Manila Standard - 2021 April 15 - Thursday

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Protests vs. China mounting Big trade groups join gov’t in denouncing Chinese incursions in WPS

By Rey E. Requejo, Maricel V. Cruz and Macon Ramos-Araneta

T

HE Department of Foreign Affairs lodged two more diplomatic protests against China on Wednesday, even as eight local business groups joined Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana and other government officials in calling on the Chinese to withdraw their ships from Julian Felipe Reef.

Beijing, however, has yet to offi- lawmakers, and other government officially react to the protests, which saw cials in objecting to the naval incursions organizations of the country’s top busi- for the first time yesterday. nessmen – many of them with Chinese The latest DFA protests, done for the Next page ancestry -- joining citizens’ groups,

VOL. XXXV • NO. 59 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 • THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Biden sends execs to Taiwan amid Beijing’s hostile moves US President Joe Biden sent an unofficial delegation of former US officials to Taiwan on Wednesday in a signal of support for the democratic island as it faces increasingly hostile moves by China.

Taipei said former senator Christopher Dodd and former deputy secretaries of state Richard Armitage and James Steinberg would land in the capital on Wednesday afternoon.

“Once again this visit demonstrates the firm relationship between Taiwan and the United States,” said presidential office spokesman Xavier Chang.

“It is strong as a rock.”

Taiwan’s 23 million people live under the constant threat Next page

ROAMING FREELY. In these photos from the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea, a Corvette-class warship of the People’s Liberation Army Navy of China is spotted -- in a pack of six warships -- while some 136 Chinese maritime militia vessels are in the vicinity of Gaven Reef as Philippine sovereignty patrols discovered them in the waterway on April 11. NTF-WPS photos

Sino poachers target giant clams in Palawan waters

By Jimbo Gulle CHINESE poachers are illegally harvesting giant clams in the waters of Pag-asa Islands, recent patrols by the Philippine Coast Guard discovered.

The poachers immediately left the area

when approached by the Coast Guard, the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea reported Wednesday.

“This act is a blatant violation of Philippine fisheries and wildlife laws, and the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species

of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES),” NTF-WPS said.

The Coast Guard also noted that the Chinese ships currently dispersed at the Pagkakaisa (Union) Banks and Pag-asa Islands are 240 CMM vessels about 60 Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM APRIL 14)

892,880 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

8,122 173,047 NEW

ACTIVE

15,477

162

704,386

501

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

Bernie Madoff

PONZI SCHEMER BERNIE MADOFF DEAD IN PRISON

Story on A2

CLAMS AND POACHERS. Three Chinese fishermen who reportedly harvested giant clams are seen in the vicinity of Pagasa Islands on March 28, according to this photo from the National Task Force on the West Philippine Sea. Inset shows the Philippine Coast Guard inspecting some of 16,467 pieces of giant clam shells worth about P57 million at a lot in Barangay Panacan, Narra, Palawan on Tuesday. PCG/NTF-WPS photos

Hard to detect variant from France raises red flag

By Willie Casas RESEARCHERS tracking the COVID-19 pandemic urged the government on Wednesday to enforce a mandatory quarantine period for returning Filipi-

nos following the discovery of a coronavirus variant in France that cannot be detected in PCR tests.

French authorities in mid-March said they were investigating a new coronavirus variant found in the western Brittany region that was more difficult for

tests to detect, though for now it does not appear to be more dangerous or contagious.

“There’s a new variant that cannot be detected by PCR test...this means we need to put in place international travNext page

FDA chief admits pressure over ivermectin okay

Next page

Jun Zaide (right) hands over the emergency cash assistance of P4,000 from the government to a resident of Brgy. Baclaran in Paranaque City as local officials conducted house-tohouse distribution of the ‘ayuda’ on Wednesday. Lino Santos

Blood clot fears hold J&J rollout

By Maricel V. Cruz THE Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday there had been some “pressure” to approve ivermectin as a drug for COVID-19 patients a week after it issued a compassionate use permit for the medicine.

But FDA Director General Eric Domingo stopped short of identifying the individuals, companies or government agencies which exerted pressure for the FDA to approve the drug.

The permit allows doctors and hospitals to use the veterinary drug in

DIRECT AID. Barangay Captain

MORE DOLOMITE. Backhoe operators dump crushed dolomite sand along the shoreline of Manila Bay on Wednesday, as part of the P389 million project of the government to rehabilitate the baywalk. Malacañang said funds for the beautification project could no longer be realigned for other purposes, such as to aid the country’s COVID-19 response. Norman Cruz

UNITED STATES health authorities have recommended pausing the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 shot over blood clot fears, with the company announcing it would delay its European rollout in a setback for global immunization efforts.

Out of nearly seven million Americans who have so far received the single-dose vaccine, six women between age 18 and 48 developed a rare type of clot in the brain, officials said.

One later died, while another is in critical condition.

US Food and Drug Administration

scientist Peter Marks has said the disorder might be triggered by a rare immune response to the vaccine similar to that seen in a few hundred recipients of the AstraZeneca jab in Europe.

“We have made the decision to proactively delay the rollout of our vaccine in Europe,” J&J said.

US authorities are conducting a probe which could result in tough regulatory choices, such as restricting the J&J vaccine to older people.

People who have received the shot within the past three weeks were asked Next page

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News

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘NCR jab to jumpstart economy’

By Willie Casas, Rio N. Araja and Joel E. Zurbano

A

FELLOW of the OCTA Research Group said Wednesday prioritizing vaccination in the National Capital Region and its adjacent provinces, given the limited supply of COVID-19 shots, would help jumpstart the domestic economy.

Ranjit Rye said while this suggestion might incite complaints from other regions, he believed re-allocating the scarce supplies “spatially” – while still following the risk-based approach of vaccinating health care workers first, then senior citizens, then people with comorbidities – would boost the overall fight against COVID-19.

“If we believe that if the pandemic is a snake in the country, the head is in the NCR and the Calabarzon. So if you cut the head off—I’m sorry if you’re a snake-lover—we believe that will have an impact on the overall war against COVID. We’ll

Biden...

From A1 of invasion by authoritarian Beijing, which claims the island as its own and has vowed to one day seize it.

It uses diplomatic, economic and military pressure to keep Taiwan isolated on the world stage and bristles whenever countries send delegations or maintain contacts with Taiwan.

Over the past year, Beijing’s saberrattling has increased considerably with Chinese fighter jets and nuclearcapable bombers breaching Taiwan’s air defense zone on a near-daily basis.

A record 25 Chinese military jets and bombers breached Taiwan’s defense zone on Monday.

Washington has diplomatically recognized Beijing over Taiwan since 1979.

But it maintains relations with Taipei and is bound by an act of Congress to sell the island defensive weapons. It also opposes any attempt by China to change Taiwan’s future by force.

This week’s delegation comes on the 42nd anniversary of that legislation -the Taiwan Relations Act -- which Biden signed when he was a young senator.

It also comes after the State Department said on Friday it was issuing new guidelines allowing US officials to meet more easily with Taiwanese counterparts.

Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump ramped up contacts and visits to Taiwan by US officials as relations between Washington and Beijing plunged over a host of issues.

Biden has made clear he wishes to cooperate with China on common causes such as climate change.

But concerns about China under President Xi Jinping have become a rare bipartisan issue in Washington and Biden has maintained a tough line with Beijing over its human rights record and threats towards Taiwan.

US climate envoy John Kerry will visit China later this week in the first trip there by the Biden administration, seeking to raise global ambitions despite soaring tensions with Beijing on other fronts.

“We have big disagreements with China on some key issues, absolutely.

But climate has to stand alone,” Kerry told CNN. China scheduled “combat drills” hours before the arrival of the US contingent.

Twenty-five Chinese air force aircraft including fighters and nuclearcapable bombers entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Monday, the largest reported incursion by Taipei to date.

China’s Taiwan Affairs Office said Taiwan’s government and separatists were colluding with “external forces,” seeking provocation and to damage peace and stability.

“The People’s Liberation Army’s organizing of actual combat exercises in the Taiwan Strait is a necessary action to address the current security situation in the Taiwan Strait and to safeguard national sovereignty,” spokesman Ma Xiaoguang said. AFP

FDA...

From A1 certain cases even if the FDA has yet to approve its registration.

Meanwhile, the Philippine National Police has agreed to temporarily hold the implementation of its recent directive ordering the arrest of sellers and users of ivermectin, the anti-parasitic drug which is being repurposed for treatment of COVID-19, a House official said on Wednesday.

Thus said Deputy Speaker and Bagong Henerasyon Rep. Bernadette Herrera, as she reported the outcome of her fruitful teleconference with Senator Christopher Go, Executive Secre-

probably be able to open up at least the economy if we’re able to see the decline in these centers where the majority of the cases are,” he told ANC’s Headstart.

“If we do this, we might not achieve herd immunity, but we will achieve a situation of decline in cases and a possibility, a very good basis for opening up the economy,” he said.

COVID survivors

The Department of Health said Wednesday COVID-19 survivors should be inoculated after recovery, or completion of treatment, as vaccination guidelines have been revised.

The DOH, in its memorandum 20210175, said the agency revised an earlier circular which says that recovered COVID-19 cases must wait 90 days before getting vaccinated.

“All vaccine recipients who contracted COVID-19 may be vaccinated after recovery or completion of treatment, whether for first or second dose, without restarting the vaccine dose schedule,” the DOH latest memorandum stated.

Earlier, the Vaccine Expert Panel had recommended that COVID-19 survivors be allowed to get an inoculation two weeks instead of 90 days from recovery.

Priority groups

On the other hand, the Philippine Heart Association has urged people with hypertension or heart disease to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

As of April 12, the Philippines has vaccinated over a million individuals belonging to the top three priority

groups – health workers, senior citizens, and persons with comorbidities.

At the same time, the DOH said persons vaccinated against other diseases should only get their COVID-19 vaccine 14 days after their latest inoculation.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier said that the vaccine series should routinely be administered alone, with a minimum interval of 14 days before or after administration of any other vaccine.

Sinovac interval

Meanwhile, for COVID-19 vaccines from Sinovac Biotech, the interval between the first and second dose is 28 days, while for AstraZeneca, the allowed interval is from four to 12 weeks, according to DOH. The country has so far administered a total of 1,139,644 COVID-19 vaccine doses as of April 11, according to Malacañang.

Ponzi schemer Bernie Madoff dead in prison NEW YORK—Bernie Madoff, the mastermind behind the worst financial scam in history, died in jail at age 82 on Wednesday, US prison officials said.

Madoff was sentenced to 150 years in prison in 2009 for running a pyramid-style scheme that defrauded tens of thousands of people around the world.

The scheme was estimated to be worth around $63 billion.

“We can confirm Bernard Madoff

passed away on April 14, 2021, at the Federal Medical Center (FMC) Butner, North Carolina,” an official with the federal Bureau of Prisons told AFP in an email.

The statement said the cause of death needed to be determined by a medical examiner.

In February 2020, Madoff’s lawyer said the disgraced Wall Street financier was terminally ill and wanted to leave prison to die.

Attorney Brandon Sample said Madoff was suffering from “terminal kidney disease, among other serious medical conditions.”

“The Bureau of Prisons concluded in September 2019 that Madoff has less than 18 months to live because of the terminal nature of his kidney failure,” Sample wrote.

The Washington Post reported then that Madoff needed a wheelchair and 24-hour care. AFP

Protests...

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“China and the Philippines share many things in common including being subjugated by colonizers and having their natural resources plundered. Now that China is strong economically and militarily, we call on China to refrain from becoming an imperial power.”

The businessmen said: “In 1974, Deng Xiaoping said ‘If one day China should change her color and turn into a superpower, if she too should play the tyrant in the world and everywhere subject others to her bullying, aggression and exploitation, the people of the world should expose it, oppose it and work together with the Chinese people to overthrow it.’”

“We call on the Chinese authorities to respect the sovereignty of the Philippines and other neighboring countries for it is only through peaceful co-existence that we can achieve prosperity for all,” they added.

However, Malacañang said the Philippines has stepped up its presence in the waterway amid China’s incursions into the country’s exclusive economic zone.

“The presence of Philippine maritime security and law enforcement forces have been stepped up in the municipality of Kalayaan to protect Filipino fishermen and the marine resources,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said on Wednesday.

Roque likewise reiterated that President Rodrigo Duterte, during the 75th session of the United Nations General Assembly in September last year, stressed the importance of the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s (PCA) ruling on the Philippines’ petition against China’s sweeping claims over the con-

tested South China Sea. He added that the NTF-WPS is “consistent” in invoking Philippine sovereignty and sovereign rights over the West Philippine Sea. In the House, Muntinlupa Rep. Ruffy Biazon filed a resolution condemning the continued harassment of Filipinos

by Chinese forces in the West Philippine Sea. The resolution refers to the incident in which a Chinese Coast Guard vessel chased a civilian vessel away from Philippine waters. “[T]he April 8 incident is part of continuing actions of the People’s Republic of China to harass Filipinos in waters where they have the right to pass and exploit under international law,” Biazon said.

Senator Risa Hontiveros, who has been very vocal on West Philippine Sea issues, slammed the Palace over its apparent silence on the presence of Chinese vessels within the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.

“What is Malacañang waiting for?

The Department of National Defense has spoken. The Department of Foreign Affairs has spoken. My fellow senators and I have already spoken.

All of us condemn China’s intrusions.

Malacañang should do something already,” she said.

Hontiveros said the recent development only shows that China is “truly intent on refusing any diplomatic means of resolving our disputes.

“The Palace should confront its ‘best friend’,” she said. “Like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region are taking action to ensure the rules-based international order. Yet, Malacañang hesitates.”

“Unfortunately, hospitals at full capacity will be a problem for a while because the decline of cases in NCR is not yet significant,” David said.

David said if the country’s vaccination program is accelerated, it will also hasten the decline of COVID-19 cases.

“Based on our simulations, if we vaccinate 1 million people, the reproduction number will go down by 0.1.,” he said. “If we vaccinate 2 million, we can flatten or decrease the trend in NCR.” The Philippines began its immunization program against coronavirus last month and has administered 1.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Tuesday morning.

But the Department of Health (DOH) on Wednesday reported an increase in

COVID-19 cases in five regions.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that aside from Metro Manila, cases were also increasing in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and the Cordillera Region.

“When the NCR Plus bubble policy was implemented, we also saw cases increase in other areas,” she said in Filipino.

Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega added that the rise in cases in those regions have also increased hospital occupancy.

The Philippines logged on Wednesday 8,122 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 892,880, as 12 laboratories failed to submit their data on time, the DOH reported.

Blood...

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health ministers said.

Germany has suspended distribution of the two-dose vaccine to people under 60 due to concerns over a possible link to rare blood clot cases.

But while J&J paused output, Pfizer said it increased production and could deliver 10 percent more doses than expected to the United States by the end of May. That would bring its delivery by the end of next month to 220 million doses, its CEO Albert Bourla said, adding that it can also “supply the full 300 million agreed on ... two weeks early.”

third straight day, were filed over reports that over 240 Chinese vessels are “swarming” in various reefs and islands in the country’s exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said Wednesday.

Locsin issued the order even as he chided the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea for “leaking” the information to the media.

The first protest, he said, is the daily protest the DFA said it would do as long as there are ships by the Julian Felipe Reef, while the second is for the dispersal or displacement of Chinese ships to other parts of the country’s maritime zones.

In a joint statement, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Management Association of the Philippines, the Makati Business Club, the Bishops-Businessmen’s Conference for Human Development, the Filipina CEO Circle, the Judicial Reform Initiative, the Cebu Business Club, and the Iloilo Business Club said Julian Felipe Reef is historically and by law undisputed Philippines’ territory, as was most clearly established in the 2016 ruling based on the UN Convention on the Law of the Seas.

“Our exclusive right over the Julian Felipe Reef carries with it the utilization of, and the obligation to protect, its economic benefits, such as its rich marine life and mineral deposits, for the well-being of each and every Filipino,” the group said.

Hard...

From A1 el protocols,” said Guido David of the OCTA Research Group.

David said the government should also intensify its contact tracing and scale up its COVID-19 testing.

“Returning Filipinos or tourists must undergo a mandatory quarantine period because this variant cannot be detected

by PCR,” he said in Filipino.

OCTA has projected a decrease in the number of new COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila “sometime next week” after the National Capital Region was placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ). tary Salvador Medialdea, Presidential Management Staff chief Ferdinand Cui Jr., PNP chief General Debold Sinas and FDA’s Domingo on Tuesday.

Domingo told state television channel PTV: “There is pressure from different camps but the FDA only approves a drug based on merit and as long as complete requirements have been submitted.”

Domingo did not mention which individuals, companies or government agencies have been pressuring the FDA to approve the drug.

During the teleconference organized

by Go, Herrera said PMS head Cui was briefed about the issue on Ivermectin, and why authorized sellers and users of the drug should not be arrested.

to report to their doctors if they experienced severe headaches, abdominal pain, leg pain or shortness of breath.

The White House said it was confident there would be no “significant impact” on vaccination plans in the world’s hardest-hit country, where almost half of all adults have now received at least one dose.

Meanwhile in Germany, people under the age of 60 who have received a first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine will receive a different jab for their second dose, federal and regional

Manila Bay gets fresh load of dolomite sand A FRESH pile of dolomite sand was piled on Manila Bay’s controversial White Beach project on Wednesday, despite the coronavirus pandemic gripping the country.

