Manila Standard - 2021 November 20 - Saturday

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BONGBONG, SARA TOP 'PAHAYAG' SURVEY, POST OVER 50% LEAD

By Rey E. Requejo IF THE recent independent and noncommissioned survey on preferred presidential and vice presidential candidates would be the basis, the presidential tandem of Ferdinand “'Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio would be the team to beat in next year’s national elections.

In the Pahayag Final List survey, which Publicus Asia Inc. conducted from November 16 to November 18, a day after the substitution deadline, Marcos led across all regional groups with 56.7

EX-SEN. BONGBONG MARCOS

Duterte won’t back Marcos: ‘Weak leader, spoiled brat’

By Vito Barcelo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Friday called presidential aspirant and former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. "a weak leader" and a “spoiled brat” as he ruled out a coalition with his daughter Sara Duterte-Carpio's Lakas-CMD. Duterte said he would not support Marcos in the coming 2022 national elections even though his daughter is running in tandem with him.

"No. I cannot because Marcos is there. I am

percent compared to Leni Robredo's 15.4 percent mark and Manila Mayor Francisco Domagoso Moreno's 6.9 percent.

Behind them are Senators Bong Go, 4.1 percent, Manny Pacquiao, 3.0 percent, and Panfilo Lacson, 2.9 percent.

Marcos held a commanding lead across all regional groups, maintaining

SARA REJOINS HUGPONG AS PARTY CHAIRPERSON NEWS / A3

his widest lead in North Central Luzon at 60.3 percent and Mindanao 70 percent.

The lead was narrowest in the National Capital Region and South Luzon, where Robredo polled above the 20 percent mark. Moreno was at third with seven percent and Go at four percent, consistent with his previous numbers from earlier surveys conducted by Publicus.

Comparatively speaking, Marcos posted a seven percent gain from his previous numbers, polling around 49 percent.

Meanwhile, Robredo dropped by six Next page

DAVAO CITY MAYOR SARA DUTERTE-CARPIO

Comelec: Drug abuse not cause for DQ

By Vito Barcelo, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Elections on Friday said it cannot force candidates in the 2022 national elections to submit to mandatory drug testing as substance abuse is not a ground for disqualification.

The poll body, citing a Supreme Court ruling that struck down its previous order as unconstitutional, made the statement after President Rodrigo Duterte said one of the current presidential bets used cocaine.

Presidential bets have urged Duterte to unmask the alleged drug user and file charges as the Palace assured the public there will be no special treatment for

the candidate mentioned by the chief executive.

“Substance abuse is not among the disqualifications provided for by law. In any case, the Comelec did try to require candidates to submit a negative drug test several elections ago. The move was disapproved by the Supreme Court,” Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said in a Next page statement Friday.

Next page

PRESIDENT RODRIGO DUTERTE

VOL. XXXV • NO. 278 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Quiboloy faces sex trafficking US indicts him for forcing women aged 12-25 yrs to do 'night duty'

By Rey E. Requejo and Vito Barcelo

T

HE spiritual adviser to President Rodrigo Duterte, Apollo Quiboloy, trafficked girls and young women and forced them to have sex with him or face “eternal damnation,” the US Justice Department charged Thursday.

SINAG 2021. The building facade of the Cultural Center of the Philippines is illuminated Thursday evening to mark its 52nd founding anniversary. The light, projection and sound show, Sinag 2021, features two of CCP's archival footage and some visual elements to add texture, volume and movement to an otherwise static element. Danny Pata

PASTOR APOLLO QUIBOLOY

Cash raised for a bogus Californiabased charity was used to recruit victims who would be brought to the United States from the Philippines to work in the church called the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name (KOJC), the department said as it indicted Quiboloy, its founder.

Some would be put to work raising more cash to help fund a lavish lifestyle for Quiboloy, an ally of President Duterte.

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US to China: Stay out of PH exclusive zone PH to reopen soon to vaxxed foreign tourists

By Rey E. Requejo, Vito Barcelo, Maricel V. Cruz, and Macon Ramos-Araneta

Manila’s strong protest against Beijing after Chinese Coast Guard vessels blocked and used water cannons against two Philippine ships on a resupply mission to Ayungin Shoal or Second Thomas Shoal in the West THE United States on Friday backed Philippine Sea.

“The United States stands with our ally, the Philippines, in the face of this escalation that directly threatens regional peace and stability, escalates regional tensions, infringes upon freedom of navigation in Next page

IATF now allows 2,823,210 firms to require face shield use 1,485 23,200

By Joel E. Zurbano

46,698

277

2,753,312

1,393

(As of 4 PM, NOV. 19)

COMMERCIAL establishments and employers have the option to order the mandatory use of face shields amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Malacañang said Friday.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) approved Resolution Next page

BALIKBAYAN FOR THE HOLIDAYS. Returning overseas Filipino workers line up as they present their travel documents, including health declarations, at the desk of the Bureau of Quarantine inside Terminal 1 of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Paranaque City on Friday, November 19, 2021. Danny Pata

By Othel V. Campos, Vito Barcelo and Darwin Amojelar THE Philippines will soon welcome back foreign tourists, the government said Friday, as it prepares a partial re-opening to vaccinated travellers 20 months after closing its borders to contain the coronavirus.

Tourism operators across the country, known for its beaches and dive spots, have been devastated by a plunge in international visitors and restrictions on domestic travel since the start of the pandemic.

The government's COVID-19 task force has "approved in principle" the tourism department's request to permit entry to vaccinated travellers from countries with a low infection rate, Tourism Secretary Berna Puyat said.

Borders will reopen "soon," according to the statement, without providing a date.

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News

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

NCR positivity rate falls to 2%

By Willie Casas

T

HE positivity rate in the National Capital Region decreased to two percent, the first time since the region began its testing for COVID-19, independent monitoring OCTA Research Group said Friday.

OCTA, in its latest report, said this was OCTA said the seven-day average within the 3 percent ideal positivity rate of new cases in NCR decreased to 349 of the United States Centers for Disease from 421.

Control and Prevention(CDC).

Meanwhile, NCR recorded a reproducIt also meets the 5 percent benchmark tion number of 0.48. of the World Health Organization.

The reproduction number refers to the

Quiboloy...

From A1

The 71-year-old, referred to by church members as "The Appointed Son of God,” along with two co-defendants is now charged with sex-trafficking of females aged 12 to 25 years to work as personal assistants, or "pastorals," for Quiboloy, a wide-ranging indictment says.

"The victims prepared Quiboloy’s meals, cleaned his residences, gave him massages and were required to have sex with Quiboloy in what the pastorals called 'night duty,'" the department said in a press release.

"Defendant Quiboloy and other KOJC administrators coerced pastorals into performing 'night duty' -- that is, sex -- with defendant Quiboloy under the threat of physical and verbal abuse and eternal damnation."

The indictment alleges the sex trafficking scheme ran for at least 16 years to 2018.

Victims who complied were rewarded with "good food, luxurious hotel rooms, trips to tourist spots, and yearly cash payments that were based on performance," paid for with money solicited by KOJC workers in the United States, according to the indictment.

The indictment builds on a previous indictment to include a total of nine defendants. Three were arrested in the US on Thursday.

Quiboloy, who maintained large residences in Hawaii, Las Vegas, and a swanky suburb of Los Angeles, is thought to be in Davao City, along with two others named in the charge, the Justice Department said.

The church claims to have accumulated 6 million members in 200 countries since it was founded by Quiboloy in 1985, according to its website Presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles declined to comment on Duterte's "personal relationship" with Quiboloy.

Nograles said he was not aware if the

Bongbong,...

From A1

percent because of lower scores in South Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. She maintained her numbers in NCR and SL. Marcos also recorded the highest votes among respondents unlikely to change their preference, with at least 80 percent maintaining they would definitely not change their choice.

Robredo posted similar numbers, with close to 60 percent of respondents indicating that they are set with their choice and another 18 percent indicating that they will likely not

Comelec:...

From A1

Duterte on Thursday refused to name the presidential aspirant, but alluded that the person is among the top contenders.

"There’s even a presidential candidate who does cocaine... There are candidates who take cocaine. These are rich kids," Duterte said.

The camp of presidential aspirant and former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. on Friday brushed off the President’s claims that a candidate for Chief Executive is a cocaine user.

“We don’t feel alluded to,” Marcos’ spokesperson, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, said in a radio interview, adding that Marcos has the “highest respect” for Duterte.

“We only have the highest respect, and knowledge of the President,” Rodriguez said.

Malacañang on Friday assured the public the unnamed presidential aspirant accused of being a cocaine user would not get any preferential treatment from the government.

In an online press briefing, acting Pres-

IATF...

From A1

149 Thursday, ratifying the recommendation of its technical working group to allow businesses and employers to use their discretion in the wearing of face shields.

In a virtual presser, acting Presidential Spokesperson and Cabinet Secretary

number of people infected by one case. A reproduction number that is below 1 indicates that the transmission of the virus is slowing down.

NCR also has an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 2.46 per 100,000 individuals.

According to OCTA, NCR remains classified as low risk for COVID-19.

Meanwhile, Navotas, Caloocan, Pateros, Marikina, and Valenzuela are classified as very low risk for COVID-19 while the remaining LGUs are classified as low risk.

Navotas recorded an ADAR rate of 0.74, Caloocan with 0.93, Pateros with 1.45, Marikina with 1.64, and Valenzuela

with 1.78.

Muntinlupa recorded an ADAR of 1.46 but has a moderate healthcare utilization rate and an ICU utilization rate of 52 percent and 65 percent, respectively.

“While the NCR and all the LGUs have done well to sustain the downward trend, the goal for the region is to continue to best practices and standards to decrease new cases to less than 50 per day by the end of the year,” OCTA said.

OCTA, however, said its findings and position as reflected in its report do not necessarily reflect the position of the Department of Health and the Inter-Agency Task Force.

After an investigation, it was revealed that the suitcase belonged to Quiboloy. He was not charged in the incident after the church manager pleaded guilty of making a false statement.

Recent developments will not stop their church's mission of evangelizing, which will "go on forever," the statement said.

"People may have tried to silence Pastor Quiboloy, but they cannot put down the Kingdom nation. They will never detract from the mission and the ministry of The Kingdom. It will never stop," it read.

The Department of Justice on Friday said the Philippine government has not received any request from the United States seeking Quiboloy’s extradition on sex trafficking charges.

Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said there is no existing hold departure order against Quiboloy because there is no

pending criminal case against him in Philippine courts for sex trafficking of similar offenses.

Guevarra made the statement following reports that Quiboloy has been indicted by a federal grand jury of sex trafficking together with other members of his religious group.

While no sex trafficking cases has been filed against Quiboloy in the Philippines, there was a complaint for rape filed against him last year in Davao City, Guevarra said, but this case was dismissed and is now on appeal with the DOJ. Guevarra said the complaint that was filed in Davao City and subsequently dismissed also included charges of child abuse, ill-treatment under the Revised Penal Code, trafficking in persons through forced labor, and trafficking in persons through sexual abuse.

The US DOJ, in its official website, said that Quiboloy and two co-defendants — Teresita Tolibas Dandan and Felina Salinas — have been charged “in count one of the superseding indictment, which alleges the sex trafficking conspiracy” and each “charged in at least three of five substantive counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion.”

The indictment specifically mentions five female victims, three of whom were minors when the alleged sex trafficking began, the US DOJ said.

The indictment alleges the sex trafficking scheme started no later than 2002 and continued to at least 2018, during which time Quiboloy and his top administrators caused the victims to engage in commercial sex acts by ordering female victims, including the minor victims, to have sex with defendant Quiboloy on a schedule determined by the church leader and others, including Dandan.

“As part of the alleged scheme, the three defendants told female victims who expressed hesitation at night duty ‘that they had the devil in them and risked eternal damnation,” the indictment said.

Furthermore, Quiboloy would threaten and physically abuse victims who attempted

to leave KOJC or were not available to perform night duty, according to the indictment, which also alleges Quiboloy “would physically abuse victims for communicating with other men or engaging in other behavior that upset him because he considered such conduct adultery and a sin.”

“Victims who managed to escape KOJC suffered retaliation in the form of threats, harassment, and allegations of criminal misconduct,” the indictment said.

Defendant Quiboloy would give sermons, broadcast to KOJC members around the world, in which he would allege that victims who escaped had engaged in criminal conduct and sexually promiscuous activity, and therefore faced eternal damnation, in order to discourage other victims from leaving, retaliate against, and discredit the victims, and conceal the sexual activity between defendant Quiboloy and the victims,” the US DOJ said, quoting from the indictment.

The Palace on Friday distanced itself from Quiboloy.

Acting presidential spokesman Cabinet Secretary Karlo Nograles said the Palace would not intrude into the case against the head of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, the President’s spiritual adviser.

“Quiboloy is a private individual who can legally defend himself,” Nograles said, adding that Duterte will decide if he will keep Quiboloy as his spiritual adviser.

Asked if he thought the indictment puts into question the integrity of Quiboloy as the President’s spiritual adviser, Nograles said, “when it comes to the personal relationships of the President, let’s just wait for him to talk about it.”

Nograles said the government continues to fight human trafficking, especially sex trafficking.

“The DOJ together with the whole Task Force Against Trafficking is in full force.

They are doing everything that should be done,” he added.

Quiboloy, the self-proclaimed "appointed son of God," rose to national prominence in 2016 just as Duterte assumed the presidency. – With AFP

change their preference.

The other candidates polling on or above the three percent mark notched markedly lower "firmness" shares than Marcos and Robredo.

However, the conversion may prove difficult for many who have chosen a particular candidate. Across all candidates, most of those who are not viewed as "firm" in their choice indicated that they are 50-50 at best – rather than inclined to switch, suggesting that conversion may prove difficult moving forward.

In the vice presidential poll, DuterteCarpio was leading with 54 percent over the rest of the field across all regions, incredibly massive in Mindanao,

her bailiwick.

Her lead, however, was narrowest in NCR and SL. Senate President Vicente "Tito" Sotto III was in second place at 10 percent, a sizable drop from his numbers in recent surveys.

The decline in Sotto's numbers placed him in a virtual tie with Sen. Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan and Willie "Doc Willie" Ong – with all three polling close to 10 percent.

At least 42 percent of respondents indicated that they are either “Indifferent to tandems or Prefer Split Tickets."

The majority (around 58 percent) indicated that they would prefer that their

presidential and vice presidential picks belonged to a tandem.

Around 42 percent chose the BBMSARA Uniteam tandem, which is very popular in Mindanao (58 percent) and lowest in SL (30 percent).

The Pahayag Final List is a nationwide purposive sampling survey comprising 1,500 respondents from a market research panel of over 200,000 Filipinos maintained by the Singapore office of a USbased firm Purespectrum.

The sample was restricted to registered voters, and the distribution was guided by parameters based on age, gender, and regional voter population statistics from the Commission on Elections.

idential Spokesperson Karlo Nograles said the Palace would leave the fate of the presidential candidate to the law enforcement agencies.

"Our drug enforcement agencies know their mandate," he said. "It is safe to assume that if there is an investigation, then they’re already doing everything in their power to catch whoever perpetrators and law violators are."

Quizzed about Duterte's source, Nograles said the President may have gotten the information from "intelligence reports."

