Manila Standard - 2021 September 19 - Sunday

Paalam’s silver medal caps PH’s 18 best Olympic campaign Vol. 35

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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

DIAZ

Health workers conduct house-to-house testing for residents of H. Santos St. in Barangay Tejeros, Makati City on Saturday, September 18, 2021. The street has been placed under a two-week granular lockdown due to the increasing number of COVID-19 cases. The National Capital Region is on Alert Level 4 until Sept. 30. Danny Pata

Gold Medalist

Burnt out: PH nurses fight virus, resignations

Alert Level 4 2-wk extension eyed amid hike in NCR cases

PAALAM

n By JOEL ZURBANO

Silver Medalist

MARCIAL THE country on Saturday logged

Bronze 23,134 new COVID-19 cases, the second highest daily tally since Medalist

40% of workers in private hospitals have left—PHAP

the pandemic started as the Department of Health warned infections in Metro Manila will continue to rise.

National Task Force against COVID-19 spokesman Restituto Padilla said the enforcement of the Alert Level 4 in the National Capital Region could be extended for two more weeks to bring down the daily tally of infections.

“It could be extended for two more weeks before we can see its effect on our data,” Padilla said.

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XHAUSTED nurses in the Philippines are struggling to care for patients as colleagues contract COVID-19 or quit a profession that was dangerously understaffed even before the pandemic.

“They are tired and burned out,” said nursing director Lourdes Banaga, at a private hospital south of Manila.

“At the start of the pandemic we had almost 200 nurses,” said Banaga, director for nursing services at

the Lipa Medix Medical Center in Batangas province. “By September that will reduce to 63.”

The country is enduring a record rise in infections, fueled by the Delta variant, with the health department re-

porting a nursing shortfall of more than 100,000 – forcing those left to work long hours for little pay on often precarious short-term contracts.

Official figures show 75,000 nurses are working in public and private hospitals but roughly 109,000 more are needed.

The pandemic has exacerbated a preexisting lack of nurses, said Maristela Abenojar, president of Filipino Nurses United – a situation she describes as “ironic” in one of the world’s biggest exporters of healthcare workers.

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COVID-19 PH

Silver Medalist

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

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

HE country logged 11,021 new COVID-19 cases Saturday – the highest daily record since April – as the Department of Health admitted n PNP apprehends almost that the two-week Enhanced Community Quarantine will not be 2,000 ECQ violators – Eleazar able to stop the surge, likely driven by the more transmissible Delta MUSIC TO THE RESCUE. Musicians from 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-

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GLANCE

2,347,550 23,134 New

184,088 Active

36,583 255 Año: Ayuda 27,024 2,126,879 starts release Wednesday (As of 4 PM, SEPTEMBER 17) Tocilizumab doses arriving end of Sept.

Death

New

Recoveries

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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.

SOME 10,000 vials of the drug tocilizumab, CONTINUED ON 2A which is used to treat COVID-19 patients, are to arrive in the country by the end of the Benedetto Marcello Conservatory play expected September, Health Secretary Francisco Duque out of 225 allocated beds, So, that is roughly ches District Hospital – reported full-occuVivaldi on ‘Noah’s Violin’ – a giant floating III said Saturday.

75 Venetian percent occupancy,” spokesman pancy of their COVID beds.

A T we A hope G Lbefore A N Cthe E month violin by sculptorPGH Livio De Marchi “By September, del Rosario said.

The Philippine General Hospital its itsJonas as itsaid makes maiden voyage for a concert on the ends, one drug company could import 10,000 For the entire Metro Manila, reportCOVID beds are now 75 percent occupied, Grand Canal near the RialtoDOH bridge in vials. Let's cross our fingers that the shipment ed 59 percent of the ICU beds, 54 percent with three minorVenice patientson in critical condiSeptember 18, 2021. The floating violin symbolizes will push through,” Duque said. of the the isolation beds,through 53 percent of the ward tion.

The country is facing supply shortage of the rebirth of Venice amid pandemic art, culture ventilators “Based on our last census Saturday morn- beds, and 46 percent of the and music. were AFP tocilizumab, which was allowed as COVID-19 in use. ing, we have 169 confirmed COVID patients CONTINUED ON 2A CONTINUED ON 2A

COVID-19 PH

1,649,341 11,021 New

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28,835 162 Death New Duterte urged to certify Dixie Fire: World on ‘catastrophic’ 9,194 1,544,443as urgent 3rd largest in 2022 budget path to 2.7°C warming—UN New Recoveries

Metro Manila mayors target 250k jabs daily under ECQ

France recalls ambassadors to US, Australia in sub row

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SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

Duterte urged to certify 2022 budget as urgent T

By Maricel V. Cruz

HE House of Representatives will begin next week its plenary discussions on the Palace-proposed P5.024 trillion national budget for 2022.

At the same time, Rep. Eric Yap of the ACT-CIS party-list group said the House leadership will ask Malacañang to certify the bill as urgent in order to pass it on third and final reading by end of September.

Yap, chairman of the House committee on appropriations, said the plenary debates on the money measure will begin on Monday, September 21.

“After the crafting of the committee report, we will make a formal request to the Office of the President to certify the budget as urgent so that we can pass it on third reading on September 30,” he added.

Earlier, Speaker Lord Allan Velasco said the House aims for a timely and decisive passage of the 2022 General Appropriations Act. “As the coronavirus pandemic drags on and with no end in sight, it is incumbent upon Congress to swiftly pass a national budget that will not only serve as an instrument for development but also as a powerful tool to decisively defeat COVID-19 and rebuild people’s lives and livelihoods,” Velasco said.

Based on the Palace-submitted budget, the education sector, which is composed of the Department of Education, state universities and colleges, and the Commission on Higher Education, got the biggest chunk of the budget

US panel wants booster shots for 65 above A PANEL of leading US medical experts advising the government voted in favor of authorizing boosters of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine for everyone aged 65 and up, as well as people at high risk of developing severe COVID. The same committee however rejected an initial proposal, submitted by Pfizer and backed by President Joe Biden’s administration, to fully approve boosters to everyone aged 16 and over.

The decisions came after a day-long meeting full of data presentations and at times charged debate that was convened by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Tens of millions of Americans will soon be eligible for a third shot.

“I think this should demonstrate to the public that the members of this committee are independent of the FDA, and that in fact we do bring our voices to the table,” said Archana Chatterjee, dean of Chicago Medical School.

The panel – which included vaccinologists, infectious disease researchers, and epidemiologists – concluded that the benefit-risk balance differed for younger people, especially males at risk for myocarditis.

A clinical trial for the booster involved just over 300 people, which they felt was too small to be able to draw firm conclusions about safety.

The panel voted 16-2 against granting a third dose full approval.

They were then presented with a new motion, and voted 18-0 for granting emergency authorization for people aged over 65 and those at high risk. They agreed this should extend to health care workers and people at high risk of occupational exposure.

Even prior to the meeting, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had struck a cautious note. AFP

FromtheFRONTPAGE BURNT...

The “chronic understaffing” is down to inadequate salaries, she said.

An entry-level nurse in a public hospital can earn P33,575 per month, official data show.

But Abenojar said most were on shortterm contracts, earning P22,000 with no benefits such as hazard pay. Meanwhile, those in the private sector were making as little as P8,000.

And many have had enough: About 40 percent of private hospital nurses have resigned since the start of the pandemic, according to the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines.

More than 5,000 nurses have been given the green light to go abroad this year after a COVID-19 ban was replaced with a cap to ensure enough nurses were available in the Philippines.

It hasn’t worked.

“We can’t get additional nurses, we can’t compel them to apply,” said Jose Rene de Grano of the private hospitals association.

In recent weeks, health workers have protested over unpaid benefits, including a coronavirus special risk allowance.

Abenojar said many were still waiting.

President Rodrigo Duterte has asked for patience while the government tries to come up with the money.

“We don’t feel cared for,” said Melbert Reyes of the Philippine Nurses Association.

Many hospitals boosted their bed capacity after a virus surge earlier this year threatened to overwhelm them.

