Manila Standard - 2021 June 28 - Monday

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‘Delta’ dims PH prospects But OCTA upbeat NCR + 8 can reach herd immunity by Christmas

By Willie Casas

I

F THE Delta variant of the coronavirus first detected in India does not spread locally, the National Capital Region (NCR) and eight other key economic hubs—known as NCR Plus 8—will achieve herd immunity against COVID-19 by Christmas, independent researchers tracking the pandemic said Sunday.

The country has reported 17 cases of the Delta variant, including one death, but so far there is no community transmission, said molecular biologist Nicanor Austriaco, a member of the OCTA Research Group.

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RISING CASES. Medical staff test patients for COVID-19 outside a hospital before they are admitted in Bekasi, Indonesia on Sunday, as new coronavirus infections spike in the country, driven by the Delta variant.

AFP VOL. XXXV • NO. 133 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JUNE 28 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Lacson warns: More problems than solutions in arming civilians

MISTING IN MANILA. The Manila Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office team conducts misting and fogging operations at Manila City Hall on Sunday to disinfect the area and provide additional protection for workers and visitors. Manila PIO photo

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja SENATOR Panfilo M. Lacson warned Sunday that issuing firearms to anticrime volunteers to help enforce the law as President Rodrigo Duterte has suggested may result in even more crime, especially if this is abused.

Lacson, who was chief of the Philippine National Police (PNP) from 1999 to 2001, said he believes

that arming civilians to fight criminality could backfire, especially if they don't have the proper training and mindset.

In the United States, there are many fatal shootings due to loose firearm laws, he said.

Stricter gun control measures by the police, including more stringent requirements for or even suspension of Permits to Carry Firearms Outside Residences (PTCFORs) would be a better solution Next page

PNP to assess cops‘ mental health

By Willie Casas PHILIPPINE National Police (PNP) chief Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday said regular assessments of the mental and emotional stability of policemen will prevent incidents such as the one Friday night, when a drunk cop ran amuck in the Manila Police Headquarters and killed one of his colleagues and injured another.

M/Sgt. Reynante Dipasupil, who began shooting at about 11:30 p.m., died about an hour later at the nearby Manila Doctors Hospital along UN Avenue due to gunshot wounds to different parts of the body.

Eleazar said in a video message on Sunday that the PNP Health Service is finalizing recommendations for a psychiatric-psychological exam for policemen.

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Pump prices SC clears six drug convicts swing higher

by P1.15/liter

By Rey E. Requejo

By Alena Mae S. Flores FUEL prices are expected to rise this week, with gasoline going up by as much as P1.10 a liter to reflect the movement of prices in the world market.

An advisory issued by Unioil Petroleum Philippines Inc. over the weekend Next page

COVID-19 PH AT A GLANCE

(AS OF 4 PM JUNE 27)

1,391,911 TOTAL NUMBER OF CASES

6,871 53,447 NEW

ACTIVE

24,244

92

1,314,220

8,720

DEATHS

RECOVERIES

NEW

NEW

THE Supreme Court has exonerated six persons previously convicted by both the trial courts and Court of Appeals of involvement in illegal drugs cases and ordered their release.

In separate decisions, the SC absolved the six accused after rulingthat the law enforcement agents who conducted the buy-bust operationsfailed to strictly follow the procedures laid down by the Republic Act No. 9165, or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act, in the handling of the seized illegal drugs.

The high court held that failure by the

authorities to follow strictly the chain of custody raised reasonable doubt on the integrity andidentity of the seized illegal drugs, thus, paving the way for the acquittal of those convicted.

In a related case, the Philippine National Police said Sunday it has mechanisms in place for thorough review of dismissed cases related to its illegal drugs operations.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar made the remark after local rapper Marlon "Loonie" Peroramas asked him to probe police officers involved in the drug operation that led to his arrest in 2019, claiming that the cops had planted evidence against him.

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OFW in Dubai wins P13.28-m raffle draw AN OVERSEAS Filipino worker (OFW) from Cebu who works as a sales associate at a gym in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates, has won 1 million dirhams (P13.28 million) in a raffle, GMA News reported Sunday.

Antonio (not his real name), said portions of his prize will be set aside for a dream wedding, a nephew's studies abroad, and charity.

The OFW said he has been par-

ticipating in the live weekly raffle draw organized by Mahzooz, using a number combination of special dates like birthdays, since last year – but his winning numbers were “auto-generated.”

Antonio, who has been working in Dubai for the past three years, is currently engaged.

“This money is such a blessing for us and our whole family,” he said.

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FIRST MASS. New Archbishop of Manila Jose Cardinal Advincula visits the Mary,

Comforter of the Afflicted Parish in Bgy. Maricaban, Pasay City where he held his first public mass after being installed as Manila's 33rd archbishop, replacing Cardinal Antonio Tagle, last Thursday. Danny Pata

Duterte‘s SONA: Senators' wish list PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte should address the status of the government's vaccination program against the coronavirus and its fight against corruption in his final State of the Nation Address (SONA) next month and tell Filipinos what can be done in his last year, Senator Panfilo Lacson said on Sunday.

"After five years, where are we now, or what is the situation in the many aspects of his administration such as peace and order, fight against illegal drugs, corruption, economy, and foreign policy, particularly the West Philippine Sea?” Lacson said in a statement Next page

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News

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Aquino magic still works—analyst

T

"I observed yesterday that the Aquino magic is really an element of Philippine politics. It shows that CojuangcoAquino is a brand name in Philippine politics that will continuously have a constituency. They have sustained this for many decades," UP political science

professor Aries Arugay told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

Mourners clad in yellow and black on Saturday paid their finalrespects to Aquino, who passed away Thursday due to renal failure secondary to diabetes.

The country's 15th president was laid

to rest at the Manila Memorial Park in Parañaque City.

The momentum of support for the Aquinos after the former president's death could be sustained until the upcoming election depending on howthe opposition will try to use his legacy, Arugay said.

“If we look at the late President Noynoy Aquino, he represents ideals that can be applied to people's aspirations today,” he said. “If this can be used in a campaign, the candidate should apply it to the current sentiment and aspirations of voters.”

Noynoy, then a senator, rode a simi-

‘Delta’...

VID-19 strain identified, according to the World Health Organization.

Still, in much of Europe and the United States curbs on daily life are easing as vaccination programs bear fruit, although Russia isgrappling with a deadly third wave.

The Delta variant is also feeding fresh outbreaks in Southeast Asia and Australia where authorities have brought back or prolongedrestrictions.

The Department of Health (DOH) said it aims to vaccinate at least 108,000 people a day in Metro Manila, Batangas, Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, Pampanga, Rizal, Metro Cebu and Metro Davao as more shots arrive.

It identified 10 more areas that are experiencing rise in COVID-19 infections, namely, Cagayan de Oro, Bacolod, Baguio, Zamboanga, Dumaguete, Tuguegarao, General Santos, Naga, Legazpi, and Iloilo City, that will be included in the COVID-19 vaccination priority.

The Philippines logged 6,096 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, raising the country's total tally to 1,397,992 infections, the DOH said.

Sunday was the fourth straight day when more than 6,000 new cases were reported.

The COVID-19 death toll, meanwhile, rose to 24,372 with 128 new fatalities.

Total recoveries climbed to 1,321,050 after 6,912 more people recovered from the disease.

The DOH said the new infections brought the number of active cases to 52,570, of which 89.5 percent were mild, 5.6 percent were asymptomatic,

1.4 percent were critical, 2 percent were severe, and 1.48 percent were moderate.

DOH data showed 57 percent of the country's intensive care unit (ICU) beds, 47 percent of the isolation beds, 44 percent of the ward beds, and 37 percent of the ventilators were in use.

In Metro Manila, 45 percent of the ICU beds, 39 percent of the isolation beds, 32 percent of the ward beds, and 32 percent of theventilators were in use.

Amid calls to ease quarantine restrictions, treatment czar and Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega on Sunday urged the public not to be complacent, as there was a threat from the more contagious Delta variant of the coronavirus.

“We are not out of the woods yet.

There is a gradual decrease of cases but only slowly and we also have a variant of concern, the Delta variant. This is not yet in the local setting, but we are monitoring this. We shouldn't be caught off guard. Let's not be complacent,” Vega told Dobol B TV. Vega also noted that some areas in Visayas and Mindanao recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases while cities in Metro Manila are reporting a gradual decline in infections.

To address health care concerns in provinces outside Metro Manila, Vega said they are distributing medical equipment to hospitals in Visayas and Mindanao.

“WHO donated mechanical ventilators to us. The government procured such equipment as well. Some private organizations also donated BiPAP machines. We also send these to high-risk

areas,” he said.

An earlier report from OCTA Research Group showed that Davao City, Bacolod, Iloilo City, Cagayan de Oro and Tacloban were areas of concern as active cases continue to grow there.

OCTA also reported that cases in Metro Manila dropped to an average of 700 new cases per day from June 15 to June 21.

Metro Manila and Bulacan are under general community quarantine "with some restrictions" until June 30. Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite are under GCQ but with heightened restrictions.

Other areas in the country are either under the strict modified enhanced community quarantine or a modified GCQ. In other developments: • The director for the Genomics Health Program of the Philippine Genome Center on Sunday expressed hope that companies manufacturing Sinovac and Sputnik V jabs would release data on the efficacy of their vaccines against the Delta variant. Dr. Eva Maria Dela Paz said she was hopeful that Sinovac and Sputnik V could present studies and data as there are only a few studies concerning the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines against the Delta variant. Efficacy trials against the Delta variant are still ongoing for companies, such as Moderna, Sinovac, Sinopharm and Johnson & Johnson.

• Senator Christopher Go renewed his appeal to the public to remain vigilant against COVID-19 and to observe the necessary health protocols to prevent its spread. – With Macon Ramos-Araneta

hended on the spot.

It’s time the public developed a different mindset and assumption on people seen carrying firearms, Lacson said.

He reiterated that in other territories like Hong Kong, people automatically report to police those who in civilian attire are carrying firearms, which he said should be for self-defense againstintruders and should be kept at home.

Vice President Leni Robredo, meanwhile, slammed the President for what she called a “fear-based” approach to governance.

During her weekly radio program, Robredo reacted to the President’s proposal to arm civilian anti-crime volunteers, saying people must not be treated as mere subjects.

“If you don’t obey, you get jailed, or harm may happen to you. Fear always operates,” she added.

Robredo backed the Commission on Human Rights’ view that to arm civilian groups to deter crime could lead to abuses.

PNP chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar welcomed the concern raised by the CHR over President Duterte’s suggestion to arm the police’s partners in fighting crime and terrorism.

“We understand the concern of the officials of the Commission on Human Rights, but we assure them that the President’s suggestion is to encourage volunteerism and definitely not vigilantism,” Eleazar saidin a statement.

Eleazar also said Duterte’s recommendation aims to protect the civilian

volunteers against the criminal elements, including members of the New People’s Army (NPA), the armed wing of the Communist Party of the Philippines that is listed as terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the Philippines.

“The President, and even we in the PNP, know the dangers that our volunteers will be facing for standing up against criminal elements that include members of the CPP-NPA-NDF, and the suggestion made was aimed at ensuring their own protection—but with an assurance that they will undergo the rules and procedures for civilians to possess and carry firearms,” Eleazar said.

He said the rules and procedures include securing License to Own and Possess Firearms (LTOPF) which is a requirement before a civilian can buy a firearm, firearms license, and the Permit to Carry FirearmsOutside Residence (PTCFOR).

If civilians are allowed to possess and carry firearms for as long asthey comply with the rules and regulations of the law and are qualified to do so, Eleazar said there is no reason to prevent members of civilian volunteer groups from enjoying the same privilege.

Eleazar said Duterte’s call to arm civilian groups might be out of his strong desire to combat lawlessness in society.

On June 25, the PNP launched the Global Coalition of Lingkod Bayan Advocacy Support Groups and Force Multipliers that aims to build a strong

collaborative partnership with the community in support of the ongoing campaign against criminality and terrorism.

Duterte thanked the PNP for taking the initiative to establish a shift in strategy in dealing with the country’s 53-yearold problem of communist insurgency as a significant contribution to the objectives of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) to put a decisive end to the local rebellion.

In his message, Duterte recognized the efforts and support extended by the multi-sectoral groups to which he expressed his firm belief that through this coalition, the PNP can simply access, gather, mobilize, and expand the pool of warm bodies and resources from different government agencies and sectoral organizations to complement the efforts of various law enforcement units in the fight against illegal drugs, insurgency, terrorism and in the implementation of health protocols.

“If you have this coalition, you have a list of people who are there who can arm themselves. I will order the police if you are qualified, get a gun, and help us enforce the laws,” Duterte said.

In response, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline Ann de Guia said: "Arming civilians without proper training, qualification, and clear lines ofaccountabilities may lead to lawlessness and proliferation of arms that may further negatively impact the human rights situation in thecountry."

Union on Aug. 17, 2015 and charged with selling shabu. He was convicted by the trial court on Nov. 17, 2016 and sentenced to life imprisonment, with the CA affirming the decision on Sept. 28, 2017.

The SC likewise absolved Ronald Orale and Renato Gutierrez, who were arrested in Paranaque City on Aug. 26, 2013 for selling and possessing shabu, respectively.

On Sept. 30, 2016, Orale was sentenced to life imprisonment while Gutierrez was meted out a jail term ranging from 12 to 17 years. Orale appealed to CA, while Gutierrez did not. The Court of Appeals, on Jan. 31, 2019, affirmed the trial court’s decision.

Nelly Ortizano was also acquitted of drug charges. She was arrested inside her house in Bacolod City on April 24, 2014 and charged with selling shabu to policemen. She was convicted by the trial court on Aug. 31, 2017 and sentenced to life imprisonment. The CA affirmed the conviction on Jan. 30, 2019.

The SC also ordered the release of Arnel Verbo after absolving him of a drug case. He was arrested on Sept. 28, 2014 in Gattaran, Cagayan, and convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court on Nov. 17, 2016. The CA affirmed the conviction on Feb. 23, 2018.

(See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Pump...

liter for diesel and P7.70 per liter for kerosene since the start of the year.

Oil prices have been going up for the past weeks on the strength of a rapidly recovering global economy and continued output restraint among US shale producers, according to the Department of Energy.

The agency's oil monitoring showed that global oil demand is expected to continue to grow.

DOE cited the recent forecast by Platts that global oil demand is expected to grow by 5.6 million barrels per day (MMBD) in 2021, a moderate increase from 5.5 MMBD projection last month.

HE Cojuangco-Aquino political clan has become an "element" of Philippine politics and will continue to get voters' support in future elections, an analyst said Sunday following the death of former President Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III.

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The government, meanwhile, has administered 8.9 million COVID-19 vaccine doses as of June 22, with 2,246,897 people fully vaccinated, out of a target of 58 million.

"Given the numbers, our hope that we will reach herd immunity in NCR Plus 8

by Christmas is reasonable. This does not take into effect the Delta variant," Austriaco told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

"The best vaccine is the vaccine offered to you today. Any protection is better than no protection,” he said.

The country also has to prepare against a possible Delta variant surge as it has been observed that there is a rise in COVID-19 cases when new variants arrive, Austriaco said.

Elsewhere, Moscow on Sunday recorded the worst daily coronavirus death toll so far for a Russian city, as countries across the Asia-Pacificregion extended or reimposed restrictions to tackle fresh waves of infections.

The Russian capital on Sunday recorded 144 Covid-19 deaths in the last 24 hours, a day after Saint Petersburg set the previous highest figure.

The pandemic has now killed close to four million people across the world, but vaccination drives have brought down infection numbers inmany wealthy countries, though the Delta strain of the virus remains a concern.

The variant is now in 85 countries and is the most contagious of any CO-

Lacson...

From A1

to stopping criminality than arming civilians, Lacson said.

"The shooting incidents involving policemen not on duty -- such as Jonel Nuezca in December 2020, and Hensie Zinampan earlier this year -- should serve as a valuable lesson to us," Lacson said.

Because of this, he had suggested as a policy recommendation that policemen should turn in their issued firearms to their units' armorer or supply officer when on off-duty status.

He also said they should not be issued PTCFORs while still in active service.

"If our law enforcers who are supposed to be trained are prone to lapses, how much more in the case of untrained civilians?" Lacsonadded.

