Manila Standard - 2021 August 2 - Monday

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MARCIAL RULES TO FIGHT FOR GOLD; YULO OUT TO REDEEM SELF

MEDAL TALLY

By Riera U. Mallari

COUNTRY

1. CHI 2. USA 3. JAP 4. AUS 5. ROC

43. PHI

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23 20 17 13 12

14 21 5 3 19

13 16 9 14 13

TOKYO—Eumir Marcial sent fellow pro Arman Darchinyan reeling to the canvas in a first-round knockout win that installed the Filipino middleweight in the semifinals of the 69-75kg division and assured the Philippines of another medal, a bronze, in the Summer Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena here on Sunday.

Described by his Australian coach Don Abnett as “more powerful now,” Marcial showed proof by connecting with a right hook to the face of the Armenian, who was counted out by referee Perez Olivares of Colombia at 2:11 of the opening round.

“Right hook ko ang naka-knockout sa kanya.

50 57 31 31 44

1 0 0 1 EUMIR MARCIAL

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CARLOS YULO

‘Upsurge only tip of iceberg’ Treatment czar admits to limited capability in detecting Delta

By Willie Casas, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Maricel V. Cruz

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HE recent increase in COVID-19 cases might only be the tip of the iceberg as the country's capability to detect the more transmissible Delta variant is still limited, Health Undersecretary and treatment czar Leopoldo Vega said Sunday.

VOL. XXXV • NO. 168 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The Philippines' new COVID-19 in- consecutive days, with the Delta variant fections rose above 8,000 during three Next page

CHECKPOINTS BACK. At the boundary of

Las Pinas and Bacoor in Cavite on Sunday, Philippine National Police personnel start monitoring motorists passing through checkpoints in the National Capital Region Plus to prevent the further spread of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. Policemen asked for IDs and the purpose of the trip of the motorists. Danny Pata

HEALTH CHIEFS UNITE FOR POOR NEWS / A2

DEVOTED. People line up outside the Baclaran Church on Sunday, as mass gatherings are prohibited and only online Masses are allowed under the enhanced community quarantine to be implemented from Aug. 6 to 20 due to the rise of the Delta coronavirus variant. Norman Cruz

Gov’t eases up on transport Asean: PH takes on equal access, sea row to make way for vax rollout

By Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PUBLIC transportation will likely be allowed even under the upcoming enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in Metro Manila so that people can get vaccinated, a spokesman for the National Task Force against COVID-19 said Sunday.

In an interview with Dobol B TV, task force spokesman Restituto Padilla Jr. said the government aims to inoculate 250,000 people a day amid the strictest quarantine level from Aug. 6 to 20.

“There will likely be a less strict policy for the transportation sector because Secretary [Harry] Roque already said the vaccination will continue,” Padilla said in Filipino. “Even as we impose ECQ, there will be an increased ramp-up of the vaccination.”

No guidelines have yet been issued on transportation during the two-week period under ECQ beginning Aug. 6.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, meanwhile, said more police will be deployed to Metro Manila vaccination Next page

DTI halts SRP increases in goods

By Othel V. Campos THE government has deferred the impending hike on suggested retail prices (SRP) of some basic necessities as the country faces another strict shift of quarantine protocols in the first half of August amid the surge in coronavirus cases.

Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez said there is no way the government will allow any price hikes that will further burden the country, which stands to lose billions of pesos during the two-week lockdown on August 6 till 20.

“We decided to postpone the issuance Next page

THE Philippines will raise the issue of equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines as well as the territorial disputes over the South China Sea when foreign ministers

of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) meet online Monday, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.

Pandemic recovery is among the topics that Foreign Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. will bring up during the 54th ASEAN Foreign Ministers' Meeting that

runs from Aug. 2 to 6, the DFA said.

ASEAN leaders who met in April committed to implement the ASEAN Comprehensive Recovery Framework for COVID-19.

Brunei, the current ASEAN chair, said it welcomed the decision to use the Next page

Oil price hike set: P1.10/liter

By Alena Mae S. Flores CONSUMERS have to brace for a hefty oil price hike of up to P1.10 per liter this week that reflects the movement of prices in the world oil market.

"Expect fuel prices to go up next week (August 3 to 9). Diesel will increase by P0.70 to P0.80 per liter.

Gasoline will increase by P1 to P1.10 per liter," Unioil Petroleum Philippines said in its advisory.

A report by Reuters on Friday said world oil prices went up amid growing demand, with vaccinations seen to lessen the impact of renewed resurgence of COVID-19 infections worldwide.

According to Reuters, analysts believe increased vaccinations would limit lockdowns that could affect demand.

Meanwhile, the expected oil price increases this week are a reversal of the oil price rollback implemented by the oil companies last week.

On July 27, the oil companies rolled back prices by P0.75 to P0.85 per liter for gasoline, P0.60 to P0.70 per liter for diesel, and P0.60 to P0.70 per liter for kerosene.

These resulted in the year-to-date adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P12.85 per liter for gasoline, P10.30 per liter for diesel, and P8.70 per liter for kerosene.

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1,597,689 8,735

63,646

28,016

127

1,506,027

5,930

(As of 4 PM, AUGUST 1)

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News

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Health, trade chiefs urge jab makers to help poor nations G ENEVA—Four of the world's most prominent health, trade, and financial organizations on Saturday implored Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to prioritize doses for poorer countries to combat the "acute and alarming shortage".

A joint statement by the heads of the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund and World Bank said countries which have progressed far in vaccinating against the disease should release doses rapidly in favor of less fortunate nations.

"We reiterate the urgency of provid-

ing access to Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatments to people throughout the developing world," they said.

"In the area of vaccines, a key constraint is the acute and alarming shortage in the supply of doses to low and lowmiddle income countries, especially for the rest of 2021.

"We call on countries with advanced Covid-19 vaccination programmes to release as soon as possible as much of their contracted vaccine doses and options as possible to Covax, AVAT (the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust), and low and low-middle income countries."

Covax aims to get donor-funded jabs to poorer countries.

The leaders said vaccine delivery contracts for poorer nations were being delayed, with less than five percent of purchased vaccine doses having been delivered.

"We urge Covid-19 vaccine manufacturers to redouble their efforts to scale up

‘Upsurge...

dential spokesman Harry Roque said President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) to reclassify Laguna and Aklan from general community quarantine with heightened restrictions to MECQ, while Apayao was reclassified from GCQ to MECQ. The quarantine classification of the province of Cebu, on the other hand, was downgraded from MECQ to GCQ with heightened restrictions, also from Aug. 1 to 15.

The IATF approved the shortening of detection to isolation of cases to less than five days, which includes the tracking of active cases in all areas, prioritizing those with clustering of COVID-19 cases, as well as tracing of close contacts of all suspect, probable and confirmed cases within 24 hours of detection of a case.

Facility-based isolation and quarantine should also be prioritized to prevent household transmission, the IATF said.

Already, he said, the number of calls received by the One Hospital Command Center (OHCC), the country's hospital referral center, is already increasing, rising from 90 during the first week of July to 175 calls recorded in the last two weeks.

“This means active calls are increasing.

Many people are getting sick, or transmission is higher,” Vega said.

Most of the calls are from Metro Manila, he said.

To prepare for the ECQ and possible sudden surge of COVID-19 infections, Vega said they already added 110 call receivers to their manpower. He added that more medical coordinators also joined the OHCC. “We are also offering telemedicine services if people need virtual consultation and virtual prescription,” he said.

The independent OCTA Research Group said the average number of COVID-19 cases in the Philippines rose 7 percent to 6,247, compared to last week.

In its latest report, OCTA said the country also recorded an average positivity rate of 14 percent over the past week.

On Friday, the Philippines reported 8,562 new COVID-19 cases, the highest daily infections recorded since May 28.

The National Capital Region (NCR) reported a 7-day average of 1,155 this week, which is 35 percent higher than last week’s average.

OCTA also reported that the positivity rate in NCR rose to 9 percent.

“Hospital bed occupancy in the NCR increased to 43 percent compared to seven days ago; the number of occupied hospital beds increased to 12 percent over the same period,” OCTA said.

“ICU bed occupancy in the NCR increased to 52 percent. The number of ICU beds occupied in the NCR increased by 21 percent from the previous week,” they said.

CTA previously said that the NCR could possibly see as many as 2,000 new COVID-19 cases per day by next week.

OCTA said Cebu, Ilocos Norte, Bulacan, Misamis Oriental, Pampanga, Rizal, and Bataan also registered a significant increase in new cases.

The group also said Metro Manila may already have community transmission of the Delta variant, based on the increasing percentage of such cases detected through genome sequencing.

OCTA's Guido David said there might be 300 new cases of Delta variant per day in the capital region, based on the percentage of its cases out of the country's total infections.

“We understand that the Department of Health is the official body and they're confirming this through genome sequencing… We’re an independent group, we can say based on statistics, based on sampling, that the Delta variant cases we've seen have increased to 25 percent from 15 percent,” David told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo.

“If we have 300 cases per day, we can say there's community transmission. In the interest of safety, even if there's no confirmation yet, it’s better to assume there's already community transmission so we'll be extra careful,” he said.

As of last Wednesday, a total of 216 Delta variant cases have been detected in the country, out of 9,725 samples that went through genome sequencing. Only 16 are active, eight have died, and the remaining 192 have recovered.

Of the latest batch of 97 additional Delta variant cases that were confirmed, 25 were in Metro Manila. The 97 include three fatalities and 94 recoveries.

The Beta variant (first detected in South Africa) has the greatest number of cases at 2,146, of which, 19 are active, followed by the Alpha variant (first detected in the UK)

at 1,856, including 18 active cases.

The threat of the Delta variant is the last remaining "hurdle" for the country this year, said David.

“This is our last major hurdle this year,” David said. “If we get through this and many are vaccinated in Metro Manila, we're going to have a booming four months... We will have a Merry Christmas.” David said.

OCTA projects Metro Manila will reach 2,000 daily cases by Aug. 10, but infections are already accelerating, David said.

The Philippines aims to vaccinate 58 million from Metro Manila and eight other major urban hubs by yearend to achieve population protection and revive the economy.

Some 7,835,715 have received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine as the country administered a total of 19,359,927 jabs so far.

In other developments: • The authorities said the National Capital Region (NCR) Plus travel bubble began Sunday in compliance with the IATF resolution that placed added and heightened restrictions prior to the two-week ECQ. Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año on Sunday said quarantine control points (QCP) manned by police, soldiers, coast guard personnel and firemen would be positioned at the borders of Bulacan, Rizal, Laguna, and Cavite. Only authorized persons outside of residence (APORs) will be allowed to enter and leave the NCR Plus area.

• Senator Juan Edgardo Angara said the government needs to ramp up genomic sequencing or surveillance as the 750 samples a week being evaluated is less than 1 percent of the recorded COVID-19 cases nationwide.

• House Deputy Speaker Bernadette Herrera asked Malacañang to reconsider its decision to place the National Capital Region under ECQ, citing the negative effect of the lockdown on the economy and residents. Herrera warned that placing Metro Manila—the financial center and key to many economic activities of the country— under the strictest quarantine status would further cripple the economy and push more people into extreme poverty. “The economy and our people have suffered a lot and we certainly cannot afford another lockdown without enough financial assistance from the government,” she said.

the cargo vessels that bring essential goods into Metro Manila.

Philippine National Police (PNP) chief Gen. Guillermo Eleazar on Sunday placed the Medical Reserve Force (MRF) on standby to assist in the vaccination process during the reimplementation of the ECQ in Metro Manila.

Eleazar said the MRF is ready to help as additional manpower in the vaccination rollout after the Metro Manila Council expressed readiness to inoculate 250,000 individuals each day during the ECQ from Aug. 6 to 20.

“The PNP’s Medical Reserve Force will be on standby in case they will be

tapped in the vaccination process during the two-week ECQ,” Eleazar said in a statement.

He directed the National Capital Region Police Office (NCRPO) to prepare the deployment of additional cops and a contingency plan for the vaccination.

Also on Sunday, Senator Sherwin Gatchalian pressed for the vaccination of minors to prevent them from being “variant factories”—in reference to the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19.

By the time we get enough supply we can already vaccinate teenagers.

And this is a very crucial stage in going back to face-to-face classes,” said Gatchalian, the chairman of the Senate committee on basic education, arts and culture.

Since schools are surrounded by economic activities such as the use of transportation and the operation of small businesses, Gatchalian added that vaccinating learners will provide an added layer of protection.

“The kids might not get infected as fast as science says, but their parents, the shopkeepers, the sari-sari store owners, they might be susceptible to the virus spread," Gatchalian said.

“Foreign policy is not exclusive to the President. It is a shared power with the Senate. It cannot be left to the President alone since it involves policy issues, and Congress is the policy-making body in our system of government,” Drilon said.

Drilon said the latest decision of the President to recall the termination of the VFA, after much hemming and hawing, proves that foreign policy is a function that cannot be left alone to the President.

After unilaterally terminating the VFA on Feb. 11, 2020, the President recalled his decision several times in June 2020, in November 2020 and in June 2021 until he decided to retract the termination last Friday.

Drilon noted that “the President’s latest action comes on the heels of the Supreme Court landmark ruling involving the President’s withdrawal from the Rome Statute, in which the justices affirmed the need for the Senate’s concurrence in the withdrawal from treaties and international agreements.”

In 2020, Senate President Vicente Sotto III along with Drilon, Senators Richard Gordon, Panfilo Lacson, Ralph Recto and Miguel Zubiri (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

DTI...

packaging also increased by 37 percent.

Prices of herring, used to make sardines, rose by 14 percent, meat by 10 percent, and mechanically-deboned meat by 87 percent.

The DTI has already approved price increases for consumer goods such as milk and sardines. It is still assessing pricing requests for canned meat, instant noodle, coffee, creamer, and condiments.

The DTI has previously announced that basic necessities will be sold based on its September 30, 2019 SRP list, following the lifting of the 2-month moratorium on SRP increases.

The basic necessities were placed under automatic price control at their prevailing prices due to the outbreak of African Swine Fever.

The price freeze lasted 60 days from May 10 till July 9 this year.

The products under basic necessities include canned sardines in tomato sauce, luncheon meat, meatloaf, beef loaf, corned beef, processed milk, coffee, bread, locally manufactured instant noodles, salt, detergent soap/laundry soap, toilet soap, bottled water, candle, and condiments such as vinegar, soy sauce, and fish sauce.

From A1

cases mushrooming in Metro Manila and other provinces.

“Not all RT-PCR positive test results are used in sequencing the Delta variant.

We think the cases we are able to record represents only the tip of the iceberg,” Vega said in Filipino in an interview on radio dzBB. “We need to do more to address this, otherwise more will get infected.”

Upticks in cases are seen in Metro Manila, Region 1, Region 4A, Region 6, Region 7, and Region 10, Vega said.

He said most of the sequenced Delta variant cases, now at 216, came from Metro Manila areas.

Vega acknowledged that daily cases could go much higher unless the government implements strict Prevent-DetectIsolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR) measures.

Amid increasing Delta variant cases, Metro Manila will be placed again under the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from Aug. 6 to 20 in a bid to avert a possible surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Philippines logged 8,735 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of infections to 1,597,689, the third straight day when more than 8,000 cases were recorded.

One hundred twenty-seven new fatalities were reported, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 28,016.

The DOH reported 5,930 persons who recently recovered, bringing the total recoveries to 1,506,027.

There were 63,646 active cases, of which 94 percent were mild, 1.3 percent were asymptomatic, 1.2 percent were critical, 2.1 percent were severe, and 1.45 percent were moderate.

Nationwide, 59 percent of the ICU beds, 51 percent of the isolation beds, 48 percent of the ward beds, and 40 percent of the ventilators, were in use.

In Metro Manila, 51 percent of the ICU beds, 49 percent of the isolation beds, 42 percent of the ward beds, and 39 percent of the ventilators, were in use.

Malacañang said it has placed the provinces of Apayao, Laguna and Aklan under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) from Aug. 1 to 15.

In a statement released Sunday, presi-

Gov‘t...

From A1

sites during the ECQ period to ensure order is maintained.

“We will send more police to vaccination sites, markets, supermarkets, and cash aid distribution centers,” Año said in Filipino in a separate interview with Dobol B TV. Año said tighter border controls mean only cargo vessels and authorized personnel outside of residence (APOR) are allowed to pass Metro Manila borders.

He said checkpoints are in place for

Asean:...

From A1

COVID-19 ASEAN Response Fund to procure vaccines for the people of the 10-nation bloc “as soon as possible.”

The ASEAN foreign ministers met as Filipino and American troops completed a three-week “Salaknib” exercise in Fort Ramon Magsaysay in Nueva Ecija.

Some 400 personnel joined the exercise composed of 15 training events including urban operations, intelligence, combat engineers, operations, medical planning, military police operations, K-9 operations, and chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense development.

"With the continuation of the Visiting Forces Agreement, both armies expect to continue with the exercise in the coming years," Philippine Army spokesman Col. Ramon Zagala said.

President Duterte dialed back his 2020 decision to terminate the VFA last week, after extending it three times.

Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon said the President's shifting stance on the VFA validated the position that foreign policy should be a shared power with the Senate.

From A1

of the SRP. Definitely, no price movements during the ECQ period,” Lopez said over the weekend.

The Consumer Protection Group (CPG) of the Department of Trade and Industry has also advised manufacturers and consumers that prices of basic necessities will continue to be at current levels until the final day of the enhanced community quarantine.

The DTI was poised to release a new set of SRPs following a two-year moratorium on price hikes due to the pandemic.

Manufacturers had petitioned for a 3 to 5 percent hike in SRP starting August.

Despite the increasing cost of raw materials, manufacturers remained compliant to the DTI’s request to keep price hikes at bay while the country is in crisis.

But the rising prices of raw materials, domestically and in the world market, was eating out their already eroded profitability, they noted.

In a recent meeting, manufacturers complained that the price of tin cans went up by 60 percent, while PET bottle

production of vaccines specifically for these countries, and to ensure that the supply of doses to Covax and low and low-middle income countries takes precedence over the promotion of boosters and other activities," they said.

They called on governments to reduce or eliminate barriers to the export of vaccines and all materials involved in producing them and said there was an urgent need to tackle supply chain bottlenecks.

The four international agencies have set up a combined task force on Covid-19 vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics for developing countries in order to identify and resolve impediments to production. AFP

11 US senators denounce PH for ‘abuses’ AMERICAN senators urged the Biden government to condemn the human rights abuses committed by the Duterte government in the Philippines even as both countries welcomed the extension of the Visiting Forces Agreement that allows US soldiers on Philippine soil.