Several backhoe operators were seen at work in the area, pouring and levelling crushed dolomite rocks. Trucks dumped large amounts of the pulverized rocks to replace the sands washed away from areas underneath and fill the 500-meter stretch of the baywalk.

About 500 tons of crushed dolomite rocks were placed last year by the government to spruce up the baywalk, which was opened to the public in September 2020.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) earlier said the P389-million project will discourage people from littering.

The health department has declared that the rocks are not a health hazard.

“Dolomite in its bulk state is not a known health hazard and dolomite in dust form, like any other dust particle, can lead to symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, and coughing for this is our body’s normal reaction to irritants,” the Department of Health said in a statement.

The white sand beach is part of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program that started in January 2017.

The project has been criticized by environmentalists and fisherfolk, saying that the project is not the answer to pollution control in the area.

Citing information from the DENR, Greenpeace Southeast Asia campaigner Sonny Batungbacal said that only 15 percent (2.4 million out of 16.3 million) of the water-served population in Metro Manila are connected to a sewerage system.

Sino...

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“A minimum estimate that each can catch one ton of fish amounts to a conservative total of 240,000 kilos of fish illegally taken from Philippine waters every single day that the massed Chinese fishing vessels remain in the West Philippine Sea. These acts fall under illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUUF),” the National Task Force said.

This comes about a week after a group of local environmentalists accused China of using the Philippines’ earth materials in reclamation and infrastructure projects in the disputed waterway, with over 200 Chinese ships currently sailing among the islands in the country’s exclusive economic zone.

In April 2019, a Palace official said China’s extraction of giant clams in the Scarborough Shoal was an “affront” to Philippine sovereignty.

“It is an affront to our territory and our sovereignty,” Presidential Chief Legal Counsel Salvador Panelo – also the Palace spokesman two years ago -- told reporters then.

Filipino fishermen had told television news crews that Chinese Coast Guard ships drove them away from the shoal as wooden ships that bore China’s flag harvested giant clams.

“As far as we are concerned, that is ours so we will be objecting to those intrusions,” Panelo said.

Back then, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. also said the Philippines would take legal action against China over the clam harvest.

In a virtual media conference last week, Villardo Abueme, Homonhon Environmental Rescuers Organization (HERO) president, said China is using earth materials sourced from dredging and mining activities in different parts of the country are reportedly being used in the reclamation and infrastructure projects of China off

expected to issue new guidelines in administering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine this week.

FDA Director General Eric Domingo made the announcement six days after the FDA and the Department of Health ordered the suspension of administering AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in the country to those aged 59 years old and below.

This was in light of the European Medicines Agency’s (EMA) findings of a very rare side blood clot as a side effect in 79 cases out of 20 million administered AstraZeneca jab.

New guidelines Domingo said: “We are finishing the In the Philippines, the Food and Drug new guidelines today so we can release Administration said Wednesday they it this week. Willie Casas with AFP

News IN BRIEF 2 House panels OK judiciary marshals

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

House files resolution vs. pork EO

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE House of Representatives committees on justice and on appropriations have jointly endorsed for plenary approval a bill establishing a new armed marshal service to safeguard judges and court staff from potential threats and violence.

“We have very high hopes the bill will be passed into law soon, since it is already up for plenary action in both chambers of Congress,” said Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, the bill’s principal author.

Pimentel filed the bill in 2019 after then Chief Justice Diosdado Peralta called for the creation of a dedicated protective force for the judiciary amid the spate of killings of judges.

Under House Bill 9086, the Judiciary Marshals Service will operate “as an independent, professional, and organized security force under the direct control and supervision of the Supreme Court.”

“The service will be under the Office of Court Administrator. It will be headed by a chief marshal, who will have the same rank and privileges as an associate justice of the Supreme Court,” said Pimentel, chairperson of the House strategic intelligence committee. Maricel V. Cruz

A

RESOLUTION has been filed at the House of Representatives calling for the termination of an executive order mandating the temporary reduction of tariffs on pork imports.

P210m shabu seized in Las Piñas buy-bust POLICE killed two suspected drug dealers and seized more than P210 million worth of shabu during a buy-bust operation late Tuesday night in Las Piñas City.

The slain suspects were identified as Richard Jen Jieko Salameda Amarga and Andrew Guinto Garcia.

Authorities recovered 31 kilos of shabu worth P210.8 million during the anti-drug operation that resulted in the shootout along Isiah Street, Tierra Hermosa Subdivision in Barangay Almanza 1 around 10:30 p.m. Tuesday Recovered from the crime scene were two loaded .45-caliber pistols, five mobile phones, a Toyota Innova (with registration plate DAY1328), various identification cards, and the P1.5 million boodle money used in the entrapment.

Metro Manila police director Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao said a composite team from the Las Piñas Station - 4 Drug Enforcement Unit, Southern Police District and Philippine Drug Enforcement Group launched the operation after receiving information on the drug dealing activity of the suspects. Joel E. Zurbano

DRUG HAUL. Police inspect the some P210 million worth of suspected shabu hidden in Chinese tea packaging recovered during a buy-bust operation in Barangay Almanzo Uno in Las Piñas City Tuesday night.

Norman Cruz

DOJ to probe reports of PhilHealth ‘upcasing’

By Rey E. Requejo SECRETARY Menardo Guevarra said the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation are willing to help the state-run Philippine Health Insurance Corporation in investigating fresh reports of alleged “upcasing.”

Guevarra made the statement after the PhilHealth said it is conducted a probe on video posts claiming the resurgence of the so-called upcasing scheme where healthcare providers allegedly collude with patients to declare minor respiratory symptoms such as asthma as COVID-19 to claim higher benefits.

“The DOJ-led Task Force Philhealth conducted a thorough investigation of upcasing schemes last year and cases were filed thereafter. PhilHealth is currently looking into new incidents of upcasing in relation to COVID claims,” Guevarra said.

“With a former NBI chief as president/ CEO (Chief Executive Officer), PhilHealth can very well handle this new investigation, but the DOJ and NBI will be ready to provide assistance if requested,” he added.

Last year, the Task Force PhilHealth recommended the filing of criminal and administrative charges against seven officials of the agency for violations of the

Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act over their alleged involvement in a multibillion peso fund embezzlement.

As a form of health-insurance fraud, upcasing refers to claiming for a related illness or procedure of higher severity or complexity to gain higher benefit payment.

Those who would be found guilty may be fined P200,000 for each count, or suspension of contract up to three years of the healthcare provider, or both.

It also constitutes a criminal violation punishable by imprisonment of six months and one day up to six years upon the discretion of the court in accordance to Section 38 of the Universal Health Care Law.

Rody signs law on mandatory coop officer post

COVID RESPONSE. BCDA President and National Task Force Against COVID-19 deputy chief implementer Sec. Vince Dizon leads the ceremonial ribbon cutting to open the Subic COVID-19 wellness center and temporary treatment and monitoring facility on April 14, 2021.

SC members in SET, HRET reorganized

By Rey E. Requejo CHIEF Justice Alexander Gesmundo has reorganized the Supreme Court’s memberships in the Senate Electoral Tribunal and the House of Representatives Electoral Tribunal, which resolve electoral protests arising from the senatorial and congressional polls, respectively.

Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas Bernabe will continue to chair the SET, with Associate Justices Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa and Ramon Paul Hernando as new members.

On the other hand, Associate Justice Marvic Leonen will remain head of the HRET with Associate Justices Rosmari Carandang and Amy Lazaro Javier as new members.

The two electoral tribunals adjudicate cases on election, returns and qualifications of both Houses of Congress.

Besides the SC magistrates, the SET is composed of Senators Richard Gordon, Nancy Binay, Pia Cayetano, Manny Pacquiao, Manuel Lapid, and Francis Pangilinan as members.

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Panels approve rebel amnesty

By Maricel V. Cruz A JOINT committee in the House of Representatives adopted four concurrent resolutions granting amnesty to four rebel groups.

The House Committees on Justice and on National Defense and Security, chaired by Leyte Rep. Vicente Veloso III and Iloilo Rep. Raul Tupas, respectively, approved during Wednesday’s joint hearing the Committee Reports on House Concurrent Resolutions 12, 13, 14, and 15.

In his opening remarks, Tupas said the grant of amnesty to former rebels is an integral component of the government’s comprehensive peace efforts.

“As the joint committees approve the committee reports for the House Concurrent Resolutions 12, 13 14 and 15, we have taken firm steps in concretizing the peace agenda. We have affirmed the peace process and expressed support to the government’s effort in attaining a just and hopefully sustainable peace for the Filipino people,” he said.

Speaker Lord Allan Velasco, House Majority Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez and House Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Jo-

seph Stephen authored the four concurrent resolutions.

The resolutions backed the grant of amnesty to members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, Moro National Liberation Front, Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa ng Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletarian Army/Alex Boncayao Brigade and the Communist Terrorist Groups.

On Feb. 5, the President issued Proclamations 1090, 1091, 1092 and 1093 granting amnesty to the members of the MILF, MNLF, MILF, RPMP-RPA-ABB and CTG who have committed crimes under the Revised Penal Code or special penal laws in pursuit of their political beliefs.

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

PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte has signed into law a measure making the position of a Cooperatives Development Officer (CDO) mandatory in all local government units.

Republic Act No. 1535, signed on April 9, amends the Local Government Code of 1991.

Under RA 11535, the municipal, city, and provincial levels will all be required to appoint a CDO in charge of assisting promising groups and sectors in organizing and forming their own cooperatives.

CDOs will also bridge regional cooperatives with the Cooperative Development Authority and other national government agencies to help them harmonize their goals with the national cooperative movement.

Other powers and duties of the CDO include: • Formulating measures for the consideration of the sanggunian (council) and provide technical assistance and support to the governor or mayor, as the case may be, in carrying out measures to ensure the delivery of basic services and provision of facilities through the promotion and development of cooperatives, and in providing access to such services and facilities; º Developing plans and strategies in consultation with the cooperative sector and upon approval thereof by the governor or mayor, as the case may be, implement the same, particularly those which have to do with the integration of cooperatives values, principles, and practices in programs and projects; •Taking the lead in identifying groups, sectors or communities that can be organized into cooperatives; providing assistance to prospective cooperatives in the conduct of the required preregistration seminar; providing technical and other forms of assistance to duly registered cooperatives; and assisting cooperatives in establishing linkages with government agencies, cooperative unions, and federations, the academe, and nongovernment organizations involved in the promotion and integration of the concept of cooperatives; and • Assisting cooperatives in the development and implementation of risk management plans and business continuity plans and management as a response to anticipated or unexpected man-made and natural calamities and disasters, to aid in their survival and if necessary subsequent rehabilitation.

The House joint resolution authored by 17 lawmakers demands the withdrawal of Executive Order 128 that temporarily reduces the rates of import duty on fresh, chilled, or frozen pork products for one year.

The EO was intended to address the supply problem and soaring prices due to continuous demand.

Reps. Carlos Zarate, Rose Marie Arenas, Jose Christopher Belmonte, Arlene Brosas, Argel Joseph Cabatbat, France Castro, Lorenz Defensor, Sarah Jane Elago, Edgar Erice, Ferdinand Gaite, Janette Garin, Rico Gerona, Jonathan Keith Flores, Edcel Lagman, Geraldine Roman, and Noel Villanueva authored the resolution.

The legislators also called for the rejection of the “staggering expansion” of the minimum access volume (MAV) for pork imports.

“Tariff reduction on pork imports will automatically foster increased importation of pork products at the expense of local hog raisers and producers, who are seeking much-needed indemnification and assistance amid the damaging impact of the African Swine Fever (ASF) that continues to plague the country since Juy 2019,” the lawmakers said.

“Tariff reduction and increased MAV of pork imports will further decimate the local pork industry as we know it and will also undermine our local production and food security, as what has happened to the rice industry,” they added.

The House joint resolution also provides that the “impending production stoppage of many producers who cannot cope with the negative effects of the reduced tariff and MAV expansion” will mean more loss of jobs and livelihood.

“It is not an assurance that reduced tariffs and increased importation will stabilize or reduce the current high prices of pork meat products which have become unfairly exorbitant for consumers,” the lawmakers said.

The legislators said national government must be able to implement “more effective and long-term solutions to strengthen and address the repopulation and rehabilitation of the local pork industry.”

“EO 128 would create irreparable damage to the pork industry and to the agricultural sector as a whole. EO 128 runs contrary to the promotion of the general welfare of the people which is a fundamental principle in our Constitution,” the lawmakers said.

Manila

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Standard COMMISSION ON APPOINTMENTS

TODAY

ANNOUNCEMENT President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has submitted to the Commission on Appointments (CA) for its consent on the nominations of the following senior officers in the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), namely: 1. ANTONIO C. PALCES

to the rank of Rear Admiral

2. HENRY M. DOYAOEN

to the rank of Major General

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

For the schedule of the public hearings, the CA Secretariat can be reached through telephone numbers 8834-2713, 8831-1824, 8831-0527, 8832-9830, 88342706 and 8551-1989.

14 April 2021.

HECTOR A. VILLACORTA Secretary (MS-APRIL 15, 2021)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

So The Public Will Know

TODAY

The recent abrogation of the 7% allocation of Class “A” export sugars now brings us to the urgency of converting their remaining unshipped volumes back into Class “B.” We have around 73,430 MT of the unshipped Class “A” sugars which must be released to the domestic market to reduce our deficit and avoid price spikes.

As matters stand, there is absolutely no way the SRA Board can continue to refuse to recall the unshipped Class “A” to augment the supply in the domestic market because, as stated in SO 1-A, we are experiencing a shortage, although the actual volumes remain underreported.

SRA’s own updated reports show 2,407,000 MT of consumption (this during critical lockdown months from March 2020 to February 2021, Imports included), versus their adjusted report of a 2,100,000 MT production or a clear deficit of 307,000 MT. Adjusted by the 34,000 MT Class “A” exports that SRA had already shipped out, it means we now face a 341,000 MT shortage for the balance of the year.

Interestingly, the Secretary of Agriculture, William Dar, who is the Chairman of the SRA Board, during the 12 April 2021 Senate Hearing investigating the DA’s pro-traders import policies that hurt the local hog raisers, unqualifiedly stated that, “our supply is composed of local production plus imports. That gives you the supply to meet the demand.” This is the very same formula which everyone including the USDAA FAS, through the Global Agricultural Information Network, has been using not only for the Philippines but in presenting data from all sugar-producing countries yet SRA & Sec.Dar unbelievably continue to deny.

There are no ifs nor buts, we need to convert this 73,430 MT outstanding Class “A” into Class “B” to bring our deficit down to 267,000 MT. Only manifests partiality, malice and evident bad faith could motivate the SRA Board to allow traders in getting away from the conversion of available Class “A” to Class “B.” This is a duty that the SRA is mandated to do under Executive Order No. 18 (Series of 1986), which seeks to ensure ample supply of sugar instead of allowing imports. Conversion is not a discretionary power of the SRA Board. Again, it is a duty and, in the context of public interest, an obligation of the SRA Board.

If the SRA will abide by its duty and obligation to protect the producers and consumers, the remaining 73,430 MT 73,430 MT outstanding Class “A” must immediately be converted to Class “B” to augment our short supply, as well as grant the producers the right to recover their losses when they were forced to sell to the export / import traders at P350 / bag discount. Anything less than full conversion is illegal. SRA should not favor their traders.

The immediate conversion of outstanding Class “A” to Class “B” is the only way that the SRA can assure the producers and planters that it has no hidden agenda and that it will strive to protect the sugar producers and the consumers, rather than the traders belonging to a power group that lobby for regulations that will achieve their selfish ends.

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Opinion Opposition on preventing another Roxas-Poe fiasco

TWO questions were immediately raised by the recent launching of a movement intended to bury together all groups and persons opposed to the administration of President Rodrigo Duterte.

The first question was, why did the organizers of the movement consider it necessary to issue, at this point - one year before the end of Mr. Duterte’s term - a clarion call for Opposition unity? The second question was, to which groups and persons was the call directed?

Uncertainties abound.

The first question is easily answered.

The call for Opposition unity at this point is intended to prevent a repetition of the 2016 fiasco, which saw the Liberal Party and parties of similar persuasion split two candidacies for the presidency, to wit, the candidacy of Liberal Party president Mar Roxas and the candidacy of Senator Grace Poe. The Liberals, which had the all-out support of the outgoing administration of Liberal President Benigno Aquino III, believed that Mr. Roxas would manage to beat Ms. Poe by a respectable margin despite her popularity.

On the other hand, the people in the Poe camp, banking on her being the daughter of the late movie icon FPJ (Fernando Poe Jr.) were convinced that they could beat the Liberal Party machinery and get their lady elected.

Early in the 2015-2016 political season there were fervid attempts to put Mr. Roxas and Ms. Poe in one team, with the Liberal Party president as the party standard bearer. Powerful political figures tried to get Senator Poe to agree to be the vice-presidential candidate. But there was no getting FPJ’s daughter to move down to vice-presidential candidate; she was convinced that a majority of Filipinos would elect her president given their

survey ratings, the pollsters believed that Roxas-Poe would be the winning tandem in the May 2016 polls.

By the time Rodrigo Duterte surged in the polls a few weeks before Election Day, it was too late. The Liberal Party and the Poe camp were determined to go their separate ways, believing that their candidacy could defeat all their opponents, including the surging Mr. Duterte.