He also declined to spill more information, saying he would let Duterte use his "wise and sound judgment" on the possible naming of the presidential aspirant accused of taking cocaine.

"Of course, the President has access to many sources, including the intel reports. On naming the said individual, we will leave it to the sound judgment of the President," Nograles said.

He added that Duterte might eventually reveal the identity of the presidential aspirant in his future public engagements. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Duterte... not impressed with him. He’s really a weak leader,” he said in a mix of English and Filipino at a recorded event in which he was asked if there would be an alliance between his group and his daughter’s new adopted party.

Marcos Jr., namesake son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, is DuterteCarpio's running-mate.

"I do not malign anyone, he is really weak because he was a spoiled child, only son. Of course, he can talk, he delivers English articulately because he studied in several places abroad,” Duterte said.

“But if you say there is a crisis, he’s a weak leader and he has baggage,” the President added.

Duterte also said he would only be backing Senator Christopher “Bong” Go. “I do not foist lies, you will be destroyed,” he said. “But watch out, the Philippines might get it wrong.”

Earlier this week, Duterte sought the support of congressmen for the GoDuterte-Carpio tandem for the May 2022 national elections.

Diwa Party-list Rep. Michael Edgar Aglipay, one of the congressmen who attended the supposed “relaxed dinnermeeting” with the President, said about 100 congressmen led by Speaker Allan Velasco were present.

“The President delivered a short speech where he endorsed the Bong Go-Sara Duterte tandem,” Aglipay told reporters.

"Standing order, SBG (Senator Bong Go), Sara for 2022 in his (Duterte's) speech," Aglipay added.

The President is joining the senatorial race in next year's election under the Partido ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS) of which Go is the standard bearer.

Initially, Go filed his certificate of candidacy under the ruling PDP-Laban, but due to a leadership rift, he opted to run under PDDS. It is also for the same reason why Duterte is seeking a Senate seat under PDDS.

Karlo Nograles said the voluntary use of face shields was "without prejudice to employers still requiring their use for their employees or workers and/or customers in their respective premises".

"Employers can require their employees to wear face shields in their work places and private establishments can require their customers to wear face shields. That is within their discretion," Nograles, also the

IATF-EID spokesperson, said.

Meanwhile, Metro Manila mayors will leave the decision of the restriction on children below 12-years old to the IATF. In a resolution, members of the Metro Manila Council, composed of the 17 mayors in the National Capital Region, stated that the IATF was in best position to decide on the mobility restriction on minors 'considering it has the necessary scientific

and empirical data as well as the health, epidemiological, and pediatric experts."

"All the 17 mayors signed this document and recommended the mobility restrictions on minors below 12-years old to the IATF for its evaluation and consideration," said Benjamin Abalos, MMC chief and concurrent chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

United States had filed an extradition request for Quiboloy, but the Philippines would "cooperate if there is one against whoever."

In a statement, the KOJC legal counsel said people behind the case are "the same dissidents who miserably failed in their attempt to bring Pastor Quiboloy into the case in Hawaii."

"We are confident and ready to face whatever is hurled against Pastor Quiboloy and the Kingdom leaders. We trust the process of justice and we certainly expect the truth to prevail, and the Kingdom ministry will continue to prosper," the statement read.

"With the growing ministry and followers of the Kingdom comes also the growing opposition who are trying their best to destroy it and all the Kingdom leaders. While jealousy and evil will never stop, we strongly believe that good always triumphs over evil," it added.

A KOJC church manager in the US was arrested in March 2018 after failing to report more than $300,000 in cash that was in a suitcase aboard a private jet bound for the Philippines a month earlier.

From A1

COVID BRIEFS FDA okays vax mix clinical trial THE Food and Drug Administration has approved the clinical trial on the combination of different COVID-19 vaccine brands for inoculation, an official said Friday.

The FDA approved the study and started screening applicants at its trial site in Marikina, said Rowena Guevara, Department of Science and Technology Undersecretary for Research and Development.

Some 3,000 participants are needed in the clinical trial, Guevara said.

DOH guidelines for booster out

A LIST of immunocompromised conditions eligible for an additional COVID-19 vaccine dose was released by the Department of Health on Friday.

Immunocompromised individuals with the following conditions are eligible for a third dose or a booster jab: autoimmune disease; HIV; cancer/malignancy; transplant patients; undergoing steroid treatment; and patients with poor prognosis/bed-ridden patients.

Some 4.2 million senior citizens and 7 million persons with comorbidities, along with members of their household, have so far been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to DOH data.

Manila rolls out third vax dose

THE Manila Health Department started Friday its inoculation of COVID-19 booster shots of more than 1,200 fullyvaccinated health workers, or the priority group A1, of Manila City Hall in two vaccination sites in the city.

One vaccination site was at the Universidad de Manila and the other at the Aurora Elementary School.

Four vaccines— AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Sinovac—were already approved by the health department as booster shots.

Las Piñas follows suit this weekend THE Las Piñas city government said it will start administering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots for health workers this weekend.

City Health records showed 3,700 health workers belonging are scheduled to receive their booster shots today (Saturday) and tomorrow.

Only those who received their 2nd dose for at least six months are eligible for the shots. Willie Casas and Joel Zurbano

US...

From A1

the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order,” the US Department of State said in a statement released by the US Embassy in the Manila.

Citing the 2016 arbitral award by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in favor of the Philippines, the US emphasized that the PCA “delivered a unanimous and enduring decision firmly rejecting China’s claims to Second Thomas Shoal and to waters determined to be part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”

“China and the Philippines, pursuant to their treaty obligations under the Law of the Sea Convention, are legally bound to comply with this decision. China should not interfere with lawful Philippine activities in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone.”

Malacanang, for its part, said the government will not abandon its Ayungin Shoal outpost in the West Philippine Sea and will continue to assert the country’s sovereignty.

“We will continue to assert our sovereignty and sovereign rights, our jurisdiction over Ayungin Shoal and all other territories within our jurisdiction including our exclusive economic zone (EEZ),” acting presidential spokesman Karlo Nograles said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

PH...

From A1

"Allowing tourists from green countries or territories that have the majority of its population vaccinated and with low infection rate, will greatly help in our recovery efforts," Puyat said.

"This move will likewise aid in bolstering consumer confidence, which is a large contributor to our gross domestic product," she added.

More than 40 countries and territories are currently classified "green" – low risk and exempt from quarantine requirements – including China, Indonesia and Zimbabwe.

Tourism is a major driver of the Southeast Asian country's economy, accounting for nearly 13 percent of gross domestic product in 2019, when it attracted more than eight million visitors, official data show.

That slumped to 5.4 percent last year as tourist arrivals plummeted 82 percent to 1.48 million. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

News IN BRIEF Ping vows cleansing of Agriculture Dept.

UNDER his presidency once elected in the 2022 national elections, Partido Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson will cleanse the Department of Agriculture from top to bottom, to remove the stench of corruption from its anomalies such as the fertilizer scam and other unscrupulous government deals.

In his opening statement at the 47th Philippine Business Conference and Expo Presidentiables’’ Forum, Lacson explained his vision for the country’s agriculture and fisheries sector, including it being “corrupt-free.”

“My cross-cutting policy in this sector will target the anomalous and the unscrupulous as I intend to clean the Department of Agriculture from top to bottom ranks,” he told the forum organized by the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI), the premier business group in the country.

“Under my watch, there must be no stench of corruption in the likes of fertilizer scam, kickbacks from distribution of farm implements, and ‘tong-pats’ (bribes) on imported products, among the many other controversies that have been hampering the progress of our food providers,” the veteran senator said. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Go sees economy as 100-day goal PUTTING the economy on track to return to its pre-pandemic level is the priority of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go in his first 100 days if he wins the presidency in next year’s elections.

Go, who is running under the Partido ng Dugong Dakilang Samahan (PDDS), vowed to pursue a path towards rapid and inclusive economic recovery.

To do so, his administration will open up more sectors, build up the tourism industry, and provide recovery packages to sectors hit hardest by COVID-19 such as agriculture and fisheries and micro, small and medium enterprises.

His administration, Go said, will also provide ten million of the poorest of the poor Filipinos financial assistance and jobs as well as improved access to zero-interest loans.

“The administration will likewise pursue tax reforms that complement the Comprehensive Tax Reforms Programs of the Duterte Administration, continue the infrastructure projects of the Build, Build, Build Program, and initiate inter-island linkages or the mega-bridge program to improve the movement of goods and people across the archipelago,” also added the former presidential aide. Macon Ramos-Araneta

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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Sara rejoins Hugpong as chair too

By Maricel V. Cruz

V

ICE presidential aspirant and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte on Friday rejoined her regional party Hugpong ng Pagbabago (HNP).

Duterte reassumed chairmanship of the HNP after she took her oath earlier Friday.

Last November 11, Sara officially became a member of Lakas-CMD, and was offered the party’s chairmanship, which she accepted Thursday.

In a statement, HNP secretary general and former congressman Anthony Del Rosario said: “We are very grate-

ful for the enormous trust and opportunity afforded by Lakas-CMD to Mayor Sara, whom we describe as one of the country’s best political women leaders of her time.”

“Mayor Sara’s re-appointment as our chairperson became possible as both parties’ Constitution and ByLaws do not prohibit membership and appointment as officer, since

HNP is a regional political party,” del Rosario added.

Del Rosario stressed Sara’s role as concurrent Chairperson of both HNP and Lakas-CMD will further strengthen the alliance between the two parties.

“An alliance that will promote a strong people-centered development throughout Davao Region and the Philippines,” he said.

“On behalf of the officers and members of HNP throughout the Davao region, we welcome back our beloved Mayor Sara. Padayon ta sa paglupad!

(Let’s continue to fly),” he added.

The Lakas-CMD has yet to issue a statement on the matter as of press time.

Marcos Jr. bid most contested in recent poll history—Jimenez

By Rey E. Requejo THE presidential bid of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. is the most legally-contested in recent election history, with five separate cases seeking to bar him from entering the 2022 presidential race, Commission on Elections spokesman James Jimenez said Friday.

Five petitions are currently before the Comelec to prevent Marcos’ participation in the race: Buenafe, et al vs. Marcos - Petition to cancel certificate of candidacy (COC); Bautista, et al vs. Marcos - Petition to cancel COC (to join Buenafe petition); Tiburcio Marcos vs. Marcos - Petition to cancel COC; Danilo Lihay-Lihay vs. Marcos - Petition to declare as nuisance candidate; and Ilagan, et al vs. Marcos- Petition to disqualify.

Currently, only the Buenafe et al petition has been elevated to the Comelec division level.

Supporters of Marcos Jr. held a protest rally on Thursday morning in front of the Comelec Central Visayas office in Cebu City to denounce the petitions filed against the former senator.

The marchers said they were repre-

senting various groups opposed to the “dirty tactics being utilized by some desperate camps who are afraid that a Marcos presidency will bring out the true potential of the nation.”

Jimenez said the number of cases filed vs Marcos’ candidacy was the most he has seen in recent memory.

“In 2016 we didn’t see this many (cases),” the Comelec spokesperson said, alluding to the string of cases filed against 2016 presidential bet Grace Poe. The group, who identified themselves as members of the “Cebuanos Kontra DQ,” gathered at Plaza Independencia then marched to the Comelec office, where they held a small program and lit red candles to symbolize their resentment.

“The purpose of this gathering is to voice our resistance to the disqualification cases being lodged against BBM. We also wanted a fair hearing by the Comelec and not settle this by technicality. The voice of the sovereign people must not be muted and thwarted,” former Cebu City Councilor Erik Espina said in a statement.

Espina said he hopes that their indignation protest will be replicated in other provinces and cities in time for the Comelec

hearing on Nov. 26.

A petition for the cancellation of Marcos’ certificate of candidacy (CoC) was initially filed on November 2 by the group Kapatid.

Another petition to supplement the first was also filed on November 8, which was followed by a third one from former Bayan Muna Rep. Satur Ocampo and his camp.

However, Marcos’ Chief of Staff, lawyer Vic Rodriguez, branded the petitions as “nuisance and part of cheap political gimmicks from the same group of people who do not want the country to move ahead and get out of the pandemic.”

“They refuse to elevate the level of political discourse, getting stuck to dirty campaigning, character assassination, and mudslinging,” he said.

Rodriguez emphasized that the Comelec has no jurisdiction to review, amend, modify or nullify Decisions of the Court of Appeals.

“Elections are fought and won on Election Day through the ballots, and surveys or voters’ test polls are the gauge of the candidates’ standing and a guide to win the electorate,” he said.

President to announce pick for VP PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte will personally announce his vice-presidential bet for the 2022 elections— which may not be his daughter, Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, Malacañang said Friday.

Acting presidential spokesperson Karlo Nograles made the response when asked if the President will support the VP bid of his daughter, who is running under the Lakas-CMD party.

Duterte-Carpio is the running mate of presidential aspirant and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., the standard bearer of Partido Federal ng Pilipinas.

“The President has a lot of public engagements. Let us give him a chance to speak on these matters,” Nograles said.

The President earlier endorsed the 2022 presidential bid of Senator Christopher “Bong” Go, his long-time aide.

“I am not into politicking. But let me just state for the record and in no uncertain terms that my candidate for president is Bong Go,” Duterte said during a meeting with the task force to end local communist armed conflict in Mindoro.

At the same event, Duterte indicated his dislike for Marcos Jr., calling him “a weak leader” and “spoiled,” being the only son of the late dictator.

“No. I cannot because nand’yan si Marcos. Hindi ako bilib sa kaniya.

(Marcos is there. I don’t believe in him),” said the President, replying to a Mindoro leader’s question if the administration will forge an alliance with the Partido Federal.

The President met with administration lawmakers on Tuesday night, but the Palace has said it was merely an informal, relaxed, and politics-free gathering.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021

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DRIED FISH.

IN BRIEF

Fishermen check on dried fish placed in an open area at Puerto Rivas in Balanga, Bataan.

Balanga is known for its dried smoked (tinapa) salinas or tunsoy fish (Sardinella fimbriata) which sells around P200-P300 per kilo.

Norman Cruz

Forum focuses on BARMM development KABACAN, Cotabato— The United Youth for Peace and Development (UNYPAD) is hosting in a dialogue-series between community citizens and officials of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Dr. Rahib Kudto, UNYPAD said developing and establishing an institution like BARMM should evolve from the “solid foundation” of “strong partnership between the government and the communities of the governed.”

“Establishing a government is never that easy. We need to strengthen its core foundation from the grassroots communities and sustain the ties, the relationship between the government and the communities of the governed,” Kudto said.

Kudto said the UNYPAD with support from The Asia Foundation (TAF) is hosting the dialogue-series between officials and grassroots leaders and residents in November for the BARMM village clusters of Carmen, Mindsayap, Kabacan, Pikit and Aleosan towns. Nash B. Maulana

PHA vows to continue delivering efficient care THE Philippine Heart Association said it will continue to ensure efficient emergency care in hospitals for patients of cardiovascular disease.

During the PHA’s Usapang Puso sa Puso dubed “Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and COVID: A Toxic Mix,” Dr. Luigi Pierre Segundo, communiManila cations committee co-chairperson, Standard said itTODAY is still safe to have oneself checked by a heart doctor whether in a private or government-run hospital despite COVID-19 cases.

