Manila Standard - 2021 June 8 - Tuesday

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PH TEEN SENSATION SASO WINS US GOLF MAJOR, POCKETS $1M NEW QUEEN. The Philippines’ Yuka Saso celebrates with the Harton S. Semple Trophy after winning the 76th US Women’s Open Championship at the Olympic Club on June 6 in San Francisco, California. Saso won following a threehole playoff against Nasa Hataoka of Japan. AFP

By Peter Atencio

GOLF was all Yuka Saso had at a young age. Now, at 19 years old, she has something no Filipino man or woman has even had – a major world golf title.

The Filipina-Japanese star clinched the distinction when she nipped Japan’s Nasa Hataoka on the third playoff hole to win the US Women’s Open Champion-

ship on Sunday (Monday in Manila) at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.

Saso held the lead at the tournament’s halfway mark, then charged back into contention when early leader Lexi Thompson faltered down the stretch, leaving her and Hataoka to duel for the trophy in sudden death. (See related story on C1 -- Editor) Next page

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Rody sees ‘light’ with mass jabs But warns protocol violators may frustrate ending COVID

By Vito Barcelo, Willie Casas, Vito Barcelo and Joel E. Zurbano

P

RESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is optimistic that the country will beat COVID-19 before the year ends as the government starts inoculating economic frontliners or those under the A4 priority group.

“We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel as more vaccines arrive in the country,” he said.

But in his regular weekly televised address, the President warned those violating health protocols amid the coronavirus pandemic that the government had the power to punish

them, noting the rise in infections in his home city of Davao and other cities across Mindanao and Visayas (see related story below -- Editor).

“For as long as people do not honor the protocols prescribed by government, kung ayaw nilang sumunod ayaw nilang maniwala walang katapusan ang COVID

(if they don’t follow, they don’t believe, COVID will have no end),” he said.

Duterte also ordered local government officials to find out why people were not getting their second doses of the vaccine.

He appealed to the public to “find time” and “go back” for their second COVID-19 vaccine dose, as the Department of Health last week said about 113,000 people have yet to get their second jabs.

In a taped message aired Monday during the symbolic vaccination of workers under the A4 category, the Next page

IATF eyes lifting of restrictions for age 65 and up

By Othel V. Campos, Vito Barcelo and Willie Casas

THE Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) is inclined to allow elders aged 65 and above to leave their homes provided they are fully vaccinated against the

MORE ROLLOUTS.

COVID-19 PH

Local governments started rolling out vaccines for economic frontliners on Monday, as (clockwise from left) Baguio City tried out a facilitated and paperless vaccination process, Mandaluyong Mayor Menchie Abalos witnessed jabs at the MCMC Mega vaccination site in front of Mandaluyong City Hall, and some 400 city workers and residents of Navotas got vaccinated at the Navotas Fish Port Complex.

Dave Leprozo, Manny Palmero and Andrew Rabulan

AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 7)

1,276,004 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

6,539 58,854 NEW

ACTIVE

21,969

71

1,195,181

6,969

NEW

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

Gibo opens up on VP bid, eyes Sara tandem

By Joel E. Zurbano FORMER Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro on Monday said Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio would make a good President and was willing to be her running mate should she decide to run in the 2022 elections.

“My impression of Mayor Sara talking about issues was that she will make a very good president of Next page

coronavirus, Trade Secretary Ra- vaccinated and who have tested negamon Lopez said Monday. tive for COVID-19, Lopez said.

“That will be a big help also to the investors.

A lot of investors are really wanting to Also shorter quarantine for travelers get in, but they are discouraged by the long quarantine that we still have,” he said.

The IATF is also considering a shortThe proposed adjustment to the IATF er quarantine period for domestic and policy, he noted, will help the governinternational travelers who have been Next page

Davao, 4 other Mindanao cities ‘areas of concern’—OCTA Group

By Willie Casas DAVAO CITY, the President’s hometown, as well as other cities in Mindanao have been identified by the OCTA Research Group as areas of concern due to the rise in COVID-19 cases.

The other southern cities include Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Koronadal and Cotabato.

According to OCTA, these Mind-

anao cities would surpass Quezon City with the highest number of new cases before next week.

It said Davao City has had a 54-percent rise in infections over the past week, or from 134 cases to 206 cases for the period May 31 to June 6.

The Department of Health said Monday 25 percent of COVID-19 cases in the country were from Mindanao, folNext page

40 power plants probed for roles in rolling outages

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) on Monday announced it will be issuing show cause orders (SCOs) to 40 power generating companies that did not comply with the reporting requirements

on planned and unplanned outages.

In a statement, the ERC said six companies in Luzon, 28 in the Visayas and six in Mindanao failed to comply with the reporting requirements set out in an ERC resolution from 2015.

Out of the 2,083 incidents or unplanned

outages from January to April 2021, only 1,288 incidents were reported.

On the other hand, 220 of the 236 planned outages were reported.

“We have been monitoring the activities of the generation companies, especially Next page

FUTURE TANDEM? Former Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro (right) stands next to his wife Nikki Prieto-Teodoro as they visit Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio (left) over the weekend. Rolando Andaya FB Page

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TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

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FDA grants EUA to Sinopharm jab T

HE Food and Drug Administration has granted an emergency use authorization (EUA) for the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured by Chinese firm Sinopharm.

week, Galvez said.

More than 1.5 million individuals have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of June 6, three months since the launch of its vaccination rollout, the Department of Health said Monday.

The DOH also said the stability of the COVID-19 vaccine supply will be determined by July to assess when the vaccination for individuals under B category will start.

Police officers can avail of COVID-19 vaccines in local government units where they are deployed, Philip-

pine National Police Chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar said on Monday.

Meanwhile, the third phase of clinical trials of the oral antiviral drug molnupiravir, as a possible treatment for the coronavirus disease, has started at the Lung Center of the Philippines.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) also said that Overseas Filipino workers bound for Singapore are no longer required to get inoculated against COVID-19 before they are allowed into the city-state.

Willie Casas and Vito Barcelo

of interaction with the public and are needed to ensure security and consumer and worker safety.

They said the expanded A4 category also prompted the government to prioritize vaccination of those aged 40 to 59 years old.

With this, the government divided the vaccination rollout of the A4 category into two phases: Phase 1: A4 workers in NCR+8 (Metro Manila, Cavite, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao) A4.1 - private sector workers who work outside their homes A4.2 - employees in government agencies and instrumentalities, including government-owned or controlled corporations and local government units A4.3 - informal sector workers and self-employed who work outside their homes and those working in private households Phase 2: A4 workers outside NCR+8.

Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, said the vaccination of 28 million Filipinos under the A4 category will be completed by November this year.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. earlier said 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines are expected to be delivered to the Philippines within June.

Local government units on Monday started vaccinating workers listed in the A4 category.

The A4 priority group include those working in commuter transport, front liners in supermarkets and delivery services, workers in manufacturing for foods and medical products, hotel employees, government employees, religious leaders, security personnel and media professionals.

“The vaccination of those from the A4 sector is significant because they make up the backbone of the economy,” said Mayor Imelda Rubiano who led the A4 group’s ceremonial inoculation held at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City.

Roque seconded Rubiano, saying “this is a game changer in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We want our workers to be safe while they return to work.”

Aside from Roque, other government officials who attended the event were Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III and Metropolitan Manila Development Authority chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. Abalos, who represented the mayors in the NCR Plus, led the pledge of commitment by the local chief executives during the A4 ceremonial vaccination rollout. are concerned with a “very alarming” surge in cases, Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia said they are not keen on seeking a stricter quarantine level from the national government.

Leonardia said Bacolod was doing stricter measures on their own to contain the transmission of the disease, such as longer curfew hours, liquor regulations and reduced capacity in establishments.

In the Caraga region, the Department of Health recorded 230 new cases, bringing the region’s active case tally to 3,205. Agusan del Sur topped the number of active cases with 519, followed by Surigao del Sur with 402, Agusan del Norte with 321, Dinagat Islands with 283, and Surigao del Norte with 197.

When she tapped in a 10-foot putt for birdie on the third playoff hole, Saso achieved three things: Philippine sporting immortality, a $1-million (about P50 million) prize paycheck, and her membership card on the Ladies Professional Golfing Association (LPGA) Tour, where she has a great chance to win more trophies and earn millions more.

Already the reigning Athlete of the Year as named by the Philippine Sportswriters’ Association (PSA) in 2020, Saso’s victory was the latest peak in a trajectory that started over a decade ago, when her father, Masakazu, first brought her to a driving range.

Although Yuka was born in San Ildefonso, Bulacan, Masakazu brought her and mom Fritzie to his homeland when she was four years old. Five years after that, the young Saso told her dad she wanted to be a professional parbuster “like Rory (McIlroy)” – then consumed every YouTube video she could watch of the former men’s world No. 1 to learn his swing and his way around the greens.

“I couldn’t speak Japanese and I didn’t have any friends, so my dad brought me to the driving range, to the golf course, that’s the only thing that I did,” she told Olympics.com in an exclusive interview last year.

Curiously, in a month’s time, Saso will also be making her Olympic debut in Tokyo. She is currently among the top 60 women players in the world -- ranked No. 22 among women according to the International Golf Federation – and thus qualifies for the quadrennial games (see story on C1 – Editors).

The Tokyo Olympics would be the latest and greatest stage for the reigning Asian Games women’s champion, who also led the Philippine women’s team to a gold-medal finish in the multi-nation event hosted by Indonesia in 2018. Both were Asiad firsts by the country too.

struction of more peaking power plants.

Also on Monday, the Institute for Climate and Sustainable Cities warned of a worsening power crisis during the dry months next year as the economy fully opens up with more people getting vaccinated.

Pedro Maniego Jr., ICSC senior policy advisor and former chairman of the National Renewable Energy Board said solar power, which is the fastest to build, will help address power demand.

“It (power crisis) might even be worse because we expect the economy to get better next year. We are vaccinating our people so there will be higher demand and many of these coal plants are aging and therefore breaking down and often

take time to be repaired if they can be repaired and building new coal plants will take time,” Maniego said.

He said solar power, of which around 9,000 MW have service contracts with the Department of Energy in Luzon, are fastest to deploy.

“They will only need six months to a year in order to be built. Wind takes probably 1one to one-and-a-half years,” he said.

ERC has been looking into the unplanned outages and the recent price spikes in the WESM, the trading floor of electricity amid the ongoing rotational brownouts implemented by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in the Luzon grid.

FDA director general Dr. Eric Domingo said the agency’s experts had reviewed the Sinopharm’s application and approved it on Monday.

Domingo said the World Health Organization had already approved Sinopharm’s application for emergency use listing.

In other developments, the Philip-

pines will receive about 30 to 40 million COVID-19 vaccine doses between this month and August, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said on Monday, as the country’s first batch of essential workers got vaccinated against the novel coronavirus.

The Philippine government is also aiming to breach the 6-million mark in its COVID-19 vaccination program this

IATF...

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Rody...

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ment and the private sector on the path to recovery.

The government expects that with the vaccination of the A4 category or frontline workers, the economy will recover fast.

“This is a shot in the arm for our frontliners, and a shot in the arm for our economy. Otherwise, our reopening will continue to be two steps forward, one step back,” Lopez said.

In a separate online seminar, the OCTA Research Group said it is highly likely for the Philippines to achieve a good level of containment of the coronavirus this year.

“The ideal is to target herd immunity.

But if we follow the current vaccination [rate] in the Philippines, it will take maybe three to four years before we achieve full herd immunity. But we don’t have to achieve full immunity, we believe that we can achieve population protection or containment within the year,” said UP professor and OCTA Research fellow Guido David.

For the rest of the year, the group estimated that as much as 105 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccines will arrive.

This month, some 11.5 million doses from various manufacturers will arrive and another 13.5 million will be here by July. From August to December, about 20 million will arrive monthly including the allocation from the COVAX Facility.

But David said there was still a need to address vaccine hesitancy among 33 percent of adult Filipinos.

In other developments: * The World Health Organization (WHO) supported giving COVID-19 vaccines to people aged 12 to 17 years old, provided they are immunocompromised or have a health condition that makes them more vulnerable to the virus.

Dr. Rabindra Abeyasinghe, the WHO representative to the Philippines, was responding to calls to include younger people in the vaccination program.

The WHO official said that such a move is okay as long as the Philippine Food and Drug Administration approves the vaccine for emergency use on the said age bracket and in consideration of the children’s vulnerability risk. * The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday welcomed the approval by China of the emergency use of Sinovac Biotech’s COVID-19 vaccine for children between 3 and 17.

President urged the public to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families from the deadly virus.

Protection from 2-shot vaccines “is not complete” without the second dose.

“With the start of our mass vaccination… workers in both the public and private sector will have an added layer of protection against the disease,” he said.

He again reminded those who have already been vaccinated to continue following the government’s health protocols.

“We must also remember that getting vaccinated is not the only solution.

We must continue to observe minimum public health standards by wearing a mask, washing our hands, and observing social distance,” he said.

“Let us keep in mind that vaccination is the only way forward for us to overcome this pandemic,” Duterte added.

The Philippines logged 6,539 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,276,004, as seven laboratories were not able to submit their data on time, the Department of Health (DOH) reported.

The DOH reported 71 new fatalities, bringing the death toll from COVID-19 to 21,969.

The DOH also reported 6,969 persons who recently recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 1,195,181.

Active cases were reported at 58,854.

Of the figure, 93.4 percent were mild, 2.4 percent were asymptomatic, 1.3 percent were critical, 1.7 percent were severe, and 1.16 percent were moderate.

The DOH also reported that, nationwide, 56 percent of the ICU beds, 48 percent of the isolation beds, 49 percent of the ward beds, and 36 percent of the ventilators, were in use.

In Metro Manila, 49 percent of the ICU beds, 39 percent of the isolation beds, 37 percent of the ward beds, and 33 percent of the ventilators, were in use.

The government launched its vaccination program for the A4 priority group at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay City Monday.

Local chief executives from Metro Manila, Batangas, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, Bulacan, Pampanga, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao joined the commitment ceremony to heed the call of President Duterte to provide a quick and efficient mass rollout of the vaccination program to the A4 workers, a statement from the Department of Health (DOH) said.

Around 50 people from various sectors including education, tourism, transportation, mass media, service and the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry received their first dose of the vaccine.

Among those under the A4 category who got their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on Monday included a fast food worker, a truck driver, celebrity couple Iya Villania and Drew Arellano, and a journalist.

Villania received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine from Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. Duque also administered the vaccine to some of the workers.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez, Jr. said that at least 10 million doses of Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, and Sputnik V vaccines are due to arrive in the country within the month.