The rest of the story is, as they say, history. With the support of the Grace Poe votes, Mar Roxas would very likely have obtained a majority of the votes for President, Davao City’s mayor was proclaimed the winner by a mere 36 percent of the national vote.

The organizers of the “Oppositionists Unite” movement want to make sure that there is no repetition of the RoxasPoe fiasco. This early, they want the groups interested in fielding a candidate in the coming presidential election to come forward and discuss the strengths - and weaknesses - of their respective candidates, with a view to uniting behind the strongest candidate.

Another 2016-type situation, with the Opposition vote divided between two, or even three, candidates is a formula for sure disaster. The possibility of a Duterte succeeding Rodrigo Duterte should be a sufficient motivator for all Oppositionists to come together in one united and powerful political force.

Now, the second question. Apart from the Liberal Party and the parties of the Left, to whom was the call for Opposition groups and persons to unite diverted? The answer is obvious: some members of the super majorities in Congress, especially the House of Representatives, consistent with Philippine political culture, some members of the supermajorities are where they are solely for opportunistic reasons. They are not inextricably attached to the PDP-Laban structure; as the 2022 election nears, some of them will begin to explore possibilities and prospects beyond the lameduck Duterte administration.

As the 2021-2022 political season begins; uncertainties and changeabilities abound. The organizers of the “Oppositionists Unite” initiative know this. But one thing they know for sure: there must be no repetition of the Roxas-Poe fiasco. Which is why they have, early in the day, issued their call to unity.

Lorenzana’s lonely crusade

BY ALL indications, our giant and powerful neighbor China is bent on taking possession of the entire South China Sea. China is the only country on earth that is doing so in clear violation of international law and the Law of the Sea, an international treaty which China is a signatory. China based its actions on its nine-dash line claim which was completely invalidated in 2016 by that Hague arbitral ruling that it refuses to recognize. China went on to create many artificial islands in the SCS; these are now fortified and garrisoned by various Chinese military personnel.

One of the artificial islands is Scarborough Shoal which is only 126 miles from the province of Zambales.

Scarborough Shoal, by international law, is within our exclusive economic zone. China simply does not care. In our standoff with China during the younger Aquino administration, there was a brokered agreement mandating that both countries should vacate the shoal. Unfortunately, while we vacated the area, China did not and the shoal is now a Chinese island garrison. For months, China also parked a couple of hundred militia ships in Julian Felipe Reef which is also within our exclusive economic zone and has refused to leave the area up to this writing.

We do not know precisely what those ships are doing there but can only conclude that the intention is sinister considering that there is no valid reason why the ships should be sheltering in

calm waters. Maybe they are testing the area for oil. When the Chinese presence was first reported, President Duterte expressed his concern to the Chinese ambassador about the presence of those Chinese-owned militia ships.

The Chinese predictably ignored it as if there was nothing to it. The Chinese are acting as if they have already gotten the approval of President Duterte.

That actually is the crux of our entire relationship with China. It is centered on one individual—the President. This is the reason why all the diplomatic protests lodged by our Department of Foreign Affairs and the many strongly worded statements of Defense Secretary Lorenzana demanding that the ships vacate the area are completely being ignored.

Part of the problem is that Team Philippines is not singing in unison.

Some are singing loud but the lead singer appears to be only singing to himself which no one can hear. No one in the Palace seems to want to say anything that might displease Beijing.

The silence is deafening.

Secretary Delfin Lorenzana is singing loud and to his credit is

Adelle Chua, Editor mst.daydesk@gmail.com

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

B1

EDITORIAL

Out of step

T

HE swarming of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea has united most Filipinos, who oppose the incursion as an unacceptable case of bullying by our powerful neighbor to the north. But one of the few exceptions, it seems, is the President, who appears out of step with the rest of the nation when he remains silent in the face of Chinese aggression.

Since he came to power, President Duterte has touted his pivot to

China as the country’s great hope to speed development with the help of Chinese investments and loans. In exchange for this “goodwill,” the President had set aside a landmark 2016 arbitral decision in favor of the Philippines in its territorial dispute with China. Talking up his “independent foreign policy,” the President refused to say a negative word about China’s illegal military activities in the West Philippine Sea—including the sinking of a Filipino fishing boat that was rammed by a Chinese trawler in 2019—while maintaining a steady stream of angry anti-American rhetoric.

In the latest iteration of this reluctance to criticize China, the President said nothing about a

This is the kind of backbone we wish to see. report that Chinese Navy ships had allegedly harassed a Filipino fishing boat carrying some journalists who were heading to a Philippine-occupied shoal in the West Philippine Sea, waters within the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).

Sought for comment, the President’s mouthpiece said the Palace would “defer” to the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of National Defense to comment on the latest incident, after Manila protested the presence of more than 200 ships belonging

to China’s maritime militia at the Julian Felipe (Whitsun) reef within the country’s EEZ. The Chinese Coast Guard vessel with bow number 5101 chased the Filipino fishing boat for about an hour before turning around. But about145 miles from Palawan, two of the Chinese Navy’s Type 22 Houbei class fast-attack craft armed with missiles took over the chase for another 30 minutes before breaking away.

Perhaps taking their cue from the Palace, the military in a statement expressed concern over the incident, but also appealed to journalists “to exercise prudence in the course of their job”--a vague suggestion that they shouldn’t have been in Philippine waters in the first place, or that they were somehow to blame for being harassed.

Thankfully, the Defense Department and the Foreign Affairs Department have been more vocal in their condemnation of the latest moves by China. It is the kind of backbone we wish to see from the Palace—but perhaps all the years of kowtowing to Beijing has had a detrimental effect on its occupant’s posture.

Defending both fronts IN 2016, the Philippines made history with the favorable ruling made by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague on the West Philippine Sea territorial disputes. The historic arbitral ruling rejected the nine-dash line claim of China on the West Philippine Sea. This upheld and validated the sovereignty of the Philippines on its territorial waters.

No less than the President himself acknowledged this ruling.

Today, however, we are once again faced with the threats of this Goliath.

The calm waters west of the archipelago have been continuously disturbed in the past few weeks simultaneous with our record-high daily COVID-19 cases.

As we deal with an invisible enemy, we also have to fight the continued encroachment upon our waters. Recall that more than a hundred Chinese maritime militia vessels were found lurking in the West Philippine Sea, allegedly seeking shelter from the storm.

However, unlike before, these Chinese vessels seem to be undaunted by the warnings given by the government.

The tension increased when, recently, Chinese missile vessels followed a fishing boat boarded by a Filipino news team near the contested waters. resolute and has continued telling the Chinese to withdraw those ships from the Reef. It is a lonely crusade, but it is an endeavor that he should continue to pursue. Months ago, President Duterte gave a tutorial on the conduct of foreign affairs. He said in that discourse that our foreign policy resides in the Office of the President and not Congress. He is right on that aspect but like anything else in our democratic system of government that abides by the principle of checks and balances, that power is not absolute.

Congress is not entirely excluded because the Senate has to ratify or reject any treaty entered into by the President. The President also must be sensitive to the sentiments of the public and to the professional advice of his foreign affairs department and the national security establishment.

There is also the National Security

China is acting like a thief in the night. It seems we are slowly robbed of our sovereign rights and freedom of navigation over our territorial waters. Fishermen, most especially, are adversely affected by the unauthorized and prolonged stay of these foreign vessels. We can recall last year the ramming incident by a Chinese vessel to the Filipino fishermen’s boats and other unpleasant encounters. We cannot help but think that the Chinese have been slowly taking the reins over the West Philippine Sea and have been left unchecked for so long.

We cannot let this landmark decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration become a mere scrap of paper.

The unanimous 2016 Hague ruling has been a beacon of hope for countries like the Philippines who take refuge in the law against a well-known economic giant. It was a struggle between David and Goliath. Our victory showed that

Team Philippines is not singing in unison.

Some are singing loud but the lead singer appears to be only singing to himself which no one can hear.

Council that has to be consulted every now and then when it comes to very critical national security issues.

In the end, the President must rely on the collective wisdom of the country to fashion a foreign policy that can best protect our national interest. After all, the primary and most important duty of the President is to protect and safeguard the territorial integrity of the country

justice is kept alive among nation states, regardless of their economic or political status. Hence, we cannot let this landmark decision become a mere scrap of paper. The historical evidence, the narratives, the maps—all of them that invalidated the baseless claims of China—cannot be simply ignored.

I call for action from the national government to protect our sovereignty over our exclusive economic zones and uphold this arbitral ruling. More importantly, the government needs to protect and secure the people against any unfriendly advances by these foreign vessels.

There is this famous story about a frog put in a pot of water under a fire. Before the frog knew it, he had already been slowly accustomed to the heat, until it became too late for him to jump out of the boiling water. Unlike the frog, let us be vigilant. While the country has been a long-time ally of many developed countries, we need to be wary that we might not end up like the frog in the story.

We need to strengthen our resolve and love for our country and our freedom.

regardless of the cost. Everything else is secondary.

President Duterte has said many times that he does not want to send his soldiers to war only to be massacred.

As far as I know, no one in this country is crazy enough to want a war with China. We all want China to be a friend.

But China must respect our territorial integrity and be a good neighbor. China after all, cannot continue ignoring internationally accepted norms of conduct if it wants to be part of the international community of nations and have their respect.

It is inexplicable however, why the Palace has not added its strong voice to the DFA and DND efforts asking China to remove its ships from the Julian Felipe Reef. The Palace had better come out with a novel solution or we will lose another Reef. How much more can the country really take?

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher ManilaStandard

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

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B2

World

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

Ease tensions with Ukraine, Putin urged WASHINGTON—US President Joe Biden urged his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin to ease mounting tensions with neighboring Ukraine Tuesday, joining a pushback against a buildup of troops along their border that has alarmed NATO allies.

As a new report from American intelligence said Russia was not seeking direct conflict with the United States, Biden in a telephone conversation with Putin proposed a summit between the two leaders at a neutral venue in the coming months.

The Russian buildup at the Ukrainian border has caused growing concern in the West in recent days, with the United States saying that troop levels are at their highest since 2014, when war first broke out with Moscowbacked separatists.

Biden “voiced our concerns over the sudden Russian military build-up in occupied Crimea and on Ukraine’s borders, and called on Russia to de-escalate tensions,” the White House said after the phone call.

White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said Biden was “not looking for an establishment of trust as much as a predictability and stability” in relations with Russia.

The Kremlin said it would “continue dialogue” without accepting the offer for a first summit with Biden, who came to office vowing a tougher line on Russia including over its alleged interference in US elections and harsh treatment of ailing opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

Putin similarly held a summit in Finland in 2018 with then-US president Donald Trump, who caused a furor at home by appearing to accept the Russian leader’s denials of election meddling. AFP

All US troops to leave Afghanistan W

ASHINGTON‚— President Joe Biden will withdraw all US troops from Afghanistan before this year’s 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, finally ending America’s longest war despite mounting fears of a Taliban victory, officials said Tuesday.

The drawdown delays only by around five months an agreement with the Taliban by former president Donald Trump to pull troops, amid a growing consensus in Washington that little more can be achieved.

The decision came as Turkey announced an international peace conference on Afghanistan in hopes of reaching an agreement that brings stability to a nation battered by nearly 40 years of war. But the Taliban, newly emboldened, said they would boycott the conference.

Biden, who will make an announcement Wednesday, had earlier mused about keeping a residual force to strike at Al-Qaeda or an emergent Islamic State extremist threat or making withdrawal contingent on progress on the ground or in slow-moving peace talks.

In the end, he decided to do neither and will order a complete withdrawal other than limited US personnel to guard the US installations including the imposing embassy in Kabul, a senior official said.

“The president has judged that a conditions-based approach, which has been INDIAN RITE. A child is reflected on a mirror kept along with other offerings as many devotees gather at a temple to mark the ‘Vishu’ the approachYELLOW of the pastBLACK two decades, is CYAN MAGENTA festival in Chennai on April 14. AFP a recipe for staying in Afghanistan forManila ever,” the official told reporters on conStandard TODAY ORIENTAL MINDORO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. dition of anonymity.

(ORMECO, Inc.) Under the Trump administration’s February 2020 deal with the Taliban, all US troops would leave by May 2021 WASHINGTON—President Joe Biden agreed largest economy.

INVITATION TO BID in return for the insurgents’ promise Tuesday to address a joint session of Congress His administration easily met a goal of 100 not to back Al-Qaeda and other foreign this month to mark 100 days in office as he grapmillion shots in arms in his first 100 days and has 1.

ORIENTAL MINDORO ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (ORMECO, INC.), extremists -– the original reason for the through its BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE (BAC), hereby intends to apply ples with critical issues including the coronavi- since broadened it to 200 million. The pandemic the sum of Twenty-Eight Million Eighty-Nine Thousand Four Hundred Ninety 2001 invasion. rus pandemic and America’s economic woes. has hit America harder than any other country, Pesos ( ₱ 28,089,490.00) funded under PNB Loan, inclusive of all applicable The Biden official said the withBiden accepted House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s with more than 560,000 dead. taxes and fees, being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC), for the procurement, labor, supply, and delivery of materials/supplies/equipment for drawal would begin in May and that the invitation to deliver an April 28 address on “the Biden has also moved aggressively to reverse the Technical Services Department; delay was largely logistical, with troops challenges and opportunities of this historic mo- Trump’s “America First” go-it-alone foreign pol2.

ORMECO, INC. now calls for the submission of Letter of Intent by interested possibly out of Afghanistan well before ment.” icy eschewing traditional US alliances and interbidders thru email at ormeco.bac.official@gmail.com. The list of the September 11. AFP The speech will not technically be a so-called national cooperation on issues including climate ORMECO, INC. Eligibility Requirements may be viewed at www.ormecoinc.com, https://web.facebook.com/OrmecoOGMOfficial, and may be State of the Union address, which American change. requested through email ormeco_coop@yahoo.com, including the numbers presidents give yearly under the Constitution.

Under Biden Congress passed a $1.9 trillion listed above. An amount of two hundred fifty pesos (₱ 250.00) is required as Accreditation Fee; Brand new leaders like Biden instead deliver a stimulus package to help the economy bounce speech to a joint session of Congress. back from the pandemic. His administration 3.

ORMECO, INC. now invites suppliers for the following: The White House said Biden accepted the also has presented a $2 trillion plan to overhaul COST OF BID ABC US’ Kerry to visit Beijing invitation from Pelosi to address lawmakers on America’s crumbling infrastructure grid and reITEM DOCUMENTS FUNDING LOT (INCLUSIVE DESCRIPTION (NONSOURCE what will be “the night before his 100th day in tool the US economy to better address climate OF VAT) ahead of climate summit REFUNDABLE) office.” change.

Supply of Labor, Equipment, WASHINGTON—US climate envoy John After taking office on January 20 to replace “Nearly 100 days ago, when you took the oath Materials and Substation ₱ Kerry will visit China this week in the first I ₱ 25,000.00 Bank Loan Design for the Uprating of 28,089,490.00 Donald Trump, Biden has hit the ground running of office, you pledged in a spirit of great hope trip there by the Biden administration, seekPinamalayan Substation with an ambitious agenda to tackle the coronavi- that ‘Help Is On The Way,’” Pelosi wrote in the ing to raise global ambitions despite soaring 4.

Due to COVID-19, in compliance with the Community Quarantine (CQ), rus crisis and its devastating effect on the world’s invitation.

AFP tensions with Beijing on other fronts.

Online/Virtual Bidding Conferences will be conducted. Stable internet

Congress address to mark Biden’s 100 days

IN BRIEF

The former secretary of state will visit Shanghai as well as the South Korean capital Seoul on a trip starting Wednesday, the State Department confirmed.

His trip comes in preparation for President Joe Biden’s virtual climate summit next week to which the US leader has invited both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“We have big disagreements with China on some key issues, absolutely. But climate has to stand alone,” Kerry told CNN. If refusing to work together on climate, “you’re just killing yourself, you’re going be hurting your own people,” he said.

Kerry said that Xi had not yet confirmed whether he would take part in the summit.

With global temperatures and natural disasters on the rise, Biden has made climate a top priority, turning the page from his predecessor Donald Trump, who was closely aligned with the fossil fuel industry. AFP

connection is required to all prospective bidders during the conferences. BAC shall not be liable in any unexpected disruption due to poor/unstable signal which may cause loss of connection and inability of Bidders to engross with the conferences.

For Additional info please be guided in the following: (please refer to Online Bidding procedures) a. b. c. d.

Payment of bidding documents shall be deposited to BAC bank account (to be email by BAC secretariat).

Prospective bidders must submit to the BAC via email the scanned copy of validated bank deposit slip / screenshot of successful electronic fund transfer as proof of payment.

Scanned copy of Bidding Documents will be sent by the BAC secretariat upon validation that the payments are credited to the coop’s bank account.

ID number or link of the Online/Virtual conference will be provided by BAC secretariat

5.

Online Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the NEA Memorandum NO. 2017-019: Revised Procurement Guidelines and Simplified Bidding Procedures for Electric Cooperatives, IRR-RA 10531 (2017); All video conferences shall be recorded in CD/DVD for reference and other purposes.

6.

