Manila Standard - 2022 January 5 - Wednesday

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DUTERTE ORDERS COPS DEPLOYED IN QUARANTINE HOTELS

By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday ordered at least two policemen to guard hotels serving as quarantine sites for returning Filipinos following the report of a woman who skipped quarantine and partied in Makati City after arriving from the United States.

In his Talk to the People, Duterte said hotel personnel cannot

"physically stop" those insisting to escape quarantine. Only the police or designated government personnel have the authority to enforce quarantine, he added.

"They cannot be physically stopped, (as) they do not have authority or power. Ang makapaghinto sa kanila government personnel placed in there in the hotel to work on the matter of placing people under quarantine," Duterte said.

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Buy generics, anti-flu drugs out of stock

By Othel V. Ocampo and Willie Casas THE Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines (PHAP) admitted Tuesday there was a temporary shortage of certain paracetamol brands in Next page

SHORTAGE. A list shows the common cough, colds and fever medicines that are not in stock at a drug store near the Philippine General Hospital in Manila on January 4, 2022.

The Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines said the temporary shortage of certain paracetamol brands was being experienced in some areas in Metro Manila. Norman Cruz

More areas under Alert Level 3 Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal now covered; infections hit 2-month high 5,434

By Vito Barcelo, Othel V. Campos and Darwin G. Amojelar

T

HE government expanded coronavirus restrictions Wednesday to include more than 11 million people living in provinces near Metro Manila as COVID-19 cases surge.

Daily infections have spiked to a two- of local cases of the highly contagious month high in January and the Health De- Omicron variant.

The provinces of Bulacan, Cavite and partment warned of higher caseloads in the coming days following the detection Rizal surrounding Metro Manila have

been placed under Alert Level 3 "due to will be in place until mid-January, unvaca sharp increase of COVID-19 cases," cinated residents have to stay at home unless buying essentials or exercising.

Restaurants, parks, churches and beauDuterte appeals to Catholic ty salons will operate at lower capacity Church to suspend all while in-person classes and contact sports mass gatherings related to are suspended.

The order comes a day after Manila Traslacion. went to Alert Level 3.

Around 70 percent of residents in Metacting presidential spokesman Karlo ro Manila are fully jabbed but less than Nograles said Tuesday. half the national population is fully vacUnder the tighter restrictions, which cinated, according to government data.

"We did initial estimates. The assumptions would be ... Omicron is eight times more transmissible than Delta, and that the peak will happen at the end of January," Health Undersecretary Rosario Vergeire told CNN Philippines.

"It will be more than the numbers we saw during the Delta peak," she added.

The Department of Health (DOH) has deemed the entire country of 109 million at "high risk" following a spike in cases in recent days, Vergeire said, even as hospitalizations remain under control. Next page

Hospital beds DOH forecasts cases may peak over 22k by end-January occupancy for COVID up 29%

By Willie Casas

the end of January, based on the assumption that the highly contagious Omicron THE Department of Health (DOH) on variant of the coronavirus is already Tuesday said the rise in the number of spreading locally.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario COVID-19 cases could reach its peak by

Experts eye 4th dose amid declining efficacy

By Willie Casas and Maricel V. Cruz THE hospital bed occupancy for COVID-19 in the National Capital Region (NCR) increased to 29 percent in a span of one week, an independent group monitoring the pandemic said Tuesday.

In a tweet, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the number of occupied hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in NCR rose from 17 percent on Dec. 26, 2021 to 29 påercent on Jan. 2, 2022.

Intensive care unit (ICU) occupancy increased from 21 percent to 29 percent within the same period, he said.

“Hospital bed occupancy seems to be increasing at a faster rate compared to ICU occupancy,” David said.

According to the Department of Health’s (DOH) latest bulletin, 29 percent

By Willie Casas and Joel E. Zurbano ALMOST all brands of COVID-19 vaccines have decreased efficacy against the Omicron variant of COVID, a local vaccine expert said Monday, adding a possible "fourth dose" is already "on the radar" of the government panel.

Dr. Nina Gloriani, chairperson o f the Vaccine Expert Panel, said the group has yet to discuss the inoculation of fourth COVID-19 dose to the general population but she said this is already on their “radar.”

“To be honest, the idea of a fourth dose has not Next page

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2,861,119 5,434

29,809

51,604

18

2,779,706

611

(As of 4 PM, JANUARY 4)

Vergeire, in a television interview, said variant last year, with over 22,000 cases this is based on the DOH's initial projec- daily. tions based on the current trend in daily "What I can give the public as an ininfections, and that the numbers would formation right now would be that we did be even higher than the peak of the Delta Next page

CONSTANT VIGILANCE.

Enforcers from the Land Transportation Office bear placards reminding commuters to observe public health protocols inside passenger buses plying Commonwealth Avenue in Quezon City. (Below) A train marshal reminds passengers to keep their face masks on and observe social distancing.

Manny Palmero and Danny Pata

US SETS GLOBAL RECORD OF OVER 1M DAILY COVID CASES NEWS / A2

ELECTION A GO DESPITE COVID, SAYS COMELEC NEWS / A4

PATAFA WANTS OBIENA OUT OF NAT’L TEAM SPORTS / C1

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News

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

‘DOH, not FDA chief, should resign’

By Joel E. Zurbano

“T

HE wrong person resigned.”

Thus said former Vice President Jejomar Binay in reaction to the resignation of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Director General Dr. Eric Domingo on Monday.

"It should have been the Health Secretary for his mismanagement of the medical response to the pandemic," said

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Before the tighter quarantine rules, the Philippines had been under its secondlowest alert level since Dec. 3 as cases fell, which allowed restaurants and indoor venues to ramp up capacity and in-person classes to resume on a limited basis.

The Philippines has recorded over 2.8 million infections and more than 51,000 deaths.

The country logged 5,434 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 2,861,119.

The positivity rate rose to 26.5 percent, from a previous 20.7 percent a day before, with 25,704 total conducted tests on Jan. 2.

This positivity rate is the highest since Sep. 15 last year, and much higher than the rate deemed acceptable by the World Health Organization (WHO) of under 5

Binay, referring to Department of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III. "His (Duque) failings have unduly compromised the safety of health workers and other frontliners, and eroded the chances of an early economic recovery," added Binay.

He said if the country wanted the economy to recover, the solution was to improve the medical response to the pandemic.

"That will never happen under the present DOH leadership. We need a competent person leading the department. So I will say it again, the wrong person resigned," he said.

FDA deputy director general Oscar

Gutierrez replaced Domingo as officerin-charge of the regulator.

Domingo said he did not have any specific reason for his resignation, but added “I think I did my part to help during the pandemic. I’m happy with that but now it is time to move on to other things.”

Domingo was named as officer-incharge of the regulatory office in May 2019. He was named as FDA directorgeneral in May 2020.

In August, Binay criticized Duque in connection with the Commission on Audit's 2020 report regarding the agency's non-compliance with the laws and regulations in the management of P67.323 bil-

lion in COVID-19 response funds.

"The effort and sacrifice of our medical frontliners go to waste. They are being led in this uphill battle against a deadly virus by an inefficient and incompetent Health Secretary," said Binay, who is running for senator in the May 9 elections.

"Imagine billions of pesos in health funds unspent or misspent during a pandemic. This is unpardonable. And yet the Health secretary and other officials will always blame us and our supposed lack of discipline for our predicament. Whenever there is a surge in infections, it’s always our fault, never theirs," he added. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

percent.

The number of new infections is the highest reported in over two months or since Oct. 23 last year.

The top regions with cases in the recent two weeks were Metro Manila or National Capital Region, with 3,826 or 71 percent; Region 4-A or CALABARZON, with 864 or 16 percent; and Region 3 or Central Luzon, with 333 or 6 percent.

There were 18 new fatalities reported, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 51,604.

The DOH also reported 611 new recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 2,779,706.

There were 29,809 active cases, of which 889 are asymptomatic; 24,026 mild; 3,020 moderate; 1,546 severe; and 328 critical.

Nationwide, 26 percent of ICU beds; 27 percent of isolation beds; 19 percent of ward beds; and 14 percent of ventilators,

were in use.

In Metro Manila, 35 percent of ICU beds; 32 percent of isolation beds; 36 percent of ward beds; and 20 percent of ventilators, were in use.

A total of 16 areas in Metro Manila are under granular lockdown asAlert Level 3 has been raised in the National Capital Region (NCR) from Jan. 3 to 15, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Tuesday.

PNP data showed that 14 areas are under the jurisdiction of the Northern Police District and one each for the Manila Police District and Southern Police District.

Nationwide, the number of areas under granular lockdown also increased from eight to 27, including the NCR, Mimaropa, and the Cordillera regions.

NCR Police Office (NCRPO) Chief, Maj. Gen. Vicente Danao Jr., reiterated his call for the stricter implementation of guidelines and health protocols to

curb the spread of COVID-19.

"We will be strict in the implementation of laws and ordinances to protect our citizens from this deadly virus,” Danao said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the chairman of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), Benhur Abalos, said mobility restrictions on unvaccinated people in Metro Manila is just temporary, as some groups voiced human rights concerns.

Presidential adviser on entrepreneurship Joey Concepcion said he supported these mobility restrictions.

“It's not that we are depriving them of their rights to movement. We are protecting them from getting infected,” he said Tuesday during an online briefing.

He urged all local government units to follow the lead of Metro Manila LGUs as they implement mobility restrictions for unvaccinated constituents as soon as possible.

US sets global record of over 1m daily cases THE United States recorded more than one million COVID-19 cases on Monday, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, as the Omicron variant spread at a blistering pace.

There were 1,080,211 new cases in the country, a global record, with the number of cases doubling in the previous week.

It comes a day after top US pandemic advisor Anthony Fauci said the country was experiencing "almost a vertical increase" in COVID-19 cases, adding the peak may be only weeks away.

The heavily mutated Omicron strain – the most transmissible to date – accounted for around 59 percent of national US cases in the weekending December 25, according to government modeling.

Fauci said the experience of South Africa – where the strain was first detected in late November and peaked quickly, then subsided nearly as speedily – offered some hope.

Rates of death and hospitalization in the US have been far lower in recent weeks than during previous COVID surges.

With 9,382 deaths over the past seven days, the nation's death toll has fallen by 10 percent, week on week.

In the last seven days, the country has recorded 3.4 million cases at an average of 486,000 per day with a peak on January 3, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. AFP (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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initial estimates, the assumption would be based on calculations that Omicron is eight times more transmissible than Delta and that the peak will happen by the end of January," Vergeire told CNN Philippines.

"We are now assuming that Omicron is in our communities and we are having this transmission within our communities already. According to experts in other countries, cases double every two days.

That is what we are seeing right now and t communities already," she said.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said Omicron may already be responsible for the sharp increase of COVID-19 infections in the previous days.

Vergeire said it could already be assumed that there is already local transmission of the highly transmissible variant.

Experts...

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been discussed in the all experts group but of course, we need to include that on our radar,” she said.

A study was earlier released indicating that Sinovac's two-dose COVID-19 vaccine followed by a booster PfizerBioNTech shot showed a lower immune response against the Omicron variant compared with other strains.

“Not only Sinovac but almost all the vaccines that we have right now have lower protection against the Omicron variant,” she said.

Some vaccines are 30 to 40 percent less effective against Omicron compared to the Delta variant, she added.

Gloriani reiterated the importance of having at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to avoid hospitalization.

A person who is vaccinated with one dose of COVID-19 vaccine could have at most 52 percent protection against hospitalization, she said.

Those who got two doses are 72 percent protected against critical cases of Omicron while those who got their booster shots could have around 90 percent protection.

Gloriani said the “neutralizing antibodies” produced from the inoculation of COVID-19 vaccines are only a first line of protection.

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Metro Manila while the Department of Trade and Industry urged the public to buy generic medicines.

The pharmaceutical group made the statement after the Department of Health said there was enough supply of anti-flu pills in the country.

“With the heightened vigilance against the Omicron variant, and a number of people getting sick due to various reasons, we are experiencing a temporary shortage of certain brands of paracetamol in some areas,” PHAP said in a statement.

But the group said patients could ask their doctors or pharmacists for “several alternatives if these brands were unavailable.”

PHAP said that paracetamol was avail-

The DOH earlier reported 10 additional Omicron cases, bringing the total Omicron caseload in the country to 14. Three were local cases—two in Bicol and one in the National Capital Region.

"The assumption is there because for us to be able to declare that there's local transmission, we need definitive evidence and we need this confirmation coming from Philippine Genome Center through whole genome sequencing," she said.

Vergeire said ideally, 100,000 tests should be done per day. She said the number of tests has already increased in Metro Manila, although there is still low output in other regions.

"One of the factors that we are looking at is that most of the local governments right now are using rapid antigen tests for them to supplement the RT-PCR test that they have. This can be one of the factors that we have right now for the low testing output," Vergeire said.

There have been calls for the government to conduct free mass testing in order

to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Vergeire said those eligible for free testing are those who are symptomatic or those who have been exposed to a COVID-19 patient.

Earlier, the DOH said it has identified three close contacts of the 10 new Omicron COVID-19 variant cases in the Philippines.

Vergeire saidof the three close contacts, one tested negative and the two others are subject for retesting.

The DOH reported the ten additional Omicron cases on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021, bringing the total Omicron caseload in the country to 14.

Three were local cases: two in Bicol and one in the National Capital Region.

Meanwhile, of the 11 imported cases, nine were returning overseas Filipinos and two were foreign nationals.

Vergeire said that all of them were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms and have finished the minimum 10-day isolation period.

Vergeire said that the one close contact of the first Omicron patient in the country tested negative for COVID-19. The same was true for the second patient’s seven co-passengers and the third patient’s 30 co-passengers.

She also said that all local Omicron cases had also been located, traced, and completed the isolation period as required by the Inter-Agency Task Force and had been tagged as recovered before the release of genome results.

In other developments: • San Juan City reported that active COVID-19 cases in the city jumped from only five two weeks before the New Year to 255 as of Monday. Mayor Francis Zamora said the sharp rise in cases caused him to agree to mobility restrictions on unvaccinated people.

• The Philippine Ports Authority on Tuesday said five more of its personnel tested positive for COVID-19. The announcement came a day after 40 personnel tested positive on antigen tests.

There is another defense mechanism in the body called “T Cells” which is a “cellular-mediated immunity” that protects a person against a severe form of COVID-19 for a long period of time.

She said it was "too soon" to discuss proposals to vaccinate people every three months against COVID-19.

“We could not decide on this until we get more data because it is also not good to get another dose when you still have a high level of immunity. I am talking about the general population and not those who are immunocompromised. Because if you still have a high level of antibody, the booster shot will have no effect.” she said.

Meanwhile, authorities appealed to the public not to falsify their COVID-19 vaccination card, saying such an act was punishable by law and local ordinances.

While Metro Manila is under Alert Level 3, commercial establishments and public transport will require customers and passengers to present proof of vaccination together with identification cards before they will be allowed to enter the establishments and conveyances.

Chairman Benjamin Abalos Jr. of the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority said any person or any establishment who falsifies the COVID-19 vaccine card shall be prosecuted based on local government ordinances and Section 12 of Republic Act 11525 or the COVID-19 Vaccination Program Act of 2021.

Duterte...

He asked Interior Secretary Eduardo Ano to place policemen at hotels contracted by the government as quarantine sites. The Department of Interior and Local Government has supervisory power over the Philippine National Police.

On Monday, Año directed PNP Chief Gen. Dionardo Carlos to conduct random inspections in quarantine hotels to determine if all individuals subject to isolation are following the health protocol.

Carlos said the police would make sure that health protocols were strictly implemented particularly in the areas under more stringent Alert Level 3 status.

Earlier, Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra ordered on Tuesday the National Bureau of Investigation to conduct a thorough investigation on the possibility that a syndicate was behind the modus of offering quarantine exemptions and privileges to those arriving in the country.

Guevarra directed NBI officer-incharge Eric Distor “to conduct a thorough investigation of possible willful violations of mandatory quarantine regulations, starting from the arrival area in our international airports up to facility/hotel-

based and home-based quarantines.”

Guevarra issued the order as he raised suspicions that the incident involving “Poblacion Girl” was not an isolated case and that there might be people who are offering deals to those arriving in the country.

“These are highly probable situations that might be happening, but they have not yet been discovered… I believe that what happened in Makati was just the tip of the iceberg,” Guevarra said.

According to him, one possible scenario was that the airport might be the starting point of their racket, and that instead of bringing the new arrival to a quarantine facility, the person would be allowed to go home.

Guevarra said they were also not discounting the possibility that there might be accredited quarantine hotels or facilities that might have their own internal arrangements with their guests, who just arrived from other countries.

They might allow their guests to leave their hotel rooms or shorten their quarantine stay which are against the quarantine protocols.