The Philippines has about 8 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines. Duque said it is important that the A4 priority group, the economic frontliners, are vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Palace, meanwhile, encouraged the public to complete their two-dose coronavirus vaccination after reports that thousands have missed their second inoculation.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said it is important for people who got the first jab not to skip the second dose of the vaccine to strengthen their immunity and protection against COVID-19.

“To those who have yet to receive their second shot, do not worry. Youmay still receive the second shot,” Roque said.

According to health experts, each of the two-dose vaccines showed that, after a certain time, the rate of immunity to COVID-19 plateaued with just one dose but that the second dose helped boost the immunity to higher rates.

Of the 5.9 million doses administered by the government, at least 1.5 million people, mostly health workers and seniors, have been fully vaccinated in various vaccination sites as of June 6.

The government said that the COVID-19 vaccination of A4 individuals will be prioritized in the National Capital Region, Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, Laguna, Pampanga, Batangas, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.

The Inter-Agency Task Force has simplified the A4 category to include all government and private sector workers, informal sector workers, and those who work in private households who need to physically report to work.

The IATF said the A4 group was formerly focused on economic frontliners and personnel who have high levels

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ing to check if there is a need to deploy health workers from Metro Manila to several areas in Mindanao, Vergeire said Monday.

This developed as over 400 workers of a call center in Davao City tested positive for COVID-19, a local health official said.

In a virtual presser, Dr. Marjorie Culas, assistant city health officer, said around 1,000 workers of the call center firm took swab tests after their colleagues tested positive for the coronavirus.

“That is high already. High positivity rate. We are really forced to lockdown the area. This was a real surge (of infections) within the workplace,” Culas said.

Several business process outsourcing companies also experienced transmission

of the disease in their office spaces, as the city was forced to lock down the call center, which authorities did not name.

Culas said 11 call center companies in the city reported cases of COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte Carpio said the city’s temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) had reached full capacity.

In a radio interview, Duterte said the city’s TTMF had a 2,027 bed capacity, where 1,466 of which were already being used by COVID-19 patients in isolation, while the rest were utilized for all other cases which require quarantine.

Duterte said this was also the reason why there were some delays in picking up other COVID-19 positive patients.

In Bacolod City, although officials

lowed by 20 percent from the Visayas, 13 percent from Metro Manila, and 40 percent from the rest of Luzon.

The DOH is studying if there is a need to deploy Metro Manila health workers to other regions where there is a surge in the number of COVID-19 infections.

It will be sending additional medicine, personal protective equipment, and more funds to hospitals in COVID-19 hotspots in Mindanao where COVID infections continue to surge, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Aside from this, the DOH is also try-

Gibo...

From A1 this country. She would have the ability to unite a lot of people, she has an independent mind, she has managerial skills running a very complex city like Davao,” Teodoro said in an interview with ANC’s Headstart.

Teodoro made the statement days after he was criticized by netizens when he got vaccinated in Davao City, despite being a resident of Quezon City and Tarlac.

Teodoro said his vaccination in Davao City was not intentional. He explained: “There was an opportunity to show that I trust the local health au-

thorities and it was my way of showing all local government units, all health workers that I will trust them. I could have signed up with private companies for their vaccines.”

Teodoro’s camp said they visited Davao to supposedly discuss with the mayor – President Rodrigo Duterte’s eldest daughter -- about their possible team up in the 2022 national elections.

In related developments, Senate President Vicente Sotto III will run for vice president if Senator Panfilo Lacson will throw his hat into the race for the presidency.

In a message to reporters, Sotto claimed some groups had approached Lacson and him for their plans in next year’s general elections.

Pacman to Sara’s supporters: Give others a chance

40 power...

From A1 those that underwent unplanned outages, that caused the thinning of power supply in the Luzon Grid,” ERC chairperson and chief executive officer Agnes Devanadera said in a statement.

“This was aggravated by the increased demand for electricity due to warmer temperatures. As a consequence, there have been sustained high prices in the WESM (Wholesale Electricity Spot Market),” she added.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Independent Power Producers Association, Inc. urged the government to encourage con-

GIVE others a chance, Sen. Manny Pacquiao said Monday to those urging Davao Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio to run for president in 2022 and succeed her father, President Rodrigo Duterte.

The boxer-senator said being a president is “anointed by God” in an exclusive interview with ABS-CBN’s Karen Davila.

“A lot of people wanted to be president but God rejected them,” he said.

Pacquiao also expressed his concerns on President Duterte’s possible run for vice-president in 2022, saying it might not be good for the Chief Executive.

Members of the ruling party PDP-Laban’s national council, which Pacquiao chairs, earlier voted on a resolution urging Duterte to run for vice president despite the senator’s opposition.

The elder Duterte and Pacquiao have yet to talk about the respective issues.

“I have written to the President for a meeting between us, as chairman and President, so that we can talk about the plans of the party. We’ll talk about if this is good for us, if it’s good for him to step down ... I’m easy to talk to since I speak directly,” he said.

Pacquiao said he’s still waiting for Duterte’s response to his letter.

“I can’t do anything since I only follow the by-laws of the party that the chairman and the President should meet,” he said.

Despite issues with party mates, Pacquiao said he won’t leave PDP-Laban.

The boxing legend said he’s not yet certain if he will run for the Philippines’ top post but he asserted he won’t be either forced or prevented from running by anyone.

“We’re a democratic country, so everyone, anyone, can run,” Pacquiao said.

PH teen...

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TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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‘Dante’ death toll reaches 11; P222-m crops, infra destroyed AT LEAST 11 people have died and 2 are believed missing while P222-m worth of crops, livestock and infrastructure have gone down the drain following the onslaught of tropical storm Dante, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council said Monday.

Around 3,200 homes were damaged in the Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, and Caraga. At least 3,123 of them were partially damaged while 161 were totally damaged.

The NDRRMC said 124,462 people or 29,916 families were displace by the tropical storm in 479 barangays in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

A total of 861 people or 241 families were forced to leave their homes and sought shelter in evacuation centers.

Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, and Soccsksargen suffered the brunt of Dante, which hit land 11 times before leaving the Philippine Area of Responsibility.

At least 3,284 homes were damaged

SECOND DOSE. Tabaco City Mayor Krisel Lagman gets her second dose of Sinovac vaccine held at Tabaco Northwest Central Elementary School as the local government continues its vaccination program. Norman Cruz

House leader wants school tax revised A CONGRESSIONAL leader has filed a bill to clarify taxation on schools under the newly enacted Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises (CREATE) Law, which President Duterte signed last March 26.

Deputy speaker and Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez filed House Bill 9577 which amends a provision of the National Internal Revenue Code (NIRC), which the CREATE Act has amended.

“This bill seeks to make it clear that the preferential tax rate of 10 percent (reduced to one percent from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023), applies to proprietary educational institutions, by amending the first sentence of Section 27 (B) of the NIRC,” Rodriguez said.

The Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) has issued a regulation subjecting proprietary schools to a 25-percent tax.

“With the bill, I hope the BIR will see that the intent of the law is to really give all proprietary educational institutions a preferential tax of 10 percent, which from July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2023 is 1%. It will address the current situation brought about by the BIR regulation and will help our private schools,” Rodriguez said.

He warned the BIR that with a 25-percent tax, more private educational institutions might be forced to fold up.

He cited data from the Department of Education showing that for school year 2020-2021, enrollment in private K to 12 schools dropped by over 900,000 compared to the previous school year.

He said the Coordinating Council of Private Educational Associations has also reported that half of their members have experienced a decline in enrollment.

“The implementation of the K to 12 program already hit a lot of private schools. Then Covid-19 struck, resulting in many more schools closing down because of financial difficulties.

Instead of helping these educational institutions, the BIR has made their situation worse by increasing their tax by 150 percent, from 10 percent to 25 percent,” Rodriguez stressed. Maricel V. Cruz

in the Bicol Region, Western Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, and Caraga. At least 3,123 of them were partially damaged while 161 were totally damaged.

The NDRRMC said 124,462 people or 29,916 families were displace by the tropical storm in 479 barangays in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

A total of 861 people or 241 families were forced to leave their homes and sought shelter in evacuation centers.

Some P91.6 million worth of damage it agriculture was posted in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Davao, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

More than P131 million worth of damage in infrastructure was also reported in Mimaropa, Central Visayas, Soccsksargen, and Caraga.

At least 18 provinces in Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, and Caraga suffered power interruption.

Judiciary marshals bill gets House approval; ball now in Senate’s court

By Maricel V. Cruz

T

HE House of Representatives has expressed hope that the Senate will prioritize the passage of a bill that provides armed protection to trial judges, many of them killed in the line of duty while others faced threats to their personal safety.

Deputy Speaker Johnny Pimentel made the statement after the lower chamber recently passed the bill on third and final reading. House Bill 9086 seeks to establish the Judiciary Marshals Service, which shall operate “as an independent, professional, and organized security force under the direct control and supervision of the Supreme Court.”

“The service may have up to 2,800 marshals, assuming at least one is detailed to every trial judge and every justice,” Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel, the bill’s principal author, said.

Based on the judiciary’s staffing summary in the 2021 General Appropriations Act, Pimentel said the country has 2,772 active trial judges and justices.

“Once set into motion, the service will help deter and thwart armed attacks against our judges,” Pimentel said, adding that the marshals are expected to proactively deal with all actionable threats.

In the smaller chamber, the counterpart measure—Senate Bill 1947—is already up for plenary action.

Under the bill, the service shall be headed by a chief marshal, who shall have the same rank and privileges as an associate justice of the Supreme Court.

The chief marshal shall be assisted by three deputies—one each for Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao—who shall have the same rank and privileges as a regional trial court judge.

The chief marshal and his or her three deputies must all be members of the Philip-

pine Bar, and must have held the rank of at least a full colonel in the Armed Forces or the National Police, or assistant director of the National Bureau of Investigation.

They shall be appointed by the Supreme Court and serve until they reach the age of 65 years old.

The bill leaves it up to the high tribunal to configure the full staffing pattern of the service, which is expected to: • Protect justices, judges, court officials and staff as well as court properties; • Investigate, in coordination with other law enforcement agencies, crimes and offenses committed against justices, judges, court officials and staff as well as court assets; • Secure court trials and hearings, including meetings and seminars; and • Aid in the execution of court orders.

How NCR mayors fare vs. foes PAMPERED. A pet owner brings his dog to a free checkup at the Community Paw-Pantry event of SM City Marikina on Sunday. The two-day event also featured photo booths and play areas.

Joey O. Razon

AFTER the National Capital Regions (NCR) mayors were assessed by their constituents in terms of “job performance survey” and “reelection preferences”— they were also pitted against possible opponents come 2022 elections.

The survey was conducted by the RP-Mission and Development Foundation Inc. In Quezon City, incumbent Mayor Maria Josefina “Joy” Belmonte with 38-percentage count leads the race against popular broadcast journalist Rafael “Raffy” Tulfo who got 25-percentage record followed by former Mayor Herbert Constantine Bautista with13- percentage .

Former Congressman Vincent “Bingbong”Crisologo who challenged Belmonte and lost in the last election, ranked fourth with 10-percentage count. Last place went to Congressman Michael “Mike” Defensor with only 8-percentage result, who also ran for Mayor against Bautista in 2010.

The recent developments show that Belmonte and the Tulfos are having alliances while Defensor and Crisologo are also seen on the grounds together in various events.

Since Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko” Moreno Domagoso will no longer run for

re-election as he will be running for a higher office, his vice mayor and ally is likely to try and gun for his post. Incumbent Vice Mayor Maria Sheilah “Honey” Honrado Lacuna got 46-percentage mark against incumbent Congressman Manny Lopez, son of former Manila Mayor Mel Lopez , notched a 33-percentage rating.

In the case of Pasig City, a one-onone scenario emerges with Mayor Victor Ma.Regis “Vico” Sotto a weighty preference ending up with 67-percentage result against former Mayor Robert “Bobby” Eusebio with only 28-percentage count.

In San Juan City, Mayor Francisco “Francis” Zamora got 48-percentage points while former contender in a close fight last 2019 Janella Ejercito Estrada received 30-percentage count.

The re-electionist NCR mayors- Carmelita “Menchie” Abalos of Mandaluyong City, Lino Cayetano, Mar-len Abigail “Abby” Binay of Makati City, Imelda “Emi” Calixto of Pasay City, Tobias “Toby”Tiangco of Navotas City, Imelda “Mel” Aguilar of Las Pinas, Miguel “Ike” Ponce III of Pateros are perceived to have no serious contenders.

‘Exploited’ IPs comprise 80% of NPA—task force THE New People’s Army, the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines and the National Democratic Front , are today mostly composed of Indigenous People (IPs) whom the communist terrorist groups have forcibly recruited as their combatants, according to the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Gaye Florendo, the task force’s assistant spokesperson on IP Concerns, said that 70 to 80 percent of the CTG surrenderees in the country are IP members and this was also the reason that led to a review of government efforts to resolve the communist insurgency.

What followed, Florendo said, was the eventual signing of Executive Order No. 70 by President Rodrigo Duterte which created the NTF-ELCAC that underscored the “Whole of Nation’ approach in ending local armed conflict through good governance while addressing its root cause.

“The issue has existed for a long time,” Florendo explained adding that the CCP-NPA along with their political wing the NDF and other organizations disguising as party-list groups continue their trade of “rampant disinformation and intentions to deceive the people.”

She emphasized that there is also a “pattern of radicalization and confinement” being continuously done by CPP-NPA-NDF that is forcing the IPs to become members of CTGs. Datu Bawan Jake Lanes, former cadre of CPP-NPANDF, now the Executive Director of Mindanao IP Council of Elders, on the other hand, narrated the process on how IP communities were being infiltrated by the CTG. Lanes explained that the CTG will first research on what problems the IP communities are facing, especially with regard to their ‘ancestral domain’, then enter the community by offering itself as a partner that could give

a “helping hand” to solve IP problems.

“Using church and non-government organizations as their fronts, they will offer help to the (IP) council of elders. Once they have the permission they will organize, putting up schools for the youth while the male IP members are taught to be “Militia ng Bayan’ and the women are taught to support the struggle and the leaders would become revolutionary leaders,” Lanes said.

He added that any resistance from IP leaders are penalized with death and once the IPs are already organized and “exploited”, some of the tribe members are brought to Manila through Manilakabayan, a yearly march by communist insurgents to plant combatants in strategic areas in the metropolis, citing the case of the IP students that were trafficked from Davao to Cebu and confined at the University of San Carlos in Cebu without the knowledge of their parents.

