Manila Standard - 2021 October 18 - Monday

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OCTA: 5k cases by end-Oct.

Could bring NCR to Alert Level 1 or 2; But doctors wary of easing curbs

VOL. XXXV • NO. 245 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

I

NDEPENDENT researchers tracking the coronavirus pandemic said the number of COVID-19 cases in the country is likely to drop to 5,000 to 6,000 a day by the end of October – two months ahead of their previous estimates—but doctors warned against complacency and easing restrictions too soon.

The OCTA Research Group on Sunday said the numbers have been steadily improving over recent days, with the daily count of new cases no longer surpassing 10,000.

The reproduction number—or the number of people one infected person can infect— has dropped to only 0.64 nationwide, and the seven-day average cases are 8,400, OCTA fellow Guido David said.

He said the hospital utilization rate is also declining, based on data from the Next page

OUT AND ABOUT. People from all walks of life gather at the Manila Baywalk’s Dolomite Beach along Roxas Boulevard in Manila on Sunday after the second day of its reopening as the National Capital Region went down to Alert Level 3. The scene was the same at Quiapo Church, where scores of devotees heard Mass, and the Mall of Asia in Pasay City (inset photos). Norman Cruz and Jimbo Gulle

Sunday lets loose crowd outside, kids mobility up next

By Rio N. Araja

Filipinos itching to get out of their houses due to pandemic restrictions enjoyed MALLS, parks, churches, cemeteries, the first weekend under Alert Level 3 in and other public places saw a surge of Metro Manila. customers and visitors on Sunday, as More residents of the National Capital

Region went out of their homes on the Dobol B TV. first Sunday after going down from Coinciding with this, Metro Manila Alert Level 4, even visiting the dolomite mayors said they would release "very soon" beach at the Baywalk by the Manila Bay, a resolution clarifying the guidelines according to reports aired and heard over Next page

Bulacan, Capiz, Apayao ease to less tight GCQ

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6,913

81,641

40,675

95

2,980,052 10,237

By Rio N. Araja and Macon Ramos-Araneta QUARANTINE restrictions have been eased in the provinces of Bulacan, Apayao and Capiz, which have been placed under a general community quarantine (GCQ) from Oct. 18 to 31, the Palace said Sunday.

Previously, Bulacan and Apayao were under a modified enhanced community quarantine, while Capiz was under GCQ with heightened restrictions, Palace spokesman Harry Roque said.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) released quarantine classifications for provinces and cities

2,720,368

(As of 4 PM, OCTOBER 17)

Increased oil demand sets P2 price hike

By Alena Mae S. Flores

floods triggered by Maring in Northern Luzon and Visayas reportedly caused 40 fatalities, of whom 23 had been confirmed while 17 were still being validated.

The reported casualties were from Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, La Union, Ilocos

CONSUMERS will have to brace for a nearly P2 per liter increase effective Tuesday to reflect the movement of prices in the world oil market.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines sounded off the impending oil price hike of P1.40 to P1.50 per liter for diesel and P1.80 to P1.90 per liter for gasoline.

This will be the eight weekly consecutive oil price increase as global economies slowly recover, reflecting an increase in demand.

According to the Department of Energy's monitoring, crude oil prices have been going up due to tight supply amid improving demand and high liquefied natural gas and coal prices.

DOE said the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its allies (OPEC+) stuck to its scheduled increase of 400,000 barrels per day for oil production quotas amid the tightness in oil supply.

The increase in OPEC output is still

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YOUTH MOVEMENT. Young people go in and walk out of the Luneta Park on Sunday after Metro Manila was declared under Alert Level 3. Norman Cruz

SC to Comelec: Settle poll issues

By Rey E. Requejo

since these cases are imbued with public interest.

The Court made the call even as THE Supreme Court has exhorted the Commission on Elections (Comelec) to it resolved to annul the Comelec’s resolve all election cases and other poll- cancellation of the certificate of candidacy related incidents “with deliberate haste” Next page

‘Maring’ deaths 40; damage: P3.73b BAGUIO BEAUTIES. The winners of the Miss Baguio 2021 beauty pageant strike poses on Saturday night. They are (from left) 1st Runner Up Genelle Khate Caoile; Miss Baguio Tourism Dean Dianne Balogal; Miss Baguio Ghenesis Latugat; Baguio Flower Queen Cassandra Gresh; and 2nd Runner up Xiannia Trinidad. Eros Goze and Dave Leprozo

TWENTY-THREE people died from the onslaught of severe tropical storm Maring in the country, the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council said Sunday.

In its latest situational report, the NDRRMC said landslides and flash

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

DOJ: ‘Tokhang’ positions out soon Guevarra revealed that Justice transmitted to the PNP and NBI for their Undersecretary Adrian Ferdinand Sugay comments and review. had finished drafting the memorandum According to him, Sugay submitted to of agreement which has already been him the draft MOA last Friday, Oct. 15.

The PNP and NBI would be given a week to submit their inputs.

“The draft was sent last Friday to the NBI and the PNP. They will be given a reasonable period, maybe a week, to beef up the MOA and include such operational matters as they may deem necessary,” Guevarra said, in a text message.

The Justice Secretary said it was only appropriate to consult the two agencies since they would be the ones that would be investigating the anti-illegal drugs operations that led to deaths.

The MOA would serve as a common mechanism to be used by the PNP and the NBI in the conduct of investigation on PNP drug war operations that turn out as

extra-judicial killings (EJKs).

There had been previous allegations that in some drug war operations, people were killed but the police made it appear that their target fought back or “nanlaban.”

The police story would sometimes run contrary to the accounts of some witnesses who would claim that the victims did not retaliate against the arresting officers.

The DOJ-led review panel recently submitted to President Duterte its report and findings of its investigation determining if there was criminal liability against the 154 policemen who took part in the 52 PNP drug war cases that resulted in death.

As cases declined, Metro Manila was downgraded to Alert Level 3 on Saturday.

But doctors expressed concern over the easing of restrictions.

"We are worried that based on previous experience, every time we ease restrictions, the people forget observance of health protocols," said Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP).

In an interview with ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo, she said hospitals remain short-staffed because of virus infections among health workers, and the expected exodus of nurses following intensified recruitment in the United Kingdom and the United States.

As businesses open, she recommended a physical distancing of two meters and urged the public to observe minimum health standards "If we don't have anything important to do, we should remain home. Let's protect ourselves and our loved ones," she said.

An infectious disease expert, Dr. Rontgene Solante, said ICU utilization was still high at 75 percent.

Despite the decline in cases, he said, the country is far from achieving herd immunity and the target of vaccinating 90 percent of the target population.

At present, he said, only 31 percent of the target population has been vaccinated against COVID-19.

The Department of Health (DOH) logged 6,913 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, which brought total infections to 2,720,368.

There were 95 new fatalities, raising the COVID-19 death toll to 40,675.

On the other hand, there were 10,237 recent recoveries, bringing total recoveries to 2,598,052, or 95.5 percent of all infections.

There were 81,641 active cases, representing 3 percent of all confirmed cases. Of the active cases, 87.5 percent were mild or asymptomatic.

Some 12.5 percent of 53,669 people who were tested were found positive for COVID-19 on Friday.

COVID-19 vaccination of children with comorbidities.

Meanwhile, residents went to Marikina River Park early Sunday to enjoy the sunny weather outdoors and exercise, according to a report on Dobol B TV. Fitness enthusiasts also went to the road dike at Batasan in Quezon City to exercise outdoors, according to Makalalad's post on Twitter.

At the Mall of Asia grounds in Pasay City near Manila Bay, there were more people walking and biking, eager to breathe fresh air, according to a report by Mao dela Cruz on Dobol B TV. Security guards used headcount counters to limit the persons within the Baywalk area at any one time to about 1,000, with excess visitors asked to wait by the gate for others to leave before being let in.

At the St. Peter Parish: Shrine of Leaders on Commonwealth Avenue, Quezon City, parishioners attended Mass, prayed, and lit candles, a report on Dobol B TV said.

The church implements a "no face mask/no face shield, no entry" policy.

A COVID-19 marshal went around to remind parishioners to observe health and safety protocols.

Long lines of cars also made their way into the Loyola Memorial Park in Marikina and the Manila Memorial Park in Paranaque, as people visited their departed loved ones ahead of the planned closure of cemeteries in the NCR by

November 1 and 2, All Saints and All Souls Day. Under Alert Level 3, in-person religious gatherings are allowed up to 30 percent indoor capacity for fully vaccinated individuals, and up to 50 percent outdoor venue capacity, provided that all employees are fully vaccinated.

Metro Manila, home to around 13.5 million people, is under Alert Level 3 until the end of the month, as granular lockdowns are being implemented in the region to curb the spread of the disease and gradually revive business activities.

At the dolomite beach at the Baywalk beside Manila Bay, visitors gathered early at the gate, according to a report by Luisito Santos on Dobol B TV. Although the beach is supposed to open at 8 a.m., the gate was opened as early as 6 a.m. to accommodate those wanting to check out the attraction.

More visitors were observed on Sunday as compared to Saturday when the dolomite beach was first reopened to the public.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources expressed elation over the strong public reception of the Manila Bay dolomite beach when it reopened to the public on Saturday.

“We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from the public which made the reopening of the Manila Bay dolomite beach truly successful,” Secretary Roy Cimatu said.

“We will gradually expand the area

accessible to the public for viewing in the coming weeks as we progress on with the completion of the project,” he added.

DENR personnel and security marshals made sure that health and safety protocols were strictly observed.

The public got its first experience of the dolomite beach when it briefly opened from July 18 to 21.

The 140-meter beach area comprises the phase 1 of the Manila Bay beach nourishment project of DENR. The reopening of the dolomite beach was a collective decision of the Manila Bay Inter-Agency Task Force headed by Cimatu, following the downgrading of the COVID-19 alert level in the National Capital Region.

Aside from promoting positive mental health, Cimatu said the dolomite beach was offering another option to view the scenic Manila Bay sunset aside from the customary sunset view at the Baywalk portion near Remedios Street in Malate, Manila.

Cimatu said visitors might stay as long as they wanted to, while the limit of 300 individuals would have to be observed during the adjusted open hours from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily.

There is no need for people to be vaccinated to enter the premises, but wearing of face masks is mandatory, Cimatu said.

He said the use of a face shield was optional.

granted Viernes’ petition. The ruling was affirmed by the Comelec En Banc. This prompted Villamor to elevate the case before the Supreme Court.

In granting Villamor’s petition, the Court said the Comelec committed grave abuse of discretion when it ordered the cancellation of her COC without any prior determination of whether she had intended to deceive or mislead the electorate.

It said a false representation under Section 78 of the Omnibus Election Code (OEC) must also consist of a “deliberate attempt to mislead, misinform, or hide a fact which would otherwise render a candidate ineligible.”

Otherwise stated, the Court said false representation must be made with a malicious intent to deceive the electorate as to the potential candidate’s qualifications for public office.

In the case of Villamor, the Court said the absence of the Comelec’s determination of her intent to deceive or mislead the electorate constitutes grave abuse of discretion consistent with case law.

It said there was no bad faith on the part of Villamor since she never hid the fact of her naturalization as an American citizen or the date when she had renounced the same.

It pointed out that there was sufficient proof to support Villamor’s claim that she had re-established residence in the Philippines after her naturalization as an American citizen in 2009.

At the same time, the Court said the Comelec’s failure to suspend Villamor’s proclamation was inconsistent with its finding that she was ineligible for failing to meet the residency requirement.

“Comelec should not have allowed Villamor to be proclaimed (much less assume) the position of mayor if it truly believed that Villamor did not possess the requisite qualifications for the said post,” the Court said.

Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and Associate Justices Ramon Paul Hernando, Rosmari Carandang, Amy Lazaro-Javier, Henri Jean Paul Inting, Rodil Zalameda, Mario Lopez, Samuel Gaerlan, Ricardo Rosario, Jhosep Lopez, and Japar Dimaampao voted to grant Villamor’s petition.

Bulacan,...

has to reach out to these Filipinos with transportable vaccination teams,” he said.

Mobile inoculation services would enable the government to get to Filipinos who remain unvaccinated because of their social and economic situation, he said.

“There are people who cannot access vaccination services due to lack of public transportation, or due to family care or work schedules,” he said.

“Many of them cannot go to fixed vaccination sites because they are looking after children, the elderly or persons with disability all the time. We have to make it convenient for these Filipinos to access vaccination services,” he added.

The government is aiming to fully vaccinate 77 million Filipinos by yearend to achieve herd immunity against COVID-19.

Last week, Congress gave the green light to allocate another P20 billion in funding for the purchase of additional COVID-19 vaccines in the P5.024-trillion 2022 national budget.

Pimentel said the House of Representatives also approved another P45.4 billion in unprogrammed appropriations in the budget “with standby authority” for the procurement of COVID-19 booster shots.

The Philippines has administered 52,157,598 doses of COVID-19 vaccines as of Sunday.

The National Covid-19 Vaccination Dashboard showed 27,921,074 were given as first doses while 24,236,524 were utilized as second doses.

Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19, said the government has started to send the bulk of vaccines to areas outside the National Capital Region.

"Supply is no longer an issue for our country as of this time, as we now have adequate vaccines in our national inventory," Galvez said in a statement over the weekend.

He also commended local government units (LGUs) for their aggressive efforts to inoculate as many as possible despite confronting many challenges posed by the pandemic, including hesitancy and logistics. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

By Rey E. Requejo

J

USTICE Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Sunday said he expects the Philippine National Police and the National Bureau of Investigation to give their positions on a draft memo that would serve as their guidelines in probing questionable operations against illegal drugs where there are allegations the suspect who died fought back or “nanlaban.”

OCTA:...

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Department of Health. In Metro Manila, it is said to be only 47 percent, but the intensive care unit (ICU) utilization rate is still high.

Just last Sept. 29, David said new COVID-19 cases in the country may decrease to around 5,000 to 6,000 per day by December. He said the projected decrease in cases is because the surge of infections is already ending in Metro Manila and other areas.

David said that Metro Manila, which last month was under alert level 4, may be scaled down to alert level 1 or 2 by December.

Sunday...

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of the Inter-Agency Task Force Against COVID-19 on allowing children outside their homes, San Juan City Mayor Francis Zamora told ABS-CBN TeleRadyo.

