Manila Standard - 2021 August 8 - Sunday

Paalam’s silver medal caps PH’s best Olympic campaign n By RIERA U. MALLARI

TOKYO – The Philippines capped its greatest Summer Olympic Games’ campaign on Saturday with a silver from flyweight boxer Carlo Paalam, an eagle-spiked six-under 65 by golfer Yuka Saso and the dawn of a new era in sporting excellence.

Already its best showing in the 97-year history of participa-

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Carlo Paalam celebrates his silver medal for the men’s fly (48-52kg) boxing final bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena in Tokyo on August 7, 2021. AFP

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PAALAM

Silver Medalist

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New cases hit 11k, Delta drives surge n By WILLIE CASAS and JOEL ZURBANO

HE country logged 11,021 new COVID-19 cases Saturday – the highest daily record since April – as the Department of Health admitted that the two-week Enhanced Community Quarantine will not be able to stop the surge, likely driven by the more transmissible Delta variant.

The fresh cases – the second consecutive day that the 10,000 mark was breached – brought the total to 1,649,341, with 162 new fatalities.

Active cases stood at 76,063 active cases, also the highest since April 25.

In Quezon City, two hospitals – the Quezon City General Hospital and the Novali-

ches District Hospital – reported full-occupancy of their COVID beds.

The Philippine General Hospital said its COVID beds are now 75 percent occupied, with three minor patients in critical condition.

“Based on our last census Saturday morning, we have 169 confirmed COVID patients

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COVID beds in 2 QC hospitals fully occupied, PGH at 75%

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PNP apprehends almost 2,000 ECQ violators – Eleazar

out of 225 allocated beds, So, that is roughly 75 percent occupancy,” PGH spokesman Jonas del Rosario said.

For the entire Metro Manila, DOH reported 59 percent of the ICU beds, 54 percent of the isolation beds, 53 percent of the ward beds, and 46 percent of the ventilators were in use.

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Año: Ayuda release starts Wednesday THE government has issued the joint guidelines for the release of financial aid to qualified residents in Metro Manila, paving the way for the distribution of ayuda likely this coming Wednesday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

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Metro Manila mayors target 250k jabs daily under ECQ

Dixie Fire: 3rd largest in California history

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AUGUST 8, 2021

Metro mayors target 250k jabs daily during ECQ n By JOEL E. ZURBANO and MARICEL CRUZ METROPOLITAN Manila Development Authority chairman Banjamin Abalos Jr. on Saturday expressed optimism the goal of local government units to administer 250,000 life-saving COVID-19 vaccines per day within the two-week Enhanced Community Quarantine period in the National Capital Region will be met.

The vaccines, according to Abalos, came from the additional four million doses allocated by the national government to Metro Manila.

“Our goal is to inoculate 12.6 million or at least 45 percent of the total residents from NCR to achieve population protection the soonest possible time.

During this two-week period, we will ensure steady supply of vaccines for the 17 Metro Manila cities and municipality,” he said.

The MMDA chief made the statement following his second inspection at COVID-19 vaccination sites, this in the northern part of Metro Manila.

Abalos and other officials oversaw vaccination rollout at Pasolo Elementary School in Barangay Pasolo, Valenzuela; Robinsons Townmall in Tinajeros, Malabon; Navotas City Hospital, and Caloocan Sports Complex.

Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan said the initial vaccination target in their city was 6,000 jabs but since the start of ECQ, it reached an average of 17,000 to 20,000 a day.

Malabon City Mayor Antolin Oreta III also noted the increase on their administered vaccine shots to 6,000 from the daily average of 3,100.

Navotas lone district Representative John Rey Tiangco said the city has tripled its daily vaccination target to 10,000 from the average 3,000 to 5,000 administered jabs while Valenzuela City Mayor Rex Gatchalian said they are way ahead of the quota as they’ve administered 10,000 vaccine shots from their pre-ECQ average of 5,200.

Meanwhile, the Quezon City government has administered vaccines to more than 1 million residents and workers who are part of the A1 to A5 priority groups.

As of August 5, the QCProtektodo Vaccination Program has administered 1,612,773 vaccines. Out of this total, 1,015,256 or 59.72 percent of its target of 1.7million individuals have received their first dose, including those who got inoculated with the single-dose Janssen vaccines. Meanwhile, 597,517 or 37.17 percent of the priority individuals have received their second dose.

“We are proud of this achievement but again, this is just a reminder of how far we still have to go in order to achieve population protection. We will continue to vaccinate our residents and workers until everyone is protected,” Mayor Joy Belmonte said.

FromtheFRONTPAGE NEW...

Delta-driven surge

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the fresh surge could likely be driven by the Delta variant, which is at least 60 percent more transmissible than the original strain from Wuhan, China.

“We are now feeling the effect of the Delta variant in our country.

Based on projections, cases will continue to rise,” she said.

She said the hard lockdown would only “delay further increase” but will “not be able to stop the surge.”

“We were able to update the projections. If we do the GCQ with heightened restrictions for one week and five weeks ECQ, we could get 15,000 active cases by the end of September,” she said, raising the possibility that the ECQ may be extended.

“We could see that even if we impose tougher classifications, we will still see a rise in the number of cases but the most important thing here is to prepare our system and vaccinate more people in the hope of having fewer severe infections,” Vergeire added.

1,848 curfew violators in NCR

Philippine National Police chief Police General Guillermo Eleazar on Saturday said a total of 1,848 have been apprehended breaking the 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew in Metro Manila, which was placed under ECQ

Special task group to probe killing of Sulu police chief HE Philippine National Police will form a Special Investigation Task Group (SITG) to probe the killing of the provincial police chief of Sulu by a subordinate.

“The SITG will be formed together with representatives from the crime laboratory, the Regional Investigation and Detection Group of BARMM, and the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group,” PNP spokesman Brig. Gen. Ronaldo Olay said.

The victim, Col. Michael Bawayan Jr.,

was shot dead at a quarantine control checkpoint Friday afternoon by Staff Sgt. Imran Jilah.

Bawayan was reportedly conducting a routine check when he reprimanded Jilah for his long hair.

When the victim tried to cut Jilah’s hair,

the latter opened fire at the police chief.

Bawayan’s security detail fired back, killing Jilah on the spot.

Bangsamoro Police Regional Director Brig.

Gen. Eden Ugale said the incident was “isolated.”

“The tragic loss of Sulu Police Provincial Director, Police Colonel Michael Bawayan Jr., is undeniably heartbreaking to the entire police force,” he said.

“We consider this as an isolated incident,” Ugale said.

90% of CebuPac pilots, cabin crew vaccinated n By JOEL E. ZURBANO CEBU Pacific Air on Saturday announced that 90 percent of its pilots and cabin crew were already vaccinated following the completion of the first wave of its COVID-19 inoculation program for employees.

The CEB management said the second doses will be administered in the coming months, aiming to fully vaccinate its employees by October.

To date, 88 percent of CEB’s total workforce have been inoculated.

The airline’s own employee vaccination initiative is part of the Gokongwei Group’s COVID Protect Program, which covers the free inoculation of employees and their dependents, as well as third-party workers.

CEB has also been working hand-in-hand with various local government units to boost the progress of vaccination for its workforce.

“We know that health and safety are everyone’s top concerns and we want to keep doing what we can to ensure our passengers always feel confident flying with us,” said Felix Lopez, CEB Vice President for People Department.

On July 30, CEB flew its very first flight manned by fully-vaccinated pilots and cabin crew.

CEB is also the official airline partner of the Ingat-Angat, a private-sector led campaign that promotes safety measures and vaccination to help foster a nationwide economic recovery.

To date, the airline has transported over 16.5 million vaccine doses from abroad to the Philippines, on top of over 5.5 million doses flown to 23 provinces across the country.

EMPTY CHAIRS AND EMPTY TABLES. Fast-food stores inside a mall in Valenzuela City are open for

delivery and takeout only as Metro Manila was placed under the strictest lockdown Friday to stem the spread of COVID-19 cases. BOY BAUTISTA

Customs seizes P7b fake goods in Pasay

THE Bureau of Customs on Saturday disclosed the recent apprehension of various counterfeit items worth P7 billion in Pasay City.

In a statement, BOC said the fake items bearing luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Burberry, among others, were discovered after conducting an inspection at the

Baclaran Bagong Milenyo Plaza.