He said it is not right to think that hospitals are not ready to treat and admit emergency cases of CVD because they are either fully occupied or a breeding ground for the COVID-19 transmission. Rio N. Araja

Binay: Deploy more vax to areas outside NCR

‘Filipinos should be vigilant about Malampaya deal’

UDENNA Corp.’s acquisition of 90 percent of the Malampaya gas Department of Information and ComBy Joel E. Zurbano project is a cause for concern and munications Technology, those regions Filipinos should be BLACK vigilant about CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW include Ilocos (29.59 percent); CagayORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Friday urged this development. an (27.65 percent); Mimaropa (21.59 In an interview aired on ANC, Atty. the government to send more COVID-19 vaccines outside percent); Bicol (20.91 percent); Eastern Rico Domingo, president of the PhilMetro Manila.

Visayas (25.15 percent); Caraga Reippine Bar Association, said “the Filigion (28.29 percent); and Soccsksarpino people should be vigilant about “The vaccine supply should not be by the national government. gen (21.49 percent). this. It is, as I mentioned, several times concentrated in Metro Manila. Every “This imbalance should be immediOn Thursday night, a shipment of this is of national interest. This is for citizen, including those from the prov- ately resolved in favor of local govern- Pfizer COVID-19 vaccines arrived at the the future generations of Filipinos.” inces, should be vaccinated,” said Binay ment units outside the National Capital Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Domingo also urged the public to in a statement.

Region,” said Binay, who is running for The latest shipment of 609,570 Pfizer “monitor this” as this will eventually Binay said the vaccination rate remains senator in the May 9, 2022 elections. doses is part of the 40 million vaccine have an impact on future generations. low in several regions. He noted that “If we want the country to get back shots the government procured from “And we cannot allow this. We have several local officials have complained on its feet, we need to vaccinate every- the American pharmaceutical firm. to stand up and be counted here,” he that their one, not just a few,” he added.

Office of the Presidential Adviser on said during the interview. request for While almost 90 percent of Metro the Peace Process Assistant Secretary Domingo is representing indimore vac- Manila’s target population is now vac- Wilben Mayor encouraged unvaccividuals who have filed a complaint cines has cinated, the inoculation rate in several nated Filipinos to get COVID-19 jab, before the Ombudsman accusing not been regions remains low. saying this is the best Christmas gift Department of Energy Secretary Alacted upon Based on the recent data from the they can give to their loved ones. fonso Cusi and businessman Dennis Uy of graft over the sale of Chevron’s stake in the Malampaya project to Uy’s Udenna Corp.

Domingo said the controversial sale is bigger than the Pharmally case.

“We’re talking about P138 billion here,” he said, adding that the government would also lose P42 billion outright, because of the sale.

He said the P138 billion figure, is the total loss that the government will incur “during the entire duration of the project.”

Domingo added that this amount could even be used for other government projects such as COVID-19 alleviation.

Reports said Udenna has acquired a 90 percent stake in the Malampaya project by buying the 45 percent stake of Chevron for $565 million, and another 45 percent stake from Shell for $460 million.

Senator Risa Hontiveros meanwhile said she believes it is “very puzzling and alarming” that a single private entity was allowed to acquire almost all of the Philippines’ strategic fossil energy asBELEN LIGHTING. Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte together with the officials of Araneta sets in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).

Group lead the yearly tradition of the “Belen Lighting” ceremony at the Araneta Center in Cubao, With Macon Ramos-Araneta Quezon City. Manny Palmero

F

3colsx28cm

Defensor files bicycle infrastructure bill for Quezon City ANAKALUSUGAN Rep. Michael Defensor has filed a bill seeking to launch an aggressive cycling infrastructure development plan, amid the surge in fuel costs and the swell in the number of working Filipinos using bicycles to avoid public shuttles that could expose them to COVID-19.

“We want the Department of Transportation and the Department of Public Works and Highways to work together in creating a safe and seamless travel environment for bicycle riders,” Defensor said.

Under Defensor’s House Bill 10396, both departments would be mandated to design, construct and/or designate a network of lanes and pathways along primary and secondary roads for the exclusive use of bikers.

The departments would also be compelled to establish parking racks, off-street shelters, service centers as well as specialized traffic signs and signals for use by cyclists.

To safeguard pedestrians, the two agencies would be further required to carry out sidewalk upgrades and bicycle crossing improvements.

Under Defensor’s proposed Bike-Friendly Communities Act, “all public places, government offices, schools, major business establishments, including malls, banks, restaurants, hospitals, and the like,” would be obliged to provide bicycle parking racks.

Bicycle parking facilities “should be secure, visible, accessible, and not in the way of pedestrians or motor vehicles.”

Defensor, meanwhile, vowed to transform Quezon City into “the most bike-friendly city in Metro Manila.”

Biz group: Lift cap on PH nurses bound to Germany

By Othel V. Campos

THE German-Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GPCCI) has renewed calls to reconsider the deployment cap on Filipino health care workers (HCW) to Germany.

“The deployment of Filipino HCWs in Germany is one of the priorities of the German government under the bilateral relations with the Philippines. We understand that the triple win program has been suc(MS-NOV. 20, 2021)

cess, however, we also note that the majority of the health care workers deployed to Germany comes from the private sector deployment,” said German Ambassador to the Philippines Anke Reiffenstuel in a dialogue with the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA).

“While we see other countries are also responding to this growing need for health care workers in Germany, it is important for us to continue the cooperation with the Philippines in order to keep them the top

partner in this sector. Moreover, the German government and the German Embassy are willing and prepared to provide every support that is needed by the qualified HCWs,” he added.

According to the POEA, from January 1, 2021, to November 16, 2021, the Philippine government was able to deploy a total of almost 2,000 nurses bound to Germany - 507 nurses under the triple win project; 1,178 nurses in the private sector; and, 355 under the “balik-manggagawa” program.

Opinion

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

#FreeSallyNow!

SALOME “Sally” Crisostomo-Ujano, a sister in the Philippine feminist movement and a child rights advocate, was arrested by the Philippine National Police (PNP) last Sunday morning.

There is a rebellion case against her, and a warrant of arrest was issued in 2006 for a criminal act she allegedly committed in 2005.

Sally was the Executive Director of the Women’s Crisis Center (WCC), a feminist non-government organization (NGO) that rendered services for victims and survivors of Violence Against Women (VAW). My organization has worked with the WCC for many years from the ‘90s until early 2000s, and consequently, I worked with Sally in our advocacies. Our groups were both members of the feminist coalition Sama-Samang Inisyatiba sa Pagbabago ng Batas at Lipunan or SIBOL.

She was never in hiding.

We were deeply involved in the advocacy for the passage of laws for women one of which was the AntiViolence Against Women and Their Children (Anti-VAWC) Act of 2004.

Because of this, Sally and other leaders of the coalition did a lot of public activities including press conferences.

Anti-VAWC became a law in 2004 or shortly before the alleged rebellion crime was committed by Sally in 2005.

It does not make sense for her to be very publicly visible if indeed, she was a ranking official of the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).

Sally was WCC’s ED until 2007.

From the early 2000s onward, the WCC held offices at the East Avenue Medical Center, a government hospital where they continued providing services to VAW victims/survivors. This is where we would visit the WCC and talk to Sally when we needed assistance for survivors of abuse.

During her tenure with WCC, Sally spearheaded programs in partnership with the PNP in setting up their Women’s and Children’s Protection Unit (WCPU), training the police in handling VAW cases, and in the provision of services to VAW victims/survivors.

According to former WCC staff and those who know, they did this program immediately before, or around 2005 when Sally was accused of committing the crime. It does not make sense for Sally to directly work with the PNP if indeed, she was with the CPP or if she committed any crime.

Sally was also actively involved in activities of the then National Commission on the Role of Filipino Women (NCRFW) now Philippine

EDITORIAL

Commission on Women (PCW). Thus, she has worked with various government agencies including even the PNP. From the WCC, Sally transferred to the Philippines Against Child Trafficking (PACT), an NGO on child rights. She has been serving as its National Coordinator until her arrest last Sunday. Her work with PACT has also been quite public. One cannot coordinate NGO operations if one was not accessible and visible.

Sally’s family said that she did not know that there had been a warrant for her arrest and that they were all very shocked when the police came to get her. The arresting officers were in civilian clothes. Because Sally was out jogging, the police waited for her. She requested to be able to change clothes but even that was rejected by the police.

She was brought to Camp Crame where she continues to be detained.

From the day of her arrest, various organizations that have worked with Sally, as well as feminist leaders who had long work experience with her have issued statements protesting her arrest and attesting to her innocence. The groups call for the charges to be dropped and for her immediate release from police custody. We all know that Sally Crisostomo-Ujano is not a criminal.

During the PNP’s press briefing on her arrest, they alleged that Sally worked with CPP founder Jose Ma. Sison and other ranking CPP leaders, making it appear that she is a “big fish”, that she has EVADED arrest for many years, and that there is a P5 million bounty for her arrest.

The alleged crime was supposed to have been committed in 2005 when Sally was the ED of the WCC that held offices in a government hospital. She may, at that time, be also working with the PNP. All organizations that know WCC knew where they were and how to contact them, including Sally.

Her work with PACT is also very public. She has a Facebook account where a good number of her activities, both personal and official, are posted.

Friends are now posting pictures of Sally in various activities connected with her work. The last time that I personally saw her was also during a public event. She was very easy to find because she was never in hiding. There was no reason for her to be.

The police’s claim that she has evaded arrest since 2006 is not only false, it is absurd.

Those who know Sally know that she is a very soft-spoken, mild-mannered, compassionate person. Her credibility and track record are built on solid work for decades. She has made important contributions to women’s and children’s rights in the country. Now, she is being destroyed by this so-called rebellion case.

I join the many NGOs and feminists calling on the police to immediately drop the charges and release Sally. Stop this injustice! #FreeSallyNow! @bethangsioco on Twitter Elizabeth Angsioco on Facebook

A dose of their own medicine

THERE was a time when protest rallies were the exclusive domain of the Left — until the Oligarch-led Yellows collaborated with them to oust the late Ferdinand Marcos in 1986.

Hence, it’s rather ironic that the supporters of the son of the man whom they forced into exile more than 35 years ago would be resorting to the same form of action to warn them against their insistence to disqualify their presidential bet – Partido Federal ng Pilipinas standard bearer, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. (Even if the petitions for disqualification filed against BBM are seen by legal experts to be groundless.)

The other day, BBM’s supporters held a protest rally in front of the Commission on Election Central Visayas office in Cebu City to denounce the petitions for cancellation of the Certificate of Candidacy raised against the former senator.

This was a day after the second petition for disqualification was filed against Marcos. The first petition was filed last November 2. Both petitions

cite the same ground – failure to file an income tax return.

The marchers said they were representing various groups opposed to the “dirty tactics being utilized by some desperate camps who are afraid that a Marcos presidency will bring out the true potential of the nation.”

The group, who identified themselves

Marcos’ supporters are prepared to protest to defend their candidate. as members of the “Cebuanos Kontra DQ,” gathered at Plaza Independencia then marched to the Comelec office, where they held a small program and lit red candles to symbolize their resentment.

“The purpose of this gathering is to voice our resistance to the disqualification cases being lodged against BBM. We also wanted a fair hearing by the Comelec and not settle this by technicality. The voice of the sovereign people must not be muted and thwarted,” according to former Cebu City Councilor Erik Espina.

Espina said he hopes that their indignation protest will be replicated in other provinces and cities in time for the Comelec hearing on Nov. 26.

Marcos’ Chief of Staff, lawyer Vic

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Children under the new normal

W

E JOIN the country, through the Department of Social Welfare and Development and Juvenile Justice and Welfare Council, in marking from November 21 to 27 the 10th Juvenile Justice and Welfare Consciousness Week.

The celebration, under the theme “Batang Handa at May Alam, Kaisa sa Pagharap sa Bagong Normal,” focuses on the need to increase awareness on the Juvenile Justice Welfare Act and its implementation in the context of the new normal force on the people by the coronavirus pandemic, which has infected and killed adults and children alike.

Republic Act 9344, or the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, defines the Juvenile Justice and Welfare System as a system dealing with children at risk and children in conflict with the law, which provides child-appropriate proceedings, including programs and services for prevention, diversion, rehabilitation as well as

re-integration.

The Juvenile Justice and Welfare Consciousness Week starts tomorrow.

The celebration aims to heighten awareness of stakeholders on the issue of children at risk and children in conflict with the law, and the implementation of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act, engage the participation of children and youth to the lined-up activities, and to generate support for the well-being of children and their families.

The law has institutionalized

the promotion of the well-being of the child and their families, involvement of parents and guardians, promotion of diversion, avoiding deprivation of liberty and protecting the privacy rights of children.

We agree that there is need to increase awareness of the Juvenile Justice and Welfare Act and its implementation in the context of the new normal, and the need to raise public awareness on the issues faced by children at risk and children in conflict with the law.

Given health protocols that must be observed, even with the reduced levels of lockdown in different areas of the country, government agencies and nongovernment organizations must rightly lend a hand in conducting online activities to participate in and conduct their own online activities in line with the themed celebration to promote Juvenile Justice Week.

Why Sara decided the way she did

MANY people cannot understand what President Duterte is talking about. It seems he is mumbling words without understanding anything he is saying.

He said his daughter, Davao City mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio, is ahead of Ferdinand Bongbong (BBM) Marcos, Jr. by 4 percent, she having earned 27 percent of the latest poll survey while BBM only obtained 23 percent.

Seemingly dazed and without logic, Digong suggested that his daughter should not have acceded to the clamor to slide down as vice presidential candidate and reserved for him the position.

The President was furious not because Sara did not reserve a slot for him. Sara’s decision to run for vice president is to avoid seeing her father pitted against her. But as said, nobody can read what’s in the mind of the President.

Now that Digong is running for senator, he might just get the biggest surprise in life by not topping the senatorial race.

This is a strong possibility for it appears Bong Go obtained barely 10 percent in the poll survey from among the six presidential candidates. If Bong Go has a very Rodriguez, branded the petitions as “nuisance and part of cheap political gimmicks from the same group of people who do not want the country to move ahead and get out of the pandemic.”

“They refuse to elevate the level of political discourse, getting stuck to dirty campaigning, character assassination, and mudslinging,” he said.

Rodriguez emphasized that the Comelec has no jurisdiction to review, amend, modify or nullify Decisions of the Court of Appeals.

“Elections are fought and won on Election Day through the ballots, and surveys or voters’ test polls are the gauge of the candidates’ standing and a guide to win the electorate,” he said.

The funny thing is, even election lawyer Emil Marañon, who served as one of the counsels for the presidential candidates these petitioners are supporting – Leni Robredo — says the petitioners made a “fatal mistake” when they combined appeals for Marcos’ disqualification and for the cancellation of his CoC, which are two different remedies.

Marañon explained that according to Comelec rules, a petition to deny due course or to cancel a COC is based on the claim that an aspirant made false statements therein. On the other hand, disqualification covers, among others, individuals “who committed any act declared by law to be grounds for disqualification,” including a crime involving moral turpitude.

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Anita F. Grefal

Baldwin R. Felipe

Edgar M. Valmorida

low rating, his presidential ambition is more of a pipedream, and chances are his senatorial candidates lead by Duterte would have difficulty getting the number one slot. This is not difficult to infer. His decision to be the running mate of Bong Go is the one to pull down his rating.