However, the Justice Secretary warned that the hotels found violating the quarantine regulations might face administrative sanctions as well as cancellation of their business permits and eventually the closure of their businesses. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

able in various dosage forms and strengths, combination products, and under several hundred brands.

“Alternative analgesics are also available,” the group said, adding “At the moment, we have enough supply of analgesics available in our inventory.”

The DOH had appealed to the public not to hoard these medicines and not resort to panic-buying as it vowed to continue working with other agencies such as the Department of Trade and Industry and the Food and Drug Administration in securing the needed health products as part of the COVID-19 response.

Netizens have raised concerns on social media about their difficulties in purchasing paracetamol and other pills as these were out of stock in drug stores.

In a statement, pharmaceutical company Unilab, the maker of popular

paracetamol brand Biogesic, said: "Some of our brands are temporarily out of stock in select drug stores due to extraordinary demand. We assure you that we are working with our partner drug stores and retailers to accelerate replenishment at the soonest possible time."

Meanwhile, Trade secretary Ramon Lopez said there was a tight supply of branded medicines like Biogesic and Decolgen due to “timing of deliveries to replenish the stocks in the branches of these drugstores.”

“In particular, popular brands Biogesic or Decolgen may be having temporary out of stock situations. Their manufacturer had a delivery cut off last December but deliveries started coming this week,” he said.

In the recent weeks following the dramatic increase of COVID cases, reports of shortage and unavailability of branded

medicine surfaced following complaints from consumers.

However, some brands, including generic brands, have ample supply.

Rhea Generics products are not affected as much because their lines are supplied by major companies, the DTI noted.

“There are other brands of paracetamol in the market so there is no shortage.

There are also a lot of generic products in the market," he said.

The DOH, in a statement, said it already consulted with the major drug store chains and local manufacturers and suppliers on the status of supply of paracetamol and other pills for flu.

"The DOH would like to assure the public that while there is an observed increased demand for such products, there is no ongoing shortage in the Philippines," the DOH said.

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of the 1,200 ICU beds and 27 percent of the 4,600 isolation beds for COVID-19 patients in the NCR were occupied.

David said 1,000 more hospital beds were occupied now compared to the 1,072 beds used during the peak of the COVID-19 surge caused by the Delta variant last year.

“Both hospital bed occupancy and ICU occupancy are still at a very low level at this time,” he said.

The critical level threshold is at 70 percent occupancy.

As of Monday, about 30 percent of the 3,800 ward beds and 16 percent of the 1,000 ventilators were utilized, according to the DOH bulletin.

Meanwhile, for the whole country, 23 percent of the 3,400 ICU beds and 23 percent of the 18,600 isolation beds were in use, while 16 percent of the 12,200 ward beds and 13 percent of the 2,800 ventilators nationwide were being used.

Metro Manila is currently under Alert Level 3 until Jan. 15.

On Monday, officials at the St. Luke's Medical Center and the East Avenue Medical Center reported a rise in their COVID-19 patients.

Dr. Arturo De La Peña, president and CEO of St. Luke's Medical Center, described the recent surge in coronavirus hospital admissions as “a bit concerning.”

He said that new infections were also recorded among health workers.

St. Luke's Global City in Taguig currently has 43 admitted COVID-19 patients, while its facility in Quezon City has 32, up from less than 10 confined in both before New Year's Eve, said De La Peña.

Each has four pediatric patients.

About 40 percent of those confined at the private medical facility are unvaccinated against COVID-19, another 40 percent are fully vaccinated, and some 10 percent already received their booster shots, said De La Peña.

EAMC, located in Quezon City, cited a 32.62 percent increase in admitted COVID-19 patients during the most recent week, from 117 to 151, according to Lorena Tuico Perdigon, Health Education and Promotion Officer of the government hospital.

Some 23 health workers at St. Luke's Global City, 28 from St. Luke's Quezon City, and five from EAMC are infected with COVID-19.

The emergency rooms of St. Luke's have also seen an increase in people consulting for possible COVID infections, said De La Peña.

Attributing the spike in new cases to the people's laxity in following health protocols, De La Peña urged the public to change their behavior and strictly adhere to the set guidelines, whether or not they have symptoms.

Other hospitals in Metro Manila have also reported a spike in admitted COVID-19 patients amid the threat of the spread of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The Ospital ng Malabon, meanwhile, said it would still not admit nonCOVID-19 patients until further notice due to rising COVID-19 infections among its personnel. The hospital earlier announced that it would temporarily stop admitting non-COVID-19 patients to conduct disinfection from Jan. 2 to 4.

An infectious disease specialist said Tuesday that patients with flulike symptoms should consult a doctor through telemedicine to avoid congesting hospitals. (See full story online at manilastandard.net)

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

Duterte’s veto of gender plan draws criticism

NO BEACH CROWD.

There were only a few visitors at the Manila Bay Dolomite Beach in its reopening on January 4. Only fully-vaccinated individuals were allowed to enter the dolomite beach, according to Manila Baywalk Dolomite Beach ground commander Reuel Sorilla.

This is in compliance with the rules under the COVID Alert Level 3 which was implemented over Metro Manila starting January 3 until January 15. A man lies down on dolomite beach near the US Embassy in Roxas Boulevard during the reopening. Norman Cruz and Danny Pata

By Rio N. Araja THE Commission on Human Rights, as the country’s Gender Ombud, expressed disappointment with the veto on the Gender Responsive Restroom Program of the Department of Transportation (DOTr).

Commissioner Karen GomezDumpit, the focal commissioner on Women’s Human Rights and Gender Equality, said they consider the program a key gender and human rights item in the General Appropriations Bill of 2022.

Under the Magna Carta of Women or Republic Act No. 9710, all government agencies are mandated to adopt gender mainstreaming as a strategy to promote women’s human rights and eliminate gender inequality.

Such entails the conduct of gender analysis to pursue programs, activities, and projects that respond to the identified gender issues of the agency, Gomez-Dumpit said.

The DOTr’s mandate includes ensuring fast, safe, efficient, and reliable transportation services, she noted.

Apart from the Magna Carta of Women, gender-inclusive restrooms are also implemented under Republic Act No. 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act. The appropriations item sought to address a specific gender and human rights issue meant to recognize the diversity of DOTr clients and ensure safe access to essential facilities without discrimination.

IN BRIEF Cops nab suspect in Angeles City slay ANGELES City Mayor Carmelo Lazatin Jr. has announced the arrest of a suspect in the killing of 40-yearold EJ Antonio Gabriel, a city hall employee who was found dead in Brgy. San Juan, Mexico town on December 28, 2021.

The suspect was identified as Francis A. Cunanan, of Villa Barosa, Phase 1, Road 5, in the City of San Fernando. Joint elements of the Mexico police led by PMaj. Louie Sason; PIDMU led by PMaj. Erwin Marzan; PIB led by Jansky Andrew Jaafar; and 2nd PMFC PMaj. Philip Pelle arrested Cunanan in the pursuit operations.

An eyewitness identified as Ricky Dunglao, of Makabakle, Dolores, City of San Fernando, has identified Cunanan behind the death of Gabriel who went missing last Dec. 27, 2021.

Lazatin has commended responding policemen for the immediate apprehension of Cunanan. Butch Gunio

SC shortens bar exams to 2 days due to COVID

By Rey E. Requej

T

HE Supreme Court on Tuesday has approved the recommendation of Bar Chairperson and Associate Justice Marvic Leonen to reduce the coverage and shorten the duration of the 2020-2021 online bar examinations “in view of the COVID-19 pandemic” and “the effects of typhoon ‘Odette.’”

As a consequence, the Bar examinations will now be held on January 23, Sunday, and January 25, Tuesday, instead of the previous dates set by the SC on January 16, 23, 30, and February 6.

Aside from the shortened Bar exams, the traditional eight subjects, the examinees will take four sets of examinations only, namely: the Law Pertaining to the State and Its Relationship with Its Citizens (formerly Political Law, Labor

Law, and Taxation Law); Criminal Law; the Law Pertaining to Private Personal and Commercial Relations (formerly Civil Law and Commercial Law); and Procedure and Professional Ethics (formerly Remedial Law, Legal Ethics, and Practical Exercises).

The 15-member bench made the decision after it was recommended the Bar Chairperson, but pro hac vice (for this one time only), meaning only for the

ONE-STOP SHOP.

A business owner receives her business permit and plate number after applying for the renewal of these documents at the Business One-Stop Shop (BOSS) in a mall in Dasmarinas, Cavite. The BOSS processes the fast release of business permits.

The renewal applications started on January 3 and will end on January 20. 2022. JR Josue

Gadon suspended over profanities against reporter

By Rey E. Requejo

2020-2021 bar examinations.

“These changes pro hac vice seek to meet the demand for new lawyers amid the disasters plaguing the country. The Philippines has produced no new lawyers since the pandemic,” the SC said.

“But while the bar examinations may no longer be postponed, it can be held in a way that is more humane.

With these changes, the Court strikes that balance,” it added.

With these changes, the SC advised all examinees to self-quarantine starting January 9, 2022, or at least two weeks before the Bar Examinations.

The SC’s decision came after the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Cebu City Chapter earlier urged the high court to postpone the bar examinations in “Odette”-affected areas.

LINING UP FOR COVID-19 JABS.

People line up to get their vaccination shots at a city government vaccination site at the Justo Lukban Elementary School in Manila, on 4 January 2022. According to health workers, they noticed an increase in people seeking vaccination amid the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila. The Metro Manila Council, consisting of Metro Manila mayors, also recently approved a resolution, which further restricted the movement of unvaccinated individuals in the National Capital Region.

Norman Cruz

BI deports Russian wanted for fraud The Bureau of Immigration (BI) deported a Russian national wanted by authorities in Moscow for largescale fraud.

BI Commissioner Jaime Morente identified the fugitive as 39-year-old Anton Likharev, who boarded an Ethihad Airways flight to Dubai en route to his final destination in Moscow.

Likharev was accompanied by two Russian policemen who fetched him at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) to escort him on his trip.

The Russian was deported after he was detained for nearly three years at the BI detention facility in Camp Bagong Diwa, Taguig City, pending requirements and clearances for his deportation. Vito Barcelo

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THE Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday ordered the preventive suspension of controversial lawyer Lorenzo Gadon for uttering profanities on social media against journalist Raissa Robles, the Manila correspondent for the South China Morning Post.

In a resolution, Gadon was directed to explain to the SC why he should not be disbarred. The preventive suspension as a lawyer will remain enforced until lifted by the SC. The SC’s Public Information Office said that on Dec. 15, 2021, “a video of Gadon uttering profanities against Robles went viral in social media, where the former appeared exasperated by the fact that Robles called Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Jr. Marcos a tax evader.”

“The public has urged the Court and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) to discipline Gadon over his latest vulgar rant, saying that Gadon’s actions are not only an insult to Robles, but to the entire legal profession as well,” the high court stressed.

The SC took immediate action and acted on the complaints.

“Gadon had, on previous instances, publicly displayed the same kind of behavior, for which he is currently facing disbarment complaints before the Court and the IBP,” the SC noted.

“In a Resolution issued today, Jan. 4, 2022, the Court En Banc motu proprio (on its own initiative) treated the matter as a formal administrative complaint for disbarment against Gadon, who was given a non-extendible period of 10 days to file his comment, in consideration of the numerous prior controversies leading to the disbarment cases filed against Gadon, and the most recent viral video where he displayed the same controversial behavior despite previous warnings,” it said.

US, PH hold joint military tactical combat drills in Palawan, Zambales

By Rey E. Requejo THE United States and the Philippines have conducted two separate sessions of tactical combat casualty care and medical first responder training in Palawan and Zambales.

In a statement, the US Embassy in the Philippines revealed that US Civil-Military Support Element-Phil-

ippines (CMSE-PHL) led the twin exercises with the Philippine Coast Guard-Special Operations Group (PCG-SOG) in Puerto Princesa, Palawan, and the Philippine National Police-Maritime Group (PNP-MG) and Bantay Dagat in Iba, Zambales.

It said that a total of 55 uniformed and volunteer personnel in the Philippines

participated in the drills held between Nov. 22 to 27 and Dec. 12 to 16, 2021.

The drills aim to support their maritime search and rescue and law enforcement missions and enhance the PCG-SOG and PNP-MG’s ability to respond to and treat both trauma and drowning injuries they could encounter in the line of duty.

“Our team is proud to train with the

PCG and PNP-MG and support them in their missions in the West Philippine Sea,” said Capt. Richard Hinman, CMSE-PHL team leader.

“We have been continuously impressed by their professionalism, dedication, and capability, and hope to continue our strong partnerships in Palawan and Zambales,” he added.

Immigration to run at 60% capacity—Morente

By Vito Barcelo THE Bureau of Immigration (BI) will be operating on a 60 percent on-site work capacity from January 3 to January 15 after the National Capital Region was placed under alert level 3.

In an advisory, BI Commissioner Jaime Morente said that the move was in compliance with the approved recommendation from the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) placing the NCR on Alert Level 3.

“As an effect, all BI offices in NCR shall be operating during weekdays, and will observe a 60 percent on-site work capacity, while adopting applicable alternative work arrangements,” he stated.

Prior to the announcement, the BI operated

on a minimum of 50 percent to a maximum of 70 percent skeleton workforce.

Morente also announced that fully vaccinated clients remain exempted from the BI’s online appointment system, subject to the presentation of their vaccination cards or certification before entry.

Unvaccinated or partially vaccinated clients, however, are still required to set their appointments online.

He added that “aliens” reporting for the Annual Report 2022 are required to secure an appointment via http://e-services.immigration. gov.ph/. He likewise enjoined the transacting public to strictly observe minimum health and safety protocols while transacting with the bureau’s offices.

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News

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

IN BRIEF Robredo, daughters recover from illness VICE President Leni Robredo on Tuesday said she has finished her quarantine period with a negative confirmatory swab test result and that her daughter has recovered from COVID-19.

Robredo last week said she selfisolated after her close-in security tested positive for COVID-19 as her team continued to ramp up relief efforts for residents affected by Typhoon Odette.

The Vice President said she had “tonsilitis, really high fever and bad chills and couldn’t eat for 3 straight days” while in quarantine.

“Doc decided to put me on IV so I was attached to it all through the New Year. Sorry for all the missed messages, greetings, etc. I’m back to my old self now and reunited with my girls.

I will try my best to catch up starting today,” she said in a statement.

Solon: New OFW dept. to streamline services

NO-EL SCENARIO? Lawyers from the National Coalition for Life and Democracy (NCLD) file an urgent motion before the Commission on Elections urging the poll body to start hearing an earlier petition seeking to postpone the May 9, 2022 elections. The petitioners claim pushing through with the elections will endanger Filipinos amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Danny Pata

Isko suspends listening tours, focuses on city

By Rey E. Requejo and Macon Ramos-Araneta PRESIDENTIAL candidate and Manila City Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso has suspended his “Listening Tour” sorties to allow him to focus on city’s health emergency preparedness against the coronavirus pandemic, particularly the recent spike in the number of cases involving the highlycontagious Omicron variant.

The camps of former senator Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Monday also suspended their sorties over the same coronavirus concerns.

Meanwhile, even if there is still no spike in Covid-19 cases due to Omicron variant, Senator Panfilo Lacson on Tuesday said his camp has always been conscious of physical distancing.

The Partido Reporma standard bearer in the upcoming elections said they have also been strongly adhering to other health protocols especially the superspreader activities.

“No, I don’t really think so. What I really want now when you are infected is that we can treat you. What I want now is for you to be healed immediately when you have an infection. We want you to have a facility, you have a doctor,” Moreno told journalists after inspecting the Araullo Quarantine Facility, which is part of the city government’s preparation for the expected exponential rise in Covid-19 infections.

The Aksyon Demokratiko standardbearer said what is important right now for him and other Manila city officials is to focus all their efforts in halting the surge in Covid cases and keep as many people safe from infections.

Comelec: Election still a go despite pandemic

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OSTPONING the 2022 elections is off the table even amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission on Elections (Comelec) reiterated on Tuesday.

Comelec spokesperson James Jimenez made the position on the same day that the group identified as Coalition for Life and Democracy asked the poll body to act on its December 10, 2021 petition seeking to move the national elections to May 9, 2025 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and unresolved petitions before the poll body.

“Of course, that [postponement of May polls] is what they want to happen.

In fact, we have been warning about this from the beginning, that they will come up with all the excuses to postpone the elections. It is not going to happen,”

Jimenez said at a news briefing.

“It [May 2022 polls postponement] is not something that should be considered. Postponing the 2022 elections is going against the Constitution. How can you go against the Constitution? The Comelec sees no reason to postpone the elections,” he added.

Jimenez was referring to the constitutional provisions which state that unless otherwise provided by law, the regular election for president, vice president should be held on the second Monday of May every six years [Article VII, Section 4] and the second Monday of May every three years

for senators and members of the House of Representatives [Article VI, Section 8].