The schedule of bidding activities is as follows:

ACTIVITIES Release of Invitation to Bid Submission of Letter of Intent thru email / Availability of Bidding Documents Online/Virtual Pre-Bid Conference Deadline of Bid Submission (ormeco.bac. official@gmail.com), Opening and Evaluation of Bids (Online/ Virtual) Post-Qualification Approval through Board Resolution and Issuance of Notice of Award Delivery Schedule

SCHEDULE 15 April 2021 (Thursday) 16 - 22 April 2021 Office Hours, at ORMECO, INC. Office (ormeco.bac.official@gmail.com) 23 April 2021 (Friday) at 9:00 am for Lot I ORMECO, INC. Board Room 7 May 2021 (Friday) at ORMECO, INC. Board Room

9:00 am for Lot I

8 - 14 May 2021 Board Meeting for the Month of May 2021 To be announced during the Pre-Bid Conference

7.

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

8.

All bids shall be opened and read in the presence of Bidders or their duly authorized representatives. All bids shall be accompanied by a scanned copy of validated bank deposit slip or screenshot of successful electronic fund transfer representing payment of bid bond equivalent to 2% of ABC.

9.

The winning bidder shall issue Performance Security in the form of Cash, Cashier’s Check, Manager’s Check, issued by a Universal or Commercial Bank, equivalent to five percent (5%) of the ABC; and

10.

ORMECO, INC. reserves the right to accept or reject any bids, declare failure of bidding and not to award the contract without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. ORMECO, INC. also has no responsibility whatsoever to compensate or indemnify bidders for any expenses incurred in the preparation of their bids.

Certified by:

Noted by:

(Signed) VICENTE V. FERRERA Chairperson Bids and Awards Committee (BAC)

(Signed) ATTY. NORBERTO M. MENDOZA Head of Procuring Entity (HOPE)

(MS-APRIL 15, 2021)

FAREWELL, BILLY. Members of the US Capitol Police pay their respects to slain US Capitol Police officer William “Billy” Evans as he lies in honor at the Capitol in Washington, DC on April 13. Evans was killed and another wounded after a man rammed through security and crashed into a barrier at the complex, forcing it into lockdown less than three months after a mob insurrection at Congress. AFP

Floyd case: Defense begins for Chauvin MINNEAPOLIS—The attorney for Derek Chauvin began his defense of the former Minneapolis police officer on Tuesday, calling his first witnesses in an effort to sow doubt in the minds of the jury over what caused the death of George Floyd.

Chauvin, 45, is charged with murder and manslaughter and the most compelling evidence against him is bystander video which shows him kneeling on the neck of a handcuffed Floyd for more than nine minutes.

Eric Nelson, Chauvin’s lawyer, has adopted what amounts to a three-pronged defense strategy during the opening weeks of the high-profile trial.

- Drugs and health conditions The cause of death of the 46-year-old Floyd is central to the case against Chauvin with prosecutors saying he died from asphyxia, or a lack of oxygen, and the defense claiming it was drugs or heart disease.

“The evidence will show that Mr Floyd died of a cardiac arrhythmia that occurred as a result of hypertension, his coronary disease, the ingestion of methamphetamine and fentanyl, and the adrenaline flowing through his body, all of which acted to further compromise an already compromised heart,” Nelson said in his opening statement.

The first witness called by the defense on Tuesday was a retired police officer who was involved in a traffic stop of Floyd a year before his death.

A paramedic who was called to the scene of the May 2019 incident also testified and told the jury Floyd admitted having taken opioids.

Another witness appeared under subpoena by the defense: Shawanda Hill, a woman who was with Floyd on the day of his May 25, 2020 arrest.

Hill said Floyd had been “happy, normal, talking, alert” and then fell asleep in his car. AFP

Hong Kong to outlaw poll boycott campaigns HONG KONG—Hong Kong’s government on Tuesday said it will be illegal for residents to encourage others to boycott or cast blank ballots in the city’s already limited local elections as part of China’s drive to ensure only “patriots” govern the finance hub.

Beijing imposed sweeping changes on Hong Kong’s electoral system last month, the latest step in an ongoing crackdown on the city’s democracy movement after massive and often violent protests.

The new changes ensure a majority of lawmakers will be selected by a reliably pro-Beijing committee, and every candidate must first be vetted for their political loyalty by national security officers.

The radical overhaul was passed without one dissenting vote by China’s rubberstamp parliament.

But Hong Kong’s legislature, which was recently scrubbed of any opposition, now has to pass a slew of new laws to meet Beijing’s orders.

On Tuesday, the government announced more than 600 pages of new legislation which will have a first reading on Wednesday and then be fast-tracked through the legislature. AFP

News

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

Suntay pushes hotels as COVID treatment areas

Senator renews call to uphold teachers’ welfare amid virus FOLLOWING the deaths of five Department of Education personnel in Isabela and the continuing spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, Senator Win Gatchalian is urging the government anew, including the Education department, to uphold the welfare of teachers.

For the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Basic Education, Arts and Culture, upholding the welfare of teachers entails the strict enforcement of the alternative work arrangement, the assurance of access to COVID-19 testing, treatment for those who would contract the virus and the prioritization of teachers in the vaccination program.

Last year, the DepEd said its personnel were covered by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.

The Employees’ Compensation Commission also offers the Employees’ Compensation Program, which provides income, medical and other health benefits in the event of workrelated sickness, injury or death.

The School Division Office in Isabela earlier announced that it had reached out to the grieving families to provide urgent assistance and facilitate the expeditious release of benefits.

According to the DepEd, the infections were acquired through community transmission and not work-related.

Teachers’ groups, however, have been clamoring on the DepEd to extend financial assistance to personnel who get sick with COVID-19, claiming that teachers who got infected did not receive financial assistance from the government.

They said that any financial assistance extended to them comes from personal contributions or personal help from some government officials.

The lawmaker concluded by reiterating his push to move teachers up in the COVID-19 vaccination priority list. Teachers are currently in the B1 category with other social workers.

Teachers should instead be in the A4 priority list with the frontline personnel of other essential sectors, Gatchalian said.

The Senate’s Adopted Resolution 92, which Gatchalian sponsored, also called for the prioritization of teachers in the COVID-19 vaccination program. Macon Ramos-Araneta

‘Basag-kotse’ gang led by cop busted in Bulacan raids

By Jess Malabanan CAMP OLIVAS, Pampanga―A notorious criminal group allegedly led by a policeman was busted by police authorities after its leader and three members were arrested in a series of raids in separate areas in Bulacan on Monday.

BGen Valeriano De Leon, Central Luzon police director, identified the suspects as PCpl Mark Edison Belvis Quinton, assigned at the Manila Police District, National Capital Region Police Office (MPD-NCRPO); Allen Burgos Alvarado, 30, John Pizer Gamboa Salvador, 22 and Juvito Suriaga Salvador, 46, all of Tondo, Manila.

The suspects, De Leon said, were responsible for the series of “basag-kotse” (car break-ins) incidents in Bulacan, Pampanga and other areas in Central Luzon. The latest victim was Melquiades Silencio, 44, a sales agent of JYP Corporation.

Silencio told police investigators that he parked his vehicle in front of a motorcycle dealer outlet past 2 p.m. at Barangay Maguinao, San Rafael, Bulacan, when two of the suspects appeared and broke the window glass.

B3

WASTE MANAGEMENT. Trucks help sort trash--including tons of medical and plastic waste brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic--at the Metro Clark Waste Management site, the country’s first-ever engineered sanitary landfill, operating in Sitio Kalangitan, Clark Special Economic Zone. MCWM has called for efficient, improved waste management as the country battles the coronavirus pandemic.

BTA extension Duterte’s Ramadan ‘gift’ —solon

By Nash B. Maulana

C

OTABATO CITY—The Moro region can turn optimistic as the President, even for a Ramadan gift, would eventually certify as urgent a legislative measure extending the term of the Bangsamroro Transitional Authority to three more years.

Maguindanao Rep. Esmael Mangudadatu says Congress is likely to pass the harmonized version of the bills extending the BTA term, which would also effectively reset the regional elections from May 2022 to May 2025.

Mangudadatu foresaw that the passage of the bill to extend BTA’s statutory lifespan could take place during the Muslim fasting season of Ramadan.

The congressional passage of the

BTA-extending measure will be predicated by a Malacañang blessing in President Rodrigo Duterte certifying it an urgent administration bill for both Houses of Congress.

If the previous acts of Chief Executives during Ramadan are any indication, the President would eventually certify it as urgent even as a Ramadan gift to the Moro people, Mangudadatu said.

Republic Act 11054, the Bangsamoro

Organic Law, provides for a three-year BTA, a transitional mechanism that sets the Parliament and the Executive structures operationalizing the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao as a governing body.

Mangudadatu, author of one of the bills being harmonized in the House for the proposed BTA extension, foresaw a presidential push coming in the form of a Malacañang certification to the urgency of the measure as a “Ramadan Gift” from the Chief Executive.

The Maguindanao congressman noted that the Muslims were honored as the seat of powers were opened to them in ceremonies of Ramadan Iftar or the dusk break dinners, whether in embassies of western countries in Manila or in Malacañang, and even in the White House in Washington D.C.

HELPLESS.

Residents at Sitio Tibag, Barangay Panapaan in Bacoor, Cavite look away as almost 100 of their houses, affecting 500 families on Tuesday. The incident reached the 3rd alarm and the fire was declared out at 3:57 p.m., but not before razing P500,000 worth of properties. JR Josue

DEPUTY Majority Leader and Quezon City Rep. Jesus Suntay has filed a resolution seeking to use some hotels as treatment/isolation centers for patients suffering from mild COVID-19 symptoms.

In his House Resolution, Suntay said that “the repurposing of the hotels and other accommodation facilities as alternative health facilities can contribute in mitigating the effects of the pandemic in the industry,” as infection rates continued to overwhelm healthcare facilities in the country.

“The House of Representatives, in session assembled, urge His Excellency President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, under the powers vested in him under the Constitution, to direct the repurposing of inoperative hotel and other accommodation facilities to host mild COVID patients and/or other NonCOVID patients in order to decongest hospitals in Metro Manila,” Suntay said in his resolution.

According to him, healthcare professionals are claiming that hospitals are now running at critical or near capacity level—some already reached or have gone beyond their capacity limit.

“The Department of Health, through their COVID Bulletin, has revealed that over 79 percent of ICU beds, 72 percent of Isolation Beds, and 60 percent of Ward Beds in the National Capital Region are already occupied,” Suntay noted.

He said with many hotels on lockdown due to the reactivation of the enhanced community quarantine in the NCR Plus area, the repurposing would help mitigate the financial losses brought about by the closing of these temporary residential facilities.

Suntay’s resolution is in line with the appeal of a group of doctors from the Philippine College of Physicians urging Duterte to use some Metro Manila hotels as infirmary facilities to reduce the number of patients with COVID-19 at the hospitals.

IN BRIEF

DAR pooling lands for landless farmers

THE Department of Agrarian Reform is pooling all its effort to provide landless farmers with their own land to till and provide them with the support “so that agriculture would be revitalized and sustain food security in the country.”

Secretary John Castriciones says President Rodrigo Duterte recognizes the importance of agriculture and that the DAR, being one of the government agencies responsible for boosting agriculture in the country, has signified his all-out support to the agency.

“Our President ordered us to distribute all idle government-owned land all over the country to empower our farmers and make the agriculture sector become stronger,” he said.

He encouraged the children of farmer-beneficiaries to take up a four-year course in agriculture since DAR is giving a maximum of three hectares of land to the agriculture graduates so that they could apply their knowledge on making their lands productive.

“We provide insurance to our farmers’ crops and provide them with credit facilities. We have a housing project to ensure that they will live in a comfortable environment, we provide them with various support services that will strengthen them and eventually make our agriculture globally competitive because we are an agricultural country,” he said.Rio N. Araja

Manila hospital gets CT Scan machine

BI nabs 3 most-wanted Koreans who ran big online scam THE Bureau of Immigration has arrested three of South Korea’s most wanted fugitives who were tagged as leaders of a bigtime syndicate that operated an online scam that victimized thousands of their compatriots.

Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente said the three were arrested in operations conducted in Parañaque City and Pantabangan, Nueva Ecija, by operatives from the BI’s fugitive search unit in coordination with the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group Major Crimes Investigation Unit.

They were identified as Jung Myung-

VACCINE DAY.

Metropolitan Manila Development Authority Chairman Benhur Abalos (left) oversees the first day of vaccination rollout of the agency for its senior citizen employees and those with comorbidities at the MMDA parking area in Guadalupe, Makati. Senior traffic aide Romerico E. Liha gets injected with the Sinovac vaccine while Abalos looks on.

Manny Palmero

hun, allegedly the syndicate’s top leader; Yu Daewoong and Kang Wesung, also a leader of the group.

Morente described the three Koreans as high-profile fugitives long sought by Korean authorities and by the Interpol.

According to BI FSU Chief Bobby Raquepo, Korean authorities sought the assistance of BI in locating and arresting the trio.

Criminal records show that since July 2014, the suspects had perpetrated an online scam by uploading and advertising items on online second-hand markets, duping victims into purchasing products

which turned out to be non-existent.

Korean authorities uncovered thousands of cases—almost 2,600—wherein victims had been defrauded by the suspects. It is estimated that the victims incurred a combined loss of more than 10 billion won or close to US$9 million from the syndicate’s racket.

It was learned that the warrants for the suspects’ arrest were issued in August last year by the Jeju district court in Korea. If convicted, they could be sentenced to a maximum jail term of 30 years for violating their country’s law against economic crimes. Vito Barcelo

MANILA Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso and Vice Mayor Maria Sheila ‘Honey’ Lacuna-Pangan, together with Gat Andres Bonifacio Memorial Medical Center (director Ted Martin, unveiled the hospital’s new GE Revolution EVO 128-Slice CT scan machine on Wednesday.

The Japan-made CT scan machine was procured by the Office of the Mayor as part of its long-term plan to further improve health services in the City of Manila.

“This is a very important machine for the hospital because many of the patients here do not have money to pay for CT scans. Usually, only those who have money can afford CT scans, but then CT scans are needed for proper diagnostics. This can increase the probability of patients surviving even in critical situations,” Domagoso said.

The new CT scan machine boosts the GABMMC’s capacity to provide free specialized health services to underserved patients. It now has the most advanced CT scan machine among the city’s district hospitals.

Prior to this, CT scans at GABMMC, Sta. Ana Hospital, and the Ospital ng Maynila each had a 25-slice capacity only.

These CT scan machines have undergone intensive use throughout the pandemic as CT scans done to assess the lung condition of COVID patients. In particular, CT scans detect the pulmonary embolism that occurs in those who have COVID.Willie Casas

Villar lauds WHO call to ban live animal sale in markets

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar on Wednesday described as a “welcome development” the World Health Organization’s call to stop the sale of live wild animals in food markets to prevent the emergence of new diseases like COVID-19.

Villar, chair of the Senate committee on agriculture and food, said she had repeatedly warned of chronic disease transmission from wild animals.

She said research indicated that the constant exploitation of wild fauna and their habitats had raised the risk of zoonotic disease transmission or the transmission of disease from animals to humans.

WHO spokeswoman Fadela Chaib said the WHO, the World Organization

for Animal Health and the United Nations Environment Program had said that wild animals were the source of most emerging infectious diseases in humans and recommended measures to reduce the potential risk.

“COVID-19 has brought new attention to this threat, given the magnitude of its consequences,” stressed Chaib.

Villar said she hoped the Philippine government would heed the call of the WHO to avert emerging infectious diseases like the new coronavirus.

“I hope all concerned government agencies will impose a ban on the catching and sale of wild animals in local markets to avert a recurrence of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Villar.

She said there should be tough measures for the strict enforcement of this

prohibition to guarantee wild animals, which can be the source of virus, would no longer find their way to the markets for human consumption.

“We wanted to protect our people and the world from new viruses in humans like this new coronavirus, which has affected and claimed the lives of millions of people worldwide,” said Villar.

Last month, Villar filed Senate Bill 2078 or the “Revised Wildlife Resources Conservation and Protection Act of 2021,” amending the 20-year-old RA 9147.

The bill seeks to strengthen the wildlife conservation and protection mechanism in the Philippines as the incidence of wildlife crimes had evolved and grown, violators had become more equipped, organized and syndicated or with international connections.

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

B4

THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

PSE INDEX CLOSING Wednesday, April 14, 2021 65.42 PTS. 6,523.21

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,728,872,449 69,846 4,677,105,261.84 111 81 55

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, APRIL 14, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.5540

Japan

Yen

0.009170

0.4452

UK

Pound

1.375300

66.7763

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128652

6.2466

Switzerland

Franc

1.086484

52.7531

Canada

Dollar

0.798021

38.7471

Singapore

Dollar

0.745712

36.2073

Australia

Dollar

0.764100

37.1001

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655619

128.9409

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266674

12.9481

Brunei

Dollar

0.742942

36.0728

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000068

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.031756

1.5419

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2199

Euro

Euro

1.195200

58.0317

Korea

Won

0.000892

0.0433

China

Yuan

0.152784

7.4183

India

Rupee

0.013287

0.6451

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.241955

11.7479

New Zealand

Dollar

0.705300

34.2451

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035201

1.7091 Source: BSP

Ayala logistics unit buys Laguna cold storage for P408m

Business MacroAsia of Lucio Tan diversifying into telecom M

By Darwin G. Amojelar

ACROASIA Corp. said Wednesday it is venturing into the telecom business by providing digital radio trunking services in various airports in the country.

