Manila Standard - 2021 December 23 - Thursday

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WHO: PREPARE FOR 'NEW STORM'; BIDEN: U.S. OMICRON-READY WORLD / B2

Queen Elizabeth condoles with PH QUEEN Elizabeth II expressed her condolences to President Rodrigo Duterte following the onslaught of super typhoon Odette that ravaged Visayas and parts of Mindanao last week.

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VOL. XXXV • NO. 311 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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Govt scrambles for aid funds Duterte's promised money won't be available just yet, only P2b of P10b can be released now

Official death toll set at 177, damage on infra, agri up

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Willie Casas and Rey E. Requejo

RESIDENT Duterte has promised billions in aid to victims of super typhoon Odette, but the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) said Wednesday it could not commit a date for the release of funds as the government is still assessing the extent of damage.

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By Othel V. Campos, Alena Mae Flores, Vito Barcelo, Francisco Tuyay and Darwin Amojelar DISASTER officials on Wednesday said the reported death toll from Typhoon “Odette” stood at 177, well below the police tally of 375 dead as of Tuesday, while damage to infrastructure and agriculture continued to climb even as teams rushed to aid devastated areas.

DBM acting Secretary Tina Canda said the President has committed to raise P10 billion (not

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HOPE AMID THE RUINS. In Pag-asa (Hope) Island, the foundation that holds the Philippine flag remains strong, a silent witness to the devastation unleashed by super typhoon Odette that also washed out the newly-built station of the Philippine Coast Guard in the West Philippine Sea. (Inset, upper left) In Pandanon, Bohol, fishermen worked hand-in-hand with Coast Guard and Army personnel to deliver relief goods to the province that was severely affected by Odette. (Inset, lower left) In Surigao, the non-government organization Lokal Lab released a photo of children bearing signs that they are hungry and in need of food almost a week since the typhoon made its first landfall in Surigao del Norte Friday last week. AFP, PCG, Lokal Lab

Siargao, surfing mecca of PH, ‘no more’ BBM, Sara top Pulse Asia survey; RESORT and bar owners in Siargao island that is popular with surfers and tourists were expecting a bumper Christmas holiday after COVID-19 restrictions finally eased. Then super typhoon Odette wiped them out.

The widespread destruction left the island – voted the best in Asia by Conde Nast Traveler readers this year – unrecognizable.

The strongest storm to hit the archipelago this year cut a swathe through Siargao, a tropical paradise known for its sandy beaches, big waves and relaxed vibe.

"The day after the storm, we went outside and we were like 'wow, this is Siargao now, it's no more,'" Claudine Mendoza, 27, a sous chef at a beachfront Next page resort, told AFP.

Interval period for booster jab cut to 3 months

By Willie Casas

THE Food and Drug Administration has approved a recommendation to cut down the interval period between the last COVID-19 vaccine dose to the booster dose by three months, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

Under the new policy, boosters may already be given to ages 18 and above, at least three months after the second dose of a primary two-dose vaccine, or least two months after the primary singledose vaccine is given, Duque said late Tuesday evening.

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Leni, Sotto come in poor second

WIPED OUT. Uprooted coconut trees and destroyed houses are seen next to a signage in General Luna, Siargao island days after super typhoon Odette devastated the surfing paradise. AFP

FORMER Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and his running mate, Davao City Mayor Sara DuterteCarpio, topped Pulse Asia's latest survey on presidential and vice presidential aspirants for the 2022 elections.

The survey, done from December 1 to 6 and the first pre-election poll conducted after the filing of certificates of candidacy, showed Marcos scoring 53 percent, ahead of Vice President Leni Robredo, who scored 20 percent.

Marcos' lead is anchored on his 64 percent rating in Mindanao, the bailiwick of his running mate.

Marcos' spokesman, Vic Rodriguez, told a news conference Wednesday the two candidates were grateful to their supporters and that the survey results served as an additional motivation and inspiration for their camp to do more.

Manila Mayor Francisco "Isko Moreno" Domagoso and Senator Manny Pacquiao tied for third place with an 8 percent rating.

Senator Panfilo Lacson received 6 percent, while retired military officer Antonio Parlade Jr., labor leader Leody de Guzman, and former National Security Next page

Marcos camp shows proof of tax liability payment THE camp of former senator and 2022 presidential aspirant Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said Wednesday he owed no taxes to the government, showing a certification from the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

Marcos' spokesman Vic Rodriguez presented at a press conference what he

‘Nervous’ Rody urges people to use face shield

By Rey E. Requejo and Willie Casas PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is worried about the possibility of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 causing another Next page

said was a certificate from the Bureau of Internal Revenue, showing the 64-yearold presidential aspirant already paid his taxes for the years 1982 to 1985 with interest.

"So Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos, Jr. owes no taxes or has no tax deficiencies or penalties or interest. It has all been

paid long ago. They paid December 27, 2001,” Rodriguez said.

Earlier this month, Theodore Te, a lawyer for petitioners from human rights groups, sought the cancellation of Marcos' certificate of candidacy, presenting a document that showed Next page

Next vax drive targets the unvaxxed

By Vito Barcelo, Julito G. Rada, Willie Casas and Joel Zurbano

THE government will carry out a mobile, barangay-to-barangay vaccination drive next year to immunize the 90 million Filipino people, including school-aged children.

“The 2022 vaccination strategy will mainly focus on immunizing the unvaccinated population

including school-aged children and providing booster shots to medical and economic frontliners,” vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr. said He said the government would target inoculating those who had not received COVID-19 jab, provide booster doses, and protect children in preparation for in-person classes.

Another goal of the government vaccination Next page

PROOF OF PAYMENT. A copy of the certification issued by the Bureau of Internal Revenue indicating that former Sen. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. paid his taxes and fines in his tax case.

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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P14 billion as earlier reported) for Odette recovery efforts, but only P2 billion of that is already available through calamity funds, while P2 billion will come from the President’s contingency fund.

The remaining P6 billion will be available once the 2022 national budget is signed, she said.

“We expect the 2022 budget measure will be signed before the year ends, so it’s between after Christmas [and]...the 29th,” Canda said.

Duterte had earlier promised that the funds would be sent to typhoonravaged communities on or before Friday, Christmas Eve. “There is no commitment that it will be distributed by Friday because we are still assessing the total damage and how to distribute the money and how much will be distributed per region and local government uni,” Canda said in Filipino.

Canda said, however, that assistance would be accessible since frontline agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Health have their own quick response funds (QRF). She added that funds could be released if the agencies put in a request to augment their QRF. Duterte is expected to sign the P5.024 trillion 2022 national budget after Christmas, Canda said, after the spending plan has been vetted.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, meanwhile, said it is likely that the calamity funds of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) have been used up.

But once the President signs the 2022 national budget, there's over P20 billion that can be used to help typhoon victims and those who lost their jobs and their houses, Angara said.

Senator Panfilo Lacson proposed that the NDRRMC be convened immediately so the members of the Cabinet can mobilize the different agencies using their QRF and other relevant appropriations available.

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The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) also reported 275 people injured and 38 still missing.

The disaster agency said 446,939 people or 109,601 families were staying inside 2,505 evacuation centers, while 107,377 people or 26,588 families sought shelter in the houses of their relatives and friends.

At least 15,618 homes were damaged — 13,144 partially and 2,474 totally.

Of the 239 cities and municipalities that suffered power outages, service had been restored to 34, the NDRRMC said. Water supply problems, meanwhile, were being experienced in two areas.

Communication issues were also being experienced in 135 areas in affected

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surge in infections as he urged the public to continue using face shields.

“My only concern is if it would be as bad as the previous viruses already...You know, somehow here, I’m just fearful.

You know, I’m nervous because -- let me be frank to the public, the Philippine funds are depleted, even coping up with the growing expenses for the typhoon victims,” he said in his regular Talk to the People late Tuesday evening.

Duterte encouraged the public to keep using their face shields on top of their face masks, even if they were no longer mandatory in areas under Alert Level 2.

“Honestly, I think, the compliance of our citizens in the matter of strictly enforcing the masks, one. And when somebody -- while it might not really be a well-studied proposition but I would dare say that that shield will add another layer of protection in addition to the [masks],” he said.

He said he “firmly believed” that face shields helped lower the number of COVID-19 cases in the country.

“I really firmly believe that the wearing of that face shield has contributed a lot. I cannot quantify or by what percentage but it’s just a gut feeling...we only have a few cases now,” he added.

The National Task Force Against COVID-19 earlier said it was eyeing the reimplementation of the mandatory face shield policy to help fight the spread of new COVID-19 variants.

On November 15, Duterte lifted the

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campaign is to ensure the safety of both the medical and economic frontliners, said Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

To achieve these, the government will carry out mobile, barangay-tobarangay vaccinations, which Galvez said were proven very effective.

To further protect vaccinated individuals, booster shots will be administered three months after the

He said the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) should be required to submit an initial Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) in areas devastated by Odette.

This will guide the President on how to prioritize aid and assistance based on the needs and extent of damage.

For its part, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) should organize a meeting with the different ambassadors to appeal to the international community of nations for assistance just like they did days after the onslaught of Typhoon Yolanda.

Lacson also cited the need to organize te mobilization of the country’s business and private sector to extend assistance in the hardest hit areas. As it is happening now, efforts are disorganized and the interventions of politicians and presumptive candidates are not helping much.

Senator Franklin Drilon said he was saddened by the President’s statement that the government has no money to assist the typhoon victims.

He said the Department of Finance (DOF) can do a “cash sweep” of unreleased funds parked in the bank accounts of national government agencies and government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs).

This was recently done by the DOF to raise funds needed for the COVID-19 pandemic response, he said.

Recent budget hearings showed that national government agencies have very poor disbursement or utilization rates of the funds already released to them. For example, he said the Department of Public Works and Highways disbursed only about 30 percent of the funds released to them. The National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTFELCAC) can also be realigned for relief operations.

He pointed out there are also billions of pesos parked in the coffers of the Procurement Service of the DBM and the Philippine International TradingCorp. for unimplemented projects.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said on Tuesday he has asked the DBM to augment the quick response funds to the regions affected by Typhoon Odette once

they are depleted.

Duque, during President Rodrigo Duterte's Talk to the People, said he already told the regional directors of the typhoon-stricken areas to immediately use their QRFs. “I have already told all the regional directors of the affected regions and areas to use their quick response funds as soon as possible and I have already asked the DBM to augment their quick response funds in case these are exhausted,” Duque said in Filipino.

Duque said the DOH is continuously monitoring the situation in the Visayas and Mindanao to ensure the swift provision of necessary assistance and health services.

Duterte already signed a resolution declaring a state of calamity over regions hit by Odette last week.

Duterte said these areas include Region 4B, 6, 7, 8, 10 and 13.

He said the declaration will hasten relief and rehabilitation efforts in these calamity-stricken areas.

Odette left the Philippine area of responsibility on Saturday afternoon, after causing “total devastation” in areas along its path.

More than 1.8 million people were affected by Odette's onslaught, the NDRRMC said on Monday.

Also on Wednesday, Surigao del Sur Rep. Johnny Pimentel said advance dividend payments from 57 GOCCs could help fund the rehabilitation of provinces ravaged by Odette.

“Malacañang can require covered GOCCs to pay in advance a portion of the cash dividends that they are meant to remit to the national treasury out of their net profits this year,” Pimentel said.

“There’s no question the government will need a lot of additional funding to reconstruct mangled public infrastructure such as farm-to-market roads, irrigation systems, bridges, and school buildings,” Pimentel said.

“The government will also have to extend cash aid to affected families to help them rebuild their homes and livelihood,” said Pimentel, whose home province is one of several now under a state of calamity after sustaining heavy damage from the

catastrophic late-season storm.

The Philippines has received pledges of assistance from the United States, China, and South Korea.

US Embassy in the Philippines Chargé d’Affaires (CDA) ad interim Heather Variava said the US Agency for International Development (USAID), is providing P10 million in immediate assistance, including food and shelter for communities devastated by typhoon Odette.

Variava said USAID is partnering with Action Against Hunger to provide food, water, hygiene supplies, and other relief items to people affected by the typhoon in Surigao del Norte and Dinagat Islands.

China said it will provide $1 million (about P50 million) in emergency cash assistance to the Philippines “to help the government and people in the typhoon Odette affected areas overcome the disaster and rebuild their homes at an early date.”

This was announced by Chinese ambassador to the Philippines Huang Xilian as he turned over the last batch of 10,000 metric tons of rice to the Philippine government on Dec. 22.

The South Korean government said it will also donate $2 million worth of humanitarian assistance to the country and an additional $50,000 worth of inkind donation in the coming days for relief response.

Korean Ambassador to the Philippines Kim Inchul made the announcement during his meeting with Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. on Wednesday.