Children aged 17 and below are allowed to go outside to buy food and medicine, visit a doctor or a dentist, and exercise or avail themselves of interzonal and intrazonal travel, Zamora said, citing the IATF resolution.

Zamora told ABS-CBN's TeleRadyo children would remain prohibited in malls, adding: “But they can't dine in because that will already require them to remove their mask and eat among a group of people in a restaurant. This increases risk of infection.

“We didn't allow that just yet and the Metro Manila Council agreed on this.”

Metro Manila Development Authority chairman Benhur Abalos, in an interview on Super Radyo dzBB, said he might hold a press briefing on Monday about the resolution and the mobility of children.

Local governments only have a say in the interzonal and intrazonal travel of children, he said, citing the IATF resolution.

The government previously barred children from leaving their homes as some experts said they might become "superspreaders." It has since allowed limited in-person classes and began the

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(COC) of Rovelyn Echave Villamor for the 2019 mayoralty elections in Lagangilang, Abra.

“By their very nature and given the public interest involved, election cases must be resolved speedily, otherwise the will of the electorate will be frustrated,” the justices said in a resolution.

Also on Sunday, the Comelec urged Congress to pass a new law to limit campaigning on social media for the 2022 elections.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said they can only monitor the candidates' spending in producing advertisements and boosting social media posts. Beyond that, he said, there is no identified limit to using these platforms.

Unlike television, the commission cannot count the number of minutes a candidate has on social media, Jimenez said.

With the ruling, the Court granted the petition of Villamor, who assailed the resolutions dated April 26, 2019 and Nov. 27, 2019 of the Comelec’s Second Division and En Banc, respectively.

The Court also junked the electoral protest filed against Villamor by Antonio Bello Viernes, her lone rival in the 2019 election.

The Court said its resolution is immediately executory.

Villamor garnered 5,879 votes as against Viernes’ 1,534 votes. She was proclaimed mayor of Lagangilang town on May 14, 2019.

Viernes had asked the Comelec to cancel Villamor’s COC on the ground of alleged false material representation as he claimed that she is a naturalized American citizen.

In her defense, Villamor told the Comelec that while she was a naturalized American citizen, she had duly complied with all the requirements for the reacquisition of her Filipino citizenship under Republic Act No. 9225, or the Citizenship Retention and Reacquisition Act of 2003.

The Comelec’s Second Division

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outside of Metro Manila, which is pilot testing a new four-level alert system.

Under an MECQ are the provinces of Kalinga, Batanes, Bataan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna. Naga City and Zamboanga City are also under an MECQ, as is the province of Zamboanga del Norte.

Under a GCQ with heightened restrictions are: Abra, Baguio City, Ilocos Sur, Pangasinan, Cagayan, Isabela, the City of Santiago, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, Quezon and Batangas, all in Luzon.

In the Visayas, Bacolod City, LapuLapu City, Negros Oriental, and Bohol are also under a GCQ with heightened restrictions.

With the same quarantine standing in Mindanao are Zamboanga del Sur, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, Davao del Norte, Davao Occidental, Davao de Oro, Butuan City and Surigao del Sur. Under a GCQ are Ilocos Norte, Dagupan City, Ifugao, Benguet, Tarlac, Lucena City, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro, Puerto Princesa, Marinduque, Albay and Camarines Norte.

In the Visayas, those under a GCQ are Aklan, Antique, Guimaras, Negros Occidental, Iloilo City, Iloilo Province, Cebu City, Cebu Province, Mandaue City, Siquijor and Tacloban City.

In Mindanao, those under a GCQ are Zamboanga Sibugay, Misamis Occidental, Iligan City, Davao City, Davao Oriental, Davao del Sur, General Santos City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, North Cotabato, South Cotabato, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Surigao del Norte, Dinagat Islands, Cotabato City and Lanao del Sur. All other areas are under MGCQ. Meanwhile, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel called on the government to deploy mobile vaccination resources to bring COVID-19 jabs “closer to hardto-reach and high-risk sub-groups of the population.”

“Many Filipinos have not received their COVID-19 shots due to practical barriers that have prevented them from accessing vaccination services. The government

4.2 quake rocks CamSur; Taal emits less sulfur

By Rio N. Araja A MAGNITUDE 4.2 earthquake jolted Camarines Sur province Sunday night, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology said.

The tremor, recorded at 6:51 p.m., was located 5 kilometers southeast of Canaman town, according to state seismologists. It was tectonic in origin with a depth of 4 kilometers.

Intensity V, which Phivolcs classifies as strong shaking, was felt in Canaman town, while Intensity IV was felt in Calabanga town.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs noted a significant decrease in the emission of sulfur dioxide of Taal Volcano in Batangas, from 23,576 tons on Friday to 9,154 tons on Saturday.

In its 24-hour observation, the Phivolcs on Sunday said the decrease was considered as “anomalously high.”

The Taal Volcano Network recorded six volcanic tremor events having duration of two to five minutes and a low-level background tremor that has persisted since July 7.

Activity at the main crater was dominated by upwelling of hot volcanic fluids at the Taal Lake which generated plumes 2,000 meters tall that drifted west-northwest.

Vog or volcanic smog was observed over Taal and its vicinity.

According to Phivolcs, the volcano island has begun inflating since August, while the Taal region continues to undergo very slow extension since 2020.

Alert level 2 (increased unrest) prevails over Taal Volcano, meaning to say sudden steam- or gas-driven explosions, volcanic earthquakes, minor ashfall, and lethal accumulations or expulsions of volcanic gas could occur and threaten areas within and around Taal Volcano Island.

Phivolcs prohibits the entry into Taal Volcano Island, Taal’s permanent danger zone, especially the vicinities of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, and occupancy and boating on Taal Lake.

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lower than market expectations, the agency said.

In the domestic market, gasoline has gone up P5.40 per liter while diesel went up by P7.15 per liter for the past seven weeks.

On October 12, the oil companies implemented a price increase in domestic oil products, specifically P1.30 per liter for gasoline, P1.40-P1.50 per liter for diesel and P1.45 per liter for kerosene.

These resulted in the year-todate adjustments to stand at a total net increase of P17.85 per liter for gasoline, P16.50 per liter for diesel and P14.19 per liter for kerosene.

DOE has warned the current tightness in global oil supply will likely last until the end of the year.

‘Maring’...

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Norte, Cagayan, Palawan, and Benguet provinces.

NDRMMC said 16 people were missing, adding it was also validating the case of two others.

The storm caused P2.17 billion worth of damage to agriculture and destroyed infrastructure worth P1.056 billion.

Maring damaged nearly 7,400 houses in the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Cordillera Region, Central Luzon, Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Western Visayas and Caraga.

Some 284 road sections and 34 bridge sections were also affected by the storm, based on the report.

Power has been restored in 117 of the 137 cities and municipalities that experienced interruption or outage.

Meanwhile, water services resumed in 5 of the 8 cities and municipalities that experienced supply interruption or outage.

Four areas in the Ilocos region are still experiencing communication outages.

The government has provided P35 million in aid to the Ilocos Region, Cagayan Valley Region, Mimaropa and Cordillera Region, according to the NDRRMC report.

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PR giant Max Edralin Jr., 89 THE public relations and communications industry mourns the passing of Maximino J. Edralin, Jr. who died on Friday, October 15 at the age of 89.

Edralin was a former newspaper reporter and was one of the few remaining pioneers in journalism and public relations in the country after World War II. A reporter of the Philippines Herald, Max is remembered as one of five reporters who went to jail in 1955 in

defense of press freedom.

He was a contemporary of Max Soliven, Raul Locsin, Oscar Villadolid, Rod Reyes, Nestor Mata, Teddy Benigno, Virgilio Pantaleon, and Rene Nieva, among prominent names in his time.

In public relations, Edralin has been a leading figure for more than 50 years.

He served the longest time in Citibank as vice president, where he was responsible for raising the profile of the bank as a source of banking talents.

Manila

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CORPORATE GOVERNANCE AND FINANCE DEPARTMENT IN THE MATTER OF

: : Amended Registration Statement CENTURY ACQUA LIFESTYLE CORPORATION : -Registrant-: x----------------------------------------------------------------x NOTICE Notice is hereby given that on 05 October 2021 an Amended Registration Statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on behalf of CENTURY ACQUA LIFESTYLE CORPORATION (the “company”) to reflect the following changes to its Registration Statement which was rendered effective on 15 June 2015, as amended on June 2, 2016:

SHOPPERS OUT. People flock to a mall in Taguig City as Metro Manila was downgraded to Alert Level 3 in the government’s quarantine classification for COVID-19. Still, members of the Manila Police District go on foot patrol along the crowded shopping area of Ilaya Street in Divisoria, reminding citizens not to bring their children with them in public areas and to observe health protocols. Manny Palmero and Norman Cruz

Duterte praises, VP hits Marawi rehab progress

By Rio N. Araja

T

ASK Force Bangon Marawi (TFBM), led by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, has reaped praises from President Rodrigo Duterte for its “unwavering commitment to bring back the glory of the only Islamic City in the country.”

The President, who personally led the fourth anniversary of the liberation of Marawi City in Lanao del Sur, lauded the task force and its partners for a job well done in ensuring the success of Marawi’s rebuilding process.

“It is my pleasure to join you today as we mark this historic occasion by allowing the rays of hope to light up the darkness that once enveloped the city of Marawi. I congratulate and commend TFBM as well the local officials

and other partners, for working together to rehabilitate the city,” Duterte told DHSUD. “I especially commend the efforts and sacrifices you have put up on the complete rehabilitation of the Grand Mosque of Marawi.

This place holds historical and cultural significance in the lives of the Maranaos, who will rejoice as a nation as the Grand Mosque of Marawi brings hope to our Muslim brothers and sisters,” he added.

However, the camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday criticized the government’s “snail-paced rehabilitation” of Marawi.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, said the rehabilitation program that began in 2017 has yet to be completed, barely less than a year before Duterte steps down from his post.

“Four years is not that short.

This has been since 2017. Remember, this (crisis) happened almost a year since the start of the (Duterte) administration.

Now, his term is about to end.

It’s already the election. Up to now, the problem has not yet been addressed,” he said.

Gutierrez blamed President Rodrigo Duterte’s slow leadership that could have affected the sluggish rehabilitation of Marawi.

DFA backs Palawan protest on China’s SCS fishing ban

By Rey E. Requejo THE Department of Foreign Affairs has lauded the provincial government of Palawan for passing a resolution protesting China’s unilateral fishing ban imposed in the highly contested South China Sea. In a series of tweets over the weekend, the DFA commended the effort of the Palawan government in coming up with Provincial Resolution No. 15968 Series of 2021 to protest the fishing ban.

“The DFA commends the efforts of the Sangguniang Panla-

lawigan of Palawan in fighting for the rights of fisherfolk in their affected community through the adoption of Provincial Resolution No. 15968, expressing its strong protest against China’s unilateral declaration and imposition of a fishing ban in the South China Sea and supporting the diplomatic protest filed by the DFA,” the DFA said, on its Twitter.

“This laudable initiative demonstrates that all branches and levels of government have an important role to play in defending our country’s interests,” the department added.

MOA SIGNING. Tingog party-list 2nd nominee Jude Acidre (right)

signs a memorandum of agreement Sunday with Bay, Laguna Mayor Jose Padrid, who publicly announced his support to the group for the coming campaign. Tingog help desks have been operating for three months in Bay. Acidre, chief of staff of Tingog Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, was also in the Laguna town for the turnover of medical assistance to more than 50 patients and the vaccination program rollout.

SSS OKs P1.923b loans QC exec, solon trade barbs over tax rate hike under pension program THE Social Security System has approved over P1.923 billion loans under its enhanced pension loan program (PLP) from January to August, benefiting 43,424 retirement pensioners.

SSS President and chief executive officer Aurora Ignacio said this year’s approved pension loans are down by 17 percent against P2.311 billion approved for the same period last year.

“We can attribute the decrease in approved pension loans to the lower number of pensioner-borrowers this year. SSS records showed that there were 43,424 pensioner-borrowers from January to August 2021, which is 15 percent lower than the 51,121 borrowers in 2020,” she said.

“It is partly due to the restricted mobility for senior citizens brought by the quarantine protocols. Also, some of them are still repaying their pension loans granted to them last year,” Ign PLP was launched in September 2018 to assist SSS retirement pensioners in their financial needs and prevent them from becoming victims of private loan sharks with higher interest rates and taking their automated teller machine cards as collateral.

Ignacio encouraged the retirement pensioners to avail of the program since it is designed to help them in their short-term financial needs. Rio N. Araja

A RANKING official of the Quezon City government on Sunday hit Anakalusugan partylist Rep. Mike Defensor, who is running for mayor in the May elections next year, for supposedly misleading the public on an increase in property tax rate.

“He is lying. The ordinance mentioned by the lawmaker has nothing to do with increasing the land tax rate but refers to the increasing assessed value of properties in Quezon City,” city legal officer Orlando Casimiro said in a statement.

He was referring to Ordinance No. SP-2556,

which was passed in 2016 when Mayor Joy Belmonte was still the vice mayor and the city council’s presiding officer.

The measure was passed in compliance with the mandate of Republic Act No. 7160 or the Local Government Code of 1991 as amended that all local government units must conduct real-property assessment every three years.

Defensor on Sunday also pledged to grant all 74,750 enterprises operating in Quezon City a five-percent discount in their local business taxes so they can start hiring back laid-off workers. Rio N. Araja

Items to be Original Provision Amended Increase in 520 Preferred C shares the number of 520 Preferred D shares Preferred C and D Shares from 520 to 1,040 Decrease in the Preferred C price per share of Preferred C Tranche Price per share 1 ₱383,333.00 and D 2 3 4 5

Decrease in the Annual Usage Entitlement of Preferred C and D from 28 nights to 14 nights

₱392,916.00 ₱466,943.00 ₱422,874.00 ₱444,017.00

cination drive to children with co-morbidities who, like the individuals with co-morbidities belonging to A3, are also highly at risk of getting sick with the virus,” she stressed.

“For months, we have been focused on inoculating 80 percent of Quezon City’s adult population or 1.7 million individuals 18 and above and we have now vaccinated close to 200,000 more than that target. It is now time to shift our attention to minors because they are also vulnerable to the virus.”