Official data show coronavirus ward and ICU bed occupancy rates at more

THE Research Institute for Tropical Medicine (RITM) will not be abolished with the creation of a national virology institute, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire assured on Saturday.

Vergeire said the RITM, which serves as the national coronavirus testing center, would only be under the Virology Institute of the Philippines (VIP) once it is established.

“It’s not true that we’re abolishing the RITM. We will only place it in a bigger institution to broaden their expertise in research and the creation of vaccines,” she said in a briefing.

Vergeire said the RITM’s inclusion in the VIP would not only expand its capacities but also increase its resources.

Under the proposed budget of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) for 2022, the creation of the VIP will receive about P983 million.

In July, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved with 198 “yes” votes House Bill 9559, which proposes the creation of VIP. The VIP is envisioned to examine not only SARSCoV-2 variants, which cause COVID-19, but all emerging viruses, their disease-producing properties, classification, cultivation, and genetics.

with a total P773.6 billion.

The Department of Public Works and Highways comes next with P686.1 billion followed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government with P250.4 billion.

The Department of Health and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation ranks fourth with P242 billion.

Other agencies in the top 10 or the so-called priority list are the Department of National Defense (P222 billion), Department of Social Welfare and Development (P191.4 billion), Department of Transportation (P151.3 billion), the Department of Agriculture and National Irrigation Administration (P103.5 billion), the Judiciary with (P45.0 billion), and the Department of Labor and Employment (P44.9 billion) The DBM said the proposed national budget for 2022 is higher by 11.5 percent than this year’s P4.5-trillion fiscal program. It is also equivalent to 22.8 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

photo FILIPINO PRIDE. Olympic medalists Carlo Paalam, Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Hidilyn Diaz lead the launch of new postage stamps in honor of the Filipino champions.

Postmaster General and CEO Norman Fulgencio said each stamp featured the winning moments of the athletes.

Norman Cruz

Cusi-led PDP wing issues nomination certificates

A FACTION of the PDP-Laban led by Energy chief Alfonso Cusi has started issuing Certificates of Nomination and Acceptance to the ruling party's official candidates in the 2022 national elections.

“As we have promised our party mates during our national convention on September 8 in Pampanga, we will be processing their CONA as soon as possible to enable them to file their certificate of candidacy within the than 70 percent nationwide.

A public hospital in Binan city, near Manila, turned a car park into a ward.

“Many of our nurses are sick and in quarantine,” medical director Melbril Alonte told AFP. “We feel exhausted... but we always keep in mind that we have to help our people because... no one else will.”

But due to the nursing shortfall, some facilities – like the Lipa Medix Medical Center – have had to slash their bed capacity, and extend their nurses’ shifts.

Nurse Trixia Bautista said she works up to 15 hours per shift looking after mostly severe COVID-19 patients at a public referral hospital in the capital.

At times, she has cared for as many as 30 patients on her own after nurses on her ward quit or got sick.

“Physically it’s very tiring,” she said.

“There’s not enough people to cater to all these patients.”

But there are plenty of qualified nurses, said Abenojar of Filipino Nurses United.

She estimated 200,000 to 250,000 were not working in the sector.

Many healthcare workers enter the profession to try to secure better-paid jobs abroad, but the shortage is not due to overseas migration.

“It’s because nurses have left the profession,” said Yasmin Ortiga, assistant professor of sociology at Singapore Management University, pointing to the dearth of stable jobs and dismal wages.

A proliferation of nursing programs led to an oversupply, with many unable to get a permanent position in a local hospital – necessary to work abroad – and subsequently a drop in enrolments. AFP

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DOH: New virus agency won’t lead to RITM end

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deadline specified by the Commission on Elections,” said PDP-Laban Secretary General Melvin Matibag.

The Comelec will start accepting COCs from October 1 to 8, 2021.

During its convention, the PDP-Laban faction adopted Sen. Christopher Go as its official standard bearer, with President Rodrigo Duterte as his running mate. Duterte has accepted the nomination but Go has declined.

TOCILIZUMAB...treatment under a compassionate use permit by the Food and Drug Administration.

Duque said the DOH is coordinating with the ambassador of Switzerland for tocilizumab, which is manufactured by the Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche.

As supplies remained tight, the Health chief said there were other drugs that could be used as substitute medication for COVID-19, such as baricitinib.

“We can use baricitinib as a substitute drug while waiting for tocilizumab. This has the same effect and almost the same efficacy,” he added.

Tocilizumab has been recommended for COVID-19 treatment by the World Health Organization.

It belongs to the class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies that are used in the treatment of various diseases, including cancers.

WHO said it reduces the need for ventilators and medical oxygen.

Meanwhile, the country yesterday received 961,000 doses of Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine.

Of the total shipment, 712,800 doses will go to the national government while the rest will be released to the private sector.

According to Dr. Ted Herbosa, special adviser to the National Task Force Against COVID-19, most of the vaccine doses will be allocated to Central Luzon, Calabarzon, and Cebu.

A small portion will be allocated to Metro Manila residents who will be receiving their second jabs of the Moderna vaccine.

Vaccine czar Carlito Galvez Jr. earlier said the government is eyeing mandatory

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

Matibag said the CONA is important because only candidates with valid CONAs are considered as official candidates of their respective political party or coalition, otherwise, they would be considered as independent candidates.

Last week, the Cusi-led faction filed a petition before the Comelec asking the poll body to declare the group led by Senators Manny Pacquiao and Aquilino Pimentel III as illegitimate.

Pacquiao serves as president of the other PDP-Laban faction while Pimentel was recently elected national chairman to replace President Duterte.

The Cusi group also asked the poll body for a temporary restraining order and/or a writ of preliminary injunction order or other forms of relief to stop the Pacquiao camp from committing actions that would violate the party constitution.

vaccination for all Filipinos, but the decision still depends on the vaccine supply and the passage of a law that would serve as its legal basis.

“We see that based on the data, 85 percent of Filipinos who test positive for COVID are unvaccinated, and majority if not all of the patients who are critical or are intubated are also unvaccinated,” Galvez said.

As of Friday, the government has fully vaccinated at least 17 million people.

Some 40 million vaccine shots have been administered, of which over 22 million were first jabs.

The government aims to vaccinate up to 70 million people before the end of the year to achieve herd immunity.

this is the highest number that you could report. After this, you will see a continuous decline in the number of cases. In one of the dates last week, we tallied almost 8,000 cases in a day in NCR. After that, we saw that the trend is inconsistent with 5,000 to 5,500 cases per day.

Recently, we have recorded 5,800.

So the numbers are still going up and down,” she added.

Vergeire said the number of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila has even increased by eight percent in the last seven days.

The DOH earlier said new COVID-19 cases in NCR could range from 16,0000 to 43,000 a day by the end of September.

Vergeire, however, held up the hope that the granular lockdowns being tested in Metro Manila could bring the numbers down.

The country’s intensive care unit beds and ward beds for COVID-19 patients remain at high risk, which means the occupancy rate is more than 70 percent but less than 85 percent.

Around 77 percent of the total 4,400 ICU beds in the country are occupied while 77 percent of the 1,500 beds in NCR are in use.

Meanwhile, Vergeire said the new alert level system in Metro Manila is not meant to relax restrictions but to refocus the government’s COVID-19 response.

Vergeire made the clarification after World Health Organization country representative Rabindra Abeyasinghe advised against relaxing quarantine restrictions as the Philippines is still far from achieving herd immunity.

ALERT...lockdowns – the second

highest under the new quarantine system – means case counts are high or increasing, with COVID-19 beds and intensive care beds at increasing utilization rates.

Saturday's new cases pushed the nationwide tally to 2,347,550 while active cases stood at 184,088.

On Saturday last week, the DOH recorded an all-time high of 26,303 cases.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said contrary to the forecast of the independent OCTA Research Group, the department does not yet see that cases in the National Capital Region have already peaked.

“At this point in our analysis, we have not yet observed that the cases have already peaked. We are still studying it,” she said.