The team composed of Intellectual Property Rights Division (IPRD) – Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service (CIIS) under the Intelligence Group (IG) and Port of Manila District Office conducted the inspection through a letter of authority and mission order issued by Commissioner

Friday.

Eleazar said 605 were given warnings, 1,235 were meted out with fines, and eight were tasked to do community service.

“The curfew is a big help to limit the movement of people,” he said.

Only authorized persons outside residence (APOR) are allowed to move around the region while under hard lockdown.

individuals and families identified by the LGUs, who are physically residing, permanently or temporarily, or present in the city or municipality under ECQ, at the time of the ECQ declaration,” he said.

As for other areas outside Metro Manila that are also under ECQ – the provinces of Laguna and Bataan as well as Cagayan de Oro City and Iloilo City – the government is preparing separate funds for their cash assistance, Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III said.

Meanwhile, the Interior department is eyeing the inclusion of around P6.71 billion in the proposed Bayanihan 3 law for the hiring of additional 25,000 contact tracers who will help in the government’s COVID-19 response until 2022.

Densing said this is to meet the ideal contact tracing ratio of 1:800.

“If Congress passes the Bayanihan 3, we may ask for around P6.71 billion to hire an additional 25,000 contact tracers for the whole of 2022,” he said.

Bataan under ECQ

Bataan will be placed under ECQ starting today (Aug. 8) due to a spike in COVID-19 cases.

President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation to place Bataan under the strictest lockdown until August 22.

The province was initially placed under modified ECQ until August 15.

AÑO...

In a statement, Año said local government units in the National Capital Region may begin the distribution of the financial assistance of P1,000 per low-income individual, with a maximum of P4,000 per low-income family, in the middle of next week after making the necessary preparations.

He said the LGUs are given 15 calendar days to manage the distribution of the financial assistance, but the period may be extended upon request of the mayors.

“The target beneficiaries of these ayuda in NCR are the low-income

PAALAM...

in the Olympiad following the country’s first ever gold from superwoman weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz, the Philippines continued an onslaught never seen before as it added two silver medals and a bronze in boxing.

Two years after annexing the overall championship of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, the Philippines showed that its regional dominance

Rey Leonardo Guerrero.

The BOC estimated the seized goods to have a value amounting to P7.42 billion.

The imported counterfeit items were seized for violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act and the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

was no fluke with its 1 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze harvest, quashing by a silver the 1-1-3 haul by Indonesia and the 1-0-1 tally of Thailand.

One of those silvers from the Philippines was the one delivered by Paalam, the Philippine boxing team’s “bunso.”

The 23-year-old Paalam dropped a split decision loss to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai and settled for the silver medal in the men’s flyweight boxing finals at the Kokugikan Arena.

After suffering a knockdown from a four-punch flurry by Yafai at 1:48 of the first round, Paalam rallied from a 0-5 and 1-4 deficit in the first two rounds by finally winning his exchanges with Britain’s 2020 Best Boxer awardee for a 5-0 score in the final.

But the effort proved too late and the climb too steep for the least-experienced member of the vaunted Philippine boxing team here that has produced three precious medals in these pandemic Olympics.

“I gave all that I could. I was really fighting it out. I know the heart of a Filipino is one that never gives up,” said Paalam, who stands to receive a cash windfall in the vicinity of P20 million, give or take.

Paalam, who grew up in poverty and scavenged from a landfill site to earn money as a child, refused to be downcast.

“The silver medal symbolizes what I went through because when I was a young boy, I was a scavenger and I collected junk and garbage,” he said.

“There is still the Paris 2024 Olympics. I will ambition for [a gold] then,” he added.

Saso had her best showing in four days with her 65 but her last-ditch run fell just short of a medal at the conclusion of the women’s golf competition at the Kasumigaseki Country Club.

The 20-year-old Fil-Japanese caught fire in her final nine, going six-over over a seven-hole stretch as made five birdies and an eagle at the drivable par-4 17th, which she reached in two before making a short putt.

In all, the ICTSI-backed Saso went a scorching 13-under par over her last three rounds on a 68, 67, and a 65, but an opening round of threeover 74 eventually cost her a place on the podium in her Olympic debut.

Saso wound up with a 10-under 274, climbing from 47th place to a share of ninth. But she finished seven shots behind American gold medalist Nelly Korda and three shots out of a shot at a medal.

Korda wrapped up the gold medal with a closing 69 and a 17-under par 267 total, completing the American sweep of the Olympic golf competitions after Xander Schauffelle won the men’s tournament.

Bianca Pagdanganan never really got going in the last three days after an opening 69. She closed out with a 74 marred by a double-bogey at the last and finished with a one-over 285 total, good for 43rd in a field of 60 players.

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WORLDBRIEFS AUGUST 8, 2021 The Dixie Fire, the thirdlargest in California history, burns on a mountain ridge sending embers into the air in Greenville. (Inset) A chicken that survived the fire inspects another dead chicken at a burned residence as the huge wildfire tore through northern California and looked set to continue growing. AFP

Dixie Fire: Third-largest in California history A huge wildfire tearing through northern California became the third-largest in the state’s history Friday, and looked set to continue growing.

A long-term drought that scientists say is driven by climate change has left the western United States parched – and vulnerable to explosive and highly destructive fires.

The Dixie Fire, which this week razed the Gold Rush town of Greenville, has torched more than 1,700 square kilometers since it erupted in mid-July.

Plumas County Sheriff Todd Johns, who is helping to coordinate the fight against the fire, said the destruction was devastating.

“I am a lifelong resident of Greenville. My heart is crushed by what has occurred there,” he told a briefing on Thursday.

“To the folks that have lost residences and businesses... their life is now forever changed. All I can tell you is: I’m sorry.”

The town of Greenville stood charred and in ruins Friday, with timber structures gone completely and some stone buildings reduced to rubble.

Johns said there were no injuries so far from the huge blaze, but stressed it was vital that people in the path of the

Israel strikes Gaza after incendiary balloon launch

fire heed evacuation warnings.

“This fire is not over. If that plume is anywhere near your direction... you need to prepare. Wherever the wind blows this fire, that’s where it’s going to go.”

Regina Rutledge, who fled the town of Chester as the flames bore down, said the experience had been “very intense.”

“You could see the red coming off the hills, the blows of the fire. It’s a monster, it truly is,” she told AFP. More than 5,000 personnel are battling the blaze, which is sending enormous clouds of smoke into the air that are easily visible from space.

Incident managers said they were expecting gusting winds would fan the blaze.

Those winds, coupled with steep terrain and an abundance of very dry vegetation, were fueling the flames and making the work of firefighters more difficult.

The Dixie Fire added around a fifth to its area overnight, making it larger than the Bootleg Fire that has laid waste to a swathe of Oregon over the last month.

Thousands of square kilometers of the western United States have burned this year, an alarming result of the warming planet that has affected weather patterns.

By late July, the number of acres burned in California was up more than 250 percent from 2020 – itself the worst year of wildfires in the state’s modern history.

The Dixie Fire has evoked painful memories of the Paradise Fire, the deadliest blaze in California’s recent history.

Faulty power lines sparked that inferno, which swept through the northern town of Paradise in 2018, killing 86 people. Pacific Gas and Electric, California’s largest energy utility firm, was deemed responsible.

PG&E equipment is again being blamed for the Dixie Fire, after a tree fell on a power conductor the day the blaze began.

The utility announced in late July it will bury 16,000 kilometers of power lines in a massive bid to prevent its equipment from igniting more deadly wildfires.

Greenville itself is no stranger to fire disasters. A catastrophic blaze destroyed much of the town in 1881, and several major infernos have threatened residents in the intervening 140 years. AFP

Unvaccinated people twice as likely to be reinfected—CDC

ISRAEL conducted overnight UNVACCINATED people are by sex, age, and time of initial air strikes against Hamas tarmore than twice as likely to be positive test. gets in Gaza in retaliation for the The analysis found that unreinfected with COVID-19 as the launching of incendiary balloons vaccinated people were 2.34 fully vaccinated, a study by the from the Palestinian enclave that Centers for Disease Control and times as likely to be reinfected caused fires in southern Israel, compared to people fully vacPrevention said. the country’s military said early The agency said the finding cinated with the Pfizer, ModSaturday. supports its recommendation erna or Johnson & Johnson “In response to continual “that all eligible persons be of- vaccines. launches of incendiary balloons The duration of infection-acfered COVID-19 vaccination, from Gaza into Israel throughregardless of previous SARS- quired immunity remains poorly out the day, a short while ago understood and may be affectCoV-2 infection status.”

