Manila Standard - 2022 January 24 - Monday

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Magsayo ends Russell’s reign as world champion FILIPINO Mark Magsayo dethroned WBC featherweight champ Gary Russell on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) with a majority decision to end the longest championship reign in professional boxing.

The 26-year-old undefeated Magsayo won on points on two of the three judges' scorecards as he handed Russell his first defeat since 2015. Two judges had 115113 for Magsayo while the other scored it even, 114-114.

"This is my dream since I was a kid," said Magsayo. "I am so proud of my country. Thank you for the support from Filipino fans. Now I have become

WORLD CHAMPION.

a world champion."

Magsayo, who is promoted by fellow Filipino Manny Pacquiao and trained by Freddie Roach, improved to 24-0 with 16 knockouts with his upset win.

Russell fought with an injured shoulder Saturday which reduced him to a one-handed fighter for the majority of the contest at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey.

"I hit him with some good shots in the third round and that is why he got hurt," said Magsayo. "I hurt him a lot."

Magsayo earned the title shot with a stunning knockout of Julio Ceja in an Next page August title eliminator.

Mark Magsayo (right) pummels Gary Russell Jr. (left) for the WBC World Featherweight Championship at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa on Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) in Atlantic City, United States.

AFP

Bread, oil price hikes loom

Bakers eye P3.50-P4.50 increases, fuel cost up as much as P1.90/L

VOL. XXXV • NO. 343 • 3 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

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ONSUMERS face a price increase of at least P4.50 for a loaf of Pinoy Tasty and P3.50 for a pack of Pinoy Pandesal by February 1.

The Philippine Baking Industry Group, which said it has experienced an increase in flour prices following a rise in demand, has asked the Trade and Industry Department if they could increase their prices.

The increases, PhilBaking President Johnlu Koa said, would come in two steps: the first half on February 1, and the other half on April 4.

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RISING PRICES. Bakers are asking for a P4.50 price hike for the Pinoy Tasty amid an increase in the price of flour.

Motorists should also brace for higher fuel prices this week, by as much as P1.90 per liter of diesel. Norman Cruz

Odette, polls cited as factors in vax drive drag EXTERNAL factors such as typhoon “Odette” in December and the coming May 9 elections have slowed down the country’s vaccination efforts, vaccine czar Carlito Galvez said Sunday.

Galvez offered this assessment after the World Bank said Wednesday that vaccination in

Fake antigen test kits worth P150m seized

By Joel E. Zurbano and Willie Casas GOVERNMENT agents seized smuggled fake COVID-19 antigen test kits and other counterfeit health products worth P150 million during a raid last week at a storage facility in Manila, the Bureau of Customs said over the weekend.

The target of the raid was a warehouse at 555 Carlos Palanca Street in San Miguel. Customs agents were joined by members of the National Bureau of Investigation, local police and the Coast Guard.

The authorities seized thousands of Next page

the Philippines “continued to lag regional peers.”

Galvez said the onslaught of Typhoon Odette in Visayas and Mindanao forced several local government units (LGUs) to suspend their vaccination rollout to

respond to the immediate needs of those affected.

The coming national and local elections are also “diverting the attention” of some officials from the vaccination effort, he said.

“It is our hope that our local leaders will have the will to Next page

HIDDEN INSIDE THE DRAGON. Two young boys carry a dragon costume in their workshop in Binondo, Manila ahead of the Chinese New Year on February 1. Manila Mayor Francisco ‘Isko Moreno’ this week announced that celebrations for the Lunar New Year are canceled in Ongpin to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Norman Cruz

OCTA: Infection rate in NCR on clear downward trajectory

By Willie Casas THE reproduction number of COVID-19 in Metro Manila dropped to 1.20 as of Jan. 19 from 2.95 a week ago, the independent OCTA Research Group said Sunday.

The reproduction rate refers to the number of people who can be infected by one case. A reproduction number below 1 indicates that the transmission of

Motorbike taxi bill up for okay

by Rody—solon PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is expected to sign into law a bill that will legitimize motorcycle taxis before he steps down in June this year, a lawmaker said.

“I’m hoping (House Bill 10572) will become a law in the next few months,” Rep. Edgar Sarmiento, chair of the transport committee of the House of Representative, said Next page

the virus is slowing down.

In a post on Twitter, OCTA Research fellow Guido David said the drop in the one-week growth rate showed “a clear downward trajectory” in new COVID-19 cases.

Nonetheless, David said the National Capital Region remained at “very high risk” to COVID-19 and advised residents to practice caution and observe Next page

3,417,216 29,828

273,580

53,472

67

3,090,164 36,763 (As of 4 PM, JANUARY 23)

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mst.daydesk@gmail.com

HISTORICAL. All roads lead to the iconic Barasoain Church in Malolos City, Bulacan on Sunday for the 123rd Anniversary of the First Philippine Republic with the theme, “Unang Republikang Pilipino Sandigan ng Nagbabagong Panahon.” The First Republic, which was inaugurated on Jan. 23, 1899, was the culmination of the Malolos Congress which opened four months earlier to ratify the June 12, 1898 declaration of independence and to frame the Constitution for the new nation. Bernard Supetran

of P2.60 per liter for gasoline, P3.50 per liter for diesel, and P2.74 per liter for kerosene, data from the Department of Energy showed.

Crude prices started on a bullish tone this year as the market saw limited impact on demand recovery from the Omicron coronavirus variant, according to the Department of Energy's monitoring.

The gas and diesel market also got a boost from the sudden ban in coal exports by Indonesia, as Asian utility producers could possibly be switching to gas oil to cover the coal-fired power generation shortfall.

Meanwhile, Bayan Muna party-list

Rep. Carlos Zarate on Sunday urged the House leadership to expedite the passage of House Bill 10386 or the Unbundling of Fuel Prices Bill in a bid to make the pricing scheme transparent.

"Congress should hasten the passage of House Bill 10386 so that consumers would finally see the oil pricing processes. This is all in the spirit of transparency since the country is still under a pandemic and every peso means so much more, especially to ordinary already economically burdened consumers," he said.

The unbundling bill must also go hand in hand with the pending consol-

idated bill suspending the excise tax on oil products for six months, Zarate said.

“Price increases continue to go up but the government has not taken action. In the midst of this crisis aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic gravely affecting our people, especially the poor, we strongly urge the Department of Energy to be more proactive and support this bill. They can even lobby to the president to classify this legislation as urgent along with other bills that would stop or at least mitigate oil price hikes," Zarate said.

With Rio N. Araja

Magsayo...

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COVID-19 cases on Sunday, bringing the total number of cases to 3,417,216.

The positivity rate was at 41.8 percent based on 69,014 people tested on Jan. 21.

There were 273,580 active cases, of which 8,371 were asymptomatic; 260,399 were mild; 3,006 were moderate; 1,496 were severe; and 308 were critical.

The DOH reported 67 new fatalities, bringing the COVID-19 death toll to 53,472.

The DOH also reported 36,763 new recoveries, bringing the total recoveries to 3,090,164.

Nationwide, 51 percent of ICU beds, 52 percent of isolation beds, 53 percent of ward beds, and 24 percent of ventilators, were in use.

In Metro Manila, 48 percent of ICU beds, 46 percent of isolation beds, 52 percent of ward beds, and 27 percent of ventilators, were in use.

The Department of Health on Saturday said it is still too early to say if Metro Manila could deescalate to a more relaxed Alert Level 2 by February.

“We are monitoring this every day, but we cannot yet say if we can already deescalate by February here in the National Capital Region,” Health spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said.

Clungene COVID-19 antigen test kits, counterfeit LianHua Chinese herbal medicines, and fake 3M N95 face masks.

The raiding team also found intellectual property rights (IPR) infringed goods such as apparel from brands like Nike, Fila, Converse, Adidas, as well as Louis Vuitton and Gucci bags, wallets, and phone accessories.

The storage owner, a Chinese national, was arrested, but he was not identified pending further investigation.

Chief intelligence officer Alvin Enciso of the Manila International Container Port-Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service, said they had proper coordination with local barangay and police officials before the raid.

Customs Deputy Commissioner for Intelligence Raniel Ramiro commended the raiding team for their latest operation against the smuggling of counterfeit COVID-19 test kits and medicines at a time when Filipinos are scrambling to access such tests and medical care.

The storage facility owner will be charged with violation of the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act (CMTA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rules and regulations.

Commissioner Guerrero said he ordered the latest operation following reports that counterfeit health goods related to COVID-19 are being sold openly in local markets.

He said it is unfortunate that these people are choosing to victimize Filipinos who have already suffered so much in the past two years because of the pandemic.

“The only thing I can think of is how

ruthless they are in robbing Filipinos at a time like this. When you sell fake COVID-19 test kits and face masks— not knowing what could happen with a fake result—you are not just stealing; you’re the primary reason why some of our [countrymen] could be making fatal decisions,” Guerrero said.

“This is unacceptable not only because we are in a pandemic, but because we have already suffered for so long from these individuals. It’s really time to put a stop to it for good,” he added Meanwhile, Philippine Red Cross Chairman (PRC) Senator Richard Gordon said on Sunday that he would push for the use of COVID-19 saliva tests in the provinces.

During his appearance on Vice President Leni Robredo's radio show, Gordon, who is also running for another Senate term in this year's elections, said he preferred saliva tests over the widely used antigen tests.

Robredo, who is seeking the presidency, was not present in the program.

“The problem with antigen tests... if you're positive, you can be a false positive. Sometimes there's also a false negative,” he said.

“That's why RT-PCR tests are better but... saliva tests are undoubtedly cheaper. That's what I will push for in the provinces,” he said.

The DOH has allowed the PRC to conduct saliva testing, which is priced at around P2,000 compared to RT-PCR tests that cost between P3,000 and P5,000.

Gordon also said testing will help curb the spread of COVID-19 especially amid the detection of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

He said that the Red Cross was also beefing up its isolation facilities.

unique geographical landscape being an archipelago of around 7,640 islands wherein delivering the vaccines to far-flung communities can be a major logistical challenge or being frequently hit by typhoons which leave behind a swath of destruction," he added.

Galvez said the country’s business sector could no longer be held hostage by the health crisis, thus, the need to further open up the economy while putting in place all the necessary health and safety precautions.

"While this may be true to a certain extent, surely the World Bank understands the need to create a balance between protecting the people’s health and breathing life into the nation’s economy," Galvez said.

Galvez said the Philippines has registered very low COVID-19 caseloads and positivity rates throughout December, a trend which started in the third quarter when vaccination rates significantly increased due to steadier and bigger vaccine deliveries.

"But the Philippines has already learned its lessons from previous surges such as the one caused by the Delta variant. The country’s health care system is now more

prepared and better equipped to respond to such surges," he added.

"This is the reason why the national government continues to collaborate and spearhead programs with private sector partners, as we continue to scale up our vaccination program."

The government is ramping up the administration of booster shots by partnering with private drug store chains and health clinics.

"With this new program and the concerted effort among all sectors of society, we are confident that we will be able to achieve our goal of fully inoculating 77 million Filipinos within this quarter and administer booster shots to more than 72 million of our countrymen," Galvez said.

Meanwhile, the government is ramping up preparations to vaccinate children aged 5-11.

Officials say they aim to inoculate 14.7 million kids under this age group with two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Guidelines are being prepared by the country's immunization task group and the National Vaccination Operations Center as they plan to start rolling out shots for these

children by February.

At an online seminar held by the University of the Philippines Manila-NIH National Telehealth Center, the Philippine General Hospital, and the Department of Health (DOH), experts said children must be prepared for their jabs.

Epidemiologist Dr. Eric Tayag, for example, said it is crucial for parents to tell their children why vaccination is important.

Tayag cited two reports showing the efficacy of Messenger RNA or mRNA vaccines, the type of vaccine that will be administered to children.

He also cited a study in the New England Journal of Medicine dated Nov. 9, 2021, showing two 10-microgram doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine administered 21 days apart "was found to be safe, immunogenic, and efficacious" in children aged 5-11.

The Food and Drug Administration approved Pfizer's emergency use authorization in December 2021, saying the vaccine had a "robust" antibody response in the age group. It is the only authorized brand so far for use in the 5-to-11 age range.

Bread,...

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Koa said bread prices would be reduced if flour prices would ease.

Earlier, Koa said flour prices have already gone up from P710 per sack to P995 currently.

Currently, Pinoy Tasty is sold at P35 per pack, while Pinoy Pandesal is sold at P21.50 per 10 pieces.

Trade Undersecretary Ruth Castelo said the government already expected the price hike petition since bread makers have been holding off on doing so

since last year.

Community bakers added there were other factors behind the price hike petition, such as rising LPG and power costs.

Oil prices are expected to go up again this week – the fourth consecutive week this year that fuel prices will increase.

Unioil Petroleum Philippines said based on its fuel price projections for January 25 to January 31, the price per liter of diesel might increase by P1.80 to P1.90, while gasoline prices are seen to rise by P1.40 to P1.50 per liter.

As of January 11, year-to-date adjustments of prices stand at a net increase

Russell, 33, was making just his sixth title defense. He has a reputation of fighting sparingly which means he is forced to face mandatory challengers almost every time he fights. He didn't defend last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Unlike many of the mandatory challengers Russell has faced over the past few years, Magsayo proved to be a legit contender.

Some ranking agencies had already started removing Russell from their lists because he usually fights just once a year. AFP

OCTA:...

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health protocols.The average daily attack rate (ADAR), while it declined to 72, was still at a "very high level.”