Kim said the US$50,000 will be used to procure and deliver rice to those affected by the typhoon while the $2 million cash assistance will boost the recovery efforts to build resilience and restore livelihoods in communities affected by the typhoon.

Earlier, the US, China, South Korea as well as Japan, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom launched their respective relief operations to help typhoon-stricken areas in the country by sending basic goods, generators, and temporary shelters.

regions, the NDRRMC report said.

All of the five airports in the affected areas are now operational, the NDRRMC said, adding that of the 25 suspended domestic flights, eight have already resumed.

A total of 122 seaports went nonoperational due to the typhoon, of which 55 are already functioning. At least 1,551 passengers, 690 rolling cargoes, and five vessels were stranded.

At least 308 classes and 267 work schedules were also suspended.

Estimates of agricultural damage soared to P2.6 billion as of Wednesday.

The Department of Agriculture ( DA) said losses were monitored in the Calabarzon, Mimaropa, Bicol, Western Visayas, Central Visayas, Eastern Visayas, Zamboanga Peninsula, Northern Mindanao, Davao, and Caraga regions.

Some 34,747 farmers and fishermen

suffered a production loss of an estimated 87,640 metric tons (MT) from 60,451 hectares of affected agricultural areas.

The storm damaged rice, corn, high value crops, livestock, and fisheries production. Agricultural infrastructure, machinery and equipment were also damaged during the storm.

Before the typhoon, farmers harvested 34,433 MT of rice crop planted to 11,454 hectares in the Regions Mimaropa, VI, VIII, IX, XI, and XIII. Harvested paddy rice has an estimated value of P615.53 million.

Harvested corn, meanwhile, totaled 6,975 MT valued at P82.55 million. About 2,452 hectares of corn from Region IV-A, Mimaropa, VIII, IX, XI, and XIII were spared from the typhoon.

Agriculture Regional Field Offices (RFOs) continue to conduct assessment of damages and losses in the agri-fisheries

sector.

The DA has prepared at least P1.75 billion worth of readily-available assistance to affected farmers and fishermen.

These include P1 billion worth of Quick Response Fund (QRF) for the rehabilitation of affected areas; P148 million worth of rice seeds, P57.6 million worth of corn seeds, P44.6 million worth of assorted vegetables; P500 million credit assistance under the Survival and Recovery (SURE) Assistance Program of the Agricultural Credit Policy Council (ACPC); P1.64 million worth of fingerlings and assistance to affected fisherfolk from Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR); P 625,150 worth of drugs and biologics for livestock and poultry needs from Regional Field Office V; and funds from the Philippine Crop Insurance Corporation (PCIC) to indemnify affected farmers. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

Siargao...

was lively again," Mendoza said. "Then suddenly the storm came."

Now, business owners face expensive repairs or having to start from scratch, and their employees an uncertain future.

Some are wondering if it is even worth trying to begin again.

"This typhoon is much worse for us than the pandemic – the pandemic didn't cause any (structural) damage," said resort owner Anton Alvarez.

"We think we have the capacity to rebuild but there's no point in rebuilding if it's just us -- we need the whole of Siargao to rebuild."

With electricity across the island knocked out, there is no signal or internet, which has hampered efforts of disaster agencies to assess the full extent of the death and destruction caused by the storm.

At least 375 people were killed on the islands hit by Odette, according to the Philippine National Police – including 167 in the region that includes Siargao. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

mandatory use of face shields and only made them voluntary in areas under Alert Level 1 to 3.

The face shield policy is left to the discretion of local government units (LGUs) and private establishments in areas under Alert Level 4.

Only areas under Alert Level 5 and closed, crowded, and close contact (3Cs) such as hospitals and other medical facilities, are required to use face shields.

Vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., meanwhile, said the key message was not to underestimate the Omicron variant, as he detailed government measures to ramp up preparations for the new, fastspreading coronavirus variant.

“The message is: one, preparation is very key. So we have to revisit the national government and LGU playbook,” said Galvez, who is also the chief implementer of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.

Another measure is sustaining stringent border control, he said, adding that the country’s current capacity must also be reevaluated.

Mandates on masking, mass testing, contact tracing, and isolating suspected carriers must also be intensified. These measures should be done simultaneously with a massive vaccination drive, Galvez said.

Meanwhile, the country logged on Wednesday 261 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total to 2,837,784, as two laboratories were not operational and 12 were not able to submit their data on time, the Department of Health said. (See full story online at manilastandard.net) second dose. The three-month spacing has been approved by the Department of Health (DOH) and the Food and Drug Administration and will be executed soon, according to Galvez.

In preparation for face-to-face classes, the government will also vaccinate children aged five to 11 years, he said, adding Pfizer Inc. has already applied for an emergency use authorization (EUA) for this age group.

Government departments have also agreed that 15 million of the 20 million doses being procured from Pfizer will be allotted for children five to 11 years old.

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"Even Cloud Nine is no more, it was really devastated," Mendoza said, referring to the island's surf break where a wooden boardwalk – a favored selfie spot for tourists – was swept away by the typhoon.

The storm is a bitter blow for tourism operators, hitting them a week before the Christmas holidays when many Filipino families typically head to the country's famed beaches and dive spots.

Pandemic travel restrictions decimated visitor numbers to the island in the past two years, leaving many resorts, cafes, souvenir shops and tour guides struggling to survive.

But domestic tourism began to pick up in recent months as the government relaxed rules to boost economic activity – though it kept a ban on foreign travelers entering the country.

"Everyone was so happy, the island

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Adviser Norberto Gonzales all scored less than 1 percent.

Five percent of those polled said they were undecided.

Meanwhile, Duterte-Carpio dominated the survey for vice presidential aspirants with 45 percent.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, Lacson's running mate, ranked second with 31 percent, followed by Senator Francis Pangilinan, Robredo's running mate, with 12 percent.

Under the current state of vaccination, the country still has enough supply for the 54-million target this year that includes allocation for minors and for booster doses.

In related developments, the World Bank approved on Dec. 21 a $300-million (approximately P15 billion) additional financing for the Philippines to help scale up its national vaccination program, strengthen the health systems, and overcome the impact of the pandemic especially on the poor and the most vulnerable. (See full story online at manilastandard. net)

Moreno's running mate, Dr. Willie Ong, scored 6 percent while Pacquiao's vice presidential bet, House Deputy Speaker Lito Atienza, had 1 percent.

Walden Bello, de Guzman's running mate, scored less than 1 percent.

Pulse Asia said the nationwide survey was based on a sample of 2,400 representative adults 18 years old and above, and has a ± 2 percent error margin at the 95 percent confidence level.

Subnational estimates for each of the geographic areas covered in the survey (i.e., Metro Manila, the rest of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao) have a ± 4 percent error margin, also at 95 percent confidence level.

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United Kingdom’s Ambassador to the Philippines Laure Beaufils on Wednesday said in a statement: "Today, Her Majesty The Queen sent President Duterte a message offering her condolences and deepest sympathies to all those affected by Odette."

"The United Kingdom stands in solidarity with the Philippines and Filipino people in the wake of this devastating typhoon," she added.

The British government earlier committed to donate P50 million to the In-

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“We are exploring all possible options to safely mitigate the effects of more transmissible variants of COVID-19. The approval came at an opportune time as several countries also re-strategized in light of the Omicron and other COVID-19 variants that may emerge,” Duque said.

Duque underscored the importance of prioritizing vaccination among those who are yet to receive their COVID-19 vaccines.

“We call on our local government units to encourage their constituents to get vaccinated, especially the unvaccinated senior citizens and people with underlying medical conditions who are more vulnerable to having severe COVID-19,” Duque said.

“Ensuring enough coverage of the primary series while adhering to the minimum public health standards are crucial if we want to maintain low to minimal risk classification and have adequate health systems capacities especially during the holiday season,” he added.

He said operational guidelines have yet to be released.

Duque earlier called for inoculating individuals with booster doses within three months, saying it would confer higher protection.

Currently, fully-vaccinated individuals may get their booster shots after six months except for the Janssen vaccine which is after three months.

The country started administering booster shots to healthcare workers on November 17, while seniors and immunocompromised individuals started receiving boosters shots on November 22.

The government started administering booster shots to all fully vaccinated adults on December 3.

DOH spokesperson and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said on Wednesday there is enough vaccine supply for government to carry out the approved shorter gap for booster COVID-19 shots.

"We have received 150 million of the committed 200 million doses, so we actually have more than we need," Vergeire said in an interview with Teleradyo.

She gave assurances that more supplies were expected, with about 25 million more doses set to arrive before the year ends.

Marcos..

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Marcos “has not satisfied the judgment” or has not paid the penalty in his tax conviction case.

"This is to certify that there is no record on file of [the] compliance of payment or satisfaction for the decision of the Regional Trial Court dated July 27, 1995 or the Court of Appeals dated October 31, 1997," read the certification from Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 105 that Te requested.

There is also no record of the "entry in the criminal docket of the RTC Decision dated July 27, 1995 as affirmed/modified of (sic) the Court of Appeal's Decision."

The QC RTC originally sentenced Marcos to 9 years in prison and ordered him to pay fines worth P72,000 for failing to file his income tax return and to pay taxes from 1982 to 1985, aside from his alleged tax deficiencies worth around P20,000.

The CA, in 1997, modified this, acquitting him of non-payment of taxes but affirming his conviction for nonfiling of ITRs. It removed the jail term but ordered him to pay P36,000 in fines plus surcharges.

It also ordered him to pay the Bureau of Internal Revenue the income tax deficiencies due with interest.

But in Wednesday's news briefing, Rodriguez presented the BIR certification issued last December 9, 2021.

The document, signed by Arsenio Tomeldan of the Collection Section of BIR Region No.7B-East NCR of Revenue District Office No.42San Juan, specifically indicated that Marcos paid the amount that covers the computation of deficiency income taxes and fines covering the taxable years for 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1985 at the Land Bank of the Philippines. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

ternational Federation of Red Cross and Philippine Red Cross to aid the typhoon survivors.

On Sunday, Pope Francis assured the many victims of Odette that they are close to his heart as he expressed hope that the Sto. Niño (Child Jesus) will bring them comfort.

"I express my closeness to the people of the Philippines struck by a strong typhoon, which has destroyed many homes. May the Santo Niño bring consolation and hope to the families most in need; and may he inspire concrete help in all of us," the Pope said after leading the midday Angelus.

News

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

FOR THE NOCHE BUENA FEAST.

IN BRIEF QC expands recycling ‘trash-to-cash’ program

‘Lechon,’ or roasted pig is a much-awaited delicacy during Christmas and New Year celebrations. La Loma Quezon City is often a favorite location to buy ‘lechon.’ Manny Palmero

43 aspirants vie for 5 vacant CA posts, says JBC

By Rey E. Requejo THE Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) on Wednesday announced that 43 aspirants are vying for five vacant associate justice posts in the Court of Appeals.

The 7-member JBC concurrently chaired by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo said it will conduct beginning Jan. 10, 2022, public interviews on the 15 aspirants.

The JBC, which is the constitutional office that accepts, screens, and nominates appointments to the judiciary, explained that the public interviews of the 28 other aspirants are still valid.

The CA magistrates who vacated their posts include Associate Justice Jhosep Y. Lopez who had been appointed to the Supreme Court (SC); Associate Justice Danton Q. Bueser, Edgardo T. Lloren, and Elihu A. Ybanez who had retired; and Associate Justice Franchito N. Diamante who passed away last May 4.

In an announcement, Marife M. Lomibao Cueva, SC’s en banc clerk of court and JBC ex-officio secretary, said to be interviewed on Jan. 10 are Ma. Theresa H. Aban Camannong, Arthur L. Abundiente, Josephine M. Advento, and Allan Edwin P Boncavil.

For interview on Jan. 12 are Lorna Francisca V. Catris Chua Cheng, Gina F. Cenit Escoto, Mercedita G. Dadole Ygnacio, and Olivia V. Escubio Samar.

Jill Rose S. Jaugan Lo, Rogelio G. Largo, John Z. Lee, Victorino O. Maniba Jr. are set for interview on Jan. 14, while Lily Ann V. Marcos Padaen, Ana Marie T. Mas, and Romeo D. Tagra are set for interview on Jan. 17.

‘Power, telco firms should work together in disasters’

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HE power and telecommunications sector should work together seamlessly, as was highlighted by widespread service disruptions in the aftermath of typhoon Odette, an advocacy group said.

Orlando Oxales, convenor of CitizenWatch Philippines, said both these services are essential to disaster relief operations and in the rehabilitation of the typhoon-ravaged communities.

“We need fast action and cooperation between telcos and power cooperatives,” he said. “The disruption in electricity and communication services hampers efforts to save lives and property and compromises these communities’ ability to bounce back quickly after the disaster,” he said.