IDF fighter jets struck a Hamas Some US politicians, includ- ed by the emergency of newer military compound and a rocket ing Senator Rand Paul, have in variants, the paper said. launching site,” the Israeli army For example, laboratory the past said they do not plan said in a statement. to take a COVID-19 vaccine be- studies have shown that blood “The rocket launching site was cause of their natural immunity samples from people previously located in close proximity to ciinfected with the original Wuhan derived from prior infection. vilian surroundings, once again The new study was based on strain had poor antibody re- An anti-vaccine sign during a protest action emphasizing how Hamas con246 Kentucky adults who were sponses to the Beta variant first against mandated COVID-19 jabs outside of the tinues to endanger Palestinian reinfected in May and June this identified in South Africa.

Michigan State Capitol in Lansing. There were civilians.”

One of the limitations of the 44 counties in Michigan at high or substantial year after previously being inThere were no immediate restudy is it was conducted be- levels of community coronavirus transmission, fected in 2020. ports of casualties.

They were compared with 492 fore Delta became the dominant according to the US Centers for Disease Control Incendiary balloons caused “controls” who were matched strain in the United States. AFP and Preventions. AFP four fires on Friday in the Eshkol region near Gaza, Israeli firefighters said.

The last time such an attack took place, on July 25, the Israeli army retaliated with air strikes on targets of the Islamist movement Hamas, which rules the Palestinian enclave.

There have been sporadic incidents, including a series of incendiary balloon launches, since a May 21 ceasefire ended 11 days of deadly fighting between Israel and Hamas.

That conflict killed 260 Palestinians including some fighters, according to Gaza authorities.

In Israel, 13 people were killed, including a soldier, by projectiles fired from Gaza, the police and army said.

Friday’s balloon launches come after the Israeli army carried out retaliatory shelling in Lebanon in response to a volley of rockets fired by Hezbollah, a File photo shows a Palestinian girl holding her doll inside her house which was heavily Hamas ally. AFP damaged during the latest Israeli-Palestinian fighting in Gaza City on August 5, 2021. AFP

Thousands flee homes as floods hit North Korea MORE than a thousand homes were damaged and about 5,000 people evacuated in North Korea after flooding caused by heavy rains, the country’s state broadcaster reported, with swathes of farmland also inundated by the deluge.

The TV report comes as the impoverished North in June admitted it was tackling a food crisis, sounding the alarm in a country with a moribund agricultural sector that has long struggled to feed itself.

Last month, the UN’s Food and Agricultural Organization forecast said North Korea was facing a food shortage of around 860,000 tons this year, warning the country could experience a “harsh lean period.”

Footage from Pyongyang’s state-run KCTV showed homes flooded up to their roofs, as well as what appeared to be damaged bridges.

The report said “hundreds of hectares of farmland” were also submerged or lost in South Hamgyong Province, on top of the severely affected homes and roads, as river levees collapsed.

With the soil already saturated, further rains could cause more damage, Ri Yong Nam, the deputy head of the North’s meteorological agency, told the broadcaster.

“We expect heavy rain until the 10th of August in various regions, centering around the east coast area,” Ri said.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un stressed “all sectors and units” must take measures to prevent “natural disasters in advance,” the official Rodong Sinmun newspaper reported on Saturday.

Natural disasters tend to have a greater impact on the isolated country due to its weak infrastructure, while deforestation has left it vulnerable to flooding.

A series of typhoons last summer also triggered floods that damaged farmland and destroyed thousands of homes.

Kim said in June the country’s food supply situation was “getting tense” due to the lingering typhoon damage.

North Korea is now under self-imposed isolation to protect itself against the coronavirus pandemic, and as a result trade with Beijing – its economic lifeline – has slowed to a trickle.

The country suffered from a nationwide famine in the 1990s, which killed hundreds of thousands of people after the fall of the Soviet Union left it without crucial support. AFP

US blacklists five terrorist leaders

THE US State Department added five alleged senior members of jihadist groups in Africa to its terror blacklist, blocking access to any property or interests they may have in the United States.

Heading the additions was Bonomade Machude Omar, the senior commander of ISIS-Mozambique, who led the deadly attack on the Amarula Hotel in the town of Palma in March, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a statement.

In the Palma assault, the jihadists reportedly beheaded residents and ransacked buildings, killing at least a dozen and displacing more than 8,000.

Omar is also responsible for other attacks in Mozambique and Tanzania, Blinken said.

Also named on the State Department’s Specially Designated Global Terrorists list were Sidan ag Hitta and Salem ould Breihmatt, senior leaders of the Mali-based Al-Qaeda branch Jama’at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM).

Ali Mohamed Rage, a spokesman for extremist militant group Al-Shabaab, and Abdikadir Mohamed Abdikadir, an operations planner for the same group, were also included.

Blinken said both had planned attacks for alShabaab, which Washington deemed a terrorist movement in 2008.

“I am announcing the designation of five terrorist leaders in Africa... as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs),” Blinken said in the statement.

The State Department listing will freeze any assets the individuals may have in the United States and makes it a crime to assist them.

The United States “is committed to disrupting the financing methods of ISIS-Mozambique, JNIM, and al-Shabaab... limiting their abilities to conduct further attacks against civilians,” Blinken added. AFP

UN warns of growing hunger in Myanmar The United Nations said it urgently needed funds to feed people in Myanmar amid fears that up to 6.2 million could be plunged into hunger by October.

The UN’s World Food Program said it was 70 percent short of the $86 million needed over the next six months, as the country goes through multiple crises.

A major wave of Covid-19 infections is surging through Myanmar, compounding hunger, rising food and fuel prices, political unrest, violence and displacement, the WFP said.

“We have seen hunger spreading further and deeper in Myanmar,” said the WFP’s Myanmar country director Stephen Anderson.

“Nearly 90 percent of households living in slumlike settlements around Yangon say they have to borrow money to buy food; incomes have been badly affected for many.”

Myanmar has been in chaos and its economy paralyzed since the military seized power from civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi on February 1.

The country has experienced mass protests and a brutal military response since the coup.

The WFP launched an urban food response in May, targeting two million people in Yangon and Mandalay, Myanmar’s two biggest cities.

So far this year, 1.25 million people in Myanmar have received WFP food, cash and nutrition assistance.

Speaking to reporters in Geneva via video-link from the capital Naypyidaw, Anderson said the third wave of COVID-19 hitting the country was “practically like a tsunami,” creating “major havoc” and having a severe impact on people’s lives.

“The people of Myanmar are facing their most difficult moment in living memory. It is critically important for us to be able to access all those in need and receive the funding to provide them with humanitarian assistance,” he said. AFP

From left: PBSP executive director Elvin Uy, Caritas Manila executive director Fr. Anton Pascual and PBEd executive director Lovelaine Basillote. Representing Accenture in the Philippines (bottom row) are country managing director Lito Tayag and corporate citizenship executive sponsor Louise Sabariaga.

Accenture pledges P240m to address PH challenges n By JAMES PAUL R. GOMEZ and MARY BEATRICE L. UMLAS AS PART of its corporate citizenship, Accenture announced the allocation of P240 million for various initiatives to help address food security, support livelihood training and enable the digital upskilling of Filipinos.

“These are all part of our drive to be a responsible business, our commitment to bring about positive change, and improve how our local communities live and work is particularly important during these challenging times,” Accenture Phil-

ippines managing director Lito Tayag said.

The IT solutions and BPO company teamed up with non-government organizations such as Caritas Manila, Philippine Business for Social Progress and Philippine Business for Education to achieve the programs and activities.

For their partnership with Caritas Manila, the organization supervised the allocation of gift vouchers to over 180,000 Filipino families nationwide — assisting them in their everyday essentials.

The NGO also implemented a six-

month feeding program for 5,000 malnourished children in communities in the National Capital Region and nearby areas.

Meanwhile, the company’s partnership with PBSP focused on providing livelihood programs to equip communities with entrepreneurship and technical vocational skills.