“When you say it has already peaked,

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FEARLESS AND MASKLESS. A protester confronts the police during an anti-lockdown rally in Melbourne on September 18, 2021. AFP

France recalls ambassadors to US, Australia in sub row

F

RANCE has recalled its ambassadors to the United States and Australia in a ferocious row over the scrapping of a submarine contract, an unprecedented step that revealed the extent of French anger against its allies.

President Emmanuel Macron recalled the envoys after Canberra ditched a deal to buy French submarines in favour of US vessels, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.

Le Drian said that the decision was made to “immediately” recall the two French ambassadors due to “the exceptional seriousness of the announcements made on September 15

by Australia and the United States.”

The abandonment of the ocean-class submarine project that Australia and France had been working on since 2016 constituted “unacceptable behaviour among allies and partners,” the minister said.

“Their consequences affect the very concept

we have of our alliances, our partnerships, and the importance of the Indo-Pacific for Europe,” he added.

US President Joe Biden announced the new Australia-US-Britain defense alliance on Wednesday, extending US nuclear submarine technology to Australia as well as cyber defense, applied artificial intelligence and undersea capabilities.

The pact is widely seen as aimed at countering the rise of China.

The move infuriated France, which lost a contract to supply conventional submarines to Australia that was worth $36.5 billion when signed in 2016.

A White House official expressed “regret” over the French envoy’s recall but added “we will continue to be engaged in the coming days to resolve our differences, as we have done at other points over the course of our long alliance.”

State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a tweet that Washington understood France’s position and was in “close contact” with Paris.

He added that the issue would be discussed “at the senior level,” including at the United Nations General Assembly next week, which both Le Drian and US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will attend.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby meanwhile acknowledged that telephone talks earlier between US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and French counterpart Florence Parly showed “that there is still much work to do in terms of our defense relationship with France.” AFP

World leaders descend on New York despite super-spreader threat SOME 100 world leaders descend on New York next week in a partial return of the annual UN extravaganza despite COVID concerns, with progress sought on pressing global problems – starting with the pandemic.

The UN General Assembly will also look to build momentum to reach an ambitious climate agreement and seek unity after the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, in the shadow of high tension between the United States and China.

“We need to re-establish confidence. The current geopolitical division in the world is an obstacle,” Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP ahead of the summit.

The world “is really in a very dangerous situation,” he said.

“We need to sound an alarm to wake up political leaders.”

US President Joe Biden will address the General Assembly for the first time on Tuesday and a day later will convene a virtual summit on COVID-19 as he seeks to show US leadership on vaccines.

With the Delta variant triggering renewed infection spikes, Guterres warned that the world was “heading in the wrong direction in all areas” on the pandemic.

“It’s absolutely unacceptable that there are countries where 80 percent of the population is vaccinated and some where two percent are vaccinated,” he said.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will come to New York on Monday to seek action on climate ahead of a UN conference in Glasgow in November as temperatures and severe weather rise to startling levels.

Other world leaders set to attend include Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who like Biden will be making his first appearance.

The United States discouraged heads of state from visiting and asked that delegations be kept small as a way to fight COVID-19.

French President Emmanuel Macron, a frequent UN presence, will be among leaders who cited Covid concerns for sending a pre-recorded video.

“We are concerned about the UN event being a super-spreader event,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations, told reporters.

“Leaders have to be responsible, and they have to take responsibility for their actions.”

One leader who is not minding the guidance is President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil, which by tradition is the first nation to speak.

The far-right leader said he plans to come to New York even though he is not vaccinated against COVID-19, defying New York city authorities who want everyone to present proof of vaccination.

Guterres defended the record of the United Nations, which quickly went mostly virtual last year at the start of the pandemic that has claimed more than 4.5 million lives worldwide.

“I am very proud this was never a center of spreading COVID and I hope it will remain so,” Guterres said.

But one UN official said under condition of anonymity: “Everyone’s worried it’s going to be a circus.”

“The big nations aren’t coming to see one another. It’s the small ones who are coming to see the big ones,” the official said.

Russia and China, veto-wielding members of the Security Council, are not even sending their foreign ministers.

Richard Gowan, who follows the United Nations at the International Crisis Group, said that the two powers were also sending a message. AFP

FAITH AND SCIENCE. A girl dressed as a Kumari, a living goddess, wears a face mask as she looks on during Kumari Puja rituals in Kathmandu on September 18, 2021. AFP

UN: World Joyce on‘catastrophic’ path to 2.7°C A FAILURE to slash global emissions is setting the world on a “catastrophic” path to 2.7 degrees Celsius heating, UN chief Antonio Guterres warned just weeks before crunch climate talks.

His comments come as a United Nations report on global emissions pledges found that instead of the reductions needed to avoid the worst effects of climate change, they would see “a considerable increase.”

This shows “the world is on a catastrophic pathway to 2.7-degrees of heating,” Guterres said in a statement.

The figure would shatter the temperature targets of the Paris climate agreement, which aimed for warming well below 2C and preferably capped at 1.5C above pre-industrial levels.

“Failure to meet this goal will be measured in the massive loss of lives and livelihoods,” Guterres said.

Under the landmark 2015 Paris deal, nations committed to slash emissions, as well as to provide assistance to the most climate-vulnerable countries.

But the window for action is narrowing as nations slow-walk their responses.

Last month a bombshell “code red” for humanity from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warned that Earth’s average temperature will be 1.5C higher around 2030, a decade earlier than projected only three years ago.

“We have to act, all of us, we have to act now,” said US President Joe Biden on Friday, urging the world to bring its “highest” ambition to the UN climate conference in Glasgow in November.

“Those who have not yet done so, time is running out,” Biden said in the White House at the start of a virtual summit with nine foreign leaders.

With only 1.1C of warming so far, the world has seen a torrent of deadly weather disasters intensified by climate change in recent months, from asphalt-melting heatwaves to flash floods and untameable wildfires.

The IPCC says emissions should be around 45 percent lower by 2030 compared with 2010 levels to meet the 1.5C goal.

But current pledges by 191 countries would see emissions 16 percent higher at end of the decade than in 2010 – a level that would eventually cause the world to warm 2.7C. “Overall greenhouse gas emission numbers are moving in the wrong direction,” said UN climate chief Patricia Espinosa in a press conference.

But she said there was a “glimmer of hope” from 113 countries that had updated their pledges, including the United States and European Union.

These new pledges, known as Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), would see their emissions reduced 12 percent by 2030 compared to 2010. AFP

Afghan girls barred from high school GIRLS were excluded from returning to secondary school in Afghanistan on Saturday, after the country’s new Taliban rulers ordered only boys and male teachers back to the classroom.

The hardline Islamist group ousted the USbacked government last month, promising a softer brand of rule than their repressive reign in the 1990s, when women were mostly banned from education and work.

But the diktat from the education ministry was the latest move from the new government to threaten women’s rights.

“All male teachers and students should attend their educational institutions,” a statement said ahead of classes resuming Saturday.

The statement, issued late Friday, made no mention of women teachers or girl pupils.

Secondary schools, with students typically between the ages of 13 and 18, are often segregated by sex in Afghanistan. During the COVID-19 pandemic, they have faced repeated closures and have been shut since the Taliban seized power.

Since a US-led invasion ousted the Taliban in 2001, significant progress has been made in girls’ education, with the number of schools tripling and female literacy nearly doubling to 30 percent – however, the change was largely limited to the cities.

The United Nations said it was “deeply worried” for the future of girls’ schooling in Afghanistan.

“It is critical that all girls, including older girls, are able to resume their education without any further delays. For that, we need female teachers to resume teaching,” the UN’s children’s agency UNICEF said.

Primary schools have already reopened, with boys and girls mostly attending separate classes and some women teachers returning to work.

The new regime has also permitted women to go to private universities, though with tough restrictions on their clothes and movement.

AFP

10,000 migrants packed under Texas bridge THE mayor of Del Rio, Texas declared a state of emergency Friday after more than 10,000 undocumented migrants, many of them Haitians, poured into the border city in a fresh test of President Joe Biden’s immigration policy.