“Moreover, they comprise about 30 percent of the city’s approximately 3.1 million population and it is impossible to achieve population protection, which requires vaccination of 80 percent of our total population without including them,” she noted. Rio N. Araja

2 3 4 5

₱196,458.00 ₱201,369.00 ₱211,437.00 ₱222,008.50

Preferred D

Preferred D

Tranche 1 2 3 4 5

Tranche 1 2 3 4 5

Price per share ₱444,444.00 ₱455,555.00 ₱466,943.00 ₱490,290.00 ₱514,804.00

A shareholder of Preferred A, B, C and D Shares is entitled to use and occupy, for 28 nights per year, rooms owned by the Company in Acqua 6 Tower – Novotel Suites Manila

Completion and turnover of Acqua 6 Tower on 30 September 2019

The Acqua 6 Tower is due to commence construction on the first half of 2015 and is expected to take approximately 48 months to complete.

Change in the The Acqua 6 Tower is the total number of sixth building within the Acqua 6 Tower’s integrated urban residential Hotel Suites development, which will from 310 to 152 house 310 Hotel Suites and 185 branded residential units. Of the 310 Hotel Suites, 152 will be owned by the Company while the remaining 158 units will remain with CLC. The 185 residential units will be sold

by CLC as retail units. The Acqua 6 Tower will be a dedicated hospitality project to be managed by Novotel Suites, Manila.

Price per share ₱222,222.00 ₱227,777.50 ₱233,471.50 ₱245,145.00 ₱257,402.00

A shareholder of Preferred A and B Shares is entitled to use and occupy, for 28 nights per year, while a shareholder of Preferred C and D Shares is entitled to use and occupy, for 14 nights per year, rooms owned by the Company in Acqua 6 Tower – Novotel Suites Manila The Acqua 6 Tower commenced construction on March 2015 and was completed and turned over on September 30, 2019.

The Acqua 6 Tower is the sixth building within the integrated urban residential development, which initially housed 310 Hotel Suites and 185 branded residential units. Of the 310 rooms intended as Hotel Suites, 152 are owned by the Company while the remaining 158 are owned by CLC, which will be converted to regular residential units after the approval of this Amended Prospectus is secured. The 185 residential have been sold by CLC as retail units. The 152 Hotel Suites owned by the Company will still be operated as an All-Suite Hotel, to be managed

by Accor, the largest Hotel Group in the world, under the Novotel Suites Brand.

The Company offers different installment schemes. (1) Spot Cash; (2) Spot Down 20%-75%, balance over five (5) years; and (3) Standard Payment Term.

Subscription prices have been made more affordable

To reflect the 100% completion of construction and turnover of the Acqua 6 Tower To reflect Century Limitless Corporation (“CLC”) decision to convert the 158 units to regular residential units instead of participating in the pool of 310 hotel suites

Payment Terms The Company will offer 5 of the Offer payment schemes. (1) Spot Cash; (2) Spot Down balance over construction period; (3) equal payments over construction period (4) 70%-90% installment, balance upon turnover and (5) Standard Payment term The Company may adopt of 1.25% monthly, balance Optional Payment Term upon turnover.

Extension (“OPTE”) to assist shareholder with The Company may adopt funding the turnover Optional Payment Term balance.

Extension “OPTE” to assist shareholder with funding “OPTE” will carry a fixed the turnover balance. interest rate of 8%-12% per annum over 5 years “OPTE” will carry a fixed and be subject to late interest rate of 12% per payment penalties of 3% annum over 5 years and per month. be subject to late payment penalties of 3% per Standard Payment Term month.

The Standard Payment Standard Payment Term Term shall be P25,000 Means the P25,000 upfront upfront as option fee, as option fee, followed by followed by monthly monthly payments equal to payment amortizations 1.25% of the Board Lot’s for the 40% Balance price every month for the payable within five (5) duration of the Project’s years. Remaining 60% of scheduled construction the Balance may be paid period, with the remaining in full on the fifth (5th) balance becoming due year or may be applied upon turnover for Optional Payment Term Extension (OPTE) Payment of Turnover for a maximum period Balance of five (5) years subject to interest and terms The buyer, at his option, and conditions that the may pay his turnover Company may impose at balance in cash or through such time of availment. the Company’s Optional Payment Term Extension Late payment penalties Program subject to 12% will be 3% per month of interest per annum. the required minimum payment due. Unpaid penalties shall be added to the buyer’s outstanding balance and his/her minimum payment due for the following month.

Payment of Turnover Balance The buyer, at his option, may pay his turnover balance in cash or through the Company’s Optional Payment Term Extension Program subject to 8%-12% interest per annum.

Approval will depend on the results of a credit investigation on the buyer, to be conducted by the Issuer, as well as the buyer’s payment history with CALC. Any negative findings on the buyer’s credit and payment history may result in his/her application for optional payment term extension to be declined

Quezon City opens listup for COVID vax for kids WITH its vaccination drive in full swing, the Quezon City government continues its preparation for the inclusion of the pediatric population with comorbidities against COVID-19.

Mayor Joy Belmonte said they have opened the registration for minors with co-morbidities while waiting for vaccine supply.

She said parents or guardians of these minors may register them at the QCVaxEasy website: www.qceservices.quezoncity.gov.ph/qcvaxeasy, or through their barangays.

Belmonte vowed to ensure the safety of the children in the city’s 142 villages.

“Now that we are close to reaching our 1.7million target population of fully vaccinated eligible individuals, it is high time that we expand our vac-

Proposed Amendments Reason/s for Amendments 1,040 Preferred C shares To conform with 1,040 Preferred D shares the Amended Articles of Incorporation dated 16 May 2017 Preferred C For the classes of shares to be Tranche Price per share more affordable 1 ₱191,666.50 to the public

Said Amended Registration Statement and other papers/documents attached thereto are open to inspection by interested parties at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Corporate Governance and Finance Department (CGFD), Ground Floor, North Wing Hall, Secretariat Building, PICC Complex, Vicente Sotto Street, 1307 Pasay City, during business hours and copies thereof, photostatic or otherwise, shall be furnished to any party upon request at such fees as the Commission may prescribe. The Amended Registration Statement dated October 5, 2021 may also be downloaded through this link: https://www.calc.com.ph/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Amended-Preliminary-Prospectus_October-5-2021.pdf.

Issued on October 7, 2021, Pasay City

RACHEL ESTHER J. GUMTANG-REMALANTE Director (MS-OCT. 13 & 18, 2021)

Reference No. 202110-00013-OD

A4

News

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Bongbong: Vax info drive needed

By Rey E. Requejo

P

RESIDENTIAL candidate and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. on Sunday urged the government to undertake more information campaigns on their vaccination program to assure parents that the vaccines are safe.

Marcos made the call as the Department of Health is set to vaccinate teenagers aged 12 to 17 against COVID-19.

“The information drive that our government needs to do must be to explain again that the vaccine is what we need and the vaccines that are given are all safe,” Marcos stressed.

Citing the Dengvaxia incident, Marcos said this became one of the reasons for vaccine hesitancy among parents as many children suffered because of the said dengue vaccine.

Because of this, the presidential aspirant believed that an effective information campaign must be done not only to convince the parents but also those who are still adamant about receiving the vaccine.

“The vaccination was affected because

of Dengvaxia because many children were injured so the parents were hesitant. That’s what we need to explain, that (COVID-19) vaccines are good and safe,” he said, adding that “all the vaccines have been tested and millions have already received that. Only a very small number have had side effects so getting vaccinated is a big advantage.”

Last September, the DOH confirmed that pediatric vaccination will start among 12 to 17-year-olds with comorbidities as part of Priority Group A3.

Expansion beyond this group will follow once adequate coverage of the A2 priority group or senior citizens has been achieved nationwide and vaccine supply becomes sufficient to include children.

Marcos earlier urged the local gov-

By Rio N. Araja

AID FROM BBM. The typhoon Maring hit provinces of Isabela, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, and Ilocos Sur, as well as Tuguegarao City, receive truckloads of aid from Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard-bearer Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. ernment units to bring the vaccines to far-flung areas and to those who are having a hard time accessing the vaccination centers.

For the country to reach the expected herd immunity, he also encouraged the business sector to provide incentives to

employers and consumers who are already vaccinated against the COVID-19.

“The vaccination of our people is needed. All the ways to increase vaccination should be done because it is really important to vaccinate our countrymen,” Marcos said.

Manny Pacquiao returns to Batangas to deliver relief goods SENATOR Manny Pacquiao returned to Batangas to conduct a series of consultations and distribute relief packs in the province.

The senator said he is fulfilling his promise that he would revisit Batangas to extend more assistance to residents who lost their homes and livelihood because of the COVID-19 and the eruption of Taal Volcano.

Pacquiao, who is an “adopted son” of Batangas, said that this is his third visit to Batangas since the January 2020 eruption of Taal Volcano.

Pacquaio’s first stop was at the Lipa Public Market where he bought several sacks of Barako coffee to show his support and at the same time get a deeper insight into how the government should support the local coffee industry.

Batangas is known for its bold-tasting and aromatic Barako coffee.

Pacquaio noted that the government needs to provide more assistance to the country’s coffee industry because of the growing global coffee craze. “ Napalaki ang potensyal ng ating mga kape upang maging pangunahing dollar earner ng Pilipinas. Kailangan nating i-develop at lalong palaguin ang ating coffee industry dahil usong-uso ngayon ang kape sa buong mundo. (There is huge potential for coffee to be a dollar eanrner for the Philippines.

We need to develop the coffee industry because coffee continues to become popular around the world.)” Pacquaio said.

MANILA Mayor and presidential candidate Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso stressed “I am not an angel nor perfect,” in response to criticisms after he traded barbs with Vice President Leni Robredo over issues on the Marcoses.

“It’s not rudeness if they, the poor, would answer back... But that is already water under the bridge, let’s move on,” Domagoso, the standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, said.

Domagoso came under fire after he strongly criticized Robredo’s pronouncement that she opted to run be-

THE camp of Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday asked supporters for patience on the announcement as to who would be her 12th senatorial bet for the 2022 elections.

Ibarra Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, said they are still making the necessary evaluation in the selection for their final senatorial slate.

“Just wait. We will announce one other candidate. At this point, it will be hard to preempt things. Some people are saying… as if it is already final. Isn’t it? Let us wait,” he said.

“We understand the strong feelings of our supporters and the other groups that their names of choice be included in the slate of Vice President Leni,” he noted.

Four or five other candidates are being considered for the 12th spot, he said.

“Thank you but please have a little patience because the process is still going on. There are a lot of people being talked to and at the right time.

When the due time comes that we have arrived at a decision, we will announce the issue,” he said.

Meanwhile, Gutierrez claimed that Cebu Vice Gov. Hilario Davide III is backing Robredo’s presidential bid.

Lacson-Sotto kicks off virtual ‘kumustahan’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

MANNY RETURNS TO BATANGAS.

After he met with the Rectos, Pacquiao proceeded to the town of Balayan to distribute relief packs for some 7,000 recipients who were victims of the Taal Volcano eruption. Pacquiao first visited Batangas in January 2020 and followed this up with another relief assistance visit in November 2020. Lino Santos

Domagoso tells bashers: ‘I am not an angel nor perfect’

By Macon Ramos-Araneta

Leni yet to announce 12th senatorial bet

but did not elaborate on why the talks with Domagoso and Senators Manny Pacquiao and Panfilo Lacson had not been succesful.

Pacquiao and Lacson also filed their candidacies for the presidential race in next year’s elections.

Domagoso said he is running “not to exact vengeance on anyone or any political family” but to replicate what he had done for Manila.

He said his life is an open book and cause she does not want former Sen. is not ashamed of his past as a garbage Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos to be- collector and a slum dweller in Tondo. come president.

Domagoso revealed was at the receivShe also earlier initiated “unity talks” ing end of “hurtful words” because of

his humble beginnings. He also denounced those who branded him as a pornography actor.

A group that helped catapult former President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III to Malacanang meanwhile has thrown its full support to Domagoso s presidential.

Bagong Pnoy, led by its founder and president Juvy Catajoy, personally went to Manila City Hall office on Thursday to pledge the group’s support for Domagoso’s presidential bid.

Catajoy stressed that the group is backing Domagoso because they believed that only he can lift the country out of poverty.

SEN. Panfilo M. Lacson and Senate President Vicente C. Sotto III kicked off their “Online Kumustahan” with constituents in Antipolo, Rizal.

“What the Lacson-Sotto tandem wanted is to continue touching base with constituents, to get a feel of their problems and concerns and to answer questions they may have, but without putting anyone’s health at risk,” said Lacson’s campaign spokesperson Ashley Acedillo.

“And based on the initial feedback we got, it was a rousing success,” he said.

Acedillo said similar events in other parts of the country are scheduled in the coming weeks, adding that the Lacson-Sotto tandem will continue to draw ideas from ordinary Filipinos in crafting their roadmap after June 2022.

“The roadmap is a work in progress, and ‘Online Kumustahan’ activities like this would be the way to go,” Acedillo added.

Agents seize shabu worth P1.6B in Cavite buy-bust

By Rio N. Araja THE Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency was able to confiscate P1.65 billion worth of shabu from two suspected big-time drug dealers in a buybust operation in Dasmariñas City, Cavite last Oct. 16.

PDEA director general Wilkins Villanueva identified the suspects as Wilfredo Blanco, 37, and Megan Pedroro, 38, who are both from Rodriguez, Rizal.

The suspects yielded 240 kilos of shabu with a street value of P1.65 billion and a van which was reportedly be-

ing used to transport the illegal drugs in Metro Manila and nearby areas.

The buy-bust operation was conducted in a parking lot of a fast-food restaurant along Aguinaldo Highway, Barangay Salitran 2, Dasmariñas City, Cavite last Saturday at about 3:30 p.m.

Cops arrest 140 suspects in Region 3 operations

By Jun David

HUGE DRUG HAUL. Combined elements from the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), the National Intelligence Coordinating Agency, the Bureau of Customs, and the Armed Forces of the Philippines confiscated P1.65 billion worth of shabu in a buy-bust operation in Dasmariñas City, Cavite. Roy Tomandao

MEMBER of the Police Regional Office 3 (PRO 3) seized more than P9 million worth of shabu and arrested 140 suspects in a week-long operation.

