reprimanded, fined More than 19,000 people have been reprimanded, fined or apprehended for failure to observe the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. unified curfew hours in the metropolis, police records indicated on Sunday.

Six days into the imposition of the unified curfew hours, Philippine National Police officer-in-charge Police Lieutenant General Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar said 19,628 curfew violators in Metro Manila were either warned, fined or detained.

Lawmen reported that 6,048 curfew violators were only warned, 7,326 were fined, 5,322 were released for regular filing of cases, while 824 did community service.

derstand where the country is right now.

“This will allow the people to know what they are up against. As private individuals they are also entitled to the truth.

I think the suspension of the Privacy Act will greatly complement contact-tracing efforts and save the government much needed funds that can be reallocated for other similarly important purposes,” he said.

Ortiz-Luis said the looming threat of another lockdown would only scare the people more than ever.

“The economy cannot sustain another lockdown even for just a few weeks. I’m pretty sure that criminality will surge parallel to the surge of those infected. Why, because people

are hungry. And virus or not, they need to eat. Another lockdown would mean suspension of jobs. The government should find another way to deal with this,” he said.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry lamented similar concerns on the economy and on the fragile situation of the working population as not only because business hours were shortened, but many feel that limited working hours may force business owners to temporarily close and allow workers another furlough.

“The proposal for a second lockdown is still under evaluation by the authorities. Definitely our economy will suffer, even the great taipan Ramon Ang had

shown serious concerns about [economic recovery]. I think our government is doing its best to solve the problem. The private sector is constantly reaching out to see how we can support the efforts of our government,” said PCCI chairman emeritus Francis Chua.

At the current rate, while many businesses have reopened, many micro and small companies may have to close shop, albeit temporarily if infections continue to rise and the government finds it prudent to place the country on a second lockdown, Chua said.

“While we’re at this, there seems to be companies wherein laborers are planning to go on strike. So we appeal to the government, to secretary Ramon Lopez

and secretary Silvestre Bello III to come up with a moratorium on strikes, especially at this most difficult time.”

Meanwhile, the country’s largest convenience store chain, 7-11, said it will continue to follow the government’s protocol on businesses since it is the safest and most logical thing to do in a crisis.

“We follow government regulations for hours but will continue to serve our customers to the extent possible. We've recently pivoted to more essentials at lower prices in the spirit of bayanihan so people can shop closer to home and lower the spread. we are also scaling up online grocery,” said 7-11 president Victor Pardo-Paterno.

Local...

From A1

News

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

UP village head warned vs. PNP campus immersion BAYAN Muna Rep. Carlos Isagani Zarate on Sunday urged Barangay UP chairperson Zenaida Lectura to carefully study the plan of the Philippine National Police to hold a 10-day immersion in the campus community, citing it may have dire consequences for the residents.

“We have received complaints in the past that police immersion programs are in fact used for intelligence information gathering. In some cases, such immersions are the preludes to raids done in communities,” he said.

“The PNP may just be testing the waters if they can get away with it, then later on launch other operations like the ones that happened in the bloody Sunday massacre in Southern Tagalog,” he added.

He said the police may not just be targeting students, faculty, staff and other UP residents in their operation but the Lumad bakwit school in the campus just like what happened in the University of San Carlos in Cebu City.

“We believe it would be more prudent that this police immersion not be allowed inside the UP campus community. Baranggay and university officials should continuously assert that UP should not be militarized. Acts and programs designed to stifle dissent and independent thinking have no place in UP or any place of learning for that matter,” he stressed.Rio Araja

Oil players set price cutback

by P0.45/liter

FIRST JAB.

Makati Health Officer Bernard Sese takes the first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine as part of the Bakuna Makati program where around 2000 frontliners from the Makati Health Department and Incident Command Post also get the jabs. #BakunaMakati

PNP ‘red-teaming’ risky—solon

By Rio N. Araja

S

URIGAO del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel on Sunday warned the Philippine National Police against the perils associated with the conduct of police “red-teaming” maneuvers.

“We’re worried that insurgents might exploit these security drills to pounce on isolated police stations in the countryside,” he said.

“This is just a word of caution that these so-called surprise inspections

of police stations in the provinces might blow back on government forces,” he added.

Pimentel is the chairperson of the House committee on strategic intelligence that oversees government intel-

ligence activities and programs, including counter-terrorism.

In red-teaming exercises, some police units would disguise themselves as the enemy and perform spot checks on stations to test their operational readiness, he said.

The Samar provincial police units involved in the supposed mistaken encounter with Calbayog City Mayor Ronald Aquino’s party on Mar. 8 were on red-teaming operations in unmarked vehicles and civilian clothes,

he said, citing the report from the Eastern Visayas regional police office.

“We should not underestimate the ability of the enemy to resort to elaborate schemes to overwhelm entire police stations or military detachments and seize firearms,” Pimentel said.

“They’ve done this many times in the past by masquerading as government troops on surprise inspection. The insurgents have been known to impersonate friendly forces by simply donning military or police uniforms,” he said.

Solons to LTO: mandatory seminar ‘ill-timed’

By Alena Mae S. Flores A ROLLBACK in oil prices by as much as P0.45 per liter loomed large yesterday given the price movement in the world market, according to Unioil Philippines.

“Expect fuel prices to have mix movement next week (March 23 to 29).

Diesel should go down by P0.35 to P0.45 per liter. Gasoline should have no price change,” Unioil Philippines said.

World oil prices declined due to rising coronavirus cases in Europe which could affect global demand.

Europe has recorded deaths close to a million and around 40 million confirmed cases. Some areas have also announced fresh lockdowns.

The latest rollback came as cutback on the oil price increase enforced by oil players on March 16 of P1.25 per liter for gasoline, P0.90 per liter for diesel and P0.85 per liter for kerosene.

This resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to a net increase of P7.35 per liter for gasoline, P6.25 per liter for diesel and P5.35 per liter for kerosene, according to Department of Energy (DOE) data.

Meanwhile, DOE has come out with the draft policy framework on the guidelines for the development, establishment and operation of the electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS).

Prior to initial engagement in the proposed activity or prior to the construction of the EVCS facilities, DOE said any person/entity who may own, establish, and operate EVCS and in any similar activities should file a notice with the Energy Utilization Management Bureau (EUMB) with permits and licenses from relevant government agencies and Local Government Units (LGUs).

DOE said all electrical-related components of the EVCS shall be compliant to Section 5 of the draft circular for the welfare of the user from any electrical-related incidents.

A3

WALLED UP. A road leading to the maximum security compound of the National Bilibid Prisons is being blocked by a concrete wall erected by the Bureau of Corrections, triggering uproar by Muntinlupa residents as the passageway serves as access road for NHA and Southville 3 residents.

Congressman Ruffy Biazon is said to have gotten in touch with Bucor officials to resolve the issue. One PH (Facebook)#GoPhilippines

‘Last flag ceremony’ for Chief Justice set today

By Rey Requejo CHIEF Justice Diosdado M. Peralta, who will bow out of service on March 27, one year ahead of his mandatory retirement age of 70, will be attending his “last flag ceremony” today (Monday) at the Supreme Court’s compound along Padre Faura Street in Manila.

In an advisory, the SC Public Information Office said Chief Justice Peralta’s last flag raising ceremony will be broadcast live online on its social media accounts on March 22 at 8 am.

Staging the “last flag ceremony” for retiring SC magistrates has been part of

its tradition.

However, due to the corona virus disease 2019 pandemic, the high court stressed that the physical attendance during the flag ceremony would be limited to incumbent justices, heads of offices, and officers of the lawyers’ and employees’ organizations.

“Due to strict health protocols, no media will be allowed inside the SC compound. Coverage will be virtual,” the SC said, All other members of the judiciary and court employees may attend the ceremony online, the SC said.

Last December, Peralta announced his

Chief Justice Diosdado M. Peralta

early retirement on March 27, 2021 or one year ahead of his compulsory retirement at the age of 70 on March 27, 2022.

LAWMAKERS on Sunday appealed to the Land Transportation Office to defer plans to require drivers renewing their licenses to undergo a mandatory seminar.

Citizens Battle Against Corruption party-list representatives Eddie Villanueva and Domingo Rivera made the statement following the announcement of LTO-Region XI that it would hold mandatory seminars for drivers who will renew their licenses.

“Though the Department of Transportation has already clarified that such mandatory seminar is just a proposal for now, we appeal to the LTO to hold in abeyance any such plan while the entire country is grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Villanueva said.

“It will be an additional financial burden to the drivers and it will unnecessarily expose applicants to the virus which now have more potent variants. All the measures the government should take while braving this pandemic must be aimed at alleviating or cushioning the debilitating impact of COVID-19. Anything that will add up to their hardship should never be mulled at the first place,” he added.

Rivera said while they understand the objectives of the mandatory seminar, the proposal is ill-timed amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

“We are not against refresher seminars for drivers to ascertain their worthiness to be given a license. However, a well-intentioned policy yet ill-timed will lead to opposition. This policy can still wait until such time that we have adequately recovered from the pandemic,” Rivera said. Rio N. Araja

Implement mobile portability ahead of telco franchise renewal

DISINFECTED. A member of the QC Task Force on Solid Waste Management conducts disinfection and misting operations in various area and offices in Quezon City Hall to ensure that every nook and cranny is clean and safe against the COVID-19. Manny Palmero

SENATOR Sherwin Gatchalian renewed his call for the immediate implementation of the Mobile Number Portability Act (MNPA) ahead of Congress’ grant of franchises to new players in the telecommunications industry.

The senator made the appeal following deliberations on House Bill No. 7332 which will renew for another 25 years the franchise granted to Mindanao Islamic Telephone Company Inc. or Mislatel, presently known as Dito Telecommunity Corp. – the country’s third player.

The company’s existing franchise is set to expire on April 24, 2023.

“The MNPA will give us the flexibility

of moving to a new telco without changing our personal numbers. It’s very difficult and very taxing to change and send notices to everyone if we switch to a new service provider,” Gatchalian said.

The National Telecommunications Commission, along with Smart Communications, Globe Telecoms and Dito should expedite the process of interoperability ahead of their earlier commitment to fully launch commercially the mobile portability by September this year.

“With the MNPA in place, it will enhance competition and it will make our lives easier as we will be able to choose which service suits us best,” Gatchalian added. Macon Ramos-Araneta

A4

News

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

‘P11b in pork tariff losses’ T

HE government will lose about P11 billion in revenue should the pork tariffs be reduced from 30 percent to 5 percent, Senator Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan said Sunday.

“Our estimate is about P11 billion,” Pangilinan said when asked how much the government may lose on its plan to cut tariffs in response to the African swine fever (ASF) that has reduced pork supply and raised pork prices in the country.

“The purpose of the tariff is to support the affected industry with funding,

to use the funds,” he added.

Pangilinan said this means the source of financial support for the domestic hog-raisers will also be reduced.

“Mawawala din ‘yung suporta sa magbababoy kung ibababa ang taripa.

Eh talagang mayroong malaki, tibatiba, ang kumikita rito. Binaba na ang

taripa, tinaas pa ‘yung volume nung pwedeng i-import,” he said.

Based on Pangilinan’s computations, at the current 30 percent in-quota tariff, the collections for imported pork would be 13.8 billion pesos, assuming the Minimum Access Volume for pork is increased to 404,210 metric tons. If the tariff is reduced to 5 percent, the collection would be 2.3 billion pesos, a difference of 11.5 billion pesos.

Former Congressman Nicanor Briones, who is president of the Agriculture Sector Alliance of the Philippines and vice

president for Luzon of the Pork Producers Federation of the Philippines, gave the same estimate on the projected government revenue loss during the February 22 hearing of the Senate Committee of Agriculture, Food, and Agrarian Reform on rising food prices.

Pangilinan earlier delivered a privilege speech and filed a resolution urging the President to declare a state of calamity due to the severe impact of ASF on the swine industry. The resolution was later adopted by the Senate.

QC vows to file raps vs. manning agency THE Quezon City government on Sunday threatened to file charges against another manning agency for its failure to help a COVID-19-positive worker, who was waiting for his deployment overseas.

City Legal Officer Orlando Casimiro said the city government would run after the Staff house Manpower Office for violation of Republic Act No. 11332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act. “The city government will also file a complaint before the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration against the company, being a manpower agency sending Filipinos abroad,” he said.

Mayor Joy Belmonte ordered the Business Permits and Licensing Department to cancel the business permit of the Quezon City-based manpower firm.

“We won’t let this act go unpunished. The agency is putting the lives of the patients and many of our residents in danger,” she said.

“I have ordered our city legal to leave no stone unturned to guarantee that this manning agency is punished to the full extent of the law,” Belmonte added. Rio N. Araja

SPANISH VISITOR. The Spanish Navy ship Juan Sebastian Elcano has arrived in Cebu for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of Magellan’s arrival in the Philippines and Christianity in the Country. Alan Tangcawan

Solon: Sara can continue Rody’s gains for nation

By Rio N. Araja DAVAO City Mayor Sara Duterte “can easily continue the country’s gains” if she is elected as the next president, Davao Oriental Rep. Joel Mayo Almario said Sunday.

He said surveys “consistently” showed the presidential daughter topping the presidential race in the 2022 national and local polls.

“This is another clear manifestation of the people’s support to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte, who enjoys unprecedented high approval ratings,” noted Almario, a member of the ruling PDP-Laban party.

He said there is a clamor for the President to continue as Chief Executive, but because of the constitutional prohibition limiting his term, Duterte’s daughter is the next best choice to carry on the administration’s fight against corruption and illegal drugs and push for national economic recovery through the “Build Build Build” program.

“Like her father, Sara is an avid big biker, a lawyer and a mayor. Like her father, she is strong-willed, determined and fierce in defending the people. Like her father, she has been a vice mayor of Davao City and is currently its mayor,” he said.