Given the constitutional provisions, Jimenez stressed that the May 2022 polls cannot be postponed like the barangay elections. “[The date of] barangay elections is set by law enacted by Congress. The national elections is not enacted by some law. It is in the Constitution. Those who are saying that [national elections can be postponed like barangay elections], they have no idea what they are talking about,” Jimenez pointed out.

Ultimately, Jimenez said that Comelec is capable of multitasking even amid the pending petitions seeking to cancel the certificate of candidacy or disqualification of certain 2022 hopefuls.

AYUDA. Another 200 boxes of DSWD family food packs were delivered by the Philippine Air Force through its Tactical Operations Group 8 in coordination with Joint Task Force Bulig to survivors of Typhoon Odette in San Ricardo, Southern Leyte.

Reporma treasurer Ty: Lacson not quitting race amid rival ‘innuendoes’ PARTYMATES in the Partido Reporma on Tuesday said they believe their chairman and standard bearer, Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, would not drop his presidential bid despite being behind in most surveys conducted ahead of the official campaign season for the 2022 national elections.

Meanwhile, Lacson confirmed on Twitter that he was isolating after one of

his sons caught COVID. The longtime public servant said he had a sore throat, adding that many of his friends and relatives were saying their household members tested positive as well.

“We likewise disagree with the views of some who say our chairman should quit now that he is lagging in election surveys and give way to another candidate in a bid to unite the so-called opposition,”

said Rep. Arnel Ty, the party’s treasurer.

These persons, he said, conveniently forget that their chosen leader “abandoned the party the candidate had belonged to – which, mind you, had supported that candidate for years on end – to run as an independent and form a coalition based on a color different from their old party.”

“This was the same candidate that

initially presented Sen. Lacson with a plan to ‘unify’ the opposition but would then not allow our chairman to fulfill the commitments he had already made to his supporters and followers, having been the first to declare his candidacy for President this election season – showing that this was merely a ploy to gain more power for the candidate’s own ends,” also said Ty.

A LEGISLATOR on Tuesday expressed hope that the new department dedicated to serve migrant Filipinos will streamline and speed up services for the country’s overseas workers, especially those in distress.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said that under the newly signed law creating the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) need not go from one government office to another to provide for their needs.

The new department will also be able to better track Filipinos abroad, especially those in distress, as the law provides for an information system that will serve as a database for all OFWs, said Villafuerte, who was one of the principal authors in the House of Representatives of the consolidated bill that led to the creation of this new government department.

Maricel V. Cruz

Pacquiao eyes free housing as gov’t top priority PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday said he will prioritize the construction and distribution of free housing to calamity victims, especially those who were displaced by Super Typhoon Odette.

Apart from free housing, Pacquiao said he would also make sure the victims will not lose their livelihood as a result of their relocation or they would be given work if they have none.

Aside from ensuring their livelihood, Pacquiao said the government should make sure they would build disaster-resilient structures so that taxpayers’ money is not wasted for never-ending relocation projects.

If elected into office, Pacquiao said his administration will embark on a massive program to build sustainable housing communities to provide decent and sturdy shelters for the country’s informal settlers and those who have been displaced by calamities and armed conflict.

Pacquiao said his housing program will also cover families who are still renting for their living spaces.

“Free housing will be a centerpiece program of my administration. We should be able to provide free shelters for Filipino families who are renting and cannot afford socialized housing,” Pacquiao said.

The senator has vowed to end the country’s squatter problem by providing free housing for the country’s 1.9 informal settlers and 6.7 million families who are still renting homes.

He promised to fulfill this in three to five years using funds that will be saved for ending corruption in all levels of governance.

He estimates that the government is losing at least P1 trillion a year from corruption.

UniTeam resumes virus aid operations WITH Metro Manila once again placed under Alert Level 3 amid the continued threat of the Omicron Covid19 variant, the BBM-Sara UniTeam was quick to resume Covid assistance operations, directing their volunteers to distribute medicines and face masks to hospitals in the metropolis.

Presidential aspirant Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos, Jr. and his running mate Davao Mayor Sara Duterte on Tuesday ordered an inventory and repacking of their supplies in their national headquarters for immediate distribution.

“Napaghandaan na natin ang ganitong sitwasyon o ang posibleng pagtaas muli ng kaso sa Covid19, kaya may imbak pa rin tayo ng mga facemask at mga gamot galing sa ating mga taga-suporta,” a statement from the UniTeam said.

The tandem wants to prioritize the protection

of frontliners since they are key to ensuring the health of the public.

The UniTeam said they are just resuming the Covid operations which they have already started doing, albeit separately, even before the pandemic affected the country in 2020 which is why there are available supplies and their volunteers already know what to do in the face of the renewed threat of a new variant.

The National Capital Region and its neighboring provinces have been placed under the stricter Alert Level 3 from January 3 to January 15 due to the pronounced increase in cases and the three confirmed local cases of the Omicron variant.

In line with this, the UniTeam reminded the public to strictly comply with health protocols and continue to guard against the coronavirus.

VAX DRIVE. Marikina City Mayor Marcy Teodoro speaks before residents who received their COVID-19 booster shot at the Marikina Sports Center on January 4, 2022. Manny Palmero

Opinion A new deal for OFWs

WE’VE been calling overseas Filipinos workers “mga bagong bayani” or new heroes for so long, and yet the same problems that have bedeviled them for a long time have gone largely unresolved. That, or thy are addressed piecemeal by various agencies acting independently of each other.

The creation of a new Department of Migrant Workers (DOMW) that would help OFWs find jobs abroad or assist them when they complain of problems in their work places, such as abusive employers or non-payment of wages, is therefore long overdue.

We recall that in the past two decades, no less than 3,000 Filipinos were leaving for employment abroad on a daily basis. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 6,000 had been crowding airports every day, eager to leave and try their luck in foreign shores so they can feed their families back home. An estimated one-tenth of the current population of 109 million has left for the proverbial greener pastures in the four corners of the world.

The new department’s jurisdiction will cover overseas employment and labor migration. It is expected to do everything within its mandate to enhance protection for OFWs in the wake of too many cases of abuses by recruitment agencies and employers.

The Department of Migrant Workers will bring together under one roof several agencies handling different OFW concerns under several government departments. Among these are the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), and six other offices currently under other departments, including the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs under the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Office of the Social Welfare Attaché under the Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The POEA was established in 1982 to promote and monitor the overseas employment of Filipino workers. It was reorganized in 1987 to respond to changing markets and economic conditions, and to strengthen programs to protect Filipino workers and enhance the overall overseas employment program.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an agency under the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), is tasked with protecting the interests of OFWs and their families. It provides social security, cultural services and help with employment, remittances and legal matters.

The Department of Migrant Workers would have broad powers. It will regulate the recruitment, employment, and deployment of OFWs and launch investigations and file cases

FALLEN US biotech star Elizabeth Holmes was convicted on Monday of defrauding investors in her blood-testing startup Theranos, in a highprofile case seen as an indictment of Silicon Valley culture.

Holmes is a rare example of a tech exec being brought to book over a company flaming out, in a sector littered with the carcasses of money-losing companies that once promised untold riches.

Her case shone a spotlight on the blurred line between the hustle that characterizes the industry and outright criminal dishonesty.

Jurors took seven days of deliberations to reach their verdict, finding her guilty of four counts of tricking investors into pouring money into what she claimed was a revolutionary testing system.

Holmes had vowed to revolutionize health diagnostics.

But the panel — who had listened to weeks of sometimes complex evidence — also acquitted her on four charges and could not reach a verdict on three others.

“The guilty verdicts in this case reflect Ms. Holmes’ culpability in this large-scale investor fraud and she must now face sentencing for her crimes,” US Attorney Stephanie Hinds said in a prepared statement read outside the courthouse by a representative.

Holmes made no comment as she left the court when asked if she intended to appeal.

The 37-year-old now faces the possibility of 20 years behind bars for each conviction. She remains at liberty ahead of another hearing on the terms of her bail next week. No date was set for sentencing.

Holmes had vowed to revolutionize health

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EDITORIAL

concerning illegal recruitment and human trafficking cases involving OFWs. The new department, which is envisioned as a one-stop shop for OFWs, will be provided an initial funding of P1.1 billion. That’s not much given the scope of its responsibilities, but it should be enough for its first year so it can hit the ground running this year to address longstanding issues affecting OFWs, such as red tape, illegal recruitment, and safe and timely repatriation during crisis situations in their host countries. The last one is particularly important since at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, some 800,000 OFWs had to be sent home as companies across the globe retrenched workers to survive the economic crunch.

The new department has its work cut out for it.

The new department will have its hands full working in coordination with the InterAgency Council Against Trafficking and the Department of Justice to “investigate, initiate, sue, pursue, and help prosecute” cases involving illegal recruitment and human trafficking.

The problem of illegal recruitment has been a festering one, with workers duped into applying for apparently high-paying jobs that turn out to be the very opposite as they were given wages much less than promised.

The new department will also have to coordinate with the Department of Labor and Employment that has come up with the “National Action Plan to Mainstream Fair and Ethical Recruitment,” which seeks to decisively address the problem of illegal and unfair recruitment practices.

Filipinos now account for at least five percent of all migrant workers globally. The Philippines also ranks the seventh in terms of deployment of its citizens to foreign jobs, with OFWs among the world’s biggest senders of precious dollar remittances to their families back home.

The establishment of the DOMW is significant step forward as its mandate covers no less than 10 million Filipinos working overseas whose remittances add up to a hefty 12 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

We have high hopes that the new DOMW will be able to perform its tasks well in the first few years of its operations. We don’t expect the problems of illegal recruitment and abuses against OFWs by employers to disappear overnight, but at least there’s going to be a coordinated effort to address all these problems.

With the country’s growing population and a bigger labor force in the years ahead, the Department of Migrant Workers will certainly have its hands full coping with a huge challenge.

But we wish them all the best as they embark on giving a better deal for OFWs in the years ahead. ernhil@yahoo.com

Biotech ‘visionary’ found guilty in fraud trial

By Glenn Chapman

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

diagnostics with self-service machines that could run an array of tests on just a few drops of blood, a vision that drew high-profile backers and made her a billionaire by the age of 30.

She was hailed as the next tech visionary on magazine covers and collected mountains of investors’ cash, but it all collapsed after Wall Street Journal reporting revealed the machines did not work as promised.

Prosecutors spent 11 weeks presenting over two dozen witnesses, as they painstakingly laid out their argument that Holmes knew her technology fell short, and deliberately misled investors and patients.

She personally put the logos of pharma giants Pfizer and Schering-Plough onto Theranos reports hailing the company’s blood-testing technology, which were then shared with investors.

That was done without the firms’ permissions, and was a key piece of the prosecution’s argument that she purposely tried to inflate Theranos’s credibility in order to win backers.

Fake it till you make it’ Though big-name Theranos investors like Rupert Murdoch and Henry Kissinger were on the witness list, the most prominent backer to take the stand was ex-Pentagon chief Jim Mattis.

The defense called only one significant witness, Holmes herself, as it argued the fallen entrepreneur had genuinely believed in Theranos’s vision, invested herself heavily in its success and had simply failed.

Holmes also sought to shift some of the blame to Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani, a boyfriend nearly two decades her senior whom she had brought in to help run her company.

She fought back tears as she told jurors that Balwani denigrated her and forced himself on her sexually when angry — accusations that he has strongly denied.

He is due to stand trial separately for his role in the company’s operations and has pleaded not

I

Tempering fear

T IS easy to feel immobilized upon hearing the recent, sudden surge in the number of fresh COVID cases in the news, and the anecdotes of family, friends and acquaintances who have felt symptoms associated with the virus in recent days.

Even the unavailability of over-thecounter medicine for simple ailments like fever can cause anxiety among us who, up until a week ago, believed we were well on our way out of the crisis and into the new normal.

But we were told this was bound to happen, and not just because of a few reckless, irresponsible individuals who skipped quarantine and mingled with others during a period when they should be isolating in the comfort of their hotel rooms.

Experts say the surge in recent days is a result of the more transmissible variant of the virus, and more importantly, our collective behavior of letting our guard down in the days leading to and immediately following Christmas.

In those days, it seemed safe to move around and relax our usual protocol.

After all, the numbers had significantly gone down from their peaks. There was also the human craving for connection — and not the one from behind a screen — sharing a meal, stories, and some laughs, with people we have not spent

time with in almost two years.

In doing so, we put our masks down and, perhaps emboldened by the knowledge that we have been vaccinated, reveled in the feeling of invincibility.

How do we deal with this recurring threat?

As we know now, we have been proven wrong.

How do we deal anew with the frustration that COVID-19 is still very much around, and with the instinct to retreat into the safety of our homes like we did in March and April 2020?

Foremost, acknowledge the simple truth that COVID will not be going away for a long time. While it is no longer novel, we should not underestimate its capacity to surprise us or present new challenges. The virus is here to stay, and instead of wishing for it to be gone, we will be better off planning our days with its constant threat in mind.

Meanwhile, we have already learned many things from our successes and failings — mostly the latter— in the past 16 months. We have seen how making decisions based on science and good sense trumps hasty pronouncements made out of fear, greed, arrogance or ignorance.

We should already have learned, too, that crucial to battling the virus are a robust healthcare system, with frontliners compensated and taken care of for their invaluable service, as well as an aggressive vaccination drive coupled with a campaign to enlighten people who may think vaccines, or masks, are just an imposition.

There is no need to hide under the proverbial rock again, even as we should not ignore the alarming developments of the past few days. But we could navigate this crisis anew if we shun binary thinking, reject information that does not have sound basis in fact, and simply act out of practical care, consideration and courtesy.

Finally, a few months from now, we will elect leaders anew. It is almost certain that COVID-19 would still be here, so the least we can do is base our decision on how capable a leader the candidates could be at a time of protracted crisis.

A wish list for Duterte

NOT many will believe this but Rodrigo Roa Duterte is going to be rated by history as one of the Philippines’ best presidents. Happy New Year.

The long-time Davao mayor built more roads, more highways, more airports and seaports, and more schools than any Filipino president. In fact, Duterte built more infra than all previous four presidents combined.

His infra spending exceeded 5 percent of GDP, double the 20-year average of 2.5 percent; and exceeded P1.1 trillion per year, six times the annual average.

He also licked unemployment. He brought down unemployment to 5 percent—a record low, and which is equivalent to full employment. In the US, full employment is 4 percent unemployment. Of course, because of the pandemic, unemployment rose to a record 17 percent in 2020 before coming down to still uncomfortable 7.4 percent third quarter this year.

Digong also reduced poverty incidence to as low as 16.7 percent (17.7 million Filipinos) of the population in 2018. With the pandemic, poverty rose to 23.7 percent or 26.4 million poor Filipinos in the first half of 2021.

Duterte’s Bangko Sentral Governor Ben Diokno brought interest rates to their lowest ever, 2 percent per year. Under the late Governor Jobo Fernandez, in the worst economic crisis before 2020, interest rates hit a stratospheric 44 percent in the early 1980s. That ensured all businesses were shut down because one made more money by not moving.

BSP chief Diokno also pumped a record P2.2 trillion into the financial system to boost economic recovery from the pandemic. That included P530 billion in extraordinary loans to the government for its ayuda and vaccine purchases.

Finally, Digong is the country’s most popular president. At the height of history’s worst pandemic and economic crisis, he was registering a job approval rating of 65 percent.

In Duterte’s last semester or last six months in office, Albay Second District Congressman Joey Salceda has identified ten programs that Duterte might want to finish or his successor should complete during 2022. These ten lowguilty.

Beyond the reams of company documents, highly detailed technical questions and Holmes’s at-times emotional testimony, there loomed the question of Silicon Valley’s very nature.

One of the startup world’s most repeated cliches is “fake it till you make it”, where ambitious entrepreneurs with an idea that almost works convince people to invest massive sums of money

hanging fruits are: 1. Economic liberalization.

Pass the final version of the Public Service Act amendments that truly fosters competition among economically-crucial industries such as telecommunications. This, plus two other lib bills--the amendments to the Foreign Investment Act and the Retail Trade Liberalization Act, should signal investors to come to the Philippines and create jobs.

He might want to finish these programs.

2. Tax reform To complete Duterte’s Comprehensive Tax Reform Program, Salceda proposes amendments to the Real Property Valuation and Assessment Reform, or Package 3, to support economic recovery. He is for removing productive equipment from taxable real properties. This will stimulate mechanization and modernization in businesses and agriculture.

Joey wants a transition period for LGUs to comply with modernized valuation standards to cushion the impact of sudden tax increases due to higher real property values.

Plus, he wants a progressive tax system for housing – tax luxury, low-density housing higher, and tax socialized and low-cost housing lower.

3. Financial inclusion to make every Filipino an investor or an entrepreneur Pass the Passive Income and Financial Intermediaries Taxation Act or PIFITA, which is Package 4 of Tax Reform.

