Manila Standard - 2022 January 31 - Monday

twitter.com/ MlaStandard

facebook.com/ ManilaStandardPH

S

manilastandard.net

Missed your copy of Manila Standard? Call or text our Circulation Hotline at 0917-8848655 or email: circulation@manilastandard.net

NCR back to Alert Level 2

7 provinces also downgraded Feb. 1-15; ‘No vax, no ride’ policy lifted

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Willie Casas and Darwin G. Amojelar

M

ETRO Manila and seven provinces will be under the less stringent Alert Level 2 for COVID-19 starting Feb. 1, the Palace said Sunday.

In a statement, acting presidential of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF) spokesman Karlo Nograles said the Inter- put the National Capital Region (NCR), Next page Agency Task Force for the Management VOL. XXXV • NO. 350 • 2 SECTIONS 12 PAGES • P18 MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 • www.manilastandard.net • mst.daydesk@gmail.com

USHERING IN GOOD LUCK.

Two Buddhist monks light candles at the Sen Guan temple in Tondo, Manila on Sunday, January 30, 2022, as they prepare for the Lunar New Year on February 1, 2022.

Danny Pata

1,036 areas PH new cases at 16,953; may hit pre-surge level by March nationwide on lockdown

By Willie Casas

the University of the Philippines (UP) Pandemic Response Team said Sunday.

THE number of new daily COVID-19 in“In terms of projections, we hope that fections may return to pre-surge levels by by the third week of February or March, late February or March, an analyst from the number of new cases will decrease.

MORE than a thousand areas across the country were under granular lockdowns for COVID-19 as of Jan. 29, the Philippine National Police (PNP) said Sunday.

Of the 1,036 areas, 404 were in the Cordillera region, 252 were in the Ilocos region, 173 were in Calabarzon and 152 were from Cagayan Valley.

There were only 14 areas in Metro Manila under granular lockdowns, the police said.

Saturday’s tally was higher than the 853 areas reported under lockdown on Thursday.

Thirty-three cities and municipalities and 399 barangays have granular lockdowns, the police said.

Most of these barangays were from Region 1 (Ilocos) with 166, followed by Cordillera with 103.

Some 1,320 households and 2,512 people were affected by these lockdowns.

Meanwhile, the Department of the Interior and Local Government has directed

We're still waiting for the provinces,” said National Capital Region (NCR) is already Jomar Rabajante of the UP-Pandemic Re- in a declining phase, he said. sponse Team.

On Sunday, the country logged 16,953 Currently, the bulk of new COVID-19 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total Next page cases come from the provinces since the

Health expert DOJ orders probe of assassination plot vs. Marcos sees no more strain as Delta

By Rey E. Requejo

By Willie Casas AN INFECTIOUS disease and health expert said Sunday there could be no more variant as “devastating” as the more contagious Delta strain.

Dr. Rontgene Solante, in an interview over dzBB, said he hoped there would be no more heavily mutated variant similar to Omicron. Next page

THE Department of Justice confirmed Sunday its Office of Cybercrime had received an online tip about an alleged plot to assassinate presidential aspirant and former Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. and acted immediately to investigate the matter and referred the same to the National Bureau of Investigation for further probe.

“It was our Office of Cybercrime who received an online tip and acted immediately in view of the serious nature of the information received.

The NBI is now also on it,” Justice

Secretary Menardo Guevarra said in a text message to reporters.

“The NBI will give priority attention to any validated information pertaining to a threat to the personal security of any presidential aspirant,” Guevarra said, even as

Next page

MARCOS

Next page

3,545,680 16,953 53,891

PNP says crime in MM drops by 17%

202,864 20

3,288,925 27,638 (As of 4 PM, JANUARY 30)

The Philippine Postal Corporation (PHLPost) will launch today (Monday) commemmorative Year of the Tiger stamps. ‘We firmly believe that this Year of the Tiger, which is the symbol of courage and strength, will propel us to greater heights as the Post Office gears up to modernize its systems, innovate its products and services and immortalize the rich history, culture, talents and achievement of Filipinos around the world,’ Postmaster General Norman Fulgencio said on Sunday.

CRIME incidents in the National Capital Region, where 13 million of the country's 110 million population live, decreased by about 17 percent from November 2021 to January 2022, the Philippine National Police said Sunday.

In a Super Radyo dzBB interview, newly-appointed PNP spokesperson Col. Jean Fajardo noted the crime statistics in Metro Manila were recorded

from November 20, 2021 to January 23, 2022.

Fajardo said among the eight focus crimes, there was a big decrease in the cases of physical injuries, theft, and robbery.

“Almost all of the focus crimes in Metro Manila had gone down, and we are also seeing this trend in other Next page regions," Fajardo said.

A2

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Restive Taal: 8 ‘very weak’ bursts E

IGHT "very weak" phreatomagmatic bursts were recorded until late Saturday evening in the Taal Volcano, the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) reported.

In an advisory, Phivolcs said these Phreatomagmatic eruptions were phreatomagmatic bursts from the main caused by the interaction of magma and crater occurred between 1:18 p.m. to water, and accompanied by distinct in9:57 p.m., lasting 10 seconds to two frasound signals, according to Phivolcs. minutes.

Meanwhile, Phivolcs also detected

steam-rich plumes 400 to 900 meters high.

Since the start of 2022, the average sulfur dioxide (SO2) flux was at 10,668 tons per day, and the highest emission was 18,705 tons on January 27.

Despite the high SO2 emission, Phivolcs pointed out that almost no volcanic earthquake has been recorded in the Taal Volcano since Dec. 19, 2021.

Alert level 2 (increased unrest) remains hoisted over the Taal Volcano.

This means gas-driven explosions and

lethal accumulations or expulsions of gas threaten areas within and around the Taal Volcano Island.

Entry into the island, the vicinity of the main crater and the Daang Kastila fissure, as well as activities on Taal Lake, must be strictly prohibited, Phivolcs said.

Local government officials are also advised to assess and strengthen the preparedness of previously evacuated barangays in case of renewed unrest.

1,036...

From A1

all local government units to ensure the resumption of cockpit operations and the return of traditional “sabong” (cockfighting) in areas under Alert Level 2 or lower would not be super spreader events of COVID-19.

Governors, mayors, and village chiefs must exercise sound judgment, undertake necessary actions, and ensure compliance with health and safety protocols in the management of cockpits and cockfighting activities, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said.

“Even if we are already under Level 2 or 1, there should be discipline and alertness in cockfighting operations. It is not yet time to be complacent as the Omicron threat is still high,” Año said.

DILG Memorandum Circular 2022003 allows the operations of cockpits and traditional cockfighting under Alert Level 2 or lower, provided there is no objection from the concerned LGU and health protocols are strictly observed.

The maximum venue capacity for indoor gatherings is 50 percent – all fully vaccinated – as ordered by the InterAgency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.

Workers and employees of the establishments should also be fully vaccinated.

Only technology-based platforms and cashless betting are allowed to prevent the physical exchange of cash anywhere in the cockpit.

NCR...

From A1

Batanes, Bulacan, Cavite, and Rizal in Luzon; Biliran and Southern Leyte in the Visayas; and Basilan in Mindanao, under Alert Level 2.

The Department of Transportation said its policy of barring unvaccinated people from using public transport in Metro Manila—criticized by administration critics as being anti-poor--would be lifted once the lower alert level comes into effect.

The alert level downgrade came as the country logged on Sunday 16,953 new COVID-19 cases—the sixth straight day that the tally fell below 20,000.

Establishments identified under Alert Level 2 will be allowed to operate at a maximum of 50 percent indoor venue capacity and 70 percent outdoor capacity for fully vaccinated individuals. Venues for social events, tourist attractions, amusement parks, recreational venues, cinemas and movie houses, in-person religious gatherings, dine-in services, limited faceto-face or in persons classes, fitness studios and gyms and venues for individual non-contact exercise and sports, contact sports approved by LGUs, funfairs, and karaoke bars and concert halls and theaters, will be allowed to operate.

Not allowed to operate under Alert Level 2 are casinos, horse racing, cockfighting and operation of cockpits, lottery and betting shops, and other gaming establishments “except as may be authorized by the IATF or the Office of the President.”

Government agencies and instrumentalities will be fully operational and will maintain an on-site workforce of 80 percent under Alert Level 2.

The Department of Transportation said the "no vaccination, no ride" policy will be lifted once Alert Level 2 is in effect in

DOJ...

From A1

he admitted that they “have not received any similar information regarding personal threats to other aspirants for top national elective position.”

The DOJ has directed the NBI to validate the tip.

“Pending verification, we are keeping other details confidential for security reasons,” Guevarra said.

He said the DOJ’s OCC “has already requested the preservation of the suspect account.”

The DOJ-OCC officer-in-charge Charito Zamora confirmed that she got a text report last Friday “wherein the subject has commented a serious threat to a TikTok video posted by another TikTok account with username @joiedevivre420. The said comment states in toto: “Nagmemeeting kami araw araw para paghandaang ipa assassinate namin si BBM humanda kayo.”

RISING UP TO HEAVEN. Balloons are released by a group of Christian faithful as Pope Francis (center) delivers his Sunday

Angelus prayer at The Vatican on January 30, 2022. AFP

Metro Manila.

"Once we de-escalate to Alert Level 2, the no vax, no ride policy shall automatically be lifted," Assistant Secretary Goddess Hope Libiran, spokesperson of DOTr, said.

“The no vaccination, no ride policy was not perpetual. It remained in effect only while Metro Manila was under Alert Level 3 or higher,” she said in Filipino.

Under Alert Level 2, intrazonal and interzonal movement will also be allowed.

However, local government units (LGUs) may impose reasonable restrictions subject to evaluation of their respective regional IATF. The following cities and provinces, meanwhile, have been placed under Alert Level 3: • Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR): Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Kalinga, Mountain Province, and Baguio City; • Region 1 (Ilocos Region): Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union and Pangasinan, and Dagupan City; • Region 2 (Cagayan Valley): Cagayan, Isabela, Nueva Vizcaya, Quirino, and City of Santiago; • Region 3 (Central Luzon): Aurora, Bataan, Nueva Ecija, Pampanga, Tarlac, Zambales, Angeles City, and Olongapo City; • Region 4-A (Calabarzon): Batangas, Laguna, Quezon Province, and Lucena City; • Region 4-B (Mimaropa): Marinduque, Romblon, Occidental Mindoro, Oriental Mindoro and Puerto Princesa City; • Region 5 (Bicol): Albay, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Catanduanes, Masbate, Sorsogon, and Naga City.

• Region 6 (Western Visayas): Aklan, Antique, Bacolod City, Capiz, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Guimaras, and Iloilo City; • Region 7 (Central Visayas): Bohol, Cebu, Negros Oriental and Siquijor, Cebu City, Lapu-Lapu City, and Mandaue City;

• Region 8 (Eastern Visayas): Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Western Samar, Ormoc City, and Tacloban City; • Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula): Zamboanga Del Sur, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga Sibugay, City of Isabela, and Zamboanga City; • Region 10 (Northern Mindanao): Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Cagayan de Oro City, and Iligan City; • Region 11 (Davao): Davao Del Sur, Davao Del Norte, Davao Oriental, Davao de Oro, and Davao City; • Region 12 (Soccsksargen): North Cotabato, Sarangani, South Cotabato and Sultan Kudarat, and General Santos City; • Region 13 (Caraga): Surigao del Norte, Surigao Del Sur, Agusan Del Norte, Agusan del Sur and Butuan City; and • Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao: Maguindanao, Lanao Del Sur, and Cotabato City.

The alert levels will remain in effect until Feb. 15, Nograles said.

He added that the IATF will announce the new alert level status of Ifugao, which was put under the more strict Alert Level 4 on Jan. 21, on Monday.

Kalinga, Mountain Province and Northern Samar were also placed under Alert Level 4.

Health Secretary Francisco Duque III earlier said the NCR has seen a decline in COVID-19 cases over the past few days and vaccination coverage is high in the metropolis.

Duque also said the escalation or deescalation of alert levels is determined by the area’s two-week growth rate, ADAR, and health care utilization rate.

Metro Manila has been under Alert Level 3 since Jan. 3 amid the surge in COVID-19 cases.

Dr. Maricar Limpin, president of the Philippine College of Physicians (PCP),

earlier said it would probably be safe to lower the alert level in NCR after Feb. 15.

She also said the government should continue to observe the number of COVID-19 cases for a few more weeks before placing the NCR under looser quarantine restrictions.

She said the current number of COVID-19,cases may not reflect the actual number of infections as many people were not getting tested.

Dr. Anthony Leachon, a former consultant of the government's National Task Force Against COVID-19, echoed the sentiments of Limpin, saying the move to Alert Level 2 was premature.

Although cases are going down, he said this might be underreported because rapid antigen tests were not counted in the Department of Health bulletins.

He also said viral transmission will continue without adequate testing.

But Duque said COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila appear to have already peaked, given the declining rate of infections. As of Friday, the capital region was classified as a "moderate risk" for COVID-19.

The independent OCTA Research Group said the NCR, Cavite and Batangas were at a moderate risk, with an average daily attack rate (ADAR) of 23.01 in Metro Manila, 20.30 in Cavite and 15.09 in Rizal.

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

OCTA also said the reproduction rate was “very low” on Saturday in the NCR (0.47), Cavite (0.69) and Rizal (0.54).

If the reproduction number, which refers to the number of people who can be infected by one case, falls below 1, this is a sign that the transmission of the virus is slowing down.

However, OCTA said, Batangas, Laguna, and Quezon are still at high risk for COVID-19.

“We made an initial investigation on the matter and referred the same to the NBI-CCD & PNP-ACG for further investigation," Zamora said in a separate text message.

“We also emailed the Tik Tok Law Enforcement Outreach and requested the data related to the subject account preserved pending investigation by the law enforcement agents concerned.”

According to the OOC head, the DOJ’s cybercrime office would receive every now and then “a text message or email from concerned citizens and report occurrences in the social media, which they feel must be looked into, and we also act on it.”

When asked if they already determined the personalities involved in the alleged assassination plot against Marcos, Zamora said: “We have no information yet if there are particular persons already being investigated by our law enforcement agents or the owners of the subject accounts had been identified yet.”

She explained that as a matter of procedure, whenever the OOC would receive a text or email reporting something that some concerned citizens feel must be looked into, they promptly act on it.

“And in this instance, I got a text last Friday from a concerned citizen. the threat of assassination against anyone, under the law, is considered Grave Threats. Thus, our referral to the law enforcement agents,” the OOC chief said.

Zamora said that Kerri Woods of TikTok Law Enforcement Outreach was now working on the request of the DoJ cybercrime probers.

The DoJ cybercrime office has also written its counterparts in the National Bureau of Investigation and Philippine National Police to assist in determining the extent of the ‘kill plot’ and the personalities behind it.

“An initial open source probe was conducted on the subject TikTok account with Uniform Source Locator (URL) https:/www.tiktok.com/@ljluna7

which initially revealed as a public account supporting xxx,” Zamora’s letter to the NBI and PNP cybercrime groups dated January 28, 2022 was quoted as saying.

“As a matter of procedure, we immediately proceed in having it investigated because of the seriousness of the subject. It’s really an actionable intelligence concern,” explained Zamora, who refused to elaborate more on the alleged plot.

In a statement, Marcos chief of staff and spokesman Vic Rodriguez said that “while the report on the assassination plot is concerning, we are not cowered by such threat. Bongbong shall continue to personally deliver his message around the country with firm resolve to unify the nation.”

“We commend the cybercrime office of the Justice department, through Sec. Menardo Guevarra, for its swift and uncompromising response to uncover those behind this open threat to harm aspiring president Bongbong Marcos,” said Rodriguez.

PH...

From A1

to 3,545,680, the Department of Health said.

All laboratories were operational.

However, one laboratory was not able to submit its data on time.

The country’s positivity rate was at 31.4 percent, way higher than the World Health Organization's recommended target of less than 5 percent positivity rate.

The DOH also reported 20 new fatalities, bringing the death toll to 53,891.