The President mumbles words without understanding them.

As what happened, it was President Duterte’s decision that Bong Go run for president. The President said he cannot support BBM’s candidacy. Of course, there is no law that will prevent him from running against his own daughter but definitely, the electorate will feel askance seeing the father and the daughter slugging it out for the same position. It is as if the more than 100 million Filipinos ran out of choices for the number two position.

The President then blurted, to quote: “it would have been better if Sara picked Bong Go as her running mate.”

But Sara wanted to avoid displeasure from the voting public. She wanted to free herself from being looked upon as another subaltern.

More than that, Sara, being a lawyer, refuses to be the running mate of Bong Go, knowing that she is more popular than the choice of her father. As one would quip, it is some kind of pre-nuptial arrangement “Combining petitions to deny due course and disqualification in one petition is a ground for summary dismissal,” Marañon, adding that the period to file petitions to deny or cancel a COC already lapsed last Nov. 1.

While I believe what the legal experts say on the disqualification cases against BBM, we expect the attacks against the former senator to intensify in the coming days as no less than President Rodrigo Duterte had joined the fray.

Believing he has the people’s support on his war against insurgency and illegal drugs, he accused BBM of being pro-communist early this week and insinuated he was into cocaine the other day, expecting the people to rally behind him. Unfortunately for him, his pronouncement gained no traction and he ended up short of being a laughingstock.

The moves of BBM’s opponents in fact, have emboldened his supporters to take their form of support to a higher level. From simple motorcades and caravans, they are now organizing their own protest actions, sending a stern warning to everyone who would try to derail their quest for the presidency of their beloved bet through the process mandated by the Constitution.

That is, if their opponents insist on disqualifying him through whatever means, they are prepared to slug it out tooth and nail. Give them a dose of their own medicine.

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

being made by Duterte.

Frankly, the strategy of Digong was to reduce the supporters of BBM by endorsing Bong Go as his candidate for president. The president knows that his subaltern has a very low rating, and by any stretch of one’s imagination, it would take a miracle for the followers of Bong Go to pull down BBM’s followers to prevent his anticipated victory. The psychology of voters is to vote for the next likely winner if his first choice will not make it. This explains why Digong is mad because the BBM-Sara tandem visibly reduced his political clout as political kingmaker.

Rather, the BBM-Sara tandem bolstered the chances of the two to make a clean sweep together with their senatorial candidates lucky enough to stick with them.

Even the FilipinoChinese community, which is known to be astute in selecting their choice of candidates, has their reservation for Bong Go. They believe the senator is not popular enough to vie for the position.

He needs more experience and political maturity. He is now seen as a man in a hurry to be entrusted with the most delicate power to govern. Knowing that, the electorate will not allow anybody to make a monkey of their next president.

It was the President who spoke on several occasions that he hates seeing the oligarchs playing the role of political kingmakers in this country. Now, it seems, he will be the first to violate his own rule. Besides, sensible voters see Bong Go as spineless, something many see as dangerous to be entrusted to a kind of person to make decisions for the state.

Even foreign investors and businessmen are wary of him. China, for instance, wants continuity and stability. They could sense that if Bong Co wins, there will be political backlash because the local “Amboys” will exploit the issue of Sinophobia and racism and that could be pretty dangerous as it could affect China’s multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative. It could also possibly affect our firmness to identify our economic and growth with RCEP which we lately endorsed.

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Small victories in Glasgow

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Managing Editor Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Associate Editors Joyce Pangco Pañares News Editor

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Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

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SATURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘1st Wuhan virus case days later than initially reported’

FISH SAUCE CAPITAL. Fishing boats are pictured at sunrise off the coast of Vietnam’s southern Phu Quoc island on November 19, 2021. AFP

THE first case of COVID-19 identified in Wuhan, China and presented as such by the World Health Organization was actually days later than previously believed and at an animal market, a top scientist said in the journal Science Thursday.

Rather than the original patient being a man who had never been to the Wuhan market where wild and domestic animals were sold, the first known case of COVID-19 turns out to have been a woman who had worked in the market, virologist Michael Worobey wrote.

For Worobey, that key piece of information, and his analysis of other early cases of COVID-19 in the city, clearly tip the scales towards the virus having originated in an animal.

With no definitive evidence, debate has raged among experts since the start

of the pandemic almost two years ago over the origin of the virus.

Worobey was one of the 15 or so experts who in mid-May published a column in Science demanding serious consideration of the thesis that the virus had leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan.

In this latest article, he argued that his research into the origin of the outbreak “provides strong evidence of a live-animal market origin of the pandemic.”

One criticism of the market theory was that because health authorities raised the alert about cases of a suspicious disease linked to the market as early as December 30, 2019, that would have introduced a bias that led to the identification of more cases there than elsewhere, since attention had already been drawn to it. AFP

TO PROTEST RIGHTS ABUSES

US mulls ‘boycott’ of China Olympics

P

resident Joe Biden said Thursday he was considering a US diplomatic boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, in what would be an attempt to show toughness over China’s rights abuses without impacting US athletes.

That is “something we are considering,” Biden told reporters while meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, at the White House. The Beijing Olympics take place next February.

Biden’s comments followed a long-

Austria to impose lockdown, make vax mandatory AUSTRIA will impose a lockdown for all and make vaccinations mandatory, Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg announced on Friday, making the country the first in the EU to take such stringent measures as coronavirus cases spiral.

The Alpine nation plans to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory from February 1 next year, while the lockdown will start from Monday and will be evaluated after 10 days, Schallenberg said.

“Despite months of persuasion, we have not succeeded in convincing enough people to get vaccinated,” Schallenberg told a press conference in the western Tyrol state, where he met regional government heads.

He blamed those refusing to be vaccinated for an “attack on the health system.”

The lockdown means people are no longer allowed to leave their houses with few exceptions such as shopping for essentials and exercising.

At the beginning of this week, Austria already began a lockdown for those not vaccinated or recently cured, becoming the first EU country to do so. AFP

UK moves to ban Hamas as terrorist organization–Patel SHOWING support for Hamas in Britain could be punished with 14 years in prison if the government succeeds in banning the group as a terrorist organisation, the Home Office said Friday.

Home Secretary Priti Patel will push for the change in parliament next week, seeking to bring Britain into line with the United States, which designated Hamas a terror group in 1995, and the European Union.

Patel argued an outright ban under the Terrorism Act 2000 was necessary because it was not possible to distinguish between Hamas’ political and military wing.

The al-Qassam Brigades military wing of the Islamist movement that rules the Gaza Strip has been banned in Britain since March 2001.

“Hamas has significant terrorist capability, including access to extensive and sophisticated weaponry, as well as terrorist facilities,” she tweeted.

“That is why today I have acted to proscribe Hamas in its entirety.”

Patel, who is on a trip to Washington, called Hamas “fundamentally and rabidly anti-Semitic,” adding that proscription was required to protect the Jewish community. AFP

awaited video summit with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping late Monday, during which the two leaders said they wanted to ensure stability and prevent accidental conflicts.

The US president is under pressure at home to speak out on China’s human

rights abuses, especially in the Xinjiang region where the US government says repression of the Uyghur ethnic group qualifies as genocide.

Campaigners say that at least one million Uyghurs and other Turkic-speaking, mostly Muslim minorities have been incarcerated in camps in Xinjiang, where China is also accused of forcibly sterilising women and imposing forced labor.

China’s foreign ministry on Friday brushed off the rights accusations as “inconsistent with the truth and completely groundless,” calling Washington’s claims a “joke in the eyes of Chinese

people.”

“Politicising sports is against the Olympic spirit, and harms the interests of athletes from all countries,” foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular press briefing Friday.

On Tuesday, The Washington Post reported that the Biden administration would soon announce a diplomatic boycott, meaning that while athletes would still compete, government representatives would not be in the stands.

White House officials said that the issue was not raised during the Biden-Xi virtual summit. AFP

THREE AMIGOS.

US President Joe Biden (center), Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right) and Mexico’s President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador arrive for the North American Leaders’ Summit (NALS) in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on November 18, 2021.

AFP

Myanmar arrests ex-lawmaker ‘behind anti-junta attacks’ MYANMAR security forces have arrested a former lawmaker and prominent hip-hop artist accused of masterminding a string of attacks targeting regime forces and officials, the junta said on Friday.

Self-declared civilian “people’s defense forces” have sprung up to fight for democracy since the generals seized power in a February coup, with dissidents targeting officials perceived to be working with the junta.

Maung Kyaw, 40, was arrested from an apartment in the commercial hub Yangon following a “tip-off and cooperation from dutiful citizens,” the junta’s information team said.

The former lawmaker – who also goes by the name Phyo Zeya Thaw – was in possession of two pistols, ammunition and an M-16 rifle, it added.

Maung Kyaw had been accused of orchestrating several attacks on regime forces, including the brazen shooting on a commuter train in Yangon in August that killed five policemen.

A hip-hop pioneer in Myanmar whose subversive rhymes irked the previous junta, he was jailed in 2008 for membership in an illegal organisation and possession of foreign currency.

He was elected to parliament from Aung San Suu Kyi’s National League for

Democracy party in the 2015 elections that ushered in a transition to civilian rule.

The Southeast Asian country has been in turmoil since the coup sparked massive protests and a bloody military crackdown on dissent, which has killed more than 1,200 people according to a local monitoring group.

The junta has stepped up arrests of dissidents in Yangon, which has been rocked by near-daily bomb blasts and shootings.

Earlier this month, a top executive from a major military-backed Myanmar telecoms firm was gunned down outside his home. AFP

Biden seeks closer relations during ‘Three Amigos’ summit US PRESIDENT Joe Biden and the leaders of Canada and Mexico played up their close ties Thursday in the first North American regional summit since 2016, but tensions on trade and immigration lurked in the background.

This was the first so-called “Three Amigos” summit since Biden predecessor Donald Trump’s 2017 arrival in the White House.

Following the game plan he has used with European and Asian allies, Biden is keen to restore normalcy to the three-way partnership among the nations that form the USMCA freetrade bloc.

“We can meet all the challenges if we just take the time to speak with one another, by working together,” Biden said, while Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau noted the three countries’ “extremely strong ties.”

After the meeting, the leaders committed to hold a follow-on summit next year in Mexico.

Earlier, in a one-on-one meeting with Trudeau, Biden said US-Canada ties are “one of the easiest relationships that we have.”

And Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, in a separate bilateral meeting, hailed Biden’s approach, saying “our relations must always be based on respect.”

Lopez Obrador said he was grateful that Mexico is no longer “seen as the backyard of the United States.”

In addition to feuding publicly with Trudeau, Trump threatened to abandon the free-trade agreement and imposed tariffs on Canadian aluminum and steel.

He also declared a national emergency on the Mexican border and used incendiary language about illegal immigrants, although he ultimately forged a working partnership with Lopez Obrador.

But while the tempestuous Trump presidency is over, issues he stirred have not gone away. AFP

Diet-related illness increases with availability of red meat AS GLOBAL trade in red and processed meats has increased, so have chronic diseases associated with meat consumption, a study looking at data from 154 countries found on Thursday.

Researchers focused on illness and death rates from three diseases strongly linked to red and processed meat consumption: colorectal cancer, type-2 diabetes and coronary heart disease.

They drew on meat import and export figures from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to find out where in the world red and processed meats had become more available.

They then checked these findings against health data from the Global Burden of Disease project.

“The increased intake of red and processed meat products via trade caused

the abrupt increase of diet-related noncommunicable diseases,” the study published in the British Medical Journal concluded.

The adverse effects of a diet high in red and processed meats is well known.

But the international trade of these products also has far-reaching impacts on the climate, through greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss, through shrinking habitat, the study noted.

“Few international initiatives and national guidelines for sustainable diets explicitly address the spillover impacts of the meat trade across countries,” they said.

They calculated a worldwide increase in related deaths of nearly 75 percent between 1993 and 2018, with major variations by geographical region. AFP

WORLD RECORD SALE. People take pictures of the first printing of the United States Constitution during an auction at Sotheby’s auction house in New York on November 18, 2021. The extremely rare original copy was sold for $43 million – a world record for a historical document at auction, Sotheby’s said. AFP

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Japan unveils record $490-b stimulus plan

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PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1 MARC 1.18 0.08 7.27% 2 RLT 0.234 0.014 6.36% 3 MB 0.43 0.025 6.17% 4 PRMX 2.09 0.11 5.56% 5 GLO 3630 190 5.52% 6 FERRO 3.45 0.18 5.50% 7 PIZZA 8.94 0.42 4.93% 8 BCOR 6.44 0.29 4.72% 9 CPM 2.71 0.11 4.23% 10 PHN 16 0.52 3.36%

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1 KEEPR 2 PHR 3 BSC 4 MG 5 FAF 6 CDC 7 PRIM

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE 1.69 -11.13 -86.82% 0.79 -0.08 -9.20% 0.62 -0.05 -7.46% 0.163 -0.012 -6.86% 0.59 -0.04 -6.35% 0.75 -0.05 -6.25% 1.3 -0.07 -5.11%

8 ABA 0.99 -0.05 -4.81% 9 DITO 5.16 -0.26 -4.80% 10 SCC 22.2 -1.1 -4.72%

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1 CNVRG 2 KEEPR 3 MONDE 4 GLO 5 SGP 6 BDO 7 ACEN 8 ICT 9 MBT 10 URC

VOLUME VALUE (PHP) 43,170,900 1,353,247,735 644,169,500 1,109,809,142 33,751,700 606,467,812 108,515 389,885,480 23,236,100 344,468,788 2,312,060 290,582,663 23,347,600 276,454,876 1,405,950 265,587,753 4,700,950 234,230,046 1,743,370 229,226,777

FARMERS’ VICTORY. Farmers shout slogans to celebrate after India’s Prime Minister announced a repeal of three

agricultural reform laws that sparked almost a year of huge protests across the country in Amritsar on November 19, 2021. Prime Minister Narendra Modi made the announcement Friday in a stunning and rare U-turn by his Hindu nationalist government. AFP

Stocks drop for 3 straight day; Globe Telecom rallies rd

S

TOCKS fell for the third straight day Friday as investors went on a consolidation mode further on lingering inflation concerns.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index shed 18.77 points, or 0.3 percent, to 7,280.57 on a value turnover of P22.1 billion. Losers beat gainers, 127 to 66 with 49 issues unchanged.

Synergy Grid & Development Phils.

Inc., operator of the country’s electricity grid, dropped 4.4 percent to P14.70, while grocery chain AllDay Marts Inc. of the Villar Group declined 3.9 percent to P0.74.

JG Summit Holdings Inc. of the Gokongwei Group sank 3.9 percent to P57, but Globe Telecom Inc. of the Ayala Group, the second-biggest mobile phone player, advanced 5.5 percent to P3,630.

Hong Kong, meanwhile, sank Friday on an otherwise mixed day for Asian markets, with Chinese ecommerce titan Alibaba tanking more than 10 percent after warning of a weaker outlook.

Alibaba said Thursday that net profit tumbled 81 percent in the second quarter and revenue grew less than forecast as it was hit by the impact of slowing economic growth and a government crackdown on the tech sector.

The firm, once the poster child of China’s high-flying private enterprises, also said income growth over the rest of the fiscal year fell short of expectations, adding that certain factors could further impact results including “changes in laws, regulations and (the) regulatory environment” such as those related to privacy and data.