Joey strongly urges the passage of accompanying financial inclusion measures. He is the principal author of the Fair and Inclusive Credit Act, which will ensure that even the smallest entrepreneur has access to low-interest credit.

The Albay solon is for digitalization in the BIR to enable OFWs to invest in the country by having TINs registered offsite.

4. Agriculture reform for a comprehensive reform of the agriculture sector-- Farms (and farmers), Fisheries, Forestry, Feeds, and Fertilizers.

Joey will file a bill, with DA support, to make farms more efficient, fisheries more modern and well-supported, forestry more viable and sustainable, feeds and fertilizers cheaper and more accessible to farmers.

5. Healthcare for all Improve Philhealth. Implement a singlerecord, single-patient system in Philhealth using in the hope that one day it will.

It is exceedingly rare for founders of failed Silicon Valley companies — of which there are many – to face fraud prosecution over unrealized promises and unreturned investments.

Some tech world figures, like former Reddit chief Ellen Pao, said sexism may have been a factor in the prosecution, but others argued Holmes had gone too far in trying to prop up her steadily

the National ID system.

This will help prevent fraud while ensuring that Philhealth benefits can be easily availed of anywhere in the country. Joey wants a free national telemedicine hotline that will help expedite triage, allocation of medical resources, and make primary care accessible anywhere in the country.

6. Disaster risk reduction and building back better Joey will work with President Duterte to integrate his proposed reforms in the NDRRM Law with our Department of Disaster Resilience proposal. We have the time, the expertise, the need, and the political consensus required to reform our outdated disaster resilience framework.

7. Anti-smuggling drive Combat smuggling in ecozones, illicit trade in excisable products, and to protect our domestic agriculture sector from smuggled fruits, vegetables, and other crops.

8. Implementation of the CREATE Law NEDA, DOF, and DTI must expedite the release of the Strategic Investment Priorities Plan, or the list of industries eligible for tax incentives under the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises or CREATE Act. There has been a surge in FDI this year, to $8 billion to $9 billion a year, compared to a low of $2 billion per year in the past.

9. Cheaper medicines Bureau of Customs must expedite the importation and release of medicines that are VAT-exempt under the TRAIN and CREATE Laws.

This will help ensure that these prescription drugs are new and without added costs due to delays. Bulk procurement remains the best way to ensure cheap medicines in our health care system.

Allow public hospitals to consolidate procurement and allow the secretary of Health to negotiate prices lower.

Joey is confident Duterte can support his transparency in medical billing law, which will prevent surprise items in medical bills.

10. Jobs from infrastructure Front-load infrastructure program to ensure that jobs are created as soon as the year begins.

This will enable DPWH to exempt infrastructure spending and hiring from COMELEC rules on election hiring and government spending.

Says Joey Salceda: “I am confident that we can begin picking these fruits as soon as this January. I wish every Filipino family a peaceful and prosperous 2022.” biznewsasia@gmail.com dissolving vision.

After the 2015 Wall Street Journal reporting that questioned whether Theranos’s machines worked as promised –- and ultimately brought down the company –- Holmes went on the offensive in the media.

“First they think you’re crazy, then they fight you, then all of the sudden you change the world,” she said in a TV interview. AFP

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HK democracy activist Chow jailed for second Tiananmen ‘incitement’ JAILED democracy activist Chow Hang-tung accused Hong Kong’s courts on Tuesday of criminalizing speech and helping authorities erase the Tiananmen crackdown as she was convicted a second time for inciting people to commemorate the deadly event.

Chow, a 36-year-old lawyer who has represented herself at multiple court hearings with often fiery denunciations from the dock, is a former leader of the Hong Kong Alliance.

The now-disbanded group used to organize the city’s huge annual candlelight vigils to mourn those killed in Beijing on June 4, 1989 when China sent troops to crush democracy protests.

Hong Kong police banned the last two vigils citing the coronavirus and security fears and the courts have already jailed multiple activists who defied that ban in 2020, including Chow.

Chow was also arrested on the morning of June 4 last year over two pieces she published calling on residents to light candles and mark the crackdown anniversary.

On Tuesday, a court sentenced her to 15 months in jail after ruling that her articles amounted to inciting others to defy the police ban.

“The message this verdict sends is that lighting a candle is guilty, that words are guilty,” Chow told the court.

“The only way to defend free speech is to continue to express,” she added.

“The real crime is to cover for murderers with laws and to delete victims in the name of state”.

Hong Kong was formerly the only place in China where mass commemoration of Tiananmen was tolerated but Beijing has been remolding the city in its authoritarian image after huge and sometimes violent democracy protests in 2019. AFP

DEADLY WATERS. A family wades through floodwaters outside a residence in the Gampong Meunasah area in North Aceh on

January 4, 2022. AFP

BUS, TAXI SERVICES HALTED; MALLS CLOSED

China locks down city of 1.2m people

M

ORE than one million people in a city in central China were being confined to their homes on Tuesday after three asymptomatic coronavirus cases were recorded in the country’s latest mass lockdown.

first emerged.

But the strategy has come under pressure with a series of recent local outbreaks and with just a month to go until the Winter Olympics.

Yuzhou, a city with a population of around 1.17 million people in Henan province, announced that from Monday night all citizens were required to stay home to control the spread of the virus.

The announcement was triggered by Beijing has pursued a “zero COVID” the discovery of three cases in the last approach with tight border restrictions couple of days.

People in the central area “must not and targeted lockdowns since the virus

go out,” according to a statement posted Monday, while all communities will set up “sentinels and gates to strictly implement epidemic prevention and control measures.”

The city had already announced that it was halting bus and taxi services and closing shopping malls, museums and tourist attractions.

China reported another 175 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, including five in Henan province and eight more in a separate cluster linked to a garment factory in the eastern city of Ningbo.

Although the reported cases are

low compared with elsewhere in the world, new coronavirus infections in recent weeks have reached a high not seen in the country since March 2020.

There were 95 fresh cases recorded in Xi’an Tuesday – a historic city of 13 million people in neighboring Shaanxi province – which has been under lockdown for nearly two weeks.

Xi’an has reported more than 1,600 cases since December 9, although numbers in the last few days have started to slide compared to last week’s figures.

Local authorities deemed to have

IN BRIEF

Omicron surge drives infections record, testing rush in Australia

Court: Pay families of jet attack victims A CANADIAN court has awarded more than CAN$100 million in compensation to the families of six people who died aboard a Ukrainian passenger jet shot down over Tehran almost two years ago, local media said Monday.

Iran shot down Ukraine International Airlines flight PS752 shortly after take-off from its capital Tehran on January 8, 2020, killing all 176 people aboard, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.

Three days later, the Iranian armed forces admitted having shot down the Kievbound plane “by mistake.”

Ontario Superior Court Judge Edward Belobaba awarded the plaintiffs more than CAN$107 million (74 million euros), according to several media outlets, including the English-language channel CBC. In May, the same judge concluded that Iran had committed a “terrorist” act by shooting down the Ukrainian aircraft, paving the way for a claim for compensation from the families of the victims.

Tehran denounced that ruling, saying it had “no basis” and insisting that the Canadian court lacked the authority to render such a decision.

The plaintiffs had asked for CAN$1.5 billion in damages.

In a final report in March, the Iranian Civil Aviation Organization (CAO) said its air defense systems were on high alert for a US counter-attack after Tehran fired missiles at a military base in Iraq that was used

by US forces. AFP

Telco giants agree to delay 5G rollout US TELECOMS giants AT&T and Verizon on Monday agreed to postpone their deployment of 5G wireless service over concerns that it may interfere with flight safety equipment, AT&T and airline officials said.

AT&T confirmed the deal in a statement, noting that at the request of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, “we have voluntarily agreed to one additional two-week delay of our deployment of C-Band 5G services.”

“We know aviation safety and 5G can coexist and we are confident further collaboration and technical assessment will allay any issues,” the company said.

The move came a day after AT&T and Verizon rebuffed a request to delay their rollout of 5G technology, scheduled for Wednesday, prompting airlines to threaten legal action.

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failed in preventing virus outbreaks in China are often fired or punished, prompting a series of ever-stricter responses from provincial governments as they try to stamp out any cases quickly.

In Xi’an, two senior Communist Party officials in the northern city were removed from their posts over their “insufficient rigor in preventing and controlling the outbreak.”

And last month, China’s disciplinary body announced that dozens of officials were punished for failure to prevent the outbreak in the city. AFP

TOKYO DEITY. Worshippers receive blessings on the first business day of the year during a visit to Kanda Myojin Shrine in Tokyo on January 4, 2022. AFP

Prince Andrew to urge judge to dismiss sex abuse case PRINCE Andrew’s lawyers will use a court hearing Tuesday to urge a New York judge to throw out a sexual assault lawsuit brought against the British royal in the United States.

His attorneys are expected to argue that a once-confidential settlement between accuser Virginia Giuffre and late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein unveiled on Monday protects Andrew from litigation.

The hearing, to be held between the parties’ representatives via video conference with press and public able to listen in by telephone, starts at 10:00 am

(1500 GMT).

Giuffre alleges that Epstein lent her out for sex with his wealthy and powerful associates, including Andrew, an allegation the prince has repeatedly and strenuously denied.

A deal made public for the first time Monday by a New York court shows that Giuffre agreed to drop a civil case against Epstein for $500,000 in Florida in 2009.

The settlement contained a provision that purports to protect “other potential defendants” from being sued related to alleged sexual abuse committed by Ep-

stein, who killed himself in jail two and a half years ago.

Lawyers for Queen Elizabeth II’s second son will cite the agreement during Tuesday’s oral arguments when they will urge judge Lewis Kaplan to dismiss Giuffre’s lawsuit against the prince.

Her attorneys have indicated they will argue that the settlement is “irrelevant” to her civil action against Andrew and that the case must continue.

Giuffre sued the prince for unspecified damages last year, alleging he sexually assaulted her in 2001 when she was 17 and a minor under American law. AFP

AUSTRALIA reported a record daily tally of nearly 50,000 COVID-19 cases Tuesday as the Omicron variant raced through the population and sent people scrambling for tests.

While the Omicron surge has apparently left relatively few dangerously ill, it has driven a rush on increasingly scarce self-administered rapid antigen kits and created hourslong queues at centers providing more reliable PCR tests.

Australia had successfully suppressed infections for much of the pandemic through border closures and aggressive testing and tracing.

But an earlier wave fueled by the Delta variant dashed zero-COVID ambitions in much of the country, including the major cities Sydney and Melbourne.

Now, like many countries, it relies on vaccines for protection with 91.5 percent of the over-16 population fully vaccinated. About 2.5 million people have received a booster.

Deputy chief medical officer Sonya Bennett said Australia had recorded 47,738 infections in the past 24 hours, up from about 38,000 cases the previous day, as the Omicron variant took hold.

COVID cases being treated in hospitals across the country had nearly doubled in a week to 2,362 infections, she said.

But the number in intensive care was much smaller: 184. And of those, 59 were on a ventilator – unchanged from a week ago. AFP

Chilean zoo jabs big cats, orangutan against COVID with experimental vax BENGAL tiger Charly and Bornean orangutan Sandai, both members of endangered species, have received coronavirus vaccines at a Chilean zoo in a Latin American first.

Charly, Sandai and eight other animals at the Buin Zoo in Santiago were chosen for the experimental vaccine campaign as they belong to species considered at high risk of contracting COVID-19.

The viral disease which has killed more than 5.4 million humans so far, has also been found in zoo monkeys, apes and big cats, as well as in deer in the wild, in house pets, and in minks.

Along with three lions, two other tigers and three pumas, three-year-old Charly and Sandai, 26, received their second dose Monday of an experimental vaccine developed especially for animals but not yet available for sale.

They received their first shots on December 13.

“The idea is to protect the animals that are most susceptible to contracting the coronavirus while testing whether the vaccines generate immunity and, if yes, how long it lasts,” said Sebastian Celis, head of the Buin Zoo’s veterinary department.

Lions in Singapore, Zagreb and Washington, CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK hippos in Belgium, Sumatran tigers in Indonesia and gorillas in Atlanta, Georgia, are among captive animals reported to have contracted the virus to date.

Buin Zoo has not tested any of its animals for coronavirus as none have presented symptoms.

Several US zoos have announced vaccination campaigns for their animal populations.

Nearly 90 percent of Chile’s human population over the age of three have been fully vaccinated to date, and 62 percent have received a COVID VAX FOR ANIMALS, TOO. A Borneo orangutan booster shot. named Sandai watches a worker holding a syringe with a dose of an It is the only country in Latin America to have experimental vaccine against COVID-19 made by the Zoetis veterinary started vaccinating zoo animals. AFP laboratory during a vaccination drill at the Buin Zoo in Buin, Chile. AFP

Business

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

OPEC likely to settle with moderate oil output hike

PSEi January 3, 2022

TOP GAINERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

MACAY BMM

6.67 71.85

1.25 10.85

23.06% 17.79%

3 4

CA PRIM

46 1.3

4.75 0.13

11.52% 11.11%

5 6

MBC DIZ

10.5 5.51

1 0.49

10.53% 9.76%

7

TFC

47

4

9.30%

8 9

ATN APC

0.425 0.235

0.035 0.015

8.97% 6.82%

10

LODE

0.67

0.04

6.35%

TOP LOSERS LAST PRICE

% CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

PRC BCOR

6.63 6.1

-1.17 -0.9

-15.00% -12.86%

3 4

OPMB MA

0.01 0.01

-0.001 -0.001

-9.09% -9.09%

5

SOC

0.61

-0.05

-7.58%

6 7 8

FJPB FAF CEU

2.6 0.67 6.51

-0.2 -0.05 -0.47

-7.14% -6.94% -6.73%

9 10

PA DNL

3 8.88

-0.2 -0.57

-6.25% -6.03%

MOST ACTIVE 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

MBT CNVRG SM SPNEC GTCAP BDO SMPH ICT

VOLUME 6,665,790 9,028,500 255,750 156,710,000 368,310 1,378,440 4,817,400 818,700

9 10

ACEN TEL

15,082,200 79,885

VALUE (PHP) 358,985,819 281,274,660 240,095,370 206,249,520 195,462,380 166,012,701 162,000,915 161,211,520 161,123,070 144,357,610

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW. An attendee demonstrates the Shiftall Haritora X full-body tracking system and mutalk microphone for metaverse experiences while wearing an Oculus headset during CES Unveiled ahead of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) on January 3, 2022 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Consumer Electronics Show (CES), one of the world’s largest trade fairs, returns to Las Vegas in person this week under a newly resurgent pandemic that has supercharged the industry but threatens its downsized expo. Masks and proof of vaccination are required at the show that opens Wednesday and was trimmed by one day to end Friday, with expected exhibitors down more than half to roughly 2,200 from the last in-person CES. AFP

Asian stocks advance, track Wall Street surge

H

ONG KONG, China—Asian markets rose Tuesday following a strong lead from yet another record on Wall Street that was fueled by easing concerns about Omicron and remaining optimism about the economic recovery.

While the new COVID variant is spreading like wildfire around the world, it appears to be far less severe than initially feared, raising hopes that the pandemic could be overcome and life return to a little more normality.

However, inflation, supply chain snags, central bank policy tightening and geopolitical woes continue to weigh on sentiment and analysts have warned that the blockbuster gains seen in recent years could be tougher to attain.

“We expect 2022 to be far more challenging from an investment perspective,” Heather Wald, of Bel Air Investment Advisors, noted. “Rarely has a market delivered three consecutive years of double-digit returns, as we have seen from 2019-2021.”

Still, she expected “equities to remain attractive versus other liquid asset classes”.

And market strategist Louis Navellier added: “Equities are still the only game in town, with cash and bonds offering negative real returns, and equities forecasted with double-digit earnings growth and record stock buybacks anticipated.”

The Dow and S&P 500 started the new year in the same fashion as they spent most of 2021, by notching up new all-time highs, while the Nasdaq also rallied thanks to a surge in big-name stars including Apple, which briefly became the first firm valued at $3 trillion, and Tesla.

Most of Asia followed suit.

Sydney piled on two percent and Tokyo was up almost as much, while Singapore and Taipei were also up more

than one percent.

There were also gains in Hong Kong, Mumbai, Bangkok and Jakarta, while Shanghai dipped and Seoul was flat.

Trading in Manila was cancelled when a system glitch struck less than an hour after the start.

Shares in embattled Chinese property giant Evergrande rose in Hong Kong after a day-long suspension, as the company confirmed it had been ordered to demolish part of a resort in Hainan province but would work to resolve the issue.

Investors will keep a close eye on the release of minutes from the Federal Reserve’s December policy meeting hoping for some insight into its plans this year in light of surging inflation, which is forcing central banks around the world to wind back their pandemic stimulus.