Lawyer Marlon Bosantog, NTF-ELCAC spokesperson for IP Concerns, said the abducted IP students who were brought to Cebu were trained and organized by the group Karapatan and were given Bayan identifications cards to board planes for their transfer to be used in rallies and later to be trained as combatants.

Bosantog added the government has already filed Motion for Reconsiderations (MR) that questioned the dismissal of the case against the seven abductors of IP students on the ground of jurisdiction, and not because of lack of probable cause.

This was seconded by Lt. Col. Edel Ferreira of Police Regional Office 7 who said that there was a conspiracy to commit the crime of kidnapping for bringing the IP students to Cebu from Davao del Norte, prompting also their office to file an MR in the case as the minors were residing in Talaingod, Davao del Norte.

House Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD Party President Martin Romualdez ( 3rd right), Deputy Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD Executive Vice-President Mikey Arroyo (2nd right) and Deputy Majority Leader and Lakas-CMD VP for Legislative Affairs Xavier Jesus “XJ” Romualdo (right) paid their last respect to former Deputy Speaker and Lakas-CMD Party Provincial Chairperson in Occidental Mindoro Amelita “Girlie” Villarosa during the necrological services at the plenary of the House of Representatives.

Ver Noveno

House, Romualdez-led Lakas CMD honor Villarosa’s legacies THE House of Representatives on Monday honored the legacies of former Deputy Speaker Amelita Calimbas-Villarosa of the Lone District of Occidental, Mindoro who passed away on her 78th birthday on May 31, 2021.

Villarosa, the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats provincial chairperson, had served as the first woman Deputy Speaker of the chamber during the 14th Congress, and Senior Deputy Minority Leader during the 15th Congress. The veteran lawmaker also represented the same district during the 11th and 13th Congress.

“Deputy Speaker Villarosa left a void in our hearts too difficult to fill as she was not only a colleague or a friend. She

was the embodiment of what we all envision a Filipino woman should be.

Affectionate, yet fearless in expressing her views. Loving, yet fiery in aiding the defenseless. A doting mother, a compassionate aunt, a devoted friend,” House Majority Leader Martin Romualdez said during the necrological services for Villarosa held at Batasang Pambansa.

“We all knew that she lived long enough to fight for what she believed was the right thing to do —to build a better country that protect the rights and promote the welfare of our women, our children, and our less fortunate brothers and sisters,” Romualdez, president of the Lakas-CMD and representative of

Leyte's first district, added.

Romualdez also remembered Villarosa, fondly called “Girlie” by family, friends and colleagues, as a “guiding light” to young members of the Lakas-CMD political party.

“As one of the pioneers of our party, the Lakas-CMD, she was a guiding light to us—the young Turks of the party. She was our Executive Vice President for many years and our Chairwoman for a time. She would have been proud to see one of her young Turks now i this podium speaking as House Majority Leader of the 18th Congress,” the Leyte 1st District representative said. Maricel V. Cruz

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TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

Family claims FEU football player, cousin were also shot SC affirms dismissal of ex-SOJ’s case

By Rey E. Requejo

THE Supreme Court has upheld the Sandiganbayan’s decision dismissing the falsification of public documents case filed by the Office of the Ombudsman in 2008 against former Justice Secretary Hernando Perez for his alleged failure to disclose his and his wife’s foreign bank deposits amounting to $1.7 million.

In a resolution, the SC ruled the testimonies presented by the Ombudsman prosecutor were considered hearsay evidence because the witnesses admitted they did not have personal knowledge of the contents of the documents they were testifying on.

“Hence, the Sandiganbayan did not err in refusing to give probative value to these documentary and testimonial evidence presented by the prosecution, albeit having been previously admitted, leading to the dismissal of the case based on the demurrer to evidence,” the high court ruled.

The SC resolution denied the Ombudsman’s petition seeking to overturn the rulings of the Sandiganbayan that granted Perez’s motion for demurrer to evidence and dismissed the charges.

Demurrer to evidence is a pleading filed by an accused in a criminal case seeking the dismissal of the charges on alleged weakness of the prosecution’s evidence.

The grant of the demurrer is effectively an acquittal of the charges.

In its complaint, the Ombudsman said that Perez falsified his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in 2001 by not disclosing his and his wife Rosario’s $1.7 million deposit in EFG Private Bank in Guernsey, a British Crown dependency.

The complaint arose from the allegation of then Manila Rep. And businessman Mark Jimenez that Perez extorted $2 million from him in exchange for not testifying in the plunder case of then President Joseph Ejercito Estrada.

The documents presented by the OMB came from Coutts Bank in Hongkong and EFG Private Bank with accompanying letters of authentication from foreign authorities.

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE family of 21-yearold FEU football player Kieth Absalon, who, together with his cousin, died from a suspected improvised blast in Masbate City Sunday, are seeking a thorough probe as they believe the victims were also shot.

“We believe they did not die just from the landmine,” said Absalon’s sister, Nathalie, in a statement Monday.

“Based on my parents and relatives’ statements and based on the pictures,

there were gunshot wounds, which is probably the main reason why they died. There are gunshot wounds in my brother’s face and head, and in my cousin’s back,” she added.

Absalon, who also played for the Malaya Football Club, and his cousin Nolven, 40, were killed as their bike hit an improvised explosive device which the police said was set up by the New People’s Army.

Nolven’s 16-year-old son survived the incident.

The Philippine National Police has vowed to bring to justice the perpetrators of the anti-personnel mine blast that killed the cousins.

“I am directing the local police to coordinate with the military and launch manhunt operations against the suspects. We will not stop until we attain

justice for the innocent victims who died and were wounded in the blast,” said PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar in a statement.

The Commission on Human Rights has also entered the picture and is now investigating the twin deaths.

“CHR strongly condemns this act.

The use of anti-personnel landmines is a violation of the International Humanitarian Law,” commission spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said.

“Not only do they cause exceptionally severe injuries, suffering, and death, anti-personnel landmines also fail to distinguish between civilians and combatants, such as what happened in this case. We stress that even non-State actors, such as the NPA, are bound to respect IHL, alongside the government,” she added.

BURIAL SITE.

Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ Domagoso and Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna lead the inauguration of the Manila Muslim Cemetery inside the Manila South Cemetery on Monday.

Domagoso said the cemetery is the local government’s gift to the Muslim community in the city. “We want you to have a sense of belonging… to erase all biases and prejudice.

We are all Filipinos, after all,” Domagoso said. There are about 20,000 Muslims in the city of Manila, with huge concentrations in Quiapo, San Miguel, Baseco, Parola and San Andres. Text by Willie Casas, photo by Norman Cruz

Monitor cops’ mental, emotional health—Eleazar PHILIPPINE National Police chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar yesterday directed police commanders to strictly monitor the behavior of their personnel, especially those manifesting signs of emotional and mental health problems.

“Mental health should not be ignored.

Just like our physical body, it also needs to be given focus and cared for,” Eleazar said in a statement.

The directive came following a reported suicide attempt by a police trainee of the PNP Maritime Group in Rosario, Cavite.

Based on initial reports, the 25-year-old trainee was found wounded at the rooftop of his boarding house on Sunday and was

rushed to the Divine Grace Hospital for medical treatment.

The police trainee, who was diagnosed with depression, survived the self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Eleazar said the incident shows the importance of regularly checking on cops’ mental health.

“As early as in the training stage, we can say that what cops are going through is not a joke. This is why I reiterate the importance of subjecting all personnel to neuro-psychiatric tests to determine if they are mentally and emotionally capable of being part of the organization. This kind of test will greatly help in preventing

personnel from inflicting harm on themselves or on other people,” he added.

Eleazar earlier said he is seriously considering suggestions to subject all police personnel to regular neuro-psychiatric tests in the wake of incidents of violence involving cops, including that of Master Sgt. Hensie Zinampan, who was caught on video fatally shooting his neighbor in Barangay Greater Fairview, Quezon City.

In December last year, Staff Sgt. Jonel Nuezca was dismissed from the service and is now facing criminal charges for killing two of his neighbors in Paniqui, Tarlac.

BARMM to submit financial report

By Nash Maulana

BOUNTY. Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency Dir, Gen. Wilkins Villanueva (left) leads the awarding of P3.59 million in cash reward to 16 civilian informants on June 7, 2021.

Among the informants is a male with the codename ‘Pantalan’ who received the highest award amounting to P722,076.24 for supplying information that led to the seizure of 12 kilos shabu during a buy-bust operation in Mandaue City in August last year. Also in photo is PDEA’s guest of honor, Surigao del Norte Rep. Ace Barbers. Manny Palmero

New digital-ready policy regime sought DIGITAL infrastructure watchdog Telecom Tower Watch called for a new regulatory regime that will boost the development of a nationwide digital infrastructure to meet surging demand for fast and reliable connectivity in an emerging digital ecosystem.

“Congress must update obsolete laws and regulations to be digital ready and to be responsive to new technologies that are essential in developing a thriving digital economy,” said Telecom Tower Watch.

Telecom Tower Watch is an independent advocacy project of consumer group, CitizenWatch Philippines in partnership with the Department of Information and Communications Technology to push the fast expansion of an integrated national digital infrastructure.

The group noted that under Republic

Act RA 3846 regulating radio communications and the proposed Open Access in Data Transmission bill (House Bill No. 8901), once passed into law, telecommunications companies will be required to secure separate franchises for voice and digital data services even when both operations utilize the same network infrastructure.

Section 16 of Republic Act No. 7925 or the Public Telecommunications Policy Act likewise requires a congressional franchise to operate a public telecommunications company.

“Though HB 8901 aims to liberalize, lower cost, and accelerate roll-out urgently needed broadband infrastructure, this looming double franchise requirement is an unnecessary bureaucratic burden that must be resolved by legislators,” the group said.

COTABATO CITY—The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) will present its semestral reports to the national government within the month.

Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, BARMM spokesman and minister of interior and local government, said the region normally submits its periodic performance and financial reports to the national government through intergovernmental relations (IGR) groups provided under the Bangsamoro Organic Law. Under the BOL, the BARMM and the national government maintain channels of relations via IGRs on budget and finance management, energy, and infrastructure development.

Director Andrew Ameen Alonto, BARMM Bureau of Information Office, said the regional leadership would also virtually meet the press this week to also share its periodic reporting with the public.

Earlier, Sen. Imee Marcos urged the Senate Finance Committee in a resolution to look into BARMM’s spending of its 2020 funds provided for the rehabilitation of conflict-affected areas, including its part in the rehabilitation of Marawi City.

Sinarimbo said regional heads of offices will present summaries of their reports on the utilization of BARMM Block Grant funds.

Under the BOL, the region gets an annual share equivalent to five percent of the net national internal revenue tax collection of the Bureau of Internal Revenue and the net collection of the Bureau of Customs from the third fiscal year immediately preceding the current fiscal year. For 2020, that amount was roughly P70 billion.

Sinarimbo said most of the annual block grant funds released in 2020 to the region from the national government were reverted back to the regional treasury as most of BARMM agencies and offices failed to disburse their funds on time.

HOISTING THE TRI-COLOR. Workers put up a Philippine flag at the entrance of a government building in Quezon City on June 7, 2021 in preparation for Independence Day on June 12. Manny Palmero

Pump prices, kerosene up

by P0.60/li

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE country’s oil firms raised pump prices by P0.60 per liter effective 6 a.m. today (Tuesday) due to the movement of prices in the world market.

Oil firms also increased the price of kerosene by up to P0.60 per liter, diesel by up to P0.55 per liter and gasoline by up to P0.20 per liter.

“Please take note that Total Philippines Corporation (TPC) will adjust prices effective June 8, 2021 6:00 a.m. Price increase of P0.55 per liter on diesel. Price increase of P0.20/li on gasoline,” the company said in its advisory.

Aside from Total, other oil firms that also raised pump prices include Petron Corp., Phoenix Petroleum Philippines, Seaoil Philippines, Cleanfuel, and PTT Philippines, among others.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines, Inc. announced over the weekend consumers can expect fuel prices to go up for the week of June 8 to 14, 2021.

“Diesel will increase by P0.60 to P0.70 per liter. Gasoline will increase by P0.20 to P0.30 per liter,” Unioil Petroleum said.

Meanwhile, Phoenix said disruptions brought by the COVID-19 pandemic have challenged businesses in remotely managing employee experience.

Phoenix vice president for Human Resources Celeste Marie Ong said the company provided support mechanisms such as releasing a portion of their employees’ 13th month salary and Christmas bonus in advance, and allotting allowance for internet connectivity.

As for employees reporting onsite, transportation and protective gear were also offered.

“We also hold regular online ‘Kumustuhan’ sessions per business unit to check on the mental wellbeing of employees,” said Ong.

Hontiveros tells NSC: Do security audit on 3rd telco

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Risa Hontiveros on Monday renewed her call for the National Security Council to conduct a security audit on the country’s third telco player, Dito Telecommunity.

“Here in the Philippines, we need to be vigilant and defend our national interest especially in light of China’s aggressive maneuvers in our own seas. It is only right that we also review Chinese companies that may pose a threat to our national security,” the senator said.

“It is in this same spirit of protecting the national interest that I was impelled to vote against Dito’s franchise,” she added.

The senator said this was the reason she called on the NSC to conduct a security audit of the telco.

Hontiveros also filed Senate Resolution 137 to probe the deal with the Armed Forces of the Philippines that allows Dito to build cell towers inside our military camps.

The senator made the call after the United States blacklisted Chinese firms, including China Telecom, which has 40 percent share in Dito, due to suspicions they supply or support China’s military and security apparatus.

“It is not surprising ChinaTel was among the blacklisted Chinese firms in the US,” said Hontiveros.

“Let’s also not forget that under China’s National Intelligence law, Chinese corporations are obliged to support intelligence-gathering efforts. China also has a Chinese Counter-Espionage Law, which forbids Chinese companies from refusing to assist their government in surveillance work,” she added.

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TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Pope’s ‘pain’ over bodies found at Canadian indigenous school

PERU POLLS. A woman wearing a typical quechua attire casts her vote at a polling station in the rural Andean community of Capachica, close to the border with Bolivia, in Peru on June 6. Peruvians face a polarising choice between right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori and radical leftist Pedro Castillo in a country looking forward for a return to normalcy after years of political turbulence. AFP

VATICAN CITY―Pope Francis expressed his “pain” Sunday over the discovery of the remains of 215 children in a mass grave at a former indigenous boarding school in Canada run by the Church.

But he did not go so far as to offer the apology that many people, including the Canadian government, have been calling for over the unfolding scandal which has left Canada deeply shocked.

“I follow with pain the news coming from Canada about the shocking discovery of the remains of 215 children,” he said, following Sunday prayers at Saint Peter’s Square.