“Like her father, she is held dear to the hearts of the Mindanaoans. Following the people’s sentiments and mass movements nationwide appealing for Mayor Sara to run for the presidency, she will be like her father who served Davao City as Mayor and later became the President of the republic,” Almario said.

“In fact, she may turn out to be a more dynamic president, given her age and political experience,” he added.

Manila hotels as quarantine areas Leonardia: Bacolod poised for strong rebound

By Willie Casas MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has tasked Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna-Pangan and Bureau of Permits chief Levi Facundo to talk to owners of motels and hotels for the possibility of using them as quarantine facilities, owing to what he termed as a “resurgence” of COVID-19 cases.

Domagoso noted that despite the many quarantine facilities built by the city government, the recent alarming spike in the number of residents getting infected with COVID-19 may fill up all the facilities.

Thus, he said the task given to the vice mayor and Facundo will be part of preparations for a possible spillover in the coming weeks, as predicted

by some health experts and in view of the unprecedented speed of increase in COVID-19 cases.

Domagoso lamented that the city government’s assigned COVID beds in the city-run hospitals and the quarantine facilities have recently registered high occupancy rates the city has never experienced in the past year it had been battling the pandemic.

The mayor said 300 quarantine beds will be added to the existing facilities to accommodate a possible surge in the coming days.

Noting that the transmission is now within families, Domagoso advised residents to wear masks at all times, even if one is inside the home or vehicle, and to always assume that the one beside him or her is a virus carrier.

RUN SARA RUN. Supporters of Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte held a motorcade from Taguig to Marikina that ended at the Senate in Manila for a signature campaign to urge President Rodrigo Duterte’s daughter to run for Presidential office this 2022. Norman Cruz

104 infections among CL police

By Jess Malabanan CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga—Central Luzon police director BGen. Valeriano De Leon on Sunday ordered all police units in the region to disinfect their offices daily, as the number of policemen who have contracted the coronavirus climbed to 102 in just two weeks.

“As the rising cases of COVID-19 hit the Central Luzon police force, basic measures to prevent transmission must be observed in every police unit,” said De Leon in a directive.

Official transactions with police offices and supporting units such as the Criminal Investigation Detection Group (CIDG), Highway Patrol Group (HPG), Medical and Dental Service and PNP Crime Laboratory must be limited to appointment-basis only to prevent the spread of the virus, added De Leon.

He said the instruction is in line with the guidance of PNP headquarters and the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) protocol in preventing the spread of the new strains of COVID-19.

By Jimbo Gulle BACOLOD City is poised to bounce back strongly from the coronavirus pandemic as the city government has already secured enough vaccines to inoculate 70 percent of its 635,000 population and thus achieve herd immunity, Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia said.

Leonardia, who is also national president of the League of Cities of the Philippines (LCP), also revealed that the group has successfully lobbied the national government to add local chief executives (LCEs) – governors and mayors alike -- to the list of high-priority persons who would receive the vaccine.

However, the League is still on the fence on the effect of the MandanasGarcia ruling of the Supreme Court, which awarded local government units a greater share of the Internal Revenue Allotment (IRA) from the national government, Leonardia added.

In an exclusive interview with Manila Standard for its maiden webisode of “LGU Loop” streamed live on Facebook, the mayor said the Bacolod city government has already secured 650,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine from AstraZeneca, which has pledged to add 150,000 jabs more toward the end of the year.

“About 325,000 are scheduled to be vaccinated (with the 650,000 doses), and that’s already 53 percent of our population,” Leonardia said. “But since those below 18 years old can’t be vaccinated, and the youth make up 32 percent of our city population, we only have to look for vaccines for the remaining 15 percent or so of our people.”

This gives the city government the luxury of time to look for other vaccine sources, Bacolod’s longest serving mayor said, even as 3,024 persons have already received the life-saving jab in the City of Smiles as of March 18.

He assured Bacolodnons that the vaccine “is there for the taking” as the city has launched an information campaign to raise the public’s acceptance of the jab.

“We are allocating P300 million for that (vaccine). Where the lives of our people are concerned, we will go for broke, do everything possible to realign, divert, or change the budget to get the vaccine, which is our salvation in a pandemic like this,” Leonardia said.

PILOT EPISODE. Bacolod City Mayor Evelio ‘Bing’ Leonardia graces the first ‘LGU Loop’ webisode on Facebook hosted by Manila Standard publisher Rolando Estabillo and City Editor Jimbo Gulle on March 18.

has approved the League of Cities’ request that “city mayors should be given preferential attention where vaccination is concerned.”

“When we are talking about frontliners that have to be vaccinated ahead (of the public) because of their exposure to people on a daily basis, the same is true with local chief executives,” he said.

Based on the LCP’s request, 1,634 governors and mayors – city and municipal chief executives alike -- will be considered high priority or “category A4” recipients of the vaccine, the mayor said.

This was related to Leonardia by Department of the Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing, who visited Bacolod earlier this month, the mayor said.

But the LCP is also lobbying that vice governors, vice mayors, councilors, and about 42,000 barangay chairmen and councilors or “kagawad” would get the same treatment as health frontliners, he said.

“But Densing said we will start with just that (mayors and governors), so we are just getting the first step. LCEs will get the first chance to be vaccinated because of this new policy,” the mayor added.

Leonardia said the IATF approval “is LCEs on vax priority list an answered prayer because of the expoMeanwhile, the Bacolod mayor an- sure and risk we’re taking every day,” and nounced that the national Inter-Agen- hoped that vice governors and officials cy Task Force (IATF) on COVID-19 downward would get the same privilege.

Greater IRA allocation

Meanwhile, as LCP president, Leonardia said most of their members are still uncertain on the effect of the Mandanas-Garcia ruling, which would give LGUs as much as 27 percent more funds from the IRA. That’s because the national government also intends to devolve some of its functions and offices to the local governments, “which means we will have to use pending money for offices which are (normally under the) obligation of the national government.”

Bacolod would receive around P500 million more from the national government if the Mandanas-Garcia ruling is enforced, Leonardia said, “which is big money for us.”

But the mayor noted local chief executives “could not just sing alleluia yet” as Malacanang has yet to release an executive order to implement the IRA fund disbursement under the Supreme Court ruling, and that some officials said the ruling would only be enforced by 2022, an election year.

“It’s premature for us to sing alleluia, we don’t know the bottom line if these expenses will accrue to us, or the (national government) policies (on the devolution) will be implemented all at once. We’re not sure this development will net us additional IRA, it might even mean more for us to spend than what we’re going to get,” Leonardia said.

“In principle, yes (the ruling helps LGUs), but how will this devolution affect us? Does it also mean we will have to spend more? We can’t say exactly this is totally good news to us. Until the EO is issued, we won’t know if it’s a net profit or loss for us,” he added.

Opinion But who are the opposition?

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

B1

EDITORIAL

Mental health and the pandemic

the fight against the pandemic. So does thatNAKED make him oppositionist?

THOUGHT Why did 1Sambayan not include Ping Lacson, who although supportive of CHARLIE the V. current Senate leadership, has been very MANALO vocal in upbraiding the clearly incompetent DOH leadership for its lapsus mentis, and in exposing corruption in many agencies?

1SAMBAYAN was launched last Thurs- Does that not qualify him as oppositionist?

Is it because their co-convenors from day with the express purpose, according This is not, however, an either-or to its convenors, of uniting the opposition the Left, or self-proclaimed “progressive” HE number of deaths due to suicide climbed an THE FIFTH blocs (which is granted to be the more pobehind one candidate. solution. Anybody can help by acastounding 25.7 percent year on year, from 2,808 in Lacson beThey give the administration too much litically correct term), dislike GOSPEL knowledging the problem and being CROSSROADS cause he authored the Anti-Terrorism Law? credit, by stating that unless the “opposi2019 to 3,529 in 2020, according to the Philippine available for anyone—family memJUDE for Statistics Authority.

Is 1Sambayan therefore convening tion” unites behind one candidate, it cannot ber, friend, colleague—who may be J.A. candidates win against whoever the present leadership the purpose of proclaiming the ACIDRE struggling with mental health probDELA vice-presidenCRUZ they like, rather than the candidates the chooses as its presidential, lems. Trivializing or denying the Self-harm deaths averaged 2,630 anIt could drive people to do or think people like, or will like?

Those that pass tial and even senatorial candidates. nually in the past five years. about things they would not other- struggles, or painting a picture rosier They advert to the 2016 elections, where their metrics, and will parrot their advocathan reality, or saying that everyone Meanwhile, the National Center for wise contemplate. a mayor from the deep South trumped the cies to the fullest?

There is no question however that the on the planet is suffering from the other four candidates, winning almost 40 Mental Health said there was a signifieffects of COVID-19, all these have percent of the national vote. At the time, convenors of 1Sambayan are in opposition cant increase in calls to its suicide-prethe administration had one definite candi- of President Duterte and his administraIt would be wrong the tendency to make the situation vention hotline last year, from 80 calls date, Mar Roxas, and when they failed to tion, from retired SC Associate Justice Anworse and drive the person to even per month pre-lockdown to nearly 400. to say or assume that OPEN Ombudsman and prevail upon Grace Poe to be his running tonio Carpio, to retired greater isolation.

It also reported an average of 50 suiNAKED (incidentally mate, they chose Leni Robredo who even- AJ Conchita Carpio-Morales the pandemic affects THOUGHTS This virus has already taken much cide-related cases per month.

SO the aunt of Mayor Inday Sara’s husband, tually won by a very slim margin.

THOUGHT out of us, and in many ways imaginpeople the same way.

The numbers support the fact that Atty. Manasses),ORLANDO and former Foreign SecI SEE able. Worse, it looks like we have to the COVID-19 pandemic has taken CHARLIE V. retary Albert del OXALES Rosario, especially insoMaybe the quest bear with it for much longer. While far as the issue of the West Philippine LITO Sea a toll not only on people’s physical MANALO the pandemic has been difficult for is concerned. well-being but on their mental health In August, Inter-Agency Task Force should be for a unifying BANAYO The statements of the convenors during as well. The virus itself is attacking for the Management of Emerging In- everybody, it would be wrong to say leader instead. their launch last Thursday also clearly expeople’s bodies and is able to infl ict fectious Diseases implementer Gen. or assume that it affects people the pressed disapproval of the present leadermuch damage, even cause death, in Carlito Galvez Jr. suggested religious same way. Different people cope with ship’s human rights record, as well as the a matter of days. But all other con- leaders should provide guidance and crises differently, and while it has beBut did Grace Poe take votes away from “incompetence” in the handling of the sequences of the virus—economic THE FIFTHenlightenment to those battling men- come practically second nature to enadministration candidate Mar, or from coronavirus pandemic. Such is par for the hardship, isolation, loss, uncertainty tal issues. Some groups frowned upon sure we keep a safe physical distance then Vice-President Jojo Binay? No one course, and surely even the president exGOSPEL CROSSROADS and a state of constant worry, even this suggestion, saying it is instead between us and the next person, now, has made a publicized analysis of who pects this of the opposition. I wonder what paranoia—affect people’s mental better to tap the expertise of mental more than ever, we should make ourepithets he will rain upon them in his next JUDE took which votes from whom, and all we J.A. well-being. It could aggravateACIDRE exist- health professionals to address the selves available to those who need remember was that the mayor from deep television appearance. help the most.

But Mayor Inday SaraDELA beat herCRUZ father ing conditions or occasion new ones. concerns.

South, with little funding and hardly any politician supporting him, trumped them to the reaction over 1Sambayan’s “othering”, which she labelled “authoritarall and is now PRRD. 1Sambayan also has to tell the electorate, ian.” As in imposing themselves upon the electorate. pray tell, who are the opposition?

Maybe 1Sambayan would better exIt listed a few names whom they have approached, but hardly anyone has con- press their quest for the next president of risk of falling to severe COVID-19 complifirst dose to jab more health workers. There firmed that they submit themselves to the the country in terms of a “unifying” leader cations would have been neutralized. The must be a “Plan B” if for some reason the rather than a mere oppositionist, because OPEN 1Sambayan vetting process to “unify” the two-dose Moderna vaccine has a 94-pernext tranche needed for the second dose we submit that such is what the country “opposition”.

THOUGHTS cent efficacy rate and was authorized for gets delayed. needs.

Someone who can heal a polarized They listed Grace Poe, Isko Moreno, emergency use in the United States.

Nancy Binay, Antonio Trillanes and the nation amid the often hateful character of ORLANDO This is again a sterling example of how our divisiveness. incumbent vice-president, Leni Robredo.

OXALES the private sector plays a crucial role in reThis by far is the But 1Sambayan qualifies that they would But aside from Trillanes, who has been bounding from this pandemic crisis and how vociferous against the president from Day also look at the prospects of winnability, largest vaccine supply SO MANY explanations are circulating on industry leaders are initiating interventions One or even before, and Robredo, who as a based on public opinion surveys, among what’s causing the record-breaking spike of on all fronts in the spirit of public-private deal of the country. others.

In fi ne, they should be looking for Liberal, is considered patent “dilawan” by 7,999 new COVID-19 cases last Saturday. partnerships. Industry thought leaders will the DDS of the current government, would someone who is both agreeable and winnaThe Department of Health has pointed to be gathering in a virtual roundtable disble even if he or she may not be the comwe rightly classify Grace, Isko and Nancy breaches in health protocols as people now cussion on March 26, 2021 hosted by the This sense of disarray would be underplete antithesis of PRRD. oppositionists? have more mobility, because they need to Stratbase ADR Institute in partnership with standable during the fi rst months of the panPolitics, after all, is the art of the possiSure, Senators Poe and Binay actively make a living, and the arrival of new vari- demic but after over a year and even regressthe Philippine Chamber of Commerce and participate in committee hearings where ble. And in 2022, as in other presidential ants.