Del Rio Mayor Bruno Lozano said that the migrants were crowded in an area controlled by the US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) beneath the Del Rio International Bridge, which carries traffic across the Rio Grande river into Mexico.

Video footage showed thousands under and around the flyover, adults and families.

Many were Haitians hoping to stay in the United States as their country suffers after a large earthquake and continuing political turmoil, Lozano said.

Hundreds continued to flow into Del Rio Friday, boosting up the number that Lozano put at 10,503 under the bridge late Thursday.

All were awaiting processing, and hopefully a chance to remain in the United States, by the CBP, which has been overwhelmed by migrants crossing the border from Mexico as well as tens of thousands of refugees from Afghanistan.

“The border patrol right now is so overwhelmed with the influx of migrants in the Del Rio sector,” Lozano said. AFP

Migrants walk across the Rio Grande River carrying food and other supplies back to a makeshift encampment under the International Bridge between Del Rio, Texas and Acuña, Mexico on September 17, 2021. The makeshift encampment has grown rapidly and officials are struggling to provide food, water, shelter, and sanitation, forcing between 8,000 and 12,000 migrants to walk across the Rio Grande several times each day for basic necessities. AFP

Pawnshop chain marks 67th year

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

FOR more than six decades, one of the country’s leading pawnshops, Villarica has continuously served the Filipino public with a host of services that have evolved with the changing times as well as the needs of the Filipinos.

Boasting of having one of the highest, if not the highest appraisal rates in the industry, Villarica Pawnshop has made itself one of the most trusted go-to institutions especially in the time of the pandemic with more than 600 branches nationwide that have remained open to provide instant cash.

Lester Villarica, vice-president for operations, said: “From the beginning, my grandmother, Paz Villarica has always mentioned to us that the reason for the business was to be of service. Her guiding principle which she handed down to my father, Atty. Henry Villarica, has led us to push ourselves to create a balance of keeping the business healthy and at the same time ensure that our countrymen enjoy the best value, the greatest of benefits, and above all the best service that we can offer.”

This guiding principle has led Villarica to establish internal control policies designed to safeguard the valuables of clients while under custodianship as it continued to employ a good number of security measures beyond those required by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, all in the name of better service.

AIM empowers business leaders

I

t is no secret that the global economy struggled to stay afloat amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep more and more individuals from getting infected, most, if not all countries, issued lockdown orders, and businesses both large and small were forced into a new normal. Businesses had to be well-equipped for such a large-scale disruption and adapt quickly in order to survive.

This pandemic brought to light the importance of establishing quality business education all over the world.

With commerce massively influencing a nation’s economy, future business leaders should be prepared to thrive

and succeed in a volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous world.

At the helm of shaping the future of business education for over a century, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business prides itself on establishing the highest standards of excellence in business education, with their first accreditation standards instituted in 1919, evolving and adapting to suit the times. To date, AACSB has over 1,700 member organizations and more than 900 accredited business schools around the world.

In the Philippines, the Asian Institute of Management holds the distinction of being the first and only AACSB-accredited school. The institute is also one of the first schools in Asia to receive accreditation for its business education curriculum, joining the ranks of prestigious universities such as Harvard University and Duke University.

Aligned with AACSB’s commitment to constantly challenge the norm of business education, and to

Over 50% of monthly income in PH goes to school supplies

Developer brings sustainable living to millennial market in Mandaue AMAIA Steps Mandaue, Amaia Land’s first mid-rise condominium to rise in the highly urbanized city of Mandaue, casts a wide net as it calls out to homebuyers seeking a sustainable community in Metropolitan Cebu.

The development is aimed at young professionals and starter families looking to invest in a living space with a thriving and sustainable community. Located at the corner of Plaridel Street and UN Avenue, Amaia Steps Mandaue is composed of Tower 1 and Tower 2, nine-story developments that collectively house 576 sleek studio, deluxe and premier units.

Those in the younger market such as individuals and families that would settle for nothing less than a dynamic lifestyle will gravitate towards Amaia Steps Mandaue’s Tower 2, the second and final building in Amaia’s project portfolio. Tower 2 offers 288 units that range from 24.01 square meters to 48.08 sq. m.

With flexible and functional floor layouts, these may be converted into one-bedroom or two-bedroom well-designed and efficient residential units for growing families who

Amaia Land’s first mid-rise condominium in the city of Mandaue, calls out to homebuyers seeking a sustainable community in Metropolitan Cebu.

need more living space.

Residents will find that Amaia Steps Mandaue’s aspiration for a sustainable community resonates with their own. Young married couples, upwardly mobile professionals and entrepreneurs and starter families will appreciate the airy, well-ventilated units, some of which have balconies for looking out on Mandaue’s cityscape and breezy open spaces. Large windows let natural light in, reducing the household’s energy use.

Amaia Steps Mandaue features

a cozy lobby from which residents can take a quick elevator ride to their floor—or walk briskly up a few flights of stairs to boost heart health.

To de-stress, they can have refreshing dips in the pool or recharge in the landscaped garden.

Homemakers will appreciate Amaia Steps Mandaue’s ‘walkable’ neighborhood. For quick supply runs, there will be stores and service shops in the retail area of the development. Delivery riders and couriers will also find the condo’s locale easy to pin.

Young entrepreneur obtains tips from DTI

Celeste Salvador

CELESTE Salvador is a graduate of BS Accountancy from Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City. Before becoming an entrepreneur, she was an administrative assistant in a company in Bacolor, Pampanga.

After years of working as an employee, she decided to become a full-time mom. Within a few months of staying at home, she realized that she needed to find an outlet, something to make her busy and earn an income as well, while being at home and fulfilling her duties as a mother and wife.

She consulted her husband about her plans and received his full support. The problem was, she did not have any idea on what, when, where to start her plans. Then, her passion in baking paved the way to start her own business.

The business was doing good until the pandemic came. Celeste said that the COVID-19 pandemic led to a huge setback for the business. They experienced missed opportunities such as dine-in customers from within and outside Magalang, buffet nights and plans of business expansion.

focus on efforts that impart lasting, impactful change in the world, AIM stays true to its goal of empowering future leaders and managers to thrive in challenging, rapidly shifting environments, thereby setting the standards for quality business education in the country.

To support the institute’s trailblazing programs and dynamic learning environment, AIM offers flexibility through hybrid learning and prioritizes immersive learning.

Utilizing the Harvard case study method of teaching, students are encouraged to hone their decision-making skills through analysis of actual scenarios. This method, adapted directly from Harvard Business School’s system, allows AIM to design practical, localized programs that students can use in the real world. The programs are then taught by AIM’s diverse faculty, which is composed of star professors and practitioners with impressive credentials and valuable experiences in Asian business management.

Filipinos pay over 50 percent of monthly income for school supplies.

WORLDREMIT, a global payment company, conducted a multi-country study to determine the true cost of education in 10 countries, mining data to compare average costs of core educational equipment, including school wear, stationery, PE equipment and other miscellaneous fees.

The study reveals that the average cost to send one child back to school in the Philippines is $78 (P3,876.60).

When compared alongside the country’s average fertility rate of 2.89 children per household, the total cost of sending a typical household of children back to school reaches an average of $226 (P11,232.20).

With an average annual household income in the Philippines at $3,472 (P172,558.40), which translates into a monthly income of about $289.33 (P14,389.83), the study found that the average Filipino family spends upwards of 78 percent of their total monthly income on basic supplies during the back-to-school season.

Of the 10 countries in the study, Nigerians are most impacted by the disparity between average household income, fertility rate and cost of education. The current fertility rate in Nigeria is 4.67 children per household.

That means an average household can anticipate basic seasonal costs

to meet or exceed $580.29, which is more than a full month’s income for 45 percent of all Nigerians.

How then do countries like the Philippines and Nigeria bridge the gap between income and cost of education? The answer is international remittances.

According to a recent consumer expectations survey, education is one of the primary reasons immigrants and overseas foreign workers send money back to their home country.