The 10.7-percent loss in Alibaba’s Hong Kong stock reflected a more than 11-percent fall in its New York

shares and comes after a painful year that has seen the firm in the crosshairs of Beijing’s regulatory drive to rein in companies it thought were growing too powerful.

With Alibaba a big player on Hong Kong’s Hang Seng Index, the market dropped more than one percent, and other tech firms including Tencent and XD suffered smaller losses.

Singapore, Wellington, Taipei and Bangkok also slipped.

But Tokyo climbed as the government announced plans to inject $490 billion into the Japanese economy to kickstart the pandemic recovery.

There were also gains in Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul and Jakarta.

Traders had been given a positive lead from Wall Street, where the S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended at record highs, though focus remains on surging inflation and growing expectations that central banks will tighten monetary policy sooner. With AFP

TOKYO—Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced a record $490-billion stimulus for the world’s third-largest economy Friday as he looks to shore up the country’s patchy pandemic recovery.

The 56 trillion yen injection, the third since the COVID crisis struck last year, “is enough to deliver a sense of safety and hope to the Japanese people”, Kishida said.

The vast spending plans are expected to be approved by the cabinet later in the day and reportedly include cash and coupon handouts to families with children under 18 who meet an income cap, as well as pay rises for nurses and careworkers.

It comes after Japan’s economy shrank far more than expected in the second quarter as leaders struggled to overcome virus surges by imposing containment measures in Tokyo and other cities.

Former prime ministers Yoshihide Suga and Shinzo Abe poured 40 trillion yen and 38 trillion yen respectively into the economy in 2020, although some analysts have raised doubts over how effective that stimulus has been.

“We have been able to build economic measures that will lead to a new society after the pandemic,” Kishida said at policy talks between the cabinet and ruling coalition.

He said the 56 trillion in spending— roughly 10 percent of Japan’s total GDP—was expected to rise as high as 79 trillion yen including other elements such as loans from private funds.

Kishida triumphed in a general election last month, having pledged to deliver a huge spending program after Suga stepped down, partly over his government’s virus response.

Businesses, especially restaurants and bars, have endured months of on-off restrictions on opening hours and alcohol sales since the pandemic began. Japan’s borders also remain shut toEXTRA-JUDICIAL tourists. of SETTLEMENT Government data showed ESTATE this week Notice is0.8 hereby given that Japan’s economy shrank percent the estate of the in the three months tothat lateSeptember—far MARTIN AUGUSTO ARAULLO MANJON has worse than market expectations—as a rebeen extra-judicially settled cord surge in virus casesamong hit spending and his heirs consisting of: supply-chain issues hampered business.

Condominium Unit No. However, daily cases• 1/3 have nosedived 1110 Brent Bldg. Pasig City. in recent months, and more than threeAs per 217; quarters of the population areDoc. nowNo.fully Page No. 45; Book No. Series of 2021 vaccinated, with mostCCCXXX; restrictions now Notary Public ATTY. lifted nationwide. AFP before DOMINGO B. TEJERO. (MS-NOV. 12,19 & 26, 2021)

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NOTICE OF ANNUAL STOCKHOLDERS’ MEETING

TO TOALL ALLSTOCKHOLDERS: STOCKHOLDERS:

TO ALL STOCKHOLDERS: Please be informed that the Annual Meeting of the Stockholders of NiHAO Mineral Resources International, Inc. (“NiHAO”) shall be held and conducted virtually via secure online meeting platform on Wednesday, 16 December 2021, at 10:00 a.m., for the following purposes:

People gather during a demonstration called by the ‘Pueblos Vivos Cuenca’ association to denounce the permits for new intensive livestock farms and to demand extensive, social and environmental sustainable livestock farming, in Cuenca, on November 14, 2021.AFP

Spanish countryside rebels against mega ‘pig factories’

By Valentin Bontemps CUENCA, Spain—“That’s not a farm, it’s a factory... a pig factory,” says Antonio Escribano as he stares at a huge metal frame in the middle of a field in Spain.

The 58-year-old local winemaker has for months been battling the planned opening of a large pig farm that will breed almost 40,000 piglets a year from 2,200 sows less than three kilometers (1.9 miles) from his town of Quintanar del Rey, in the central province of Cuenca.

Locals fear the pollution from pig manure, bad smells and flies, which they say the project will bring, and have staged regular protests against it.

The farm is just 350 meters (1,200 feet) from the wells that provide the town of around 7,000 residents with fresh water.

“If the water gets polluted, the village will be ruined,” says Escribano, who speaks with a gravelly voice and has salt and pepper hair.

“People will leave as has happened in other villages and Quintanar will become a ghost village.”

In response to the protests, local authorities have suspended work on the farm while they re-evaluate the project’s environmental impact.

Some locals are pushing for the project by Spanish firm Jisap, which already owns 480 pig farms in Spain, to be shuttered for good.

“We must put an end to mega-farms,” says Paciencia Talaya of the “Stop Mega-farms” group, which has led opposition to the project.

‘Dump of Europe’ Over the past decade, mega-farms that produce livestock with the efficiency of auto assembly lines inside warehouse-like barns have multiplied across Spain, sparking opposition from local residents.

Fueled by demand from China, Spain has become the European Union’s top pork producer.

The number of pigs raised in Spain jumped 21.5 percent between 2015 and 2020, according to Greenpeace.

The country had a population of 56 million pigs in 2020—about nine million more than its humans, according to government figures.

“The sector generates a lot of money,” says Remedios Bobillo, the head of “Alive Villages,” a group set up in 2017 to fight the spread of mega-farms in Cuenca.

“Unfortunately, the villages don’t benefit from it,” she said.

The group staged a protest on Sunday in Cuenca against the “sale of villages” to agri-food companies which drew around 1,000 people.

“Spain has become the dump of Europe and China. That can’t be,” says Bobillo. AFP

NOTICE NOTICEOF OFANNUAL ANNUALSTOCKHOLDERS’ STOCKHOLDERS’MEETING MEETING

AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Certification of Notice and Quorum 3. Approval of the Minutes of the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting held on 9 December 2020 4. Management Report 5. Approval of Parent Company and Consolidated Audited Financial Statements for the period ending 31 December 2020 6. Ratification of all legal acts, resolutions and proceedings of the Board of Directors and of Management, done in the ordinary course of business from 9 December 2020 up to 16 December 2021 7. Election of Directors 8. Appointment of External Auditors 9. Other Matters 10. Adjournment The record date for stockholders entitled to notice and vote at the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting is set on 29 October 2021.

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the welfare and safety of our stockholders, the 2021 Annual Stockholders’ Meeting of NiHAO will be conducted virtually. Stockholders of Record may attend/ participate via proxy, remote communication, or vote in absentia. For the detailed registration and voting procedures, please visit https://www. nihaominerals.com and refer to the “Guidelines for Participation via Remote Communication and Voting in Absentia and through Proxy.”

Stockholders who wish to participate in the meeting via remote communication and to vote in absentia should notify the Office of the Corporate Secretary through a Letter of Intent to be sent via e-mail to nihao.8888@yahoo.com on or before 26 November 2021. Validated stockholders will be provided access to the live streaming of the meeting and can cast their votes in absentia on or before 4 December 2021 through NiHAO’s secure online voting facility. All votes cast shall be subject to validation.

NIHAO is not soliciting for proxies. Stockholders who are unable to join the meeting but wish to vote on items in the Agenda by proxy must submit their duly accomplished proxy forms via e-mail to nihao.8888@ yahoo.com, not later than 4 December 2021.

Stockholders of Record may send their inquiries and comments to the Management Report and other items in the Agenda to nihao.8888@ yahoo.com on or before 4 December 2021.

The Definitive Information Statement containing the attendance/ voting (via remote communication) and election procedures, along with the Notice, Agenda, Proxy, Management Report, SEC Form 17-A, and other information related to the Annual Stockholders’ Meeting can be accessed at http://www.nihaominerals.com and at the disclosure made through the Electronic Disclosure Generation Technology of the Philippine Stock Exchange (“PSE Edge”).

Please Please be be informed informed that that the the Annual Annual Stockholders‟ Stockholders‟ Meeting Meeting ofof GEOGRACE GEOGRACERESOURCES RESOURCESPHILIPPINES, PHILIPPINES,INC. INC.(“GEOGRACE”) (“GEOGRACE”)shall shallbe be held heldon onThursday, Thursday,16 16December December2021, 2021,atat1:00 1:00p.m. p.m.and andconducted conductedthrough through remote remotecommunication communicationvia viasecure secureonline onlinemeeting meetingplatform platformfor forthe thefollowing following purposes: purposes: AAGGEENNDDAA 1.1. Call CalltotoOrder Order 2.2. Certification CertificationofofNotice Noticeand andQuorum Quorum 3.3. Approval Approvalofofthe theMinutes Minutesofofthe theAnnual AnnualStockholders‟ Stockholders‟Meeting Meetingheld held on on11 11December December2019 2019and and99December December2020 2020 4.4. Amendment Amendmentofofthe theArticles ArticlesofofIncorporation Incorporationand andBy-Laws By-Laws 4.1.

4.1. Change ChangeofofPrincipal PrincipalOffice OfficeAddress Addresstoto1505 1505Princeton PrincetonStreet Street corner corner Shaw Shaw Boulevard, Boulevard, Barangay Barangay Wack-Wack, Wack-Wack, Greenhills Greenhills East, East,Mandaluyong MandaluyongCity City 5.5. Management ManagementReport Report 6.6. Approval Approval ofof the the Parent Parent Company Company and and Consolidated Consolidated Audited Audited Financial Financial Statements Statements as as ofof 31 31 December December 2019 2019 and and as as ofof 31 31 December December2020 2020 7.7. Ratification Ratification ofof all all legal legal acts, acts, resolutions, resolutions, and and proceedings proceedings ofof the the Board BoardofofDirectors Directorsand andofofManagement, Management,done doneininthe theordinary ordinarycourse course ofofbusiness businessfrom from11 11December December2019 2019toto16 16December December2021 2021 8.8. Election ElectionofofDirectors Directors 9.9. Appointment AppointmentofofExternal ExternalAuditor Auditor 10.

10. Other OtherMatters Matters 11.

11. Adjournment Adjournment The TheBoard BoardofofDirectors DirectorsofofGEOGRACE GEOGRACEhas hasfixed fixedthe theRECORD RECORDDATE DATE for forstockholders stockholdersentitled entitledtotovote voteatatthis thisannual annualmeeting meetingtotobe beon on29 29October October 2021.

2021.

InIn the the light light ofof the the COVID-19 COVID-19 pandemic pandemic and and toto ensure ensure the the welfare welfare and and safety safety ofof our our stockholders, stockholders, the the 2021 2021 Annual Annual Stockholders„ Stockholders„ Meeting Meeting ofof GEOGRACE GEOGRACE will will be be conducted conducted virtually. virtually. Stockholders Stockholders ofof Record Record may may attend/participate attend/participate via via proxy, proxy, remote remote communication communication or or vote vote inin absentia. absentia.

For For the the detailed detailed registration registration and and voting voting procedures, procedures, please please visit visit https:// https:// geograceholdings.com/ geograceholdings.com/and andrefer refertotothe the“Guidelines “Guidelinesfor forParticipation Participationvia via Remote RemoteCommunication Communicationand andVoting Votingin inAbsentia Absentiaand andthrough throughProxy”.

Proxy”.

Stockholders Stockholders who who wish wish toto participate participate inin the the meeting meeting through through remote remote communication communication and and toto vote vote inin absentia absentia should should notify notify the the Office Office ofof the the Corporate Corporate Secretary Secretary through through aa Letter Letter ofof Intent Intent toto be be sent sent via via e-mail e-mail toto g.geograce@yahoo.com g.geograce@yahoo.com on on or or before before 26 26 November November 2021.

2021. Validated Validated stockholders stockholderswill willbe beprovided providedaccess accesstotothe thelive livestreaming streamingofofthe themeeting meeting and andcan cancast casttheir theirvotes votesininabsentia absentiaon onor orbefore before44December December2021 2021through through GEOGRACE‟s GEOGRACE‟ssecure secureonline onlinevoting votingfacility. facility.All Allvotes votescast castshall shallbe besubject subject totovalidation. validation.

GEOGRACE GEOGRACEisisnot notsoliciting solicitingfor forproxies. proxies.Stockholders Stockholderswho whoare areunable unable totojoin jointhe themeeting meetingbut butwish wishtotovote voteon onitems itemsininthe theagenda agendaby byproxy proxymust must submit submit their their duly duly accomplished accomplished proxy proxy forms forms via via email email toto g.geograce@ g.geograce@ yahoo.com, yahoo.com,not notlater laterthan than44December December2021.

2021.

Stockholders Stockholders ofof Record Record may may send send their their queries queries and and comments comments toto the the Management ManagementReport Reportand andother otheritems itemsininthe theAgenda Agendatotog.geograce@yahoo. g.geograce@yahoo. com comon onor orbefore before44December December2021.

2021.

The TheDefinitive DefinitiveInformation InformationStatement Statementcontaining containingthe theattendance/voting attendance/voting (through (through remote remote communication) communication) and and election election procedures, procedures, along along with with the the Notice, Notice,Agenda, Agenda, Proxy, Proxy, Management Management Report, Report, SEC SEC Form Form 17-A, 17-A, and and other other information informationrelated relatedtotothe theAnnual AnnualStockholders‟ Stockholders‟Meeting Meetingcan canbe beaccessed accessed atathttps://geograceholdings.com/. https://geograceholdings.com/.

Very Verytruly trulyyours, yours,

Very truly yours,

Original OriginalSigned Signed ARSENIO ARSENIOC. C.CABRERA, CABRERA,JR. JR. Corporate CorporateSecretary Secretary

Original Signed ARSENIO C. CABRERA, JR. Corporate Secretary

(MS-NOV. 19 & 20, 2021)

(MS-NOV. (MS-NOV.1919&&20, 20,2021) 2021)

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Business

Gov’t prepares to issue green bonds SEC OKs P750-m IPO of Haus Talk, share sale of EEI

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Securities and Exchange Commission said Friday it approved the P750-million initial public offering of property developer Haus Talk Inc. and the P6-billion preferred share sale of construction company EEI Corp.

It said in a statement it “favorably considered” Haus Talk’s offer of up to 500 million common shares to be sold at P1.50 each. The company will use the net proceeds from the IPO to fund land acquisition, project development and general corporate purposes.

The niche residential developer said it plans to acquire land in Bacoor, Cavite; Dagupan City; Sta. Cruz, Laguna; and Antipolo City for future development.

Formed in in 2004, Haus Talk is a residential real estate developer led by the Madlambayan family with projects based in Antipolo and Laguna.

The company already sold almost 1,900 housing units, with about 2,300 units in development until 2023.

The company tapped Investment & Capital Corporation of the Philippines as the issue manager and underwriter for the offer.

Haus Talk will be one of five companies conducting IPOs in the last six weeks of 2021. The three others are Medilines Distributors Inc., Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp., Citicore Energy REIT Corp. and Figaro Coffee Group Inc.

S

By Julito G. Rada

F

INANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the government is finalizing a sustainable finance framework on the issuance of the country’s first sovereign green bonds.