With 27,638 new recoveries, active cases stood at 202,864, of which 11,277 were asymptomatic; 186,550 were mild; 3,176 were moderate; 1,534 were severe; and 327 were critical.

But even as cases have started to decline in NCR, Rabajante said two COVID-19 indicators — the average daily attack rate (ADAR) and the positivity rate — remain high.

He also cautioned the public against being complacent.

The ADAR in Las Piñas, Makati, Mandaluyong, Muntinlupa, Parañaque, Pasay, Pasig, Pateros, San Juan and Taguig was still above 75 percent.

“This means they're at a declining phase, but we still need to be careful because there's still a lot of new cases,” Rabajante said.

Rabajante's warning comes as he saw an increased mobility in the NCR during the previous week.

“There's a lot of people going out of their homes because we've already peaked, in mid-January,” he said in Filipino. “People also know that cases in the NCR are probably declining.”

Rabajante said it is also possible that COVID-19 cases in Cebu and Davao del Sur have already peaked.

The team is also monitoring the situation in the Bangsamoro region due to high intensive care unit utilization.

Since late December, the Philippines has seen a quick rise in new COVID-19 cases, a wave of infections driven by the highly contagious Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Nationwide, 46 percent of ICU beds, 47 percent of isolation beds, 49 percent of ward beds, and 25 percent of ventilators were in use as of Sunday.

Health...

From A1

"Let's say there may be a variant. I don't think that another variant will be devastating as the Delta will be here soon within the year because Omicron is already heavily mutated. And I hope this will be the last among the heavily mutated variants," he said.

Nonetheless, Solante said the government must protect the unvaccinated, who are at risk for severe infection.

"We should protect the unvaccinated because those who have severe symptoms, even with the Omicron, can still die because they don't have protection,” he said.

Solante said there were pros and cons in scrapping the facility-based quarantine for fully vaccinated travelers and returning overseas Filipinos amid the spike in coronavirus disease infections.

He said the vaccination rate in the country was still low which means the unvaccinated are at risk and cases might increase.

"There's that concern that the unvaccinated can still contract the virus, and there could be many cases,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health said it was preparing 32 "kid-friendly" vaccination sites for its "Resbakuna Kids" campaign, the inoculation of children aged 5 to 11 years old against COVID-19, starting February 4.

Health Undersecretary and National Vaccination Operations Center chief Myrna Cabotaje said the vaccination drive, using a reformulated dose of the PfizerComirnarty vaccine, would initially cover the National Capital Region (NCR) followed by selected areas in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) and Central Luzon, beginning February 7.

Among the 32 vaccination sites are the National Children's Hospital, Philippine Children's Medical Center and Philippine Heart Center in Quezon City.

The Manila city government had earlier proposed to include the renovated Manila Zoological and Botanical Garden or Manila Zoo as a jab site.

PNP...

From A1

According to the PNP, the eight focus crimes include murder, homicide, physical injury, rape, robbery, theft, and motorcycle theft and carnapping.

Fajardo said this improved data could be attributed to the quarantine restrictions and measures being implemented in the country due to COVID-19.

“We could attribute this decrease in crime incidents to the restrictions and curbs on movements, and of course, the increased police visibility in almost all areas in the country,” she said.

The PNP earlier reported that crime incidents in the Philippines also had gone down by 20 percent from December 1 to 27, 2021.

But Fajardo said the PNP would not be complacent because increase in crime incidents might go up in the leadup to the May 9 national and local polls.

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

Villar: Amend Agri-Agra Law to improve credit access

Pass Medical Reserve Corps bill–lawmaker

By Rio N. Araja

By Macon Ramos-Araneta SENATOR Cynthia Villar said that the Agri-Agra Reform Credit Act of 2008 should be revised to boost its effectiveness in reaching the agricultural sector and promoting rural development.

This, she said, will strengthen the financing system to provide credit access and banking services to the rural communities.

Villar, chairperson of the Senate agriculture and food committee, said the proposed law allows a wider mode of compliance for banks to achieve a holistic approach to countryside development.

The amendment would remove the distinction between 15 percent for agriculture and 10 percent for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in the banks’ portfolios.

It will also broaden the list of loan beneficiaries and activities that can be financed through bank loans or investments, as well as welcoming other alternative modes of compliance.

All banks, whether government or private, except newly-established banks from the effectivity of the law shall set aside a credit quota of at least 25 percent of their total loanable funds for agriculture lending.

For newly established banks, a fiveyear grace period is given within which no penalty shall be assessed.

Based on BSP data, banks have paid on the average P2 billion in penalties per year for non-compliance with the AgriAgra Reform Credit Act. The banks have extended a total of P713.6 billion in agri-agra credit as of end-December 2020.

Agri loans amounting to P642.4 billion accounted for only 9 percent of the 15 percent compliance requirement in agricultural credit.

On the other hand, agrarian reform credit extended by banks amounted to P71.2 billion, a mere 1 percent compliance ratio vis-à-vis the 10-percent requirement under the Agri-Agra law.

A3

FOR GOOD FORTUNE. Shoppers look for lucky charms ahead of the Lunar New Year on Feb. 1, 2022. Norman Cruz

Senate inquiry sought on cybertheft crimes

By Macon Ramos-Araneta, Othel Campos and Julito Rada

S

enator Richard Gordon has filed a resolution seeking a Senate inquiry on cybertheft crimes, including the unauthorized withdrawals from bank accounts of government employees.

“The Senate must spearhead an inquiry, in aid of legislation, on strengthening existing pertinent legislation on cybersecurity in close cooperation with law enforcement to adequately protect the Filipino people, particularly those most vulnerable and the financial security of their persons and families essentially relying on our collective cybersecurity,” said Gordon, chairman of the Senate Justice and Human Rights Committee, in fil-

ing Resolution 987.

“The Senate is compelled to act on the vicious commission of cybercrimes against the Filipino people, particularly against teachers and other public servants, private employees, and businesses taking away their hard-earned savings, violating their financial security, assaulting their cybersecurity, and disregarding their rights,” he added.

Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act, the senator said there is a need to protect and safeguard the integrity of computer and computer systems, networks, and databases from misuse, abuse, and illegal access.

Benjo Basas, Teachers’ Dignity Coalition chairperson, said in an interview that 20 teachers and DepEd personnel reported unauthorized transactions in their Land Bank accounts, with the amount of money lost ranging from P160,000 to P200,000.

The Trade department’s Consumer Protection Group also reported there has been a surge in the number of online transaction complaints since the pandem-

ic began.

For its part, LandBank said it welcomes the investigation by the National Bureau of Investigation on the alleged phishing schemes victimizing teachers.

LandBank president and CEO Cecilia Borromeo said the state bank is also coordinating with DepEd for the list of teachers who were reportedly victimized through phishing.

“We will actively participate in this investigation and extend full cooperation to the NBI with the end in mind of further securing our depositors’ hard-earned money.

We are also reaching out to the affected teachers and conducting an internal investigation on their complaints. In the meantime, we assure our clients and the general public that LandBank’s systems remain stable and secured,” said Borromeo.

Meanwhile, the Bankers Association of the Philippines, the organization of universal and commercial banks, has lauded the successful efforts of the National Bureau of Investigation in catching the perpetrators of the “Nagoyo” scam.

CAMARINES Sur Rep. Luis Ray Villafuerte has renewed his call for the Senate to immediately approve a proposed expansion of the country’s Medical Reserve Corps in preparation for future public health emergencies.

The proposed MRC may also be mobilized during times of calamities to provide immediate aid during rescue and relief operations, he said.

The House of Representatives has already approved the legislative measure earlier this year, but its counterpart bill remains pending at the committee level in the Senate.

“With global health experts confirming that this won’t be our last pandemic, we must continue to strengthen our healthcare system starting with the people who will man the frontlines in our fight against the next global health crisis,” he said.

Villafuerte is one of the principal authors of the House-approved Medical Reserve Corps Act. “I hope that the Senate can still find time to act on this measure, given the bill’s urgency and necessity,” he said.

Under House Bill No. 8999, the MRC would be composed of licensed physicians, medicine graduates, medical students, registered nurses and other allied health professionals, including those who have retired and are no longer practicing in the hospital setting.

The President, upon the recommendation of the Department of Health, may also order the mobilization of the MRC to complement the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Medical Corps “in case of the declaration of a state of war, state of lawless violence or state of calamity.”

The bill provides that members of the MRC be covered by labor laws and entitled to “all the pay and allowances, medical care, hospitalization and other privileges and benefits” during their deployment, and receive all their existing benefits from their regular jobs during the mobilization period.

A4

News

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

SARA 4 VP MOVEMENT.

The People’s National Council for Federalism, Inc. (PNC RevGov), a major proponent of a Revolutionary Government, Charter Change and No-Federalism, launched the SARA 4 VICE PRESIDENT Movement at the opening of its National Headquarters at the Bonifacio Global City (BGC) in Taguig City.

Manny raises WPS issue with Chinese envoy PRESIDENTIAL aspirant Senator Manny Pacquiao met with a Chinese ambassador to discuss concerns in the West Philippine Sea. Pacquiao said the meeting did not discuss the upcoming May 2022 polls, but Pacquiao did not name the Chinese ambassador.

In a GMA News report online, Pacquiao said “we did not talk about the election, we are talking about the dispute here in the West Philippine Sea. And based on our discussion, we need to have a dialogue because, according to them, no one is discussing the matter with them.”

Pacquiao added that if he is elected president in 2022, he would “create a peace panel to communicate with the involved countries to resolve the territorial dispute,” the report said.

“This problem will not be solved in just one conversation. There should be many discussions. We need to build a peace panel to focus on this problem,” Pacquiao, in the report, said.

China earlier rejected the 2016 decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration that invalidated its expansive claims over the South China Sea and that upheld the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone in the West Philippine Sea. At the 5th Manila Forum for ChinaPhilippines Relations last month, the vice chairman for the foreign affairs committee of China’s 13th National People’s Congress Fu Ying said China’s decision over the longstanding sea dispute was to respect the pending border disputes with many developing countries and to try to find peaceful solutions with their “friendly neighbors.”

Despite China’s talk of peaceful solutions, Beijing has expanded its hold over the disputed waters of the South China Sea by flexing its military muscle and harassing Filipino fishing vessels in areas claimed by the Philippines.

Makabayan backed by Ka Leody still PRESIDENTIAL aspirant and labor leader Leody de Guzman said he will continue to support senatorial candidates from the Makabayang Koalisyon ng Mamamayan who are supporting the candidacies of Vice President Leni Robredo and Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan.

De Guzman said he “respects dynamism and decision of the Makabayan party,” adding that “regardless of the outcome and practical considerations of their endorsement of another candidate, my support for the candidacy of Neri Colmenares and Bong Labog for the Senate remains.”

Earlier, former Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares said the Makabayan party is supporting the Leni-Kiko tandem.

Colmenares reportedly received backing from 1Sambayan, naming him as a candidate in its senatorial ticket.

In an ABS-CBN report, Makabayan was quoted in a statement saying that it “has similar approaches as the RobredoPangilinan tandem in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, contractualization of employees, the franchise issue of ABS-CBN, and the Philippines’ sovereignty issue, among others.”

Police arrest more than 400 violators of gun ban

V

IOLATORS of election-related gun ban arrested by police has reached 497, the Philippine National Police (PNP) reported on Sunday.

The PNP said 16 civilians were arrested for the gun-ban such violation during routine inspections conducted at more than 3,000 Commission on Elections (Comelec) checkpoints.

PNP Public Information Office chief Police Brigadier General Roderick Alba also said police confiscated 11 firearms, nine deadly weapons, and 48 pieces of ammunition.

Under Resolution No. 10728, the poll body prohibits “the bearing, carrying, or transporting of firearms or deadly weapons outside residence and in all public places from January 9 until June 8.”

The PNP said members of the police force are exempted from the gun ban.

However, PNP personnel should have authorization from the Comelec and should

be wearing their uniforms while on official duty during the election period.

Gun-ban violators could face imprisonment of not less than one year but not more than six years and shall not be subject to probation, the PNP said.

PNP chief, Gen. Dionardo Carlos, meanwhile is reminding candidates for the May elections and their supporters to abide by the campaign rules set by the Comelec as supported by the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).

“It will be an unprecedented campaign season so we hope that the candidates will set an example to the public of how they should obey our campaign guidelines,” he added in a statement.

Comelec Resolution No.10732 issued in November last year institutionalizes the new normal in conducting physical campaigns, rallies, meetings, and other related activities based on the alert level being implemented in a certain area.

Minimum public health standards will be observed as prescribed by the Department of Health.

The prohibited acts under the inperson activities include entering private dwelling for house-to-house campaigning even with the owner’s permission, crowding, handshaking or other forms of physical contact, taking selfies or photographs, that require proximity among people, and distributing food and drinks. The same goes for bigger campaign events.

“Our police personnel shall exercise vigilance in monitoring election-related activities while maintaining our being apolitical,” Carlos said.

SIBERIAN TIGER.

Mayor Francisco Isko Moreno Domagoso meets Kois, the White Siberian Tiger at the the Manila Zoo. Moreno said he is hoping that those visiting the Manila Zoo will meet Kois soon. The tiger is originally from the Clark Zoo.

Ping says PSA should address delay in natl ID

By Macon Ramos-Araneta PARTIDO Reporma standard-bearer Sen. Panfilo Lacson on Sunday pressed the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) on what is causing the delay in the delivery of their National ID cards, after he posted on Twitter that he finally received his card last Friday, Jan. 28.

He asked PSA to address this issue at the soonest possible time, adding that netizens have asked him, being the author and principal sponsor of the National ID law about the delay.

Lacson, who got his PhilSys card nearly a year after he applied for it on Feb. 4, 2021, also noted other netizens, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), have inquired where and how they can apply for their ID cards.

“Finally I got my national ID card yesterday. Being an author and the principal sponsor of the Philsys Act, I hope it will help immensely improve social services, our government’s fight against crime and corruption and most importantly, public service in general,” Lacson said on his Twitter account Saturday.

As the implementing agency of the PhilSys Act, he noted that the PSA should address these issues as soon as possible. It should expedite the printing and delivery of the National ID cards, he said.

He said the PSA must also renew and intensify its information drive on how Filipinos can apply for them.

Lacson remains hopeful the National ID system overall will mean better access to social services and protection from crime and corruption.

Isko will allow mining if firms are ‘responsible’

By Rey E. Requejo PRESIDENTIAL candidate and Manila Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso said he will allow mining in the country as long as its players are responsible and adhere to the lawful standard of operations to ensure that the environment is protected if elected president in 2022 elections.

“What we need is to create jobs because we’ve lost so much. What we need is new business because the economy is really affected by this pandemic. We have to be aggressive. We have to be practical but at the same time we have to be responsible also for the next generation,” Moreno told TV host Boy Abunda during Abunda’s “Presidential Interviews” show.

According to Moreno, the standardbearer of Aksyon Demokratiko, the country needs mining as it provides jobs and other livelihood related to the industry, and revenues for the government, particularly in this time of pandemic when the economy is hurting.

Leni-Kiko tandem all set for proclamation rallies in Bicol region THE tandem of Vice President Leni Robredo and Senator Francisco “Kiko” Pangilinan is set to hold proclamation rallies in the Bicol region on February 8 and February 9 The tandem’s campaign manager, former House deputy speaker Erin Tañada said the proclamation rally will be held in Naga, Camarines Sur on Feb. 8, and in other areas of Bicol region

on Feb. 9.

Speaking on Robredo’s weekly radio show, Tañada said all 12 candidates under the tandem’s Senate slate were invited to attend the proclamation events.

The Leni-Kiko tandem’s senatorial slate includes senators Risa Hontiveros and Leila De Lima, former senator Antonio Trillanes, former congressman

Teddy Baguilat, and lawyers Chel Diokno, Sonny Matula and Alex Lacson.

The tandem’s guest candidates include former Vice President Jejomar Binay, Sorsogon Gov. Chiz Escudero, and senators Richard Gordon, Joel Villanueva and Juan Miguel Zubiri.