The senator recalled that when he was PNP chief, he limited theissuance of PTCFORs to those who pass requirements such as gun safety seminars, practical and neuro-psychiatric tests, and most importantly, a personal appearance by the applicants.

“My idea was -- after much-improved law enforcement and peace andorder, the only ones authorized to carry firearms outside theirresidences are uniformed police and military personnel on officialmission," Lacson said.

He noted that anybody, including PNP officers not in uniform, must be assumed to have criminal intent and appre-

SC...

From A1

The rapper's case was recently dismissed by the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 64 due to failure of police personnel to follow the chain of custody rule, according to the PNP. The high tribunal directed the Bureau of Corrections to immediately release the six persons convicted for illegal drugs cases.

In their appeal, the accused argued that the prosecution failed to establish an unbroken chain of custody of the allegedly seized illegal drugs.

In the resolutions promulgated last April 28 but posted on the Supreme Court website only last June 22, the high court exonerated Angelo Aranas, who was arrested on July 20, 2016 in Malate, Manila and was charged with illegal sale and possession of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride).

On July 21, 2017, the trial court sentenced him to life imprisonment for selling shabu and a 12-to-20 years jail term for possession. CA affirmed the trial court’s conviction on Dec. 7, 2018.

Also cleared of an illegal drug case by the high court was Antonio Ancheta, who was arrested in San Fernando City in La

From A1

said fuel prices would go up during the week of June 29-July 5, 2021.

"Diesel will increase by P0.70 to P0.80 per liter. Gasoline will increase

by P1.00 to P1.10 per liter," Unioil said in its weekly advisory.

This will be the fifth consecutive week of oil price increases.

On June 22, the oil companies raised gasoline prices by P0.75 per liter and hiked diesel and kerosene by P0.70 per liter.

These resulted in a net increase of P10.75 per liter for gasoline, P9.25 per

Duterte’s...

From A1

“We want to hear what happened in the last five years -- and moving forward for the last year of his administration, what can still be done?” he added.

The lawmaker said it is critical to update the public on the government's response to the pandemic, including the status of the government's vaccination program.

“This is important because many

lar wave of support to the presidency in 2010, a year after his mother, former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, died.

Cory Aquino herself was propelled to the highest position in the land by the death of her husband, Sen. Benigno “Ninoy” Aquino Jr. The late President Noynoy's youngest sister, actress Kris Aquino, can be a "powerful catalyst" for the opposition, Arugay added.

“She has huge influence in politics.

Short of running, she can also be a powerful catalyst for the opposition,” he said.

Filipinos still do not trust the vaccine.

In the meantime, the government must continue its campaign to gain the people's trust in vaccines, based on science," he added.

Lacson also backed Senate President Vicente Sotto III's call to emphasize prevention and rehabilitation in the government's fightagainst illegal drugs.

He said former President and Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, in his last year in Malacanang, had arranged with the Los Angeles-based Drug Abuse\ Resistance Education International to train police to inform students of the ill effects of illegal drugs.

Senator wants info on P15-b vaccine buys THE government should be more transparent in the procurement of P15 billion worth of coronavirus vaccines, Senator Francis Pangilinan said on Sunday, as he raised the disparity in prices in purchased jabs against COVID-19.

He noted that the national government has so far purchased three brands of vaccines, including Sinovac and Sputnik V, and that the P15-billion budget also includes delivery and down payment.

"You can see how Sinovac was the first to be procured and received the most payment from the government's vaccine procurement funds,"Pangilinan said over Super Radyo DZBB. The opposition senator said the national government should disclose which brand received the huge chunk of the funds.

Earlier, Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said vaccines cost around $6.75 (P323.26) to $27.59 (roughly P1,321) per dose with the exchange rate of $1 = 47.89 as of June 14,2021.

"Well, vaccine prices range from P1,000 to P700. We want to know which brand is priced the highest? We see the big disparity so we would like to know which brand got four times more the price, and why?" Pangilinan said.

PNP...

From A1

Dipasupil's shooting spree came less than a month after another drunk policeman shot and killed a woman at pointblank range in Fairview, Quezon City.

In December last year, a Parañaque cop gunned down his two neighbors in Tarlac after complaining about their noise.

“This recent incident at MPD, along with the previous ones, highlights the need for us to closely look into the overall state of our men,” Eleazar said. “We also have to look after their emotional and physical state, not just how they do their jobs.”

Eleazar said he is considering psychological exams at least every three years as part of efforts to improve the general welfare of PNP members, especially those involved in ground operations.

Based on initial information, Dipasupil indiscriminately fired his weapon at different offices, including that of MPD Director Brig. Gen. Leo Francisco.

Dipasupil wounded S/Sgt. Reynaldo Cordova and encountered M/Sgt. Romeo Cantal and PS/Sgt. Ferdinand Francia as he tried to escape.

Another shootout ensued, wounding Dipasupil and Cantal.

Cantal died at around 3:10 a.m. Saturday at the Manila Medical Center, while Cordova is already out of danger.

“We commend the cops who tried to stop Dipasupil, particularly Romeo Cantal who lost his life. We grieve with the family of Sergeants Dipasupil and Cantal, and we assure them of our assistance, along with another policeman who was wounded during that attack,” said Eleazar.

Eleazar said the MPD was conducting a thorough investigation.

“The investigation I ordered on the unfortunate incident at the Manila Police District goes beyond the shooting as this includes other aspects such as possible mental health issues of all our personnel,” he added.

Francisco said Dipasupil was not on duty on Friday evening but insisted on retrieving a weapon from his office, which was locked.

“He broke the doors down and took a rifle. He also had his service firearm on him, but we've now recovered all of the weapons,” Francisco said.

MPD said Dipasupil fired a weapon once, then went to the ground floor.

OFW...

From A1

“My fiancée and I can finally have our dream wedding and set ourselves up for the future,” he added.

Antonio is the second Filipino and 11th overall Mahzooz millionaire of 2021. Earlier this month, “Roland,” an OFW working at a bakeshop in Abu Dhabi as a delivery van driver, also won AED1 million.

Over 17,000 Filipinos have won since the weekly draws started in November last year, according to Mahzooz, taking home a cumulative total of over AED6.5 million (P85.9 million) in cash prizes ranging from AED35 (about P460), the minimum amount spent to participate, to AED1 million.

Entrants can participate in Mahzooz by registering via www.mahzooz.ae and purchasing a bottle of water. Each bottle of water purchased (for AED 35) provides eligibility for one line in the draw and the donation is channeled through Mahzooz’s community partners to hydrate those in need.

News Hospitals urged to adopt, pursue top digitalization

By Macon Ramos-Araneta TO SUSTAIN quality healthcare amid pandemic, medical and information technology experts have called for hospital digitization.

Former Philippine Medical Association (PMA) president Bu Castrol has called on hospitals to adopt digital innovations to enhance delivery of healthcare services as medical frontlines and hospital capacities continue to be pushed to the limit due to rising Covid-19 cases.

Castrol cited global studies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing over 40 per cent drop of patients visiting hospitals due to fear of virus infection.

Speaking during the Globe Business Webinar titled “Own Progress through Collaboration: Innovating Healthcare with Digital Technologies,” Castro lamented the virus has already claimed the lives of more than 40 local doctors.

To avert this incident of loss, Castro said the healthcare industry can devise a way to enable doctors to attend to their patients, “without the risks of exposure (to Covid-19), while patients are provided quality treatment.”

A pathologist and medico-legal expert, Castro said telemedicine, a form of diagnosis and treatment of patients through telecommunications “may not be perfect, but best in the time of pandemic.”

Globe Business offers a modular and digital system for hospitals that automates administrative, financial, and logistical processes through a secured platform, said Manelle CousartSuyat, Industry Marketing Head for Healthcare of Globe Business.

“A lot of realizations from our healthcare partners dwell on digitization as this can help alleviate stress on the manual process and give them more time to handle cases without having to worry about the administrative aspect,” said Suyat.

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

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Binay named to global climate board

M

AKATI Mayor Abby Binay has been appointed to the Board of the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate & Energy (GCoM), the world’s biggest alliance for city climate leadership with more than 10,500 member cities and local governments.

“It is a great honor to be selected as one of the board members of GCoM. I look forward to being a champion for mayors in Southeast Asia and around the world as we work together to implement actionable solutions for a more resilient and sustainable future,” she said.

Binay will represent over 80 cities in the GCoM Mayoral Board, which is co-chaired by former New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, who is the UN Special Envoy on Climate Ambition and Solutions, founder of charita-

ble organization Bloomberg Philanthropies and software company Bloomberg L.P., and Frans Timmermans, European Commission Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal.

“We’re glad to welcome Mayor Binay to the board of the Global Covenant of Mayors. Cities play a central role in confronting climate change, and Mayor Abby will provide an important perspective, especially as Southeast Asia faces severe risks. Together, we will help lead the charge on city climate action,” said Bloomberg.

Timmermans also congratulated the mayor on her appointment and lauded her for being a strong advocate for climate action in Southeast Asia.

“Mayor Binay is a strong advocate for climate action in Southeast Asia and we warmly welcome her to the Global Covenant Board,” he said. “Cities are at the forefront of the fight against the climate crisis, and drive many of the changes we need to succeed in our green transition. I congratulate Mayor Binay on her appointment and look forward to working together,” he added.

As a board member, Binay vowed to serve as a critical voice toward meeting the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCC) Race to Resilience campaign, which aims to help communities build

resilience and adapt to the impacts of climate change like extreme heat, drought, flooding, and sea-level rise.

The mayor will launch the Cities Race to Resilience campaign at the Asia Pacific Climate Week on July 8 to encourage cities to join the global movement and commit to undertaking risk and vulnerability assessments.

A graduate of human ecology and law, Binay has implemented sustainable development efforts in Makati by upgrading and distributing equipment to disaster response teams, City Hall employees, and residents.

She also innovated programs in the city to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, improve air quality, restore rivers and creeks, prevent the use of plastic bags in households and establishments, and preserve green spaces.

Villars host vaccination of seafarers in Las Pinas

BACOLOD JABS. Bacolod City Mayor Bing Leonardia (standing left) and Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran (standing

right) oversee the inoculation procedures at the newly opened vaccination center for priority groups at Robinsons Place Bacolod on Saturday. Leonardia, who chairs both the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and the COVID-19 Vaccination Council (CoVaC), and Familiaran, chair of the City IATF, are accompanied by EOC deputy for medical Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan. They are assisted by Robinsons Place Visayas-Mindanao Operations director Joseph Sian and mall operations manager Mary Jo San Marte. BACOLOD PIO

SENATOR Cynthia A. Villar and daughter Las Pinas Rep. Camille Villar on Sunday served as hosts in the city in the nationwide vaccination of Filipino seafarers who were hardest hit by the pandemic.

The inoculation of around 1,086 seafarers was conducted at the Villar-owned The Tent South Global City in Las Pinas.

The vaccination of the Filipino seafarers was done in 13 regions across the country in celebration of the 25th Founding Anniversary of Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP).

Through the Office of Sen. Villar, The Tent was chosen by Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as one of the sites in the simultaneous nationwide vaccination of seafarers.

Once fully vaccinated, Sen. Villar said the seafarers can go back to their jobs, which were disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic.

“Being protected against the virus, they can return to their ships and voyage and earn a living for their families.

They are also protecting their families from potential infection in the process,” said Sen. Villar, as she lauded Filipino seafarers on the 11th anniversary of the Day of the Seafarer.

She recognized Filipino seafarers and their families for their contribution to the Philippine economy amid the worst pandemic to hit the country, resulting in massive dislocation of local workers and closures of business establishments. Macon Ramos-Araneta

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Opinion

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

Adelle Chua, Editor

President Noy

EDITORIAL

He had just confirmed the sad news himself, and told me the former president was still in the emergency room of Capitol Medical Center, the hospital in Quezon Avenue which was nearest to the Times Street house inherited by PNoy from his dad and mom, Ninoy and Cory.

President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, I HAD a long chat with former executive son of democracy icons Ninoy and Cory secretary Jojo Ochoa last Wednesday af- and direct descendant of a revolutionary ternoon in Taguig City. hero, was gone at the young age of 61.

We had not seen each other for quite *** some time, and I learned only then that Listening to PNoy’s friend and schoolhis law firm, with the acronym MOST, mate, Fr. Jet Villarin in the livestreamed or Marcos, Ochoa, Serapio and Tan was mass at the Ateneo’s Church of the Gesu, no longer around. A long-time partner, we learned that after an angioplasty last Joseph Tan had earlier passed away, and May which removed serious blockages to Ed Serapio, another friend who was incar- his heart, there was a rather cryptic mescerated along with President Erap after the sage from Noynoy. latter was deposed, had semi-retired after Advising his friend to take time to rest a six-year stint as executive secretary to and allow the heart to heal, Fr. Jet thought the former president turned mayor of the their exchange of SMS was over. But nation’s capital. then, PNoy texted once more: “Yong isang It was just last Wednesday that I learned klaseng broken heart, hindi kaya dito.” from Jojo Ochoa that the former president Those of us who listened to Fr. Villarin’s was very ill; that he was undergoing kid- homily must have wondered what the late ney dialysis twice a week, and was waiting president meant. Was it a heart broken by for a transplant after a suitable donor was the problems that he sees the nation and vetted. our people confronting these days?

ES Ochoa told Was it a heart brome as well that ken by the unfoundin December of ed attacks against ‘Yong isang 2019, after the forhis person intended mer president was klaseng broken heart, to diminish his legrushed to Makati acy as president, athindi kaya dito.’

Med, his heartbeat tacks that he bore in actually flat-lined pained silence? for a few seconds, We probably will and he was mernever know the answers. Unless President cifully revived by doctors. In Taiwan, I Noy wrote memoirs after he retired to the was informed then by our former director, privacy of his own quiet space, the truth Maryknoll missionary Fr. Joy Tajonera, about his feelings may never come out, about PNoy’s hospitalization, but not and in his sudden and unexpected death, about the near-death situation. he may have intended it that way.

The gravity of his health problems had *** been compounded --- a blocked artery that The day and a half wake, which berequired an angioplasty a month before, gan in the afternoon of June 24 at Herilungs impaired likely by chain smoking, tage Park, thence a full day and night at and kidneys that malfunctioned, with all his alma mater Ateneo, was too short for these worsened by his diabetic condition. a man who for six years presided over the All of us who served under President nation’s life. But his sisters knew exactNoy witnessed the unhealthy eating hab- ly what would be pleasing to their brothits: the ever-present Coca-Cola, the milk er, who in life, and now in death, was the chocolate bars, the chicharon, the corned epitome of simplicity. beef and the steaks, which an Italian chef His self-deprecation, which was often once complained to me about the president misinterpreted as aloofness, was so differpreferring his well-done. ent from the ebullient father, Ninoy , and “Naka-kaawa”, Ochoa described his was perhaps closer to that of President long-time friend, and added that the last Cory’s quiet dignity, not wanting to draw time he visited Times Street, PNoy was attention to self, not wanting to indulge in just about a hundred pounds light, ema- any form of vainglory. ciated and obviously in long stretches of At the funeral mass last Saturday, before pain. his mortal ashes encased in a simple stainThen, while I was going through the less steel urn was brought to the Manila news online the following morning, a Memorial Park, there to lie in rest beside friend sent a cryptic question via text mes- Ninoy and Cory, the utter simplicity of the sage: “PNoy was DOA when brought event attended by family and a few close to the hospital minutes ago. True or fake friends due to the health protocols of our news?”, the message read. yet viral contagion, was again in keeping I called up Jojo, but he was obviously with PNoy’s humility. still asleep at around nine in the morning.

And so, as President Benigno Simeon I did not want to ask his sisters, particular- Aquino III joins his beloved parents and ly Ballsy or Pinky, whose numbers were as the oft-quoted saying goes, now “bein my phone memory. So I called up Fa- longs to the ages,” this writer could only ther Joy who has his parish in Taichung in repeat what he immortalized when Ninoy central Taiwan, and who runs the Ugnayan Aquino was slain, President Noy, “Hindi Center for distressed Filipino contract Ka Nag-iisa”. workers and seafarers.

Hail and farewell.

PNoy to do the same for those who come before us.

Notwithstanding my own personal disagreements and frustrations with how the last years of his presidency turned out to be, I believe Noynoy Aquino deserved to be remembered well – for his immense audacity to embrace so gargantuan a task to be president of the nation.