"Residents of NCR are advised to continue to practice extreme caution and strictly comply with health protocols in public areas," David also said.

ADAR pertains to the average number of new cases in a period per 100,000 people.

In another tweet, David also pointed out that provinces outside Metro Manila are at very high risk, citing the high ADAR in these areas.

Benguet recorded 703 new cases with a one-week growth rate of 120 percent while its ADAR was at 94.26.

Cavite registered 2,799 fresh infections with 1 percent one-week growth rate and 58.48 ADAR. In Laguna, new infections were at 1,649, one-week growth rate was at 16 percent while ADAR was at 58.41.

Batangas documented 769 new cases with 3 percent one week growth rate and 26.68 ADAR. David said cases may be peaking in Cavite and Batangas.

The Philippines logged 29,828 new

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temporarily set aside their personal interests and first ensure the health and protection of their constituents, especially now that the country is experiencing another major surge,” he said.

In its report, the World Bank said: “The slower vaccination and higher mobility during the holiday season are the likely causes why the Philippines is one of the first to experience an Omicron variant surge in the region, recording higher cases per capita than other ASEAN countries, as of Jan. 11.”

But Galvez said that despite the “slow start” due to limited vaccine supplies all over the world in 2021, the Philippines’ vaccination program gained momentum as vaccine shipments started to arrive in bulk in the third quarter of last year.

Galvez said factors affecting the vaccination program of each country vary from one another.

"Many of our neighbors in the region do not share the same challenges that we have, such as our country’s

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in a news forum.

The bill, a consolidation of 18 other proposals, seeks to legalize and regulate the operations of firms providing motorcycle-for-hire services.

Once it becomes a law, all qualified companies that employ motorcycle riders via ride-hailing apps to ferry passengers or deliver food, parcels and mails will be able to secure a franchise from the government It will supersede an existing pilot program run by the Department of Transportation that currently limits participants to just three transport firms: Angkas, JoyRide and Move It. HB 10572 is meant to address the needs of millions of Filipinos for a reliable, accessible and economical mode of transport, amid a shortage in public utility vehicles because of mobility curbs meant to address the COVID-19 pandemic.

It will also create jobs for hundreds of thousands who own motorcycles and in need of a steady source of income, Sarmiento said.

Data from online resource firm Statista showed that there were now over 7 million motorcycles across the Philippines from just 3.5 million in 2010.

HB 10572 has passed second reading. The Senate is also close to approving its own version.

“If the House and Senate bills are similar, we won’t need a (bicameral committee). The president can sign the bill. We are given nine session days up to Feb 5. I think we can do it,” said Sarmiento.

Don Pangan, president of Kapatiran sa Gulong, said he sees legitimizing motorcycle-for-hire services as the government’s way to “repay all the sacrifices and heroism of our riders over the past two years of a pandemic”.

He said the law would remove barriers that have denied jobs to tens of thousands of motorcycle riders.

“We’re asking for just one thing: to have a law that will open opportunities to all players and give everyone a fair chance,” he said.

He said there were several firms with the resources to provide ridehailing and goods-delivery services “but they are being stymied by the state we have now” because of the government’s motorcycle taxi pilot program.

The transportation department earlier ordered Move It to dissolve its partnership with ride-sharing giant Grab, which has the largest subscriber base of some 5 million potential riders.

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

COA grills QC on P479m in purchases THE Commission on Audit (COA) has questioned the validity of P479 million worth of COVID-19 pandemic procurements, mostly relief food packs, made by the Quezon City government.

In a new report published on the COA website, state auditors said the Quezon City government’s purchases violated the Procurement Law and its implementing regulations, as well as accounting rules.

“Payments…were not supported with complete documentation…Thus the validity and regularity of the transactions cannot be ascertained,” the commission said.

Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor (Anakalusugan), who is running for Quezon City mayor, said the COA report bolstered his previous whistleblowing on “the overpriced food pack purchases made by Mayor Joy Belmonte.”

“Mayor Belmonte has not sufficiently explained the procurements, conveniently dismissing our whistleblowing as politically-motivated. Now the COA itself is questioning the transactions,” Defensor said.

A concerned citizen earlier filed plunder charges against Belmonte with the Office of the Ombudsman in connection with the purchases.

Belmonte has yet to react to the report as of press time.

The COA report said that the P479 million worth of procurements were not supported by “details of the quantity (of food aid) received by each beneficiary,” procurement plan, and proof of online posting of notice of award, contract, or purchase order.

“Likewise, the posting and reporting requirements…were not complied with,” the COA said.

SC sustains CA rule on case vs. videoke owner

By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court has sustained the 2017 Court of Appeals decision upholding the conviction of a Regional Trial Court of a sing-along videoke bar owner who recruited two minors and peddled them for prostitution in 2014.

In a decision penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez that was made public last January 4, 2022, the SC affirmed the conviction of Celia Bucaling Dela Cruz, who was sentenced to two life imprisonments for two counts of violations of qualified trafficking in persons under Section 6 of Republic Act No. 9208, the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act of 2003.

The high court also upheld the P2 million penalty imposed on Dela Cruz for each count, and the P500,000 moral damages and P100,000 exemplary damages to be paid to each of the two minor victims.

The names of the victims, the place where the crimes were committed, and the branch of the RTC which convicted Dela Cruz were redacted in the decision.

During the trial of the two cases, the SC noted that the prosecution was able to prove that Dela Cruz recruited the two minors, peddled them to two police officers who posed as bar customers because of reports of prostitution in the establishment, and received P1,000 in payment for the sex services of each of the two minors.

The RTC said the acts of qualified trafficking committed by Dela Cruz were established by the testimonies of the minor victims as well as the police officers who posed as customers.

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House urged to add more benefits, SRA for workers

By Rio N. Araja

LRT WORK. Light Rail Manila Corp. workers close part of Roxas Blvd. due to the installation of LRT1 Cavite Extension Girder crossing the road in Baclaran, Paranaque City on Sunday. Norman Cruz

DOLE resumes inspections to certify workplace safety

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HE Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) has resumed inspections to ensure establishments’ compliance with the laws after a temporary suspension in December.

In Administrative Order No. 11, series of 2022, issued on January 19, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III authorized routine and complaint inspections, occupational safety and health standards investigations, and special inspections until Dec. 31, 2022, unless revoked at an earlier date.

According to a news release on Sunday, Bello also tasked the regional directors to issue the corresponding authority to inspect and investigate specific establishments or workplaces.

Meanwhile, 126 technical safety inspectors were also authorized to conduct inspection of boilers, pressure vessels, internal

combustion engines, elevators, hoisting equipment, electrical wirings, and other mechanical equipment installation.

In addition, technical safety inspectors were directed to conduct initial review and evaluation of mechanical and electrical plans for the issuance of permit to operate for mechanical equipment and certificate of electrical inspection for electrical wiring installations.

Technical safety inspectors are registered mechanical and electrical engineers who have undergone training.

The order likewise states that only designated hearing officers shall conduct mandatory conferences for inspec-

tions with noted violations.

A total of 485 hearing officers may conduct mandatory conferences after the lapse of the correction period for violations of general labor standards, occupational safety and health standards, and contracting or subcontracting rules.

Another 115 regional office personnel were designated as sheriffs who will take charge of the enforcement of issued writs of execution, implementation of decisions, and performance of final decisions and orders.

In December, Bello directed all regional directors to temporarily cease labor inspection activities to enable the Department to dispose of all pending labor standards cases and prepare the inspection program for 2022.

A total of 90,327 establishments covering 3.7 million workers were inspected in 2021.

PH reopens embassy in Morocco after 30 years THE Philippine Embassy in Moroocco, closed for nearly 30 years, reopened with a new envoy to strengthen relations with the North African state, officials said Sunday.

Philippine ambassador to Morocco Leslie Baja, the first Philippine envoy to Rabat in three decades, arrived in May 2021 a year after the chancery was opened in 2020.

A seasoned career diplomat, Baja presented his credentials to King Mohammed VI together with 38 other ambassadors on January 17, 2022, an embassy statement said Sunday.

In a ceremony replete with tradition, Baja was ushered to the King at the Throne room of the Royal Palace in Rabat.

Aside from Morocco, Baja is accredited as non-resident ambassador to Mauritania and is awaiting an opportunity to also present credentials in Guinea, Mali and Senegal.

After presenting his letters of credence from President Rodrigo Duterte, Baja extended the President’s best wishes and hope for a new era in Philippine-Morocco relations.

Also present during the ceremony was Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita who earlier received Baja in June 2021.

The Philippines established diplomatic relations with Morocco on April 10, 1975. Baja said the reopening of the Philippine Embassy is considered timely as Manila prepares for the commemoration of 50 years of diplomatic relations with Morocco in 2025.

There are some 4,600 Filipinos in Morocco, mostly employed in the domestic, beauty and wellness and skilled sectors.

In his first meeting with the Filipino community in June 2021, Baja paid tribute to the good image of Filipinos in Morocco, describing them as the “better ambassadors of the Philippines in Morocco.”

He said several agreements were awaiting signature between the two countries in the areas of air services, cooperation between news agencies and diplomatic academies and political consultations.

CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte is calling on the House of Representatives to back President Rodrigo Duterte in granting extra benefits to healthcare workers.

He said the release of P1.185 billion for the special risk allowance (SRA) of medical frontliners is a measure to recognize their sacrifices to fight COVID-19.

“Congress can go one step further by passing the bill institutionalizing this allowance and other benefits for our medical frontliners,” Villafuerte said.

He was referring to a consolidated bill in Congress, of which he is one of the principal authors designed to provide insurance coverage, special risk allowance and other benefits to healthcare workers.

The measure, a consolidation of several bills on the grant of SRA and other benefits to health workers, is still at the committee level.

The President has approved the release of P1.185 billion from the 2021 contingent fund to pay the SRA of medical frontliners.

To ensure there is always enough funding for health workers’ benefits, Villafuerte said Congress must swiftly approve the consolidated bill that aims to provide insurance coverage, SRA and other benefits.

Benefits under the consolidated bill, including House HB 10365 that he authored, cover both public and private healthcare workers, and would be granted to them during the period of the state of national calamity resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, he said.

Villafuerte also filed a related measure, HB 9670 seeking to amend the existing Magna Carta of Public Health Workers by increasing the rates for their overtime pay and other incentives and benefits.

Taguig gains 10k capsules vs. COVID-19

By Joel E. Zurbano

SMUGGLED TEST KITS. Customs-NBI-PCG officials inspect COVID-19

test kits and other imported smuggled items stored at 555 Carlos Palanca St. in San Miguel, Manila. Armed with a Letter of Authority signed by Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero, joint operatives of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Service of MICP lead by Alvin Enciso, NBI Special Action Unit, and PCG Task Force Aduana raided an online seller of smuggled unregistered Clungene COVID-19 test kit as part of a government crackdown on online selling of illegal test kits and medicines.

TAGUIG City officials led by Mayor Lino Edgardo Cayetano have turned over to the city’s Health Office the anti COVID-19 drugs intended for patients infected by the deadly virus.

The local government-procured 10,000 capsules of COVID-19 medicine Molnupiravir will be distributed to health centers in the city to give to COVID-19 patients under prescription.

During the turn-over held late last week, Mayor Cayetano highlighted the importance of the medicine in helping the efforts of the city to bring down the hospitalization.

“Despite of the continuous surge, Taguig has low rates of hospitalization. With this new medicine, we assume that severe cases will be avoided,” said he said.

Taguig residents infected with COVID-19 may ask for the anti-viral drug by calling the Telemedicine of their barangays. Patients will then be assessed by a doctor and would evaluate the situation. If a patient needs the pill, it would be delivered right at their doorstep free of charge.

According to the Institute of Clinical Epidemology, National Institute of Health, Molnupiravir is used to treat confirmed COVID patients who are 18 years old and above, with five days of mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms and with at least one risk factor for progression.

Rains threaten areas still reeling from Typhoon Odette SELLER’S LITTLE HELPERS. A vendor is trailed by his pet dogs while selling fruits along Bayanbayanan Avenue in Marikina City. Manny Palmero

SOME areas still reeling from the devastation caused by killer Typhoon Odette will experience rains again due to the low-pressure area spotted in Mindanao, the first to enter the country’s jurisdiction this year, the state weather bureau said Sunday.

The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA) said the trough of the LPA would bring cloudy skies with scattered rain showers and thunderstorms over

Eastern Visayas, Central Visayas, CARAGA, Northern Mindanao, and Davao Region in the next 24 hours.

These areas are among those that suffered the impact of the 15th and most powerful typhoon that hit the country last year.

The LPA was last seen 625 kilometers east of Hinatuan, Surigao del Sur, with the weather burreau warning on the possibility of flash floods and landslides.

Metro Manila, which has been having cloudy skies and intermit-

tent rains, and the rest of the country, will experience partly cloudy to cloudy skies with isolated rain showers due to localized thunderstorms, the weather bureau said.

Last December, Odette wreaked havoc in parts of the Visayas and Mindanao, leaving at least 406 people dead, 1,273 injured, and 65 missing as of Jan. 23.

Authorities reported damage to agriculture and infrastructure reached almost ₱16 billion and ₱17.3 billion, respectively.

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Leni: Health workers must be regularized PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Vice President Leni Robredo took the cudgels for Filipino health workers by emphasizing that the government must pursue their regularization and provide additional support.

“We will ensure that the regularization of our health is prioritized. A lot of our health workers are job orders.

They are not regularized even as they perform essential work,” Robredo said.