“We urge the Biden administration to stand with the people of the Philippines as they continue to fight for their universal human rights. The State Department should condemn the aforementioned abuses at the highest levels in our diplomatic engagements with Philippine government representatives, as well as publicly,” the senators said in a letter to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The letter was written by Senator Edward J. Markey of Massachusetts, along with fellow Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Cory Booker of New Jersey, Patrick Leahy from Vermont, Jeffrey A. Merkley of Oregon, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Ron Wyden of Oregon, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, and Chris Van Hollen from Maryland. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Marcial...

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Hindi ko rin ine-expect ‘yung suntok na ‘yun. Basta ‘yung akin lang, bitaw lang ako ng suntok at ito naman ang pinagensayuhan namin, kaya nagkaroon na ng muscle memory na automatic na ‘yung katawan na sumusuntok at gumagalaw.

Lahat po ‘yun nakuha namin sa training at talagang pinaghandaan po namin ito,” said Marcial.

The win assured the Philippines of a bronze, the second medal for the Olympic boxers here following the guaranteed silver of Nesthy Petecio in the women’s featherweight division.

Both boxers can upgrade the color of their medals if they win their next bouts – Petecio in the gold-medal duel on Tuesday against Japanese Sena Irie, and Marcial on Thursday in a semifinal showdown with former tormentor Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine.

Marcial’s first bout here, although not a knockout, was also showcase of his power as he rattled in the first round his Algerian opponent Algeran Younes Nemouchi, who was given a standing-8 count.

The 25-year-old Marcial will be taking on a Ukrainian rival that had beaten him in the 2018 Strandja Memorial in Sofia, Bulgaria, albeit under different circumstances.

“Ready po ako sa laban na ito. During nu’ng laban namin, na-injured ako, kaya natalo ako. Sa pakiramdam ko, kundisyon na kundisyon ako ngayon. Ready po ako sa laban na ito,” said Marcial.

Meanwhile, Juvic Pagunsan closed out with a one-under-par 70 and finished 55th in a field of 60 in the men’s golf competition of the Tokyo Olympics at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

The 43-year-old Filipino pro never got going after an opening 66 as he finished with a four-day total of one-over 285 – a good 19 shots behind American goldmedal winner Xander Shauffele, who salvaged a par from a difficult position in the rough after a bad drive to clinch the gold medal on a closing 67 for 266, one shot ahead of South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini who closed with a fiery 61.

It will be the turn of Women’s US Open champion Yuka Saso and LPGA campaigner Bianca Pagdanganan to go for gold, starting on Wednesday, also in the same layout.

On Monday, Carlos Yulo vies in the men’s vault finals of artistic gymnastics, hoping to redeem himself from a disappointing performance in the floor exercise more than a week ago.

Yulo scored 14.733 points to land in sixth place in the vault and be with the top eight participants who advanced to the finals.

Unfortunately for Yulo, he landed in 44th place out of 64 competitors in his pet floor exercise.

Oil...

From A1

Oil companies also raised the price of cooking gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) over the weekend.

Petron Corp. announced it implemented a P3.35 per kilo increase (VATinclusive) in LPG prices effective 12:01 am, August 1.

Isla LPG, which markets the Solane cooking gas brand, also raised LPG prices by P3.27 per kg. This is equivalent to an increase of between P35.97 to P36.85 per 11-kilo tank used in households.

Petron likewise increased its autoLPG prices by P1.87 per liter.

"These reflect the international contract price of LPG for the month of August," Petron said in its advisory.

News

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

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ECQ prohibits sale of liquor in Paranaque PARAÑAQUE City will impose a liquor ban and suspend the sale of liquor and other alcoholic beverages for the next three weeks as Metro Manila reverts to enhanced community quarantine, the strictest form of lockdown amid the lingering threat of coronavirus’ Delta straint.

City Mayor Edwin Olivarez said the Parañaque government from August 2 to Aug. 22, 2021 will enforce the liquor bar and establishements are covered by the prohibition.

Metro Manila is under general community quarantine “subject to heightened and additional restrictions” from July 31 to August 5, 2021.

This will be followed by the strictest enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) which will be in place from August 6.

The current GCQ with heightened and additional restrictions already bans indoor and al fresco dining while the ECQ will only allow essential trips and services.

The decision to reimpose ECQ was announced by President Duterte on the recommendation of the inter-agency task force against the COVID-19, noting that a possible upsurge in virus infections could occur if the restrictions were not enforced.

Red Cross sets legal action vs. identity theft

By Willie Casas THE Philippine Red Cross warned the public on Sunday against fake COVID-19 swab and saliva test bookings, and said the agency would take legal action against those involved in fraudulent transactions.

The PRC, in an advisory posted online, cautioned against the fake Facebook and GCash account of Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla.

“The Philippine Red Cross (PRC) warns the public of the fake Facebook and GCash account of PRC Secretary General Elizabeth Zavalla. The legal team of the PRC is currently investigating the incident of identity theft and will take legal action to the full extent of the law against these offenders who tainted the reputation of Ms. Zavalla and the entire PRC organization,” the PRC said.

“We are reminding everyone transacting with the PRC to transact only through our official channels. We will take necessary legal actions against anyone involved in these fraudulent transactions, “ said PRC SecretaryGeneral Elizabeth Zavalla.

“As the premier humanitarian organization in the country, the Philippine Red Cross continues to be the active ally of the government; committed to providing life-saving services that protect the life and dignity especially of indigent Filipinos in vulnerable situations,” Zavalla said.

The PRC urged the public to contact directly their National Headquarters or Chapter Offices for inquiries., through hotline numbers 1158 and 143, and +63-2-8790-2300. They can also be contacted through their official website, redcross.org.ph.

TRAFFIC STOPPER. Motorists pause and

make way for Public Works and Highways personnel to cover potholes along the stretch of Roxas Boulevard from Pasay City to Manila on Sunday (Aug. 1, 2021). Incessant rains spawned by southwest monsoon and enhanced by Typhoon Fabian last week damaged asphalted roads in many parts of Metro Manila. Avito C. Dalan

SC: Online applications for Bar exams continue

By Rey Requejo

T

HE Supreme Court will continue accepting online applications for the 2020 and 2021 bar examinations, which will also be conducted online in November despite the physical closure of all courts in the National Capital Region starting today, August 2 until August 20.

In an advisory, the Office of the Bar Confidant said its help desk hotlines will be available only from Monday to Wednesday starting at 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Aug. 2 to 20.

However, the OBC stressed that bar applicants can access the Bar Personal Login Unified System (BAR PLUS) for their queries or concerns or through its helpdesk email – obc.helpdesk.sc.@judiciary.gov.ph.

Applications by law graduates will be accepted until September 15.

Confidant Rosita M. Requillas Nacional, also a deputy clerk of court, issued the announcement last July 31. The OBC supervises the country’s bar examinations.

Last July 15, the SC started accepting online applications for the 2020 and 2021 bar examinations which will be conducted in at least 16 testing centers nationwide.

Associate Justice Marvic Leonen,

chairman of the bar examinations, said the SC has launched the online application system through BAR PLUS, “a homegrown online application system through which prospective applicants for the Nov. 2021 Bar Examinations will submit their verified petition, other required documents and information including proof of payment of the bar application fee.”

“BAR PLUS was created to facilitate a safe, equitable, and inclusive Bar Examinations. All potential examinees will submit their applications digitally and through mail. A potential examinee will be required to personally appear only when there are difficult issues in their applications which cannot be addressed in any other manner,” Leonen said, in a Bar Bulletin No. 21.

NAVOTAS SCHOLARS.

Academic scholars of the City Government of Navotas receive their allowance for period March to June 2021.

Some 62 beneficiaries of Navotas Academic Scholarship receive educational assistance. and of that number, 55 are high school students, two are college, and five are teachers “Metro Manila will be under Enhanced Community Quarantine starting August 6. We hope the amount they received will help tide their families over the next two weeks,” Mayor Toby Tiangco said.

Andrew Rabulan

Mining firms equip Masbate folk to overcome pandemic woes TWO mining companies, Filminera Resources Corporation and Phil Gold Processing & Refining Corporation, have embarked on food production and other livelihood programs in a town in Masbate in a bid to equip the town folk in overcoming problems brought about by the prolonged pandemic.

Five years ago, or earlier, FRC and

Filminera and Phil Gold have embarked on poultry production and other livelihood projects that enable Masbate folk to eke out a living in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Bello prepares for lead role in ILO govt group

PhilGold have sponsored and organized livelihood opportunities for the community folk which include the innovative hydroponics agriculture system, banana chips food processing, oyster production, bangus and tilapia culture, salted egg processing, egg production preparatory to poultry supply, among others.

FRC and PhilGold have jointly implemented these through their Social Development and Management Program, which receive sustained multi-million peso funding from the two mining firms every year.

The latest project that has generated much interest and substantial income to residents of several barangays is the

egg production project which assures supply to several poultry houses. Most of these eggs set a chain reaction of poultry production, because these eggs produce chickens and these chickens, in turn, produce eggs in a never-ending cycle achieving a remarkable geometric progression.

Alongside equipping them in egg

By Vito Barcelo GEARING up for the role as chairman of a global group, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III on Sunday called on member states of the International Labor Organization to ratify a 1986 instrument that amends the constitution of the global labor standards setting body.

Bello said the Philippines can show the lead by acting with dispatch in ratifying the amendment contained in the instrument adopted by the International Labor Conference in 1986.

For the amendment to take effect, the instrument has to be ratified by at least two-thirds of the 187 member states of the ILO. So far, 116 countries had ratified the 35-year amendment instrument, short by nine member states for it to enter into effect.

The amendment to the ILO charter would democratize the membership in the global labor body by giving speaking and voting rights to more memberstates in the annual ILC. “I am convinced that the Philippines’ non-ratification is just a case of oversight rather than a deliberate rejection of the Amendment. We have accepted and ratified many other key ILO conventions in recent years, this is why I believe our government can act swiftly on it,” Bello said.

Just last month, the Philippines assumed the chairmanship of the Government Group of the ILO, a historic feat for the country being the first non-voting member to have been elected to the post.

Bello said a hard push for the ratification of the amendment to the ILO charter is among his top priorities in taking on the leading role in the Government Group.

The amendment increases the voting membership in the ILO and abolishes the seeming permanent status of 10 members of chief industrial countries, a preference that gives them an advantage over other member States as the latter need to get elected to have a voice and/ or vote in ILO Governing Body matters.

These 10 have never become observers since the birth of the ILO 102 years ago.

According to Labor Attaché Cheryl Daytec of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office based in Geneva, the headquarters of the ILO, “The amendment will promote full, equal and democratic participation of the ILO’s constituents in the Organization’s tripartite governance.”

QC finetunes vax system

By Rio N. Araja THE Quezon City government has implemented a system to more efficiently inoculate its residents or workers by having them sign up on its Quick Substitution List (QSL) to replace scheduled beneficiaries who are no-show or did not receive their jabs due to deferment because of other valid reasons.

The system also ensures that all vaccines at a site would be consumed.

“In the afternoon, if there are beneficiaries who fail to show up or were deferred because of high blood pressure, failure to present a medical certificate or other reasons, we will call those in the QSL and in-

vite them to get the shot instead,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

The practice has long been implemented at the Smart Araneta Coliseum mega vaccination site and other malls serving as inoculation sites.

Individuals who go to vaccination sites even without prior appointments can register under the QSL. Through the QSL system, Belmonte said allocated vaccines for the day are used up and their integrity is not compromised by the need to bring them back to the cold storage facility.

Meanwnhile the city government has started the vaccination of 5,500 business process outsourcing workers against Covid-19.

News

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A4

WEDNESDAY, JULY 28, 2021

DENR starts rehabilitating Marikina River

By Rio N. Araja THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources has begun the second phase rehabilitation of the Marikina River in Marikina City.

Secretary Roy Cimatu, Task Force Build Back Better , said the second phase of the river dredging project aimed to fully improve Marikina River’s water flow and mitigate the risk of floods during extreme weather events.

“With the dredging operations, we can expect the water to subside faster should another flooding occur. The continuous dredging and widening of the river will help minimize flooding,” he said.

“Once phase 2 of this project is completed, I am confident that waterways will be restored to their original width and legal easements will be recovered resulting in safer and more resilient communities against the effects of climate change,” he added.

The government’s “build back better” drive continues with the commencement of the second phase of dredging operations in the portion of the Marikina River that passes through Barangay Santolan in Pasig City.

Cimatu assured that no households in the Pasig City’s portion of Marikina River would be affected by the dredging operations.

Zubiri tackles transport challenges

MARKET DAY. Shoppers flock to Susano Market in Novaliches, Quezon City early Sunday as the National Capital Region will once again be put under the Enhanced Community

Quarantine starting August 6. Most vendors and customers are seen wearing facemasks, but with the large number of people inside and outside the market, social distancing protocols are not properly observed. Santi San Juan

Romualdez bats for athlete’s medal

By Rio N. Araja

M

AJORITY Leader and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez on Sunday batted for the institutionalization of the Congressional Medal of Excellence for national athletes who would win gold medal in the Olympic Games.

“These sports heroes deserve to be recognized and commended for bringing pride, honor and inspiration especially to young Filipinos who want to excel in their fields,” he said.

He joined Speaker Lord Allan Velasco and House Minority Leader and Abang Lingkod party-list Rep. Joseph Stephen Paduano in the filing of House Resolution No. 1981 to give due rec-

ognition to Filipinos who would win a gold in the Olympic Games.

Romualdez, along with the other lawmakers, congratulated weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz for her historic gold medal win at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics.

A second Olympic gold medal for the Philippines is within reach after Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio bested Irma Testa in the semifinals of the women’s

NIGHT GAME.

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

SENATE Majority Leader Juan Miguel Zubiri discussed with transport cooperatives in Visayas on Sunday the sector’s modernization efforts, particularly the challenges they were facing in securing loans from government financial institutions.

Zubiri, who chairs the Senate Committee on Cooperatives, was a guest at the inaugural Transport Cooperative Visayas Congress in Cebu City, organized by the National Federation of Transport Cooperatives.

“The transport sector is facing a real paradigm change, in terms of PUV modernization,” he said. “But bureaucracy is making it unnecessarily hard for them to effectively modernize.”

He expressed frustration over bureaucratic red tape faced by transport cooperatives, who are made to process time-consuming documentary requirements in order to modernize.

He referred particularly to the Local Public Transportation Route Plan (LPTRP) requirement of the Development Bank of the Philippines and the Land Bank of the Philippines.

By Nash B. Maulana (2nd of Two Parts) PICONG, Lanao del Sur—It was in Picong where Philippine Muslim hero Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat was met by native rulers, including his brother in-law Datu Amatunding, providing him sanctuary here and in lake-town Butig.

Widely believed is a narrative that Kudarat was buried on a modest spot, left bank downstream of the Picong River after he died here of old age in 1671.

His Maguindanao descendants, however, principally incumbent Sultan Salem Mastura Kudarat V, hold that Kudarat’s tomb has been marked in Barangay Simuay Seashore, Sultan Mastura, Maguindanao.

(Perhaps both contentions can be open to a carbon-dating test on any existing object, such as the traditional hardwood slabs, beneath the ground surface of the Muslim grave).

Datu Rajiv Balindong Ramos, the municipal planning and development officer, says the local leadership headed by his uncle the Municipal Mayor Mesron Balindong is working towards a development direction of educational tourism, mainly history for learners to walk through Moroland’s glorious past. Part of an educational tourism package is a soon-to-be completed hydropower system upstream the Picong River—which is planned to be complemented with a pay-per-view eplatform for virtual visitors.

Interestingly, on about the same spot, in the old Kingdom of Nago sa Picong

featherweight division of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ boxing tournament Saturday at the Kokugikan Arena.

Romualdez said their achievements served as a testament that perseverance and dedication could be used as springboard to inspires Filipinos to soar to greater heights and achieve great success in life.

“These Filipino international achievers have overcome many trials and challenges through hard work and determination, thereby contributing to, if not restoring, national pride, dignity and self-respect. These individuals have gained personal accolades as well as international recognition both for themselves and for the country,” Romualdez’s resolution read.

A mother and child take the opportunity to play at night at the city public playground with no security personnel in sight at Brgy. H2, Dasmarinas City, Cavite on Sunday -- even it is strictly prohibited by the government for children to go outside their houses. JR Josue

Zarate slams Avisado for medical leave

By Rio N. Araja BAYAN Muna party-list Rep. Carlos Zarate on Sunday slammed Budget Secretary Wendel Avisado for taking a medical leave amid a tougher lockdown starting Aug. 6.

“Just the other day Secretary Avisado said that he was still trying to find funds for the much-needed ayuda and awaited only a clear directive from President.

Was such directive already given?

Was he able to find the budget to help our people before the ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) is implemented?” he asked.

Avisado will go on medical leave from Aug. 6 to 13, following a bout with COVID-19.

Should there be lack of funds for financial aid, Zarate proposed to source it from National Budget Circular 586 and the P4.5 billion presidential confidential and intelligence funds for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.

He also asked for the 2022 budget proposal from the DBM, “which is needed as the pandemic will continue next year.”

“Also, Congress still awaits the executive’s budget proposal for 2022 from the DBM. Is it done already?

There is a need to immediately tackle the budget as we are still in the middle of a raging, surging pandemic; we must all act with urgency. This is also the reason why we are pushing for the fast tracking of the Bayanihan 3 so that funds can be allotted for aid, ASAP,” he said.

VP Robredo tests negative for COVID, back to work Monday

By Rio N. Araja

DESPITE exposure to a COVID-19 patient, Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday said she had tested negative for the virus.

“Fortunately, I was negative. I’ll be back at the office tomorrow,” she said

during her weekly radio program.

Upon learning that she was in contact with a COVID-19 patient, she said she immediately placed herself under quarantine and even took a swab test.

Last April, the Vice President also self-quarantined, following exposure to a close-in security detail who contract-

ed COVID-19, and that in July 2020, a staff from the Office of the Vice President was found positive of COVID-19.

At the same time, Robredo called on all Filipinos to help one another amid the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) is readying the strictest quarantine classification from Aug. 6 to 20 to

Walking through Bangsamoro’s ‘glorious past’

HYDROPOWER. Road to an ongoing construction of a hydropower system upstream at the Picong River.

where Kudarat landed in 1639, also landed the First Batch of 90 Moro foreign trainees from Pulao Pankur Island Kedah (Malaysia), popularly known as the “Top 90”, 330 years later in 1969—as the forerunner forces of both the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) secessionist groups.

The Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao had started constructing the Picong-Poalas-Butig Road and will in time be completed by the BARMM, for a shorter alternative route to Marawi City, the region’s Summer Capital, Ramos said.