Quite worrisome is the newly detectIndustry, The Management Association of ing to this critical situation already puts doubt elections, there can be no substitute for the incompetence of some in government ed Philippine variant labeled “P.3” said to on this administration’s competence and govthe Philippines, Makati Business Club, Emare roasted on the Senate pits, but their victory. resemble the recently discovered Japanese ployers Confederation of the Philippines and ernance.

A comparison of the quarterly GDP Agreeability should be defi ned in terms legislative record shows that by and large, variant and the notorious Brazilian variant rate from official government statistics from BowerGroupAsia. Heads of major industries they have gone along with the administra- of demonstrated competent leadership esobserved to escape immunity.

Already dewill share how their business groups are Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, pecially in times of crisis such as this untion and voted with it under the leadership pire were not spared from pillagers. This tected locally are the more transmissible Thailand, and our own Philippine Statistics ending pandemic, generally upright charof Senate President Tito Sotto. is known as the sack of Rome, “when the helping to pull the country out of this deep mutations from South Africa, Brazil, and Authority economic recession and how all sectors can that in the fourth quarter of As for Isko Moreno, the hyper-active acter, and the empathy that springs from fate shows of the Roman culture would depend the UK. work together in a united effort. Insights on 2020, Thailand faired best at 4.5%,tothe only mayor of the national capital, what has he compassion, someone who can put a preon the barbarians’ readiness preserve Stricter lockdowns can again disrupt supNAKED positive fi gure in this group, followed by Inmium at rectifying the extremely unequal or transmit it” (History of the World, John the current issues and solutions in the conopposed? Other than joking about a flood ply chains, business operations and affect donesia (-2.2%),Hall, Malaysia Singapore distribution of the nation’s wealth.

Whitney pp 139(-3.4%), and 141).

Centuries text of the evolving, economic, health, and of tarpaulins amid a dearth of vaccines, THOUGHT many jobs, worsening the hardship of vulner(-3.8%), Vietnam (-4.2%), and sadly the Phillater, in the worldwide expansion of Eu- political environment will surely be of interEven the perceptibly elite convenors of he has been urging his constituents to able communities. are new calls from union est specially to policy makers.

THEREThere has been an unexpected ippines is the bottom performer at -8.3%.

In rope, the natives of South America were 1Sambayan cannot but agree with this. cooperate with the national government in CHARLIE V. between for theanother Philippine the killed medical front-liners “timeNavy out” asand terms I highly recommend registering to this by the thousands during the early of annual growth rate, we suffered the MANALO Tagapagtaguyod ng Sining ng stages of thecontraction European at conquest.

The rare aggrupation of concerned business leadMetro-Manila’s hospitals, where half at ofKultura the greatest economic -9.5%, the Pilipinas (TSKP). cases The Philippine colonists settled inreality North ers. Do feel free to register and listen to some country’s active COVID-19 are, may Navy worst English since 1947.

This iswho a palpable health o is the navalifbranch of the Armed AWMAKERS become overwhelmed this infection surge Forces for a change: should that weAmerica now feel.originated the notion that the voices of hope on Day of the Philippines (AFP).

The AFP is reonly good Indian was a dead Indian (Hiscontinues. However, the National Task Force drop everything and https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ The best news lately and a welcome dose The sponsible for upholding of the World, John Whitney Hall, pp (NTF) against COVID-19 Chairedthe by sovereignty De- of newtory uRXn5Xz4QseaKVF5EEXnpg hope is the recent signing of the triimmediately debate over reenacte of our Republic, supporting the Consti414-415). fense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana has ruled partite agreement between the Philippine crucial acts of “colonization” in human histheir job the proposed 2021 budget. tution and defending Philippine territory There was also the Anschluss, the Gerout a repeat of economically disastrous total government, THE FIFTH the private sector,onand UStory. If it did not happen, then Europe would budget against all enemies foreign and domestic. man annexation They should pass the new of Austria 12 March lockdowns and hasoninstead called on the based 1938 drug unopposed manufacturer Moderna, for have not existed as we know it today. Had the budget s TSKP the other hand, is Loa nongovby the AustriansInc. because GOSPEL appropriations act swiftly with cal Government Unitsand to nonpolitical impose “granular 20 million dosesNazi of their COVID-19 vaccine.

Arabs not subjugated the ancient peoples of in that ernmental organization of intense propaganda.

In November little time left, as if their lives lockdowns”which citingwas their lapses in enforcing my wou This by far isonthe largest vaccine deal the Middle East and conquered the ByzanJUDE organized to develop and pro1938, a day aptly called supply Kristallnacht depend on it. minimum safety protocols. oftothe country. tine empire, more than half of it would have mote Philippine arts and culture, and (“Night of the Broken Glass”), most of ACIDRE While the rst and batches of asvaccines to Mr. Enrique K. Razon, Chairremained Christian. If not for Christopher usefiarts culture a means are to educateKudos the synagogues in Vienna were destroyed President Rodrigo Duterte as early being deployed, theonalarming of new man of International TerFilipinos Philippinerise history, traditions, Columbus, today’s Latin America would andthe burned in full viewContainer of the fire departTh as last month stressed the importance THE Spanish Jesuit missionary Fr. Pedro neither be “Latin” nor “American.” If not for cases in Metro-Manila, Cebu, and foster distinct val-and Region minal Services Inc., forments andthe the fipublic. leading nalof the 2021 spending plan and its ear(www.manilastandard.net) Chirino was the first to use the term “Fili- the British settlements in North America, ues including nationXI have prompted the NTF to consider the ization of the agreement thes Jewish businesses which started ly passage, calling it the country’s hoodofand patriotism. pino”. In his historical account, “Relacion the “New World” would have been overwereThis vandalized and redeployment vaccines to these areas negotiations since last year. deal allosho biggest stimulus package.

SOThe 2021 Philippine ransacked, and thoude las Islas Filipinas” written in 1590 and taken by the Iroquois in the northeast and the which HealthThe Secretary Francisco DuqueThere cates is 13 an million doses for the government NAKED budget in a sense will be the governon a Navy, as a protector of sands of Jews were published in Rome in 1604, he employed Sioux throughout the Great Plains—and the I SEE III also recommended. Expectedly, this is while 7 million doses will be deployed to ment’s response to THOUGHT the COVID-19 unlikely union the nation andthe TSKP arrested and deportthe term to refer collectively to the native original Thirteen Colonies would not have getting resistance from local governbud front line employees in the private sector.

LITO pandemic that has killed the econoan advocate ed second to concentration population ofOPEN the Philippines. In the years evolved into the mighty United States. ments whoasalready receivedoftheir initial between soldiers CHARLIE V. Expected to arrive in the quarter, my and rendered millions of Filipinos BANAYO culture both from the camps(https://encythat followed, other historians, such as allocation and the and risk arts, of wastage thisarts. deal will inoculate 10 million Filipinos.

It is important though to emphasize that MANALO jobless. and the aim to strengthen the clopedia.ushmm.org/ THOUGHTS Francisco Colin, Ignacio Francisco Alcina while colonization was a historical fact, from double handling of the temperature-sensi- This means 10 million of the government Lawmakers should be reminded time fabric of Philippine content/en/article/ and Juan Francisco de San Antonio would today’s standpoint, it is in no way justified. tive vials during Another pos- and private sector work force will become percent and again thaton this is not the hands time for po- pire wer society.redeployed.

Cynics will Blood their ORLANDO austria). likewise use the term in their writings. sible complication is the recentinapproval to more productive and become aWorld positive There can be no excuse reasonable enough to passed o litical bickering. Their petty squabbles is known find a disconnect During War OXALES The celebration of the fifth quincenten- support the continual use of brutal violence use all available Astra Zeneca VaccinestheasNavy’s of the can wait but the spending program to re- fate contributor the economy of the of Pth their partnership, questioning II, thetoDirector of the because French Muśees nial anniversary of the arrival of Christi- to acquire land or resources, or to destroy or ed in invigorate the economy and preserve the on theanb relevance with regard to arts and culture. Nationaux, Jacques Jaujard, anticipated CROSSROADS anity in the Philippines (or as the secular replace an existing culture or civilization. or transm This is how we see it—the Philippine the fall of France and decided to orgaTO THE Our vocabulary was enriched generousart In fact, byNavy assigning the the name, “Lasand Islas mindset prefers, the 500th anniversary of The tragic deaths and rampage caused by the Whitney protects nation preserves nize the evacuation of by thea Louvre J.A. POINT infusioncollections from the Spanish allowing Filipinas,” the practically the circumnavigation of the world) has colonial powers must not be overlooked, nor later, in ourSpaniards society. This society unifi mustedembrace into thelanguage, countryside.

By the DELA CRUZunion rope, the it to gradually evolve into the Filipino language into a singlearts nation warring and itdivided THERE has been an unexpected sparked debate on whether or not the so- their historical and moral accountability be andthe culture because is that which time the Germans arrived in Paris on 16 between the PhilippineEMIL NavyP.and the killed by that weAugust have today.

Ourthe cuisine was infl barangays who have asettled in these islands. creates civilized society, lays history called “discovery” of the Philippines by in any way diminished.

1940 museum wasuenced almost JURADO Just do itat Kultura ng stages o Tagapagtaguyod ng Sining by the Spanish culinary palate, resulting in a Some historians believe that the word, and traditions, and gives a nation its idenempty.

For instance, the Mona Lisa was Ferdinand Magellan is an event worth celPilipinas (TSKP). The Philippine Navy makers Englishf tity.actually a corruption of the curiousmoved fusion of Western and Malay tastes. cas“Visayas” was from Chambord to several ebrating. Many have caricatured the event is the naval branch of the Armed Forces America To some, arts and culture is only for by the p tles and abbeys, to finish at the end of If the Spaniards delayed their arrival by word, Srivijaya, the once-powerful Buddhist LONG STORY as “glorifying colonization” and a “betrayWhat would have of the Philippines (AFP).

The AFP is re- on only the privileged and that thoseincluded who can afford thegoo as the years, war at the Muśee Ingres in Montauabout 50 these islands would have potentate based in Sumatra, al” of our fallen heroes who gave their lives SHORT sponsible for upholding the sovereignty pion tory of th to appreciate it.

It is only them who may thei happened had the ban (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/ become already converted to Islam, and much of present-day Southeast Asia, makin the fight for our country’s freedom. of our Republic, supporting the Consti- 414-415 own athe part of it or enjoy theofpleasures ofPhilippines, Expec Evacuation_of_the_Louvre_museum_ ADELLE the as we know it, would have ing these islands northern fringes the The conundrum begins with how the Spaniards not arrived? tution and defending Philippine territory events Therec a cultured life. I askedthe myempire son who is art_collection_during_World_War_II). notinexisted.

Not that it is wrong to embrace Srivijayan empire.

Eventually, CHUA word “colonialization” has been exploitagainst all enemies foreign and domestic. have man ann high school about how he sees culture no The art collections in the Louvre, which succumbed to the arrival of Islamic mission- another religion; this is simply to prove a ed into an ideologically loaded term that TSKP onwill thealways other hand, is a between nongov- tion.

1938 Aft uno and arts. He said that “it is nonessential; carried items from various cultures in THERE be a gap historical fact and state a logical historical aries and soon, the Malay sultanates eventuseemingly distorts recorded historical Why then should we celebrate the quinernmental and nonpolitical organization of intens arts are just drawings or paintings unless the world were saved for the next genonce ay expectation and reality.

The world is not ‘Maliit na bagay’ replaced all the Hisally gained control ofathe island.interest in it.” Heconsequence. truth. Colonization, after all, is but a pe- centenary of the arrival of Christianity in our which was organized to develop you have personal fur- erationsIfto one We on al behold. perfect.

People are not perfect. and Theproex- 1938, panic features in our identity andlooting cultureof It was at that point that our rennial historical phenomenon. However, country? For one simple reason—because mote Philippine arts and culture, andwe to these (“Night ther expounded thatislands “cultureevenis discussed ex In recent memory is the pectations, however, remind us that IslamicMuseum and Arab tually took aindivergent path in history—the every act of “colonialism” on the page of this single event altered not only the histouse artsnot and accept culture the as a current means tosituation, educate palm-ind the syna Araling Panlipunan where we studywith in- that the of Baghdad in infl Iraquences, in 2003 should we would endthe uparmed no different ourwith Ma-the Spaniards came.

Theycommunities brought with Filipinos on Philippine traditions, history had its own distinct complexities, ry of our nation; it gave us the very same and burn digenous andthem their acultures, during conflictthan of Iraq and that we can alwayshistory, improve—if we weren’t laysianUnited and Indonesian neighbors.

Filipino new religionand and Philippine a different traditions way of life andAfoster distinct val- of local whether in the conflicting motives that identity that made us the people and the naandthatpractices make us States. It also resulted in damage want to. new breed ues including nation—or Tagalog—would have changed the course of ourserenading country’s or history.

In bayanilike fiestas, harana, caused it, and the diverging consequences tion that we are today. to the ancient city of sounded Babylon no (in difpresWhat are these instances of expectation a nation executives hood and patriotism. ferent from Bahasa. contrast to the religion embraced by many of han, among others.” ent day Iraq).

The incessant civil unrest that ensued from it. versus reality?

We need not look further numbers The truth of the matter is if the Spaniards The Philippine By we Melandrew Velasco However, culturewe and arts isthe more than in Syria has exposed its heritage sites our Southeast Asian neighbors, became than what saw at the House ofThere Repre- is But The Roman conquest of the so-called bar- did not come and “discover” these islands, an w Navy, as athese protector tradition and practices—it is an expresmassive, inadvertent, and deliberate Full to version on www.manilastandard.net only Christian nation in this part of the world. sentatives past of few days. barians of Gaul was probably one of the most there would have been no Philippines. unlikely theExpectation nation and 1: TSKP sion of the ideas, events and perspectives destruction(https://www.brandeis.edu/ Independence.