PBSP aims to provide livelihood training and assistance to about 14,000 families and close to 1,300 individuals through different programs such as Mask4All, Super Carinderia and Kada-Uno: The Hunger Program Hope Fund.

AUGUST 8, 2021

Mega Global sustains nutrition program n By OTHEL V. CAMPOS

HE breadth of compassion has no boundaries for this mega manufacturing firm as it continues to extend its hand to less fortunate kids, most of whom are victims of involuntary hunger.

Megal Global Corp.

COO Michelle Lim Tiu Chan

In its third year of nourishing Filipino children, Mega Global Corp., in collaboration with the Mega Tiu Lim Foundation, will again organize the Mega Bigay Sustansya program—a health and nutrition program that is deeply rooted from the company’s core value of malasakit.

Mega Global chief operating officer Michelle Lim Tiu Chan said the program would be expanded to include the Visayas and Mindanao in an attempt to evolve the program into a yearly event and make it a company legacy.

“Mega Global’s focus has always been on improving the health and nutrition of the Filipino people with ‘malasakit’ as its core value. The company recognizes the significance of empowering our fellow countrymen through the provision of

access to better nutrition through our food products that have been a staple in Filipinos households for years now,” Chan said.

“Thus, we form the Mega Tiu Lim Foundation as the dedicated arm to implement our projects that aim to build better communities. By keeping our kababayans healthy and as part of our goal to create a long lasting impact on the lives of Filipinos, we are now launching the Mega Bigay Sustansya Program Year 3,” she said.

The program, she said, is centered on providing nutritious meals, made of high-quality and nutritious products to Filipino families.

“As we consistently reinforce malasakit, a deeply rooted value of Mega Global and elevate the importance of sardines in our diet, we also evolve to continue to inspire and promote acces-

sible nutrition through our products for the future of the Filipinos,” she said.

As it expands the program, Mega Global will work in partnership with the Reach Out Feed Philippines who will spearhead the preparation of the meals daily, deliver these house to house to each beneficiary and provide a nutritional assessment of all recipes used in the program and will also analyze and evaluate the results of the program.

Webb Fontaine recruits more Filipinos

Amaia breaks ground for Novaliches project AMAIA Land held groundbreaking rites for Amaia Steps at The Junction Place Estate, part of its newest pocket urban development in Quezon City. It is also its latest affordable mid-rise condominium in Metro-Manila.

The ceremony on June 23 marked the start of construction for the project’s first building called Aria, which is set to be completed by the fourth quarter of 2022. All units in Aria have been sold out, an accomplishment that attests to Amaia Steps’ excellent sales track record across all its projects nationwide.

Amaia Steps Junction Place will be the only residential property at The Junction Place Estate, making it a highly sought after space for potential residents. The Junction Place Estate by Ayala Land is a pocket urban development in Novaliches, Quezon

City, which showcases refreshing possibilities and offers a breath of fresh air in an urban location.

Ayala Land’s signature expertise in

building master-planned, sustainable communities will be present in the promising location that touts generous open spaces and pe-

Amaia Land holds groundbreaking rites for Amaia Steps at The Junction Place, part of its newest pocket urban development in Quezon City.

destrian walkways. It offers the community a green, walkable and organized development with enhanced transport access and residential spaces that ensure relaxation and tranquility for residents.

Amaia Steps The Junction Place is a cluster of five buildings primed to sustain the mid-rise condo developer’s sterling reputation for featuring contemporary design aesthetics and top-of-theline amenities. Once completed, Aria, the first building, will have 9 floors and 208 units that will range in size from 23 to 48 square meters: studio, deluxe and premier. These affordable residential units will appeal to young professionals, government employees, small business owners and starter families—a fast-rising market of condo dwellers seeking homes that will accommodate their progressive and modern lifestyles.

Read more online

P&A Grant Thornton names new partner

MARY Grace “Meg” Punay was named partner at P&A Grant Thornton, one of the leading audit, tax, advisory and outsourcing firms in the Philippines. She joined the partnership under the audit and assurance division effective July 1, 2021.

“As P&A Grant Thornton aims to go beyond standards through a proactive, forward-looking and agile approach, we develop leaders who contribute to our legacy of excellence – and Meg is one of those leaders who can significantly contribute excellence and innovation

to our Firm,” said Marivic Espano, chairperson and chief executive of P&A Grant Thornton.

Meg graduated cum laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Accountancy from Ateneo de Davao University. She has more than 15 years of experience as a certified public accountant. Her expertise lies in the audit of local and multinational companies across a wide range of industries including financial services, manufacturing, energy, mining, trading, distribution utilities and agriculture as well as nonstock and not-for-profit multilateral

organizations.

For her notable contributions to the Firm, Meg received the Founders Award in 2017, the highest form of recognition for team excellence at P&A Grant Thornton.

As she takes on her new role as partner, Meg remains dedicated to challenging conventions, exceeding standards and adopting a forward-looking mindset. She is committed to go beyond the norm in rendering improved client services and to discover more of the firm’s strong points which make it stand above the rest.

Webb Fontaine employees in Manila

n By Othel V. Campos WEBB Fontaine, a global leader in IT solutions for trade facilitation, is expanding its work force in the Philippines to serve growing operations.

Established in 2012, the Webb Fontaine Group Manila Branch serves as a research and development center providing world-class IT and AI solutions for trade and custom processes across the globe.

“With the growth of Webb Fontaine’s Philippine hub, we seek to recruit and develop the best talents in the industry toward providing innovative and world-class trading solutions for Filipinos, helping them transform the way they conduct trade locally or globally,” said Webb Fontaine Manila human resources manager Grace Rubia-Tech.

“Ultimately, together with our growing workforce, we will continue to be at the forefront of research and development to help boost the country’s trade and customs processes, as well as the international trade community,” she said.

Webb Fontaine Manila develops new-generation IT systems that take trade and customs processes to the next level for the benefit of the global trading community. Deployed in several countries worldwide, including the Philippines, Webb Fontaine’s solutions include single-window platform for trade, paperless customs systems, cargo tracking systems and more.

Ramping up its workforce in the Philippines supports Webb Fontaine’s aim to continue growing its global footprint. For the next three to five years, Webb Fontaine aims to make the research and development center in Manila known locally and internationally, backed by Filipino expertise in providing top-caliber IT solutions for different needs of trade and customs stakeholders.

AUGUST 8, 2021

The Philippines’ Carlo Paalam kisses his silver medal during the medal ceremony for the men’s fly (48-52kg) boxing final bout during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena. AFP

USA’s players celebrate their victory in the men’s final basketball match between France and USA during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Saitama Super Arena in Saitama. AFP

Proud Durant leads US to fourth straight Olympic cage gold

From tin cans to silver medal Paalam’s poverty, ambition, and faith

n By RIERA U. MALLARI

TOKYO – Ambition and poverty are great motivators. Fortunately for Carlo Paalam, he has both.

Paalam, who used to pick up pressed tin-can junk for a living when he was a teenager, has completely turned his life around with a glittering silver-medal finish in the men’s flyweight boxing finals of the Summer Olympic Games at the Kokugikan Arena on Saturday.

Nevermind that he lost to Britain’s 2020 Best Boxer Awardee in Yalal Gafai in the gold-medal duel.

The PH boxing team’s “bunso” will still return home to the Philippines a hero – and a rich man -- for matching the silver-medal feat of teammate Nesthy Petecio here in Tokyo, and the runner-up feats of Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco in the 1996 Atlanta Olympiad and Anthony Villanueva in the 1964 edition, also in this Japanese capital. His other teammate middleweight Eumir Marcial earned a bronze.

Paalam was calm and smiling during the awards rites and at the mixed zone when faced by reporters from around the world. But when his life as a scavenger and garbage man was brought up, the man with the knuckles of steel, but with a heart of gold, gallantly fought back tears, the last ones shed by a breathtaking Philippine team in these pandemic Olympics.

“Itong medal na ito, may simbolo din po ito sa buhay ko. Kasi isa akong mangangalakal dati, itong medalya ay gawa sa mga sirang gadget po. Sa basura siya galing, kaya nai-connect ko po siya sa buhay ko. ‘Yun po ang pinaghugutan ko para makuha ko ito,” said Paalam, his voice breaking as he

referred to the games’ medals that were made out of scrap materials, old gadgets, metals and other junk.