The discovery of the remains of the children last month sent shockwaves through Canadian society.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Friday called on the Catholic Church to take responsibility for its role in the deaths at the Kamloops Indian Residential School in British Columbia.

Trudeau has already promised “con-

crete action” from the government and urged his fellow Catholics in Canada to make it clear to the Church that they expected its full cooperation too.

“Before we have to start taking the Catholic Church to court, I am very hopeful that religious leaders will understand that this is something they need to participate in,” he added.

In his speech Sunday, Pope Francis said: “I unite with the Canadian bishops and the entire Catholic Church in Canada in expressing my solidarity with the Canadian people traumatised by this shocking news.

“The sad discovery further increases awareness of the pain and suffering of the past,” he added.

- ‘Reconciliation and healing’ The pope called for Canada’s political and religious leaders to work together to “shed light on this sad matter” and begin the process of “reconciliation and healing”. AFP

Pakistan trains collide, kill at least 34

K

ARACHI ― At least 34 people were killed and dozens injured Monday when a packed Pakistani inter-city train ploughed into another express that had derailed earlier, officials said.

An unknown number of people were still trapped in the mangled wreckage of carriages near Daharki in a remote part of Sindh province, a railway spokesman said, adding rescuers had called urgently for specialist equipment to help cut them out.

“The site is far and that’s why we are facing some trouble in the rescue

work,” he said, adding at least six wagons were destroyed in the accident.

Senior Daharki police officer Umar Tufail said 34 people were killed and dozens injured.

Huge crowds of people gathered around the carnage of several overturned Pakistan Railways carriages,

some climbing on top of the mangled wreckage in an attempt to reach survivors and bodies, in footage aired by local media.

Villagers were the first to rush to the site, with rescue workers later trying to cut their way through shredded and protruding metal.

Bodies were laid out in rows on train benches and covered in traditional scarves.

One clip showed medics giving an intravenous drip to a conscious passenger whose lower torso was trapped between crushed carriage benches.

Lawyer: Suu Kyi trial to begin next Monday NAYPYIDAW―The trial of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi will begin next week, her lawyer told AFP Monday.

Myanmar has been in uproar since Suu Kyi was deposed in a February 1 coup, with near-daily protests and a nationwide civil disobedience movement, and almost 850 civilians killed according to a local monitoring group.

The Nobel laureate has been hit with a string of criminal charges including flouting coronavirus restrictions during last year’s election campaign and possessing unlicensed walkie-talkies.

“We will get testimonies from plaintiff and witnesses starting from next hearing,” scheduled for Monday June 14, lawyer Min Min Soe said Monday after meeting the detained Suu Kyi in the capital Naypyidaw.

“She asked all (people) to stay in good health,” Min Min Soe added.

Suu Kyi’s lawyers have met with her just twice since the junta placed her under house arrest, with weeks of delays to her legal case and her lawyers struggling to gain access to their client. AFP

Fujimori edges ahead of Castillo in tight Peru vote LIMA―Right-wing populist Keiko Fujimori held a narrow lead over radical leftist Pedro Castillo following a partial vote count in Peru’s presidential election on Sunday.

With 52.9 percent of the vote counted after 42 percent of polling stations were tallied, Fujimori edged ahead in a seesaw battle for the presidency after Ipsos pollsters declared a “statistical draw” following an earlier exit poll and quick count.

Peru’s new leader will need to tackle a country in crisis, suffering from recession and with the worst coronavirus fatality rate in the world after recording over 184,000 deaths among its 33 million population.

Peruvians will also look to the winner to end years of political turbulence after four presidents in the last three years, and with seven of the last 10 of the country’s leaders either having been convicted of or investigated for corruption.

Piero Corvetto, head of Peru’s top electoral body (ONPE) warned that many polling stations from rural areas —Castillo’s stronghold—had yet to be tallied. AFP

The accident happened on a raised section of track surrounded by lush farmlands.

The Millat Express was heading from Karachi to Sargodha when it derailed before dawn, spilling carriages onto the track carrying the Sir Syed Express from Rawalpindi in the opposite direction.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said he was “shocked” by the accident and promised a full inquiry.

“Ordering comprehensive investigation into railway safety fault lines,” his official Twitter account said. AFP

SHIBUYA SHOUT.

A participant wearing face masks with rainbow flag pattern gestures with a slipper as he takes part in a rally organised by an activist group to support the LGBT legislation in Shibuya district of Tokyo on June 6. AFP

Spain opens borders to vaccinated tourists from all over MÁLAGA―Spain opens its borders to vaccinated travellers from all over the world on Monday, hoping an influx of visitors will revitalise its all-important tourism sector which has been battered by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Spain is a safe destination,” Health Minister Carolina Darias insisted, adding that the country was “in the process of reclaiming its global leadership in tourism”.

Non-vaccinated Europeans—who can currently enter Spain with a negative PCR test taken within 72 hours—will from Monday be able to take a cheaper antigen test instead.

But in a setback, the United Kingdom, a huge tourism market for the country, has not yet removed Spain from its list of

at-risk countries, meaning British travellers will have to quarantine on their return home as well as pay for expensive Covid-19 tests.

The British normally make up the largest contingent of tourists to Spain -- in 2019 over one-fifth of Spain’s 83.5 million arrivals were from the United Kingdom.

Regardless, those in the tourism sector are still hoping for a summer surge of visitors.

Jose Luis Prieto, president of Spain’s travel agents’ union (Unav) is hoping for a “spectacular recovery” starting from Monday.

According to him, over the last few weeks tour operators in Britain, France

and Germany -- Spain’s three main markets -- have been receiving a large number of enquiries.

Across the country, from the Costa del Sol to the Canary Islands, hotels and restaurants are reopening after months of closure, and airlines have restarted routes dropped during the height of the pandemic.

Malaga airport was expecting around 20 different flights on Monday morning alone, from places around Europe such as Berlin, Lille, Frankfurt and London.

Spain will also begin allowing cruise boats into its ports again from Monday.

Britain’s decision to keep Spain on its amber list was, however, “disappointing”, the health minister said. AFP

Vax appeal: Dating apps help British vaccine drive

LONDON―Popular dating apps on Monday launched a campaign encouraging British users to post “I got my shot” on their profiles as the UK rollout reaches young adults.

In partnership with the government, apps including Tinder, Bumble and Hinge are offering special stickers, badges and bonuses for users who say they have had the coronavirus jab, the Department of Health said.

This comes as the UK rollout this week reaches the under-30s, as Health Secretary Matt Hancock confirmed Sunday.

Vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi said he was “thrilled that we are partnering up with dating apps to boost vaccine uptake across the country”.

The United States launched a similar initiative in May, linking up with apps including Tinder, OKCupid and Plenty of Fish.

In the UK, dating app users can show their support for vaccination on their profiles in return for complimentary credits or give in-app bonuses to others who say they are vaccinated.

Users of Plenty of Fish can post a badge saying “I got my shot” while OkCupid users can add a badge saying: “I’m vaccinated.”

The apps are also advertising the British government’s “Every vaccination gives us hope” campaign.

The Department of Health even suggested that users could boost their romantic chances by telling potential dates they are vaccinated.

It cited a YouGov poll in May that found 28 percent of adults would not date someone who was unvaccinated and 31 percent would prefer not to.

Despite turning to dating sites for help, the UK government has not formally given the green light to casual dating during the pandemic.

The advice for England is that people can choose not to socially distance while meeting friends and family but should be “cautious”.

So far, the UK has given more than 27 million people both vaccine doses and more than 40 million have received a single dose. AFP

David Dushman, last surviving Auschwitz liberator, dies at 98 BERLIN ― David Dushman, the last surviving soldier who took part in the liberation of the Nazi death camp at Auschwitz in 1945, has died at the age of 98.

Dushman, a Red Army soldier who later became an international fencer, died on Saturday, the International Olympic Committee said in a statement.

On January 27, 1945, he used his T-34 Soviet tank to mow down the electric fence of Auschwitz in Nazi-occupied Poland, helping to set prisoners in the death camp free.

“We hardly knew anything about Auschwitz,” he said, recounting that day in an interview in 2015 with Sueddeutsche daily.

But he saw “skeletons everywhere”.

“They staggered out of the barracks, sat and lay among the dead. Terrible. We

threw them all our canned food and immediately went on to hunt down the fascists,” he said.

Only after the end of the war did he learn about the scale of the atrocities in the camp.

Charlotte Knobloch, president of the Jewish Community of Munich and Upper Bavaria, said Dushman’s death was “particularly painful”.

“Dushman was on the front line when the Nazi murder machinery was smashed in 1945; as the ‘Hero of Auschwitz’ he was one of the liberators of the concentration camp and saved countless lives,” she said in a statement.

“Today, he was one of the last to be able to recount this event from his own experience,” she added, describing Dushman as a “brave, honest and sincere man”. AFP

SEA SNOT. This aerial photograph taken on June 6 in Turkey’s Marmara Sea at a harbor on the shoreline of Istanbul shows mucilage, a jelly-like layer of slime that develops on the surface of the water due to the excessive proliferation of phytoplankton, gravely threatening the marine biome. The mucilage has been informally referred to as “sea snot” and was first documented in Turkey’s waters in 2007.

Experts warn the mucilage will occur more often because of global warming. AFP

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Chinese exports up 28%, imports hit decade-high BEIJING—China’s exports rose 27.9 percent in May while imports grew at the fastest pace in more than a decade as the global economy powers back from the pandemic crisis, official data showed Monday.

Demand for China’s goods has bounced after economically painful lockdowns last year due to the COVID-19 crisis, and as vaccines are rolled out across much of the world.

The figures are also boosted by last year’s low base of comparison when the coronavirus was spreading rapidly.

Exports from the world’s second largest economy posted strong growth but came in lower than expectations of 32.0 percent.

“To be honest, that is a cracking number by anybody’s standard and show that global demand remains robust,” said OANDA’s Jeffrey Halley.

In May, import growth hit its highest rate since January 2011, coming in at 51.1 percent on-year, also slightly below expectations of a Bloomberg poll of analysts.

But still, imports and exports to China’s major trade partners including Southeast Asia’s ASEAN bloc, the European Union and the United States have risen in the first five months this year, said customs authorities.

“It’s still a fairly healthy set of numbers,” Jonathan Cavenagh, senior market strategist at Informa Global Markets, told Bloomberg TV. “We know that global demand is still recovering and that trend is likely to continue towards the end of the second quarter and into the third quarter as the major developed economies open up.”

The lower-than-expected export figure was likely due to port disruptions due to tighter COVID-19 control measures in late May after the coronavirus was detected among staff.

“I think there was some disruption in May from ports,” ING chief economist for Greater China Iris Pang said, referring to recent congestion at southern China’s Yantian port.

Pang added that the Suez Canal incident—when a stranded mega-ship blocked the critical maritime artery for six days in March—had also affected China’s export and import trade. AFP

PSEi June 7, 2021

TOP GAINERS

Market retreats; Meralco, Megaworld among losers S TOCKS declined Monday on bargain hunting as some investors opted to stay on the sidelines after a recent steep climb.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index fell 32.42 points, or 0.5 percent, to 6,763.92 on a value turnover of P4.2 billion. Gainers edged losers, 102 to 100, with 60 issues unchanged.

Megaworld Corp., the biggest lessor of office spaces, shed 2.5 percent to P3.13, while Manila Electric Co., the largest retailer of electricity, also dropped 2.5 percent to P275.

Security Bank Corp., the eighth biggest lender in terms of assets, decreased 1.7 percent to P123.90, but Aboitiz Power Corp. of the Aboitiz Group rose 1.5 percent to P23.15.

The res of Asian markets were mixed Monday as investors mulled comments

by US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on interest rates and weighed the impact of the G7 global tax plan on tech giants.

Yellen told Bloomberg News that President Joe Biden should push ahead with his $4-trillion recovery plan for the world’s top economy even if it triggers inflation and leads to higher interest rates.

While optimism about the global economic recovery and vaccine roll-outs have spurred markets, trading floors remain worried that the rebound will stoke inflation and in turn force central banks to hike rates.

Yellen said any rise in prices due to Biden’s massive plan to revitalize the US economy would be transitory and that higher interest rates would actually be positive.

“If we ended up with a slightly higher interest rate environment, it would actually be a plus for society’s point of view

Drought-hit California scales up plan to truck salmon to ocean

and the Fed’s point of view,” the former Federal Reserve chair said in an interview Sunday with Bloomberg.

“We’ve been fighting inflation that’s too low and interest rates that are too low now for a decade,” she said, adding she wanted them back to a normal level.

Yellen was speaking after returning from a meeting of G7 finance ministers in London which endorsed a global minimum corporate tax rate of at least 15 percent, rallying behind a US-backed plan targeting tech giants and other multinationals accused of not paying enough.

Wall Street posted solid gains, with all three main indexes closing higher Friday after a tepid jobs report eased concerns the expanding economy would force the Fed to pull back on stimulus.

The optimism wavered in Asia, with markets mixed in Monday trade.

Hong Kong closed down 0.5 percent, Sydney was off 0.2 percent, and Taipei slipped 0.4 percent. With AFP

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

EVER SUN

0.29 1.76

0.094 0.2

47.96% 12.82%

3 4

V LAND

1.02 2.07

0.11 0.2

12.09% 10.70%

5 6

MAHB BC

2.25 4.5

0.19 0.38

9.22% 9.22%

7 8

OV SFI

0.012 0.139

0.001 0.01

9.09% 7.75%

9 10

FPI DFNN

0.3 4.19

0.02 0.26

7.14% 6.62%

TOP LOSERS

CONTROVERSIAL PIPELINE. Indigenous environmental and land rights activist Winona LaDuke goes to the river with

water protectors at the Shell City Campground in Menahga, Minnesota on June 6, 2021. Line 3 is an oil sands pipeline which runs from Hardisty, Alberta, Canada to Superior, Wisconsin in the United States. In 2014, a new route for the Line 3 pipeline was proposed to allow an increased volume of oil to be transported daily. While that project has been approved in Canada, Wisconsin, and North Dakota, it has sparked continued resistance from climate justice groups and Native American communities in Minnesota. AFP

LAST PRICE

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

I MA

1.3 0.012

-0.12 -0.001

-8.45% -7.69%

3 4

PRMX LCB

3.68 0.158

-0.22 -0.009

-5.64% -5.39%

5 6

SSP PBC

1.32 20

-0.07 -0.95

-5.04% -4.53%

7 8 9 10

PSE AGI NI CSB

199 10.24 1.52 8.2

-7 -0.36 -0.05 -0.25

-3.40% -3.40% -3.18% -2.96%

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

ALI ACEN ICT BPI MEG BDO MER GLO MONDE JFC

VOLUME 7407600 33583600 1335170 1671340 45187000 1271070 409610 60275 8020600 542080

VALUE (PHP) 268705810 262439878 196492081 142603810 142331010 135382576 113661824 111389560 107596098 106210338

Manila

Standard

TODAY

To :

All Stockholders MRC ALLIED, INC.