The airport service provider led by tycoon Lucio Tan said in a regulatory filing it invested in a digital radio trunking system in several airports using a frequency that was made available by the government to the aviation group.

“With the impending completion of regulatory requirements and the commissioning of the network, this investment will be operational in the first half of 2021, opening new avenues for cost control and revenue growth,” the company said.

The radio trunking requirements of the group in various airports are pro-

vided by third-party providers.

MacroAsia’s businesses include aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul, water, mining, property development, airline catering services, ground handling, air taxi services and aviation school.

The company said its aviation-related business units continued to be impacted by the global downturn in air travel amid the pandemic.

“In coping with the business downturn, the group implemented cost-containment and cash-conservation measures, highlighted by an aggressive rightsizing program in line with the airport business volumes,” MacroAsia said.

“Other than the sustainable cost leadership efforts on aviation-related businesses, the group has also focused on growing its non-airline related business [water distribution and non-airline food business],” it said.

The group recorded consolidated net loss of P1.80 billion in 2020, a reversal of the P1.19billion consolidated net income in 2019.

Revenues from in-flight catering declined by 67 percent to P960.9 million last year from 2.90 billion in 2019.

It said the decline in revenue was aligned with the 67-percent drop in meal count from 13.8 million to 4.5 million as air passenger traffic slowed as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Revenues from ground-handling and aviation services also declined 63 percent in 2020 to P1.04 billion from P2.82 billion in 2019.

Flights handled decreased by 63 percent from 197,079 in 2019 to 72,089 flights in 2020.

It said the number of flights slowly improved as quarantine measures were eased.

Revenues from water operations went down by 36 percent to P221.42 million last year from P347.60 million in 2019 because of the downturn in commercial water sales in Boracay, which was impacted by the tourism closure due to COVID-19 restrictions and termination of bulk water supply contract of SUMMA in Marilao, Bulacan.

By Jenniffer B. Austria AYALALAND Logistics Holdings Corp., the industrial estate development arm of Ayala Land Inc., said Wednesday it acquired a cold storage facility and the land where it stands in Laguna province for P408.8 million.

ALLHC said it purchased Technofreeze, which operates cold storage facility at Laguna Technopark serving various companies with diverse products such as processed meat, dairy, ice cream and adhesives.

The facility includes 17 cold storage rooms with temperature of up to -25 degree Celsius, with 4,000 pallet positions, three processing rooms with an adjustable temperature of 0 to 25 degree Celsius, four dry storage rooms with 1,600 pallet positions, two blast freezers with a combined capacity of 25 tons and several office spaces.

It is accredited by the Department of Agriculture to cater to products like fruits and vegetables, meat, fisheries and aquatic products.

ALLHC said it would assume ownership of the operating facility of Technofreeze and this would be under ALLHC’s cold storage brand ALogis Artico.

ALogis Artico Biñan is located within the 471-hectare Laguna Technopark, one of ALLHC’s premier industrial estates spanning the cities of Sta. Rosa and Biñan.

The company said the acquisition of the cold facility would complement its warehouse leasing business.

“The transaction supports ALLHC’s vision to be the leading real estate logistics and industrial parks developer and operator in the Philippines,” the company said.

ALLHC has four industrial parks in Pampanga, Laguindingan in Misamis Oriental, Cavite and Laguna. It also operates various logistics and office facilities.

Megaworld posts profit of P10.6b amid COVID-19

By Jenniffer B. Austria NET income of condominium and office builder Megaworld Corp. declined 45 percent in 2020 to P10.6 billion as the pandemic hurt its residential, retail and hotels businesses.

Megaworld said in a disclosure to the stock exchange Wednesday 2020 consolidated revenues also fell 35 percent to P43.5 billion.

Rental income dropped 23 percent in 2020 to P12.9 billion last year compared to the previous year, while real estate sales declined 42 percent to P24.9 billion year-on-year.

The company launched P7.8 billion worth of residential projects in 2020 while its hotel group still managed to book P1.5 billion in revenues.

Demand for office space remained stable amid the pandemic. Megaworld said it leased out 135,000 square meters (sqm) of fresh office space inventory within its townships in Iloilo, Quezon City and Fort Bonifacio.

Around 78 percent of the new leases were part of the expansion programs of office partners while the rest were taken by new client companies.

“These are mostly companies operating BPOs, e-commerce, logistics, and finance. And we are very happy to see the strong interest in our office developments in Iloilo Business Park. Approximately 20 percent of new leases have been booked there and we even cemented our dominance in terms of market share in the Iloilo office market,” said Megaworld chief strategy officer Kevin Tan Aside from new leases, the company also bagged lease renewals of around 145,000 square meters of office spaces from various company tenants last year.

IN BRIEF

BCDA bares record contribution of P17.8b

DAVAO WATER RECORD. Apo Agua Infrastructura Inc., through J.V. Angeles Construction Corp., achieves five million safe man-hours, as it ramps up construction activities for the Davao City Bulk Water Supply Project. Apo Agua, a joint venture company between Aboitiz InfraCapital Inc. and JVACC, continues to meet the safety standards set by the Department of Labor and Employment while working on Part A of the DCBWSP of Davao City Water District. Part A includes the water intake structure, raw water transmission lines, water treatment plant, hydroelectric power plant and treated water transmission lines.

Dennis Uy’s Udenna finally gets gov’t approval to transfer Chevron’s rights in Malampaya gas

“We reiterate our company’s commitment to support the country’s energy agenda UDENNA Corp. on Tuesday welcomed on security, self-reliance and use of cleaner the approval of the transfer of rights and energy sources, and the DOE’s approval of obligations of Chevron Malampaya LLC the transfer of rights is a welcome progress (now UC38 LLC) by the Department of to reach this end,” said Udenna chairman Energy to UC Malampaya Pte. Ltd. under and chief executive officer Dennis Uy in a statement. service contract No. 38.

The DOE in November announced it was Udenna acquired Chevron’s 45-percent stake in SC 38 for about $565 million in evaluating the transfer of the 45-percent stake of Chevron in the $4.5-billion Malampaya March last year. gas project in northwest Palawan Manila to Udenna to determine the comStandard UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORPORATION pliance to the technical, legal and TODAY NOTICE OF ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS financial requirements.

MAY 13, 2021 “We are committed to the 11:00 A.M. safe, reliable and sustainable Notice is hereby given that the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of UNIVERSAL ROBINA CORPORATION development of the gas-to-pow(the “Company”) will be held on May 13, 2021 at 11 :00 AM. In light of current conditions and in support of the efforts to contain the outbreak of COVID-19, stockholders may only attend the meetings via remote communication. er industry in the Philippines Stockholders may view the livestream of the Meeting and download the Information Statement at the following web through Malampaya. UC38 addresses: continues to be led by the highly qualified team who were previously with Chevron and provide us with upstream technical, operational, and commercial expertise based on global industry best practices,” Uy said.

He said the Malampaya consortium safeguarded the nation’s energy security by producing gas, which generates a fifth of the Philippines’ rapidly The Agenda for the Meeting is as follows: growing electricity needs.

1. Proof of notice of the meeting and existence of a quorum.

As a consortium partner, 2. Reading and approval of the Minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders held on May 14, 2020.

3. Approval to amend Article Second of the Articles of Incorporation of the Corporation in order to include UC38 has worked closely with additional clauses in the Corporation’s primary and secondary purposes.

Shell Philippines Explora4. Presentation of annual report and approval of the financial statements for the preceding year.

5. Election of Board of Directors. tion B. V. (SPEX), which also 6. Appointment of External Auditor. owns a 45-percent stake and 7. Ratification of the acts of the Board of Directors and its committees, officers, and management.

8. Consideration of such other matters as may properly come during the meeting. is the current operator, and 9. Adjournment. state-owned PNOC - ExploraStockholders may cast their votes on or before May 6, 2021 on all matters requiring approval by: (a) accomplishing tion Corp. (PNOC-EC) which and submitting the proxy form; or (b) voting in absentia. holds a 10-percent interest.

Proxies shall be sent via email to corporate.secretary@urc.com.ph or hard copies to the Office of the Corporate “We are proud to be part of Secretary, 40F Robinsons Equitable Tower, ADB Avenue cor. Poveda Road, Ortigas Center, Pasig City. Validation of the successful Malampaya pubproxies shall be held on May 10, 2021. We are not soliciting proxies. lic-private partnership, providThe procedures for attending the meeting via remote communication, submission of proxies, and for voting in ing indigenous, affordable and absentia are explained in the Information Statement. clean energy to secure the enerOnly stockholders of record of the Company as of April 5, 2021 shall be entitled to vote. gy future of the Philippines. We

By Authority of the Chairman will continue to explore the best avenue to provide a continuous and sustainable supply to meet MARIA CELIA H. FERNANDEZ-ESTAVILLO the growing demand for cleaner Corporate Secretary (MS-APRIL 15 & 16, 2021) power generation,” Uy said.

By Alena Mae S. Flores

DITO, Udenna to start work on Clark data hub

THE Bases Conversion and Development Authority announced a record-high contribution of P17.8 billion to the Armed Forces of the Philippines in the first five years of the Duterte administration until the first quarter of 2021.

“The goal of BCDA is to breach or exceed the contribution to the AFP by previous administration as we still have around one year left of the Duterte administration,” said BCDA president and chief executive officer Vince Dizon.

He said the magnitude of the contribution commensurated to the commitment and support of the government to upgrade and modernize the capabilities of the nation’s armed forces.

The BCDA, he added, does not only support the military, it also continues to help all Filipinos gravely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“These challenging times should not deter us from delivering our commitment of strengthening the Armed Forces while building great cities. We will intensify our development projects with the private sector to help in the recovery of our economy and provide more job opportunities for our countrymen,” Dizon said. Othel V. Campos

DITO Telecommunity Corp. and Udenna Land Inc. on Wednesday Finland eyes stronger broke ground for the construction of economic cooperation DITO Data Center, a state-of-the-art FINLAND plans to forge stronger economic data facility in Clark Global City. cooperation with the Philippines, citing the DITO Data Center will rise on Asian country’s sound macroeconomic funthe first hectare of the eight-hectare damentals that could drive Finnish investors DITO main campus headquarters. to consider locating here, the Department of The master-planned development Finance said Wednesday.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK includes a fully-equipped network Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III and Finnish Ambassador to Manila Juha operations center, a serve-call center, Pyykkö met recently to discuss ways on how a regional center and research and the Philippines and Finland can expand their development of DITO. economic cooperation, as well as work closely Once completed, the headquarters on climate crisis adaptation strategies. are expected to generate thousands During the virtual meeting held via Zoom, of jobs in Pampanga province.

Pyykkö said Finland saw numerous opportunities in the Philippines in participating in its DITO said Clark Global City, with economic development, and in cooperating on its strategic location and disaster reclimate change mitigation measures, digitalisiliency, would become be a key area zation, smart city development, education and in the ongoing infrastructure rollout. web-based healthcare services.

It will also host the company’s cenPyykkö said he wants to rekindle the intral telecommunications infrastructerest of Finnish investors in the Philippines, especially after Finland reopened its embassy ture network. in Manila in September last year, to facilitate “We are very pleased that DITO business ties involving the two countries. chose Clark Global City to be the Julito G. Rada home of the DITO Data Center.

The decision of DITO is continued Metro Retail booked testament to CGC’s vision to create P449.6-m loss in 2020 a smart, safe, and sustainable environment for Philippines and interCEBU-BASED retailer Metro Retail Stores Group Inc. posted a net loss of P449.6 million national businesses in the country,” in 2020, a reversal of the P775.6-million net Udenna Land president Wilfredo income recorded in 2019.

Placino said.

Metro Retail attributed the loss to the panDITO project management ofdemic-driven 15-percent decrease in net sales fice lead Benedicto Lacsamana to P31.3 billion in 2020 from P36.8 billion said DITO Data Center is a critical in 2019. Total food retail business increased 1.1 percent, but the total general merchandise component that would sustain the business declined 45.7 percent over the same company’s commercial operations period last year. center and would be designed after The company cited the temporary closure Google’s campus-style headquarters. of department stores in March 2020. While the It will also hold operational departstores were gradually re-opened, the segment ments, a network operations center, a continued to face customer traffic constraints as community quarantine levels were still in call center and a regional center. effect and consumers prioritized the purchase ULI’s Clark Global City, enviof essential goods. sioned to be one of the country’s Metro Retail closed unprofitable departtruly smart cities, is designed to be ment store operations, preparing for a better a strategic location for businesses consolidation for the future. Blended same given its proximity to Clark Internastores sales fell 19.3 percent over the same period last year, brought about by the decline tional Airport and other critical transin sales of the general merchandise business. portation hubs. Darwin G. Amojelar

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

Virus surges fuel fears 100 days before Tokyo games

The unveiled statues of Miraitowa (left) and Someity, the officials mascots for the Tokyo 2020/2021 Olympics and Paralympics Games, are seen to mark 100 days before the start of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building in Tokyo. AFP

PH fencers to train in Ormoc for another week MEMBERS of the national men’s and women’s fencing teams are spending another week to train in Ormoc City.

National coach Amatov Canlas said that the national squad got approval to remain in city after Metro Manila was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine status early this month.

“We have been here for two and a half months. So this Sunday na kami uuwi,” said Canlas.

The 16-member national team, led by Southeast Asian Games women’s sabre gold medallist Jylyn Nicanor, will be leaving next week for the Asian Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Uzbekistan from April 25 to 26 to seek berths in the Tokyo Olympics.

Nicanor, a University of the East student, has been working out with her teammates at the facilities of the Ormoc City Central School.

With her is schoolmate Mickyle Bustos, a member of the national women’s epee team, which earned a gold in the SEA Games.

“Nagdagdag lang kami ng sparring partners, iyung ibang nasa national team, kasi preparation din ito for SEA Games,” said Canlas.

Queen Dalmacio, another UE student-athlete, is part of the national squad which bagged a bronze in the women’s team saber.

Other members of the team are Justine Tinio (women’s foil), Wilhelmina Lozada (team women’s foil), CJ Concepcion (individual men’s saber), Eric Brando (team men’s saber), Nathaniel Perez (individual men’s) and Shawn Felipe (men’s foil).

US NCAA standout Samantha Catantan will join the team following her memorable stint with Penn State University, which took runnerup honors in Division 1 of the US NCAA competitions.

Canlas said Catantan also joined the world junior and cadet championships in Egypt last week and managed to settle for 20th place.

Peter Atencio

Rule eligible for 3rd Olympic swim berth

By Peter Atencio

F

IL-AMERICAN standout Remedy Rule swam against members of the Tokyo-bound US national team and held her ground as she continued her search for Olympic qualifying slots and made herself eligible for a third one.

The 24-year-old Rule surpassed the Olympic Standard time of 59.56 seconds when she finished second in the B-finals and 10th overall women’s 100-meter butterfly event of the TYR Pro Swim Series in Mission Viejo, California over the weekend.

Rule, who joined with James Deiparine, went below the OST-B time of 59.66 seconds, in an event which saw Rio Olympics veteran Kelsi Dahlia claiming the crown in 58.11 seconds.

Dahlia, who placed fourth in the Rio Games, was ahead of Beryl Gastaldello and US national team member Katie McLaughlin, who were second and third,

LITO CINCO I HAVE been out of the hospital for over a month since my quadruple bypass done early March and even as I am recovering, I am still confined to the house for all my wounds to completely heal.

But so far this week, I have been doing around close to a total of 5,000 steps every day, walking in our small village in Taguig.

Other than that, I remain inside the house with what to do as the biggest challenge.

One good thing though is the amount of time I can spend watching TV, including following the NBA games. Even

of relay-only swimmers and the number of universality places, before inviting athletes with OST to fulfill the total quota of 878. Additionally, OST places will be distributed by event according to the position of the FINA World Rankings during the qualifying deadline.

The qualifying time standards must be obtained in the World Championships, Continental Championships, Continental Qualification Events, National Championships and Trials, or International Competitions approved by FINA in the period between 1 March 2019 to 27 June 2021.

Entered in four events, Rule once again hit the OST in the women’s 200-meter butterfly and in the 100-meter freestyle, each of which she surpassed for the second time since the biennial meet in December 2019.

This time, Rule finished fifth overall in 2:11.75, her time below the OST mark of 2:12.28, in the women’s 200-meter butterfly.

TOKYO—A western Japanese city cancelled the Tokyo Olympics torch relay over spiking coronavirus cases on Wednesday, fueling fresh fears about whether the pandemicpostponed Games should go ahead with just 100 days until the opening ceremony.

Even as Tokyo unveiled installations featuring the Olympic rings and mascots to celebrate the 100-day milestone, organizers face monumental challenges as virus surges.

Organizers have barred overseas fans and postponed test events, but they insist preparations are on track.

Cancellation is “certainly not” on the table, International Olympic Committee vice president John Coates told reporters on Wednesday.

“The Tokyo Games will be the light at the end of the tunnel.”

For organizers, there are some causes for optimism.

The Olympic torch is on its way across Japan, despite being forced off public roads in the Osaka region where it was being carried around a closed circuit Wednesday with the general public kept away.

And vaccination programmes are ramping up in many countries, with some athletes already inoculated.

Japan won’t require Olympic participants to be vaccinated, but the IOC is encouraging jabs and has secured Chinese-made doses for athletes in countries without access to them.