Dominguez said during the 8th Securities and Exchange CommissionPhilippine Stock Exchange Corporate Governance Forum held Thursday the move was in step with the government’s effort to mobilize funds for capital-intensive climate adaptation and mitigation projects in the face of worsening global warming.

Dominguez said SEC prepared the

country’s capital markets for the demand in green investments, having released numerous guidelines on the issuance of green, social and sustainability bonds that adhere to the standards set by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

He said that through its private sector, the Philippines is ahead among its ASEAN peers in accessing climate finance. Dominguez is the chairmandesignate of the Climate Change Commission and head of the Philippine delegation in the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties summit in Glasgow, Scotland.

Philippine companies issued $4.8 billion worth of ASEAN-labelled GSS bonds since 2019. The amount, equivalent to 29 percent of the total ASEANlabelled GSS Bond issuances, is the highest in the region, he said.

The Philippines, in preparation for the maiden green bonds offering and

the mainstreaming of climate change in the financial sector, launched on Oct. 20 its Sustainable Finance Roadmap to serve as the country’s masterplan that will create a synergy between public and private investments in greening the financial system.

Dominguez said the roadmap incorporates the Philippines’ whole-of-nation approach to harnessing finance in support of the country’s transition to a clean, sustainable and climate-resilient economy.

“We are at the threshold of a new climate-conscious age. All the old practices that put the planet under the peril it is in now must yield to new mitigating practices. This transition will be comprehensive and most promising,” Dominguez said in his speech.

“We are also in the process of completing our sustainable finance framework for the issuance of our first-ever sovereign green bonds,” he said.

DELIVERY HEROES.

Grab Philippines country marketing head J-Anne Aruta (left) chats with Marvin Ignacio, the delivery-partner behind the viral ‘lugaw’ incident, as they await orders from a restaurant in Serendra. Grab Philippines celebrates the tens of thousands of driver- and deliverypartners in this year’s Buwan ng Tagapaghatid, a month-long celebration that highlights the 5-star service that Grab continues to provide through its driver- and delivery- partners for the benefit of Filipinos.

IN BRIEF

ADB lending $600m for PH health services

THE Asian Development Bank said Friday it approved a $600-million policy-based loan to help the Philippines provide quality and equitable health services as part of its universal health care reform program.

It said the Build Universal Health Care Program seeks to support the government’s initiatives to improve the financing and delivery of health services and implement measures to monitor the performance of health service providers.

The Philippines enacted the UHC Act in February 2019 to ensure Filipinos have equitable access to quality health services and avoid high out-of-pocket health expenses. It includes a series of reforms planned over several years.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted existing constraints in the country’s health care service delivery, which the government sought to address in its pandemic health response,” said ADB director of human and social development for Southeast Asia Ayako Inagaki. Julito G. Rada

Airspeed opens hubs in NCR and Cavite

INTEGRATED logistics firm Airspeed, a part of SM Investments Corp.’s portfolio investments, expressed optimism about its growth with the opening of new hubs in Cavite province, Paranaque City and Pasay City.

“I’m very optimistic about what we can do for this year and the years to come. We need to be innovative and creative and listen very closely to the pulse of the market to meet the changing needs. We remain true to our mission of providing global customers the highest quality of logistics services and innovative end-to-end solutions,” said Airspeed chairman and president Rosemarie Rafael.

Rafael said retail shifted massively in favor of online.

Airspeed introduced new digital functionalities in its systems like real-time order monitoring, end-to-end inventory visibility and transport management.

Darwin G. Amojelar

PNOC’s income doubles to P855m

STATE-RUN Philippine National Oil Co. said Friday it posted a 100-percent increase in comprehensive income in the ninemonth period to P855 million from P425 million a year ago on higher revenues.

The company said revenues reached P1.294 billion from January to September, up from P847 million it generated in the same period last year.

Expenses declined in the nine month period to P189 million from P298 million in 2020.

Meanwhile, PNOC said it was looking at rebidding the engagement of a transaction advisor for the strategic petroleum reserve project. The first round of publication for the engagement of the TA failed after no party was qualified to submit a bid in August. Alena Mae S. Flores

Coca-Cola, Save Philippine Seas back the scaling of waste solutions with P1.8-m grant funding

IX waste solutions initiatives will receive a total of P1.8-million grant funding from the Reimagine Recycling Year 3: Supporting Solutions to Waste Pollution program of Coca-Cola Philippines and Save Philippines Seas.

Reimagine Recycling is an annual program that aims to help scale or advance emerging circular economy initiatives that help address the plastic waste crisis and provide training in addressing issues on waste segregation, recycling/upcycling, improving the welfare of the informal waste sector and mainstreaming gender in waste management. Now in its third year, the program sought waste solution program proposals to support and fund through the Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines, the company’s social investment arm in the Philippines. Since the call for applications was opened in July 2021, a total of 31 applications were screened.

Out of this number, 10 were shortlisted to present their waste solutions.

Two of the 10 initiatives were chosen to receive P500,000 each, and four more will be granted a consolation prize of P200,000 each to support their projects.

“At Coca-Cola, we recognize our responsibility to help solve the global plastic waste problem. In 2018, our company launched an ambitious global sustainable packaging initiative called

World Without Waste. But we also know that global challenges like plastic waste are far too great for any single government, company or industry to solve. Partnerships are more critical than ever. In the Philippines, we continue to be very supportive of partnerships and collaborations like Reimagine Recycling that empower innovative and sustainable waste management solutions that can already be implemented and create impact in the communities where they will be introduced,” said Tony del Rosario, President of Coca-Cola Philippines and VP for Coca-Cola Franchise Operations for ASEAN & South Pacific - East Region.

In 2018, The Coca-Cola Company, globally, pledged to collect and recycle the equivalent of every bottle and can they sell by 2030, make its packaging recyclable by 2025, and use at least 50% recycled materials in its bottles by 2030.

In the Philippines, Coca-Cola is also set to open PETValue, a pioneering bottleto-bottle recycling facility, in early 2022 through a joint venture between CocaCola Beverages Philippines Inc. (CCBPI) and Indorama Ventures.

#BawasBasura by Sari-cycling and Communal Trash to Cash Bins by Republik Junk named as the winners of Php 500,000 fund grant of Reimagine Recycling Year 3 while Dewaste Solutions, Isla Refills, JuanBag, and UGYON: Basura Mo, Manggad Ko won P200,000.

Coca-Cola in partnership with Save Philippines Seas named the 6 winners of Reimagine Recycling Year 3 that will receive the total funding grant of P1.8 million.

The winners who will now be given the opportunity to expand their waste solutions initiatives include #BawasBasura by Saricycling and Communal Trash to Cash Bins

by Republik Junk, which both had the goal of making waste segregation easier, more convenient, and more accessible to residents in their respective cities.

Each will receive P500,000 to scale their existing waste solutions.

After Pasig River was named one of the most polluted waterways in June 2021 in a study conducted by the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Sari-cycling realized that they needed to accelerate their efforts to institutionalize waste collection in low-income communities along the 25.2-kilometer river. Through their #BawasBasura initiative, Sari-cycling also created more livelihood opportunities for women through plastic and textile recycling.

As a commitment to their tagline, “the modern mangangalakal,” Republik Junk combined incentivized recycling and cash payout with their Communal Trash to Cash Bins initiative, a broad network of recyclable waste-recovery drop-off points at the 10 most populous barangays in Cagayan de Oro City.

Meanwhile, Dewaste Solutions, Isla Refills, JuanBag, and UGYON: Basura Mo, Manggad Ko will each receive P200,000 to further improve and expand their waste management models. Dewaste Solutions aims to develop new and improve existing

materials recovery facilities (MRFs) by employing a unique model that builds on private franchising and construction of MRFs, thus allowing subdivisions and communities in Bacoor City, Cavite to run efficient facilities.

Recognizing the business opportunity to provide small-medium sari-sari stores, groceries, eateries and other similar establishments in Bantayan Island, Cebu easy access to homecare goods while also ensuring that such access does not harm the environment, Isla Refills proposed a waste management solution that aims to reduce and divert sachet waste through a direct-selling model of refillable goods.

JuanBag, on the other hand, proposed a solution to help manage the growing plastic packaging waste from purchases through e-commerce. JuanBag seeks to introduce returnable, durable and reusable packaging made from post-consumer plastics to online shops in Metro Manila, and, in the process, generate jobs for those who will create the bags.

Finally, UGYON: Basura Mo, Manggad Ko is a school-based initiative in Kabankalan City, Negros Occidental that aims to increase plastic recycling and upcycling rates by creating household and architectural products from collected plastics crafted by women in communities around the school.

“We will continue to support more innovations that will help communities improve and inspire them to initiate their

own waste solution programs as this year’s Reimagine Recycling winners have. The emergence of projects like these proves that there are groups willing to step up and effect change in their own ways, and we in the Coca-Cola Foundation always welcome such efforts,” stressed Cecile Alcantara, President of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines Inc. “It was inspiring to work closely with entrepreneurs and advocates on different problems in plastic pollution, from e-commerce packaging to waste collection,” said Anna Oposa, Executive Director of Save Philippine Seas.

The judging panel was composed of Atty. Cashmer Dirampaten, Public Affairs, Communications, and Sustainability Director of Coca-Cola Philippines, Ma. Cristina Cabalza, Programs and Finance Manager of Coca-Cola Foundation Philippines; Pia Roxas-Ocampo, CEO and Founder of Pure Oceans and ReMaker Space; and Carlo Delantar, Partner of Core Capital and Head of Circular Economy at Gobi Partners.

You can read more about Coca-Cola’s vision of a World Without Waste here: https://www.coca-colacompany.com/ reports/business-environmental-socialgovernance-report-2020.

For more information regarding Reimagine Recycling and the winning initiatives, please visit www. save philippine sea s.org/reimag ine recycling and www.savephilippineseas. org/projects-reimagine-recycling.

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021

Pasig whips Nueva Ecija, punches last semis ticket

WARRIORS ROLL ON. Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors reacts after scoring during the first half against the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. Stephen Curry scored 20 of his 40 points in the fourth quarter as the NBA-leading Golden State Warriors (13-2) rallied from a 13-point third-period deficit to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-89. AFP

All eyes on TNT female coach as PBA 3x3 starts

By Randy Caluag

T

HE maiden season of the Philippine Basketball Association 3x3 tournament unfurls with 13 teams all seeing action in the opening leg on Saturday at the Ynares Sports Arena in Pasig.

Special interest in the 17-game opener is expected to be on the TNT Tropang Giga, which has a female coach in Mau Belen, who will trade wits with her male counterpart with Limitless Appmasters when their teams collide at 3.40 pm in Pool A. Belen was officially the first female to become part of a team coaching staff in the PBA with her brief stint with 2021 Philippine Cup Champion TNT Tropang Giga.

So far, she has been getting praises

Sangiao: All our fighters prepared NOT one, not two, not three, but four Team Lakay fighters will step inside the ONE Circle just before the year ends with the vaunted Baguio Citybased camp looking to end 2021 on a winning note.

Former ONE Bantamweight World Champion Kevin “The Silencer” Belingon headlines the cast as he marks his return, together with younger stablemates Danny “The King” Kingad, as well as the promotional debuts of Stephen “The Sniper” Loman and Jhanlo Mark “The Machine” Sangiao.

The Team Lakay stars appear at ONE: WINTER WARRIORS II, a previously recorded event from the Singapore Indoor Stadium set to broadcast via tape delay on Friday, December 17.

Though fight night is still a month away, Team Lakay head coach Mark Sangiao is confident on the preparations that his wards have had as they all aim to end the year with a bang.

“I think all our four fighters are ready. We’ve been training continuously and we’ve had no injuries in our training, so we’re prepared for that,” he said during the team’s media availability on Wednesday.

It’s a golden opportunity for the Team Lakay warriors to truly unveil the improvements they’ve been working on as they all aim to be more wellrounded fighters. But Sangiao admits that this won’t be a walk-in-the-park for his prized pupils, understanding the threat that the opposition poses.

Belingon will take on Korean Kwon Won Il, who has undergone extensive boxing training in the Philippines to improve his strikes.

On the other hand, the #2-ranked flyweight Kingad looks to finally settle the score against #4-ranked Kairat “The Kazakh” Akhmetov as they butt heads after two cancelled fights.

from her wards.

“So far, so good. Sobrang okay siya ngayon sa’min. As in sobrang nakatutok siya sa’min,” said guard TNT guard Alvin Vosotros, who will team up with Samboy De Leon and Lervin Flores. They will be joined later by Fil-Am Jeremiah Gray, who is still in quarantine.

Limitless Appmasters, owned by Phoenix Super LPG, also kicks off hostilities against Magnolia in the first leg with their 2 p.m. encounter in Pool A.

Zamboanga Valientes and Platinum Karaoke - two of three guest ballclubs in the PBA 3x3 inaugurals - debut at 2:25 p.m. in another Pool A showdown.

Pool B squads Barangay Ginebra 3x3 and Sista Super Sealers (Rain or Shine) hit the halfcourt at 2:50 p.m. before Pool C’s Cavitex Braves (NLEX) and guest club Pioneer Pro Tibay clash at 3:15 p.m.

TNT Tropang Giga, fresh from the Philippine Cup conquest of their fiveon-five counterparts, kick off their bid in Pool A at 3:40 p.m. against Limitless.

Launching their quests later in the day are Terrafirma 3x3 (Pool B), NorthPort (Pool C), Meralco (Pool B), and San Miguel Beer (Pool C).

The Dyip battle the Gin Kings at 4:30 p.m., the Batang Pier tangle with Pioneer at 4:55 p.m., the Bolts face Sista at 6:10

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p.m., and the Beermen duel NorthPort at 6:35 p.m. in their respective first games.

The stacked PBA 3x3 opening day plays its last match at 8:40 p.m. with the single round-robin eliminations continuing Sunday beginning at 1 p.m. followed immediately by the knockout quarterfinals, semifinals and finals.

The Top 3 teams in Pool A and the Top 2 in Pools B and C will advance into the Last 8, while the third-ranked crews in Pools B and C will contest the eighth berth.

“This tournament not only aims to grow the 3x3 brand of basketball but also reach out to a new generation of PBA fans by showing this product that is fast, exciting, and competitive,” said PBA 3x3 chairman Richard Bachmann of Alaska.

“Exciting times ahead and it starts now,” he added.

PASIG-Sta. Lucia outgunned Nueva Ecija, 79-66, to book the last semifinal ticket in the FilBasket Subic Championship at the Subic gym Thursday night.

Cedrick Ablaza and Justin Arana steered the Realtors with double-double performances in the do-or-die quarters duel to set up a knockout semis match with AICC Manila Friday.

Ablaza pumped in 14 points and 12 rebounds while Arana fired 13 points and 11 boards for Pasig-Sta. Lucia, who followed up its 99-79 win in its first playoff meeting with Nueva Ecija Last Tuesday.

Nueva Ecija enjoyed a twice-to-beat incentive in its matchup but failed to capitalize on this advantage.

Pasig-Sta. Lucia’s quarters feat also avenged its stinging 7068 defeat to Nueva Ecija in the eliminations last Oct. 31.

Ryan Costelo topscored for the Realtors with 18 points, eight boards and three assists, while skipper Jeric Teng delivered 16 points as they padded their 22-13 first-quarter lead to 14, 40-26, at the half.