Earlier, the Makabayan bloc expressed support for the Leni-Kiko tandem.

The Makabayan bloc earlier expressed confidence that it can deliver three million votes for the Leni-Kiko tandem.

Makabayan co-chair Neri Colmenares said the coalition has “traditionally” carried three to 3.5 million votes in previous past elections. The bloc said this could significantly “help” the candidacies of Robredo and Pangilinan.

Gov’t urged to scrap annual cap on health workers’ deployment

LENI’S PANGASINAN VISIT. Vice President Leni Robredo on Sunday, January 30,

visited San Manuel, Pangasinan where she was welcomed by supporters wearing shirts and masks in various shades of pink. She also gave a short message to the crowd who went to see her at the municipal hall. (OVP Photographers)

REP. Michael Defensor (Anakalusugan) has renewed his call for the scrapping of the 7,000 annual cap on overseas deployable healthcare workers, insisting that the quota’s continued enforcement violates the Constitution.

“We maintain that Filipinos enjoy the right to live and work wherever they can achieve the best quality of life for their families,” Defensor said in a statement on Sunday.

“Our healthcare workers are entitled to sell their skills to the highest-paying employers around the world – whether in the United States or in the United

Kingdom,” Defensor said.

Defensor made the call as he bared that another batch of 9,788 Philippineeducated nurses managed to take the U.S. licensure examination for the first time in 2021, despite tough movement restrictions associated with the lingering pandemic.

“The number is higher by 63 percent compared to the 6,004 Philippine nursing graduates that took America’s eligibility test, or the NCLEX, for the first time in 2020, excluding repeaters,” Defensor said, citing figures from the U.S. National Council of State Boards of Nursing Inc.

Opinion

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

A crisis of civility

MUDSLINGING - that is the plain and simple way to describe the phenomenon that is now commonly referred to as “negative campaigning.” But far from being a nascent reality, openly criticizing one’s political opponents is as old as the art of political campaigns itself. As early as 64 BC, the Roman politician and orator Cicero would advise the politicians of his time “to remind the people of what scoundrels said their opponents are and to smear these men at every opportunity with the crimes, scandals and corruption that they have brought upon themselves.”

More than two thousand years since Cicero, negative campaigning continues to be an important political strategy.

Many politicians would find it helpful in improving their political chances to raise personal attacks and criticism in order to dissuade voters from supporting their opponents, or at least to diminish their palatability among the electorate.

But what really is the price of open negative campaigning? The consequence may actually be more appalling than we think. While many would suppose that comparing and contrasting candidates would necessitate frank and candid criticisms of one’s political opponents, its effects on the quality and depth of political participation can really be worrisome. In fact, the increasingly polarized political environment has actually derailed attempts to build a more mature and highly engaged political constituency. The truth is what makes people believe that politics is bad and corrupt is fueled much by negative propaganda rather than an objective appreciation of facts and reality.

Here is where politicians must play an important role – that of instilling responsible political engagement. Not only does negative campaigning polarize opposing political groups, it effectively discourages the reluctant and the undecided. This has become even more apparent in this age of social media when anonymity has made it easier for the unscrupulous to hurl accusations and distortions against their opponents, without taking responsibility for them.

The truth of the matter is keeping a positive and issue-based campaign looks easier said than done.

Why? Because negative campaigning actually works. It is often believed that our brains are wired to negativity and that we respond more readily to a negative opinion of people and things. Even from a marketing perspective, people easily remember a negative issue than a positive trait. The same is true with political candidates. Voters are often quick to react to a negative issue than to commend someone’s accomplishment. Even when it comes to political issues, it is more likely for one who starts thinking favorably about a particular policy could easily be convinced otherwise, once bombarded persistently by its supposed downsides.

The truth is politics all throughout history has exploited much of how our brains are hard-wired to seek out and remember negative information. Even when one is presented with nine positive facts, voters would have the tendency to remember the negative statement despite how remote the possibility of it being true. It is like the proverbial half-full glass, there is always a greater tendency to think of it as half-empty. The electorate is not easily convinced by positive political rhetoric but could speedily be swept away by negative conjectures. In fact, negative campaigning can often be more compelling than an honest presentation of facts.

EDITORIAL

Pontius Pilate famously asked the Christ before his passion, “Quid veritas est?” “What is truth?” Unfortunately, many unscrupulous politicians have mastered how to manipulate snippets of truth to compose a total abstraction of what is true.

This is where political actors must be reminded – the quality of our politics is defined by our own individual actions.

When we go negative and normalize mudslinging, then we tacitly agree to purposeless aggression and unwarranted hatred in politics. Clearly, for whatever reason, nothing positive can be achieved by way of negative aggression.

A positive and issuebased campaign looks easier said than done.

No matter how commendable the end may be, the lack of charity and civility in politics will always end in even greater compromises. One who cannot be kind in his words cannot be expected to be compassionate in his actions. One who cannot be decent in his language would find it difficult to be respectful in his actions.

That is an ever present truth in all matters of human interaction, politics included.

In a more concrete sense, negative campaigning will not only discourage the undecided or polarize opposing sides, but it also erodes the people’s trust in the political system and confidence in their political leaders – or worse, their respect for public institutions. It is no surprise therefore that even if there are more well-intentioned than corrupt people in government, the people are often quick to assume that corruption has somewhat overtaken our political institutions.

Political candidates must be reminded that politics is not simply a matter of winning elections, but more importantly it is a question of strengthening public institutions. Thus, political actors have a huge and important responsibility of ensuring that the way we do our politics serve to embolden politics and not undermine it.

One more thing. Negative campaigning is the best barometer of a candidate’s self-perceived political chances. For example, opposition candidates are likely to resort to negative campaigning simply because there is a slimmer risk of potential backlash. Simply put, a candidate will try to make his opponent look bad because he cannot afford to look any better.

Second, most negative campaigns indicate that a candidate is trailing behind in the polls and the only possible way for them to catch up is to pull others down.

Our voters must be wary of those who do negative campaigning. It is either because they have nothing positive to speak about themselves, or at least look any better compared to their opponents – and second and even more sadly, it is because the candidate wouldn’t care less about getting the system into disarray.

Negative campaigning can be entertaining, but what is certain in the end is that the joke will always be on us. If all we want is a more mature political engagement, then candidates must distinguish themselves from their opponents by way of discussing ideas, not idiosyncrasies, and platforms not personalities.

Negativity can never persuade us towards positive action. The often unnoticed reality is most candidates are good people who are sincere in their desire to serve others, and improve things in a way that they think is best. Politics is no license for us to think or say that our way is the only way, and insist that others are plainly wrong. Degrading each other’s character has no place in a mature political society, because its higher purpose is achieved when the best of leaders can always disagree without hating each other.

What’s her play?

BEFORE the week ended, soon-to-be retired Commission on Elections Commissioner Rowena Guanzon came out with her guns blazing, accusing her colleagues in the First Division of deliberately delaying the release of their decision on the petition for disqualification of leading presidential candidate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. Not only did she accuse her colleagues of the delay, but she also named the designated ponencia of the case whom she accused of incompetence for having no capacity to write a pleading, and worst, she leaked her vote regarding the case describing it as a dissenting opinion.

The designated ponencia, Commissioner Aimee Feralino, fired back, denying they were deliberately delaying the resolution with the purpose of releasing it after Guanzon retires on Wednesday, February 2, saying it was the latter which caused the delay in the proceeding of the case in the first place.

According to Feralino, it was Guanzon’s decision to delay the preliminary conference to January 7 to time with her return to Manila. Thus, the calendar had to be adjusted with the case being raffled to Feralino’s office on January 10, the case records of the three cases transmitted to her office on January 12 and the consolidated formal of evidence by the respondents and the memorandum and manifestation to set Preliminary conference by the Petitioner transmitted to her office on January 14. Incidentally, it was also on January 12 when the results of the RT-PCR of the two lawyers assigned to Feralino’s office came out, showing them to be positive for COVID-19.

With the above developments on the case, Feralino denied there was an internal agreement among the commissioners to come out with the resolution on January 17, just three days after the transmission of the documents to her office.

Further causing the delay, Feralino said, was the bombardment of text messages from Guanzon, pressuring her, not only to expedite the resolution, but to also adopt her opinion.

“In all honesty Chair, it was not only the date of the promulgation that she imposed upon me. She also consistently took liberties in telling me to adopt her opinion.

It is quite appalling that Commissioner

ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Office, Manila. Website: www. manilastandard.net

ONLINE

can be accessed at: manilastandard.net

MEMBER

PPI

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

A5

Unfortunate career changes P

EOPLE change careers all the time. There is a certain liberation to pursuing that which one truly loves doing, and a commendable courage to start anew.

with charges that could land them in jail. This is a stark contrast to how journalism was being practiced years ago, when the press freely published news and commentary critical of the mainland.

Some say there is no point in being a journalist anymore.

But a report from Vice World News over the weekend details a different kind of career shift – a tragic one – as former journalists in the news organization Apple Daily in Hong Kong now eke out a different kind of living: one as a cab driver, another as a restaurant employee. Yet another works odd jobs while another publishes news on a web site for a fraction of what he used to earn.

Some of those featured in the story said they no longer saw any point in being a journalist anymore.

Such resignation is a death knell for a profession which is a cornerstone of democracy and has served as a watchdog against abuses by government officials and corporations.

The purpose of journalism, say Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel in their book The Elements of Journalism, is to provide people with the information they need to be free and self-governing. But if information is

Apple Daily is just one independent news outlet in Hong Kong that has been shut down by the Chinese government. Its assets were frozen and some of its editors were slapped

suppressed, or if it is manufactured such that it no longer is information but propaganda, fake news or distorted truth, then it provides a shaky basis for the people on which to base their discourse and democratic decisions.

Then again, what is happening in Hong Kong is likely not limited to the former British colony. Elsewhere in the world, including here in our benighted land, attempts to frustrate the essence of the press are striking fear and dismay among many. Some valiantly keep up the fight, but when safety, economics or ethical principles become the issue, it becomes just so tempting to give up. For their part, aspiring journalists do a double take and explore other career options instead of staying on track.

What is happening is lamentable.

In this day of state-driven distortion and unhampered flow of manufactured news and unfounded opinion, the world needs more — not fewer – journalists steepe—in the rigors, and the virtue, of telling the truth.

The crisis of rare disease to overcome the challenges that have delayed the full implementation of the Rare Disease Act (RA 10747) which had been passed way back in 2016. It took six years for advocates to finally see an allocation of P104.9 million in this year’s General Appropriations Act. UNIVERSAL Health Care, as described in the Department of Health (DOH) website, is the “provision to every Filipino of the highest possible quality of health care that is accessible, efficient, equitably distributed, adequately funded, fairly financed, and appropriately used by an informed and empowered public,” or simply, making healthcare services available and accessible for all Filipinos. As mandated in the Universal Health Care Act, the government is duty bound to ensure that all Filipino shall receive affordable and quality health benefits.

Most of us have, at best, a general awareness of the life threatening illnesses that have caused the death of loved ones and acquaintances. According to 2019 data from Statista, “one of the leading causes of death in the Philippines was ischaemic heart disease impacting approximately 97.48 thousand people. The other four leading causes of death were malignant neoplasms (Cancer), cerebrovascular disease, pneumonia, and diabetes mellitus.”

However, there is much less awareness of equally tragic rare diseases (RDs) that according to the University of the Philippines-National Institutes of Health (UPNIH), strikes 1 in every 20,000 Filipinos or approximately 6,500 patients most of which are in the economically challenged sector of our society.

In last week’s virtual roundtable discussions hosted by the Stratbase ADR Institute (ADRi) in partnership with Universal Health Care Watch (UHC Watch) and the Philippine Society of Orphan Disorders themed “No One Should be Left Behind Amid the Continuing Pandemic - Facilitating the Implementation of the Rare Disease Law for 2022”, government implementors and stakeholders discussed ways Guanzon was able to draft an opinion when the Ponencia has not yet submitted the resolution and all the case records are in my possession,” Feralino said in her three-page letter.

The commissioner’s action has many implications.

“She even issued a Memorandum incorporating her separate opinion on a resolution that is yet to be released. The Presiding Commissioner of the 1st Division is putting the cart before the horse to justify her demands,” Feralino added.

Now, what’s the implication of Guanzon’s action?

According to lawyer Faye Singson, Guanzon’s action or statement, leaking her vote even before the ponencia has finalized the ruling, is premature, violative of the sub judice rule and highly irresponsible.

Kilusang Bagong Lipunan senatorial candidate, lawyer Larry Gadon said “Guanzon appears to be liable for violation of Section 3 (k) of R.A. 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, which is ‘divulging valuable information of a confidential character acquired by his office or by him on account of his official position to unauthorized persons or releasing such information in advance, of its authorized

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

Our policymakers should honor the commitments promised by the Rare Disease Law. Dr. Carmencita D. Padilla, Chancellor of the University of the Philippines Manila, described rare diseases as chronic, progressive, degenerative, life threatening, and debilitating not just for the quality of life of RD patients but also for their families. She pointed out that RD patients are not even in the registry and stressed that diagnosis early in life may give RD patients a chance to live good lives and proceed to have their own families in the future.

Dr. Padilla clarified that they are not creating a new network; they just want to be included in the existing framework of the Department of Health as the law rightly establishes DOH as the lead and provides a platform for the collaboration among government, non-government agencies, and organizations.

Dir. Eva Maria C. Cutiongco-dela Paz, Executive Director, UP-National Institutes of Health (UP-NIH), discussed their roles such as assisting in the diagnosis of rare diseases through various confirmatory test thru the Institute of Human Genetics. If the test is not available in the country, they facilitate testing through their linkages abroad.

Dr. Lizette Kristine Lopez, Chair of the Subcommittee on Drugs Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Council said that just getting diseases diagnosed greatly released date, when she named Feralino as the case’s ponencia, which is punishable by imprisonment of 1 to 10 years imprisonment and perpetual disqualification to hold public office.”

Surely, Guanzon is aware of this. She may appear to be arrogant to some people who view her as a narcissist, but we have to admit she is a good lawyer. How could the experience of former Supreme Court Justice Ruben Reyes have escaped her memory?

In the case of Reyes, the high court permanently barred the magistrate from holding public office and imposed a P500,000 penalty for breach of confidentiality and leakage of internal documents. Reyes was found responsible for the leak of his draft decision on the citizenship case of Negros Oriental Rep. Jocelyn Limkaichong to one of the parties.

And I’m pretty sure Guanzon knows the possible repercussions of what she is doing and yet she is willing to risk it all. She is inviting all kinds of lawsuits slapped on her.

She keeps crying Marcos should be disqualified when she knows deep in her heart the basis she is citing are clearly off-tangent. She keeps saying Marcos is not qualified as he was convicted of a crime. “Convict, convict! How can we allow a convict to be elected president?” she cries.

But if BBM was convicted, how come he was not sent to prison, Gadon asks.

While it is true, the Regional Trial Court found BBM guilty, sentencing him to 18 months in prison, Gadon says this was overturned by the Court of Appeals which

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

impacts a household’s finances without even considering the treatment which is already very expensive.

Though the government’s objective is to reduce out-of-pocket expenses, Dr. Lopez said that there are legal obstacles for the HTA council particularly for rare diseases where the required clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis are not available, because they are rare diseases. She adds that as they are mandated to assess health technologies related to rare diseases on the affordability and the viability and the cost effectiveness, these are generally very expensive and are another obstacle in getting approval.

Stratbase ADRi President Prof. Dindo Manhit stated that due to the low prevalence and the widely dispersed distribution of patients with rare diseases, there is an evident disproportion in the availability of treatments and resources.

“We see that various stakeholders can proactively collaborate in the decision-making process so that through this whole-of-society approach the country’s health systems could achieve better health outcomes with a greater sense of accountability in healthcare delivery,” Prof. Manhit said.