The union as an advocate of of a people in a period in history. This is ethics/peacebuildingarts/pdfs/library-augovernment is composed of three branch- soldie between ‘T culture and arts, both Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher why in times of war and occupation, the thors/2015_10_KristinParker_Heritagees of government that are independent, and the arts.

Boardpowers Membertake & Chief Legal Adviser Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno aim to strengthen the annexing control not only andReconciliation_Final.pdf).

Because ManilaStandard separate and co-equal.

They check and of co can be accessed at: Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor fabric of Philippine of theTreasury government and military force but Chin of these shiftsS.inEñano power and voyages of Anita F. Grefal Manager balance each other, ensuring Editor that no one ONLINE manilastandard.net Jimbo Owen Gulle Wong/Ray Associate Editors dedi Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard society.

Cynics will of City also of the way of life.

The Spanish for conquest, cultures were destroyed alongbranch commits abuse power.

The ExBaldwin R. Felipe Head—Ad Solutions Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Lino M. Santos Chief Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor MEMBER find a does disconnect in in thePhotographer more than three hundred years introduced side their peoples. These may be realities ecutive not meddle affairs of Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone Philippine Press Institute Chua Opinion Editor Edgar M. Valmorida Circulation theirLegislature, partnership,and questioning the Navy’s numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all their way of life,Manager religion and culture to of warAdelle and armed conflict but arts, culThe National Association the the lawmakers act II, the D departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. of Philippine Newspapers relevance withcrafting regard toand artspassing and culture.

Nationa “Las Islas de Filipinas.” When Spain ced- ture, monuments, and heritage sites will on their own, laws Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www.

P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, This believe is Editorial howwould weBoard see —theforPhilippine the fall ed the Philippines to the United States in have to be saved toEmil per preserve both the culmanilastandard.net they be itgood the peo- must Navy protects preserves nize thec 1898 through the Treaty of Paris, they, in ture and history of civilizations. vote ple.

Their wordsthe andnation actionsand do not in any to our society. must embrace collectio turn, used education and religion as tools w way court theThis favorsociety of the Executive, and polls, arts and culture because itare is determined that which discernin time the to influence the way we live.

Full version at www.manilastandard. developments in Congress creates a civilized themselves society, lays history August Old civilizations like the Roman Em- net only by lawmakers – not law- —reject and traditions, a nation iden- not empty. dowF makers dancingand to gives the tune of theitsExec-

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO

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Health workers in Myanmar rally after deadly crackdown DOCTORS and nurses in central Myanmar rallied in the streets at first light on Sunday, avoiding a confrontation with security forces after another deadly weekend crackdown on anti-coup protesters.

The country has been in turmoil since soldiers ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, triggering nationwide protests demanding a return to democracy.

Security forces have responded with lethal force, using live rounds along with tear gas and rubber bullets in an effort to bring the demonstrations to heel.

The violence failed to deter hundreds of doctors and nurses donning hard hats and brandishing posters of Suu Kyi as they marched through Mandalay, Myanmar’s second-largest city and cultural capital.

Mandalay has been the scene of some of the worst violence from police and troops since the coup and local media said the rally was staged at dawn to evade security forces.

The protests came a day after a local monitoring group confirmed the killing of four protesters at the hands of security forces around the country.

Two of the deaths were in Yangon, the country’s commercial hub, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP).

Mourners in the city farewelled a 26-year-old who died Saturday while in custody after being shot and arrested the previous night.

Myo Myint Aung’s mother cried over the coffin at the funeral service, saying that her son was still a child in her eyes.

“I am really proud of what you did for democracy and this country,” she said, in a video of the funeral service posted on social media. “You are a real hero.”

Overnight, protesters staged a candlelight protest in the northern town of Kale and left signs on the street calling for United Nations intervention to stop the violence in Myanmar.

Nearly 250 deaths have been confirmed in the weeks since the coup, the AAPP reported, although the true toll could be higher.

More than 2,300 others have been arrested, the group said.

International condemnation by Washington, Brussels and the United Nations has so far failed to halt the bloodshed. AFP

Medical staff and students take part in an early morning protest against the military coup and crackdown by security forces on demonstrations in Mandalay on March 21, 2021. AFP

Thousands protest Europe virus curbs CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 214 MANDALUYONG CITY

2017, a petition for declaration of nullity of marriage was filed by the FIRST PARTY against the SECOND PARTY, where the Regional Trial Court of San Juan approved in its Pre-Trial Order a property settlent out of court, hereto attached as Annex “A”.

IN RE: PETITION FOR VOLUNTARY DISSOLUTION AND LIQUIDATION OF ABSOLUTE COMMUNITY OF PROPERTY

3. PARTITION OF THE ABSOLUTE COMMUNITY OF PROPERTIES: Notwithstanding the decision of the court, the parties hereto agree to the following partition of their absolute community of properties, to wit: The SECOND PARTY agrees to sell her share of the property (which consists of 1/2 of the property) located in MandaIuyong City and her shares in the properties (which consists of 1/14 of each of the properties) both located in San Juan and Cavite, to the FIRST PARTY in the whole amount of FIVE MILLION PESOS (PHP5,000,000.00), with both parties undertaking to sign all the documents relating to the sale including the submission of any requirements by any government agencies.

SP. PROC. NO. R-MND-21-00281-SP JOHN KENRICK CHUA and SHERYL CYD CHARISSE FRANCISCO-CHUA, Petitioners. x-----------------------------------------------------------x ORDER The above-captioned case was originally raffled to Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 278, Mandaluyong City on 08 February 2021.

On 09 February 2021, Hon. Jaime Fortunato A. Caringal, Presiding Judge of Branch 278, issued an Order unloading the case to the Office of the Clerk of Court, Mandaluyong City on the ground that his court has no jurisdiction over the case. Thus, the above-captioned case was re-raffled and received by this Branch on 11 February 2021.

In said Petition, Spouses John Kenrick Chua and Sheryl Cyd Charisse Francisco-Chua (Petitioners), jointly prayed that after due hearing, judgment be rendered decreeing the separation of their present and future properties.

Petitioners allege that they are both of legal age and were married on 18 December 2010. They did not execute any pre-nuptial agreement, thus, their property relations in the marriage is governed by the property regime of absolute community of property.

In 2017, petitioners started living separately from each other. Forming part of their absolute community of property are real properties covered under Transfer Certificate of Title Nos. 008-2013000404; 012-2014000467; and 0762015003447. To support the petition, Petitioners executed a duly notarized “Joint Agreement for the Voluntary Dissolution of Absolute Community of Property”.1 Petitioners pray that the said agreement be approved and confirmed by this Court and their property relations be converted to an absolute separation of property.

Petitioners further aver that there is no creditor or any interested person that may be affected by the separation of properties prayed for.

WHEREFORE, finding the petition to be sufficient in form and substance, let the same be set for hearing on 20 April 2021 at 8:30 o’clock in the morning at the Regional Trial Court, Branch 214, Ground Floor, Hall of Justice Building, Maysilo Circle, Mandaluyong City for the initial hearing on the jurisdictional requirements.

Notice is hereby given that dissolution of the absolute community of property of petitioners-spouses shall be heard on the aforesaid date, time, and place. Creditors of either or both of the spouses and any or all persons having claims against petitioners-spouses may appear and file their claims.

Let this Order and Annex “C” attached hereto be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines to be determined by raffle pursuant to P.D. 1079 at Petitioners’ expense and be posted in the Court’s bulletin board for at least three (3) weeks before the scheduled hearing.

Further, let copy of this Order together with the petition and its annexes be served upon the Office of the Solicitor General and the Office of the City Prosecutor, Mandaluyong City.

Send notices to all parties concerned.

SO ORDERED. Mandaluyong City.

16 February 2021.

Decisions relating to the above stated properties which the FIRST PARTY shall administer will be respected by the SECOND PARTY. The guiding principle in every decision is what is for the best interest of the parties.

4. CHiLDREN: Even if they have no children of their own, the FIRST PARTY has treated KOLE CHAN as his son, who is still living with him.

Out of love and affection, the FIRST PARTY is willing to shoulder all his school and other living expenses until he finishes tertiary education.

There is no issue as to visitation, for the SECOND PARTY may visit her son at any time.

Both parties should not put any obstacle in the way of the restoration and maintenance of the love and affection between the son and the other party, or in the way of a reasonable and proper companionship between them, either by influencing the the son against the other or doing anything to estrange any of them from the other.

The parties agree to observe civility, courteousness and politeness in dealing with each other and shall not insult, malign or commit discourteous acts against each other and shall endeavor to cause their relatives to act similarly.

5. INDEBTEDNESS OF THE ABSOLUTE COMMUNITY OF PROPERTIES Each of the party shall shoulder each of their indebtedness which had not redounded to the benefit of the community property.

Upon approval of the court and final dissolution of the absolute community property, the First Party and the Second Party respectively, shall be responsible for his or her own debts. The other party, in view of the decision, shall be freed from whatever indebtedness the other party had incurred even during the pendency of the marriage.

6. PRESENT PERSONAL PROPERTIES AND FUTURE PROPERTIES As to the personal property of each party, including bank deposits and securities, the same shall be considered the separate property of each of the party even though acquired during the marriage.

7. ENTIRE AGREEEMENT AND BINDING EFFECT:

(Sgd.) IMELDA L. PORTES-SAULOG Presiding Judge Copy furnished: Office of the Solicitor General Makati City Office of the City Prosecutor Mandaluyong City Atty. Simonette E. Sibal-Pulido Vasquez Bretana & Sibal-Pulido No. 7, Sheridan Street, Highway Hills Mandaluyong City

7.1 This Agreement contains the entire agreement of the parties relating to the dissolution and liquidation of their community properties, as well as all matters affecting their property relationship, and shall supersede any other agreements which they may have executed in any jurisdiction, with respect to the maters contained herein.

7.2 This Agreement shall be binding on, and shall inure to the benefit of their heirs, executors, and administrators.

John Kenrick Chua (Petitioner) Unit F, Greenview Residences, 969 Schuyler St. Addition Hills, Mandaluyong City Sheryl Cyd Charisse Francisco-Chua (Petitioner) Tarzan’s House, Tuason Point, Barangay Catangnan, General Luna, Siargao Surigao del Norte, 8419 Office of the Clerk of Court Regional Trial Court Mandaluyong City 1

In the meantime that the properties cannot be transferred, the FIRST PARTY shall administer the properties.

7.3 This Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the Republic of the Philippines.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, each of the parties have executed this Agreement on the date and place written above.

Attached in the Petition as Annex “C-Petition”.

ANNEX “C” AGREEMENT ON THE PARTITION OF PROPERTIES AND SUPPORT OF THE SECOND PARTY’S CHILD KNOW ALL MEN BY THESE PRESENTS:

JOHN KENRICK CHUA Respondent

CYD CHARISSE FRANCISCO-CHUA Respondent

WITNESSETH 1. MARRIAGE AND CHILDREN: The parties are husband and wife. They were married on 18 December 2010 in Boracay, Malay, Aklan. They do not have children, although the SECOND PARTY has a child from her previous marriage, KOLE CHAN. 2. DISSOLUTION OF MARRIAGE. On October

The coronavirus, which has killed more than 2.7 million people, has been spreading faster recently, with the number of new infections up globally by 14 percent in the last week, according to AFP data.

That has forced governments to impose social distancing and movement restrictions again, even as vaccines are rolled out, with residents in Poland, parts of France, and Ukraine’s capital the latest to face fresh curbs.

But populations have grown increasingly weary of the economically painful restrictions, and frustrations spilled over in cities across Europe with thousands marching in Germany, Britain and Switzerland.

Demonstrators in the German city of Kassel held up signs including “End the Lockdown” and “Corona Rebels” as they

Known to me and to me known to be the same persons who executed the foregoing instrument and they acknowledged to me that the same is their own free and voluntary act and deed.

WITNESS MY HAND AND NOTARIAL SEAL this JUN 28, 2018 day of____ At ______ Philippines.

Doc. No. 315; Page No. 63; Book No. I Series of 2018 (MStandard - Mar. 22, 29 & Apr. 5, 2021)

participated in a protest organized by activists from both the far-left and the far-right, as well as peddlers of baseless conspiracy theories about the pandemic and vaccines.

Authorities used water cannon, batons and pepper spray to disperse the Kassel protesters, which a police spokesman said numbered between 15,000 and 20,000 – one of the largest such rallies so far this year.

Thousands also demonstrated in London against virus curbs, including many carrying signs promoting coronavirus conspiracy theories. The Metropolitan Police said 36 people were arrested, most for breaking those restrictions, with a spokesperson adding that a group of around 100 demonstrators threw missiles at officers.

There were also anti-restrictions protests in Amsterdam, Vienna, the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, and the Swiss town of Liestal.

Across the Atlantic, American authorities imposed a state of emergency and a curfew on Saturday in Miami Beach, Florida, to deal with uncontrollable throngs of people partying during spring break.

This year, with approximately 13 percent of US residents vaccinated, the atmosphere in the city is particularly festive and the illusion that the pandemic is now under control

in the world’s worst-hit nation is pervasive.

“Just go get your vaccine y’all so that you could come out here and have a good time like us because we vaccinated, baby,” Jalen Rob, another student from Texas, told AFP. Despite the vaccine rollout, health experts have stressed that people still need to remain cautious – or there may be more spikes in infections.

“I’m really concerned if we declare victory prematurely that that’s the same thing that’s going to happen,” top US expert Anthony Fauci said Saturday on NBC’s “Today” show.