BARMM spokesman and Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib Sinarimbo said the regional government will be complementing the shorter route to Marawi City with a circumferential road along the Dapao Lakeshores.

By land on road travel or by water in

FLASHBACK. Wharf Cottage in Ramitan

is the same spot where the First Batch of 90 Moro Trainees from Malaysia landed in 1969 and where Philippine Muslim Hero Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat landed in 1639 from Bangingi Island near Basilan. colorful stream boating will be a fine summer treat to cultural tourism explorers and education travellers along historic sites narrated in Spanish by the Jesuit Chronicler Francisco Combes.

The following accounts originate from the English translation of Combes’ records on the Lake expeditions of the Spaniards in Mindanao.

Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat delivered this Address to the People of the Lake in the Iranun Dialect in 1639: What have you done? Do you realize what subjection would reduce you to? A toilsome under the Spaniards! Turn your eyes to the subject nations and look at the misery to which such glorious nations had been reduced to. Look at the Tagalogs and Visayans! Are you better than they? Do you think that the

MEMORIAL. The Tomb of Sultan Muhammad Dipatuan Kudarat at the downstream left riverbank of Picong River.

Spaniards consider you of better stuff?

Have you not seen how the Spaniards trample them under their feet? Do you not see every day how they are obliged to work at the oars and the factories with all their rigors? Can you tolerate anyone with a little Spanish blood to beat you up and grasp the fruit of your labor?

Allow yourselves to be subjects (today) and tomorrow you will be at the oars; I, at least, will be a pilot, the biggest favor they will allow a chief.

Do not let their sweet words deceive you; their promise facilitates their deceits, which, little by little, enable them to control everything. Reflect on however the minor promises to the chiefs of other nations, the Visayans and the Tagalogs, were not honored until they became masters of them all.

See now what is being done to these chiefs and how they are led by a rod.

curb the surge of the Delta variant of the coronavirus. ( Mean while, Kaya Natin, led by former Senator Paolo Benigno Aquino IV, said in a press statement Masses would be held on the 40th day Sunday of the late President Benigno Aquino III and his mother’s 12th death anniversary.

The speech was inspired by the first attempt of the Spaniards to open up the Lake Lanao region in 1639, when on orders of Governor General Sebastian Hurtado de Corcuera and Zamboanga Governor Pedro de Almonte, Spanish troops moved up by breaking six vessels into four-parts each; transported and reassembled them on reaching the lake with hardly a resistance from the natives.

Second Spanish expedition to the Lake: “Receiving reports in Manila, Corcuera ordered Bermudez de Castro with 50 Spaniards and 500 native troops from Bohol to go up to the lake, and build a fort, and garrison it. The lake Moros (Maranaos) this time were largely defiant and organized. From the first day the Spaniards started constructing their fort they were besieged and attacked.

A relief column, commanded by Padre Agustin de San Pedro, rescued the garrison from imminent destruction. Both commanders saw that the fort could not be maintained against the hordes of Moros who were bent on its destruction, so they instead demolished what they had built with so much labor and bloodshed and retreated to Iligan on the north coast. The detachment was there; provisioned and returned to Bohol and Manila.”

(Combes 1639) The repositioning and reconstitution of the historic Moro defence in Picong was mainly bound by kinship: the Maranao King Amatunding was the brother in-law of Sultan Kudarat, being the husband of the latter’s sister, Putri Gayang. Secondly, Tanaon in Lake Dapao was the Seat of Power of the Nago Sa Picong, the most influential Lake Moro leader of his time.

Opinion When election fever beckons

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

It never gets easier

The fragmentation of the two major oppo-NAKED sition candidacies, FPJ and Lacson, caused THOUGHT the potent Iglesia ni Cristo to side with GMA, its millions of votes tilting the balance in favor CHARLIE V. of GMA, the margin over FPJ widened with a little help from “Hello Garci.”

MANALO Thereafter, in 2010, I was in the campaign team that helped Sen. Benigno S. Aquino III S THE National Capital Region goes into yet another win over both a returning Erap and the uberIN 2001, after the fall from power of President wealthy Manny Villar for the presidency. round of Enhanced Community Quarantine later this Joseph Estrada, I was immediately enlisted This came after the death of Pres. Corazon C. week, one would imagine that we would be able to into the campaign for senator of then resigned Aquino in August 1, 2009 unleashed a wave PNP Director General Panfilo Lacson. of sympathy that caused theTHE Liberal Party FIFTH cope with the lockdown better. It is tempting to think we The initial surveys placed him high on the to prevail upon its declared candidate, Sen. GOSPEL would have an easier time adjusting to the strict measures list of probable winners, between ranks 3 to 5.

Manuel A. Roxas III, to give way to PNoy CROSSROADS But then, a vilification campaign was un- and be his vice-president.

JUDE the because we have learned from our experiences in March last leashed against him, with unsavory characters Earlier, the candidate I was grooming, J.A. testifying that as a police offi cer he was in- 40-year old Sen. Chiz Escudero, year and in April this year. one of the ACIDRE volved in unthinkableDELA crimes.CRUZ Some media front-runners in the tale of the surveys, folded persons came out with so-called exposes that up his presidential plans because of the tsunaThe truth, however, is that it never gets were mere figments of their paid imagination. mi of public grief over Cory’s death that beneasier.

Our aim should not Then, after the arrest of the deposed pres- efited his compadre PNoy. The strictest form of lockdown appears ident, Edsa Tres erupted, the so-called revolt Details of all these campaigns, and my be to manage the next to be the last resort of decision-makers to of the lumpen who stormed Malacanang af- 2016 involvement in the rise to power of the address what is now turning out to be anECQ better, but to never ter three days of massive protest rallies in the then mayor of Davao City shall be detailed other surge in the number of new cases. On same spot where Edsa Dos, labelled the revolt in a book I have always wanted to write but have to resort to tight of the rich and middle-class four months earlier, somehow never started. I have kept my Sunday, there were 8,735 new cases recordOPEN precipitated the downfall of Erap. recollection of the details of each presidenrestrictions again. ed, bringing the total number of Filipinos Then Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo de- tial campaign, both in mind and in written who have had the virus to 1,597,689. Active THOUGHTS clared a state of emergency after the failed notes though—from the Cory-Doy snap cases have shot up to 63,646, while the total siege where military and police snipers atop election candidacy to the failed Mitra-FerORLANDO we are told that even those who have been number of deaths now stands at 28,016.

Mabini Bldg. in the palace shot many of the nan tandem in 1992, to Erap’s triumph in NAKED vaccinated may still contract the virus, but Indeed, drastic action is needed. participants.

1998, to the failedOXALES Ping Lacson run in 2004, SO this at least offers a measure of protection This time around, there are a few fac-THOUGHT to PNoy’s imperiled victory in 2010, up to I SEE Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s come-from-behind tors that were not present during the earlier to millions of people.

V. election win in 2016.

From experience in the past 16 and a half instances of ECQ. Aside from the signifiCHARLIE I will soon get LITO I have played an active role in several presMANALO months, we have also gleaned a few things. cantly higher number of cases, the variant involved in a campaign idential campaigns since the fallBANAYO of Marcos, First, following basic protocol helps. responsible is said to be more transmissible with two failed bids and three wins. One, the again. such that no prolonged contact is even nec- Wearing face masks and face shields, freCory-Doy snap election was virtually a draw, quent washing of hands and observing essary for it to spread. until a military mutiny and people power intervened in the impasse, which is now rememWhat was also not present before are physical distance as much as possible are Warrants of arrest were issued against then bered as the Edsa Revolt. the vaccines, whatever brand they may be. good ways to prevent infection.

THE FIFTH Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile and Gringo Honasan, I thought President Rodrigo Duterte’s Second, experts rule. We should listen to As of July 29, some 7.8 million Filipinos as well as then-senatorial candidate Ping Lac- campaign would be the last CROSSROADS GOSPEL in my career have been fully vaccinated, representing those who speak according to science and son. While Enrile was served the warrant, as an enthusiastic political technician. I 13.5 percent of the 58 million targeted JUDEby evidence, not those who speculate or try to Lacson and Honasan went underground and thought “Tapang at Malasakit” which I J.A. of for two weeks, Ping’s campaign was in limbo. coined to describe the feisty mayor the government. It is a long way ACIDRE to go, and appear knowledgeable or tough.

DELAinCRUZ To cut a long story short, Lacson still Davao as an agent of radical change, coemerged a winner in the 2001 midterm elec- operation with a group of creative people in tions, along with Dra. Loi Estrada, Erap’s the advertising industry, would be my last spouse, Ed Angara, and Honasan. foray into presidential campaigns.

Despite this, the neophyte senator was But politics is a “fever in the blood,” like again subjected to a barrage of attacks mas- the title of a book by William Pearson put on ter-minded by elements of the administration, the silver screen by director Vincent Sherman former Education Secretary Dr. Edilberto de all intended to derail what they thought was in 1961, its story having stuck in my mind. a sure contestant for the presidency in 2004.

Jesus gave a strong commentary on PRRD’s OPEN My interest in the intricacies of political comTrue enough, Sen. Lacson became a can- bat began with that black-and-white movie, approach to the drug war. He said that though THOUGHTS didate for president in 2004. He ran under later fortified by several biographies, hisending criminality, corruption and the drug the LDP-Aquino faction (the late Sen. Butz torical novels and personal encounters with trade was a brilliant campaign agenda, these ORLANDO Aquino), while the main LDP under the late the political greats of this country. election winning commitments will, after all OXALES Sen. Ed Angara fielded the “King of PhilipI was wrong to think that the Duterte camthe bravado, not be fulfilled. pine Movies”—Fernando Poe Jr., in coali- paign would be my last, for as politics is inDr. de Jesus said, “The drug trade was tion with the Nationalist People’s Coalition deed a fever in the blood, I will soon get inAFTER listening with tempered expecta- too diverse, too complex, too costly to of the late Eduardo M. Cojuangco Jr. and volved once again in a presidential campaign. tions, President Duterte’s last State of the Na- simply address by bribing the drug trafErap’s Pwersa ng Masa.

And so I have begged leave with our pubtion Address did not fail to disappoint many fickers and it was too complex to try Attempts were made to get Lacson to agree lisher, my respected friend and mentor, Mr. of us hopeless optimists who were waiting address simply by force because what to be FPJ’s vice-presidential candidate instead, Rollie Estabillo, from continuing to write for a real assessment of the crisis as the con- he could do in Davao as a mayor, it was with the latter’s team-mate, Sen. Loren Le- this twice-a-week column. Wednesday’s artext of how, as the country’s leader, he plans more difficult to do when he had to deal garda willing to give way to Lacson, in order ticle will be my last for this year until after to steer us out of this mess. with other centers of power.” to unite the opposition against the “usurper” Election Day 2022.

In this mood, I would like to share some NAKED GMA. But these did not materialize, and a Resisting the excitement of the drums of snippets of powerful thoughts shared during fragmented opposition, along with other can- election war as they beckon, has become quite THOUGHT the latest online session of think tank Stratdidates like Sen. Raul Roco and Bro. Eddie difficult for this writer. As earlier stated, it is a The speech did base ADRi by another gathering of distinVillanueva reached the finish line in May. fever in the blood. not fail to disappoint CHARLIE V. guished personas and their elegantly frank post SONA impressions.

MANALO many of us hopeless Judge Raul C. Pangalangan, former Inoptimists. ternational Criminal Court (ICC) Judge and also a Stratbase ADRi trustee noted that the circumstances of PRRD’s SONA was special because it was delivered while under ICC “Actually, when you look at the Duterte In his encyclical “Fratelli Tutti,” Pope investigation for the human carnage on the administration, his most outstanding accomFrancis calls politics “one of the highest THE FIFTH war on drugs, the destabilizing aggression of plishment is maintaining a high trust and apforms of charity.” Charity—from a Catholic China in the South China Sea, and the global proval rating in the five years of his adminisGOSPEL perspective—is the highest theological vircrisis of COVID 19. tration,” Dr. de Jesus said. tue, which we more commonly call “love”.

Judge Pangalangan said, “We’ve got the INCITEGov Chairperson Ms. Mardi MaJUDE Clearly, in this sense, the pope is saying biggest crisis of all, the pandemic which pa-Suplido gave a scathing description of politics is an important way of loving God ACIDRE threatens our health and our economy, but PRRD’s rule when she said, “We live amidst by loving our neighbors in a concrete way. it is also an opportunity for well-meaning a unique, authoritarian brand of populism Therefore, when the Pope invites us to Filipinos to forge a solidarity unknown in that has eroded our democratic institutions in “WHAT would Jesus do?” “meddle” in politics, he is practically askNineteenth century Christian pastor and ing the question, “What would Jesus do?” ordinary time and possibly even if fleetingly ways we’ve never seen before.” writer Charles Sheldon posed this quesbring forth the fictive nation that cuts across She said that the country’s ranking in the In all the messiness of politics, the Pope tion in his widely read book, “In His Steps: asks, “How will Jesus love?” the lines of social class that divide us today.” Global Democracy Index has dropped for What Would Jesus Do?” Jesus, of course, was highly political.

When Judge Pangalangan expressed his the 4th year in a row and scores on civil This same message had a resurgence He called the poor blessed, but told the anticipation of the panelists’ talks, I felt liberties and functioning of government are more than a century after with the “WWJD” rich they would face woes. He criticized that he cleverly commented on what PRRD even lower.

OPEN accessory which be- the corrupt leaders of his time, and spoke bracelet or wristband should have presented in his SONA—how “That report observed how this pancame trendy among Christian youth groups harshly of them when they were uncaring we can balance the current challenge to pub- demic has led to even greater withdrawal THOUGHTS in the late 1990s. of the needy. But he did this to show that lic health, with the long-term challenge of of civil liberties on a massive scale and This question is also a challenge for all God cares for everyone, especially those in ORLANDO saving jobs and creating jobs. fueled an existing trend of tolerance and Christians of our times on the moral imper- need, and expects those who claim to act in Professor Emeritus and Former President, censorship of dissenting opinions,” Ms. OXALES ative to show the love of Jesus through our his name to do the same.

Asian Institute of Management (AIM), and Mapa-Suplido said. action.

For us Christians today, it is an important reminder on how our faith should shape As Christians, we almost every aspect of our lives—from the we can be powerful witnesses to Christ’s How could we love as Jesus did? We need sacred to the mundane—from family life to mandate to feed the hungry, give drink to the to believe in a politics that stands for family must be generous and politics. thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the na- and community, instead of one corrupted by fair enough to listen to Bringing our voices of faith to the public ked and care for the ill and imprisoned with selfish individualism. We need to reinforce sphere is essential to our faith. In a 2013 compassion (cf. Matthew 25:31-46). human dignity instead of being caught up in differing positions. homily, Pope Francis said, “Good CathoFeeding the hungry, for example, goes a consumerist culture that insists on what we lics meddle in politics, offering the best of beyond simply meeting individual needs as have rather than how we treat each other. In themselves, so that those who govern can they arise. It is also imperative for us to go a time of fleeting fads and changing trends, govern.”

All throughout history, Christians have to the roots of social ills and work to change it is important to uphold the enduring values But with the generally sad and dys- lived up to this vocation of service in the systems and structures so that people won’t of faith, marriage and human labor that profunctional state of politics in many places world—by establishing schools, hospitals, go hungry anymore. vide permanence to society as we know it. around the world—the polarization, cor- orphanages and other charitable institutions Bringing our faith into the public sphere In the end, when we see the rich are getruption, and violence—it is often difficult for the poor and the destitute. is particularly important in this time of pan- ting richer and the poor are getting poorer, to just even ask the question, “What would When political regimes run and rule demic, when the weak, the ill and the poor we must insist that the foremost moral test Jesus do?” society in a manner contrary to the moral are at most risk during this crisis. These of our society is how we treat and care for Jesus, of course, had an uneasy rela- consciences of people and their human digdays, we have seen how political power can the weakest among us. tionship with both the Roman and Jewish nity, history is not wanting of church leadbe an effective solution, in the same way “Meddling” in politics, however, would political leaders of his time. Much to the ers who courageously spoke in favor of the it can be the cause for our sufferings. We mean the possibility of meeting people who prodding of the Jewish Sanhedrin, it was needy and the oppressed. have realized how greed for profit has un- we will disagree with either morally or poa Roman governor who condemned him to If politics is a way for Christians to love dermined generous service. In a world full litically. In these situations, while Christians the death of a political criminal. as Jesus loved, then our vocation is to work of material illusions, we have lost sense of are called to act in a manner consistent with This uneasy relationship between the towards becoming a country founded upon what is genuinely good, true and beautiful. the Gospel—the call to charity also means Christian faith and politics goes a long way justice and human dignity—the society that So, what would Jesus do? Will we keep trying to stand in the shoes of those who in human history. Three centuries of the God calls us to pursue. ourselves to a “me and my own first” men- have very different opinions than we do and early Church were smeared in the blood of Thanks to the political “meddling” of tality—or instead we use this crisis as an trying to understand their motivations, their the Christian martyrs. Several “troublesome countless men and women of faith, millions opportunity to remember that we are all perspective and their pain. priests” famously irked the political leaders in our world now have better lives. our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers, no matAs Christians, we must be generous and of their times—like Thomas Beckett in the So will it continue to be in the future. ter where they are? Will we in this time of fair enough to listen to differing positions twelfth century to the twentieth century Bringing our faith to politics—to legislative tempest and when everything seems fragile rather than jump to conclusions about archbishop and saint Oscar Romero—and advocacies, civil society projects and civic and floundering—not find greater strength bad intent, even if our disagreement with ended up becoming “political” martyrs participation is an important part of being a in human solidarity and closer societal col- them is profound. We must not allow our themselves.

Christian today. By participating in politics, laboration? own narrow perspectives to keep us from

SO I SEE LITO BANAYO

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Third, people are afraid of the virus, but they are even more afraid of dying from hunger. This is the reason many continue to go out despite the very real risk of infection. Many are not out there because they want to defy the rules for kicks -- they know that if they do not go out to earn something, whichever way they can, their families will go hungry. This is a fact we have known even before the pandemic.

Fourth, people, even those who are hard up, will generally help each other. We have seen this in action in the touching stories of the community pantries that were put up last April. Alas, those who felt insecure about the pantries’ tangible effects resorted to maligning the people behind this effort, accusing them of fronting for communists or having agendas of their own.

While many remain hesitant to be vaccinated because of lack of information or fear of the unknown, there are many willing to be vaccinated but do not know how or where to go. We know supply is tight in the global market, but this does not mean we should stop trying hard to get our hands on as many vaccine doses at the soonest possible time, as well as roll them out to various local government units.