The Fed has already started tapering its bond-buying program and the focus is now on what it will do with interest rates, with some commentators predicting three hikes before 2023. With AFP

Zeitgeist 2021, Zukunft 2022 AS WE bid goodbye to 2021 and look forward to 2022, we reflect on how much has changed and how much remains the same. The dominant story of 2021 continued to be the COVID-19 pandemic.

As 2022 begins, let us look back and forward.

Information and Disinformation It was a year of battling for minds.

We began 2021 with the hope of COVID-19 vaccines putting a quick end to the pandemic and reopening economies. In fact, the vaccines worked as well as we had hoped, at least on a micro scale. In countries that were able to swiftly deploy the vaccine, economies reopened.

However, vaccines were in short and uneven supply; and even when they were available, many countries were unable to swiftly deploy vaccines. Meanwhile, the virus was mutating with the Delta variant causing deadly surges across many countries. In Asia, India and Indonesia were particularly badly hit by the Delta variant. Haunting images of mass graves and smoke from funeral pyres from the devastating Delta surge in India swept the world, underlining the continuing dangers of the virus and the importance of vaccination.

In social media as well as in more traditional media, a different sort of epidemic was raging, an epidemic of misinformation. Across the world, anti-vaxxers, opportunists and the gullible spread misinformation about both the virus and the vaccine. The disinformation took many forms and had many motivations, but essentially resulted in slowing vaccine efforts and arguably worsening the results of the pandemic.

Nowhere was the vaccine divide as prominent as it was in the USA. The change in leadership improved the consistency of messages from the government but vaccine hesitancy continued to be a problem. As of June 2021, an ongoing survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation survey showed 14 percent of surveyed adults would refuse vaccination under any circumstances and that vaccine hesitancy was highest among white evangelical Christians.

Other battles raged As the year began, our screens were filled with images from the storming of the US Capitol after Trump declared he had been cheated out of a presidential win. As a result, outgoing president Donald Trump’s accounts were either suspended or permanently deleted across many platforms over the risk of “incitement to violence.”

Over the course of 2021, rage found its way to the streets of the United States, and “Asian Hate” caused Asian Americans to stay off the streets.

A backlash of social media-fueled boycotts against institutions and individuals seen as fueling racism or other unacceptable behavior followed.

Cancel culture quickly became a topic for conversations.

These events, both in the larger global scale of encouraging vaccine hesitancy and the more national scale of the storming of the US Capitol underline not just how powerful social media has become or the ramifications of its misuse. Two things should be clear by now. First, it is apparent that much of what is posted in social media is posted by those with vested interests, and whether their goal is monetary or political, their primary goal is not the greater good. Second, the echo chamber that we create around ourselves can be extremely dysfunctional and the battle for minds begins with education about challenging the source.

Battles It was a year of battles. As the world battled the virus, other battles raged.

On the first of February, the Myanmar military took control of the government, detaining many members of government including elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Riots raged across the country and hundreds of people were killed in the initial weeks of the coup. Fighting continues in many areas of the country and the UN estimates that over 50 percent of the Myanmar population have been driven into poverty since the February coup.

In Afghanistan, on the 15th of August, nearly 20 years after the United States intervened to remove the Taliban from power, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country as fighters entered Kabul. The retaking of Afghanistan was astonishingly swift and was probably partially enabled

by US President Biden’s insistence on a swift US withdrawal. In April of 2021, Biden announced that American troops would withdraw com-

pletely from Afghanistan by the end of August.

While the withdrawal was in keeping with the agreement made in Doha by the previous administration, absent a clear intra-Afghanistan peace agreement between the Taliban and the Ghani government, it seems clear the US withdrawal helped pave the way for the Taliban’s quick return to power.

In business, a very different battle was waged between large institutional investors and online retail investors. 2021 was a year that will be remembered on Wall Street and while the names that will be remembered will be Reddit, GameStop and Robin Hood, the real lead actors are the many individual investors that set out to win against large players. When the short positions of hedge fund managers angered retail investors on Reddit’s r/wallstreetbets board, multitudes of investors used the zero-free trading app Robin Hood to bid up the prices of the named stocks, among them Blackberry, AMC, Nokia and GameStop. The economics of short positions set up the hedge funds for a short squeeze that, in one epic week, saw GameStop stock price increase 400 percent, closing out January with a 1,625 percent gain.

Even as economies reopened, media giants battled for streaming revenue. With content quickly becoming the main competitive resource, giants such as Disney quickly became major players in the streaming word. Elsewhere, Virgin Galactic’s Richard Branson won the race to space on 11th July, beating Amazon’s Jeff Bezos by nine days.

Victories and Losses It was a year of victories and losses.

The postponed 2020 summer Olympics were held in Tokyo in 2021 amid a surge in local COVID cases. Simply the ability to hold a summer Olympics during the pandemic is a victory. Despite restrictions, the games were seen as relatively successful and gave athletes a chance to come together. Hidilyn Diaz gave the Philippines first Olympic gold medal when she won the women’s 55-kg weightlifting category.

In another first for the country, the Nobel peace prize was awarded to journalists Maria Ressa from the Philippines and Novaya Gazela from Russia in recognition of their efforts to defend freedom of expression.

The world’s first malaria vaccine became available, a groundbreaking victory in the fight against this deadly disease.

In the fight against COVID-19, available vaccines have been shown to be effective against severe forms of the disease, and with boosters, even against newer variants. Two pill regimens have been approved for treatment of COVID-19.

We lost many people this year, among them Golden Girl Betty White, the Love Boat’s Gavin McLeod, the last of the Everly brothers, South African theologian Desmond Tutu and former US secretary of state Colin Powell.

Onward As the year closed, we look on a world that seems to be on a path out of the pandemic. Even as Omicron causes surges worldwide, the evidence seems to point towards even Omicron easing the path to ending the pandemic with its ability to provoke a strong and broad immune response.

From an economic point of view, the ADB forecasts a 5.1 percent growth in the economy for 2021 and 6 percent in 2022.

So it’s not yet quite alright. We are tired but hopeful COVID-19 will not go away completely but it will become less virulent and we will learn to live with it.

The best news is that we are all still here. And 2022 should continue to be a year when we fight to defend and build a world worth living in.

Happy New Year to all!

This year, we combine the 2021 year-ender and the 2022 year-beginner in one piece. The year-ender’s traditional title, Zeitgeist derives from the German words time (zeit) and spirit or ghost (geist). It is loosely used to reference the spirit that drives a historical period. Zukunft, in keeping with the German origin of the year-ended title, is German for “future.”

Readers can email Maya at integrations_manila@yahoo.com. Or visit her site at http://integrations.tumblr.com.

LONDON, United Kingdom—Major oil-producing countries are expected to maintain on Tuesday their course of modestly boosting output as the rapidly spreading Omicron variant has so far not heavily hit demand.

The so-called OPEC+ grouping, including top producers Saudi Arabia and Russia, has withstood pressure to more widely open the taps though high energy prices are fueling a surge in inflation across the world.

The 13 members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and their 10 allies drastically slashed output in 2020 as the pandemic wreaked havoc with demand.

Last year they decided to step it up again gradually as prices recovered, while reviewing the situation every month.

The Tuesday meeting between the 23 countries via video conference will start at 1300 GMT preceded by technical discussions between all of them, which are scheduled to begin an hour earlier.

Analysts say they expect the group to step up production by 400,000 barrels per day in February, as they have done in past months.

“Since the last OPEC+ meeting (in early December), oil prices have recovered considerably, suggesting that also market participants seem to be less concerned about the Omicron variant weighing on oil demand,” UBS energy strategist Giovanni Staunovo told AFP via email.

In remarks on Monday, OPEC Secretary General Mohammed Barkindo emphasized the need to “remain highly nimble and adaptable to the constantly changing situation.”

He said the group’s “flexible approach has helped provide an added sense of stability, reassurance and continuity to the market and investors.”

OPEC on Monday named Kuwaiti oil executive Haitham al-Ghais to follow Barkindo once his second term as secretary general expires in July.

Al-Ghais, who was Kuwait’s OPEC governor from 2017 to June 2021, will take up his three-year post on August 1.AFP

Theranos founder and former CEO Elizabeth Holmes (second from left) walks with her partner Billy Evans (left), her mother Noel Holmes and a lawyer as they leave the Robert F. Peckham Federal Building on January 3, 2022 in San Jose, California. A jury found Elizabeth Holmes guilty on three counts of wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud investors. AFP

Silicon Valley’s fallen star Elizabeth Holmes convicted

By Glenn Chapman with Joshua Melvin SAN FRANCISCO, United States—Elizabeth Holmes’s startup Theranos made her a multi-billionaire hailed as the next US tech visionary by age 30, but it all evaporated in a flash of lawsuits, ignominy and, finally, criminal charges.

The rise and fall of Holmes, who on Monday was convicted of defrauding investors of her biotech startup, is a heavilychronicled saga that prompted a hard look at her methods but also the unseemly aspects of startup life.

In many ways Holmes fit the image of a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, from her darkcolored turtleneck sweaters that evoked tech legend and Apple founder Steve Jobs to her dropping out of California’s elite Stanford University.

But much like in her trial, the fundamental question has been whether she was a true visionary who simply failed, as she claimed on the stand, or a skilled self-promoter who took advantage of a credulous context to commit fraud.

Her story begins in the US capital Washington, with her birth to a Congressional staffer mother and a father whose online biography says he was once an executive at Enron—an energy company that collapsed in a massive fraud scandal.

She won admission to Stanford, and there began work on cutting-edge biomedical initiatives, founding in 2003 what would become Theranos when she was just 19.

Part of Holmes’s ability to convince her backers was her apparent deep personal commitment—she applied for her first patent while still in college and after dropping out, convinced her parents to let her use her tuition savings to build the company.

‘Youngest woman self-made billionaire’ By the end of 2010 she had raised a

whopping $92 million in venture capital for Theranos, which she pledged was developing machines that could run a gamut of diagnostic tests on a few drops of blood.

Over the next couple years she assembled what one news report called the “most illustrious board in US corporate history,” including former secretaries of state Henry Kissinger and George Shultz as well exPentagon chief Jim Mattis.

“Sharp, articulate, committed. I was impressed by her. That didn’t take the place of having the device prove itself,” said Mattis in a surprise appearance on the stand.

Theranos hype kicked up another gear in 2014 and in the span of just over a year, a turtleneck-wearing Holmes appeared on the covers of Fortune, Forbes, Inc. and T: The New York Times Style Magazine.

Forbes gave her a $4.5-billion net worth in 2014, which was based on her half ownership of Theranos, and noted: “Youngest woman on Forbes 400; Youngest woman self-made billionaire.”

This glowing coverage had an impact on Theranos investors like venture capitalist Chris Lucas who told Holmes’s trial the Fortune article made him “proud we were involved, very proud of Elizabeth.”

But there were some things that didn’t end up in those glowing reports that gushed with statements like “Steve Jobs had massive ambition, but Holmes’s is arguably larger.”

Silicon Valley sexism?

For one, she personally put the logos of pharma giants Pfizer and Schering-Plough onto Theranos reports hailing its own blood-testing technology, which were then shared with investors.

That was done without the companies’ permission and was a key piece of the prosecution’s argument that she deliberately tried to inflate Theranos’s credibility in order to win over backers. AFP

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

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

AirAsia PH turns more optimistic on 2022 outlook

By Darwin G. Amojelar

AIRASIA Philippines said Monday it is optimistic about its outlook this year on the back of the anticipated rebound in the domestic market.

The Philippine unit of Malaysia’s AirAsia Berhad expanded its domestic market share to 19 percent in 2021, up 3.5 notches from its 15.5-percent share in 2019.

The low-cost airline also peaked at 95 percent load factor over the course of the recent holiday, while ending December at 88 percent—both record high figures over the past 1.5 years.

It said the airline ranked third most popular in terms of flight bookings among AirAsia territories in December, following Malaysia and Thailand.

AirAsia noted that domestic travel was gaining stronger momentum in the recent quarter, mostly because of the low positive infection rate and daily case count.

The airlines said that while majority of airline bookings were done within 0 to 3 days, mainly for essential travel in the first half of 2021, the airline recently witnessed a significant increase in bookings for travel 1 to 3 months in advance—a telltale sign of growth in leisure travel and stronger consumer confidence.

AirAsia Philippines also recorded a 15-percent to 20-percent increase in bookings for near-term travel within 30 to 60 days over recent times.

AirAsia resumed flight operations to Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, servicing overseas Filipino workers and business travelers.

AirAsia said it is also closely monitoring the impact of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, but expressed confidence that its multi-layered safety protocols, the 100-percent vaccination of its crew, the presence of high-efficiency particulate air filters in its aircraft and the shared culture of safety and vigilance spells optimum performance moving forward, amid the pandemic.

AirAsia Philippines said it has three main priorities in 2022, including cash availability and cash management to support recovery strategies en route to profitability; sustainable cost management and rationalization to operate commercial flights; and expansion of domestic presence from 14 destinations in 2021 to 18 this year and to grow regional routes by exploring opportunities in the Middle east, the United States and Australia.

PSE cancels stock market trading due to glitch in systems

By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange cancelled trading on Tuesday because of a technical glitch that affected 43 stock brokers.

“Please be advised that trading at PSE is cancelled on Jan. 4, 2022 due to technical problems encountered in establishing connection between the NASDAQ trading engine and the Flextrade front-end system,” PSE president Ramon Monzon said in an advisory.

“PSE continues to work and coordinate closely with representatives of NASDAQ and Flextrade to identify the underlying cause of the above-described production issue and come up with the appropriate solution,” he said.

Monzon said the exchange exerted all efforts to resolve the problem. It was not clear when trading would resume.

The PSE said 43 of the 125 trading participants in the local bourse were unable to connect to the exchange’s trading engine.

“Article VIII, Section 2 of PSE’s Revised Trading Rules states that the Exchange may halt the trading in the market if at least one-third of the trading participant-users cannot access the trading system,” Monzon said.

The bellwether Philippine Stock Exchange index fell 1.1 percent to 7,042 on Monday, the first trading day of 2022, as Metro Manila was placed under stricter quarantine rules from Jan. 3 to 15 over the steep rise in COVID-19 cases.

Meanwhile, the PSE said it was named as the Best Stock Exchange in Southeast Asia for 2021 at the Marquee Awards of the 15th Annual Best Deal and Solution Awards 2021 by institutional investment magazine, Alpha Southeast Asia.

Business REITs raise P76.4b in capital, increase market cap to $3.46b

By Julito G. Rada

R

EAL estate investment trusts in the Philippines raised P76.42 billion in new capital since the Duterte administration corected the flaws in the regulatory framework of the financial instruments 21 months ago, the Securities and Exchange Commission said in a report to Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez III.

The SEC said the total size or market capitalization of the REITs reached $3.46 billion or 0.96 percent of the gross domestic product of $362.24 billion as of the third quarter of 2021, based on the global survey conducted by the European Public Real Estate Association.

This placed the country’s less than two-year old REIT sector in the middle of the pack among 12 selected economies in the South and East Asian regions in the EPRA Index, ahead of Taiwan, South Korea, India, Indonesia and China, the SEC said.

Dominguez said the successful initial public offerings of REITs under the Duterte administration represented a vote of confidence in the country’s ability to tread a path towards a solid recovery despite the difficulties spawned by

the unprecedented pandemic-induced health and economic crises.

Based on SEC data as of Nov. 15, Robinsons Land Commercial REIT raised the biggest amount with P21.56 billion in fresh capital from its IPO. Megaworld REIT followed with P15.29 billion in funds raised from its IPO as of Nov. 15, while DD Meridian Park REIT was third as it secured P14.71 billion in new capital.

Filinvest REIT Corp. raised P12.58 billion and Ayala Land Inc.’s AREIT Inc. raised P12.28 billion as of Nov. 15.

Citicore Energy REIT Corp., which plans an IPO in the first quarter this year, expects to raise P10.1 billion from its public offer, the SEC said.

Under the improved implementing rules and regulations of the REIT law

issued by the governmeht, the capital raised by REIT sponsors/promoters should be reinvested in the country to develop and deepen the domestic capital markets, broaden the participation of small investors in real estate investments and help finance infrastructure projects in the country.

The five REITs that raised funds from their IPOs and stock trading reinvested or plan to reinvest their proceeds in malls, office towers, hotels, dormitory residences, warehouses and storage buildings, residential buildings, mixeduse developments, and industrial lots and land acquisitions, retail projects, commercial center, industrial developments and real estate joint ventures.

Data from the SEC showed that of the P79.87 billion required to be reinvested by the five REITs, P22 billion was reinvested as of Nov. 15 by AREIT, DDMP, FilREIT and RCR. As of Nov. 15, no data was available on the actual reinvestments of MREIT, which was listed only on Oct. 1.