In a report submitted to PRO3 regional director Brig. Gen. Valeriano de Leon, operatives conducted 96 police opera-

tions from October 8 to 14.

The operations resulted in a total confiscation of 1,422 grams of shabu with an estimated value of P9.67 million and 30 grams of marijuana with an estimated value of P3,636.

All arrested drug personalities were properly charged in court.

Authorities also conducted anti-ille-

gal gambling and anti-illegal logging operations in the region.

Police conducted 32 anti-illegal gambling operations resulting in the confiscation of P37, 393 and the arrest of which 132 persons. The anti-illegal logging operations resulted in the arrest of 8 persons arrested and confiscation worth almost P1 million.

Opinion Civility and politics

SADLY, the recent impassioned exchanges between presidential contenders in next year’s election appear to reflect a lack of civility among the aspirants for the highest office of the land. Discourteous language seems to have sidelined respectful dialogue and thwarted a supposedly healthy exchange of diverse viewpoints.

In fact, many candidates find it easy to point out and criticize incivility in their opponents, while being blind to, and silent about, the same flaws in themselves and their political supporters. Worse, once a candidate sees an opponent acting in an uncivil manner, one makes no qualms retaliating in return. As a result, people tend to be overly sensitive to apparent incivility from those who oppose them, yet often feel free to respond with incivility themselves.

Being civil is much more than just artificial niceties.

The word, “civility” comes from the Latin “civilis,” meaning befitting a citizen.

Literally, it means upholding the morals and the culture of being a citizen, or as Merriam-Webster defines it in a contemporary sense - “polite, reasonable and respectful behavior.”

But as a political virtue, civility is much more than superficial courtesy or politeness.

It requires upholding the political ideal that despite our differences and plurality, we can still engage with each other as citizens of a common world. It means to disagree without disrespect and to seek common ground as a starting point for dialogue. Civility requires the hard work of having an open mind to listen despite one’s preconceptions, and reaching out even to those one may have deep-rooted and fierce disagreement.

Unfortunately, civility among politicians seems to be in short supply nowadays. In debating differing viewpoints and disagreeing ideas, people tend to see one another, not simply as merely mistaken, but being actually in the wrong. They are often locked into their own prejudices and quick to antagonize those who believe otherwise.

The sad state of our country’s political affairs cannot be denied. Name calling, bullying and intimidation have become commonplace, even in the very halls of political power. Deepening political divisions have resulted in people on opposite sides of the political fence, not only disagreeing but actually disliking, and at times hating the other side.

Many would say that maintaining civility in politics is not only difficult but is actu-

ally impossible. The negativity in political discourse is commonly believed to be one of the natural by-products of a pluralistic society. After all, it is - as they would say - “politics as usual.”

However, civility is much more than just artificial niceties. It basically outlines the “rules of the game” for negotiating inevitable disagreements as people strive to maintain social order, and to cooperate on matters of public interests. In fact, civility is the surest guarantee that while everyone cannot completely agree on what is right and good for society, upholding the fundamental values of respect, courtesy, transparency and tolerance is necessary in preserving and promoting the common good.

The truth is democracy depends on the willingness of people to engage within a marketplace of diverse ideas. A functioning government is made possible only through the ability of political leaders to work together despite their differences in beliefs and opinions, and to find a common ground for shared action. This ultimately requires the ability and openness to listen to one another and to work together, and to use their words and actions to persuade, rather than divide.

The apparent erosion of civility in today’s political discourse is a cause for alarm. This endemic rashness of political discourse should no longer be tolerated. It is sad to note how many politicians are far too willing to cast intrigues, make threats or otherwise fan the flames of hatred and mistrust.

Especially during elections, uncivil behavior is often rewarded politically with undue attention, without regard for the cumulative damage of normalizing these behaviors. In the end, the substantive issues of the day such as poverty, injustice and progress are overlooked in favor of negativity and bitterness.

It is undeniable that the advent of the internet, with its no-holds-barred rhetoric, a more real-time, widespread and intense exchange of insults and personal attacks, and handheld devices that allow us to be in our own space pretty much all the time – have fueled further the erosion of basic civility. Many of the so-called “social media” have enhanced our ability to be asocial in screening out every element of our culture and politics that doesn’t suit us. As a result, many are rarely exposed to alternative views, which easily leads to a rhetoric of intolerance.

In an age where fact and opinion have become blurred for many, there is even a greater need for civility in politics. It is important to note that civility does not imply that all opinions have equal merit. It does not mean compromising one’s values or prematurely concluding that agreement is certain or required. On the other hand, it also includes engaging in robust and respectful debate, and actively listening to various viewpoints without attacking one’s character. A society that fails to express and engage with itself with civility, and accordingly address disagreements and differences with respect, honesty and tolerance becomes an antithesis to what democracy truly is.

Effective political media campaigns AN EFFECTIVE political media campaign can help enlighten the public and restore confidence in information dissemination. This is my humble way of reminding the information management industry, particularly the PR and political handlers of political candidates in the upcoming May 2022 elections, to stay truthful and honest to the public.

With equal consideration to all channels, I believe that mainstream media—television, radio, internet and print are the purveyors of truthful information and play a vital role in our daily lives. They are key sources of information about the government and politics.

Television remains the leading source of in-formation about the country’s government and politics among 91 percent of Filipino adults, according to the September 2021 Pulse Asia survey made available to the media recently.

Nearly half (49 percent) of the respondents obtain their news about politics from radio and 48 percent from the internet.

Among television viewers, 82 percent cite national television as a source of political news and 25 percent mention local television.

Radio is the news source of 49 percent of Filipino adults, with a bigger percentage identifying local radio than national radio (32 percent versus 18 percent).

A near majority of adults (48 percent) get their news about the Philippine government and politics from the internet (48 percent), particularly Facebook (44 percent).

More than a third of adults (37 percent) consider friends and/or relatives as their news source while a quarter (25 percent) mention friends and/or acquaintances. The same survey

shows that newspapers are a source of political information for only 3 percent of Filipino adults. It must be noted, however, that newspaper content is often shared on the Internet, including Facebook.

While television remains the top source of information among Filipinos because of its audio and video presentation of messages or platforms, it is also the most expensive. A 30-second TV spot in a primetime TV program would cost half a million pesos, which simply means that only highly-funded political campaigns can afford a high-impact, high-visibility television campaign.

Only 3 percent get their news from newspapers.

Radio is a good source of news for most Visayans (67 percent), Mindanaoans (65 percent) and those matured people in the E income group (55 percent). Local radio is cited by the majority of voters in the Visayas and Mindanao as the most accessible and reliable media tool.

Jean Danao, a media planner connected with a multinational ad agency, says radio is effective in remote areas with no internet connectivity. It is an inexpensive and reliable media tool which can be heard anywhere even while on the road.

The Pulse Asia survey shows that about 48 percent of adults obtain their news about Philippine politics from the internet, particularly facebook (44 percent). In particular, the internet is mentioned as a new source by most Metro Manilans (72 percent), those in the rest of Luzon (55 percent), and income groups A,B,C (60

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EDITORIAL

EvEryman

By Dindo Danao

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

T

The young are in peril

HIRTY-ONE percent of Filipino girls and young women are not sure how to spot disinformation online, and 6 percent cannot tell whether the information they see online is true at all, a survey by Plan International revealed.

Nearly a third of the 1,000 respondents say they spent more than 12 hours online.

Moreover, 38 percent of girls and young women have been led to believe a myth about COVID-19, and 35 percent have questioned whether they should get vaccinated.

Thirty-one percent of the 1,000 respondents say mistruths have been so dominant that they have doubted election results, while one in five have stopped engaging in politics or current affairs altogether.

These figures from the Philippines form part of a larger survey, called The Truth Gap, conducted among 26,000 girls and young women from 26 countries.

The same global survey revealed that 87 percent of girls and young women feel that misinformation and disinformation online have a negative impact on their lives, and 20 percent feel physically

unsafe because of false information on the internet, the study said.

Adults should eschew the notion that social media and the internet are the domain of the young.

One in three young women says false information is affecting her mental health — they feel stressed, worried and anxious.

The survey also revealed that lies found online have a profound impact on how young people engage with a myriad of issues, from COVID-19 to politics.

All of these underscored the need for governments to ramp up educating the

youth on how to receive information they get from the internet.

Perhaps the government, as well as the private sector, civil society, communities and families should build on the finding that 93 percent of respondents in the Philippines say they are concerned about misinformation and disinformation, and that they recognize that social media platforms are channels for these lies: Facebook (81 percent), YouTube (44 percent), Twitter (30 percent) and Tiktok (24 percent).

It is at least a consolation that girls and young women are aware that the internet brings a different kind of danger during this information age, and that these are not at all harmless — they can do damage both physically and psychologically.

Advances in technology have made coping with restrictions brought about by the pandemic easier. If unchecked, however, the danger especially to impressionable young people could be devastating.

Adults should eschew the notion that social media and the internet are the domain of the young. They should step up and be familiar with what their children are up to so they can guide and protect them —online and offline.

E-commerce boomers

E-COMMERCE is booming in the Philippines. Online transactions became the lifeline to pandemic survival as it became and is the safest and most convenient mode of consumer purchases. Connecting to the internet through our mobile devices has become indispensable for the continuity of everything.

Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) data show businesses doing retail online increased to 80.2% in 2021 owing to massive shifts not just in retail transactions but also in delivery services, online entertainment, and telehealth consultations.

DTI sees that by 2022 there will be one million e-commerce businesses registered and hopefully boosting the country’s gross domestic product.

In last week’s news reports, Filipinos were ranked the Asia Pacific Region’s top “e-cash adopters” in a study from global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky. The study said that the Philippines topped the list at 37% followed by India (23%), Australia (15%), Vietnam (14%), Indonesia (13%), Thailand (13%), and Singapore (11%).

Come to think of it, these developments match well with my own personal pre- and post-pandemic buying and banking habits. Before the lockdowns, my payments were usually by cash, check, or credit card swipes. Though I’ve been doing some online purchases before COVID-19, these were few, very cautious transactions through the e-commerce platforms — and not all of them went well. Financial institutions were also tentative in going digital.

The pandemic actually forced us to jump in and trust digital transactions simply because it is the best way to safely, and what we all pleasantly discovered, very conveniently get what we need. Onpercent), with facebook identified as a source of news by (64 percent) of Metro Manila adults.

Newspapers are the source of political information of only 3 percent of Filipino adults. Danao, however, says this number represents mostly the policy makers and business decision makers that aspire for more detailed and reliable content.

Content is king While media channels are important, communication is still the key to effective political campaigning. For communications to be effective, the content must be regarded as the king, with media tools as the queen.

An effective media campaign should convey a clear message to the target audience. Remember these three important points.

First, define your goal and target voters demographics, and decide on what to tell them to vote for you.

Second, messaging is stating your purpose.

Include who you are, what you stand for (advo-

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

line shopping and e-banking have actually improved so much, and are preferred especially by people like me who must be extra careful because of co-morbidities.

Though fully vaccinated, going to the mall or anywhere outside the home must have a compelling reason. Actually, it’s been a long time since I went to an ATM machine to put some cash in my wallet. I even had to reset my password because I had forgotten it.

What’s your fintech experience during this pandemic?

The Philippine telcos are likewise seeing this surge of e-commerce users as more brick-and-mortar establishments are now developing their online stores and millions of households whose livelihoods have been affected are now selling all sorts of goods using online and e-payment platforms just to make ends meet.

According to Globe Telecom Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Corporate Communications, Ma. Yolanda Crisanto, during the recent Digital Readiness virtual forum hosted by Stratbase ADRi, there will be sustaining growth of e-payments through their GCash and other platforms as internet penetration, now at 65%, the proliferation of digital apps being adopted by consumers, and the digital transformation of MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) into a more digital ecosystem becomes a standard business strategy.

The Kaspersky study also revealed that out of 1,618 Asian respondents, though 90 percent used mobile payment apps at least once in the last 12 months, 70 percent still pay by cash for their daily purchases while mobile banking apps are fast catching up at 52 percent and mobile payments at 58 percent, with respondents saying they use them at least once a week. In my excacy) and what makes you different from other candidates.

Third, your message should convey a single-minded idea, which means there should be a theme or focus that will guide everything you say. It should convey your values and depicts your personality and beliefs.

The message that you repeat over and over should be your main advocacy. It should be short enough to be remembered by voters. Repetition of a concise message portrays sincerity.

It is also important to learn the art of persuasion, or how you connect with and convince voters. Your ultimate pitch answers the question “why should I vote for you?”

Again, the answer to this question should be clear, focused and sincere—the elements of an effective political media campaign.

Dindo Danao is a public relations strategist. His email address is dindodanao@ymail. com.

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

perience, Fintech (financial technology) transactions are already dominant over cash.

Digital transactions definitely work, but there is still hesitation because of the risk of fraud and theft of sensitive personal information exposing one’s vulnerability to scams or other forms of cybercrime. This is one critical aspect of digital readiness often neglected — we become so focused in successfully consummating or achieving the objective of our e-transactions and forget about safe practices when making online payment. The Kaspersky study actually reported 26 percent of the respondents saying that fintech is “troublesome” because of passwords and security checks in their system. On the other hand, 25 percent of the respondents think that their digital devices may not be secure.

Experts say, and I agree, that e-commerce and the connected platforms of fintech have definitely arrived and will see expanding utilization as more consumers are connected by more extensive and faster broadband services. The gains we have so far in internet speed and reach have been driven by the private telcos’ aggressive investments in mobile and fiber optic networks.

As this administration failed to do its part in investing in urgent digital infrastructure programs of the National Broadband Plan, it will be for the next government to develop this strategically critical pillar of the country’s digital transformation not just to sustain an ecosystem for economic recovery, but most apparent from the raging controversies, a systemic transformation of the country’s governance system.

In Stratbase ADRi president Prof. Dindo Manhit’s recent statement on digital readiness, he said that “in a new digital ecosystem, we need leaders for digital transformation. Champions in both the private and public sector that can inspire innovations that would integrate the disconnect between processes, policies, and even flaws in governance that have been exposed.”

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15 US missionaries kidnapped in Haiti

World

PORT-AU-PRINCE—About 15 American missionaries and family members were kidnapped on Saturday by a gang outside the Haitian capital, a local security source told AFP. The group of between 15 and 17 people, including children, were being held by an armed gang that for months has been engaged in theft and kidnappings in the area between Port-au-Prince and the border with the Dominican Republic, the source said.