Robredo said exempting healthcare workers from the Personnel Salary Cap will encourage them to remain in the country instead of seeking opportunities abroad for more competitive salaries.

She added that frontliners should receive in full all the benefits under the Magna Carta for Health Workers and in a timely manner.

“Those who take care of us when we are sick, especially now that we are in the middle of a pandemic, should also be taken care of and protected by the government,” Robredo said.

She said she will push for more benefits for healthcare workers “through executive action,” such as free regular COVID testing, paid COVID sick leaves, and transportation and meal allowances.

Since the pandemic started in 2020, Robredo and the Office of the Vice President (OVP) worked to answer the needs of both healthcare workers and patients.

Through the Angat Buhay program and its partners, the OVP opened free dorms and free shuttle services for frontliners, among others.

The OVP’s free pandemic response programs for the public include the Swab Cab which offers COVID-19 antigen testing, Vaccine Express that provides COVID-19 vaccination to communities, and the Bayanihan E-Konsulta, a teleconsultation platform.

Fight corruption, crime but uphold rule of law—Isko

By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENTIAL candidate and Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso has vowed to institute a decisive government whose primary focus is the welfare of the people and the upliftment of the poor and fighting corruption and criminality while observing due process and the rule of law.

Domagoso, standard-bearer of the Aksyon Demokratiko party, vowed to expedite the delivery of minimum basic needs to all Filipino families to help them recover from the adverse effects of the pandemic through his “Life and Livelihood” platform of governance.

“Life, livelihood, work. These would be my priorities for the first two years. We will help our people and we will survive this pandemic. Many lost their jobs and I hope we can create more jobs the way we did in Manila,” he said during a television interview of presidential candidates that aired Saturday evening “The Build, Build, Build [of the Duterte administration], we will continue that. But in our case, we will continue to build, build, build more schools, build more hospitals, build more housing to generate more jobs,” he added.

Having experienced poverty early in life, Domagoso said he understands the plight of the masses and pointed out that his 23 years in public service as a local government official were spent looking for ways to uplift the lives of the people from poverty and bridge the gap between the rich and the poor.

“As long as I understand the status of the people and the majority of us, what you see in Manila, what we did was all about people – housing, education, health, employment. Basic governance,” he said.

“The first thing I gave back to the people of Manila was dignity. When you provide poor housing, the quality of life rises immediately. You gave them a proper hospital, then they have a proper and decent hospital to run to.

You let children study well, there is a nice facility. I think, naturally, these basic services addressing basic needs will alleviate the living conditions of a poor family,” Domagoso said.

VAX QUEUE. A long line of vehicles can be seen in front of the Quirino Grandstand on Sunday, January 23, 2022, as vaccination

sites in Manila City have been opened during the weekends to accommodate people wanting to get their COVID-19 vaccine jab.

Norman Cruz

Comelec starts printing ballots for Bangsamoro T HE Commission on Elections has started the printing of more than 2.5 million ballots to be used in the Bangsamoro region for the May 9 synchronized national and local polls.

Comelec spokesman James Jimenez said the poll body has also finished printing ballots for the manual local absentee voting (LAV) and overseas voting.

Some 67,442,714 official ballots would be printed for the upcoming elections, of which more than 1,697,202 would be for overseas voters.

The names of 10 presidential candidates, nine vice presidential aspirants, 64 senators, and 178 party-list groups will be included in the ballot, which will be printed back-toback.

Elaiza David, director of the Comelec - Education and Information Department (EID), said there are three ballots with different sizes to be used in the upcoming polls.

The longest ballot, measuring 30 inches, will be used in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Ballots for non-BARMM areas, on the other hand, will measure 26 inches while the size of the ballots for overseas absentee voters will be 25 inches.

David said the front side of the ballot will have the national and local positions for both BARMM and non-BARMM voters while

party-list candidates can be found at the back of the ballot.

Overseas ballots will only contain names for national positions such as president, vice president, senators, and party-list groups.

Earlier, Comelec printing committee vice chairperson Helen Aguila said the printing of the ballots is expected to be finished in April, including the buffer period.

“The buffer period is incorporated there because if we are to compute based on the peak performance of the printers of NPO, the accumulative capacity is 1,100,000 per day if it is working in peak performance.

We are realistic in anticipating contingencies including the COVID surge and infection of our workers, so until April 21 that includes the buffer period. Our buffer period is about two weeks or three weeks,” she added.

FOR GOOD LUCK.

Stores in Binondo, Manila display good luck charms ahead of the Chinese New Year on February 1, 2022.

Celebrations for the Year of the Tiger will culminate with the Lantern Festival on February 15.

Pandemic driving surge in plastic bubble wrap waste THE pandemic-driven surge in online merchandise sales is generating a huge volume of new plastic waste every day, mainly from the widespread use of “bubble wraps” to package goods ordered by consumers, Makati City Rep. Luis Campos Jr. said on Sunday.

“If you make an online purchase today, chances are you will receive the item that you ordered in a packet or carton draped in throwaway plastic bubble wrap,” Campos said.

“The problem with these elastic wraps

with air-filled cushions is that they cannot be reused. Once they are ripped to open a package, the wraps get trashed and add to all the plastic waste escaping into our water environment,” Campos said.

He said Laguna Lake, the Pasig River, Manila Bay, and the country’s coastal waters are bound to be swamped with tons of discarded plastic bubble wraps.

“Online shopping destinations should ask their logistics partners to reduce their use of bubble wraps, and to consider alternative

packaging materials that are either reusable or easier to recycle,” Campos said.

Campos is among the authors of House Bill 9147, which calls for the phaseout of all plastic products designed to be disposed of, destroyed, or recycled, after only one use.

The proposed Single-Use Plastic Products Regulation Act is already with the Senate after the House approved it in July last year.

“We are now counting on the Senate to pass the measure without further delay,” Campos said.

Lacson backs divorce, LGBT civil union laws PARTIDO Reporma chairman and standard-bearer Senator Panfilo “Ping” Lacson said he will support proposed legislations for the establishment of a divorce process in the country as well the legalization of a civil union between same sex couples if he gets elected as the 17th president of the republic.

Lacson made his position known to the public during the yes-or-no segment of an interview with presidential aspirants hosted by broadcast journalist Jessica Soho.

Lacson voted “yes” when asked on his stand on the divorce bill, which has been languishing for years in Congress.

As regards his position on the same sex marriage, Lacson gave a qualified affirmative answer.

“If civil union, yes. But if same-sex marriage before the church, no,” the senator said.

With respect to other issues of interest to the voting public, Lacson also voted ‘yes’ on the following: banning candidate substitution by withdrawal, mandatory drug testing for all candidates seeking a public office; Visiting Forces Agreement between the Philippines and United States; continuing peace talks between the government and communist organizations; allowing Philippine Offshore Gaming Operations; establishing an enabling law against political dynasty; legalizing jueteng; legalizing marijuana use for medical purposes; publicizing the Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth of public officials; joint exploration between China and the Philippines in the West Philippine Sea; and rejoining the International Criminal Court (ICC).

On the other hand, the senator voted “no” on the following issues: revival of death penalty; allowing 100 percent foreign ownership of public services and public utilities; lowering the age of criminal liability; abolition of the Presidential Commission on Good Government; and banning candidates facing active cases in court to run for public office

Ka Leody: Shift focus of war on drugs to health PARTIDO Lakas ng Masa presidential candidate Leody De Guzman said the campaign against illegal drugs should focus on treating the problem as a health issue.

“We must continue the war on drugs but not in a way where people involved are killed or treated as criminals. Let us treat it as a health problem,” he said in a Facebook livestream over the weekend.

De Guzman, who lamented that he was not invited to a television interview of presidential candidates that was aired Saturday, turned to social media instead to discuss his platform of government.

“I am not in favor of the killings committed in the implementation of the war on drugs. This shows that our position is correct that killings cannot resolve it. The killings are continuous but the drug problem also still persists,” he said.

Official data show more than 6,200 drug suspects have died in anti-narcotics operations since President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in June 2016.

The bloody war of drugs has prompted judges at the International Criminal Court to approve a formal investigation into the killings.

The ICC, however, suspended the probe in November following a request by the Philippine government, saying it is conducting its own investigation.

Meanwhile, De Guzman addressed accusations that he is living a comfortable life while representing the working class.

“The members of my family are all workers. My wife works in a bank – she is a bank officer. My eldest child is in a call center. My youngest works on a cruise ship. And the other one also works in a call center,” he said.

Lawmaker seeks to investigate bank scams

By Rio N. Araja BAGONG Henerasyon party-list Rep. Bernadette Herrera wants to initiate a probe in aid of legislation to protect the public from bank or electronic scams.

“With bank scams being a hot topic before 2021 ended, the extent and limits of a bank’s liability during scamming incidents must clearly be defined,” she said.

“Needless to say, this is by no means a witch-hunt, or a fault-finding endeavor.

Every stakeholder will surely bring valuable, if not actionable, insights to the dialogue,” she added.

She cited a scam involving a dismissed RCBC branch manager who allegedly defrauded millions of pesos from multiple clients.

One of the victims was the Inang NagAaruga sa Anak Foundation, a non-profit organization helping women, especially mothers, in need.

The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas issued two resolutions clearing RCBC’s executives of any liability, but the case was escalated to the Court of Appeals.

“What makes this case a good starting point for a legislative inquiry is that the BSP’s decision, despite clearing the accused, actually acknowledged that a scam was perpetrated in RCBC’s offices, by a then-active branch manager,” the partylist lawmaker said.

Last week, the National Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of five people, two of whom are Nigerian nationals, for their involvement in the “Mark Nagoyo Heist Group” that was responsible for hacking Banco de Oro, affecting more than 700 customers.

In a statement, NBI Officer-In-Charge Director Eric Distor identified the suspects as Ifesinachi Fountain Anaekwe a.k.a. Daddy Champ, Chukwuemeka Peter Nwadi, Jherom Anthony Taupa, Ronelyn Panaligan, and Clay S. Revillosa.

STAFF OF LIFE. Shoppers make a quick trip to a supermarket in Valenzuela City Sunday evening to buy bread. As flour prices continue to rise, bakers have asked the Department of Trade and Industry to allow a price hike for Pinoy Tasty and Pinoy Pandesal. Boy Bautista

Opinion Divergent groups and ideas

JUDEA during the time of Jesus was replete with sects and factions, each with their own expression of the Jewish faith.

Notable in the Bible are two: the Pharisees who had the reputation of being the most precise in their interpretation of the Jewish law and practice and, the Sadducees, the conservative faction of the priestly and aristocratic class.

There were other groups too who were known to exist at the same time: the radical Essenes who decided to withdraw from Jerusalem to in order to their own hermetical enclaves near the Dead Sea, and of course, the unscrupulous Zealot revolutionaries who were just too eager to drive the Roman occupiers out of Judea.

But the differences between these groups were not simply religious, but social and political as well. The Sadducees willingly collaborated with the Romans, a desperate act on their part to preserve the status quo at the temple of Jerusalem. The Pharisees criticized the priests and aristocrats for working with the Romans, because after all, they discreetly detested the occupation.

The Essenes, on the other hand, appeared to have detached themselves not only from the Jerusalem temple, but from the social mainstream of their time. Needless to say, the Zealots were just on the watch for the next revolution that they hoped would put an end to the Roman occupation.

Our human tendency to identify ourselves with like-minded individuals and groups is a fact as old as the birth of human communities. When we are drawn to a particular thought, practice or culture, we tend to connect with these groups on a more or less stable basis. This human phenomenon is very much innate in our own nature, and thus the anthropological basis for the emergence of groups and factions in every aspect of societal life.

So even today, this propensity to group ourselves according to similar beliefs, persuasions and ideals continues. Even in the political sphere, there is a group for every shade of the political spectrum—from the socialist red, to the conservative blue. It would be impossible for us to grow as a political community, and still force everyone to think and act in the same manner, or even to simply dichotomize ourselves into predetermined political groupings. There will always be that differing factor that would make a particular strand of socialism different from the rest. After all, politics should tend more closely to inclusivity than exclusivity, accommodating each and every mode of thinking into an ever growing diversity of ideas and ideals.

The same could be said about partisan politics today. There has been talk about our country reverting to former “two party system”—a political system where there two dominant political parties, one acting as the government or administration, and the other, the opposition. The presumption is that this political form would not only streamline the political process, and consequently remove much of the “noise” and “confusion” of the current multi-party system.

This is where the misunderstanding begins. Proponents of the two-party system believe that this form would be best for our country, as we were better off politically— so they say—before the introduction of the

multi-party system. This would allow for a clear delineation of political platforms and principles, and thus afford voters and their constituents a clear cut contrast between the two political parties, in the same way that the US Republican Party has a different political, economic and social standpoint from its rival, the Democratic Party.

That, however, is a too simplistic way of looking at the political scenario. In the first place, having a two-party system does not mean only two parties are allowed to exist.

It simply means that at least two dominant political parties would have the ability to run during elections, and the capability to form a government. But it does not diminish the role of third parties—or other smaller parties—to provide a median or an integrated perspective on specific political issues. For example, in the US there exists the Libertarian Party and the Green Party, each having a membership of more than 100,000 each. Another example would be in the United Kingdom where in addition to the more popular Conservative and Labor Parties, one would be surprised to know that there is a third party, the Liberal Democrats whose support was needed by the Conservatives to form a coalition government in 2010 to 2015.

The propensity to group ourselves according to similar beliefs, persuasions and ideals continues.