The Annual Meeting of Stockholders of MRC Allied, Inc. (the “Corporation”) will be held via ZOOM application with this link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84686691 330?pwd=eFUxOEpzcmhucGpiMnNJbkJVUkNXdz09 at 9:00 a.m. on 07 July 2021.

Agenda: 1.

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Chinook Salmon enter a tank before they are tagged at the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Feather River Hatchery after climbing a fish ladder just below the Lake Oroville dam during the California drought emergency on May 27, 2021 in Oroville, California. The fish hatchery produces and releases juvenile fall and spring Chinook salmon, and steelhead trout to mitigate lost habitat and anadromous fish production due to the Oroville Dam, part of the California State Water Project. AFP

By Laurent Banguet OROVILLE, California—With chronic drought drying up rivers earlier than usual this year, California is scaling up a drastic operation to help its famous Chinook salmon reach the Pacific—transporting the fry by road in dozens of large tanker trucks.

The tasty migratory fish are typically born in rivers, swim to the ocean where they reach maturity and can remain for several years, before returning to their native rivers to spawn and die.

But drought-hit rivers with too little flow or unusually warm water can fatally disrupt that cycle, causing California’s fish and wildlife department to take “the proactive measure of trucking millions of hatchery-raised” juvenile salmon to the sea.

“Trucking young salmon to downstream release sites has proven to be one of the best ways to increase survival to the ocean during dry conditions,” said northern California hatchery chief Jason Julienne in a recent statement.

While road transportation of salmon dates back to the 1980s, early drought conditions this summer mean authorities plan to boost the size of the operation by 20 percent.

Trucks bearing nearly 17 million young salmon will travel more than 30,000 miles (48,000 kilometers) between April and June, helping the fry avoid streams where many have perished in the past.

One beneficiary will be the Feather River Hatchery, just below a dam north of Sacramento, which produces around eight million salmon fry annually from fish that naturally return to the rivers in which they were born.

The hatchery was built in 1967 to compensate for the destruction of natural spawning sites above the Oroville Dam, with a “fish ladder”—a narrow channel around a mile long with man-made steps—simulating the rapids of a mountain stream.

‘Don’t have any rain’ “The fish will migrate up, because the instinct of the fish is to go upstream when they’re ready to spawn,” said Anna Kastner, head of the hatchery, on a recent visit by AFP. On a day in late May, several dozen salmon were crowded at the top of the ladder, ready to be diverted into the hatchery basin where the powerful fish—who can exceed 50 pounds (22.5 kilograms) in weight—will be tranquilized for tagging and receive vitamin injections.

Later, salmon ready to spawn will be harvested, and some 20 million eggs placed in incubation trays at the hatchery. They’ll make next year’s journey back to the Pacific as fry.

According to Kastner, the entire artificial process means “survivability in the hatchery is much higher than the river,” with around 85 percent of eggs able to produce fish that can be returned to downstream rivers or the sea near San Francisco and Monterey. AFP

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Call to Order Proof of the Required Notice of Meeting Proof of Presence of a Quorum Approval of the Minutes of the Previous Meeting September 18, 2020 Approval of the 2020 Audited Financial Statements Report of the President Ratification of the Corporate Acts of the Board of Directors & Management during year 2020 For Stockholders Approval: Amendments in Article III of Articles of Incorporation a) Change of Business Address Election of Directors Appointment of External Auditors Other Matters Adjournment

For purposes of the meeting, only stockholders of record as of May 24, 2021 are entitled to attend and to vote in the said meeting. We encourage shareholders to participate in this meeting of the shareholders either in person or by proxy. All stockholders who will not, are unable, or do not expect to attend the virtual meeting in person may choose to execute and send a valid proxy in writing to the Office of the Corporate Secretary, 4th Floor Spirit of Communications Centre 106 Carlos Palanca St. Legazpi Village Makati City, or through ton.brusola@mrcallied.com or in electronic form at https://us02web. zoom.us/j/84686691330?pwd=eFUxOEpzcmhucGpiMnNJbkJVUkNXdz09 on or before 29 June 2021.Proxies shall be validated beginning on June 18, 2021 until June 29, 2021.

Electronic copies of the Corporation’s Information Statement, Management Report, SEC 17-A and other pertinent documents are available at its website at mrcallied.com and likewise been uploaded to the PSE’s EDGE disclosure system. Online voting and participation by remote communication will be available for all stockholders.

Stockholders who wish to vote online and participate by remote communication will be required to register not later than June 29, 2021. Stockholders who are not able to register as of June 29, 2021 can no longer avail of online voting but may still participate by remote communication, provided such stockholders shall register not later than June 29, 2021. Instructions on Registration, Online Voting in Absentia and Participation by Remote Communication are set out in “Annex A” attached to this Notice and Agenda. .

For the Board of Directors SGD ATTY. JOHNSTON R. BRUSOLA Corporate Secretary

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

B4

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, June 7, 2021

-32.42 PTS. 6,763.92

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,863,545,933 84,283 4,186,018,377.10 102 100 60

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • MONDAY, JUNE 7, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

47.8000

Japan

Yen

0.009135

0.4367

UK

Pound

1.416100

67.6896

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128914

6.1621

Switzerland

Franc

1.112471

53.1761

Canada

Dollar

0.828157

39.5859

Singapore

Dollar

0.755173

36.0973

Australia

Dollar

0.773500

36.9733

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655549

126.9352

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266652

12.7460

Brunei

Dollar

0.752332

35.9615

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0033

Thailand

Baht

0.032000

1.5296

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.0153

Euro

Euro

1.216700

58.1583

Korea

Won

0.000901

0.0431

China

Yuan

0.156372

7.4746

India

Rupee

0.013725

0.6561

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.242365

11.5850

New Zealand

Dollar

0.720400

34.4351

Taiwan

Dollar

0.036303

1.7353 Source: BSP

Tonik receives BSP license as pure digital bank TONIK, the country’s first digital-only neobank, said Monday it secured a digital bank license from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, becoming the first for any private and purely digital bank in the Philippines.

A neobank, also known as an online bank, internet-only bank, virtual bank or digital bank, is a type of direct bank that operates exclusively online without traditional physical branch networks.

The development came after Tonik’s highly successful public launch in March 2021, which saw it secure over P1 billion in retail deposits in less than a month—a record for any new bank launching in the Philippines.

Tonik also bagged pre-series B funding, solidifying its position as one of the highest funded fintechs in Southeast Asia.

“Securing a digital banking license is one of this year’s anticipated milestones for us,” Greg Krasnov, Tonik chief executive and founder, said in a statement.

“This will help us further strengthen our foothold in the neobanking space through accelerating the rollout of our additional lending and payment products,” he said.

Tonik received its initial rural bank license from the BSP in December 2019, allowing it to provide retail banking services focused on retail deposits, card payments and consumer loans.

A year later, the BSP issued Circular No. 1105 on “The Guidelines on the Establishment of Digital Banks,” clearing the way for Tonik to scale up and apply for a formal digital bank license.

Long Pineda, country president at Tonik, said an official digital bank license would enable it to offer more products and services to narrow the gap between the banked population and the huge underserved segment in the Philippines.

Tonik offers accessible, flexible and inclusive financial services, including industry-leading deposit interest rates of up to 6 percent per annum, and unique saving features such as its Solo Stash and Group Stash products, as well as term deposits.

Julito G. Rada

Business Insurance Commission to control CAP Pension

By Julito G. Rada

T

HE Insurance Commission said Monday it will proceed with the conservatorship of the Comprehensive Annuity Plans and Pension, or CAP Pension, following the Supreme Court’s ruling on the 15-yearlong legal battle for the rehabilitation of the pension fund and its parent company College Assurance Plans Philippines Inc.

The Supreme Court’s Third Division ruled that the assets of CAP Pension, a subsidiary of College Assurance Plans Philippines Inc., should not be included in the latter’s rehabilitation proceedings because CAP Pension’s legal personality is separate from CAPPI and it was not liable for the obligations of the pre-need firm to clients.

CAPPI was widely known for its educational plans that guaranteed payment of tuition when the beneficiaries of the plans entered college while CAP Pension was one of CAPPI’s subsidiaries that provided pension benefits to beneficiaries upon the plans’ maturity.

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, in a 30-page decision, affirmed the position of the Insurance Commission by enjoining CAPPI from including the properties of CAP Pension in CAPPI’s corporate rehabilitation proceedings pending before the Regional Trial Court of the City of Makati, Branch 149 (the rehabilitation court).

The Supreme Court held that while CAPPI owns 86 percent of CAP Pension’s stock, the latter “retained a [legal] personality separate and distinct from [CAPPI] throughout its rehabilitation proceedings.” The high court maintained that “CAP Pension may own properties and incur liabilities independently of [CAPPI]”; and that, “[a]s a subsidiary, [CAP Pension] is not liable for the obligations of [CAPPI].”

Insurance Commissioner Dennis Funa said in a statement that with the Supreme Court ruling, the commission could proudly state that it was able to protect the rights and interests of the plan holders of CAP Pension, consistent with the agency’s mandate under the Pre-Need Code of the Philippines.

“The Insurance Commission will now proceed with the conservatorship of the company,” Funa said.

“But first we will examine the financial condition of CAP Pension as of today to see what assets of the company remains, we will then appoint a conservator to recommend the direction that we will take,” he said.

NBI files case vs. ex-Wirecard executive for alleged fraud FILIPINO investigators lodged criminal complaints against a former executive of collapsed German payments firm Wirecard and others for alleged bank fraud and cybercrime offences, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Monday.

Wirecard was once a rising star in the fintech sector until it filed for bankruptcy last year after admitting that 1.9 billion euros ($2.3 billion) was missing from its accounts.

The money was supposedly held in trust in two Philippine lenders to cover trading risks carried out by third parties on Wirecard’s behalf.

But in June 2020 longtime auditors Ernst & Young said they were unable to find it, forcing the company to admit the money did not exist.

The Philippine central bank said previously the money never entered the country’s financial system.

The National Bureau of Investigation lodged complaints on May 31 against the company’s former chief operating officer Jan Marsalek, as well as a Manila lawyer and bank employees, Guevarra told AFP. State prosecutors were conducting a preliminary investigation, he said, which would determine if charges would be filed.

Marsalek, who remains at large after failing to turn himself into German investigators, was responsible for Wirecard’s Asia business, which became the focus of accounting irregularities.

The Wirecard implosion, which has drawn comparisons with the Enron accounting scandal in the US in the early 2000s, has been described as “unparalleled” in Germany by Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.

The company’s former chief executive Markus Braun and several other top executives have been arrested on fraud and money laundering charges over the massive scam. AFP

IN BRIEF

ICTSI’s Brazil unit to add rail logistics

ABOITIZ MILESTONES. Sites of Aboitiz Construction in Philippine Coastal Storage and Pipeline Corp. and Tecnimont and JGC Philippines Joint Ventures achieve 5.1 million safe man-hours without lost-time injury. It reacheda safety milestone of 2.1 million safe man-hours without a lost-time incident for a project at PCSPC in Subic Bay Freeport Zone, Zambales from December 2018 to March 2021, and 3 million safe man-hours without lost-time injury for the Tecnimont and JGC Philippines Joint Ventures project in Barangay Pinamucan Ibaba, Batangas City from January 2019 to March 2021.

Dominguez asks Customs to monitor rice shipments to ensure lower prices FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III on Monday asked the Bureau of Customs to keep a tighter watch on rice shipments to ensure the proper collection of taxes following the issuance of an executive order harmonizing the tariff rates on rice imports to a uniform 35 percent for a period of one year, whether these originate within or outside the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

Dominguez issued the directive after President Rodrigo Duterte issued EO 135 on May 15 to temporarily modify tariff rates on rice imports to offset increases in the price of rice from other countries, particularly those coming from ASEAN countries, and thereby reduce inflationary pressures.

EO 135 would enable the country to diversify market sources for rice and maintain the stable supply and affordable price of the cereal for Filipino consumers.

Dominguez said given the increase in rice prices from ASEAN countries, “I think there will be a shift in the im-

ports of Thai and Vietnamese rice, and Burmese [Myanmar] rice, to rice from other countries where the value is much lower. Just keep an eye on that,” Dominguez told Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero in a recent Department of Finance executive committee meeting.

A former agriculture secretary, Dominguez cited India as a possible source of cheap rice imports.

Guerrero reported that the BOC was reviewing the valuation of rice shipments from Vietnam after noticing that most imports from there were declared with values lower than the published prevailing prices.

“We discovered that many of these importations are under a tentative assessment, so we are reviewing the payments,” Guerrero said.

Guerrero said the average value of rice imports, coming mostly from Vietnam, dropped 12.7 percent to P19,312 per metric ton in May 2021, compared to P22,119 per MT in the same month last year.Julito G. Rada

BDO’S STEVIE AWARDS.

BDO Unibank Inc. receives gold, silver and bronze awards for its business innovation and effective communications in the 8th annual Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards. The Asia-Pacific Stevie Awards are the only business awards program to recognize innovation in the workplace in all 29 nations of the Asia-Pacific region. Stevie Awards are widely considered to be the world’s premier business awards.

BDO’s employee newsletter, The Wayfinder, was recognized with a gold Award for innovation in house organizations and publications under the Annual Report Awards & Other Publication Categories.

Featuring true-to-life employee stories of struggle and success during the pandemic, it was lauded for being an effective instrument in forging and strengthening solidarity, empathy, and cooperation within the organization.

D&L Industries issuing P5-b bonds to fund expansion

By Jenniffer B. Austria D&L Industries Inc. said Monday it plans to issue up to P5 billion worth of fixed-rate bonds in September to finance output expansion.

D&L president and chief executive Alvin Lao said in a news briefing following the annual stockholders’ meeting the company obtained shareholders’ approval to issue up to P5 billion worth of retail bonds. Other terms of the maiden bond offering are still being finalized.

Lao said the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Batangas experienced some delays with the implementation of stricter quarantine restrictions in April and the tightness in the supply and shipments.

He said the company was assessing the situation to determine the final timetable for the completion of the new plant.

The Batangas plant, which started construction in 2018, was originally scheduled for completion before the end of 2021. The new facility would cater to D&L’s growing export business in the food and oleochemicals segment.

It will add the capability to manufacture downstream packaging, thus allowing the company to capture a bigger part of the production chain.