I VOTED for Noynoy Aquino in 2010. It was For that reason alone, Noynoy Aquino dea choice fueled by a youthful idealism shaped serves our nation’s gratitude. by many years of post-EDSA education, and He was not perfect. He was not without his by emotions stirred by the death of democra- flaws. He certainly knew his weaknesses. cy icon Cory Aquino. Not only did I vote for He knew politics was a thankless, damn-ifhim, I campaigned for him, believing that he you-damn-if-you-don’t job. would propel the change that my generation But despite the odds, he pressed on. earnestly hoped for.

His parents, Ninoy and Cory Aquino, were In his first State of the Nation Address as acknowledged giants in our nation’s history. president, I reI can only imagine member posting on how much of a reFacebook that the sponsibility it was to election of Noynoy be their son. How it One man can only Aquino made me was even more difdo so much, but a proud to be Filipificult to follow their no. It was, I believe, footsteps in serving nation can definitely do the political euphothe country. more. ria that seemed at Funerals, it is ofthat time to prevail ten said, are more over politics in the for the living than it country. is for the dead. The Then the debates for the Reproductive familiar rituals of death are often for the conHealth Act happened. solation of the grieving than they are to edify Then the Disbursement Acceleration Pro- the deceased. The same is true with Noynoy gram.

Aquino’s passing from this life. Suddenly, we Then supertyphoon Yolanda devastated our all have to pause, not only to observe the usual home region of Eastern Visayas. obsequies, but to remind ourselves even more By the time six years was almost over, the powerfully of the frail and fragile reality of mighty torch of optimism had become but a human existence. flicker, and I was more than eager to see the At the end of this life, both princes and paunext president take on the job. pers will have to leave this world for the next.

It is a very Filipino trait to speak well of By then our politics, power and possessions the deceased – I agree with it. We all hope to would no longer be of consequence. be remembered well for our past actions and Truth be told, these past two years of the decisions, and hopefully leave behind a lega- pandemic have made us all too familiar with cy that will outlive us. The least we can do is death. Many of us have lost dear family and

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Decency

D

IVISION, disagreement and discord among people with different political beliefs are common, even good. These things make a democracy thrive and pave the way for enlightened discourse.

And then there are gross transgressions of basic human decency.

The death on Thursday of former President Benigno Aquino III came as a shock to a nation still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic and many other issues in governance.

Mr. Aquino, 61, had quietly slipped into the quiet life of a private citizen after his term ended nearly five years ago, and few were aware about the seriousness of his illnesses.

A lawyer and “guest host” for a tele-radio program, however, could not contain his glee on air upon receiving confirmation that the former president, after reports of being rushed to the hospital, had passed on.

Lorenzo Gadon, during a live program on DWIZ Thursday morning, said: I received information from some members of the media that eto daw [expletive] na ‘to PNoy Aquino…pa-

There are some things that should transcend political animosity. tay na daw ang [expletive].” (“This [expletive]…he’s dead, this [expletive]” He didn’t stop there. When he was more sure, he exclaimed: “Ay patay na nga! Yeehee!” (“He’s dead!”). He referred to the former president as an animal and said he was so ecstatic that he would raffle off a ticket to Hong Kong.

Gadon could only be heard, not seen.

One of the hosts, Trixie Cruz Angeles, even appeared amused, laugh-

ing at Gadon’s delight. She and her two co-hosts, Conrado Banal and Jonathan dela Cruz, made no effort whatsoever to pull the plug on their colleague. Not even when he later claimed that the former president had succumbed to HIV. The station eventually apologized to the Aquino family.

But Gadon is hardly an aberration.

An army of social media users have found ways to discredit Aquino’s achievements while in office and mock his imperfections in his personal life and his job. Much was made of the fact that he was living alone in the ancestral house, with only the company of household staff. Of course he was - he was a bachelor, and this was the life he chose.

There are some things that should transcend political animosity. Grief over the death of a former leader who did his best given his circumstances, eschewed fanfare, and governed with decency and simplicity is one of these things.

At the very least, if one could not say anything good or true, one better keep quiet. Gadon should not be allowed to get away with what he said.

Ayuda from responsible mining

THE Spanish word “Ayuda,” a word that fits well with the spirit of “bayanihan” as a collective effort of society, was widely adopted as a sort of brand for giving aid to hard-hit families whose livelihoods were abruptly disrupted or even lost when the economy took a nosedive due to the long, on-and-off lockdowns. As government mobilization proved slow and inadequate, the private sector was able to greatly fill in the distribution gaps with its nimble problem solving and efficient culture, and of course, fast, and substantial funding capacity.

This crisis has had a galvanizing effect on the biggest business groups in the country coming together in an unprecedented private business-led movement to help the country survive and rebound from this health and economic disaster.

An important sector that should be recognized is the mining industry that responded to the government’s call for help and gave “ayuda” directly to 1.1 million families and about 300,000 front liners in the host and neighboring communities of mining projects nationwide. These are remote areas of the country and should be seen as good models of how private sector investments can develop a thriving and sustainable mining ecosystem from practically nothing.

Even more interventions in food security, education, and livelihood are already looking beyond the pandemic and are being implemented by the large scale mining companies under the holistic approach and discipline of the Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) principles. This is a globally proven framework that integrates stakeholder interests in sustainable mining practices.

To site some on the ground ayudas, about 19,000 families in Nueva Vizcaya and Quirino received food supplies, medicines, and personal protection equipment from OceanaGold

friends, often without the usual comforts of a final send-off. Physical distancing has kept us from hugging each other, and restricted us from crowding during wakes. More often than not, remains have to be cremated, denying even the closest of our family one last final glimpse of the deceased.

Seeing Noynoy Aquino’s urn placed on top of a simple table bedecked with flowers reminded me of how this crisis has changed even the way a nation grieves for a former president.

In her death, Cory Aquino stirred our nation’s conscience and made us think of what went wrong that needed to be corrected.

In his passing, Noynoy Aquino prompts us to remember the good that every Filipino needs to do.

There is no doubt that since his term as

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

Also in Benguet, Lepanto Consolidated Mining Corp. (LCMC) and Far Southeast Gold Resources, Inc. opened quarantine facilities for Casubigan camp with its own hospital staff adequately equipped with PPEs and medical supplies. The company implemented mass testing and isolation protocols for those found positive. This included free meals.

In Masbate, Filminera Resources Corp. and PhilGold Processing and Refining Corp. kept the Christmas spirit alive with food distribution for 400 families in Albay, 100 of which are indigenous people hardest hit by typhoon Rolly and Ulysses. In the aftermath of the 6.6-magnitude earthquake in Masbate, P5 million was donated by the company to rebuild homes and for the relief goods of victims.

In Dinagat Island, Surigao del Norte, a fully equipped, 150-bed quarantine facility was funded by the Cagdiano Mining Corp (CMC),

a subsidiary of Nickel Asia Corp (NAC) in cooperation with the local government’s “Katre-Karpintero” program. NAC together with subsidiaries CMC, Taganito Mining Corporation (TMC), and Taganito HPAL Nickel Corp (THPAL) donated P18 million to the Philippine Red Cross for the establishment of a Molecular Testing Laboratory for COVID-19 in Surigao del Norte. TMC also donated about 5,000 rapid antibody test (RAT) kits while THPAL provided Calver Town with RATs, and an iChroma II antigen device. THPAL also distributed 489 relief goods to IP families in cooperation with the Army 30th Infantry Battalion.

Mining companies gave a total of 92,000 sacks of rice to communities all over the country. P30 million worth of rice was donated by Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp. (RTNMC) and Coral Bay Nickel Corp. (CBNC).

The Platinum Group Metals Corp (PGMC) has allocated P12 million for its Food Security Project which will provide food and livelihood for partner communities.

In Kiblawan, Davao del Sur, 30 barangays in Kiblawan, Davao del Sur received P25,000 “seed money” for development initiatives from the Sagittarius Mines Inc. The company has been supporting the centuries-old Blaan tribal domains through humanitarian and education interventions despite not operating since 1995 because of regulatory delays which hopefully will be resolved soon.

Already the members of the Chamber of Mines of the Philippines are looking beyond this crisis and are poised to become one of the country’s most important economic drivers that will catalyze long-term prosperity. With the global shift to digital technologies, all electronic devices that we will need require the mineral resources that we happen to have abundance and just waiting to be responsibly harnessed. If the remaining ban on open pit mining is lifted, which many experts say, and I agree, was more ideological and not science based, the right investments will come in to spark the rebirth of a vibrant and sustainable mineral development industry benefiting millions of stakeholders.

president ended, our country has become even more polarized and divided.

Both sides of the divide have been wanting to speak, but care less to listen. Both have been too eager to point out the wrong, but too proud to admit their mistakes. Both have deigned to be selfless, only in the end to be blinded by their own selfish interests.

I pray that with his death, Noynoy Aquino will remind us that all of us Filipinos are but one nation and for both sides of the divide to remember that despite imaginary mountains of partisanship and ideologies that seem to separate us, we are all neighbors after all.

Neighbors that according to Pope Francis’ recent encyclical Fratelli Tutti are bound together into a single human family.

The truth, however, is that presidents do

come and go, and in the end, the ultimate task of building this nation depends not only on the actions of one man, but upon our own collective efforts. A president can lead us where to go, but the choice whether to make the journey is for all of us to make.

I have no doubt Noynoy Aquino did the best he could to serve our nation well.

Many of us would think his best was not good enough – that is a question that we better ask ourselves. For his every action with which we disagreed, each one of us bore part of the responsibility of correcting it.

In the end, lest we forget, we will have to account for our own actions in the same way we demand it from others.

One man can only do so much, but a nation can definitely do more.

Thank you, PNoy!

Phils. Inc. though their copper-gold project has not been operating since July 2019 pending renewal of government contract. FCF Minerals Corp. also gave food supplies to 10,500 households.

In Benguet province, Philex Mining Corp.

(PMC) augmented the government’s Social Amelioration Program for medicines in several barangays and gave cash support to families in Barangay Camp 3 in Tuba through subsidiary Silangan Mindanao Mining Co., Inc. which also converted its stockyard to temporary isolation facilities for Placer, Surigao del Norte.

These are good models of how private sector investments can develop a thriving and sustainable mining ecosystem.

A global model to tackle violence against women

by António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

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

Beyond ‘necropolitics’

Getting wired all over

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Jimbo Owen Gulle

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor City Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer Elmer T. Alitagtag Art Director

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

World

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

SYDNEY LOCKDOWN.

IN BRIEF

People cross the road in an empty section of Chinatown in Sydney on June 27 on the first full day of a twoweek COVID-19 coronavirus lockdown to contain an outbreak of the highly contagious Delta variant. AFP

Fires destroy 2 more churches in Canada OTTAWA—Fires on Saturday destroyed two more Catholic churches in indigenous communities in western Canada, following grim discoveries at former church-run indigenous residential schools of nearly 1,000 unmarked graves.

St. Ann’s Catholic Church on the Upper Similkameen Indian Band and the Chopaka Catholic Church on the Lower Similkameen Indian Band were set ablaze less than an hour apart in the early morning, federal police said.

“Both churches have been destroyed,” Sergeant Jason Bayda of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement.

Authorities consider the two fires “suspicious, and are looking to determine any possible connection to the church fires in both Penticton and Oliver on June 21, 2021,” he said.

The Penticton and Oliver fires -- about 50 kilometers (30 miles) away -- are still under investigation.

The destruction of the four churches comes at a raw time for many of Canada’s indigenous peoples still struggling with the discovery, using ground-penetrating radar mapping, of the remains of 215 schoolchildren at a former residential school in Kamloops last month, and 751 more unmarked graves at another school in Marieval this week.

On Friday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau apologized for the “harmful” government policy of indigenous assimilation applied at 139 of these schools across Canada until the 1990s, and called on Pope Francis to do the same. AFP

Gov’t: Marib clashes kill 111 in three days DUBAI—Clashes between rebels and Yemeni government fighters killed at least 111 in Marib in three days, pro-government sources said, following a renewed offensive by Huthi insurgents.

The fighting between Thursday and Sunday killed 29 pro-government personnel and at least 82 rebels, the pro-government sources told AFP. “These areas witnessed fierce fighting amid artillery shelling from both sides and intense coalition air raids,” a government military official said, referring to the Saudi-led military coalition that backs the government.

The Iran-allied Huthi insurgents escalated their efforts to seize Marib, the government’s last stronghold in northern Yemen, in February, and the fighting has killed Manilahundreds on both sides.

Standard Control of the oil-rich region would TODAY strengthen the Huthis’ bargaining position in peace talks, but the battle has also raised fears of a humanitarian catastrophe, as many Yemenis had fled to the area to escape fighting in other parts of the country. AFP

EXTRA-JUDICIAL SETTLEMENT

NOTICE

Notice is hereby given that the state of the late LIBERTINE SANTOS-CHIN has been extra-judicially settled among her heirs as per Extrajudicial Settlement dated May 5, 2020, Apostille # UPPT-L3-111611, date issued: May 20, 2020 at Sydney Passport Office, Australia before Notary Public Timothy William Weissel, N.S.W Notary ID 374

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE ESTATE OF THE LATE ALEXANDER S. LIM WAS EXTRAJUDICIALLY SETTLED BY HEIRS AS PER DOC. NO. 158; PAGE 33; BOOK NO. II; SERIES OF 2021 BEFORE NOTARY PUBLIC ATTY. ROE ANNE R. CADIZ OF MAKATI CITY.

(MS-June 21/28, July 5, 2021

UK health chief resigns over virus rules breach L

ONDON—UK Health Secretary Matt Hancock resigned on Saturday following revelations he broke government coronavirus restrictions during an affair with a close aide, with former finance minister Sajid Javid taking up the role.

The frontman for Britain’s response to the pandemic, particularly the nationwide vaccine roll-out, quit in a letter to Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“We owe it to people who have sacrificed so much in this pandemic to be honest when we have let them down as I have done by breaching the guidance,” he wrote.

“The last thing I would want is for my private life to distract attention from the single-minded focus that is leading us out of this crisis.”

Johnson said he was sorry to receive Hancock’s resignation, and that he should be “immensely proud” of his service.

His Downing Street office later

said that Queen Elizabeth II had approved the appointment of Sajid Javid MP as his replacement.

Johnson had initially stood by his health secretary after Hancock admitted breaking Covid social distancing rules, when at the same time he was urging the public to stick by the measures.

Opposition parties have accused the government of hypocrisy over breaches of lockdown rules which have seen many members of the public slapped with fines.

Hancock conceded he had let the public down after The Sun newspaper published a security camera still obtained apparently from a whistle-

FLAGS IN STANDS.

Military personnel sit in the stands during the Independence Day celebration of Madagascar at the brand new Barea Stadium in Antananarivo on June 26.

AFP

(MS-JUNE 21/28, JULY 5, 2021)

NOTICE OF ADOPTION Notice is hereby given by Spouses Ramesh De Cabraal Wijetunge and Melanie Mabanes Sofista that they have filed a Petition for Adoption for Ivee Laine Sofista Duran with the Regional Trial Court, National Capital Region, Branch 225, Quezon City. Thru this notice, the petitioners are informing the biological father, Marvin Aguilar Duran of their on-going petition for adoption of Ivee Laine Sofista Duran.

(MStandard-June 14, 21 & 28, 2021)

Notice of Dissolution NIKFILL CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. Notice is hereby given of the Dissolution of NIKFILL CONSTRUCTION CO., INC. as of December 31, 2019. Any party who has any interest in this regard may give to notice thereof at Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices, 11th Floor, Security Bank Centre, 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City.

Death toll rises to 5 in Florida building crash

SURFSIDE—The death toll from the partial collapse of a Florida high-rise blower showing him kissing the aide apartment building rose to five on in his office on May 6.

Saturday as officials continued to hold The main opposition Labour party out hope for survivors, following the said the government needed to anrelease of an engineering report from swer questions about the undisclosed three years ago that warned of “major appointment of the aide, former structural damage.” lobbyist Gina Coladangelo, to HanThe increase in the death toll by cock’s top advisory team. one underscored the slow and painsBoth she and Hancock are martaking search process more than two ried, and first met at university. days after part of the 12-story oceanLast week, Hancock rejected criticism front building in Surfside, near Miami of his handling of the Covid pandemic Beach, pancaked into a mountain of after private WhatsApp exchanges debris as residents slept inside. emerged in which Johnson appeared to “Today our search and rescue teams describe him as “hopeless”. found another body in the rubble and He has also previously faced allegaas well our search has revealed some tions that he lied to Johnson and awarded human remains,” Miami-Dade Couna contract to an unqualified friend. ty mayor Daniella Levine Cava told CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK And he has faced further questions reporters Saturday evening. about his ownership of shares in a With the identification of three previfamily company that won a Covidously recovered bodies and notification of related contract from his ministry next of kin, “it means that the unaccountlast year. AFP ed is now gone down to 156, confirmed deaths are now at a total of five,” she said.