UHC Watch Co-convenor Alvin Manalansan for his part said, “Access to quality, safe and effective healthcare and treatment should be available for all, regardless of age, sex, status and/or condition.”

“We propose that the funding of the Rare Diseases Law will be sustained in the succeeding years with a specific line item in the GAA and higher allocations to expand the coverage of more types of diseases so that more RD patients will have access to needed health services,” Manalansan said.

The global health crisis we are now struggling to recover from is a hard lesson for all humanity of the primacy of health as an existential requisite. Our policymakers should honor the commitments promised by the Rare Disease Law by assuring that there are appropriate and sustained resources for implementation. removed the prison sentence and only meted a penalty for non-filing of income tax return. This was upheld by the SC which declared that BBM did not commit tax evasion but non-filing of ITR which is not a crime involving moral turpitude.

“So, whose ruling will be enforced,” asks Gadon, “that of the RTC or the CA and the Supreme Court?”

“There is no issue of conviction,” Gadon avers, adding that the very reason why there is a Court of Appeals is to correct a wrong decision rendered by a lower court, and a Supreme Court to render the final ruling.

“Such intellectual dishonesty bordering on gross ignorance of the law. A judgment of conviction that was appealed did not attain finality and a conviction that never became final is no conviction at all,” he adds.

“In legal parlance, law professors know that when a decision of a lower court is reversed, it is referred to as ‘overturned,’ meaning expunged,” Gadon explains.

Again, I’m sure Guanzon, being a good lawyer and a law professor, is aware of this.

But she just won’t care whatever risks she faces. And it is for these reasons that I think she may be up to something. Maybe she wants to assume the role of a poster girl of the opposition – the face of the opposition.

She knows Leni Robredo doesn’t stand a chance against BBM, who won’t be disqualified as no less than the SC has clarified his case (And there is no way she doesn’t know this).

Full version on www.manilastandard.net

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

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

Emil P. Jurado Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

A6

World

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Beijing logs highest COVID infections since June 2020 BEIJING recorded its highest number of new COVID-19 cases for a year and a half on Sunday, as the Chinese capital gears up to host the Winter Olympics in five days.

China will hold the Games in a strict “closed-loop” bubble as part of its zeroCovid strategy of targeted lockdowns, border restrictions and lengthy quarantines.

The approach has helped the world’s second-largest economy keep new infections far lower than many other countries, but it is battling local outbreaks in several cities as well as in the Olympic bubble.

The upcoming Lunar New Year – China’s biggest national holiday – presents a further challenge as millions of people return to their hometowns and mingle with family and friends.

Beijing’s tally of 20 new cases on Sunday was the city’s highest since June

2020, according to the National Health Commission (NHC).

City authorities have locked down some housing compounds, while officials in Fengtai district – where most of Sunday’s infections were detected – have begun testing around 2 million people for the virus.

The Olympics bubble separates everyone involved in the Games from the wider Chinese population to curb the risk of infections leaking out.

The estimated 60,000 people inside the bubble are subject to daily testing.

On Sunday, organizers reported 34 new cases related to the Games, bringing the total to more than 200 since the bubble was sealed on January 4.

The new infections include 16 people who are either athletes or team officials, who tested positive either on arrival at the airport or inside the closed loop. AFP

RAMPED UP NUKE POWER. A woman walks past a television screen showing a news broadcast with file footage of a North Korean missile test at a railway station in Seoul on January 30, 2022. AFP

RECORD-BREAKING 7TH LAUNCH THIS MONTH

Nokor test-fires most powerful missile 13 dead, 10 N hurt in Mexico ORTH Korea on Sunday tested its most powerful missile since 2017, ramping up the firepower for its record-breaking seventh launch this month as Seoul warned nuclear and long-range tests could be next.

Pyongyang has never test-fired this many missiles in a calendar month before and last week threatened to abandon a nearly five-year-long selfimposed moratorium on testing longrange and nuclear weapons.

With peace talks with the US stalled, North Korea has doubled-down on leader Kim Jong Un’s vow to modernize the regime’s armed forces, flexing Pyongyang’s military muscles despite biting international sanctions.

Hillsong megachurch head steps down ahead of trial THE Australian founder and global head of Pentecostal megachurch Hillsong announced Sunday he will step down while he faces trial over charges he covered up his father’s child sexual abuse.

Pastor Brian Houston said Hillsong’s lawyers had advised him to hand over leadership of the church during his criminal trial.

Houston was charged in August 2021 with concealing information from police about alleged child abuse by his father, Frank, who was also a pastor and died in 2004.

Frank Houston had been accused of sexually abusing a

young boy while a preacher at the Assemblies of God Church in the 1970s.

A royal commission in 2015 found the younger Houston was told about the allegations in 1999 but failed to report them to authorities, sparking the investigation by police.

“These allegations came as a shock to me, and it is my intention to vigorously defend them,” Houston said in a statement issued by Hillsong.

Founded by Houston and his wife, Bobbie, in Sydney in the 1980s, Hillsong has grown into a global megachurch which claims an average weekly attendance of 150,000 people. AFP

Manila

Standard

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING On the ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE REPORT AND MANAGEMENT PLAN (EPRMP) of the PROPOSED SANGILO MINES EXPANSION PROJECT of the ITOGON-SUYOC RESOURCES INC. located in BARANGAYS AMPUCAO AND POBLACION, ITOGON, BENGUET. Notice is hereby given to all parties who wish to give their opinion regarding the implementation of the PROPOSED SANGILO MINES EXPANSION PROJECT to attend the Public Hearing scheduled on: Date /Time

Venue

Details

15 February 2022 (Tuesday);

El Cielito Hotel, North Drive, Baguio City

https://us06web.zoom. us/j/85205558291?pwd=O UlNdEdFbjdtbTVPa2pqNWRtNEw5Zz09 Meeting ID: 852 0555 8291 Passcode: 519575

The Public Hearing is being conducted in connection with the review of the EPRMP of the aforementioned project by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The following is the project information: Project Name

Sangilo Mines Expansion Project

Project Location

Barangays Ampucao and Poblacion, Itogon, Benguet

Project Capacity

182,500 MT/yr

Project Type

Resource Extractive Industry (Gold)

Proponent

Itogon-Suyoc Resources Inc.

All interested parties who wish to attend or participate in this Public Hearing should preferably confirm their attendance/participation and may give their opinion(s) in a concise position paper to the ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT DIVISION (EIAMD) of this Office through email at eia@emb.gov.ph, three (3) days before the Public Hearing schedule.

Those who will not be able to register or submit written positions may be given the opportunity to share their issues on the day of the hearing itself.

The project’s EPRMP and Executive Summary for the Public are downloadable on our website: (kindly access the Notice of Public Hearing/ Consultation link found in our website) while copies will be available in the following offices: •

EMB CAR DENR Compound, Gibraltar Road, Baguio City Tel. No. (074) 665-2905

•

MENRO- Itogon 1st Flr., Municipal Bldg., Poblacion, Itogon, Benguet

For more details, please contact the EIAMD Division at this Office at telephone number (02) 8539 4378 loc. 116 and look for the project case handlers Engr.

Joel Polintan and Engr. Jason Paolo Esguerra.

(MS-JAN. 31, 2022)

South Korea’s military said Sunday it had “detected an intermediate-range ballistic missile fired at a lofted angle eastward towards the East Sea.” A lofted trajectory involves missiles being fired at a high angle instead of out to their full range.

Sunday’s ballistic missile was estimated to have hit a maximum altitude of 2,000 kilometers and flown around 800 kilometers for half an hour, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said. AFP

road accident

AT LEAST 13 people died after a bus carrying pilgrims to a religious shrine in Mexico flipped over on Saturday, authorities said.

Another 10 were injured in the accident in the western state of Jalisco.

The bus was taking 23 people to the town of San Juan de Los Lagos, which hosts an annual Catholic celebration.

The pilgrims were going even though this year’s edition was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The town’s Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan de los Lagos draws an average of two million people annually.

Five of those who died in Saturday’s accident were thrown from the vehicle, and two were minors.

Deadly road accidents are not uncommon in Mexico.

Last year, at least 16 people were killed and 22 were injured in a September smash involving a bus and a truck in the northern state of Sonora.

And in April, a collision between two buses carrying workers at a SoURGENT CLEANUP NEEDED. Handout photo released by Ecuador’s Ministry of Environment shows an oil spill in an area of the Amazon region, in the Piedra Fina sector, Ecuador, caused by the nora mine left at least 16 dead.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK rupture of the Heavy Crude Oil Pipeline (OCP), which suspended oil pumping on Saturday. AFP Meanwhile, a bus in Bolivia tumbled 400 meters (1,300 feet) into a ravine on Saturday, killing at least 11 people, authorities said.

It was not immediately known how many people were on the bus, which “We’re happy for you, you can come and A PREGNANT New Zealand journalist denied re-entry to her home country to give birth due you won’t have a problem,” Bellis said in an was traveling in the central Cochato strict COVID-19 regulations said she has interview about what the Taliban had told her. bamba department.

They also said, “Don’t worry. Everything been offered refuge by the Afghan Taliban.

The driver was among those who “This just feels like such a breach of trust,” will be fine,” she told the New Zealand Herald. survived the fall, said Rensso Elwis “In my time of need, the New Zealand govCharlotte Bellis told Radio New Zealand on Mercado, head of traffic for the deernment said you’re not welcome here. When Sunday from Kabul. partment.

Bellis had been working for Al Jazeera in Af- the Taliban offers you – a pregnant, unmarried “He can help us clear up many ghanistan, but said she didn’t realize she was woman – safe haven, you know your situation doubts,” Mercado said, adding that pregnant until she was at the media company’s is messed up.” the cause of the accident is under inBellis, who once questioned the Taliban headquarters in Doha, Qatar. vestigation.

It is illegal to be pregnant and unmarried in about what they would do to ensure the rights One child was among the fatalities Qatar, so Bellis kept her pregnancy secret as of women and girls, said it was “brutally ironand two others were hospitalized, poic” she was now asking the same question of she prepared to return to New Zealand. lice said.

Upon being told she did not qualify for an her own government.

After going public with her situation, and exemption under New Zealand’s strict COVID The National Statistics Institute border controls, Bellis said she called senior involving lawyers, Bellis said she had been says 1,096 people died in road acciTaliban contacts and was told she could give contacted by New Zealand officials who said dents in Bolivia in 2020. AFP her rejected application was under review. AFP birth there.

Pregnant woman offered refuge by Taliban

TODAY

09:00 AM (Registration starts at 08:00 AM)

South Korea said Sunday that North Korea appeared to be following a “similar pattern” to 2017—when tensions were last at breaking-point on the peninsula—warning Pyongyang could soon restart nuclear and intercontinental missile tests.

North Korea “has come close to destroying the moratorium declaration,” South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in said in a statement following an emergency meeting of Seoul’s National Security Council.

‘Felt like a bullet’: Bhutan mourns 4th COVID death BHUTAN’S success in avoiding coronavirus is almost unrivaled but a rare patient death – just the kingdom’s fourth – shows more work was needed to fight the pandemic there, its leader says.

The remote Himalayan nation of around 800,000 people, sandwiched between China and India, has recorded fewer COVID fatalities than almost anywhere else in the world.

The only places with lower official tolls are a small handful of remote Pacific islands and countries that do not publish coronavirus data, such as North Korea and Turkmenistan.

But Bhutan’s Prime Minister Lotay Tshering – a physician who still conducts surgeries on the weekend as a “de-stresser” from the pressures of office – said this week’s death was “a bitter reminder that we need to do more.”

Tshering said in a Facebook post late Saturday that “it felt like a bullet-hit to learn that one more precious life died with COVID-19.”

“I grieved with the nation and continue to offer my prayers for our dear friend,” he added. AFP

ICE FISHING. An overview shows anglers near fishing holes during the 32nd

annual Brainerd Jaycees Ice Fishing Extravaganza on Gull Lake’s Hole in the Day Bay, in Brainerd, Minnesota on January 29, 2022. Nearly 10,000 anglers from Minnesota and other states attend the largest charitable ice fishing contest in the world. AFP

Business

A7

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022 || extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market anticipating looser restrictions

By Jenniffer B. Austria

S

HARE prices will likely trade sideways with an upward bias as the government weighs the possible relaxation of mobility restrictions in the capital region.

The Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is expected to decide soon the new alert level of Metro Manila for the first two weeks of February.

With the continued decline in COVID-19 cases in Metro Manila, analysts said IAFT may lower the current alert level from 3 to 2 to aid in the recovery of the economy.

BDO Unibank Inc. chief investment strategist Jonathan Ravelas sees the benchmark Philippine Stock Exchange Index index trading between 7,000 points and 7,350 points over the near term period.

COL Financial research head April Lynn Tan, meanwhile, said in a forum the index could rise to 8,400 by the end of 2022.

Tan said investors should focus on buying blue chip companies and value stocks as fund mangers are expected to

accumulate them before they rotate to mid-cap stocks, amid the volatility leading to the May presidential elections, Tan said that while share prices have recovered, many listed companies are still trading at a discount compared to their historical average.

The PSEi last week slipped 0.6 percent to 7,251.97, while the broader All Shares Index dropped 0.3 percent to 3,856.08.

Only two of the six sectoral indices posted week-on-week gains, led by financials which rose 2.2 percent and industrial which climbed 1.9 percent.

Mining and oil declined 3.2 percent, holding firms by 1.8 percent, property by 1.7 percent; and services by 1 percent.

Foreign investors were net sellers for the week by P1.46 billion, while the average daily value traded stood at P6.6 billion from the previous week’s average of P5.5 billion.

Weekly top price gainers were Emperador Inc., which jumped 15 percent to P22.30; Century Pacific Food Inc., which rose 8.1 percent to P28; and Bank of the Philippine Islands, which advanced 4.8 percent to P99.30.

Weekly top price losers were ABSCBN Corp., which sank 18.2 percent to P11.50; Philex Mining Corp., which fell 10.5 percent to P5.25; and 8990 Holdings Inc., which declined 5.8 percent to P11.02. With AFP

Qatar looks to profit from Europe gas supply fears DOHA, Qatar—Europe’s fears of losing Russian gas supplies in the Ukraine crisis will loom large when Qatar’s emir meets the US president on Monday but the powerful Gulf ruler has no “magic wand,” analysts say.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad AlThani will ensure some kind of assistance, however, as he seeks a bigger share of the European market for Qatar’s burgeoning offshore gas production and to score valuable points over its neighbors in becoming the key US ally in the Gulf.

The sheikh, whose tiny country has increased its diplomatic initiatives to match its status as an energy colossus, has the Ukraine crisis, efforts to engage the hardline Taliban administration in Afghanistan and backroom talks on reviving a nuclear accord with Iran on the agenda for his White House meeting with President Joe Biden, officials said.

Gas supplies are one of the key areas that Europe fears could be cut if Russia decides to take military action in Ukraine.

The United States is also in contact with Australia about providing alternative supplies and could send more of its own production, diplomats said.

Australia, Qatar and the United States are the world’s biggest gas exporters.

“Talks are going on” over diverting some liquefied natural gas from Asian markets to Europe if President Vladimir Putin cuts supplies to western Europe, a Qatari official told AFP ahead of the meeting.

There are precedents for Qatar helping friends in need.

It sent supplies to Japan after the 2011 tsunami and four special cargoes to Britain in October to address sudden shortages. AFP

FARMERS’ VOICE. Director of the Beef, Veal and Lamb Kermene sectors for the Carrefour group Bertrand Eon (right) discusses with farmers during a demonstration called by the National Federation of Agricultural Holders’ Unions 22 in Langueux, western France, on January 29, 2022. Breton farmers blocked access to several supermarkets in the Cotes-d’Armor region on January 29, 2022 to demand a rise in prices paid to producers, as part of the annual trade negotiations between supermarkets and their suppliers, an AFP photographer noted. AFP

China factory activity lower in January amid outbreaks BEIJING, China—Factory activity in China edged down in January, official figures showed Sunday, but slightly exceeded expectations as businesses struggled with sporadic disruptions due to coronavirus outbreaks.