AREIT, the REIT pioneer in the country, made the largest reinvestment so far of P13.76 billion out of its required reinvestment of P19.31 billion, since its shares were publicly offered in August 2020, the SEC said.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Monday, January 3, 2022

-81.36 PTS. 7,041.27

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP) ADVANCES DECLINES UNCHANGED

722,247,584 68,729 4,262,254,175.13 66 141 40

F oreign e xchange r ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • TUESMONDAY, JANUARY 4, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

50.9890

Japan

Yen

0.008672

0.4422

UK

Pound

1.347500

68.7077

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128251

6.5394

Switzerland

Franc

1.088021

55.4771

Canada

Dollar

0.784868

40.0196

Singapore

Dollar

0.738880

37.6748

Australia

Dollar

0.719100

36.6662

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652661

135.2565

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266383

13.5826

Brunei

Dollar

0.736160

37.5361

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.029949

1.5271

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.8836

Euro

Euro

1.129800

57.6074

Korea

Won

0.000838

0.0427

China

Yuan

0.157356

8.0234

India

Rupee

0.013446

0.6856

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.239751

12.2247

New Zealand

Dollar

0.678400

34.5909

Taiwan

Dollar

0.036183

1.8449 Source: BSP

IN BRIEF

Meralco asks power plants to join bidding POWER retailer Manila Electric Co. asked generation companies to join the competitive selection process, or the bidding for the contract to supply 170 megawatts of peaking power needed for the dry months as Luzon demand is seen to go up by 740 MW in May year-on-year.

Meralco, through the third-party bids and awards committee, said interested parties have until Jan. 5 to submit expressions of interest for the contract covering the period Feb. 26 to July 25, 2022.

A pre-bid conference is scheduled on Jan. 12 and the bid submission deadline is set on Feb. 2.

Meralco head of regulatory management office Jose Ronald Valles said the peaking supply would “help Meralco ensure availability of reliable and cost-competitive supply, which is especially critical during the 2022 dry months and the upcoming national and local elections.”

Based on initial data, Meralco forecasts Luzon demand to go up to 12,387 MW in May from 11,640 MW in the same period in 2021. The forecast, however, has yet to take into account the impact of the Omicron variant on power demand. Alena Mae S. Flores

PH, Japan resume bilateral swap deal

HOLCIM CBA. Cement maker Holcim Philippines Inc. and the rank-and-file union of its largest plant sign a new collective bargaining agreement, with employees pledging support to the company’s efforts to drive performance. Signing the agreement on Dec. 6 are officials of Holcim Philippines president and chief executive Horia Adrian (front row, third from left) and Holcim Philippines Employees Association union president Richard Cruz (fourth from left). The labor agreement will cover the Holcim Philippines Employees Association, which has 112 members in its plant in Norzagaray, Bulacan.

Fitch: Acquisition of Citi unit credit positive for UnionBank THE acquisition by Union Bank of the Philippines of Citi’s consumer banking business in the Philippines is credit positive for the Aboitiz Group lender and will boost its retail business, according to the CreditSights report of Fitch Group released Tuesday.

Union Bank ranked as the 10th largest bank by size in the country with total assets of P767.7 billion and net loans of P341.5 billion as of September 2021. The total assets and gross loans of Citiʼs Philippines consumer business were P89.5 billion and P59.7 billion, respectively as of June 2021.

“UBP will be bumped up a spot to 9th place post-acquisition. In credit cards, however, growth gets significantly fast-tracked as this catapults UBP from its current 8th placing all way to Citiʼs current position of 3rd/4th,” the report said.

It said Union Bank’s present customer base of 200,000 with a transaction value of P8 billion is relatively

low compared to Citiʼs one million credit cardholders worth P55 billion.

“Overall, our view is that the acquisition is credit positive in the long haul but the immediate capital impact is also significant – Citiʼs local consumer business would be a great complement to any of the smaller banks in general, as its larger scale and greater strength in the upscale consumer market and wealth management businesses would mean few overlaps with the existing retail units of the smaller banks,” the report said.

It said product expertise gave the Citi franchise a strong foothold in the retail market. “Any medium-sized bank that absorbs the Citi business stands to fast-track growth and benefit from a unit that is already capital accretive from day one. We also like that UBP is porting the whole Citi team over as this increases the likelihood of smooth running after the transaction closes,” it said.

It said success in the longer term would depend on whether management could ensure that the key aspects which made the Citi consumer franchise successful in the Philippines are not lost during the integration process, to minimize the attrition of customers acquired.

The sale of Citi’s consumer banking business to UnionBank came after an extensive auction process that also drew bids from the first-tier Philippines banks BDO Unibank Inc. of the Sy group, Metropolitan Bank & Trust Co. and the Bank of the Philippine Islands.

Included in the transaction are Citiʼs local credit card, personal loans, wealth management and retail deposit businesses as well as several of Citiʼs real estate assets in the Philippines, namely Citibank Square in Eastwood (Manila), three full-service bank branches, five wealth centers and two bank branch lites. Julito G. Rada

THE Philippine and Japanese governments renewed their bilateral swap arrangement on Jan. 1, 2022, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday.

The Bank of Japan, acting as agent for the Minister of Finance of Japan, and the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas signed the third amendment and restatement agreement of the third BSA. The BSA is a two-way arrangement where both authorities can swap their local currencies in exchange for the US dollar.

The arrangement also enables the Philippines to swap the Philippine peso against the Japanese yen.

“The size of the BSA remains unchanged, that is, up to $12 billion or its equivalent in Japanese yen for the Philippines, and $500 million for Japan,” the BSP said.

“The renewed BSA incorporates amendments to align the BSA with the recent amendments to the Chiang Mai Initiative Multilateralization Agreement,” the BSP said. Julito G. Rada

20-piso coin finalist in currency awards THE 20-Piso New Generation Currency coin emerged as a finalist for the “Best New Coin or Series Category: Excellence in Currency 2022 Awards” of the International Association of Currency Affairs.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) launched in 2019 the bi-color 20-Piso coin featuring Manuel Quezon, the first president of the Philippine Commonwealth, on the obverse side and the Malacañan Palace, BSP Logo and Nilad plant on the reverse side.

IACA chose the finalists from 39 nominated projects initiated by teams from 20 central banks, three commercial banknote issuers, nine suppliers to banknote industry and one banknote distribution system organization.

Winners will be announced on Feb. 22, 2022.

Launched in 2007, IACA’s Excellence in Currency Awards advocates and recognizes excellence in production, processing, management and distribution of currency. In the 2021 Excellence in Currency Awards, the BSP’s Cash Servicing Initiative was awarded as Best Currency Initiative Implemented in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic (Central Banks Category).

SMC Global to finish 690-MW battery storage plant

By Alena Mae S. Flores SAN Miguel Corp. said Tuesday unit SMC Global Power Holdings Corp is set to complete 690 megawatts of battery energy storage system facilities by early 2022.

SGPHC is spending $1 billion to build 1,000 MW of BESS across 31 sites due for completion by the end of 2022. Sources said SGPHC would likely complete the initial 690 MW within the first half covering 22 sites.

“A total of 690 MW out of 1,000 MW battery energy system facilities nationwide will be operational by early 2022.

By year-end, we will have completed all 31 facilities for a total of 1,000 MW in capacity,” SMC president Ramon Ang said.

“This will help balance power in the grid and pave the way for a clean energy future,” Ang said.

The company completed in 2018 the first battery energy storage facility in

the country in its power plant in Masinloc, Zambales.

It has since embarked on a project using a relatively new technology capable of improving power quality throughout the grid system and facilitate integration of renewable power sources into the country’s generation portfolio.

SGPHC earlier said the technology is a major step towards making intermittent renewable energy more viable in the country.

“Our ongoing investment into battery energy storage facilities will greatly benefit power consumers all over the country, because this will mean that even faraway provinces or areas, can have the same stable and good quality power supply as everywhere else, ”Ang said earlier.

Ang said that if some areas could not attract investments because of unstable or poor power supply in the past, battery energy storage could make power supply more stable and reliable.

EDC ASSISTANCE. More than 26,000 families in Bohol who spent Christmas in evacuation centers due to typhoon Odette that smacked the Visayas and Mindanao two weeks ago are about to receive gifts from Energy Development Corp., the rest of the Lopez Group of Companies and its partners. The gifts are in the form of 11 container vans that include generator sets, solar lamps, assorted clothes, blankets, rice, canned goods and clean water. Receiving the container vans are (from left) Bohol Governor Arthur Yap, Tom Espiñosa of the shipping firm carrying the container vans and Provincial Risk Reduction Management Office chief Dr. Anthony Damalerio.

Sports

POC: We will fight for Obiena AS a displaced national athlete, Ernest John “EJ” Obiena will still be able to compete in international meets, including the 2024 Paris Olympics if he qualifies.

This will be possible as the Philippine Olympic Committee vowed to protect Obiena’s rights as a national athlete, with the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association set to remove him from the national team.

“We in the POC will make sure EJ will be in Hanoi (SEA Games) and Hangzhou (Asian Games) and in all other major world competitions. We’ll fight for EJ,” said POC president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino upon learning of the decision that the PATAFA is dropping the pole vaulter from the national athletics’ team.

With PATAFA out of the picture, Obiena is being groomed to be part of the national contingent under the classification of refugee athletes.

Refugee athletes were introduced during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Under this program, athletes who have been displaced in their respective countries can be offered by their National Olympic Committees the opportunity to be supported throughout their training, preparation and participation in high-level competitions.

This is becoming possible now that the PATAFA is set to follow the recommendations of its four-man Administrative Committee, which made endorsements that they are dropping Obiena from the national pool and filing criminal charges against him.

The estafa charges that will be filed against Obiena is for his alleged misappropriation of government funds meant as payment for his coach Vitaliy Petrov.

Tolentino believes that the PATAFA has done wrong in imposing sanctions on Obiena.

“I expected EJ will be dropped from the national team by his National Sports Association as a vengeful act.

The ball is now with the Philippine Sports Commission. Will the PSC allow EJ to be stricken off from the national team (SEA Games and Asian Games year)? Will the government allow a world-class athlete to be out of the national team?”asked Tolentino.

The POC chief noted that Obiena is an Asian record holder, the no. 6 pole vaulter in the world and the no. 3 best performer in 2021.

“Will the PSC allow one gold medal to be lost in Hangzhou long before the Asian Games? Will sports stakeholders—the public, especially, allow EJ to be out of the national team? Of course, the we in the POC will help EJ in his future campaigns,” said Tolentino.

Tolentino explained that the national sports association has the right to recommend or not, endorse or not, its athlete/s for international competitions.

But a provision in the International Olympic Committee Charter allows NOCs to also endorse athletes.

“In the absence of an endorsement from a national federation, the organizer/host owns a prerogative to allow embattled athlete/s—the IOC allows refugee athletes to compete in major international competitions (including Olympics), and we in the POC will make sure EJ will be in Hanoi and Hangzhou and in all other major world competitions, we’ll fight for EJ,” said Tolentino.

“The action of (PATAFA president) Mr. (Philip) Juico in removing EJ Obiena from the National Pool is an expected result of his expose. A vengeful act that shuts down the chances of the Philippines from its Olympic dream. The POC has made an early evaluation of this and, I am sorry that we cannot make our cards shown in public. Suffice it to say that we are created for the Olympic dreams of our athletes and we will support our athletes in achieving their dreams,” Tolentino said. Peter Atencio

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

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

C1

Ernest John Obiena -- at the center of the storm.

READIES ESTAFA CHARGES VS POLE VAULTER

Athletics’ body to expel EJ Obiena from PH team

By Peter Atencio

F

ILIPINO Olympic pole vaulter Ernest John “EJ” Obiena faces immediate removal from the national team for allegedly misappropriating government funds over the last three years.

Obiena’s mother federation, the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, announced this in a zoom conference with the media on Tuesday after receiving the recommendation from a fourman Administrative Committee that looked into the pole vaulter’s case.

“Obiena has been given all the chances to appear (for mediation). He did not (appear). We agreed to get his side of the story,” said PATAFA chairman and Misamis Oriental Congressman (second district) Rufus Rodriguez.

Rodriguez discussed the findings of the four-man probe panel, headed by board member Felix Tiukinhoy and their recommendations for Obiena’s alleged mishandling of government funds amounting 85,000 euros.

Rodriguez said that Obiena could have cooperated with the probe when they called his attention thrice last December, and once when he was summoned by the Philippine Sports Commission for mediation talks. Obiena declined all four summons.

In a statement, the PATAFA revealed: “In three separate occasions, the Administrative Committee directed Obiena to appear and testify before it. However, EJ Obiena, failed and refused to appear before the Committee and instead had a virtual press conference claiming he is being harassed by no less than the President of PATAFA, who was instrumental why he was accepted in the IAAF scholarship in Formia, Italy.

“The arrogance and blatant defiance of the legitimate orders of the Administrative Committee of his mother federation made EJ Obiena unworthy of being an athlete of PATAFA. This constitutes a wilful disobedience to the authority of PATAFA, who had been supporting him since 2014.

“EJ Obiena falsified the acknowledgment letters with the electronic signatures of Mr. Petrov. He also falsified the Contracts for the coaching services of Mr. Petrov for December 2019 to August 2020, and September 2020 to August 2021, which he emailed to PATAFA on October 9, 2020. The said contracts also bear the electronic signatures of Mr. Petrov.

“As discussed above, it is not possible for Mr. Petrov to have signed the acknowledgement letters and the contracts of services because he was not even

aware that PATAFA and PSC were sending money for his coaching fee to EJ Obiena, and the fact that he did not receive any payment as stated in his signed statements dated October 4 and 7, 2021.

“The repeated attempts of Mr. Petrov to cover-up for the irregularities of EJ Obiena is shown by the fact that the later claimed that he was paid by EJ Obiena contrary to what he narrated to Pres. Juico and (World Athletics official) Mr. Sergey Bubka on September 9, 2021, and to his two signed statements dated October 4 and 7, 2021 that he did not receive any payment as coaching fee.”

The PATAFA discovered that Petrov was paid in full only last November, with the payment coming from three different sources -- Italy from Obiena’s own account, Dubai from Obiena’s manager James Lafferty and Manila from Obiena’s mother Jeanette.

This prompted the panel to also recommend the filing of a criminal complaint of estafa against Obiena.

The panel also endorsed to the board that a complaint on Petrov be filed before World Athletics for the violation of the Integrity Code of Conduct and that his role as PATAFA-accredited coach be terminated.

They also recommended that businessman-sportsman Lafferty be declared as persona non grata.

The PATAFA is now set to provide a report to the PSC and the Commission on Audit.

The body also alleged that Jeanette Obiena misappropriated the P634,116.76, which she cleared from the PSC, on the pretext that this was reimbursement for fees paid to Petrov for the months of January to March 2019.

Rodriguez believes that there were falsified signatures that were affixed by the young Obiena when his reports were submitted to the PATAFA. “They were falsified. Because by the time he gave those requested reports, Vitaly was clear that he received the payments (only) in 2021,” added Rodriguez.

PATAFA chief Philip Ella Juico stressed the importance of following the guidelines imposed by the PSC and COA on liquidating funds.

“We always go back to the point that liquidation should be in the form and in the manner prescribed by the Commission on Audit and the PSC. ‘Yan lang naman ang basehan, ‘yun lang naman and batayan,” said Juico.

PH grouped with Brunei, Cambodia, Timor in U23 SINGAPORE—The composition of teams in the groups for the AFF Under-23 Championship was finalised at the Official Draw ceremony in Singapore recently.

Host Cambodia was drawn alongside Timor Leste, Philippines and Brunei DS in Group A while Indonesia will battle Malaysia, Myanmar and Laos in Group B. Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore will have each other for company in Group C. Teams were ranked based on the previous tournament in 2019.

The AFF U23 Championship 2022 is scheduled to take place in Cambodia from February 14 to 26 next year, with matches taking place at the Morodok Techno Stadium and Prince Stadium. The fixtures will be revealed in due course.

“In just over a month from now, the AFF U23 will kick-off and fans in our region will again be on their toes cheering on their favourite national U23 teams. We are all eagerly looking forward to this exciting competition that will feature the region’s future stars,” said AFF President Major General Khiev Sameth.

“Moving forward, the AFF U23 Championship will be a permanent fixture in our competition calendar. This age-group competition will complement the existing programmes of the Southeast Asian teams and help them prepare for key competitions including the Olympics, Asian Games and SEA Games.”

Malcolm Thorpe, Managing Director, South East Asia at SPORTFIVE said, “We are delighted that the groupings for the upcoming AFF U23 Championship have been finalized and can’t wait to see the region’s rising stars in action soon. We know how important the U23 Championship is to AFF and are very honoured to support them in growing the competitive standards of youth football in the region.”

Today’s draw in Singapore was conducted by AFF President, Major General Khiev Sameth and AFF Vice-President, Dato’ Sri Francisco Kalbuadi Lay. Member Association and team officials unable to physically attend the function in Singapore followed the proceedings virtually.