In Japan, sports events are still on, with crowd numbers capped, and fans have become used to virus rules that will be implemented at this summer’s Games, including a ban on cheering.

North Korea’s decision to skip Tokyo 2020 over virus concerns has not prompted a rush for the exits, with athletes mostly seeming impatient for a return to the international stage.

“These past 14 months have been very motivating for all of us,” fivetime Olympic gold medallist swimmer Katie Ledecky said last week.

“Once we get there we really want to show the world all the work that we’ve put in.” AFP

Filipino warriors eye fights at Brave CF in Belarus SEEF DISTRICT, Bahrain—Following its historic four-event stretch dubbed “21 Days of MMA Mayhem” that ran from March 11 to April 1, BRAVE Combat Federation has announced its next live show as the Bahrain-based promotion gears up for the second half of 2021.

In partnership with Rukh Sport Management, the organization is set to hold its inaugural event in Belarus on June 4. The state-of-the-art Falcon Club Arena in Minsk will play host to BRAVE CF 51.

Although the company has yet to announce the bout lineup for its maiden venture on Belarusian soil, two Filipino mixed martial artists have thrown in their names as willing participants on the card.

Both Rolando “The Incredible” Dy and Jenel “The Demolition Man” Lausa see a golden opportunity to redeem themselves as well as hoist the Philippine flag aloft by competing at BRAVE CF 51.

Dy bowed to Kyrgyz powerhouse Abdisalam “Omok” Kubanychbek via second-round corner stoppage in the headliner of BRAVE CF 47: ASIAN DOMINATION this past March. On the undercard of the same event, Lausa took a unanimous decision loss at the hands of Ryskulbek Ibraimov.

Although he fell short in securing a cage date

A lot of ifs and buts THE BOTTOM LINE

respectively, with sub-58 second times.

Earlier, Rule missed the OST in the preliminaries when she checked in at 59.7 seconds.

Because of her 100-m butterfly showing, Rule now has shot at earning slots in three events.

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

Following the end of the qualification period, FINA, the world’s governing body for swimming, will assess the number of athletes who achieved the OQT, the number

C1

as the PBA is still unsure of its second bubble conference with the surge of COVID-19 cases, NBA teams are already girding up for the playoffs with several trades consummated before the deadline. Nothing super special, unless you look at Andre Drummond, now with the Lakers and Blake Griffin and LaMarcus Aldrige, who signed up with the Nets from Detroit and San Antonio, respectively.

So who do I think will be the playoffbound teams, dividing them into certain, probable and possible, but with a lot of ifs and buts?

Looking at the current standings as of this writing, allow me to make my normal fearful predictions starting in the Eastern Conference.

Shoo-ins in the Top 4 in the conference are the 76ers and the Nets, more so if a healthy Kevin Durant returns to Brooklyn,

Rolando “The Incredible” Dy

with Amin “Fierceness” Ayoub for the BRAVE CF Lightweight World Championship, the 29-year-old son of boxing legend Rolando Navarrete remains in high spirits. He shared how much he learned after locking horns with Kubanychbek.

same with James Harden. Without them, the ream is still tied at the top with the 76ers at 37-17. The premise, of course, is the core group of Philadelphia, led by Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris, stay healthy all the way.

At third are the Bucks (33-20), who are sure for the Top 4, but the fight begins for the 4th slot with the Hawks (29-25), the Heat (28-25), the surprising Hornets (2725), the resurging Celtics (28-26) and the more surprising team, the Knicks (28 -27) at number 8.

I like Trae Young and the Hawks, but I believe Jimmy Butler and the Heat will take the 4th slot, while the Hawks, the Hornets, with Terry Rozier and Gordon Hayward (Hayward is sidelined for at least four weeks with a right foot sprain - Ed) at the helm, the Celtics of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, and the Knicks with Julius Randle, will slug it out for the ranking.

In the end though, I look at the 76ers, the Nets, the Bucks and the Heat remaining,

“I have no other options but to get back up. I know the loss to Kubanychbek will make me a better fighter.

I learned a lot from this loss more than I learned from my wins,” Dy said. “I will be ready for the next one. I hope I will be back in action very soon.”

“I haven’t been to Europe yet, and it’s enticing to fight over there,” he added. “Belarus is a great starting point of my road to redemption. I won’t think twice about taking that offer to fight in Europe.”

Meanwhile, Lausa looks up to the legendary Andrei “The Pitbull” Arlovski, an MMA pioneer who paved the way for the sport’s popularity in Belarus by capturing the UFC Heavyweight World Title in 2005.

“He’s one of my idols. I admire how he fights in the cage because he’s exciting and gives it all in every fight. It will be a dream come true if I get to fight where he started his career,” Lausa stated.

Like Dy, Lausa is also eager to place himself back on the winning track after kicking off his run with BRAVE CF on a sour note.

“I think of it as a lesson. It will serve as an inspiration to push myself to the limit. I will triple my time in training. I’m not discouraged at all. I want to fight as soon as possible. Winning and fighting again will motivate me,” the Iloilo native declared.

no matter who they play.

The Jazz, reliving the days of Karl Malone and John Stockton in the 1990s, this time with a balanced team and a deep bench, will remain no. 1 in the Western Conference. I will not be surprised at all if they go all the way to the finals, with FilAm Jordan Clarkson playing a key role as the 6th man.

On the other hand, Chris Paul has proven time and again that he can make any team he joins into a contender. His leadership resonates well with the young Suns, now at 2nd with a 38-15 record to Utah’s 40-14.

But with Kawhi Keonard and Paul George emerging as one of the league’s top duos, I think the Clippers, will end up in second place .

The Nuggets (34-20) of Nikola Jokic (Jamal Murray is out for the season with an ACL injury - Ed) will have to contend with a slew of teams including the Lakers (33-21), especially if Anthony Davis, long missing in action, and LeBron James, out

for several games already, see action together. If they do, the 4th slot is still possible for them.

But do not count out the TrailBlazers (3122) of Damian Lillard, more so with the return of his backcourt partner CJ McCollum.

This team, at its best, can beat any team.

Luka Doncic, the cornerstone of the Mavericks, are in 7th with their 29-24 record, while Ja Morant has led his team to eighth place at 27-25.

Still in the running, though, are the Spurs (26-26), the Warriors (26-28) of Steph Curry and the Pelicans (25-29) of Zion Williamson.

I give the Jazz, the Clippers, and the Suns, the top 3 slots, the rest can fight it out for the remaining playoff slots, all the way to the Warriors, but only if rookie James Wiseman recovers in time.

Of course, my prediction is based on several ifs and buts, particularly on the health of the teams’ key players.

Now, let us wait and see.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

Republic of the Philippines TODAY ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Pasig City

IN THE MATTER OF THE APPLICATION FOR AUTHORITY TO IMPLEMENT MICROGRID PROJECTS IN UNVIABLE AREAS IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF LOOC, OCCIDENTAL MINDORO AND APPROVAL OF FULL COST RECOVERY RATE (FCRR) THEREFOR WITH URGENT PRAYER FOR ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY

ERC CASE NO. 2021-016 RC LUBANG ELECTRIC COOPERATIVE, INC. (LUBELCO), Applicant. x-------------------------------------------------------x

NOTICE OF VIRTUAL HEARING TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES: Notice is hereby given that on 10 March 2021, Lubang Electric Cooperative Inc. (LUBELCO) filed an Application dated 07 October 2020, seeking the Commission’s approval of its authority to implement its Microgrid Projects in Unviable Areas in the Municipality of Looc, Occidental Mindoro, and the Full Cost Recovery Rate (FCRR) thereof, with prayer for the issuance of provisional authority.

The pertinent provisions of the said Application are hereunder quoted as follows: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

Applicant LUBELCO is an electric cooperative duly organized and existing by virtue of Presidential Decree 269, as amended

by Republic Act 10531, with principal office located at Bagubag Vigo, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro. It may be served with notices and other processes of this Honorable Commission through its undersigned counsel at the address indicated therein.

LUBELCO has a franchise to construct, operate and maintain an electric power distribution system in the Municipalities of Lubang and Looc in the Province of Occidental Mindoro1. The franchise term is fifty (50) years until 13 July 2033.

LUBELCO seeks the Honorable Commission’s approval to provide 24/7 electricity to end-users in the Unviable2 areas within its franchise area, consistent with the mandate under Section 23 of Republic Act 9136 or the Electric Power Industry Reform Act (“EPIRA”) that “a distribution utility shall have the obligation to provide distribution services and connections to its system for any end-user within its franchise area consistent with the distribution code. Any entity engaged therein shall provide open and nondiscriminatory access to its distribution system to all users.”

the lengthy regulatory process of obtaining the necessary permits and approvals from the relevant government agencies.11 Nonetheless, LUBELCO exhausted all efforts to conduct a Competitive Selection Process (CSP).

J.1 J.2 K

Detailed Cost Breakdown

Thus, LUBELCO deemed it in the best interest of its end-users to undertake power generation, which it is allowed to do, corollary with its obligation to undertake electricity distribution. With the objective of providing speedy electric service to the Unviable areas in the Lubang Group of Islands, LUBELCO decided to install its own Micro- grid systems.

L

Financial Plan

20. LUBELCO plans to install a hybrid power generation system in the islands utilizing a combination of solar photovoltaic panels, modular diesel generator sets, and small-capacity battery energy storage system (BESS), and coordinated controllers. A power generation design for the Projects are prepared.12

22. The estimated cost of the Projects is PHP 94,896,503.00 (NinetyFour Million Eight Hundred Ninety-Six Thousand Five Hundred and Three Pesos).16 23. Given the cost of the Projects, LUBELCO derived the Year 1 Full Cost Recovery Rate (FCRR) at PhP360.50 monthly, equivalent to a consumption of 7 kilowatt hours, for each connected customer and an additional charge of PhP26.50 per kilowatt-hour for consumption in excess of the 7 kilowatt hours. 17 The Year 1 rates are subject to a 5% annual escalation. Using an escalated tariff scheme instead of a levelized tariff allows for lower tariff levels in the initial years of operation. The availability of 24/7 power supply plus the lower, escalated tariffs will encourage higher electricity consumption.

LUBELCO expects that these factors would boost economic activity and foster development in the project sites. LUBELCO’s debt is also sculpted such that the amortization payments are escalating. For ease, the electricity charge is found below: Consumption

Full Cost Recovery Rate

Up to 7 kWh

PhP360.50

In excess of 7 kWh

Php26.50 / kWh

24. It should be noted that there is no ERC-approved Subsidized Approved Retail Rate (SARR) in Lubang. In lieu of the SARR, LUBELCO has determined the socially acceptable rate for its consumers through extensive public consultations.18

M.1 M.2

Detailed Tariff Breakdown LUBELCO Cluster Model

N.1 N.2

Power Point Presentation List of Public Consultations

O

Barangay Resolution of Talaotao

P

Barangay Resolution of Bulacan

Q

21. In order to provide technical and commercial support to LUBELCO, it has requested assistance from its fellow ECs through the Association of Isolated Electric Cooperatives (AlEC) of which LUBELCO is a member. LUBELCO Board issued Board Resolution No. 43 series of 2018 entitled “Resolution Approving LUBELCO’s Partnership with AlEC Green Energy Corporation and ILAW Corporation for the Development of Renewable Energy Power Generation Business in the Franchise Area”.13 In turn, AlEC has tapped its affiliate called the AlEC Missionary Green Energy Corporation (AlEC MGEC)14, the corporation established by AlEC for the purpose of helping its memberelectric cooperatives provide a solution to the problem faced by its consumers in unviable areas.15

Partnership Structure Executive Summary

Barangay Resolution of Ambil

R R.1 R.2 R.3 R.4

Permits and Government Approvals Certificate of Non-Coverage Application for Tambo Certificate of Non-Coverage Application for Talaotao Certificate of Non-Coverage Application for Tabao Certificate of Non-Coverage Application for Bulacan

S.1 S.2 S.3 S.4

Audited Financial Statement 2017 LUBELCO Notes 2017 Audited Financial Statement 2018 LUBELCO Notes 2018

T

Certification GenSet Heat Rate

U

Details on the Procurement Process of fuel

V.1

Notarized CESIA Tabao

V.2 V.3 V.4

Notarized CESIA Tambo Notarized CESIA Bulacan Notarized CESIA Tatalotao

W

Loan Agreement with REM for Tabao

X

NEA Loan Option

Y1

Proof of receipt by Sangguniang Bayan of Looc

Y2

Proof of receipt by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Occidental Mindoro

Y3

Application published in a newspaper of local circulation

Y4

Affidavit of publication

Y5

Sworn statement from LUBELCO in support of the provisional authority

Y6

Application published in a newspaper of local circulation

Y7

Affidavit of publication PRAYER

WHEREFORE, premises considered, it is respectfully prayed to this Honorable Commission that the instant Application be APPROVED and that, after due notice and hearing, LUBELCO be allowed:

The same section in the EPIRA further states that:“[d]istribution utilities shall provide universal service within their franchise, over a reasonable time from the requirement thereof, including unviable areas, as part of their social obligations, in a manner that shall sustain the economic viability of the utility, subject to the approval by the ERC in the case of private or government-owned utilities. To this end, distribution utilities shall submit to the DOE their plans for serving such areas as part of their distribution development plans.”

25. More importantly, LUBELCO has obtained the consent of its residents who are seeking 24/7 electricity and are willing to pay the price for it.

a.

a. Barangay Resolution 18, s. of 2018 dated 3 December 2018: “A Resolution Favorably Approving and Endorsing the Proposal of Lubang Electric Cooperative Relative to Bringing 24/7 Electricity to Barangay Talaotao” in the Municipality of Looc signed by 400 individuals.19

to immediately charge the end-users the FULL COST RECOVERY RATE in Sitios Tabao and Tambo, Barangay Ambil, Barangay Talaotao, and Barangay Bulacan, all located in the Municipality of Looc, in the Province of Occidental Mindoro; and;

b.

to own, operate, and maintain the Microgrid Projects.

LUBELCO plans to construct, acquire, own, operate and maintain its own microgrid systems3 in Unviable areas, specifically Barangays Ambil, Bulacan, and Talaotao, located within the Municipality of Looc (herein referred to individually as a Project and collectively as the Projects) in order to provide universal service within its franchise area. This is pursuant to Section 16 U-1) of Republic Act 10531 that allows an electric cooperative to undertake power generation.

b. Barangay Resolution 15 [,] s. of 2018 dated 4 December 2018: “A Resolution Favorably Approving and Endorsing the Proposal of Lubang Electric Cooperative Relative to Bringing 24/7 Electricity Service to Barangay Bulacan” in the Municipality of Looc signed by 170 individuals.20

Further, Section 26 of the EPIRA that allows a DU to directly or indirectly engage in any related business undertaking which maximizes the use of its assets subject to, among others, the separation of its business accounts to ensure that the (sic) such undertaking does not subsidize its distribution business or encumber its distribution assets. In compliance with this requirement, LUBELCO filed an application for its Business Separation Unbundling Plan (BSUP) with the ERC4.

However, upon close examination of the existing rules, there are no Implementing Rules and Regulations that covers the cost recovery of a DU-owned micro grid assets for the purpose of fulfilling its obligation of providing universal service within its franchise area, especially the Unviable areas. Applicant seeks the ERC’s imprimatur to this Application based on Section 43 (f), U) and (q) of the EPIRA that bestows on the Honorable Commission the power to fix rates charged by a DU to captive customers.

In terms of determining the rate-setting mechanism, Applicant seeks to apply by analogy EPIRA IRR Rule 7, Section 6(b) and Rule 14, which refer to the provision of electricity in Unviable areas. The regulation is not applicable on all fours since LUBELCO is not acting as a Qualified Third Party (QTP) provider. Before a QTP may enter into a remote and Unviable area, the DU shall first waive the area but LUBELCO has no intention of waiving the areas.

Consistent with the foregoing, the Application refers to Article 2, Section 6 of ERC Resolution 22, series of 2006 that allows a DU to provide electricity in its Unviable areas subject to certain conditions which have been met by the Projects. The section states: “Special Rules for Small QTPs not Requiring Subsidies - An Entity providing Electricity Service in a Declared Unviable Area which: (a) has a generating capacity below 200 kW; or (b) has fewer than 100 connections; and (c) does not seek to avail of a Missionary Electrification Subsidy because its retail rate is equal to or lower than the ERC-approved SARR in the Declared Unviable Area where it operates. shall be deemed qualified and authorized to act as QTP upon issuance of a COC5 in its favor, provided that such authorization shall be valid only during the effectivity of the COC, while the above conditions are satisfied, or upon revocation by the ERC, whichever comes earlier.”

10. Moreover, given the consent6 of the customers, the Application does not contain a prayer for subsidy availment. This is dependent on Rule 10 of DOE Circular No. DC2019- 01-0001 regarding the formulation of a subsidy rationalization policy.7 BACKGROUND AND PROJECT RATIONALE

c. Barangay Resolution 25 [,] s. of 2018 dated 6 December 2018: “A Resolution Favorably Approving and Endorsing the Proposal of Lubang Electric Cooperative Relative to Bringing 24/7 Electricity Service to Barangay Ambil” in the Municipality of Looc signed by 480 individuals.21

Activity

URGENT PRAYER FOR ISSUANCE OF PROVISIONAL AUTHORITY OR INTERIM RELIEF

11 May 2021 (Tuesday) at nine o’clock in the morning (9:00 AM)

Microsoft Teams

26. The lack of reliable and affordable electricity in LUBELCO’s Unviable areas has stymied the economic growth in the Lubang Group of Islands. Most of the households rely on income from the live fishing industry. A lack of reliable freezer-storage facilities for their catch limits the entrepreneurial opportunities of the fishermen. Hence, the community clamors for 24/7 reliable electricity to allow for economic growth and a better standard of living.

Determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements and expository presentation

18 May 2021 (Tuesday) at nine o’clock in the morning (9:00 AM)

Microsoft Teams

Pre-trial Conference and presentation of evidence

27. The clamor of the people, the urge for LUBELCO to decrease the percentage of its unelectrified customers, the requirement of the DOE for LUBELCO to meet the Renewable Portfolio Standards, and requirement of the Department of Energy’s for DUs including the Electric Cooperatives to meet 100% electrification by the year 2022 has driven LUBELCO to act swiftly and begin immediate operations in Sitio Tabao, Barangay Ambil.

28. After the public consultation in Barangay Ambil last 6 December 2018, a technical assessment on the distribution system was undertaken.

The final design of the micro-grid system and site selection were completed in April 2019. The construction of the power house began in July 2019 and interconnection was completed in September 2019.

Commercial operations started on 30 October 2019. The current installation is a partial six-hour service to the community delivering to 132 households.

29. Consistent with the amended COC guidelines, the application has been filed.

ALLEGATIONS TO SUPPORT MOTION FOR CONFIDENTIAL TREATMENT OF INFORMATION 32. Under Rule 4 of the ERC Rules, the Honorable Commission may, upon request of a party and determination of the existence of conditions that would warrant such remedy, treat certain information submitted to it as confidential.

1) The petitioner’s name, mailing address, and e-mail address; 2) The nature of petitioner’s interest in the subject matter of the proceeding and the way and manner in which such interest is affected by the issues involved in the proceeding; and 3) A statement of the relief desired.

Likewise, all other persons who may want their views known to the Commission with respect to the subject matter of the case may file through e-mail at docket@ erc.ph. copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph, their Opposition or Comment thereon at least five (5) calendar days prior to the initial virtual hearing and subject to the requirements under Rule 9 of the 2006 ERC Rules of Practice and Procedure. No particular form of Opposition or Comment is required, but the document, letter, or writing should contain the following: 1) The name, mailing address, and e-mail address of such person; 2) A concise statement of the Opposition or Comment; and

Annex “E.1” and “E.2” - Power Generation Design for Sitio Tabao, Barangay Ambil

Annex “K” - Detailed Cost Breakdown

19. The possibility of having a private company provide service either as a New Power Provider (NPP) or QTP was explored but given

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

33. Applicant is submitting the following documents pursuant to the foregoing Rule:

13. The source of electricity for Ambil island is unreliable and insufficient for its 450 households. Ambil island is composed of two sitios: Sitio Tabao, which has 200 households, and Sitio Tambo, which has 250 households. Most households source their income from the live fishing industry. The households in both sitios rely on informal electricity (private genset owners and individual solar home systems) to get up to four (4) hours, at most, of electricity on a nightly basis.

18. The Projects implementation is in line with the mandate of the current administration, consistent with the Power Development Plan (PDP) 2017-2040 and Department Order No. DO 2018005-0010 of the Department of Energy to accelerate execution of Total Electrification Program (TEP) in the attainment of one hundred percent (100%) electrification of targeted and identified households by 2022.

Any interested stakeholder may submit its comments and/or clarifications at least one (1) calendar day prior to the scheduled virtual hearing, via electronic mail (e-mail) at docket@erc.ph copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph.

The Commission shall give priority to the stakeholders who have duly submitted their respective comments and/or clarifications, to discuss the same and propound questions during the course of the expository presentation.

31. Accordingly, pending final approval, there is an urgent need for a provisional approval or interim relief for LUBELCO to implement the microgrid projects in the four (4) unviable areas and collect the full cost recovery rate from the endusers.

Annex “J.1” - Partnership Structure

17. Signifying its commitment to electrify these Unviable areas, LUBELCO has constructed the distribution networks in the two islands in 2012 and 2014 which however remain unutilized because the islands lack a generation facility[.] With RA 10531 allowing the ECs to undertake power generation, LUBELCO is keen on providing the electric service which is long overdue. Thus, the LUBELCO Board issued Board Resolution No. 52 series of 2018 “A Resolution Authorizing the Cooperative to Construct Its Own Generation Facilities to Enable Access to 24/7 Electricity in the Islands of Cabra, Ambil and Golo”10.

Accordingly, LUBELCO is hereby directed to host the virtual hearing at LUBELCO’s principal office located at Bagubag Vigo, Lubang, Occidental Mindoro, as the designated venue for the conduct thereof, and ensure that the same is open to the public and the community quarantine guidelines are observed at all times. Moreover, Applicant shall guarantee that, during the conduct of the expository presentation, the participation of the public shall not be impaired.

30. LUBELCO is in the process of completing the other permitting requirements for the Projects as soon as possible.22

12. While Lubang island enjoys 24/7 electricity, the two other islands of Ambil and Golo where the Project barangays are located, only have electricity service for four (4) hours.

16. In its Distribution Development Plan (DDP)9, LUBELCO already included its plan to electrify through its own generation system the Unviable areas within its franchise area, specifically Sitios Tabao and Tambo in Barangay Ambil, Barangay Talaotao, and Barangay Bulacan (each a “Project” and collectively the “Projects”) located in the islands of Ambil and Golo.

The Commission hereby sets the instant Application for determination of compliance with the jurisdictional requirements, expository presentation, Pretrial Conference and presentation of evidence on the following dates and online platform for the conduct thereof, pursuant to Resolution 09, Series of 202023, dated 24 September 2020: Platform

Annex “F.1” and “F.2” - Power Generation Design for Sitio Tambo, Barangay Ambil

15. At present, the monthly price paid by each resident just to have limited access electricity ranges from PhP 450.00 to PhP 1,050.00.8 In Lubang island, an off-grid area benefiting from the Universal Charge for Missionary Electrification (UCME), the average price of electricity is PHP 13.25 per kilowatt-hour.

Pending Approval, LUBELCO prays for the immediate issuance of the provisional authority or interim relief to allow LUBELCO to implement and collect.

Date

11. The Lubang Group of Islands in the Province of Occidental Mindoro is composed of two municipalities - Lubang and Looc - covering four main islands, namely Lubang, Cabra, Ambil and Golo. There are twenty-five (25) barangays, sixteen (16) barangays in Lubang including Cabra island and nine (9) barangays in Looc including 3 barangays in Ambil and Golo islands. These areas comprise LUBELCO’s franchise area.

14. The situation is similar in Golo island, as there is only access to informal electricity for its 675 households. Golo island is composed of two barangays Bulacan with 310 households, and Talaotao with 365 households. Most households source their income from the live fishing industry. The households rely on informal electricity (private genset owners and individual solar home systems) to get up to four (4) hours, at most, on a nightly basis.

Other just and equitable reliefs are likewise prayed for.

Annex “G.1” and “G.2” - Power Generation Design for Barangay Talaotao Annex “H.1” and “H.2” - Power Generation for Barangay Bulacan

Annex “J.2” - Executive Summary

Annex “L” - Financial Plan Annex “M.1” - Detailed Tariff Breakdown Annex “M.2” - LUBELCO Cluster Model 34. These documents contain certain non-public information, data and calculations involving business operations and financial trade secrets.

35. Applicant thus respectfully moves that Annexes “E.1”, “E.2”, “F.1”, “F.2”, “G.1”, “G.2 “, “J.1” , “J .2” “K”, “L”, “M.1” “M.2” not be disclosed and be treated as confidential documents in accordance with Rule 4 of the ERC Rules. Accordingly, Applicant hereby submit one (1) copy of Annexes “E.1”, “E.2”, “F.1”, “F.2”, “G.1 “, “G.2”, “J.1”, “J.2” “K”, “L”, “M.1” “M.2” in a sealed envelope, with the envelope and each page of the document stamped with the word “Confidential.”

3) The grounds relied upon.

All such persons who wish to have a copy of the Application may request from the Applicant that it be furnished with the same prior to the date of the initial hearing. The Applicants are hereby directed to furnish all those making such request with copies of the Application and its attachments, through any of the available modes of service, upon their agreement, subject to the reimbursement of reasonable photocopying costs. Any such person may likewise examine the Application and other pertinent records filed with the Commission during the standard office hours. In the alternative, those persons who wish to have an electronic copy of the Application may request the Commission for the e-mail address of the Applicant by sending an email to docket@erc.ph, copy furnish the Legal Service through legal@erc.ph. Nonetheless, any person may also access the Application as posted by the Commission in its official website at www.erc. gov.ph.

Finally, all interested persons may be allowed to join the scheduled initial virtual hearing by providing the Commission, thru legal.virtualhearings@ erc.ph, with their respective e-mail addresses and indicating therein the case number of the instant Application. The Commission will send the access link/s to the aforementioned hearing platform within five (5) working days prior to the scheduled hearing.

WITNESS, the Honorable Commissioners ALEXIS M. LUMBATAN, CATHERINE P. MACEDA, FLORESINDA G. BALDO-DIGAL and MARKO ROMEO L. FUENTES,, Energy Regulatory Commission, this 17th day of March 2021 in Pasig City.

AGNES VST DEVANADERA Chairperson and CEO

SUMMARY OF SUBMITTED DOCUMENTS 36. In support of the instant Application, Applicant most respectfully submit to the Honorable Commission the following documents which are referred to herein and summarized below, thus: ANNEX A.1 A.2

NATURE OF DOCUMENT LUBELCO’s Franchise Certificate LUBELCO’s Certificate of Registration, By-Laws

B

LUBELCO’s Distribution Development Plan

C

LUBELCO Board Resolution No. 52, series of 2018

D

NPP and QTP Timeline Approval Process

E.1 E.2

Power Generation Design for Sitio Tabao, Barangay Ambil SLD for Tabao

F.1 F.2

Power Generation Design for Sitio Tambo, Barangay Ambil SLD for Tambo

G.1 G.2

Power Generation Design for Barangay Bulacan SLD for Bulacan

H.1 H.2

Power Generation Design for Barangay Talaotao SLD for Talaotao

I

LUBELCO Board Resolution No. 43, series of 2018

- Copy of LUBELCO Franchise Certificate No. 092, herein attached as Annex “A.1”.

- Copy of LUBELCO Certificate of Registration, By-Law, Certificate of Franchise, herein attached as Annex “A2’.

- Copy of the Latest and Complete Set of Audited Financial Statements of the Generation Company (Balance Sheet, Income Statement, and Statement of cash flows) herein attached as Annex “S.1”, “S.2”, “S.3”, and “S4”.

2 “Unviable” refers to a geographic area within the franchise area of a Distribution Utility where the immediate extension of the distribution line is not feasible. Rule 4, (ssss), RA 9136 Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR).

3 “Microgrid system” refers to a group of interconnected loads and distributed utilities with clearly defined electrical boundaries that acts as a single controllable entity with respect to the generation and distribution grid.

4 Docketed as ERC Case No. 2019-009 MC filed on 16 April 2019.

5 Refers to the Certificate of Compliance issued by the ERC to generation facilities.

6 Refers to the Barangay Resolutions for Talaotao, Bulacan and Ambil, herein attached as Annex O, Annex P and Annex Q. 7 Department Circular No. DC2019-0l-000l entitled “Prescribing the Omnibus Guidelines on Enhancing Off-Grid Power Development and Operation” 8 A household paying PHP 15.00 per day or PHP 450.00 per month for 2 lightbulbs for 4 hours per night is paying PHP 208.33.00jkWh. A household with 2 lightbulbs, 1 television, and 1 fan for 4 hours per night is paying PHP 66.37/kWh. 9 A copy of LUBELCO’s DDP is herein attached as Annex “B”.

10 A copy of LUBELCO Board Resolution No. 52, series of 2018 is attached as Annex “C”.

11 Attached as Annex “D” is the typical timeline for an NPP and QTP approval process.

12 1.) Power Gen Design and SLD marked as follows: Annex “E.1 “, “E.2” for Sitio Tabao; Annex “F.1”, “F.2” for Sitio Tambo; Annex “G.1.”, “G.2” for Barangay Bulacan and Annex “H.1”, “H.2” for Barangay Talaotao 2.) Certification of the net heat rate in liters per kWh marked as Annex “T”.

3.) Details on the procurement process of fuel including requests, proposals received, tender offers, etc. marked as Annex “U”.

13 A copy of LUBELCO Board Resolution 14 This is based on, Rule 7, Section 6(a), RA 9136 IRR which states that: “Unenergized areas that a Distribution utility does not find viable may be transferred to another Distribution Utility, if any is available, which will provide the service, subject to approval by ERC. In cases where a Distribution Utility failed or refused to service any area within its Franchise Area and allows another utility to service the same, the arrangements between the Distribution Utilities shall not affect their respective Franchise Areas. The ERC shall issue the appropriate guidelines to implement this provision.”

15 1.) The partnership structure is further explained in the attached Annex “J.1” and Executive Summary for LUBELCO Application in Annex “J.2”.

2.) Copy of Community Energizer System Installation Agreements marked as Annex “V. 1”, “V2’, “V.3” and “VA” for Tabao, Tambo, Bulacan and Talaotao respectively.

3.) Loan Agreement (Execution Copy) for Tabao marked as Annex “W” 4.) NEA Loan option marked as Annex “X” 16 Annex “K” shows the detailed cost breakdown and Annex “L” shows the Financial Plan.

17 Annex “M.1” shows the detailed tariff breakdown, Breakdown of the base prices; Capital Recovery Fee, Fixed and Variable O&M, Fuel Fee and Computation of Return on Investment/WACC while Annex “M.2” shows the financial model containing the derivation of rates in excel file together with Sample Computation of Power Rates with the supporting documents on the assumptions taken.

18 The list of public consultations conducted by LUBELCO is attached as Annex “N”.

19 The consent of residents in Barangay Talaotao is attached as Annex “O“.

20 The consent of residents in Barangay Bulacan is attached as Annex “P”.

21 The consent of residents in Barangay Ambil is attached as Annex “Q”.

22 A list of permits and government approvals is attached as Annex “R” with copies of said permits further attached as Annex “R1”, “R2”, “R3”, and “R4”.

23 A Resolution Adopting the Guidelines Governing Electronic Applications, Filings and Virtual Hearings Before the Energy Regulatory Commission.

1

(MS-APR. 15 & 23, 2021)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

GMA Network reinvigorates

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TV viewing with nearly 100 new, cutting-edge programs

TV and movie personality Derek Ramsay

Cheers with Derek Ramsay FOR actor Derek Ramsay the best way to learn more about rum is to drink it. However, it wouldn’t hurt to know about their different varieties and flavors before you have one.

As Tanduay Rum’s long-time endorser, Derek can give you a tip or two to learn more about one of the biggestselling spirits in the world.

“Rum can be mixed as a cocktail, enjoyed neat, with a splash of water, or on the rocks,” the film and television personality says.

White rums are usually used for cocktails, while dark and golden rums are enjoyed neat or with ice. “I like my rum on the rocks! I usually enjoy a drink before I call it a day,” he adds..

How they’re made determines their taste.

There are different kinds of rum in the world, and the ingredients, distillation, and aging process play a huge role in how they taste. In other countries, they are made from raw sugarcane or distilled in woodfueled fire.

For its Philippine-made rums, Tanduay uses first-syrup molasses that are extracted from the initial boil of quality sugarcane. They are then fermented for 24 to 32 hours prior to distillation after which they are stored in Kentucky bourbon barrels. A master blender, who serves as the guardian of the company’s rum formulas, along with rum specialists will then check the rums for consistency before approving them for bottling and packaging.

“Where it came from, who are its makers. Knowing these will assure you of the quality of the rum. Personally, I’d like to get to know my drink of choice,” he explains. Read full story on manilastandard.net

M

EDIA giant GMA Network continues to set the benchmark for topnotch and world-class entertainment for Filipinos with its lineup of new programs in the forthcoming months.

First on the list is the breakthrough cultural drama series Legal Wives. Produced by the award-winning GMA Entertainment Group, this original series is headlined by Dennis Trillo as Ishmael, a Maranaw Muslim royalty who has three wives portrayed by talented actresses Alice Dixson, Bianca Umali, and Andrea Torres.

Portraying an equally important role is internationally-acclaimed actress Cherie Gil. Following the success of its first season last year, the one-of-a-kind drama series I Can See You returns for a second season with new and exciting stories: ”On My Way To You,” ”#Future,” and ”The Lookout” – topbilled by some of the biggest Kapuso stars. “On My Way To You” is headlined by Ruru Madrid and Shaira Diaz; “#Future” is bannered by Miguel Tanfelix, Gabby Eigenmann, Kyline Alcantara, and Aiko Melendez; and “The Lookout” features Barbie Forteza, Paul Salas, and Christopher De Leon.

Sure to keep viewers glued to the screen is the sweeping romance drama I Left My Heart in Sorsogon starring Heart Evangelista-Escudero, Paolo Contis, and Richard Yap. After their well-received pairing in I Can See You: Love on the Balcony, Alden Richards and Jasmine Curtis-Smith reunite in the drama series The World Between Us alongside Tom Rodriguez, in his most challenging role yet. The soap revolves around a principled man who gets wronged by the people he considers as family, and how he goes through insurmountable odds just to carry the day.