Simply put, a clear cut two party system is near impossible, given the rich diversity of political thought and persuasion in our time. Politicians who inaccurately believe that a two party system is needed or necessary simply do not have a good understanding of how a modern democratic society evolves and grows. It is not the number of parties that matter—but rather, the quality of political leadership within the party, and its rootedness in their own political platform and agenda.

Our politicians should stop nitpicking on the prevailing multi-party system for all the deficiencies of our political structure.

In fact, the necessity of having a vibrant and inclusive democratic space should consequently require the creation and growth of several political parties, one as necessary for each and every shade of the political spectrum.

The problem is in the quality, not the number of our political parties. The deficiency is rooted in the leadership of our political parties, and their institutional maturity. Difficult and demanding reforms are necessary for us to achieve a truly inclusive Filipino democracy.

As in Judea during the time of Jesus, the existence of the different sects and factions contributed to the emergence of a strong Jewish identity. They may have disagreed significantly, but they sure agreed on the essentials, a sure and certain antidote to political and social polarization. Perhaps, this is a lesson that we could learn from them, that our differing ways of looking at things could all provide us a much richer understanding of the same truth. Same too with the politics in our time—to disagree does not mean one side is right, and the other is wrong. But instead, the divergence of ideas would enable us to have a more balanced and accurate understanding of existing political and social realities around us.

Forget working from home­—why not live in an old office?

By Chris Stein BLOCKS from the White House, an unassuming edifice in downtown Washington that once held offices used by the US Department of Justice is set to be converted into homes for hundreds of people.

The transformation of the vacant office space is among a surge of “adaptive reuse” projects that swept the US property market in 2021, where developers bought hotels and offices that were struggling to get business and announced plans to turn them into apartments.

“The market spoke, and it said the value was greater for a conversion than for it continuing as office space,” said Michael Abrams, managing director of Foulger-Pratt, the property development firm that is turning the 14-story building on New York Avenue into 255 apartments.

A survey by apartment listing service RentCafe found about 20,100 apartments were built out of converted properties in the United States last year, almost double the number converted in the year prior.

Such conversions could offer a way forward for US downtowns, which haven’t been the same since office workers fled as Covid-19 broke out nearly two years ago, leaving landlords and local

businesses struggling.

“The slow office market recovery is just going to make it that much more expensive to carry vacant office buildings,” Abrams said.

Conversions may also play a role in easing a shortage of affordable housing, particularly in cities like Washington, where notoriously high rents are a feature of life.

“From the overall perspective, we just need increased supply. By having more supply, both the home price growth will come down and the rents will come down,” said Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors.

Developers bought hotels and offices that were struggling to get business and announced plans to turn them into apartments.

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EDITORIAL

Renewed resolve

T

drives and the emergence of other variants.

It is apparent that COVID-19 will not go away anytime soon, and countries including the Philippines will have to build programs that take into consideration the virus’ prolonged presence instead of imagining a post-COVID world. The leaders of nations should take advantage of the Covax’s resolve to provide vaccines with greater efficiency.

Only through immunity can we decisively end this health and economic scourge.

Here at home, our new set of leaders should not only work to obtain vaccine supply but ensure they are immediately brought and administered to Filipinos in all regions in the country at the soonest possible time.

Anything less than a strategic plan to achieve herd immunity for the entire nation would be criminal ineptitude in the face of a virus that has terrorized and paralyzed us for so long.

HE Covax facility delivered its one billionth dose over the weekend, but this came much later than expected as the world continued to reel from the virus and its series of variants.

Last year, Covax’s good intentions were hampered by rich countries cornering most of the vaccine supply, export bans from producer countries, regulatory red tape and manufacturing delays, according to a report by Agence France Presse.

Covax relied on vaccines donated by wealthy countries, but these jabs were often about to expire.

As a result, vaccine delivery was marked by inefficiency and inhuman inequity.

For 2021, top recipients of vaccines from Covax were Bangladesh with 130 million, Indonesia 87 million, Pakistan 77 million, and the Philippines 66 million.

The facility vows to do better this year. It launched a fund drive to raise $5.2 billion over the next three months

Anything less would be criminal ineptitude. so it can dramatically improve its operations in 2022.

Covax says it intends to smooth the supply chain this year by setting up a reliable stream off the production lines and efficient distribution arrangements in recipient countries, the AFP reports.

“We can break the cycle of transmission and the pain and suffering,” Gavi chief Seth Berkley said.

Still, there are many challenges to hurdle, including individual countries’ capacity to hold vaccination

Synergy for digital competitiveness

THE billions of dollars that the Philippine telecommunications companies have been investing yearly to expand and upgrade telecommunications infrastructure has managed to speed up fixed broadband connection to 50.26Mbps (Megabits per second). This pushed up the country’s global ranking to 63rd out of 178 countries, an improvement of nine places. This was recently reported in the December 2022 Ookla Global Index based on median download speeds that quantified the average user experience.

Download speeds for mobile also increased month-on-month by 2.78 percent to 19.20 Mbps. Compared to July 2016 levels, Philippine fixed broadband had increased by 535.40 percent while mobile download speeds improved by 158.07 percent. The National Telecommunication Commission credited these improving internet connection speeds to the accelerated pace of building and operationalizing of telecommunications towers and fiber optic networks by the private telcos and the shorter permitting timeline imposed by the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT).

On the other hand, according to the 2021 Country-Level Digital Competitiveness Ranking by Statista, the Philippines placed 58th or sixth to the last out of a list of 63 countries. First among the top 5 is the United States followed by Hong Kong SAR, Sweden, Denmark, and Singapore.

In the Asia-Pacific ranking of the report, Hong Kong ranks first followed by Singapore, Chinese Taiwan, Republic of Korea, China, Austria, New Zealand, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand, India, Indonesia, then the Philippines at second to the last over Mongolia.

The digital competitiveness rankings “analyze and rank countries’ ability to adopt and explore digital technologies Even more expensive Despite the downturn caused by Covid-19, the median price of existing homes climbed 15.8 percent over the course of 2021, and by last month supply had hit an all-time low, according to NAR data, likely exacerbating a crisis of affordable housing that predated the pandemic.

As of 2017, 48 percent of tenants were considered “rent burdened” by the US Government Accountability Office—meaning they paid more than 30 percent of their income on rent—a figure that had risen six percentage points over the preceding 16 years.

The United States meanwhile has a glut of offices. With many of them dating to the 1980s, they are now too old to be attractive to companies, said Tracy Hadden Loh, a fellow at Brookings Metro.

With their designs centered around outdated needs like space for file cabinets, “Really just the entire building is obsolete,” she said in an interview.

Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Anita F. Grefal

Baldwin R. Felipe

Edgar M. Valmorida

leading to transformation in government practices, business models and society in general” and “based on three major criteria: knowledge, technology, and future readiness.” This report puts into perspective how far we need to go and emphasizes the urgency to catch up with the rest of the world when it comes to digital competitiveness. Quite obvious is how the more developed countries rank higher which shows how digital technologies, and its optimal use is a vital economic asset.

The pandemic has exponentially accelerated the shift to a digital powered economy.

According to the 2021 We Are Social report of Hootsuite, out of the Philippine population of approximately 110 million, 73 million or more than 67 percent are internet users. As the telcos build more digital infrastructure, even more demand will be created as Filipinos are quick in adopting digital modes as the main tool for virtually all non-face-to-face communications and transactions.

E-commerce is surging as reported by the 2021 Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with retail online business increasing to 80.2 percent because of the widespread shift not just in retail transactions but also in delivery services, online entertainment, telehealth consultations, and ride hailing services. DTI predicts that by 2022 there will be one million e-commerce businesses registered aside from millions more in the informal economy doing direct transactions also with online platforms.

This is further reinforced by a 2021 study by global cybersecurity firm Kaspersky that ranked Filipinos as the Asia Pacific Region’s top “e-cash adopters” at 37 percent followed by India (23 percent), Austra-

lia (15 percent), Vietnam (14 percent), Indonesia (13 percent), Thailand (13 percent), and Singapore (11 percent).

The main driver of technology and the whole economy, for that matter, is and has always been the private sector because of their innate culture and need to continuously be competitive and profitable by being efficient, fast, and delivering the best products and services to its customers. When successful enterprises are able to provide a new innovation to make life better, consumers reciprocate in a continuing cycle of production and consumption that fuels cross-cutting linkages of thriving ecosystems.

In the October Social Weather Stations survey commissioned by think tank Stratbase, eight in ten Filipinos believe that the Philippines would achieve faster growth if the government engaged in more collaborative partnerships with the private sector.

The respondents also valued how the private sector is crucial in helping boost our struggling economy by creating jobs (65 percent), providing more livelihood opportunities (57 percent), and lifting Filipinos out of poverty (46 percent).

A more recent survey of Pulse Asia likewise found that 58 percent of Filipinos believe that the private sector helps create jobs (58 percent), helps fight poverty (57 percent) and gives more livelihood opportunities (52 percent).

Furthermore, 81 percent said the government should engage the private sector to invest in expanding and upgrading the country’s public infrastructure.

The leaders who will be elected in the new government after the May 2022 elections should put top priority in the development of our digital infrastructure to support our growing digital economy. The governments of the top-ranking countries of the digital competitiveness study have been aggressively investing to expand and upgrade their broadband connectivity. We need the government and the private sector to have the synergy to pursue a well aligned digital transformation roadmap to foster our country’s readiness to compete and excel in the global digital economy.

Corporate pullout Marc Ehrlich, chief investment officer at Rose Associates, which has converted New York City offices into housing, said such projects tend to be “well-located properties that need a higher and better use.”

One of his firm’s latest undertakings is the transformation of an office once used by telecommunications firm AT&T into a place people want to live.

Lacking amenities like covered parking, the building is unlikely to attract commercial tenants, Ehrlich said.

However, the new apartments will feature co-working spaces, since many tenants will likely want to continue working from home, he said.

In Washington, developers are pouncing on properties formerly rented by the region’s top employer, the federal government.

This includes The Wray, an office building used by the State Department, but which

has been totally renovated to house apartments.

The only signs of its former use are in the lobby, where the tiles are original, as is a directory listing the names of State Department offices once based there.

“The pool of tenants that goes back into these buildings is dramatically diminished, and that’s what’s putting the stress on that tier of property, that’s what’s creating the opportunity,” said Abrams.

Adaptive reuse projects tend to demand high rents, Loh said, since they often require expensive renovations such as the construction of new bathrooms in buildings where they were once communal.

While expanding inventory has been shown to relieve price pressures elsewhere in the housing market, “This isn’t a solution to the housing crisis,” she added.

“This is a solution to revitalize areas like downtowns that are super dominated by places like office spaces.” AFP

The pandemic has exponentially accelerated the shift to a digital powered economy.

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

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares

Managing Editor Associate Editors News Editor

Jimbo Owen Gulle City Editor Honor Blanco Cabie Night Editor Lino M. Santos Chief Photographer

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

AS WINTER OLYMPICS LOOM

Beijing tests 2m residents for COVID-19 B EIJING city officials on Sunday said all two million residents of a neighborhood where they identified a small cluster of COVID-19 infections will be tested, less than two weeks ahead of the start of the Winter Olympics.

The announcement came days after China’s postal service ordered workers to disinfect international deliveries after authorities claimed mail could be the source of recent coronavirus cases.

Some 30 infections have been detected in the past week in Beijing, one of the world’s most populous cities.

Both the WHO and the US Centers for Disease Control have said the risk of being infected from contaminated surfaces is low.

China’s cases constitute a tiny fraction of the massive surge in countries around the globe, with the highly contagious Omicron variant driving a fresh spike in infections.

Still, multiple small outbreaks around China—including in Beijing—have tested the country’s strict “zero COVID” policy, which authorities have pursued even as the rest of the world has gradually reopened.

Local authorities have identified Fengtai district in southern Beijing as the epicenter of a cluster of six new confirmed infections, taking the number of cases in the capital to 34.

All two million of the area’s residents will be tested for COVID-19 starting from Sunday.

With the Beijing Games starting on February 4, international delegates, media personnel, and some athletes have already begun arriving.

In an effort to thwart the coronavirus, China is sealing the Olympics inside a tightly

controlled bubble cocooning thousands of people and stretching nearly 200 kilometers (120 miles).

This “bubble”—which is considerably stricter than the one in Tokyo—requires a battery of measures to isolate Games participants from the outside world, as well as daily COVID screening tests.

The “curse” of Olympic overspending looks set to strike again at the Beijing Games, with stringent COVID measures and loss of ticket sale revenues pushing up costs.

With increasingly strict rules imposed as domestic outbreaks spread in China, organizers announced last week that they will not sell tickets to the public because of the “complicated” COVID situation.

Instead, invitations will be given to select people. The organizing committee had originally calculated ticketing revenue to be worth $118 million.

The pandemic has brought additional problems and costs.

Last summer’s COVIDdelayed Tokyo Olympics, the first to be held in coronavirus times, ended up at around twice the budget proposed in the city’s original 2013 bid.

That was even as organizers said they had saved cash by simplifying events and avoiding the cost of hosting fans, with most events closed to spectators. AFP

SPECTACULAR DISPLAY. Lightning bolts strike near the Uruguayan Yacht Club during a thunderstorm in Montevideo. AFP

Peru: Environmental emergency after oil spill PERU declared an environmental emergency Saturday (Sunday, Manila time) to battle an oil spill caused by freak waves from a volcanic eruption in the South Pacific.

The stunningly powerful eruption last Saturday of an undersea volcano near Tonga unleashed tsunami waves around the Pacific and as far away as the United States.