Finally, we know all too well that it is the decisiveness, compassion and efficiency of the leadership that determine the success or failure of the pandemic response.

Our aim should not be to manage the next ECQ better, but to never have to resort to tight restrictions again.

Last Sona thoughts

What would Jesus do?

ManilaStandard

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Mr. Richard Heydarian, ADRi Non-Resident Fellow and Chairholder in Geopolitics in the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, for his part considers Duterte’s populism a “reverse fairytale.”

Heydarian said that “A lot us, although skeptical, tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, it was almost euphoric in the sense of there was a change in the air and as any reverse fairytale, the start could be exciting, the start could be very encouraging but it tends to end in catastrophic tragedy.”

On the President’s popularity he opined, “Let’s not get too carried away with Duterte’s approval ratings. I believe he’s popular but whether he’s 70, 80, 90 percent approval rating, in the climate of fear I think we have to interrogate those numbers, and this has nothing to do with the credibility of survey agencies.”

Stratbase ADRi president Prof. Dindo Manhit’s statement underlined the urgency to mitigate the ravaging consequences of the pandemic crisis. Citing the latest findings of ADRi commissioned surveys with Pulse Asia and Social Weather Stations, 2022 candidates should focus on platforms that would address all too familiar concerns of poverty, quality of life, (and) higher cost of living, which are all linked to the current difficulties of underemployment and lack of opportunities. Health, having enough food to eat and education remain on top of the core concerns.

“So where is this promise of addressing inequality? Where is this promise of uplifting the lives of Filipinos? We cannot simply blame it on the pandemic per se,” Prof. Manhit said.

In a few days the country’s most productive region will again be under lockdown that according to NEDA will cost the economy hundreds of billions. Hopefully our resilience as a people will pull us through this protracted crisis and 10 months from now when we choose our next leaders, we will have learned from all the hard lessons and not make the same mistakes. finding common ground. Instead it should fuel our passion in working for justice, or in speaking out on issues that are close to our hearts as we seek to transform the world for the better.

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CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021 Standard B2 TODAY Manila

“24. In support of this application for a writ of attachment, incorporated herein and made an integral part hereof as Annex “S” is the Affidavit of Merit executed by the Bank’s duly authorized representative.”

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REGIONAL TRIAL COURT NATIONAL CAPITAL JUDICIAL REGION BRANCH 98, QUEZON CITY

Affidavit of Merit September 20, 2018

dated

“TESTIMONIAL AND DOCUMENTARY EVIDENCE IN SUPPORT PLAINTIFF’S CAUSE OF ACTION”

ROBINSONS BANK CORPORATION, Plaintiff, -versus-

“S”

R-QZN-18-12136-CV FOR: Sum of Money

MARICRIS B. TOLENTINO, FIRST PILIPINAS POWER AND AUTOMATION, INC. AND ARMANDO A. ISIDRO, Defendants. x-------------------------------------------------------x

ALIAS SUMMONS Whereas, on 25 May 2021, Plaintiff ROBINSONS BANK CORPORATION, filed a verified Amended Complaint (With Application for Issuance of Writ of Preliminary Attachment) with this Court, alleging: “AMENDED1 COMPLAINT “(With Application for Issuance of Writ of Preliminary Attachment) “PLAINTIFF, by undersigned counsels, complains against the Defendants and for causes of action alleges that: “1. Plaintiff ROBINSONS BANK CORPORATION (“Bank” / “RBank” for brevity) is a commercial banking corporation duly organized under and existing by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines. It may be served with notices and other legal processes at its principal place of business located at 17th Floor Galleria Corporate Center, EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City and at the address of undersigned Counsels.

“2. Defendant MARICRIS B. TOLENTINO (“Tolentino” for brevity) is of legal age and with residence address at Unit 3 Ailil Residences, Kaginhawahan Street, Karangalan Village, Manggahan, Pasig City, where she may be served with summons and court processes. She is the Human Resources Director of First Pilipinas Power & Automation, Inc. “3. Defendant FIRST PILIPINAS POWER & AUTOMATION, INC. (“First Pilipinas” for brevity) is a corporation duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, with office address at 1609 Cityland 10 Tower 2 H.V. Dela Costa St., Salcedo Village, Makati City, where it may be served with summons and court processes.

“4. Defendant ARMANDO A. ISIDRO (“Isidro for brevity) is of legal age and with residence address at 5 Versailles St., Eastside Manors, C Raymundo Ave., Maybunga, Pasig City, where she may be served with summons and court processes. He is the President of First Pilipinas Power & Automation, Inc. “5. Sometime in April 2017, Plaintiff Robinsons Bank and First Pilipinas, represented by its President, Armando A. Isidro, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement dated April 27, 2017 wherein the Bank agreed to extend a Personal Loan Facility to the employees of First Pilipinas and the latter agreed to deduct from the salaries of its employees the monthly amortizations to be remitted to the Bank.

A copy of the Memorandum of Agreement dated April 27, 2017 is attached hereto as Annex “A” and made integral parts hereof.

“6. Conformably with the Memorandum of Agreement on November 28, 2017 Defendant Tolentino, applied for and was granted a loan in the amount of FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (Php500,000.00) subject to interest at the rate of 17.2515% per annum and monthly amortization amounting to Seventeen Thousand Eight Hundred Eighty-Nine Pesos (Php17,889.00) payable starting from January 25, 2018 until December 25, 2020. Copies of the Personal Loan Application Form, IDs and Promissory Note dated November 28, 2017 are attached hereto as Annexes “B”, “C”, “D”, and “E” ad made integral parts hereof.

“7. The proceeds of the loan were released through Manager’s Check which was encashed by Defendant Tolentino. A copy of the Manager’s Check is attached hereto as Annex “F” and made integral parts hereof.

“25. Plaintiff Bank in support of its claims against herein Defendants intends to present and offer the testimony of Janice D. Ferreras,, who will testify based on his personal knowledge and original and authentic records in his prove and establish the material allegations stated in this Complaint and the following facts:” a. Plaintiff Robinsons Bank and First Pilipinas Power and Automation, Inc., represented by its President, Armando A. Isidro, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Plaintiff Bank; b. Defendant Maricris B. Tolentino applied for and was granted a loan by Plaintiff Bank in the amount of FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (Php500,000.00) pursuant to the said MOA; c. The proceeds of the loan were released through a Managers Check which was encashed by Defendant Tolentino; d. Defendant Tolentino expressly authorized Defendant First Pilipinas to deduct from her salary her monthly loan amortizations and remit the same to Plaintiff Bank; e. First Pilipinas failed to deduct and remit to Plaintiff Bank the monthly amortization of Defendant Tolentino commencing on January 25, 2018, February 25, 2018, March 25, 2018, April 25, 2018 and June 25, 2018 and up to the present; f. Plaintiff repeatedly tried to collect the amount due from Defendant Tolentino and from First Pilipinas but to no avail; g. As of July 6, 2018, the outstanding obligation of Defendant Tolentino is in the total amount of Five Hundred Forty Thousand Pesos and 86/100 (Php540,222.86) inclusive of interest and penalties; and h. Defendants are guilty of fraud committed both at the inception of the agreement and/or in the performance of their obligation;” “26. Copy of the Judicial Affidavit of Janice D. Ferreras is hereto attached and made an integral parts of this Complaint as Exhibit “U”.

3. Collect or cause the collection of the installments/amortization and other charges due on the loan from the employees through regular monthly salary/payroll deductions. The EMPLOYER-COMPANY shall continue deducting the amortization from the employee’s salary up to the full payment of the loan based on the schedule submitted to the EMPLOYER-COMPANY by the Bank. “xxx

Xxx For and in consideration of the loan granted to me/us by Robinsons Bank Corporation (the Bank) in the principal amount of ________ and in payment of the said principal amount plus interest other charges, I/We hereby assign in favor of the Bank the sum of at least ________ plus interest and other sums necessary to update my.out loan account, out of the salaries, remuneration, and other benefits due.

I/We therefore authorize our said employer or its duly authorized officer/s to deduct from said salaries, remuneration, and benefits, the herein assigned amounts every____ and____ of the month starting_____ on _______ and remit the same directly to the Bank without need of notice or demand, until my/our entire obligations with the Bank are fully paid based on the indicated mode of payment in my/our application or as agreed upon by my/our employer and the Bank.” (Underscoring Supplied).

Supplied) “10. In violation of its express obligation to deduct and remit the monthly loan amortizations of its employees, and despite the authority to deduct from Defendant Tolentino, First Pilipinas failed to deduct and remit to Plaintiff Bank the monthly amortization of Defendant Tolentino commencing on January 25, 2018, February 25, 2018, March 25, 2018, April 25, 2018 and June 25, 2018 and up to the present.

A copy of the History of Payments is attached hereto as Annex “G” and made integral part hereof.

“B”

Personal Loan Application Form

“C”

ID of Defendant Tolentino

“D”

ID of Defendant Tolentino

To prove that: 1. Defendant Maricris B. Tolentino applied for and was granted a loan by Plaintiff Bank in the amount of FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS (Php500,000.00) pursuant to the said MOA; MOA

13. As of July 6, 2018, the outstanding obligation of Defendant Tolentino is in the total amount of Five Hundred Forty Thousand Pesos and 86/100 (Php540,226.86) inclusive of interest and penalties.

A copy of the Statement of Account as of July 6, 2018 is hereto attached and made integral part hereof as Annex “O”.

“ALLEGATIONS IN SUPPORT OF PLAINTIFFS APPLICATION FOR THE ISSUANCE OF A WRIT OF PRELIMINARY ATTACHMENT “Plaintiff repleads the foregoing and further states: “14. This is an action against Defendants who are guilty of fraud committed both at the inception of the agreement and in the performance of their obligations (Section 1[d], Rule 57, Rules of Court).

Through machinations and schemes, Defendants successfully enticed Plaintiff to grant the loan but they failed to make payments despite incessant reminders and demands to pay the same.

“15. Defendant Tolentino had a preconceived plan not to pay her loan to the Bank as shown by her failure to pay even a single monthly amortization coupled with the fact that she changed her home phone number and transferred residence after obtaining the loan from the Plaintiff without informing the Bank. According to the Report dated July 9, 2018 and Collection Activities submitted by the CMGCollection and Asset Recovery Department of Robinsons Bank, the home phone number provided by Defendant Tolentino in her Application Form is no longer in use and cannot be reached. She cannot also be reached on the other phone numbers she provided in her application form. The Report also stated that Defendant Tolentino had moved out from her address as early as May 30, 2018. The foregoing clearly shows her deceitful intent not to pay her obligation and evade the collection efforts of the Bank. A copy of the Report dated July 9, 2018 and Collection Activities are hereto attached and made integral parts hereof as Annexes “P” and “Q”.

“16. Defendant Tolentino maliciously violated her undertaking in the Personal Loan Application Form to inform the Bank of any change in her residence and employmentt in order to defraud Plaintif Plaintiff, to wit: “AGREEMENT: I/We hereby affirm that the statements made in this application and the information given by me/us are true and correct and that any material misrepresentation or falsity therein will be construed as an act to defraud Robinsons Bank Corp. for which civil and criminal liability can be pursued against me/us. I/We authorize Robinsons Bank Corp. to obtain such information as may be required concerning the statements made in this application and that the sources from which Robinsons Bank Corp, may get such information are authorized to so provide. I/We agree that I shall inform Robinsons Bank Corp. immediately of any changes in civil status, residence and employment. Any notice served

by Robinsons Bank Corp. at my address per Bank’s record shall be deemed sufficient notice to me/us. I/We authorized Robinsons Bank Corp. to conduct random verification with the BIR to establish the authencity of my/out ITR and other submitted financial statements and hereby waive the confidentiality of any personal information obtained in the course of verification. I/We agree that all statements / information gathered about me/us will be used to determined my/our eligibility for this loan. I/We agree that all statements/information obtained by Robinsons Bank Corp. shall remain the property of Robinsons Bank Corp. whether or not the loan is granted. xxx” “17. Defendant Tolentino may also be considered to have removed or disposed of her property previously kept in her former residence in order to defraud and prevent Plaintiff from collecting payments and levying her properties. Thus, Plaintiff is also entitled to the issuance of a writ of preliminary attachment under Section 1(e) of Rule 57 of the Rules of Court.

“18. Defendant Tolentino is likewise guilty of fraud by violating the trust and confidence reposed upon her by the Bank when she maliciously induced and/or conspired with her employer not to make any deduction from her monthly salary to cover the monthly amortizations of her loan. According to Lorna F. Mission, Finance Head of First Pilipinas, Defendant gave instructions that the payments of her loan to the Plaintiff should not be deducted from her salary. Ms. Mission informed Janice D. Ferreras, Loans Collection Section Head of Robinsons Bank, that First Pilipinas was not deducting the loan amortizations of Defendant Tolentino from her salary. Ms. Mission also sent an email to Ms. Ferreras containing the list of First Pilipinas employees from whom First Pilipinas had collected/deducted the monthly amortization on their loan to Plaintiff. However, the list did not include the name of Defendant Tolentino.

“19. Defendant Tolentino abused or misused her position as Human Resources Director to prevent Plaintiff from collecting the monthly payment due on her loan. Evidently, Defendant induced her own staff to violate the Memorandum of Agreement which required their company. First Pilipinas, to deduct the monthly payments on her loan from her salary and remit said payments to the Bank. This undoubtedly constitutes fraud in the performance of her obligation to Plaintiff. A copy of the email sent

by Lorna Mission is hereto attached and made integral parts hereof as Annex “R”.

“20. Defendant First Pilipinas through its President, Armando Isidro, committed fraud in the performance of its obligations to Plaintiff Bank when it acted in conspiracy with Defendant Tolentino not to deduct the loan from Defendant Tolentino’s salary in violation of its covenant to deduct and remit to the Bank the monthly amortizations of its employees pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement dated April 27, 2017. The Bank would not have granted the loan if not for the warranty of Defendant First Pilipinas to deduct and remit to the Bank the monthly amortizations of its employees.

“21. Defendant Armando Isidro is equally liable to Plaintiff Bank under Section 31 of the Corporation Code for directing the affairs of First Pilipinas in bad faith, to wit: “Sec. 31. Liability of directors, trustess or officers.- Directors or trustees who willfully and knowingly vote for or assent to patently unlawful acts of the corporation or who are guilty of gross negligence or bad faith in directing the affairs of the corporation or acquire any personal or pecuniary interest in conflict with their duty as such directors or trustees shall be liable jointly and severally for all damages resulting therefrom suffered by the corporation, its stockholders or members and other persons.”

“22. Plaintiff RBank is ready, willing and able to post a bond in such sums as Honorable Court may fix, conditioned upon the payment by plaintiff of all costs and damages which may be adjudged to defendant in the event that the Honorable Court shall final adjudge that plaintiff is not entitled to the relief prayed for.

Memorandum of dated April 27, 2017

“E”

Promissory Note November 28, 2017

“F”

Manager’s 0000563718

“G”

To prove that the Senior Officers of Plaintiff Bank who executed the Special Power of Attorney were appointed by the Board of Directors of Plaintiff as the authorized representatives of the Bank and were given the power to delegate their authority.

3.

Defendant Tolentino expressly authorized Defendant First Pilipinas to deduct from her salary her monthly loan amortizations and remit the same to Plaintiff Bank

Pamela

To prove that 1. First Pilipinas failed to deduct and remit to Plaintiff Bank the monthly amortization of Defendant Tolentino commencing on January 25, 2018, February 25, 2018, March 25, 2018, April 25, 2018 and June 25, 2018 and up to the present; and

History of Payments

Signature Estueta

of

Asiel

“G-2”

Signature Magpayo

of

Keanna

“G-3”

Ann

Signature of Sheila Aguilar

“H”

Demand letter dated April 30, 2018

“H-1”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia

“H-2”

Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“I”

Demand letter dated July 6, 2018

“I-1”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia

“I-2”

Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“J”

Demand letter dated July 6, 2018

“J-1”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“J-2”

“K”

Atty.

Atty.

Mark

Affidavit of Service September 13, 2018

dated

“L”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia

“L-1”

Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“L-2”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia

“M”

Demand letter dated July 13, 2018 addressed to Lorna Mission

“M-1”

Signature of Atty. Jo Paul B. Gatapia

“M-2”

Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“N”

Demand letter dated July 13, 2018 addressed to Armando Isidro

“N-1”

Signature B.Gatapia

“N-2”

Signature of Amadeus C. Basco

“O”

Statement of Account dated July 6, 2018

“O-1”

Signature Estuesta

of

Asiel

Signature Magpayo

of

Keanna

Atty.

Atty.

“3. Defendants be ordered to pay Plaintiff Bank legal interest on the total outstanding obligation, computed from the date of filing of this Complaint until the defendants entire obligation is fully satisfied.

“4. Cost of suit.”

“OTHER RELIEFS, just and equitable under the premises are likewise prayed.”

“Quezon City, May 24, 2021.”

“Sgd. “ROBINSONS BANK CORPORATION c/o Legal Services Group 28/F Galleria Corporate Center, EDSA cor. Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City Tel. Nos. (632) 702-9500; (632) 702-9567 Email: legalgroup@robinsonsbank.com.ph”

“Sgd. ROEL S. COSTUNA Head, Legal Services Group IBP Lifetime Member No. 01666/Northern Samar PTR No. 0731159/01-8-2021/Northern Samar Roll No. 40241 MCLE Compliance No. VI-0007684 roel.costuna@robinsonsbank.com.ph “Sgd. “MICHAEL P. VIBAR IBP Lifetime Member No. 018565/Makati PTR No. 073164/01-8-2021/Quezon City Roll No. 68391 MCLE Compliance No. VI-0011049 michael.vibar@robinsonsbank.com.ph “Sgd. “JOHN RAMIL V. RABE IBP No. 109215/Quezon City PTR No. 0731162/01-8-2021/Quezon City Roll No. 71644 MCLE Compliance No. VI-0030430 john.rabe@robinsonsbank.com.ph” “VERIFICATION & CERTIFICATION ON NON-FORUM SHOPPING “1. Janice D. Ferreras, Filipino, of legal age, and with principal 27th Floor, Galleria Corporate Center,EDSA corner Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City, after having been duly sworn in accordance with law, hereby depose and state that: 1. I am the Loans Collection Section Head and the authorized representative sentative of Plaintif Plaintiff Bank; 2. Upon authority2 of the Bank, I have caused the preparation and the filing and amendment of the present Complaint. I have read the same and all the allegations appearing thereon are true and correct based on my own personal knowledge and authentic records of the Bank in my possession; 3. This Complaint is not filed in order to harass but only to enforce existing and valid rights of the Plaintiff against the Defendants and that all factual allegations in the Complaint have evidence to support them; 4. The Bank has not commenced any action or filed any claim involving the same issues any court, tribunal or quasi-judicial agency or body and to the best of my knowledge, no such other action or claim is pending therein: 5. If there is/are such other pending action or claim, a complete statement of the present status thereof shall be reported and that if I should learn that a similar action or proceeding has been filed or is pending before the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal or any other tribunal or agency, I hereby undertake to inform this Court of said fact within five (5) calendar days from knowledge thereof.”

“IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hands this 24th day of MAY 2021 in QUEZON CITY.” “Sgd. “Janice D. Ferreras “Affiant

Mark

Jo

Atty.

“SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this 24th day of May 2021 in QUEZON CITY Affiant exhibiting to me her TIN ID NO. 412-947-086-000.”

“Doc No. 3752 “Page No. 751 “Book No. 1 “Series of 2021.”

Paul

“Sgd. ATTY. KAREN BARAFAG NOTARY FOR AND QUEZON CITY 21/F Galleria Corporate Center, EDSA cor. Ortigas Ave., QC Roll No. 65611/ADM. MATTER No. NP-322 IBP Lifetime to 047818/Makati City PTR No. 0731165/01-8-2021/Quezon City MCLE Compliance No. VI-0006818; 03/15/2018 Commission Extended to June 30, 2021 Per SC Resolution dated 12-01-2020 on B.M. No. 3795

Mark

Pamela

To prove that as of July 6, 2018 the outstanding obligation of Defendant Tolentino is in the total amount of Five Hundred Forty Thousand Pesos and 86/100 (Php540,222.86) inclusive of interest and penalties.

Ann

Signature of Sheila Aguilar

“P”

Report dated July 9, 2018

“P-1”

Signature of Vergie R. Sumilhig

“P-2”

Signature of Janice D. Ferreras

“P-3”

Signature of Allan H. Casaul

“R”

“2. After trial of the issues, judgment be rendered ordering Defendants, jointly and severally, to pay plaintiff Bank (a) the amount of Five Hundred Forty Thousand Pesos and 86/100 (Php540,222.86) representing the outstanding obligation of Defendant to Plaintiff Bank as of July 6, 2018; (b) attorney’s fees in the amount equivalent to twenty five percent (25%) of the total amount due, and (c) liquidated damages equivalent to twenty five percent (25%) of Plaintiff Bank’s total claims;

Represented By:

Mark

“O-3”

“Q-1”

“1. Upon filing of the Complaint and the appropriate bond, a Writ of Preliminary Attachment be issued against the properties of Defendant directing the Branch Sheriff or other proper officer to attach the properties of Defendant, as may be sufficient to satisty Plaintiff’s fff’s demand;

To prove that Plaintiff repeatedly tried to collect the amount due from Defendant Tolentino and from First Pilipinas but to no avail.

Signature of Janice D. Ferreras Demand letter dated April 30, 2018 addressed to First Pilipinas

“Q”

2.

Defendant Tolentino had a preconceived plan not to pay her loan to the Bank as shown by her failure to pay even a single monthly amortization.

Collection Activities

WHEREAS, Private defendants MARICRIS B. TOLENTINO, FIRST PILIPINAS POWER AND AUTOMATION, INC. AND ARMANDO A. ISIDRO have not been served with summons and all court processes in connection with the instant case considering that they are no longer residing at the given address.

WHEREAS, on 14 June 2021, the Court granted the plaintiffs’ Motion to Serve Summons by Publication.

To prove that: 1. The home phone number provided

by Defendant Tolentino in her Application Form is no longer in use and cannot be reached. She cannot also be reached on the other phone numbers she provided in her application form; 2. Defendant Tolentino had moved out from her address as early as May 30, 2018; and 3. Defendant Tolentino maliciously induced and/or conspired with her employer not to make any deduction from her monthly salary to cover the monthly amortizations of her loan.

NOW, THEREFORE, FIRST PILIPINAS POWER AND AUTOMATION, INC. whose last given address is W5-A RDC Business Complex Mercedes Ave., Exit Cainta, Rizal and ARMANDO A. ISIDRO whose last given address is 5 Versailles St., Eastside Manors C. Raymundo Ave., Maybunga, Pasig City is required to enter her appearance and answer the complaint in the above-entitled case within sixty (60) days after the publication hereof, otherwise, the plaintiff will take judgment against her and demand from this court the relief prayed for in the complaint.

Let this alias summons be published once a week for three (3) consecutive weeks in any newspaper of general circulation in the Philippines at the expense of the plaintif plaintiff, to be selected by raffle.

WITNESS THE HON. FERDINAND C. BAYLON Acting Presiding Judge of this Court this 24th day of June, 2021 in Quezon City, Philippines.

(Sgd.) ANN MARIE LOREN R. PASTOR Branch Clerk of Court Copy furnished: ATTY. JOHN RAMIL V. RABEL Counsel for the Plaintiff 28/F Galleria Corporate Center EDSA cor. Ortigas Avenue, Quezon City John.rabe@robinsonsbank.com.ph

Signature of Atty. Janice D. Ferreras

Email sent by Lorna Mission

To prove the material allegations in the complaint particularly those in support of Plaintiff Bank’s application for the issuance of Writ of Preliminary Attachment against the defendants.”

“WHEREFORE, plaintiff RBank respectfully prays of the Honorable Court that:

Mark

“K-1”

“O-2”

Judicial Affidavit of Janice D. Ferreras dated November 28, 2018

“PRAYER

Mark

Atty.

of Atty.

“U”

To prove that: 1. Defendant Tolentino maliciously induced and/or conspired with her employer not to make any deduction from her monthly salary to cover the monthly amortizations of her loan.

2. Lorna Mission sent an email to the Bank thru our PLP Collection Accredited with a list of First Pilipinas employees whose salaries are being deducted of their loan amortizations and being remitted to the Bank.

FIRST PILIPINAS POWER & AUTOMATION INC. Defendant W5-A RDC Business Complex Mercedes Ave., Exit Cainta, Rizal sales@firstpilipinas.com -1609 Cityland 10 Tower 2 H.V. Dela Costa St., Makati City ARMANDO A. ISIDRO Defendant 5 Versailles St., Eastside Manors C. Raymundo Ave., Maybunga, Pasig City

1

“23. There is no other sufficient security for the claim sought to be enforced in the principal action, and the amount due the plaintiff is as much as the sum for which the order is granted, above all legal counterclaims.

“I-1”

2. The proceeds of the loan were released through a Managers Check which was encashed by Defendant Tolentino; and

No.

Check

“G-1”

“11. Plaintiff repeatedly tried to collect the amount due under the Promissory Note directly from Defendant Tolentino but to no avail. Copies of the Demand Letters dated April 30, 2018 that were sent by Plaintiff to Defendant and the Affidavit of Service dated July 12, 2018 are hereto attached and made integral parts hereof as Annexes “H”, “I”, “J” and “K”.

“12. The Bank also demanded from First Pilipinas, through its President and Finance Officer, to remit the monthly amortizations deducted from the salaries of its employees, if any. However, First Pilipinas failed to remit the same to the Bank. Copies of the Demand Letter dated April 30, 2018 and July 13, 2018 are hereto attached and made integral parts hereof as Annexes “L”, “M”, and “N”.

“N”

To prove that the Senior Officers of the Bank who were designated as the authorized representatives by the Board of Directors had delegated their authority to Norman Jay P. Justo through the Special Power of Attorney.

PURPOSE To prove that Plaintiff Robinsons Bank and First Pilipinas Power and Automation Inc., represented by its President Armando A. Isidro, entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with Plaintiff Bank.

“9. On the other hand, in the Loan Application Form of Defendant Tolentino, she expressly authorized Defendant First Pilipinas to deduct from her salary her monthly loan amortizations and remit the same to Plaintiff Bank, to wit: “Authority to Deduct and Remit/Debit Account

DOCUMENT Agreement

“A”

“8. Pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement dated April 27, 2017, First Pilipinas agreed to deduct and remit to the Bank the monthly loan amortization of its employees, to wit: “xxx The Employer-Company covenants and agrees that it shall: “xxx

“I”

“27. Plaintiff Bank also intends to present and offer the following documents as evidence to support and prove its claims against herein Defendants, viz:” EXHIBIT

To prove that Plaintiff Bank is entitled to is claims against Defendants and the issuance of a Writ of Preliminary Attachment on the following grounds; 1.

Defendants guilty of fraud in contracting and/or the performance of their obligation to plaintiff; 2.

Defendant Tolentino had a preconceived plan not to pay her loan to the Bank as shown by her failure to pay the monthly amortization coupled with the fact that she changed her home phone number and transferred residence after obtaining the loan from Plaintiff without informing the Bank; and 3. Defendant First Pilipinas through its President, Armando Isidro, also committed fraud in the performance of its obligations to Plaintiff Bank when it acted in conspiracy with Defendant Tolentino not to deduct the loan from Defendant Tolentino’s salary in violation of its covenant to deduct and remit to the Bank the monthly amortizations of its employees pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement dated April 27, 2017. The Bank would not have granted the loan if not for the warranty of Defendant First Pilipinas to deduct and remit to the Bank the monthly amortizations of its employees.

2

Duly underscored from paragraph 25 to 27 See attached Special Power of Attorney supported by Secretary’s Certificate.

(MStandard-July 26, Aug. 2 & 9, 2021)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

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Millions of Americans risk eviction as virus cases spike IN BRIEF W Israel pushes for action vs. fatal Iran ship attack

JERUSALEM—Israel is pressing for international action against Iran over a deadly attack on a ship managed by an Israeli billionaire, branding Tehran an “exporter of terrorism” after the likely drone strike.

The MT Mercer Street tanker was struck Thursday in the northern Indian Ocean, killing two crew members, in what the United States said was a drone-style attack.

There has been no claim of responsibility for the strike, but maritime industry analysts Dryad Global said “this latest attack has the hallmarks of the ongoing Israel/Iran ‘shadow war’”.

On Friday Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he has ordered the nation’s diplomats to push for UN action against “Iranian terrorism”.

“I’ve instructed the embassies in Washington, London and the UN to work with their interlocutors in government and the relevant delegations in the UN headquarters in New York,” Lapid said on Twitter. AFP

Myanmar junta chief: new polls in 2 years YANGON—Myanmar’s junta chief said Sunday that elections would be held, and a state of emergency lifted by August 2023, extending the military’s initial timeline given when it deposed Aung San Suu Kyi six months ago.

The country has been in turmoil since the army ousted the civilian leader in February, launching a bloody crackdown on dissent that has killed more than 900 people according to a local monitoring group.

A resurgent virus wave has also amplified havoc, with many hospitals empty of prodemocracy medical staff, and the World Bank has forecast the economy will contract by up to 18 percent.

In a televised address junta leader Min Aung Hlaing said “we will accomplish the provisions of the state of emergency by August 2023.”

“I pledge to hold multiparty elections without fail,” he added.

The general’s announcement would place Myanmar in the military’s grip for nearly two and a half years—instead of the initial oneyear timeline the junta announced days after the coup. AFP

Afghans battle to thwart Taliban assaults on cities KANDAHAR—fghan government forces struggled against Taliban assaults on several major cities Sunday as the insurgents stepped up a nationwide offensive that saw a key airport in the south come under rocket fire overnight.

Hundreds of commandos were deployed to the western city of Herat while authorities in the southern city of Lashkar Gah called for more troops to rein in the assaults.

Fighting has surged across the country in the months since early May when US-led foreign forces began a final withdrawal from Afghanistan that is now almost complete.

After seizing large tracts of rural territory and capturing key border crossings, the Taliban have started to besiege provincial capitals.

Flights out of Kandahar, Afghanistan’s second-largest city and was also the former bastion of the insurgents, were halted after rockets struck the airport before dawn.

Airport chief Massoud Pashtun said two rockets had hit the runway and repairs were underway with planes likely to resume service later on Sunday. AFP

ASHINGTON —Millions of Americans could find themselves homeless starting Sunday as a nationwide ban on evictions expires, against a backdrop of surging coronavirus cases and political finger-pointing.

With billions in government funds meant to help renters still untapped, President Joe Biden this week urged Congress to extend the 11-month-old moratorium after a recent Supreme Court ruling meant the White House could not do so.

But Republicans balked at Democratic efforts to extend the eviction ban through midOctober, and the House of Representatives adjourned for its summer vacation Friday without renewing it.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said blocking the measure was “an act of pure cruelty... leaving children and families out on the streets,” in a tweet late Saturday.

Fresh cases were reported Sunday in Hainan island—another popular tourist destination—as well as Ningxia and Shandong provinces, authorities said.

The country is also battling a separate rise in cases in the flood-ravaged city of Zhengzhou in Henan province after two cleaners at a hospital treating coronavirus patients coming from abroad tested positive.

27 locally transmitted cases have been detected, with authorities Sunday ordering mass testing of all 10 million residents. The head of the city’s health commission has also been sacked.

And after reports that some people sickened in the latest cluster were vaccinated, health officials have said this was “normal” and stressed the importance of vaccination alongside strict measures.

“The Covid vaccine’s protection against the Delta variant may have somewhat declined, but the current vaccine still has a good preventative and protective effect against the Delta variant,” said Feng Zijian, virologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

More than 1.6 billion vaccine doses have so far been administered nationwide as of Friday, Beijing’s National Health Commission (NHC) said. It does not provide figures on how many people have been fully vaccinated. AFP

BEIJING—Chinese cities rolled out mass testing of millions of people and imposed fresh travel restrictions as health authorities battled Sunday to contain the country’s most widespread coronavirus outbreak in months.

China on Sunday reported 75 new coronavirus cases with 53 local transmissions, with a cluster linked to an eastern airport now reported to have spread to over 20 cities and more than a dozen provinces.

The outbreak is geographically the largest to hit China in several months after the country’s successes in largely snuffing out the pandemic within its borders last year.

That record has been thrown into jeopardy after the fast-spreading Delta variant broke out at Nanjing airport in eastern Jiangsu province in July.

Authorities have now conducted three rounds of testing on the city’s 9.2 million residents and placed hundreds of thousands under lockdown, in Manila an effort to curb an outbreak BeiStandard jing has blamed on the highly-contaTODAY gious Delta variant and the peak tourist season.

Officials are now scrambling to track people nationwide who recently travelled from Nanjing or Zhangjiajie, a tourist city in Hunan province which has locked down all 1.5 million residents and shut all tourist attractions.

Several left-wing Democrats had spent the night outside the Capitol in protest— calling out their colleagues over the failure to act.

“We slept at the Capitol last night to ask them to come back and do their jobs. Today’s their last chance,” tweeted Congresswoman Cori Bush, who has herself experienced homelessness and was joined by fellow progressives Ilhan Omar and Ayanna Pressley.

With the clock ticking down to Sunday, the country was braced for a heartbreaking spectacle -- families with their belongings at the curbside wondering where to go.

One of those at risk is Terriana Clark, who was living out of a car with her husband and two stepchildren for much of last year, before finding a teaching job and an apartment in Harvey, Louisiana.

Jobless again and struggling to pay rent after a bout of illness, the 27-year-old told The New Orleans Advocate she applied to a local assistance program four months ago but is still waiting for help.

“If it comes, it comes. If it don’t, it don’t,” she told the paper. “It’s going to be too late for a lot of people. A lot of people are going to be outside.” AFP

EXTRAJUDICIAL SETTLEMENT OF ESTATE OF LUCIA M. PAGALA

NOTICE OF PUBLICATION

Notice is hereby given that the intestate estate of LUCIA M. PAGALA, who died in Makati City on 30 January 2011, consisting of parcels of land located at 319 Batanes St., Pitogo, Makati City, covered by Transfer Certificate of Title Nos. 224379, 224380, 224381, 224382, 224383, and residential buildings located at the same address and covered by Tax Declaration No. F01001330, F01001332, F01001334, F01001336, are the subject of an Extrajudicial Settlement made by late Lucia M. Pagala’s heirs, namely Ernesto M. Pagala, Danilo M. Pagala, Reynaldo M. Pagala, and Flordelina P. Jaballas, per Doc No. 90, Page No. 19, Book No. 1, Series of 2021, of the Notarial Registry of Atty. Raychelle S. Pacheco, Notary Public for and in the City of Makati.

Notice is hereby given to the effect that a Deed of ExtraJudicial Settlement of Estate (of Deceased Johnny Valerio Ramirez) was executed by his heirs namely: Johnny’s siblings Nelia Ramirez Pascual, Nilo Valerio Ramirez and Cesar Valerio Ramirez; and Johnny’s nephews and nieces Sancho Rafael Pabustan Ramirez, Maria Adrianne Ramirez Alfaro, Nicolas Dante Ramirez Gallegos III, Maria Consolacion Gallegos Duque, Paolo Leandro Ramirez Gallegos, and Francesca Maria Ramirez Gallegos as per Doc No.312, Page No.65, Book No. I, series of 2021 before Notary Public Atty. Chiles Megan M. Areño.

Notice is also hereby given to the effect that an Addendum on the Extrajudicial Settlement of Estate of Johnny Ramirez was also executed by all his aforementioned heirs as per Doc No.313, Page No.65, Book No. I, series of 2021 before Notary Public Atty. Chiles Megan M. Areño.

(MS-JULY 19/26 & AUG. 2, 2021)

(MS-JULY 26, AUG. 2 & 9, 2021)

INVITATION TO BID FOR THE SALE OF 383 UNITS IMPOUNDED MOTOR VEHICLES The CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI, through its Committee on Awards on Disposal (CAD), wishes to announce to the public and all interested buyer/s to join the sale through Public Bidding of THREE HUNDRED EIGHTY-THREE (383) UNITS IMPOUNDED MOTOR VEHICLES on a “AS IS, WHERE IS” basis on August 16, 2021 detailed as follows: Items Motorcycles Tricycles Sedan Owner Type Jeep

West Rembo, Makati City 142 units 30 units

Calamba, Laguna 153 units 54 units 3 units 1 unit

Floor Price

P816,332.00

No bid shall be allowed lower than the said Floor Price.

Schedule of bidding as follows: Activity Issuance of Bid Documents Inspection of Unserviceable Property Pre-Bidding Conference Deadline for Submission of Bid Offer Opening of Bid Offer

Date July 27 August 9, 2021 July 27 August 9, 2021 August 9, 2021 August 16, 2021 August 16, 2021

Time 8:00 AM 5:00 PM 10:00 AM 5:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:00 PM 2:01 PM

Bid documents shall be issued only to interested bidders upon presentation of a Letter of Intent and a non-refundable fee of ONE THOUSAND PESOS (PhP 1,000.00) to the Committee on Awards on Disposal Secretariat not later than twelve o’clock in the afternoon of August 9, 2021.