While the company primarily sells raw materials to customers in bulk, the new plants will allow it to “pack at source”.

Lao said given the company’s performance in the first quarter, it was tracking ahead of 2019 net income of P2.6 billion.

“Assuming that first-quarter net income holds steady in the next couple of quarters, the company is set to at least reach its net income level in 2019,” Lao said.

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said Monday a wholly-owned subsidiary in Brazil is expanding its logistics support services by adding rail logistics to its operations.

ICTSI Rio formed a new company—IRB Logística—to take over the operations of the terminal from Multitex Logistica starting July 1, 2021.

IRB Logística will offer sustainable cargo handling, transport and storage services to the economic, industrial and production centers in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo.

“We are excited for IRB Logística to commence operations and look forward to coordinating closely with our sister company to improve synergy in the regional supply chain,” said Roberto Lopes, ICTSI Rio chief executive.

“While ICTSI Rio’s and IRB Logística’s operations are independent from one another, we share the common goal of driving economic growth in the region by providing more efficient, seamless, and value-added solutions across the entire logistics chain,” he said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Sustainalytics cites SMIC for ESG efforts

SUSTAINALYTICS, a leading independent ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) research, ratings and analytics firm, awarded SM Investments Corp. as a Sustainalytics ESG Top Rated Company globally in its industry in 2021.

Sustainalytics’ ESG Risk Ratings measure a company’s exposure to industry-specific material ESG risks and how well a company is managing those risks. In April 2021, SM Investments received a Top Rated ESG Rating in its industry from Sustainalytics and was assessed to be at low risk of experiencing material financial impacts from ESG factors.

At SM, actions adopted to mitigate risks include investments in technology, continuous training for personnel, regular audits and implementation of policies across the organization. Moreover, the group’s strong adherence to corporate governance, customer-focused innovation, financial prudence and attention to its sustainability strategies and progress are vital to managing specific ESG factors.

IPOPHL announces 1st copyright summit

THE Intellectual Property Office of the Philippines is hosting the 1st Philippine International Copyright Summit to discuss the latest trends and challenges in copyright regulations and enforcement, including curbing infringement in the country.

The summit, themed “United in Copyright,” aims to help creators have greater control over their copyright and related rights and to educate the general public of the value of copyright to the struggling sector.

“Scaling up copyright appreciation in the country is very urgent today given that the creative economy was hit the hardest from this pandemic’s quarantine,” IPOPHL directorgeneral Rowel Barba said at the press launch of the event.

The event will be held from Nov. 22 to 26, 2021 in hybrid format.

According to a July 2020 joint survey of the World Bank, National Economic Development Authority and Department of Finance which assessed the impacts of COVID-19 on Philippine businesses, the arts, entertainment and recreation sector saw the highest business closures at 82 percent, with 61 percent temporarily shut while 21 percent permanently closed due to the enhanced community quarantine.

Othel V. Campos

Saso 1st Filipino to win major golf crown SAN FRANCISCO—Philippine teenager Yuka Saso birdied the third playoff hole to beat Japan’s Nasa Hataoka and win the US Women’s Open at Olympic Club on Sunday (Monday in Manila).

Saso became the first Filipino to win a major golf championship.

The 19-year-old reigning Philippine Sportswriters Association Athlete of the Year shook off two early double bogeys, coming back with late birdies at 16 and 17 in a two-over 73 to thrust herself into a playoff with a four-under total of 280 for 72 holes.

As overnight leader Lexi Thompson faded, Hataoka carded a final-round 68, but after both she and Saso parred both holes of the two-hole aggregate playoff, it was Saso who came up with a birdie at the sudden-death third hole.

Saso matched South Korean Park In-bee as the youngest winners in the championship’s history at 19 years, 11 months and 17 days, and earned her LPGA tour membership.

“I don’t know what’s happening in the Philippines right now, but I’m just thankful that there’s so many people in the Philippines cheering for me,” said Saso, whose professional resume included two Japan LPGA victories but no wins on the US LPGA tour.

“I don’t know how to thank them.

They gave me so much energy. I want to say thank you to everyone.”

Saso had held the 36-hole lead and started the day one shot off Thompson’s lead. But she was in trouble early with double bogeys at the second and third.

“I was actually upset,” she said.

“My caddie talked to me, said there’s still many holes to go—just keep doing what I was doing the last few days and trust the process.”

Saso was two-under the rest of the way, and had a long birdie putt to win at the 72nd hole. It didn’t drop, but she rattled in the par putt to force the playoff.

Thompson collapse Thompson, seeking a second career major to go with her 2014 ANA Inspiration title, was five strokes up on the front nine and remained four up with eight to play.

A double bogey at 11 signalled the start of a slide and her bogey at 14 saw her lead down to two.

Unable to take advantage of the par-five 16th, she missed a five-foot par putt at the par-five 17th to fall into a tie for first.

At the 18th, Thompson was in the fairway but her approach found the front greenside bunker and she left a 10-foot putt to save par, and make the playoff, two feet short.

“That’s what this golf course can do to you,” said Thompson of the imposing par-71 Lake Course at Olympic, which has hosted five men’s US Opens but had never before hosted a women’s major. AFP

EJ Obiena

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

C1

Yuka Saso of the Philippines walks past fans with the Harton S. Semple Trophy after winning the 76th U.S. Women’s Open Championship at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California. Saso won following a three-hole playoff against Nasa Hataoka of Japan. AFP

Yuka, Bianca assured of Olympic golf berths

By Peter Atencio

T

ODAY, the Women’s US Open. Tomorrow, the Olympics. Newly-crowned US Open queen Yuka Saso is expected to clinch a seat in the coming Tokyo Olympics, alongside fellow Asian Games gold medalist Bianca Pagdanganan.

This is because the two are currently listed inside the Top 60 of the Olympic golf rankings, managed by the International Golf Federation.

According to qualification rules, 60 players in each of the men’s and women’s events will make it to the list of Olympic qualifiers by June 21 for the men’s side and June 28 for the women’s.

The quadrennial meet is slated from July 23 to Aug. 8 in Tokyo, Japan.

The 19-year-old Saso is currently situated at no. 22 in the Olympic golf rankings after the IGF updated its list this week. She is expected to climb

further following her $1-million major golf triumph at The Olympic Club in San Francisco, California.

On the other hand, the 23-year-old Pagdanganan is currently ranked no. 41 in the women’s Olympic rankings Pagdanganan, who is no. 155 in the world rankings, enjoyed her lofty standing after making it to no. 39th position last May in the Blue Silk Championship in Williamsburg, Virginia last month.

After turning pro last year, Pagdanganan only saw action in three tournaments this year so far due to COVID-19 restrictions.

She made her Ladies Professional

Golf Association debut after holing a birdie putt on the 72nd hole at Aronimink Golf Club last year to tie for ninth in the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.

Pagdanganan, as an LPGA Tour rookie, is statistically the longest hitter on the circuit, averaging 288.8 yards.

Meanwhile, the International Container Terminal Services, Inc. congratulated Saso “for winning and being the first Filipino to win in a major golf championship that is probably one of the hardest to win.”

“Her ICTSI family thanks Yuka for the pride and joy she gives the country. We likewise commend her for her hard work, perseverance and dedication to training, and most especially for remaining humble despite her recent successes. She is and will continue to be a role model for the golfing community. May she also serve as an inspiration to our Filipino athletes in breaking through internationally,” the statement said.

Obiena finishes behind world-record holder ERNESTJohn Obiena did well in the the presence of Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis.

The 25-year-old Obiena cleared 5.80 meters on his first attempt to earn second place and the silver medal behind world record holder Duplantis at the FBK Games at the Blankers-Koen Stadion in Hengelo, the Netherlands on Sunday (early Monday in Manila).

Obiena, who is using the tournament as part of his preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, later tried to go for a higher elevation, but could not clear the height of 5.86 meters.

If Obiena did, he would have matched his season’s best showing of 5.86 meters, which earned him the silver medal during the Orlen Cup 2021 Indoor Athletics meeting last February.

“Maganda ang talon niya rito (5.8 meters).

Pero hindi maganda ang talon niya rito kung pagbabasehan sa mga talon niyang iba,” said EJ’s dad Emerson following their talks after the event.

Duplantis, the no. 1 bet for the Tokyo Olympics, set a new meet record by clearing 6.10 meters.

Later, Duplantis tried to clear 6.19 meters but failed.

The 21-year-old Duplantis already holds the world outdoor record after clearing 6.15 meters in Italy last year.

Menno Vloon of the Netherlands tied Obiena’s 5.80 meters, but settled for the bronze after missing clearance at the 5.92-m mark thrice.

Rutger Koppelaar, another Dutch pole vaulter, was fourth place after clearing 5.62 meters with Rio Olympics gold medallist Thiago Braz.

The elder Obiena said EJ is adjusting to his new pole and will be able to go to higher elevations if he musters enough confidence to do so.

The silver medal comes a week after Obiena emerged with a gold medal-winning effort at the Göteborg Grand Prix in Sweden, where he cleared 5.70 meters to start his outdoor season on a positive note. Peter Atencio

Jhanlo ready to show new breed of Team Lakay LOOKING back, Jhanlo Mark Sangiao could only smile knowing how far he has come.

“Nu’ng nag-start pa lang ako, ako ‘yung laging nagta-tap, ako ‘yung binabaliktad lang,” he said.

Such beating is expected especially if you’re the greenhorn in such a fabled gym such as Team Lakay in Benguet, who has honed numerous Filipino world champions in mixed martial arts.

Grit, however, should be expected from Jhanlo, especially with him being the son of legendary coach Mark Sangiao, that no matter how many times he got manhandled and tapped on the mat, he always came back stronger.

“Eventually, I just built myself up and was able to hold my ground. Ang suwerte ko na may teammates ako na world champions.

Sila din ang motivation ko at sila ang nagpupush sa akin kasi sila ang partner ko ‘pag nagte-training,” he said. “Sumasama ako ‘pag may event sa Manila and every time na nanalo sila, nandoon ‘yung fire na gusto ko rin sumali, na gusto ko rin lumaban sa cage.

Nandoon ‘yung passion.”

The younger Sangiao no longer has to dream of those possibilities as the 18-year-old has a chance to make it a reality after signing with ONE Championship last week.

“When I was given the contract, I couldn’t believe it. The dream I’ve had since I was young was already here,” he said. “I had mixed emotions of nervousness and excitement that I can’t explain it.”

It truly was a longtime coming for Jhanlo, who always was magnetized to the world of MMA with his dad Mark a decorated champion in his own right.

That only helped that he was exposed to the sport at such a young age that it no longer was a surprise when he chose to also step inside the cage.

“Ever since I was a kid, I was surrounded by athletes, papa’s students, and his teammates. When he was teaching, he would bring me with him. And I think that’s where I got the passion for the sport, that I was used to seeing them fight and that I also wanted to fight for myself. I wanted to experience that feeling of having my hands raised and winning a match,” he said.

Rewarding Filipino medal winners in Olympics

By Randy M. Caluag WHAT’s in store for a Filipino gold medal winner in the Tokyo Olympics?

Under the law, the government is mandated to award P10 million in cold cash to any Filipino athlete who could win the country’s first Olympic gold medal.

A silver medal effort will be rewarded P5 million and a bronze is worth P2 million.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino also promised a house and lot in Tagaytay City for any athlete, who will finally quench the country’s gold-medal drought in the 97-year existence of the Olympics.

So far, that’s it.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, pledges

from private companies are hard to come by except for some, which expressed their willingness to help Olympic-bound athletes in their training and preparation.

In a facebook post, Ronald Mascarinas, president of Agro Bounty, expressed support to the nine athletes, who have so far qualified for the Tokyo Olympics set July 23 to August 8.

“We are hopeful that our nine elite athletes, who already qualified for the Tokyo Olympics will finally break our gold-medal drought in the Olympics,” said Mascarinas, who recently has also begun supporting Eumir Marcial, one the Philippines’ four Olympic-bound boxers, and his family.

Former national Olympic boxer Charlie Suarez admitted that financial incentives and other forms of rewards add motivation for them to pursue the elusive

gold, but clarified that the mere prospect of giving honor to the country and fellow Filipinos is more than enough to give their all in the ring.

“Nasa athlete na talaga ‘yung pagpupursige, to follow na lang ‘yung pera kung may maiuwi na gold o medalya,” said Suarez, who competed in the Rio Olympics in 2016 before turning professional a few years later. He competed again for the country one more time and won a boxing gold in the 2019 Philippines Southeast Asian Games.

Hidilyn Diaz, who bagged a silver medal in weightlifting in the 2016 Rio Olympics, received P5 million from the Philippine Sports Commission and another P2 million from President Rodrigo Duterte. A realty developer also gave Diaz a townhouse unit in Pampanga.

Diaz again made it to the Olympics,

Hidilyn Diaz, shown here training in Malaysia, received P5 million from the PSC and another P2 million from President Rodrigo Duterte for her silver-medal feat in the Rio Olympics.

looking to duplicate if not surpass her Rio feat in Tokyo.

Aside from Marcial and Diaz, also going to Tokyo are rower Cris Nieva-

rez pole vaulter EJ Obiena, gymnast Carlos Yulo, and boxers Irish Magno, Carlo Paalam, and 2019 AIBA Women’s world champion Nesthy Petecio.

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Sports

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

Clippers take Game 7 to eliminate Mavs L

OS ANGELES—Kawhi Leonard finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists as the Los Angeles Clippers won game seven at home with a 126-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks to punch their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs.

Los Angeles withstood a 46-point performance from Mavericks star Luka Doncic on Sunday to take the Western Conference series 4-3, finally cashing in on home court after the road team had won each of the first six games.

“It’s all about the moment,” Leonard said. “You got to be aggressive all night and don’t try to make the game be perfect.

“We never gave up. We wanted to get better and we did it, especially on the defensive end.”

Marcus Morris scored 23 points and Paul George tallied 22 and dished out

10 assists for the fourth-seeded Clippers in front of a pandemic-limited crowd of 7,300 at Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles.

The Clippers advanced to the second round to face the top-seeded Utah Jazz with game one on Tuesday in Salt Lake City.

The NBA will crown a new champion this season after the Los Angeles Lakers were eliminated on Thursday.

The Clippers are the sixth team in NBA history to lose the first two games of a series at home and win a series.

“It was a total team win. We wanted

this moment,” said Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “It was a great test for us, making us battle tested going into the second round.

That was a great win for us.”

Doncic continued his superb play in the series despite playing with a sore neck suffered in game four. He added 14 assists and seven rebounds Sunday in his first game seven in just the second playoff series of his young career. The Mavericks also lost to the Clippers in the first round last season.

“We gave everything,” Doncic said.