The Purchasing Managers’ Index—a key gauge of manufacturing activity— in the world’s second-largest economy inched down to 50.1, just above the 50-point mark separating growth from contraction.

The data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) shows a slight decrease from last month’s reading of 50.3, when activity was buoyed by an easing of commodity prices.

“Faced with a complex and severe economic environment and scattered outbreaks... China’s economy continued

In this picture taken on January 7, 2022, farmers and villagers sit at the Digital Dera office in Chak Twentysix SP. Agriculture entrepreneurs are bringing the digital age to Pakistan’s farmers, helping them plan crops better—and also distribute their produce when the time is right. AFP

CHAK TWENTY-SIX SP, Pakistan— Agriculture entrepreneurs are bringing the digital age to Pakistan’s farmers, helping them plan crops better and distribute their produce when the time is right.

Until recently, “the most modern machine we had was the tractor,” Aamer Hayat Bhandara, a farmer and local councillor behind one such project told AFP in “Chak 26,” a village in the agricultural heartland of Punjab province.

Even making mobile phone calls can be difficult in many parts of Pakistan, but since October, farmers in Chak 26 and pilot projects elsewhere have been given free access to the internet—and it is revolutionizing the way they work.

Agriculture is the mainstay of Pakistan’s economy, accounting for nearly 20 percent of gross domestic product and around 40 percent of the workforce.

It is estimated to be the world’s fifthlargest producer of sugarcane, seventhlargest of wheat and tenth-biggest rice grower—but it mostly relies on human labor and lags other big farming nations on mechanization.

Cows and donkeys rest near a muddy road leading to a pavilion in Chak 26,

TOP GAINERS

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

0.77 0.013 0.74 22.3 0.69 134 0.97 24.65 18.82 99.3

ATN OPM ATNB EMP FAF BDO TECHW LBC PBC BPI

0.09 0.001 0.05 1.4 0.04 7 0.05 1.1 0.82 4.3

13.24% 8.33% 7.25% 6.70% 6.15% 5.51% 5.43% 4.67% 4.56% 4.53%

TOP LOSERS

Start ups bringing Pakistan’s farming into the digital age

By Yann Schreiber

PSEi January 28, 2022

which is connected to a network via a small satellite dish.

This is the “Digital Dera”—or meeting place—and six local farmers have come to see the computers and tablets that provide accurate weather forecasts, as well as the latest market prices and farming tips.

“I’ve never seen a tablet before,” said Munir Ahmed, 45, who grows maize, potatoes and wheat.

“Before, we relied on the experience of our ancestors or our own, but it wasn’t very accurate,” added Amjad Nasir, another farmer, who hopes the project “will bring more prosperity.”

Apps and apples Communal internet access is not Bhandara’s only innovation.

A short drive away, on the wall of a shed, a modern electronic switch system is linked to an old water pump.

A tablet is now all he needs to control the irrigation on part of the 100 hectares (250 acres) he cultivates—although it is still subject to the vagaries of Pakistan’s intermittent power supply.

This year, Bhandara hopes, others will install the technology he says will reduce water consumption and labor.

“Digitizing agriculture... and the rural population is the only way to prosper,” he told AFP. AFP

to recover and develop, though growth levels somewhat declined,” said NBS statistician Zhao Qinghe.

The NBS reading contrasted with a private survey of smaller manufacturers, which fell by 1.8 points to 49.1.

“The slowdown is particularly severe for the small firms,” said Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management.

The NBS figures have hovered in growth territory since November, following a seven-month downward trend in part due to power shortages and high raw material prices.

The reading fell below 50 for two months in September and October as the power crunch hit business operations.

Meanwhile, the non-manufacturing business activity index was 51.1 in Jan-

uary, a contraction of 1.6 points from the previous month.

The decline was due in part to a slowing recovery in the services sector and a seasonal slowdown in construction.

Analysts have warned that domestic coronavirus outbreaks will likely continue to weigh on China’s economy as sporadic outbreaks dent consumer confidence and cause business shutdowns.

Beijing is on high alert for new virus outbreaks as it prepares to host next month’s Winter Olympics.

Authorities locked down an area neighboring Beijing this week following a handful of reported cases, appearing not to publicly announce restrictions that have confined around 1.2 million people in Xiong’an New Area to their homes. AFP

LAST % PRICE CHANGE CHANGE

1 2

ABSP PRIM

10.92 1.14

-1.2 -0.11

-9.90% -8.80%

3

DIZ

5.05

-0.44

-8.01%

4 5

MBC I

9.2 0.78

-0.78 -0.06

-7.82% -7.14%

6 7

FRUIT PX

1.18 5.25

-0.09 -0.38

-7.09% -6.75%

8 9

NI CEU

0.89 6.52

-0.06 -0.41

-6.32% -5.92%

10

LPZ

2.92

-0.18

-5.81%

MOST ACTIVE

VOLUME

VALUE (PHP)

1 2 3

BDO BPI SM

8,743,260 5,702,070 393,820

1,148,692,836 561,224,146 371,907,290

4

ICT

1,455,350

293,626,416

5 6 7

FCG ACEN SPNEC

334,918,000 292,841,770 29,893,800 283,771,128 126,914,000 269,933,520

8

ALI

7,065,800

244,555,780

9

AC

271,250

233,840,285

10

GLO

70,050

227,703,940

An open letter to millennials in public service DEAR Millennials in public service, You might be at the beginning of your career and wondering if public service is truly the path for you. You’ve probably heard a lot of feedback from everyone, most likely the ugly and the messy. You might be asking why people still pursue this path, but you’re also intrigued if everyone in the government is, truly as people assume they are–corrupt, unfair, unethical.

Allow me to let you in on some secrets.

In my five years of working in the government, I had encountered the good, the bad and the ugly. Some experience made me question the why’s or whether it’s worth it to pursue this career. So here are some realizations and lessons I learned while working as a public servant: 1. Know your purpose I’ll be honest. My decision to work in the government was initially a necessity. I never had any grand goal of changing the world. I was a fresh graduate who had a lot on her shoulders and couldn’t afford to be picky. I always thought that I wasn’t fit for the nine-to-five job, and my purposedriven characteristics as a millennial made working in the government seem far-fetched and honestly counterproductive. But the longer I stay, the more I realize the huge difference between working IN the government and working FOR the government. Deciding where you fit in this puzzle will help you understand why you work there in the first place. While one will teach you to respect the institution, the other will educate you that admission and correction of mistakes are also a form of governance.

Having a purpose will help you move forward in your career, too, and allow you to fulfill a more significant and more purposeful path. In my opinion, having no purpose is allowing yourself to be influenced, to be vulnerable. You’d find yourself going with the flow, to which direction, whether good or bad, you’d have no control over.

2. Have your standard and adhere to it As soon as I found out my purpose of working in the government, I became more firm about my ethical standards and values.

It is a reality that not everyone in public service truly cares for the “public.” You will encounter people who have sat too long at their desks and thought too highly of themselves. These people will make you question your purpose and sometimes lure you in the wrong direction. Having your standards will allow you to address these situations firmly. Are you going to be swayed, or would you hold your head up high and say no?

Some people believe that governance in itself meant just abiding by the law.

But know that there is always ethics involved in governance, and working as a public servant meant going beyond your economic and legal duties. As you develop your standards, however, understand that you must be the first one to adhere to them. One must walk the talk. More than having your credibility on the line, embodying and acting upon your standards will make you respect and understand its importance more.

3. Find your people and appreciate your contributions.

Another equally important lesson I learned while working in the government is the importance of finding your people.

Despite prejudice about government employees being corrupt and unethical, I’m very glad to say that this is far from the truth. There are three types of people in the world, those who do good, those who do bad, and those who do not care. I’ve met bad ones and those who could hardly care but know that there are still a lot of government employees who are truly public servants.

They put in the daily grind praying and hoping that today’s processed document could be a facilitated budget release that

ANN MARIE G. ESTONILO

Green Light

would build a long-awaited hospital, road or school in a geographically isolated and disadvantaged area in Mindanao. As you make your way in public service, try to find equally-minded people and learn from them. These people might not make it at the top of the chain, but they understand and appreciate the relevance of their work and how it affects the public.

Most of the time, in your future years in service, you will feel as if none of the things you type on your computer or the endless meetings you’ve attended meant anything or impacted anyone. But please know the last and the most important lesson I learned about governance and public service is that the government is the people.

It doesn’t matter whether you fit at the bottom or the top of the command chain.

The reality is everyone has a role to play.

It’s about how good you do your job and whom you offer your services. Do you work for the institution’s advantage, or do you work in the institution as a means of serving your fellow men?

I’ve pondered on for so long trying to find the relevance of ethics in government service, not knowing that all along, it is embedded in the purpose of building the institution itself. Most government institutions, after all, were created to serve the most good for the greatest number of people.

The author is an MBA student at the Ramon V. del Rosario College of Business, DLSU. She can be reached at ann_estonilo@dlsu.edu.ph.

The views expressed above are the author’s and do not necessarily reflect the official position of DLSU, its faculty, and its administrators.

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

A8

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

IN BRIEF

PSE to rule on DITO’s stock rights offering

THE Philippine Stock Exchange said over the weekend it will decide on whether DITO CME Holdings Corp. can unilaterally cancel its P8-billion stock rights offering.

DITO CME informed the PSE that its management decided to defer the rights offering because of “current market conditions.” DITO also informed the PSE that it would refund any and all subscription payments made by shareholder or qualified institutional buyer during the offering period.

“This should not be construed as an approval by the exchange of the deferment of the offering,” the PSE said.

“Furthermore, this is without prejudice to any regulatory action that the exchange may purse in order to ensure full compliance with the applicable rules and for the protection of the investing public consistent with the mandate of the exchange, as self regulatory organization, to maintain a fair and orderly market,” it said.

PSE president and chief executive Ramon Monzon said the exchange was determining if DITO CME could unilaterally cancel the rights offering. Jenniffer B. Austria

7 electric co-ops considered ailing

THE National Electrification Administration said over the weekend its latest overall performance assessment showed only seven of the 121 electric cooperatives are considered ailing.

NEA said these are Abra Electric Cooperative, Albay Electric Cooperative Inc., Masbate Electric Cooperative Inc., Basilan Electric Cooperative Inc., TawiTawi Electric Cooperative Inc., Sulu Electric Cooperative Inc. and Lanao del Sur Electric Cooperative Inc. “There are a handful of ECs that are not performing at par to the operational parameters that can be attributed to political interference, armed conflicts, cultural beliefs, difficult geographical terrain, right of way problems and others,” the NEA said.

“In spite of these, the ECs have shown resiliency and optimism to take on these challenges,” it said.

The NEA said the ailing ECs would be able to rise up and perform better in the coming years with the support from the agency, their member consumers, different government agencies and other relevant organizations. Alena Mae S. Flores

Business DA warns of higher food costs amid global supply chain woes

By Othel V. Campos

T

HE Department of Agriculture warned over the weekend about rising food prices amid reports of further chokepoints in the global supply chain that may lead to upward pressures on production costs.

“The agriculture sector this year will confront global challenges, such as other countries stockpiling fertilizers and fuel prices going up. Our country will have to contend with rising consumer prices, as the rest of the world, even developed countries, is doing,” said Agriculture Secretary William Dar. Dar said the DA recognized the ur-

gency brought about by the pandemic and vowed to speed up the enforcement of more local balanced measures to ensure affordability for food consumers.

The DA noted that global food prices reached record highs during the pandemic, with the United Nations Index revealing a 28-percent rise, from grains to meat, in the last two years. Record levels of food inflation were last seen in 2011.

Labor shortages in transport and high freight costs also grounded goods, especially during the recent surges in COVID-19 infections in most countries.

The rise of vaccine mandates among the largest global economic players also compounded mobility issues among workers.

Talks of obligatory vaccinationsignited political turmoil in some countries.

Philippine agriculture suffered not only from the pandemic, but also from calamities such as Typhoon Odette that ravaged the Visayas and Mindanao.

The department said the African

PANGUIL BAY BRIDGE.

Public Works and Highways Undersecretary Emil Sadain (fifth from right) leads the inspection of Panguil Bay Bridge connecting Tubod, Lanao del Norte and Tangub City, Misamis Occidental. The inspection report, submitted to Secretary Roger Mercado, shows the design and build for the 3.169-kilometer bridge project, is progressing at a brisk pace, having attained a weighted average of 41.83 percent.

Group wants perks for energy-efficiency

THE Philippine Energy Efficiency Alliance asked the Department of Energy to support the granting of incentives based on energy savings, and not just on technology used.

PE2 said all energy efficiency projects, strategic or otherwise, should be made eligible for Tier III fiscal incentives under Republic Act No. 11534, or the Corporate Recovery and Tax Incentives for Enterprises Act. The PE2 position for Tier III reclassification of all EE projects was conveyed as a comment to the DOE draft department circular on the guidelines for the endorsement of EE strategic investments to the Board of Investments for fiscal incentives during the second public consultation.

“PE2 hopes that DOE can still support our push before BOI and the FIRB [Fiscal Incentives Review Board] for a universal Tier III classification of all EE projects, whether strategic or not. Otherwise, if there is a short-term need to define strategic EE for Tier III classification, PE2 believes that the value addition should not be technologybased, for technologies are rapidly evolving and cannot be captured by a static eligibility list,” PE2 president Alexander Ablaza said in a statement. Alena Mae S. Flores

Swine Fever remained a threat to the local livestock sector as there is no known cure. The sub-sector registered a 16-percent contraction last year.

Such factors led the agriculture output to a contraction in 2021 and off its original target of 2-percent growth, Dar said.

Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority showed that the agriculture, fishery and forestry sector registered a 0.3 percent decline in 2021, following a 0.2-percent drop in 2020.

Dar recently issued a directive to DA regional field offices to keep up food mobilization from food surplus provinces to major metropolitan markets.

“We are enhancing production in areas and provinces around Metro Manila, such as Central Luzon, and creating a quadrant of food baskets around NCR. Our regional field units have been tasked to empower farmers’ cooperatives and associations to export directly their surplus fruits and vegetables to metro areas,” Dar said.

DPWH targets to open Binondo-Intramuros Bridge by Holy Week

By Darwin G. Amojelar THE Department of Public Works and Highway said over the weekend the Binondo-Intramuros Bridge Project is expected to open to vehicular traffic by the Holy Week.

Public Works Undersecretary and Build, Build, Build chief implementer Emil Sadain said the 680-meter bridge across Pasig River is now 90-percent completed.

“You can walk over the bridge, but still closed with ongoing construction of ramps on Binondo and Intramuros side,” Sadain said.

Public Works Secretary Roger Mercado said he is extremely excited for the opening of the iconic basket-handle tied steel arch bridge that is expected to cut travel time between the districts of Binondo and Intramuros.

The newest bridge in Manila which will benefit about 30,000 vehicles daily gives extra space for pedestrians and dedicated lane for bikers for improved safety and ease of traffic flow.

The DPWH said equipment and crews are in the process of constructing access ramps made of prefabricated components from Shanghai, China at the Binondo side with an up-ramp lo-

cated at Muelle dela Industria St, and down-ramps at Rentas St. and Plaza del Conde St. Construction of ramps at Intramuros side is ongoing with up-ramp at Riverside Drive and down-ramp at Solana St. The P3.39-billion project is financed by a grant from China.

“We are grateful to the men and women who worked so hard to build this bridge and thank the government of China and its contractor China Road and Bridge Corp. for their commitment to this project,” Sadain said.

The bridge is one of the flagship infrastructure projects of DPWH.