Rescuers were able to battle back a fire that hampered their efforts earlier in the day, and workers had dug a trench through the debris to control the “very deep” blaze.

“We don’t have a resource problem here, we have a luck problem,” said Surfside Mayor Charles Burkett.

“The issue is we’ve been fighting the elements, we’ve been fighting the fire, but we have one objective. And that is to bring those people out of the rubble safely and return them to their families.”

The passage of time with no further survivors being found raised fears of a much higher death toll as rescuers sift through the debris with heavy machinery and sniffer dogs, and as increasingly frustrated families continued their agonizing wait.

“We have a friend who got out of the building with her husband,” Gina Berlin, 54, who lives in the neighborhood, told AFP. “She is still traumatized...

And I am still in shock.” AFP

Trump holds first big post-election rally, still cries poll fraud

WELLINGTON—Donald Trump held his first big campaign-style rally since leaving the White House, giving a vintage, rambling speech Saturday to an adoring audience as he launched a series of appearances ahead of next year’s midterm elections.

The former president, who has been booted from social media platforms

and faces multiple legal woes, has flirted with his own potential candidacy in 2024, but in the 90-minute address at a fair grounds in Ohio he made no clear mention of his political future, even when the crowd chanted “four more years! four more years!”

Trump did tease them at one point by alluding to the possibility of anoth-

(MS-June 21/28, July 5, 2021)

er stab at the White House.

“We may have to win it a third time.

It is possible,” he said, showing yet again he thinks he won in November.

The crowd cheered wildly.

On other matters Trump flitted from one to the next -- immigration, crime, gun rights, Afghanistan, Iran and more -- bouncing like a pinball in

true Trumpian style.

One repeated message was that President Joe Biden is a catastrophe.

“Joe Biden is destroying our nation before our very eyes,” Trump said.

And Trump hammered away yet again at the falsehood that he won the November election but Biden prevailed through fraud. AFP

US’ Blinken meets Israel’s Lapid

NOTICE OF LOSS OF STOCK CERTIFICATE

Notice is given to the public that Tomasian Fastfood Corporation, a corporation duly organized and existing under Philippine laws (the “Corporation”) and with registered address at 1531 A.H. Lacson Cor. Dapitan Streets, Sampaloc, Manila, issued stock certificates of unknown number,in favor of the following stockholders which were declared lost in their respective Affidavits of Loss:1) Mr. Tommy Y. King for ten thousand common shares;2) Mr. William Tan Untiong for ten thousand common shares; 3) Mr. Ernesto Tanmantiong for ten thousand common shares; 4) Mr. Jessie F. Tan for one common share; 5) Winall Holding Corporation for nineteen thousand nine hundred and ninety eight common shares; and 6) Atty. Jon Michael P. Alamis for one common share as per Doc. Nos. 168-172 and 173 in Page Nos. 37-39 of Book No. 1, Series of 2021 before Notary Public Atty. Chiles Megan M. Areño.

If no adverse claim regarding any of the above certificate of stocks is presented to the Corporate Secretary within one year from the last publication of this Notice, the right to make such claim shall forever be barred and the Corporation shall cancel in its books the above certificate of stock and issue a new certificate in lieu thereof.

(MS-JUN 14, 21, 28, 2021)

A5

FRENCH POLLS. A voter holds an electoral card and a ballot before voting at a polling station in Etaples, northern France, for the second round of the French regional elections on June 27. AFP

PARIS—US Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Israel’s new top diplomat Yair Lapid on Sunday, in the United States’ first face-to-face meeting with the freshly installed government that seeks a less combative approach with its main ally Washington.

Lapid, a centrist who delayed his own plans to be prime minister as he masterminded a coalition to unseat veteran leader Benjamin Netanyahu, is flying to Rome to see Blinken, who arrives in Italy on Sunday on a threenation tour of Europe.

The meeting comes as President Joe Biden’s administration moves ahead with fresh talks on reviving a 2015 accord with Iran -- strongly opposed by

Israel -- in which Tehran drastically scaled back nuclear work in return for promises of sanctions relief.

Biden and Blinken are also eager to preserve a fragile ceasefire that took effect on May 21 between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, after the worst fighting since 2014.

The bloodshed triggered some of the strongest criticism of Israel in memory in the US Congress, with some members of Biden’s Democratic Party accusing Netanyahu of excessive force and of triggering the crisis by backing far-right Jewish groups that want to change the delicate status quo in the holy city of Jerusalem. AFP

News

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MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Albay keeps lights on, averts price hike

By Rio N. Araja

A

LBAY Rep. Joey Salceda on Sunday said said that he has reached an understanding with Malacanang and Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi to prevent the looming power rate increase in Albay due to the province’s overexposure to the spot market, whose electricity prices went up this quarter due to a thin supply and a sharp demand.

Salceda lauded Senator Christopher “Bong” Go and Cusi for their intervention to have a previous Department of Energy’s rejection of the power supply agreement reversed.

“Thanks to Sen. Bong Go and Sec. Cusi, the Department of Energy

will issue on Tuesday a certificate of exemption from concentrating solar (CSP) to APEC for six months.

This would enable them to engage in emergency power supply agreement (EPSA) and buy 100 percent from other suppliers at P6.70 instead of P13.47 at

the wholesale electricity spot market (WESM),” he said.

“This would mean that electricity prices will not just go back to P9.40 from the current P13.20 to as low as P8.40 for July billings,” he added.

He said he has also talked to the Palace through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea to ensure that President Rodrigo Duterte is informed about the situation.

“This intervention will keep the lights on in Albay, and possibly lower prices.

It buys us six months to solve more structural issues with Albay Power and Energy Corp.,” he noted.

In a June 25 letter to Cusi, Salceda requested that the DOE would reconsider

its May 27 rejection of the request for the EPSA. “While I recognize the department’s prerogative, I request your urgent reconsideration of the matter, in light of the extraordinary circumstances that Albay is under. As a result of the decision to deny the request for the COE, APEC/Albay Electric Cooperative In. is now required to source all its power requirements, reaching 40 MW at full demand, from rom the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market (“WESM”) or now referred to as the Independent Market Operator of the Philippines (“IEMOP”),” the letter read.

“I am certain the department understands the implications of having

Magnitude 5 tremor jolts Surigao Sur A MAGNITUDE 5.0 earthquake jolted Surigao del Sur on Sunday afternoon, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said.

The tectonic quake struck 14 kilometers (km) southeast of Cagwait at 3:14 p.m It had a depth of 26 km.

Intensity III was felt in Bislig City while Instrumental Intensity II was recorded in Surigao City; Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental; and Abuyog, Leyte.

Instrumental Intensity I was also recorded in Cagayan de Oro City, Philvolcs said.

Reported intensity is the traditional way of knowing the intensity based on reports by people who felt the earthquake.

Instrumental intensity, on the other hand, is measured using intensity meter that measures ground acceleration.

Phivolcs said aftershocks are possible, but damage is not expected.

Damage is ikely to occur at Intensity VI, based on Phivolcs’ scale. Rio Araja

Ex-Speaker: Economy top election issue

HOPE. Continuing the successful campaign for “ Sampung Libong Pag-asa” Taguig City’s Second District Rep. Lani Cayetano distributes P10,000 in aid to each of the 200 Seafarers beneficiaries during the celebration of the International Seafarers Day held at Mercado del Lago, Lakeshore, Taguig City. Her husband former Speaker Alan Cayetano is the main proponent of a bill seeking to grant P10,000.00 in aid to indigent citizens. Norman Cruz

Manila speeds up jab, aims at herd immunity in 3 months

By Macon Ramos-Araneta AT THE rate vaccination in Manila is going, Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso is upbeat their target of herd immunity can be achieved by September.

Domagoso has ordered the vaccination of all Manila residents and even non-residents in their 22 sites from 6 am to 8 pm.

“We want to vaccinate as many people as we can and as fast as we can,” stressed Domagoso.

In accommodating non-residents, the Manila mayor said he wanted everybody to have access to COVID-19 vaccines so that everybody will gain protection from

an entire province’s energy requirement sourced from a market with highly volatile prices. The price of purchasing the base load, intermediate and peaking energy requirements from WESM is costly at this time, given the sharp increase in Luzon demand and the simultaneous generation plant outages that tightened Luzon power supply,” Salceda said.

“Without an EPSA to provide stable supply at predictable prices, Albayano power consumers are forced to pay higher monthly electric power bills due to the full exposure to WESM. Your reconsideration of the matter could protect them from a steep rise in prices, especially given this hour of great socioeconomic need,” he told Cusi.

the coronavirus.

Last June 22, Manila posted anew the most number of vaccines administered at over 35,000. The vaccinees belonged to the A1, A2, A3, A4, and A5 categories.

“Let’s jab them all!” This was the directive issued by Domagoso to all the vaccination teams in Manila.

Domagoso commended the members of the vaccinating teams—headed by Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna and Manila Health Department chief Dr. Arnold Pangan.

He attributed the fast pace of inoculating people to his decision to enforce an “open policy” allowing walk-ins.

Last June 22, Domagoso scrapped the “no

BUY-BUST.

Agents of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency seize P3.4 million worth of shabu in a buybust operation staged at the parking lot of a mall in Molino 2, Bacoor City, Cavite on June une 26, 2021. The suspect identified as Nelson Kige Uyag will be slapped with drug charges, PDEA said.

JR Josue

walk-in policy” in the city’s vaccination program after it was implemented the same day due to the low turnout of people.

The Manila mayor lamented that only less than 5,000 showed up from 6 a.m. to 4 p.m. out of the 28,000 that were texted that day for their scheduled vaccination.

The system, he said, proved to be a dismal failure.

With the walk-in policy, Domagoso noted they have been inoculating many people daily.

He said the logic behind the walk-in policy, they can immediately give jabs to those who were already at the vaccination sites.

He emphasized that they cannot wait for them to appear for their vaccination so

he gave instructions to the Manila Health Department to allow walk-ins, even for non-Manila residents.

In this way, he said the Manila city government can make the vaccines accessible to everybody.

“I really do not believe in the scheduling system. I don’t believe in a ‘no walk-in policy,’ because vaccines should be made available to anybody,” also said Domagoso.

He once again called on everyone to avail of the free jabs, saying: “Wherever it’s convenient or near you, that’s where you go. That’s why we set up more sites. What matters is you decided to get vaccinated and get protected.

FORMER Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano says the country’s economic recovery would take center stage in the 2022 national and local elections.

Economic recovery measures and other efforts to strengthen the country’s health system would be the key concerns among voters in the upcoming elections, he said.

“The single largest factor in 2022 is the solutions to the problems brought about by COVID-19,” Cayetano said.

With the national government still concentrated on the medical front, he raised deep concern about the country’s efforts toward economic recovery lagging behind the economic stimulus programs being implemented in other countries.

“I see there are plans on the medical side—on vaccination, contract tracing, isolation and beefing up the capacity of the hospital. But on the economic side, we must strive for economic progress similar to what we experienced before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Because compared to other countries, we are being left behind in terms of (economic) stimulus,” Cayetano said.

He said those seeking to run for the presidency must work with experts from different fields to be able to develop a five-year COVID-19 economic recovery plan.

“Convene all the presidentiables. Convene our experts in agriculture, mineral resource development, manufacturing, tourism and finance. (And) Let us come up with a plan that is easy to understand,” he added. Rio Araja

Use bacteria to wipe out dengue, lawmaker urges ANAKALUSUGAN party-list Rep. Mike Defensor on Sunday urged the government to join a multinational effort— the World Mosquito Program—to deploy Wolbachia bacteria as a potential weapon against the dengue virus.

“Our sense is, the initiative holds great promise in helping to reduce the burden of dengue, which afflicts a large number of Filipino children every year,” he said.

“We are baffled that up to now, the Philippines has not had any participation whatsoever in the project,” he added.

The party-list lawmaker called on the Department of Science and Technology and the Department of Health to push for the inclusion of the Philippines in the World Mosquito Program.

“At least 11 dengue-prone countries are already involved in theproject without counting Malaysia, which is carrying out its own effort,” he said.

“Local communities in Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Australia, Fiji, Kiribati, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico are already working with the WMP to help fight dengue outbreaks using Wolbachia,” he added.

Based on a three-year study published at the New England Journal of Medicine, human dengue infections dropped by 77 percent when Wolbachia bacteria was used to weaken the dengue virus in the Aedes aegypti mosquito population.

The weakening of the dengue virus in the mosquitoes diminished their ability to transmit the disease when they bite

humans, the study showed.

It was conducted by the WMP at Monash University in Australia and Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia.

Wolbachia is a safe and naturally occurring bacterium found in more than 60 percent of insect species, including butterflies, bees, dragonflies and some species of mosquitoes, according to Singapore’s National Environment Agency.

The Philippines reeled from a dengue epidemic in 2019 with a record-high of 437,563 cases and 1,689 deaths.

From January 1 to April 17 this year, only 21,478 dengue cases and 80 deaths were reported countrywide, according to the DOH’s National Aedes-borne Viral Disease Prevention and Control Program. Rio Araja

Masbate town renews coral reefs, marine life

A GROWING town in Masbate province has made headway in enhancing its marine ecosystem, following a sustained joint effort of town officials and a Masbate-based company in deploying reef balls and planting coral fragments covering the town’s large protected area.

Environmentalists view reef restoration as a crucial factor in a sustainable environment-friendly marine life which, in turn, will assure an thriving source of livelihood of thousands of fisherfolk in the area.

The joint drive of local officials of Aroroy town and PhilGold Processing and Refining Corporation (PhilGold) has achieved significant gains in reef recreation, following more than three years of reef ball deployment and coral restoration.

The recent report said that some 2,203 reef balls have been deployed, and 29,273 coral fragments have been planted. The work began in 2017, following the joint move of town and

company officials to rehabilitate the coral reefs, following their destruction by dynamite and illegal fishing.

A reef ball is an artificial reef designed to mimic the function of a natural reef, with holes that create whirlpools around it. It is placed there to restore ailing or destroyed coral reefs.

These are made of a special, marine-friendly concrete and used around the world to create habitat for fish and other marine and freshwater species. Reef balls are made in many sizes to best match the natural reef type.

A new technology and local government’s political will, fish and marine life now abound in Aroroy town, particularly at the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Colorada Point, in Barangay Tigbao.

The Colorada Point was declared a marine protected area, with PhilGold serving as its main driver. Also, Phil Gold has been continually expanding the mangroves planting program

to provide additional livelihood to the coastal community of Port Barrera in the same town.

Various species of fish, including the presence of some turtles, lobsters, and other marine life, have been observed thriving at the protected marine area.

The Reef Ball Foundation, a U.S.-based and a publicly supported non-profit global environmental NGO has introduced the new technology. The global foundation is driven by a three-pronged mandate: rehabilitate the world’s ocean reef ecosystems, restore ailing or destroyed coral reefs, and create new fishing and scuba diving sites.

PhilGold has also hired the local fishermen in the community to serve as wardens of the MPA and assistants for coral planting and propagation works. A goat dispersal project was also implemented as part of the livelihood program support to the fisherfolk organization in the area.

PhilGold is a wholly owned by Vancouver-

Reef balls restore coral reefs achieving sustainable marine ecosystem.

based gold producer B2Gold, and has been operating the processing plant in the Masbate Gold Project since 2007. It reported its first gold pouring in 2009.

News

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

Jakarta extols Task Force for rescue of 4

THE Indonesian government commended on Sunday the officers and personnel of Joint Task Force TawiTawi for the rescue of four of their nationals who had been held captive by the outlawed Abu Sayyaf Group.

In a statement, the Western Mindanao Command said Indonesian Consul General Dicky Fabrian personally awarded the certificate of commendation to JTF Tawi-Tawi Commander Brig. Gen. Arturo Rojas.

Fabrian said the “invaluable contribution of the Marines exemplifies their dedication and commitment to the mutual interest of the two countries.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you all. Let us continue to intensify our good relations for the common good.”