“Vaccines are coming on really well... If we can just hang on a bit longer, the more people get vaccinated, the less likelihood that there is going to be a surge.”

Like many other parts of the world, US authorities are also battling vaccine scepticism and even denial, fuelled by the spread of baseless misinformation about the pandemic.

“If they (authorities) try to make me get it, they’re just going to (have to) put me in jail,” Todd Engle, 58, told AFP from the porch of his home in Martinsburg, West Virginia. “I just don’t trust them.” AFP

Large asteroid to safely zip past Earth THE largest asteroid to pass

by Earth this year will swing closest on Sunday, giving astronomers a rare chance for a good look at a space rock that formed at the dawn of our solar system.

While in astronomical terms this marks a close encounter with the asteroid – called 2001 FO32 – NASA says there is no threat of a collision with our planet “now or for centuries to come.”

The nearest it will get will be two million kilometers away, according to the US space agency.

That is roughly 5.25 times the distance of the Earth from the Moon but still close enough for 2001 FO32 to be classified as a “potentially hazardous asteroid.”

“We know the orbital path of 2001 FO32 around the Sun very accurately,” said Paul Chodas, director of the Center for Near Earth Object Studies.

NASA says 2001 FO32

will pass by at about 124,000 kilometers per hour faster than the speed at which most asteroids encounter Earth.

The asteroid is estimated to be about 900 meters in diameter and was discovered 20 years ago.

Astronomers are hoping to get a better understanding of the asteroid’s size and a rough idea of its composition by studying light reflecting off its surface.

“When sunlight hits an asteroid’s surface, minerals in the rock absorb some wavelengths while reflecting others,” NASA said.

“By studying the spectrum of light reflecting off the surface, astronomers can measure the chemical ‘fingerprints’ of the minerals on the surface of the asteroid.”

The asteroid will be at its closest to Earth at around 1600 GMT on Sunday, according to the Paris Observa-

tory, France’s largest astronomy research center.

Amateur astronomers in some parts of the globe should be able to conduct their own observations.

The asteroid will be brightest while it moves through southern skies, Chodas said.

“Amateur astronomers in the southern hemisphere and at low northern latitudes should be able to see this asteroid using moderate-size telescopes with apertures of at least eight inches in the nights leading up to closest approach, but they will probably need star charts to find it,” he added.

NASA said more than 95 percent of near-Earth asteroids the size of 2001 FO32 or larger have been catalogued and none of them has any chance of impacting our planet over the next century.

NASA says the next time 2001 FO32 will be close to Earth will be 2052. AFP

Envoy returns to Moscow after ‘killer’ row EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF CRISPIN A. SUGUITAN

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Republic of the Philippines) MANDALUYONG CITY ) S.S.

This Agreement supersedes all previous agreement and is entered into on this JUNE 28, BEFFORE ME, a Notary Public for and in ______ ______________________________________ 2018 at the City of _____ by and between: ______________ personally appeared: JOHN KENRICK CHUA., of legal age, married, Filipino and with address at 233 Name Government ID J Abad Santos St., Little Baguio, San Juan Date/Place of Issue City, referred to as the “FIRST PARTY”.

John Kenrick Chua Sheryl Cyd Charisse Francisco-Chua -andSHERYL CYD CHARISSE FRANCISCOCHUA, likewise of legal age, Filipino and residing at Unit 1607 Lee Gardens, North Tower, Lee St., corner Shaw Blvd., Mandaluyong City, and hereinafter referred to as the “SECOND PARTY”.

T

HOUSANDS of protesters angry at COVID-19 restrictions rallied in cities across Europe as several nations reimposed partial lockdowns to fight new surges in infections.

Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of CRISPIN A. SUGUITAN, who died in Makati City on December 12, 2006, consisting of parcel of land with building located at 330 Panay St., Pitogo, Makati City, covered by Original Certificate of Title No. 484 and residential building covered by Tax Declaration No. F01000469, is the subject of an ExtraJudicial Settlement made by late Crispin A. Suguitan’s heirs, namely Maria M. Suguitan, Marcelino M. Suguitan, Cristina S. Pacheco, and Marlon M. Suguitan per Doc No. 20, Page No. 5, Book No. 1, Series of 2021, of the Notarial Registry of Atty. Maria Angelica David, Notary Public for and in the City of Pasig.

(MS-MAR. 22/ 29, APR. 5, 2021

RUSSIA’S ambassador to the United States landed in Moscow on Sunday after being recalled for emergency consultations over the worst crisis in relations with the United States in years.

US President Joe Biden on television earlier this week called the Russian leader a “killer” spurring a terse quip

LEGAL NOTICE Notice is hereby given that the estate of the late HELMUT JOSEF STRUM WUZELA was settled via Affidavit of Self-Adjudication executed

by Lily Amor A. Wuzela before Atty. Noel C. Ducusin under Notary Public Doc. No. 259; Page No. 53; Book No. II; Series of 2020.

(MStandard-Mar. 22, 29 & Apr. 5, 2021)

from Vladimir Putin who responded that, “it takes one to know one.”

The exchange pushed diplomatic relations to a new low even after Moscow’s ties with Washington were already at rock bottom over election meddling allegations and the Kremlin’s decision to jail opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Russia’s envoy to the United States Anatoly Antonov landed at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport Sunday morning, Russian news agencies reported, after he was recalled last week over the spat.

Before takeoff in New York he told agencies he would stay in Moscow “as along as necessary” and that several meetings were scheduled.

“The Russian side has always stressed that we are interested in the development of RussianAmerican relations to the same extent as our American colleagues are,” he was quoted as saying by TASS. Moscow, which rarely returns ambassadors, last summoned its envoy in the US in 1998 over a Western bombing campaign in Iraq. AFP

IN BRIEF N. Koreans leave Malaysia after ties cut NORTH Korea’s diplomats in Malaysia shuttered their embassy and flew out of the country Sunday, after Pyongyang severed diplomatic ties over the extradition of a citizen to the United States.

Pyongyang announced the shock move Friday, labelling Malaysia’s extradition of a North Korean man an “unpardonable crime” carried out under “blind obedience” to American pressure.

The Southeast Asian country had been one of Pyongyang’s few allies but ties were already strained following the 2017 assassination of leader Kim Jong Un’s half-brother at Kuala Lumpur airport.

A court ruling this month that Mun Chol Myong could be extradited to the United States to face trial for allegedly exporting prohibited items to North Korea in violation of sanctions proved the final blow.

After Pyongyang cut ties, Malaysia gave North Korean diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. AFP

Internet down as polls open in Congo INTERNET and social media access was cut in the Republic of Congo on Sunday as polls opened in a presidential election which veteran leader Denis Sassou Nguesso is expected to win.

The internet went down just after midnight, several hours before the opening of polling stations at 7:00 am (0600 GMT), AFP correspondents said.

Telephone communications however were still available, unlike in the previous election in 2016.

The 77-year-old Sassou Nguesso, in power for 36 years, is widely expected to win against six contenders.

The largest opposition group, the Pan-African Union for Social Democracy (UPADS), is boycotting the poll. AFP

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Business Qatar extends minimum wage of $275/month to all workers DOHA, Qatar—A minimum wage of $275 a month came into force for all workers in Qatar Saturday, official media reported, as the Gulf state overhauls its labor laws amid international scrutiny in the run-up to the 2022 World Cup. The minimum became mandatory for all newly signed contracts from August 30, and will now also be compulsory for existing employment agreements.

It requires that all workers, including domestic staff, be paid at least 1,000 riyals ($275) for a month of full-time work--equivalent to around $1.30 an hour.

Employers are also required to either provide bed and board, or an additional 800 riyal a month allowance for food and accommodation.

Previously, there was a temporary minimum wage set at 750 riyals ($206) a month.

The state-run Qatar News Agency reported that the labor ministry had “announced implementation of new minimum wage for all workers starting Saturday.”

Campaign group Migrant Rights has said that the new level is too low and does not reflect Qatar’s high cost of living.

The labor ministry has said the changes will “boost investment in the local economy and drive economic growth.”

“Qatar is the first country in the region to introduce a non-discriminatory minimum wage, which is part of a series of historical reforms of the country’s labor laws,” the International Labor Organization said in a statement.

“More than 400,000 workers or 20 percent of the private sector will benefit directly.”

Qatar has made a series of reforms to its employment regulations since being selected to host the 2022 World Cup, which has required a vast program of construction dependent on foreign workers.

AFP

Market wary of new quarantine rules

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HARE prices are expected to move sideways this week with a downward bias as the expected recovery of the economy this year is threatened by the reimposition of some quarantine restrictions to curb the surging COVID-19 cases.

Analysts said investor were staying away from the market because of uncertainty caused by the spike in COVID-19 infections as well as the upcoming long holiday next week.

“As the country continues to grap-

meeting this week. Investors, however, are interested on the central bank’s its medium- to long-term policy strategy considering the current economic environment.

“The week’s close at 6,436.10 signals the market could still test the 6,000/6,300 levels in the near-term. Any pullback if any is limited towards the 6,500/6,700 level,” Ravelas said.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week sank 4.4 percent to 6,436 as the government reimposed some stricter restrictions to control the increasing COVID-19 infections.

All sectoral indices posted steep declines led by holding firms which fell 6 percent, property drop which dropped by 5.8 percent and services which declined 3.8 percent.

The average daily value turnover dipped to P8.25 billion while the average net foreign selling eased to P680 million. With AFP

ECONOMIC CRISIS. Lebanese

women hold placards as they protest against the country’s political paralysis and deep economic crisis in Beirut on the occasion of Mother’s Day, on March 20, 2021. AFP

PSEi March 19, 2021

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

PRMX CAB

1.76 63.35

0.18 5.35

11.39% 9.22%

3

OV

0.012

0.001

9.09%

4 5

PERC SGP

3.87 390

0.3 30

8.40% 8.33%

6

MG

0.34

0.025

7.94%

7

NRCP

0.81

0.05

6.58%

8

HI

3.7

0.2

5.71%

9 10

PMPC WEB

5.89 2.75

0.28 0.13

4.99% 4.96%

SHANGHAI, China—Tighter regulations, billions in lost overseas share value and government pledges to get even tougher— Chinese tech giants are reeling under what looks like a sustained Big Brother assault on innovation and enterprise.

But there’s a reason why the escalating crackdown is largely drawing shrugs from Chinese consumers: it is widely seen as necessary.

Concern is rising in China over chaotic online lending and accusations of powerful platforms squeezing merchants and misusing consumer data, reflecting global unease with Big Tech that has Facebook, Google and others also facing scrutiny at home and abroad.

“With China, it immediately becomes about the Communist Party. But if the UK government were doing this, people would probably be OK with it,” said Jeffrey Towson, head of research at Asia Tech Strategy.

“These actions look quite reasonable.”

Companies such as e-commerce giants Alibaba and JD.com, along with messaging-and-gaming colossus Tencent, are among the world’s most valuable businesses, feasting on growing Chinese digital lifestyles and a government ban on major US competitors.

But they have become victims of their own success.

The troubles burst into public view last

October when Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma committed the cardinal sin of publicly criticizing China’s regulators for their increasingly dire warnings concerning his company’s financial arm, Ant Group.

Ant Group’s Alipay platform is ubiquitous in China, used to buy everything from meals to ride-hailing, groceries and travel tickets.

Slow-footed regulatory oversight also allowed Ant to expand into loans, wealth management, even insurance. Tencent’s fintech profile also has risen.

Consequently, they have become “overly powerful actors capable of pushing regulatory boundaries without regard for systemic risks,” Eurasia Group consultancy said in a research note. AFP

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

TFC BCB

42 2.51

-10.2 -0.43

-19.54% -14.63%

3

DAVIN

2.63

-0.45

-14.61%

4 5 6

LODE DWC LMG

1.02 4.51 4.51

-0.16 -0.47 -0.45

-13.56% -9.44% -9.07%

7

APO

0.65

-0.06

-8.45%

8 9 10

OPM OPMB LRW

0.011 0.011 2

-0.001 -0.001 -0.18

-8.33% -8.33% -8.26%

MOST ACTIVE

China crackdown reduces Big Tech firms down to size 1

SM

VOLUME 1249940

VALUE (PHP) 1204149250

2 3

TEL BDO

580925 6167470

707014860 636040798

4 5

ALI ACEN

18215000 88924500

634640720 626918244

6 7

DITO SMPH

44807700 12539800

453763945 432552995

8 9

JFC AC

2330520 515810

417267689 383107165

10

BPI

4022080

341325148

We are not asthmatic, but why do we struggle?

“WHEEZE, pant, pant, cough, cough, ahem!” Gina caught her breath as she gasped arduously and forced steady breathing. Lately, she has been convulsively catching her breathe a lot.

At 35, Gina developed asthma when she started working from home in her 28 square-meter studio condominium unit in Quezon City. Opening her apartment’s windowpane is not an option as she thought that she would be like a fish in an aquarium entertainingly observed by her neighbors from the building across hers that she equally views. And so, the lack of air circulation and continuous use of the air-conditioning unit aggravated her adult-onset asthma during this pandemic. Gina surmised that there might be many others like her where she lives.

A preference for condominium living The development of Central Business Districts in response to a rapid growth of an economy generates an increase in population.

And as a result, it amplifies the construction of multi-story and high-rise buildings as the highest and best land use. Condominium living built with amenities like a gym and swimming pool is a preferred lifestyle. They, too, are convenient and practical because of accessibility to public transportation, commercial establishments, offices and schools.

While the Philippine real estate market struggled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Central Bank of the Philippines favorably perceived a strong recovery in 2021 at a 7.8-percent growth. In the face of a slow economic recovery but with the distribution of vaccines, a market headway optimistically could bolster sales of available condominiums.