PSE INDEX CLOSING Friday, January 28, 2022

-21.55 PTS. 7,251.97

TOTAL VOLUME TOTAL TRADES

1,234,146,271 90,975

TOTAL VALUE (IN PHP)

8,010,623,069.14

ADVANCES DECLINES

76 109

UNCHANGED

57

F oreign E xchange R ate Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas • FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2022

Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

51.3930

Japan

Yen

0.008670

0.4456

UK

Pound

1.338900

68.8101

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128376

6.5976

Switzerland

Franc

1.074691

55.2316

Canada

Dollar

0.784929

40.3399

Singapore

Dollar

0.739317

37.9957

Australia

Dollar

0.703100

36.1344

Bahrain

Dinar

2.652942

136.3426

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266539

13.6982

Brunei

Dollar

0.736594

37.8558

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000070

0.0036

Thailand

Baht

0.030130

1.5485

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.9936

Euro

Euro

1.114700

57.2878

Korea

Won

0.000831

0.0427

China

Yuan

0.157011

8.0693

India

Rupee

0.013300

0.6835

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.238379

12.2510

New Zealand

Dollar

0.658100

33.8217

Taiwan

Dollar

0.035963

1.8482 Source: BSP

Ayala power unit and UPC begin building 420-MW Indian solar farm

By Alena Mae S. Flores AC ENERGY Corp., the listed energy platform of the Ayala Group, and UPC Solar Asia Pacific Ltd. launched the construction of the 420-megawatt Masaya solar farm in India.

UPC-AC Energy Solar, the joint venture company, already built 630 MW of capacity across India.

UPC-AC Energy Solar is in the process of securing a 20-year loan from the State Bank of India to fund the project with an estimated project cost of $220 million under a 75:25 debt-to-equity financing scheme.

The joint venture will supply electricity at INR (Indian rupee) 2.71 per kilowatt-hour fixed over a 25-year period under a power supply agreement with the Solar Energy Corp. of India.

The Masaya Solar project is located in the Khandwa District, State of Madhya Pradesh, and is set to produce 691 gigawatt-hours of renewable energy per year, while avoiding 635,720 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually.

The project will also create 500 jobs during its construction stage.

Once completed, the Masaya Solar farm will be UPC-AC Energy Solar’s third and largest solar project in India.

“We are delighted that our partnership with UPC Solar continues to bear fruit in India. The success of our maiden projects, both reaching operational status in second quarter 2021 despite the tumultuous COVID-19 crisis, bodes well for the 420-MW Masaya Solar project,” said Patrice Clausse, head of ACEN’s International Group.

“Though the pandemic continues to present challenges, we are confident that we will complete the construction of this solar development safely and at the earliest possible time, to contribute even more meaningfully to India’s renewable energy goals,” he said.

Pranab Kumar Sarmah, chief executive of UPC-AC Energy Solar and co-founder of UPC Solar Asia Pacific expressed confidence the project would stand the test of both time and budget amid challenging COVID scenario.

House leaders see vape bill ending widespread use of cigarettes in PH

TOP SELLERS.

Shopee, the leading e-commerce platform in Southeast Asia and Taiwan, continues to support local sellers through the #TatakPinoy: Shopee Celebrates Local campaign. Shopee during the campaign held a contest where users voted for their favorite among 12 Filipino sellers. Uniq.mnl, Chelssydresstaytay and Mighty Clean emerged as the top three winners, where they not only exemplified excellence in their businesses but also supported the community by providing job opportunities amid the difficult times.

HOUSE leaders over the weekend described the vape bill recently passed by both chambers of Congress as their parting “gift” to the Filipino people as they hailed the measure as the beginning of the end for cigarettes in the Philippines.

They said the vape bill, which drew widespread support from vapers and smokers, is the gift of Congress to the Filipino people to finally have an effective tool to bring down smoking rates and save lives.

House Deputy Speaker Rodante Marcoleta said smokers who are having a hard time quitting now have a better option that does not burn tobacco and is strictly regulated by the government.

“As seen in other countries, smoke-free alternatives significantly contributed to the drop in the number of smokers. This is our gift, our legacy to the Filipino people,” said Marcoleta.

“Years from now when our country is rid of the smoking menace, we will look back at this Congress for starting the journey towards a smoke-free Philippines,” said Nueva Ecija 1st District Rep. Estrellita Suansing, referring to the ‘gamechanger’ vape bill.

The House and the Senate ratification of the bicameral conference committee report on the vape bill brings it closer to becoming a law. The enrolled bill will be submitted for the signature of the President.

“Once signed into law, the government will be able to properly regulate the sale and use of these products and at the same time, provide a new revenue stream for our public coffers. Equally important, the penal provisions contained therein shall ensure that only adult smokers can purchase these products and that minors will not be given access to the same,” said Marcoleta.

Smart posted download speed of 218.82 Mbps in 2nd half of 2021 to become fastest 5G mobile network SMART Communications Inc. said over the weekend it is the country’s undisputed fastest 5G mobile network as it delivered significantly higher speeds for its subscribers in the second half of 2021, based on the latest report by Ookla.

Using 325,396 user-initiated 5G tests, Ookla declared Smart as the winner of its speedtest awards for third quarter to fourth quarter, with a speed score of 201.95, topping its closest competitor with a speed score of 116.08.

Smart posted a median download

speed of 218.82 megabits per second and a median upload speed of 22.46 Mbps, while its closest competitor posted a median download speed of 116.92 Mbps and a median upload speed of 10.81 Mbps.

Ookla also reported Smart’s median latency at 14 milliseconds while its closest competitor recorded a median latency of 19 milliseconds.

Ookla’s latest report also showed huge speed gaps between Smart and its closest competitor in select cities.

Smart recorded a median download speed of 263.67 Mbps in Manila, while its closest competitor posted 98.44 Mbps. Smart also registered a median upload speed of 28.27 Mbps, while its closest competitor hit 9.77 Mbps.

Smart also dominated Cebu City in the Visayas with a median download speed of 214.27 Mbps, while its closest competitor recorded 125.93 Mbps.

Smart also led with an upload speed of 19.85 Mbps while its closest competitor clocked 10.34 Mbps.

Smart led in Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao with a median download speed of 217.83 Mbps while its closest competitor recorded 143.71 Mbps.

Smart also posted a median upload speed of 21.82 Mbps while its closest competitor posted 12.20 Mbps.

“As the pandemic sped up digital adoption across the world, we have made it our mission to provide Filipinos with the best customer experience through our superior network and innovative services that enable our subscrib-

ers to live the Giga Life and pursue their passions,” said Jane Basas, senior vice president and head of wireless consumer business at Smart.

“Speed is the key metric when it comes to network performance and simply providing amazing digital experiences, and we are extremely proud that our 5G network has consistently been recognized as the fastest in the country based on the real-world experience by our subscribers,” she said.

Darwin G. Amojelar

Coach bares what Barty needs to win US Open M EL BOU R N E — A sh leig h Ba r t y’s c o a ch b el ieve s t he world nu mb e r o ne w i l l not w i n t he o n ly G r a nd Sl a m m i s si ng f r om he r r e s u me u n le s s t he US O p e n ch a nge s it s b a l l s.

To p s e e d Ba r t y’s t r iu m ph at t he Au s t r a l ia n O p e n o n Satu r d ay e a r ne d he r a t h i r d Sl a m a f t e r t he Fr e n ch O p e n i n 2019 a nd Wi mble d o n l a s t ye a r.

But ge t t i ng he r h a nd s o n t he t r o phy at F lu sh i ng Me a d ows t o c om ple t e a c a r e e r G r a nd Sl a m of a l l fou r m ajor s i s u n l i kely t o h a p p e n w it h t he b a l l s c u r r e nt ly u s e d i n t he wome n’s si ng le s i n Ne w Yor k . “ T he US O p e n r e a l ly ne e d s t o ch a nge t he b a l l for t he g i rl s.

T he f a c t t he y s t i l l u s e a d i ffe r e nt b a l l for g u y s a nd g i rl s , it ’s a t e r r i ble b a l l for s ome o ne l i ke A sh ,” Ba r t y’s c o a ch Cr a ig Ty z z e r s a id a f t e r he r Melb ou r ne Pa r k v ic t or y ove r D a n iel le C ol l i n s.

W h i le Wi l s o n b a l l s a r e u s e d for b ot h , a l ig ht e r, le s s f lu f f y ve r sio n — r eg u l a r d ut y c om p a r e d t o ex t r a - d ut y — i s d e ploye d for t he wome n’s c om p e t it io n , w it h t he p e r c e pt io n t h at t he y a r e f a s t e r.

It i s t he o n ly m ajor t o u s e d i f fe r e nt b a l l s for me n a nd wome n .

Ty z z e r s a id t he l ig ht b a l l wa s h a r d t o c o nt r ol , a nd Ba r t y wa s for c e d t o u s e a d i f fe r e nt r a c q u e t at t he t ou r n a me nt l a s t ye a r. “ It wa s t he o n ly t ou r n a me nt l a s t ye a r, a nd r e a l ly for t wo ye a r s , whe r e she u s e s a g ut r a c q u e t but I h a d t o ch a nge he r t o a p oly ju s t t o ge t a ny s or t of c o nt r ol of t he b a l l ,” he s a id . “ I f t he y ke e p t h at b a l l t he s a me, no o ne l i ke A sh w i l l w i n t h at t ou r n a me nt .”

Ba r t y s t r u g g le d at t he US O p e n l a s t ye a r, u p s e t by u n s e e d e d A me r ic a n Shelby Roge r s i n t he t h i r d r ou nd . She i s ye t t o go b e yo nd t he fou r t h r ou nd i n si x a t t e m pt s.

L a s t ye a r’s US O p e n f i n a l wa s c o nt e s t e d by sho ck Br it i sh q u a l i f ie r E m m a R a d u c a nu — t he eve nt u a l w i n ne r — a nd C a n a d ia n L e yl a h Fe r n a nd e z , w it h Ty z z e r not s u r p r i s e d t o s e e a n a l l- u n s e e d e d f i n a l. “ T he r e’s no s u r p r i s e whe n t he b a l l i s l i ke it i s ,” he s a id .

AFP

Sports

Riera U. Mallari, Editor; Randy M. Caluag, Assistant Editor MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

B1

Australia’s Ashleigh Barty poses with the 2022 Australian Open winner’s trophy in Melbourne, following her victory over Danielle Collins of the US in the women’s singles final of the tennis tournament. AFP

PBA back on Feb. 11, but no st fans in 1 week of resumption

By Peter Atencio

T

HE schedules of the Philippine Basketball Association Governors’ Cup is being fixed now that the game are set to restart on February 11 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

Willie Marcial

The resumption of the league is now possible after the government adjusted its COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, with Metro Manila reverting back to Alert Level 2 With the new status taking effect from Febr uary 1 to 15, teams will be given 10 days to practice beginning at the start of the month.

PBA commissioner Willie Marcial said fans will still not be allowed to watch the games in the f irst two to three days of

matches.

Marcial said they could allow fans to come in on the second week of its resumption, but this will still depend on how the COVID situation will progress.

“Wala munang fans. Pag-aaralan muna natin ‘yung sitwasyon kung puwede na tayong magluwag. At the earliest baka second week magpapasok na tayo ng fans,” Marcial said in a statement.

Matches in the Governors’ Cup were called off late last year fol-

Elegant Olympic Village awaits Asa YANQING —An elegant and state-of-the art Yanqing Olympic Athletes Village in northwest Beijing awaits Asa Bisquera Miller upon his ar rival on Monday.

Chef de Mission Bones Floro and Athletes Welfare Off icer Joebert Yu inspected the twobedroom Team Philippines’ section at the residential cluster f ive, four-storey complex, where Miller, his father Kelly and Philippine Ski Snowboard Federation President Jim Apelar will be staying for the next three weeks.

Floro, tasked by Philippine Olympic Committee President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino to oversee Miller’s campaign, gave the facility a thumbs-up.

“I agree with my fellow chief chiefs of mission that the Olympic Village is excellent. It’s new,

well designed and built well,” Floro said. “All the facilities are f irst [rate]. I am conf ident that Asa [Miller] and all his fellow Olympians will be ver y comfortable during their stay.”

The caver nous mess hall, Floro said, offers hundreds of varieties of food, from Asian, Halal, Wester n and European and, of course, Chinese. The Main Media Center, meanwhile, is a high-ceiling str ucture with robots roaming the restaurants to serve food to the media.

And because the Athletes’ Village is in a bubble, ever ything the delegations need are available —including banks, self-ser vice laundr y, business centers, general and merchandise stores, telecom and newstands, among others.

“All the COVID-19 countermeasures were

clearly explained, disseminated and followed,” Floro said. “The organizing committee has been extremely consistent with their protocols.

I am ver y happy and safe that ever yone abides by them,” he added.

The National Alpine Skiing Centre perched on top of Xiaohaituo Mountain is linked with a cable car system. It takes 30 minutes to complete the 10.14-km ride from the Olympic Village. Each cable car can car r y up to eight people.

Yanqing will also host the luge and bobsleigh events.

The Beijing Olympic Village in Chaoyang District is the main village, while Yanqing and the Zhang jiakou Olympic Village are the subvillages.

Diaz tells Miller: Patience is key to success matters most is you love YA N QI N G — O l y m p i c what you’re doing and you gold medalist Hidilyn Diaz don’t regret anything,” is offering Asa Bisquera Diaz said. “Just do your Miller an inspiring piece of best for yourself, for the advice a day before the lone country and for your sport, Filipino athlete in the Winter enjoy everything, every Olympics steps on Beijing moment for yourself, Go soil on Monday.

Team Philippines!”

“There’s no secret to Miller is competing success, but it takes a lot of in the giant slalom and patience to get one goal,” slalom of men’s alpine Diaz told Miller, who at 17 skiing on February 13 and was nearly as young as Diaz 16, respectively, at the when he made his Winter Xiaohaituo Alpine Skiing Olympics debut in the Field in Yanqing.

Pyeongchang games in 2018.

He finished 70th among “You have to use this Asa Miller 100 participants in giant experience to inspire you to be a better person, a slalom in Pyeongchang. better athlete and do your Miller amassed 96 It took Diaz four Olympics—16 Tokyo Olympics in July last year. best,” said Diaz, herself International Skiing “It doesn’t matter how many Federation points in slalom and 93 an innocent looking 18 year old years—before she reached the top in her f irst Olympics in Beijing, of the world when she won the times you try—first time, second points in giant slalom to qualify women’s 55-kg gold medal at the time or third time—but what for Beijing.

2008.

lowing a spike in COVID-19 infections after the holiday season.

The surge in vir us cases compelled the government to escalate the status of NCR from Alert Level 2 to the stricter Alert Level 3.

This forced the PBA to temporarily postpone its schedule.

Marcial had a brief meeting with MMDA chairman Benhur Abalos on Sunday and was told the agency’s endorsement was no longer necessary.

That’s because under Alert Level 2, all close contact sports are already permitted.

Sotto helps 36ers beat defending NBL champ FILIPINO pride Kai Sotto scored a clutch basket in the dying seconds to help the Adelaide 36ers upset the defending champion Melbour ne United, 88-83, in overtime in the National Basketball League on Sunday at the Adelaide Entertainment Centre.

The 7’2” Sotto went on to finish with four rebounds and 12 points, including the dagger jumpshot off a Dusty Hannahs assist with 33 seconds left for the final tally.

The 36ers, who tied the contest at 74-all in regulation, let Hannahs take charge in overtime, scoring 10 in Adelaide’s 12-4 run to gain an 86-80 lead with 46 seconds left.

After Chris Goulding sank three freebies to keep Melbourne within range at 83-86, Hannahs then assisted Sotto for the game’s biggest shot, a midrange jumper in the last 33 seconds giving the 36ers the 88-83 spread, which they protected to the finish.

The win snapped Adelaide’s three-game skid to go up 4-6 in the standings in ninth spot.

Melbourne, riding high on an eight-game winning streak entering the game, fell to 8-3 to go down to third place in the standings.

Hannahs finished with 19 points.

The 36ers are coming off a 7176 upset loss to Tasmania. They were up 61-51 early in the final frame.

Adelaide also avenged its 97-79 loss to Melbourne last Jan. 22, also at the same venue. Peter Atencio

B2

Sports

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

Ko grinds past Kang to grab lead MIAMI — New Zealand’s Lydia Ko grinded out a level par 72 in blustery conditions to seize a two-stroke lead after Saturday’s third round of the LPGA at Boca Rio. Despite cold and windy weather at the Boca Raton resort in Florida, third-ranked Ko churned out 16 pars against a lone birdie and bogey to finish 54 holes on 11-under 205.