The disruption in telecommunications was felt in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, with relatives unable to contact

their loved ones to find out whether they survived the typhoon. Text and photo descriptions of the devastation also came in trickles over social media.

“This created a terrifying vacuum of information in the crucial hours when relief was most needed,” Oxales said.

Power and telecommunication services in some areas were restored after a few days, but not in all affected places.

Then again, services outside the capital region have been known to be both expensive and intermittent. “These have been to the detriment of consumers, businesses, and the overall develop-

ment of the regions.”

“This reflects the gaps in our disaster resilience and shows how vulnerable we are to external factors like extreme weather and should be more than enough impetus for the government to work closely with the private sector in modernizing our power and digital infrastructure especially in these regions where electricity cooperatives need big capital to upgrade capacity and build readiness to react to these events,” Oxales said.

Then again, the call to modernize power infrastructure in all regions in the country has been long-standing.

“Government has yet to provide sufficient incentives and more enabling policies to upgrade infrastructure and help the distribution utilities in these affected areas to restore services after any disruptive occurrences,” he said.

EMERGENCY POWER.

Buyers look at generator sets for sale at Evangelista Street in Quiapo, Manila.

Generators are in demand in areas without electricity, particularly in the wake of typhoon Odette (international name: Rai).

Bohol, Cebu, Dinagat, Siargao and other areas in the middle and southern Philippines were hardest hit by the typhoon.

Norman Cruz

‘Kudungan’ in BARMM marketplaces seen to keep ‘fake news’ at bay IN THE Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), the old tradition of “Kudungan” (rendezvous) is being revived for marketgoers engaged in truthful discussions on developments affecting their community life.

The Kudungan tradition naturally “bans liars from the band of an all-male forum”

and can thus help prevent fake news.

The “Indigenous Architecture,” a social media page run by the country’s top professional architects, said that the BARMM is constructing public market buildings traditionally designed in some of the region’s town centers with a mezzanine space allotted for coffee shop tables to host a “Kudungan.”

BI to travelers: Be at airport early

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) is urging travelers who are going abroad during the holidays to be at the airport early to allow the agency to enforce strict social distancing.

In a statement, Immigration Commissioner Jaime Morente advised the travelers to be at the airport earlier than their scheduled departure f lights to ensure that they have ample time to check-in at their airlines and ensure social distancing at the immigration area.

Local airlines suggest that travelers start the check-in process 3-4 hours be-

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fore their scheduled flight.

Morente said that in the past few days there has been a steady increase in the number of international travelers departing from the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) and the airports in Mactan, Cebu, and Clark, Pampanga with the onset of the Christmas season.

“While there are significantly fewer travelers this year because of the pandemic, there could still be congestion for late passengers rushing during boarding time,” said Morente.

“We can help avoid congestion during boarding by checking in early,” he added.

Kudungan which means a “rendezvous” naturally gathers truth-telling men voluntarily sitting in to listen and share information in weekly forums held on a “Padian” (Market Day) of the town.

The market building’s design bears the traditional architectural motif of a “Panolong” by the tip of each roof truss. The MILG-BARMM is imple-

menting the project on the directive of Chief Minister Ahod Balawag Al-Hadj Murad Ebrahim, assures BARMM Interior and Local Government Minister Naguib G. Sinarimbo.

Architect Lito Ticson of Indigenous Architecture, wanted to find out if “the design of the building is common to all BARMM tribes.”

QUEZON City citizens can now pay their electricity and other bills using accumulated points from trading recyclable and single-use plastics, following the expansion of the Quezon City government’s waste trading program “Trash to Cashback.”

Trash to Cashback is the city’s initiative, in partnership with Basic Environmental Systems and Technologies (BEST) Inc. that allows QCitizens to trade plastic, metal, and paper wastes into environmental points’ (EPs) which in turn can be exchanged for basic commodities such as rice, eggs, and vegetables.

The city signed an agreement with BEEPXTRA PHILIPPINES and CIS BAYAD CENTER INC. to expand the waste trading program to enable residents to pay their bills using their environmental points.

There would be three participating bayad centers for the 90-day pilot launch of the program, particularly the branches in Ever Commonwealth, Sauyo, and Gulod.

A QCitizen who wants to redeem her/his EPs in payment for utility bills is required to create a Bayad App account. One is allowed to redeem a minimum of 200 EPs in payment for utility bills, where one EP is equivalent to P1. Rio N. Araja

Group celebrates 17th anniv of ‘Senior Gwapo’ DEVOTEES recently celebrated the 17the anniversary of taking care of the “Senior Gwapo,” a replica of the Black Nazarene.

Enshrined in a humble chapel at Consuelo Street, Barangay Marulas, Valenzuela City, “Senior Gwapo” has been looked after by a group of devotees headed by Rhia Morales, Malou Toreja, and Michael Lombos since 2005.

The image was recognized and registered at the Minor Basilica of the Black Nazarene on June 20, 2017, upon the advice of the parochial vicar, Fr. Douglas Badong.

Since then, the replica became formally known as the “Senior Zeno de Benedictus.” Members of the Nuestro Padre Jesus Nazareno (NPJN) gave the replica the name “Zeno,” which came from Morales’ two-year-old son Collins Konrad Franzesco Morales.

LPA may enter country soon, PAGASA says A LOW pressure area (LPA) over the Pacific is now expected to enter the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) either on Dec. 26 or Dec. 27, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said.

The LPA has a 60 to 70 percent chance to develop into a tropical depression, the weather bureau added in an update on Wednesday.

In a Wednesday morning forecast, Aldczar Aurelio of PAGASA said the LPA was last located 1,350 kilometers east of Mindanao.

PAGASA said the LPA is now likely to be closest to the landmass of Mindanao on the evening of December 29 or on December 30.

The public is advised to take precautionary measures, and remain vigilant against unofficial information coming from unverified sources.

Information can be obtained via PAGASA’s website, and on its official social media accounts.

The weather bureau earlier forecast one or two tropical cyclones to form or enter the country this month.

BIRDWATCHING IN PAOAY.

Governor Matthew Marcos Manotoc (3rd from left) of Ilocos Norte leads guests and bird watchers in the launching of the “Find the One in Region 1 Birdwatching Tour Circuit” in Paoay Lake National Park, Ilocos Norte. Teddy Pelaez

KRIS JOINS VP. Residents of Himamaylan,

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Negros Occidental listen to Vice President Leni Robredo and actress Kris Aquino, youngest sister of the late President Noynoy Aquino, who assured them of continued help on Tuesday as they distributed relief packs that included rice and other food items. OVP Photos

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

News

Pacquiao, NGOs send 8,000 tons of ‘Odette’ aid

By Macon Ramos-Araneta THE United Relief Operations, a composite team from Manny Pacquiao Foundation, Tzu Chi Foundation, and celebrity volunteers bound to Tacloban City, is now airborne to deliver around 8,000 tons of food and non-food items for typhoon Odette victims.

This is the fifth day of continuous relief delivery of United Relief Operations spearheaded by Sen. Manny Pacquiao starting on his birthday last December 17.

Headed by Team Pacquiao’s Campaign Manager Buddy Zamora and Communications Head Bernard Peralta, Tzu Chi Foundation and media, the group will endorse the relief packs to the Southern Leyte provincial government.

The provincial government is struggling to gather reports of the typhoon damage since mobile phone signals are still unavailable in the province.

The planeload of aid includes 650 units of environmentally friendly solar-powered floodlights. The entire province has been hit by a power outage since December 16, affecting 13 municipalities.

Meanwhile, Senator Risa Hontiveros on Wednesday started distribution of relief goods for typhoon victims in Southern Leyte, Negros Occidental, Agusan del Norte, Surigao del Norte, and Dinagat Islands.

In Visayas, Hontiveros’s relief operations initially include municipalities of Maasin, Padre Burgos, and Sogod in Southern Leyte, as well as municipalities of Kabankalan and Himamaylan in Negros Occidental.

Aid will also be given to Bohol, Iloilo, Negros Oriental, and other areas of Negros Occidental.

Manila Zoo sets soft reopening Dec. 30—Isko

Presidential race ‘clearly Robredo vs. Marcos Jr.’

By Rio N. Araja

T

HE camp of Vice President Leni Robredo believes there will only be a two-way presidential race between her and exsenator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the May 2022 elections.

Barry Gutierrez, Robredo’s spokesperson, reacted to the results of the Pulse Asia poll survey showing Robredo with a 20% rating, a far second to Marcos with a 53% rating among the presidential bets for next year.

“The 12-point jump in Vice President Leni’s numbers, which more than doubles her results from the last survey, is definitive affirmation of the energy and momentum of the people’s campaign that emerged following her declaration

of candidacy on Oct. 7,” Gutierrez said in a statement.

“2022 is now clearly a Robredo versus Marcos contest. We are confident that in the next four months, Vice President Leni’s consistent, hands-on leadership and the enthusiastic efforts of our volunteers, will continue to broaden and increase her support,” he added “Simula pa lang ito. Ipapanalo natin ito. (This is just the start. We will win this race),” Gutierrez said.

CARETAKER.

Maasin City Mayor Nikko Mercado (left) and DPWH Secretary Roger Mercado (right) discusses with House Majority Leader and Caretaker of Southern Leyte Rep. Martin Roualdez (2nd left) and former Senator Ferdinand Bongbong Marcos Jr. (2nd right) the extent of the damage in the province of Southern Leyte after the onslaught of super typhoon Odette last week.

Ver Noveno

By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENTIAL candidate and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso on Wednesday announced the re-opening of the New Manila Zoo with its soft opening on December 30, saying the redeveloped facility is comparable to the world-famous Singapore Zoo. Moreno, standard-bearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, set the date following a visit Tuesday night with Vice Mayor Honey Lacuna at the nearly fivehectare facility, known as the Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden.

According to officials overseeing the redevelopment of the zoo, “99.9 percent of the works” has already been completed and animals would be taken to their respective enclosures beginning next week.

“So beautiful! I’m really proud! It used to stink here. This is one for the books. It’s like you’re in Japan. It’s like you’re in Jurassic Park. I will assure you, even foreigners will come here,” Moreno gushed after a tour of the modernized facility.

“My grandmothers will be happy.

Senior citizens, their grandchildren can be driven around. This size of the area is big,” he added.

ULOPAN FOR BBM-SARA.

Vice Governor Mark DG. Lambino (inset) welcomes the more than 3,000 members and coordinators of United Lights of Pangasinan Inc. (ULOPAN) who attended the 2-day ULOPAN annual general assembly at the ULOPAN Center in Mangaldan, Pangasinan.

Meanwhile, television host and actress Kris Aquino recently joined Robredo in providing relief assistance to victims of Typhoon “Odette” in southern Negros Occidental.

Aquino vowed to join Robredo in her campaign sorties in January as she delivered truckloads of food packs to evacuation centers in the cities of Himamaylan and Kabankalan.

She said she would visit the hometown of her son Josh’s babysitter in Hinigaran town, also in the province.

Actress Angel Locsin has also donated a P2-million assistance for the typhoon survivors.

Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson welcomed the Vice President in her visit.

IN BRIEF ‘LTO failed to enforce Motorbike Crime Act’ SENATOR Richard J. Gordon on Wednesday recommended the immediate filing of charges against some officials of the Land Transportation Office (LTO) for their alleged failure to implement Republic Act (RA) 11235, or the Motorcycle Crime Prevention Act. Gordon, who chairs the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, recommended multiple charges against LTO Assistant Secretary Edgar Galvante, Executive Director Romeo Vera Cruz for violation of the AntiGraft and Corrupt Practices Act. “When the Executive fails to implement a law properly, or when it fails at all to implement what we have passed, the result is a situation where the Executive Department could just sneer at us, disrespect us, or worse show to the world how powerless we in the Senate or Congress can be,” said Gordon. Macon Ramos-Araneta

Lucy: Boost disaster resilience in Leyte A HOUSE leader on Wednesday called for the strengthening of disaster resilience of communities.

Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte, chairperson of the House committee on disaster resilience, said this as her province was devasted by strong typhoons in a span of five years.

“The destruction resulting from Super-typhoon Odette is, once again, a bitter reminder that we still have a long way to go in strengthening our disaster resilience. Yes, we have significantly decreased casualties due to substantial improvements in local evacuations,” the lawmaker said.

“But we must not stop here. There are still more ‘low-hanging fruit’ solutions that are yet to be achieved, in laying the foundation for swifter local recovery and rehabilitation,” she added. Maricel V. Cruz

Lacson to Baguio’s Magalong: Get public help vs. 911 prank callers PARTIDO Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Panfilo “Ping” Lacson advised Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong to seek public cooperation when dealing with prank and drop callers that keep flooding their 911 emergency hotline since its pilot run last October.