Because of the high cost of education in many regions and the opportunities an education provides to a young person, it is vital for senders to be able to support those dearest to them with the gift of an education.

More than 244 million people are classified as immigrants around the world and account for large percentages of populations in countries such as the United States (14.4 percent of total population), the UK (14 percent) , Australia (30 percent) and Canada (21.9 percent) .

In these countries, where average household incomes are among the highest in the world, immigrants and overseas foreign workers are often working to support themselves whilst also supporting their families and communities back home.

Affordable home builder ready to turn over more than 6,500 units BRIA Homes, an affordable property developer, is set to turn over more than 6,500 brand-new units to homeowners by the end of the year.

Recently recognized by the 2021 Real Estate Asia Awards for being ‘Affordable Housing Developer’ and ‘Open Space Development of the Year,’ Bria on track to providing ordinary Filipinos access to high-quality affordable homes in safe and secure communities nationwide.

It acknowledges the fast-evolving need for housing in the suburban areas. With an

eye on Filipino property seekers who are looking to move out of the metropolis but want to stay close enough to it, Bria is accelerating plans to build more house-andlot units and midrise residential projects in the country.

As in previous turnovers of its residential units, new homeowners will find that Bria communities are safe, secure, environment friendly and have readily adapted to the digital space—plus factors for families, professionals, entrepreneurs and learners.

Bria’s reliable internet connections and

the digitalization of its services made it the ‘home of choice’ for tech-savvy millennials, OFWs’ families and telecommuters. They are assured of ease of bills payments through e-wallets. Homeowners can also remit amortization fees through banking partners.

To make life easier for residents, Bria established Sentro—a community hub that features a health center, day care center, senior citizen center and barangay center.

Recreational facilities include a multi-function hall, tranquil green spaces, basketball courts and children’s playgrounds.

Leading affordable property developer BRIA Homes makes homeownership a dream come true when it turns over more than 6,500 brand-new units to excited BRIA homeowners at the end of 2021.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

ADAM ORTIZ BONDOC Proud Pinoy

in US karate team

S

Adam with mom Pamela Ortiz Bondoc

■ By RANDY CALUAG

OMEONE said wars bring out the best and the worst in people. The COVID-19 global pandemic is no different. It could either make or break you.

Filipino karateka Adam Ortiz Bondoc did what he had to do. He flew to the United States in June to pursue his goals, did short training, and made it as a member of the USA Karate team.

“I always believe in the saying, If you can dream it, you can become it, don’t let this pandemic stop you from achieving great heights. Take it as a hurdle, leap at it, and soon the road will be flat again and you will get there, said Adam, who is always grateful to his parents Alfredo and Pamela for making the right major decisions with him.

Adam confessed it was really a hard choice to make because he had to leave the Philippines where he was part of the national karate team before the pandemic distorted the state of affairs of the sport.

His mother Pamela said things would have been different under normal circumstances.

“Given that the scenario is not the same, no pandemic, normal school, normal training, normal life. We are still in the Philippines right now.”

Faced with an opportunity to try out for the USA National Team and pursue his studies in the United States, Adam, and his family were compelled to make a major decision during this difficult times of the pandemic.

What makes it hard for Adam was that he was planning to regain his slot in the Philippine national squad where he was part of the Kata Team that bagged a bronze medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

COVID STRIKES

Then everything stopped the next year when the Covid virus took the world by storm.

After the SEA Games, Adam enrolled with the Dela Salle University for an Engineering course with the intent to continue training karate. When the pandemic hit hard, it was never the same.

“He tried training (karate) via zoom, school via zoom, but it was just not the same. The park was lost, dreams were lost, and so was hope. He focused on school for the entire 2020-2021 school year, and since his course was demanding, he set aside karate for a while,” shared Pamela.

All this time, the family’s friend coach in the US, Ramon Veras, never stopped communicating with

them. He invited Adam, who has dual citizenship, to take part in the September 2021 US National Team Selection.

He was offered free training camp and accommodation and complete arrangement that was too good to decline. Adam packed his bag for Houston last June and three months after, found himself competing against the best of the best in America.

Fighting in the National Karate Championships Team Trials was no joke, according to Adam, he was not only fighting against the Americans, he fought with men who were also former national players from countries like Dominican Republic, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Russia, Japan, China.

AMERICAN DREAM

“They happen to be just like me, with dual citizenship and whose dream is to have that American Dream.”

Good thing for the 20-yearold Adam, he competes both in the Kata (forms) and the combat Kumite. He took the bronze in the Juniors Kumite and the silver in the Juniors Elite Kat. His bronze medal finish in the Kata Seniors Elite Individual category, though, has earned him a slot in the US National Team.

Adam has always been grateful for his deep roots of karate to his Filipino coaches, especially to the Shihan Pochol Veguillas, considered as the Father of the Philippine karate.

“The technique he has inculcated to all my sensei in AAK is impeccable, they just passed it on to us their students. His fatherly figure, tough love, strong heart for this sport and the thirst and strive for perfection made us not settle for being a mediocre, but instead an achiever.”

He also mentioned SEA Games silver medalist sensei Sonny Montalvo, former world champion Karate Pilipinas head coach Shihan Okay Arpa and sensei Veras who made him a complete karate athlete.

ACCIDENTAL SPORT

Adam’s beginning in the sport was accidental.

His mom Pamela, who is also a performing arts teacher said that when Adam was bullied in his grade school, he wanted her son to take up martial arts, initially thinking about taekwondo which was also a famous combat sport at that time.

One day she was walking at a mall looking for medals for her upcoming event, then she accidentally entered an establishment with trophies and medals displayed at the window.

What she thought of as a shop that sells trophies and medals turned out to be a dojo, a karate school named the Association for the Advancement of Karatedo.

“Those medals and trophies spoke for them, I knew that my son will get the best training that I was looking for. True enough, yes he did,” said Pamela.

“Just to share, during his first day of class, he said he doesn’t want to go back there because the boys were wearing skirts, he was referring to the Karate Gi.” For someone who started as young as seven years old, it’s no surprise that Adam will go a long way in his chosen sport.

“So the fact that I’m here and part of the (U.S.) national team as well gives me great joy and a sense of accomplishment throughout my years as a student-athlete. I sometimes feel that I am still in a dream, if I am, don’t wake me up.”

What’s next for Adam?

He plans to transfer and pursue his Engineering degree with the Houston University and will compete in the US Open karate in January 2022.

For all his achievements and future feats, Adam said he will always carry the same Filipino warrior spirits because “Ako ay Filipino.”

Adam Ortiz Bondoc shows off his medals won in the recent US national selection tournament

Adam Ortiz Bondoc polishes his kata

PSC hosts webinar series on para-athlete sensitivity

Ernie Gawilan is one of the few elite para swimmers in the Philippine team

THE Philippine Sports Commission - Pilipinas Para Games (PPG) is set to host its first online webinar series on handling and training differently-abled athletes starting on September 20.

Over 800 para-athletes, coaches, local government representatives will take part in the three-part webinar series that aims to address the need for a truly comprehensive grassroots sports development program for the PWD community.

“We heed the call of PSC Chairman Ramirez for the transformation and further development of para-sports. This webinar will not only raise awareness but will also boost our knowledge on handling them,” said PSC Oversight Commissioner for para-athletes Arnold Agustin.

National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) Regional Programs Officer Randy Calsena and 2000 Summer Paralympics powerlifting bronze medalist Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta will spearhead the first webinar, sharing their expertise on the topic of ‘Sensitivity Webinar on Handling and Training Para-Athletes’.

The second webinar on September 21, will focus on the ‘Classification of Para-Athletes’ with Integrated Philippine Association of Optometrists - National Classifier for Visually Impaired (IPAO-NCR) Dr. Maria Concepcion Fabreo-Anda, and Philippine Orthopedic Center - Department of Rehabilitation Medicine Chief and Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) Head Classifier for

Physical Impairment Dr. Raul Michael Cembrano.