“To finish even par after a tough, grindy day, I think it was a solid day in the office,” Ko said. “Overall my game wasn’t as sharp, but when the conditions are tough, it’s difficult.

American Danielle Kang, who led by two at one stage, battled to a 74 to stand second on 207.

“Today was rough,” Kang said. “I checked out a little bit for the back nine. I did everything I can to stay in contention and gave myself a chance.

“It was really tough out there. There was a lot of gusting shots and I never missed so many putts by so far in a while.”

On a gusty day when the scoring average soared above 75, France’s Celine Boutier fired a bogey-free three-under par 69, the day’s low round, to seize third on 208.

England’s Charley Hull and Japan’s Yuka Saso shared fourth on 209 with Japan’s Nasa Hataoka sixth on 211.

Ko, the 24-year-old South Koreanborn Kiwi, took last year’s Tokyo Olympic bronze medal after a silver in 2016 at Rio. Ko seeks her 17th career LPGA title and first since last April’s Lotte Championship in Hawaii.

Kang won last week’s LPGA Tournament of Champions in Orlando for her sixth tour title.

World number eight Kang began the day deadlocked with Ko for the lead, then sandwiched birdies at the fourth and sixth holes around a bogey at the fifth to reach 12-under.

When Ko followed with a bogey at the seventh, Kang’s lead stretched to two strokes.

‘Trusting was tough’ But Ko rolled in a six-foot birdie putt at the par-5 10th and Kang missed a par putt from half that distance to leave them tied at the top once again. AFP

Makabu keeps WBC cruiser title

Tom Brady of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers waves to the crowd as he runs off the field after defeating the New England Patriots in the game at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback will retire after 22 NFL seasons, according to multiple US media reports. AFP

7-time NFL champ Brady to retire after 22 seasons N EW YORK — Seven-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Tom Brady is poised to retire after 22 NFL seasons, according to multiple US media reports Saturday.

The 44-year-old signal caller won his record seventh crown last year with Tampa Bay after taking six in 20 years with the New England Patriots.

ESPN and the NFL Network reported Brady will hang up his helmet and cleats while CBS Sports declared his retirement was imminent, all citing unnamed sources.

Brady’s agent, Don Yee, would not confirm the gridiron legend’s plans, only saying that nothing will be of-

ficial until Brady says it is.

“I understand the advance speculation about Tom’s future,” Yee said in a statement to ESPN. “Without getting into the accuracy or inaccuracy of what’s being reported, Tom will be the only person to express his plans with complete accuracy.

“He knows the realities of the football business and planning calendar as well as anybody, so that should be soon.”

There was a sense that Brady did

not wish to overshadow Sunday’s NFL playoff games by making an announcement, but the reports drew wide reaction from around the league.

“All the moments. All the memories. Thank you for everything,” the NFL tweeted, also sending, “GOAT” for Greatest of All Time and “Nobody Did It Better” with a list of Brady’s historic achievements.

Brady’s own company, TB12sports, seemed to indicate his mind was made up with a tweet “7 Super Bowl Rings. 5 Super Bowl MVPs. 3 League MVP Awards. 22 Incredible Seasons. Thank you for it all, @TomBrady” but they later deleted it. AFP

LOS A NGELES — Ilu nga Ma kabu ret ai ned his World Boxi ng Cou ncil cr uiser weight world t itle with a split- de cision victor y over T habiso Mchu nu i n War ren, Ohio, on Sat u rd ay.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Makabu beat the South African challenger for the second time, after stopping him in the 11th round back in 2015 in Durban.

This time it was a close, strategic bout with two judges scoring it in favor of Makabu, 115-113 and 116-112, and the third judge seeing it 115-113 for Mchunu.

“I already beat Thabiso the f irst time and did it again,” said Makabu, who improved to 29-2 with 25 knockouts. “I didn’t come for a knockout. I just came to box.”

Mchunu, who fell to 23-6 with 13 knockouts, was angr y at the result, shoving Makabu aside after the f ight.

Makabu made the second defense of the title he won in 2020, and he could f ind himself making his next title defense against Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in May. Alvarez got WBC approval last year to f ight Makabu, which would require a twodivision leap from his cur rent undisputed super middleweight championship but give him a shot at becoming a f ive-division champion.

But Alvarez (57-1-2 with 39 knockouts) has other options.

He could put his super middleweight title on the line against middleweight champion Jermall Charlo, who would move up in weight.

Or Alvarez could take on light heavyweight champion Dmitr y Bivol.

Nevertheless, Makabu made it clear he wants Alvarez.

“My next f ight (is) with Saul CA-NE-LO — I’m going to box and knock you out,” he said.

AFP

List edges Zalatoris in playoff for 1st PGA title LOS ANGELES — Luke List birdied the first playoff hole to beat Will Zalatoris in the Farmers Insurance Open on Saturday, notching his first US PGA Tour title in his 206th start.

List, 37 and ranked 151st in the world, delivered a sensational final round on the South Course at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, California, where his seven birdies included four in a row on the front nine and a 13-footer for the clubhouse lead at the 18th.

His six-under par 66 put him at 15-under 273, and he had to wait a tense two hours to see if he’d be caught, with Zalatoris, former world number one Jason Day and current No. 1 Jon Rahm leading the charge.

“It feels unbelievable,” said List, who celebrated with his wife, Chloe, as he held their young daughter Ryann.

“I’ve worked really hard and to just have my family here means the world to me, so my daughter could see that,” he said. “It’s all worth it for this moment.”

Zalatoris, who started the day tied with Day for the lead, fired a one-under 71, moving to 15-under with birdies at the fifth and sixth and

then parring his last 12 holes.

Despite an errant tee shot at the 72nd hole he had an eight-foot putt for birdie and the win, but it ran out of steam and he and List headed back to the 18th tee to open the playoff with the light already fading on the California coast.

Both found the right fairway bunker off the tee — their balls nestling inches apart.

Both blasted out into the fairway and from there List’s masterful approach hit the green and curled toward the cup, leaving him a one-foot birdie putt.

“I was just hoping for a playoff, and once I got that opportunity I just said, you know what, like I’m going to birdie this playoff hole whatever it takes.

“Then I walked up and my ball’s plugged and I said I’m still going to make birdie. I was super pumped,” added List, who earned an invitation to the Masters.

Fighting like hell He tapped it in, putting the pressure on Zalatoris, whose putt — similar to the one he faced in regulation — didn’t threaten the hole.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Zalatoris, runner-up

at last year’s Masters to Hideki Matsuyama who remains in search of a first tour title. “I fought like hell all day.”

With darkness falling “fast,” Zalatoris said, he had to “rely on past history” on the playoff hole.

“I really couldn’t see much in terms of the read, but I’m not even that disappointed with that part. I made three pars on 18 this week, and that’s just not going to get it done.”

Australia’s Day had moved to 15-under with a spectacular eagle at the par-four 14th, where he holed out from 118 yards out in the fairway.

But he bogeyed 16 and 17 before capping his round with a 10-foot birdie at the par-five 18th to finish in a tie for third with Rahm and Cameron Tringale.

Spain’s Rahm, who won his first major title at the US Open on the same Torrey Pines course last June, nabbed three of his four birdies in a burst at the seventh, eighth and ninth holes. He drained a 26-footer at 17 to pull within one shot of the lead but he couldn’t take advantage of the par-five finishing hole.

Luke List hits from the bunker on the 17th hole during the final He closed with a 71, while Tringale carded a round of The Farmers Insurance Open on the South Course at Tor70. AFP rey Pines Golf Course in La Jolla, California. AFP

Valdez leads PH volleyball pool for SEA Games Alyssa Valdez

THE Philippine National Volleyball Federation named 40 athletes for volleyball, led by volleyball star Alyssa Valdez, and 16 players for beach volleyball to the national pool for the Hanoi 31st Southeast Asian Games.

There are 20 athletes each for the men and women divisions for volleyball and eight apiece also for both genders for beach volleyball.

“The federation approved the recommendation of the national coaching staff for the national pool where we will eventually name the final composition of the teams for the Hanoi SEA Games,” PNVF President Ramon “Tats” Suzara said.

Suzara said the coaching staff recommended additional members of the pool because collegiate players won’t be available during the training period and competition schedule of the SEA Games which are set from May 12 to 25.

Jorge Edson Souza de Brito, an FIVB-appointed volleyball coach tasked to oversee the country’s

women’s national team program, selected the new members of the pool.

Out of the 40 men and women athletes in volleyball, Suzara said 14 will be picked for each gender for the SEA Games. For beach volleyball, four men and four women—two teams each— will be named.

The deadline set by the Hanoi SEA Games organizers for the submission of entries by names is on March 12.

The men’s volleyball pool is composed of the silver medal-winning team in the 2019 SEA Games.

The beach volleyball pool, on the other hand, is made up of the core of the teams that clinched a bronze medal also in the 2019 SEA Games.The teams Volleyball (Women—20 athletes and 4 coaching staff ) Athletes: 1. Iris Janelle Tolenada; 2. Jasmine Nabor; 3. Maria Deanna Izabella Wong; 4. Julia Melissa Morado; 5. Dawn Nicole Macandilli; 6.

Kat Arado; 7. Alyja Daphne Santiago; 8.

Dell Palomata; 9. Marivic Velaine Meneses; 10.

Abigail Maraño; 11. Frances Xinia Molina; 12.

Tyler-Marie Kalei Mau; 13. Alyssa Valdez; 14.

Katrina Mae Tolentino; 15. Jessica Margarett Galanza; 16. Casiey Monique Dongallo; 17.

Kim Kiana Dy; 18. Mylene Paat; 19. Jelaica Faye Gajero; 20. Aleona Denise Manabat Head Coach (under FIVB): Jorge Edson Souza De Brito (BRA); Head Coach: Arthur Odjie Mamon; Assistant Coach: Grace Rosario Antigua; Assistant Coach: George Pascua; Trainer: Raffy Mosuela Volleyball (Men—20 athletes and 4 coaching staff ) Athletes: 1. Kim Malabunga; 2. Ysrael Wilson Marasigan; 3. Rex Emmanuel Intal; 4. John Paul Bugaoan; 5. Francis Phillip Saura; 6. Jessie Lopez 7. Manuel Sumanguid III; 8. Kim Harold Dayandante; 9. Ave Joshua Retamar; 10. Joeven Dela Vega; 11. Marck Jesus Espejo; 12. Jack Kalingking; 13. John Vic De Guzman; 14. Bryan Bagunas; 15. Mark Gil Alfafara; 16. Angelo Nicolas Almendras; 17. Ricky Marcos; 18. Lloyd Josafat; 19. Joshua Umandal; 20. Esmilzo Joner Polvorosa; Head Coach: Dante Alinsunurin, Jr.; Assistant Coach: Ariel Dela Cruz; Assistant Coach: Sherwin Meneses; Trainer: Jeffrey Malabanan

Entertainment Two Pinoys vie for ‘The Apprentice’ title TWO Filipinos have qualified the rigid Pearl Alvarez knows what it’s like to selection process for the business-themed overcome adversity. As a child, she reality TV series, The Apprentice: worked long hours under the hot ONE Championship Edition sun on her father’s farm, where premiering on Netflix she harvested crops and sold tomorrow, Feb. 1 them at the local market.

For the first time, Soon, the proud Igorot viewers will see world started to practice martial champion athletes and arts – she first learned top CEOs challenge arnis in high school, then candidates with physical taekwondo in college, and and business tasks. then wushu, a style that The cross-cultural cast, Baguio City’s own Team including candidates from Lakay has made famous 11 nations, is a major change in ONE Championship. of pace from other versions of By studying martial arts, she The Apprentice. learned important life values Louie Sangalang Lara Pearl Alvarez, an like discipline, compassion, accountant and martial artist, and humility, and integrity, Louie Sangalang, a teacher and business which helped Alvarez succeed both owner, make the cut to join an elite group professionally and personally. of 16 highly-accomplished contestants When the Filipina was 22, she got vying for the title of The Apprentice. pregnant by her then-boyfriend, who The Apprentice: ONE Championship abandoned her and their unborn son.

Edition is said to be the toughest series Once her child was born, Alvarez took in history. The popular format on the role of both mother and has been reimagined to test father and has since raised her strength, character, and baby boy with the help of her determination unlike any family.

Apprentice before.

In addition to that “The Apprentice” enormous responsibility, rounded up 16 she works as an accountant candidates handpicked and trains diligently with from around the world the World Champions at to compete in a highTeam Lakay. stakes competition Also born in Baguio, involving business and Philippines, Louie physical challenges. The Sangalang’s family moved winner will receive a $250,000 often and he lived in several job offer to work directly Lara Pearl Alvarez provinces throughout the under ONE Chairman and country, where he was CEO Chatri Sityodtong for a year as his exposed to the harsh realities of life in protege in Singapore. a third-world nation. Read full story on Born in Baguio, Philippines, Lara manilastandard.net

Essential Arts Month

Catriona Gray at the Metropolitan Theater

ARIAS ALWIN IGNACIO Arts Month 2022 this February.

The group composed of Pablo Nase, Josh Cullen Santos, Justin de Dios, Ken Suson, and Stell Ajero, sang “Mapa” and shared their message of support for the celebration. They promised that there will be several arts month activities that they will grace and be hands-on participants.

According to Dr. Tolentino, this year’s theme is “Sining ng Pag-asa,” and the SCA and Cinema Committee Head explains that “it aims to recognize arts as a source and expression of hope as shown in the creative ways we respond to the effects of the pandemic, natural calamities, and other social realities, as well as the arts’ role in improving our community life as Filipinos.”

Music Committee Chair De Leon, meanwhile adds that ‘arts is essential, especially this trying times.”

“Can you imagine the world without the seven arts? All our lives could have been a mess and truly miserable without the arts that quietly held our hands and assured our hearts that life is still and indeed beautiful.”

Further details on this year’s flagship projects and other NAM-related activities will be updated on NCCA social media accounts.

The NAM Opening Ceremony is slated for Feb. 4, to be streamed via NCCA Facebook page. Visit NCCA Facebook page or log on to www.ncca. gov.ph.

FILIPINO art and culture enthusiasts will surely get a jubilant kind of high knowing the fact that the Philippines’ Fourth Miss Universe Catriona Gray and the Pinoy Pop Kings, SB19 are this year’s National Arts Month ambassadors.

Gray, SB19, and the Subcommission on the Arts (SCA), led by its commissioner and head of the National Committee on Cinema, Dr. Rolando Tolentino, and the seven national committees -- Architecture and Allied Arts headed by LAr. Zenaida DC. Galingan; Dance headed by Dr. Shirley Halili-Cruz; Literary Arts headed by Dr. Julieta C. Mallari; Music headed by Dr. Felipe M. De Leon, Jr.; Dramatic Arts headed by Felimon B. Blanco; and Visual Arts headed by Geraldine B. Araneta -- are coming together for the 31st year of the annual February Arts Month.

Gray kicked off the annual celebration with a short fashion film shot inside the historic Metropolitan Theater released during the Zoom conference billed as The Grand Reveal.

“I am so excited to create a vision with an amazing group of creatives within the iconic Metropolitan Theatre,” says the three-time arts ambassador.

Meanwhile, SB19 is the newest Youth and Sentro Rizal Ambassador of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA). The P-Pop group is joining the celebration of National Pinoy Pop Kings SB19

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2021

B3

BRINGING TO LIFE

inspiring Filipino stories

T

HE internet and the popularity of social media have made it possible for anyone to tell their story to a global audience. However, the medium has become fraught with misinformation, trolling, and even content that incites violence and creates a division between people.

A scene from the episode titled ‘Kapitbahay’

Will Devaughn and Peach Mascarinas in the ‘Lumpia,’ the first episode of ‘Real Heroes’

Instead of bringing together individuals from different backgrounds by spreading messages of positivity, the online world has turned into echo chambers that feed our biases in a continuous feedback loop.