The “400 Mawozo” gang has hijacked several vehicles on the roads it controls, kidnapping American citizens and an undetermined number of Haitian citizens.

A spokesman for the US government said it was aware of the reports but declined to provide any information.

“The welfare and safety of US citizens abroad is one of the highest priorities of the Department of State,” the official said.

The missionaries and their families were returning from a visit to an orphanage about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Port-au-Prince, a security source told AFP. AFP

New Japan PM sends iffy gift TOKYO—Japan’s new prime minister on Sunday sent a ritual offering to the controversial Yasukuni shrine that honours the war dead but is seen by neighbouring countries as a symbol of Tokyo’s past militarism.

Fumio Kishida sent the “masakaki” tree offering under his name as prime minister to celebrate the shrine’s biannual festival held in the spring and autumn, a spokeswoman for the shrine told AFP. Two of Kishida’s ministers also offered sacred trees.

Yasukuni honours 2.5 million war dead, mostly Japanese, who have perished since the late 19th century.

But the central Tokyo shrine also honours senior military and political figures convicted of war crimes by an international tribunal.

Earlier this year, three top ministers paid their respects at the shrine on the anniversary of Japan’s World War II surrender.

But a Japanese prime minister has not appeared there since 2013, when Shinzo Abe sparked fury in Beijing and Seoul and earned a rare diplomatic rebuke from close ally the United States. AFP

LEBANON BATTLE. Shiite fighters from Hezbollah and Amal movements take aim with a

Kalashnikov assault rifle and a rocket-propelled grenade launcher amidst clashes in the area of Tayouneh, in the southern suburb of the capital Beirut, on October 14. Gunfire killed several people and wounded dozens at a Beirut rally organised by the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal movements to demand the dismissal of the Beirut blast lead investigator. AFP

As COP looms, Prince William awards Earthshot Prize LONDON—Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson Prince William will bestow his inaugural “Earthshot” environmental prize at a gala ceremony on Sunday, after a buildup marked by royal displeasure at world leaders’ inaction on climate change.

At the televised event—featuring the renowned naturalist David Attenborough and performances by Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and others—five international winners will each receive £1 million ($1.4 million, 1.2 million euros).

William hopes the event will help propel the fight against climate change leading up to the COP26 summit in Scotland, calling

those on the shortlist “innovators, leaders and visionaries”.

“We can’t have more clever speak, clever words but not enough action (at COP26) and that’s why the Earthshot Prize is so important, because we’re trying to create action,” he told the BBC. “I’m hoping the prize will galvanise a lot of people in positions of responsibility to go further, bigger and actually start to deliver.”

Those nominated include an Indian teenager who has designed a solar-powered ironing cart, and Costa Rica, which is pioneering a project to pay people to restore natural ecosystems. AFP

Mecca Grand Mosque ends COVID social distancing M

ECCA—The Grand Mosque in the Muslim holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia operated at full capacity Sunday, with worshippers praying shoulder-to-shoulder for the first time since the coronavirus pandemic began.

Workers removed floor markings that guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque, which is built around the Kaaba, the black cubic structure towards which Muslims around the world pray.

“This is in line with the decision to ease precautionary measures and to allow pilgrims and visitors to the Grand Mosque at full capacity,” reported the official Saudi Press Agency.

Pictures and footage on Sunday morning showed people praying side by side, making straight rows of worshippers that are formations revered in performing Muslim prayers, for the first time since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold last year.

While social distancing measures were lifted, the authorities said visitors must be fully vaccinated against coronavirus and must continue to wear masks on mosque grounds.

Also, the Kaaba remained cordoned off and out of reach.

Saudi Arabia announced in Manila August it will begin accepting Standard vaccinated foreigners wanting TODAY

to make the umrah pilgrimage.

The umrah can be undertaken at any time and usually draws millions from around the globe, as does the annual hajj, which abled-bodied Muslims who have the means must perform at least once in their lifetime.

In July, only around 60,000 inoculated residents were allowed to take part in a vastly scaled down form of the annual hajj.

The Covid-19 pandemic hugely disrupted both Muslim pilgrimages, which are usually key revenue earners for the kingdom that rake in a combined $12 billion annually.

Hosting the pilgrimages is a matter of prestige for Saudi rulers, for whom the custodianship of Islam’s holiest sites is their most powerful source of political legitimacy.

The once-reclusive kingdom began issuing tourist visas permitting foreign visitors to undertake more than just the pilgrimages for the first time in 2019 as part of an ambitious push to revamp its global image and diversify income. AFP

POST AWARD INFORMATION Project Name: Labor and Materials for the Construction of Tarlac State University Building 2 in Isabel Subdivision, San Nicolas Pob., Concepcion, Tarlac.

Approved Budget for the Contract: Php. 50,975,684.00 Period Contract: 240 Calendar Days Name of Winning Bidder: BIG BERTHA CONSTRUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT Address: Chuchi Avenue, San Sebastian, Tarlac City Amount of Contract Awarded: Php.50,943,738.00 Date of Notice of Award: July 26, 2021 Date of Contract: July 29, 2021 Date of Notice To Proceed: July 30, 2021 Date of Acceptance of Notice to Proceed: August 2, 2021 Implementing Office: Office of the Municipal Mayor SGD. ANDRES D. LACSON Municipal Mayor (MS- OCT. 18, 2021)

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PSE okays share sale of Lucio Co’s The Keepers

Stock index likely to stay above 7,000

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange approved the P7.5-billion share sale of The Keepers Holdings Inc., a leading distributor of imported spirits owned by retailer Lucio Co. The Keepers plans to sell up to three billion in primary shares at a price ranging from P2 to P2.50 each.

The Keepers plans to use the net proceeds from the share sale for strategic acquisition opportunities, expansion of product portfolio and distribution channels, investments in distribution and logistics network, working capital and for general corporate purposes.

The offering period will run from November 4 to 10, 2021, with the shares to be listed on the main board of the PSE on November 19, 2021.

The company hired China Bank Capital Corp., PNB Capital Investment Corp. and SB Capital Corp. as joint issue managers, lead underwriters and book runners of the offering.

The follow-on offering aims to increase the company’s public float to 20.94 percent, allowing it to comply with the 10-percent minimum public ownership requirement for listed companies.

The public float of The Keepers fell below the required 10 percent in July after it completed a share swap deal that enabled it to acquire three liquor retailing firms under affiliate Cosco Capital Inc. The deal is part of Co’s move to consolidate his liquor, wine and specialty beverage distribution businesses, namely Montosco Inc., Meritus Prime Distributions Inc. and Premier Wine and Spirits Inc. under The Keepers.

With the transaction, The Keepers is now the largest distributor of imported spirits in the Philippines holding a 74-percent market share by volume.

PH moves up 37 places in terms of strategic trade

By Othel V. Campos THE Philippines jumped 37 places, making it the most improved country in the 2021/2022 Peddling Peril Index of countries implementing strategic trade regulations, according to the Department of Trade and Industry.

The country moved up to 49th spot in 2021 from 86th place in 2020 in the PPI, which is run by the Institute for Science and International Security― a non-profit, non-partisan organization whose main goal is to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons and related technology.

PPI is a comprehensive and in-depth ranking of the effectiveness of strategic export controls by countries. Strategic goods refer to military goods and dual-use goods that may include firearms and weapons, “PPI rates 200 nations based on their strategic trade control adoption and implementation, with the goal of assisting countries in strengthening their systems by examining the degree of their implementation and enforcement, as well as tracking their progress over time,” said Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez.

“The marked improvement in implementing strategic trade control laws is, to a large extent, due to the support extended by the Office of the President through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Deputy Executive Secretary Michael Ong for their able leadership as chair and alternate chair of the National Security Council-Strategic Trade Management Committee,” Lopez said.

Strategic goods are items with civilian and military applications, and many of these goods can be used as materials or parts of weapons of mass destruction. Various countries have enacted strategic trade control laws in compliance with their obligation in numerous treaties and international agreements to prevent the proliferation of WMDs. The Philippines enacted Republic Act No. 10697, also known as the Strategic Trade Management Act, which established NSC-STMCom as the government’s policy-making body on strategic trade matters.

WORLD FOOD DAY. World Food Program country director for the Philippines Brenda Barton talks about how climate change affects food security at the Department of Agriculture’s World Food Day 2021 event. WFP works with the Philippine government to support needed agriculture interventions and innovative climate-related initiatives, including anticipatory actions to mitigate the severe impact of typhoons and other shocks when they do occur. WFP provides cash and other assets to thousands of farming and fishing communities to improve their resilience to climate shocks.

NGCP owner reduces price range for 1-b share offering

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

YNERGY Grid & Development Phils.

Inc., which indirectly owns a majority stake in the National Grid Corporation of the Philippine, reduced the offering price for its planned share sale to a range of P12 to P17 apiece.

Synergy Grid at this price level will raise between P12.6 billion and P17.85 billion from the sale of 1.05 billion common shares, with an oversubscription option for another 101 million shares.

The company previously set the price range at P15 to P25 each.

The Philippine Stock Exchange said on Friday it approved the share sale of

Synergy Grid. The offering period is set from Oct. 26 to Nov. 2, 2021. The shares will be listed on the main board of the PSE on Nov. 10, 2021.

The company will use the net proceeds to subscribe to non-voting preferred shares to be issued by NGCP, subject to applicable laws and regulations.

The sale is expected to increase Synergy Grid’s public float to 22.12 percent, making it compliant with the minimum public ownership requirement for listed companies.

Trading of Synergy Grid shares was suspended on May 30, 2021 after its public float fell to 0.25 percent, following the completion of the share swap deal in exchange for shares in OneTaipan Holdings Inc. and Pacifica21 Holdings Inc. OneTaipan, controlled by Henry Sy Jr., owns the controlling shares in Monte Oro Grid Resources Corp., which holds

30 percent plus one share in NGCP. Pacifica21, controlled by Roberto Coyuito Jr., owns controlling shares in Calaca High Power Corp., which owns 30 percent minus one share in NGCP. NGCP is the sole and exclusive operator of the Philippines’ nationwide transmission network linking power generators and distribution utilities to deliver electricity to end-users across Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao.

Synergy Grid tapped BofA Securities and UBS AG Singapore Branch as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners for the transaction.

BDO Capital and Investments Corp. will serve as sole domestic coordinator, joint domestic lead underwriter and joint bookrunner alongside BPI Capital Corp. and PNB Capital and Investment Corp.

Prior to the trading suspension, the share of Synergy Grid were trading at P395.80.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, October 15, 2021

30.35PTS. 7,213.46

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

1,224,248,459 135,638

TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

10,555,409,845.44 113 84 45

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.6090

Japan

Yen

0.008799

0.4453

UK

Pound

1.367700

69.2179

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128548

6.5057

Switzerland

Franc

1.083189

54.8191

Canada

Dollar

0.808538

40.9193

Singapore

Dollar

0.741620

37.5326

Australia

Dollar

0.741500

37.5266

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653576

134.2948

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266617

13.4932

Brunei

Dollar

0.738880

37.3940

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000071

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030111

1.5239

UAE

Dirham

0.272272

13.7794

Euro

Euro

1.160100

58.7115

Korea

Won

0.000846

0.0428

China

Yuan

0.155270

7.8581

India

Rupee

0.013337

0.6750

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.240819

12.1876

New Zealand

Dollar

0.703000

35.5781

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035728

1.8082 Source: BSP

Manila

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INTRAMUROS BRIDGE. Newly-installed Public Works Secretary Roger Mercdo (second from left), assisted by Undersecretary Emil Sadain (fourth from left), inspects the Binondo Intramuros Bridge Project. China Road and Bridge Corp., the contractor of the project, accomplished about 82.75 percent of the construction works in line with the target to finish the project early next year.

DPWH vows to speed up delivery of right-of-way to NLEX road link

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) said it is accelerating the delivery of right-of-way for the NLEX Connector Project to ensure the completion of the expressway by the first quarter of next year.

“This new expressway will greatly benefit the public. We will continue our efforts to deliver the right of way needed for the NLEX Connector as we target to complete this in the first quarter of next year,” Roger Mercado, the newly installed acting secretary of the DPWH said.

A public-private partnership project between Metro Pacific Tollways led-NLEX Corp. and the DPWH, the NLEX Connector is an 8-kilometer elevated expressway aimed at alleviating traffic congestion and improving mobility within Metro Manila.

Participating in the government’s “Build Build Build” program, NLEX has allotted P23 billion for this massive infrastructure investment.

The first 5-kilometer section of the expressway, which is now halfway complete, traverses Caloocan Interchange in C3/5th Avenue to España Boulevard in Sampaloc, Manila.

The next three-kilometer section which spans from España Interchange up to the vicinity of the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in Sta. Mesa, Manila will start construction within the year.

Once completed, the NLEX Connector will have four toll plazas and interchanges in C3 and España. It is expected to serve 35,000 motorists daily and provide better access to Manila ports and airports such as NAIA and Clark.

This will also enable faster transport of goods and services between Metro Manila and Luzon provinces.

The operator of North Luzon Expressway and Subic Clark Tarlac Expressway earlier said net profit amounted to P2.7 billion from January to June, up 62 percent from P1.64 billion in the same period last year.

SHARES prices are expected to stay above the 7,000-point level this year as investors turn more optimistic on prospects of further economic reopening with the decline in COVID-19 infections.

Analysts said the recent move by the government to ease restrictions in Metro Manila would lift investor confidence as more businesses were allowed to operate at a higher capacity.

The positive sentiments on third-quarter earnings results and hints of improvement on job data could also boost market sentiments.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas said the market was gaining momentum as it broke above the 7,150 resistance level. “Should this condition persist, it might try the 7,400 levels in the near-term. Failure to sustain itself above the 7,150 levels could prompt some profit taking,” Ravelas said.

The PSEi rose 4.4 percent last week to close at P7.213.46 as the government eased mobility restrictions for the National Capital Region. Jenniffer B. Austria

Taft’s hydro plant to start operations TAFT Hydro Energy Corp. said over the weekend the commissioning and operation of its 16-megawatt hydropower project in Eastern Samar will begin by the end of the year.