“Thank you sa Panginoon sa pagbibigay ng lakas sa akin at naabot ko ang pangarap ko, first time kong nakalaro ng Olympics sa ganitong edad ko. Halos lahat ng mga magagaling nandito, mga second-time Olympians, mga ilang taon nang naging Olympian, ako papasok pa lang. Hindi ako masyadong nae-expose sa media kasi nasa ibaba pa lang ako. Tapos bigla na lang ipinagkaloob ito ng Panginoon sa akin,” added the grateful 23-yearold, who will now become a household name as he has been nothing short of phenomenal in the Olympiad.

After defeating Ireland’s Brendan Irvine, 4-1, in his opening bout, Paalam was even more impressive in his next two.

He hammered a unanimous decision win against Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi, before stunning Asian and Rio Olympic world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in yet another emphatic 5-0 triumph to move into the semifinals against hometown kid Ryomie Tanaka.

In an electrifying performance that may have in-

stalled him as the Philippines’ newest boxing star, Paalam pulled off a clinical 5-0 unanimous decision win against Tanaka to set up a championship showdown with Gafai for all the marbles.

After suffering a knockdown from a four-punch flurry by Gafai at 1:48 of the first round, Paalam rallied from a 0-5 and 1-4 deficit in the first two rounds by finally winning his exchanges with Britain’s 2020 Best Boxer awardee for a 5-0 score in the final. But the effort proved too late and the climb too steep for the least-experienced member of the vaunted Philippine boxing team here that has produced three precious medals in these pandemic Olympics.

“Kaya ibinigay ko na lang talaga kung ano ‘yung makakaya ko. Kita niyo naman po na lumalaban talaga ako. Kasi alam ko na ang pusong Pinoy, palaban po,” said, Paalam, who stands to receive a cash windfall in the vicinity of P20 million, give and take. “May Paris (2024 Olympics) pa po, ‘yan ang ambisyunin natin.”

He has the riches now, to go with an Olympic medal. But Carlo Paalam is not stopping here. Not by a longshot. Because the only thing better than poverty and ambition, is faith in one’s heart.

Carlo Paalam celebrates his silver medal.

AFP

SAITAMA (AFP) -- NBA All-Star Kevin Durant hailed his team for overcoming adversity Saturday after pouring in a game-high 29 points to lead the United States past France 87-82 for a “beautiful” fourth straight Olympic men’s basketball gold medal.

The Americans started slowly but earned a 22-18 lead after the first quarter and were 44-39 ahead at halfway, then survived some nervous late moments to prove the doubters wrong.

Gregg Popovich’s men had headed to Tokyo after defeats to Nigeria and Australia in lead-up exhibition matches, sparking questions around their global dominance.

They then crashed to seventh-ranked France in their opening group game, their first defeat at an Olympics since the 2004 edition in Athens.

But spearheaded by Durant, they steadied the ship and began gelling, with a French team led

by NBA stars Rudy Gobert, Evan Fournier and Nicolas Batum unable to repeat their feat in the final.

Durant was once again the US backbone as he joined Carmelo Anthony as a three-time titlewinner, after being part of the triumphant teams in 2012 and 2016.

He had already reinforced his stature by surpassing his fellow great during group play to become their all-time leading Olympic pointsscorer.

“This one feels good because we went through a lot,” said the 32-year-old, who is poised to sign a four-year, $198 million contract extension with the Brooklyn Nets, according to his manager.

“We had a lot of first-time guys on the team, new experience for everyone on the team, Covid, the kind of bubble we were in, no fans, no-one expecting us to lose.

“We heard it all over the past few weeks about our team. To fight through this adversity against a great team like these guys... to come together so fast -- it was beautiful to see, it was beautiful to be a part of.”

Top-5 schemes cybercriminals are running amid Olympic Games AFTER an unprecedented yearlong delay, the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympics have begun this month.

This time, all events are taking place with no spectators, which reduces physical risks – in terms of health and from a cybersecurity point of view (such as data theft using the vulnerabilities of public Wi-Fi at the stadium). However, sports enthusiasts should not forget that cybercriminals will aim to take advantage of fans’ eagerness to watch the Olympic Games by instigating various online fraud schemes.

To get a better overview of how scammers are trying to monetize viewers’ interest, Kaspersky experts analyzed Olympic-related phishing websites designed to steal users’ credentials. As a result, Kaspersky researchers found fake pages offering to stream various Olympic events, selling tickets for competitions that won’t have spectators, various giveaways and even the first fake Olympic Games virtual currency.

Live Streams

Unsurprisingly, with more spectators moving from stadiums to online, Kaspersky experts found various phishing pages offering to stream the Olympic Games. Some

of them ask for people to register before watching.

Usually in such phishing pages, once a user enters their credentials, they might be redirected to a page that distributes different malicious files. Besides having malware installed on their device through such files, users sent their identifying information to untrustworthy hands. After that, scammers may start using such data for bad purposes or sell it on the Dark Web.

Fake Tickets

Despite there being no events held with spectators in person this year, fraudsters are not shying away from trying well-tested (yet, somehow still effective) fraud attempts, like selling offline event tickets.

Kaspersky experts also discovered pages offering refunds for already purchased tickets.

Olympic-Related Entities

Analyzing discovered pages, Kaspersky experts also found examples of phishing pages disguised as official Olympic ones such as a page pretending to be an official website for the 2020 Tokyo

Olympics and a page mimicking the International Olympic Committee.

The last one, for instance, collects users’ MS Services credentials.

Gifts

No big public event is complete without fraudsters imitating extremely generous giveaways.

Thus, Kaspersky experts also found phishing pages offering to win a TV, ideal to watch the Olympic Games on. This is quite popular and, usually, each user becomes a lucky winner; the chosen ones only need to pay a delivery fee. No need to say, the TV never gets to the deceived user.

Olympic Games Token

Finally, and most importantly, Kaspersky researchers found the

‘Turnovers hurt us’

Durant scored an eye-popping 30 points in each of his last two gold-medal games, and nearly matched that again, proving how crucial he is in pacing their offense.

He ended with three assists and six rebounds while Boston Celtic guard Jayson Tatum racked up 19 points and seven rebounds. Utah Jazz centre Gobert and the Celtics’ Fournier both sank 16 points to lead the way for France.

“Our goal was to push them as far as possible in this game. Unfortunately we did a couple of mistakes at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth quarter,” said French coach Vincent Collet.

“We were turning it over a few times because we changed the way we played a little bit.

“We were insisting a lot on the inside game and suddenly we started dribbling the ball and driving to find the kick. We did it two or three times well, but you know there will be some turnovers and against USA, that is what hurt us the most and denied us.”

It was the eighth meeting between the two teams at an Olympics and their third final after London in 1948 and at Sydney 2000, with the US winning on both occasions. The Americans have now accumulated a whopping 16 gold medals.

first ever virtual currency, which is a support fund for Olympic athletes. A fake one. If a user buys the token, the scammers offer to support financially talented sportsmen around the world who are in need.

“Cybercriminals always use popular sports events as bait for their attacks. This year, the Olympics will be held without spectators thus, we do not expect a big number of related attacks. Still, we observe that fraudsters have no limit when it comes to creating new ways to take advantage. For example, this year, we discovered an interesting phishing page selling Olympic Games Official Tokens. There is no real equivalent of such thing, that means that cybercriminals are not only faking already existing baits but

Examples of phishing pages offering to stream the Olympics

also come up with their own new sophisticated ideas”, comments Olga Svistiunova, security expert at Kaspersky.

To protect yourself and your close ones from Olympics-related phishing Kaspersky experts recommend: Сheck the link before clicking.

Hover over it to preview the URL and look for misspellings or other irregularities.

Check the authenticity of websites before entering personal data and only use official web pages to watch the Olympic Games. Double-check URL formats and company name spellings.

Use a reliable security solution, such as Kaspersky Security Cloud, that identifies malicious attachments and blocks phishing sites.

JULIET ASHTON

(played by James in the film adaptation) travels to Guernsey to learn more about the The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

AUGUST 8, 2021

BOOK REVIEW

Books can entertain us and make us laugh. They can take us, even if momentarily, to various amazing places and allow our minds to be refreshed. Books can inspire, educate, and captivate.