Jennylyn Mercado is bound to showcase her acting prowess as she takes on the role of a woman who is stuck reliving the day of her boyfriend's death over and over again via the out-of-the-box concept of Love. Die. Repeat.

Carla Abellana and Max Collins join forces in the drama series To Have and To Hold, which tells the story of two women who will be caught up in a web of lies, betrayals, and affairs.

Fall in love with the charming story of Heartful Café, which follows the life of a café owner and online romance novelist named Heart Fulgencio and her journey

series stars Jillian Ward, Althea Ablan, and Sofia Pablo, together with seasoned actors Katrina Halili, Wendell Ramos, Chanda Romero, James Blanco, and Aiko Melendez.

On weekends, adventure awaits audiences in the action-packed Agimat ng Agila featuring the much-awaited TV comeback of Ramon “Bong” Revilla, Jr.. Joining him are Sanya Lopez, Roi Vinzon, Benjie Paras, Allen Dizon, Michelle Dee, Elizabeth Oropesa, and with the special participation of Sheryl Cruz. The program centers on every Filipino’s responsibility to guard and care for the environment—empowering viewers to be proactive stewards of nature.

GMA Network gives its loyal viewers a treat with the highly-anticipated live action adaptation of the hit Japanese anime series Voltes V: Legacy. The ground-

towards finding her match. It stars Julie Anne San Jose alongside David Licauco and EA Guzman.

Kick-starting the explosive roster of GMA Afternoon Prime programs is the remake of renowned filmmaker Ishmael Bernal's classic movie Nagbabagang Luha bannered by highly-talented artists Glaiza de Castro, Rayver Cruz, Mike Tan, and Gina Alajar. The series also introduces promising star Claire Castro.

The well-loved tandem of Rita Daniela and Ken Chan returns to the small screen on Ang Dalawang Ikaw and will be joined

by Ana Vicente. Viewers are also sure to get

Inday empowered YOU may have seen a classic Filipino movie wherein the protagonist comes from the province and initially viewed as inferior by some bullies of the big cities.

Having said that, it does make sense that an 18-yearold beauty from North Cotabato chose to sing as her debut record an empowering track for the undermined breed.

Listening to the track called “Inday,” crafted in upbeat, modern arrangement and supplied with candidly passionate lyrics, makes that common narrative used to perpetuate the underdog Pinoy tag quite obsolete.

Time to change such perception. Time to give Inday the image it truly deserves.

To illustrate how Alexsandra Bejarin is living proof of that vocally driven young woman, she got the looks, as proven by her beauty contest wins, and the kicks to defend herself from the brutes of society, or as her taekwondo training should suggest. It’s icing on the cake that she can also sing and her single is one speaking of the probinsiyana pride.

“Inday,” now with an official lyric video on YouTube, is poised to make Alexsandra’s voice accessible to netizens and music lovers for all the good reasons. Thanks to Rebel House Music Group which signed her to record music and make use of the digital platform to spread her revolutionarily positive and inspiringly cool message—a breath of fresh air from the usual heartbreak or princess in jeopardy songs that pretty lady singers allow themselves to be introduced with.

“The song talks about both the struggles and pride of being a woman of hope and love,” said the track’s songwriter and record pro-

hooked on Las Hermanas starring Yasmien Kurdi, Thea Tolentino, Faith da Silva, Jason Abalos, and Albert Martinez.

A woman fights for justice and her chance for a new life against an antagonist who tries to get away with murder twice by using legal means in the riveting drama series Artikulo 247. The soap is headlined by the outstanding ensemble cast composed of Rhian Ramos, Mark Herras, Jackie Rice, and Rocco Nacino.

Top-rating series Prima Donnas is all set to air its second season after receiving favorable and rave reviews from viewers during its initial run. The

breaking project stars Miguel Tanfelix as Steve Armstrong, Ysabel Ortega as Jamie Robinson, Radson Flores as Mark Gordon, Matt Lozano as Big Bert, Raphael Landicho as Little John along with Martin del Rosario as the Boazanian Prince Zardoz and Liezel Lopez as Zandra.

GMA Public Affairs is also set to bring its biggest action-adventure series to date in Lolong. Bannered by Ruru Madrid, Lolong is inspired by the world's largest crocodile in captivity of the same name.

Joining Ruru in the series are Arra San Agustin and Shaira Diaz. Read full story on manilastandard.net

Will Smith’s ‘Emancipation’ ditches Georgia over voting law

The Taekwondo-trained beauty titlist from Mindanao Alexsandra Bejarin enters the music scene with the danceable, empowering “Inday” composed by singer-turned-producer Ian Sison of Rebel House Records.

ducer Ian Sison, himself a singer who had fronted his own band, appeared in mainstream music projects, and released solo songs even in pandemic.

“We’re born and raised to be amazing,” and “we don’t care about the haters” are lines Alexsandra sung in a number where she also rapped and stated her lyrics mostly in her dialect.

The chorus stands strong with lines like “Inday wala ta’y kapantay/ Maskin unsay problema/ Dili ka mulikay."

In her speech as a beauty titlist, Alexsandra noted, “A true queen is not only determined by the crown on her head or the sash traversing her shoulders. It’s the inner beauty and kindheartedness that she will carry in all facets of life. Just be yourself and be your best self.”

During her recent virtual press conference held at Mata Law Group office, the new-age Inday was escorted by men with a common cause to help artists in Mindanao get proper support in the music industry. They were director Yohan Vasquez, Atty. RJ Del Fierro, writer Ace Perez, handler Salera Gee, and Ian himself.

The red belter-stunner voiced out her passion for gender equality and for women without confidence to dig through themselves. She does say in the song, “Tiwala lang sa ‘yong sarili/ Huwag kang bibitaw ano mang mangyari.”

WILL Smith's slavery drama Emancipation will no longer be filmed in Georgia after the southern US state approved a voting rights law that critics say is intended to depress turnout in Black and other underrepresented communities.

Georgia has become a major US movie industry production hub in recent years, but the Emancipation move follows mounting public criticism and boycotts from corporations, sports, and entertainment bodies over last month's controversial measure in the state.

"We cannot in good conscience provide economic support to a government that enacts regressive voting laws that are designed to restrict voter access," Smith and director Antoine Fuqua said in a statement to AFP. "Regrettably, we feel compelled to move our film production work from Georgia to another state."

The measure signed into law by Georgia's Republican governor imposes voter identification requirements, limits the number of voting drop boxes, and forbids volunteers from giving water bottles to voters who can be forced to wait in line for hours.

Critics have likened it to Jim Crow-era restrictions used to repress the political power of African Americans.

"The new Georgia voting laws are reminiscent of voting impediments that were passed at the end of Reconstruction to prevent many Americans from ‘Emancipation’ will star US actor voting," wrote Smith and Fuqua, who is best known Will Smith as a fugitive from for 2001's Oscar-winning Training Day. slavery on a harrowing journey In Hollywood, the response had been more muted north from Louisiana seeking prior to Monday's announcement. freedom.

Ford v Ferrari director James Mangold, who will helm the next Indiana Jones film, has spoken out against the voting restrictions, tweeting: "I don't want to play there. I'm not telling anyone else what to do."

Star Wars actor Mark Hamill tweeted his support for Mangold, and used the hashtag #NoMoreFilmingInGeorgia.

But many major Hollywood productions are filmed in the Peach State thanks to its tax breaks, lower costs, and weather—including Marvel superhero movies, the Walking Dead TV series, and multiple projects such as the recent Coming 2 America shot at the sprawling Tyler Perry Studios. AFP

Arnel Pineda rocks ‘Cardo Dalisay’ Rock artist Arnel Pineda has lent his voice for the rock song ‘Cardo Dalisay,’ which serves as anthem for the heroic character of Coco Martin in ‘Ang Probinsyano.’

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano has released a recompilation soundtrack that features its new theme song by rock artist Arnel Pineda.

Arnel has lent his voice for the rock song “Cardo Dalisay” composed by cast member Bassilyo, which serves as a fitting anthem for the heroic character played by Coco Martin.

The inspirational track “Ililigtas Ka

Niya” meanwhile gets a fresh take by internationally-acclaimed Filipino acapella group Pinopela. The religious song which serves as the group’s first single offers assurance through God’s deliverance and was originally sung by Gary Valenciano.

Also part of the recompilation album is Task Force Agila’s theme song “Dagit Ng Agila,” sung by Coco featuring the song’s composer and producer Bassilyo who teamed

up with fellow rapper and cast member Smugglaz in performing the song.

“Nandyan Na Si Cardo,” which serves as the opening song of the actiondrama series since 2018, is also part of the latest soundtrack. The pop rock song which highlights Cardo’s boldness and bravery was composed, produced, and performed by Randy Santiago.

The rap song written, produced, and performed by Bassilyo titled “Vendetta,”

which was inspired by the vigilante group of the same which Cardo had been a part of, is also included in the new compilation.

The series’ latest album also includes well-loved tunes from the show’s 2016 original soundtrack “FPJ's Ang Probinsyano (Music from the Original TV Series).”

Some of the songs from the aforementioned initial album include Gary Valenciano’s “’Wag Ka Nang Umiyak,” Gloc 9 and Ebe Dancel’s “Ang Probinsyano,” and Coco’s “Ako Si Superman.”

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

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THURSDAY, APRIL 15, 2021

Life HOUSEHOLD

What women want:

Being financially independent is a priority of today’s women across all ages.

Financial independence,

While many rely on themselves for motivation, Filipino women value having a female mentor or role model to look up to.

career, inclusivity

By Bernadette Lunas

F

RAGILE, subservient, and meek are words with which today’s Filipino women wish not to be associated. Instead of fragility, they value strength. Independence over subservience. Confidence, not diffidence. communications agency Wunderman Thompson Philippines, entitled “Filipina Forward,” reveals a shift in Filipino women’s priorities. From “reaching a higher level of spiritual awareness” as number one goal in 2017, four years and one pandemic have changed it to “being financially independent” with 33 percent of respondents shooting for this goal.

The aforementioned priority is in fact either the top one or two across four Priority shift generations surveyed: Gen Z (16-24 A 2021 study conducted by marketing years old), Millennials (25-44), Gen X

Or as one 21-year-old woman from Visayas puts it, “A modern Filipina [doesn’t] rely on men, I can do things my way.”

While some may argue we are just putting ourselves in another box, it is a different box; one that opens up to more opportunities and a bigger world.

A world where Filipino women, most of whom now value financial independence, can be who they want to be.

MODERN FILIPINA.

A 2021 quantitative and qualitative study

by Wunderman Thompson Philippines reveals a shift in Filipino women’s priorities and outlook, as they now consider achieving financial independence and having the career related to their passion a primary goal.

FUTURE-READY workspace awaits at the recently launched Mega Tower located in the SM Megamall complex.

The 50-story office building, SM Prime Holdings, Inc.’s tallest to date, features an elegant S-shape silhouette standing tall along Edsa in the bustling Ortigas central business district. The Mega Tower is registered with the certification goal of LEED Gold, according to SM Prime.

Designed for the future of work, it offers unparalleled access, safety, flexibility, and sustainability to its tenants. Its main entrance lobby is formed by elevating the tower from above the drop-off. The tower has a center core with three fire exits for efficient density planning of the usable area of its locators. Its typical floor plate of over 2,700 square meters is suited for different industries, with a 360-degree curtain wall for natural lighting and unobstructed city view.

A diverse mix of cafés and restaurants will open on the ground f loor.

In addition, the tower lobby has a direct link to SM Megamall’s Mega Fashion Hall.

Aside from proximity to two MRT sta-

(45-54), and Boomers (54 and up).

“I think the shift to financial security as primary need was either brought about by the recent pandemic or by the fact that women also realized that financial security gives you a sense of control and power,” opines Margot Torres, managing director of McDonald’s Philippines.

Following financial independence, Filipino women’s second, third, and fourth priorities are “starting a business” (24 percent), “making money” (23 percent), and “keeping healthy and fit” (22 percent).

The prime position of finance and health, the agency believes, is “a reflection of the pandemic’s impact” that include fear of the virus and mass unemployment.

“The pandemic weighs heavily on their feedback this year,” says Wunderman Thompson Philippines chief executive officer Golda Roldan. “But we are proud to see the strides that Filipino women are making based on the roles they play at home and at work, and how they see their personal self.”

Confident and career-driven

Confidence plays a huge role in Filipino women’s outlook. A whopping 94 percent are certain they will be able to achieve their goals, a rise from 80 percent in 2017; while 84 percent strongly believe that they are more capable than what is expected from their gender.

Working hand in hand with confidence is the independence many women enjoy or work hard for. Majority or 78 percent rely on themselves for motivation. “I am a strong, independent woman. Hindi naman sa hindi ko kailangan ng iba, but I can do it on my own,” a 26-year-old respondent from Luzon shares.

With confidence honed and indeinde pendence attained, many Filipino women are forging a path of their choosing. For instance, 52 percent chose the college course they took based on their interest.

“My mother wanted me to be [in] medicine. Ayoko, so nag-nursing ako,” relates a 56-year-old respondent from Luzon.

Filipino women’s increased involvement in the workforce (Asia Pacific is expected to have the largest female workforce by 2030) also means that career has become a pivotal life aspect, with 27 percent of respondents saying that they are willing to delay marriage or having kids if their career requires it.

Taking care of the family or being a good mother are no longer the only markers of success for women, with 32 percent defining success as having the job or career related to their passion.

Despite the openness to delay marriage or being childfree, the study found Filipino women still believe that taking care and being with their families are indicative of a life well-lived. In fact, it goes full circle for the younger folks (Gen Z and millennials) who consider work crucial to help them support their parents and gain financial independence to start their own families.

Maria Clara, who?

Gone is the reign of Maria Clara, or the belief that she is the scale upon which Filipino women are measured.

Instead of “Maria Clara,” 86 percent of respondents identify themselves as “modern Filipinas” who defy tradition.

Filipino women (56 percent) are putting premium on having a female mentor or role model to look up to, saying that it has helped them take risks that they otherwise would not have taken (56 percent), be more ambitious (52 percent), and leave an abusive relationship (26 percent).

Even in the media, they prefer to see more films with strong female leads (59 percent) and multi-faceted female characters (e.g. a career woman who is also a mom).

“Brands and other players in the communication industry can either shed a spotlight on notable female figures or create strong female characters,” says Roldan.

Better representation of all women – size, color, and gender, notwithstanding – is now valued more than ever, with the study discovering that Filipino women patronize brands whose products are deliberately made inclusive. Those that develop products that make women’s lives easier are also preferred.

(Graphics courtesy of Wunderman Thompson Philippines)

Mike Eala on lifting Alex’s spirits up

SM launches Mega Tower The 50-story Mega Tower features an S-shaped silhouette standing elegantly along Edsa in Ortigas CBD.

tions, the building will have a Public Ter- ing slots of Mega Tower are dedicated to minal Interchange (PTI) which will pri- energy-conserving vehicles. marily cater to commuters riding PUVs Send an email to office.leasing@smor shuttle vans. Five percent of the park- prime.com for leasing inquiries.

The tower has a typical floor plate of approximately 2,700 square meters.

FILIPINO tennis protégé Alex Eala may have bowed out after the third round of the W60 Bellinzona tournament on Thursday in Switzerland, but her parents insist “there is nothing to be discouraged about.”

Alex’s parents are even grateful that their 15-year-old daughter is slowly inching closer to her dream of qualifying into the WTA grand slam tournaments. “Alex is a fast learner and she never gets dispirited with every loss, in fact it makes her stronger and fiercer,” said Mike Eala, Alex’s father.

“She seems to be laser-focused on her tennis. She knows that if she keeps her focus on her level of play, keeps her head down, and works hard, the wins will eventually come,” he added.

The young tennis player, supported

by Globe Telecom, is on the right track.

In her recent campaign in Switzerland, the 715th ranked Eala beat higher rated foes in France’s Margot Yerolymus (323rd) and Laura Iona-Parr (206th) of Romania. The wins are expected to improve her WTA ratings when the next rankings are released next week.

She is also beginning to shake off ingame issues like hunger and extreme cold which she experienced during her 6-7(6), 6-1, 6-0 win over Paar.

“She video called us right after the match. She was hungry daw and it was so cold...It was a three-set match and it started late as the previous match on her court was also a long three-setter.

So she finished (the game) about dinner time,” Alex’s father related.

Mike also shared that the Swiss tournament is perhaps one of the most challenging for the family as quarantine protocols prevented him and wife Rizza from joining Alex in Europe.

“We are in the US and Alex is in Switzerland. We weren’t allowed to enter the European Union because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, but Alex is ok being a student resident of the Rafa Nadal Academy,” said Mike.

But amid the halfway across-theglobe distance and their tight schedules, the family is able to connect regularly to their loved ones here in the Philippines through video calls.

“We are lucky to be in a generation with telecommunications companies like Globe where we can connect, wherever we are. Like in this case, we have a family group chat with extended family members in the Philippines we continue to keep in touch,” he shared.

Filipino tennis protégé Alex Eala is her parents’ source of pride and joy.

Fifty-six of the total 1,243 parking slots are dedicated to energy conserving vehicles.

The Mega Tower’s 26 high-speed elevators are distributed to low, mid, and high zones to shuttle employees and guests at a speed of 90 meters per minute.