THEC is the holder of a hydro service contract from the Department of Energy for a hydro resource in Barangay San Rafael in the town of Taft.

Benjie Picardo, THEC president, said the project was more than 98-percent completed and would be ready by the end of the year to provide power in time for the holiday peak demand season.

He said the schedule would be “a record breaker in terms of its construction period of only about 18 months.”

Picardo said the project would provide power to the island of Samar which is part of the country’s tuna highway. Lack of power has constrained investments in cold storage facilities for tuna fishermen to maximize the potential of the tuna industry. Alena Mae S. Flores

Tobacco smugglers cash in on pandemic TOBACCO smugglers all over the world took advantage of the COVID-19 pandemic to push cheap and inferior products to consumers suffering from diminished income.

Speaking during a webinar on “AntiIllicit Trade and Getting to Net Zero: Sustainable Strategies to Stamp out Illegal Trade of Tobacco Product,” Japan Tobacco International senior global director for anti-illegal trade Ian Monteith said smugglers were taking advantage of increased unemployment and reduced disposable income.

“So, COVID has not prevented criminals from profiting. Rather, the pandemic has put pressure on consumers’ purchasing power and pushed them to turn to illegal products,” he said during the virtual seminar.

He said organized criminals were highly adaptable, creative, exploiting public anxiety and enriching themselves not just from tobacco, but other products such as PPE and alcohol. Even counterfeit COVID vaccines were identified in Asia.

Monteith said a JTI report noted that across the 30 European countries including EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland, 34.2 billion cigarettes smoked in 2020 were illegal, representing 7.8 per cent of total cigarette consumption in the EU. Tax loss for said governments is estimated to be 8.5 billion euros annually or nearly P500 billion.

BENGUET CORPORATION 7th Flr. Universal–Re Building 106 Paseo de Roxas, 1226 Makati City ANNOUNCEMENT Notice is hereby given that the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of Benguet Corporation will be held on Wednesday, November 10, 2021 at 3 o’clock p.m. at the Company’s Board Room, 7th Floor Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, 1226 Makati City, Philippines.

The Company will not hold a physical meeting, but will conduct the ASM virtually via online/remote communications.

The agenda of the meeting provides, among others: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

For election of the Board of Directors; Approval of Minutes of the annual stockholders’ meeting held on November 11, 2020; Approval of Management Report and Audited Financial Statements for 2020; Approval of the retention of Mr. Bernardo M. Villegas as Independent Director; Approval of re-appointment of Sycip Gorres Velayo and Company (SGV) as the Company’s independent external auditor; Approval of grant of stock option awards to directors, officers, employees and consultants of the Company and its subsidiaries; Ratification of all acts, contracts, resolutions and proceedings made and entered into by Management and/or the Board of Directors during the period from November 11, 2020 until the date of the 2021 Annual Stockholders’ meeting; Such other matters as may properly come before the meeting and which are not known to management beforehand at a reasonable time, including to adjourn the meeting for up to ninety (90) days from November 10, 2021 if the election of directors is enjoined as of the meeting date.

Stockholders intending to participate in the meeting via remote communication and exercise their right to vote in absentia should first register and be authorized. Stockholders should notify the Company on or before November 3, 2021 by email to ASMregister@benguetcorp.com by attaching a scanned copy of a valid government-issued identification card (ID) for registration and verification purposes. Indirect stockholders should include in their email their broker’s certification of shareholding. Stockholders who cannot attend by remote communication can still be represented and vote at the meeting by submitting a proxy. A copy of the proxy form containing instruction on each item on the Agenda that requires stockholders vote is downloadable in the Company’s website www.benguetcorp.com.

The Information Statement (SEC Form 20-IS) with the Management Report and other pertinent documents, the Annual Report 2020 (SEC Form 17-A), and the 2021 Second Quarter Report (SEC Form 17Q) as filed with the SEC and PSE are available for downloading at the Company’s website www.benguetcorp.com and in the online system of PSE Edge Portal https://edge.pse.com.ph.

By authority of the Board of Directors (Sgd.) HERMOGENE H. REAL Corporate Secretary (MS-OCT. 16 & 18, 2021)

Sports

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

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MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Keon: PH sports needs sustained program

By Lito Cinco FORMER Gintong Alay head honcho Mike Keon certainly had a lot to say about the state of Philippine sports today.

Presently the Mayor of Laoag City and gunning for a second term next year, the 67-year-old Keon has retained his passion for sports, being a former track runner himself. He admitted though that the current pandemic has really stopped him from revitalizing sports in the city upon his assumption of office in 2019.

Outside of his Gintong Alay achievements and his role in the country’s winning the overall championship in the 2005 South East Asian Games when he served as training director, Keon also had the Ilocos Norte completely dominating the Ilocos Region Athletic Association from 2000 to 2010.

Fast forward to the present, Keon expressed his elation at the way the Philippines performed in the last Tokyo Olympics, highlighted

by Hidilyn Diaz’s gold-medal win, the boxing’s haul of 2 silvers and a bronze medal, and even EJ Obiena in the field event, even as he was not able to deliver a medal.

“That was certainly our greatest performance in the Olympics and I give credit to the government for helping make that happen. But looking forward, I still believe what the country needs is a long-term sports program, consistent and sustained, with specific training sites and long-termed coaches with specific goals. The program should be beyond politics that whoever sits at the top in sports, the program remains inviolable, “ explained Keon.

Continuing his analysis, “there has to be a good foundation in sports and you build on that, we have the local talents I believe, it is a matter of training them systematically and continuously. Unfortunately, because sports here is riddled with politics, and it is whim, you know not what you know that matters, we just go around in circles,” added Keon.

For him, that is the magic formula for success in sports, though he says it is a no brainer to come up with the solution to the country’s sports problem.

“The problem really is and remains to be is politics,” said Keon.

TNT’s Brian Heruela is challenged by SMB’s Arwind Santos and Terrence Romeo in a PBA Philippine Cup semifinal game won by the Tropang Giga, 97-79, to advance to the finals.

TNT mauls SMB, barges into finals

By Peter Atencio

A

COMPLETE and healthy TNT team unleashed its full might on the San Miguel Beermen on Sunday to hammer out a 97-79 win that catapulted the Tropang Giga to the finals of the PBA Philippine Cup. This time, it was RR Pogoy’s turn to step up, delivering 27 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds for the Tropang Giga in the deciding Game 7 of their semifinal series with the Beermen at the DHVSU Gym in Bacolor, Pampanga.

The win also set up an interesting best-of-seven championship showdown between the Manny V. Pangilinan franchise against Ramon S. Ang’s Magnolia Hotshots.

Pogoy got ample scoring support from Michael

Williams, who sizzled with 20 points, as the duo led the Tropang Giga to their seventh appearance in the finals since 2003.

Both Pogoy and Williams picked up the pace for the Tropang Giga midway in the third period, with the latter’s triple in the last 1:12 putting TNT ahead by 13, 64-51.

The 6’2” Pogoy then joined hands with Poy Erram in the last period, as they led the Tropang Giga to a comfortable 24-point edge, 95-71.

Troy Rosario tallied 12 points

and 12 rebounds for the Tropang Giga.

“Although they (Tropang Giga) played well, there’s still this mountain ahead to climb,” said TNT coach Chot Reyes, referring to the Magnolia Hotshots in the finals.

JuneMar Fajardo topscored with 22 points and 16 rebounds for the Beermen, while Chris Ross and CJ Perez added 11 apiece.

The Hotshots made it first to the title series when they eased out the second seed Meralco Bolts, 93-85, last Friday.

Magnolia won its semifinal matchup with the Bolts at 4-2.

Ian Sangalang had game-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Hotshots, who are in the Philippine Cup finals for the third time in the last four seasons.

Ravena less than stellar, but Lakestars still win THE Shiga Lakestars swept their week weekend matches against Kyoto even with a toned-down version of Kiefer Ravena in the 2021-22 Japan B.League on Sunday.

Ravena struck with only six points for the Lakestars, when they turned back the Kyoto Hannaryz, 95-72, over in Kyoto on Sunday.

Kiefer Ravena

But Ravena’s two freebies came in handy during a pivotal 8-0 run, which shattered a 48-all deadlock as it moved the Lakestars out of trouble, 56-48, with 5:08 left in the third.

Sean Omara went on to finish with a gamehigh 22 points for the Lakestars, who improved to 5-1 in the West District standings.

The Lakestars now share the lead with the Bobby Ray Parks-led Hirsohima Dragonfly and the Shimano Susanoo Magic.

On Saturday, Shiga escaped Kyoto with an 84-83 win, with Hannaryz import and former NorthPort guest player Justin Harper getting stopped by Ovie Soko at the buzzer.

This made up for two missed freebies from Ravena in the last 11 seconds.

The former NLEX player scored 6 points, hauled one board and earned two steals in that Saturday win by the Lakestars.

Novar Gadson’s big layup gave Shiga an 84-81 lead with 20 ticks to go.

The Lakestars got a scare when Harper connected with two free throws with 13.5 ticks left as Kyoto Hannaryz came to within one, with Ravena failing to pad their lead with two missed freebies en the ensuing play.

Good thing Soko preserved the win by stopping Harper from scoring at the buzzer.

Peter Atencio

Invictus ranks 4th place worth $2.4M in The International 10 INVICTUS Gaming took fourth in the final standings to claim $2.401-million in the ongoing The International 10 DOTA 2 Championships.

The group of Shanghai-based pro gamers, led by Jin Zhiyi and Zhou Yi, had one of their best performances since placing third in the i-League 2021 Season 2 last month.

IG placed ahead of Virtus.pro and Vici Gaming, which shared fifth and sixth spots, respectively and got $1,400,600 apiece.

Invictus missed a chance to make it to the upper bracket finals of the main event when it took a 0-2 setback to Team Secret.

Team Secret is in an ongoing battle for third place with Team Spirit, with the winner heading into a championship showdown with PSG.LGD. Meanwhile, Tiny the Stone Giant stood in the way of T1’s final stand in the tournament.

In their match, main player Yang “poyoyo” Shaohan’s Tiny showed the way for Vici Gaming with nine kills, a death, and seven assists as they held off T1 in Game 3 for a 2-1 victory.

This allowed Vici to move up from the lower bracket’s third-round clash on Saturday evening at the National Arena in Bucharest Romania.

Only Karl Baldovino (Batrider) managed to hold his ground on behalf of T1, before he left the session with five kills, two assists and six deaths.

Carlo “Kuku” Palad (Magnus) tried to provide leadership, but he had trouble looking for the the right timing with his Reverse Polarity ability. Peter Atencio

COCOLIFE Tigers ready to rumble in new league THE powerhouse Davao Occidental COCOLIFE Tigers aim to add another laurel in its winning tradition when they take part in the newly established Filipino Basketball League or FILBASKET. The reigning Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League national champion Tigers, along with other teams in the amateur and commercial cage leagues in the country will plunge into action when FILBASKET finally fires off on October 20 via a bubble setup at the Taal Country Club, Laurel, Batangas.

The Tigers’ deputy team manager

Ray Alao revealed the final composition of the squad, composed of pioneer veterans Bonbon Custodio, BillyRay Robles, Emman Calo, Joseph Terso, Marco Balagtas, Robby Celis, and Jerwin Gaco beefed up

by Alwin Alday, Gab Dagangan, Chris Lalata, Irven Palencia, Allan Santos and certified gunners Paulo Habalde and John Wilson.

Acknowledged team leader Mark Yee will skip the league’s first conference due to his commitment in representing the country in an international 3x3 cage competition.

The hungry Tigers, who are rar-

ing to face familiar rivals in a new battlefield, are determined to win another title for the team, owned

by Davao Occidental Governor Claude Bautista and Dumper Party List Congresswoman Claudine Bautista, supported by COCOLIFE president Atty. Jose Martin Loon, SVP Joseph Ronquillo, VP Rowena Asnan and EVP Joie Franz Araque.

“We are slowly getting back to near normal. We thank the IATF for giving opportunity to players to bounce back after a long lull due to the pandemic. Hear the Tigers roar

once more,” said team manager Dinko Bautista.

COCOLIFE SVP Ronquillo is optimistic of the team’s determination in its quest for excellence.

“Definitely, the Davao Occidental COCOLIFE Tigers will continue their reputation in this new league, the FILBASKET,” Ronquillo said.

Head coach Matt Makalintal will call the shots for the champion team from Mindanao, to be assisted by coach Manu Iñigo and scouting coach Jose Presbiterio.

Bhong Baribar heads the team’s basketball operations.

Members of the Davao Occidental COCOLIFE Tigers are shown here.

Easy Shopping Easy and full of perks: Convenience of online shopping Special Feature

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

By Rommel Bong R. Fuertes Jr.

1

0.10 HAS arrived. And after this, 11.11. Excited?

With the rise of online shopping comes the numerous advantages it brings. With ShopSM, Shopee, Globe Shop & Pay, Lazada and Zalora being accessible, having something you like is as easy as one, two, three.

The best part about online shopping is not just its remote accessibility, but also the many sales and perks of it all.

But first, it’s essential to find out the many conveniences of online commerce, one of which is the wide range of ways to pay for your desired items.

When it comes to these commercial applications, one can either pay for their parcels via cash or the much more suitable ShopeePay for Shopee or LazWallet for Lazada. While the conventional “Cash on Delivery” is the norm pre-Pandemic, netizens are now keen on paying via e-commerce or online cash (with apps like GCash or Paymaya).

Evidently, Shopee released another alternative payment that gives buyers a sense of convenience with a more affordable approach.

SPayLater is a payment method that lets you buy now, and pay later in intervals. It almost serves as an online home credit purchase.

There are also multiple installment rates with SPayLater. Just when you thought you had an online wallet, apparently the e-commerce line of convenience also spans out with you having an online credit card. The best part about the said payment method is the easy application and fast approval.

An underlining feature these online apps have is their ability to show you items that cater to you based on items you scrolled prior. These are often titled “preferred” items in Shopee and other online shopping platforms.

You don’t have to look long and hard for items that fit your budget. These apps automatically give you a cheaper option of the item you’ve been eye-ing, thanks to the apps’ algorithms. Without netizens realizing it, Shopee and other online shopping platforms give convenience in item preferences.

With these sales happening every month, buyers can easily check their desired items, save them in their wish lists and check out when that particular date arrives.