The Realtors held that double-digit upperhand for good, leading by as many as 17 following Ablaza’s layup for 6649 with 5:57 to go.

Pasig also banked on its outside shooting by draining 10 triples including four from Teng.

The Realtors also outrebounded the Bespren, 53-39.

John Paul Sarao and Rence Alcoriza finished with 14 and 12 points in a futile effort for Nueva Ecija.

Meanwhile, the other semis pairing pit Davao Occidental and San Juan set Friday night.

Baguio, California Precision ready for Champs League LIPA CITY—Ranged against the country’s best club teams, Baguio and California Precision Sports hope to make their presence felt in the Philippine National Volleyball Federation Champions League inaugurals on Saturday at the Aquamarine Recreational Center here.

The Lady Highlanders test the mettle of PetroGazz at 10 a.m., while the Antipolo City-based CPS goes up against F2 Logistics at 1:30 p.m.

Chery Tiggo and Tuguegarao Perlas Spikers cap a heavy three-match schedule to usher the federation’s first national club league at 4 p.m.

Baguio City is here to compete as coach Yul Benosa wanted his ladies to prove that their team also belongs to the big league.

“Ang maliit ang nakaka-puwing. Ang underdog ay tunay na mga palaban. And we consider ourselves the dark horse of the tournament,” said Benosa as the Lady Highlanders prepare for training on Friday after the team was cleared in the RT-PCR swab test.

Skipper Cherry Atuban, the Baguio City setter, who alongside outside hitter Ann Atuban had a taste of club

Games Saturday

(Aquamarine Recreational Center) 10 a.m. – Baguio vs PetroGazz 1:30 p.m. – F2 Logistics vs California Precision Sports 4 p.m. – Tuguegarao Perlas vs Chery Tiggo

competition in the 2016 V-League by also representing the summer capital, are raring to prove themselves against their idols and guide their teammates playing for the first time in this level of play.

“Malaking bagay ito—participating this event (PNVF Champions League). Motivation po sa pagsali ay exposure din po ng mga bata at makaharap namin yung mga napapanood namin sa TV na ngayon ay may opportunity kaming makalaro sila,” Atuban said.

“Ang advice ko sa kanila (rookies) na kapag nasa game na kami, dapat hindi sila mawala sa focus. Hindi sila biglang ma-starstruck, ‘yung makita nila ‘yung magagaling na players,” the 26-year-old added.

The Lady Highlanders have been training for two months for the competition after Benosa created a program for the

team to become one solid fighting machine.

Regardless of the outcome of the week-long tournament, Atuban wants to give pride to Baguio City.

“Siguro ‘yung mate-treasure namin after this event is whatever the result is, the experiences and gratefulness na na-invite kami, ‘yung nag-participate ang city,” Atuban said.

The Angels, meanwhile, will field an intact roster with national team middle blocker Ria Meneses and outside spiker Ces Molina leading the charge in the event that has Rebisco, Top Speed, 1Pacman Partylist, Pitmaster Foundation Inc., Philippine Sports Commission and Philippine Olympic Committee as platinum sponsors, F2 Logistics, PLDT, MVP Sports Foundation, Asics and Mikasa as gold sponsors, and BCDA, Philippine Red Cross, Lipa LGU, Emerald PVC Pipes and Davies Paints as silver sponsors, with PNVF godfather, Taguig Rep. Alan Peter Cayetano, chairman of the Champions League, giving his full support.

California, the league’s youngest team, is also looking forward to gain experience playing against a talented club like the Cargo Movers.

PSC’s Indigenous Peoples Games continue in Benguet

PSC Commissioner Charles Raymond Maxey, joins the ritual/cultural dance before the start of the documentation of Indigenous Peoples Games on Friday in Tublay, Benguet.

THE Philippine Sports Commission, through the Office of Commissioner Charles Raymond A. Maxey, on Friday continued its goal of preserving traditional sports with the staging of a modified version of the Indigenous Peoples Games.

The traditional sports and games of the IP communities in the Province of Benguet was recorded for showcase and documentation in the spirit of the preservation, promotion and propagation of culture.

“We’re happy and very thankful to Gov. Melchor Diclas and other officials as well as to tribe leaders for their understanding and support. Dahil sa pandemya, nilimitahan namin ang partisipasyon ng mga katutubo sa documentation and recording,” said Maxey.

“We strictly followed safety and health protocols during and after the program and the PSC coordinated with all officials and agencies concerned in conducting the IP Games here in Tublay, Benguet,” added Maxey.

The traditional sports and games

demonstration recording project will be implemented in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples. The members of the PSC-IPG-Technical Working Group visited and inspected Tublay, Benguet as identified locations for the documentation of the Games of Benguet.

The other location for the documentation is at the Admiral’s Park.

Before the traditional opening dance, the PSC presented Certificates of Appreciation to Gov. Diclas and the Provincial Government of Benguet for their continued support to the commission.

The PSC also distributed personalized tokens, sports supplies and equipment for the development of sports for youth in the province. These include 500 bags with notebooks and pens, notepads and towels, 50 volleyballs, 25 footballs, 25 basketballs and 5 gongs with beater.

The traditional sports and games demonstration recording project will be implemented in partnership with the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples and sponsored by Pocari Sweat.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021

Joel D. Lacsamana, Editor E-mail: jdlacsamana@gmail.com

Home/Design

Homes lead looks amid COVID-19 scourge H OUSES attracted the largest share of leads out of all other property types throughout the year, and had also sustained the highest quarter-onquarter growth in the first half of 2021.

In its recently released second quarterly e-magazine, Lamudi noted that land had the highest year-on-year increase in leads, among the developments for the second quarter of 2021.

MOST VIEWED CITIES Central business districts were the most viewed cities in Luzon (outside Metro Manila only), including regional hubs (Baguio, Angeles) and cities close to the fringes of the metro.

Cities in the highly urbanized Cebu attracted the most views in Visayas.

Davao City and Cagayan de Oro continue to be the most searched cities in Mindanao, along with the vacation spots Samal Island and General Luna.

TOP OVERSEAS PROPERTY SEEKERS From Q2 2020 to Q2 2021, the leading overseas sources of pageviews in Southeast Asia remained consistent, with Singapore and Kuala Lumpur taking the lead. In North America, the top seekers fluctuated between Los Angeles and Toronto in the same period. London and Copenhagen were consistently part of the top five property seekers from Europe from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021, while Dubai, Doha and Riyadh continued to be the

three largest sources of pageviews from the Middle East.

HAVE SUBWAY, BUS WILL TRAVEL Demand is increasing for majority of the areas with existing access to rail and bus routes.

In Project 3 (Quezon City), Western Bicutan, and West Rembo, pageviews for listings on Lamudi attracted a triple-digit increase in pageviews from 2Q 2020 to 2Q 2021. Over 70% of leads for listings within the city in Q2 2021 went to properties for rent.

Many luxury properties are centrally located in areas with access to transport.

Lamudi data for 2Q 2021 revealed that in most of the assessed cities, available listings for sale belonged to luxury price segments. West Rembo and Bicutan had the largest share of luxury properties for sale, with listings concentrated in the 12M and up price range.

SINGAPORE, QUEZON CITY LEAD DEMAND FOR PROPERTIES Most property seekers from the Philippines looking into properties in the developing subway station areas were primarily from Quezon City, while Singapore contributed the most pageviews from overseas.

Lamudi data also showed that over 60% of leads for listings in the Travel City were for rentals. The distribution of Pasay listings across price ranges remained favorable to those looking at high-end listings, with supply in the 6M - 9M and 20M and up segments increasing from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021.

INTEREST IN THE HINTERLANDS With more office and residential developments spreading to Lapu-lapu, listings were more evenly spread across different price ranges in Q2 2021 and demand for houses, condos and land in the city continued to increase from Q2 2020 to the same period a year later.

Interest in properties in Kalibo continued to grow throughout the pandemic. From Q2 2020 to Q2 2021, pageviews for Lamudi listings in Kalibo increased by 23%. Primarily a buy market, leads for commercial properties and houses showed the most significant growth out of all property types. Most belonged to the hyperluxury or 20M and up market, while upscale listings priced between 6M to 9M increased by 6 percentage points.

The share of luxury listings in Mabalacat climbed 18 percentage points

from Q2 2020 to Q2 2021. Leads for apartments, condos and land showed the biggest annual increase in Q2 2021.

Housing supply in the city was evenly spread across price ranges in Q2 2021, and the distribution of leads for properties to buy against those

to rent were more evenly distributed compared to other airport cities. More affordable properties in Davao were made available in Q2 2021, with properties priced between 6M and 9M growing by 12 percentage points yearon-year.

RLC Residences bags architectural, interior design plums RLC Residences and its standout properties bagged awards in this year’s design and development categories at the recently held 9th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Philippines).

The four-tower Magnolia Residences in New Manila, Quezon Cty emerged as winner in the Best Mega Mixed-Use Architectural Design category.

The Sapphire Bloc and Galleria Residences Cebu were recognized for Best High-End Condo Development in Metro Manila and Metro Cebu, respectively.

SYNC and The Residences at The Westin Manila Sonata Place (Shown in photo) were also acknowledged for the Best Condo Architectural Design and Best Condo Interior Design categories.

SMDC IS BEST DEVELOPER. SMDC recently bagged a total of 11 awards at the 9th PropertyGuru Philippines Property Awards including the highly coveted Best Developer (Philippines) for the second straight year, and Best Mid Rise Condo Development (Philippines) for Gold Residences (Shown in photo). The company also secured the Best Developer (Luzon) Award as well as being a two-time winner for the Best Lifestyle Developer Award. Gold Residences also won in the Design category, earning the title of Best Landscape Architectural Design. as well as commendations for the Best Condo Architectural Design and Best Condo Interior Design Awards. “While these wins certainly validate the collective work we have done to realize the vision of our company founders, ultimately, they fuel our drive towards the creation of a nation of homeowners where every Filipino can live their best lives”, said SMDC president Jose Mari Banzon.

‘Bike and Dine’ at Makati CBD gets boost AYALA Land, Inc. (ALI), together with the Makati Commercial Estate Association (MACEA) recently launched new Bike and Dine racks at the Makati Al Fresco Parklets to provide a lifestyle destination for the biking community.

Racks were installed along Esteban St. in front of Planters Products Building, as well as along Rada St. in front of Cy Land Building. Aside from being an “Instagrammable” spot, the racks allow cyclists to dine while keeping their bikes close.

To kick off the launch, Make It Makati (MIM) gave free gifts from Yardstick Coffee and Wildflour for the

DIGNIFIED MAGNIFICENCE AT BGC. Ridgewood Towers Premier in Bonifacio Global City, or BGC, offers cozy one or two bedroom units that have unobstructed views of the dignified magnificence and perfect landscaping of the American War Memorial (Shown here), SM Aura Premier and the shimmering expanse of Laguna de Bay, depending on your location.

“Why pay a premium to enjoy living in Metro Manila’s most modern business district? Ridgewood Towers Premier gives you the opportunity to enjoy a global lifestyle without the high price tag,” said Alfonso Keh Jr, general manager of C-5 Mansions Development Corp., the boutique developer behind Ridgewood Towers Premier. C-5 Mansions just released a fresh inventory of units, including the entire 14th floor. Keh is confident that these units will also sell out fast since investors and aspiring homebuyers can amortize a one bedroom unit for as low as P27,478 monthly for a two-year period, interestfree. One bedroom units offer space between 24.80 sq.m. to 32.80 sq.m..Two bedroom units offer a 52 sq.m. space.

first 50 participating bikers on the day of the launch.

“We welcome the biking community to the Makati Central Business District,” said Chrissy Roa, marketing head of Ayala Land Estates. “This is another al fresco dining innovation that complements the Makati Parklets.”

BIKE RENTALS Another innovation was introduced last week. People can now rent bikes within the central business district through Moovr. The rental service is available at spots within MCBD - Ayala Triangle Gardens, HV Dela Costa corner Tordesillas and corner Valero, Washington Sycip Park, Legazpi Ac-

TWO WHEELS MOVE THE SOUL. At the launch of the bike racks were (Seating, left to right): Shiella Aguilar, Ayala Land project development head for Makati and Chrissy Roa, marketing head of Ayala Land Estates. (Standin, left to right) Makati Bike Ambassadors Justice Gatpayat, Jay Daligdig, Cess Trinidad, Vaneline Maniego, Dan Tronco, Jennie Mars Bansig, Timothy Manuel, Jimmy Crispo, and Christen Resulto.

tive Park, Palm Promenade Park, Café Mentore at Palm Drive, 6750 Steel Car Park, 6750 building, Glorietta 4 Park, and at the Ayala Center MRT Station.

To start, simply download the Moovr app, sign up, and scan the QR code. Moovr bike rentals cost P20 for 15 minutes and are available 24/7.

“We would like to have more venues for Moovr,” said project development head for the Makati Estate, Shiella Aguilar. “The plan is to have a bike rental that is accessible within a five-minute walk from anywhere within the MCBD.” ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION The Bike and Dine, Moovr bike rental and other upcoming initiatives aim to strengthen awareness of the city’s new efforts catering to the bike community.

Justice Gatpayat of the Esteban Cycling Community said his bike riding experience in Makati got a lot better. “Now, more bike racks are installed and somehow the bike lanes are more respected. With the new bike and dine racks, biking is even more pleasant here in Makati,” he noted “Having bike-friendly establishments and installations promotes acceptance and safety to the biking community – it provides a safe space and convenience for bike commuters,” added Makati Bike ambassador, Cess Trinidad.

Tech & Gadgets 1st Pokémon Battle Festival Asia opens in November BEGINNING in November until the end of February 2022, the Pokémon Company will launch its first ever Pokémon Battle Festival Asia 2021.

The festival will not only feature regional tournaments for Pokémon GO and Pokémon Trading Card Game, but also a variety of exciting programs that will surely be enough to make anyone a Pokémon fan.

One of the highlights of the event is definitely the upcoming Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, which will be among the featured titles of the festival. Fans can also look forward to other popular titles such as Pokémon GO, Pokémon UNITE and Pokémon Trading Card Game.

The tournaments in Pokémon Battle Festival Asia will feature players from Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, Pokémon GO and Pokémon TCG tournaments will take place online, so players can compete in the comfort of their own homes. Players will need to qualify on a national level in order to make it to the regional stage, where they will compete against the best players in the Asian region.

Besides the tournaments, a variety of programs have been planned to keep viewers captured in the world of Pokémon.

The programs include celebrity showmatches, fun segments and special events, where famous celebrities and influencers from multiple regions will show off their skills and passion for their beloved games.

All the action will be broadcasted live to allow interaction with the viewers.

Here is a rundown of the activities and featured titles in the Pokémon Battle Festival Asia 2021: For the Asia regional tournament for players, the featured titles are Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Pokémon Shining Pearl, Pokémon GO, and Pokémon Trading Card game.

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021 rumallari@thestandard.com.ph

PLDT Home 1st to launch PH’s fastest 10,000 Mbps service

P

LDT Home on Friday launched the first-ever 10,000 Mbps fiber-optic service in the Philippines, in a history-making move towards the future of home connectivity.

guarantee ultra-fast WiFi speeds covering an area of over 550 square meters.