Lily James stars in the film adaptation of Mary Ann Shaffer and Anne Barrows’ novel, ‘The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society’.

(Photo courtesy of STUDIOCANAL)

BOOKS BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER

Stitched stuff n By THERIZ LIZEL R. SILVANO

CUSTOMIZING or labeling clothes or towels using embroidery is not a novel concept, but the craft is gaining popularity among the younger set as it gets a Gen Z touch with minimalist fonts and designs and pop culture references. The following Instagram shops offer embroidery services:

n By RORY J. BOLIVAR and ROBESPIERRE L. BOLIVAR

UGUST 2021 marks the 76th anniversary of the end of World War II. For the last five years at least, and especially in the lead-up to the 75th anniversary last year, a plethora of fiction and non-fiction books on World War II were published. Many of them dealt with the politics of the war and the horrors it inflicted on societies and individuals alike.

Cute flower embroidery on a bucket hat

Tiny Leaf Embroidery @tinyleaf.embroidery

Tiny flowers and potted plants, bears and BB-8, Snoopy and Winnie the Pooh – these are just some of adorable designs this shop stitches onto bucket hats, shirts, sweatshirts, tote bags, and backpacks. Customers may opt to purchase the items to be embroidered straight from the shop or send their items (new or pre-owned) to Tiny Leaf.

House of Broderie @houseofbroderie

It offers customized embroidery service for sweatshirts, tote bags, towels, T-shirts, and more.

Customized Customers T-shirt embroidery can request a customized design or choose from those available in the shop’s catalog

Lucky Loops @_luckyloopsofficial

It offers embroidered sweatshirts, T-shirts, and tote bags with minimalist fonts and designs.

Embroidered tote bag

Burdado Bento tote bags

Burdado

By Steph @burdado.ph

It specializes in hand and machine embroidery service for tote bags. Its newest collection Burdado Bento consists of tote bags with cute sushi designs.

Dainty Hands @daintyhands.ph

This shop takes embroidery beyond shirts and bags by offering embroidered wall arts, bookmarks, and seat belt covers.

Maria’s Hand Embroidery @maria.ph

Embroidered seat belt cover

Amidst all these books, Mary Ann Schaffer and Annie Barrows’ The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2019 edition, Bloomsbury) provides a sublime story of how a shared love of books can bring people together, enabling them to withstand the tribulations of the war.

This historical fiction novel is endearing. Much like watching the new Netflix original movie based on the book, which stars Downton Abbey alums Lily James, Jessica Brown Findlay, Matthew Goode, and Penelope Wilton, reading the novel is like rediscovering old friendships or finding that place you want to visit over and over again.

Set largely in the aftermath of World War II on the Channel Islands, a British dependency off the coast of France, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society employs the epistolary style to great effect and advantage. It allows us to follow the story by reading the characters’ letters to each other instead of hearing it narrated from the point of view of just one person. As such, we

are treated to a complete, unbiased, and definitely more intimate view of how their relationships develop.

Schaffer and Barrows succeed in creating authentic and sympathetic voices for each of the characters in the book.

London-based writer Juliet Ashton’s correspondence is confident and witty.

On the other hand, the letters from Dawsey Adams, Isola Pribby, Amelia Maugery, and other Guernsey locals are humbler but brim with the wisdom born of experience.

Their charming epistolary interplay allows us to develop a deep empathy for Juliet and the quirky, extremely

About the authors: Rory J. Bolivar is a registered microbiologist, educator, and writer. Robespierre L. Bolivar is a recipient of the Gawad Mabini, one of the highest Presidential honors bestowed upon Filipino diplomats.

PH ranks second in highest number of K-pop related Tweets

TWITTER users in the Philippines sure did make their love for Korean music and idols known as the country had the second highest number of Tweets about K-pop in a year.

From July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021, a total of 7.5 billion Tweets about K-pop was posted on Twitter. The top five countries comprising the vibrant #KpopTwitter conversations were Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, South Korea, and the United States.

Meanwhile, the top five countries with the most number of K-pop fans (as in K-pop unique authors) were Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, South Korea, and US. The top five most mentioned K-pop artists on the social media were BTS, NCT, BLACKPINK, EXO, and TREASURE which only debuted in August 2020. Another newcomer that broke into the list was ENHYPEN (debuted in November 2020) at the seventh spot.

“Whether they are global powerhouses

or emerging stars, K-pop fans are talking about and engaging with their favorite artists regularly on #KpopTwitter,” said YeonJeong Kim, head of global K-pop partnerships at Twitter.

Kim added, “Culturally, we have seen the phenomenal rise of K-pop across the world, but this trend is not new on Twitter as we have experienced the growth in conversation first-hand. We will continue to work with artists and their labels to bring more content for the K-pop community.”

The social media connects fans globa l l y to their

favorite K-pop artists through the Twitter Blueroom which features exclusive interviews and live Q&A sessions with the stars.

2

Embroidered necklace, anyone? This shop specializes in accessories with stitched pendants, in addition to embroidered wall arts and tote bags.

Embroidered necklaces

likable Guernsey locals who make up the eponymous Literary Society. We empathize with their struggles to overcome individual and communal tribulations wrought by the German Occupation of their island. We marvel at the power of their spirit as they eke out a life from the rubble of war.

Each subsequent letter holds increasingly personal disclosures. By the latter half of the novel, the characters become vulnerable and open to each other, perhaps hoping that they might find the emotional healing that they are desperately seeking.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a comforting and edifying story that everyone should read at least once.

This novel is a paean to the lost art of letter writing. It takes us back to an arguably more romantic time when people used pen and stationery to relate personal anecdotes and communicate thoughts and emotions.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is also a reminder that reading books can soothe the soul in times of crises. Books can entertain us and make us laugh. They can take us, even if momentarily, to various amazing places and allow our minds to be refreshed. Books can inspire, educate, and captivate.

Reading opens up for us a wider community of authors, book sellers, and fellow readers. It provides an excellent starting point for us to have meaningful conversations, not just about books, but about life in general. Along the way, we may form rewarding and enduring friendships built on our shared interests.

And through the magic of reading we can better appreciate that we are human and that we live in a colorful world full of stories we can discover and enjoy together.

#KpopTwitter 2020-2021 Top 20 countries by Tweet volume

BTS tops Twitter’s most talked about K-pop act. (BIG HIT MUSIC)

PH is next to Indonesia with the most number of K-pop related Tweets.

TREASURE is the seventh most mentioned K-pop group on Twitter.

(YG ENTERTAINMENT)

Based on the first Boys’ Love series in the Philippines, ‘Gameboys The Movie’ follows the story of gamers turned lovers Cairo and Gavreel, portrayed by Elijah Canlas and Kokoy de Santos, respectively.

AUGUST 8, 2021

Belle Mariano’s ‘Sigurado’ reaches over 6 million streams across Spotify and YouTube.

AthatBEAUTIFUL GAME boys CAIRO and GAVREEL play n By ANGELICA VILLANUEVA

S MUCH as I would want to make this a spoil-free article, I know, in some parts, I will unintentionally spill exceptional and truly remarkable scenes. So, if you haven’t watched the BL movie of the year, Gameboys, and you dread spoilers, then this article is not for you.

Over a year after it pioneered and set the bar high in Boys Love series in the country, Gameboys has finally dominated (again) the online world as it officially released its movie sequel on July 30.

Due to the unparalleled support and overflowing love from the fans, its success paved the way to the continuation of the stories and issues that Gameboys consistently project.

First things first: what do we have on our plate? We have the teaser of Gameboys Season 2, the full trailer, of course, the sneak peek, the #OutInTheOpen campaign, and the “Hanggang

The cast of the pioneering BL movie that originated as a web series.

Sa Huli” clip. Then there’s the movie.

Actually, after watching the movie for the first time, I wasn’t able to absorb the whole thing, but in a positive way. I was literally blown away.

It left me speechless after. I got mad. I cried. I swooned. I screamed at the top of my lungs. But, in the end, I have no words to describe what I truly felt. Hands down.

But watching it alone for the second and the third and for the nth time, I felt restlessly discontented. I was finding more reasons to watch it all over again and again.