Meanwhile, the third webinar will focus on the ‘Rights and Privileges of Para-Athletes in the Philippines’ on November 22.

“These topics give a great opportunity for our sporting community to be informed on the fundamental and scientific approach of para-sports, and ultimately emulate the recent success of our Tokyo Paralympians,” concluded Agustin.

Interested participants may register through the link; https://bit.ly/PSCPPG_ WebinarSeries or contact at pilipinasparagames@gmail.com and its official Facebook page.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

N

Music-tech label empowers artists with NFT

EWLY launched record label Alibatta has one goal in mind: to pioneer NFT (non-fungible tokens) in the Philippine music industry.

Founded this year by Benilde music production alumni Geoff Mabasa, Adrienne Cajayon, and Charles Gener, Alibatta has minted NFT to go alongside their music artists’ songs, a first in Southeast Asia.

“NFTs are digital investments.

There is a unique digital signature embedded on the blockchain technology that certifies the originality and owner of the item it represents,” Mabasa said in a statement.

Serving as Alibatta’s chief execuAli Young tive officer, Mabasa is also the growth marketing officer for Southeast Asia at Binance.

Each NFT is distinct among all others in the market, and thus, holds different value from others of its kind. Think of it

as an original painting – only one can own the artwork.

The label recently introduced fellow Benildean Ali Young who became the first Filipino singer with tracks on major cryptocurrency exchange player Binance for her debut single “Craving”. The NFT song is available for streaming on Spotify and Apple Music.

In an interview with The Benildean, Mabasa highlighted the opportunity NFT provides to music artists. “[It] allows artists to have better control of their work [because of a] verifiable proof of ownership, [and] it’s a new mode of monetization for artists.”

Meanwhile, fans get a piece of the creation of the artist, according to Alibatta chief innovation officer and

Ali Young (second from left) with Charles Gener, Geoff Mabasa, and Adrienne Cajayon, co-founders of NFT music label Alibatta.

artists and repertoire head Gener.

Cajayon serves as the company’s chief operating officer.

According to the trio, their classes at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde in-

spired them to pursue this new venture.

“We feel like we have eyes watching considering that this would be some sort of a pilot for labels releasing unconventional modes for their artists,” said Mabasa.

Online education platform to accelerate

Students at Balanga Elementary School happily show their brand new school supplies.

digital literacy efforts

RECOGNIZING the importance of digital literacy to employ- not in demand in the job market. ment, an education technology platform works with MicroEdukasyon.ph aims to address this challenge by providsoft to open up more opportunities for Filipino youth. ing students a platform where they can access senior high As one of the finalists in the schools, colleges and universi2020 Emerge X Startup Competies, scholarships, online courses, tition, Edukasyon.ph will have internships, and other learning global access to the latest techresources. nologies and tools available in “Edukasyon’s platform proMicrosoft. vides millions of Filipino stu“Obtaining meaningful emdents convenient access to an ployment for our Filipino youth abundance of resources and also starts with getting the right edupersonalized guidance on educacation and being supported by tion, allowing them to make inthe appropriate resources,” said formed decisions that lead to fulEdukasyon.ph chief executive offilling careers,” noted Abid Zaidi, ficer Grace David. chief marketing and operations According to Edukasyon.ph, of officer at Microsoft Philippines. the 1.5 million students who gradAs an Emerge X startup, Eduuate from high school in the Philkasyon.ph will be part of a yearippines every year, only 900,000 long mentorship program with Edukasyon.ph provides students a platform to access pursue higher education and only Microsoft for Startups designed learning resources intended to aid them obtain 600,000 are able to graduate beto help them scale and accelermeaningful employment. cause the rest drop out (common ate their growth. It will also rereasons are financial constraints or wrong course). ceive GitHub and Azure credits, gain access to enterprise At best, only half of college graduates gain employment clients globally through Microsoft’s unique co-sell program, because some went to low-quality schools or took degrees and interact with Microsoft experts and industry leaders.

Alibatta is preparing the launch of Young’s initial EP (extended play) – the first NFT record in the region. They are also planning to organize an immersive show by the end of the year.

These young kids are eager to read the book they received during the Donatea-Book turnover in 2019.

IN PHOTOS

IKEA pop-up at Mall of Asia showcases items to be sold in PH store

By Bernadette Lunas

Mall-goers can touch and try the items on display, but IKEA Philippines deputy store manager Aileen ProdigaliGET ready to be teased, because in anticipation of its dad said they were not available for sale just yet. opening in the fourth quarter of this year, IKEA Philippines “Customers can’t buy products from the pop-up. It’s just has mounted a three-day pop-up at SM Mall of Asia. a home furnishings inspiration,” she said.

The pop-up at Central Atrium opened on Sept. 16 and runs until Sept. 19. It features various areas representing Here are photos of the displays at MOA showcasing IKEA different rooms in a house furnished with products avail- products to give you an inspiration and a head start on able at IKEA. your shopping once the five-story furniture store opens:

Mall-goers can donate books and school supplies at Donate-a-Book kiosks in SM stores nationwide.

Donate a book,

share the joy of learning

The IKEA pop-up at SM Mall of Asia runs until Sept. 19.

SHOPPERS can help foster the love of reading and learning by donating books and school supplies.

Through The SM Store’s Donatea-Book campaign, ongoing in select branches nationwide until Sept. 30, mall-goers can drop off new or pre-loved books at designated booths in stores.

“All books are very much welcome, especially storybooks, educational, and hobby books that can help spark a child’s curiosity, imagination, and knowledge,” The SM Store said in a statement.

Children’s book distributor Learning Is Fun (LIF) will be donating the same number of books sold during the program period.

Shoppers may also donate notebook packs or school sets that include a backpack, notebooks, rulers, and pens available at The SM Stationery section.

Donations will be distributed to partner public schools and libraries around the country.

In exchange, shoppers will each receive a 100-peso discount coupon for every donation made.

The Donate-a-Book campaign began in 1998 as one of SM Foundation’s groundbreaking mall-based programs.

It has since been part of the SM Store’s community programs since 2015, collecting and distributing almost 800,000 books and learning materials through the generosity of its customers.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

Sam Concepcion

A Beautiful Day with

BEA

ALONZO

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MA Pinoy TV continued the anniversary celebrations and opened the ‘ber months’ with no less than Bea Alonzo with “A Beautiful Day with Bea Alonzo FunCon,” which was hosted by comedienne and Bea’s friend, Kakai Bautista.

Thanks to the fans’ overwhelming support, Bea’s FunCon was quick to become the trending online event on Sept. 1.

In the opening game “How to BEA you?”, the chat boxes on Zoom and on the livestream pages were quickly flooded by the fans as they eagerly answered the trivia questions that tested how much they know about the well-loved Kapuso star. In the following activity, Bea candidly played in the “Dugtungan Na!” game where she finished the sentences using titles of GMA shows.

Bea also got to watch surprise video messages from couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, Derek Ramsay, Iya Villania, Camille

‘A Beautiful Day with Bea Alonzo FunCon’ is part of GMA flagship international channel’s 16th anniversary.

Prats, Xian Lim, as well as her brother James and sister-in-law.

Kakai, who has been her friend since her early days in showbiz, shared so many fond stories of Bea during her childhood that the fans really enjoyed listening to. Through her friends and family’s fond memories, the fun-filled event showed the many facets of Bea which further proved how genuine and humble she is in addition to being one of this generation’s highly-accomplished actresses.

One of the highlights of the FunCon was GMA Pinoy TV’s sweet gesture for Bea where GMA International First Vice President and Head Joseph Francia presented their early Christmas gift – an oil on canvas portrait of her by visual artist Isaac Sion. In awe of their touching surprise, Bea was all smiles and said that the artwork already has a special place in her heart and in her house.

“My hope is that this pandemic would end para maka-libot din ako sa iba’t ibang bansa to represent GMA Pinoy TV because that would be an honor,” Bea gratefully expressed.

“A BEAutiful Day with Bea Alonzo FunCon” airs today.