In Peru, the oil spill near Lima has fouled beaches, killed birds and harmed the fishing and tourism industries.

With its 90-day decree, the government said it plans “sustainable management” of 21 beaches tarred by 6,000 barrels of oil that spilled from a tanker ship unloading at a refinery last Saturday.

One aim of the decree is to better organize the various agencies and teams working in the aftermath of the disaster, said the environment ministry.

Foreign Trade and Tourism Minister Roberto Sanchez estimated Saturday that eco-

nomic losses total more than $50 million, all sectors combined.

The government is demanding payment of damages from the Spanish energy giant Repsol which owns the refinery.

The environment ministry said 174 hectares – equivalent to 270 football fields – of sea, beaches and natural reserves were affected by the spill.

Crews have been working for days to clean up the spill.

But the ministry said it issued the emergency decree because the crude still in the water was still spreading, reaching 40 kilometers (25 miles) from the spot of the original spill.

The environment ministry said “the spill amounts to a sudden event of significant impact on the coastal marine ecosystem, which has major biological diversity.”

It said that over the short term, Repsol is responsible for emergency cleanup operations.

The refinery is in the town of Ventanilla near Lima.

Repsol has said the spill occurred because of the freak waves caused by the eruption.

The company has argued that it is not responsible for the spill, however, because it says the government gave no warning that there might be rough waters from that undersea blast.

On Saturday, Repsol issued a statement outlining the cleanup operation by 1,350 people using big-rig trucks, skimmers, floating containment barriers and other equipment.

Repsol said it is “deploying all efforts to attend to the remediation of the spill.”

In addition to the fishing industry, Peru’s tourism sector has taken a major blow, including everything from restaurants, to beach umbrella rentals to food and beverage sales by vendors. AFP

Sokor pays Iran’s $18-m UN dues SOUTH Korea has used $18 million of frozen Iranian assets to pay Tehran’s dues to the UN, Seoul said Sunday, in a move to immediately restore the country’s voting rights.

The payment was made Friday in cooperation with the United States and the UN after Iran made an “emergency request” asking South Korea to pay the dues, Seoul’s finance ministry said in a statement.

Iran has more than $7 billion in funds for oil shipments frozen at two South Korean banks due to US sanctions.

“Iran’s voting right at the UN General Assembly is expected to be immediately restored with the payment,” the ministry said.

Tehran’s mission to the UN told AFP the payment had been “completed.”

The Islamic republic was South Korea’s third-largest Middle Eastern trade partner before the United States unilaterally withdrew from a 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and world powers and reimposed crippling sanctions.

The UN cited unpaid dues when it suspended Iran’s voting rights at the General Assembly earlier this month.

Under the UN charter, a member country’s right to vote is suspended when its arrears equal or exceed the dues it should have paid over the preceding two years.

Iran also lost its vote over unpaid dues last year. It said it could not pay even the minimum amount because of US economic sanctions.

After months of negotiations, it was granted an exemption— it was allowed to access money blocked by the US Treasury—and got back its vote in June in time for the election of new members of the Security Council. AFP

INVITATION TO BID Bid No. 2022-01

The office of the General Manager through duly constituted Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), hereby invites all interested contractors, manufacturers, suppliers, dealers, and authorized dealers to submit bids for NEA subsidy 2020 Sitio Electrification Program (SEP) intended for Isabela II Electric Cooperative (ISELCO II).

LOT 1

PARTICULARS 2020 SEP GAA - EXTENSION OF DISTRIBUTION LINES

Approved Budget Cost (ABC)

NON-REFUNDABLE FEE (Bid Documents)

PHP 15,602,409.74

PHP 25,000.00

Bidding documents are available in electronic data format for purchase.

Interested bidders shall submit a letter of intent and comply with the following requirements: a.) Company Profile

e.) Latest Income Tax Return (ITR)

b.) DTI Business Name Registration or

f.) List of Clients for 3 years

SEC Registration Certificate c.) Business Permit (Valid and Current Mayor’s Permit)

g.) Latest Audited Annual Financial Statement h.) Location Map of the Office

d.) BIR/VAT Certificate which consist the TIN Note: The completion of the project must be within 180 days.

The foregoing amounts are non-refundable and must be paid to the cashier at ISELCO II, Main Office, Government Center, City of Ilagan, Isabela. Tel Nos. (078) 323-0013 and (078) 323-0715 official receipt of payments must be presented during the Pre-Bid Conference.

ACTIVITIES

SCHEDULE

Release of Invitation to Bid (Publication)

January 24, 2022

Selling and Issuance of Bid Documents

January 25, 2022 to February 3, 2022

Pre-Bid Conference

February 4, 2022 9:00 AM (Virtual)

Deadline of Submission and Receipt of Bids/Bid Opening

February 17, 2022

Bid Evaluation

February 18, 2022

Post Qualification

ISELCO II hereby reserves the right to reject any bids, waive any formality therein, accepts proposal most advantageous to the Cooperative and assumes no obligation to compensate or indemnify any bidder for expenses or losses that may be incurred in the preparation of bid nor does it guarantee that an award will be made.

JOSEPH S. PALATTAO BAC Chairman

DAVID SOLOMON M. SIQUIAN General Manager

M. Standard – Jan. 24, 2022

OUTPOURING GRIEF. Buddhist monks carry the body of Vietnamese monk Thich Nhat Hanh, 95, during his funeral ceremony at the Tu Hieu Pagoda in Hue on January 23, 2022. AFP

Covax opens new front in pandemic arms race this year COVAX aims to break the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 by ensuring a steady supply of vaccines at last for the world’s poorest countries – and swiftly getting them into arms.

The global scheme, aimed at procuring donor-funded jabs for the 91 weakest economies, delivered its one billionth dose last weekend – a major milestone that came far later than anticipated after a year of setbacks.

The battle for Covax in 2021 was getting hold of doses – besides rich countries cornering most of the vaccine supply, it faced export bans from producer countries, regulatory red tape and manufacturing delays.

Rather than bulk-bought jabs, the scheme ended up relying on doses donated by wealthy nations, which too often were about to expire and could not be used in time.

Covax sees the new front in 2022 as smoothing the supply chain – from a reliable stream off the production lines to efficient distribution set-ups in recipient countries.

The facility is co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO); the Gavi vaccine alliance, which handles procurement; and CEPI, the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations, which invests in prospective vaccines.

Covax this week called for $5.2 billion over the next three months to steady the ship this year.

“We can break the cycle of transmission and the pain and suffering,” Gavi chief Seth Berkley told the funding drive launch. AFP

Lab monkeys found, killed after fleeing US road crash THREE monkeys have been found and killed after a truck carrying 100 primates to a laboratory crashed, allowing them to escape and triggering a police hunt.

The vehicle turned in front of an oncoming dump truck near Danville, Pennsylvania, on Friday en route to a lab in Florida.

Police said on Twitter Friday that “a small number of monkeys may have fled the crash scene into the surrounding area.”

By Saturday night, police said all 100 monkeys had been accounted for.

Local news site WNEP reported that the escaped monkeys were euthanized, citing the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC told WNEP the monkeys landed Friday in New York and were originally from Mauritius.

It was previously believed that four monkeys were missing after

the crash.

WNEP said a police helicopter with thermal cameras was used to track down the cynomolgus monkeys, while officers on the ground used powerful flashlights.

Pennsylvania State Police released an image of one primate perched in a tree off Route 54.

Cynomolgus monkeys— also known as long-tailed macaques—have recently been in demand for research into vaccines against viruses. AFP

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022 ||

B3

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

B4

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

IN BRIEF

Market eyes easing restrictions in NCR

SHARE prices are expected to move sideways with an upward bias on expectations that mobility restrictions in National Capital Region will ease by next month as COVID-19 cases drop.

Daily COVID-19 cases in the country remain high but those in Metro Manila are on a downward trend.

“At this point we expect the PSEi to trade sideways between a range of 7,000 to 7,300 as investors seek further clarity on the ongoing surge, focusing mainly on the progression of the surge and how the IATF (Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases) with regards to Alert Leve III at the end of the month,” online brokerage firm UTrade.com.ph said.

Utrade said bullish sentiments will return when the cases start to decline and when IATF downgrades Metro Manila and other key provinces to Alert II. The Philippine Stock Exchange Index last week added 0.4 percent to 7,293.52 while the broader All Shares Index rose 0.4 percent to 3,869.40. Jenniffer B. Austria

Ovialand bares 90% increase in revenues

OVIALAND Inc., a mass housing developer that plans to go public this year, reported a 90-percent increase in revenues in 2021 to P900 million.

Ovialand said in a statement over the weekend said the revenues came from 433 house and lot units sold in 2021. These units have been taken out by financing institutions, with the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) assuming a majority of these accounts.

“We are humbled that we achieved 90 percent year-over-year growth in our revenues despite the challenges brought by the pandemic. This places Ovialand in a financially strong position to successfully pursue its long-term growth plans, such as expanding nationwide by 2030 and our planned IPO by this year,” Olivares-Vital said.

Ovialand earlier said it plans to raise up to P1.5 billion from the initial public offering to enhance to its financial capabilities and support expansion plans.

The property firm this year plans to complete 600 houses in Southern Luzon and begin expanding in areas where it is poised to expand its market share.

Jenniffer B. Austria

Business Razon-Leviste joint venture seeking Meralco supply deal

By Alena Mae S. Flores

T

ERRA Solar, the joint venture of Solar Philippines Power Project Holdings Inc. of the Leviste Group and Prime Infrastructure Holdings Inc. of tycoon Enrique Razon Jr., submitted an unsolicited proposal to supply Manila Electric Co. with 850 megawatts (MW) of midmerit power for a period of 20 years

Meralco started the competitive selection process, or bidding, for its supply requirements in compliance with the Department of Energy’s policy on Re-

newable Portfolio Standards. The auction is part of Meralco’s efforts to secure up to 1,500 MW of its power requirements from renewable energy sources.

Meralco’s Third Party Bids and Awards Committee (TBPAC) announced over the weekend that interested parties can challenge the offer of Terra Solar, which proposed a P6.0800 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) headline rate and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE).

Terra Solar has proposed solar power plants with an energy storage system in Batangas, Cavite, Nueva Ecija, Tarlac and Zambales provinces.

Terra Solar committed a total 600 MW of its power supply by February 26, 2026, while an additional 250 MW are expected to be delivered starting February 26, 2027.

Meralco said bidders should make their capacity 100 percent available for six to 13 hours daily covering the peak hours of Meralco for at least 84 hours

EVACUATION CENTER.

Alfredo Lim (left), president and chief operating officer of Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., and Goa, Camarines Sur Mayor Marcel Pan (right) bury the time capsule, signaling the start of construction of PAGCOR’s two-story MultiPurpose Evacuation Center in the town. Looking on are some officials from the local government of Goa.

NEA monitors higher cooperative rates

THE National Electrification Administration (NEA) has monitored increased electricity charges from cooperatives in September to the last quarter of 2021 due to high fuel prices.

“Based on review of the electric cooperatives’ (ECs) residential unbundled rates for September 2021, more than 44 percent of the 121 ECs manifested a considerably high energy charges while significant increases from the previous quarter were observed among 18 percent of the 121 ECs,” NEA said in its advisory.

NEA attributed the upsurge in electricity prices to high fuel prices due to the spike in coal prices in the world market.

To mitigate higher charges, NEA directed all ECs, especially those with high system losses and/or those which exceeded the 12 percent threshold set by the Energy Regulatory Commission, to strengthen and strictly implement their system loss reduction program.

NEA also ordered the ECs to ensure compliance with the Department of Energy circular DC 2018-02-0003 in the conduct of the competitive selection process on power supply agreements. Alena Mae S. Flores

in a week.

Meralco’s peak hours stretch from 8 a.m to 9 p.m., but ththey may change during the required contract period upon mutual consent of both parties.

Meralco said interested bidders have until February 2 to submit their expression of interest. A pre-bid conference will be held on on February 4 while the bid submission deadline is set on March 7.

Meanwhile, Meralco is waiting approval from the DOE to conduct another bidding for the supply of 180 MW of baseload capacity needed starting February to July this year.

The proposed contract covers February 26 to July 25, or for five months.

This is in addition to the ongoing competitive selection process for the supply of 170 MW of peaking capacity that has drawn interest from three prospective suppliers. Bid submission deadline is on February 2.

More foreign business chambers urge Senate to ratify regional pact THE Joint Foreign Chambers called on the Senate to ratify Philippine membership in the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership before the election campaign recess.

The RCEP is a free trade agreement including the ten members of the ASEAN—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam—as well as Australia, China, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea. It is the largest trade bloc in the world, accounting for 30 percent of the global gross domestic product or about $26.2 trillion.

Canadian Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines president Julian Payne

said Philippine companies would be left behind at a competitive advantage in trade between RCEP members if the agreement was not ratified in time by the Philippine Congress.

“As business associations representing major industrialized economies, we are concerned the Philippines export industry that has been severely hit by the pandemic, will miss out unless this free trade agreement is approved by the Senate,” he said.

The European Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines supported other business chambers, saying RCEP would complement other economic reforms, such as the amendments to the Foreign

CAVITE TERMINAL. Cavite Gateway Terminal (CGT), the country’s first dedicated container barge terminal located in Tanza, Cavite, provides an alternate means of transporting containers from the Port of Manila to Southern Luzon and back via Manila Bay sea lanes. Photo shows containers from the Manila International Container Terminal being offloaded at the CGT. Port operator International Container Terminal Services Inc. continues to beef up operations of the CGT in Tanza in a bid to find logistical solutions and alternatives for the country’s supply chain.