In March, troops of JTF TawiTawi and the Philippine National Police rescued the four Indonesians and neutralized ASG sub-leader Apo Mike in Tawi-Tawi.

Anakpawis raps P118-b arms deal with US

By Willie Casas AS THE US State Department approved the arms deal with the Duterte government worth $2.43 billion or P118 billion, the Anakpawis Party-list expressed its opposition and slammed it as “immoral, inappropriate and callous” to the immediate needs of poor sectors.

Anakpawis Party-list National President and former lawmaker Ariel Casilao said in a press statement Sunday: “Amid the national economy in ruins, unemployment and loss of incomes hound the workers and peasants in the country throwing them into hunger and misery, we are hearing about this multi-billion peso arms deal, which is obviously irrelevant to the recovery efforts from the disastrous impact of pandemic lockdown policies.”

According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), the Duterte government requested to buy: 1. 10 F-16C Block 70/72 aircraft; 2. two F-16D Block 70/72 aircraft; 3. 15 F100-PW-229EEP engines or F110-GE-129D engines; 4. 15 Improved Programmable Display Generators (iPDG); 5. 15 AN/APG-83 Advanced Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) Scalable Agile Beam Radars (SABR); 6. 15 Modular Mission Computers 7000AH; 7. 15 LN-260 Embedded GPS/INS (EGI) with SAASM and PPS; 8. 24 Advanced Medium Range Airto-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) AIM120C-7/C-8 or equivalent; 9. one AIM-120 Guidance Section; forty-eight (48) LAU-129 missile launchers; 10. three KMU-572 Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition (LJDAM) tail kits; 11. six Mk-82 500lb bombs; six (6) Mk-82 500lb Inert training bombs; 12. six FMU-152 or FMU-139 fuzes; 13. six Sniper Advanced Targeting Pods (ATP) or Litening ATP; 14. 15 Multifunctional Information Display System Joint Tactical Radio System (MIDS-JTRS) aircraft terminals; 15. 15 M61A1 Vulcan Anti-Aircraft 20mm guns, and; 16. assorted weapon instruments and systems, and ammunition.

A7

GET THAT RFID.

Evident in the long queue at the cash lane ofthe Mindanao Avenue Interchange in Valenzuela on Sunday why getting a radio-frequency identification is more convenient for motorists. It’s free-flowing traffic on the RFID lane whilemotorists paying in cash have to spend a few minutes more beforepassing through. Joey O. Razon

‘PH must teach people on WPS win’

A

MULTI-SECTORAL group said Sunday the government must educate the Filipino people on the country’s arbitral victory in 2016 against China on the South China Sea and internationalize the development.

The Citizens Alliance for Life and the Law (CALL) of the Sea has petitioned the Department of Education and the Commission on Higher Education to include in the high school and college curriculum the arbitral award that invalidates China’s sweeping claims in the South China Sea, said Greg Atienza, executive director of Soul Philippines.

“This is a long fight... If we don’t know our rights, then what are we fighting for? The curriculum of our educa-

tion should include these rights,” Atienza told ABS-CBN’s TeleRadyo.

The Philippines will mark on July 12 the fifth anniversary of the landmark award, which President Rodrigo Duterte shelved in favor of economic benefits from China.

It is regarded as among the important legacies of former President Benigno Aquino III, who died last Thursday.

Atienza said lawmakers were also urged to pass the necessary legislation

to globalize the exploration and development of the West Philippine Sea, the portion of the South China Sea over which the Philippines has sovereign rights.

“So that we can have as many multilateral participation in the West Philippine Sea as one means by which there will be more stability. For example,sign more projects like the Malampaya,” he said.

The Philippine Coast Guard and Philippine Navy are also enjoined to accompany fisherfolks so that they don’t get chased away by Chinese vessels, he added.

The group was formed on June 22, two days before the death of Aquino, whose administration brought China to the arbitral tribunal.

Atienza said that on July 12, some 50

groups will gather online to start their “education campaign for the general citizenry.”

The aim is to expand the “unified action to defend the West Philippine Sea”, to include forming alliance with international counterparts “for the enforcement of the award.”

Rico Domingo of the Philippine Bar Association, in a separate interview Sunday also on TeleRadyo, said that while there was no precedent as regards the enforcement of the arbitral ruling, a case by Nicaragua against the US in the 1980s could serve as a model.

A unit in the PBA is studying this as they plan to draft a blueprint for the enforcement and submit it to the next administration for its consideration.

DPWH breaks ground for Mega Bridge

KEY CHAINS. A merchant displays some key chains with an image of the late President Benigno Aquino III, each sold for P35 each inside the Manila Memorialpark in Sucat, Paranaque on Sunday. Danny Pata

‘Stop freezing funds for peasant women’s welfare’

By Willie Casas

ANAKPAWIS Party-list has denounced what it called the unjust issuance of the Freeze order dated May 5, 2021 by the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC) on the bank accounts of Amihan National Federation of Peasant Women’s bank accounts.

AMLC issued its Resolution TF-38, Series of 2021, allegedly pursuant to Section 11 of Republic Act No. 10168 or the Terrorism Financing and Suppres-

sion Act of 2012.

Anakpawis slammed the order as unfounded and a threat to the rights of bank depositors, especially to those aiding marginalized sectors such as rural-based sectors and peasant women.

Ariel Casilao, Anakpawis Party-list National President and former representative, said in a press statement:”The freeze order is not just unfounded, but outright tyrannical and violation of democratic rights of bank depositors, and in the case of Amihan who consistently aided im-

poverished and neglected peasant communities, sabotages the livelihood and welfare projects of their beneficiaries.

“This sends a chilling effect against critics and opposition, on the futile objective of repressing the organizing of poor sectors into pushing for fundamental reforms.

“We join the demand to scrap the AMLC freeze order and urge the civil society communities, and democracy advocates to support Amihan’s defense against the authoritarian measure.”

CAMALANIUGAN, Cagayan – The much-awaited Mega Bridge in Cagayan linking the town of Aparri and Camalaniugan has been opened with DPWH Secretary Mark Villar leading the ceremonial groundbreaking.

During the ceremony on Friday, Villar said the P2.4-billion bridge would spur socio-economic development and increase productivity in the affected areas alleviating the living condition of the populace as well as to improve and provide direct access to and between outlying barangays, towns and provinces.

The bridge construction across Cagayan River consists of a road network with 18 spans by 55 meters at Approach A located in Aparri West side and 2 spans by 55 meters at Approach B in Camalaniugan side.

With its aesthetic design, the new iconic bridge from the Build Build Build program of Duterte’s administration is foreseen to provide tourism boost in Cagayan as it will be one of the uniquely designed bridges in the country.

Meanwhile, Cagayan Governor Manuel Mamba thanked President Duterte’s Build Build Build program for the realization of another development in the province that Cagayanos would benefit from.

On her part, Regional Director Loreta Malaluan said the Department was looking forward to provide further convenience for motorists featuring a better transport facility. Jessica Bacud

Navotas markets, grocery stores open on Mondays THE City Government of Navotas has lifted the Monday closure of public markets, grocery stores, and talipapas for disinfection.

Mayor Toby Tiangco signed Executive Order 139 Series of 2021 allowing public markets, grocery stores, and talipapas to operate daily except every 1 to 3 P.M. on Mondays.

“Our COVID cases are decreasing that’s why we are easing some restrictions. However, we need to continue to be careful especially now that our country has confirmed cas-

es of the Delta variant,” Tiangco said in a statement.

“While we shortened the disinfection hours, we expect operators and vendees to follow and enforce public health protocols, and conduct daily disinfection,” he added.

Tiangco warned that failure to conduct clean up activities at the indicated schedule might lead to the re-imposition of disinfection day.

“We need to be vigilant lest we risk losing the gains we have achieved in our fight against COVID-19,” he said. Jun David

Taguig to start midnight vaccination next week BLADE BAIT FOR FISHERMEN. The Navotas City Government awarded 30-footer

fiberglass boats andfishing nets to some 100 registered Navoteño fisherfolk. The turnover, led by Congressman John Rey Tiangco, was held in line with the Navotas14th cityhood anniversary. Andrew Rabulan

THE city government of Taguig will commence midnight vaccination anytime next week and eventually extend to 24-hour operations.

The Bonifacio High Street mega hub will exclusively cater to the inoculation of government and economic front-liners under the A4 priority group.

Mayor Lino Cayetano said the move was in response to President Rodrigo Duterte’s call to open vaccination sites even at night.

“There should be not much concern about workers getting vaccinated beyond curfew hours. They can simply show their appointment slips to the en-

forcers if needed,” Cayetano told the media via Viber chat on Sunday.

All appointments can be arranged via TRACE (Taguig Registry for Access and Citizen Engagement).

TRACE kiosks are also set up in all villages and selected malls for those unable to sign up online.

Sports

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

A8

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

Suns seize commanding 3-1 lead vs Clippers LOS ANGELES—Devin Booker scored 25 points and Chris Paul made several clutch free throws in the waning moments as the Phoenix Suns held for an 84-80 win over Los Angeles, putting the Clippers on the brink of elimination from the NBA playoffs.

The Suns led wire-to-wire but it was far from easy as they led by as many as 16 points in the third but saw that dwindle to just one in the fourth when both teams struggled to score, combining for just 29 points in the quarter.

Paul had vowed to be better in game four and he was, scoring 18 points, dishing out seven assists and making five free throws in the final 10 seconds as the Suns seized a commanding 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven Western Conference finals.

“We still got a ways to go but it felt good to get one here,” said Paul, who recently returned from Covid-19 isolation.

“This was a tough environment.

“My nerves are better out here playing than they are at home watching.”

Deandre Ayton finished with 19 points and 22 rebounds and Mikal Bridges chipped in six points and 13 rebounds for the Suns, who are one win away from reaching their first NBA finals since 1993.

Game five is Monday night in Phoenix.

Paul George led the Clippers with 23 points and 16 rebounds while Reggie Jackson had 20 points and Ivica Zubac finished with 13 points and 14 rebounds in front of a crowd of 18,200 at Staples Center arena in downtown Los Angeles.

Booker was eight of 22 from the field and zero of five from three-point range as he had to adjust to playing with a plastic face guard to protect a broken nose he suffered in a collision with Clippers guard Patrick Beverley in game two.

“I believe in this team,” Booker said.

“It was a close one but we came out with the win.

“We rely on our defense. To hold a team like that to 80 points on their home court is impressive.”

Booker removed the face mask for the second half, saying it was difficult to get into a flow with it on. AFP

Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns drives to the basket as Patrick Beverley of the LA Clippers plays defense during Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California. AFP

SEAG softens stance, may agree on ‘22 sked

By Randy Caluag

I

F there are no more options left, it seems that majority of the Southeast Asian Games countries and host Vietnam are all agreeable to have the 31st SEA Games in 2022.

“If the SEA Games will be held in 2022, it should be not later than May,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino.

This is to give at least one year of preparation for the athletes and governments—training and financial--to prepare for the next SEA Games slated for May 2023 in Cambodia.

Still, Tolentino said most members of SEAG countries still favor having the 31st SEA Games held as scheduled on Nov. 2-Dec 21, but the Vietnam Organizing Committee will still make the final decision.

“Marami namang options pero the more na matapos mas maaga, the better. Still, the Vietnam government will have the final decision, but it will not look good if the games will be scrapped altogether,” Tolentino said Friday during the second dose vaccination of the Vietnam-bound athletes at the Prince in Hotel in Manila.

“We still hope it pushes through as scheduled. Vietnam is one of the strongest countries in Southeast Asia in terms of economy and health capabilities,” he added.

Citing rising cases of Covid-19 in areas where some of the events are to be played,

Vietnam had asked members of the SEAG Federation to postpone the event but offered no definite dates. Eight of the 11 member countries objected, prompting Vietnam to ask for another virtual meeting on July 8 to finally decide on the matter.

Vietnam also floated the idea of taking the hosting chore either in 2025 or 2027 but that would prove more difficult as they have to convince other countries to give way.

Tolentino said holding it in 2021 could still be an option even as other big international events are happening next year like the Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games, Asian Games, and the Winter Olympics.

“It’s just a matter of proper scheduling.

Hindi naman lahat ng atleta lalaro sa mga malalaking games na ito,” said Tolentino, who also has his hands full as 19 Filipino athletes compete in the Tokyo Olympics this month.

Djokovic eyes record-tying 20th major LONDON—Novak Djokovic targets a record-equalling 20th major and sixth Wimbledon title from Monday which will edge him tantalisingly closer to becoming only the third man in history to complete a calendar Grand Slam.

The world number one has already won a ninth Australian Open and second French Open this season.

That has put him halfway to emulating Don Budge (1937) and Rod Laver (1962 and 1969) in sweeping all four majors in the same year.

It is a feat even his closest rivals Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal have never managed.

“Everything is possible,” said 34-year-old Djokovic after winning the French Open earlier this month when asked if the Golden Slam of all four majors and Olympic gold was a realistic target.

Djokovic memorably captured a fifth Wimbledon in 2019, saving two championship points to defeat Federer in the longest ever final at the All England Club at four hours and 57 minutes.

He was deprived of defending his title in 2020 when Wimbledon was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Djokovic has won seven of the last 11 Slams as he ramps up his assault on the record of 20 majors held jointly by Federer and Nadal.

The Serb starts his defence on Monday against British world number 250 Jack Draper who was born just six miles (9.5km) from the All England Club.

Nadal, the Wimbledon champion in 2008 and 2010,

has already withdrawn from this year’s tournament, still scarred by the bruising loss to Djokovic in the French Open semi-finals.

Federer eyes ninth title Eight-time winner Federer, meanwhile, will be 40 in August and won just one match on grass at Halle in the build-up to Wimbledon.

Federer, who underwent two knee surgeries in 2020, won the last of his eight Wimbledons in 2017 and the most recent of his 20 majors in Australia in 2018.

The Swiss star has lost three finals to Djokovic at the All England Club -- 2014, 2015 and the epic 2019 clash.

“Truthfully, I don’t think my goal was to play till, whatever, 39 or 40 or more,” said Federer on Saturday.

“It was maybe more like 35 maybe I was thinking, which was already a high number at the time.”

Federer, in the opposite half of the draw to Djokovic, begins his campaign on Tuesday against France’s Adrian Mannarino against whom he holds a 6-0 headto-head advantage.

The rest of the current top 10 have endured relatively mediocre Wimbledon records.

Only 33-year-old Roberto Bautista Agut, a surprise semi-finalist two years ago, has reached further than the last 16.

Daniil Medvedev has made only the third round but was buoyed Saturday by a first grass court title in Mallorca.

Dominic Thiem has withdrawn due to a wrist injury.

Alexander Zverev had a best last-16 run in 2017 but

Serbia’s Novak Djokovic attends a press conference at The All England Tennis Club in Wimbledon, southwest London, ahead of the start of the 2021 Wimbledon Championships tennis tournament.

was a first-round loser two years ago while Andrey Rublev has yet to get past the second round.

Of the remainder of the top 10, French Open runner-up Stefanos Tsitsipas and Matteo Berrettini are Djokovic’s most likely threats. AFP

Pros gear up for Ladies PH Golf Tour resumption AFTER a three-month break due to the spike of Covid-19 infections in NCR Plus, the ladies of the Philippine Golf Tour brace for a two-tournament swing next month with Sherwood Hills Golf Club and Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club, both in Cavite, hosting the second restart of the pro circuit.

The organizing Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. staged the first resumption following a long eightmonth hiatus due to the global health crisis at Riviera Golf and Country Club late last year and kicked off the LPGT’s ninth season last March at Eagle Ridge.

But the surge in coronavirus cases in Metro Manila, Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna and Cavite, where most championship courses are situated, forced the PGTI to call off its next scheduled tournament at the Norman course, also at Eagle Ridge.

This after the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placed the said areas back to GCQ (general community quarantine) due to surge of COVID-19 cases from end of March to April and May. But things are looking up again for the women of the tour, all bracing for spirited chase in the ICTSI Sherwood Ladies Challenge on July 7-9 and in the ICTSI Eagle Ridge Ladies Classic on July 14-16.

Harmie Constantino upstaged multi-titled Princess Superal to capture the ICTSI Eagle Ridge crown at the Aoki layout last March but failed to make it two-in-row in he pro debut following the temporary suspension of the ICTSI-backed circuit.

Constantino and Superal are tipped to lead the title chase at the resumption with Chihiro Ikeda and the likes of Daniella Uy, Marvi Monsalve and former three-time Order of Merit winner and LPGA Tour campaigner Cyna Rodriguez to spice up the cast, which is also expected to feature a number of amateurs gearing up for their respective competitions abroad.