Magalong and his chief of staff Philip Puzon brought up this issue with Lacson during their informal meeting last Friday (December 17) when the lat-

ter visited Baguio City for a speaking engagement and to check the recently launched Smart City Command Center of its local government.

Puzon reported that out of the 16,000plus calls they received over the 911 hotline thus far, around 7,000 turned out to be prank calls and more than 5,000 were drop calls; only 0.6 percent of legitimate calls have been recorded, which seriously bothered the city government.

Lacson took note of this problem and told Magalong and Puzon that since their system can trace and identify the people behind these prank calls, city government personnel can easily locate and personally admonish them over such misconduct.

“At least call the attention na alam niyang his number is being detected tapos ma-preempt siya, next time, alam niyang ma-de-detect. And then, word-of-

mouth, ‘hoy! Huwag kayong mag-prank calls… Ako, pinasyalan na ako dito, ‘di ba?’,” Lacson said.

(At least call the attention and let him know that his number is being detected to preempt him [from doing it again]. Next time, he will be aware that he can be detected, and then by word-of-mouth, he can tell the others: ‘Hey, don’t make prank calls… I have been reprimanded.’)

Pangasinan group backs BBM-Sara in May 9 polls MANGALDAN, Pangasinan—The United Lights of Pangasinan Inc. (ULOPAN) unanimously adopted a resolution supporting the candidacies of former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for president and Davao City Mayor Inday Sara Duterte for vice president in the May 2022 national elections.

During its two-day annual general assembly held at the ULOPAN Center here on December 18-19, more than 3,000 coordinators and members expressed their all-out support for the

“BBM-Sara” tandem.

Businessman and ULOPAN President Emilio D. De Guzman said the general assembly tackled significant issues that transpired this year 2021, especially the effect of COVID-19 pandemic.

“When we discussed the forthcoming 2022 elections, our members were all united in endorsing the tandem of Senator Bong-Bong Marcos and Mayor Sara Duterte,” De Guzman explained.

The ULOPAN Inc. is a SEC-registered organization founded in 2014

by Secretary Raul L. Lambino, with more than 100,000 card-bearing members in Pangasinan.

De Guzman added that ULOPAN has already established chapters in different provinces nationwide including Metro Manila.

Vice Governor Mark DG. Lambino, the Secretary General of ULOPAN, expressed optimism that the BBM-Sara tandem will continue to deliver further growth and development in the country after the administration of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte.

Opinion Have a merry Christmas

DASHING through the metro traffic, many Filipinos make lastminute shopping in malls and other commercial establishments days before Christmas.

Restaurants are full. Transport terminals are crowded. This scenario gives a familiar feeling as it is reminiscent of pre-pandemic times. However, as we see face masks worn everywhere, there lingers a bit of uneasiness as the COVID-19 pandemic persists.

As I have been saying in my previous articles, the entry of the Omicron variant poses new challenges in the country’s COVID-19 response as only little is known about this new variant. While Delta remains to be dominant in the country, the World Health Organization warned that Omicron may soon emerge as the more common variant among active COVID-19 cases. The presumed higher transmissibility of Omicron makes it a very serious threat to the progress we are making in terms of the significantly low number of new COVID-19 cases recorded and the economic growth noted in the last quarter.

Nonetheless, we are thankful that the detected Omicron cases were isolated, and that the national government is on its toes. However, with the reported difficulty in tracing close contacts of confirmed cases, follow-up monitoring of returning Filipinos and international tourists is crucial to ensure that no omicron slips out of sight. At the same time, this ensures strict compliance of those who are required to undergo home quarantine.

Hence, as we are in the seemingly “calm before the storm,” let us take this opportunity to improve our contact tracing and monitoring system. Early this year, the Department of Interior

and Local Government mandated local government units to use the StaySafe application for contact tracing. However, issues regarding its efficiency surfaced. There have also been calls for centralizing data from the different contact tracing systems used by LGUs. Apart from this, internet access remains a problem in rural areas, which hinders LGUs from adopting such digital applications. Hence, pen and paper contact tracing is still necessary in areas where no mobile application is adopted. It is high time that national government agencies addressed these issues and provide support to LGUs in order to improve contact tracing and speed up identification of and communication to close contacts.

May we remember the real reason for celebration.

Despite the imperfections, the use of these contact tracing mechanisms is still gravely important. Hence, I urge the public to continue to religiously register for contact tracing and abide

by IATF guidelines. The cooperation of everyone is needed to effectively prevent the spread of COVID-19, particularly this Omicron variant.

As we celebrate Christmas this weekend, let us remain cautious of COVID-19, but not let it dampen the Christmas spirit. Let us celebrate safely, in the way we see fit. In celebrating, let us pray that the country fully recovers from this pandemic soon. Let us also pray for our fellow Filipinos in Palawan, Visayas, and Mindanao who were affected by typhoon Odette. May their spirits be strengthened as help pours in, and that they recover at the soonest possible time.

Amidst the difficulties at this period, I pray that we experience joy in our hearts as we remember the real reason for the celebration—the birth of Christ, our Savior. May the coming of Christ bring hope to all.

Visitors return to Afghan national museum, once ransacked by Taliban

By Duncan Woodside and Luana Sarmini-Buonaccorsi AFGHANISTAN’S national museum is once again welcoming visitors and exhibiting pre-Islamic artefacts with the Taliban’s blessing — a stark contrast to when the hardliners ransacked and shuttered the facility during their last stint in power.

A trickle of citizens made their way around the sprawling exhibit rooms in Kabul when AFP recently visited, marvelling at treasures ranging from painted Stone Age pottery to ancient coins and religious items.

“It’s inborn in humans that they attach value to their history,” said Rahmatullah, 65, after intently examining a collection of 2,000-yearold swords.

“I wanted to know more about the history of my country. It has a special place in my heart”.

The museum reopened in late November with permission from the Taliban’s new ministry of information and culture, around three months after the Islamists retook power and ended their two-decade insurgency.

Some artifacts on open display are fundamentally at odds with the Taliban’s radical ideology, including pottery collections featuring images of animals and humans.

During their first 1996-2001 rule, Taliban fighters destroyed items including statues at the museum, while tens of thousands of items were looted and never recovered.

In that period, the Islamists also blew up 1,500-year-old giant statues of the Buddha in the central Bamiyan valley.

But Taliban fighters now guard the museum and its treasures from potential attack by Islamic State insurgents.

According to chief curator Ainuddin Sadaqat, there has been no attempt to restrict what is on display.

Only “15 to 20 percent of exhibits are of Islamic heritage”, the 35-yearold told AFP.

Some artifacts on open display are fundamentally at odds with the Taliban’s radical ideology.

“We also have visitors from the Taliban,” who sometimes come to tour the museum in large numbers, Sadaqat said.

The reopening comes as the hardline Islamists try to present a more moderate image while seeking to unlock billions of dollars in international aid suspended since the fall of the western-backed government and for sanctions to be lifted.

‘Felt hopeful’ The museum also boasts a collection of 18th- and 19th-century jewellery.

“I came here to see the jewellery — what it looked like in the past; the necklaces, earrings,” said Zohal, 24, who only gave her first name.

“I wanted to see the difference between the jewellery of the past and what we have now,” said this Afghan woman, who works for the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Visitor numbers are well below the hundreds who used to visit daily under the previous regime — a time when numbers were swollen by coachloads of children.

“For the moment, the cultural policy of the Taliban towards artefacts does seem very positive and realistic,”

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

I

A train wreck of lying

N THE latest Senate hearing on the Pharmally scandal this week, we learned more about the web of connections that enabled a cash-poor startup with no track record to become, in just a year, the government’s biggest supplier of COVID-19 emergency supplies.

Thanks to documents presented and testimony during the hearing, we now know that a Chinese businessman, Lin Wei Xiong, was made the company’s financial manager to guarantee that President Duterte’s former economic adviser, Michael Yang, would be paid for the money he would lend the under-capitalized state-up.

Lin, a business associate of Yang, is the husband of congressional candidate Rose Nono Lin, who famously told the Senate Blue Ribbon community that she didn’t know how an P8-million Lexus LX450D ended up in her garage.

Pharmally chairman Huang Tzu Yen and Dargani told the Senate panel that Lin’s role as financial manager was to act as guarantor to suppliers on Michael Yang’s behalf.

“For the purpose of returning and safeguarding that guarantee that we will pay back once [a] collection is

made, yes, he was appointed financial manager,” Huang said, referring to Lin.

The links are, at the very least, embarrassing.

Huang’s testimony contradicted Yang’s earlier claims that he was not involved in Pharmally, even as the company’s executives had said he acted as their financier and guarantor to suppliers.

From previous hearings, we also know that Pharmally was able to bag more than P8 billion in government contracts because these were approved by the a former undersecretary at the Department of Budget and Management, Lloyd Christopher Lao, who was put in that position by President Duterte in gratitude for service rendered

as a volunteer lawyer during his 2016 presidential campaign. Lao, who characterized the hearings as “hostile,” has since refused to attend the hearings and has gone into hiding to avoid arrest for contempt.

Up to this point, nobody has said the President was involved in any of this corruption, but his links with Yang and Lao are, to say the least, embarrassing. So was his full-throated defense of his two “friends,” and his vicious, personal attacks on the senators behind the Senate investigation.

We are gratified that none of this has distracted the President from his crucial tasks of managing the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent damage caused by the super typhoon, but this “whiff of corruption” simply will not go away.

The stench, in fact, may waft into the 2022 elections, as voters steer clear of candidates who are too closely tied to a President who not only refused to do anything about the corruption in his own administration, but also defended those who are now caught--to borrow a phrase used by a senator during the hearings—in a train wreck of lying.

Money matters FOR decades, our Banko Sentral has been redesigning and replacing our paper currency bills with regularity without any problems. This is, until the BSP decided to replace the images of three heroes who are currently on the one-thousand-peso bill with the image of our national bird, the Philippine eagle.

Predictably, the descendants joined by other sectors not only disagreed but also objected. If not for this controversy, the public – myself included – would not have known that this particular process is vested solely in the hands of the BSP. But what really provoked this controversy? Was it mainly the removal of the images of three patriots and heroes or the ease in which the decision to replace was made? This change with the Philippine Eagle is a big break from tradition. Our banknotes have always been adorned with images of our national heroes.

In the last 15 years, however, images of some political leaders and former presidents have found their way to our paper currency bills.

Perhaps, the decision by the BSP was intended to follow the European Union example which does not allow images of individual persons to appear on any of its banknotes.

This is mainly due to the fact that the EU is composed of 27 different countries. In the case of the United States, when there was a plan to replace the image of Andrew Jackson with that of Harriet Tubman, an African American woman abolitionist during the American Civil War on the twenty-dollar bill, the public debate that ensued apparently derailed the plan which has not been implemented up to now. In addition, the decision said Philippe Marquis, who formerly headed the French archaeological delegation in Afghanistan.

Future policy “will probably depend on the reaction of the international community” to Taliban pleas to restore suspended aid, he added, with the risk that withholding such

to replace resides on the Secretary of the Treasury and not with the Federal Reserve Board.

With us, the process is different. It is entirely up to the BSP whether other relevant agencies will be consulted or not, which in this case is the National Historical Commission. When asked why the NHC was not consulted, one BSP official said that this was because the issue did not involve history which is not true. The move involves history because the heroes and patriots whose images were removed are historical figures and therefore should have involved the NHC. The only agency that was consulted according to that BSP official was the DENR which shows the depth of understanding of the issue.

What’s with the redesign?

The change may have seemed so simple and straightforward to the BSP but when some immediate descendants of those heroes are still very much alive, maybe the BSP should have proceeded with more sensitivity. To be fair to the BSP, it is hard to argue against the choice of the Philippine Eagle which is in danger of extinction. Rumors circulating is that the BSP is also planning to replace other images on other banknotes like the 500-peso bill. If this is the case, then it may follow that all those in our banknotes will eventually disappear in the future.

Part of the problem here is that there are now very few denominations in circulation which limits the number of images that can be printed on our banknotes. These are the 20, 50, 100, 200,500 and the 1,000 banknotes. It would therefore make sense if we combine images in one denomination. Perhaps the three heroes can remain in their places while the Philippine Eagle occupy assistance will result in backsliding in culture and other policy areas.

Another key cultural institution, the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, remains closed. Its director Ahmad Naser Sarmast fled the country along with hundreds of staff, students and their families. AFP

the other side. According to BSP Governor Ben Diokno, the redesign of our banknotes takes place roughly every ten years.

As a point of comparison, that Andrew Jackson image on the twentydollar bill has been in circulation since 1928. Maybe we should wait much longer before changing the design of our paper money. We must also see to it that there is only one design and color for one denomination.