PH surfing vows to bounce back from ‘Odette’ destruction

By Randy Caluag

MEMBERS and aspirants of the Philippine surfing team based in the paradise island of Siargao have stayed resilient amid the destruction brought by recent Typhoon Odette, which ravaged parts of Visayas and Mindanao.

Most of them had their homes severely damaged, if not totally flattened, by the typhoon. Their main training facility was also in gross disarray.

The good thing, though, is that the ocean that is home to the world-famous Cloud Nine, is back to its calmness and fierceness—bringing joy to the surfers. “(Year) 2021 ended leaving the Surfing Icon and Capital of the Philippines, Siargao, in a crumble. Our fellow Filipinos will come back stronger, together,” said the official post of the

The surfers’ training facility before and after the typhoon hit the island.

(From UPSA FB)

United Philippine Surfing Association, the official sport association for surfing in the country.

Cloud Nine is a premier surfing site in General Luna, Surigao De Norte that

is famous for its gigantic waves preferred by world-class surfers.

The same post named coaches Manuel Melindo and John Carby, and athletes John Mark Tokong, Edito Alcala Jr.,

Philmar Alipayo, Eduardo Alciso, Nilbie Blancada, Jolina Longos, Ana Mae Alipayo, Jevy Mae Agudo, Noah Arkfeld and Kaikai Alcala—who all live in Siargao, were accounted for and tagged safe.

They were among those who were given assistance and financial aid by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the Philippine Sports Commission.

The PSC gave P15,000 each to about 85 athletes and 20 coaches belonging to 24 sports associations that were affected by typhoon Odette in the Visayas and Mindanao.

UPSA is also calling for help to rehabilitate its strength and conditioning training facility, named Crossfit Siargao, which was among the hardest hit on the island.

The PSC also set aside P50,000 financial aid for the rehabilitation of the weightlifting gym in Bohol.

Twelve-year-old Alcala, a product Turn to C2

C2

Sports

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

Osaka vows to have fun in winning return from break MELBOURNE—Naomi Osaka said Tuesday that she aims to enjoy herself on court this year as she won on her return to action following a tearful exit at the US Open in September.

The four-time Grand Slam champion, who has fallen to 13 in the rankings, said after her third-round defeat at Flushing Meadows that she was “dealing with some stuff” and would take an indefinite break from tennis.

The former world number one from Japan had mostly laid low before flying into Melbourne last week to prepare for her Australian Open defence.

The 24-year-old was nowhere near her best but defeated France’s 61st-ranked veteran Alize Cornet 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 in the Melbourne Summer Set tournament and said that being back in Australia was like “a breath of fresh air”.

Osaka is determined to avoid the “extreme build-up” of emotions last year that made her feel “sad”.

“I feel like for me, I only really have one major goal this year, and it’s completely unrelated to results,” she said, holding a press conference again after her stance last year over the negative impact they had on her mental wellbeing.

“For me, I just want to feel like every time I step on the court I’m having fun.

I can walk off the court knowing that even if I lost, I tried as hard as I could.

“Also I have a goal in the press room -- that I’m never going to cry again, so hopefully that works out in my favour,” she added.

“I’m the type of person that cared a little bit too much about the results and the ranking and stuff like that.

“And I just need to find a way to enjoy the game again because that’s the reason why I was playing in the first place.”

Osaka last year withdrew from the French Open and Wimbledon over mental health issues, saying her problems were exacerbated by speaking to the media after matches.

She said on Tuesday her feelings and emotions were “like an extreme buildup and you just happened to see it all released last year”.

During her self-enforced absence, Osaka tried to have a normal life away from the pressures of the tennis tour, spending time with family and friends and enjoying sleepovers, something she had never experienced before. AFP

Big Ben leads Steelers past Browns in emotional tiff

The National Speed Skating Oval, also known as the ‘Ice Ribbon’, the venue for speed skating events at the 2022 Winter Olympics, is seen in Beijing on January 3, 2022, a month before the opening of the games on February 4, 2022. AFP

B

Beijing seals off Olympic ‘bubble’

EIJING—Beijing sealed up its Winter Olympic “bubble” on Tuesday, preparing the Games venues, transport and staff for the world’s strictest mass sporting event since the global pandemic.

China, where the virus emerged toward the end of 2019, has pursued a zero-tolerance strategy on Covid-19 and is taking the same approach to limit the pandemic’s potential impact on the February 4-20 Winter Olympics and subsequent Paralympics.

Starting Tuesday, thousands of Games-related staff, volunteers, cleaners, cooks and coach drivers will be cocooned for weeks in the so-called “closed loop” with no direct physical access to the outside world.

That contrasts with the Covid-delayed Tokyo Summer Olympics, which allowed some movement in and out for volunteers and other personnel.

The global media and roughly 3,000

athletes are expected to start arriving in the Chinese capital in the weeks ahead and will remain in the bubble from the moment they land until they leave the country.

Anyone entering the bubble must be fully vaccinated or face a 21-day quarantine when they touch down, and everyone inside will be tested daily and must wear face masks at all times.

In an interview with AFP last Friday, Zhao Weidong, head of the Olympic organising committee’s media department, said Beijing was “fully prepared”.

“Hotels, transportation, accommodation, as well as our science and technology-led Winter Olympics projects are all ready,” Zhao said.

Fans will not be part of the “closed loop,” and organizers will have to ensure that they do not mingle with athletes and others inside the bubble.

People who live in China must also quarantine upon leaving the bubble to return home.

The system includes dedicated transport between venues, with even “closed-loop” high-speed rail systems operating in parallel to those open to the public.

It is set to be operating well into late March and possibly early April.

AFP reporters outside venues in Beijing saw workers erecting wire fences and security guards standing by in the winter chill.

Most major venues are outside of the capital.

But foreign diplomats in China have told AFP that the measures look to be so impregnable that they worry they will not be able to offer proper help to their nationals inside the bubble. AFP

Zumbarangay Pilipinas 2021 announces winners ZUMBARANGAY Pilipinas: Solo Exercise On-Cam Challenge 2021 wrapped up its final entries with winners from Manila City (Jaycent Hortilano, LGBTQ+), Pasay City (Katrina Nocum, Women Open) and Zamboanga City (Dayne Farnacio, Girls Open).

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William Ramirez prides that Zumbarangay Pilipinas was launched by the PSC Women in Sports mid 2021 to avert the increasing number of women having physical, emotional and mental health issues.

A nationwide campaign to promote solo exercising, Zumbarangay Pilipinas received over 300 video entries from all over the Philippines. Several qualifying rounds were made to select the best winners.

PSC Commissioner for Women in Sports said that the contest which was open to women, girls and LGBTQI encourages regular solo dancing at home.

The PSC produced an original music “Igalaw-galaw ating Katawan” for the public to use.

Girls Open winners of the Zumbarangay Pilipina: Solo Exercise On-Cam Challenge 2021

A local artist from Laguna, Jian Aguilan, was tapped to write the lyrics and make the beat of the exercise music.

“The lyrics of the song itself is our campaign for the public to start fitness at home,” said Kiram.

The song goes: Galaw galaw tayo na’t mag-ehersisyo, hindi lang tayo dapat ay nakaupo, lalo na sa ating mga anak, physical activity di puro gadget ang hawak; kay ate kay nanay pati na kay lola, igalaw ang katawan para sumigla;

sa mga kababaihan dapat na saluduhan, ginagawa nila, para sating lipunan. Si nanay flexible sa tahanan, lahat ng gawain ginagampanan, nananatili naring haligi sila sa kanilang mga anak. Talagang bilib sa kanila, bayaning maituturing sila ay modelo ng bawat kabataan; Sila’y nirerespeto, kababaihan sila’y iangat maganda silang ehemplo para sa ating lahat.

“At the height of pandemic mid this year, we cannot afford to just sit down and watch the rising concerns about the mental health of a generation of children caused by the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Production Director and Women in Sports Consultant Marilou Cantancio.

“With powerful emotions like anxiety, uncertainty, grief and loneliness affecting the lives of our children, we need to be creative in ways to drastically get them moving through dancing,” she added.

A cash prize of P30,000 is given to the 1st placer, P20,000 for the 2nd placer, and P10,000 for the 3rd placer. A consolation prize of P3,000 is given to each of the top 10 entries for each category.

LOS ANGELES—Ben Roethlisberger bid farewell to Heinz Field with a 2614 win over the Cleveland Browns in what is likely to be the quarterback’s final home for the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night.

With the clock ticking on the twotime Super Bowl champion’s time in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger passed for 123 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers kept their NFL playoff hopes alive.

If this is to be the final lap of Big Ben’s 18-year NFL career, Monday’s performance turned back the clock.

“I am at a loss for words,” the 39-yearold Roethlisberger said.

“I am so thankful for this place and these fans. There is no place like it.

“I have called this place home for almost half my life.”

His family came onto the field to join him as many of the fans remained in the stadium well after the final horn sounded.

The future Hall of Famer took his time leaving the field, walking the perimeter of the stadium shaking hands of people who pressed up against the railings and soaking in the cheers from the adoring Steeler faithful who chanted “Thank you Ben” during the game.

“I wish I could bottle this and have it forever,” Roethlisberger said.

“I was born in Ohio but I live here.

This place Heinz Field is so special to me and means so much to my family.”

The Steelers remain in the playoff hunt after the win over the Browns, who have been eliminated from the AFC postseason.

The Steelers (8-7-1) must now win their final game in Baltimore next week and receive some help to wrap up one of the conference’s seven playoff spots.

They are a half-game behind the Indianapolis Colts, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers entering the final week of the regular season. The Raiders and Chargers face each other next weekend.

Roethlisberger had plenty of help on Monday. Rookie Najee Harris ran for a career-best 188 yards and a touchdown while Chris Boswell kicked four field goals.

The same could not be said for embattled Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, who was sacked nine times, including four times by T.J. Watt. AFP

PH surfing...

From C1

of UPSA’s grassroots program, however, had to stop training as his family began rebuilding from what was left of their damaged house.

Alcala’s mom, Manette, was a former five-time Philippine Surfing Champion and was part of the first-ever official Philippine team to compete back in 2008 at the Asian Beach Games in Bali, where she bagged the bronze in women’s shortboard, alongside now national team head coach Luke Landrigan, who finished with silver.

Despite the odds, the UPSA remains optimistic about the year ahead.

“This year, 2022, Pilipinas Surfing will strive to reach bigger heights. Our athletes and coaches will stand and carry our flag in International waters and bring pride to Philippines Surfing.”

Siargao is one of the country’s major surfing sites aside from San Juan in La Union, Borongan in Samar, Date in Camarines Norte, and Baler in Aurora.

Blazers stun Hawks; Embiid records triple double LOS ANGELES—Anfernee Simons scored a career-best 43 points as the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a four-game losing streak with a 136-131 win over the Atlanta Hawks on Monday.

Simons shot 13 of 21 from the floor, drained nine of 16 from the three-point line and sank all eight of his free throws in front of a crowd of 15,100 at the Moda Center arena.

Trae Young led the Hawks by scoring an NBA season-high 56 points.

“I don’t care about nothing besides the fact we lost, so it sucks I had this type of night on a loss because at the end of the day that’s all that matters to me,” said Young. “I just wish we would have won.”

Young shot 17 for 26 from the field and added 14 assists in the loss.

Young’s 56-points surpassed Kevin Durant’s 51-point performance for the Nets at Detroit on December 12. Golden State’s Stephen Curry and Boston’s Jaylen Brown have also had 50-point games this season.

Young also became the first player with 50-plus points and 14-plus assists in an NBA game since James Harden did it with the Houston Rockets in 2016.

The game marked Young’s second 50-point performance of his career, as he previously scored 50 against Miami on February 20, 2020.

Portland played without Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum and Cody Zeller.

Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was back on the bench after missing three games due to Covid-19 measures.

Norman Powell scored 26 points and Nassir Little added 22 in the win for Portland.

Elsewhere, Joel Embiid posted his third career triple double with 31 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists to power the Philadelphia 76ers past the struggling Houston Rockets 133-113.

“We can beat anybody on any given night,” Embiid said.

Furkan Korkmaz added 24 points and a

career-high 11 rebounds, Isaiah Joe scored 18 points, Seth Curry contributed 15 and Tobias Harris had 14 as the Sixers won their fourth-straight game.

Garrison Mathews scored a teamhigh 23 points, while Eric Gordon and Jae’Sean Tate each scored 14 and Josh Christopher had 13 for the Rockets, who have lost eight straight.

Jalen Green and David Nwaba chipped in with 12 apiece and Kenyon Martin Jr. had 11 points.

Philadelphia played without Tyrese Maxey, Matisse Thybulle and head coach Doc Rivers as they were sidelined because of Covid-19 measures. Assistant coach Dan Burke served as the acting head coach for the second consecutive game.

“He was not going to let us lose that game,” Burke said of Embiid.

Philadelphia needed a 41-29 third quarter to put some distance between themselves and the Rockets, the worst team in the Western Conference. AFP

Joel Embiid of the Philadelphia 76ers reacts during a game against the Houston Rockets at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. AFP

Entertainment English singersongwriter David Bowie

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

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Warner acquires David Bowie’s songwriting catalog DAVID Bowie’s estate has sold the publishing rights to his “entire body of work” to Warner Chappell Music, the company said Monday, the latest massive deal of the recent s o n g rights purchasing boom.

Wa r n e r Chappell did not reveal financial terms of the agree-

ment, but trade publication Variety said mil the price tag was upwards of $250 million.

The deal includes hundreds of songs spanning Bowie’s six-decade career, including “Space Oddity,” “Changes,” “Life on Mars?” and “Heroes.” im “All of us at Warner Chappell are immensely proud that the David Bowie caretak estate has chosen us to be the caretakers of one of the most groundbreaking, influential, and enduring catalogs in music history,” said Guy Moot, head of WCM, in a statement.

“These are not only extraordinary

songs, but milestones that have changed the course of modern music forever,” Moot added.

The new deal means Warner now houses Bowie’s work as a songwriter as well as a recording artist.

Warner Music Group has handled much of Bowie’s recorded catalog since 2013, last year adding his recordings from 2000 to 2016 to the fold.

The announcement comes days before Bowie’s birthday on Jan. 8, when he would have turned 75, as well as the sixth anniversary of his death on Jan. 10.

The sale of his publishing rights is part of a frenzy of similar deals as financial markets increasingly are drawn to lucrative music portfolios as an asset class.

Bruce Springsteen’s publishing and recorded music rights recently went to Sony for a staggering $500 million, with Bob Dylan also selling his full publishing catalog to Universal for hundreds of millions of dollars. Tina Turner, Stevie Nicks, Paul Simon, and Neil Young are also among the list of artists who have cashed in on their life’s work, either in part or entirely. AFP

Viva’s newest bets

I The new female housemates of ‘PBB Kumunity Season 10’ adult edition.

‘PBB Kumunity Season 10’ Adult Edition begins AFTER over eleven weeks, Alyssa Valdez and Anji Salvacion returned to the outside world as the Celebrity Kumunity Top 2 of Pinoy Big Brother Kumunity Season 10, which just launched its Adult Edition on Sunday (Jan. 2).

Alyssa and Anji won P100,000 each and are still in the running to become Big Winner of the season versus the Top 2 housemates of the Adult Edition and Teen Edition. Alyssa (22.63 percent) and Anji (13.60 percent) edged out Samantha Bernardo (13.53 percent), Madam Inutz (13.03 percent), and Brenda Mage (2.84 percent) in the final tally of votes based on the combined Kumu and SMS votes after the 10 million diamonds challenge for the Final 5 last week.

Meanwhile, hosts Toni Gonzaga, Bianca Gonzalez, Robi Domingo, Melai Cantiveros, and Enchong Dee introduced the official Adult Housemates in “The Big Arrival” which include siblings Nathan Juane and Raf Juane, Seham, Zach Guerrero, and Aleck Iñigo.

Viewers also got to know Thamara Alexandria, Michael Ver Comaling, Isabel Laohoo, Laziz Rustamov, and Gin Regidor.

Three more Adult Housemates will be joining them soon after winning in the Online Bahay ni Kuya on Kumu. They are

Male Kumunity Winner Andrei King, Female Kumunity Winner Kathleen Ghrasse Agir, and ang LGBTQIA+ Kumunity Winner Roque Coting, Jr. The ten Adult Housemates immediately took on a challenge on the first day of their edition. Raf and older brother Nathan, who introduced himself to other housemates as “Policarpio,” also have to pretend to not be related as their secret weekly task.

Fans should watch for the reunion of the Celebrity Housemates on the Kumulitan weekday show which will now also have Robi as one of the hosts alongside Bianca, Melai, and Enchong.

Meanwhile, Celebrity Housemates will host the “Kumunity G sa Gabi” every 9:00 p.m. on Kumu starting with Eian Rances until Jan. 7.