Didal thankful for PSC, sponsors’ support Margielyn Didal

FINDING a skate park to train in Cebu has been a struggle for Tokyo Olympics-bound Margielyn Didal, who recently returned to the Philippines.

Didal talked about her ongoing preparations for the quadrennial meet in a Zoom meeting with scribes on Saturday, together with her coach Daniel Bautista.

The 22-year-old Didal has gone back to training with the Skateboarding and Roller Sports Association of the Philippines, Inc. in a custom-built training facility in Soul Sierra, Cebu.

Going into training and joining international meets to earn points that will allow her to make it to the Olympics have been a struggle for Didal.

This is because of the travel restrictions and quarantine protocols that Cebuano authorities have put up, discouraging many enthusiasts from doing tricks at many parks in the city.

Because of the pandemic,

there were cancellations of many events in the country and abroad.

“Yes, nag-struggle ako to compete for the Olympics. Many events got cancelled. So we’re just in our hometown, and without a park. And I did not skate for months because of the lockdown,” added Didal, who however coped with the pandemic by taking part and winning a virtual tournament in the women’s division of the Asian Skateboarding Championships 2020 Lockdown 5 Video Competition.

Soon after, the Philippine Sports Commission, through commissioner Ramon Fernandez was among those who initially came in to help Didal look for areas where she can do her workouts.

With the help of Red Bull, Didal said it became possible for her to stay in shape and get ready for the World Street Skateboarding Championships in Rome, Italy last month.

The skatepark that Didal now trains in was funded

by Red Bull, which provided additional input on the park’s structure.

The park was completed in early 2021.

Two weeks ago, Didal formally earned a qualifying slot to the Tokyo Olympics after she joined the women’s event of the World Street Skateboarding Championships in Rome, Italy.

Situated at no. 17 in the Olympic rankings, Didal made the cut after organizers struck out three Brazilians from the list, which had six skateboarders from the South American country.

Brazil’s Pamela Rosa (no. 1) and Rayssa Leal (no.

2) and Leticia Bufoni (no. 4), made the cut, but their teammates Virginia Aguas, Gabriela Mazzeto and Isabelly Dasilva did not as each member nation can only obtain a maximum of three spots in each event, with 12 maximum across the 4 events.

This same rule was applied on Japan, which has already three qualifiers in Nishimura, Funa Nakayama and Momiji Nishiya, prompting organizers to remove from the list Yumeka Oda. Didal is the only skateboarder from Southeast Asia to make the grade.

Each event will have 20 competitors—three from the World Championships, 16 from the world rankings and one from the host, Japan. P. Atencio

IN BRIEF Coconut levy asset registry established THE government has set up the Coco Levy Asset Registry to monitor the status of the assets acquired through the multibillion-peso coconut levy fund pursuant to Republic Act No. 11524, the Department of Finance said over the weekend.

RA 11524 created the Trust Fund Management Committee to oversee the utilization and management of the Coconut Farmers and Industry Trust Fund and mandated it to draft the implementing rules and regulations.

The TFMC eyes the asset registry to serve as the repository of information and records of coconut levy assets. Based on the IRR, the Bureau of the Treasury, as TFMC secretariat, is required to establish the Coco Levy Asset Registry.

The registry is one of the innovations introduced by the government to ensure that the management of the CFITF is “equipped with checks and balances.”

The registry will contain separate records for both cash and non-cash coco levy assets while further classifying them into those already declared with finality to belong to the government and those continuing to be subject of litigation. Julito G. Rada

Business

Primex on schedule to complete projects LISTED property developer Primex Corp. remains bullish as it prepares to embark on the development of its project pipeline.

Primex Corp. president and chief executive Ernesto Ang said in a report during the virtual annual stockholders’ meeting on Friday the company was drawing up development timetables for Twin Golf Residences mixed-use tower project in San Juan City, Lyf Residences tower project in the Ortigas Ave.-Santolan area and their Tagaytay City property.

He said the development of the 50-story Primex at the corner of EDSA and Connecticut was also on schedule to meet the target completion of mid-2022.

“Even with community lockdowns, we have continued the development of the 50-story Primex Tower along EDSA corner Connecticut, Greenhills,” Ang said.

“As we speak, the four-level sub-structure or basement is already completed and we are now on the 38th level of the super structure,” he said.

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

B1

Friday, June 25, 2021

64.51 PTS. 6,950.51

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

2,542,739,786 88,133 6,554,474,587.79 118 88 44

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JUNE 25, 2021

PNB TIE UP. Philippine National Bank teams up with New Jersey-based Alexander Anderson Real Estate Group to beef up its marketing efforts to help push properties in the Philippines to Filipino-Americans in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area.

Signing the agreement are (from left) AAREG chief operating officer Roberto Ramos, AAREG chief executive Eric Anderson and PNB New York general manager Eric Bustamante. PNB is making it easier for those living abroad to purchase a home in the Philippines through Own a Philippines Home Loan. AAREG is PNB’s first marketing partner of PNB for OPHL.

DTI supports BPO sector’s call to extend WFH scheme

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Department of Trade and Industry said over the weekend it supports the extension of the workfrom-home set-up of business process outsourcing companies while they continue to receive incentives as Philippine Economic Zone Authority-registered enterprises.

“During the next board meeting of the Fiscal and Incentives Review Board, we will be proposing a resolution for the FIRB to approve the WFH arrangement even beyond Sept. 12, 2021,” said Trade Undersecretary and Board of Investments managing head Ceferino Rodolfo.

Most BPO companies and call centers receive fiscal incentives from the government because they are located in

economic zones administered by PEZA. PEZA, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, asked the national government to allow the resumption of BPO operations through the WFH arrangement of companies and employees. The arrangement is supposed to end in September.

Ceferino while PEZA-registered companies were allowed to have as many as

cannot register new BPOs in the NCR. In our discussions with the DOF, they said we can add new IT zones in areas vacated by previous occupants. As long as there is leasable space abandoned by other companies or locators, we can take advantage of those spaces,” Rodolfo said.

Industry data showed that available PEZA-accredited IT space declined, resulting in insufficient supply to meet industry demand. It is estimated that there are only 126,940 square meters of PEZA-accredited office space, compared to the forecasted annual demand of 450,000 square meters by IT-BPO companies.

The industry was also facing a challenge in talent availability in the countryside. Most IT-BPM companies that were successful in expanding to provinces were mostly engaged in voice services.

PH-KOREA TRADE. South Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Kim InChul (left) pays a courtesy call on Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez. Both officials shared their respective countries’ policy direction to further strengthen bilateral trade relations and support economic recovery efforts.

They stressed the need to immediately conclude the ongoing PH-ROK free trade agreement negotiation to enhance market access of key products of interests to the two countries. The two officials also discussed cooperation on innovation and automotive industry.

8990 Holdings eyes P10.4-b sales from new Cubao project MASS housing developer 8990 Holdings Inc. expects to raise up to P10.4 billion from the launching of a new residential complex in Cubao, Quezon City in the second half of the year.

The 45-story Urban Deca Tower Cubao project will offer 4,961 studio units with each unit priced at an average of P1.9 million. The project is located along EDSA southbound corner Mayor Ignacio Santos Diaz St. and just a few steps away from MRT 3 Cubao station.

The company expects the project to attract end-users who plans to buy their first home. It will also host 2,859 square meters of commercial spaces.

8990 Holdings broke ground for Urban Deca Tower Cubao in February last year but the launching was moved to 2021 because of the pandemic.

The company remains optimistic this year after posting strong first-quarter financial results.

It said net income in the first three months rose 17 percent to P1.6 billion from P1.3 billion in the same period last year. This was achieved on the back of a 29-percent growth in revenues to P4.48 billion from P3.47 billion a year ago.

8990 Holdings also recorded a 3-percent increase in the number of units sold in the first quarter, an indication of continued demand for affordable housing projects despite the lingering impact of the pandemic.

“This is definitely a positive sign that many Filipino families are still looking at a better future and this inspires us to continue building communities that offer quality living at highly affordable prices. The same holds true for our new Urban Deca Tower Cubao project,” 8990 Holdings chairman Mariano Martinez Jr. said.

8990 Holdings delivered 2,634 new homes in the first quarter, even as housing production fell 50 percent amid the the community restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Luzon had the biggest revenue contribution in the first three months at P2.6 billion, followed by the Visayas at P958.5 million and Mindanao at P878.3 million. Jenniffer B. Austria

business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

PSE INDEX CLOSING

A. Brown to expand real estate business A. BROWN Company Inc. plans to pursue expansion plans for the property, power and bulk water businesses to sustain the company’s growth momentum, a top executive said over the weekend.

ABCI president and chief executive Robertino Pizarro said in the statement the company would remain resilient in its pursuit of new real estate projects that offer healthy, environment-friendly and low-density community and meet the changed demand of the homebuyers amid the current health crisis.

“Our real estate offerings were wellpositioned to respond to the changing demands of the market especially for the middle-middle, upper middle and premium markets we are serving,” he said.

These expansions include the development of a master planned community in Tanay, Rizal and new phases of existing developments located in Butuan City, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City.

“For the premium market, on the drawing board is a golf and retirement estate in Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon. The Uptown Metropolis located in the Xavier Estates area in Cagayan de Oro City shall feature the shoppe houses, a central business district and residential spaces complementing existing establishments in the area,” said Pizarro. Jenniffer B. Austria

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor

Residential real estate prices softened by 4.2% in first quarter

By Julito G. Rada RESIDENTIAL real estate prices fell 4.2 percent in the first quarter from a year ago on subdued demand amid the lingering global pandemic, according to the latest Residential Real Estate Price Index released by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas over the weekend.

The study also noted a 1.6-percent quarter-on-quarter decline in residential property prices.

“The negative year-on-year growth in nationwide residential property prices was driven mainly by the downtrend of property prices in the NCR, which fell by 10 percent relative to Q1 2020, marking three consecutive quarters of declines since Q3 2020,” BSP said.

“This was due to the decrease in the prices of condominium units, which out-

weighed the increase in the prices of duplexes, single detached/attached houses, and townhouses,” it said.

Meanwhile, property prices in the provinces rose 0.8 percent as the growth in the first quarter in the prices of townhouses and condominium units more than offset the drop in the prices of duplexes and single detached/attached houses.

The BSP said that on a quarter-on-quarter basis, house prices contracted in the NCR by 0.8 percent and areas outside NCR by 2.1 percent, following the national trend.

By type of housing units, the change in residential property prices was mixed.

Prices of duplexes and condominium units declined year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021 by 20.7 percent and 10.7 percent, respectively, while prices of townhouses and single detached/attached houses increased by 8.3 percent and 0.2

percent, respectively.

“This was the third consecutive quarter that condominium prices declined, owing to the lackluster demand for condominiums in NCR. The 4.2-percent year on year drop in the RREPI was primarily driven by the fall in prices of condominium units and duplexes,” the BSP said.

Meanwhile, the quarter-on-quarter contraction of 1.6 percent in the RREPI was attributed to the lower prices of duplexes, townhouses and single detached/ attached houses, which more than offset the higher prices of condominium units.

Data also showed that the number of residential real estate loans granted in the first quarter this year for all types of new housing units contracted by 14.7 percent year-on-year and 32 percent quarter-onquarter. A similar trend was observed in NCR and in the provinces.

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

48.8380

Japan

Yen

0.009021

0.4406

UK

Pound

1.392300

67.9971

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128811

6.2909

Switzerland

Franc

1.089443

53.2062

Canada

Dollar

0.811425

39.6284

Singapore

Dollar

0.744713

36.3703

Australia

Dollar

0.758200

37.0290

Bahrain

Dinar

2.655760

129.7020

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266660

13.0231

Brunei

Dollar

0.741950

36.2354

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000069

0.0034

Thailand

Baht

0.031407

1.5339

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.2972

Euro

Euro

1.193100

58.2686

Korea

Won

0.000884

0.0432

China

Yuan

0.154507

7.5458

India

Rupee

0.013481

0.6584

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240500

11.7455

New Zealand

Dollar

0.705800

34.4699

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035840

1.7504 Source: BSP

AGI expects sales to return to pre-pandemic level next year

By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE Alliance Global Group Inc. expects its performance to return to pre-pandemic level next year, a top executive said over the weekend.

“Like most businesses, we are hopeful that our group can go back to our pre-pandemic performance by 2022 as we see increased vaccine rollout and as the economy benefits from the planned public spending on infrastructure projects,” AGI executive director Kevin Tan said in response to an e-mail inquiry.

Tan said the company’s core businesses were expected to exhibit a stronger performance with the further reopening of the economy.

“The recovery of a number of our businesses hinges on the improvement in consumer confidence amid a further easing of the mobility restrictions,” Tan said.

“We are thankful for our office segment and international liquor operations which have remained resilient, thereby providing the uplift for the group’s performance in the meantime,” he said.

The conglomerate led by businessman Andrew Tan is engaged in various businesses including real estate developments, liquor manufacturing, gaming, hotels and quick service restaurants.

The company earlier said it began recalibrating strategies to achieve a more balanced portfolio and in preparation for post-pandemic scenarios such as shift in market demands and changes in customer behavior and lifestyle.

AGI reported a 13-percent decline in net income in the first quarter to P2.6 billion from P3 billion posted a year ago as the global pandemic continued to impact businesses.

First-quarter consolidated revenues dropped 16 percent to P31.8 billion from last year’s P38 billion.

Meanwhile, Tan said the company was awaiting the approval from the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordination Committee for the proposed Fort Bonifacio-Makati Skytrain.

The P3.6-billion unsolicited project is expected to serve 60,000 to 100,000 passengers. The two-kilometer train system would connect Uptown Bonifacio in Bonifacio Global City to the Metro Rail Transit 3’s Guadalupe Station in Makati and reduce travel time to five minutes.

AGI’s infrastructure unit InfraCorp.

Development Inc. was granted the original proponent status by the government in 2018.

Coconut industry stakeholders ask gov’t to raise coco-biodiesel blend to 5% to help farmers

By Alena Mae S. Flores THE Philippine coconut industry urged the government over the weekend to increase the coco-biodiesel blend to 5 percent of diesel to help farmers amid hard times due to the pandemic.

Industry stakeholders said increasing the blend would also help reduce air pollutants.

The coconut industry said both the Philippine Coconut Industry and the Department of Energy already assured more than enough feedstock supply to cover the

increase in the coco-biodiesel blend.

The Philippine Biodiesel Association, the country’s leading group of biodiesel stakeholders and advocates, said coconut farmers would benefit from the increased biodiesel blend to 5 percent from 2 percent at present.

“There is a 5-centavo-per-liter lien contributed by every CME producer to the Department of Labor and Employment’s Social Amelioration and Welfare Program. This funds the livelihood and training programs for coconut farmers

and biodiesel workers,” TPBA said.

Under the Philippine Energy Plan, biodiesel should contain at least 5-percent coco methyl ester blend by 2020. By increasing the blend, the required annual CME volume is 632 million liters, representing 5 percent of diesel demand of 12.64 billion liters for full year 2021.

According to recent PCA data, the needed feedstock to supply the projected B5 demand is 4.3 billion nuts out of the production of 17 billion nuts for 2021.

By 2025, the projected feed stock sup-

ply is pegged at 20 billion nuts.

The PCA said that without strong domestic demand, the only choice is to export crude coconut oil at lower prices.

The anticipated strong domestic demand created by the B5 program will stabilize the price and demand for copra, encouraging farmers to plant more.

After Republic Act 9367 or the “Biofuels act of 2006” was signed into law, the blending of 1-percent in local diesel started. It was last increased to 2 percent in 2007.

Business

B2 || MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

extrastory2000@gmail.com

Business group urges Biden to remove Europe travel restriction WASHINGTON—The Biden administration is under pressure from a major business group and diplomats to scrap a travel ban on Europeans, as investment from the continent in the United States plunged by nearly a third last year.

While countries in the European Union have reopened their borders to Americans who are vaccinated or test negative for COVID-19, the United States has not reciprocated, to the frustration of the business world.

The US Chamber of Commerce on Friday urged Washington to allow the return of European travelers “as soon as possible.”

“The resumption of safe transatlantic travel is critically important for our nation’s economic recovery, as in-person business engagements and international tourism will help drive economic growth and job creation for Americans across the country,” said Marjorie Chorlins, the chamber’s senior vice president for European affairs.