However, there are more to these apps than the occasional 9.9’s, 10.10’s, 11.11’s. For sure, most people have probably come across the term “coins” in these platforms as well.

The idea is, the more you buy, the more you’re given coins or “cashback” to give you more budget on your next buy.

It quite literally lives up to its name, as these “coins” are indeed like coins you find in your pocket. You may not know it’s there, but it will surely help you with your future purchases.

Another app that brings easy access and convenience is SM Malls Online, an app developed by SM that offers free shipping for orders amounting to 500 pesos or more. While the app functions like the usual e-commerce platform, SM Malls Online administers the same sales happening on physical branches to the app.

The future is digital, so they say.

Scrolling through these apps almost feels like a normal day outside, except it’s in the palm of your hands, and all you need to do is scan, scroll, checkout, and have your items delivered to you.

Quick and easy.

Now that’s convenience.

C1

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

C2

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Entertainment

‘DAPAT ALAM MO!’

News magazine show introduces Emil Sumangil, Patricia Tumulak, Kim Atienza as anchors TODAY is the premiere telecast of Dapat Alam Mo! on GTV. The program, airing today at 5:30 p.m., is a news magazine show hosted by Emil Sumangil, Patricia Tumulak, and Kim Atienza.

One of GMA News’ most senior reporters, Sumangil brings with him two decades of broadcast journalism experience. He is considered a veteran of the police beat covering exclusive after exclusive of the biggest headlines of the day.

Having been at the forefront many times, his reports from the field have been providing viewers a closer look at the news by immersing in the conflict

F

RESH from its top trending opening salvo, drama anthology Stories from the Heart brings another interesting story that explores the intricate facets of love and relationships.

Titled “Never Say Goodbye,” the afternoon drama that premieres today stars Jak Roberto, Klea Pineda, and Lauren Young.

“It’s trying to dramatize the kind of love that is pure,” series director Paul Sta. Ana told Manila Standard Entertainment in an interview.

“It’s the kind of love story that gives us hope and tells us never to give up. It’s very dramatic and very deep. It features the kind of love we would all aspire for,” he added.

For Des Severino, the series’ creative head, “Never Say Goodbye” tackles the theme of infidelity but is presented in a way suitable for afternoon viewing.

“It has a controversial topic.

It kind of deals with the morality of loving someone who is already married.

It muddles a lot of things because of the consequences and dilemmas the main characters are in,” Severino said.

The story follows Joyce (Pineda) and Bruce (Roberto) who have dreams for their life together.

Both nurses, their goal is to be able to work abroad and save up for their future.

But an unfortunate incident leads Bruce to leave earlier, while Joyce has to stay behind.

As can be expected, the distance between them tests their relationship.

Joyce has found a new job that she enjoys and tells Bruce that she no longer wants to follow him there. The two of them part ways and Bruce, heartbroken and

DIGITAL MEDIA LEADING mobile services provider Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) is offering the innovative and elegant iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13, and iPhone 13 mini with Signature Plans for a worry-free postpaid experience on the country's fastest 5G network.

Redesigned inside and out, iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max introduce the most advanced pro camera system ever on iPhone, Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion, improved battery life, the Apple-designed A15 Bionic chip with 5-core GPU, while the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature the most advanced dual-camera system ever in iPhone and the powerhouse A15 Bionic chip in a sleek and durable design.

Customers can now pre-order the iPhone 13 lineup with availability on Oct. 22. For complete pricing and Sheryn Regis is set to stage her first-ever digital concert.

and plight of the personalities and regular people he covers.

“Ever since I started in the industry, nais ko nang ipadama sa taumbayan na ang paghahatid ng balita ay hindi lang para sa impormasyon, kundi para maghatid din ng serbisyo publiko,” said Emil.

Meanwhile, already a familiar face on television, Tumulak embraces a new chapter in her career as one of Dapat Alam Mo! hosts. She joins Sumangil in giving viewers light, feel-good features that are sure to inspire and entertain.

“As soon as I got the call, I cried a bucket of tears. I went straight to my parents and told them the great news.

Words cannot express how grateful I am for the opportunity,” Tumulak reveals.

A talent of GMA Artist Center, Tumulak recently renewed her contract as a Kapuso at the recently concluded Signed for Stardom event. She won the title of Miss Philippines Fire in the Miss Philippines Earth in 2009 and was one of the top 15 finalists of the Binibining Pilipinas pageant in 2011.

In 2015, she earned the moniker “HBD Girl” when she joined the longest-running noontime variety show Eat Bulaga. She also appeared in other shows such as 24 Oras, Wowowin, Magkaagaw, Super Ma’am, and Contessa.

'Dapat Alam Mo!' anchors (from left) Emil Sumangil, Kim Atienza, and Patricia Tumulak.

Completing the fresh team-up of Dapat Alam Mo! is versatile host, triathlete, wellness and biodiversity advocate, and Kuya ng Bayan, Kim Atienza. In the show, he shares various trivia and knowledge with viewers.

Atienza sees Dapat Alam Mo! as something he can really enjoy. “I look forward to years and years of fun and purpose and public service. This is not work,

A heartbreaking tale of the sweetest goodbye VERY WANG NICKIE WANG

'Never Say Goodbye' aims to answer the question 'Can the possibility of death reignite a lost love?'

alone in a foreign country, meets Victoria (Young) who offers to marry him for a green card.

It is only years later at a friend’s funeral when the two of them meet again. Joyce has just found out that she has breast cancer; and Bruce, despite being already married, feels sorry for her and wants to help her through her ordeal.

But feelings that come back are feelings that never really left. And what was once a great love story is now an emotionally illicit affair.

Best-ever lineup of iPhone available in PH

The next-generation iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini feature a beautiful design with sleek flat edges in five gorgeous new colors.

The drama-anthology also features Snooky Serna, Shermaine Santiago, Max Eigenmann, Kim Rodriguez, Art Acuna, Phytos Ramirez, Luke Conde, and Herlene Budol.

“Never Say Goodbye” is under the supervision of GMA Entertainment Group headed by SVP for Entertainment Group Lilybeth G. Rasonable, FVP for Drama Redgie A. Magno, SAVP for Drama Cheryl Ching-Sy, Program Manager Dennis Joi K. Bentulan, and Executive Producer Ofel Villanera.

Stories from the Heart: Never Say Goodbye airs weekdays after Nagbabagang Luha on GMA Afternoon Prime. availability details, please visit https:// smart.com.ph/Postpaid/signature.

“We are thrilled to finally offer the iPhone 13 to our subscribers, who can make the most of its most advanced features powered by Smart, the fastest 5G network in the Philippines. With this powerful lineup, we hope more users will finally upgrade to 5G and enjoy next-level speeds to achieve more in their careers and passions,” said Jane J. Basas, SVP and Head of Consumer Wireless Business at Smart.

Featuring an advanced 5G experience with more 5G bands, the iPhone 13 lineup works in more places on 5G for greater coverage and performance.

Available in four stunning finishes — graphite, gold, silver, and the all-new sierra blue — iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max, introduce an all-new Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion featuring an adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz, making the touch experience even faster and more responsive. Read full story on manilastandard.net

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO CURRENTLY streaming on ktx.ph is I Will The Musical, which musical and stage director Rommel Ramilo describes as a musical based on the remarkable events in the life of Doc Willie Ong. “From his lonely childhood leading up to his married life with Dr. Liza, the audience can expect songs which are relatable, message-wise and melodywise. The good doctor was there all throughout the process of song-making, checking on the lyrics, melody, even on the arrangements, making sure that it will be appreciated by our audience,” Ramilo said.

Proof of how inspiring Ong’s life is, the musical features 24 song creations that aim to touch the viewers' hearts.

“Behind the prominent public figure that we see is a complex character that went through a lot, like everyone else,” says director Ramilo.

“He may be from the middle-upper class but he did experience the harsh realities of life early on, putting to test his mental health. His insatiable thirst to help people was also amazing. He has a colorful and interesting story that is why drawing inspiration from his life was easy,” he added.

His favorite anthems, he enumerates: “Our Father’s Love is the first. It speaks of the parallelism between God's love and our earthly father's love. It is such an emotional song and it is Dr. Ong’s favorite.

I can see that it will be so much fun,” he said.

With a career spanning 17 years in the broadcast industry, Atienza is known for the weather updates he creatively presents and various trivia he graciously shares. He also inspires people to lead healthier lives with his love for sports. A known advocate of wildlife preservation, Atienza also uses his influence in spreading awareness on protecting the environment.

A musical triumph

Gerald Santos and Paulina Yeung

Finally, which is a duet between the leads, I just love it because it's so romantic and Chaos which sums up the predominant theme of the whole musical. Our minds are in chaos especially in these very hard times.”

The Philippines’ National Balladeer Gerald Santos has the responsibility to play Dr. Willie Ong. Of the experience, he says playing a living person is new territory for him.

“There lies the difficulty. I tried to act within the boundaries of the actual inputs and personal observations I was getting from Doc Willie. I was very careful not to go beyond what was actually required of the role,” Santos said. Read full story on manilastandard.net

DAVE CHAPPELLE

comedy special raises concerns NETFLIX has been plunged into America's culture wars by a Dave Chappelle comedy special that raises concerns about free speech and censorship but has been slammed by its own employees as transphobic.

In The Closer, boundary-pushing megastar Chappelle responds to critics who have accused him of mocking transgender people in the past by asserting that "gender is a fact" and accusing LGBTQ people of being "too sensitive."

"In our country you can shoot and kill" a Black man, "but you'd better not hurt a gay person's feelings," says the stand-up comic, who is Black.

While the show has been condemned

by LGBTQ groups -- including GLAAD, which cited studies linking stereotypes about minorities to real-world harm -Netflix has so far stood firm, insisting the show will not be taken down.

But the streaming giant finds itself trapped at the center of arguably its most

intense controversy yet.

Chappelle remains hugely popular, at a time when Netflix is competing with rivals such as HBO and Disney in the socalled streaming wars. He commanded a $24 million outlay from Netflix on his latest special, highlighting his appeal to the subscribers on whom the platform depends.

And the affair raises broader questions about acceptable speech—and the role of entertainment giants such as Netflix in policing it.

"Netflix is no longer a little company that mails out DVDs, it's a vast maker of content that last year spent something like $17 billion," said Stephen Galloway, film and media arts dean at California-based Chapman University.

"This is [Netflix's] first really visible test case. And they stuck their flag in the grounds of free speech versus limiting speech," he added. AFP, Read full story on manilastandard.net Dave Chappelle's Netflix special "The Closer" has plunged the streaming giant into Americas' culture wars as the comedian accuses LGBTQ people of being 'too sensitive.'

Bringing love, hope and healing in ‘Love United’ concert POWERFUL vocalist Sheryn Regis is set to stage her first-ever digital concert Love United via ktx.ph, iWantTFC, and TFC IPTV on Oct. 23 (Saturday) with a re-run the next day.

The grand musical event will highlight the Crystal Voice of Asia’s heartwarming performances promoting love, hope, and healing today.

“It’s important to share inspirational songs these days, like, you can give hope and love through a song. So the viewers can receive healing from the

songs that we're going to perform as well,” she said in a MYXclusive interview.

Regis, who made her showbiz comeback this year through her songs “Tulad ng Dati” and “Gusto Ko Nang Bumitaw,” also admitted that it’s a challenge to not be able to connect with her audience eye-to-eye, but promised that the concert experience will still be special, nonetheless.

“I wanted to assure na mafi-feel nila gaano mag-work ang mga puso namin

through our singing, ma-feel -feel nila na nasa harap lang nila kami. Na iba ito from just watching us on TV,” she guaranteed.

"Digitally dadalhin ko kayo sa isang concert stage."

The Kapamilya singer will be sharing the virtual stage with rising and talented artists like viral sensation EZ Mil, Filipino pop-rapper H-BOM, child singing prodigy Kaela Francheska, former “Tawag ng Tanghalan” finalist Froilan Canlas, and the vocal trio of Francis Concepcion, Keifer

Sanchez, and Mackie Empuerto aka the TNT boys.

Love United is presented by ABSCBN Events and produced by MAK Entertainment. Tickets for the concert are now available online for P899/USD 17.99 (regular) and P1,4999/USD 30 (VIP with access to digital after party).

Love United streams at 8:00 p.m.

PhST via ktx.ph, iWantTFC, and TFC IPTV on Oct. 23 (Saturday) with a rerun the next day (Oct. 24) at 10:00 a.m.

PhST.

Life

C3

MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021 Bernadette Lunas, Editor manilastandardlife@gmail.com

FOOD

Bring out the bubbly

NON-ALCOHOLIC.

Mega Global offers Primo Sparkling Juice for people who enjoy the bubbles but not the hangover.

But hold the alcohol

By Bernadette Lunas

O

NE of the elements of parties is the drinks that guests enjoy.

You see, even in virtual gettogethers, people pose in photos with drinks in their hands. And it doesn’t even have to be alcoholic.

Sangria made with Primo Red Grape. More recipes are available at megaglobal.com.ph

For people who enjoy the bubbles but not the hangover, and for parties with kids and nonimbibers, Mega Global offers its beverage line Primo Sparkling Juice.

Launched in 2020, Primo is a non-alcoholic carbonated beverage imported from Spain and available in sparkling white and red grape flavors. It is crafted to be consumed by people of all ages and to “ignite” any occasion.

“We have thought of introducing a partner for all kinds of celebrations and can be consumed by anyone at the party,” said Pia Bernabe, brand manager of Mega Global Corp., at the virtual event that highlighted Primo’s sparkling versatility as the drink of choice in the holiday season.

While good on its own, Mega Global presented easy-to-do recipes that are equally sweet and tangy, with the right amount of fizz to showcase how the sparkling juice can “step up the fun at home”.

For a glass of Señor Primo:

Ingredients: 1/4 glass Primo Sparkling Red Grape Juice 2 tbsp. pomegranate syrup 1/4 glass mango juice tube ice red grapes for garnish fresh mint for garnish Procedure: 1. In a tall glass with ice, pour pomegranate syrup, mango juice, and Primo Sparkling Red Grape Juice. Gently stir.

2. Garnish with red grape and fresh mint leaves. Serve.

Primo Red Grape’s classic drink, Señor Primo.