Investment Act, Retail Trade Act and Public Services Act. “By ratifying the partnership, the Philippines will show the world that the fast-growing Philippine economy is an increasingly attractive location for new and expanding foreign investment. Ratification of RCEP will be another step forward to benefit the Philippines,” said ECCP president Lars Wittig.

The American Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines (AmCham) and the Australian-New Zealand Camber of Commerce of the Philippines (ANZCham) earlier issued statements strongly supporting the full ratification.

Othel V. Campos

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, January 21, 2022 54.24 PTS.

7,293.52

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

2,146,469,138 67,675

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)

5,519,035,014.52

ADVANCES 94 DECLINES 93 UNCHANGED 53

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.4280

Japan

Yen

0.008765

0.4508

UK

Pound

1.360300

69.9575

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128432

6.6050

Switzerland

Franc

1.091227

56.1196

Canada

Dollar

0.799872

41.1358

Singapore

Dollar

0.742280

38.1740

Australia

Dollar

0.722500

37.1567

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653083

136.4428

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266588

13.7101

Brunei

Dollar

0.739536

38.0329

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030349

1.5608

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

14.0032

Euro

Euro

1.131400

58.1856

Korea

Won

0.000839

0.0431

China

Yuan

0.157691

8.1097

India

Rupee

0.013433

0.6908

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238834

12.2828

New Zealand

Dollar

0.675400

34.7345

Taiwan

Dollar

0.036202

1.8618 Source: BSP

Indonesia’s trade chief assures PH of coal stock

By Othel V. Campos INDONESIA has assured the Philippines of coal supply as soon as it resolves domestic issues after relaxing the export ban.

Indonesia made the assurance following a virtual bilateral meeting between Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez and Indonesia Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto on January 21, 2022.

The bilateral meeting specifically highlighted the coal export ban recently implemented by the Indonesian government.

Airlangga said his government was addressing the coal supply situation situation and added the Ministry of Agriculture in Indonesia was also open and ready to assist exporters from the Philippines to gain market access.

Lopez said the DTI appreciated the Indonesian government’s gesture for lowering trade barriers, which have facilitated the smooth entry of Filipino products in the Southeast Asian neighbor, especially agriculture, industrial and more halal certified products.

He stressed the Philippine market remains open for Indonesian products while reiterating “that trade and investments are vital to ramp up economic recovery.”

Indonesia is the world’s biggest thermal coal supplier, shipping to 139 companies acorss the globe including the Philippines, Japan and South Korea.

Earlier, the Department of Energy said the coal inventory of power generators meet the 30-day minimum inventory level amid concerns over Indonesia’s coal export ban.

“Initial picture we have, all of them have met the 30-day requirement.

Some of them may extend up to 45 or 50 days,” said DOE power bureau director Mario Marasigan.

Indonesia’s coal export ban from Jan. 1 to Jan. 31 caused concerns on the supply of power plants which, if insufficient, could lead to widespread blackout.

Energy Secretary Alfonso Cusi appealed to Indonesia to lift the coal export ban, specifically for the Philippines.

Italpinas investing P1.2b to develop another mixed use CDO community

By Jenniffer B. Austria ITALPINAS Development Corp. (IDC) is spending P1.2 billion to develop a new mixed use community in Cagayan de Oro City.

IDC said in a disclosure to the stock exchange over the weekend the project, to be called Verona Green Apartments, would be the company’s first venture into the economic housing market.

The project will consist of a series of lowrise walk-up green buildings, offering both residential and commercial space.

Prices of the units in the Verona Green Apartments will range from approximately P1.2 million to P1.5 million each. All studio units are designed to have a 23 square meter (sq.m.) space with a balcony.

IDC plans to complete the project in two phases. The project designed to consist of about 900 residential units and around 50

commercial spaces.

“We’re very excited to launch into 2022 the Verona Green Apartments in 2022.

We’re lucky that we have been able to continue strongly with sales, operations, and business development during the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, and this new project is one of the outcomes of that business development thrust,” said IDC chairman and chief executive Romolo Nati.

“As a company, we know Cagayan de Oro well, and we love it for its people, its energy, and its inspiring growth. CdO was where we built our very first development (Primavera Residence), which is followed by a larger one (Primavera City), and now by the Verona Green Apartments. Because we are established there, we can immediately leverage our existing operational capacity to confidently accelerate the Verona project, and we are looking forward to doing this,” said Nati.

Bangko Sentral issues new rules on settlement of electronic payments to boost credit risk management

By Julito G. Rada THE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas has issued guidelines on the settlement of electronic payments under the National Retail Payment System framework.

BSP Governor Benjamin Diokno said over the weekend the policy retained current provisions applicable to instant retail payments while incorporating new provisions relevant to batch settlement of epayments.

“This new set of guidelines is expected

to strengthen the credit and settlement risk management for batch settlement of electronic payments,” he said.

The settlement guidelines provide the responsibilities and minimum requirements to be adhered to by BSP-supervised financial institutions participating in the automated clearing houses established under the NRPS, namely InstaPay and PESONet, as well as the respective clearing switch operators of the automated clearing houses.

Key provisions include requiring clear-

ing participants to maintain a separate demand deposit account per settlement mechanism type.

The guidelines also stipulate that clearing switch operators implementing batch settlement of e-payments shall enable clearing participants to effectively monitor the sufficiency of their respective demand deposit account balances for every settlement cycle.

The settlement guidelines are issued to support the implementation of the PESONet Multiple Batch Settlement.

“This latest digital payments initiative increases the frequency of PESONet batch settlement to two cycles in a banking day, thereby allowing faster clearing and settlement of both personal and business transactions,” Diokno said.

He said the issuance of the guidelines governing the different settlement mechanisms under the NRPS Framework is crucial in the proper implementation of Republic Act 11127, or the National Payment Systems Act, which mandates the BSP to ensure that payment systems are operated

in a safe, efficient, and reliable manner.

PESONet is an electronic fund transfer scheme under the National Retail Payment System which can be considered as an electronic alternative to the check system. It is ideal for high-value business transactions beyond P50,000 and is credited to the receiver by the end of a banking day.

InstaPay is its retail counterpart which allows for real-time transfer of funds up to P50,000, making it ideal for e-commerce as well as urgent payment needs.

Sports

Bulls’ Caruso to undergo surgery on broken wrist

LOS ANGELES—Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso will miss six to eight weeks after surgery on a broken right wrist suffered when he was fouled by Milwaukee’s Grayson Allen, the Bulls said Saturday.

Allen was assessed a level two flagrant foul and ejected after the play in the Bucks’ win on Friday.

Caruso was rising to the rim when contact from Grayson caused him to crash from the court.

Grayson was originally assessed a common foul, which was upgraded to a flagrant upon video review that showed he took an extra swipe at Caruso.

Caruso, who lay on his right side for a couple of minutes before rising and carrying on, said after the game he was not sure at the time what had happened.

“Went up, was going to try to two-hand flush, a little dunk in (transition),” Caruso said during his postgame press conference. “I didn’t really know what happened during Alex Caruso the play.

“But afterward, looking at it, I mean, dude just grabbed me out of the air.”

Immediately after the game Caruso said he was glad not to have any major injuries, saying his “banged-up” wrist bothered him when he returned to the game.

“I tried to do my best to go out there and fight with the guys and compete and try to win,” he said.

Although the Bulls did not know the extent of the injury until Saturday, coach Billy Donovan was livid after the game at Allen’s action.

“For Alex to be in the air and for (Allen) to take him down like that, he could’ve ended his career,” Donovan said. “That to me was really dangerous. I hope the league takes a hard look at something like that because that could have really, really seriously hurt him.”

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

C1

Blu Girls, Boys formed for ‘22 Asian Games

By Lito Cinco

SUNS TORCH PACERS. Chris Duarte of the Indiana Pacers drives the ball past Chris Paul of the Phoenix Suns during the second half of their NBA game at Footprint Center in Phoenix, Arizona. Mikal Bridges scored a team-high 23 points and Paul finished with 18 points and 16 assists as the Suns notched their sixth straight win, 113-103, on Saturday. The Suns have also won nine of their last 10.

PH lady booters eye 2nd win in Asian Cup

By Peter Atencio

T

HE Philippines will be playing minus one COVID 19-infected player the rest of the way, but coach Alen Stajcic remains upbeat about his team’s campaign in the 2022 Asian Football Confederation Women’s Asian Cup. The PH lady booters’ historic 1-0 upset of Thailand last Friday has already improved their chances of reaching the quarterfinal round.

But their big game with Tokyo Olympics’ fourth placer Australia at 3:30 p.m.

Monday (6 p.m. Manila time) will keep the Filipina booters on their toes at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai.

“We got a big game with Australia, such a big and powerful team. We need to refocus on that game,” said Stajcic in a virtual interview with Filipino scribes.

The Filipinas missed Fil-Am player

Sarina Bolden, a midfielder for WE League club Chifure AS Elfen Saitama, after she tested positive for COVID-19 a day before their game with Thailand. She has been in isolation since.

Despite her absence, Stajcic said the Filipinas’ resilience against the Thais pulled them through.

“I’m really proud of their resilience and their performance under such extreme difficulty,” added Stajcic, who handled the Australian Matildas during their stint in the Olympics.

Now under coach Tony Gustavvson,

the Aussies will bring the momentum they got into their game following an 18-0 smashing of Indonesia.

Gustavvson said he decided to field a strong squad in their match against Indonesia in order for the team to set the tone with a good start.

“There are different reasons, but the number one reason is that we need that cohesion between the players and to get off on a good start, to send some messages to ourselves and to the others about how we are treating this tournament,” explained Gustavvson.

While the Philippines is expected to play defensively, Gustavvson plans to be an attacking team all throughout.

Gustavvson said they have been comfortable with their 3-4-4 and 4-3-3 formations over the last 12 months. But there will be tweaks in their game, plus flexibility on how they’ll pull it off and some surprises in store in their clash with the Philippines.

DESPITE the pandemic that has curtailed its field practice training, the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines has already formed both its Blu Girls and Blu Boys’ squads for the coming Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Blu Girls’ head coach Randy Dizer confirmed that his team, composed of 24 local players, who survived the tryouts last November, includes 12 carryovers and 12 newcomers, including two who are also members of the U-19 team.

“But the lineup is not final yet, we plan to hold tryouts for Fil-Ams in San Francisco and Los Angeles to see if we can get very good prospects. They need to be doubly better than our locals because I believe our players are equal to them in skills levels. Our only problem would be the facilities available and the international exposure for them,” said Dizer.

He also said that due to the teams’ absence in both the senior and U-19 international competitions, the Blu Girls’ ranking has gone down from 11th prior to the pandemic to 13th.

“If not for COVID-19 that really affected our training and trips abroad, I think our Blu Girls would have been already in the Top 10 in the world. With the help of the Philippine Sports Commission, the team continues to train but all online, conditioning, psychological, and nutrition, but field practice is the most important aspect and the plan was to start this by February 1 this year,” said Dizer.

Since both softball and baseball are out in the coming SEA Games in Vietnam, the team is eyeing the Asiad to recover lost points.

“Right now, we are ranked in the Top 4 in Asia behind Japan, China, and Chinese Taipei, and hopefully we can do the same thing before—train in Canada and the United States, then go directly to China for the Asian Games,” Dizer concluded.

C2

Sports

MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Novak plans ‘23 Australian Open return MELBOURNE—Novak Djokovic intends to play the Australian Open in 2023, tournament chief Craig Tiley said Sunday while blaming “miscommunication” for his deportation ahead of this year’s event.

The world number one’s visa was cancelled ahead of the season-opening Grand Slam over his Covid-19 vaccination status, an incident that tarred the lead-up.

He flew out of Melbourne a week ago after failing in a last-gasp bid to stay and target a record 21st major title following a protracted legal battle with Australian authorities.

Tiley has kept a low profile since, but asked Sunday whether the unvaccinated Serbian planned to return for the 2023 tournament despite the possibility that his visa could be revoked for up to three years, he replied: “Yes.” “Obviously, he’s got to play out this year, but that will be his intention,” he told public broadcaster ABC. “At the end of the day, he’s the number one player in the world and he really loves the Australian Open.”

But Daniel Andrews, premier of Victoria state that hosts the tournament, insisted Djokovic would only be welcome if he was vaccinated.

“Rafa (Nadal) had it right. It could all have been avoided if he just got vaccinated, and that fellow might think he’s bigger than the tournament. He’s not,” Andrews told reporters.

“That’s why the tournament’s happening without him. And it’s a great success.”

Djokovic’s long-time coach Marian Vajda late last week said the “whole situation hit him mentally”.

“It will hurt him for a long time and it will be difficult to get it out of his head,” he told the Sport.sk website, while blasting the “unjust political process” that led to Djokovic being booted out.

Tiley blamed “forever-changing conditions” and “miscommunication” with the federal government for his deportation after Djokovic was initially granted an exemption from Tennis Australia’s chief medical officer.

The rationale was that he had contracted COVID-19 in the past six months, but it was challenged and after a legal battle he ultimately had to leave. AFP

No. 1 Korda maintains LPGA lead

Spain’s Rafael Nadal hits a return against France’s Adrian Mannarino during their men’s singles’ match on Day 7 of the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne. AFP

Pumped-up Nadal makes Aussie Open quarterfinals M

ELBOURNE—Rafael Nadal survived a marathon first-set tiebreak to seal his spot in the quarter-finals of the Australian Open on Sunday and will face Denis Shapovalov after the Canadian stunned Alexander Zverev.