“Launching 10,000 Mbps shows our commitment to bring the country’s digital infrastructure to the future. PLDT Home’s fiber will not just power smart homes, but also new metaverse applications that are currently in development around the globe,” said PLDT Senior Advisor for Home BusiPioneered by the Philippines’ fastest broadband internet ser- ness Jeremiah De La Cruz. vice provider, the new service now puts the country next to firstThe most powerful fiber world nations such as South Korea, Japan, Sweden, Norway, internet in PH Italy, New Zealand, and the USA, in terms of having access to PLDT Home has also launched the most ultra-fast home internet speed. powerful Fiber plans this November. As a treat PLDT Home is confident its 10,000 Mbps service will set the for consumers this holiday season, these new plans bar for the future of internet speeds in the Philippines. automatically give PLDT Home Fiber subscribers “We at PLDT continue to play an active role in shaping free upgrades of as much as three times their subthe future of our country and leading the way towards a con- scribed internet speeds. nected nation. We are doing all these for our north star—our All PLDT Home subscribers can customers: business owners, professionals, tech mavericks now enjoy the fastest and most suwith very large homes, multiple high-bandwidth users with perior internet speeds to power their multiple screens. And with all that life requires of them, they smart home devices and cover their need the fastest home broadband powered by the fastest net- homes with seamless whole-home work. And we are more than ready to give them what they wifi connectivity. need—all 10,000 of it,” said Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT PresiAs the undisputed fastest fixed dent and Chief Executive Officer. network in the country, PLDT Home PLDT Home pilots its 10,000 Mbps service in Metro Ma- delivers the most powerful broadband nila this December and will then implement further expan- services for Filipinos. As of Septemsions in other key cities outside Metro Manila like Cebu and ber 2021, PLDT has added 324,000 Davao in 2022. new fiber subscribers, wrapping The future of smart homes is here up the third quarter with a marketThe planned rollout is the culmination of PLDT Home’s leading count of 2.77 million fixed year-long network expansion program in 2021, in a deliber- broadband customers. ate move to provide Filipino homes with only the strongest PLDT offers the best highinternet connections. speed plans to different parts of the “Consistent with our commitment to provide superior country reinforced by the Group's technology to address the Filipinos’ growing digital connec- expansive 615,000 kilometers of tivity needs, PLDT Home continues to innovate and make fiber-optic network. The company a difference in the lives of our customers,” said Butch G. thus delivers fixed broadband Jimenez, Senior Vice President and Head of PLDT Home connectivity to an estimated 12.7 Business. “With our all-new, upgraded, and fastest internet million homes passed. speed, Filipino homes will now be able to experience and The telco giant continues to set enjoy the future—that is the smart home.” the standard for broadband service in Leading market and consumer data provider Statista.com the country with its four-peat record defines “smart home” as a private household controlled, moni- at the prestigious Ookla® Speedtest tored, and regulated through networked devices. Statista pre- Awards™ for Q1-Q2 2021, recording dicted a household penetration rate in the Philippines of 7.5% an overall speed score of 46.25 Mbps. for 2021 and 14.2% (or 3.4 million active smart homes) by 2025. With its recent feat, PLDT remains and A 10,000 Mbps connection thus makes the perfect partner will remain at the top of its game. for the bandwidth-hungry smart home. To cater to the growing Know more about PLDT Home number of smart homes in the Philippines, PLDT Home’s products and services by visiting new Fiber Plan comes with a WiFi 6 Mesh System that will www.pldthome.com.

Alfredo Panlilio, PLDT President and Chief Executive Officer

Geniusto powers Cantilan Bank’s mobile banking platform NEXT-GENERATION financial software solutions and services provider firm Geniusto Philippines Inc.—a division of Geniusto International a Perth Australia based FinTech—is powering Cantilan Bank's mobile banking platform as part of its initiative to pioneer digital countryside finance.

The mobile banking service is integrated into Oradian's Instafin corebanking platform. and is cleverly name ‘iCAN., iCAN is a mobile banking app that delivers safe and secure cashless financial services to the underbanked and underserved sectors 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

In addition, the mobile app provides access to core transactions, including bills payment, fund transfers, prepaid phone reloading, and QR code payment using a smartphone.

"The iCAN mobile app will change the landscape in the countryside financing. The platform will enable the unbanked and the underserved communities to have access to financial services that were otherwise unavailable to them," commented, Shane Hermans, founder and Chief Innovation

Proponents of the Geniusto abd Cantillan Bank are shown here

Officer of Geniusto International.

"This is financial inclusion at its core," Hermans added in reference to the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) Digital Payments Transformation Roadmap 2020-2023, targeting at least 50 percent of financial transactions to be concluded digitally and to provide financial services to the 70 percent of adult Filipinos who remain unbanked.

The iCAN app will allow even the smallest retailers, including taho, fish,

MOK celebrates 2nd year with month-long treats, gifts SINCE its entry into the PH market in 2019, MOK has successfully empowered adult smokers to drop traditional cigarettes and switch to a better alternative.

Enthusiasts have been constantly raving about how they are able to make the difficult transition because of MOK’s highly intuitive lineup of heat-not-burn devices that are user-friendly and stylish on the hand. In addition, the technology behind the MOK devices allows for more usage, faster charging times, and efficient heating.

MOK also offers a wide selection of specially designed heat-not-burn sticks, called COO, to capture the preferences of discerning smokers who have various tastes.

Over the past two years, MOK has also been grabbing a significant chunk from the traditional cigarette category as it is made easily and responsibly available to adult smokers through official shops—both online and physical—nationwide.

November of this year marks a milestone for MOK as it celebrates its second anniversary with tens of thousands of users at its core.

Get to know more about the celebration at MOK. COM.PH. All these are available to adult smokers 21 years old and above.

Join the MOK Viber community, too, for an exclusive

members-only celebration.

MOK and COO are available in MOK official online stores in LazMall and Shopee Mall and MOK Specialty Kiosks located in Eastwood Mall, SM North EDSA, SM Sta. Mesa, SM Manila, Met Live, and by the end of November in SM Megamall.

Look forward to nationwide free shipping and free COO packs. MOK users will also be rewarded with free drinks when they are spotted in select partner bars of MOK every Fridays and Saturdays of November.

and sari-sari store vendors, to establish their financial footprint every time they use the app. It then allows them to create transaction records that the bank can review and could be used for their financial profile.

"I am impressed with the commitment of Cantilan Bank's management for their digital transformation. They are indeed changing the financial landscape in the countryside," Hermans said.

CANBNK recently launched its digital channel iCAN mobile banking app to maximize its digital and cloudbased omnichannel platform to effectively increase end-client access to a variety of digital financial services during the pandemic crisis through partnerships with regional digital innovation champions such as APIX, the world's first cross-border, open-architecture API marketplace and sandbox platform for collaboration between fintech and financial institutions.

Lieutenant General William K. Hotchkiss III, AFP (Ret.), CANBNK chairman of the board, highlighted the need to adopt a mobile-first strategy with a customer-centric business model to diversify online products and service channels to continue the meaningful process of digital transformation.

Link to Google play and iStore.

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Virtual Town Hall: Power stability crucial to PH economic recovery THE country’s economic recovery hinges on the stability and reliability of power supply, and stakeholders must act in unison to ensure fuel and electricity rates do not hamper industries’ ability to rebound from the economic crisis brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This was the main message of the virtual town hall discussion organized by Stratbase ADR Institute, titled Ensuring Power Supply Security for a Sustainable Economic Recovery, held via Zoom on November 11.

“We need to attract supply by reducing red tape, which is the enemy of new supply,” said Senator Sherwin Gatchalian, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy.

“We need to diversify energy supply, particularly maximizing renewable energy, and diversifying energy sources. We should undertake aggressive oil and gas exploration. Oil and gas will still

be a reliable source in the next 20 to 30 years. Based on data from the DOE, we have enough (potential) oil to power our economy in the next 36 years, and enough gas in the next 90 years, but we’re just not utilizing the gas we have efficiently,” he added.

The senator cited the experience of Japan and Singapore, which do not produce coal or gas, but have managed to diversify their energy resources to not be beholden to a single country.

A stable power supply will improve our business climate, attract foreign investment, and create more jobs, therefore accelerating the revival of the Philippine economy, said Stratbase ADRI President Professor Dindo Manhit in his opening remarks to the virtual forum.

“Thus, the incoming government must consider energy policies that protect consumers from high

electricity prices and the economy from losses caused by power outages,” he said.

“Initiatives towards the modernization, efficiency, and reliability of our power supply would foster sustainable and inclusive economic growth for the whole nation.” he added.

Professor Louie Montemar, Convenor of Bantay Konsyumer, Kuryente, Kalsada (BK3), highlighted the importance of the planning and coordination of maintenance cycles, and said that these must be governed by stakeholders in the industry.

“Government’s policies in the sector may need to be developed, clarified, or fine-tuned,” he said, adding that we need to accelerate the pace of technology adoption by developing the necessary regulatory framework, including raising the incentives for both the customer and the supply chain stakeholders.

Motoring

RAMON L. TOMELDAN Editor

B4

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2021

NLEX’s ISO recertification a testament to continuous elevation of MPTC’s quality service

T

HE NLEX Corporation has been recertified for another three years for complying with integrated management system standards in Quality, Environment, and Occupational Health and Safety after obtaining the latest versions of the ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015, and ISO 45001: 2018 certifications, respectively, which were issued by DQS Holdings GmbH - one of the leading certification bodies for management systems worldwide.

The ISO certification is an international standard that recognizes companies that adopt optimal procedures to consistently provide services that meet customer and regulatory requirements, manage environmental responsibilities, and protect the health and safety of workers.

“This is part of our continuing journey to

business excellence. Our well-established management systems enabled us to adapt to changes and ensure sustainability of our operations. Though faced with the challenges of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we remain committed to improve the company’s processes, preserve the environment, and care for the health and safety of our employees, with the ultimate goal of enhancing our

customer service,” said NLEX Corporation President and General Manager J. Luigi L. Bautista.

NLEX has been an ISO-certified company since 2008, implementing streamlined processes and providing its customers with high quality service measured against a global benchmark.

“Our recertification achievement assures that despite the disruptions caused by the global health crisis, we can ensure the quality of service that we offer to our customers,” Bautista added.

In another development, the tollway company is looking forward to another accreditation as it currently pursues Road Traffic Safety Management System (RTSMS) or the ISO 39001 certification. The NLEX Corporation has instituted and implemented various programs to uphold road safety measures such as the continuous maintenance and upgrade of the NLEX-SCTEX assets and facilities, implementation of traffic laws, institution of lectures, and distribution of materials on safe driving practices to encourage motorists to do their part in keeping the roads safe.

Baterya Program continues with Motolite, Ford, and PBSP as spearheaders SuperNOVA. 32 units of the Hyundai HD50S Modern PUV Class 2 will soon serve commuters of MalintaNovaliches area, as part of NOVADECI Transport Service Cooperative’s (NTSC) commitment to provide better mass transport services for the commuting public.

Hyundai moves for transport modernization boom in Novaliches City

ONE large concern in the battery production industry is the proper disposal and recycling of such products once used. To help address this problem, Ford Philippines together with Ford dealers nationwide, Motolite, and the Philippine Business for Social Progress (PBSP) forged a collaboration to recycle used leadacid batteries (ULABs) through the Balik Baterya Program. The partnership aims to promote environmental sustainability by recycling used batteries.

Launched in 2006, the Balik Baterya Program is Motolite’s flagship CSR initiative advocating for the proper disposal and legitimate recycling of ULABs to protect the environment from hazardous wastes. The collected used batteries are reprocessed and recycled for commercial use. The proceeds from the used batteries are then used to fund development projects for communities in need such as provision of new classrooms, school desks, books, and supplemental feeding for children.

“Through the Balik Baterya Program, we are able to bring to life Ford’s

global commitment on environmental sustainability in the Philippines, and work with our Ford dealers and like-minded partners such as Motolite and PBSP to reinforce this advocacy. At the same time, the program provides an opportunity for our dealer partners to create and even expand their corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to support more beneficiaries,” said Ford Philippines President and Managing Director Michael Allen Breen.

To date, the program has generated around P147 million pesos which has supported and implemented around 169 projects nationwide. These projects have benefitted at least 115 public schools and communities.

“Around 5,825 tons of ULABs is what the Balik Baterya Program partnership with PBSP has been able to recycle.

More so, these wastes transformed to the greater goal of advancing communities through funding social development programs,” said Corporate Citizenship and CSR Manager Khairon-Niza Magundacan.

NOVALICHES, Quezon City. Quezon City Mayor Honorable Hyundai Asia Resources, Inc. Josefina “Joy” Belmonte(HARI), the official distributor Alimurung, together with notable of Hyundai commercial vehicles, representatives from the local strengthens their participation in government, transport, and finance overall transport modernization sectors. with another successful delivery NOVADECI Board of Directors of modern PUVs. At the Chairwoman, Ms. Leonisa A. inauguration of NOVADECI Fausto thanked Hyundai and other Transport Service Cooperative partners for making the project (NTSC), a subsidiary cooperative possible, with hopes of having their of the Novaliches Development initiative serve as an inspiration not Cooperative (NOVADECI), HARI, only to NOVADECI but also to the through authorized dealer Hyundai country’s entire transport sector.

Trucks and Buses Commonwealth, In addition, Hyundai Trucks and successfully turned over 32 units Buses Commonwealth assured of the HD50S Modern PUV Class NOVADECI of their commitment to 2, concretizing the cooperative’s provide top service and maintenance commitment to contribute to for the modern PUVs turned over the nation’s ongoing agenda in to the group, and to extend support bettering mass transport services that demonstrates the Hyundai for the commuting public. The Trucks and Buses determination to said inauguration was graced by be a Partner in Every Way.

Brgy. Chairman of Nagkaisang Nayon Feliciano dela Cruz (Left), Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (Center), NOVADECI BOD Chairwoman Ms. Leonisa A. Fausto (4th from right), and representative of Hyundai Trucks and Buses Commonwealth Ms. Kathy Merdegia (2nd to the right) graced the inauguration of NOVADECI Transport Service Cooperative (NTSC) and turnover of 32 units of the Hyundai HD50S Modern PUV Class 2.

HARI President and CEO Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo lauded their company’s effort to energize the country’s transport sector, reinforcing that, “Hyundai shall continue taking steps to help shape the future of mobility in the Philippines that shall move more people, especially our healthcare and economic frontliners, toward more opportunities that shall help enrich their livelihood and contribute to the greater agenda of economic stability.”

With the HD48 GT Modern PUV recently launched by HARI, the company is confident that this new addition to their portfolio of people movers shall build on the current success that Hyundai has already established in the transport sector. Since HARI has expressed intent over supporting the government’s Public Utility Vehicle Modernization Program or PUVMP in 2017, the company has enjoyed a sizable gain in market share in the commercial vehicle industry, thanks to transport cooperatives that have trusted in Hyundai and made it their chosen PUV brand.

This year, HARI sold over 200 units of its Modern PUVs to a diverse roster of transport cooperatives nationwide, helping advance mass mobility initiatives in communities of Ilocos Norte, Pangasinan, Tarlac, Cavite, Bulacan, and Tacloban to name a few. In the first nine months of 2021, sales of Hyundai’s Modern PUVs jumped by 715.8% compared to the same period in 2020, cornering 10.8% market share in the CAT III (3T-6T) category.