However, the issue lies not in the medium, but in the content available on it. For Heaven’s Best Production House, the internet is one of the most effective mediums to bring uplifting stories straight to the people who need it. Thus, the birth of Real Heroes, an online show that aims to tell real stories from real Filipinos with lessons that can be picked up while viewing.

The brainchild director Hero Bautista and Robbie Pangilinan, Real Heroes is the first directorial venture for Bautista in creating short films that highlight good values.

The first episode, “Lumpia” (starred by Will Devaughn and Peach Mascarinas) tells the story of a battered wife who finds a back to freedom from her abusive husband through selling lumpia prepared using a recipe handed down to her from her mother.

“Kapitbahay” (starred by Christopher “Slykane” Dantes and Elishah

…are talking about

PEOPLE

Jessica Soho

Pangilinan) tells the story of heroic selflessness. A family shares what they can to a single mother, expecting nothing in return. Despite the financial difficulties experienced by the husband and wife, karma has a way of giving back and their selflessness is returned twofold.

“Earthly” (featuring Rochelle Kok and Jethro Ramirez) takes on a more somber tone, as a man on his deathbed is left behind by his young paramour. Unlike the optimistic ending in the previous episode.

“Earthly” is a sobering reminder of what is truly important, in this life and in the next.

Unlike most independent web-based series, Real Heroes has the advantage of being backed by a professional production house and this is seen in the quality of the videos. Shots are crisp and properly colorgraded, making it easy to view. And while there are some technical sound issues, if the first three uploaded episodes are any indication, Real Heroes can become the spiritual successor of well-loved defunct TV shows Hiraya Manarawi and Mga Kuwento ni Lola Basyang.

Real Heroes can be watched for free on Youtube at the realheroesYT channel.

Links to the episodes are also posted at the Kuya Hero (@KuyaHero1008) and Real Heroes Facebook pages.

...are not talking about Jam Magno

Hosting the Presidential Interviews did not faze the awardwinning broadcast journalist one bit. Suffice to say, she and her team did their homework as they tackled the controversies that shrouded four presidential candidates (who agreed to attend the interview) in the past and present. And when she was called biased, Jessica’s silence and thorough scrutinization during the program was enough response to show her professionalism.

Netizens are finally getting a break from the brash and sometimes unsolicited opinions of social media personality Jam Magno as her Twitter account has been permanently suspended by the microblogging site for breaking the community’s rules. This confused Jam but continued to speculate that it was her political affiliation that caused the permanent suspension. Netizens didn’t seem bothered by this development as they’ve been boycotting Jam’s accounts to keep her from getting clout and spreading misinformation.

UnkabogaBall2021 was not just an event that showcased over-the-top fashion and flamboyant personalities, it’s also a rainbow-colored statement that trains the spotlight on the members of the LGBT community that have been entertaining Filipinos via social media platforms. Made possible by comedian and TV host Vice Ganda, the night can also be described with two words: glitz and glamor. Apart from Vice Ganda serving fun and creative looks throughout the night, other personalities like Paolo Ballesteros, Awra Briguela, and Sassa Gurl also made appeared donning elegant and campy outfits.

It was just last year that the two stars finally tied the knot after being together since 2014. However, it doesn’t look like everything is going well in paradise for the couple as there have been rumors circulating about their split after only three months of marriage. The speculation arose after netizens saw that Tom wasn’t following his wife’s Instagram account.

Nothing has been confirmed from both parties, thus unleashing the public’s Marites.

Vice Ganda

Tom Rodriguez and Carla Abellana

Immigrant thriller ‘Nanny’ wins top prize at Sundance

Anna Diop in ‘Nanny’

NANNY, a supernatural thriller about an undocumented immigrant working for a wealthy New York family, won the Sundance film festival’s top prize Friday.

Starring Anna Diop and Michelle Monaghan, Nikyatu Jusu’s debut feature portrays the sacrifices Senegalese nanny Aisha makes to leave her home country and young son behind in order to build a new life.

“In America in particular, we haven’t seen enough films that truly reflect the disproportionate level of Black and brown women... domestic workers that keep this country afloat,” Jusu told a virtual panel at the festival.

“I wanted to center women who

typically are on the periphery of other women’s stories,” said Jusu, a firstgeneration American whose family is from Sierra Leone.

Diop, the film’s star who is also known for television series Titans, was born in Senegal and moved to the United States as a child.

The movie, which taps into the horror genre and African folklore as well as issues of race and motherhood, does not yet have a release date.

Sundance, which celebrates independent cinema, was forced to go virtual for a second year running by the surge in COVID-19 cases across the United States driven by the Omicron variant.

The Robert Redford-founded festival usually takes place in the mountains of the western US state of Utah.

The festival’s documentary prize went to The Exiles, in which filmmaker Christine Choy tracks down three exiled dissidents from China’s 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown.

The separate audience prize for best drama went to Cha Cha Real Smooth, starring Dakota Johnson as an older, engaged woman who strikes up a flirtatious relationship with a directionless recent graduate -- played by writer-director Cooper Raiff.

The film was bought by Apple TV+ during the festival for a reported $15 million -- the largest deal so far at this

year’s event.

And Navalny, a secretive new flyon-the-wall documentary about top Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny, which was added to the festival line-up at the last minute, won the audience documentary prize.

Director Daniel Roher said he wanted the film to spark “global outrage and outcry” over Navalny’s imprisonment.

The film, which airs on CNN and HBO Max later this year, follows the Russian opposition leader -- as well as his family and aides -- during the five months, he spent in Germany recovering from poisoning in late 2020 and early 2021. AFP

Life

Nickie Wang, Editor nickie.standard@gmail.com

B4

MONDAY, JANUARY 31, 2022

The jewels of Luzon

Marites Castro is the Department of Tourism Director for Region IV-A (CALABARZON)

The calming view of Taal Volcano and Lake is always a stress-reliever for those of us, metro residents

The canopy of bamboo trees provide a beautiful entrance to the Caranguian Integrated Farm in Cagayan province.

Fanibeth Domingo is the Department of Tourism Director for Region II

T

HE Israel Chamber of Commerce of the Philippines recently hosted a Webinar that would encourage its members and friends to get back to traveling once again, albeit domestically, and free themselves from the bondage of the various quarantine restrictions we have experienced these past months.

Invited to speak at the well-attended forum were officers of the Department of Tourism, Fanibeth Domingo, who is Director for Region 2, also known as Cagayan Valley, and Marites Castro, Director for Region IV-A, also known as CALABARZON. They each shared with the audience the interesting tourist attractions in their respective regions.

Cagayan Valley is in the northeastern corner of Luzon and includes the provinces of Quirino, Nueva Vizacaya, Cagayan, Isabela, and Batanes. Quirino banners its tagline “Your Basket of Happiness” to promote its many natural wonders -- tall, lush mountains traversed by many fresh and clear rivers, some of which lead to beautiful multitiered waterfalls. Tourists can even go cliff-diving or do the river rapids, for additional excitement.

Nueva Vizcaya wants tourists to “Feel The Vibe” with its historical World War II monuments and its 18th century Dupax del Sur Church, declared a National Cultural Treasure by the National Museum of the Philippines. And, to get a breathtaking view of the province’s natural wonders, one can go paragliding with a professional licensed pilot and enjoy the front-seat majestic panorama of the verdant valleys below.

Cagayan offers heritage tours of its historical landmarks but the province is the game fishing mecca for Pacific Sail Fish, that one with a large dorsal fin that looks like a sail. When hooked, this fish does acrobatics in the air and really gives the one who tackles it a long and strenuous fight, which is why it attracts the adventurous hardcore game fishers.

There is also the Caranguian Integrated Farm School, accredited by the De-

The iconic Stone House of the Dakay Family is a must-see in Batanes.(Photo courtesy of Art Tibaldo)

partment of Agriculture, the entrance of souvenir shop, still unmanned, still Batangas has its Drive and Dive which is a beautiful Bamboo Lane with with honesty as its policy.

Tourism Circuit that banners Anilao, bamboo trees forming a poetic canopy CALABARZON is an acronym of the famous for its amazing marine biodiletters in the names of the provinces that versity, making it a favorite destination over the pathway.

Isabela is proud of its 5000-hectare comprise it --Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, of diving enthusiasts from all over the bonsai forest, with plants ranging from Rizal, and Quezon. world. It is at the crossroads of at least one foot to seven feet in height. It also Cavite is not only known for its historical thirty popular dive spots. has a popular Sanctuary for the Philip- sites, having been the birthplace of Filipino The multi-faceted province of Rizal pine Crocodile, a critically endanhas its FFAAN Experience Tourgered species which, to this day, is ism Circuit, which stands for Food, financially supported by Michel Faith, Art, Adventure, and Nature YOUR MONDAY CHUCKLE Lacoste, president of the famous experience. Among the visitors’ When one door closes and another door global clothing company which favorites are the “Bibingka” and opens, you are probably in prison.

“Kalamay” of Cainta, and the art carries his name.

And there is Batanes which, I masterpieces of Botong Francisco know, is on everybody’s bucket and the Blanco Family in Angono.

Quezon Province is proud of its REIlist. A late bloomer, this province of- heroes Gen. Pantaleon Garcia and former ficially opened itself to tourists only President Emilio Aguinaldo, it also boasts a NA Tourism Circuit, which banners the attractions one can see in the towns of during Sen. Richard Gordon’s “WOW wide variety of scenic attractions.

Philippines” when he was Tourism SecTagaytay, with its cool year-round Real, Infanta, and General Nakar. retary. This province of 17,000 residents weather and the idyllic view of Taal Almost every kind of traveler, be he a entertained a total of 49,000 tourists be- Volcano and Lake, is the province’s nature lover, an adventure junkie, or a hisfore the pandemic set in. number one crowd-drawer. tory buff will enjoy what these towns ofOf course, aside from Batanes’ The Buhay Laguna Tourism Circuit fer. I know that the Pinlac Falls in Infanta breathtaking vistas, we all have heard of promotes San Pablo City, the largest in is a sight to behold. These and many more and seen that iconic Stone House owned the province, with its picturesque sev- interesting spots await those of us who are by the Dakay Family, and the Honesty en lakes, and widely diverse flora and now itching to travel and enjoy the beautiCoffee Shop that was put up near the fauna. It also pushes for Nagcarlan with ful sights our country offers…an affirmawaterfront by a teacher, to serve travel- its famous Underground Cemetery, the tion that, in spite of this pandemic, it’s still ers going to and coming from Sabtang only one in the country, and Liliw, lo- More Fun in the Philippines.

Island. It started serving only water, cated at the foot of Mount Banahaw, for For feedback, I’m coffee, and cookies, but now, it has its cold water spring resorts, homemade at bobzozobrado@gmail.com evolved into a much bigger coffee and sweets, and its baroque church.

Manila Hotel’s iconic dining outlets reopen THE Manila Hotel’s dining outlets, the famed Café Ilang-Ilang and the iconic The Champagne Room reopen soon after undergoing a few weeks of general maintenance.

The hotel chose to suspend dining operations as the holiday festivities died down to ensure food quality and guest safety, as well as spot-checks on its facilities.

Café Ilang-Ilang, which reopened on Jan. 28, enjoys a loyal following among local and foreign guests as it offers authentic international fare as well as a family-friendly dining experience. It continues to draw diners with its daily offering of gastronomic delights coupled with the culinary team’s passion to create an amazing spread of dishes that are in keeping with its acclaimed status as one of the best buffet restaurants in the country.

Diners can indulge in Café Ilang-Ilang’s wide range of food selections for lunch and dinner daily. This brings together Italian, Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and even certified Halal dishes under one roof for an indulgent eat-all-you-can feast featuring crowd favorites like the US Beef Rib Roast; items from the Churrasco station like meats and salmon; seafood like prawns and crabs; a glorious spread of different sushi and sashimi; Filipino favorites like Lechon with truffle rice; Chinese highlights like duck and various dim sum; an array of desserts including bibingka, puto bumbong, and halo-halo; and many more.

Meanwhile, Manila’s premier destination for exquisite fine dining will start accepting diners again on Wednesday, Feb. 2. To date, The Champagne Room is a premier restaurant whose timeless beauty remains, coupled with fine dining choices for discriminating diners who put a premium on impeccably prepared dishes, outstanding service, and

The refreshing Pinlac Falls in Infanta, Quezon is a favorite destination of fun-lovers

Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Chipotle Spicy Roast

Savor Mexican fiesta on a plate with Kenny Rogers Roasters’ Chipotle Spicy Ribs.

The lechon is a favorite among Cafe Ilang Ilang’s loyal guests

Cafe Ilang Ilang’s US roast beef

luxurious ambiance. The most romantic room in the country marks the return of its fine dining just in time for Valentine month.

The Champagne Room will welcome guests with an option for walk-in and reservations four days a week (Wednesday through Saturday), with select a la carte items and special multi-course degustation menus to choose from—conceived by the

Cafe Ilang Ilang also serves a wide array of seafood to its guests

hotel’s Executive Chef to showcase what this dining outlet is all about. Think generous servings of Black Angus Tenderloin, US Prime Beef Rib, the Chilean Sea Bass, or the satisfying Seafood Medley; there are also choices of starters; and for dessert, don’t miss out on the indulgent sweet delight—its signature Baked Alaska.

Both The Manila Hotel premier outlets elevate the dining experience: broadening our palate with flavors from global cultures and cuisine and applying elevated standards of safety that allow guests to dine comfortably and with peace of mind.

Café Ilang-Ilang and The Champagne Room still implement physical distancing and reduced capacity measures that are compliant with the IATF and DOT guidelines for restaurants.

For more information regarding reservation and dining rates, call their hotline numbers at (02) 85270011 or 0998-9501912. You may also email restaurantrsvn@themanilahotel.com; or check and book online for Café Ilang-Ilang via https://www.manila-hotel. com.ph/dining/cafe-ilang-ilang/ and The Champagne Room via https://www.manilahotel.com.ph/dining/champagne-room

Mexican fiesta on a plate IT’S hot and fiery at Kenny Rogers Roasters as it lets diners experience savory and deliciously healthy food with the Chipotle Spicy Roast and Ribs, all set to make a comeback this year.

The go-to meal for all the adventurous food lovers who particularly enjoy a little kick to their food, each plate of the Chipotle Spicy Roast and Ribs brings in all the fiesta elements and vibrancy to the palate.

The chicken and ribs are roasted and grilled to a perfect orange-golden brown with spices on the surfaces. To elevate the juicy roasted chicken and ribs, the meat is cooked with smoked hot chili taste and aroma balanced with herbs and spices.

Complementing it are two new sauce options: the Salsa Caliente to bring the spice to the next level, and the Salsa Verde to balance and clean the palate with its citrus flavors. Guests have the option to enjoy the Chipotle Spicy Roast (P320) Solo B Plate which includes a quarter chicken or the Chipotle Spicy Ribs (P525) Solo B Plate which comes with half slab rib. Both come with two side dishes, java rice, muffin, and two new sauces—the Salsa Caliente and Salsa Verde.

Kenny Rogers Roasters will also be offering the Chipotle Spicy Roast Group Meal (P1,130) which includes a whole roast chicken, and the Chipotle Spicy Ribs Group Meal (P1,915) comes with a whole slab rib. Both options come with the Salsa Verde and Salsa Caliente, Java Rice, 4 side dishes and muffins, and 1.5 liters of Coke.

Even better, customers can add the new Creamed Corn, a delicious side dish made of corn kernels in creamy white sauce, perfectly baked to flatter your tastebuds.

To complete the whole Mexican fiesta experience, customers can also avail the Grilled Tortilla as an add-on for only P20.

Chipotle Spicy Roast and Ribs is available at Kenny Rogers Roasters nationwide for dine-in, takeout, or delivery thru Kenny Rogers Roasters website: www.kennyrogersdelivery.com.ph, hotline: 8-555-9000 or via Grab Food and Food Panda.