Statistica forecasted that by the end of 2021, there will be a total of 152,000 residential units in the Philippines. Fort Bonifacio, with almost 41,000 units leads the supply, followed by the Bay Area with 38,000. The city of Makati will supply a little over 28,000 units, and Ortigas Center with close to 20,000. In 2018, the total supply was only about 119,000 units, thus reflecting a 22-percent projected increase in supply by the end of 2021. This will add to the energy demand from buildings.

The rise in energy demand from buildings According to the International Energy Agency, buildings, and building constructions account for one-third of global final energy consumption with 40 percent total direct and indirect carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

One part carbon and two parts oxygen constitute CO2. It exists indoors as a combination of the outdoor CO2, what we breathe indoor, plus the building’s ventilation rate. As buildings become energy-efficient and air-sealed, it results in a reduction of indoor fresh air. To save energy, most ventilation systems recycle air. And so, contaminated air moves around indoor with no new air. Consequently, there would be a high CO2 concentration and poor indoor air quality.

The IEA mentioned that buildings were responsible for 28 percent of global energy-related CO2. The direct sources of emission from buildings come from space cooling, appliances and electric plug-loads. Hence, the increase of CO2 where we live affects indoor quality and therefore would not sustain us.

Why sustainability?

The Latin etymology of “sustainability,” a word that has now

become customary to us, is “sustinere,” which means “to hold,” and from “tenere” denoting “support.” Thus, sustain refers to carrying a capacity or pressure over an extended measured time, where a thing can endure trial or hardship, such as cement and steel is the foundation of a house so that its structure will hold over time.

To be sustainable, it must be self-supporting in terms of four distinct areas: human, social, economic and environment. For this reason, sustainability considers our health and well-being, including that of animals and our environment in the manner we make our choices in our everyday living in relation to our environment. When we apply these in the built environment design, it can be regarded as a “green” environment.

We spend about 90 percent of our time indoors, and the quality of the indoor air in condominiums can significantly affect our health, comfort and well-being. Often, buildings with improper ventilation are referred to as “sick” buildings. They are inclined to become smelly, airless, uncomfortable and unhealthy; thus, living will not be sustainable.

Green buildings=proper indoor air quality The study of Dr. Amanjeet Singh and his colleagues conveyed that proper indoor ventilation in green buildings have a positive effect on health and well-being of employees. The reports regarding asthma or allergies reduced by 2.35 working hours per month and all employees’ productivity improved by 2.6 percent.

The construction of buildings is a human activity that may pose environmental repercussions. Fortunately, builders have been able to exhibit the feasibility of improving buildings without substantial cost consequences. Efficient buildings can derive savings.

Ventilation systems can improve indoor air quality, which can be done using different green building strategies. Measuring indoor air quality is important to know how indoor air quality is affected when clean outside air goes into the building. Mechanical ventilation systems, like fans, to pull fresh outside air into the building can provide consistent airflow indoor. Passive ventilation systems are a natural ventilation strategy without using mechanical ventilation systems. There can be cross-ventilation when ventilation devices are strategically located within a building. Stack ventilation uses high- and low-pressure zones where outtake air vents are located at the top of the building to exhaust warm and air vents provided in the lower levels to allow cooler air to come in.

Although some of us are not asthmatic, we ask why we struggle.

Our “sigh, huff, huff, wheeze and gasp” would be alleviated by improving the building indoor environment through its ventilation system.

ANA LIZA ASIS-CASTRO

Green LiGht

London woman turns lockdown loaves into a big bakery success LONDON—When Britain first entered lockdown in March last year, Sophia SuttonJones decided to try making sourdough bread.

A year later, she is running her own popular bakery.

“I’d always thought about it, but I never had the courage to do it,” she told AFP. Now Sutton-Jones, 29, and her husband Jesse, 28, work alongside half a dozen staff members pulling hot loaves out of the oven, putting out flaky pastries and cutting slices of cakes topped with cream.

It all started when Sutton-Jones, whose father was also a baker, made a loaf of bread for a neighbor who was sheltering during the first national lockdown in March 2020.

“He talked to his friends about it,” she says. “Very quickly, we had 12 people waiting in front of our house.”

The couple, who sold kitchenware online before the pandemic, began to deliver orders by bicycle in their north London neighborhood.

Producing the loaves from home soon became impractical as everything got coated in flour, Sutton-Jones recalls.

“Our dining room was the bakery and our guestroom the storage space. So you could come as a guest and sleep on flour bags.”

Fired by their initial success, the couple turned to crowdfunding to launch their business.

They were hoping for £25,000 ($35,000, 30,000 euros) but ended up raising £33,000.

Sourdough success The distinctive pink-painted bakery-”Sourdough Sophia”—opened in January.

ple with the pandemic, expect risk-off trances to prevail,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said investors fear government’s move to reimpose stricter restrictions could further delay the economic recovery.

The government on Saturday reported a record 7,999 new COVID-19 cases in the country even if the vaccine rollout has already started.

OCTA Research earlier warned that daily infection rate could go up to an alarming 10,000 to 11,000 a day bu the end of March Metro Manila if the government would not consider stricter mobility restrictions.

Worries over higher inflation and rising US interest rates are also adding to investors’ woes, prompting them to sell stocks.

Investors expect the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas to keep policy rates in its next

TOP LOSERS

Sophia SuttonJones (right) shapes the dough after bulk fermentation at Sourdough Sophia bakery in north London on March 18, 2021.

When Britain first entered lockdown in March last year, Sophia SuttonJones decided to try making sourdough bread. AFP

By Pauline Froissart

B3

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Their pains au chocolat, croissants and cruffins—a cross between croissant and muffin—sell like hotcakes.

But their biggest hit is sourdough bread, which the British have embraced enthusiastically.

Home-baked bread became a major trend of lockdown, with enthusiastic amateurs posting pictures of their efforts in pursuit of the perfect golden crust.

The surge of interest led to shortages of yeast and people “understood that actually, there is another way to make bread and it’s actually much better, much healthier,” says Sutton-Jones.

Sourdough bread is made using a fermented starter instead of yeast and its enthusiasts believe it is more beneficial than ordinary bread, causing blood sugar to rise more gradually and helping gut health.

It takes longer to rise but—thanks to stayat-home protocols—people were finally not in a rush.

“It’s the oldest way of making bread,” says Sutton-Jones.

‘A real kick’ “Sourdough Sophia” attracts a long line of customers as soon as it opens even though it sits it a short distance from the local shopping street with many other bakeries.

“I’ve been to all of them. The bread is much better here,” says 43-year-old Ben Claypole, waiting outside with his small dog.

He adds that he is keen to support small businesses.

The bakery opened while “non-essential” shops remain shuttered until April 12 and financial pressures mean some will never reopen. AFP

Dr. Ana Liza “Pinky” Asis-Castro teaches in the MBA program of the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business of De La Salle University and in Real Estate Management program of DLS-College of St. Benilde. She is a real estate consultant and broker and is a certified BERDE professional.

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

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

B4

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

Business

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, March 19, 2021

-194.75 PTS. 6,436.10

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

3,526,414,604 122,854 10,408,951,581.75 64 157 35

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, MARCH 19, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.6730

Japan

Yen

0.009181

0.4469

UK

Pound

1.393200

67.8112

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128785

6.2684

Switzerland

Franc

1.078400

52.4890

Canada

Dollar

0.800512

38.9633

Singapore

Dollar

0.744269

36.2258

Australia

Dollar

0.775600

37.7508

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655267

129.2398

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.9788

Brunei

Dollar

0.741510

36.0915

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.032446

1.5792

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2523

Euro

Euro

1.191600

57.9987

Korea

Won

0.000887

0.0432

China

Yuan

0.153704

7.4812

India

Rupee

0.013757

0.6696

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.243368

11.8455

New Zealand

Dollar

0.716400

34.8693

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035201

1.7133 Source: BSP

DMCI raises 2021 capital expenses by 48% to P42b

By Jenniffer B. Austria DMCI Holdings Inc. said over the weekend it will allot up to P41.7 billion in 2021 capital expenditures, up 48 percent from P28.2 billion it spent in 2020.

DMCI said in an investors’ briefing real estate unit DMCI Homes would account for the bulk of this year’s capital spending amounting to P18.6 billion.

Maynilad Water Services Inc. will spend P14.8 billion this year, nearly double the P7.7-billion allocation last year.

DMCI also earmarked P4 billion for the expansion of power generation and coal businesses under Semirara Mining and Power Corp., while DMCI Power will get P2.4 billion for 2020.

Construction unit D.M. Consunji Inc. budgeted P1.7 billion in capital expenditures while the remaining P200 million will be spent by DMCI Mining Corp.

Excluding capital expenditures for Maynilad, DMCI’s capital expenditures for this year would still be higher by 33 percent.

DMCI said it was expecting profits to return to pre-pandemic levels this year on the back of higher construction accomplishments and strong demand for coal, electricity and nickel.

The group said, however, SCC and Maynilad may continue to face headwinds this year.

DMCI Homes plans to launch 14 projects, including new formats while its construction firm is looking to participate in 18 infrastructure projects.

SCC expects to resume regular coal production by the second quarter of the year, while DMCI Power plans to invest in thermal and solar plants in Palawan and Masbate.

DMCI Mining is securing new mining permit as Berong mine will be depleted by year-end.

DMCI posted a net income of P5.9 billion in 2020, down 44 percent from P10.5 billion in 2019, because of the strict quarantine restrictions and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Excluding non-recurring losses of P1.9 billion mostly coming from onetime non-cash goodwill impairment charge for its Zambales mining assets in 2019 and P708 million pertaining mainly to sales cancellations for a real estate project in 2020, core net income fell 47 percent year-on-year to P6.6 billion from P12.4 billion.

SKY Cable Corp. said over the weekend it is offering its most affordable postpaid plan with speed of up to 20 megabits per second for a monthly fee of P999.

“Subscribers will continue to have broadband plans from Sky that are affordable but in addition get faster speeds that will entirely meet their needs,” Sky consumer products group head Claudia Suarez said.

Banks face medium risks from laundering

PHILIPPINE banks and other financial institutions face a “medium” risk from money laundering and terrorist financing activities, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

The BSP recently completed the third sectoral risk assessment of banks and other BSP-supervised financial institutions and released the report that presents the overall money laundering/terrorist financing threats and vulnerabilities of the sector.

The SRA aims to further enhance and update the stakeholders’ understanding of the extent of proceeds of unlawful activities being coursed through BSP-supervised financial institutions and their vulnerabilities to be used as channels or conduits for these proceeds.

Based on the report, the net ML/TF/PF risk exposure of the sector is “medium” except for pawning operations with “low risk”. Financial inclusion products likewise have “low risk” except for e-money and remittance services of pawnshops which were assessed as “medium risk.” Julito G. Rada

PLDT teams up with SmartTone

GREEN DAY. Resorts World Manila chief operating officer Stephen Reilly (third from left), with chief human resources officer Terri Llamas (third from right), lead the turnover of 3 tons of PET bottles and other recyclables to Tzu Chi Foundation during Green Day, a company-wide monthly recycling activity at RWM. With nine out 10 plastic products ending up in the oceans and threatening marine life, RWM’s Green Day encourages employees to collate recyclable materials, including PET bottles, that will otherwise end up in landfills and donate them instead to the foundation for the production of blankets and shirts.

Petron ready to reopen oil refinery in 4 months P

By Alena Mae S. Flores

ETRON Corp. plans to resume the operations of its 180,000-barrel-per-day refinery in Bataan within four months after it was shut down amid the economic crisis.

“I think we will be able to meet it,” Petron president and chief executive officer Ramon Ang said in a virtual briefing, when asked if the oil refiner would be able to resume operations within the timeline.

Ang said Petron was still completing the requirements to fully register with the Authority of the Freeport of Bataan, which provides fiscal incentives to lo-

cators.

Petron registered the Bataan refinery as a economic zone enterprise as part of ways to improve its financial situation. FAB-registered enterprises are entitled to avail of fiscal incentives under Special Economic Zone Act of 1995 or Omnibus Investment Code of 1987.

“The Petron refinery is on shutdown, and we are waiting for the right timing

percent last year to 78.6 million barrels from 107 million barrels in 2019.

Revenues declined 44 percent to P286 billion from P514.4 billion, reflecting the impact of the pandemic on Petron’s financial performance.

Oil companies including refiners were severely impacted by the low demand during the health crisis and Petron looked for ways to cut back on costs.

Ang said Petron was also plagued by an uneven playing field versus oil importers which led the management to decide to shut down the refinery for economic reasons.

Rival Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp. also closed its refinery in Batangas province.

FREE VACCINES.

Highlighting its commitment to promote the safety and welfare of its employees, Teleperformance Philippines is offering free COVID-19 vaccinations for their more than 47,000 employees in the country nationwide.

This is in line with the global initiative of Teleperformance to provide free access to vaccines for all its employees worldwide. Teleperformance Philippines is collaborating with government agencies and employers in the country to quickly secure the supply of safe and effective FDAapproved vaccines for 100 percent of their employees.

ONLINE business registrations climbed by more than 350 percent as of March 15 this year on the back of the exponential growth of electronic commerce, data from the Department of Trade and Industry show.

The DTI said online business registrations increased to 7,525 as of March 15 from 1,642 registered in the same period last year.

The new online registration data represented about 8.5 percent of total online registrations in 2020 of 88,574. Total registrations including online jumped 48.69 percent last year to 916,163 from 637,577 in 2019.

“Most consumers are now opting for online retail shopping, instead of going to physical stores for fear of infection.

“Sky Fiber’s internet plans were designed to assist Filipino households to cope with their combined demand for remote work, e-learning, online entrepreneurship or content streaming,” she said.