Travelers from the Schengen zone, Britain and Ireland have been banned from entering the United States since March 2020.

Also banned from entry are travelers from South Africa, Brazil, China, India and Iran.

The EU ambassador to the United States, Stavros Lambrinidis, told AFP that Brussels is “pushing” for reciprocity, and emphasizing the positive impact such a move would have on both economies.

“Our economies and people are deeply interconnected, and our vaccination rates are the highest in the world—it would be crucial to safely open up this side of the Atlantic too as we both kick-start our economies,” he said.

During President Joe Biden’s visit to Europe last week, the EU stressed that the bilateral economic relationship is the largest in the world, making up a whopping 42 percent of both global GDP and global trade in goods and services.

But beyond trade, huge investments are at stake.

“Mutual investment dwarfs trade and is the real backbone of the transatlantic economy,” noted a 2021 joint report from the US Chamber, AmCham EU, Johns Hopkins University and the Wilson Center think tank.

Mutual investment “has become essential to US and European jobs and prosperity,” it added.

Europe accounted for more than 60 percent of foreign direct investment flowing into the United States in the first three quarters of 2020. AFP

Window dressing to boost market S TOP GAINERS

By Jenniffer B. Austria

HARE prices are expected to move sideways this week with an upward bias as investors remain optimistic on the further reopening of the economy and the vaccine rollout.

Improved second-quarter earnings results of listed companies and firstsemester window dressing could also provide a boost on the market over the short term period.

“Continue to expect the market to range between the 6,700-7,000 levels in the near-term. However, a sustained fall below the 6,700 levels could signal the market could retry the 6,300-6,500 levels and reignite the bears to play,” BDO Uni-

ride the Peak Tram, the fifth generation of trams in service on the funicular railway since 1888, on its last day of operations before retirement in Hong Kong on June 27, 2021, ahead of a planned upgrade project to almost double the passenger capacity of the service. AFP

PSEi June 25, 2021

WASHINGTON—Johnson & Johnson, one of the pharmaceutical giants accused of fueling the deadly US opioid crisis, has reached a settlement with the state of New York for $230 million and confirmed it will stop making or selling opioids in the United States.

The agreement announced Saturday allows Johnson & Johnson to resolve litigation over its role in the epidemic, which has killed more than half a million people since 1999, according to a statement from New York attorney general Letitia James.

For its part, in a separate statement J&J said the settlement allowed it to avoid a trial that was scheduled to begin Monday, and said the group had “made the busi-

however, and the airport recorded just 350,000 arrivals between January and May. Things are finally looking up, and Turkish leaders have their fingers crossed.

“God willing, we will jump-start tourism and have a tourist push,” Erdogan said this month.

‘Walking dead’ Russia this week lifted a Turkish travel ban that was officially imposed because of the coronavirus but which coincided with a spike in geopolitical tensions.

And more people are expected once EU travel rules ease on July 1.

But the scenic city that stretches from the sea to rolling hills bears little resemblance to the playground of jet-setters and moneyed Istanbulites of the past.

“You see all the boats resting on the shore, maybe one of them goes on tour a day,” guide organizer Baris Kasal lamented.

“We said the last season was ‘dead’. We are calling this one ‘the walking dead’,” he quipped.

“There’s been a little bit of movement but it’s very, very weak.”

Russians make up the largest share of tourists because Turkey is one of the main holiday destinations they can reach without a visa.

Bodrum airport operations manager Iclal Kayaoglu said it was handling just a tenth of the passengers it did in 2019.

“It’s primarily the Russians and British who visit,” she told AFP. AFP

ness decision in 2020 to discontinue all of its prescription pain medications in the United States.”

The settlement “is not an admission of liability or wrongdoing by the company,” it said, noting that other nationwide legal proceedings are underway, including a trial in California.

The prosecutor’s statement said the company would spread the payments over nine years.

J&J could also pay an additional $30 million in the first year if the state enacts new legislation creating an opioid settlement fund.

“The opioid epidemic has wreaked havoc on countless communities across

SOREN KIERKEGGARD T. MATEO

GREEN LIGHT

“IF things were easy, I wouldn’t have had the need for you (managers). I would have just hired robots.” I’ve heard many things from my superiors before, but this was probably my biggest takeaway from my two-year stint in Cebu. While I have always believed that the “human resource” was a company’s biggest asset, those words from our chief executive gave me a different angle to the concept.

Running a business is hard. Management is hard. Leading people is hard.

All these years, I have been telling my team leaders, peers, and friends that people are “tricky.” People don’t always do as they’re told, no matter how clear and sound your instructions are. This is one of the reasons why not everyone can be a team leader or a manager. Most don’t appreciate this human element–not their tendencies to disobey nor ignore specific instructions–but their need to do things which they believe is the right way, anyway.

Some think they should be leading people, but they don’t have the prerequisite skills and, more so, the patience to develop those who they intend to lead. While many of the basic “techniques” to leading people and managing teams are easily learned, e.g., identifying certain tasks and assigning them to certain people (delegating) and setting deadlines, the more important skill of getting the most out of their staff needs a lot more talent and focused effort.

I probably should define what I mean by “getting the most” out of people. I am referring to the core of humanistic management, i.e., human dignity.

Humans should not be treated as a means to an end but rather as “an end in themselves.” Humans must be allowed to flourish. Managers should therefore focus on human development.

Companies must create an environment where employees can achieve their full potential and live dignified lives. As Mea & Sims concluded, when employees are flourishing, profits and sustainability will come naturally. Therefore, it is critical that if a business is to succeed, its leaders need to develop their staff.

New York state and the rest of the nation, leaving millions still addicted to dangerous and deadly opioids,” James said in the statement.

“Johnson & Johnson helped fuel this fire, but today they’re committing to leaving the opioid business—not only in New York, but across the entire country,” she added.

That includes both manufacturing and selling opioids, James’ statement said.

Johnson & Johnson stressed it had made the decision before the settlement was reached.

The $230 million will be aimed at prevention, treatment and education efforts on the dangers of the substances in New York state. AFP

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

VVT RLT

17.7 0.45

2.2 0.055

14.19% 13.92%

3 4

CA CPG

56.7 0.56

4.65 0.04

8.93% 7.69%

5 6

MRC PBB

0.43 11.1

0.03 0.76

7.50% 7.35%

7 8

ACE SLF

1.95 2550

0.13 150

7.14% 6.25%

9 10

BCOR PIZZA

5.6 8.75

0.32 0.45

6.06% 5.42%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

OV EVER

0.011 0.47

-0.001 -0.04

-8.33% -7.84%

3 4 5 6

OPM HI MACAY SLI

0.012 3.98 7.48 3.1

-0.001 -0.32 -0.51 -0.21

-7.69% -7.44% -6.38% -6.34%

7 8 9 10

LAND ECP JOH DELM

1.98 6.15 5.72 14.92

-0.11 -0.34 -0.27 -0.64

-5.26% -5.24% -4.51% -4.11%

MOST ACTIVE

J&J to stop selling opioids, accepts $230-m bargain

Turkish resort frets over second lost summer amid lack of tourists BODRUM, Turkey—The Russians are finally coming but the mayor of this empty Turkish resort doubts their converted rubles will save what looks to be another lost summer.

“We closed the last tourism season down 75 percent,” Bodrum mayor Ahmet Aras told AFP in a lavish library overlooking the Aegean Sea. “We expect a recovery from July with the start of flights from Russia and Europe,” but for the sector overall, “that will not happen for a few more years,” he said.

Pandemic curbs on travel wrecked Turkey’s economy by depriving it of foreign revenue to finance debt and support the lira.

The lack of tourists played a large part in the lira’s slide from six to the dollar in March 2020 to around 8.7 now.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government needed an urgent fix therefore to quell public discontent.

He tried to coax tourists to Turkish beaches with exemptions from weekend curfews and other coronavirus rules.

But quarantines placed on travelers returning from Turkey laid the government’s plans to waste.

In 2019, Bodrum airport welcomed a record 4.34 million tourists to a city dubbed the “Turkish Saint-Tropez.”

Traffic slumped by two-thirds last year

and services which gained1.6 percent.

Foreign investors, however, were net sellers for the week by P2.44 billion, while the average daily value traded dropped P6 billion from the previous week’s average of P9.8 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Century Properties Group Inc., which jumped 20.4 percent to P0.56, Jollibee Foods Corp., which climbed 7.7 percent to P216, and Manila Water Co. Inc., which increased 6.4 percent to P18.

Weekly top price losers were Philex Mining Corp., which dropped 5.3 percent to P6.36, Security Bank Corp., which fell 4.1 percent to P117.50, and AC Energy Corp., which declined 3.7 percent to P8.18.

Meanwhile, global stocks closed out a strong week with most bourses gaining Friday as markets took a benign view of recent inflation data and greeted progress on a US infrastructure package. With AFP

LAST TRAM RIDE. Passengers

This aerial view taken on June 17, 2021 shows the city of Bodrum, on the Aegean Sea, southwestern Turkey. The Russians are finally coming but most of the Turkish resorts doubt their converted rubles can save what looks like another lost summer, AFP reports on June 27, 2021. AFP

By Fulya Ozerkan

bank chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said.

The upcoming capital raising activities in the equities market could also further improve market sentiments as companies continue tap the the bourse amid the pandemic.

Three real estate investment trust (REIT) offerings and one initial public offering are awaiting approval from the corporate regulators.

These are the RL Commercial REIT of Robinsons Land Corp., Filinvest REIT Corp. of Filivest Land Inc., MREIT Inc. of Megaworld Corp. and Del Monte Philippines Inc. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week last week rose 1.4 percent to 6,950.51 points on bargain hunting, while the broader All Shares Index climbed 1.5 percent to 4,229.58.

Except for the holding firms which slipped 0.07 percent, all counters ended in green led by property which advanced 3.7 percent, industrial which rose 1.9 percent

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

ALI MONDE ICT ACEN PHES EAGLE RLT SECB SMPH BDO

VOLUME 9963600 21668300 1886790 34154400 322759000 14495700 297620000 1201980 3368000 1101910

VALUE (PHP) 369852165 338775236 308828650 280269289 261292390 219459874 146452850 141772621 126754615 126127027

Be Like Obi-Wan

Kubicek & Cockram’s “The 100X Leader” was inspired by Sherpas taking climbers to summit Mt. Everest. While each leader must first develop their skills to reach the peak, a world-class leader must come down that mountain and help others summit themselves. A leader must develop people to become leaders as well. This leads me to this article’s title.

Many Star Wars fans would gravitate towards either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader. The latter, of course, is the greatest villain, while the former is its main protagonist and the symbol for all that is good in the Star Wars universe. For me, I like Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Obi-Wan Kenobi is not, by any measure, the most powerful of all Jedi.

That title, I would argue, belongs to Luke Skywalker. He also is not the best in wielding the lightsaber as that would be Mace Windu. Lastly, most Star Wars fans would contend that he’s not the wisest. That title would be Grandmaster Yoda’s. However, I regard Obi-Wan as the greatest of all Jedi. Why? Because not only did he teach the two strongest Jedi ever, but perhaps more importantly, that these two became opposites of each other. Yes, Obi-Wan taught both Luke Skywalker and (spoiler alert!) Darth Vader. It is easier to teach two apprentices to be the strongest and be on the same side, but it is more challenging to teach students to be equally strong yet having opposing views.

Each manager should strive to be like Obi-Wan. The greatest Jedi taught his apprentices everything, imparted to them all his knowledge and skills. Never did he hold back from his “Padawans.”

Managers ever so often tend to keep certain things to themselves for various reasons. Some, unfortunately, withhold knowledge from their subordinates for fear that one day, their staff would be better than them, take their job, or even leapfrog them. In my professional career, I have seen this regrettable behavior a few times. Luckily, I have also seen the opposite, albeit in a lot fewer instances, where the subordinate exceeded his superior and even later became his boss. In both cases, the former superior was happy and even proud that the “apprentice” surpassed the “master.”

I urge every manager to strive that their staff would eventually be better than them.

Imagine running a company or a project where everyone was better than you. You would have a team who would deliver on time, quality, and most efficiently every time. You can just sit back, relax, take it easy, and be assured that every deadline will be met, and every client would be satisfied and even delighted. Now imagine the opposite–where everybody is less capable than you are. You would struggle to accomplish your tasks, your products and services would have, at the very least, inconsistent “quality,” and it will take you much longer to achieve your goals and even miss your customer-promised lead time. This, of course, means everything will be costlier than it should be, and therefore, profitability will suffer, and nobody is getting salary increases nor bonuses. It is simply not in the best interest of everyone.

The company nor the employee will not flourish. I remember very fondly during one of our meetings with a previous company.

Our vice president once uttered: “God help us if I am the smartest man in this room.”

Finally, every manager should create an environment where everyone can be the best employee, the best human being.

Perhaps the more significant reason ObiWan is the greatest Jedi was the fact that his two apprentices, for better or for worse, became opposites of each other (don’t fear–spoiler alert—Darth Vader eventually turned back to the light).

The master allowed his apprentices to have their own minds and be who they thought they should be.

Be like Obi-wan. Strive that your “Padawans” be better than you and create an environment where they can be who they want to be.

Soren Mateo is a Doctor of Business Administration student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. He is currently the Country Manager for Anthesis Consulting Philippines, Inc.—a global sustainability company in Pasig City. You may contact him at soren_mateo@dlsu.edu.ph.

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

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

B3

Stars unite for ‘Isang Tinig, Isang Lahi’ charity concert HISTORIC musical concert Isang Tinig, Isang Lahi - One Voice, One People brought together renowned Filipino musical artists and international advocates as they come together in songs for a purpose to “Save Lives from COVID-19” on June 26.

The star-studded event top-billed Filipino musical greats Lea Salonga, Regine Velasquez, Apl De Ap, Gary Valenciano, Martin Nievera, Joe Mari Chan, Ogie Alcasid, Bamboo, Maymay Entrata, Ian Veneracion, Pilita Corrales, and Moira Dela Torre, to name a few. US singer David Pomeranz was a special guest while Sen. Manny Pacquaio, major supporter of the event, rendered some musical numbers. Celebrity musician and composer Ogie Alcasid was the overall head of production.

ABS-CBN, as the official media partner, presented the concert live via KTX simulcast on iWant TFC with delayed telecast on Kapamilya Online. The humanitarian project united a significant number of Filipino American Associations upon the initiative and invitation of Filipino American Voice United (FAVU).

Juanita Nimfa Yamsuan Gamez, chairman of FAVU promised that “This is only the beginning of a continuous advocacy that will embrace other urgent causes to address the needs of our fellow Filipinos.”

Start-studded ‘Isang Tinig, Isang Lahi - One Voice, One People’ charity concert aims to raise funds from global donations for the fight to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

Luis Manzano weighs in on network loyalty, transfer

Jerry Perez de Tagle, Vice Chairman and President of FAVU expressed his highest hopes in this milestone event: “The dream is to see a strong sense of solidarity among 5 million Filipinos in the US and 20 million-strong Filipinos worldwide.”

Multi-media personality and civic leader Cory Quirino was the event organizer and project chairman.

The concert, co-presented by CBCP Caritas Filipinas Foundation, Inc. was for free. It had simultaneous donationdrive for the benefit of Caritas Philippines projects for the impoverished communities, the Caring Hearts Foundation, Inc. in the US, PGH Medical Foundation, Inc., Tuloy Foundation, Inc., ABS-CBN Foundation, Inc., Philippine Relief and Development Services, Inc., and Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC.) In addition, Shopee joins in the fund-raising efforts through its Special Edition Bayani, Kabalikat and Kaibigan Donor Cards.

The availability of Isang Tinig, Isang Lahi Broadcast is made possible through the 60- million reach of ABS-CBN’s digital platforms: iWant TFC, Kapamilya Online, IPTV. Eton Concepcion

Why Mayor Isko movies need to take a backseat

M

ORE than a year after VERY ABS-CBN went off WANG air, questions about NICKIE network loyalty and cutting WANG ties with mother studio are still being asked by the members of showbiz press whenever they get the chance to speak with someone from the Kapamilya’s pool of actors and talents.

Actor and TV host Luis Manzano is the face of Sweet Via, a low-calorie sweetener that can be used in food and any

In a recent virtual event that introduced television host Luis Manzano as the official endorser of Sweet Via — a natural sweetener that can be added into your food and beverages—the 40-year-old celebrity was asked to comment on the recent surge of celebrities moving to GMA Network, specifically John Lloyd Cruz.