The 100-peso bill for instance has two different shades which can be confusing. According to the BSP, the world trend today is towards polymer made banknotes which last much longer and will be cheaper in the end. But the Philippines is the top producer of abaca or Manila hemp in which our paper money is made of.

Shouldn’t the BSP be championing the use of the Manila hemp instead of promoting polymer?

Due to this controversy, there is now a bill being filed in the House of Representatives that will address the process of redesigning our banknotes.

There is probably no need for a law considering that an executive order should be enough. What is needed are rules and procedures to be followed whenever there is a plan to redesign a banknote so that everything will not rest solely with the BSP. One advantage of this is that this will allow more research and consultation to avoid controversies.

Lastly, we should be printing our own currency instead of other countries doing it for us.

MORE OPINION ONLINE

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World

One dead, at least 70 missing in Myanmar jade mine landslide A LANDSLIDE at a jade mine in northern Myanmar Wednesday killed at least one person, injured 25 and left dozens missing, a member of the rescue team told AFP. Scores die each year working in the country’s lucrative but poorly regulated jade trade, which uses low-paid migrant workers to scrape out a gem highly coveted in neighboring China.

The disaster struck at a mine in Hpakant township close to the Chinese border in Kachin state, where billions of dollars of the precious mineral is believed to be scoured from bare hillsides each year.

“About 70-100 people are missing” following the landslide that struck around 4:00 am (2130 GMT Tuesday), said rescue team member Ko Nyi.

“We’ve sent 25 injured people to hospital while we’ve found one dead.”

Hundreds of diggers had returned to Hpakant during the rainy season to prospect in the treacherous open-cast mines, according to a local activist, despite a junta ban on digging until March 2022.

“They mine at night and in the morning they tip out the earth and rock,” said the activist, adding the added weight had caused the land to slip down into the lake.

Ko Nyi of the rescue team also said increased pressure from the weight of dumped soil and rock had pushed the ground downhill into the lake.

Around 200 rescuers were working to recover bodies, with some using boats to search for the dead in a nearby lake, he added. AFP

IN FULL BLOOM. A farmer harvests chrysanthemums in Hung Yen province in Vietnam on December 21, 2021. AFP

AS WHO WARNS OF ‘NEW STORM COMING’

Biden: US ‘prepared’ for Omicron spread P RESIDENT Joe Biden on Tuesday told Americans worried about the rapidly spreading Omicron coronavirus variant that the country was “prepared” to fight it as the World Health Organization warned of a “new storm coming” due to the strain.

Israel – which pioneered the use of COVID vaccine boosters – announced fourth shots for those over 60 and health workers.

Omicron, now present in dozens of countries, appears to be more infectious

than earlier coronavirus strains, despite early indications that it does not cause a more severe form of COVID-19 than the Delta variant.

Its lightning dash around the globe has led some governments to reimpose

restrictions ahead of the holidays, dampening hopes the worst of the pandemic is over, or to re-evaluate their plans to halt the spread.

“We can see a new storm coming,” warned the World Health Organization’s regional director for Europe, Hans Kluge.

In Washington, Biden announced a raft of new measures as the United States battles the latest surge in COVID-19 cases, including shipping half a billion free home tests – starting in January – in the wake of a serious Christmastime

testing crunch.

“We should all be concerned about Omicron but not panic,” Biden said from the White House, reassuring the public that the variant would not set the country back to March 2020.

“We’re prepared, we know more,” he added.

Biden said his administration would deploy military personnel to hospitals, ship supplies to hard-hit states and get new free testing sites up and running.

The United States will also give $580 million in additional aid to international

UN agency cuts Yemen food aid for want of funds THE World Food Program said Wednesday it was “forced” to cut aid to Yemen due to lack of funds, and warned of a surge in hunger in the wartorn country.

“From January, eight million will receive a reduced food ration, while five million at immediate risk of slipping into famine conditions will remain on a full ration,” the United Nations agency said in a statement, adding that it was “running out of funds.”

Yemen has been devastated by a civil war between the Saudi-backed government and Iran-backed Huthi rebels since 2014, and millions of civilians are on the brink of famine.

The fighting has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and left some 80 percent of Yemenis dependent on aid.

“Every time we reduce the amount of food, we know that more people who are already hungry and food insecure will join the ranks of the millions who are starving,” said WFP Middle East and North Africa director Corinne Fleischer, according to the statement.

“But desperate times call for desperate measures and we have to stretch our limited resources and prioritize, focusing on people who are in the most critical state.”

WFP said that it needs $813 million to continue to help the most vulnerable in Yemen through May and $1.97 billion during 2022 to continue to deliver food assistance to families on the brink of famine. AFP Manila

REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Department of Human Settelements and Urban Development Standard Kagawaran ng Pamahalaang Pantao at Pagpapaunlad ng Kalunsuran

TODAY National Capital Region

Notice is hereby given that Rockwell Land Corporation (owner/developer) has filed with this office a sworn registration statement for the sale of commercial subdivision lots at Rockwell Center Bacolod-North Block located along Carlos Hilado Highway (Circumferential Road), Brgy.

Mandalagan, Bacolod City and more particularly described as Lot 1 of consolidation plan (LRA) Pcs-E2020000759 containing an area of 72,745 sq.m. and covered by TCT No. 092-2021002706.

All papers relative thereto shall, upon request and payment of processing fee, be available for inspection during business Ilours by any person having legal interest thereon.

Absent of any legal impediment and after submission of complete required documents, the above-cited project is deemed registered and a certificate, in evidence thereof, shall forthwith be issued after five (5) days from the last day of publication.

Iloilo City, Metro Manila, Dec. 14, 2021.

ATTY. MELCHOR M. CALOPIZ OIC, Regional Director (MS-DEC. 23 & 30, 2021)

organizations to fight COVID in the face of surging Omicron cases, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

Omicron accounted for 73.2 percent of new US cases over the past week ending Saturday, according to the latest official data.

Denmark said Tuesday it had also become the dominant strain there.

In Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said citizens over the age of 60 and medical teams would be eligible for a fourth Covid vaccine shot, following the recommendation of an expert panel. AFP

Chinese city sharply restricts travel to fight virus outbreak

THE northern Chinese city of Xi’an dramatically tightened COVID travel controls Wednesday to fight a growing outbreak, with people banned from boarding trains without official permission and hundreds of flights canceled.

With Beijing preparing to host the 2022 Winter Olympics in February, China is on high alert as it fights local outbreaks in several cities.

Xi’an reported 52 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the total to 143 since December 9.

From Wednesday, residents are WHAT SURGE? Residents enjoy their afternoon on Bondi Beach in Sydney on December 22, 2021 amid a surge in COVID-19 blocked from leaving the city by cases across the New South Wales state ahead of the Christmas festivities. AFP train without an official letter stating the trip is essential, state broadcaster CCTV reported.

It came a day after the city began testing all of its 13 million A NEW kind of chip shortage has hit virus pandemic, there are delays in the It will also be in place on Christmas residents.

Japanese supply chains, with McDon- supply of potatoes,” it said in a state- Day—commonly celebrated in Japan with Around 90 residential areas were ald’s forced to ration fries in the coun- ment on Tuesday. a hearty serving of another US fast-food belocked down, a government notice try as COVID-19 and floods in Canada The company said it has taken the hemoth, Kentucky Fried Chicken, which is said Tuesday, though it did not squeeze potato imports. measure to ensure that customers can heavily marketed around the festive period. specify how many people were afMcDonald’s Japan said it will only still order fries, even though the “stable Meanwhile, a pandemic-fuelled fected by them. sell small-sized French fries for a week procurement of resource materials” is global microchip shortage continues Long-distance bus stations were from Friday to avoid shortages. proving difficult. to plague auto giants including Japan’s “Due to large-scale flooding near the The restriction comes during the busy Toyota, which has announced producclosed and authorities have set up Port of Vancouver... and the global sup- year-end period, with schools and of- tion cuts due to the crisis and supply disease control checkpoints on ply chain crunch caused by the corona- fices beginning to close for the holidays. chain issues in Southeast Asia. AFP CYAN MAGENTA highways out of Xi’an, governYELLOW BLACK ment notices said.

More than 85 percent of flights to and from the city’s main airport have been grounded, according to flight tracker VariFlight.

A TOXIC cloud spewing from an erupting volcano in TonInside the city, passenger capacga could dump acid rainfall across the Pacific kingdom, poity has been slashed on buses and tentially poisoning drinking water and damaging people’s trains, and schools closed. skin and eyes, emergency services have warned.

The remote Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano eruptLarge indoor recreation vened Monday, sending plumes 18 kilometers into the air, Tonues remain shuttered, while the ga Geological Services (TGS) said. museum housing the worldPolice reported no injuries from the eruption but TGS famous Terracotta Army – the said late Tuesday that the dust and gas could result in acidic 2,000-year-old mausoleum of rainfall if mixed with water in the atmosphere.

China’s first emperor – has shut It advised residents to remove guttering systems from until further notice. their rainwater storage systems until the all-clear was givChina – where the coronavirus en. was first detected -- has slowed “Symptoms of exposure to acid rain are itchiness and new cases to a trickle since the skin irritation, blurry and discolouration of vision if exmiddle of last year through a zeroposed to the eye,” it said.

COVID strategy involving tight “If eyes or skin are exposed to acidic rain, please see a border restrictions, targeted lockmedical doctor or physician for appropriate treatment.” downs and lengthy quarantines.

The volcano sits on an uninhabited island about 65 kiloEven a single case can lead to a meters north of the Tongan capital Nuku’alofa. swift imposition of curbs.

The volcano last came to life in 2015, creating a new The southern city of Dongxing island structure on its caldera. on Tuesday ordered its 200,000 An aviation code red was issued after the eruption, advisTOXIC CLOUD. Photo shows white gaseous clouds rising from the Hunga Ha’apai residents to isolate at home after eruption seen from the Patangata coastline near Tongan capital Nuku’alofa. A huge dust ing airlines to avoid the area, resulting in Air New Zealand an infection was detected.

AFP cloud spewed out when a volcano erupted in Tonga this week could result in showers of canceling a flight from Auckland to Nuku’alofa on Tuesacid rain across the Pacific kingdom, emergency authorities have warned. AFP day. AFP

When chips are down: McDonald’s Japan rations fries

Tongans warned of acid rainfall after eruption of remote volcano

Business UK businesses get £1-b aid as Omicron stings LONDON, United Kingdom—Britain on Tuesday launched a £1-billion support package for COVID-hit businesses, as staff absences from rising cases began to bite in the runup to Christmas.

Finance minister Rishi Sunak said some 200,000 firms would be eligible for one-off grants to offset losses from what is normally the busiest time of year.

Pubs and restaurants have seen Christmas parties and bookings cancelled because of the spread of the Omicron variant of the virus, hitting December trade by as much as 60 percent.

Sunak said the government recognized that businesses in the hospitality and leisure sectors were facing “huge uncertainty at a crucial time.”

The government is banking on an ambitious campaign to get all adults in England to have a booster jab of a COVID vaccine by the end of December to try to stop the spread of the mutation.

The director of the Wellcome charitable foundation, Jeremy Farrar, told BBC radio transmission was “eye-wateringly high,” as daily infection rates nudged towards 100,000.

But unlike governments in some of Britain’s nearest neighbors on the European mainland, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has ruled out immediate curbs in the run-up to Christmas.

Tighter public health measures could yet be introduced after this weekend, according to media reports.

Across the country, all sectors of British industry have been hit as staff contract the virus and are forced to self-isolate at home.

As the Christmas getaway begins, train companies apologized for employee absences and warned they could affect scheduled services and even lead to cancellations.

Edinburgh Castle and the National History Museum in London—two of the country’s most visited attractions—were forced to close their doors because of staff illnesses. AFP

B3

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Stocks fall for 3 straight day; Ayala, Globe decline rd

S

HARE prices fell for the third straight day Wednesday as many investors started repositioning their stock market portfolio ahead of the New Year.

The Philippine Stock Exchange Index slipped 47.87 points, or 0.7 percent, to 7,119.19 on a value turnover of P6 billion. Gainers, however, edged losers, 86 to 83, with 69 issues unchanged.

Conglomerate Ayala Corp. declined 3.2 percent to P853, while SM Investments Corp. of the Sy Group dropped 2.9 percent to P943.

Globe Telecom Inc., the secondbiggest telecommunications firm, decreased 1.6 percent to P3,360, but Jollibee Foods Corp, the largest fast-food chain, advanced 4.9 percent to P219.

Most Asian markets, meanwhile, rose

Wednesday, extending a global rally after their latest sell-off as investors assess the impact of the fast-spreading Omicron variant.

The year-and-a-half-long rally across markets has petered out in recent weeks on fears about the new COVID variant and government measures to contain it, which come just as central banks begin to remove the vast financial support put in place at the start of the pandemic.