A P999 monthly fee can now get subscribers up to 20 mbps, a bump up from speeds of 5 mbps or 10 mbps in previous years.

Sky said this is considered the most affordable postpaid plan in the country.

It said this value-for-money upgrade could also be observed in the other Sky

EDC adopts Ormoc for climate resilience

ENERGY Development Corp. said over the weekend it is adopting Ormoc City through the National Resilience Council and the Carlos P. Romulo Foundation’s Adopt-aCity program.

The four parties, in a virtual signing of memorandum of agreement, vowed to work together and leverage each other’s capabilities and strengths to help Ormoc become the country’s model city for resilience and disaster preparedness.

EDC president and chief operating officer Richard Tantoco committed to keep helping Ormoc become resilient in the wake of worsening climate change.

“Climate change is going to worsen, and we really need to be more and more prepared, which is why we are proud of this partnership with NRC and Ormoc City,” Tantoco said.

The agreement includes the formation of a multi-sectoral forest protection task force, the creation of 10 pilot barangay emergency response teams and the rollout of a city-wide disaster risk preparedness and response information campaign.

Alena Mae S. Flores

By Julito G. Rada

Online business registrations increased to 7,525 as of March 15

By Othel V. Campos

PLDT Global Corp., the international arm of PLDT Inc., said over the weekend it teamed up with SmartTone, one of Hong Kong’s leading technology services providers, to level up services for customers in Hong Kong1mm.

“This is part of our commitment to serve Filipinos by providing innovative platforms and partnerships to help them achieve their goals, wherever they are in the world,” said Albert Villa-Real, senior vice president and chief commercial officer of PLDT Global.

“This upgrade will enable our ‘kababayans’ in Hong Kong to access a bigger Filipino community and give them a warmer sense of home,” he said.

Nearly 20,000 overseas Filipinos who have been using Smart World SIMs in Hong Kong are now SmarTone subscribers.

PLDT Globa said that while retaining their existing Smart World numbers, they will also have access to expanded features such as faster mobile speeds and access to 5G and affordable IDD call buckets and access to entertainment services.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PNB plans to open digital bank, select technology partner

We have seen the constant rise of online transactions over the last several years,” said DTI Undersecretary for consumer protection group Ruth Castelo.

The trend is expected to continue in 2021 and beyond as the Philippine market advanced quickly to the digitalization, she said.

Castelo said the increase in online shoppers was accompanied by the growth in the number of registered online businesses.

“We just really hope that these online businesses will respect and fulfill their obligation to consumers to deliver exactly what is purchased and to make sure that they have an effective after sales service provided,” she said.

The DTI, with the assistance from industry stakeholders, is updating the Philippine E-commerce Roadmap.

Efforts to update the roadmap started in August 2020, with Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez highlighting the need to “build trust between online sellers and online consumers”.”

The goal, he said, is to increase the understanding of micro, small and medium enterprises on e-commerce and introduce them to enablers and platforms that would expand their marketing channels from traditional brick-andmortar stores into digital transactions.

Lopez cited the huge opportunity for Philippine businesses on the online platform.

Digital or e-commerce is a prime mover for the continued increase of Philippine total retail sale which reached $80 billion. Of this, e-commerce accounted for less than 5 percent of retail sales or about $4 billion.

SkyCable augments broadband speed of subscribers, offers P999 monthly plan with 20 mbps

By Darwin G. Amojelar

IN BRIEF

Fiber unlimited broadband plan options, most notably in its highest speed plan, which was previously only 150 mbps but was leveled up to 200 mbps for the same price of P3,499 a month.

It said value-conscious consumers looking for a plan somewhere between the basic and highest plan could opt for plan 40 mbps for P1,499 a month or plan 80 mbps for P1,999.

Existing Sky Fiber subscribers nationwide would also experience an automatic upgrade without the hassle of

going through an application process.

Sky said subscribers just need to do a three-minute hard modem reset to enjoy the leveled-up internet speed.

Sky Fiber is also offering unlimited broadband + HD Cable bundle speed plans of up to 120 mbps at best-value.

It said that for P2,999 a month, instead of just enjoying a speed of 60 mbps, subscribers can smoothly stream online videos with a speed of 120 mbps while also having access to over 60 cable channels.

PHILIPPINE National Bank, the fifthlargest lender in terms of assets controlled by airline and tobacco tycoon Lucio Tan, plans to put up a digital bank soon, in line with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas’ push for digitization amid the global health crisis, a top executive said over the weekend.

PNB president and chief executive Jose Arnulfo Veloso said in an online briefing the bank is studying the establishment of a digital bank.

“That is timely because that is what other banks also want to do. That is the future... Hopefully, it will be finished as soon as possible,” Veloso said.

Veloso said he was not expecting the licensing for a digital bank to happen this year.

“We have to finish our business plan first... The application is beyond our control. We focus first on the business plan, then we’ll work on selecting a partner,” Veloso said.

He earlier said that as the pandemic inevitably reshaped how businesses were conducted and transformed customer behavior, PNB would focus on exploring new opportunities, particularly in the digital space, that would translate into new revenue streams for the bank, while mitigating the risks arising from operating in the new normal.

Veloso said he was expecting the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to enable the economy to rebound from a 9.5-percent contraction last year and eventually benefit the domestic banking industry.

PNB posted a 73-percent year-onyear decline in net profit in 2020 to P2.6 billion on loan loss provisioning.

The bank ended 2020 with net profit before provisions for impairment and taxes of P17.6 billion, an increase of 17-percent year-on-year, driven by continued improvement on net interest income and robust trading gains.

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

C1

advertise@manilastandard.net

World Water Day 2021: Conserve water, preserve life

By Jose Felipe and Peter Paul Duran

W

HAT does water mean to you?

This valuable resource can mean anything, for anyone. One can be reminded of the paradox of value made famous by the likes of Adam Smith, where a man with diamonds stranded in an arid desert could make more use of water than his hitherto precious gems.

Water, for some, is a resource left for granted and to some extent, wasted.

In a country like the Philippines where water can mean pristine coasts or the perennial deluge of storm season, water is calm as it is chaotic.

On the other hand, in territories where this resource is as scarce as hens’ teeth due to factors of climate, geography, or even socio economic instability, water can mean the difference of life or death.

So, we reel back to the question stated above, what does water mean to YOU? That is the theme for this year’s World Water Day celebration.

Regardless of context or cultural background, water is a basic necessity that symbolizes life. It replenishes thirst, nurtures crops, sanitizes, and prevents viruses from spreading—highly applicable in today’s global pandemic scene.

Needless to say, water is essential for human survival.

However, 2.2 billion of the world’s population still lack access to potable water and safely managed sanitation services. According to the World Economic Forum, “poor and rural populations are at the greatest risk of being left behind” regarding freshwater coverage. This report from the World Health Organization (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) only proves that water remains a luxury and privilege for the masses.

Which brings us to World Water Day. First celebrated in 1993, the United Nations (UN) declared that March 22 be the annual observance for what was then called the World Day for Water.

The World Water Day celebration aims to highlight water and sanitation’s key role in poverty reduction, economic growth, and environmental sustainability.

For the last five years, World Water Day themes have focused on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6: Water and Sanitation for All by 2030. Past themes have included: Water and Climate Change (2020), Leaving No One Behind (2019), Nature for Water (2018), Why Waste Water? (2017), Better Water, Better Jobs (2016), Water and Sustainable Development (2015) This year, the UN chose the theme “Valuing Water,” which remains consistent with the SDG 6. The UN aims to raise global awareness about the real value of water. In one of their statements, the UN said, “the value of water is about much more than its price – water has enormous and complex value for our households, food, culture, health, education, economics and the integrity of our natural environment.”

In a way, what the UN is trying to say is that water is at the heart of everything we do as humans. And that misuse of this finite resource can have an adverse and long-term effect on every aspect of our lives.

LOCAL EFFORTS From a broad perspective, it’s great that there is a global celebration and appreciation to further develop water coverage and sustainability in poor and rural areas. Equally important is to take a look at what efforts are being done on a national level.

This year, World Water Day Philippines will recognize government sectors and corporate bodies’ efforts to enhance and upkeep our clean water sources.

One of the key players, who have stepped up this year is San Miguel Corporation. As part of their corporate social responsibility efforts, they’ve committed to reducing their total water consumption by 50% come 2025. They call this initiative “50 x 2025,” which aims to eliminate water wastage in their operations, reuse and recycle more water, harvest rainwater, reduce ground and surface water usage, and protect vital water sources.

Although massive companies like SMC have made such efforts, the government and private sectors could do a lot more to achieve water and sanitation for every Filipino by 2030.

Despite the Philippines’ growing economy and increased urbanization, millions of our fellow Filipinos still lack access to safe water sources and improved sanitation. One contributing factor is the inability to provide ample water and sanitation services to new residents in rapidly growing communities.

According to the World Health Organization, in 2019, 1 in 10 Filipinos still lack access to convenient water sources.

One out of 10 may sound like a low ratio, but we’re talking about a country with a population of more than 100 million people.

To drive this point home, here’s a statement from UNICEF in 2017 about the Philippines’ water situation: “In the Philippines, 91% of the country’s estimated 100.7 million population have access to at least basic water services; but access is highly inequitable across the country, with regional basic water services access ranging from 62% to 100%. Around 99% of the one-fifth wealthiest households are more likely to have access to basic water services; while only 80% of the poorest quintile do.

“Around 6 million Filipinos also still practice open defecation, and some 20 million lack access to basic sanitation facilities. While over 75 million Filipinos have basic sanitation service at the national level, there are significant inequalities, particularly with regional coverage ranging only from 22% to 86%.”

The operative words here are clean, sanitized water. It’s not enough for people to have access to basic water services.

What Filipinos need are sanitation facilities with which clean water will spring from. But why is this important?

“In 2016, one of the top 10 leading causes of death in the Philippines was acute watery diarrhea, claiming over 139,000 lives,” according to the World Health Organization.

In fact, safe water may also be linked to the health and nutrition of children and their ability to stay focused in school.

With the current pandemic the country is facing, we need safe and clean water now more than ever. As Jeci A. Lapus, acting administrator of Local Water Utilities Administration (LWUA), puts it, “Water is life, water is now our weapon to preserve this life… whenever we open our faucets and turn on our showers. Every drop counts.”

In sustaining our lives, water is important. In the battle against an unseen enemy, clean water is essential. In our quest to survive and thrive in an ever changing world, water is vital.

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Sports

MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021

ICTSI Eagle Ridge golf cancelled John Wilson holds his MVP trophy.

Wilson named MPBL Most Valuable Player SUBIC—San Juan-Go for Gold star John Wilson was named Chooks-to-Go MPBL Lakan Cup season Most Valuable Player, Sunday at the Subic Bay Gymnasium here.

The crowning was held prior to Game Four of the Chooks-to-Go MPBL National Finals that is a do-or-die game for Wilson and the Knights.

Wilson, a 34-year-old sniper from Binangonan Rizal, led the league in scoring with 20.23 points on top of 6.33 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 2.33 steals during the regular season.

“I worked a lot for this award. I spent more time working out than with my family. I spend six times a week for training. Deserve ko talaga ito,” said Wilson, who was the first player in MPBL history to reach 1,000 points.

The NCAA Season 86 MVP also put up the league record for most points with 44 in their 102-97 win over PampangaADG Group on September 17, 2019.

Joining Wilson in the All-MPBL First Team were teammate Mike Ayonayon, Pasig Sta. Lucia’s Jeric Teng, Davao Occidental-Cocolife’s Mark Yee, and Makati-Super Crunch’s Jeckster Apinan.

The All-MPBL Second Team was composed of Datu Cup MVP Gab Banal; Manila-Frontrow’s tandem of Chris Bitoon and Aris Dionisio; GenSanBurlington’s Pamboy Raymundo; and Pasay’s Dhon Reverente.

Yee was also hailed as this season’s Defensive Player of the Year, posting 14.96 points, 11.86 boards, 0.76 steals, and 0.76 blocks.

Bagging the Executive of the Year award was Nueva Ecija owner Bong Cuevas, who also helped stage the MPBL bubble in Subic, together with Chooks-to-Go. Davao’s Billy Ray Robles rounded up the awardees with the Sportsmanship Award.

A woman wearing a face mask walks past a display showing the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games logo in Tokyo. Overseas fans will be banned from this summer’s pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, organizers said on March 20, 2021, in a bid to reduce virus risks and convince a sceptical Japanese public the Games will be safe. AFP

Tolentino: Now is PH’s best chance to win gold

By Peter Atencio

W

INNING at least one gold medal will be a great and historic moment for Philippine sports.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said this after the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force (IOC-BTF) confirmed that two more boxers have qualified for the Tokyo Olympics.

“This is now our best chance to win a gold medal. God willing, it’s a minimum of one,” said Tolentino during the weekly program, “Power and Play” of former PBA com-

mission Noli Eala.

Last Friday, the IOC-BTF confirmed to the POC that Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam gained slots through their world rankings.

Petecio and Paalam joined fellow boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, who booked tickets through the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifiers in Amman, Jordan in March, 2020.

The two qualified by virtue of their highest standing in their respective weight categories, according to the Olympic Boxing Task Force rankings.

The four boxers now join pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena and gymnast Carlos Yulo in the list of Filipino Olympic qualifiers.

The POC is still awaiting for confirmation of more entries, with women’s golfers Yuka Saso and Bianca

Pagdanganan in the reserve list.

Saso has risen in the Olympic golf rankings at no. 22, while Pangdanganan is listed at no. 43.

Olympian Hidilyn Diaz is currently waiting in Malaysia, where she has been undergoing training camp for more than a year. She is waiting for confirmation to join the final qualifying tournament to formalize her fourth straight Olympic appearance.