Later, in the women’s draw, giantkiller Amanda Anisimova tries to make world number one and hot favourite Ashleigh Barty her latest victim at Melbourne Park.

A pumped-up Nadal, who is chasing a men’s record 21st Grand Slam title, was pushed all the way by Adrian Mannarino in the first set before breaking the Frenchman’s resolve in a 7-6 (16/14), 6-2, 6-2 victory in searing heat.

“First set was very emotional,” said the 35-year-old Nadal, the 2009 Australian Open champion, who pumped his fists after emerging victorious an epic 28-minute tiebreak on a steamy

day in Melbourne.

“That crazy first set was so important.”

The Spaniard, who dropped a set for the first time in the tournament before powering past Russia’s Karen Khachanov in the previous round, will now face Canadian 14th seed Shapovalov in the last eight.

Shapovalov left Olympic champion and third seed Zverev still searching for a first major title after beating him 6-3, 7-6 (7-5), 6-3.

“It’s always an honour to play someone like Rafa,” said the 22-year-old Shapovalov.

“Always fun, always going to be battle,

it’s going to be tough.”

In action later is Italian seventh seed Matteo Berrettini against Spanish 19th seed Pablo Carreno Busta.

Flamboyant 17th seed Gael Monfils, unbeaten this year after winning a warmup event in Adelaide, is yet to drop a set and comes up against Serbia’s Miomir Kecmanovic.

The ageless 35-year-old Frenchman Monfils is targeting a second quarterfinal appearance at Melbourne Park and the first for six years.

‘Really amazing’ In the women’s draw, French Open champion Barbora Krejcikova blew away former two-time Melbourne champion Victoria Azarenka, who had a neck problem, to set up a last-eight clash with unseeded American Madison Keys.

Fourth seed Krejcikova of the Czech Republic powered through 6-2, 6-2 against the Belarusian, who won the title in 2012 and 2013. AFP

MIAMI±World number one Nelly Korda notched four birdies in a three-under par 69 on Saturday to maintain her one-shot lead in the US LPGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions in Florida.

The 23-year-old American is picking up in 2022 right where she left off in 2021, a breakout season launched with her victory in the Gainbridge LPGA 11 months ago on the same Lake Nona Golf and Country Club course hosting this week’s event in Orlando.

Korda won four LPGA titles last year, including her first major at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, and also won Olympic gold.

She steered a steady course on Saturday in chilly, windy weather that had the course playing some two shots tougher than it did on Friday.

“Oh, my gosh, so much tougher,” said Korda, who finished the round bundled up in a puffer coat.

“I mean, you put the cold weather in and a bit of wind it makes it a lot tougher—especially with all these layers on.”

But Korda led by as many as three shots at one point on Saturday, with birdies at the third, seventh and 11th before her lone miscue of the day at the 12th.

She missed the green at the 14th but chipped to about four feet and made that putt for her last birdie of a day, and her 13-under total of 203 kept her a shot in front of American Danielle Kang and Mexico’s Gaby Lopez.

Both Kang and Lopez fired threeunder 69s to maintain their tie for second.

Canadian Brooke Henderson had four birdies in a four-under par 68 and was alone in fourth on 205, one stroke in front of Japan’s Yuka Saso, who also carded a 68.

Kang, the 2017 Women’s PGA Champion, lost a playoff in this event to Jessica Korda, Nelly’s elder sister, last season when it was held at a different Florida venue.

On Saturday she played without a bogey, posting birdies at the fifth 13th and 14th—where she drove the green and two-putted. AFP

Bengals barge into1st AFC finals in 33 years

Tight end Drew Sample and members of Cincinnati celebrate the Bengals’ gamewinning field goal against the Tennessee Titans in the AFC Divisional Playoff game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. AFP

LOS ANGELES—The Cincinnati Bengals busted another NFL playoff drought Saturday as rookie Evan McPherson kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired for a 19-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans.

The triumph over the top-seeded Titans in Nashville put the Bengals into their first AFC championship game in 33 years — and gave the Bengals a first postseason road victory after seven defeats.

“Very intense,” Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow said of game in which Cincinnati intercepted Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill three times.

With 20 seconds remaining and the score tied at 16-16, Luke Wilson picked off Tannehill at the Cincinnati 47 yard line.

Burrow connected with rookie receiver Ja’Marr Chase with a 19-yard pass and the Bengals ran the ball twice to set the stage for McPherson’s game-winner.

“Ice in his veins,” Burrow said of the rookie kicker, who had two field goals of more than 50 yards.

The Titans got off to a nightmare start as Tannehill was intercepted on his opening throw, and Cincinnati promptly took a 3-0 lead on McPherson’s first field goal of the game.

McPherson’s 45-yard field goal with 2:15 left in the first quarter made it 6-0, but the Titans pulled level in the second quarter on Derrick Henry’s three-yard touchdown run, which was followed by an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt.

Henry, who was back in action after missing nine games with a broken foot, ran for 66 yards.

Although they led most of the way, the Bengals didn’t have it easy. Burrow was sacked a playoff record-equalling nine times.

Cincinnati scored their first touchdown in their opening drive of the third quarter, taking a 16-6 lead on Joe Mixon’s 16-yard run to the end zone.

Tennessee then threatened, moving to the Cincinnati nine-yard line before cornerback

Mike Hilton picked off Tannehill.

The Titans got another chance when defender Amani Hooker dived to grab an interception of a Burrow pass that Samaje Perine couldn’t control.

It took a lengthy review to determine Hooker did indeed secure the ball before it was on the ground, and soon after Tannehill hit A.J Brown in the end zone, Brown grabbing the ball with one hand for a touchdown that tied the game.

“We found a way,” said Burrow, who threw for 348 yards. “Man it was a crazy, crazy game. That’s a really, really good team, unbelievable defensive line.

“They had a great plan on defense, but we found a way at the end.”

Burrow said the Bengals—whose first-round win was their first playoff victory in 31 years—would take a night to savor the victory, then start preparing for their next opponent.

They’ll face the winner of Sunday’s AFC Divisional Round game between the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs. AFP

Miller hopes to improve Winter Olympics’ performance

By Peter Atencio ASA Miller looks to improve on his performance when he plunges into action in the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.

Four years ago in the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, Miller finished the giant slalom event with a time of 2:49.95, ranking 70th out of 110 participants.

“I do not have placement expectations.

But I do expect myself to improve from my last Winter Games. So I’m ready to show my improvements. We’ll see how it goes,” said the 21-year-old Miller during an online huddle with scribes, with support from SM Supermalls, together with Bank of China, the official banking partner of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

The Philippines’ lone representative to the games this year said his minor bout with COVID-19 last month did not affect his training since he developed mild symptoms during

the Christmas break and he quickly recovered from it.

“COVID-19 had not been much of a threat. It has made limitations for travels and some other minor complications.

But overall, it’s been pretty easy,” added Miller, who explained that he only got sick for two days.

Miller, who said he is already fully vaccinated, also discussed his preparations with Jim Palomar Apelar, president of the Philippine Ski and Snowboard Federation; Valeriano Floro, Chef de Mission of the 2022 Winter Olympics’ Philippine Delegation, along with Philippine Skating Union president Nikki Cheng and Philippine Sports Commission board member Dr. Celia Kiram.

For now, Miller is in Utah finishing his training and preparations for the games with his coach Will Gregorak.

His vast experience from joining more than a hundred races over the last five years is expected to give Miller a

better showing in Beijing.

“I’m coming in far more confident.

I was 17 at that time (in 2018) and I just barely made qualification. And I just can’t believe I made it,” added Miller, who added he found it easier to make qualification this time, making him very upbeat on how far he will go.

The Portland, Oregon-based Miller distinguishes himself as the second Filipino athlete to join his second Winter Olympics, with figure skater Michael Martinez being the first.

Meanwhile, Cheng said they hope to send more athletes to the Winter Olympics as they have been consistently doing so in the last 15 years.

“The Philippines is the only country without snow that has been consistently sending snowboarders to the World Cup, the World Championships and the Olympics for the last 15 years. It’s a rarity for us to participate in the Winter

Asa Miller

Olympics,” said Cheng.

Kiram, on the other hand, noted that the versatility of the Filipino athlete is in full display here as he is able to compete in any sport.

“They can be in water, they can be in snow, and they can be anywhere.

The talent of the Filipino athlete is very useful. We can adapt,” said Kiram.

Entertainment

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

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Piolo Pascual, Ang Probinsyano Partylist lead coastal and underwater cleanup in Batangas SCREEN star Piolo Pascual joined hands with the Ang Probinsyano Partylist for a coastal and underwater cleanup drive in Brgy. Mainit in Mabini, Batangas on Friday, Jan. 21.

The community cleanup activity yielded a total of 135 kilograms of waste materials collected by 50 volunteers headed by the local tourism office of Mabini. Representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were also present for proper documentation and disposal of the collected materials.

Pascual, who has been spending time in his Batangas residence during this pandemic, said that this is the first of the many projects of the partylist that he will be supporting.

“I am thankful to have been part of this initiative by Ang Probinsyano Partylist.

Environmental issues are close to my heart, and I consider Batangas my home now. I fully support the partylist’s call for everyone to act now and act fast,” the

The cast of ‘Prima Donnas’ Book 2

By Patricia Taculao

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IEWERS’ afternoons have never been the same as Prima Donnas, GMA’s top-rating daytime drama, enthralls audiences with a heartwarming tale about family, gripping plot twists, and the performance of a starstudded cast.

After airing its season finale in February last year, audiences were left raving for more believing there’s more to the story than what meets the eye.

Fans of the show need not wait any longer to see how the story progresses as the highly sought-after series returns for a second season.

Playing vital roles in the series are three of GMA’s brightest and sought-after teen stars, Jillian Ward, Althea Ablan, and Sofia Pablo. They play the Claveria heiresses Donna Marie, Donna Belle, and Donna Lyn, respectively.

In the previous season, their characters had to deal with family problems that tested their bond with one another. But the new season of Prima Donnas opens new experiences as the series’ directors Gina Alajar and Phillip Lazaro introduce developments to the plot.

One thing that viewers can count on in the new season is a touch of kilig as the three Donnas are each paired up with love interests, marking the growth of the PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., is not skipping his interview with TV host Boy Abunda.

He has agreed to face the country’s “King of Talk” in a one-on-one interview, which will be streamed on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube and Kapamilya Channel tomorrow, Jan. 25.

The former senator trended on social media over the weekend when he opted not to be interviewed by Jessica Soho as his campaign perceives the multi-awardwinning veteran journalist to be “biased against the Marcoses.”

In response, GMA Network released a statement saying that “throughout her career, Soho has consistently been named the most trusted media personality in the Philippines by both local and foreign organizations” quoting the University of Oxford and Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism as sources.

Meanwhile, in The 2022 Presidential One-On-One Interviews with Boy Abunda, BBM will tackle the most pressing and relevant issues affecting the nation today.

The interview follows Abunda’s yesterday’s interview with Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson.

The week-long special, presented by ABS-CBN and E.R.A., will also feature Vice President Leni Robredo (Jan. 26, Wednesday), Manila Mayor Isko Moreno (Jan. 27, Thursday), and Sen. Manny

(From left) Althea Ablan, Jillian Ward, and Sofia Pablo

Drama intensifies in ‘Prima Donnas’ return to television three characters and opening them up to the challenges that come with it.

Lazaro shared that viewers can expect to feel the chemistry between the co-stars as they navigate their way through life and love.

The roles of the leading men for the three Donnas go to Bruce Roeland, Vince Crisostomo, and Allen Ansay.

Jillian shared that there were a lot of adjustments to make the on-screen love team convincing, considering their ages.

The young actress is known for portraying roles that some people find innocent, but she found a challenge in being paired in a love team for the first time, let alone having a love triangle to spice things up.

Yet when it comes to real-life romance, the young stars believe that now is not the time to enter such a commitment.

Presently, they are focused on their studies, improving their acting skills, and furthering their careers.

According to the three young stars, there was a lot of pressure in creating the second season of Prima Donnas.

They are aware that the series received a lot of positive support from the public, and they wanted to match the level of performance they had in the previous season.

However, like their characters in the series, the three teen celebrities also matured in their craft, thus leading to intense scenes that loyal fans should look out for. Sofia also shared that even the veteran actors also upped the ante by delving deeper into their roles to unleash emotions that bring forth a new level of performance.

Prima Donnas’s cast also includes Katrina Halili, Wendell Ramos, Chanda Ramos, Benjie Paras, Elijah Alejo, and Aiko Melendez. Sheryl Cruz will also be joining the star-studded cast in the new season of the series.

Aiko’s role as the main antagonist in the series will also bring forth new trials in the three Donnas’ life as she returns to test the Claveria family’s strength and relationship.

Prima Donnas’s new episodes start airing today on GMA Afternoon Prime.

After snubbing Jessica Soho, Bongbong Marcos to appear in Boy Abunda show

TV host Boy Abunda

Presidential aspirant Bongbong Marcos

Pacquiao (Jan. 28, Friday).

The 2022 Presidential One-On-One Interviews with Boy Abunda first streams on The Boy Abunda Talk Channel on YouTube at 6:00 p.m., and airs at 11:00 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel. More interview specials will be seen on Jan. 30 and Feb. 6, Sunday, at 11:00 p.m. on Kapamilya Channel.

In the special interview series, Abunda

sits down one-on-one with each of the five leaders to get to know them and their platforms in the hopes of guiding the Filipino voters in making the big decision of choosing the next president of the Philippines. Expect Boy to grill each of the five presidential candidates on no-holdsbarred questions about their positions and perspectives on the various issues confronting the country today.