“I’m very proud of this team. Obviously I hate losing. We hate losing, but I’m proud of my team.”

Dorian Finney-Smith had 18 points and 10 rebounds and Kristaps Porzingis finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who had a chance to close out the series on Friday in game six but lost 104-97.

Doncic scored 29 points in the first half on 10-of-14 shooting from the field, in-

cluding four threes. But he managed just six points in the third quarter.

Los Angeles led 100-85 at the end of the third, and then extended their lead to 19 points with just over nine minutes left in the fourth. Dallas cut the led to 114-107 with two minutes to go but Reggie Jackson answered with a clutch three pointer and the Clippers closed it out from there.

At Philadelphia, Trae Young scored 35 points and the Atlanta Hawks held off a late rally to beat the 76ers 128-124 in the opening game of their second-round series.

Young, who averaged 29 points a game in the first round of the playoffs, pushed the visitors to a 19-point lead with eight minutes remaining only for Atlanta to struggle down the stretch and barely hang on for the victory.

The Hawks grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal series with game two at Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Women hog spotlight on PSC’s National Sports Summit

Kawhi Leonard of the LA Clippers dunks the ball against the Dallas Mavericks during Round 1, Game 7 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California.

AFP

New poll: Half of Japanese back Olympics this summer

A GOODAY FOR PH ATHLETES. Vaccinated and ready to represent the country, the Philippine Women’s Volleyball team is one of the athletic teams bound for the Tokyo Olympics slated for July this 2021. As a show of support, PH-based Japanese firm Asahi Beverages Philippines sent well wishes by providing Goodday Cultured Milk to our women athletes to help improve their intestinal health, natural resistance, and complement the immunity boost acquired from the vaccines.

Along with the women’s volleyball team, the Philippines’ Long Jump Queen, Elma Muros-Posadas, and national athlete Grace Lobrenes from the Wrestling Team were also given Goodday products as part of Asahi Beverages’ efforts to support the country’s vaccination efforts and strengthen national athletes’ resolve along with their immunity.

MIAMI—Floyd Mayweather predictably dominated YouTube star Logan Paul on Sunday night in an eightround exhibition fight in Miami before admitting it could have been his final performance.

Mayweather, who weighed in at 155 lbs with his opponent tipping the scales at 189.5 lbs, produced a slick performance much to the delight of the crowd at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida.

Intermittent rain throughout the evening failed to put a damper on the 44-year-old Mayweather’s first performance since beating Japanese kickboxer Tenshin Nasukawa in December 2018.

With the likes of former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield watching on from ringside, the 26-year-old Paul lasted eight rounds against Mayweather, who barely broke a sweat.

This was declared an exhibition, rather than a licensed bout, which meant there were no judges and the only way to triumph was to stop or knock-out the opponent within the eight three-minute rounds.

Mayweather ended to his boxing career in 2017 with a record of 50-0 after beating UFC star Conor McGregor in Las Vegas.

Paul, who was taking part in his third fight after two encounters against fellow YouTuber KSI, was outclassed by Mayweather who delivered a number of punishing blows to stop his American

The series winner will face Milwaukee or Brooklyn to determine a berth in next month’s NBA Finals.

Bogdan Bogdanovic and John Collins each added 21 points for the Hawks while Clint Capella added 10 points and 11 rebounds for Atlanta.

Cameroonian center Joel Embiid started for the Sixers after missing the final game of Philadelphia’s first-round series against Washington with a right knee injury.

Embiid scored a game-high 39 points with nine rebounds and four assists while Seth Curry added 21 points and Tobias Harris had 20 points and 10 rebounds and Australian guard Ben Simmons had 17 points and 10 assists.

“They hit us in the mouth to start the game,” 76ers coach Doc Rivers said.

“They were the more aggressive team.

They were the more physical team. They got off to a better start.” AFP

TOKYO—Half of Japan’s public favours holding the Tokyo Olympics this summer, a new survey showed Monday, suggesting support for the contentious Games is rising seven weeks before the opening ceremony.

The latest poll by the Yomiuri Shimbun daily showed 50 percent of respondents want the Games to be held this summer, with 48 percent in favour of cancellation.

Postponement was not given as an option.

National polls have tended to show that a majority of respondents oppose holding the Games this summer, backing either a further postponement or cancellation.

In early May the same paper found 59 percent of respondents wanted the Games to be scrapped, with only 39 percent calling for them to go ahead as planned.

The latest figures come as Covid-19 infection rates in Japan gradually fall while emergency measures remain in place in several areas including Tokyo.

Vaccinations are also on the rise after a cautious start to the rollout, although just over three percent of the population is fully inoculated so far.

The same poll showed Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s approval rating has fallen from 43 to 37 percent—its lowest since he took office in September last year—while the government’s disapproval rating has gone from 46 to 50 percent since May. Suga’s government has taken a beating in opinion polls over perceived mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic, with authorities imposing multiple virus emergencies this year and facing criticism for not moving quicker on vaccinations.

Olympic organizers are set to take a decision later this month on how many spectators— if any—will be allowed to attend the Games.

Overseas fans have already been barred in an unprecedented move.

The Yomiuri telephonic poll, carried out from June 4-6, found 26 percent of the 1,070 respondents want the Games to proceed without spectators, while 24 percent want a limited number of fans allowed in.

The paper reported in May that 23 percent wanted the Games to be held without fans, while 16 percent backed limited attendance. AFP

Mayweather toys with YouTuber Paul

Former world welterweight king Floyd Mayweather (left) and YouTube personality Logan Paul fight in an eight-round exhibition bout at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. Floyd Mayweather predictably dominated YouTube star Logan Paul on Sunday night in an eight round exhibition fight at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida. AFP

opponent from making any headway.

Mayweather claimed afterwards this could be his final appearance saying, “I wanted to give people a show and he was fighting to survive.

“This was like a training session, really.

Just going the distance was a win for him.

He can grapple and was good at holding.

When a guy that size is holding you, it’s hard to get him off you. If they are happy with grappling and holding for eight rounds, that’s good for them.

“I had fun, he did too. It was cool.

When the money comes, we will see who the winner is.

“Will I make a comeback? Absolutely not. I have retired from the sport of boxing. I probably won’t do an exhibition again either.”

Paul, who tried to wear down Mayweather with his extra weight, did well to last eight rounds and enjoyed some moderate success but his opponent’s experience and boxing know-how was too much.

“I am going into the Hall of Fame, I have nothing to prove,” said Mayweather.

“I hope the fans were pleased. I have been in this sport for so long, I was letting people see I can come out at the age of 44 and bring almost 30,000 to the stadium and bring good pay-perview numbers.

“I am not going to perform like I was 19, it’s all about growth and aging. I can’t fight like when I fought people like Gatti and people like that. It’s sad Manny Pacquiao is coming out to fight again.

“I could have pressed really hard but it was fun. His whole goal was to survive and that was a win for him. If he’s happy, so be it. In the history books I will always be the greatest.

“If he would have fought more, it wouldn’t have lasted eight rounds.” AFP

PILIPINAS Sepaktakraw Federation Inc. President Karen Tanchanco-Caballero talks about “Women in the World of Sports” in the coming 17th session of the National Sports Summit 2021 on Wednesday.

Caballero, who is also the Deputy Secretary-General of the Philippine Olympic Committee and also the First Woman Vice President of The Asian Sepaktakraw Federation and the International Sepaktakraw Federation, provides an overview of the active role of women in today’s sports.

She also gives a glimpse of the dynamics of holding key roles as a sports leader and promoting the advocacy of “gender and development and sports and athlete’s management and programs”.

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez discussed the pivotal role of exploring gender equality earlt in the sports conference.

“Women have long played the same, and often primary tasks in furthering the country’s sports excellence. It is a privilege for us to have one of the most esteemed women sports leaders to speak of this in our national conference,” he said.

Tanchanco-Caballero was also a former chairperson of the Women and Sports Committee of The Southeast Asian Games Federation and the Chef de Mission of Team Philippines for the 2016 Asian Beach Games in Da Nang, Vietnam.

Ilocos Norte Gov. guest at PSA Forum ILOCOS Norte Governor and noted sportsman Matthew Manotoc gracesa the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum online edition for the very first time this Tuesday (June 8).

Manotoc, a former outstanding jungolfer and basketball player, will be talking about the current sports program of the province and its role as the sports tourism capital of the North which has been the haven for training among pro and national teams in this time of the pandemic.

The public sports program presented by San Miguel Corporation, MILO, Amelie Hotel Manila, Braska Restaurant, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation starts at 10:00 a.m.

The first of the two-part session meanwhile, will tackle the MTB national trials for the coming Southeast Asian Games. Discussing the matter is Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (Philcycling) Vice President and MTB Commission Chairman Oscar Durano Rodriguez.

The weekly session is powered by Smart and Upstream Media as official webcast partner. It is being livestreamed via the PSA Facebook page fb.com/PhilippineSportswritersAssociation and also shared by Radyo Pilipinas 2 Facebook page.

PSA President Rey Lachica enjoins members to tune in and join the discussion through the PSA Facebook page.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

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‘Jowable’ star Kim Molina back as

‘Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam’ S AKTAN mo ako, please!

Once in our life, we all wished to not feel pain, physically or emotionally. But what if you were born to not feel any pain?

Jowable, Paglaki Ko Gusto Kong Maging Pornstar, and Tililing director Darryl Yap once again introduces us to an unknown world in his new movie Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam, starring actress, singer and host Kim Molina and comedian Jerald Napoles.

The movie is about Tasha (Kim Molina), a woman diagnosed with Congenital Insensitivity to Pain. This condition makes her incapable of feeling pain – be it physical or emotional pain.

And because of her condition, she also has no idea how love works. Until she meets Ngongo (Jerald Napoles), a man with cleft palate. Ngongo becomes an instrument who made Tasha feel again, especially the joys of love and pains of heartache. A scene from the movie that follows the story of a woman diagnosed with Congenital And together, they experience an adventure that Insensitivity to Pain. they will never forget.

Just like in his recent movie Tililing, which The movie is also the first on-screen pairing of real-life couple became controversial because of its insanity topic, Darryl Yap Kim Molina and Jerald Napoles. The couple’s fans already know is not afraid of tackling topics that people are uncomfortable to how sweet and funny they are together in their vlogs, and it is a talk about or unfamiliar with. Congenital Insensitivity to Pain is refreshing treat to see them act together as a couple in a movie. a rare condition that is not widely known especially here in the Meanwhile, this is the second film of Darryl Yap and Kim Molina, Philippines. Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam can give us an who first worked together for the movie “Jowable”, which became insight into this rare condition and how it affects the life of an a blockbuster hit in 2019. individual who has this condition.

Expect another hit movie from director Darryl Yap and actress

Beauty brand Orabella has introduced teen actress and Star Magic Arabella del Rosario as its new brand ambassador.

All the products are made with quality and natural ingredients and are intended to be “defense factors” against skin problems like blemishes (acne, blackheads, and whiteheads); sun damage (melasma, sun spots, and uneven color); and visible signs of aging (wrinkles, dryness, and roughness).

To learn more about the Orabella Defense Factor System and its other offerings, follow Orabella Direct Selling Inc. on its official Facebook account.

Orabella skin care products are sold through independent distributors and will soon be available on Lazada and Shopee.

Celebrating Pride Month with ‘PelikuLAYA’ THE Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is holding the 2nd PelikuLAYA: LGBTQIA+ Film Festival online until June 30.

With the theme “Sama-Sama, Lahat Rarampa!”, this year’s festival aims to further empower the members of the LGBTQIA+ community through a lineup of local and international films, film talks and lectures, a drag yoga event, and musical performances.

A total of 23 subscription films can be viewed for only P99 on the FDCP Channel ( fdcpchannel.ph), including the seven PelikuLAYA titles that are available untilthe end of the Pride Month: Masahista by Brillante Mendoza; I Love You. Thank You by Charliebebs Gohetia; Mga Gabing Kasing Haba ng Hair Ko by Gerardo Calagui, Miss Bulalacao by Ara Chawdhury; Ang Huling

Kim Molina in Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam, exclusively streaming on VIVAMAX on June 11. Presented by VIVA Films.

Subscribe now to www.vivamax.net or download the VIVAMAX app on Google Play and watch all you can for only P149.

Maine Mendoza tackles stage fright

Teen actress Arabella campaigns for flawless beauty ORABELLA Philippines, the beauty brand known for its affordable and quality skincare line, recently welcomed teen actress Arabella del Rosario as its new brand ambassador.

In a virtual event hosted by Gladys Reyes, Arabella, along with the brand’s executive, launched a new set of products dedicated to giving users a promise of bright, flawless skin.

“As an up and coming brand, we wanted an endorser who is passionate and promising. We see that in Arabella, and we warmly welcome her into the Orabella family,’ said Anne Acuña, Marketing Manager of Orabella Direct Selling Inc. The young actress, who is also into singing and figure skating, is a member of Star Magic. Arabella has appeared in the ABS-CBN series, Wild Little Love.

“Being a new face in show business has its advantage, too.

There are trustworthy brands like Orabella that believe beautiful skin is achievable with a consistent skin care routine.

Ever since a kid, I know that taking care of my skin should be a priority. It is not vanity but it’s self care, because our skin is the largest organ of the body,” said Arabella, who is also a college freshman taking up Veterinary Medicine in De La Salle Araneta University.

In a previous event, Orabella unveiled its Defense Factor System that includes a soap, toning gel, spot solution, specialist cream, and sun care lotion.

“Our Defense Factor System is a complete solution that is formulated to bring out the beauty in you. Our company has been in the manufacturing of skincare products for a long time, however, Orabella is our homegrown brand,” Acuña said, adding that the brand celebrates women, who make up most of their distribution network.

‘Ang Babaeng Walang Pakiramdam,’ streaming on Vivamax starting June 11, features ‘Jowable’ actress Kim Molina with leading man Jerald Napoles.

Cha-Cha Ni Anita by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo; Best. Partee. Ever by HF Yambao; and Ned’s Project by Lem Lorca.

Available for rental since June 4 is award-winning French film Portrait of a Lady on Fire by Céline Sciamma starring Adèle Haenel and Noémie Merlant. The 2019 Cannes Awardee for the Queer Palm Prize and Best Screenplay is available for rental for P220 with a 7-day access that will expire 48 hours after the first play.

PelikuLAYA is screening four films for free throughout the festival: Rhadem Morados’ documentary Budjang and three shorts from CineSpectra 2019: A Film Festival for HIV/ AIDS Awareness — A by Rod Modina; Alex & Aki by Dexter Paul de Jesus; and Doon sa Isang Sulok by Yong

‘T-Bird at Ako’ starring Vilma Santos (left) and Nora Aunor is the closing film of the 2nd PelikuLAYA: LGBTQIA+ Film Festival.