In athletics, confirmation on the qualification of sprinters Eric Cray and Kristina Knott are being awaited.

Four swimmers Luke Gebbie, Jasmine Alkhaldi, Remedy Rule and James Deipardine have been joining qualifiers in the United States and in Australia.

Athletes in karatedo, judo and rowing are also set to attend qualifiers abroad.

Marcial is PSA Awards’ Executive of the Year FOR successfully leading the Philippine Basketball Association to restart its 45th season under a most unconventional way, Commissioner Willie Marcial is going to be honored in the San Miguel CorporationPhilippine Sportswriters Association Awards Night on Saturday.

The 10th commissioner of Asia’s pioneering pro league has been named Executive of the Year by the country’s sportswriting fraternity in its first ever virtual event to be held March 27 at the TV5 Media Center.

The special honor is one of 32 awards to be handed out in the affair presented by San Miguel Corpo-

ration and backed by the Philippine Sports Commission and Cignal TV. The pair of Gretchen Ho and Carlo Pamintuan will host the program, which has 1 Pacman Partylist, Chooks-to-Go, and Rain or Shine as major backers. The virtual Awards Night is going to be aired on March 28 over One Sports+ from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Marcial defied the odds and bravely led the 500-plus strong PBA contingent in Clark, Pampanga in the last quarter of 2020, where the league held the resumption of the Philippine Cup and played under a strict bubble format.

Despite the staggering P65 mil-

lion cost of staging the first and only bubble play in Asia and the uncertainty the league faced in the entire two-month journey, Marcial was able to right the ship that led to the completion of a season on the brink.

The Executive of the Year is just the latest honor to be bestowed on the affable PBA chief, who was also recognized by the PBA Press Corps and other sports bodies and publications with the same award for his brand of leadership in handling the critical situation amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since its successful resumption of the all-Filipino conference won by

Let’s go, Tokyo!

THE COACH MIKE OCHOSA THE 2020 Olympics was moved to 2021. Instead of cancelling the games, Tokyo, reluctantly agreed to the rescheduling. Unfortunately, as we get closer to July of 2021, Covid-19 continues to make the future certainly uncertain, and once again, there is tremendous pressure to abandon the event altogether.

WHETHER ALLOWED OR NOT THE OLYMPICS IS A BROADCAST CENTER In 1936, when Berlin hosted the games, Adolf Hitler wanted to use it as a platform to prove his theory of racial superiority. The plan backfired and instead the Olympics heralded Jessie Owens, a black man who not

only brought home 4 gold medals but won the friendship of his German competitors.

In 1972, in Munich, Palestinian extremists chose the Olympics as their bullhorn to demand the release of more than 200 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The terrorists held hostage Israeli athletes and ended up killing 11 of them. Hours after the senseless massacre, the games continued.

Munich sent out a message that terror and fear should never be allowed to triumph.

THE OLYMPIC IRONY Chapter 5 of the Olympic Charter reads, “No kind of demonstration or political or religious or racial propaganda is permitted in the Olympic areas”. Despite this, the Olympics have never been devoid of controversy pertaining to using the celebration as a loudspeaker for beliefs, causes, rebellion and uprising.

Nonetheless, its existence and essence continue to protect its very na-

Barangay Ginebra, the PBA has become the model for all other leagues eyeing to resume their games under a similar bubble setup.

Marcial became the second PBA commissioner to be named Executive of the Year by the country’s oldest media organization headed by President Tito S. Talao, sports editor of the Manila Bulletin, after Chito Salud in 2012.

Past recipients of the award were William ‘Butch’ Ramirez, Ramon S. Ang, Manny V. Pangilinan, Wilfred Uytengsu, Hans Sy, Ricky Vargas, Dan Palami, Jude Echauz, and Philip Ella Juico.

ture. The games, regardless of how man has tried to debase it constantly reveal the good of man himself. The words Citius, Altius, Fortius or Stronger, Higher, Faster, permanently resonate after every Olympic flame is extinguished. Somehow, the good in man always prevails.

IF ONLY FOR THIS REASON, THE TOKYO OLYMPICS MUST PROCEED It seems preordained that the 2020 Olympics was to be held in Tokyo.

Japan first hosted the games in 1964.

Back then, the games became Japan’s opportunity to rejoin the international community as a peaceful member.

Reeling from the devastating effects of World War II, Japan’s remarkable rebound needed a platform to showcase, as many historians account, its rebirth and resilience.

Today, these two words once again reverberate. The Olympics whether we recognize it or not is a hilltop where these words can be hurled from and be our rallying cry. And as providence has set it up, Japan is taking center stage.

The pandemic has waged war on

mankind. The virus has taken lives, changed the way we live and is reshaping the future. We need to come together to combat this foe.

Japan has and still is deflecting pressure to close down the games.

Many supporters have pointed to the Japanese culture of protecting their honor as the reason for their stubbornness. Some say it is a simple issue of economics, and that Japan has already spent too much to let go. The only way to defend their honor and to recoup their investments is to push through with the Olympic Games.

Regardless of reason, it is fortuitous that Tokyo won the bid way back in 2013. Rebirth and resilience are virtues very much ingrained in them that giving up on the games is not an option. It is apt that the responsibility now lies on them.

THE OLYMPICS MUST GO ON At this moment in our history, where once again man’s existence and way of life is in peril, we must come together. The Olympics remains to be one of the biggest gatherings that breaks down barriers and brings together every nation and in-

THE ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Championship, scheduled to unfold tomorrow at Norman course, has been cancelled due to the spike of COVID-19 cases in the country, particularly in the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna and Rizal.

The Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed the said areas back to GCQ (general community quarantine) due to the rising COVID-19 cases the last few weeks, forcing the PGTI to cancel the second of two LPGT events marking the start of the 2021 season.

“In line with the new iATF Resolution, Cavite shall be placed under General Community Quarantine (GCQ) from March 22 to April 4, 2021. For the safety and protection of our players and employees, the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Championship will be cancelled until further notice,” the PGTI said in a statement.

PSC’s Sports Summit tackles COVID-19 SPORTS and COVID-19 take the spotlight in the 8th session of the National Sports Summit 2021 as the Philippine Sports Commission taps international orthopaedist and sports medicine Dr. Randolph Molo in the online lectureforum this Thursday.

Molo, the current head of the PSC’s Medical Scientific Athletes Services Unit and an International Football Medicine and Doping Panel member of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association and Asian Football Confederation (AFC), is a fitting resource person on the topic having steered many successful sports exercises in this pandemic, including the on-going bubble training of our Olympicbound national athletes.

National Training Director Marc Velasco said this is a timely topic to give attention to as “it would give ample, scientifically-backed guidance on how to continue our sports-life despite the health crisis.”

The NSS has so far featured 7 sessions before this lecture of Molo since it started in January.

Willie Marcial

dividual. Right now, more than ever it endures to be the opportunity to showcase the indomitable spirit of man.

It is a reminder that we are strong together. The games remind us to set our sights higher. The Olympics should strengthen the belief that we can get out of this faster.

Citius. Altius. Fortius.

Let’s go, Tokyo! *** Mike Ochosa is an avid sportsman.

He has written for various broadsheets and online 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

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MONDAY, MARCH 22, 2021 Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com

FOOD

Chef RV Manabat bares his secrets

C

HEF and educator RV Manabat believes that “any Godgiven knowledge and gift must be imparted for the better good of society.”

And impart, he does.

The millennial chef is known for sharing his culinary knowledge with the public, through his books Baking Secrets (published in 2018) and More Baking Secrets (published in 2020) and his video tutorials on Facebook and YouTube.

The knowledge he shares is an accumulation of everything he’s learned in school (he graduated from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Institution Management and pursued a postgraduate degree in Boston University), and in other prestigious institutions and trusted sources in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea, and Vietnam.

Chef RV started imparting his knowledge in several academies and colleges in the country, including his alma mater, until he eventually opened his own cooking and baking studio in Biñan, Laguna where he conducted face-to-face classes and served home-cooked meals and pastries.

He operated for about three years until the pandemic happened in 2020, and his café had to adopt new changes. This

meant suspending his face-to-face baking and cooking classes, and moving his “classroom” online.

Although he has been posting tutorial videos since 2019, he doubled the effort on his cooking and baking lessons to encourage others to start their own businesses. Thanks to the recipes and secrets he shares, many of his fans were able to start their own food business amid the economy-crippling pandemic.

He currently has approximately 430,000 YouTube subscribers and 1.2 million Facebook followers.

“To be able to share, one has to be self less and has to be extremely happy to see another person’s success.

We should uplift one another—that is the best tool we have right now to recover our economy and enhance our community,” shares the 30-yearold chef/educator.

Chef RV’s videos present low-cost, easy-to-follow recipes ideal for small productions, such as puto, maja blanca, ube cheese pan de sal, Spanish bread, banana bread, cheesy milky donuts, caramel bars, vanilla cupcakes with stable buttercream icing, ube cheese macaroons and brownies, no-bake banoffee pie, and no-bake cheesecake.

NO SECRETS.

Chef RV Manabat shares recipes, tips and tricks, and other cooking and baking hacks through his video tutorials that aim to help people start their own food business.

His most successful recipe to date is the Moist Chocolate Cake, because, as he puts it, “Everybody likes chocolate; it is easy to make and also easy to sell.”

“We don’t just share recipes and techniques—my main goal is to help people acquire a stable livelihood and improve their quality of life by imparting positivity,” he adds.

He also has videos about making embotido, pork barbecue with java rice, pansit with crispy pork, and easy beef salpicao, plus a wide range of pastas including aglio olio pasta, cheesy meaty lasagna, creamy pesto and mushroom pasta, and truffle cream pasta; as well as hacks on popular Korean dishes samgyeopsal, kimchi, and kimchi fried rice.

“The videos are for everyone who enjoys food, or simply for people who want to be entertained through food.”

Chef RV’s (from left) cake sampler, fluffy puto cheese, and ube cheese pan de sal.

RECIPE FILES

Classic Filipino dishes to pair with Thai Jasmine rice KNOWN for its aromatic quality and soft texture, Thai Jasmine (hom mali) rice also pairs well with a variety of classic Filipino viands—from fried to soup-based. Royal Umbrella, a brand of premium hom mali rice, offers the following recipes:

Pampanga’s pride, The Orange Bucket opens its first Metro Manila branch in Pasay City.

The Orange Bucket opens first Metro Manila branch

PAMPANGA’S seafood restaurant The Orange Bucket is now closer to the country’s capital as it recently opened its first Metro Manila branch.

Located at Newport City in Pasay, TOB brings to Manila its signature Cajun seafood dishes along with other Asian and seafood specialties beloved by its patrons in Angeles City (where it has two branches) and Plaridel, Bulacan (its third branch).

Helmed by an internationally trained team of chefs, TOB boasts a wide selection of entrées inspired by dishes from Thailand, Singapore, Korea, Japan, and more.

The chain also takes pride in its roster of awards gained since its opening in 2016. Some of its accolades include Most Outstanding Exquisitely-Flavored Seafood Cuisine Restaurant

from the International Management Excellence Awards in 2017; Best Seafood Restaurant in Pampanga from the Golden Globe Annual Awards for Business Excellence in 2017 and 2018; Best Cajun-St yle Seafood Restaurant in Pampanga in 2017; and more.

“We vow to continue serving the highest quality of food and service that we have always been known for,” said its owner Mia Caballa as they open their fourth branch.

TOB is strictly implementing health protocols and safety guidelines such as wearing of face mask and face shield, temperature check and disinfection upon entry, and social distancing, among others. QR code for menus are provided at each table. For more information, call 0917-703-0278 or check out The Orange Bucket - Newport City on Facebook.

NOW SERVING

The Cajuninspired restaurant serves Asian and seafood specialties.

Bicol Express

Daing na Bangus

Daing na Bangus Ingredients: 1 whole

10 tbsp.

1 whole 3 tbsp.

1 tbsp. ½ cup

bangus (milkfish) cleaned, deboned, scaled, and butterflied vinegar head of garlic, minced black pepper, cracked salt vegetable oil

Procedure: 1. Combine ingredients (except bangus) into a bowl and mix. Place bangus and marinade inside a large re-sealable plastic bag. Let out excess air from the bag; seal and refrigerate overnight.

2. Remove fish and drain the marinade before cooking.

3. Heat cooking oil on medium. Once the oil gets hot, fry the fish on one side until crisp. Flip fish and repeat.

4. Remove from the pan and serve with rice.

Beef Nilaga

Bicol Express Ingredients: 1 kilo 3 cups 2 tbsp.

5 cloves 1 pc.

8 pcs.

2 pcs.

1 cup

pork belly cubes coconut milk sweet bagoong garlic, minced onion, diced siling labuyo, sliced siling haba (finger chilies), sliced water salt and pepper (to taste)

Procedure: 1. Heat oil on medium, then add minced siling labuyo and stir until slightly toasted. Add onions and garlic and stir until soft.

2. Add pork and stir until lightly brown.

Add bagoong and stir for 1 minute.

3. Add coconut milk, siling haba, and water. Stir, bring to a boil, and simmer until fat has rendered and pork is tender.

4. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice.

Beef Nilaga Ingredients: 1 kilo ½ kilo 2 pcs.

2 pcs.

1 pc.

1 pc.

12 pcs.

4 tbsp.

8 cups

beef shank beef tendon potatoes, peeled and cubed large carrots, peeled and cubed large onion, diced pechay, cut green beans, sliced whole peppercorn water patis (fish sauce) (optional)

Procedure: 1. Sauté onion on medium heat until soft. Add beef and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add peppercorn and mix well.

Then add water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours and add more water as needed. Skim the stew as needed.

3. Add potatoes and carrots and continue to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Add pechay and green beans 5. Serve with patis and rice.