Interested bidders are advised to conduct actual inspection of the unserviceable property subject for disposition. iselco2_pbac@yahoo.com

INVITATION TO BID Bid No. 2021-03 The office of the General Manager through duly constituted Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), hereby invites all interested contractors manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and authorized dealers to submit bids for NEA subsidy 2020 Sitio Electrification Program (SEP) intended for Isabela II Electric Cooperative (ISELCO II).

LOT

PARTICULARS

Approved Budget Cost (ABC)

NONREFUNDABLE FEE (Bid Documents)

1

2020 SEP GAA – EXTENSION OF DISTRBUTION LINES

PHP 14,416,802.25

PHP 25,000.00

2

2020 SEP GAA – INSTALLATION OF KWHR METERS, SERVICE DROP WIRES AND HOUSEWIRING MATERIALS

PHP 3,222.160.11

PHP 5,000.00

Bidding documents are available in electronic data format for purchase.

Interested bidders shall submit a letter of intent and comply with the following requirements: a.) Company Profile

e.) Latest Income Tax Return (ITR)

b.) DTI Business Name Registration or SEC

f.) List of Clients for 3 years

Registration Certificate

g.) Latest Audited Annual Financial Statement

c.) Business Permit (Valid and Current Mayor’s Permit) d.) BIR/VAT Certificate which consist the TIN

h.) Location Map of the Office

The foregoing amounts are non-refundable and must be paid to the cashier at ISELCO II, Main Office, Government Center, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel Nos. (078) 323-0013 and (078) 323-0715 official receipt of payments must be presented during the Pre-Bid Conference.

ACTIVITIES

SCHEDULE

Release of Invitation to Bid (Publication)

August 2, 2021

Selling and Issuance of Bid Documents

August 3, 2021 – August 9, 2021

Pre-Bid Conference

August 10, 2021 (9:00 AM) @ ISELCO II Main Office, Alibagu, City of Ilagan

Deadline of Submission and Receipt of Bids / Bid Opening

August 23, 2021 (9:00 AM) @ ISELCO II Main Office, Alibagu, City of Ilagan

Bid Evaluation

August 24, 2021

Post Qualification ISELCO II hereby reserves the right to reject any bids, waive any formality therein, accepts proposal most advantageous to the Cooperative and assumes no obligation to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses or losses that may be incurred in the preparation of bid nor does it guarantee that an award will be made.

JOSEPH S. PALATTAO BAC Chairman

DAVID SOLOMON M. SIQUIAN General Manager

M. Standard – August 2, 2021

The CAD will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on August 9, 2021, Friday, 2:00PM at the Sampiro Conference Room, 21st Floor, Makati City Hall Building I, J.P. Rizal St., Brgy Poblacion, Makati City and through video conferencing which shall be open to prospective bidders to discuss the Eligibility Requirements and the Technical and Financial Components required.

However, only those interested bidders who have purchased bidding documents are allowed to raise and submit queries or clarifications regarding the auction.

Deadline for the submission of bids is on August 16, 2021, Friday, 2:00PM, at the Sampiro Conference Room, 21st Floor, Makati City Hall Building I, J.P. Rizal St., Brgy Poblacion, Makati City. The time for the deadline of the submission of bids shall be based on the Philippine Standard Time (PST) pursuant to R.A. 10535 otherwise known as “The Philippine Standard Time Act of 2013”.

Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidder’s representatives who choose to attend at the said address. All bids must be accompanied by a bid security in the form of Cash, Manager’s Check or Cashier’s Check in favor of Makati City Treasurer in the amount equivalent to at least Ten Percent (10%) of the bid.

Late bids shall not be accepted.

The winning bidder shall remove all 383 units of Impounded Motor Vehicles within Forty-Five (45) calendar days upon issuance of an approved Sales Invoice.

Handling of Documents still follow current Makati City Government Protocols.

All Public Conferences shall follow social distancing protocol of the City. We will follow the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) guidelines on mass gathering. To manage attendees, we will only allow at most one (1) representative per bidder who should confirm with the Committee on Awards on Disposal Secretariat at least a day before the scheduled conference of its attendance.

We will allow at most one (1) pre-registered representative from prospective bidders to attend the Pre-Bid Conference / Bid Opening through virtual (zoom) meeting. Please register with the CAD Secretariat Office at least one day before the scheduled Pre-Bid Conference or Bid Opening. The meeting ID and password will be provided to the register representative. For ease of recording attendance and identification of attendees, please log in using the registered name. Format of zoom profile name should follow: <<Company>>-<<Last Name, First Name of Representative>> For further inquiries, interested bidder/s may call or contact the Committee on Awards on Disposal Secretariat at Tel. No. (02) 870-1779 / 1793.

THE CITY GOVERNMENT OF MAKATI RESERVES THE RIGHT TO REJECT ANY OR ALL BIDS, TO WAIVE ANY FORMALITY THEREOF AND TO ACCEPT ONLY SUCH BIDS THAT ARE ADVANTAGEOUS TO THE GOVERNMENT.

ATTY CLARO F. CERTEZA Chairperson Committee on Awards on Disposal M. Standard - July 27 & August 2, 2021

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

B4

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

Business

June hot money posted $335-m inflows Holcim, Cemex booked healthy net incomes in second quarter

By Jenniffer B. Austria HOLCIM Philippines Inc. (HPI) and Cemex Holdings Philippines Corp.

(CEMEX) registered healthy profits in the second quarter of the year on improved overall business environment.

HPI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange over the weekend secondquarter net income reached P721.4 million, a reversal from a loss of P87.7 million year-on-year when the government imposed a strict lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus.

The second-quarter income pushed first-half profits to P1.63 billion, up 294 percent from P413.8 million a year ago.

Second-quarter net sales surged 65 percent to P6.9 billion as demand and prices recovered with the rebound in construction activity.

“Winning with purpose and helping build progress in the Philippines perfectly capture our performance in the second quarter. Aside from delivering outstanding results, we also helped our partners build greener, smarter, and for all,” Holcim Philippines president and chief executive Horia Adrian said.

“We continue our efforts to use recycled materials in our plants, having consumed more than 208,000 tons of wastes as alternative fuels and raw materials,” he added.

Meanwhile, CEMEX recorded a net income of P598 million in the second quarter of the year, up 1,203 percent from P46 million a year ago.

The income pushed first-half profits higher by 495 percent to P804 million from P135 million in the same period in 2020 due to higher operating earnings.

Sales increased 43 percent yearover-year in the second quarter to P5.7 billion on higher volumes, reManila sulting from low base effect followStandard TODAY ing a strict government lockdown last year.

By Julito G. Rada

R

EGISTERED foreign portfolio investments, or hot money, posted a net inflow of $335 million in June, a reversal of the $235-million net outflow a year ago, as foreign fund managers reacted positively to the progress in the government’s COVID-19 vaccination program and the unchanged policy rates, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said over the weekend.

BSP data show that gross inflows for the month reached $2.1 billion, higher than the $1.8-billion gross outflows.

But the June 2021 net inflow was lower than the net inflow of $417 million recorded in May 2021.

About 91 percent of investments registered were in Philippine Stock Exchangelisted securities (investments mainly in food, beverage and tobacco companies, property firms, banks, holding firms and retail companies) while 9 percent went to investments in peso government securities.

The United Kingdom, the United States, Singapore, Luxembourg and Norway were the top five investor

countries for the month with combined share to total at 74.2 percent.

“Domestic developments during the month included investor reaction to the approval by the House of Representatives on the third and final reading of the Bayanihan to Arise as One Act which aims to provide financial aid to be given to all Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic; positive data on foreign direct investments in the country; unemployment rate for April 2021; inflation rate for May 2021 which remained unchanged at 4.5 percent since March... ,” the BSP said.

The BSP said other developments in June include “the government’s deci-

sion to maintain quarantine restrictions in Metro Manila and some nearby provinces; the International Monetary Fund’s downgrading of the country’s growth outlook for this year; the BSP’s decision to maintain policy rates; and the progress in the nation’s inoculation program.”

Portfolio investments in the first six months yielded a net outflow of $160 million, lower than the $3.3-billion net outflow for the same period last year amid the ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic to the global economy and financial system.

“This has been accompanied by international and domestic developments such as the new US administration; progress of vaccine rollout in the country; continuing quarantine measures to contain the surge in COVID-19 infections; the country’s inflation breaching the 2.0 to 4.0 percent target which is consistent with the outlook that such will persist during the first half of this year due to supply side pressures; and the slowing down in the contraction of the country’s GDP which posted a decline of 4.2 percent year-on-year in Q1 2021 from a high of 17.0 percent in Q2 2020,” the BSP said.

IN BRIEF NLEX completes upgrade of RFID

NLEX Corp. said it has completed the upgrading of its RFID at the toll lane level throughout the entire North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway (SCTEX) network aimed at boosting detection capability and improving the overall customer experience.

The company said the number of NLEXSCTEX toll lanes with advanced reading feature increased to 188 as 132 antennas were realigned last year. It also added 56 toll lanes this year.

The RFID upgrading project involved a thorough engineering review that identified the best possible positioning of the antennas and sensors to quickly detect the RFID stickers installed in customers’ vehicles.

Compared to the previous setup, the enhanced RFID scanners can detect up to three vehicles in advance, quickly identify, record and process the toll lane transactions.

“Part of our commitment to our customers is to consistently improve our electronic systems and services, providing them with a better experience each time they travel,” said NLEX president and general manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Stock market likely to trade downward

SHARE prices may continue to trade downward this week on thin volumes as investors are expected to remain guarded during the two-week lockdown period that starts Aug. 6.

Analysts said August, which is considered a ghost month for traders, and concerns about the spread of the Delta virus variant in the country could drive the market to test the 6,000-point level.

“Participants may have to brace for gyrations that will likely be tied to caseload spikes/improvements during the two-week lockdown, as this will drive speculations for an extension of the enhanced community quarantine to September and the government’s stimulus plan, if any,” online brokerage firm 2TradeAsia.com said.

Second-quarter earnings data will continue to trickle this week. Analysts are expecting positive results because of lowbase effect from the previous year’s level when the country was first placed under a strict lockdown.

“Low-base effect will result to blown year-on-year comparisons so it may be more prudent to look at sequential growth, of even better, guidance for the remainder of the year within the context of the Delta variant,” 2TradeAsia said.

Jenniffer B. Austria

TransCo eyes feed-in tariff rate of P0.3320

STATE-RUN National Transmission Corp. is seeking approval from the Energy Regulatory Commission for a feed-in tariff allowance rate of P0.3320 per kilowatt-hour for 2022.

TransCo filed the application in its capacity as the FIT-All fund administrator tasked with the disbursement of the fund.

The FIT-All is a uniform charge in peso per kWh billed to all electricity customers who are supplied with electricity through the distribution network.

The current FIT-All allowance as posted in the customer’s monthly bill is at P0.0983 per kWh, which was approved in 2020.

TransCo applied for a FIT All rate of P0.1881 per kWh or P0.2008 per kWh for CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK 2021, which remains pending with the ERC. PAGCOR’S REMITTANCE. State-run Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. remits P2 billion to the Bureau of the “Our application assumes there is no Treasury as additional advance cash dividends. The payment increased the agency’s total cash dividend contributions to P5 billion. new approval until the end of the year,” Manila Shown during the turnover ceremony are (from left) PAGCOR senior manager May Pineda, Bureau of the Treasury deputy treasurerDina Dizon, head of TransCo feed-in tariff Standard officer-in-charge Ed Mariño, PAGCOR vice president for finance group Recto Baltazar Jr. and PAGCOR assistant vice president for fund team said. Alena Mae S. Flores TODAY management and administrative department Maria Cynthia Paz.

NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING DEAR STOCKHOLDERS: Please be informed that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Allied Care Experts (ACE) Dumaguete Doctors Inc. will be held on August 12, 2021 (Thursday) at 8:00 o’clock in the morning, via Zoom Webinar, to ensure the safety of our stockholders who will be attending the meeting.

For the conduct of the Webinar, please register on or before August 10, 2021, through the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/ register/WN IlFa5P07TLymUgHOWibmSA The link will provide you the process for the registration. You will receive a confirmation email once you have successfully registered in the platform, including the details and procedures in the conduct of the meeting. Voting will be done via the online tool which you can access once you have logged in to the Webinar.

The meeting shall be recorded (visual and audio) for future reference.

The Agenda: I. Call to Order II. Invocation III. Determination of Quorum IV. Welcome Message from the Chairman of the Board V. Reading and Approval of the Minutes of the Y2020 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting VI. Approval of the Y2020 Audited Financial Statement VII. President’s Report VIII. Ratification of the Acts and Proceedings of the Board of Directors, Officers, and Management of the Corporation IX. Election of the Board of Directors 2021-2022 X. Appointment of External Auditor for the year 2021 XI. Other Matters XII. Adjournment Only stockholders of record at the close of business on July 23, 2021 (Friday) shall be entitled to notice of and to vote at the meeting. If you cannot personally attend the meeting, you may opt to send your proxy to attend in your behalf. Kindly submit your duly executed proxy form with the undersigned, via email, at office staff at acedumaguetedoctors@ yahoo.com.ph not later than August 11,2021 on or before 5:00 PM but preferably by August 9, 2021, to enable your proxy to register in the Zoom Webinar. A sample proxy form is posted at the Corporation’s website for your reference. [NOTE: Management is not soliciting proxies.]

The Information Statement and Management Report and SEC Form 17-A are available at the Corporation’s website at http://acedumaguetedoctors. org/.

You may contact the undersigned via email office staff at acedumaguetedoctors@yahoo.com.ph or at telephone number: (035) 421-2119 if you have inquiries/concerns regarding the meeting.

AEJELETH B. EYAS Corporate Secretary (MS-JULY 31/ AUG. 2, 2021)

NOTICE TO THE BONDHOLDERS OF ABOITIZ EQUITY VENTURES INC (AEV)’S 5.0056% SERIES B BONDS DUE 2022 Further to the notices previously published and provided to the Bondholders of AEV’s P8.47 billion Series B bonds (the “Bondholders”) due in 2022 with an interest rate of 5.0056% (the “Series B Bonds”), the Bondholders are reminded of the early redemption of the Series B bonds, and the following key dates: DATE

EVENT

03 August 2021

Last Trading Date

04 August 2021

Record Date

06 August 2021

Early Redemption Option Date

The Series B Bonds will be redeemed at an Early Redemption Price of 100.50% of its Issue Price, and will be subject to applicable taxes in accordance with Philippine tax laws.

Transfers of the Series B Bonds shall cease on the Record Date, and the listing of the Series B Bonds on PDEx shall be terminated upon full payment of the Series B Bonds on 06 August 2021, in accordance with applicable PDEx rules.

Capitalized terms used in this notice shall have the same meaning as set out in the Trust Agreement dated 24 July 2015 between AEV and BPI Asset Management and Trust Corporation.

(MS-AUG. 2, 2021)

NGCP to finish linking grids of Visayas, Mindanao in Q1

By Alena Mae S. Flores TRANSMISSION operator National Grid Corp. of the Philippines said it expects the Mindanao-Visayas Interconnection Project to be completed by the first quarter next year.

“We’re working on the schedule this year or early next year.

Our main real problem only now is a couple of land owners but everything is already there... The lines are there, even our substations are all over already from one side to another,” NGCP president Anthony Almeda said over the weekend.

Almeda sought help from the people of Mindanao to complete the right-of-way issues of

the project.

“We’d ask the help of people from Mindanao,” Almeda said.

“The rest, the equipment, everything is in place already. It’s just the land that has to be given to our technical group. We will push hard for the timeline,” he said.

NGCP earlier said the project was facing further delays beyond its December target because of the damage sustained by several portions of its fiber optic cable connection.

“This is an unfortunate circumstance which may delay the MVIP timeline. NGCP is working on a catch-up plan given the fragility of handling fiber optic submarine cables,” NGCP announced in February.

Meralco seeking nod on P24.7-b capex MANILA Electric Co., the biggest retailer of electricity, is seeking the approval of the Energy Regulatory Commission on capital expenditure projects worth P24.72-billion covering July 1 to June 30, 2022.

“Primarily, these capex projects for RY [regulatory year] 2022 are necessary to avert the foreseen emergency situations and ensure the reliable operation of its distribution network and continuous distribution service and connection to meet the growing needs of its more than seven million customers,” Meralco said in its application filed on June 22.

Meralco said its capex program was geared toward providing reliable service to customers by maintaining an adequate, safe, efficient and viable distribution network, while extending the needed capacity to address the forecasted load growth within its franchise area.

The company is undertaking the capex program to ensure adequate infrastructure to meet growth in peak demand and customer connections.

Meralco expects customer base to reach over 7.5 million customers and peak demand to grow to 8,003 MW by RY 2022.

“This increase in peak demand and customer count will require Meralco to increase the capacity of the electric distribution system in order to continue accommodating customer connections, while maintaining the reliability and power quality of its distribution system,” it said.

Capital expenditure are also required to maintain Meralco’s existing assets so as not to degrade its network performance and customer performance in the current regulatory year. Alena Mae S. Flores

Sports Marcial fulfills lifelong dream of father/coach The Philippines’ Eumir Marcial (blue) celebrates after winning by KO against Armenia’s Arman Darchinyan during their men’s middle (69-75kg) quarter-final boxing match at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo. AFP

By Riera U. Mallari

T

OKYO—Eumir Marcial fulfilled the lifelong dream of his father after scoring the Philippine boxing team’s most impressive win by far in the Summer Olympic Games—a knockout victory that may have easily installed the Filipino middleweight as a favorite for the gold.

Marcial stopped his Armenian rival Arman Darchinyan in the first round of their 69-75kg bout at the Kokugikan Arena on Sunday to become the first Filipino male boxer in 25 years since Onyok Velasco (silver, 1996 Atlanta) to clinch an Olympic medal.

“Right hook ko ang naka-knockout sa kanya. Hindi ko rin ine-expect ‘yung suntok na ‘yun. Basta ‘yung akin lang, bitaw lang ako ng suntok at ito naman ang pinag-ensayuhan namin, kaya nagkaroon na ng muscle memory na automatic na ‘yung katawan na sumusuntok at gumagalaw.

Lahat po ‘yun nakuha namin sa training at talagang pinaghandaan po

Diaz’s Chinese coach expected to draw interest from rich nations TOKYO—Tokyo Olympics’ gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz may have seen the last of her Chinese coach Gao Kaiwen.