Tapang, Jr. In addition, one-time free screenings will be held: Lihis by Joel Lamangan for the opening program and T-Bird at Ako by Danny Zialcita for the closing program.

“The Film Development Council of the Philippines is relaunching PelikuLAYA this year as an annual LGBTQIA+ film festival organized by the national government as our way to express our continued support for gender equality and inclusivity by creating platforms to bring to light the struggles, celebrate the achievements, and champion the causes of the LGBTQIA+ community,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.

The FDCP’s Cine Lokal held the 1st PelikuLAYA in 2018 with screenings of award-winning films in selected SM Cinemas. The following year, the FDCP mounted the 1st International Pride Celebration at Cinematheque Centre Manila in partnership with the Embassies of the United States, Austria, and Sweden in Manila.

The PelikuLAYA Official Closing Program “Awra!: Mga Awit at Rampa para sa Ating Makulay na Komunidad” on June 30 at 7:00 p.m. will feature a musical performance, a fashion show from members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and a free one-time screening of the restored version of T-Bird at Ako starring Superstar Nora Aunor and Star for All Seasons Vilma Santos, presented by the ABS-CBN Film Restoration Program.

To watch the PelikuLAYA films, visit and register at the FDCP Channel. For more information and inquiries, visit https://www.facebook.com/fdcpchannel or fdcpchannel.ph.

IT’S been six years since Maine Mendoza entered show business but she admits that until now, she still experiences stage fright whenever she does hosting stints.

“I still feel nervous when I come up on the stage. I can’t explain why,” Maine shares during a recent interview for her new show on TV5.

People see her doing Eat Bulaga on a daily basis and many witness her energy as one of the main hosts.

“Actually, deep inside, it’s like I’m always a first-timer whenever I face the cameras. You might think that over the years, I got used to it already but nope, the nervousness is always present. Every day, as I step on the stage, the feeling is always there,” she said.

Maine feels like a newbie explaining that it’s like she still doesn’t know to host whenever the camera starts rolling and that’s the point where nervousness kicks in.

“It doesn’t go away. Until

now, it’s a problem for me. I just don’t know how to handle stage fright. Actually, I just don’t know how I am able to overcome things. Fortunately, I’m getting by,” Maine stated.

The Phenomenal Star is grateful to the triumvirate of Jose Manalo, Wally Bayola, and Paolo Ballesteros, her fellow hosts in Eat Bulaga for their confidence in her. They serve as her mentor guiding her to be better at work.

“I get the energy from my cohosts. I feel comfortable with them.

Then, you don’t notice it, things go on well. I don’t have a choice.

I need to do my job. I have to exert my effort and be able to perform well…in the best way as possible,” she said.

“Of course, you don’t want to be embarrassed on screen if you’ll commit a mistake or blunder. So, you just need to calm yourself. When the moment comes, you have to give a hundred percent of yourself. When you need to face the audience, you deliver what is expected of you. That’s what’s imperative: to survive the day,” she added.

Adding to her resume as a host is her participation in new TV 5 talent reality show called PoPinoy. Full story on manilastandard.net TV darling Maine Mendoza

‘Boyfriend #13’ cast members JC de Vera, Sue Ramirez, and JC Santos.

Cast Reveal: First look at ‘kilig’ series ‘Boyfriend #13’ THE cast of the new WeTV Original romantic comedy series, Boyfriend #13, coming to the streaming service this June, has been revealed with Sue Ramirez, JC de Vera, and JC Santos playing the lead roles.

In Boyfriend #13, Sue plays Kim, a twentysomething modern girl with some pretty old school beliefs. Her every move is calculated to deliberately avoid misfortune and ensure that her life is as close to perfect by letting her many superstitions or “pamahiin” guide her way. Reading her daily horoscope, wearing lucky charms to ward off bad luck, and regularly consulting fortune tellers are some of Sue’s favorite go-to’s to being happy.

When she meets the tall and charming Don, played by JC, all signs indicate that he is her destiny. Sue devises a plan with her officemate Bob (JC Santos) to evade this misfortune. But how does she really escape it when it’s fate?

WeTV just released tarot-inspired cast cards and official show poster via its official social media accounts, giving fans and fellow hopeless romantics a first look at the certifiably kilig new show about being lucky in love.

Boyfriend #13 is the newest WeTV original series produced by the streaming service and its second romantic comedy for 2021. Directing the very talented and charming cast is one of the country’s top comedians, John Lapus. Get ready for all the kilig feels, with all the matching pamahiin in tow, when the series premieres on WeTV this June.

To stream all the WeTV Originals and the very best in Asian Premium Content, original series, Filipino shows and anime, just download the WeTV app from the App store and Google Play, and start watching! A monthly subscription rings in at only P99, quarterly at P269, and an annual subscription is only P999.

Life

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

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HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT

TUESDAY, JUNE 8, 2021

How to care for a

COVID-positive family member

By Steph Llarena

K

RISTINA (not her real name) can count on one hand the number of times she has left home since lockdown was imposed in Metro Manila.

She doesn’t have to because her office allows them to work from home, she can have food delivered, and she can pay via online transactions.

It also helps that she has a brother who goes out almost everyday, because his job requires him to, as she can ask him to run quick errands for her.

Kristina is extremely careful not to catch the virus. She washes her hands regularly, she doesn’t interact with people outside their household, and she disinfects every item that arrives at their house. And if she does go outside, she wears a face mask, a face shield, and disinfects “almost every 5 minutes”.

She thought what she was doing was enough to keep her away from the virus.

Until last month when she and her mother yielded positive COVID-19 results two weeks after her brother tested positive.

“It felt surreal, especially since I’ve been very careful,” relates Kristina, whose brother only isolated in their house (since he was allowed). Thankfully, she adds, both she and her mother only had one to two mild symptoms.

They’re all cleared of the virus now.

Kristina and her family continue to follow strict safety measures while waiting to be vaccinated.

The irony of catching the virus while staying at home to prevent catching the virus does not escape many.

“All it takes is one family member to unintentionally bring the coronavi-

Caregivers of a COVID-positive family member are advised to strictly follow safety measures and to ‘take care of themselves’ by eating nutritious food, taking vitamins and supplements, and exercising and getting enough rest.

EXPERT SAYS. Dr. Marion Kwek (inset), an infectious diseases specialist,

rus into the home,” says Dr. Marion Kwek, infectious diseases specialist at Makati Medical Center (MakatiMed).

Dr. Kwek adds, “In a place where face masks go off and social distancing measures are eased, the virus has a greater chance of spreading during mealtime, bedtime, or while simply chatting with a spouse, child, sibling, or house helper.”

What to do when a member of the household has COVID-19 and the hospitals are operating beyond capacity?

Or what can family members do while their loved ones are isolating at home?

Dr. Kwek’s first advise is to isolate the family member. Ideally, a COVID19-positive person should be in their own room with its own bathroom for the prescribed period of isolation.

“If that’s not possible, limit your movements in shared spaces like the kitchen or bathroom, with all household members wearing a mask. Eating entails mask removal, so avoid eating at the same time. Constantly clean these spaces, as well as high-touch surfaces like doorknobs, light switches, faucets, electronic devices, and others.”

Making sure the patient is in a healthy environment is also important. Isolate them in a well-ventilated room with sunlight and provide them with fruits and vegetables as well as regular fluids from water or natural juices.

It’s also the time to prepare the patient’s supplies including their own utensils, plate, glass, toiletries, medicines and vitamins, food and drinks,

Safety, expertise, and a three-course meal for expectant mothers GOING to the hospital for routine care while a virus still spreads can cause a lot of anxiety. Change “routine care” to “giving birth” and the anxiety might just double.

A qualitative study conducted in Turkey involving 15 pregnant women found that the COVID-19 pandemic has a “significant potential” for inducing anxiety, adversity, and fear which has a negative emotional effect on pregnant people.

It also highlighted the preference of expectant mothers toward hospitals with only gynecology and obstetrics departments because they “are safer”.

Recognizing their concerns, health institution St. Luke’s Medical Center emphasizes the importance of getting a holistic maternity care.

offers steps to take if a member of the household tested positive for COVID-19.

face masks and face shields, and even dish dishwashing soap and sponge.

According to the expert, households who may find it extremely difficult to comply with these measures may also be isolated in the COVID-19 isolation facilities of their respective local government units.

Next step is to inform a doctor. “Explain the patient’s symptoms in detail so your family physician or healthcare frontliner can prescribe the appropriate medications,” says Dr. Kwek. “Do not give medicine that other people take, that you just read about online, or that was not recommended by a doctor.”

Alert the Barangay Health Emergency Response Team (BHERT) of a COVID-19-positive family member even if they do not have symptoms or experiencing only mild symptoms. “BHERTs can facilitate transfers to treatment and monitoring facilities should the need arise,” explains Dr. Kwek.

It is also important to contact the people the COVID-positive family member was last seen with. “These people may want to undergo a swab test to find out if they are positive, so they can have appropriate care, and for them to also trace the people they may have come in contact with.

Dr. Kwek adds, “Regardless of the test result, they should still quarantine for 14 days from the date of the last exposure to a confirmed case, to monitor for symptoms and prevent others around them from potential infection.”

For family members taking care of

their patients, Dr. Kwek suggests, “Wear a disposable mask and gloves if you have to deal directly with the patient, and don’t forget to throw away the mask and gloves with every use. Wash and sanitize your hands thoroughly and frequently. And even if you’re all masked up, always maintain a distance of at least 6 feet (2 meters) from the patient.”

“Please don’t neglect yourself,” she adds. “Eat nutritious food, supplement your meals with vitamins, exercise regularly, get adequate sunlight and fresh air, and give yourself time to rest and recharge.”

Dr. Kwek strongly suggests limiting prolonged face-to-face encounters with the rest of the family members and outsiders to prevent possible infection.

Finally, it pays to be cognizant of warning signs. Seek emergency medical care immediately if the family member has trouble breathing or is breathing very fast, has persistent chest pain, unable to stay awake, or has pale lips or nail beds.

A home pulse oximeter can also be used to monitor a patient’s oxygen status.

According to MakatiMed, decreasing levels to less than 94 percent in those with previously normal readings is a warning sign of disease progression and would require additional medical intervention.

To help patients at home, MakatiMed offers TeleMD consultation services to help them manage mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms. Patients can choose from five or 10 teleconsultation sessions inclusive of COVID Care Packs. For more information, call (02) 8888-8999 local 2189 or 2832 or email MMCHealthHub@makatimed.net.ph.

GO GREEN

Mothers giving birth at St. Luke’s Medical Center will receive a Mom and Baby bag containing newborn essentials.

Expert care

“Expectant moms should have access to a wide scope of maternity services to be able to get the proper maternity care,” says Dr. Bernabe Marinduque, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at St. Luke’s Medical Center - Global City.

The first step to a holistic experience begins with choosing the right doctor, according to Dr. Marie Arlene Azada, head of St. Luke’s Medical Center-Quezon City’s Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

The healthcare institution boasts a team of highly trained, experienced physicians. Its obstetricians manage simple to complex or high-risk pregnancies and birth, while its neonatalogists take care of newborns requiring intensive care.

Pregnancies tagged as high-risk have access to specialized care, according to Drs. Marinduque and Azada. “There should be a High-Risk Pregnancy Unit (HRPU) available for them. A Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) should also be readily available for newborns who need medical intensive care.” Both are available at St. Luke’s.

Obstetricians highlight the importance of providing pregnant women a holistic maternity care to ensure safe delivery and ease their anxiety.

Household cleaning items from Personal Collection, a Filipino-owned direct selling company.

Strict safety measures

In addition to assuring patients that all its doctors and staff are regularly monitored and tested for COVID-19 and provided with PPEs, St. Luke’s also provides pregnant women and their companions testing prior to admission.

Expectant mothers giving birth at any of the hospital’s branches are entitled to a free COVID-19 RT-PCR test before their scheduled day of delivery (not applicable for patients availing packages).

As its solution to concerns about transmission of virus while in the facility, it has separated the entrances, floors, wards, and labor and delivery rooms for COVID and nonCOVID patients. St. Luke’s say all these areas are thoroughly disinfected every hour and after every use.

Convenience and add-ons

Expectant mothers are no longer required to queue for admission and they can get admitted directly to their rooms.

Discharge papers, meanwhile, can be processed without leaving the patient room. A Patient Care Navigator and a Billing Officer will help assist and facilitate the discharge.

To celebrate the joy of childbirth, mothers giving birth at St. Luke’s are served with a special three-course meal. Additionally, they are given the exclusive St. Luke’s Mom and Baby bag that consists of newborn essentials including I am a St. Luke’s Baby apparel, mittens, socks, and bib.

The hospital’s Great Expectations Delivery Package includes the use of the delivery room, room and board accommodation, medicines and vitamins, newborn screening, hearing test, and professional fees. Prices range from P80,000 to P87,000 for normal delivery and P137,000 to P139,000 for cesarean delivery.

Contact St. Luke’s Medical Center - Quezon City at (02) 8-723-0101 local 5564 or 0947-994-3550, or St. Luke’s Medical Center - Global City at (02) 8-789-7700 local 5104 or 0998-582-2276 for more information.

Local direct selling company pioneers use of 100% biodegradable packaging FILIPINO-owned company Personal Collection Direct Selling, Inc. (PCDSI) announced today its plan to use 100 percent biodegradable containers in its product packaging.

The biodegradable packaging material is expected to decompose in landfills within approximately five to 10 years, 100 times faster than the standard plastic bottle which could take up to 1,000 years to disintegrate. The new packaging will also contribute to the creation of biogas, a potential source of sustainable energy.

The move is part of the company’s A Green Life is A Great Life initiative which underscores its commitment to environmental conservation.

According to PCDSI, whose products include household cleaning items, personal care and hygiene products, intimate apparel, and more, the switch to 100 percent biodegradable packaging “required a sizable increase in the product cost due to massive investments in research and development and the recalibration of existing packaging”.

Despite the huge, undisclosed sum of money required for this move, the company is determined to push forward.

Personal Collection is switching to 100 percent biodegradable packaging that decomposes within five to 10 years.

“If business leaders will work hard for their goals while caring for the only world we live in, then everyone can have their dreams realized for the years to come – a mark of a successful enterprise,” said PCDSI board of directors chairman Willie “Jun” Evangelista, Jr. Evangelista also mentioned that they have allotted a long term major company commitment to this cause.

The new biodegradable package design will be unveiled this month. More initiatives will be launched in the coming months as Personal Collection explores the use of organic, all-natural ingredients in its product lines.