45-year-old actor stated.

He added that he will also be active in helping out with the partlylist’s outreach projects in Manila and nearby provinces in the coming months.

According to Congressman Alfred delos Santos of Ang Probinsyano Partylist, “We welcome the support of Mr. Piolo Pascual in our projects.

Rural development is one of our main advocacies. We believe that a clean environment leads to better tourism opportunities for the community, therefore improving the livelihood of our kababayans. We look forward to working closely with him, hoping to inspire our kababayans to also take part in projects such as this cleanup drive.”

Meanwhile, the local tourism office of Mabini said that they are grateful for the collaboration with Ang Probinsyano Partylist, emphasizing that they will continue with the regular coastal and underwater cleanup projects despite the pandemic.

Piolo Pascual and Rep. Alfred Delos Santos of Ang Probinsyano Partylist

Sink or swim

BRILLANTE Mendoza’s latest offering, Sisid, had its special premiere via an exclusive digital event on Jan. 18 and started streaming on Vivamax Plus, the newest pay-per-view service of Viva, on Jan. 19. Regular streaming starts in March on Vivamax.

Sisid stars Paolo Gumabao (Jason, the marine biologist), Kylie Versoza (Abby, the lovely wife), and Vince Rillon (Dennis, the young man who offers a different kind of love and shares a sacred secret with Jason). They are the central figures in the complicated relationship drama that lets its audiences witness how the lyrics of the song popularized by Rupert Holmes, life is “touch and go, and sink or swim” come to being.

Calling the latest Mendoza opus a “boy’s love” drama is a misnomer since there were so many elements in the movie that scream the realities of the now. And it does not contain the many ingredients that must and should be present in the genre.

Set in the postcard-perfect provincial paradise of Pola, the characters had an up-close and personal experience with the beauty and bounty of the locale’s sea and its breathtaking surroundings plus reallife scenarios that bring out the worst and best of people.

Some of touch and go realities that were presented are the environmental degradation brought about by irresponsible commercial mining, with the legendary Irma Adlawan as the powerful feminine of rhyme and reason, the strongest voice and ally of the local government that said enough is enough to the business of mining.

A marriage filled with love between Jason and Abby got an honestto-goodness touch-and-go

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO situation as the two are dreadful of what the nearest future will bring to them as a relatively young couple of seven years.

Solutions, which Abby steered are not acceptable to the unwilling parties and it exploded like a fast and furious emotional bomb in a wonderfully realized confrontation scene between Gumabao, Versoza, and Mayton Eugenio, who portrayed the organic farmer best friend of Abby, was a crystal touch and go circumstance as well.

And the unexpected love that was shared intimately and passionately by Jason and Dennis, certainly affected the marine biologist’s relationship with Abby, his wife. Dennis’ impending marriage to his pregnant girlfriend Tanya, portrayed

by Christine Bermas, also triggered all sorts of emotions for the young man whose clandestine affair gets a clear and present threat.

Sink and swim realities in the Reynold Giba screen played online movie, Abby’s deteriorating well-being, and how the truth she discovered about Jason and Dennis caused not only a crack but endangered their relationship and marriage.

Jason’s conflict, one part of him becomes free and loving, and the other afraid and tortured because the young man he embraced, kissed, and touched, brings him both joy and torment.

Dennis’ dilemma? He’s a man titillated by the woman he swears he loves but is amorous with another man who gave him a contrasting kind of high and passion.

Acting-wise, what was most impressive about the actors in Sisid, is the fact that there were no melodramatic excesses. The dramatic confrontations are swift and on point and were not prolonged.

Read full story on manilastandard.net Vince Rillon (left) and Paolo Gumabao play Dennis and Jason in the complicated adult drama ‘Sisid.’

MBC mourns death of radio pillar Salvador Royales

DZRH Drama Director Salvador “Badong” Royales

MANILA Broadcasting Company mourns the passing of Salvador Royales, prolific scriptwriter-director, voice talent, musical director, and head of the DZRH Drama Division.

Royales, popularly known as “Direk Badong” had been with DZRH since 1980, after passing auditions under drama vanguards Froilan Villegas and Tani Cruz.

A meticulous purveyor of moral values in drama, Royales was an awardwinning writer, with a KBP Golden Dove award for Best Radio Drama (May Pangako ang Bukas) and a Best Screenplay award for Kapag Langit ang Humatol from the Film Academy of the Philippines. His first big break was writing Yaya Maria, which established the 1:00 p.m. slot as primetime for

radio dramas after topping the ratings nationwide. He was however, best known for his long-running serial Mr Romantiko.

A native of Naga City, Royales fell in love with radio after being a voice talent at the age of 16. He went on to earn a degree in Economics, Magna Cum Laude from the Manuel L. Quezon University.

Despite his occasional forays into film

(Mundo Man ay Magunaw, Isinakdal Ko ang Aking Ina, and Sana Mahalin Mo Ako) and television (Maala-ala Mo Kaya and Anna Luna), he chose to make radio broadcasting his lifetime vocation.

Royales’ remains will lie in state at his residence in Sto Nino Gutad, Floridablanca, Pampanga until today, to be followed by cremation service tomorrow Jan. 25.

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

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MONDAY, JANUARY 24, 2022

Millennial Resorts gets prestigious EDGE Certification MILLENNIAL Resorts achieved the very first EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Certification for a resort hospitality project in the country, with its Crusoe Cabins at CaSoBe in Calatagan, Batangas.

The award was given by the Philippine Green Building Initiative Inc., which recognized the facility for its eco-efficient design that results in reduction of 34 percent in energy, 57 percent in water, and 65 percent in

embodied energy in materials compared to local base.

The EDGE Certification demonstrates the leadership and advocacy of Landco and its sister hospitality group, Millennial Resorts in green building design with the use of EDGE software.

“Metro Pacific Investments Corporation (MPIC) has always championed the integration of sustainability into our business strategy

EDGECertified Millennial Resorts feature the Cocoons and Club Laiya

and value creation. We are proud that under the MVP Group, Landco and Millennial Resorts attained the EDGE certification to create a lasting positive impact to the environment and community. This achievement is a concrete example of our holistic and all-inclusive approach to sustainability.,” remarked Chaye Cabal-Revilla, Chief Finance, Sustainability and Risk Officer, Metro Pacific Invest-

Prepping up for tourists’ surge A unique way to relax by the sea at Banwa Private island

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HE tourism industry was already gaining momentum during the Christmas Holidays as quarantine levels were scaled down and domestic borders opened up for everybody. Unfortunately, the Omicron variant wreaked havoc on the country once again and the overwhelmingly exponential increase in infections put a sudden stop to what was already an upward trajectory of our tourism business.

However, we in the industry always find ways to lift our spirits up and see the brighter side of the challenges we face.

Health experts say that this highly contagious Omicron variant is actually “God’s vaccine that will put an end to this pandemic” because those infected often have no or very mild symptoms, yet they get the dose of antibodies needed to ward off future Covid infections. In fact, these experts predict that new COVID cases will peak towards the end of this month and, just like what happened in South Africa where this variant was first detected, it will quickly decrease because, by then, herd immunity in the country would already have been achieved.

Pinning our hopes on that, our neversay-die tourism industry is again prepping up for what, hopefully, will be the real start of our economic rebound.

Here are some very interesting activities some of our stakeholders are busy with.

Banwa Private Island, that luxurious all-villa destination in Northern Palawan, has already completed repair on some minor damage caused by the onslaught of Typhoon Odette. Once again, the island’s landscaping provides the perfect environment for discerning guests who look towards experiencing the luxury, privacy, and world-class service of this protected marine and nature reserve.

This ultra de luxe leisure destination has partnered with Ascent Flights Global, which uses its fleet of private jets, helicopters, and seaplanes, to bring guests to the island where luxury accommodations, sumptuous culinary specialties, and

breathtaking adventures await.

Banwa Private Island is perfect for those who go for a relaxing solitude in a verdant garden setting or a leisurely stroll along the water’s edge. More information on its offerings may be obtained through +639178882864 or reservations@banwaprivateisland.com The Farm At San Benito invites everyone to a Transformative Healing Holiday, as they stand tall against the continuing scourge of Covid in our country. It prides itself as a safe haven and healing environment because it implements the highest level of safety and sanitation protocols for the well-being of guests and employees.

In fact, The Farm’s own doctors designed an Immune Support Program that includes holistic treatments to support one’s immune system, nutrient-rich organic vegan meals and beverages, and microbiome nourishment. More importantly, the program also includes psycho-emotional sessions to ensure that one’s mental health and emotional state are taken care of, especially because we all have gone through many months of frustrations over strict quarantine restrictions.

The Farm also offers a comprehensive Holistic Detox Program that includes a vegan diet, nutritional enrichment, colon cleansing, kidney cleansing, psycho-emotional clearing, daily mindful movement, and functional fitness activities.

All these assure participants of renewed energy and mental clarity, a stronger immune system to fight viral infections, and cellular healing. You may reach them through salesteam@thefarm.com.ph or +639188848080

The award-winning Crusoe Cabins at CaSoBe of Millennial Resorts

Millennial Resorts provide the hospitality and leisure facilities of Landco Beachtowns, the master-planned seaside residential and resort communities in Laiya and Calatagan, Batangas. It banners its outstanding achievement of being the first recipient of the EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) Certification for a resort hospitality project in the country.

The resort is popular for its unique Crusoe Cabins, Cocoons at Ca SoBe and Club Laiya, and many other leisure facilities, like the Laiya Beach Club and the Aquaria Water Park which boasts of its three-storey giant water slide.

Opening soon are the Captain Barboza Restaurant and Bar, event venues Canopy and The Isle, including a coworking space they call Colony. Many other tourism establishments all over the country are gearing up for the time when all these pandemic-related challenges will finally be over, hopefully, very soon.

However, since we all know that COVID is here to stay, we in the Tourism Industry are ready to live with it but will continue to push towards our goals, with our inimitable fighting spirit. After all, as British author Vivien Greene said, “Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass. It’s about learning how to dance in the rain.”

----------O--------- YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE: Sometimes, someone unexpected comes into your life out of nowhere, makes your heart race, and changes you forever. That person is called a cop!

----------O--------- For feedback, I’m at bobzozobrado@ gmail.com

The idyllic environs of The Farm At San Benito

ment Corporation (MPIC) EDGE, an innovation of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), is an international green building standard, rating system, and certification available in 160 countries. EDGE brings about solutions to reduce the use of energy, water, and embodied energy in materials.

Millennial Resorts features unique resort accommodations: Crusoe Cabins at CaSoBe and Costa Azalea and

Cocoons at CaSoBe and Club Laiya; and leisure facilities: Laiya Beach Club at Club Laiya and Aquaria Water Park with a three-story giant slide at CaSoBe and Costa Azalea.

Its soon to be launched exciting new facilities are: Captain Barbozza restaurant and bar, Canopy and The Isle -- venues for events, and Colony, a beachside co-working space. Costa Azalea is located in Samal Island, Davao.

Celebrating Harry Potter magic with fantastical Airbnb stays REJOICING fans everywhere recently celebrated the magic of The Boy Who Lived, when the famous book and film series celebrated its twentieth anniversary. Let’s face it: a part of us will always wish we too had received an acceptance letter to attend the world’s most famous school of wizardry.

So, while we can’t go secretly dashing into a hidden platform at London’s King Cross, here are some magical Airbnb stays from around the world that will transform your fantasies to life.

Magical world of wizards and witches in Tagaytay, Philippines There’s no need to ride your broomstick miles away when this incredible apartment is located a stone’s throw away in Tagaytay. This 55-sqm property features a living room and two custommade four-poster beds, made to look like the wizarding common room and dormitories. Explore the house and discover your very own magical steam locomotive and local village pub.

Wizard’s Hallow in North Carolina, USA This treehouse located just outside of Asheville, North Carolina will teleport you straight into the wizarding world! From a sorting hat, an invisibility cloak, house flags, and colors to other magical signposts and decorations, true fans will recognize every intricate detail in this house. This place is so popular among aspiring wizards, you’ll have to come up with an action plan to snag an overnight stay.

Harry Potter Fan Castle in Utah, USA Huge families can enjoy this special ‘fan castle’ located in Taylorsville. Guests can book the entire home or a single bedroom – you’ll find each bedroom decorated in its own schoolhouse colors. Enjoy the cozy common room, movie theater, and fully-functional kitchen, as well as your own private bathtub (no moaning ghost included).

The Common Room in Canada Fans heading to Victoria, British Columbia should definitely book themselves a couple of nights in The Common Room. Beautifully designed to pay tribute to the bravest house of all, this Airbnb stay comes furnished with a faux fireplace and melange of magical memorabilia from flying cars to giant chess sets and gleaming swords. You may even spot a popular house elf in the kitchen — make sure you drop him a sock or two.

Magic World in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil Hosted by certified superfan and Superhost Larissa, this residential home is literally adorned with memorabilia – from bedrooms decorated with cutouts from the daily newspaper of the wizarding world to a dining hall with banners of all four houses. Guests can also relive their favorite memories from the books or films, courtesy of Larissa’s personal collection that they can access during their stay.

The Wizard’s Cottage in Grand Est, France Wannabe wizards visiting eastern France should make sure to drop by this beautiful space in Colmar. From four-poster beds to medieval lamps, magical wands, and pumpkins, fans will have a great time exploring the house in between adventures in the Alsatian countryside.