Traders are also keeping an eye on developments in Washington after Joe Biden said he was optimistic he could win the key vote of Democratic Senator Joe Manchin, who threw the president’s economic agenda into doubt after he said Sunday he would reject the present proposal.

After being skittled on Monday, Asian markets bounced Tuesday thanks to a healthy dose of bargain-buying, and the positive energy filtered through to Wall Street and Europe.

The buying was also helped by expectations that the US Food and Drug

Administration will authorize pills from Pfizer and Merck & Co. to treat COVID-19 as soon as this week, providing fresh tools to battle the disease.

However, analysts warned that with trade thinning heading into the festive break, volatility would stay high until the new year, and Asia saw equities fluctuate through the morning.

Tokyo, Hong Kong, Sydney, Seoul, Taipei, Wellington, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta rose but Shanghai and Singapore slipped.

Oil inched up to extend Tuesday’s strong gains as the festive mood lifts hope for an improvement in demand, while a closely watched report suggested US stockpiles fell again last week.

Omicron remains the main focus of concern for investors as some countries reimpose tough measures—the Netherlands is in a Christmas lockdown—raising questions about the recovery, while inflation continues to harry trading floors. With AFP

LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

LBC

22.8

2.25

10.95%

2

OPM

0.011

0.001

10.00%

3 4

HLCM ACE

5.65 1.55

0.47 0.11

9.07% 7.64%

5

I

0.92

0.06

6.98%

6 7

TCB2C SEVN

53.5 93

3.2 4.9

6.36% 5.56%

8

MFC

950

50

5.56%

9 10

PHES ALCO

0.52 0.64

0.03 0.03

5.05% 4.92%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1

ALHI

6.1

-0.36

-5.57%

2 3

HOME PA

8.18 2.93

-0.47 -0.15

-5.43% -4.87%

4

BLOOM

6

-0.28

-4.46%

5 6 7

CIC ORE CEI

20.15 0.72 0.098

-0.85 -0.03 -0.004

-4.05% -4.00% -3.92%

8 9 10

PHA MG AC

0.5 0.158 853

-0.02 -0.006 -28

-3.85% -3.66% -3.18%

1

SMPH

VOLUME 4,940,500

2 3 4

CNVRG ALI SPNEC

4,598,200 3,611,900 88,398,000

149,813,040 125,124,985 100,743,990

5 6 7

AC URC BDO

109,060 723,960 719,410

96,114,475 93,185,956 88,526,175

8

ACEN

7,265,400

77,006,836

9 10

TEL JFC

41,085 333,300

76,815,750 71,748,386

BELEAGUERED BUSINESES. South Korean small business owners are blocked as police limit the number of protesters at a vaccine pass checkpoint during a rally against the government’s policy on vaccine passes and business restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic in downtown Seoul on December 22, 2021. AFP

day afternoon—was monumental.

It was trading down 10 percent on the day by the time Erdogan appeared on national television to announce his new economic proposals.

It was trading up 20 percent a few hours after Erdogan had finished.

“We finally understood that the Erdogan administration cares about the exchange rate, and has avoided capital controls,” economist Timothy Ash of BlueBay Asset Management said in a note to clients.

“Erdogan affirmed that he believes in markets, albeit not interest rates.”

Erdogan has cited Islamic rules against usury to defend his unconventional belief that high interest rates

cause inflation.

Economists almost universally agree that high lending costs actually lower prices by encouraging consumers to save and curbing business spending.

Erdogan has pushed the central bank to slash its policy rate to far below the annual pace of consumer price increases—now at 21 percent and expected climb substantially higher.

This meant that Turks who put liras in their bank accounts were effectively losing money.

Economists feared that Turkey could see a potentially paralyzing run on the banks unless something was done quickly.

Erdogan’s new policy—dubbed an

“indirect interest rate hike” by former treasury adviser Mahfi Egilmez—is meant to defend the value of lira holdings against fluctuations in the exchange rate.

It guarantees that the government will cover any depreciation of new lira deposits against the dollar when the investments mature.

The finance ministry said individual Turks had to hold their liras in the bank for at least three months for the policy to take effect.

“In case the money is withdrawn from the account before the maturity date ... the right of (guaranteed) interest will be eliminated,” the finance ministry said in a statement. AFP

Russians face soaring costs and tough choices this New Year

By Andrea Palasciano MOSCOW, Russia—Walking through a freezing market in Moscow earlier this month, 60-year-old Sergei Borisovich recalled that he rang in the last New Year at a table laden with festive delicacies.

This year, the factory worker, who declined to give his last name, said a spike in prices meant he would have to forego caviar and other treats so he could afford a bottle of bubbly for the countdown on Russia’s biggest holiday.

People are making sacrifices across the country, with soaring inflation pushing up costs and forcing cashstrapped Russians to make difficult decisions around the holidays.

“Everything is getting more expensive but wages aren’t going up,” said Sergei Borisovich, who was shocked that a loaf of bread now costs 100 rubles ($1.35).

President Vladimir Putin has described prices as a key concern and the embattled opposition is hoping to leverage the economic woes.

This month, inflation reached its highest since 2016, with rising everyday costs hitting hard a population whose average monthly income is 40,402 rubles ($545).

Adding to that, some 43 percent of Russians do not have any savings, according to a recent survey by recruitment website SuperJob. Sergei Borisovich said the table this year would be topped only with a salad of potatoes and peas.

TOP GAINERS

MOST ACTIVE

Erdogan’s shock emergency measures revive Turkey’s ailing lira ISTANBUL, Turkey—Turkey’s troubled lira extended on Tuesday a stirring recovery that erased nearly a month of historic losses after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan introduced emergency currency support measures.

The mercurial Turkish leader stunned markets and his political opponents late Monday by effectively tying the value of some lira bank deposits to the dollar.

Economists and many Turks were still trying to decipher how this new exchange mechanism will work or where the government will get the money to pay for it.

But the impact on the lira—which had lost 45 percent against the greenback from the start of November to late Mon-

PSEi DECEMBER 22, 2021

A woman shops for fruits at a supermarket in Moscow on December 15, 2021. AFP

“I’ll buy some Shampanskoye if I can,” he said referring to sparkling wine popular during the Soviet Union.

Red caviar, served with bread and butter on New Year’s Eve, is the most expensive it has been since monitoring began in 2000.

Ingredients for other holiday dishes like the mayonnaise-rich salad “Olivier” are expected to cost 15 percent more than last year, Russian media has reported citing statistics agency Rosstat.

“Herring Under a Fur Coat”—a layered dish of pickled herring and beetroot—will set Russians back 25 percent more than last year.

‘Inflationary tragedy’ Living standards in Russia have been gradually decreasing since Moscow

was slapped with a slew of Western sanctions in 2014 over its annexation of Crimea from Ukraine.

Now, the dip is accelerating, hitting even those in Moscow, the wealthiest city.

Karina Strukova, an engineer on maternity leave, says the trend forced her to stop buying groceries from the upmarket Vkusvill grocery chain in favor of the lower-cost Magnit stores.

The 30-year-old told AFP her grocery bill had grown by as much as 25 percent since last year.

“We’re trying to cut back on spending a bit because we don’t have any other sources of income,” she said.

“We’re buying fewer gifts and going to cheaper shops.”

Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, controversially jailed earlier this year on a fraud charge, said he had even felt the pinch behind bars.

He wrote on Instagram that food prices have gone up by at least 40 percent in under a year at a shop where he is allowed to spend 9,000 rubles ($120) a month to supplement his meals.

“The great inflationary tragedy that pensioners are going through is unfolding before my eyes,” he wrote.

Polls have shown that decreasing purchasing power is a major concern for Russians, affecting trust in authorities and Putin’s approval ratings.

To curb galloping prices, the government has introduced price caps and export quotas, while the central bank has repeatedly hiked its key interest rate.

The Russian leader has described inflation as “the main problem today for both the economy and citizens” and instructed officials to pull it back from over 8 percent to 4 percent in the coming year.

But many causes of inflation are global, stemming from spending on post-pandemic recovery and disruptions in supply chains, said Igor Nikolaev of the Institute for Strategic Analysis at FBK Grant Thornton Russia.

The situation is made worse in Russia, he said, where there are not enough actors in the market to push prices down.

“When there isn’t enough competition, there’s no mechanism preventing producers and sellers from increasing prices,” Nikolaev added.AFP

VALUE (PHP) 172,193,035

Britain, European natural gas prices soar to new highs LONDON, United Kingdom—European and UK gas prices rocketed Tuesday to all-time highs on strong winter demand and simmering geopolitical tensions between key supplier Russia and consumer nations.

Europe’s reference Dutch TTF gas price jumped nearly 20 percent from Monday to hit 175.00 euros per megawatt hour in early afternoon trading.

Meanwhile, UK prices leapt to 435 pence per therm.

Both markets beat previous records from October, also struck on demand worries for the northern hemisphere winter months. They are currently about eight times greater than at the start of 2021.

Runaway spot gas prices, alongside other buoyant commodities including crude oil, have fueled mounting concern about spiking inflation worldwide.

European gas “continued its inexorable rise... to another record,” wrote Deutsche Bank analysts in a client note.

“It comes as temperatures have continued to decline heading into the European winter, and we also got the news that (Russian energy giant) Gazprom had not booked any extra capacity in January for gas flowing through Ukraine.

“That’s an important story heading through the winter with implications for European growth, and one that will have investors closely following the weather forecasts to work out what might happen.”

Europe’s gas stocks had already been depleted by a prolonged winter last year.

Added to the picture, calmer prevailing weather conditions have this year sharply reduced the supply of wind power. AFP

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

B4

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

Business

ROAD TO RECOVERY. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Benjamin Diokno (left) provides assurance that the BSP will remain patient in keeping policy support available to the economy during a conference hosted by the Asian Development Bank Institute and the Asia-Pacific Applied Economics Association. Diokno says the BSP has ‘focused on sustaining this road to recovery’ as he notes that inflation remains manageable and that bank lending to productive economic sectors picks up. With Diokno during the event are (from left top, clockwise) Central Bank of Sri Lanka Governor Ajith Nivard Cabraal, Nepal Rastra Bank Deputy Governor Bam Bahadur Mishra, APAEA President Paresh Narayan and Bank of Japan Associate Director-General Atsushi Takeuchi.

PSE INDEX CLOSING

Wednesday, December 22, 2021 -47.87 PTS. 7,119.19

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

1,613,969,416 67,301 6,025,787,628.20 86 83 69

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2021

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.9140

Japan

Yen

0.008766

0.4375

UK

Pound

1.327200

66.2459

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128194

6.3987

Switzerland

Franc

1.082720

54.0429

Canada

Dollar

0.774593

38.6630

Singapore

Dollar

0.733138

36.5939

Australia

Dollar

0.715400

35.7085

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652872

132.4155

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266383

13.2962

Brunei

Dollar

0.730460

36.4602

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0035

Thailand

Baht

0.029700

1.4824

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.5909

Euro

Euro

1.128700

56.3379

Korea

Won

0.000840

0.0419

China

Yuan

0.156946

7.8338

India

Rupee

0.013212

0.6595

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.237699

11.8645

New Zealand

Dollar

0.676300

33.7568

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035975

1.7957 Source: BSP

EEI raises P6b from preferred shares offering

DOF proposes new financing approach for ‘green’ projects should come from the world’s largest greenhouse gas emitters and should not be shouldered entirely by Filipino taxINANCE Secretary payers, who are reeling from the worsCarlos Dominguez III ening consequences of climate change triggered by carbon emissions. asked organizations “Those who polluted and continue to and other stakeholders pollute the Earth’s environment through promoting energy efficiency unthinking industrialization starting 200 and conservation initiatives years ago must pay for the grants, investments and subsidies needed for the to revisit their strategy of most vulnerable countries to adapt to relying on fiscal incentives climate change,” he said.

“This was our urgent call to global to implement “green” leaders during the United Nations Climate projects, saying climate Change Conference,” Dominguez said in response to the written query of the Philfinance should undertake ippine Energy Efficiency Alliance Inc. a “blended approach” that regarding the grant of fiscal incentives involves grants, subsidies under Republic Act 11285, or the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act. and investments.

Dominguez said grants may be used Dominguez said financial support in the form of these three funding sources to improve the capacity of local com-

By Julito G. Rada

F

By Jenniffer B. Austria EEI Corp., the construction arm of the Yuchengco Group, said Wednesday it raised P6 billion from a preferred shares offering.

EEI said in a disclosure to the stock exchange the preferred shares offering marked its return to the equity capital markets since its P540-million stock rights tender in 2007.

“We’re grateful for the public’s faith and trust in our company despite the challenges that we face. This fundraising exercise positions the company to more actively participate in projects that contribute to nation building,” said EEI chief financial officer Cris Noel Torres.