Nobrvnd goes all the way up with latest EP GENRE-BENDING Filipino artist/producer Nobrvnd releases his new EP “Get This Bread” hoping that his unbranded style will stand out to new listeners.

After five years in the local band scene and two years as a solo independent artist, the 25-year-old’s versatility and experimental sound saw him land him a record deal with Warner Music Philippines (WMP) and a management contract with Open Door Artists.

“I’ve really enjoyed listening to gospel rap, and uplifting and energetic tracks lately – a considerable move away from the emo rap and dark R&B I used to rap/sing about,” says Nobrvnd.

On the meaning behind the album title, Nobrvnd explains, “I’m sure you’re familiar with ‘Get This Bread’ being used as a motivational slang that means ‘get money.’ To me, this means to achieve all the success we are pursuing. We all have different meanings of success.”

Ahead of the EP release, Nobrvnd also dropped his music video for the album’s third track, “Sexbomb Girl.”

The inventive artist, who’s popular for writing and producing his own music, shared that this EP was harder to create compared to his previous releases.

“I started work on the EP last December and essentially finished around May this year. I followed the same process that I have always used to produce my own songs: always in my bedroom, usually in the middle of the night when there are no distractions,” he shares.

Since joining the Warner Music Philippines and Open Door Artists’ family, Nobrvnd has been working extra to make sure that the stuff he puts out shows his progress as an artist.

Music’s biggest acts live on Smart’s GigaPlay App LEADING mobile services provider Smart Communications Inc. is bringing iHeartRadio Music Festival 2021, hosted by the American broadcast, podcast, and streaming radio platform iHeartRadio for free through the new GigaPlay App. The epic two-day music festival will be held in two venues at the T-Mobile Arena and AREA15 in Las Vegas. Catch exclusive, never-before-seen performances from Billie Eilish, Cheap Trick, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, Florida Georgia Line, J Cole, Journey, Khalid, Lil Baby, Maroon 5, Nelly, Sam Hunt, Weezer, and more.

Hosted by Ryan Seacrest, the iHeartRadio Music Festival will also feature one-of-a-kind collaborations plus other surprise performances. iHeartRadio Music Festival 2021 streams exclu-

Maroon 5 is one of the headliners in this year’s ‘iHeartRadio Music Festival.’

sively via Smart GigaPlay on today and tomorrow, from 10:30 a.m.

Launched recently, GigaPlay is the newest video platform that gives Smart subscribers simple and easy access to enjoy exclusive video content and live entertainment. GigaPlay offers an array of curated online content, from sports broadcasts to virtual concerts, and other live events.

goes

‘NONSTOP’ SINGER and actor Sam Concepcion evokes the high energy and adrenaline rush from doing live shows in his newest single marked with thumping beat and fun melody “Nonstop.”

His self-penned single under Tarsier Records is a collaboration with label head and mainstay producer Moophs, who shared that they worked on the upbeat pop track over eight sessions nearly two years ago.

“We created this in 2019 at a time when he was doing lots of shows, so it came from that kind of energy,” Moophs said.

The “Nonstop” producer also revealed that Sam was hesitant to release the song at first as it may come off as a bit pretentious during this time.

“But we managed to convince him that it’s a light-hearted, fun song which is what people need right now,” explained Moophs. “We all miss the energy of live music, and hopefully, this song will bring people right back to that peak moment concert energy that Sam is so good at delivering.”

The release of “Nonstop” signals Sam’s plans to get the ball rolling again with his music. He is currently working on an EP, also under Tarsier Records, that will showcase a grown and reloaded version of himself.

Last year, the virtuosic singer-dancer-actor joined Eric Bellinger, Inigo Pascual, Moophs, Zee Avi, and Vince Nantes in the cross-cultural single “Rise.”

Sam Concepcion drops his highenergy single ‘Nonstop’ under Tarsier Records.

Award-winning musical ‘In the Heights’ on HBO Go

‘In the Heights’ filled with songs and dances—from hip-hop to Latin to pop and musical theater—lets audiences explore the varied influences of the distinct Latin cultures that merge and continue to populate and represent the community of Washington Heights.

FOR musical fans across the country, In the Heights, a cinematic event where the streets are made of music and little dreams become big makes its debut on HBO GO. Set in the New York neighborhood of Washington Heights, In the Heights fuses Lin-Manuel Miranda’s kinetic music and lyrics with director Jon M. Chu’s lively and authentic eye for storytelling to capture a world very much of its place, but universal in its experience.

Chu directed the film from a screenplay by Quiara Alegría Hudes. Miranda, Hudes, Scott Sanders, Anthony Bregman, and Mara Jacobs produced the film, with David Nicksay and Kevin McCormick serving as executive producers.

In the Heights is a musical portrait of a community full of lively numbers as diverse as its cast. The story weaves together an ensemble of characters during a summer of seismic change in their lives, with

much of the action taking place at one intersection central to the neighborhood.

The songs and dances cover a variety of styles—from hip-hop to Latin to pop and musical theater— and provides ample opportunity to explore the varied influences of the distinct Latin cultures that merge and continue to populate and represent the community of Washington Heights.

After a stint off-Broadway, In the Heights opened in the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway on March 9, 2008. It ran for nearly 1,200 performances, racked up 13 Tony nominations, and won four—Best Musical, Original Score, Choreography and Orchestrations.

The accolades did not end there, as the Original Cast Recording won the production a Grammy for Best Musical Show Album and the Pulitzer Prize committee named the show a finalist for its accolade for drama.

r e

SEPTEMBER 19, 2021

Veggie boys: Rescued babies Mags (white) and Burton love vegetables, including bokchoy and romaine lettuce.

Yes, dahon is life for dogs! antioxidants: · Fiber · Calcium · Iron · Magnesium · Phosphorus · Potassium · Zinc · Manganese · Selenium · Vitamin C · Folate · Vitamin A · Vitamin K

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EAFY vegetables, or dahon-dahon as what our caretaker calls the vegetables she cooks for the dogs every day, are very good for dogs. Gulay is life. Dahon is life!

While your dog does not seem to like veggies when he sees you eating them, adding vegetables to his food will make him healthy, says Rob Harries in “Are Leafy Vegetables Advisable For Dogs?” in pets.thenest.com.

Dogs are not strictly carnivorous. Indeed, they need lots of protein in their diet, but they also need a diet balanced with carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

Leafy green vegetables will provide the fiber they need to help his stomach function properly, says Harris. Vegetables are also rich in nutrients and provide vitamins A, K and C. Some have calcium and other helpful nutrients such as folate, iron and potassium.

“It's safe to feed dogs a variety of leafy greens including spinach, kale, swiss chard, collards, turnip greens and lettuce. Keep the portions small, especially at first -- too much of a good thing can still upset your pup's tummy. Also, if you're feeding Bruiser (your dog) a complete, balanced, commercial dog food, he's already getting many of the nutrients found in leafy greens, so you don't want to overdo it. Ask your vet about proper portion sizes for your pup,” Harris says.

The healthy bokchoy is chopped into small pieces and included in other boiled vegetables of dogs such as pumpkin or carrots. A little meat is added.

vegetable or food, do not give the said veggie or food to your dog.

“For example, don't pull the greens off your backyard tomato plants and feed them to Bruiser (dog). According to the ASPCA, those types of greens -- the kind you don't normally eat -- can cause loss of appetite, excessive salivation, weakness and slow heart rates in your pup. Also, don't cook the greens with onions or add garlic to spice them up. Onions and garlic can be toxic to your pooch, “Harris says.

How To Cook Veggies It is always best to google or research first if a Raw vegetables might upset a dog’s tummy. certain vegetable or food is not toxic to dogs.

Leafy greens other than lettuce are best steamed before giving to your dogs.