The demand for Gao’s services is expected to rise and offers from wealthy countries could be coming in droves after the Chinese’s accomplishment with Diaz in Tokyo, Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez said.

“The weightlifting world is now looking at Coach Gao,” Ramirez told Filipino reporters. “Mind you, his credentials now look brighter with Hidilyn’s success here.”

Gao is one of several foreign coaches who handled Filipino athletes at the Tokyo Olympics. Among them are Uzbekistan’s Shukhrat Ganiev for rower Cris Nievarez, Ukranian Vitaly Petrov for pole vaulter EJ Obiena and Australian Don Abnett for boxers Nesthy Petecio, Eumir Felix Marcial, Carlo Paalam, and Irish Magno.

Gao, according to PSC chief of staff Marc Velasco, receives a monthly salary of $2,500, with his contract expiring December 31 this year.

Abnett, on the other hand, gets $5,000 a month, although the rate wasn’t consistent during the pandemic year 2021, Velasco said.

Ramirez said Gao, like all the other foreign coaches in the PSC payroll, was recommended by the sport’s national association, the Samahang Weightlifting ng Pilipinas.

“Compared to the other countries which offer as much as $10,000 a month for their athletes’ foreign coaches, there are no guarantees that Coach Gao would be remaining with Hidilyn in case she returns to training for the Paris 2024 Olympics,” Ramirez said.

Gao coached Chinese Zhou Lulu in the women’s +75 kgs class gold medal in London 2012.

namin ito,” said Marcial.

The end came at 2:11 of the opening round after the no. 4 seeded Filipino sent Darchinyan to the canvas with a right hook to the face in a KO win that assured the Philippines of a bronze, the second medal for the Olympic boxers here following the guaranteed silver of Nesthy Petecio in the women’s featherweight.

“I’m so very happy, it’s like a dream come true. When I was young and started boxing, we just talked about this with my father, while we are going to training,” said Marcial of his father Eulalio, a boxing trainer who never made it to the big leagues.

“And now I am here and I’m an Olympic medalist now. But I want the gold so I will do my best to give my best performance and leave the rest to God,” added Marcial, who can upgrade the color of his medal when he takes on former tormentor Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine in the semifinals on Thursday.

The 25-year-old Marcial recalled the time when he lost to his Ukrainian rival in the 2018 Strandja Memorial in Sofia, Bulgaria, albeit under different circumstances.

“Ready po ako sa laban na ito.

Nu’ng laban namin, na-injured ako, kaya natalo ako. Sa pakiramdam ko, kundisyon na kundisyon ako ngayon.

Ready po ako sa laban na ito,” said Marcial.

Against the Armenian, who like Marcial trained under Freddie Roach in Los Angeles, the ploy was for the Filipino to test Darchinyan’s power, and when he engages, that’s when the Filipino would sneak in for the counter, before darting away.

“Noong una, medyo tinatantsa ko pa, pero noong mga late minute na ng round, nakukuha ko na ‘yung game

niya. Suntok, then alis lang ako. Medyo open guard lang ako para mas makita ko ‘yung suntok n’ya. ‘Yung plan ko talaga na ipapain ko ‘yung mukha ko para ma-counter ko ‘yung attack niya kaya naka-open guard po ako. ‘Yun din po ‘yung instructions ng coach ko, na tignan ko lang ‘yung suntok n’ya,” said Marcial, who is slowly building a reputation in the games as a KO artist.

Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines president Ricky Vargas said the road will be more difficult for Marcial from hereon, but he has been equipped by the association for the big stage.

“I was and I remain confident of Marcial’s abilities and chances in this Olympics. Eumir showed excellent form and technique. If he continues to work with his corner and team ABAP, he’s got it. A fight at a time as I have no illusions that it will be an easy path, but he has the tools to make it to the top of the podium.

I wish him well and pray to God he gives the country another gold along with Nesthy and Carlo (Paalam),” said Vargas.

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

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

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Juvic Pagunsan

Pagunsan 55th in field of 60 golfers JUVIC Pagunsan closed out with a one-under par 70 on Sunday and finished 55th in a field of 60 in the men’s golf competition of the Tokyo Olympics at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

The 43-year-old Filipino pro never got going after an opening 66 as he finished with a four-day total of one-over 285 – a good 19 shots behind American gold-medal winner Xander Shauffele.

Shauffele salvaged a par from a difficult position in the rough after a bad drive to clinch the gold medal on a closing 67 for 266, one shot ahead of South Africa’s Rory Sabbatini who closed with a fiery 61.

On Wednesday, it will be the turn of Women’s US Open champion Yuka Saso and LPGA campaigner Bianca Pagdanganan to go for gold, also in the same layout.

Pagunsan, only the second Filipino male golfer to see action in the Olympics after Luigi Tabuena, was tied for fifth after Day One but faded down the leaderboard following rounds of 73 and 76.

The Bacolod-born pro showed some signs of life when three birdies in a four-hole stretch from the third role got him back to even par.

But Pagunsan never bought another birdie from there before closing his Olympic debut with a bogey at the 500-yard par-4 closing hole.

Yulo tries to redeem self in vault finals TOKYO—Carlos Yulo vies in the men’s vault finals of artistic gymnastics on Monday night, hoping to redeem himself from a disappointing performance in the floor exercise more than a week ago.

Yulo scored 14.733 points to land in sixth place in the vault and be with the top eight participants who advanced to the finals. Unfortunately for Yulo, he landed in 44th place out of 64 competitors in his pet floor exercise.

The 2019 floor exercise world champion also fared poorly in rings (24th), parallel bars (55th), horizontal bar (63rd), and pommel horse (69th).

“Hopefully, he is more relaxed this time,” Gymnastics Association of the Philippines President Cynthia Carrion Norton said on Sunday. “But watching all the great gymnasts from all over the world could be intimidating.”

South Korea’s Shin Jeahwan is marching to the finals set at close to 7 p.m. (Tokyo time) as the top qualifier with 14.866 points, followed

by Armenia’s Artur Davytan with 14.866 and R u s s i a n O l y m p i c Committee top

bet Nikita Nagornny with 14.783.

Nagornny added the Tokyo Olympics men’s team gold medal to the ROC’s collection earlier last week.

Rounding out the eight qualifiers were Brazil’s Caiou Sauza (14.700), Turkey’s Ahmet Onder (14.466), Hong Kong’s Shek Wai Hung (14.274), and Spain’s Nicolau Mir (14.133).

Carrion Norton said Yulo’s coach Munehiro Kugimiya picked Shin and Onder as favorites in the event, but hinted Yulo could have a shot at a medal.

“According to Coach Mune [Kugimiya ], the two top vault athletes are Korea and Turkey with the difficulty of 6.02,” Carrion Norton said. “Caloy’s difficulty is 5.60. If Shin and Onder earn deductions and Caloy makes a perfect score, we have a good chance.”

Carrion Norton didn’t say if Yulo was bitten by the so-called “twisties,” which struck even the sensational Simone Biles of the US. The Associated Press described “twisties” as the sudden inability for a gymnast to make the requisite spins—or sometimes any spins—for a particular maneuver.

Carlos Yulo

Knott: It’s championship time

By Peter Atencio

Kristina Knott

THE time has come for FilipinoAmerican sprinter Kristina Marie Knott to show what she can do best in the women’s 200-meter sprints of the Tokyo Olympics.

But first, the 25-year-old Knott will have to get past some of the stumbling blocks that are in her way of reaching the semifinals.

First, Knott will have to deal with world no. 13 American sprinter Jenna Prandini, a two-time national champion in 2015 and 2018, and a 2016 Olympian, who finished 10th in Rio de Janeiro.

Second, Gambia’s track queen Gina Bass, also known as the “poor Olympian,” will be out to prove herself after overcoming major challenges in training, while going through COVID-19 restrictions.

“It’s championship time. And anything to do with tapering should have

been done weeks before. At this point, you should have given everything you worked for and it will hopefully show at the competition,” said Knott.

It will be an interesting encounter with Prandini, who accepted an unexpected role when she was named as the replacement for Sha’Carri Richardson in the women’s 100 meters.

Knott had already faced the world no. 14 ranked Richardson in a women’s 100-meter run in a Miramar invitational last April. But Richardson, who won the 100 meters at the US Olympic Trials, won’t be around as she was suspended last June 30 after testing positive for marijuana. Richardson is world no. 6 in the women’s 100.

“Tapering time is now over. It’s now time to show off and show out,” added Knott.

Bass has made headlines for sweating it out at her country’s independent stadium and worked towards her Olympic

dreams, even though it was not a standard training facility.

Despite shortcomings encountered in training, Bass was able to secure an Olympic qualification at the 2019 African Games following an upset win Cote d’Ivoire’s star Marie Josee Talou.

Prandini and Bass will be a challenge since their season’s best time are 21.89 seconds, and 22.62 seconds respectively.

And then, there’s Australian Riley Day, who is known for having 22.77 seconds as her fastest time this year.

Knott, with a season best time of 23.17 seconds, will need to go below 23 seconds to become one of the top three sprinters in her heat to reach the finals.

Coached by Roshaan Griffin, Knott has been trying out new technology and making the necessary adjustments since her first days of training in Southern Nagasaki in Japan.

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Sports

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

Dressel says he’s not chasing Olympic greats Painters bounce back from twin losses Games Wednesday (Ynares Arena, Pasig City)

12:30 p.m. -- TNT T Giga vs. Blackwater 3 p.m. -- NLEX R Warriors vs. Meralco 6 p.m. -- Phoenix vs. Terrafirma

By Arman Carandang PLAYING catch-up for three full quarters, Rain or Shine turned to its defense in the fourth period to beat a surprisingly tough Terrafirma, 83-77, in the PBA Philippine Cup on Sunday at the Ynares Arena in Pasig City.

Rey Nambatac finally hit his targets after coming away with team-high 17 points, but it was Gabe Norwood who struck for the big baskets to help the Elasto Painters bounce back from back-to-back setbacks.

Norwood pumped in eight of his 15 points in the fourth period when the Elasto Painters started to gain ground after spending the first three quarters chasing the Dyip.

With Norwood presiding over a key run in the fourth, the Elasto Painters were able to complete their rise from a 16-point deficit and eventually chalk up their fourth win in six outings.

More importantly, the win erased the stigma of their back-to-back losses, that included last Friday’s 79-69 setback to returning Talk ‘N Text, and an even heartbreaking 74-48 spanking the Elasto Painters received from the Alaska Aces last July 28.

“Terrafirma made us fight until the end,” said RoS coach Chris Gavina during post-game interview.

The Dyip, with five of them alternating on offense, appeared they were ready to barge into the win column when they dominated the Painters from the onset until they sputtered in the fourth in the face of Rain or Shine’s defense.

“They (Dyip) were executing very well with Juami (Tiongson) and (JP) Calvo in the first half for whom we had no answer until the fourth quarter where we started the trap, and we were able to get defensive stuffs,” said Gavina.

O

LYMPICS—US swim star Caeleb Dressel rejected comparisons with Olympic greats Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz after claiming his fifth Tokyo gold on Sunday, revealing he was “terrified” by the pressure to perform in Japan.

Dressel ended his Tokyo campaign with victories in the 50m freestyle and 4x100m medley relay to become only the fifth swimmer to win five gold medals at a single Olympics.

The feat puts the 24-year-old—who also won two relay golds at the 2016 Games in Rio -- alongside Americans Michael Phelps, Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi, as well as East Germany’s Kristin Otto.

But the Florida-based speed demon, who said he feared being regarded as a relay specialist after Rio, said hauling in the records set by the sport’s legends was not his motivation.

“For me to have my little stamp on the sport, of course it’s special,” he said.

“(But) I don’t want to take anything away from Michael, I don’t want to take anything away from Mark. Of course I’m happy with how I did here. It’s not my goal to beat anybody in particular, it’s about achieving what I feel my potential is.”

Dressel said his overriding emotion was relief after a hectic final session in which he set an Olympic record in the 50m freestyle then helped the US team smash the medley relay world record.

He also broke his own world record in the 100m butterfly on Saturday with a time of 49.45sec.

‘So much pressure’ The American arrived in Japan with the swimming world abuzz at an ambi-

tious schedule with the potential to turn him into the sport’s next superstar.

While he achieved his goals, with the exception of a fifth place in the mixed 4x100m mixed relay, Dressel said he found the Olympic stage more daunting than he expected.

“The Olympics are different, I’ll admit that now and stop lying to myself,” he said.

“There’s so much pressure in one moment. Your whole life boils down to a moment that can take 20 or 40 seconds, how crazy is that?

“I wouldn’t tell myself this during the meet, but looking back it’s terrifying.”

Dressel said he used his “game face” during competition but the emotions came pouring out when it was finally over and the US held off a strong challenge from Britain to win the medley relay in a world record time of 3min 26.78sec.

Pumping his fists in the air, Dressel

embraced his team-mates at the poolside and roared with delight.

Earlier, there were no signs of nerves as he lined up for the 50m freestyle final, an event the American has dominated in recent years.

He never looked under threat, confirming his status as the world’s fastest swimmer with an Olympicrecord 21.07sec.

Dressel had his usual powerful start and no one was going to stop him in the one-lap race as he continues to threaten Cesar Cielo’s 2009 world record of 20.91, set in the supersuit era.

While looking forward to competing at the Paris Games in 2024, Dressel said his immediate priority was to take a break from the pool and spend time with his family.

“I’m a bit over swimming right now....

I really appreciated my time here, not because every moment was good, but because from every moment I think I gained experience,” he said. AFP

Rockets’ GM on 4 rookies: They will fit really well

By Peter Atencio

USA’s Caeleb Dressel celebrates winning the gold in the final of the men’s 4x100m medley relay swimming event during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre in Tokyo. AFP

Durant guides US to Olympic KO round SAITAMA—Kevin Durant and Jayson Tatum turned on the style as the US men’s basketball team eventually shook off the Czech Republic to win 119-84 to reach the Olympic knockout phase Saturday.

Boston Celtics star Tatum scored 27 points and Brooklyn Nets forward Durant hit 23 points in a win that sent Gregg Popovich’s team into the quarter-finals.

The combative Czechs were just four points behind at half-time in Saitama, but Durant upped the tempo in the second half.

During the game Durant took two records from Carmelo Anthony, becoming both the US Olympic men’s all-time points and all-time field goals leader.

Having lost their opening game to France—the first US men’s basketball loss at an Olympics since Athens in 2004 —the victory against the Czechs guaranteed that the Americans will avoid any of the three group winners until at least the semi-finals.

They finished second behind France in Group A after the French eased past Iran USA’s Kevin Wayne Durant dribbles the ball past Czech Republic’s Jaromir Bohacik 79-62 to seal top spot.

Meanwhile, Australia suffered a blow in the men’s preliminary round group A basketball match between USA and Czech to their men’s basketball gold medal hopes Republic during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Friday with Toronto Raptors star Aron Baynes ruled out of the rest of the OlymThe triple Olympian picked up the prob- in Saitama, and then worsened the injury pics with a neck injury exacerbated by a lem in the second half of the Boomers’ by slipping in the bathroom. bathroom fall. three-point win over Italy on Wednesday In a “complicated series of events”,

team doctor David Hughes said Baynes “suffered injury during the match on the court. And then he had a slip in the bathroom, and suffered further injury.”

“It became apparent to the medical stuff that this was a bit more serious than just an average injury and so as a precaution he was taken to hospital and he’s undergoing further tests at the moment,” Hughes said.

Baynes is expected to recover, but not in time to return to the court in Tokyo.

“I am really disappointed that I can’t continue in the Olympics,” he said in a statement.

“I along with the rest of the team have been working so hard in our quest for an historic Olympic medal and I am gutted that I can’t complete the journey with the boys. But I have every confidence that they will get the job done.”

Third-ranked Australia have never won an Olympic gold, but believe that with other NBA players like Patty Mills and Joe Ingles in their ranks they have enough firepower to break the drought in Japan.

Head coach Brian Goorjian said he remained confident in the team’s chances.

“Aron is a big part of our team and we are all hurting for him, but we have great depth in our squad and I have every confidence in the 11 remaining players,” he said.

“We will all stay focused on the task ahead.”

Australia’s next pool game is against Germany on Saturday. AFP

THE Houston Rockets hope to have an exciting season after choosing four talented players, during the 2021 NBA Draft.

And this included Fil-American Jalen Green and forward Usman Garuba, who is playing for Spain in the Tokyo Olympics.

General Manager Rafael Stone said this after the Houston Rockets selected Green with the second overall pick, forward/center Alperen Sengun, Garuba, and guard Josh Christopher.

“This crew is going to fit in really well with last year’s group,” said Stone during a worldwide team presentation on Youtube Live, made available to scribes in the Philippines through NBA Philippines.

The 6’6” Green, who turned 19 years old on Feb. 9, was the first player to sign with NBA G League Ignite, a team committed to the development and mentorship of top young prospects in preparation for the NBA Draft.

“We’re gonna be young, and we’re gonna be pretty exciting. That’s the direction that we’re going to take,” added Stone.

In 15 G League games last season, Green averaged 17.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.53 steals, and 2.1 3-pointers made.

The Rockets management also took into consideration the fact that Green won gold medals with USA Basketball at the 2019 FIBA U19 World Cup, 2018 FIBA U17 World Cup, and 2017 FIBA Americas U16 Championship.

“I’m excited about this. It’s the same thing I went through last year (with Ignite),” said Green.

The 6’9” Sengun was the 16th overall pick by Oklahoma City before his rights were acquired by Houston in exchange for two future first-round picks through Detroit and Washington.

The 19-year-old Sengun, a native of Turkey was the Turkish Super League MVP this past season for his club, Besiktas, where he averaged 18.6 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.5 blocks, and 1.3 steals while shooting 62.6% from the floor and 81.2% from the foul line.

The 6’8 Garuba was the 23rd overall pick by Houston and is currently playing for Spain in the Olympics, norming 5.8 points and 5.3 rebounds in 18.3 minutes per game.

The 6’5” Christopher was the 24th overall pick by Houston following his freshman season at Arizona State.

French boxer stages ringside sit-in protest after ‘injustice’

In this file photo, French boxer Sofiane Oumiha poses during a training session at his boxing club in Toulouse, southwestern France. AFP

TOKYO—A French super-heavyweight boxer lashed out at an “injustice” and sat in protest on the side of the ring after he was disqualified for headbutting in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinals Sunday.

In what was the first major controversy in the boxing in the Japanese capital, Mourad Aliev was disqualified in the second round against Britain’s Frazer Clarke.

The 26-year-old Aliev sat beside the ring ropes afterwards, seething, and claimed that officials had admitted they had made a mistake.