The movie started by showing our ever-favorite gamers-turnedlovers Gavreel (Kokoy de Santos) and Cairo (Elijah Canlas) during a game stream. But this time, viewers are seeing them together, not on separate screens, showing off their sweet moments cuddling each other live on “Screentime,” a story-made social media platform.

During the first half, the movie depicts the

life of Gavreel and Cairo living under the same roof since the latter’s stay was extended.

Director Ivan Andrew Payawal and screenwriter Ash Malanum also assured us that we are well-fed with CaiReel’s lovey-dovey content including the computer/phone screenshots perfectly giving us the first season vibes. Very nostalgic!

But just when we thought that Terrence (Kyle Velino) is the most hated character (actually, we still have Risa) in Gameboys, well, we’re right, until Tita Susan (Angie Castrence) came into the picture holding a religious statue. To spoil you a little bit, she’s, in some ways, like your typical annoying Tita that you always wanted to avoid during family gatherings.

Well, she mirrors the life of every person who always perpetuates their hate, not just in the community, but also in different aspects of life.

As shown in the trailer, Gav introduced his ‘baby’ to Tita Susan as his ‘friend’ which made us all confused. Like I mentioned in my previous article, I questioned him for doing that, and I am sorry for judging him. Because in a scene where Gav and Cai were in a confrontation with her and told them that their relationship would all be pointless, Gav stood up for his boyfriend.

We stan. However, more conflicts arise as Tita Susan reveals important details that will greatly affect the relationship of the two. Read full movie review on manilastandard.net

Scarlett Johansson ‘shocked’ by Disney’s response to ongoing lawsuit n By MARIA KATRINA SEGUI IN A RECENT statement, actress Scarlett Johansson’s agent said that her client was taken aback by Disney’s response to the ongoing lawsuit involving the movie Black Widow.

The agent shared in an interview with The Wrap that Johansson she was “shocked by the tone” of Disney’s statement, which claimed that the actresses’ lawsuit was “especially sad and distressing in its callous disregard for the horrific and prolonged global effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Johansson has filed a lawsuit against Walt Disney Company over a contract breach for releasing the highly-anticipated superhero film on its streaming platform, Disney+.

According to Johansson, her contract for Black Widow under Disney’s Marvel Entertainment guaranteed an ex-

clusive theatrical run with her earnings solely coming from the box-office performance of the film. The dual release allegedly reduced the actress’ compensation to more than $50 million.

“Disney intentionally induced Marvel’s breach of the agreement, without justification, in order to prevent Ms. Johansson from realizing the full benefit of her bargain with Marvel,” the suit said.

Johansson’s lawyer, John Berlinski also told CNN, “It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney+ to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price — and that it’s hiding behind COVID-19 as a pretext to do so.”

“But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to prov-

ing as much in court,” he added.

Meanwhile, the media giant countered the actress’ statement saying the suit “has no merit whatsoever.”

“Disney has fully complied with Ms. Johansson’s contract and furthermore, the release of Black Widow on Disney+ with Premier Access has significantly enhanced her ability to earn additional compensation on top of the $20 million she has received to date,” a Disney representative said in a statement.

Releasing movies both on theaters and on streaming platforms has recently become a strategy for major film studios to gain more profits and as a way to win back viewers as the pandemic also took its toll on the film industry. Suicide Squad, for instance, will debut both in cinemas and HBO Max next month.

The theatrical debut of the long-awaited Black Widow movie was delayed many times due to the pandemic and was finally released on July 9, garnering over $319 million at the box office worldwide, becoming the fifth highest-grossing film of 2021.

Belle with onscreen partner Donny

Scarlett Johansson in a scene from the blockbuster film, ‘Black Widow.’

Belle Mariano breaks through as recording artist n By AMIRA DANICA PASION TELEVISION darling Belle Mariano accomplished a breakthrough in her recording career with “Sigurado,” a single that reached more than six million streams.

Released on May 14, the track “Sigurado” was named as one of the official soundtracks for the comingof-age online series “He’s into Her,” which pairs Belle and Donny Pangilinan in lead roles.

As Belle’s debut single was made available on different streaming platforms such as Spotify, an official lyric visualizer video was also released. A few days later, a music video was also uploaded on YouTube that already amassed more than two million views in a span of two months.

“Sigurado” was included on numerous playlists on Spotify such as OPM Rising and Top 50 songs in the Philippines. Moreover, the artist was also chosen by Spotify to be the featured artist on the cover of the “Tatak Pinoy” playlist. At the same time, the single also made it to Apple Music’s “Absolute OPM” playlist.

Besides having a solo performance of her single, a duet lyric version with her Donny was also released on YouTube and currently has more than one million views.

As the first single of the teen actress continued to show exceptional performance, supporters express their admiration for the artist anticipating a follow-up record to be released by the singer-actress.

Belle started to showcase her musical inclination by uploading videos of her singing covers and playing musical instruments.

Smart Hallyu Hangouts brings Filipino fans closer to Hyun Bin “I THINK touring the Philippines would be a great experience,” said Korean megastar Hyun Bin as he mused about the opportunity to travel once again, especially to visit his Filipino fans, in the second leg of the Smart Hallyu Hangouts.

Presented by leading mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc., Hyun Bin graced the second episode of the Smart Hallyu Hangouts, a series of online shows where subscribers can watch their Korean idols through a live feed from wherever they are in the world. This episode follows the premiere of the series, which featured Hyun Bin’s Crash Landing On You leading lady Son Ye Jin. Like the first episode, Hyun Bin was joined by Philippines-based host Sam Oh, Korea-based co-host Park Kyung-lim, and select lucky fans who participated in the event via online call.

Hyun Bin recounted many stories and details during the interview, especially of his interesting and memorable experience shooting his iconic commercial for Smart.

“The Smart commercial was full of visual effects. Everything that

surrounded me was computer graphics, so I had to act in an empty space,” Hyun Bin said about the ad, which he said he liked. “It was exciting to imagine what the result would be like, but at the same time, not knowing if I’m doing all right or even what I was doing made me feel a little awkward. But it was exciting as well.

The actor also gave fans a closer look at his life and personality, regaling everyone with interesting bits of trivia. These include wanting to be a detective when he was young, considering a possible career as a golfer or even a businessman now, whether he searches his name on the internet, what he feels about himself, his real-life piano-playing skills, his previous dramas and movies, and a lot more.

Hyun Bin also thanked his Filipino fans for their unwavering support, and vowed to visit them as soon as he can after the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

“I’m always grateful to my fans,” he said. “All I can do for them to repay their love is to continue acting, hoping it would make their life a little better. Although it was for a

short time, I got to talk with my fans and talk about my works for a short while. It was nice to communicate with my fans, even though I could only see them through a screen.”

The event had more surprises in store for Smart subscribers, as two lucky fans were able to hop on a quick video call with Hyun Bin himself on the set, while others got to win special prizes from Smart. The event wrapped up with a digital photo op session with all the at‘The Crash Landing On You’ leading man speaks with his fervent Filipino fans in Smart Hallyu Hangouts, a digital event that brings fans closer to their Hallyu idols.

tendees.

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Important vitamins for your dog

AUGUST 8, 2021

Louise had noticeable joint problems three years ago when she turned 10 years old, a very senior dog for a shih tzu. The limping stopped after she was prescribed joint supplements. Now 13, she enjoys life as a senior doggo with a balanced diet and supplements for the heart and joints. It is important to always consult a vet every time you see some changes in your dog. The vet will know if the dog is sick or only needs specific vitamins.

Saving helpless dogs continues amid the pandemic HE Animal Kingdom Foundation (AKF) continued to save poor animals who are victims of cruelty despite all the limitations during a pandemic.

BEFORE AND AFTER

Rescuing slaughter-bound dogs

After gathering ourselves from the challenge of the 2020 pandemic and receiving an outpouring of support from our supporters, AKF continued its resolve to keep on with the campaign of protecting the hapless animals regardless of how unsure the future is.

And rescue slaughter-bound dogs we did. AKF rescued three dogs from cruel death after raiding a facility used by the dog meat traders in General Tinio, Nueva Ecija. They were caught cooking a dog.

Two suspects were arrested by the team of CIDG Provincial Field Office – N.E.

Fight for murdered Marinduque dogs continues

suffered in pain from an organ prolapse.

She was treated and spayed after.