Kumunity Season 10 Adult Edition airs on Kapamilya Channel, Kapamilya Online Live, Jeepney TV, A2Z, iWantTFC, and TFC every 5:45 p.m. from Monday to Friday, with a replay at 11:10 p.m. It airs at 7:00 p.m. on weekends. Meanwhile, catch the 24/7 livestream of “PBB Kumunity” on Kumu.

Also watch the “PBB Kumulitan” online show on Kumu and Facebook every 5:30 p.m. from Monday to Friday and 6:30 p.m. during the weekend with host Sky Quizon.

The male housemates of ‘PBB Kumunity Season 10’ adult edition.

T’S going to be an exciting year for young singers Lyca Gairanod and Jehramae Trangia.

and netizens alike gushed about what great singers these siblings are.

And who will ever forget the line “kelan ang birthday mo? Nov. 21…oh my god! Birthday ko yun!” bit with Karen Davila that just went crazy, TikTok viral.

“I’m just happy with all the opportunities given to me this y e a r.

I’m thankful for the support I’m getting from people and I hope they support my dream to become a versatile music artist,” the 17-year-old singer told MaLyca has the support of Viva Records in nila Standard Entertainment in her bid to stardom while Jehramae is bea virtual interview. ing introduced by the record label as one Just recently Lyca of its most promising stars. released a new single Without trying too hard, Lyca betitled “Malapit Na came one of 2021’s biggest sensations Akong Mahulog with the release of her first single with Sa’yo.” A nice Viva Records titled “Akala Ko Ba.” yearning love song The song didn’t exactly become a mainfor the teen singer. stream hit (yet a fan-favorite for sure), it was Meanwhile, the gateway to Lyca’s collaboration up-and-coming with fellow Viva Records artist Ban- Lyca Gairanod teen singer Jehdang Lapis. r a m a e She recorded an acoustic version of Bandang looks for‘Born To Be Lapis’ breakout hit “Kabilang Buhay” on the latward to the A Star’ grand ter’s acoustic-themed EP. And when winner Jehramae new year as Lyca did a solo version Trangia she expects of the same song big and exon the popul a r citing new things when it comes roving stage platto her music career. At 18, she’s form, Wishb u s , long been working hard to get to the song became the point where she is right now. a viral hit.

To date, her The most visible of those efforts was when performance is one Jehramae released she made her stunning professional debut in of the biggest songs of two quick singles Born To Be A Star, in which she eventually 2021 on the Wish’ You- to announce her won the grand prize of said singing competiT u b e channel with debut in 2021. tion this year back in May. It’s the same singover 14 million views ing tilt that produced a young Sarah Geronimo. as of this writing.

This is to say that skill-wise, Jehramae is made of the same starThen there stuff. Apparently, Sarah is a big influence on Jehramae. w a s her duet with “Since I began singing, Miss Sarah Geronimo has been her younger an inspiration to me. She became my role model in singsister Haning because she is such an icon. She can dance, she can act, nah. They she can host. I mean, is there anything she can’t do? She’s uploaded completely idol material and hopefully, soon I could get to their rencollaborate with her.” dition of Signed to Viva Records right after winning BTBAS, as “Lason a recording artist in early 2021, Jehramae released two Mong quick singles to announce her debut. The well-received Halik” on “Lumalapit” – a cover of a popular The Juans song – and Facebook her first original recording titled “Magparaya,” written by and the reveteran composer Vehnee Saturno. sult was more “What excites me the most about my music career is getting than 5 million to meet a lot of talented artists from all over the country, and views as fans it’s such an honor to be able to share my experiences with them while also allowing people to hear my music and craft. SingLyca became one ing a song by Mr. Vehnee Saturno, for example, is a humbling of 2021’s biggest sensations with her first experience,” Jehramae said who added that she’s also open to acting in front of the camera. single ‘Akala Ko Ba.’

Net25’s held its Grand Countdown at the Philippine Arena, the same venue where they held the last physical countdown two years ago.

More GMA dramas premiere in Latin America

THE Spanish dubbed versions of Little vate Ecuadorian audiences via Ecuavisa Nanay, Dahil sa Pag-ibig, and Madrasta with its recent premiere as Por Amor will have their premieres on Ecuador’s O Por Dinero. It is top-billed by Sanfree television. The three series are the ya Lopez, Benjamin Alves, Pancho latest addition to the growing number of Magno, and 2017 Reina HispanoameriGMA dramas airing in the Latin Ameri- cana, Winwyn Marquez. It tells the can region made possible through GMA’s story of a wife who sacrifices even her partnership with Latin Media Corporation. dignity just to save her husband from TC Television will broadcast the death row in the Middle East.

GMA dramas remain strong in EcuaSpanish dubbed version of Little Nanay as La Inocencia De Tania. The series dor with three other titles currently airing stars Kris Bernal whose other drama, in the country due to their popularity in Impostora also made waves in Ecuador. the ratings - Someone To Watch Over Me Little Nanay tells the story of a men- (No Me Olvides), The Half Sisters (Hertally challenged young woman who gets manas), and Sa Piling ni Nanay (Ysabel). pregnant and must face the challenges of The cast of GMA’s hit afternoon drama Her- ‘Dahil sa Pag-ibig.’ being a mother. It also stars Mark Her Dulce ras (Ysabel), Sunshine Dizon (Dulce El Amor Venganza), and Nora Aunor (El Mas Grande). verMeanwhile, the Spanish dubbed ver sion of Madrasta is set to premiere on Ecuavisa as La Madrasta. The series stars Arra San Agustin, Juancho Trivino, and Thea Tolentino who re-cently captivated Ecuadorian viewers via the hit drama Heramanas (The Half Sisters). La Madrasta tells the story of a kind-hearted stepmother who must stand up against her husband’s evil ex-wife and fight for her rightful place in his life.

Another hit GMA afternoon dra-ma, Dahil sa Pag-ibig is set to capti-

Net25 ends year with star-studded countdown

were Callalily and Kean Cip- much-anticipated. While netizens were riano, “Magandang Dilag” hit- watching the show, they got the chance maker JM Bales, actor-singer to win a brand new car, iPhone 13, and An impressive lineup of stars performed live during Ruru Madrid, rapper Rido, Samsung S21 phones. Cash prizes were Net25’s end of the year event. acoustic singer Princess Ve- also at stake – five winners of P100,000, lasco, and South Border lead two winners of P50,000, five winners of TELEVISION network vocalist Jay Durias, Athena P25,000, 25 winners of P10,000, and 25 Net25 ended the year on a Madrid, Jon Lucas, and Mayonnaise winners of P5,000. high note with its Grand band. Quizon CT stars Eric Quizon, Winners of the promo will be anCountdown held at the Epy Quizon, Vandolph Quizon, and nounced in Net25 programs Kada UmPhilippine Arena.

Jenny Quizon were also present at the aga and Ano Sa Palagay N’yo? (ASPN) gath grand event.

The network gathwith Ali Sotto and Pat-P Daza. ered an impressive This year’s countdown was lineup of stars who hosted by Kada Umaga hosts performed live Pia Guanio-Mago, Emma during the event Tiglao, Maureen Schrijvers, that culminated Tonipet Gaba, Wej Cudiamat, impres and Alex Calleja. with an impressive fireworks The last physical countdown display. was held at the same venue two Some of the years ago (2020) as restrictions p e r f o r m e r s were implemented last year. present during Apart from the live perforthe New Year mances, winners of the Selfie Quizon CT stars Eric Quizon, Epy Quizon, Vandolph c o u n t d o w n with the Agila promo are also Quizon, and Jenny Quizon.

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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ART AND CULTURE

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 5, 2022

National Artist Arturo Luz

Repertory Philippines founder Baby Barredo

Bienvenido Lumbera

Looking back, moving forward W HAT a year 2021 has been.

GLAZING LIFE

‘‘

BY GLAIZA LEE

More than the resiliency, it is the true grit of the Filipino artists that keeps the industry afloat. As they say, “pandemic ka lang, artist kami.”

(From left) Artists of CCP Dance Workshop Monica Gana, EJ Arisola, John Ababon, Erl Sorilla, and Jessa Tangalin in ‘Tuloy Ang Pasko.’ (Photo by Lester Reguindin)

Theater actress Celia Diaz-Laurel

Veronica Atienza (PBT) as the Lilac Fairy and Katrene San Miguel (Artist of CCPDW) as Princess Aurora.

(Photo by Ivan Castronuevo)

When 2020 ended, we thought that in the coming year, things would be back to normal. But 2021 seemed to be twinning with the previous year, perhaps only a little better.

From navigating the changes of time, the art communities keep on readjusting and re-learning new strategies and methods of artmaking, navigating and maximizing the potentials of modern digital technology to bring artistic performances and cultural nourishment, and surviving the chaotic time.

The year has its ups and downs.

In 2021, we lost some great souls. We mourned the passing of National Artists Arturo Luz and Bienvenido Lumbera.

The theater stage lost R e p e r t o r y Philippines founder B a b y Barredo, theater actress Celia Diaz-Laurel,

theater advocate JK Anicoche, and VLF actor Richard Manabat, among others.

The canvasses remained blank with the passing of illustrator Danny Acuña, visual artist Angel Cacnio, sculptor Rey Paz Contreras, visual artist Allan Cosio, editorial cartoonist Neil Doloricon, curator Riel Hilario, and fashion designer Ben Farrales.

The film industry said goodbye to filmmakers Leo Abaya, Joseph Israel Laban, and Toto Natividad, as well as UP Film Center founding director Virginia Moreno and actresses Ester Chavez and Naty Crame-Rogers.

Their passing was a great loss to the arts sector. They will surely be missed.

Please do check out the Hanggang sa Muli website (https://hanggangsamuli. culturalcenter.gov.ph) to pay tribute to these great individuals.

• •• Of course, in 2021, we have small wins to celebrate. With the easing of some restrictions, we were able to return to some things we love.

Late last year, the IATF ruled the opening of cinemas, galleries, and museums. I have yet to visit some art exhibits or watch movies in the cinemas, but I hope to be able to do it soon, armed with face mask and all the safety nets.

Looking at the packed (50 percent capacity) Tanghalang Nic a nor Abelardo during the live dance per-

Full Circle Lab Philippines renewed for new three-year cycle; set for January kick-off THE Film Development Council of the done virtually. new three-year cycle will be seeing a Philippines’ (FDCP) flagship internaFDCP Chair and CEO Liza Diño mentoring team enriched with film protional film lab for Filipino and South- shared, “We are delighted to renew our fessionals from Asia and mentors from east Asian films and filmmakers is set partnership with Tatino Films espe- all over the world. for an exciting three years for its latest cially because next year, we will be cel“The whole world is looking at Asia edition. ebrating 75 years of diplomatic relations now, and we want to capitalize on that The Full Circle Lab (FCL) Philip- between France and the Philippines. and make sure that we are ready and pines has also announced the applica- With FDCP’s long-term partnership equipped with the tools to take our ditions opening this month as a part of with Tatino Films through what we call verse and unique stories to the global its three-year vision that will culminate Horizons 2025, we are taking concrete stage,” Diño added. into the FCL Horizons, introducing a steps toward making the Philippines The program will be selecting 12 new section—the Story Editor’s Lab a creative Hub for Filmmaking in the projects for Fiction Lab, three projects and a bigger Fiction Lab welcoming South-East Asian region.” for First Cut Lab, eight participants for twelve participants, four more from the Film projects, series, animations, and Creative Producers Lab, and three parprevious years’ eight. talents representing the Philippines and ticipants for the new Story Editing lab.

The Full Circle Lab Philippines vi- neighboring countries Brunei, Cambo- Full Circle Lab Philippines is a capacision, in partnership with Tatino films, dia, East-Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Ma- ty-building program aimed at supportaims to hold the annual lab for three laysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, ing Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmore years from 2022 to 2024, with the and Vietnam are welcome to apply. This makers. upcoming 2022 edition havThrough organizing the ing a two-part hybrid workvarious labs ranging from shop which will include an the stages of pre-produconsite residential workshop tion to post-production, in April and follow-up online the program enhances sessions in September 2022. selected projects from The five-month program around the globe, elevatwill be composed of four ing a particular film to its separate film labs, First Cut highest potential and alLab and Fiction Lab under the lowing it to reach internaproject-based labs, Creative tional standards.

Producers Lab and Story EdFDCP brought FCL to iting Lab under the talent and the country in partnerskills-based labs. ship with Tatino Films, The first installment of the a French production and next edition of FCL is a fiveconsulting firm that creday residential workshop set ated the programs of the to be held from April 26 to film lab. Official call for 30, where mentors and particentries and participants ipants can interact and collabwill be opened on Jan. 10. orate in a face-to-face set-up.

More details and anThis will be followed by nouncements will soon online sessions during the be available through Full celebration of the Film IndusCircle Lab Philippines’ try Month in September 2022, Full Circle Lab Philippines is a capacity-building program aimed at Facebook page and Instawhere consultations will be supporting Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers. gram.

formance of A Christmas Celebration gave me much hope for the future. I’d say, from the uncertainties of 2020, the arts industry was able to successfully navigate the trying times in 2021.

There were still bumps on the road, but I think we have fared much better than the previous year.

More than the resiliency, it is the true grit of the Filipino artists that keeps the industry afloat. As they say, “pandemic ka lang, artist kami.”

I’m so looking forward to how this pandemic has changed our artists and their perspectives, and how the audience

changes the way they consume arts.

••• Speaking of the future, in 2022, I wish that we would have more live arts and culture experiences, of course in the safest environment possible. Also, more funding and support for the art sector, especially to artists, art organizations, and cultural workers greatly affected by the pandemic, would be a welcome idea. Most of all, I hope we can have a better pandemic response, so we can all go back to living our lives to the fullest and not merely surviving.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Artists of the CCP Dance Workshop in ‘Tuloy Ang Pasko’ (2020).

Vietnamese Film Week in Dubai expo VIETNAMESE Film Week at EXPO 2020 Dubai showcases Viet Nam’s unique culture and landscapes to international audiences in a not-to-be-missed, weeklong event running until today, Jan. 5.

Viet Nam’s first major film event in the Middle Eastern region is supported by Netflix and screens seven internationally acclaimed Vietnamese movies produced within the past five years.

The Film Week kicked off on Dec. 30 at Terra Auditorium with Dad, I’m Sorry, Viet Nam’s highest-grossing movie of all time. Recently winning the prestigious Silver Lotus for Best Feature Film at the Vietnamese National Film Festival 2021, Dad, I’m Sorry centers around Sang, an aging motorbike driver who continually sacrifices for his family.

The following day, the Dubai Millennium Amphitheater screened Furie, an action and martial arts masterpiece directed by Le Van Kiet. Furie stars Veronica Ngo as Hai Phuong, an ex-gangster living a peaceful life in the countryside who is forced to revisit her violent p a s t when her daugh daughter is kid kidnapped.

Viet-

namese Film Week also featured Father and Son (Jan. 1 at Terra Auditorium), a touching family movie that won accolades at the Arizona International Film Festival 2017, Asian Film Festival Barcelona 2019, and Boston International Film Festival 2019. The film was the only Vietnamese movie to be screened at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture in 2020.

Other titles include Dreamy Eye, an unrequited love story between two childhood friends; The Tailor, a comedy putting the Vietnamese traditional dress (Ao dai) in the spotlight; Yellow Flower on the Green Grass, a tender tale of innocent love, friendship, and brotherhood with a magnificent scene of Vietnamese landscapes; and international sensation Yen’s Life, about a young woman forced into marriage at the age of 10.

According to the Commissioner-General of Vietnam at EXPO 2020 Dubai - Nguyen Phuong Hoa, the seven movies all reflect current and contemporary themes and will appeal to a wide range of audiences.

“People no longer see Viet Nam as a country of war. We want to show our Viet Nam as a peaceful but dynamic country, always treasuring its national identity and human values,” said Hoa. The opening ceremony for Vietnamese Film Week took place on Dec. 30, Vietnam National Day, at EXPO 2020. Screenings are free to all Expo ticket holders.

For detailed schedule and venues, visit: https://vietnamexpo2020dubai.com/ show-item/vietnamese-film-week/ ‘Dad, I’m Sorry’ is Viet Nam’s highestgrossing movie of all time.

SNAPSHOT Hope floats at SM Mall of Asia AS WE all hope for a better year, a better life floats as the SM Mall of Asia as it welcomes 2022 with a Grand Balloon Display at the Seaside Boulevard featuring giant inflatable balloons Catie the Caterpillar, the MOA Express, the MOA Airplane, Billy the Bear, Bailey the Beagle and Bella the Bunny. They were joined by MOA’s Magical Mascot friends Leo the Lion, Hannah the Panda, Gerry the Giraffe, Benny the SM Mall of Asia welcomes 2022 with a Grand Balloon Display at the Seaside Boulevard.

Bunny, Cyril, the Squirrel, Ellie the Elephant, and Hailey, the Hippo along with Little Pony’s Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash. A spectacular fireworks display capped the event delighting mallgoers and visitors of the complex.