The offering enjoyed strong demand from investors that resulted in 4.85-times oversubscribed book order, compared to the base offer of P4 billion. This enabled EEI to exercise the oversubscription option and raise the total offering amount to P6 billion from the sale of 60 million preferred shares at P100 apiece.

“EEI’s preferred shares were oversubscribed with strong demand from institutional and retail investors who want exposure to a major player in the infrastructure development of the country” said RCBC Capital Corp., the sole issue manager of the offering.

Net proceeds from the issuance are expected to support the growth of the company through the financing of current and future projects and capital expenditures for new equipment. Other uses include the repayment of shortterm loans and funding of general and working capital requirements.

The preferred shares were issued in two series: Series A, which carries an initial dividend rate of 5.7641 percent per annum for the first 3.5 years; and Series B, which offers a dividend rate of 6.9394 percent per annum for the first 5.5 years.

EEI earlier said it would hire 10,000 skilled workers next year to fast track completion of its projects. EEI said it would recruit skilled workers including carpenters, masons, rebar men, scaffolders, welders, pipe fitters, steel workers, engineers, architects, safety, quality control personnel, electricians and civil works supervisors.

munities in climate-vulnerable areas to undertake adaptation and mitigation measures. Such grants should come in the form of educational or technical assistance programs to help people conceive of, and execute localized projects, he said.

He said investments should focus on adaptation and mitigation programs, projects and activities that are bankable and would yield high returns, while subsidies are meant to support initiatives leading to the transition to a climateresilient economy and address the financial costs and risks of such adjustments.

Dominguez said the Philippines accounts for only 0.3 percent of the world’s GHG emissions, yet it bears the brunt of the consequences of the climate crisis as it is on the list of countries of highest risk for the worsening natural calamities brought about by rising global temperatures.

ICTSI gets six new automated carriers for Melbourne port

By Darwin G. Amojelar

WILCON IN BOHOL. Wilcon Depot Inc. opens its first branch in the province of Bohol in the municipality of Dauis, making it the company’s 72nd retail store nationwide. With a total selling area of over 7,000 square meters, the newly-opened store carries the wide product selection that Wilcon offers. At the opening ceremony are (from left) representative from the office of Congressman Edgardo Chatto, Wilcon Depot senior executive vice president and chief operating officer Rosemarie BoschOng, Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, Bohol Vice Governor Rene Relampagos, Wilcon Depot president and chief executive Lorraine Belo-Cincochan and representative from the office of Dauis Mayor Marietta Sumaylo.

PLDT invests P3b to combat online scams PLDT Group said Wednesday it invested nearly P3 billion in cybersecurity infrastructure in 2021 to fight emerging cyber threats and vulnerabilities, including online fraud and other criminal activities.

These major investments strengthened the PLDT group’s predictive, detective and responsive capabilities. It acquired more than 200 million cyber threat intelligence information and detecting and preventing close to 300 million combined types of cyber-attacks this year.

Following the recent spate of fraudulent spam messages, PLDT and Smart’s threat intelligence operations were actively identifying malicious domains that trap people who end up victims to fraud.

PLDT and Smart blocked 8 billion attempts this year made by subscribers to access phishing and scamming sites that would have victimized them and also blocked at least 15,000 mobile numbers related to SMS spam in November.

“The safety of our subscribers remains our highest priority. PLDT and Smart will ensure that customers are protected from becoming victims to this targeted and well-organized scam from end-to-end,” said Angel Redoble, chief information security officer of PLDT and Smart.

Aside from warding off phishing attacks, PLDT and Smart also restricted access to 127,000 online child sexual abuse materials and worked closely with local and global partners in the war against online sexual abuse and exploitation of children.

To ensure the sustainability of the fortified cybersecurity program, PLDT and Smart started conducting Cyber War Games in 2021, where “we identify different types of sophisticated attacks as well as our existing controls and processes, and we assess if these controls and processes can be retained or must be improved moving forward,” said Redoble. Darwin G. Amojelar

INTERNATIONAL Container Terminal Services Inc. said Wednesday it expanded its port terminal in Melbourne, Australia with the delivery of six new automated container carriers from Kalmar.

The ACCs were unloaded from the Eemslift Dafne at the Port of Melbourne, expanding Victoria International Container Terminal’s fleet to 17 units.

ICTSI said the fleet expansion would enhance container movement between automated ship-to-shorecranes on the terminal’s quay side and auto stacking cranes on the land side.

“The delivery of six additional automated container carriers is very much welcomed by VICT. The ACCs will enable VICT to meet the growing volumes being driven across the Port of Melbourne, whilst also providing necessary equipment availability time to support engineering maintenance activities,” said VICT chief operations officer Jon Wheeler.

“The order of the ACCs also demonstrates the continued collaboration between VICT and Kalmar, verifying and helping advance the Kalmar One Automated System,” he said.

The new ACCs form part of VICT’s Au$139 million investment in Webb Dock and the Victorian economy over the next two years, which complement the Port of Melbourne’s investment to remove the “knuckle” and add another 71 meters of quay line to Berth 4 of Webb Dock East.

VICT in Melbourne is a fully-automated container terminal capable of servicing the largest and next-class vessels on trade. Operational since 2017, it is a subsidiary of ICTSI.

Listed solar firm eyes joint venture in expanded farm

By Alena Mae S. Flores NEWLY-LISTED Solar Philippines Nueva Ecija Corp. is in talks for a possible joint venture to develop the expansion of the largest solar project in Southeast Asia, a top executive said Wednesday.

The move is in support of SPNEC’s plan to develop the biggest solar project in Nueva Ecija, following its P2.7-billion initial public offering on Dec. 17. A part of the IPO proceeds will be used to construct the first 50 megawatts of the 500-MW project while the biggest part would be used to acquire land to expand beyond 500 MW. “We are preparing an initial 1,000 hectares for a joint venture with a partner who can help turn this plan into a reality,” Solar Philippines founder Leandro Leviste said.

Leviste did not disclose the joint venture partner. Solar Philippines In 2020 announced a strategic shift towards sites and partners, focusing on creating value from the development of greenfield sites and bringing in other companies as partners once the project is de-risked.

SPNEC is initially limited by the power demand of Central Luzon, but the development of around 60 kilometers of transmission to Bulacan would enable SPNEC to deliver more power directly to the Greater Manila Area.

The company said the expansion potential is one of the reasons it prioritized the project and pursued the IPO of SPNEC. “This project’s scale is both its advantage and disadvantage. Unlike 100 MW projects located next to existing transmission, this one will need to be at gigawatt-scale to justify the development of new transmission, which is why others have not sought to develop in this area,” Leviste said.

IN BRIEF AC Energy sells power barge to MORE

AC ENERGY Corp. said Wednesday it signed an agreement to sell Power Barge 101 to MORE Power Barge Inc. PB 101 is a 32-megawatt oil-fired diesel barge stationed in Barangay Obrero, Iloilo City. AC Energy earlier took possession of the barge after it acquired the assets of Phinma Energy Corp.

“Closing of the sale is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2022, subject to satisfaction of agreed conditions precedent, which include applicable regulatory approvals,” the company said in a disclosure to the stock exchange.

AC Energy also decided to sell Power Barge 102 and PB 103 to SPC Power Corp.

“The sale of the power barges is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2021, subject to satisfaction of agreed conditions precedent, including obtaining the applicable regulatory approvals,” AC Energy said earlier. Alena Mae S. Flores

SL Agritech issues P1.86-b debt paper

HYBRID rice producer SL Agritech Corp. listed Wednesday its P1.866-billion Series O commercial paper at Philippine Dealing and Exchange Corp., marking its 22nd return to the trading floor.

SL Agritech chairman Henry Lim Bon Liong said the proceeds from the issuance would partly cover the company’s strategic plan to increase hybrid rice and hybrid seed production in support of the government’s rice self-sufficiency program.

“We learned our lessons from COVID-19, and we prepare ourselves to battle the next. We at SL Agritech Corp. are preparing to respond to the demand for food, especially since rice is inelastic,” he said at the launch of the commercial paper issuance.

The company will acquire state-of-theart technology and equipment for its new rice processing plant in Tarlac. The processing plant is expected to start operations by early 2022.

The new plant will capacitate the company in doubling rice production to address the growing demand for rice.

Othel V. Campos

Impact announces two investments

IMPACT Pioneers Network announced its first two investments made through the angel network.

Members of the network jointly funded Cropital and Green Habits, with combined funding of around $80,000.

This is a major milestone for the Impact Pioneers Network in its mission to leapfrog the impact investment ecosystem in the Philippines and fund 100 impact enterprises in the next five years.

Cropital is a crowdlending platform for Filipino smallholder rice farmers, while Green Habits is an agro-enterprise based in Tagum City, Davao del Norte that also works with smallholder farmers.

Angel investors from the Impact Pioneers Network participating in the round include Negros Women for Tomorrow Foundation Inc., Foundation for a Sustainable Society Inc., and other individual angel investors. Impact Pioneers Network also participated in the round, made possible through the support of the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.

Sports

Basilan sets semis match with SLR in MPBL caging

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

By Peter Atencio THE presence of three new players in its roster has made BasilanJumbo Plastic Medical Depot a formidable squad in the Chooksto-Go Maharlika Pilipinas Basketball League Invitationals.

No one has scouted them before their short season started and not one team was able to gauge the games of the likes of former collegiate standouts Encho Serrano, Michael Juico and Jay-R Taganas.

With Mindoro-EOG Burlington somewhat unfamiliar with the games of the Basilan trio, Jumbo Plastic Medical Depot pulled off a 77-72 win during their quarterfinal encounter Tuesday at the SM Mall of Asia Arena.

“It’s the surprise that our new players like Encho has provided us. They have not been scouted.

And this will make a lot of difference,” said Basilan coach Jerson Cabiltes after they marched to their sixth straight victory and arranged a semifinal showdown with another unbeaten squad, the Pasig Sta. Lucia Realtors.

The Realtors were the first in the semis after they unseated the defending champion San Juan, 70-66.

The 5’11” Serrano, a former La Salle guard, is among the scoring leaders with Juico with his average of 16 points.

Against Mindoro, Serrano showed the way in the closing minute of the last two periods, with his two freebies in the last 39 seconds of the third putting Basilan ahead by 12, 60-48.

In the last 3:49 of the fourth, Serrano’s putback handed Basilan a comfortable 74-61 edge.

Juico, an acquisition from San Sebastian College, knocked in 12 points to compliment Jay Collado’s 13.

And it was Juico’s driving layup in the last 8:16, which kept Basilan ahead by eight, 64-56.

The 6’3” Taganas, a former San Beda forward, also proved to be a formidable teammate with his six-point and 12-rebound contribution.

It was Taganas’ inside plays which kept Basilan ahead by 11 points, 72-61, in the final 4:39. “’Yung defense namin, we made it very hard for them to score on halfcourt sets na talagang pinagaralan namin kagabi and then kanina before the game, nag-viewing pa kami to show the players how they run,” said Cabiltes.

In another quarterfinal play, Nueva Ecija repulsed Iloilo, 8467, to arrange a semis clash with Imus, which routed Bicol, 74-57.

Alaska import Olu Ashaolu tries to shoot an off-balanced attempt in a PBA Governors’ Cup game won by the Aces against the Blackwater Bossings, 98-75.

Aces end 2-game skid, hand th Bossing 24 straight setback

By Argie Paul Candare

T

HE Alaska Aces are back on the winning column by blowing out hapless Blackwater Bossing, 98-75, in the 2021 PBA Governors’ Cup on Wednesday at Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Maverick Ahanmisi was spectacular for the Aces, finishing with 17 points, grabbing eight rebounds and two assists.

Alaska also got valuable contribution from Jeron Teng, who had 14 markers, eight boards and three assists as the Aces notched their third win in five outings.

Coach Jeffrey Cariaso, who described Blackwater as a “wounded tiger”, instilled a specific mentality within his team after two close previous losses.

“Being in the game and having our opportunities to win, especially the last two games, we really felt those were winnable games. So, going into this game tonight, I think what we did was focus on the intangibles that we weren’t doing well and focus on not committing turnovers,” Cariaso said.

The win, however, proved costly as reinforcement Olu Ashaolu was injured.

“We’re hoping that he’s okay, but he kind of felt something in his lower extremities. I don’t know exactly where it

is. I’m hoping he just started to cramp, so we’re praying na ‘yun lang ‘yun” said Cariaso on his import’s condition.

The hefty 6’5” banger had only 10 points, plus seven rebounds in 22 minutes of action.

On the other hand, Rashawn McCarthy was able to produce 16 points from four-out-of-seven three-point attempts.

Blackwater only picked up two points

from hobbling reinforcement Jaylen Bond.