AKF can only provide assistance to hapless animals with aid coming from our supporters but a suffering pet must be primarily attended to by its owner.

Good things can only happen, like in the case of Chay, if the owner themselves exhaust all possible means of providing cure for their pets. The community eventually gathers together to extend help.

Fighter

Fighter, hacked and left for dead, is now enjoying a new life with a new loving family.

Adopting and sponsoring rescued animals KIYO

Upon the recommendation of Marinduque Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Ryan V. Rivamonte, and duly approved by Provincial ProsecuHAYEEN tor Eugene Oliver M. Jabson, the embattled Provincial Veterinarian of Marinduque was indicted over six (6) counts of the Animal Welfare Act (RA8485 as amended by RA10631) after probable cause was found in relation to him shooting and killing dogs in public at the villages of Yook and Malbog, Buenavista, CHAY Marinduque last July and August of 2020, respectively.

The message is loud and clear — the hapless Philippine native dogs are protected by our law and that cruelty towards them will be dealt with accordingly. We cannot treat these dogs as pests and fault them as nuisance and hazards FIGHTER so as to wickedly treat them.

Their lives matter as much as for treatment. Four liters of water were ours. It is our fault as humans, in the drained off his abdominal part. first place, why they are out there as Look at him now! strays.

He is still at the vet’s clinic but he is Let it be known that the law sided almost ready to play with the rest of with AKF and its fellow advocates in the rescues at AKF. finding justice for these much maligned animals. Our fight continues!

Aquina We rescued Aquina off the street without any struggle. She was so sickly Hapless and helpless rescues and weak that she readily came to us While reeling from the unexpected and gobbled what we offered to her. difficulties of the pandemic, AKF was A stray pup whose siblings and also anticipating that there will be a Mama we were never able to locate, we rise in cases of abandoned, maltreated suspect she was deliberately abanand straying animals. Even unwanted doned with her other siblings. How deaths. she survived malnutrition and her True enough, AKF received a minbadly decaying skin is a miracle. Look imum of five (5) distress calls or apat her now enjoying the trees at AKF. peals a day from pet owners who now We can’t get enough of her. want their animals taken in by us, and the most disheartening calls are about Hayeen sightings of pitifully malnourished strays; some with injuries inflicted by Then, there was Hayeen whom we humans. rescued from a near-death state in With the help of our supporters, we February and after just two months have provided care and treatment to a of being provided TLC (tender loving few of these pitiful animals. care) by AKF, she was picked by a loving family at our rescue center and is now enjoying a love-filled existence Kiyo with the Nalos in Concepcion, Tarlac.

One of the them is Kiyo. He had ascites, was severely malnourished, Chay anemic, and with poor liver condition, And, Chay, whom without the conKiyo, a seven-month old pup, was rescern of her adopted parents and the cued by AKF after his owners gave up help of AKF supporters would have on him. They just could not send him

On our appeal for help to provide better lives for our nearly 300 rescued animals, dogs and cats, at the shelter, more than 200 supporters applied to sponsor a certain dog for their monthly upkeep since the start of 2021. The monthly sponsorship is PhP 700 for a dog per month and until they are adopted, they will enjoy the support of their sponsors. AKF provides periodic update of the sponsored dogs or cats to the sponsors. If you are interested to support them, please follow this link: bit.ly/AKFdogsponsor Individuals, families, and companies can provide for the rescue’s monthly upkeep of food, veterinary and kennel care, shelter and socialization to keep them ready for adoption. Please know that the love and attention that you give can bring a lot of happiness to a shelter dog who may never find the permanent loving home they deserve.

Isay needs help

Isay is a stray dog in Caloocan City. She was discovered by a volunteer who goes out feeding strays.

We can tell that she was once a beautiful dog. Her human companion is a pedicab driver who got sick making him unable to provide and care for her. Isay instantly became a scavenger but still finds a way to return to her human but most of the time, she is just living in the streets. Now that she has aged, she has become sickly.

Isay has not been eating and lethargic. We arranged rescue today and Isay is now confined in a vet clinic in Caloocan. She is severely dehydrated and suspected to have bacterial and parasitic infection. Blood tests will be done for a precise diagnosis. She is negative from distemper, fortunately.

Can you help us save Isay?

Your P20, P50 or P100 donation will go a long way.

GCASH - 09479991678 Heidi C. / 09273403514 Paypal : akfrescues@gmail. com Account Name : Animal Kingdom Foundation BDO 0069 1011 0365 BPI Acct. 1681 0015 88 RCBC Current 0046010931≠≠≠≠≠

YES, our dogs need vitamins. And as they age,

By DESIREE CARLOS they also need additional vitamins as they grow older just like senior humans.

“All living organisms need vitamins and organic compounds essential for balanced nutrition and normal growth. Vitamins aren’t naturally synthesized by the body, so animals (and people) have to consume foods that provide them. Consider vitamin C: humans need it to survive, but our bodies don’t make it. So we eat fruits and vegetables, and maybe add some supplements, to ensure we get the right amount,” stressed Nia Martin in “Everything You Want to Know About Vitamin Supplements for Dogs” in The Dog People site in rover.com.

There are vitamins our dogs need which are usually contained in multivitamins for dogs. Please ask your vet for the best multivitamin for your dog.

“Dogs have specific vitamin requirements, which can include: q Vitamin K for activation of clotting factors, bone proteins, and other proteins q Vitamin B1 (thiamin) for carbohydrate metabolism and the activation of ion channels in neural tissue q Riboflavin and niacin (also known as vitamins B2 and B3, respectively) for enzyme functions q Vitamin B6 for glucose generation, red blood cell function, nervous system function, immune response, and hormone regulation q Folic acid for metabolism and protein synthesis,” said Martin.

Martin stressed that when a commercial dog food is labeled “complete and balanced,” it has all the vitamins and minerals your dog needs.

When to use supplements for dogs

Some dogs have a specific health and wellness concerns. He or she may benefit from vitamin and mineral supplements.

Martin said that veterinary nutritionist Dr. Susan Wynn noted in an article for WebMD that supplements can be extra helpful for senior dogs: “Antioxidants such as vitamins C and E [can] reduce inflammation and help aging dogs with memory problems.”

Dogs who eat homemade meals may also need vitamins to balance out their diets. Homemade, whole food diets are great and highly recommended by Richter.

“But if you’re making dog food at home, you may not have access to the specific vitamins your pet needs.

That’s where vitamin supplements for dogs can come in handy,” Martin said.

How to choose vitamin supplements

Please ask your vet to guide you when choosing vitamins for your dog.

“Ingredients in some herbal supplements can interact with medication, and it is possible for dogs to have too much of certain vitamins,” Martin said.

“If your dog is eating a complete and balanced diet, and not exhibiting any health issues, they probably don’t need a supplement. You can always integrate fresh fruits and vegetables into their diet for a boost of healthy and natural nutrition,” Martin added.

But if your dog has new health or behavioral issues, Here are some your veterinarian can run some tips from Martin: tests to determine if your dog has vitamin deficiencies. The 1 Look for brands that vet can also recommend dihave had clinical studies done on their products. etary changes and the kind of 2 Check the labels carefulvitamins your dog needs. ly to ensure quality and “In general, the best options safety. will be available through your veterinarian. The bottom line 3 The product should have a lot number on the about vitamin supplements for packaging. This is part of dogs: Talk to your vet first to quality control checks. find out if vitamin supplements 4 Choose products of could benefit your dog. Read brands with confirmed labels on your dog’s food and expertise. on any potential supplements, 5 Do not easily trust claims and always look to your dog that sound too good to for cues,” Martin said. be true. Vitamin suppleShe added, “To address a ments are just supplehealth condition, see your vetments, not cure-alls or erinarian for prescription supmedications. plements that can help. The 6 Do not give human supover-the-counter supplements plements to dogs unless below are primarily for prevenyour vet said so. They tion and maintenance.” may contain ingredients that are harmful to dogs.

Richie is a senior dog who was rescued by Save ALL - Save Animals of Love and Light in 2014 from a sickness-infested pound. He is now 20- 21 years old.

His secret? Good food and vitamins! He is given dry dog food, canned dog food, and boiled vegetables and meat.

He is also given multivitamins, Co Q 10 30 mg for the heart, Vitamin B complex for dogs for the nerves, and coco nectar for the immune system and normal platelet count.