Without mincing his words, Luis explained that given the current situation, it’s inevitable for anyone, including talents behind the camera, to look for job stability.

“A man has to do what a man has to do. I will never judge any artist or any staff or anyone who would transfer stations. Kung nasaan and trabaho, duon ka dapat especially if you have a family,” Luis started.

“Why would I judge someone who only wants to provide for himself or for his family. So, I never judge any artists who [decided to transfer to other networks]. My mom, nakailang lipat din naan siya ng istasyon. Ganoon naman talaga,” he carried on.

Luis also noted that he is very much happy as a Kapamilya and he is glad that he still has a few projects to keep himself busy.

“At this time, I’m still with ABS,

I’m busy with ABS. So, we could leave it at that,” he answered succinctly.

Speaking of projects, Luis recently scored an endorsement via Sweet Via. Known as a passionate advocate of wellness, he believes that a well-balanced lifestyle is a key to maintaining a productive life “I just turned 40 this year and what I learned as we grow older is that we must always watch what we eat,” said Luis.

“I know a lot of people who got diabetes either genetically or because of their food choices. Me, I’m really into sweets and there’s always room for so much more desserts in my life.

Because of Sweet Via, I now have a healthy alternative that enables me to satisfy my cravings without putting myself at risk of diabetes and minus the guilt as well,” he added.

Meanwhile, getting Luis’s service as a celebrity endorser, Santé’s CEO Joey Marcelo believes that the TV personality perfectly represents Sweet Via as he is enjoying a balanced life that is both active and healthy.

“We are honored to officially welcome Luis to the Santé family, and we are looking forward to all the exciting projects that we will do in collaboration with him in the months to come,” Marcelo noted.

Sweet Via is available in leading Mercury Drug stores, Watsons, The Generics Pharmacy, Puregold, Lawson, The Landmark, All Day Supermarkets, and order online thru Lazada and Shopee.

Italian film fest pays tribute to Philippine cinema icon A TOTAL of eight Filipino films, featuring five Rainbow’s Sunset, Raymond Red’s Cannes titles in the Eddie Garcia Retrospective section, Palme d’Or for Short Film recipient Anino, and are selected to participate in Italy’s Far East Sinasamba Kita by Eddie Garcia will have their Film Festival (FEFF) in Udine until July 2 in Italian and online only worldwide premiere. a hybrid form with both in-person and online For this year’s FEFF’s Industry section, showings.

Martika Ramirez Escobar’s project Bird FEFF is the largest festival in Europe Eyes will participate in Focus Asia’s program. specializing in Asian Cinema and a contributor Journalists Jason Tan Liwanag and Richard to the commercial distribution of Asian films Olano will be part of the FEFF Campus across European and Italian markets. training project.

Last year, Xeph Suarez’s project Dancing the “We are grateful to the Far East Film Festival Tides and Khavn Dela Cruz’s Skeleton River in Udine for propagating Asian films in Europe were featured in the FEFF Industry section. and supporting Philippine Cinema once more For its 23rd edition this year, the Competition by featuring a total of eight films, selecting a section features the award-winning film project and two journalists, and mounting a Fan Girl directed by Antoinette Jadaone, heartwarming tribute to our eternal icon Eddie which will have its international festival and Garcia to further his artistry and legacy,” said online worldwide premiere, while multiFDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño. awarded director Joel Lamangan’s Anak In 2018, FEFF selected the Philippines as Ng Macho Dancer will have its Italian and its “Country of Focus” in celebration of the online worldwide premiere. A is for Agustin, One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema. the first feature-length documentary by Grace Through the FDCP’s International Film Italy’s Far East Film Festival, the largest Simbulan, is under the Out of Competition festival in Europe specializing in Asian Festival Assistance Program, the Agency section and will have its European and online Cinema, pays tribute to Eddie Garcia as provided support to the five selected Filipino worldwide premiere. films for their participation in FEFF 2019.

Philippine cinema icon.

In honor of the late television and film legend Two Filipino projects were selected for the Eddie Garcia for his invaluable contributions to FEFF Industry section when it moved into the industry, the special tribute “Eddie Garcia: Life as a Film Epic” under the online platforms in 2020.

Retrospective section presents four feature films and one short film.

The 23rd FEFF, organized by Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche, The restored version of Ishmael Bernal’s debut film Pagdating screens 63 titles from South Korea, China, Hong Kong, Japan, sa Dulo and Jun Robles Lana’s Bwakaw will both have their Italian Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Macau, Myanmar, and the premiere, online worldwide, and offline screenings. Lamangan’s Philippines.

MANILA Mayor Isko Moreno said two movies being filmed involving him are taking a backseat in the meantime that he is giving his full concentration to the mass vaccination program of his administration to possibly achieve herd immunity in the City of Manila

by September.

During the turnover of about P6 million worth of school supplies donated by Manila’s sister city Guangzhou in China facilitated by the Anvil Business Club last Tuesday at the Bulwagan of Manila City Hall, Mayor Isko said, “I do not know yet the schedule of shooting for the life story of Andres Bonifacio, whose role I am playing. They have been updating me of the development but it has to take a backseat for now because we have more pressing work to do In view of the vaccination program.”

Unknown to many, Mayor Isko’s life story billed Yorme is being filmed. In fact, two actors were handpicked by the mayor to play himself in this movie musical in the persons of Xian Lim who will play the older Isko and McCoy de Leon to play the younger Isko.

Guangzhou City and Anvil Business Club on June 22 turned over to Manila Mayor Isko Moreno at Manila City Hall the donation of seven tons of school supplies to benefit 10,000 disadvantaged children of Manila. Mayor Isko Moreno thanked the people of Guangzhou City, Mayor Wen Guohui, and their partner Anvil Business Club for this donation.

He tasked Manila Department of Social Welfare Director Re Fugoso to distribute to orphanages, daycare centers, and kids of urban poor communities.

Formerly spelled “Canton” in the past, Guangzhou is now a major industrial and financial center, its Mayor Wen Guohui said the donation is Guangzhou’s expression of friendship and solidarity with Manila City and the Philippines. Guangzhou in southern China is a sister city of Manila.

This donation upholds the call of

Mayor Isko Moreno accepts the donation of Guangzhou City from the officers and men of Anvil Business Club during turnover rites at Manila City Hall last Tuesday.

China President Xi Jinping on “Building a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind.” Famous for its Cantonese foods and landscapes, Guangzhou has also been featured in movies like the 2014 Hollywood film Transformers: Age of Extinction and the 1992 movie Supercop starring Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeoh.

Anvil Business Club is a business and civic organization of young Filipino Chinese entrepreneurs led by chairman Wilson Lee Flores, vice chairmen Patrick Cua, President Hubert Chua, EVP Kenneth Dee, and Vice PresidentRichmond Co who is also chairman of this school supplies civic project.

Wilson Lee Flores said: “This civic project of Guangzhou City in partnership with Anvil Business Club is our contribution to the future of Manila now under the leadership of a dynamic mayor and also our tribute to the past, because many of us have ancestors who had started life in the Philippines here in Manila City. This is our gift to the children of Manila and also our gift to Manila on its 450th anniversary on June 24.”

GMA bares projects for newly-minted KAPUSO COMEDIENNE Pokwang has are joining the Kapuso family. recently inked a management “GMA is the home of the best contract with GMA Network. female comedians. In addition to The contract signing was Pokwang, we have Ai Ai delas attended by network bigwigs Alas, and Eugene Domingo. including Felipe S. Yalong, Now we have Pokwang in our Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Redgie line-up, I suppose we expect a lot A. Magno, Gigi Santiago-Lara, of comedy shows that might come Oliver B. Amoroso, Darling De up, who knows, we can have the Comedienne Pokwang is Jesus-Bogedon, Angel Javier three in one possible sitcom, now a certified Kapuso.

Cruz, Janine P. Nacar, Bang nobody can beat now GMA as far U. Arespachochaga, Simoun as comedy is concerned, we have Ferrer, Enri Calaycay, and Daryl Zamora. the good writers, the creative people behind it, Speaking to Manila Standard Entertainment, and you have the people in front of the camera.

Pokwang admitted that it was her “who knocked What else can you ask for?” on GMA’s doors.” And her decision to become a Meanwhile, according to Senior Vice Kapuso was driven by her passion to showcase President for GMA Entertainment Group her many talents and to grow more in the industry. Lilybeth G. Rasonable, Poking is going to be “I still have a lot of things to prove as an part of Pepito Manaloto: Ang Unang Kuwento. artist, as a host, marami pa akong gustong “We were in the storycon with Michale V and i-share na experience ko through numerous Manilyn Reynes, doon pa lang, talagang ang programs that viewers can watch. Gusto kong dami niyang pasabog. Napapatawa niya talaga ituloy-tuloy kung ano pa ang gusto kong gawin si Bitoy, alam namin it’s going to be a great show. bilang artista,” Pokwang said.

There’s another side of Pokwang and that is she's On top of her list of Kapuso artists she dreams a very good dramatic actress, we all know that. to work with one day are Dingdong Dantes, That’s something we also want to explore with Marian Rivera, Alden Richards, Barbie her, with Magpakailanman, and later on, in soap Forteza, Ai Ai delas Alas, Maine Mendoza, opera. Expect a lot from her, of course.” and Dennis Trillo.

In turn, Pokwang only had nothing but During the virtual contract signing, good words and appreciation for the network’s Executive Vice President and Chief Financial warm welcome.

Officer Felipe S. Yalong said that he was proud “I’m very thankful because they opened that more and more highly-talented comedians their doors for me,” she ended.

Life

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

B4

FOOD

MONDAY, JUNE 28, 2021

Hand-sliced Lechon Baka spicy in Junior Size

Lechon Baka original in Fiesta Size

Where’s the beef?

It’s arriving this week S

OMETHING roasted and beefy is coming this week. And rumor is, the beef is coming from the kitchen of Cebu and Manila’s favorite lechon restaurant.

Rico’s Lechon is launching on July 1 its latest offering, Lechon Baka, in select stores in Metro Manila. According to the brand, the roasted beef is hand-sliced, “keeping juiciness and tenderness in the meat”.

The brand, recognized in internation-

al awards for its “crispy, juicy, and flavorful” lechon, will be serving lechon baka with the right amount of fat and with a side of homemade SukaLami.

Rico’s Lechon Baka starts at P350 for Junior Size (serves 1-2 pax), while

a Fiesta Size (serves 6-8 pax) is priced at P1,350. It also comes in Rico’s spicy variant, priced at P380 and P1,460.

It will be first served at Rico’s Lechon Bonifacio Global City, Tiendesitas, and U.P. Town Center, and will soon be available in all Metro Manila and Cebu stores.

Customers can pre-order for pick-up and delivery by contacting the Lechon Fulfillment Center at 0917-814-4678, 0918888-0555, or (02) 7799-0810.

HERE’S THE BEEF. Rico’s Lechon will soon be serving its latest roasted offering, Lechon Baka, in original and spicy variants and with a side of the brand’s homemade SukaLami.

RECIPE FILES

The order and pick up feature is available on the Jollibee app.

Expert home cooks recreate classic dishes FOOD bloggers/expert home cooks share their take on classic dishes best paired with a piping bowl of rice.

Jollibee’s new Joy Rewards Card lets cardholders earn points when they purchase food at Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Mang Inasal, and Red Ribbon, as well as when they fill up at participating Caltex stations.

Jollibee launches new rewards card FAST food giant Jollibee offers a new loyalty program that unlocks exclusive promos and earns points at multiple brands.

The new Joy Rewards Card, available for P100, lets cardholders earn points when they purchase food products from Jollibee, Chowking, Greenwich, Mang Inasal, and Red Ribbon, or when filling up at participating Caltex stations (go to jollibee.com.ph to see the list).

Every P50 spent earns a point that can be used to buy products. New members are entitled to a welcome gift of a free Jolly Spaghetti with a minimum purchase of P300 using the card upon card registration.

Customers can use the Joy Rewards card for cashless transactions – just topup at Jollibee stores and use it to pay for food purchases for dine-in, takeout, and

drive-thru transactions.

Those ordering for takeout can take advantage of the Jollibee app’s three-step order and pick-up feature. To use, select Pick Up, choose the time and date and the Jollibee branch, and order the meal. Once the order’s confirmed, the customer can head to their chosen branch and pick up via the takeout counter, drive-thru window, or curbside pick-up.

Kare-kare by Tasty Delights PH Ingredients: 1 kg.

1 kg.

6 cups 1/4 cup 2 tbsp.

1/4 cup 2 pcs.

1/2 cup 1 cup 1 cup 4 pcs.

1 bundle 1 pc.

oxtail, sliced, 2-inch thick pork hocks, sliced, 1-inch thick water salt and black pepper oil annatto oil garlic, minced onions, diced shrimp paste ground peanut ground toasted rice eggplant, sliced string beans, cut 2 inches long banana blossom, sliced

Procedure: 1. Boil the oxtail and pork slices with salt and black pepper until tender. Set aside the broth.

2. In a separate pot, heat oil, annatto oil, and sauté garlic, onion, shrimp paste, ground peanut, and ground rice.

3. Pour in the reserved broth and boil. Add the boiled meat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the vegetables and cover.

4. Turn off the heat and allow the residual heat to cook the vegetables.

5. Serve with Royal Umbrella Rice and sautéed shrimp paste on the side.

Max’s Group rolls out treats for vaccinated customers

Pork Binagoongan sa Gata by Mommy Issa Ingredients: 3/4 kg.

1 cup 1/2 cup 3-4 tbsp.

1 pc.

Brands under the Max’s Group are offering ‘bakuna benefits’ in support of the local restaurant industry’s initiative to offer vaccinated individuals with exclusive deals.

EXCLUSIVE offers await vaccinated customers at Max’s Group’s restaurants.

The casual dining group is supporting the local restaurant industry’s effort to help the country reach herd immunity through the Smart Bakuna Benefits program by offering free dishes, drink upsize, discounts, and buy one, get one deals. These additional incentives aim to encourage more Filipinos to get jabbed.

Max’s Restaurant – Fully vaccinated customers with a minimum purchase of P500 for dine-in transactions get a free solo halo-halo today until Dec. 31 in all Max’s branches nationwide.

Yellow Cab – Present a vaccination card (with only first dose or with second

dose) with P750 purchase of ala carte products for dine-in to get a free 9-inch Classic NY-Style Thin Crust Pizza in select branches today until Nov. 30.

Pancake House – Enjoy a buy one, get one deal for every two-piece order of Classic Pancakes with whipped butter or Golden Brown Waffle when dining in all stores today until Dec. 31.

Krispy Kreme – Vaccinated customers purchasing in stores get a free Original Glazed Doughnut when they buy any 12oz. Krispy Kreme Beverage in select stores today until Dec. 31.

Teriyaki Boy – A single receipt purchase of P900 for dine-in gets a vaccinated customer free five-piece gyoza in select branches today until Aug. 31.

Sizzlin’ Steak – For a minimum single receipt purchase of P900 for dine-in, vaccinated customers get a free plate of Chicken Strips in select branches today until Aug. 31.

Dencio’s – Vaccinated customers dining in with a minimum purchase of P1,000 get three sticks of Pork BBQ in participating branches today until Aug. 31.

Jamba Juice – Get a free upsize (from 16oz. to 22oz.) for Strawberries Wild, Banana Berry, or Chocolate Moo’d drink order in participating branches today until Dec. 31.

Check out the brands’ respective websites or social media accounts to find out the nearest branch that offers the aforementioned “bakuna benefits”.

4 cloves 1 pc.

4 pcs.

2 pcs.

1 tbsp.

2 tbsp.

2 pcs.

1 tsp.

pork belly, sliced into 2-inch cubes coconut milk coconut cream ginisang bagoong alamang medium onion, sliced garlic, chopped ginger, sliced green chili peppers red chili white vinegar sugar laurel leaves ground black pepper

Procedure: 1. Sauté ginger, garlic, and onions in oil. Add pork belly slices and cook until they begin to brown and render fat.

2. Add bagoong alamang and stir well. Add sugar, vinegar, pepper, and laurel leaves.

3. Pour in coconut milk. Simmer until pork is tender.

4. Add in coconut cream. Simmer in low heat for a few minutes until the sauce thickens. Add red and green chilis.

5. Serve over warm Royal Umbrella Rice.