“I sat down to protest against the unfairness for me,” he said.

“I prepared for these Games for four years...

I really wanted to fight against the injustice, so

that was my way to show that I don’t agree with that decision.”

He added: “So the judges went to discuss together to know what happened. They said that I would have won, however it was already written that I was disqualified so the decision cannot be unmade.

“It was already too late.”

Aliev said that the referee had failed to give him any warning before the bout was called off.

“I was just stopped without any warning and they just told me that ‘you lost’—just like that,” he said.

“So I think it was an act of sabotage.”

Clarke, who had cuts to both eyes, called the situation “confusing”.

“The referee made his decision, that’s what he’s there to do. There’s a bunch of great referees and officials here so you know we have to believe in what they do.

“I think they’ve done whatever they deemed to be correct.”

Clarke said that he told Aliev “to calm down”.

“I’ve been in these situations myself, often you’re not thinking with your head, you’re thinking with your heart and your emotions are all over the place,” he said.

Controversial scoring is often a feature of Olympic boxing, but the Rio 2016 competition was marred by especially poor judging and an IOC taskforce took over running the sport at the Tokyo Games to prevent a repeat. AFP

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

What inspires Paulo Avelino Paulo Avelino’s recent victories inspire him to do even better work for his upcoming projects.

DESPITE the challenges and hardships caused by the pandemic, actor Paulo Avelino has a lot to be thankful for. Paulo has won four backto-back acting trophies in the past few months.

Last December, the 33-year-old screen star won Best Actor in the Metro Manila Film Festival Awards for his portrayal of a dysfunctional and troubled version of himself in the film Fan Girl, a film which not only

received critical acclaim, but was one of the top entries in the festival, and a top trending film in Netflix on the month that it became available.

Paulo then bagged another Best Actor trophy at the 4th EDDYS Awards (Entertainment Editors’ Choice) last April for the same role.

In June, he was honored with two Best Actor awards at the 23rd Gawad Pasado Awards: Best Actor for Film for his performance in Fan Girl, and

‘NAGBABAGANG LUHA’

heats up afternoon viewing VERY WANG

T

NICKIE WANG

HERE’s a reason why Rayver Cruz did not watch Nagbabagang Luha (1988) prior to the taping of the film’s television adaptation. He wanted to give the male protagonist, originally played by Gabby Concepcion, a different flavor, and with the guidance of director Ricky Davao, he knew he was headed in the right direction.

“I trust the director and his vision of the television adaptation. I didn’t want to just copy the original. I wanted to portray the character based on how the director wanted the character to be,” Rayver shared in an online presser.

In the television series that tackles sibling rivalry, Rayver is Alex Montaire, the general manager at Montaire Group of Farms and Resorts who has a burning desire to succeed. Alex is the husband of Glaiza de Castro’s character Maita.

Glaiza’s character, on the other hand, is described as a responsible sister of Cielo (Claire Castro). As a faithful wife, Maita has a burning love for her family.

The actress reveals her utmost admiration towards the original actress who played the role of Maita and she feels honored to be chosen to reprise the role of Lorna Tolentino.

“She is one of the veteran actors I really look up to. She gives every role not only justice but truth and that’s always been my objective ever since,” she noted.

Meanwhile, proud director Ricky Davao heavily relies on the cast for the effective portrayal of their characters. He also feels honored that the cast trusted his vision when it comes to reintroducing their characters.

“I’m confident of the adaptation

Rayver Cruz and Glaiza de Castro reprise the roles of Gabby Concepcion and Lorna Tolentino in the television adaptation of ‘Nagbabagang Luha.’

because of the writers and the cast. The TV series is much more daring than the original,” Ricky stated.

“It’s a two-hour film and then you’re making it into one season. We put some emphasis on each character’s back story, but we remained faithful with the character names and their respective characteristics,” Ricky added.

Completing the powerhouse cast are Mike Tan as Bien de Dios, Maita's longtime friend who protects her at all costs despite his unrequited love for her; seasoned actress Gina Alajar as Mrs. Calida Montaire, Alex's overprotective and conniving mother who dislikes Maita believing that she steals her son’s attention.

Allan Paule as Paeng Ignacio, Maita and Cielo's doting father who goes to great lengths just to protect them; Archie Adamos as Levi de Dios, Bien's father who is the policeman in charge of

Cielo and Paeng's case; Myrtle Sarrosa as Judy Enriquez, Alex's sultry exgirlfriend who is suspicious of Cielo's true intentions; Royce Cabrera as Sherwin, notorious drug dealer and Cielo's abductor; Ralph Noriega as Joryl, pool boy in the resort who also fancies Cielo; Karenina Haniel as Monina de Castro, Cielo's confidante who gets her to see reason and knows all her secrets; Bryan Benedict as Javy, Sherwin's accomplice in abducting Cielo.

Nagbabagang Luha, the hottest rivalry between two sisters ignites on GMA Network’s Afternoon Prime block beginning today. It airs Monday to Saturday, after Eat Bulaga.

Viewers abroad can also catch the program via GMA Pinoy TV. It will also be available for streaming via iQiyi International or IQ.com for subscribers in

Piolo Pascual joins PascualLab family When people think Piolo has already given his all, he seems a step ahead in his game and continues to level it up.

MULTI-AWARDED actor, singer, and health enthusiast Piolo Pascual joins Poten-Cee Vitamin C’s family of A-list brand ambassadors as the latest endorser.

Piolo joins Poten-Cee’s powerhouse endorsers led by multi-awarded actress Bea Alonzo and just last year, by multi-faceted artist, fashion icon, and philanthropist Heart Evangelista.

It is an endorsement that has long been waiting to happen since Piolo shares a surname with the company’s founders and owners. While there is no relation, Pascual and the PascualLab Family share

one thing in common – a love for life and passion for health.

Piolo, one of the Philippine entertainment industry’s eminent actors who has become one of the most recognized names since he first entered the industry in 1990, has proven himself a formidable force, giving life into and doing his best in whatever he dabbles in.

A well-known health and badminton enthusiast, Piolo puts a premium on his health, all the more proving that he is the easy choice to endorse Poten-Cee + ZN and Poten-Cee + ZN Advance, PotenCee’s newest variants.

Julia Montes makes TV comeback, reunites with Coco Martin THE most awaited reunion on television is finally happening as Julia Montes joins FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano to be Coco Martin’s new leading lady in the sixth year of the country’s longest-running action-drama series.

Dreamscape Entertainment confirmed the news on Friday (July 30) after it released on social media photos of the actress attending the show’s story conference and pictorial at ABS-CBN. Julia and Coco’s TV reunion comes after years of clamor from fans to get them back together after their first pairing in the phenomenal TV drama Walang Hanggan in 2012.

Apart from Julia, FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano also introduces new characters to be

played by Tommy Abuel, Rosanna Roces, Vangie Labalan, Michael Flores, Chai Fonacier, Marela Torre, Elora Españo, and Joseph Marco.

As the series goes into its sixth year this September, viewers can look forward to more of Cardo’s gripping adventures with Task Force Agila and their relentless crusade to protect the country.

FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano and Filipinos have marked many milestones together over the years, from when it became the country’s most-watched TV show until it pivoted to digital last year.

More people worldwide are also able to watch Cardo’s story through The Filipino Channel and Netflix, and its airing in Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, Thailand, and 41 countries in Africa.

Coco Martin and Julia Montes pose for a snap at FPJ's Ang Probinsyano's story conference on Friday.

Best Actor for Television for his work in the ABS-CBN Kapamilya drama Walang Hanggang Paalam.

All these victories inspire him to do even better work for his upcoming projects. Right now, Paulo is hard at work for a new teleserye for ABSCBN and Dreamscape. It’s a new light drama series entitled Marry Me, Marry You. It’s his first television pairing with new ABS-CBN leading lady and award-winning actress Janine

C3

Gutierrez. In the series, they portray a newly-married couple confronted by the troubles and changing expectations attached to married life.

Apart from his acting work, Paulo is turning his passion for online gaming into business. He has partnered with young businessmen to run Lupon WxC, a company that broadcasts online games and events to a growing number of gamers. He also helps run and manage Execration, an E-sports team.

According to the actor, business has been doing well especially now that more people have more time to pursue online gaming at home.

‘Maalaala Mo Kaya’ re-airs` its 2016 episode ‘Silver Medal’ telling the life story of Hidilyn Diaz until the time she won the women’s weightlifting Silver Medal in the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics.

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO THIS is neither a blast from the past tribute piece to the song “Gold” by Spandau Ballet nor about the quartet of juveniles composed of Kyle Echari, Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, and Andrea Brillantes of Kadenang Ginto.

Hidilyn Diaz’s historic win at Tokyo Olympics is today's gold, a feat that made all of us beaming with so much pride, something we all need in this pandemic and the never-ending state that is the quarantine season.

If you want to know the life story of this Miss Diaz, then read it in your friendly neighborhood search engine or you may even watch the melodramatic take on a long-reigning, once a week, drama show based on real people’s lives. And yes, there are countless stories about her to feast on, in all mass communication mediums that are currently available.

With brands knocking on her doorstep -- giving gifts and other pecuniary appreciation asking Diaz to be their image model -- she definitely deserves it all.

To the many who bashed her when she asked for sponsorships prior to this I am woman, hear me roar moment, and the controversial red-tagging in the mysterious matrix, let history be the judge and executioner on that matter.

The learned ones know better. The blind, deaf, and mute on the truth and nothing but the truth that sets people free, let us leave them with their choices. We are in a democratic society and this reality is democracy in action, the good and the bad, love and hatred are all in the democratic coin.

What are the learnings we get from Hidilyn ending the Philippines' nine

GOLD

decades of Olympic gold drought?

Patience, perseverance, hard work, prayers, and luck are all key ingredients not only in the life of an athlete like Diaz because these components suit all of us as well.

The men and women of power who run the sports sector must seriously reevaluate their plans, programs, projects, and finances so that all kinds of sports are given equitable funding and importance.

Time and again, we have made impressive marks and wins in individual sports such as bowling, boxing, gymnastics, figure skating, and now weightlifting. These victories must be regarded as not only indicators but proof that athletes in the said fields must be given the appropriate amount of attention and financial support.

There is so much fun fare and funding given to the national basketball team and yet, they always fail to make the cut and the stamp of being Asia’s best basketball battalion.

We also know that corporate sponsors only love a winner and that is indeed a lamentable reality. Adding more misery to the Filipino talent, whether they are athletes or artists, is the obvious bias of corporate entities in wanting foreign and international celebrities as the face and models of their brands. Hoping that Diaz’s win will change this prevailing prejudice on Filipino achievers and rising stars, in whatever field of excellence.

What happens to all of us now after the pixie dust of Hidilyn Diaz’s victory has settled? Hopeful, definitely. Inspired?

Perhaps. Believing that dreams do come true, and it can happen to anyone, affirmative! And may there be more believers and dreamers in this crazy planet and lifetime of ours.

All-Filipino iconic fashion accessories brand celebrates 25 years A HOUSEHOLD name in local fashion accessories, Secosana bags have been the trusted companion in every woman’s milestone.

It was 25 years ago that a brand began its journey and has endured to become one of the country’s top go-to fashion brands for bags that has prided itself in encouraging and empowering women to express their own style and project their passion for fashion.

Bea Secosana, the Vice President for Sales and Marketing said, “Secosana as a brand is classic and enduring.

The brand continues to forever relate to women with sophisticated and chic fashion tastes across all ages.”

“The brand has successfully combined timeless designs with price value, making it the go-to brand in today’s discerning market,” the young and dynamic Secosana added.

People have always remembered Secosana as a brand favored by Filipino celebrities as they have been fortunate to have had the support of celebrities and notable personalities.

This year, as Secosana moves forward to meet the changing tastes of the Filipino, and of course the changing lifestyles as a result of the global pandemic, it has remained true to its commitment to deliver on-trend, relevant, quality, and attractively priced collections with its 25th-year collection pieces.

These pieces reflect the chic and fashion-friendly style the brand has been known for. What makes it special is that the collection also takes into account the needs of today as we continue to face challenges brought by leaving one’s home amidst COVID-19. Each

bag comes with a free alcohol holder, a matching facemask, and of course a bag keeper that helps protect the bag and at the same time allows others to see the beauty of the design. Truly in line with the Secosana theme of “New Normal, New You.” To see more of the collection visit www.secosana.com.ph

Bea Alonzo banners #OwnTheNew campaign that encapsulates Secosana’s place in the hearts of its Filipina customers.

Life

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

C4

FOOD

MONDAY, AUGUST 2, 2021

Restaurant chain discovers the way to surviving the pandemic

By Steph Llarena

I

N OVER two decades since opening its doors to serve diners with home-cooked Chinese cuisine, this restaurant relied on word-of-mouth to reach patrons.

The strategy is simple; if you serve quality food that constantly adapts to fit modern preferences, diners will come.

And diners did and still do.

But such move may be enough before something as disrupting as a pandemic happens.

When in-store sales began to decline following the onset of COVID-19, Chinese grocery-turned-restaurant chain Mann Hann thought the best way to

Patrick Sen, one of Mann Hann’s Board of Directors, handles the day-to-day operations of the Filipino-Chinese restaurant.

survive was to take the digital route: increase visibility, sustain orders, and connect to more customers.

Patrick Sen, who serves as part of the brand’s Board of Directors, and his cousins who handle the day-to-day operations of Mann Hann, proposed the idea to the elder members of the family – the restaurant chain, after all, remains a family business.

But the elder members had reser-

vations and still preferred traditional marketing. Sen and his cousins highlighted the benefits of joining an online platform such as Grab in growing the brand’s sales, especially during challenging times.

In June 2020, Mann Hann, which currently has 22 branches, joined GrabFood.

“Joining GrabFood has been really helpful to the business. The majority of our sales throughout the pandemic have actually come from GrabFood,” Sen shares, adding that the company has been able to revitalize its operations, enjoying a regular stream of orders every week and even double their usual deliveries on weekends.

The restaurant reports deliveries

Did you know? Mann Hann started as a Chinese grocery in Pasig before it opened its first restaurant branch in Greenhills.

through the app have grown by nearly 300 percent since joining the platform.

It has also widened its reach beyond its usual market. “Initially, a lot of our customers were from the Filipino-Chinese community. But with Grab, we’ve been able to capture a bigger audience as well,” Sen says.

So how do the other family members take the shift now? They have no regrets, according to Sen. Sen says that taking extra steps to boost the brand, such as maximizing partnerships with platforms like Grab, has helped everyone remain optimistic about Mann Hann’s future. Establishing a digital presence, he adds, also enabled it to evolve.

“Going digital with marketing exposure will definitely benefit any business nowadays, not just restaurants,” Sen observes.

Strengthening digital presence proves beneficial as government prohibited indoor and al fresco dine-ins again on July 31, and the National Capital Region reverts to ECQ (enhanced community quarantine) starting August 6.

If it were up to the Sen family (and perhaps all other food businesses), they want to go back to how things were prior to the pandemic, with proper adjustments, of course. But right now, they have to continue leveraging digital technology and adjusting to the situation as they serve diners.

Some of Mann Hann’s best-selling menu items include (from left) Dim Sum (Taosi Spareribs, Siomai, Hakaw), Beef with Broccoli, Lechon Macau, Seafood Miki Bihon, Lumpiang Shanghai.

BITES IT’S big, it’s juicy, it’s beefy – all the things Jollibee wants to highlight in its latest digital video featuring Jollibee Champ.

The campaign features the star that makes the burger a hit, its 1/3-pound patty made of 100 percent pure beef.

Champ is available in three variants: the fan-favorite Amazing Aloha with pineapple and honey mustard dressing; Bacon Champ which is, true to its name, Champ with bacon strips; and the classic Champ with cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes.

“Burger lovers can rest assured that Jollibee always has their cravings in mind with the big, juicy, and flavorful Classic Champ, Amazing Aloha Champ, and

Big Burger Energy

FOR many millennials today, Del Monte Kitchenomics was their first taste of a cooking show. The TV show, which premiered in 1989, featured easy-tofollow recipes. Today, the brand continues to make cooking easy with a newly launched mobile app.

“I grew up with Del Monte Kitchenomics. At 6 years old, it was my introduction to the culinary arts. I chose the Kitchenomics TV show over cartoons and looked forward to the new episodes,” related Meg Victorino, who is now the head chef at Del Monte.

Del Monte Kitchenomics started in 1984 as a direct mail-based customer relationship management program, where registered members were sent recipe cards and cooking tips. As the Del Monte brand grew and the program gained a greater following, Del

Bacon Champ,” said Cathleen Capati, marketassistant vice president of market ing - bestsellers category.

Champ is available solo for P150, Bacon Champ for P189, and Amazing Aloha Champ for P199. Have them delivered via the Jollibee Delivery App, JollibeeDelivery.com, #87000, Grablivery.com Food, or foodpanda.

Jollibee Champ

SIP

Famous local cooking show now an app

ASAHI Beverages Philippines offers a tasty drink that promises to improve gut health.

Goodday Cultured Milk, launched last year, is made with a special strain of Paraprobiotics (Lactobacillus Paracasei MCC1849), which the company says, is clinically proven to improve intestinal health and natural resistance.

The said strain was developed by dairy conglomerate Morinaga Milk Japan. Since Paraprobiotics are heat-treated, a bottle of Goodday Cultured Milk can be stored at room temperature up to 35 degrees Celsius.

It is available in three flavors (original, mango, strawberry) in 80ml and 350ml bottles.

Goodday is sold at convenience stores and supermarkets nationwide.

The new digital video featuring Champ highlights its big and juicy 1/3-pound beef patty.

Gulp for your gut

Goodday Cultured Milk drink

Kitchenomics continues its mission to make cooking easy for everyone.

The Del Monte Kitchenomics app offers recipes, meal suggestions, cooking videos, and more.

Monte Kitchenomics became a television cooking show.

Over the years, the cooking show format has drawn the support of various celebrities and culinary experts, including chef Jackie Ang Po, restaurateur JP Anglo, and thespians Carla Abellana and Eugene Domingo, to name a few.

Cementing its footprint well into the future, Del Monte Kitchenomics solidified its presence in the digital space with a mobile app version available for free at Google Play and Apple App Store.

“With the Del Monte Kitchenomics app, it’s like having mommy beside you. If you have no idea what to do, you can start with Del Monte Kitchenomics University. If you are already a cook, you can plan meals, make grocery lists, and buy ingredients in one sitting. This saves you time, money, and makes your family healthy,” shared Chef Jackie.

Chef Meg added, “Kitchenomics followers all around the world can access recipes that will not only nourish their families but also help them cope during the pandemic.”