Healthy Greens For Dogs “You can also saute them with a tasty meat 1. Lettuce is a vegetable you can put as topsuch as bacon (or boiled chicken or pork or beef), ping to your dog’s food or simply give as a but remember to calculate the added fat to make treat. Dogs love the crunch. These leafy greens sure you don't give your dog too many calo- are best given during hot days as lettuce is one ries -- one of the reasons greens are so healthy of the cooling food. is because they are low in calories, so try not to In “Top 10 Leafy Vegetable To Boost Your jeopardize that with too much fatty meat. Mixing Health,” UGAOO.com notes that humans can the cooked greens with his existing food helps get a day’s worth of Vitamin K by eating two ensure he won't pick them out, or you can puree cups of lettuce. Translate that for dogs by givthem in a food processor and pour them over his ing one leaf to a small dog and two leaves to a dinner,” Harris suggests. big dog.

“The darker the leaf, the more nutrition it has!“ What To Avoid UGAOO.com stresses.

If you are not comfortable eating a certain We give romaine lettuce to our dogs because

Seth, a stray cat, was seen in the backyard of Maricel Mondejar looking sick. He was brought to the vet for treatment of worm infestation. Like other rescued cats of the Mondejar family, Seth learned to use a litter box.

Romaine lettuce is very good for the liver. If the liver is healthy, the dog stands a good chance of living a good, long life. Romaine lettuce is given to dogs fresh.

We give one leaf to a small dog and two leaves to a big dog. It is best to give lettuce during hot months as it is a cooling food.

this kind of lettuce is very good for the liver. It cleanses the liver and keeps it healthy.

2. Spinach is also a very healthy leafy vegetable as it is a good source of Vitamins A and C. For humans, it provides over six (6) milligrams of muscle mineral, UGAOO.com says in “16 Healthy Leafy Greens & Their Nutrition."

Benefits in mindbodygreen.com, Lauren Paige Richeson says spinach is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, including: · Fiber · Vitamin A · Vitamin C · Vitamin K1 · Folic acid · Iron · Calcium “Most people are aware that spinach is rich in iron, but in order to absorb the nutrient, you'll want to eat it with foods that increase iron absorption (namely, fruits and vegetables with vitamins C ). Spinach is easy to incorporate into a variety of dishes, including soups, sauces, smoothies, and salads. When in doubt, a green smoothie is always a great option (for you or your dog),” Richeson says.

3. Bok choy is Chinese cabbage which supplies a large amount of vitamins, minerals, and

Wally, a ginger cat, was rescued three years ago by Cee Mitch from the wall going up to BGC bridge along C5. He does his business outside the house. There are cats who are trained to go out of the house to poop and urinate in a designated area,. You will be surprised. Cats can understand you. Just tell him or her where to poop.

“Bok choy is notable for its thick, dark-green flowery leaves and white-colored stalks that have a crispy, fresh crunch. The greens have a spinach-like taste that makes them very versatile,” Richeson says.

Steam or boil bok choy for your dog.

4. Kale Kale is a classic leafy green and is considered a nutrition powerhouse. It has high levels of antioxidants with its stems containing prebiotics which help feed the good bacteria in your gut microbiome. Kale also has: · Iron · Vitamin K · Vitamin A · Vitamin C · Calcium · Fiber · Sulfur

Servings Per Day

For humans, it is best to consume two cups daily. For dogs, one leaf per small dog, and two leaves for a big dog.

Best Way To Wash Leafy Greens

Wash the vegetables thoroughly, even the prewashed veggies.

1. Wash your hands for 20 seconds or more with soap and warm water.

2. Wash all veggies, including pre-bagged ones under cold running tap water.

3. For leafy vegetables, remove the outer leaves first.

4. Throw away wilted or discolored leaves.

5. Rinse leafy greens in a colander, drain (or use a salad spinner), and pat dry with a paper towel or tea towel.

6. Store in clean paper towels or a tea towel in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge.

7. Put in a container or sealed plastic bag.

8. Put inside the refrigerator 9. Use within a week.

Plingpling, Naynay, Ampy and Janna are all strays who were rescued by the Mondejar family. They are allowed to roam inside the house. There is no irritating cat smell because the cat litter is cleaned regularly.

Tips to keep one’s house free of cat stink BOTHERED by the strong cat smell in the house? The smell of cat poop in the air “violates” your nostrils and is irritating some members of the family?

Don’t lose hope, cat owners. There are things you can do to lessen the stink, if not totally remove the smell.

“We all love our cats, but it’s okay to admit that you are sometimes bothered by the smell. I recently took in a stray kitten, and it reminded me how easily “cat smell” can take over your home if you’re not careful.

This 3-pound kitten has potential to produce more stink than our two 70-pound dogs, but I have no one to blame for that than myself. Cats are generally clean pets, and when you adopt the right routine, it’s 100% possible to live with a cat (and even multiple cats) and never smell them. I researched the best odor-fighting tips for my own purposes, and I know from experience that they really do work,” said Amber in “Tips to Mask the Cat Smell in Your Home” in Cattitude Daily.

Best strategies to fight cat smell:

1.Get the Right Litter Box Putting just anything on the floor as a litter box is a mistake. An open litter box like a basin or a plastic pan with raised edges will allow the smell to stay in the air.

“While I think it was useful to teach the kitten to always use a litter box, the open design did nothing to

prevent odors,” Amber said.

A covered litter box is great to stop the smell from spreading throughout the house. “Most people recommend covered litter boxes when it comes to preventing cat smell. You can even get a box with built-in air filtration to trap even more odors,” Amber said.

2.Choose the Right Litter It is not that easy to choose the right kind of litter.

There are so many kinds in the market! You can choose from clay, synthetics, paper, corn, and wood, scented or unscented, clumping or non-clumping. Such overwhelming options!

Amber recommended clumping and unscented litter. She noted that scented litter only masks the smell a little, and does not totally remove it.

She said: “…you usually end up with a sickening scent of some kind of flower mixed with urine. Unscented litter with specific odor-reducing agents has been working well for us.”

Observe your cat too. He or she will tell you if he or she likes the litter.

“When picking out litter, remember that your cat’s preference matters. Some of our feline friends are especially picky about their choice of litter. If they don’t like it, you’ll end up cleaning cat poop off the floor, and that definitely won’t help with the smell,” Amber said.

3. Clean the Litter Box More Often The more you clean the litter box, the less smell.

“Twice a day sounds like a lot of work. But when you’re cleaning more often, you have less to clean each time. It’ll take you about two minutes to get the job done, and having a stench-free house will be worth the effort. Make it part of your routine to clean the litter box every morning and evening,” Amber said.

4. Don’t Forget Full Clean Outs You can scoop twice every day but clean the entire litter box on a regular basis, or else the smell will stay.

Do this every one to two weeks.

“Any longer, and bacteria will start to grow and cause all kinds of stinky problems,” Amber stressed.

To clean the entire litter box: 1. empty all the litter and use soap and water to wash the pan; and 2. dry the box thoroughly before adding fresh new litter.

5. Add Baking Soda In The Litter Box Baking soda works, many cat owners have said.

“Regardless of the kind of litter you’re using, you can use this kitchen staple to prevent cat smell. Baking soda doesn’t mask odors, it absorbs them (which is better),” Amber said.

Sprinkle a small amount of baking soda in the box every time you scoop poop and clumped litter.

After a major clean out, put a layer of baking soda at the bottom of the box before you add the new litter.

There is already an inexpensive baking soda specific for cats in the market.

5. Clean Your Scooper Many cat owners forget to clean the scooper after each use. “That scoop is coming in direct contact with the stinky stuff, and even plastic can end up smelling,” Amber stressed.

Always rinse your scooper after every use to prevent bacteria from taking hold. It is also best to wash it with soap and water every time you do a major litter box clean up.

6. Vacuum More Regularly Even though the litter box is the “epicenter” of all cat smell, you also need to vacuum your house if you want to remove the stench.

“Cats can track litter through the house when it gets stuck to their paws, and having hair everywhere can contribute to bad smells,” Amber said.

“It’s best to vacuum your house at least once a week.

If you have multiple pets, you might have to pull out the vacuum more often. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to regularly wash all the blankets, pillows, and cat beds.

Investing in a robot vacuum can also help to keep your house cleaner and is less stress on you,” she added. DC