For a glass of Red Grape Mojito

Ingredients: 1/2 glass 1/2 9 pcs.

1 tbsp.

Primo Sparkling Red Grape lemon, squeeze the juice mint leaves simple syrup crushed ice

Red Grape Mojito, a virgin mojito.

Procedure: 1. In a small glass, crush fresh mint leaves to release its flavor, add lemon juice, simple syrup, and crushed ice.

2. Pour Primo to almost full glass and stir ingredients.

3. Add 2 fresh lime slices and top with fresh mint leaves. Serve.

RECIPE FILES

Blended fare BLENDERS are no longer only for smoothies and other blended beverages, they are now used in the kitchen for other dishes – at least those that are highpowered and of high quality.

Australian appliances brand Breville recently introduced the latest addition to its collection of kitchen equipment, the Fresh and Furious Blender. The blender features one-touch controls, high-grade parts, and functions such as the Kinetix Blade and Bowl-Hugging System which promises fast and even blending, and its Green Smoothie Option.

Breville invited Chef Waya Araos of Gourmet Gypsy Cafe and Gypsy Baguio and Margo Flores of the Coffee Home Brewers Facebook Community, along with other guests to its launch event where they created their recipes using the new blender.

Beet and Feta Dip by Chef Waya Araos

Ingredients: 400g 2 tbsp.

1 tbsp.

1 tsp.

1 head

1 pc.

300g 50g

beets olive oil salt pepper garlic, unpeeled and sliced in half crosswise lemon yogurt feta cheese

Procedure: 1. Peel and slice beets. Sprinkle beets and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Wrap the garlic in foil. Roast beets and garlic in the oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 25-30 minutes until tender.

2. Put garlic (peel first), beets, lemon juice, and yogurt in the blender and puree until smooth.

3. Place in a serving bowl and top with crumbled feta cheese. Serve with pita, toast, crackers, and crudités

Dirty Ube Latte by Margo Flores

Ingredients: For the ube puree: 2 cups ube halaya 1 cup coconut milk 1 cup condensed milk 1 tbsp. ube extract

For the iced dirty ube latte: 1 tbsp. ube halaya 2 tbsp. ube puree 1/4 cup milk of your choice 2 shots espresso 60-80g ice cubes Procedure: 1. Prepare the ube puree: Combine ube halaya, coconut milk, condensed milk, and ube extract by using the puree function of the Breville Fresh and Furious Blender. Set aside.

2. Place the ube halaya in a glass, then pour the prepared ube puree. Add ice, milk, and espresso. Serve.

Benilde Culinary Arts chairperson Chef Margarita Marty

China Plant-Based Foods Association chef ambassador Francois Guissani

Culinary Arts Manila instructor Chef Gelo Guison

Experts to discuss post-pandemic food trends CULINARY experts will tackle next year’s forecast on food trends and different strategies to help established restaurateurs and starting business owners thrive amid the lockdown during the ongoing 2021 Manila Foods and Beverages Expo (MAFBEX) Wired.

The aforementioned discussion is scheduled on Oct. 22. MAFBEX Wired opened on Oct. 6 and runs until Oct. 29.

Slimmer’s World International nutritionist-dietitian and De La SalleCollege of Saint Benilde educator

Marivic Lucasan will list down nutritious food options and plant-based alternatives to foster healthy consumption. Greenpak Philippines business development manager IA Lising will discuss the importance and long-term benefits of eco-friendly food packaging made of 100 percent biodegradable and compostable paper.

China Plant-Based Foods Association chef ambassador Francois Guissani will dive into international cuisine, while Center for Culinary Arts Manila instructor Chef Gelo Guison will present

the various facets of local and homegrown dishes.

MAFBEX features a series of workshops featuring experts, including Benilde Culinary Arts alumna Chef Austin Cale Labago, who will reveal several tips in pasta-making on Oct. 26, and Benilde Culinary Arts chairperson Chef Margarita Marty, who will share her Latin Chicken Rice recipe on Oct. 27.

All lectures, workshops, and seminars are free and open to the public. Register through https://bit.ly/2YHZcrR.

Cake in a few taps: Red Ribbon launches new app IN KEEPING with its goal of providing sweet moments to Filipino celebrations, Red Ribbon is taking its online delivery services a step further with the launch of its very own mobile app.

The new Red Ribbon App allows users to order their favorite Red Ribbon cakes and other pastries on the same day or in advance via delivery or pick-up. Appexclusive offers and deals such as free delivery and discounts await registered app users.

Users can also access the newly launched Red Ribbon ReGALO eGift Cards on the app. The electronic gift cards can be sent to anyone, anytime, anywhere in the Philippines, which they can use to redeem cakes and pastries at any Red Ribbon branch nationwide.

The Red Ribbon App is now available for free download on the Google Play Store and App Store.

Users can opt to sign up and register (more incentives), or order as a guest and browse the menu, place their order, and choose from different cashless payment options. They can also track the status of their orders with push notifications.

The Red Ribbon App allows users to order cakes and pastries for delivery or pick-up, access exclusive deals and offers, and purchase electronic gift cards.

Easy Shopping Special Feature

C4 || MONDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2021

Globe introduces new, immersive way for microtransactions tion safe for everyone.

Coson reiterated that they would regularly disinfect the kiosks to avoid COVID-19 transmissions.

“Our customers can be assured that we observe strict safety protocols and that our kiosks are sanitized regularly for our customers’ protection,” Coson said.

Globe has already put up Shop and Pay kiosks at Ayala Malls Manila Bay and SM Manila. According to officials, more outlets are set to be opened in different locations nationwide soon.

The entire initiative is part of Globe’s commitment to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, specifical-

By Rommel Bong R. Fuertes Jr.

G

LOBE continues to elevate customer experience in the field of digital retail as it recently launched Shop & Pay, a new store concept that combines traditional brick-and-mortar Globe Stores offering a onestop shop for its essential products and services.

The Shop & Pay kiosks were made for consumers to easily avail themselves of Globe’s services with ease. It also lessens physical contact to avoid COVID-19 transmission.

“Many Filipinos are already used to making digital kiosk transactions.

Globe is bringing that experience to the next level through best-in-class, omnichannel retail that makes transactions not only more convenient but also seamless and highly immersive,” Globe Head of Retail Design and Portfolio Growth Michael Coson said in a press release.

Globe’s innovative kiosks cover essential needs. The direct-to-thepoint directions of the kiosks are helpful even to individuals who have little knowledge of microtransactions.

One of the features of Shop & Pay is the Explore Zone, where consumers who are interested in Globe’s handheld phones can find all the information they need.

Following their futuristic theme, once you pick up a demo unit phone, a visual will be shown regarding its features, specs, and how you can avail of it using Globe’s plans.

There is also a specified Shop Zone, where consumers can buy loads, handsets, and broadband plans.

To avail of these products, one can easily scan a displayed QR code via the GCash app.

GCash money running out? Fret not, as these kiosks also have a Pay Zone.

Pay Zone is where you can easily top up your GCash account and cash in. It also caters to bills payments, making it an expendable feature of Shop & Pay. It also dispenses sim cards and prepaid call cards for those who are interested in locking in their cellular phones with Globe.

Customer care is always an integral part of the business. Fortunately, Globe’s new commodity also includes that, without needing a physical workforce. The Care Zone is almost a virtual customer assistant for individuals who come across these kiosks.

Not only does this feature help customers with their curiosity, it also helps consumers maximize their Globe apps’ services.

With a number of people expected to swarm these kiosks the moment they go live, the company is adamant about making the attrac-

ly UN SDG No. 9 which emphasizes the roles of infrastructure and innovation as crucial drivers of economic growth and development. Globe upholds the UN Global Compact Principles and contributes to 10 UN SDGs. “Globe provides today’s life-enabling essentials packaged in a reinvented retail experience centered on customer care and safety. With the pandemic and the growing adoption of digital technologies, we saw a big opportunity to mix online and on-ground retail experience for our customers,” said Bernie Llamzon, Globe EVP for Channel Management.

OCTOBER IS SUPER MONTH AT SM

Check out delicious deals on Booky from Yellow Cab, Wing Zone, Pepe Cubano, and Yogorino.

BOGO Super Deals. Visit Aukey this Super Month and purchase two mobile accessories of the same design for the price of one! This Buy One, Get One promo is available on selected earphones, power banks, adaptors, and cables until October 31, 2021 at all participating SM branches nationwide.

Globe’s #PlantHappinessPH mental health campaign amasses over 168.7 million TikTok views in just a week GLOBE’S #PlantHappinessPH mental health initiative has amassed 168.7 million views on TikTok in just a week, as it spreads hope and happiness to show that #AtinAngSimpleJoys no matter how difficult a situation may be.

The campaign went live last September 27, receiving over 275 video entries from medical frontliners, delivery riders, workfrom-home moms, office workers, and entrepreneurs, to name a few. It brought focus to dancing and planting as hobbies that can help relieve people’s stress and anxiety. Scored by the song “Better Days 2.0” by Quest, the video challenge reminds people that there are better days ahead and everything will be alright.

“We are so happy that in just a short time, we already received an astounding number of video submissions from TikTokers who danced, showed off their plant collections, sang along, documented their COVID vaccination, and showed their other simple joys such as cooking, working out, and taking care of their pets to promote mental health and well-being,” said Yoly Crisanto, Globe Chief Sustainability Officer and SVP for Corporate Communications. #PlantHappinessPH has become the battle cry for hope. The challenge had dance video entries from GMA’s Sanya Lopez, Mark Herras, Rodjun Cruz, Kiray Celis, and Chuckie Dreyfus; VJ Ai dela Cruz from Myx; Mikee Agustin and Joj and Jai Agpangan from ABS-CBN as well as social media personalities including Arianne Bautista, Lennie Enverga, Marlann Flores, Klio Manabat, and Claudine Co. As part of efforts to go the extra mile to provide care for its customers, Globe will give away thousands of free seeds and seedlings to those who joined the challenge. The

company wants to help channel the anxiety being experienced by customers into positive and uplifting activities such as dancing or taking care of plants.

Participants in the Greater Manila Area get Langka and Guyabano seedlings, while those in other locations are allocated Supa and Bignay tree seeds. These were sourced from Globe sustainability partners Philippine Native Tree Enthusiasts and The Mead Foundation. Visit the www.0917lifestyle.com website and check out using the promo code SIMPLEJOYS to get the items for free.

“We are always proactively seeking out ways to bring uplifting experiences and solutions to help our customers have good mental health. Healthy hobbies and the pursuit of simple joys are some ways to stay mentally healthy. We want to remind everyone that they are not alone in the fight against stress and anxiety. Globe fully supports their mental health wellness journey,” said Crisanto.

Based on the Mental Health Atlas 2017 of the World Health Organization (WHO), mental illness is the third most common disability in the Philippines. Around six million Filipinos are estimated to be suffering from depression or anxiety. The Philippines has the third-highest rate of mental health problems in the Western Pacific Region.

As part of the company’s mental health initiatives, Globe has also partnered with the DepEd’s Disaster Risk Reduction Management Service and Bureau of Human Resource and Organizational Development Employee Welfare Division to support the well-being of teachers through TAYO Naman! (Tulong, Alaga, Yakap at Oras para

sa mga Tagapagtaguyod ng Edukasyon), an online Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) program for all education advocates, including teachers, nonteaching personnel, and parents under Globe’s Global Filipino Teachers Program.

In addition, Globe encourages the public to access its “lifelines” such as HOPELINE to receive FREE 24/7 mental health support.

Persons experiencing emotional crisis and who are in need of immediate assistance may contact the hotline through 2919 (toll-free for all Globe and TM subscribers), (02) 804-HOPE (4673), or 0917 558 HOPE (4673). Globe and New Good Feelings (NGF) Mindstrong have also expanded their partnership to include telehealth service integrator HealthNow app where Globe and TM subscribers may quickly call the NGF HOPELINE for FREE anytime they want to talk to someone.

Globe supports the Philippines as it celebrates the National Mental Health Week in the second week of October. The company also joins the observance of World Mental Health Day on October 10.

Globe strongly supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, particularly UN SDG No. 3, which ensures healthy lives and promotes the well-being of all ages. It is also committed to UN SDG No. 13, which underscores the importance of climate action to save lives and livelihoods to address climate emergencies and UN SDG No. 15, which promotes the protection, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems. Globe upholds the UN Global Compact Principles and contributes to 10 UN SDGs. To know more about Globe, visit www. globe.com.ph.

Enjoy a sumptuous Chinese feast with all-you-caneat yumcha (Chinese dumplings) for only P688 at Shanghai Saloon at The Podium this Super Month until October 31, 2021.

Enjoy all day rosé at Nikkei for P795 at The Podium this Super Month.

SM CELEBRATES the birth month of its founder Henry Sy Sr. this October with Super Month, a month-long festivity filled with special treats, amazing deals, and super experiences.

Discover amazing deals on your favorite brands at The SM Store and super shopping and dining deals at the SM Supermalls from October 1-31, 2021.

It’s been 63 years since Mr. Sy opened his first shoe store in October 1958 in downtown Manila, and the retail group where it all started leads the celebrations with its Super 10.10 Sale.

Mark your calendars for The SM Store’s Super Deal of the Day with daily deals from October 19 to 28 on essentials and extras and everything in between. Whether it’s for that much-deserved pampering and glow up, toys and baby’s necessities, your kitchen and home beautification projects, or you simply want to get a head start on Christmas shopping. Get ready to shop ‘til you drop in store, or add to your cart from home with The SM Store’s Shop SM and Call To Deliver.

The celebration continues at the SM Supermalls, with more shopping and dining Super Deals at your favorite SM mall or at home with SM Malls Online.

Enjoy super offers for the whole family at participating stores and with partners Grab, Visa, and Booky throughout the month.

Plus, get a chance to snap up exclusive Super Weekend Deals, including BOGO deals, supersized treats, and SM Malls Online’s much-awaited Super Midnight Flash Sale.

SM also celebrates our tireless Super Riders this Super Month.

It’s time to give back to these everyday heroes who tirelessly deliver everything from essential items such as groceries and medicines to food from our favorite restaurants.

Celebrate Super Month this October and enjoy super deals, super eats, and super treats at SM.

It’s a super deal! Score a new 128GB model of the 13-inch MacBook Air 2017 for up to 10% off at Power Mac Center.