Guard Ed Daquioag had 12 points and four rebounds.

With the loss, the Bossing absorbed their fifth defeat this conference and 24th straight overall dating back to their previous campaigns. They have not won since October 2020 in the Philippine Cup bubble.

PBA Commissioner Willie Marcial paid a courtesy call on Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte on Wednesday to thank her for allowing the PBA to play in Quezon City, specifically at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition to premiere on Netflix in Q1 ‘22 SINGAPORE — ONE Championship™ on Thursday announced that the first season of its highly acclaimed business reality television series, “The Apprentice: ONE Championship

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Edition,” will premiere on Netflix in over 150 countries in the first quarter of 2022.

Chatri Sityodtong, Chairman and CEO of ONE Championship, stated:

“The first season of the ‘The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition’ was a smashing success. After a fantastic reception in Asia, it’s time for the rest of the world to experience the toughest and most unique version of ‘The Apprentice’ in history. On behalf of ONE Championship, I am truly honored for all the support we have received for the show, and I’m excited to premiere the series to a broader audience.”

“The Apprentice” is one of the biggest reality television programs in history, judging the business skills of candidates who are competing for a job offer under a high-profile CEO. The first season of “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” consists of 13 episodes.

“The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” recently won two major awards at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2021 (AAA). It topped

the categories for “Best Non-Scripted Entertainment” and “Best Adaptation of an Existing Format.”

The show launched in Asia earlier this year and garnered an estimated 4 million viewers on premiere night, beating other top-rated reality competition premieres including “America’s Got Talent” Season 20, “MasterChef Singapore” Season 2, “The Voice” Season 20, and “The Masked Singer” Season 5 to emerge as the mostwatched 2021 season premiere of all English-language reality series on TV in Asia by broadcast reach. The show’s run in Asia also garnered 30 million in cumulative reach, in addition to raking in an average of 3.5 million reach per episode**.

More information on “The Apprentice: ONE Championship Edition” can be found at: https://www.onefc.com/ the-apprentice

Woman GM Frayna solo leader in PH chess tourney TOP seed Janelle Mae Frayna unloaded a vicious kingside onslaught and hammered a 36-move win of a King’s Indian duel over Marian Calimbo to leapfrog to the top after the eighth round of the 2021 Philippine National Women’s Chess Championships at the PACE in Quezon City yesterday.

The 24-year-old Frayna, the country’s first and only Woman Grandmaster, went straight for Calimbo’s king and ended up capturing the defense piece by piece in forcing the latter’s resignation.

The result catapulted the Army recruit from Bicol to solo No. 1 with six points as erstwhile coleader Jan Jodilyn Fronda, the third seed, split the point with second seed Shania Mae Mendoza via repetition in 16 moves of a Ruy Lopez to slip to second with 5.5 points.

Mendoza was stranded at No. 3 alongside WGM candidate Kylen Joy Mordido and Marie Antoinette San Diego with five points each.

Mordido bounced back from her seventh-round defeat at the hands of Lexie Grace Hernandez Tuesday by edging Bernadette Galas in 38 moves of a Sicilian encounter while San Diego dumped Francois Magpily in 30 moves of yet another Sicilian battle.

But it was Frayna. who shone the brightest as she has now scored six points in the last seven rounds after absorbing a heartbreaking loss to child prodigy Ruelle Canino in the opening round Saturday.

And Frayna was hoping to keep her streak going against Rinoa Mariel Sadey in the ninth round at press time.

Sadey turned back Canino in 50 moves of a Pirc Defense to stay in the middle of the pack at sixth with 4.5 points.

More PH athletes get shot at Olympic gold; MVP group vows bigger budget, training in ‘22

THE year 2021 was a golden one for Philippine sports -- from the historic medal haul in the Tokyo Olympics, TNT Tropang Giga’s championship after a six-year drought, to the stellar performance of Gilas Pilipinas in the FIBA Asia Cup qualifiers and the valiant showing of Filipino athletes in gymnastics, football, volleyball, esports, and other tournaments.

“It’s a forerunner of things to come for our Filipino athletes,” said Manuel V. Pangilinan, chairman of the country’s largest fully integrated telco PLDT. PLDT, Smart, and the MVP Sports Foun-

dation have long been working with national agencies to support promising Filipino athletes in their training and competitions. The telco firm also tapped platforms such as TikTok to promote sports and mental resiliency, and partnered with grassroots organizations and local government units to provide Filipino youth a venue to showcase their talent in esports.

“We are committed to supporting Filipino athletes in 2022 and beyond. We’re fixing the programs of our teams and spending more to help our athletes have better chances of representing the Philippines in the global

arena,” Pangilinan said.

Smart has also been preparing for the FIBA Basketball World Cup in 2023. PLDT and Smart President and CEO Alfredo S. Panlilio also received a fresh mandate to lead the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas as its president for another year. “I hope we do an excellent job in hosting a championship that will be remembered by the FIBA,” he said.

In addition, PLDT. Smart, and MVPSF are also preparing for the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games, FIBA Asia Cup, and the Philippines’ hosting of a FIBA Qualifying window.

PLDT chairman Manuel V. Pangilinan leads the flashing of the no. 1 sign.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

Standard

TODAY

(MS-DEC. 23, 2021)

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2021

Life HEALTH AND WELLNESS

The healing power of nature SOME weeks ago, I had the opportunity research citing the benefits of nature. The to commune with nature in the province of International Journal of Environmental ReLa Union along with two other friends. The search and Public Health published in Auidea was to simply chill by the beach, enjoy gust 2017 a review of the benefits of nature experiences. To coffee or ice-cold beer as we do our read the research work on our paper, visit the laptops. “Let website: https:// us allow our weary souls www.ncbi. to rest and nlm .nih .gov/ r e c h a r g e ,” p m c /a r t i c l e s / PMC5580568/. we would say As for us, in jest, but in three friends, fact, it’s exwe needed a actly what we respite from needed to do. the hustle and It’s ironic, yet bustle of Metsometimes you Met ro Manila, don’t know which in you’re tired unfact, is still til you’ve restA calming view bustling deed. Indeed, we en route to Tangadan Falls can heal spite the panwere able to rest one’s tired mind, body, and spirit. demic. Also, and enjoy, plus we needed more. to do someA few days into our retreat, we asked a local guide to thing to cure the pandemic blues. And the take us to Tangadan Falls in San Gabriel, La beach trip plus the hike to the falls did Union. It was a bit of a hike, but the weather wonders to our weary souls.

Although it was a few hours of trek before was fine, the company was fun. The hike in itself was healing. There are articles and we reach the majestic falls, we enjoyed our

JOB WELL DONE

BY JOBA BOTANA

talks dotted with hearty laughs along the way.

At times we would pause for a rest and a few snaps using our mobile phones. Our guide, a lively fellow, would point out some lovely flora we came across along the way. Upon reaching the destination, it was as if the weariness in my body left and I found this renewed strength of spirit. Now, it wasn’t my first time visiting this particular place, but the feeling is the same every time. Nature has that way of making me feel lighter and altogether fine.

If communing with nature is something you’ve been meaning to do yet you can’t go far from Metro Manila, there are destinations nearby aside from Tagaytay City, which offer a respite from the city life, and if you’re lucky, you’ll achieve that lightness of being that comes after a heavy load of stress has been lifted off your body.

The Masungi Georeserve, a conservation area situated in the southern Sierra Madre range in Baras, Rizal province offers a good

Tangadan Falls in San Juan, La Union hike with fantastic views. One can join an arranged tour through their website: https:// www.masungigeoreserve.com.

Within Metro Manila, it’s actually nice to do a walking tour around green patches of land. Intramuros is a good place to rediscover.

Even if you’ve been to the place several times, you’ll be surprised to discover hidden gems in the form of interesting or Instagrammable corners you’ve never seen before.

La Mesa Nature Reserve is one place I’ve been meaning to explore. One place I love going back to for a long walk in Quezon City is the University of the Philippines, Diliman campus. It’s accessible and it’s a nice area to explore without you being afraid of getting lost, plus the fire trees are a thing to behold

during summer.

Pinto Art Museum in Antipolo, Rizal is also a favorite place of mine to visit. Although it’s a museum, it is situated in an area that offers nice views of Rizal and some areas of Manila. I find it calming to simply walk around the property.

For sure there are still other beautiful nature destinations nearby that I have failed to mention. One simply needs to look up online. Or, if you’re feeling a little bit adventurous, go on a little drive without a destination in mind. And when you find that spot of nature that seems to lull you in, heed its call, stop for a break, bask in its healing properties. You might just be doing your body a favor of giving it the rest it badly needs.

Beauty and lifestyle brand

taps top digital personality for health booster line

By Nickie Wang

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EAUTEDERM Corporation CEO and President Rhea Anicoche-Tan recognizes the power of digital influencers and social media personalities in guiding consumers make informed decisions, which is why in its newest line of health supplements, the superbrand signed Jelai Andres as one of its ambassadors.

In a launch held last week, the brand introduced Andres as one of the faces of Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters. She is joining teen star Andrea Brillantes and actress Maja Salvador as the line’s official endorsers.

“Right now, most businesses recognize the power of influencers, with just one post, they are able to reach a number of people,” Anicoche-Tan said during the event.

With a whopping 17.7 million consolidated followers across her Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Twitter platforms, Andres is one of the most prominent influencers on social media today.

Her massive following online paved the way to a very promising career in acting as she is catapulted to mainstream entertainment with a notable body of work including stints in 2019 comedy film Feelennial and in GMA-7’s top-

rating series such as One Of The Baes and Owe My Love. She also starred in YouTube short films Barang and Sama Ka. “I’m so happy and I feel so blessed as I am grateful and excited now that I am a part of Beautéderm,” said Andres. “I am honored that Beautéderm trusted me to represent Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters as its brand ambassador.”

With an extremely active and busy lifestyle, Andres also reveals that it is very important to maintain good health especially in the midst of t h e cur-

rent global health crisis, “It’s important for me to get enough sleep every day, drink lots of water, and have a healthy diet. Outlook is also very important. I make it a point to always smile and be happy. Of course, I need my daily dose of Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters in order to face my day and complete my tasks with vigor and vitality.”

“We are so happy to have Jelai as our newest Beautéderm brand ambassador,” said Anicoche-Tan. “Jelai’s reach on social media is very expansive that it will greatly help us in spreading the message that each one of us should take charge of our health if we are to live our life to the fullest. Jelai is very professional and she takes so much pride in the work that she does and I admire her very much for that.”

The launch of Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters is in line with the ongoing 12th anniversary celebration of Beautéderm that kicked off last August 2021 and it also coincided with the birthday celebration of Rhea that happened last November.

“My team and I have been working on Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters for over a year now.

The pandemic has taught and reminded us so many things – that we should be grateful for all the many blessings God continues to shower to all of us, that family is very precious, and that we should always take care of our health. We need to boost our immune system and take care of not just of our bodies but also our minds as well,” said Anicoche-Tan. “Reiko and Kenzen Beautéderm Health Boosters is my small contribution to make sure that everyone is in tiptop shape and healthy. Jelai is correct in saying that we need vigor and vitality in accomplishing our daily tasks and REIKO and KENZEN Beautéderm Health Boosters is here to help us live the healthy lifestyle that we all deserve,” Anicoche-Tan ended.

Jelai Andres is one of the faces of Reiko and Kenzen health supplements of the beauty and lifestyle brand.

Beautederm President and CEO Rhea Anicoche-Tan

Surplus SM Makati has an exciting new look and a wide variety of fashionable finds, essentials and novelty items.

Gift of good cheer and good health

‘TIS the season for sharing at Surplus.

And this Christmas, give your loved ones gifts of good health and good cheer from its wide selection of novelty and essential items.

There are gifts of wellness to make their homes healthy and happy - infrared sensor alcohol dispensers, air revitalizers, and wooden aroma humidifiers, as well as rest easy massagers, hot compresses, and steam easy nasal and face steamers.

Work from home family members and friends will love our Japanese tatami chairs and foldable laptop tables, and ring lights. For those constantly on the go, keep them cool and hydrated anywhere with a 7-inch fan with light, water tumblers, and insulated water bottles, and carry their things around in a foldable trolley.

All these and more are available at Surplus stores, including the newly renovated store at SM Makati and those located in most SM Supermalls Nationwide.

For a more convenient shopping experience, you may check out Surplus at Lazada and Shopee just follow SurplusPH and download SM Malls Online. Surplus Order to Deliver is also now available; join their Viber community bit.ly/surpluscommunity and follow them on Facebook and Twitter @SurplusPH and Instagram @Surplus_ph for more details.

Colorful insulated tumblers for your favorite drinks

Wooden aroma humidifier

Sit, relax, and watch your favorite movies comfortably with this Japanese tatami chair.